Aurora Scroll

Viers thought it was the knights in black that were bad.

I mean, just look at them. Their armor design and style just fall into the villain category. I guessed wrong?

After Croix almost got stabbed by one of the whites, seeing how the Thunder Wing leader lady knocked out the attacker and defended the prince, Viers was more open to the possibility of a planted knife. A plot was afoot.

In the chaos that ensued, both sides tried to secure the prince. The teen himself was frozen at the beginning, his mind was trying to make sense of what happened. He was having doubts, did his aunt really want to have him killed?

“Young Lord, snap out of it!”

“Alfred…? I…”

Viers and Boram got to his side. “Highness, we can't stay here. We’re right in the middle of this.”

If it was up to Viers, he would move to the Thunder Wing knights. Besides the traitor, there were no other ill attempts from them. However, even he couldn't be certain. They might simply pretend to be allies for the moment only to bare their blade later.

But what other option did they have? The Black Shield knights were suspiciously trying very hard to get to the prince. Meanwhile, the leader of two Knightly Orders were having a flying magic jousting on their mounts. Those were the facts but how could he convey them to the young prince? Long-winded conversations weren't really a good idea in this situation.

The knights were fighting each other but at least they didn't try to murder the prince openly so no deadly attacks were coming straight in their direction. Still, stray Artes were a thing and the prince’s Level 4 loyal protector was able to redirect them. Didn't make it less tense, especially with far more destructive Level 4 Artes not that far above them.

The feeling was exactly like being in a battlefield under a bullet storm.

“Cease fighting! I’ll meet directly with the Countess of Stormberg myself. Cease fighting, I say!”

However, the screams of the powerless Idler, prince he may be, weren’t able to enforce order on the fighting knights.

“Even if it’s just us, let’s move, Young Lord. While they are holding each other back.”

“...Okay, Alfred. Lead the way. Mister Avel, Boram, don't fall behind.”

“Of course,” Viers turned electric. Primed to respond to any threats.

Boram nodded while keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.

The four moved as one but the knights on both sides didn't make it easy. Eleven steps away, the progress went awry.

“Urgh!?”

“W-what?”

Viers felt his emotions spiked. His vision narrowed and shivers traveled down his spine. It was strong, so strong that even Boram was swallowed by it.

Arte - Bravery of Dune!

Viers used his mental abnormal status countermeasure. At first it was only for fear but the current improved version also included induced rage, confusion, lethargy, forgetfulness, slight insanity, and a couple more.

Someone moved with high speed and tackled Alfred away.

“Wahahaha! Missed me?”

“Gram? You swine!”

Gram removed the thickest protection of Prince Croix. With him and Alfred separated, there was an opening to be exploited.

Viers knew this too.

There!

Croix and Boram were paralyzed with fear so Viers was the only one capable of acting. He pushed the prince away from an attack. The attack landed on his shoulder instead. Viers’ eyes went wide seeing the weapon used against him. The force was much stronger than he thought and he got blasted into the ravine, but not before he dragged the attacker down together with him using the lightning lasso he created.

“Get over here!”

The two corrected their posture midair as they fell and navigated their landing point to a big floating rock the size of a football field. Flying was beyond them but short air-gliding and the like was not.

“Mmhh…” Viers massaged his shoulder. His Unreality Field tanked the worst of it. Otherwise there would be a hole in his body right now.

“Are you insane, boy?” The assassin that Viers dragged down with him said. He sounded annoyed under his black armor.

“Gram was wearing black armor too. Guess the prince’s brother is the culprit after all. Behold my airtight reasoning, for there’s only one truth!” Viers exclaimed.

“You got balls, I'll give you that. A Level 3 dares to challenge a Level 4 on his own? Not everyday you meet someone so brave, or crazy.”

“Where did you get that weapon?” Viers pointed to the thing that the man had in his hand, mostly ignoring the man’s comments.

“Oh? This caught your eye?” The man sounded like he was smiling under his helmet. “You seem to recognize it too. My, my.”

The man raised his gun and pulled the trigger at Viers.

Viers took refuge behind a rock outcrop. There were many of them on this floating rock.

“Hah! Good response, boy!” The man removed his helmet. “You’ve seen a gun before, haven't you? You've been to Zetel too?”

“Zetel?” Viers asked from behind his hiding place.

“Aye. A new invention, so I was told. Guns have started circulating in special circles in the Zetel society. I got my hand on one of these babies in my previous mission and got hooked instantly.”

Viers felt some relief. He risked his life and limbs isolating a Level 4 to find out if he was another otherworlder. If he was, making contact and reaching a compromise for a beneficial relationship might be on the table. Turned out it was a false alarm.

But Zetel… The south-west sultanate known for its magical superiority dabbled in guns? That is… slightly concerning.

A bang resounded. If that was a normal gun, the thickness of the rock outcrop would be sufficient to block a handgun’s bullet. However, the man’s shot bore a hole in the thick rock. Viers had anticipated that so he evaded anyways. This was a world of magic, the gun might not be entirely mechanical.

Just like his own.

“Far easier to use than a bow and arrow, isn't it? Come out, come out and pla-”

Viers replied with a gunshot. He broke cover and swiftly pulled the trigger, as he’d done thousands of times before in FPS games.

The Level 4 did not expect that. The bullet hit him but it did no damage. As a Level 4, his passive defense was even stronger than Viers’.

“What a day! Meeting a fellow gunslinger on foreign land! Let’s duel!”

***

It shouldn't be long until Bennec kills the prince… What the!?

Gram watched as the masked travel companion of Prince Croix lassoed Bennec down with him into the ravine.

Tsk! That man is really troublesome. He’s foiled my plan twice now! Should I try to kill the target myself? But my opponent is sticking on me like glue.

“Dark Divide!”

Alfred split the air with a black slash. In their previous battle, the assassin was hard-pressed dealing with this technique. But not now.

“Wahahahaha!” Gram split the dark slash in two by charging towards it with his body of light. “You’re not looking so good. What's wrong, not getting enough sleep?”

They dealt the same degree of injury against each other but while Gram had a chance to rest and mend, Alfred was too uneasy around Viers and Boram for a few days. Like Gram said, he was not getting enough sleep.

“Shut your mouth, assassin! I’ll send your head back to your employer!”

***

Boram could breathe again.

After Master Avel removed the person that shot something small at Croix, the suffocating and gripping sensation in his heart disappeared.

Master and Alfred are gone. It’s up to me now.

“This way, Prince… Err, sorry for the rudeness.”

Boram gripped Croix’s arm and pulled him away because Croix had not broken out of the lingering effect of the fear attack.

Boram was very unsure how to treat the prince of Latias. On one hand, he was told by his owners before Viers bought him to always kneel before the nobles. If they told you to lick their boots, you do so without question. If they told you to sing, you sing without delay.

If they want you to die, you die.

Nobles were a different breed than the rest of humanity, and slaves were even more beneath them. To them, you were no different than livestocks or beasts of burden.

On the other hand, Master Avel told him that it was all bullshit and hogwash of the highest order. No matter what those ‘highborn idiots’ might think, power was the world’s truth. As long as you were stronger than them, how could they stop you from looking down on them? But that didn't mean to be cruel and proudful to those weaker than you. Be polite to others and if they get out of line and forget their place in the world, hammer them down.

The prince was not cruel or rude to himself so Boram would treat him with the same courtesy. However, the way he acted might be taken as rudeness. Even a slave like Boram knew nobles had hundreds of behavioral rules and twice as many unwritten rules. Master Avel didn't teach him about any highborn etiquette, only the ‘normal’ ones. Pulling his arm wouldn't be a breach of etiquette worthy of the gallows, would it?

The prince didn't even need to be the one giving the execution order. One of his vassals of sufficiently high rank could do the same. Since he was a prince, Boram reckoned he had a lot of them.

Naturally he would refuse and resist, just as Master Avel taught him if others ask unreasonable demands of him. Yet doing so would ultimately create problems for Master Avel and that was the one thing Boram absolutely did not want to do.

Uwaaah! What should I doooo? Help me, Masterrr!

Those were the insides of Boram’s head as he effortlessly protected the VIP princeling from murder attempts and breaking spines. Unknown to the person himself, both the Thunder Wing and Black Shield knights were giving him the look as if the child-faced shorty was some sort of mad honey badger.