"Why did Viola just proclaim to be your slave?..... Viola said that you are a student of Kathorrunth and that if her mother proclaims Viola is under your control and attacks you then Kathorrunth can confirm my free will. This forest will thus feel the wrath of a dragon and the elves. She says the truth will come out about Violas mother unjustly killing an elven royalty soul bond." What the hell is in Violas head?... Well, not ideal but it at least gives me some protection. I put away my sword as this will not be the weapon I will use to fight thousands of fairies, the weapon I will use is 4 grenades strapped to my chest and the turrets on the car behind my back.

"She just chose you over her mother. She loves you like a daughter." I get confusion from Aelynthi... "Violas mother may see you as less important than the humiliation of Violas new status."

"You made Viola choose between me and her mother?"

"No, I made Viola realise that her love for you is not respected by her own mother and there may come a time when her mother chooses between something and you." Considering the long life span of said people and Aelynthis current unstable political situation, it may be a real possibility. I feel complex emotions from Aelynthi. Was my trick and humiliation of these fairies such a bad idea?... Her mother probably does not care about the situation of Aelynthi other than the political gain she can get by selling said person or information to the elves.

I address Viola: “You did not have to say that. We are trying to stop a fight from happening.”

“I am true to my word. I misjudged the situation and made a bet, I am paying up. If my mother can not accept me or my love for Aelynthi then she is not my mother.”

“I manipulated you into the bet.”

“I am 99 years old. I think I can make my own decisions.”

Viola barely flies a meter towards her mother before she stops and turns to me.

Viola start chanting something: '························································································' A commotion brakes out in the crowd. The Queen Lilliana is shocked but unable to stop Viola.

Aelynthi: “Bastard do not dare accept her!“

"What?"

"Do not accept Viola as a slave!." What?

Viola: "Accept me." Is this the soul magic thing?... As much as I dislike Viola for causing the situation, she is family to Aelynthi so she is family to me. Even if she was not close to Aelynthi I would not take her as a slave for worrying about somebody's else's freedom. Although accepting her as a slave may protect me during the current situation, I suspect it will cost Violas freedom and I can not accept that. I find it impossible to even think of a reason for ever having a slave but I have yet to experience much in life. Anyway, the answer is obvious.

'I do not accept.' I feel relief from Aelynthi. Can the result be seen by others? The crowd has somewhat calmed but are still most likely discussing my denial. I guess they can somehow tell the result, was something supposed to happen if I had accepted?

"You... you did not accept."

"I did not."

"Why?"

"Many reasons... You meant no harm, I dislike slavery, you are like a sister to Aelynthi..."

"I... Thank you." After a few moments of looking at me Viola continues over to the Queen. I wonder what is going on inside of the Queens head right now. The Queen starts casting various spells and I barely contain myself from activating the turrets. It is best to prepare for the worst case scenario.

I address Aelynthi: "Do not worry about Viola, I will keep her safe. I promise. Put on your goggles and balaclava." I pull her back behind me. We are ignored. Do they see no threat from us? What kind of combat abilities do fairies have?... At this point, I can not change things. A flashbang or two would be useful right now, maybe some smoke grenades... It would open up a few options, currently I have a very narrow range of possible solutions to the present situation and future conflict...

"When I tell you to run, you run and enter the car, do not hesitate, as that may cause our death. Please repeat what I have said."

"When you tell me to run I will run and enter the car without hesitation."

"Do as you have said and I will do my best to keep Viola safe, do not and I will abandon Viola and prioritize your life, this may put her into danger. Pull up your hood.” She does so.

“Please yell out that if they attack, any fairy that uses magic will be killed and any fairy that comes close to us will be killed."

I feel Aelynthis apprehension, confusion and anger probably directed at me but she listens to me and starts yelling out. The crowd's reaction is a surprise. I hear laughter, some are yelling something back towards me, while some show anger. Am I underestimating them? Are they underestimating me?

Viola looks at us, from this distance and her size I can barely make out the worry on her face.

"Aelynthi, tell me how fairies fight mages, general information." I should have asked this sooner...

"Fairies are very difficult for mages to hit, a group of fairies can kill an equally ranked mage quite easily. Fairies specialise in small scale precise magic like an elemental dart. Fighting tactics include hiding and running away, constant changes to the origin of the attack, exploitation of enemy weaknesses such as gaps in armor, eyes and ears." From this I gather there is no direct threat to me other than being overwhelmed with magic attacks as my armor does not really have a specific weakness. The only problem I see is that I have thousands of targets and not enough guns to fire bullets fast enough, nor enough bullets, nor enough pressurized air... At least the target system has target priority based on mana signature intensity. Killing 300-400 of the bravest and most powerful fairies will significantly lower the threat posed by them but should I? Should I activate the turrets to kill hundreds of sentient beings… is it worth my safety? There is no guarantee that I will die if I do not kill, nor there is a guarantee that I will not die if I do kill… I can not answer this question, neither do I have the time to dwell on it. I must live. I cast cast body magic on myself.

The queen performed multiple magics on Viola. After the 7th spell, something different happens. Viola is now on the ground in an unknown state. Great. Why did I have to provoke the Queen? Oh right, my petty desire for revenge and unwillingness to be under the power of another... Now the expected happens, the Queen yells something out and starts casti... I mean falling to the ground with a 20mm hole in her torso. I do not know whether she wanted to capture me or kill me but I do not want to risk it if it is the latter. Nor do I want to put my freedom and future into her hands as a captive.

Are there really no mana shields or something along those lines in this world? Are mages really this easy to kill? A crossbow bolt would have been enough or maybe not as she would have recognised a crossbow as a threat and taken countermeasures against it. Obviously she did not recognize my 20mm turret as a threat, though even if she did I am not sure it would have saved her. Maybe it is just the enormous amount of kinetic energy and projectile speed that made her unable to resist or react. As I did not give her any time to show off her capabilities I will never know. Note to self, never underestimate your enemy.

"Run."