- A Small Hiccup

With the rays of light shining through the forest, past the flattened trees and into the massive crater, as the birds begin to chipper their pleasant melodies away, the day starts afresh with an early morning in the new world.

"Here, drink this." Ulbert reached out his human hand to Anna, holding onto a mysterious elixir of dark green colour. The light shines through it, clearly whatever is inside is fused with magic, while the obstruct shape of the glass presents the strange contents ever so more.

Hesitantly she stared at the potion, her eyes aching to look at Ulbert yet the untrustworthy side, no matter how little it is, wishes to remain hidden, dismissing the mind's urge of a simple glance.

What a...Strange colour, health potions are usually blue. Unless this isn't a health potion. She thought as she reached out her fragile hands and grasped the obscurely shaped glass containing the odd liquid. Although she knows Ulbert would not harm her, the worry of the unknown still swings wild, making her wonder if it will ever fully disappear.

With a tight pull of the cork, an aroma that is not disgusting nor pleasant to the nose escaped from within the potion and wrapped itself around her. Slightly hesitant, she lifted the glass bottle and her lips touched the long neck, where soon after it's content began pouring inside of her mouth and into her stomach, all while Ulbert patiently watched with an observing eye.

What a weird taste, it tastes like a health potion but different, I just can't put my tongue on it.

As she drank the last drop of the unusual elixir, Ulbert turned his attention away from her and said, "Good, in a few minutes all of your fatigue, hunger and thirst will drain away as if it was never there."

"As if never there?" She asked as she threw the bottle away into nearby grass, and followed Ulbert as he began walking the road leading to a narrow passage of the valley.

"Yes, the potion you just drank reduces the need to sleep, eat and drink for one whole day. As we need to reach E-Rantel as fast as possible, we cannot afford to makes stops for your body to rest."

"I-I see, I apologies for being a burden."

"It is not your fault girl, humans are born with uncountable flaws and nothing can change that."

"I will do my best to limit those flaws." She added, making Ulbert silently chuckle at her sudden reply.

"Let's hurry, we have a long path ahead."

And so, the two began their journey to E-Rantel. Just like Ulbert said, in mere minutes all the exhaustion and fatigue that piled up on her over the day and night faded away, no longer did her mouth feel dry and her stomach rumble and ache with hunger, taking by surprise as she felt the changes all over her body.

The news of the recent disaster has already spread out far and wide, even reaching the capitals of both E-Rantel and Slane Theocracy, quicker than Ulbert had anticipated.

"It will take us how long to reach E-Rantel?"

"Half a day, my lord," Anna replied as she peeped at Ulbert for the tenth time in the past hour, examining the human appearance he took from Andras yet again.

"As I have said before, there is no need to call me lord. We do not want to raise suspicion."

"O-Of course, forgive me." Anna lowered her head and looked at her new clothes.

The black dress with white trim turned into a dull dress of light brown shade with no exposed sides, while the black heels became normal boots and the laced headpiece turned into a scarf wrapped around her head. Instead of the revealing outfit of a maid, new and unappealing clothes sit on her body, given to her by Ulbert before they left for the city.

These clothes look just like anything a peasant would wear, yet they feel so comfortable as if I never changed from the maid's outfit. She thought as a small smile appeared on her face, realizing that Ulbert put thought into making the dress comfortable for her, and not make something that feels as it looks.

They have been travelling for quite a while, as far away from the village as possible, or what's left of it. Juz has taken care of the bodies and was given discreet orders by Ulbert, while Noura and Xavius have been sent away to the capital of Slane Theocracy.

They seemed very displeased with Ulbert. Anna thought to herself, remembering the look on their faces as they departed away from their lord. It was not just sadness they showed, but anger and rage were burning deep in their eyes, she could tell.

"I assume we are about to enter the Re-Estize Kingdom?" Ulbert asked as he glanced around the green valley, surrounded by mountains and forests.

"Yes, Lo...Ulbert, past this valley."

"And are there any guards patrolling the border?"

"Not that I know off."

Ulbert shifted his pupils as he looked around the surrounding forest with a slight frown.

People are surrounding us, a lot of them. They are not guards that's for sure, bandits perhaps? This location makes it a perfect place to rob merchants and unsuspecting travellers. It would be for my best interest to keep them alive.

"Anna."

"Hmm?"

"We are being surrounded by what appears to be a group of bandits, do not look around and remain calm."

"B-Bandits?" Anna glanced around with her eyes without moving her head.

"I doubt patrol belonging to Re-Estize Kingdom would surround us like that."

"What should we do?"

"Nothing," Ulbert said with a small smile.

"N-Nothing?"

"Yes, nothing."

"B-But w-what if they rob us?"

"I do not mind losing a few useless items."

Before they went on ahead and departed ways with Xavius and Noura, Ulbert took a few items from the dead bodies belonging to the surviving villagers. It was not much, just a simple backpack filled with common clothes, food and trading goods as to not raise suspicion when travelling.

"But what if they decided to hurt us?"

"Then that will be their last mistake," Ulbert replied as he gave her a simple but firm look and in response, Anna simply gulped.

"Well, well, well! Look who we have here!"

With widened eyes Anna swiftly turned her head towards the narrow path ahead, her hand now tightly holding onto a sword's handle that is hidden in the sheath, her heart beating faster and faster with every passing moment.

A man in golden armour spoke as he walked out from behind a tree onto the main road, staring at them both with a massive grin.

"Who is that?" Anna whispered.

"Must be their leader."

And moments later from within the shadows of the forest, bandits began revealing themselves one by one, soon surrounding the two with blades and bows in their hands.

"Heheheh," He stepped closer. "Looks like we have visitors boys." He waved his blade around as the rest of his henchmen closed the distance. In sudden panic and without realization, Anna pushed tightly against Ulbert while her hands readied her sword.

"We do not want trouble," Ulbert said as he raised his arms, palms wide open.

"The woman thinks otherwise." The man replied, pointing his blade at Anna.

"Anna, lower down your weapon."

Anna stared at the bandit for a second and then shifted her eyes towards Ulbert, before lowering down her weapon with the handle being squeezed tight in anger.

"Empty your pockets!" The bandit ordered with a shout, and Ulbert listened. Throwing his backpack towards the man and promptly raising his hands back up.

"You better not be hiding anything."

"That is all we have."

"You better not be lying, or I will take more than your backpack."

"I swear this is all we have. Please let us go."

"Hmm...I am in a good mood, you can pass. But you better not be trying anything funny."

Ulbert gave a small nod but as soon as he lifted his leg to take a step, Anna was pulled away from him by one of the bandits, her body trying to pull itself away from the man yet the grasp he has on her is simply too strong.

"Why don't we take this one with us?" He laughed as he pulled onto her even harder, hurting her with the tight squeeze.

"She's a beauty ain't she boss? Can we take her?"

The man pulled his face closer to her, his stubble beard rubbing against her skin.

"Whatchu say sweetcheeks? Want to come with us?"

"Lord Ulbert!" Anna shouted as she finally managed to pull herself away from the man and hold onto Ulbert's arm, the sword that was in her hand now laying on the floor and her eyes tearing up.

"A lord? Why would a lord be dressed like that? Were you lying to us? I do not like liars."

Ulbert looked at the leader and into his eyes, raising one of his hands with his palm wide open.

"Weak fools dare approach my subject, I shall tolerate this no longer!" With his teeth gritting against one another Ulbert spat out, and a shockwave, invisible to the human eye, appeared from within his body and struck back all enemies that were surrounding him, crushing their armour yet keeping their bodies intact and whole. Sharp arrows flew at him as bowstrings grazed the fingers of archers that shot their bows from the distance, yet the arrows simply bounced off his tough body and onto the mud below, no matter their speed.

"W-What?" A man, who fired one of the arrows spoke in surprise as he looked at Ulbert, laying his gaze for only a fraction of a second before one of his legs was torn by a magic arrow shot with silent magic.

The man screamed in pain as he grabbed his torn leg with his hands, blood gushing out and broken bones sticking out, with tears his eyes looking around for help.

But he was not the only one hit, all of the archers that hid themselves in the shadows of the forest, have been struck by the magical arrows Ulbert had created in a blink of an eye. Screams of pain and agony swiftly spread throughout what a moment ago was a peaceful valley, and all but the leader of the bandit group were left with severe wounds.

The bandit leader stood terrified, his arms and knees shaking as his whole body felt the menacing gaze of Ulbert Alain Odle, a stare that made him reminisce all of his greatest fears as if they were nothing compared to the horror he felt now.

Slowly, Ulbert walked up to the man as he fell to the floor, snot and tears running down his cheeks while his eyes could be seen begging for forgiveness.

"You," Ulbert squatted in front of the man. "Will make sure no one talks about what happened here, not a single word will escape your filthy mouth, or I will find you, and make sure you will know the greatest pain known to man. Do we have an understanding?"

Barely able to hold off the trembling, the man responded with a small nod.

"Good, now go take care of those vermins, make sure they do not talk of what happened."

With Ulbert's permission, the man stood up and made his way to those that were severely injured, and began treating the wounds of as many as he could.

Interesting, perhaps he cares more about his subordinates than I presumed. Ulbert thought as he turned around to look at Anna, yet she was already standing before him, hugging and clutching onto his clothes as hard as she could with tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I was so scared..." She wept as she buried her face into his clothes.

They were mere bandits, why are you so afraid? Ulbert wanted to say, however instead of words, gently he patted her on her head, his other hand over her body.

"Shh, it is fine now."

"I...I thought," She spoke with a loud sniff. "I thought you were going to leave me. I was so afraid..."

"You are under my protection as you are my personal maid, you have nothing to fear."

"W-what about them?" Anna looked at the bandits,

"They should be fine, I have decided not to kill them after all. Now let's get going, we must reach E-Rantel before dawn."