Caelum charged up another shot, firing it at Amelia. In the same manner, she flew back as well.
"Let's go!" Yezekael yelled. He quickly turned around.
"Eek!"
He swept Natalia under her feet, catching her and carrying her. Caelum matched his speed, running alongside him.
"It's not like I'm injured! I can walk just fine!" Natalia contested, flailing around.
Yezekael and Caelum leapt into the air. Natalia held tightly, wrapping her arms around Yezekael's neck.
While still in the air, Caelum turned around, firing a few shots. The energy shots destroyed the terrain around, making it harder to travel.
The smoke cleared, and they were no longer visible. Amelia grumbled, her jaw clenched. Her grip tightened on the handle of her sword.
"Ruby! Use your magic— what are you doing?!"
Ruby got back up, before patting the dust and dirt that had gotten on her. She turned around.
"Our dear little sister had made her decision. Who am I to force her to change it?"
"We're her older sisters! We should be guiding her!"
"Relax. I'm actually a bit proud. This is the first time she's rebelled. The first time she's done anything major."
"… Ruby…"
Amelia loosened her grip. She decided it was futile to walk back home with Ruby. Their father had sent them to reclaim her, and he would obviously be disappointed to see that she was not there.
. .
"Our next destination is the eastern shore! If we're lucky, we'll meet up with soldiers!" Caelum said. They travelled on foot, Yezekael still carried Natalia.
They would have to take an alternative route to the shore if they didn't want to go through the capital. So naturally, that was the plan.
After a full hour of running, they stopped at an inn.
"How much… stamina do you guys have? I didn't think that it was possible to run at full speed for that long?"
The inn was basic, containing two beds.
The design was wooden— a wooden desk between the two beds, a wooden frame used to hold up the beds.
Natalia sat on the bed, deeming it comfortable, and lay her head back. Then, she cried. It was a short cry.
"I-I did it. I left them, just like that. Goodness… I'm a despicable person."
"You weren't aware of that before?"
Natalia slapped Yezekael's back.
"Okay. So we'll eat a little, and then we'll leave this inn. We head to the east on some horses, meet up with any soldiers who landed, then we push. The army is in fragments. But… I can bring it back. Yeah… I can bring it back."
With nothing to do besides engage in idle chatter, the day moved by very slowly. The sun barely peeked, most of it underneath the horizon.
The sky was a dark blue. Not yet black.
Yezekael decided to step outside and walk around the small town.
This probably isn't a good idea. Considering that I am a war criminal. But I'm bored.
He walked through the town, visiting bookstores, and buying small croissants from the bakery, along with some tea from another shop, that he could afford.
He finally stopped at a lake near the village, surrounded by trees.
"Bodies of water in Sar are always beautiful. That's really a shame. Such a beautiful landscape, plagued by a blind king…"
He lowered his bottom onto the lush green grass that surrounded the lake, bending his knees so his toes were just centimeters away from the water.
The soil was soft. Damp, moist.
Calm moments like this. It makes me forget that I'm in a war, and I'm in this kingdom to murder their king.
Yezekael took a bite out of the buttery golden croissant, the crisp rolls pulling apart. He chewed, letting out a satisfied sigh shortly after.
. .
The next day, as soon as morning came, Caelum was outside in the forest. Everyone was still asleep in the inn.
"Maybe I should've woke Yezekael off and told him he didn't have to sleep on the floor anymore…"
He stood in front of a large boulder. Slowly, he closed his eyes, pushing his palms together.
If I want to increase the chances of me beating the king of this country… I'll have to master this new power. And I'll need to do it quickly.
Activating it would be like activating a cast. Except, he wouldn't be using his own mana. He would be using the mana borrowed from the manabeast he had encountered.
The whole thing was still very confusing to him, and he didn't completely understand it.
His eyes shot open.
A red circle with two lines intersecting in the middle of it, like a crosshairs, appeared behind him! Floating, just like how it hovered behind the manabeast's head.
Along with that, there were some physical changes. The right side of his face had turned grey, and a horn shot out. Though, his right eyeball had not grown back.
Right now… I'm just simply using the mana. That alone alters my physiology. Interesting.
Caelum felt light on his feet. He bounced around, from tree to tree. But that was not what he was worried about.
[Beast Cast: Target Blitz]
Twelve of those Red crosshairs surrounded the boulder. In seconds, they shot out white energy with a red glow, bursting the boulder into dust.
An impressed smile crept onto his face.
Then, his grey skin faded away, along with his horn turning into dust.
He collapsed, falling onto a pile of leaves.
Unknowingly, I used too much mana. Haa… I guess it should be expected, considering I'm not used to this at all.