Chapter 37: Preparation
Three days passed quickly. Bai spent most of her time studying the books on magic circles that Norma had given her.
Although she couldn’t yet construct a magic circle independently, after a few days of practice and Norma’s personal instruction, she had mastered about seventy or eighty percent of the basics. Soon, she would be able to create simple circles, like the explosive one from before.
To Norma, this rate of learning was normal. She knew Bai’s power was at least at the Destruction Class level, though she wasn’t sure if she had reached Calamity Class.
And since a Dream Demon’s direct combat abilities were weak, their physical strength even less than a human’s, it was difficult to gauge their true power.
Eleanor, however, was in a constant state of awe. She had almost blurted out, “Are all demons this amazing?” several times, but she still didn’t know that Norma was aware of Bai’s demonic identity, so she held her tongue.
As for her comrades in the dream, Bai hadn’t yet found a way to bring them back to the real world.
And since the dream had been created by Neily, and Bai was still unfamiliar with her Dream Demon powers, she couldn’t even enter it at will. So, she hadn’t returned to the dream in the past few days.
On the morning of the third day, the day of the meeting, Norma arrived at Bai’s residence.
Knock, knock, knock…
“Come in.”
Norma entered to see Bai in front of a mirror, putting on the ranger’s cloak. The hood concealed her fox ears and hair, and the cloak’s enchantment, “Standard Form,” hid her large, fluffy tail.
The enchantment was designed to standardize the user’s appearance, to obscure individual characteristics, similar to the gear used by human special operations squads.
But it was also perfect for concealing Bai’s conspicuous tail, which was why Norma had given it to her.
“That’s the uniform I received when I was a young Grove Ranger. It seems to fit you well, Captain Bai.”
Bai paused, her voice flat. “I am also young.”
“Outwardly, yes,” Norma said noncommittally.
“Is Eleanor coming with us?” Bai asked, turning to look at the closed door to Eleanor’s room.
She and Eleanor were sharing a house, though they had separate rooms.
Eleanor was still fast asleep, the sound of her snoring and the occasional smacking of her lips echoing from within.
Sometimes, Bai was tempted to enter her dreams, to see what she was eating.
“Some things… are best left to adults,” Norma said, her eyes narrowed. “The envoy from the sacred lands arrived yesterday. They were quite insistent on seeing Eleanor…”
Norma had been close to the High Priestess, and she knew how much she cared for Eleanor, a deep, almost inexplicable affection.
The council of elders, trying to seize power as they had in the past, hadn’t anticipated this.
Even without knowing the details, Bai, from Eleanor’s occasional complaints, had pieced together the general situation.
“It seems some things are the same everywhere,” she said, shaking her head. She had encountered similar power struggles in the Knights, with the now-deceased Glaimond being a master of the art.
But she had never been interested in such things, and they had rarely affected her.
“Let’s not dwell on such unpleasantries. If you’re ready, we should go,” Norma said, then, as if remembering something, she hesitated.
“However, the envoy from the sacred lands… they’re not the easiest to get along with. And with their status as elders, I can’t say much…”
The elves of the sacred lands looked down on the elves from the border regions, considering their bloodlines impure, a stain on their noble heritage. Norma was also a part of this… despised group.
She was worried Bai would be offended.
“…I can imagine,” Bai said, remembering the arrogant red-haired elf, Athena. She wondered how she was doing.
“And I refused their request to see Eleanor yesterday… so they’ll likely be… unpleasant today. But I’ll do my best to shield you,” Norma said with a wry smile.
“Don’t worry. Their empty words won’t bother me,” Bai said, pulling her hood up and walking towards the door. “Let’s go. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can get back to studying magic circles.”
…
“Are you ready?” Commander Arnold’s sharp gaze swept over the elite knights before him, his “envoy.”
“Ready!” they roared, their voices a single, powerful wave.
They were in full battle gear, their armor the latest in military technology, equipped with psychic shields and pulse cannons, their blades sharp and gleaming.
The Empire had only been able to produce twenty such sets, and they had all been given to this “envoy.”
And besides them, three Knight units, including the Garrison, had been deployed to the border near the Twilight Marsh, with more on the way.
The Empire was taking no chances with this potential demon threat.
…A threat largely created by Azakana. His rampage in the capital, though he had been defeated, had left a deep, lasting scar.
Although the Battle of Vikarn had been a greater threat to the capital, Azakana’s attack had been more… personal.
Alonso, standing beside Commander Arnold, sighed. Five years ago, the Knights had been a shadow of their former selves, their courage a desperate, last-ditch effort.
And all of this, all their current strength, was thanks to the unnamed hero of the Battle of Vikarn.
Thinking of her, he suddenly remembered the pink-haired, beast-eared little girl from the Twilight Marsh, and he frowned.
“I couldn’t find any record of a knight with her characteristics in the rosters, but why…”
“What is it, Sir Alonso?” Arnold asked, noticing his distraction.
“Just thinking about something unimportant,” Alonso said, deciding not to mention Bai.
He had a feeling he would see her at the meeting… and then, he could ask her himself.
