The Book Of Flowers

Escape from the Castle

"...!"

My friends are getting more and more jolted listening to my words

"You're kidding! Don't call him seka-!"

"Calm Zaphir, and listen to me" I cut before he could protest any further

I refocused on listening to the sound of the seed. No response at all

"Hello?" I said once again

'Vainzel? What's up?'

Ah, there he is. I can finally hear Seren's voice

Ivor and Luxor slowly brought their ears closer together to listen to our conversation

"Cool. I need your help"

'Where are you now? I'll be there soon'

"I'm in the Kingdom of Hortensia right now"

...

'YOU'RE CRAZY!? WHAT ARE YOU THERE FOR!?'

Because of Seren's shout, the seed that let out its sound almost broke even, just like our eardrums

"Wow... She was really angry, to the extent that I could hear her voice" Lyralia who was sitting opposite from me said

Remina and the two humans nodded in fear

I tried to improve my hearing while looking closely at him

"We got caught and are trying to find a way out right now. The point is, I want you to come to the top of the smallest castle in the kingdom, listen?" I said to Seren

'Chih. You're really troublesome. Alright. I'll be going soon'

"thank you. And also, be careful. Stay on the clouds until we come"

...

"What do you think try?! Calling him now was not the right decision at all!" Ask Zaphir

"It could have been the most appropriate decision, or the worst decision" I replied as I got up from my seat. "Effective or not, it all depends on all of us and Seren" I added

I then helped Ordelia wake up, and the rest of my friends followed, preparing to escape

"... What then? What is your intention to cause a riot at Thyme Castle?" Ask Zaphir again

"really. I'm going to make a noise there so Seren can come down from the top without realizing it too soon. Then, when we're about to take off, all of us who can fight must protect Seren" I said

"... Plan's crazy. But, that alone is the most effective way to ensure the success of these 2 plans" Zaphir said with a smile

"really. But, I want you guys to also be careful and take care of Claudia. The core is inside her body. And if he dies, that core dies too" I said

Claudia flinched at my words

"Then, how are you going to kill me later!?" She said

I just smiled behind my hood, then said, "I have a way"

Hearing my words, Claudia was silent for a moment, then nodded in confidence

I didn't lie when I said that. After all, I could only commit that 'murder' when we were in Miralius later

"... Are you guys ready?"

They all nodded back at my words

All right, time to execute this plan

We have one chance. If we fail to use it, we may lose our lives

With a strengthened determination, we stepped out, heading towards the corridor of the castle

Darwin, on the other hand, was still unable to move from his sprawling place, even though he still had full consciousness

He tried to bite his tongue out of annoyance, but let alone his tongue, his eyeballs could not even move one bit

He felt very disappointed when Claudia betrayed him like that. Only tears came out, flowing down her cheeks as she stared at the passing of us all

......................

"alright. Make sure you don't make any noise later and follow my cues" I whispered to them

They nodded in understanding. Ordelia was ready to advance while hugging Remina who was in her carriage. Meanwhile, the two humans who were coming with us approached Ivor and Zaphir, while Claudia clung near Lyralia and Luxor to ensure self-security

I formed a team to make sure we all didn't attract attention for going in groups. We also plan to split through several paths to ascertain the positions of the guards and the positions of the captured Elves

Not a single Elf was placed in the basement of this castle other than the one that was dead and preserved

...

I will go with Ordelia because we alone are able to divert the guards without hurting or panicking them. That way, all of my other friends could easily sneak in

I have also cast dark magic on all of us to hide our 'existence. Where we had no air at all, thus making us 'lost' from Yael's Mana detection. We will only be caught if we are seen directly by someone

I made sure we were all ready again

But, my eyes were fixed on Ordelia who was hugging Remina

...

If we were to walk quietly later, we would definitely duck. I'm not sure if Ordelia can carry Remina easily while she's down

...

Huh...

Looks like I'll have to ruin my clothes a little...

I also focused on bringing energy to my back. Slowly but surely, four tendrils came out from my back, through my clothes and robes

"Order. Let me take Remina" I said slowly

Ordelia seemed hesitant about it, but she then nodded and slowly gave Remina to me

The tendrils slowly coiled around Remina's waist, taking it from Ordelia's hand

After Remina stuck to my back, the tendril bond tightened in Remina's body, but not too tight

Alright. This way, I can take him safely

"You hold tight, huh?" I said to Remina who was on my back

He nodded slowly and remained in his place without moving a single bit

Good boy. I wanted to stroke her head to give her a compliment, but I couldn't. Anyway, time goes on. We need to get out quickly

With a cue from me, we all started walking towards the western corridor of this castle, slowly

While walking down, we walked in turns according to each group. Despite moving in groups, we were not far apart at all

There are 2 things that are our target for now. First, we need to get out of this castle. Second, we must be able to save the captured Elves

But, if it's true that the Elves held in this palace are split into different castles, our plan will be difficult to execute

My blood had also been very boiling considering that the dead Fae and Elves were preserved in that basement earlier. I can explode at any moment right now, but I have to keep my emotions in check and focus

That's why I need to focus. I don't want this plan to fail and endanger the lives of my friends

I also have to stay alive for Verdea. There's still a promise I have to keep for the boy

...

What would he say if we met again?

Never mind

We have to start now

Our respective groups will go through separate passageways. We'll meet back at the back door of the castle. The door was easily marked due to its size being as large as the front door of the castle

I began to give forward cues, and we all went our separate ways based on our plans

Me, Ordelia and Remina moved into the hallway in front of us, while the other group took the hallway on the left side. They will also be separated later

Alright. I need to focus. They're not gonna be anything. Focus

Remina placed both of her palms in her own mouth to make sure she did not make a sound while I was carrying them. Ordelia and I walked quickly while ducking while trying to listen to the voices carefully

Go on and on, through this empty and dark passageway

...

...

*Tap...*

Hearing those footsteps, I immediately gestured for Ordelia to stop and hide

The three of us immediately hid in the nearby hallway while peeking a little. And according to what I heard, there was someone walking near the passageway, right in front of us

I tried to watch him more closely to ascertain who that person was. Unfortunately, since this place is so dark, I can't even see the shape of that person's nose while he's gone

That guy was just intending to pass by apparently. The sound of her footsteps even slowly disappeared from my ears

The three of us continued on our way when we confirmed that there was no one else but us

However, just as I was peeking towards where that person had gone earlier...

*DOR!!*

My head was hit once again. My blood instantly drenched on Remina's head which was on my back

"Orderia!"

Due to my reflex hearing, Ordelia went into hiding while carrying Remina to protect herself

I stayed behind the hallway to ensure their safety

What the fuck is that guy? He shot me right in front of my forehead. She should be visible in my sight, but I can't even see her figure at all

Was he the one who just passed by?

Lothawat! Maybe the one who shot me right now is that bastard sailor!

To add to my uneasiness, there were many sounds of foot-running suddenly coming towards us

Not wanting to be caught, I spread my hand out and held Remina and Ordelia in it

I formed my tendrils that clenched them together like a giant ball, then stuck them onto my back

"SORRY IF IT'S TOO SHAKING!"

After saying so to the two of them, I immediately shot up and went through the direction of the shooter

That was because the direction of the shooter was the same direction to go to the back door of the castle

I'm making a dangerous decision right now. The flowers in my head might get shot, but I won't care as long as they survive

*dor! Dor's!*

The shots were getting more and more directed at me, as if it were a hail of bullets. Some even hit my body, and one of them hit my cheek

However, while I was being chased from behind by some people, and there was a shooter who could kill me in front, I still barged forward

*DOR! DOR'S! DOR'S!*

The more blind the shot the closer I got. My guess is, we were so close to that guy, that he panicked and tried to run away. I could even hear the sound of her footsteps trying to get away while shooting at me

The closer we got, the more I could see the figure of that person

And when we got very close, I ran the man over until he was thrown

He threw my head with his gun before he was thrown and tried to run, but I grabbed his leg so he fell back with the tendril from my head

"GET RID OF ME!" The man said

That person...

...!

"Hey! Look at me!" I said

She looked at me in her panic, but her face slowly changed as we watched each other closely

...

...

Fucking Bastard!

"CYTH! YOU-YOU!"

"SORRY! I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS YOU, OKAY!?"

He crawled a few inches away from me with a frightened face

Realizing that he had shot me, he felt panicked and regretful, visible on his face

"Cyth!? Vainzel, is that Cyth!?" Ask Ordelia

"Not now Ordelia. Focus"

I untied those hands on my back and let them both out

Ordelia and Remina immediately got up on their feet, along with Cyth

"I have a lot of questions, but thanks to your stupidity, it's a difficult situation" I said to Cyth, pointing to the sound of the footsteps of many people behind me

I'm actually really curious about what he's doing here. But there is a more dangerous situation behind us now

"OK, okay. Let's just continue how's the run?" Cyth asked

I replied with a nod

And just before he wanted to run back, I picked it up, along with Ordelia and Remina

I spread out my arms and put them in a sitting position on top of it. I put a safety bond in each of their bodies to make sure they won't fall off later

At least, I am strong enough to bear the weight of the three of them. Ok...!

"Hey!" Exciting Cyth

Knowing what he wanted to say because of the protest towards me, I simply replied with, "You're slow. Faster if I'm the one running"

Then it rushed forward as fast as possible towards the back door to make him scream