Chapter 21: Direct Descendant of the Bellwethers
Chapter 21: Direct Descendant of the Bellwethers
SUTCLIFF shrugged indifferently in response to Johann’s cutting glare. “Bingooo. Long time no seeee, Clarence.” He flashed his fangs in a half-grin.
Johann held a hand to his head, just dealing with the Shadow Tribesman drained him.
Aki tilted her head. Strange. Are Johann and Sutcliff acquainted? I didn’t know Johann had friends among the Shadow Tribe.
Johann shook his head at her questioning stare. “…I will explain everything to you later. We have to focus our full efforts on rescuing Elias from himself right now.”
He turned from Aki and raised his voice for everyone to hear. He rushed through a quick rundown of what he knew while keeping an eye on the unmoving Elias. “The takeaway is this: the only one capable of stopping Elias is Aki. The Solar and Lunar Goddesses have polar opposite powers. This gives her the ability to suppress the Solar energy controlling him. Basically, we need Aki to hit Elias with the full brunt of her Lunar powers to negate his.”
In the end, Aki held the key to whether they won or lost the battle against Elias. Everyone swallowed hard at that realization.
I’m scared… That was her first thought. Knowing this was something only she could do didn’t help. She wanted to stop Elias. To help him. But can I pull it off?
Aki dropped her gaze to the flowers crushed under her shoes. Johann placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Aki, there is nothing for you to fear. You have my full support in this.”
“How will you support me…?”
“Please see for yourself.” Johann held the staff out with both hands and rapped it against the ground. He narrowed his reverent blue eyes on the tip. “O Goddess of Creation, release the golden scabbard.”
The moment Johann loudly chanted, a silver wind, manifesting the power of the Creation Goddess, swirled around the field and wrapped about the tip of his staff like a silk garment.
Lucid silver light outlined the shape of his staff until the cross transformed into a sharp blade. By the time the light abated, the cross-shaped staff had become a full-length spear.
Aki gaped, shifting her gaze from the gleaming spear to the side of Johann’s face. He suddenly grimaced with pain and staggered a step forward.
“Johann?!”
“Johann, are you okay?!” Louis rushed forward and caught Johann a second faster than Aki.
Clutching onto Louis’s arm for support, Johann raised his sweat-drenched face. “…Forgive me. This is my second time using this weapon today. The strain is a bit much on my body. Thank you for your assistance,” he said, taking a step forward without Louis’s aid.
Louis gawked at the spear. “Am I correct in assuming…that is one of the Holy Relics bestowed upon the Ancients by the Creation Goddess? The Holy Spear, yes? I’ve heard that it drains the user’s stamina like a sieve in return for granting immense power. This is the first I’ve seen one in person… So the Holy Relics were real.”
Surprised he knew anything about it, Johann swung his gaze to Louis. “You’re well-informed. As you speculated, this is the Holy Spear bestowed upon Ivan Clarence by the Creation Goddesses. The spear is endowed with power from both the Lunar and Solar Goddess, so it should be capable of supporting Aki in suppressing the Solar powers running amok within Elias,” he explained, looking to each of their party members before smiling encouragingly at Aki. “Hence why you have nothing to fear, Aki. I am here for you.”
His stark white complexion caused by the burden placed on him from maintaining the Holy Spear bellied the confidence he tried to instill in her.
Johann is trying to assist me at a great cost to his health. Aki burned Johann’s weak smile into her mind. So what good am I if quiver in fear of the unknown effects of my own powers? Nothing will change at all if I complain about being incapable of doing it and use that as an excuse to run away from the one thing I can do.
Get a grip, Aki! Everyone is relying on me! Aki raised her head and took in Johann’s grim side profile as he watched Elias motionlessly eyeing them, Leo worriedly waiting for them to make their next move, and Sutcliff, Mina, and Louis silently giving them space.
Finally, her eyes landed on Elias who looked so sad despite being expressionless.
I’m the only one who can save him. Our friends are going to help make that possible. It’s time for me to fulfill my role as the Hero’s Right-hand—as the Hero’s Secretary.
Aki closed her eyes and exhaled. She opened them again with newfound resolve. “Guys, I’m going to do everything in my power to save Elias! Please assist me in any way you can!” She deeply bowed to her fellow party members.
Elias had once bowed to them asking for their help. He must’ve felt then what she did now. Success rode on her shoulders, but it was a success she couldn’t achieve alone. Their party was necessary to pull it off.
Please lend me your strength so I can do this! I know he’s waiting for us to save him! Aki struggled to look up and face the others. Johann placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Of course everyone will help you. Let’s save Elias together. Please stop with the sad notion of trying to do everything on your own.” He crouched beside her and flashed a champion’s smile.
Heart warmed by the rare teasing grin he put on display just for her, Aki straightened and took hold of his hands. “Thank you, Johann! You’re always so sweet.”
Honestly, I want to say the same thing to you someday, Johann. When you need me most, I’ll return the favor, Aki promised in her heart. She had seen how much he was suffering being stuck as the go-between for the Hero Party and the Sanctuary. I hope the day will come that he will stop fighting alone and ask us for help.
Wanting to share that unspoken promise with him, Aki squeezed his hands. Wiser than his years, Johann picked up on what she was trying to convey, and his expression shifted to a sad smile with a hint of happiness wavering in the blue depths of his eyes.
Moment over, Johann raised his head and looked out across their ragtag party. “All right, allow me to explain our battle strategy. Please listen closely because I won’t repeat myself.”
He gave them a succinct rundown of the battle plan that even Aki could follow. Basically, the other four had to hold Elias back until Aki and Johann finished chanting an ancient spell capable of suppressing the Solar Crest on Elias’s forehead.
I wish there was a way to bring him back without fighting. But I’m not so naïve to think that’s possible now.
Elias stood with the Holy Sword drawn, waiting for them to make the first move. Almost as if he was waiting for them to figure out a way to save him.
Johann struck his Holy Spear against the ground, signaling an end to their strategy meeting. “There you have it. Please split into the vanguard and rearguard teams and take up your positions. Each one of you has a very important role to play in this. We can’t pull it off if any of you are knocked out. Do everything you can to follow the strategy—”
“Wait up a sec!” Sutcliff interrupted just as everyone started moving toward their predetermined positions.
Johann shot Sutcliff an irate glare. “Sutcliff!” he fumed. “What is so important you—”
“I’ve got somethin’ to give Master Leo before the battle!” Sutcliff said over him. “Now’s as good a time as ever for him to use it!” He snapped his fingers, and a beautiful dagger with a magnificent sheath embroidered with silver thread magically appeared in his hand.
Vines delicately carved into the silver handle, sheath, and large blade resembled the patterns on Johann’s Holy Spear. Even to the amateur’s eye, the dagger’s profound metalwork screamed it was an epic weapon not sold in any weapon shop. It also gave off a similar aura as Elias’s Holy Sword.
Johann’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. “Can that possibly be… Lenard’s dagger?”
“Lenard’s dagger?” Aki repeated as she admired the beautiful weapon.
“It’s one of the Holy Relics bestowed upon humanity by the Goddesses. The story goes that Ivan Clarence was best friends with a boy named Lenard, and the two of them were the bellwethers governing the world during the Creation Era. The records say the Goddesses held their leadership in such esteem that they gave Ivan the Holy Spear and Lenard the Holy Dagger,” Johann explained in one breath as he pulled on his memory. His eyes lingered on the silver dagger.
“However, the Holy Dagger has been missing for centuries. Sanctuary hasn’t left a table unturned searching for it. Now I understand why they never found it. The Shadow Tribe had it stashed away,” he sighed.
Sutcliff raised an offended eyebrow. “Oi, oi, Clarence, you hurt my feelingsss. We didn’t stash it away, we were keeping it safe from your sticky Sanctuary paws. Sure, only a few select bloodlines can use the Holy Relics, but they still harbor untold powers we can’t have the Sanctuary abusin’.”
“…Well, I won’t defend the Sanctuary. We can save such debates for another time. For now, I understand why you have the Holy Dagger. What I don’t understand is why you wish to give it to Leo…?”
Johann could control the Holy Spear because he was a direct descendant of Ivan. Going by that logic, could Leo be related to Lenard?
Leo looked just as confused as the rest of them.
Sutcliff narrowed his eyes on Johann. “Do you know Lenard’s real name, Clarence?”
“His real name…? I have only heard that Ivan had the last name Clarence because he hailed from upper society, while Lenard had no last name because he was born among the poor…” Johann answered, sounding uncertain.
Sutcliff walked over to Leo, went down on one knee, and reverently held the Holy Dagger up to him with both hands. “Lenard wasn’t born with a last name like Clarence said, but Ivan later gave him one to secure his social status. He didn’t say his name much in front of others, so it never became public knowledge. What do you think that last name was?” He paused, but no one answered. “It was none other than Gaines.”
Aki swung her gaze over to Leo. Leo whose full name was Leo Gaines.
Sutcliff flashed his pearly white fangs. “You’re a smart lot, so I’m sure you’ve pieced together that his full name was Lenard Gaines. Same last name as Master Leo. He’s the direct descendant of Lenard Gaines, the very man who ruled the world alongside Ivan Clarence during the Creation Era.”
“…Leo is…Lenard’s descendant?” Johann gaped at Leo as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
Leo stared back at Johann and Sutcliff in just as much disbelief. “Okay, what exactly does that mean for me? What am I supposed to do with that?”
Sutcliff raised his head and held the dagger higher, urging Leo to take it. “Master Leo, please let me explain in detail later. We don’t have much time. Will you please accept the Holy Dagger? You’ll need it to help us out of this crisis. Only you, a direct descendant of Lenard Gaines, can wield this Holy Relic.”
“How am I supposed to believe that out of the blue like this?”
“The Shadow Tribe has protected this sacred weapon from the Sanctuary’s dogs for generations. So that we could one day entrust it to Lenard Gaines’ rightful heir. Now is the time to unleash its holy powers. Please wield this and save your friend alongside Clarence and Aki.”
Overwhelmed, Leo stared hard at the dagger presented to him, swallowing audibly instead of an answer.
Out of the loop, Aki watched on in silence with Mina and Louis. Leo suddenly looked at her as his fingers hesitantly hovered over the dagger. “Leo…?”
“Frankly, I don’t get all the fuss, but I’ll be able to help out Aki and Johann with this dagger, yeah? And I can save my friend—save Elias with it, right?” Leo double-checked before touching the dagger. Sutcliff firmly nodded, dagger still resting in his hands.
Aki didn’t see the whole picture, but she did know that their chances would skyrocket with Leo getting a power boost from the Holy Dagger.
Gazing up at the gleaming point of the Holy Spear, Johann somberly spoke. “…I see. No one could have guessed that Leo is Lenard’s descendant. Truthfully, we all believed that the bloodline had died off, but I am glad to see it has passed down the generations like the Clarences. I assume the only reason Sanctuary was led to believe the Gaines line had died off is because the Shadow Tribe ensconced the family along with the Holy Dagger.”
“You’ve got it.” Sutcliff raised his right shoulder in a half shrug.
Uninterested in discussing it further with the Shadow Tribesman, Johann shifted his gaze from Sutcliff to Leo. “It seems we were fated to meet each other eventually, Leo.”
“How’s that?” Leo cocked an eyebrow.
Embarrassed, Johann coughed into his hand. “…Lenard and Ivan were revolutionaries who brought together a disorganized world and guided them into the future. Their history may only be known to the Sanctuary and the Shadow Tribe, but doesn’t it seem fitting for us—their descendants—to gather as members of the Hero Party that shoulders the fate of the world once more?” Johann rattled off, sounding awfully shy despite the serious nature of his words.
Catching on to his friend’s hidden meaning, Leo scratched the back of his head and summarized, “Oh, I get it. You’re basically sayin’ we can become best buds like Ivan and Lenard?”
“…Th-That is not it at all. What I am saying is that we can work together to draw out the true strength of the Holy Relics like they had during their years of friendship. Enough of this. Just accept the Holy Dagger already, would you? Elias isn’t going to stand around waiting for us to make a move all day, you know?”
Hahaha! Johann’s secretly happy.
Johann tried to talk around it, but Leo had hit the nail on the head. Aki could tell he was happy to have found a deep commonality with Leo after learning their ancestors had been best friends.
Leo chuckled when Johann bashfully turned his face away. Then he laid his hand on the dagger Sutcliff had been patiently holding up. Silver light outlined the dagger for a whole second after his long fingers curled around the handle.
“Heavy dagger… So this is the power Lenard carried with him, huh?” Leo muttered, swinging the weapon once to get a feel for it before running over to Johann and Aki. He stopped just opposite of Johann with Aki between them.
They took up position on her right and left side, there to support her when she activated the ancient magic that was paramount to their strategy.
It’s very reassuring to have Leo and Johann with me. We’ll definitely save Elias. Aki’s heart kicked up an excited beat at the first real hope she felt that day.
She looked up at Leo on her left and he smiled reassuringly at her. “Woo! Now I can really help you out! You can do this, Aki. Let’s work together to bring him back.”
Mysteriously knowing that they were ready to fight, Elias raised the Holy sword and positioned his legs in a battle-ready stance.
Sutcliff, Mina, and Louis took up position as decoys for Elias. Not only did Aki have extremely reliable allies standing in front of her, but Johann on her right, and Leo on her left.
I’m not alone. Everyone is on my side. They’re fighting with me.
Elias, we have so many friends who are willing to help us. Aki returned Elias’s nebulous gaze and shut her eyes in prayer. So please, please, return to us!