Chapter 203

Empire Engulfed (IV)

Cain was currently sitting inside a rumbling carriage speeding over the rugged and dusty road, the dull, dirt-colored scenery blurring outside. He wasn’t alone though, and neither was he with anyone he knew; two women and a man rode the carriage alongside him, eyeing him carefully; this was especially the case for the man as he appeared to be the guard of the two women. The latter wore rather hefty and lavish clothes, gowns that made the already small carriage appear even smaller due to their puffiness. At the very least, Cain though, the lily and rose-colored garments added some color to the dull world.

The women’s shifty eyes often landed on Cain, prompting him to smile at the two whereupon they’d look outside the carriage swiftly, a faint red appearing on their cheeks. They looked like they were part of the upper echelon, Cain mused, though not terribly high as otherwise they would have been able to afford a personal coach rather than renting one out.

“It’s a surprisingly pleasant ride, no?” Cain broke the silence, startling the two women as well as the man whose hand reached for the scabbard on his side instinctively. “Aside from the awkwardness that threatens to literally suffocate me alive, that is.”

“A-ah, apologies,” one of the women said somewhat awkwardly, smiling in the process. “It is unbecoming of us. If we had made it difficult for you, Sir, please do forgive us.”

“My Lady--”

“Hush,” the woman silenced the man quickly who tried to interject. “You know we’ve been rude.”

“it’s fine,” Cain said. “We’ve all got our circumstances. I assume yours have something to do with the platoon of scar-faced buffoons following us at the moment.”

“--!!!”

“Where?!! How?!!” alarmed, the man nearly jumped out of the carriage but suddenly found out he couldn’t even move, his eyes widening as he looked at Cain. “W-what are you--”

“Calm down, calm down,” Cain said. “They’re likely waiting for us to get to some remote region before attacking. You gotta wonder though... there’s like sixty people following us. Are you like an eloping princess or something?”

“...”

“...”

“... wait,” Cain’s eyebrows twitched suddenly as he noted their reactions. “You... you gotta be shitting me? This... this can’t be just a coincidence, right?” Cain mumbled to himself all of a sudden. “The Tower’s gotta be fuckin’ with me on a personal level, right?”

“My Lady, should I...?”

“Considering he was not aware of my identity,” the woman who remained silent this whole time spoke up, lifting her head. She was quite the beauty, Cain had to admit; she had porcelain-white skin, as did everyone within the Kingdom due to the fact they rarely if ever got exposed to the sun, a pair of twilight-dyed eyes and long, black hair spilling over her shoulders. “He likely is not an impostor, but merely a stranger who happened upon us... We... We are sorry, kind Sorcerer. We have put you in harm’s way.”

“... not really,” Cain shrugged; at this point, he was fairly certain it was the ‘Tower’ tossing him ‘hints’ and such, as, otherwise, this level of serendipity was comical at best. “I have a feeling trouble would have found me either way. Anyway, wanna tell me why is the Princess of a Kingdom being chased out by some very ugly-looking monkeys?”

“...” the man glanced at the Princess as she took a deep breath and nodded, the glimmer in her eyes flashing with determination. “It is all to protect my Younger Sister.”

“...” Cain tilted his head confusedly, waiting for the explanation.

“I am unsure whether you are aware, but Our home... is bubbling with tensions and undercurrents. In their midst, many new eyes and ears emerged.” It’s strange, Cain frowned suddenly. “As these things pertain to the Kingdom’s well-guarded secrets, We are unable to relay them directly; however, Our Young Sister had taken the wind of certain rumors that she could not understand. After all, she had been a sheltered child, and had never learned truths of the Throne.” A Quest isn’t triggering... but she’s divulging so much to an actual stranger... “She had shared some... disturbing views at the Royal Meal, and was set for execution. We have helped her escape... but We have been found out. It seems... this is as far as We go. Mina... Sebas... please, forgive your unruly Master for dragging you into this.”

“My--my Princess!! What are You saying?! It is an honor to be by Your side!” the man swiftly added. “Besides, it is not over! I shall protect You both until my last breath and ensure You escape!”

“That---that’s right, my Princess!” the woman added quickly as well. “Please, don’t give up yet. There’s still a chance.” Still... no quest... Cain’s frown deepened even further. Is... is she just a natural airhead that randomly shares this with whoever and whatever?

“I can save you,” Cain said suddenly, wondering whether he was making the right choice. At the same time, the three looked at him oddly, as though he’d said something insanely ridiculous. “What’s with the long faces?” he chuckled, taking out a can of beer from his inventory, startling the three. “The lot following us are just a joke. However, those who sent them here... are not. If it was just the matter of getting you out of this safely, it wouldn’t be any trouble; however, incurring the wrath of the entire Royal Family... even I have to pause for a second.”

“E-even you?” Ah, she took the bait. Cain grinned inwardly, noting that the ‘mysterious persona’ always works.

“I’m headed for the border,” Cain continued instead of elaborating. “To gain some reputation and a standing within the Kingdom. And so are my friends. Our end goal... let’s see... I suppose, our end goal would be the ultimate resolution of whatever the hell is happening here. And... I can honestly only see two paths that we can take for that: either the complete annihilation of the Kingdom... or the purging of the higher powers and re-establishment of absolute monarchy. Now, Princess, this is the central thesis -- would you... like to ascend the Throne?” the look in Cain’s eyes froze the blood inside the trio; they were commanding, confident, unrelenting, and determined. It was as though he was talking about something entirely ordinary rather than usurping the order of the entire Kingdom and ascending the exiled Princess to the Throne.

Yet, for one reason or another... all three found themselves believing his words. And, what’s perhaps even more insane, believing he can succeed -- easily at that.

“Very well,” the Princess said rather quickly to Cain’s surprise. “If... if you can ensure Our safety... We--no... I shall assist you and your friends in ridding the Kingdom of the vermin that had infested its borders. I swear by My Blood and Soul.”

“...” Cain chuckled as he stretched, Mana gently seeping out of him as the carriage came to a stop. “We’re far enough,” he said, slowly stepping out. “I’ve put up an invisible barrier around the carriage that should protect you from any stray Skills. I suggest you don’t leave it. I’ll be right back.”

He walked out and down the path winding through a tall canyon; indeed, if they were perished here, nobody would ever likely find their bodies or their fates. It didn’t take long for shadows to begin coalescing into armed and armored figures that surrounded the carriage as well as Cain. There were around eighty of them, he realized; however, most were just ordinary, level 30 ‘mobs’, with only three level 40 ‘elites’, hardly something worth a worry.

“It’s been a while since I fought,” he said as Mana began to seep out of his fingers. “Let’s see how well my skills work together -- Barren Inferno.”

As soon as the last syllable touched the wind, the ground beneath his feet shook -- extending across the entire canyon, startling everyone. A mere moment later, cracks blared out in droves before exploding in cascading fires that swallowed all those who were too close to them. Cries of pain and anguish bellowed out as Cain glanced at his Mana -- thanks to Taima’s weapon, the current consumption was negligible.

“Vorpal Flames,” a Skill that could only be used directly after ‘Barren Inferno’, using the summoned fires from below to stir the raw, fire elements in the surroundings and expel them outwardly, in a ring-like fashion, causing a pseudo-heatwave that burned for nearly half a mile omnidirectionally. Within two Skills, only one person remained standing -- and it was by Cain’s choice. He appeared to be a middle-aged man currently kneeling some twenty yards in front of Cain, his eyes widely staring at the surrounding carnage. So many dead... within less than a minute. Burned, charred corpses and skeletal remains strewn about the hellish landscape of dying flames... even... even if he told someone, they wouldn’t believe him. And he... he wouldn’t blame them. “Well,” the man who caused all this smiled, but that smile... was blood-freezing. It wasn’t human. “Now that the distractions are gone, we can have a nice, long, and very instructive chat.”