Huh... how horrible, crushing bones with your bare hands leaves a very unpleasant feeling. At a guess, at least half of the bones in the guy's wrist are crushed.
"A-are you okay? No no, why am I worrying about you? Why did you try to stab me!?" I say as I look at him kneeling on the ground screaming at the top of his lungs.
... Okay, the wrist has a lot of small bones, they're not the strongest, but to think I could crush them, I've definitely gotten stronger... or have I? I don't feel like it... oh, looking very closely, my hand has some very small black lines under the skin... and they disappeared as soon as I noticed them.
My darkness magic can also make me temporarily stronger? Nice. 'Wait, don't get distracted, something disturbing just happened.'
Before I can do anything, someone else appears from the crowd, this time throwing two small spear-shaped knives at my legs, nothing my reflexes can't overcome, I quickly take a single step to the side... only to be attacked by a third guy in the direction I was going, this time with hands covered in flames.
"What the hell is wrong with yo- Wuo!" He manages to strike a few punches, which I easily dodge as a fourth attacker throws more knives at me, and I notice more people slowly approaching over the edge of my vision... this is getting annoying.
But it's not that hard to dodge, it almost feels like I'm dancing... After all, it wasn't the best day to wear a short dress, I'm sure I'm putting on a good show for the gossiping people around me. 'Hey stop it, I'm having fun in a serious situation again... for now let's stop this ridiculousness.'
Seven attackers, I push them hard to the ground with darkness... They're all wearing ordinary clothes, makes sense, I guess-
"UUOOO!?" I have to move again, two more guys have joined in, luckily the rest remain literally kissing the ground.
Okay, this is annoying! I can prevent their attacks, maybe by instinct and reflex, but I have no idea how to sense their hostility... or are they not completely hostile? If they wanted to kill me, they would have appeared all at once, wouldn't they? Why am I trying to guess what some assassins are thinking?
Oh... OH! That... works, as if responding to my wish, I notice how the darkness within the growing crowd begins to... dance, as if telling me to pay attention to it, and when I do, I finally feel the hostility of the white-haired bearded human, who seems apparently concerned about the situation just like the growing crowd, I guess I'll wait to check it out.
I subdue everyone and deliberately present my side to him. But instead of pointlessly attacking me, the same human...
"Hey Vixen, think fast!" He shoots a fireball at... a couple of curious kids...
I manage to block it, but one of the kids, a boy, was hit a little...
Huh?
...
.....
I'm going to kill them.
All of them.
And everyone else.
Lenna POV
How annoying. I mean, I'm grateful to Uncle Dom for all his help over the years... but apparently, he hasn't stopped seeing us as little girls in diapers he needs to take care of.
“Why aren't you-”
"For the millionth time, I'm perfectly healthy, don't you want to watch this with us?" He cuts me off.
He and my sister are sitting at one of the few remaining tables, looking at some kind of book with lots of pictures of furniture. Where did they get it?
"Y-yes, Len, at least join us," my sister says.
"I'll leave it to you"
"Are you sure? The restaurant is your home too"
I don't answer him, I keep mopping the floor. Although what he says is true... apparently, I don't have good taste in furniture. My sister rejected my idea to put those new giant cushions that look like slimes instead of chairs. I still don't understand why, they're comfortable, maybe the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on, don't you want to be as comfy as possible when eating in a restaurant?
But no, she mentioned hygiene, space, aesthetics, height and a bunch of other nonsense. As long as the food is good, people will go, even if the restaurant is in the middle of a garbage dump.
More for the good than the bad, we run the place together, the fluf- I mean, Seina seemed confident that the thousand-times-damned Lance would leave us alone, so we're hoping things will get better.
If we really start doing better... maybe we can finally hire a healer to check on our parents, it's been almost six months since we could afford to hire someone, even with Uncle and Dad's help, and the medicine they've been prescribed is almost not working anymore.
Damn... if you want to have a self-sufficient life, at least save more money just in case.
I can't blame them though, who would have thought that an outbreak of some unknown disease would suddenly appear in the village?
The huggabl- Seina is a healer... but we can't ask her to go there just because of our one-sided desire. I'm not good at reading people, but I think she'd be willing to do it, but I wouldn't ask her to do something like that so soon after meeting us anyway, what if she thinks we're one of those trashy people who only come around when they need something from you?
It's not like I'm going to let our parents die, but I don't know if she can heal them either, we don't even know what they have, just that a lot of spots and nasty little welts have appeared all over their skin... But... today for me, tomorrow for you? Obviously, their health is more important than being polite, we'll ask the soft- Seina for help as a last resort.
Crash!
I stopped thinking after the loud noise, Uncle Dom stood up so abruptly that he knocked over the chair he was sitting in.
"Uncle! What's wrong?" My sister asks. I wanted to know too, but without answering, he walked past me and ran outside. We followed him.
"Are there robbers again!?"
"Shh!"
I feel my face twitch in surprise, Uncle Dom shut my sister up? The same Uncle Dom who made some really melodramatic apologies to her when he spilled some coffee on the floor?
"Go now, run away as fast and as far as you can! NOW!"
I had never seen him so serious, not even when confronting the thugs... We were about to obey and run as far as we could in the opposite direction of where he was looking, when-
The sun disappeared and everything went dark.
The sounds, the smells, the wind... gone, as if they were behind a thick window that had just closed.
I can barely make out the silhouette of my own hands... when a word was heard everywhere, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice at the same time.
"FALL"
...
'React, idiot, these emotions are not mine.'
I manage to think at last, after surrounding the boy with dark magic for the fifth time to heal his... small slight burn. Eh... you know what, if he didn't get hurt, much better.
Unbeknownst to me, those magical charges of purely regenerative intent would be enough to revive a recently dead old man and rejuvenate him by a decade.
I close my eyes... not that I need to, I can't see anything, with my eyes of course, I can feel everything around me perfectly, and also some tens of miles around. Including Nicole, who is standing next to Ilona, doing... uh, best friend stuff, I'll ignore that. I think that's the sisters and Dominic. Lots and lots of random people I won't pay attention to and... the castle, wow, not good news.
One thing at a time.
I take a deep breath... hold it... exhale... repeat a few times.
I don't know what happened to me, when I saw that attack about to hit two kids, it was as if something took over my body, I stopped the attack without any problem, just making the darkness of the ground swallow it, but it managed to explode, and a small part of the explosion hit one of the boys...
Then everything went dark.
'Let's see... I managed to calm down, I still feel anger, but it's only mine, not that terrifying rage as if I swore to the world that it will pay. Just anger at the stupid old man for involving innocent people, especially children.'
Although... calmer now, I doubt that little fireball will cause more than second degree burns at worst, painful and terrible, especially for a child of course, but he didn't try to kill children, I hope.
I'll beat him up anyway. But I am not a murderer.
First things first, this darkness... I'd worry about scaring the children, but they and those closest to me fell unconscious, including carriages and the animals, mostly horses, that pulled them.
At least there were no traffic accidents, I guess nothing in the darkness is very willing to move, and I doubt those on the roads out of range would come in voluntarily.
There must still be a lot of frightened people, let's undo this for now.
I take control of the darkness, for the first time, albeit minimally, with effort. It's like... if you try to force two small, weak magnets with equal poles together, very easy, but you feel the resistance.
It still dives back underground, the last remnants slipping away into the alleys, crevices and visible shadows that appear with the return of sunlight, also making me squint for a moment.
'Now... What to do with you all?' I turn my attention back to my attackers... okay, I'll have them take me to their boss, but first a little humiliation.
What is the most effective way to humiliate someone? I have no idea, but I suppose hanging them naked will do the trick. That's the first thing that comes to mind.
I shouldn't neglect my control over other magic, I think I'll practice with the air, it might come in handy later to dry me off after a bath, I suppose I could use the darkness to swallow the water like it did to that fly, oh, but what if it swallows my blood too or something scary like that?
I almost feel my magic frantically refuse at the thought of hurt me, I don't think so either, just a silly passing thought.
Anyway, with small wind blades I cut off all their clothes, oh? They certainly look like assassins with what they are wearing under their clothes. Knives, daggers, vials of mysterious liquids, ropes, a... gas mask? Various little balls that I guess could explode or something, more ropes, darts... many more ropes.
'Ropes are useful, I guess.'
I wasn't particularly careful, but I don't want to torture them either, how horrible. I'm sorry for those who clean the streets, but I'm going to splash a little.
The accidental cuts were enough to wake them up, but... I don't think they care. They start screaming and kicking with all their might as soon as they see me, aren't they overreacting? I only gave them small paper cuts, a few of which reached the subcutaneous tissue, but nothing serious.
I quickly tie them by the legs and hang them from the wall of the nearest building, just like Rico's hook... Who? Eh, never mind.
Oh, eh, maybe I shouldn't have destroyed their underwear too, if they were younger I wouldn't care, but they're all middle-aged or older men... I know it's part of the anatomy and all, but... what a horrible sight. At least the crowd wakes up and flees, taking the kids with them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH HAH AAH FREE ME!!! NO! BETTER KILL ME QUICK MONSTER!!!"
The gray-haired man who shot the fireball shouts particularly loudly, well, let's get start-
I'm interrupted by loud chimes, just like the ones that rang a few days ago with those monsters... it's definitely my fault, I doubt they'll see it as a friendly thing to have them, uh, lights out.
"I'm definitely in troubl- oh?"
Just five chimes later, the noise stopped. Mh... hopefully that's a good sign.
'Even though I'm quiet, I'm still very upset, I'm thinking too much to distract myself, but I think it's time to move.'
"GEHRMAN CAN GO F*CK HIMSELF!!! I'LL DO ANYTHING BUT STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!!"
... Alright, I should think things through before I do them, tying a scared man upside down and naked was a very bad idea, especially when he loses control of his bladder.
This time driven by disgust, my hand moved on its own, covering the man in darkness for a moment, Oh? Oh! Leaving him sparkling clean... well, as clean as an very unkempt man can be.
I gag him. I'll keep him for last.
" You guys... I'm in no mood to talk, take me to your boss now or, um... uh, I'll do things to you you can't even imagine!"
Apparently, I'm terrible at intimidating people, I should have said I'd do something like, I don't know... break their fingers. But I'm not going to do that, I'm not a barbarian. Oh, I know, I'll leave it to their imagination. I'll heal all their wounds with an unnecessary sweep of my hand, hoping they're sane enough to realize what's involved.
It worked! They look terrified, though I don't know if it's because of what I just did or if they were already terrified.
They start talking all at once, like their life depends on it, again, how over the top... whatever. Works for me.
Ilona POV (minutes earlier)
I finally got a full night's sleep... eight hours of sleep, which felt like eight minutes. And it didn't do much to erase the bags under my eyes.
Unfortunately, my job is much more important than Nicole's, speaking of the fact that a lot of people depend on me to get their part done, unlike her, who can leave the more annoying parts to others. A thousand times cursed the day I agreed to work for this shady and full of useless, impractical and unnecessary secrets department.
It is mainly filled with three kinds of idiots.
The most numerous are those who think they are heroes, who believe that the fate of the country, sometimes even the world, is in their hands, that we all depend on their judgment, their investigative or fighting skills... Why did they get that idea into their heads? Most of us here are practically the country's equivalent of glorified whiny shareholders, get off your high horses, you insufferable morons.
Others are those who think they are above the law, that even the royal family, let alone the nobility, only exist because they have their permission. Where do they get so much confidence? We rely too much on protocols and the collective work of the entire Dark damn Brotherhood. Even if a noble appears who is harming the kingdom, it will be years before we have enough support and evidence to bring him down.
And the third type... which unfortunately nullifies the first two, and is the reason why the Dark Brotherhood remains the most important power in the kingdom, even though it is full of idiots.
Gehrman. A bastard of the worst kind. Murder, kidnapping, embezzlement, poorly disguised slavery, other unpleasant things that I don't want to mention... He doesn't mind crossing any line, as long as it's for the good of his goals.
But there are two reasons why he has not been executed yet, firstly because his main interests are for the good of the kingdom, however bloody his results may be, they are still 'worth it' to most politicians.
In addition to the political weight he carries as the only living direct descendant of one of the founders.
Second, and more importantly... because fighting him head-on would be suicide. Sure, there are many powerful people in Ciren, we could ask Carian for help too, but he would know that and attack first. Even in the most positive and optimistic estimates, where everything is in our favor, it would mean sacrificing a significant portion of the military forces of the entire kingdom.
That thing is a monster over four hundred years old. High elf and lycanthrope, with the greatest amount of magic recorded in the history of the country, he has the most impressive collection of artifacts and scrolls, speaking only of those he chooses to display. To top it off, he's also a master assassin and an archmage.
What a headache...
"What are you thinking?"
Without taking my eyes off the scenery from a balcony of the castle, I reply to Nicole.
"The old fart is taking more and more liberties..."
"He huh... Same old same old?"
"I never thought it was worth it, but at this point not even the most heartless of the court would give it a second thought. I'll try to convince everyone to finally fight him"
"... Even if it paralyzes the kingdom? What has he done now?"
"What hasn't he done? In the past few months, he hasn't even bothered to hide his crimes"
"... If that's what you think, count me in, I don't want to live on the same contine- in the same universe as him"
Sigh, this country would be better off without him, even if he were a saint. Sure, he gives good results overall, but those results could be much better if he would stop restricting studies, expansions, reforms, and other things the country could do to improve.
"I won't bore you with the details, but he conspired with a nobleman to massacre an entire village and keep the cave full of ebony they found"
"When do we kill him?"
Oh... She has an unusually serious face, if it wasn't for the delicacy of the matter I would have enjoyed the sight a bit more.
"We need more power. Carian's sword would do a lot of good right now, it didn't land on my desk, but I heard she tracked someone important who was kidnapped here"
"Hm, I guess it is better to be in debt to Carian than to continue to put up with the old man"
"I don't think they would consider it a debt, given our relationship"
"Someone stron- huh?"
We both freeze and stare into the distance... where a murderous intent seems so strong you can almost physically see it.
"What the sh-"
Faster than my eyes could register, everything went dark.
... Huh.
Unexpectedly, I feel very comfortable, as if this energy recognizes me and somehow greets me friendly and curious. Nicole... seems fine, just staring off into the distance with wide eyes.
... I can't move, I don't feel imprisoned, but it's as if I'm trying to move through... rubble, hard, heavy, immovable rubble.
Ah? I can't make out much more than her silhouette, but Nicole moved easily to the edge of the balcony, not that it would make any difference.
"FALL"
I hear the familiar voice from all around...
Then I watch as Nicole slaps her face, there is no sound, but I can clearly see her sigh.
A moment of reflection later, she approaches me, I can barely make out one of her mischievous smiles... What are you doing, woman, isn't this an attack?
She unbuttoned my shirt and slipped her hand inside, touching my stomach with her index finger... I shudder.
'Are you going to take advantage of the fact that I can't move to sexually harass me!? Don't you think there are more important things to do!?' I scream at her, although there is no sound, I know she can read my lips. She uses her index and middle fingers like legs to walk up my stomach.
"It's Seina. Oh, I can talk? Great. Looks like I'm her favorite, hehe." She says, wiggling the fingers of her other hand in front of my face in a vulgar way...
'I'm going to rip your tail off, b*tch'
"You try it"
A few agonizing minutes later, the darkness disappeared as quickly as it had come, I definitely didn't fall to the floor embarrassingly, I definitely was able to get up easily, and Nicole definitely wasn't laughing at me.
One of these days...
Anyway. I trust her that Seina is the cause, I think so too, seeing as some of the people we ran into are huddled on the ground shivering.
After hurrying to stop the ruckus of the guards stationed at the bells, we finally take a break to think about what to do... or not.
Through one of the many clear glass windows, we see Seina emerging from the ground in one of the castle gardens with a good jump, surrounded by darkness that disappears as she lands... trailing a group of naked older men.
"..."
"..."
"... Did you see her pink-" I interrupt her.
"Yes, I saw. We'd better follow her"
"Yeah"