[32] A bit of an unlucky day II

A few hours earlier, Zephyr and Aurelia were outside the capital searching for herbs while practising independently.

Zephyr complained slightly as Aurelia played dirty in their sparring session.

"Oh, come on, stop using projectile attacks like that! And what about that magic maneuver you're doing?" the boy shouted while dodging the mana projectiles flying towards him.

"Hmph! You're too old-fashioned! Master Ash taught me that a Mage doesn't have to stay still while casting!" the girl in front of him retorted.

"Tch, this is getting more troublesome. Don't complain if you get hurt!" Zephyr warned, adopting his wind stance.

"Hohoho~ Let's see about that," Aurelia replied, throwing a lightning-element spell circle, Tier 4, Lightning Shock.

Aurelia moved swiftly, her hands deftly weaving magical energy. The spinning spell circle in the air produced dazzling flashes of light. With a rapid motion, she directed the lightning attack towards Zephyr.

Zephyr, unwilling to be outdone, quickly controlled the surrounding wind. With agile hand movements, he created a wind shield to protect himself from Aurelia's lightning attack. A loud crash echoed as the lightning and wind collided, sending flashes of light in all directions.

"Do you think that's enough?" Zephyr shouted, jumping sideways to avoid the dispersed energy shards. "You'll have to try harder!"

Aurelia smiled faintly. "Of course, this is just the beginning." She took a deep breath, focusing her magical energy into her right hand. "Watch this!" she cried, swinging her hand to create a larger, more complex spell circle.

Zephyr sensed the increased pressure of the energy. He knew the next attack would be stronger. Quickly, he concentrated his wind power, creating a wind vortex around him. "Come on, give it your best shot!" he challenged.

Aurelia raised her hand high, gathering the lightning energy flowing around her. "Lightning Strike!" she shouted, directing a devastating bolt of lightning at Zephyr.

The lightning struck Zephyr's wind vortex with tremendous force. The roar of thunder filled the air, and bright light flared out in all directions. Zephyr struggled to maintain his wind vortex, feeling the growing pressure.

However, with strong determination, Zephyr shifted his wind vortex into a counterattack. "Wind Slash!" he yelled, sending a sharp blade of wind towards Aurelia.

Aurelia was surprised but quickly formed a Mana shield to deflect the wind slash towards a nearby tree. The tree toppled when hit by the wind slash. "You're not messing around," she muttered with a smile.

After a while, both stopped, panting heavily. "You're getting stronger," Zephyr said with a satisfied smile.

"You too," Aurelia replied with a nod. "Master Ash will definitely be proud of us."

Zephyr and Aurelia continued their training until Zephyr's danger sense detected something nearby. His instincts immediately went on high alert, while Aurelia also sensed an unusual mana presence around them.

"Nee, are there villains who want to kill us again?" Aurelia said casually, though her eyes remained vigilant.

"No, I sense something coming from that direction. I also hear desperate cries from someone," Zephyr replied seriously.

Aurelia's expression hardened at her brother's words. "If that's the case, we must hurry!" she said firmly.

Zephyr agreed, and without hesitation, they both headed towards the source of the sound at full speed.

...

Upon arriving at the scene, Zephyr observed a group of criminals who had killed the guards from a carriage. From the appearance of the carriage, it was clear that it belonged to a noble family from a certain region.

"No, don't!" a young girl's voice cried out in despair as she was dragged by a vulgar old man.

"Tch, shut up! Or I'll hurt you!" the old man threatened, brandishing a sharp knife.

"Hey, calm down. We don't want to traumatise this little girl just yet, do we?" one of the old man's accomplices warned coldly.

"Tsk, it's not easy to get a girl from the Purplehorse family. We've also lost some of our men," the vulgar man growled in frustration.

"Just hurry up and finish the job," one of them said, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Huh?" Another man froze when he saw a young girl chanting a Tier 3 spell towards him.

"Mana Bullet!"

The spell shot out with the speed of a bullet, quickly and brutally eliminating a part of the criminal's head.

"Hey! Form up—"

ZRASSSH

Zephyr was already in front of them, swinging his sword with the speed of wind and cleaving the other man in two.

"Damn, attack them!" one of the criminals shouted in panic.

Aurelia, standing at a distance, launched a Tier 4 spell, "Lightning Shock," incapacitating two at once. Meanwhile, Zephyr moved with wind-like speed, slicing through the remaining enemies with deadly precision.

With extraordinary speed and skill, the two children, appearing around ten years old, managed to defeat the criminals who had killed twelve elite guards from the noble family.

"Haah... as usual, just another bunch of low-level thugs," Zephyr muttered, sighing as he wiped the blood from his sword before sheathing it.

"Wow, look at them, they could defeat elite guards. Maybe they're not low-level thugs but we're just too strong," Aurelia said casually.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Zephyr looked thoughtful, feeling a bit confused by the reality.

Aurelia shook her head at her brother's ignorance. Around them, dozens of lifeless bodies were scattered on the ground. Besides the two of them, there was one young girl who appeared to be their age, seemingly the target of the kidnapping.

"They said this girl is from the Purplehorse family, right?" Zephyr asked with curiosity.

"Purplehorse is one of the prominent noble families, just like Boreas," Aurelia replied as she approached the trembling girl under a tree. "Hey, don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."

The girl lifted her tear-streaked face, staring at them with wide, fearful eyes. "W-who are you?" she asked with a trembling voice.

"I'm Zephyr and this is Aurelia. We're here to help," Zephyr answered with a gentle smile, trying to reassure the girl.

Aurelia looked at the girl with kindness. "What's your name?" she asked softly.

"I-I'm Tristina," the girl answered quietly.

"Tristina, you're safe now. We'll make sure no one hurts you again," Aurelia said, extending her hand.

Tristina hesitantly reached for Aurelia's hand but felt the warmth and trust from the touch. "Thank you," she whispered softly, tears still flowing.

Zephyr surveyed the surroundings, littered with the bodies of the criminals. "By the way, what about all these corpses?" he asked with concern.

"Ah, don't worry." Aurelia took out a silver whistle from her pocket and blew into it.

Tristina and Zephyr were slightly startled and puzzled by Aurelia's action. Shortly after, a dozen people dressed in black appeared from the shadows as if summoned by magic.

Zephyr reflexively reached for his sword hilt, while Tristina retreated and took cover behind Aurelia.

"Hassan, here, young lady!" the newcomers said in unison, kneeling before Aurelia.

Aurelia smiled at them. "Clean up this place and make sure no traces are left," she commanded firmly.

The members of Hassan nodded and quickly dispersed, beginning to clean the battlefield with impressive efficiency. Tristina, who was starting to feel calmer, looked at Aurelia with admiration.

"Who are they?" Tristina asked softly.

"They're part of our shadow forces, trained for situations like this," Aurelia replied calmly. "We'll make sure no one knows about this incident, and you'll be safely returned to your family."

Zephyr looked at his sister with a mix of awe and confusion. "How come I didn't know about this!?"

Aurelia gave a small smile. "Because this force is secret and trained directly by Master Ash. Only a handful of people know about their existence."

Zephyr sighed deeply. "Master Ash is always full of surprises. But I'm glad they're here."

Aurelia nodded in agreement. "Yes, they are very useful in situations like this."

Tristina, beginning to feel more at ease, asked, "Who is Master Ash?"

Zephyr smiled and explained, "Master Ash is our leader. He guides us and teaches us many things, including training us to protect people like you."

Tristina looked at them with brighter eyes. "Thank you both."

Aurelia patted Tristina's back gently. "We'll let him know. Now, let's get you back."

With the help of the shadow forces, they ensured that the journey back to the capital was safe and smooth.