Chapter 7: Saint Aela’s Party

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Saint Aela’s Party

 

AFTER everything was said and done, we changed rooms because the two men were staring each other down with a murderous gleam in their eyes inside the parlor they’d laid waste to during their brief skirmish. Trembling, Jasper suggested we move our discussions elsewhere to clear the air a bit.

Jasper’s courage is on a whole other level, being able to propose a change in location amid that deadly mood. It doesn’t matter that he was shaking worse than a tree in a hurricane while he said it, either. I wouldn’t want to be the one to break that deadlock.

I nominate Jasper as one of the Four Grand Magi of Elle Village.

Thanks to the bravery of our new Grand Magi Jasper, we decided to have an amicable chat over a pleasant dinner. Thus, a dinner party with me, Julius, Aela, Lylish, Guido, and Golem began at the dining table, which was covered in dishes whipped up by our master chef with vegetables picked right from the fields.

Julius wanted me to sit this one out, but I flatly refused. Why should I? This is Elle Village! My village! I don’t want them deciding things while I’m absent.

Plus, I’d hate for Julius to kill Prince Guido the second I step out of the room.

On another note, our newly appointed Grand Magi, Jasper the Trembler, was trembling so much I asked him to rest in another room.

At any rate, there’s something inspirational about being in a room where all my favorite characters from the manga have gathered.

The dinner party started in silence as everyone watched to see who would make the first move.

“I’ll begin this by telling you what you all want to know at the outset,” Julius says, breaking the silence first. “I was undeniably one of the Four Grand Magi of the Demon Lord’s Army. However, I have since severed my ties to Analia. Or, to be precise, I am attempting to sever said connection. I am a fugitive now. I’m hiding in this village on the outskirts of Gaea. You fear me, but I have absolutely no interest in attacking Gaea.”

“…You expect us to believe that?” Golem growls, taking Julius apart with his unsparing gaze.

Julius coolly lets that glare slide off him. “Whatever you choose to believe has no bearing on the fact that I currently have no designs on attacking Gaea. I wouldn’t choose such a roundabout method as living in Gaea if I was planning to invade. Brute force would be enough to squash you from Analia. You should be more than well aware of that when you’re barely holding on to your borders,” he states definitively, getting a rise out of Golem and Guido.

Yeah, uh, what he’s saying isn’t wrong, but couldn’t he have found a nicer way to put it?

Julius shifts his icy gaze over to Aela, paying the angry men no mind. “You said you would assist me?”

“Yes. I don’t sense any evil from you. I will help you if there’s something troubling you. I am a saint; I gained this power from God in order to help good people. Whoever you may have been in the past and whatever you may have done is of no consequence—I choose to believe in my intuition about who you are now,” she answers with a serene smile, which only makes Golem’s scowl deepen.

“Lady Aela, how can you trust it so easily?” Golem snarls with utter disgust and crosses his arms. “I have certainly heard of your ability to determine if a person is good or evil, but that thing there is Julius the Cruel and Merciless of the Demon Lord’s Four Grand Magi. He has killed many Gaeans.”

He hasn’t eaten or drunk a single thing laid out on the table. Nor does he intend to.

A justified decision, considering we’ve been enemies up until now. It took Golem a long time to accept Julius in the manga, too. He finally comes to trust him after Julius saves Aela from near death more than a dozen times.

Prince Guido quietly nods in agreement with Golem.

“I’m also against this—is what I would like to say right now, but it won’t be too late to pass judgment after we hear them out. I do apologize for suddenly trying to run my blade through you on sight. I lost my head in the spur of the moment and acted on impulse,” he apologizes in the clerical tones of a politician trying to smooth over a bad situation.

While he hasn’t taken the aggressive stance of Golem, he also isn’t touching his food and he’s watching Julius like a hawk.

“Your apology is unwarranted. I also lost my cool in the moment. I came very close to killing all of you. It’s only natural for you to react in defense to my murderous intentions like prey often does,” Julius says without any malice.

Red splotches spread across Golem’s face, and he slams his fists on the table and rises.

That’s dangerous! Chef’s consommé soup is gonna spill over!

“Bastard! You tried to kill His Highness and Saint Aela!” Golem fumes, as if to say his action is deserving of death.

But come on, man. It’s bad manners to hit the table while people are eating! My soup would’ve spilled if I hadn’t lifted the bowl off the table a fraction of a second sooner! I saved Julius’s, too.

“Hey! Don’t spill my soup! And you’re going on blaming us for stuff, but aren’t you the rude ones for refusing to touch the food we served you? It’s incredibly delicious! The most amazing thing you’ll ever have the honor of being served!” I emphasize in a fit.

I deserve to throw a fit! Golem’s gratuitous table slam caused every other bowl of soup except for mine and Julius’s to spill over, ruining the beautiful table arrangement. And mine and Julius’s would’ve joined the mess if I hadn’t saved them in time!

My roared complaint causes Golem to turn a wary eye on me. It’s like he’s only just now noticing I exist. He’s got the face of someone wondering why a child is sitting at the adults’ table.

My, how rude! Just so you know, I’m considered a bona fide adult in Analia, where anyone over fifteen is an adult.

“What in the world is the story with this…little lady…?” Golem asks Julius after he thoroughly scrutinizes me.

His choice of words in describing a fine woman like me crosses deep into the realm of rudeness, but so be it. Answering who I am is a boon unto this world!

I suck in a deep breath to tell him that I love Elle Village the most and am the most loved by Elle Village—but Julius covers my mouth.

All the air I inhaled can’t be exhaled into proper words with his hand in the way.

As I’m choking on muffled words, Julius coolly answers in my place. “She can be saved for later. I want to hear your thoughts first. Will you help me or not?”

Hey, man! Why am I getting pushed off for later?! Let me introduce myself! Lemme say my trademark phrase!

“Your impudence goes too far! I’d never help you!” Golem lashes out.

“I see,” Julius answers, offended. “Then don’t. All I want is the woman Aela and her ability to see through magic.”

My heart drops.

“All I want is you, Aela.”

I know that line. It’s the most impactful line Julius says to Aela in the manga. It’s what he tells her when she asks him if his heart doesn’t ache after betraying Analia and defeating the rest of the Grand Magi he once called allies.

I wonder if he’s starting to fall for Aela like he’s meant to…

Agitation mounting, I study his eyes as they’re fixed on Aela. He drops his gaze slightly, apparently shifting his attention to the fairy riding on her shoulder.

“I can also use that fairy sitting there. I never thought I would encounter one out of hiding from the Fairy Realm. I’ve heard fairies are more accomplished sorcerers than humans. Legend has it that they were the ones who spread sorcery through the human world. Golem, was it? Your assistance is unrequired. You may go if you wish.” Julius dismisses him the same he would a bumbling servant past his years.

Golem turns crimson and yells “Bastard…!” and lunges across the table at him. Prince Guido grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him back into his seat.

“Golem, don’t let him goad you. Calm down…,” he advises his friend, then turns a penetratingly cold gaze on Julius. “Don’t provoke us, Julius. Remaining calm is difficult when I think of all the things you’ve done to Gaea. If it were up to me, I would kill you right now.”

The hatred blazing in his eyes frankly gives me the chills, but Julius returns the gaze with his usual lack of expression. That’s Julius for you. The strongest of the Four Grand Magi is different from the rest of us. He fears and feels nothing.

Or so I thought, but after a long pause, Julius ever so slightly lowers his gaze.

“…A valid point. My apologies. I wasn’t trying to provoke you.”

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! A-Apology! Oh my Demon Lord! Julius apologized!

Everyone, including me, looks at him in utter shock. Commandeering everyone’s full attention, Julius continues to speak with his eyes cast down.

“I’ll be honest with you…I have no experience seeking help. I don’t understand how to interact beyond threats. But regardless of my unease in this matter, I still want to borrow your assistance.”

Every member of Saint Aela’s party reacts with surprise over Julius’s commendable confession. Even I’m a little shaken up by the way he’s acting. After all, while he’s relatively amicable with the people of Elle Village, he treats all outsiders like they’re the enemy to be annihilated.

Because when all’s said and done, he’s still the former commander of the Demon Lord’s Army. Up until I asked him not to kill anyone here, he had resumed his role as an evil general wanting to wipe out Saint Aela’s group just for having discovered us.

Saint Aela’s team is too shocked for words, but it’s Saint Aela herself who doesn’t seem too surprised and answers him first. “You are faced with that great an obstacle that you are willing to seek out our help. What is it that troubles you so?” she asks.

Yes! That’s what I want to know! It’s been bothering me this whole time!

The thing is, I participated in this dinner party as mayor without really knowing the point of it. What is it that’s brought Julius to the point of apologizing and practically begging Saint Aela for her help?

Julius, who has been dominating everyone’s attention during this deathly silent dinner party, quietly answers her. “I want you to join me in defeating the Demon Lord.”

Huh? Join him in defeating the Demon Lord?

Tension runs through the dinner party.

“I would gladly destroy the Demon Lord on my own, but certain circumstances will make it hard to do so through normal means,” Julius continues while everyone is too startled to speak. “Every time I venture into town, I hear rumors of Saint Aela. I just witnessed your saintly powers for myself and they are quite real. With your powers on my side, I might be able to demolish the Demon Lord.”

“D-Demolish the Demon Lord?” Lylish cries out in a shrill voice from where she’s elegantly perched on Saint Aela’s shoulder. “Do you seriously mean that? You, one of the Four Grand Magi?”

“…I’m serious. I am no longer one of Analia’s Four Grand Magi, nor do I belong to the Demon Lord. I am merely a man who loves living in this rural village,” Julius admits.

“What’s your real goal?” Prince Guido asks, giving Julius a once-over. “Are you asking us to help you usurp the throne? Planning to depose the current Demon Lord so you can become Analia’s next ruler?”

“I have no such plans. I simply wish to live out my life in peace once the Demon Lord is defeated. Protecting this peaceful lifestyle is my only goal,” Julius quietly confesses.

Prince Guido’s eyes go rounder than the saucer on the table, betraying the depth of his surprise. But the hard contours of his face immediately soften.

“Live in peace, huh…? I never expected to hear that word from you,” he says with a gentleness that’d been absent from his voice until now.

I think some of the barbed edges in Prince Guido’s attitude toward Julius have dulled. But Golem’s scowl is just as distrustful as the start.

“I’ll never believe such blatant lies from a man known to all the world as merciless and ruthless! Don’t fall for his deceit, Your Highness. This devil is scheming something!”

Prince Guido nods twice, then thrice to Golem’s warning.

Beside him, Saint Aela also offers up her advice. “He speaks the truth. No lies or deceit color his words. I trust him.”

Prince Guido nods in agreement with her as well. He flashes the mischievous grin of a child playing two sides.

“Sorry, Golem. It seems I have taken quite a liking to him… He wants to defeat the Demon Lord in order to live in peace? Haha! Julius the Merciless does! Have you ever heard anything more amusing than that?!” he exclaims, letting out a real laugh.

“Can I take that as you agreeing to assist me?” Julius confirms over the prince’s laughter.

“Absolutely,” Prince Guido vows. “Also, to be clear, defeating the Demon Lord is our greatest wish. Whether you ask it of us or not, we won’t stray from that goal.”

Oh yeah, that’s exactly what they’re after. Knowing the manga, I know why Saint Aela’s group is traveling the world. Right now it’s a journey to save Gaea, but they will eventually infiltrate Analia and head for the Demon Lord’s castle—to defeat the Demon Lord.

Saint Aela’s smiling over Prince Guido’s decision, but Golem isn’t pleased, obviously.

“Overthrowing the Demon Lord’s definitely our greatest ambition, but joining hands with one of them is playing with fire…!” he objects.

“Golem, I understand where you’re coming from,” Prince Guido concedes with a sorry smile. “…Many of Gaea’s soldiers have been slaughtered by Analia’s army. But put another way, our armies have killed a great number of Analian sorcerers as well. We have been killing each other—that is the way of war. And I don’t doubt that more Gaeans have been killed. But does having more kills make one side eviler than the other? Is it a matter of how many you killed?”

He lets that question hang in the air.

“If it’s a matter of numbers, you should also consider that Analia has a much smaller population than Gaea. Furthermore, I’ve heard that Analia’s army isn’t made up of soldiers and volunteers who have sworn loyalty to the king like in Gaea. It’s said that their side is made up of sorcerers with no battle experience suddenly taking to the battlefield upon nomination by their Demon Lord. Doesn’t that mean we’ve been killing mostly civilians all this time?” Prince Guido passionately appeals to his knight.

Golem lets out a low, rumbling groan and bites his tongue. He doesn’t appear completely convinced, but he loudly exhales and heavily slumps back in his chair as if to signal he will obey his prince’s orders.

Ooh! Prince Guido is as open-minded and cool as I hoped he’d be! That’s the way one of the lead male characters from a manga oughta be! And even Golem matches perfectly with his manga character. He’s so cool in his own way. Golem’s aggressiveness toward Julius comes from his concern for Prince Guido and Aela. He cares about his allies.

I’m getting all excited and impressed by the group of characters I fawned over when they were just drawings on a piece of paper.

I’m observing Prince Guido and the others when I sense a pair of eyes on me and look to my right. There, I find Julius pouting. Why does he look so upset?

He quickly looks away when our eyes meet and returns his attention to Prince Guido.

“Thank you for thinking of Analia’s citizens. However, Analia is made up of people who don’t think twice about dying for the Demon Lord. There are many sorcerers who are suddenly thrust into the army without any special training like you mentioned, but I doubt they feel any fear.”

“I see… Then that’s even worse on us for killing people with no will of their own under the guise of war. Haha. I’ve come to despise the Demon Lord even more now. That’s a ruler who thinks nothing of the people. No doubt the Demon Lord views the citizens of Analia as little more than useful puppets… But you seem different. A puppet would never think of turning on the puppeteer,” Prince Guido points out, holding Julius’s gaze.

His expression is clear of the tension and suspicion he had at first. The mood in the room has grown more serene, too.

As I’m picking apart the moment, I catch Prince Guido looking at me.

“With that out of the way, I would love it if you would introduce the adorable young lady with you now. I heard the villagers address her as Lady Elle. Where does she hail from?”

Oh! It’s here! The marvelous time for me to introduce myself!

My excitement swells in anticipation.

I glance over at Julius to check if I’m good to go. Can I say it?! I can say it, right?!

Julius furrows his brow slightly when he notices my antsy gaze and seems to consider it for a moment. Then he turns to look at the prince.

“Guido, let me confirm it with you officially. You are willing to help me defeat the Demon Lord, correct?”

“Do you even need to ask? Like I said, we’re after the same thing.”

“I see…,” Julius says, still reluctant.

Why are you so resistant to me talking about myself?! Bah! I can’t wait any longer.

I rise from my chair. “I’m more than happy to tell you who I am if you wish to know! For I am— Mmph!”

Julius covered my mouth again! My words came out muffled!

WHY?! Why won’t you let me say it?!

“Forgive me. I would rather not hide things from possible allies in defeating the Demon Lord, but it’s more important to me that word about her does not make it back to the Demon Lord… Will you vow not to speak of her outside these walls?”

Prince Guido seems a little baffled by Julius’s frantic insistence. “Of course. You have my word. But why the secrecy?”

Julius drops his hand from my mouth.

“What the heck, Julius?!” I huff with my first gasp of air. “Why do you keep getting in the way of my grand introduction?!”

“You heard my answer to the prince. I don’t want the Demon Lord to discover you, no matter the cost. Please stop being so quick and careless to reveal yourself every chance you get.”

“I’m not quick and careless when I reveal myself! I always take GREAT care when I announce my name! I make sure to use over fifty words every time!”

“I’m not talking about the care you put into your introduction.”

He’s not? Then what’s he talking about?

I frown, completely at a loss over what obstinate Julius is trying to say. Prince Guido’s entertained laughter fills the room.

Uh, why is he suddenly laughing?

He has a good, hard laugh and wipes the tears from his eyes. “Haha! Did you seek help from us when it’s so out of character for you because of her?” he asks Julius, amused.

“Yes, that is why,” Julius asserts. “I want to give her freedom. The kind where she can live without fear of another.”

Julius was being such an obstinate goat, but then he had to go and give that embarrassing answer. I can’t help but look at him.

“J-Julius…,” I call without thinking. He slowly turns his gaze to me.

“I want to live with her in this village enjoying peace and quiet without being controlled by anyone,” he says with his usual cool visage, but the look he is giving me feels so hot, my heart squeezes.

Could it be that…Julius…me— No! Don’t go there!

I wrench my gaze away and look down.

…Crap! Crap! Crap! I nearly let myself get the wrong idea.

The kinda wrong idea like Julius might have feelings for me…

Julius is going to fall in love with Aela. He’s going to love her. I can’t get the wrong idea. I tend to misunderstand things a lot. Heck, I’ve lived my whole life under one big fat misunderstanding. I don’t want to go back to being the girl who lived her life based on the misconception that she was loved by the Demon Lord.

“Hehehe. You two must be very close,” Aela says with a delicate laugh. Even Guido and Golem are starting to look at us like we’re an adorable sight to behold.

What is it?! What’s that look trying to convey?! I s-swear I’m not misinterpreting the situation!

“Wh-What’s with that look?! D-Don’t get the wrong idea! Also, before we get into all this side talk, Julius, I need to talk to you first! How are we supposed to defeat the Demon Lord when it’s that?! How do we defeat that?!” I emphasize in a loud voice.

I mean, the Demon Lord’s real identity is a magic circle that takes up an entire underground room!

“What?!” The fairy on Aela’s shoulder takes flight. “You people know the true identity of the Demon Lord?!”

Julius sits up straight. “I need to inform you about what the Demon Lord really is for us to win. The truth may be hard to believe. Nevertheless, what I am about to tell you is true. Are you prepared to believe me and face the truth?”

Prince Guido, Aela, and Golem nod—but then Julius abruptly springs to his feet. He jumped up so fast, the soup spilled on the table.

Hey! That’s my soup! I look up at Julius to complain…and swallow my words. He’s paler than the white tablecloth.

“Julius? What’s wrong?”

“Someone just teleported into the village center…,” he says, then runs over to the window and throws it open so hard, the shades bang against the wall.

I rush after him and nervously peer outside.

I activate Analyze in my right eye and see the shimmer of a magic circle in the blue sky. That circle floating in the air is for a teleportation spell. And three people just leaped down from it?

There’s one person I don’t recognize, but the other two are…

“Sereniel the Temptress and Steel Regulus…?!” I utter the names of my former allies.