The Book Of Flowers
Anger
*Tap, tap, tap, tap*
I don't know where the man's footsteps were headed, carrying Verdea who was in his carrier
One thing I know for sure, the man took Verdea out of Eleanor's Villa
Gone, gone. Stay away and keep away. Somewhere
He carried Verdea very slowly, until Verdea did not even wake up at all due to the shock. He carried Verdea very casually as if she was only as heavy as a teddy bear
He continued to move away and away, but his steps came to a halt in front of the desolate city gate
...
"I'm sorry. But who are you, following me since?"
...
Apparently knowledge...
I just came out to show myself from behind the shadow, but he had not yet seen me clearly, my handstrips directly towards him
But I just barely caught the guy. He quickly dodged backwards in response to the tendril that almost got it. Even with Verdea in his hands, he could still be extremely agile
And under the moonlight, that person's face was clearly visible
A typical servant's suit, and hair as if he was old. The most loyal maid belonged to lady Eleanor
"I thought you were suspicious, Albert..."
"Congratulations because you already know what my intentions are. But, aren't you a little late?" He said while showing Verdea that he was carrying in front of him
"... You made him unable to wake up huh...?" I said again
"really. In order not to be troublesome, a little paralyzing his nerves is enough for me"
"... Where are you taking him?"
"... Go, where I can get your attention, Oberon"
"... Now you're getting my attention, so what's the point of still holding her back?"
He took a long breath
"I can't let go. Exhausted...
He's your closest friend, isn't he?"
...
"You want me to say something?" I asked again
"Well, I'm very understanding of my intentions. Oberon is amazing...
So, what's your intention to come here?"
Straight to the core...
"Isn't it rude to make me talk without telling me anything first?"
...
"Ah sorry, I have absolutely no manners. I'll tell you my purpose for doing this first, Oberon"
"Why?"
"Because you will only endanger Lady Eleanor and the inhabitants of this city, even if your intentions are good"
...
I'm not rejecting that. My plan was a gamble. A bet on life and safety
But...
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all. I just want you to stop trying to help us. Your bet is very dangerous, and Ms. Eleanor shouldn't have agreed to it"
...
"Take him off Albert"
"... Why, Oberon?"
Huh...
He really should listen to me. Because it's...
"... He's holding a knife"
Albert gasped at my words, then almost got his throat split by a swing of a nearby knife
But once again he managed to dodge, threw away the body he was carrying, and only got a small scratch on the end of his jaw
...
"... For an elderly man, you're pretty good, old geezer"
"... How can you move? I'm paralyzing you"
"Oh yeah. That probably happened to the original Verdea"
With a small laugh, Veskal pulled off the talisman necklace he was wearing, showing his real face. "But I'm not him at all"
"... Ah, I was fooled. You should feel weird"
Albert slowly dusted his coat and pants off the dust, then started removing the snowy white gloves
"What are you doing Albert?"
"Mrs Eleanor said that she and I would follow your plan...
But I rejected the plan, and he said nothing at all about hurting you" He said, then put up the horses while putting on a friendly smile
This guy is crazy...!
He really insisted we should stop huh...?
Then I'll also insist on getting her to approve ka-s
!!!
Oh my goodness...!
"Vescals. Run"
"... Why Vain?"
"RUN!!"
Albert darted towards Veskal and almost hit him hard in the face, but I managed to dispel him by pushing his punch in the other direction so as to destroy some parts of the city wall
Veskal who had just noticed his movements immediately retreated behind me
"What the fuck is this guy? Is he human!?" Veskal exclaims
The Great Tree
This fellow...
He's got a very hard Mana flow! His entire body was coated in Mana like a armor!
Naturally he was asked by Eleanor to do such a business as clearing up traitors. This servant of hers seems to be extremely powerful...!
He turned his sharp gaze back towards us and once again darted
I immediately called out my staff and immediately repelled the attack
"GO! FIND VERDEA AND ELEANOR SOON!"
Veskal instantly disappeared within the darkness of the night and fused with the shadows
I refocused on Albert, but he pulled my wand along with me using his left hand, then hit me hard on my stomach with his right hand and made me drift away towards the prairie outside the city
He then heaved a sigh of relief as he walked back inside the city to finish what was left
But his path instantly came to a halt when he felt a tremor on the ground. The tremors became even more pronounced as a giant tree grew in front of the city gate, blocking the entrance to it
He thought of jumping up the wall, but the roots of the tree immediately attacked him and chased him away
It gave me time to cast magic spells from a distance. The spell that made the ground on his feet tried to catch him
Realizing that I was trying to restrain him with a magic spell, he immediately darted away towards me who was in the meadow, almost caught by the tree roots
But when he got there, he was only greeted by the usual view of a view of the grass at night with a cool night breeze
He began to look for my whereabouts here and there, but did not manage to find it
However, he did not realize one possibility...
That I hid in the ground and managed to catch his foot with my tendril
I jumped out of my hiding place, then swung my tendrils to slam Albert to the ground as hard as possible until the ground split
Although he landed head first because of the dings, he did not fall unconscious
He immediately tried to do the same thing as before by pulling my hand towards him, but I severed that hand and took some distance from him
When he woke up completely, he immediately confirmed the joint on his neck, then began to take off his suit
"You're worthy of Oberon's praise. Unfortunately, I don't like to waste time"
He seemed to be at the most serious point right now...
"The horses of the Xiang kingdom martial technique? You're quite knowledgeable apparently"
He was silent not answering
He knew I was trying to break his focus
After all, the slash in my stomach was still not fully healed...
I can't die just because of that, but the pain really hurts
...
Xiang martial technique
He was gathering power for one deadly blow. Just one, and he could've made my chest hollow
One sure shot could make me fail to do all my plans
...
Fuh... Looks like I should do this too...
I made my wand disappear. That left Albert a little astonished, but he tried to stay focused on gathering power in his right hand
I took a deep breath as I could...
And put up a solo dance position. With the left hand as if holding something in front of me, and the right hand floating in the air as if holding something
The position of my body also changed, with my body sideways from before him, as well as the soles of the feet that were crimped and crossed with each other
"... What the fuck is that position?"
Now I am silent and do not answer
"The Moon's Sonata Dance, the first performance..." I murmured softly
He ignored my murmur. The entire force in his hand had already accumulated, and he started to streak forward like lightning to make the ground he had stepped on just crack
And with one fist at me...
His punch missed
His punch missed when I dodged just by turning my body position while moving aside a little
The crushing attack he had prepared earlier, and he launched that lightning-fast, missed just because I turned my body slightly to the right
"... Nature, which welcomes the season
Now it's my turn"
I turned my body while I crossed my arms over my head, then hit it on the ground, and almost hit Albert who had dodged back
He started trying to attack again, but I twisted my body with only one footstool, dodging his attack
Meanwhile, the other leg was twisted and kicked Albert's back so hard that he floated in the air
Before he could fall to the ground, I immediately made a deer-like leap, landed on Albert's back, and struck him to the ground with a hard footstool
...
Even with all of those attacks, he was still able to keep moving
Therefore, I took the salto back without using my hands, moved away from it to make some distance and prepare for the other movements
Albert tried to analyze my movements, but without giving him time, I attacked again with a twisting motion and an extended tendril
He tried to pull my tendrils together with me, but I pressed my tendrils down so that I pushed my body up and jumped it over the head, then retaliated by catching and slamming it to the ground
Jumping back like before, I ended the show with my feet hitting his head and causing a tremendous commotion
...
The lacing seemed to have been hard enough that it made the Mana around his body start to disappear. He also has no power anymore, so I'd better stop now
I jumped down from his head and took a respectful greeting as if ending a performance
Albert who coughed also did a small laugh among them
"The dances are amazing, Oberon..."
...
"Thank you"
I then helped her wake up and started healing her wounds
"No need... Healed me... I've... Lose... Let this be the proof..."
"..."
I kept silent and did not answer and continued to heal him
"Ahaha... Not heard apparently..."
"..."
"You know?... Madame... He saved me... From death..."
...
"When even my family... Ignoring me... He came and... To accept me..."
...
"I... Just want to reply... Her slave... So then... L'm... He doesn't want to take any chances... That's dangerous..."
"... Sorry"
"Ahaha... The winner does not need to apologize... And it should, I... As the loser... You have to do it, right...?"
"... Sorry"
He was stunned to hear my response on that one. The response I will repeat no matter how long he tries to stall this conversation
"really... Not necessary... And also... Looks like we've got a guest..."
"They're there! Hurry along! Hurry along!" One man gave a sign to another
Many of the residents of this city began to come towards us from a distance. Among them, Eleanor was walking quickly towards us with a worried face
Among them, all my friends were held with ropes and pitchforks pointing at them
They had not long since managed to get close to us
One of the residents pointed his pitchfork at me with an annoyed face
"I already know! I already know that you guys just want to make trouble! What did you guys do to Albert huh?! Release him!!" The people were screaming
"Albert! Albert!"
Eleanor called out Albert's name, but she was arrested by a female citizen who said that approaching us now was very dangerous
"Mrs! L'm... It's okay...!" Albert responds to his master
"I told you to let him go!!" The people were screaming back at me
"Download your weapon...!! I started this fight...!"
"H- huh? Albert! What are you saying?!"
"I told you to put your gun down!!" He reaffirmed
"B- Okay"
The citizen began to lower his pitchfork from before me, then looked down with a riled face
"Let go of all his friends! Don't hurt them!"
My friends were also immediately released by them when Albert's order was thrown
My detached friends immediately shot towards me with worried faces
"It's okay? You're not hurt bad, are you?"
"It's okay Veri. My clothes are just a little dirty
And also, please help Mr. Albert get treatment"
Veskal immediately responded to my words and helped Albert stand up. Still staggering and assisted by Veskal, he was brought back into the city
But Eleanor stopped them for a while while saying a few things. The conversation also looked serious, visible from Eleanor who suddenly shed tears
"Well... I didn't think you were so reckless. Why not try to talk about it?" Alf said
"... I'm not sure if talking to him would make him accept my words"
"You mean?"
He reminds me of one person. And that man is now supporting him into the city
He is obedient, but only limited to people he truly believes in. He is also very honest in giving opinions to others
He is no different from Veskal, my friend
However, he was quite extraordinary, unlike my friend
"Hey"
"Hm? Why Zaphir?"
"You used that dance against him?"
"... Why why?"
"... She's not dead?"
Huh huh?
Do you want me to kill him or something?
I will not kill the friend of the one who has the key to my plan!
Forget that! I won't even want to kill just for silly reasons know?! After all, Verdea who was the target is also still safe?
"Help me up!" I told her
She looked at me sharply for a moment, then just quietly helped me stand up
"alright. The second problem is over"
At least I can use this incident to regulate Albert's behavior
Now all I have to do is negotiate a little with him
......................
-- The next day, Villa Eleanor---
"You're fine apparently"
Me, Veskal and Verdea entered Albert's room after a short breakfast. It was seen that he was still very weak due to my attack, so he still had to sit on his bed
"certain. But I'm ashamed that I'm not preparing breakfast for you right now and just lying in bed"
"No need to be confused. Eating just one loaf of bread was enough for us
And also, I want to apologize to Mrs Eleanor for hurting Albert" I said as I sat on the chair beside Albert's bed
Eleanor sat across from me and just stared with a restless face
"I also have to apologize for not being able to control Albert. He's got you guys in trouble like that"
"ahahaha. But in the end, I hurt Albert like this, so I'm the one who has to apologize"
"..."
"Why Albert?" Eleanor asked who had noticed Albert's silence
"... Just one thing Oberon. Are you sure you will continue to do this plan? The stakes are dangerous"
...
"How about this?
I'll have you come with the Sylphs later and take care of the kids. Sure, I'll go with the gang, but a little help won't matter either. All showing off the cards we have, can't you?" I answered
...
"You mean, should I follow your command?"
"You could say so. But, my command is only one, which is to protect everyone that the troops will bring in later"
If we were to use teleportation magic alone, it would be tantamount to a more dangerous gamble right? The mana belonging to the children would be drained away, and could lead to their deaths
But, I am also not sure that the army of the Sylph clan can protect them completely, because that clan does not have strong fighting abilities in my time
All I can count on about protection is Amelia, Zaphir, and myself. Verdea, Veskal and Alf will teleport, but I won't let Verdea know first
Later he whines...
And that way, if Albert or Eleanor would come to protect the children, that might be enough. But I'm sure that Albert won't let Eleanor follow the Sylphs later
"How's it?" I asked Albert
"... Why are you sure that this plan will go smoothly just because there is an addition, which is me?" Albert asked back
"..... The reason... It doesn't make any sense at all..."
"What?"
"I... Afraid of killing someone while using my powers"
...
All right, listen
I have to hold back every time I fight them okay?
I can't kill someone who has nothing to do with me, unlike Rosalia or Jael. Also, I don't want to hurt my friends in the process
My reason is troublesome too huh...?
I just looked down and waited for the response from the two of them who were in front of me
"Pffts... Ahahaha!! So that's how it looks?? You just don't want to kill people so you're not sure about this bet?"
"Why indeed?! After all, those Orion magic-shakers will be troublesome later on. I can handle them at full strength, but all of this will be hard to do because I'm holding back"
I just want to curse myself...
Verdea and Veskal also just silently glanced at me for the reason I just threw out
"Hm... Then I'll ask? Why don't you kill?"
"... Never mind killing, I don't even want to hurt them"
"Even after the many enslaves and the ill-treatment of men upon you?"
"..... After all, humans also have their own problems that they crave, right?"
Albert gasped to hear my words
"I've met someone like that before. An old woman and a man who lost their wife, son-in-law, children and grandchildren. I realize they've changed since they lost a loved one
That old woman... He's not evil at all. Initially...
L'm... Not wanting to ignite unceasing anger between the two peoples" I groaned
The person I hurt later might also have something hidden like that
All the creatures God created might be like that
Only God knows. I just want to root out the hatred in their hearts and give the safest way out for all sides. I want them to continue to live and look for other meanings besides the hatred that changed them
I also have two close friends who are from the human race. They were always by my side, even fighting with me
L'm... Nor does it want to make them fight against their own people
I have a lot of things to do, but so far only a little has been done
So then... At least give me a little chance to finish it all. Even if slowly
I beg. At least, if it can't be for all the people, then give me a chance to protect these two friends. A chance to give them a life worth living and worth remembering
...
"... All right, I'm taking it"
"...? Heh?"
"Please help, Your Majesty. I, Albert Grandier, promise to help you carry out this plan"
"... Ah thank goodness..."
Mercifully...
Thank goodness someone helped us...
I can rest in peace now. This one favor already means thousands to me
...
Wait
What was Albert's last name?
"GRANDIER?!!" Verdea and Veskal cried out
Huh huh?
"Hm? You guys just realized? Why are you surprised, Mr Veskal?"
"T-t-wait a minute! How-Huh?!"
Veskal could only hear Albert's words
Honestly speaking. It also surprised me!
