Chapter 158 Epilogue: Repeat
A few kilometers away from Randalvine, a luxury carriage was speedily approaching. The two Hexapod Horses drawing the carriage were galloping mightily, while huffing and puffing their chest rhythmically.
The driver of the carriage seemed anxious, as if it was his first day of driving a carriage. However, his mind was just occupied by the recent news he had heard from a random person he had met when he had rested his horse.
Alas, what could he do but worry over his family in Raneil Barony?
The news came right after he had departed, as if the world wanted him to leave his family behind. Still, his professionalism beat his worry over his family in the end; he focused on his job to distract his mind from the uneasiness.
In the carriage the driver was driving, two people sat face to face. One of them was a beautiful teenage girl, and the other was an attractive mature woman. They were talking with each other, discussing about the news the driver had also heard.
"To call it coincidence will be a stretch, but to call it premeditated ... In my opinion, that will be illogical," the young girl said to the mature woman.
The mature woman chuckled, and mildly waved her hand. "I am not accusing Basil or whatsoever, Jules. What I mean by 'everything was planned' is, Basil is ahead of everyone."
These two females were no other than Julia Chilston and her mother, Diana Chilston.
Although there had been a week long delay due to Diana settling all her Noble related matters, both of them still could head to Randalvine in time.
Diana had been taken aback at first, since Julia's request to head to Randalvine had been so sudden.
However, she had attributed it to Julia wanting to spend more time together with her, so she had agreed immediately.
It was to her surprise that her daughter's "gut feeling" to go to Randalvine actually had a meaning; something had really happened!
Still, the one she still admired the most was Basil; he had "predicted" something like this would happen ahead of everyone, after all.
"Now, it makes me wonder. I get the reason why Basil moved Mr. Danzel and her daughter out of Raneil Barony ..." Diana hummed to herself.
"But, why did he have to take Shirley too? Although close, Fortescher County and Woster County is, after all, still 2,000 kilometers apart. There is no way the Monsters from Raneil Barony could reach there uninterrupted."
Diana was referring to the Knights and Mages living around the vicinity. At Diana's puzzlement, Julia mused for awhile, before her mind recalled something she had nearly forgotten.
"According to the rumours, there should be an Outbreak occurring soon ... I think that's the reason?" Julia looked at Diana unsurely.
Diana frowned lightly. "Although an Outbreak will occur soon, Woster County is also far away from BA-22. Moreover, there is no need to worry over the split concentration of the Royal Army. We have enough Mercenary to cover it."
Mercenary is consisted of Free Knights who are hired by the Kingdom in times of danger. The gathering in Firefly Guild had been an example of a Mercenary recruitment.
"Well, I guess Basil is just being Basil. He is too cautious for his own good." Diana shrugged.
No matter how she though about it, she couldn't think of the reason why Basil had moved his family to such a safe place—Randalvine, the heart of Braxtein Kingdom.
Of course, she didn't need to muse over it for long. Because, the answer was given to her in a fairly short time.
...
Dale Village (8 kilometers from BA-22).
Iliana looked far ahead, at the stationed Royal Army with a frown. A news had been delivered a few minutes ago about the sudden emergence of Monsters, but none of them were ordered to take care of it.
By saying "them," she didn't mean the Royal Army, but herself and the other Randalvine Magic Institute students.
It had been their third day of being stationed here, and they had done nothing but guarding over an empty village. Sending them over to Raneil Barony was unquestionably a smarter choice.
Funnily, none of the people in authority thought about that.
She understood the reason why BA-22 was prioritized. However, she couldn't get why the King was so adamant on keeping everyone stuck in BA-22; it wouldn't hurt sending some of the aids to settle the problem in Raneil Barony, after all.
She turned to Darius who was standing beside her. "Darius, no matter how long I see it, there is no sign of an Outbreak occurring soon." She frowned. "Don't you think we are wasting our time here?"
"Well... I am befuddled too, to be honest." Surprisingly, Darius agreed with Iliana in this matter. "I haven't even detected any abnormal Mana fluctuation from the Obelisk ... It seems very unlikely for this Obelisk to experience an Outbreak soon."
Iliana clicked her tongue. "Tsk. Overlooking an elephant in front of one's eyes; scrutinizing an ant of the other island, huh?" She smiled condescendingly. "I can't say I didn't expect this."
Darius was about to respond Iliana's word, however someone beat him to it.
"You should watch to whom you direct those words, Miss Iliana."
At the interruption, Iliana and Darius turned around to look at the speaker.
? It was a handsome, blue haired young man with muscular build and a height of 187 centimeters. Walking slowly toward them, the young man gazed at Iliana with a smile.
Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "Hoh? I didn't know you are a Kingdom's loyal dog, Eugene."
The young man, Eugene, merely smiled and bowed slightly. "To say kind words, we shan't need to see the other person." Giving another smile to Iliana, he said, "Don't you think so?"
"I don't think so, unfortunately," was Iliana's instant reply. "Black can never become white even if you call it bright, and vice versa. Bad remains bad, and a stupidity remains a stupidity."
Waving her hand lightly, she continued, "Your way of thinking is not practical."
Despite the barrage of critical, yet condescending words, Eugene could still keep smiling.
Putting his hand above his heart, he said, "Think I do not; feel I do. Unlike you who rationalize everything, I treat everything with compassion; just like what our Gods have taught us."
"I would like to see you do that to the Monsters." Iliana smirked, and some people around her even laughed. "Pretentious prick. Does he think his mask is perfect?" She muttered under her breath.
She could read every one of his emotions like an open book. She knew even if Eugene was keeping a kind face on the surface, his mind was filled with thoughts that could scare away anyone.
This type of person disgusted her the most.
"Darius," she turned her head to the side, "I will head to Raneil Barony to face the incoming horde. I can't stand this pointless activity anymore."
She was about to walk away from the vicinity, when someone called her name, stopping her in her way.
"Iliana, wait!"
She turned around, and looked at the caller—the callers. "What is it, Whitney ... and Cray?"
"We will go to Raneil Barony with you. We got ... Something to retrieve," Whitney said cryptically.
Iliana quirked her eyebrow as she understood where the two were exactly going to: Death Howl Dungeon. She, too, was going there.
With a smirk, she said, "I won't hold any responsibility if you got punished. Just so you know, I am free of punishment because of Master Lawson." Pointing her finger at them, she continued, "The two of you, in the other hand, have no backing."
"We don't mind." Whitney nodded his head resolutely.
"Moreover, helping people in our way to retrieve our thing is far more productive than uselessly standing here, right?!" Cray enthusiastically exclaimed.
Iliana nodded her head simply, then walked away; Whitney and Cray also followed suit. Of course, they couldn't just go like that.
"Where are you going?" Darius asked in exasperation.
"To save people," was Iliana's simple answer.
Darius opened his mouth, but nothing came out. In the end, he opted to turn a blind eye on the rebellious act.
"Do you think it will be alright, President?" Darius turned his head to look at the petite, red haired girl beside him—his secretary. "Do you think it will be fine, Annabeth?" He asked. "No," Annabeth replied instantaneously.
"Exactly." Darius sighed helplessly.
On the other side, Eugene looked at the disappearing back of Iliana in irritation—of course, he was smart enough to not plainly show it—he was dissatisfied his attempt to keep Iliana way from Raneil Barony had failed.
Who knows that girl is that rebellious?
Anyhow, he had tried his best to keep her away from there. What would happen next would be due to her decision.
A cold smile slowly grazed his face. With his advanced information, he knew what would Raneil Barony—Fortescher County would end up as.
A banquet for Demons.
...
The Obelisk of Goap, BA-32 (600 kilometers from BA-22).
Right in front of the tall and narrow tapering monument, that is, Obelisk, two figures could be seen facing each other.
One of them was a delicate looking man whose hair was as blue as sea water, and the other was a grey haired man in a golden themed cassock with a veil covering his face.
They seemed like they were having a staredown as none of them spoke to each other.
"I am not here to watch you staring at me, Priest," the delicate looking man said. Extending his hand, he said, "Give me the thing I ordered."
The man wearing a veil stared at the extended hand silently for awhile, before saying, "This is the legacy of one of Braxtein's renowned Mages ... You can not let it fall into the hands of someone from the Kingdom."
Moving his gaze to the delicate man's face, he sternly said, "We don't like unnecessary uproar, Prince Goap."
The delicate man, the Obelisk Master, Goap laughed in amusement. "Are you expecting me, the Great President of Hell, Goap to die?"
He smirked coldly. "It might be the case in the past ... Your kin has lost the people who are capable to do so."
The man wearing a veil kept his silence, and merely took out an armband that was decorated with blue jade like shells, surrounded with beautiful pinkish pearls. He handed it to Goap, and Goap gladly took it.
"Take good care of it." With this said, the man wearing a veil turned around. However, before he left the vicinity, he left one last message. "We are not the only one who have passed the golden age; you are too, the FORMER Great President of Hell, Goap."
The man wearing a veil quickly disappeared from the vicinity, leaving behind the now smiling stiffly Goap. Clutching his hand tightly, Goap suppressed his rage due to the humiliation he had just received.
"Huuh..." Goap sighed lightly. "Human o human. A bunch of lowly organisms who dare to bite the hand that feeds them."
Looking at the armband in his hand, Goap immediately wore it on his left arm. Upon wearing it, he felt his chaotic Demonic Mana calmed down slightly, and his connection with his element of affinity got stronger.
"Just wait, humans," he muttered.
"This Prince will remind you why Heaven banished us. We will slowly retain our right, and when that time comes..." Goap grinned savagely, faintly showing his true appearance.
"The world is bound to be ours."
The Outbreak occured, and the nightmare was repeated.