novelThe Second Encounter with Madam Marshal
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Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren really regretted not standing his ground when Lily came up with that sorry name for their mercenary group. Now that things had come to this, calling the group "Pink Fluffy Bunnies" would not have been as bad. The way Bishop Gelton pronounced the name of their group turned their faces ashen-grey, with the exception of the dumbass, Lily. She cheered happily and introduced herself to the bishop in her excitement."Yep, yep. And, I'm the deputy leader of the group..."
Hao Ren henceforth decided that she was the deputy of their merry band. That said, there was no such designation in his group...
Gelton's main queries were to find out what happened and how they came about rescuing the four ascetics. One query was to gather information and another to verify the veracity of the whole incident. That did not mean that he was planning to hide the truth. However, as the bishop of the local diocese, it would be remiss of him to not be careful. But with Hao Ren and Big Beardy having rehearsed the whole story a few times, it was watertight.
"That's all from me for now. All of you have done well." Gelton let out a sigh of relief as he concluded the questioning and the wrinkles on his face were much more apparent as he relaxed. He still peered at Hao Ren curiously nonetheless."I still wonder why you didn't come straight to Leyton, instead you went to the sacred lake. Wouldn't it have been more troublesome to safeguard the Orb that way? I heard that you all teleported here. Did something go wrong?"
Hao Ren's face was grim."None other than a slip of the hand."
Vivian nudged him on the shoulder as she interjected, "We weren't familiar with the geography of the Blood Lake and there were many disruptive magic sources in town, so we chose an empty plain to land on. However, we never thought that rock monsters had already invaded the lake. We thought that we only had to contend with the creatures in the Grove.
Gelton bore a serious expression as he nodded."Is that so... Well, that explains things. Thank the goddess that all of you are safe."
Big Beardy then asked, "I know that the defences here were breached at one point, but haven't you purified all of the monsters that got through?"
Gelton threw Hao Ren and his group a glance before contemplating the matter. It was not much of a secret to begin with and the group in front of him was directly involved in the matter, hence he was forthright with the information."We only managed to seal the gap in Leyton, but there are other places where the monsters could have gotten around..."
After that, the old bishop explained the current situation for all of them to understand. Based on the information he gave, there was clearly more than what the captain had let on."...It was all fine until now. Although monsters did appear from the mountains occassionally, they were few in number and their path was obvious, so it wasn't much of a trouble to purify them. Once we laid the necessary ground work and understood the weakness of the monsters, they were simple enough to stop. Subsequently, I started studying the ancient text from the Ancient Magic Civilisation to find out why the mountain was splitting itself apart and creating such monstrosities. We had hoped to stall the monsters until we discovered a way to stop them, but progress has been very slow... Half a month ago, Dragonspine Ridge experienced another huge landslide, and not long after, the northern defensive line came under very strong assault. The local lords and garrison went forth to help before the line was attacked by a large group of monsters... This was the first time that the rock monsters showed strategic nuances. Plus, their numbers were way more than before..."
Gelton stopped for a moment before continuing, "After the Leyton defensive line was breached, the southern part of the ridge experienced another round of landslides. But this time, it was even more baffling. It was as if the whole mountain had twisted and turned during the incident, creating a whole new pathway. This pathway literally cut through the mountain range, where the defensive line was anchored all the way through to the Gnarled Grove. The monsters that have been appearing from then on all came from that accursed path. If you go to the southern area, this is very obvious. Dragonspine Ridge has a new mountain and it is right on top of our defences.
Gelton made his explanation clear and simple. It was quite obvious that he was not plotting anything. He knew that the four ascetics would be heading back to the Royal City to report the matter and take the chance to explain everything.
"There are movements and changes in the mountain, right?" Big Beardy said in a grim manner."This does not bode well... Do you have no way to stop it?"
Gelton closed his eyes."Our manpower is limited and our foe is nature itself. While it pains me to say so, we still do not understand the power wielded by the mage emperors of yore. The mountain path is very treacherous and the miasma is palpable. The whole mountain can even collapse on itself to prevent others from encroaching it. Losses were heavy in our first few attempts. Even the royal mages could not do anything about it. So, we are now left to cull whatever that comes out from the Grove or the mountains to maintain peace. The former is under the purview of the church knights, while the latter is handled by Marshal Ophra's royal knights.
Hao Ren kept silent as he listened, but in his head, he was already planning on how to go about investigating the mystery behind Dragonspine Ridge. More and more unsettling incidents surrounding that mountain range were popping up. He believed that the range bore secrets of the Magic Kingdom from 10, 000 years ago, those secret may just help him in solving the issues regarding Earth's unusual creatures, and perhaps the whole nature of The Plane of Dreams. His mission now was to prevent The Plane of Dreams from converging with the Surface World. Anything that could possibly help should not be dismissed. Hao Ren was discussing with the MDT if they should apply for a micro-surveillance satellite when the main door was suddenly pushed open. A beautiful lady cutting a heroic figure marched in."Bishop Gelton, I've heard that the Orb of the Holy... Hmm?"
Hao Ren turned towards the voice and saw a lady with curly, maroon locks in full plate armour. She had a very dignified look to her—the eternal guardian of the kingdom, the legendary heroine of the Kingdom of Holetta, Madam Marshal Ophra. As the marshal walked in, the first to bounce off her seat was Becky. The mercenary was so stunned that she stammered as she spoke, "It's... La-Lady... O-Ophra! An... honour to meet you! Lo-long live the marshal... I-I... am Be-Becky, do you remember me? I-I was... se-searching for the O-Orb..."
Hao Ren was tired of Becky's fangirling and giddiness, so he pulled her back."Marshal, I'm... the captain of this mercenary group. We have safely returned the Orb to where it belongs."
Ophra was slightly surprised to see the group in front of her. Because of Becky's antics, she had a rather deep impression of them and by then, she had already recalled their first encounter."So, it's you lot... I heard the news when I was outside. I never thought that the heroes behind the Orb's return would be a newly formed mercenary group. Well done."
Becky's eyes immediately lit up as she tugged at Hao Ren's shoulder."Hehehe... Hehehe... Did Lady Ophra just praise me just now?"
Vivian frowned and she massaged her temples as the scene reminded her of something."...My goodness, fangirls are sure hard to deal with..."
Ophra soon ignored Hao Ren and his odd bunch of mercenaries as she approached the four ascetics, exchanging greetings in the process."It has been a while, masters. I'm so glad to see all of you safe and sound. Is the Orb of the Holy Synod with you?"
Lady Ophra seemed like a rather straightforward person because she went straight into the status of the Orb. Big Beardy nodded."It's with me. But, we have not decided on how to securely store it. By rule, the Orb should be returned to the church in the middle of the sacred lake, but that place isn't safe anymore."
"You can place it here, " Gelton spoke."This is the nearest holy ground to the sacred lake. As the situation demands it, placing the Orb here befits the scripture. Once we have eliminated the monsters—"
"Allow me to speak." Lady Ophra found a place to sit as she looked at Gelton."Bishop Gelton, don't take this as me doubting your knowledge and abilities, but I'm afraid we won't be finding the cause of the landslides any time soon. In this situation, placing the Orb in Beinz itself is simply unwise. I suggest that both the royal and church knights select a couple of elites to escort the Orb of the Holy Synod to the Royal Cathedral. This should ease the concerns regarding the Orb. News of fighting in Beinz has already reached Steinne and I suspect those seat warmers over there are already getting jittery."
Gelton kept quiet and Ophra started to show signs of impatience."That aside, Bishop Gelton, I'm suggesting this again: let my royal knights 'help' you clear the area around the sacred lake. It has been half a month and the rock monsters are still wandering about on sacred grounds. I can see that your knights are already tired. They need rest. My royal knights and their reinforcements on the other hand, have only been patrolling the ridge. The boys are aching for action. This is not the time to brood about honour. The royal knights are also believers of the goddess. They may not have the mark, but they can still fight on sacred ground. This is in accordance to the creed."
The old bishop stood up wobbly."This is not about honour, Marshal. Nevertheless, I have seriously contemplated your suggestion. But before that... let this group of people rest. The masters, please stay put. Both Lady Ophra and I have more to ask you."
Hao Ren immediately realised that the things they were about to discuss were not for the ears of "outsiders".
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