Ambient Mage

I began to gear up for the invasion of 'Base'.

I strapped my full body harness on as I slotted my two swords into their sheaths.

'Isla, please tell me what happened while I slept now, that we have free time.'

'Yes, master.'

'During your sleep, Mistress Aurelia fed you 19 times, while Mistress fed you 8.'

'Mistress Aurelia, also kissed you a total of 62-'

'No, Isla I'm talking about how they retrieved my body and those left to care to me.'

'They came back for you within 2 hours.'

'You were overseen by healers, around the clock, you were never without healers.'

'I see, and nothing else occurred?'

'Mistress Aurelia communicated with me.'

What?

'What? How?'

'She connected to both you, master and me.'

'Perhaps our connection brought her to me to you.'

That's confusing.

'I understand it might not make much sense, but you also had a massive group of women, decide your fate.'

'Like they covened a council to decide my fate?'

'Yes.'

'The verdict?'

'Aurelia made others swear an oath to not let your secrets out.'

'Then she told them about your blood makeup.'

'Got it.'

'Thanks Isla.'

'Yes, Master.'

***

"Rose, Claudia, you two will be fine protecting this place right?"

"Yes, ever since you woke up, we haven't had any signs of another wave."

"Alright, then we're off."

Aura, Morgan, Charlotte and I departed from the camp.

"Lucas, do you have the map?"

"Yeah, here."

I handed Morgan the map.

For a short while we walked in silence until Aura broke the silence.

"Lucas, did you bring Alea with you?"

"Yes, Alea, if you would."

'Okay, Daddy.'

She released part of her barrier.

"Has Alea been on your shoulders like that since you woke up?"

"Actually yes, I summoned her, and just had her stay here."

"Can I hold her?"

I sent a message to Aura.

'Of course, do you need to ask when it comes to our daughter?'

Her face brightened and turned a little pink as she scooped the little ferret from my neck.

Aura clung to my left arm as she held Alea.

I guess Charlotte got a bit jealous as she took my right.

I think Morgan had an inkling this would happen and decided to stare at the map.

"Lucas,can you stop messing around?"

Morgan's voice shattered my expectations.

Charlotte and Aura, departed from my arms.

Interesting, really, since neither would listen to each other, but now that Morgan had asked them to stop playing around in the dungeon, they got serious again.

Then once more we walked in silence, aside from the occasional purring from Alea.

Charlotte began to speak breaking the silence.

"Lucas, isn't it odd there aren't any monsters here?"

"I do think it's odd, but it's more like the monsters are probably avoiding us."

"Lucas can you shut up and not jinx us?"

Charlotte looked at me as I put my hand up to signal I would talk to Morgan alone.

I left the rear of our formation and caught up to Morgan leading us.

"Hey Morgan, what's going on?"

"What do you mean what's going on?"

"You brought your two girlfriends and me to destroy a camp, but instead of being focused on the camp you're more focused around them."

It wasn't about Aura or Charlotte, clearly.

"Stop giving me that 'I already know' look, it annoys me."

"Look, Morgan, I need you here, I'm sorry if I've made you feel left out because of the way I treat the other two."

"I do really need you here though."

"Because I'm worse than Rose than leading, worse than Claudia in terms of power, and worse than Aisha at healing right?"

***

*Morgan's Pov*

I knew why Lucas brought me along, and left the others behind, he needed to know he could leave behind people who could do their jobs.

Bringing me along, was just an option, if just his whim.

"No, not at all."

"I chose you because I wanted you here."

It made me feel a little better.

"Then why?"

"Well I guess that really has to do with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I just like our dynamic, from our teachings from master, to when we're just hanging out, you're a sincere person I can get along with."

"Rose feels a litle awkard right now, and Claudia might cause a fight between the other two."

"Aisha might fall asleep on the way there lagging us."

"So I chose you, since you are the best for this, not because you were the worst for the camp."

I smiled.

I think that may have been the first time he's ever explained how he felt about me.

"Wow, Lucas, such heartfelt words, aren't you worried your girlfriends won't skewer you or me?"

"Not really, they aren't very dangerous like that, unless they vehemently oppose my ideas."

"So you're saying if you pursued me, they wouldn't give any pushback?"

"Yeah, I guess that's exactly what I said."

"Wait, so how did you get that to happen?"

"Well, I'm not sure really, one day they were both fighting the next, they had their consensus."

"So you have no idea."

"Not really."

"I'll go ask then."

I left the map in Lucas' hands and joined the other girls as we continued towards the camp.

***

*Lucas' Pov*

We arrived at the front gates of what looked like a fortress, if it was made of dungeon rock, instead of layers of brick.

"Open the gates, we need to speak to your leaders."

Between, Rose, Charlotte, and I, we had decided if the other camp would surrender without a fight we would take it.

Otherwise, I would let it all be reduced back to dust.

"No, who are you to demand the gate should be opened."

I let off a little of Alea's aura.

"You insolent rat, for your disrespect against the lords, leave the women, and you can still leave with your head."

His yelling had attracted some of the other guards.

Fortunately some weren't as stupid and realized, my party held two princesses.

The gate promptly opened, and what greeted us looked almost like a prison street.

People in chains carrying things around, those without pulling them.

The chains they likely scoured from the underground.

They were definitely the mana depriving ones.

We continued to walk down the center street until we reached the end of the small area.

Ahead of us, lied a small castle.

We walked down the small spiral staircase leading us down towards the newly terraformed floor which held the castle.

"How many people were enslaved to make this thing?"

"150 men and women."

Another student in chains walked by us.

I cut his chain loose.

"No! Why would you do that? Now I'll be punished."

He scampered off.

That was odd.

"What was that about?"

Morgan thought it was also odd.

But the two princesses had a face showing that they understood.

"They're using a method that scares these students into being slaves."

"You mean they aren't just using violence, as if that wasn't enough?"

"Correct, but whoever has created this will be summarily executed when we leave this place."

"Good."

The girls discussion put them all in a better mood as we continued towards the castle.

"Halt, where are your chains, slaves?"

"None of us here are slaves, much less to anyone here."

"Then leave."

"I am going to have a talk with your leader whether you like it or not, so you can move, or you will be executed alongside him, when we leave the dungeon."

"He has already-"

"Shut up. Are you going to let us pass?"

He scrunched his face in anger.

"No, and now you will be relieved of your life, and women."

He began to charge me spear in hand.

I waved my hand and he flew into one of the lakes in the garden.

"Lucas what if he drowns?"

"It's not deep enough for that."

"Besides did you think I cared for many people here at this point?"

"Not at all."

I kicked the doors down.

There were students there in maid outfits that were in no way actually useful and showed too much or loosely dressed in pants with whip marks on their back.

You decide which gender had which, because either way the students here had chain cuffs on their legs and wrists.

They were powerless here.

"Do any of you wish to be freed?"

The silence they replied with spoke volumes.

"Then I'll ask a better question, do any one of you wish to remain slaves?"

They shook their heads.

"Hey you slaves, quiet out there, or do I need to teach you who your master is again?"

The room near us sounded.

I slashed their chains off, as the four of us opened the door to the room.

"Who told you, you could ent- what the fuck?"

"Who are you?"

"Tell me where Damian is."

"Alright."

Suddenly chaincuffs launched out and ended up on our limbs.

"You do realize that you just cuffed two princesses right?"

"And he will reward me greatly for it."

"Did you also know these mean nothing to me?"

"It's too bad these only prevent mana."

I said as I beat the student within my limits.

"It's too bad there are no healers right?"

He scrambled out of the room.

"Lucas why did you let him run like that?"

"He's going to lead us straight to the leader."

So we followed the trail of confused students in chains, breaking them one by one.

Eventually we were lead to an office room, where the noble boy had run to.

"And you're in here now?"

"I was about to get started."

A girl was kneeling in front of the man, crying silently holding her naked body.

I let the girls do the talking this time.

"Damian Alsavarro, stand and receive your judgment."

Charlotte went straight for the jugular.

"There will be no negotiation, remove these chaincuffs, and release the other students, you may yet live."

Aura finished.

Morgan spoke to the girl.

"Come, here you don't have to serve him."

She looked at us terrified.

That's when I recognized her.

Or more specifically who she represented.

The Grail Knight surrounded by misfortunes.

The grail knight Henryk.

He has a sad story, but that's for another time.

This girl is his sister.

As I knew her name I called out to her, pulling out a cloak to cover her.

"Annastasia, come here."

She looked surprised someone knew her name.

But she still refused.

Then another way.

"Dolly, come here."

With that she fled in my direction.

"Lucas what-"

"Not now."

"So you have spoiled my fun huh?"

He waved his hands as a gravity box filled our position making impossible to move.

"This room has a function where the owner can freeze any person in this immovable box."

"Now without mana or strength, you will die."

"You think you can escape judgement Damian?"

I asked smiling.

"The academy has long since abandoned us."

"No one is coming, there will be no judgement, and no way for you to escape."

I smiled once more.

"Who said that?"

I had Alea, wo was invisible around my shoulders, who was immune to the artifact's gravity, and didn't have a collar use my mana to conjure magic.

She directly leeched it from my body.

"How can someone break the chaincuffs, we saw them keep even a 7th tier beast shackled."

"Then I guess you must know how strong I am now."

I decided to scare them before knocking them out.

"But you two will never live to speak about it."

Their eyes widened as Alea used a barrage of spells and knocked them out.

With that the room's gravity disappeared, and Morgan cloaked the girl.

"Explain Lucas, right now."

"Sister, of grail knight Henryk."

I made my words concise as to avoid being crucified.

"How would you even know that?"

"They look like brother and sister, so I tried her name, and her reaction told me everything."

In truth, in the game, this side of the camp was never exposed to the player, and as a result the player is unaware of the black market with the nobles until the second semester.

In the dungeon reports after the episode, she is reported as dead, but flavortext in one of the items, you get from killing Damian after, tells us that she never died to monsters, but willinly threw herself into them, to end her own life.

In game it is supposed to add to the Grail Knight's misfortunes, but I would prevent it this time.

This was no longer a game, and I couldn't ignore the person in front of me.

"This is two of the 11."

"Aurelia, please gate these subhuman scum to the prisons in our camp."

I ordered.

I bent down to look at the girl crying and depressed.

I'm sorry.