Here I am, with Sir Arthur, as we discuss the danger that may or may not exist when we connect Amleth to the Elven Kingdom.
The others are taking a short break, so I talk to him to pass the time. A silly goofy but good captain. Like Nar, he's an aura sword user. Unlike Nar, who naturally uses fire element, he uses light and holy element. Unlike Nar, who likes to take the offensive, he's like Captain Rentap from Emas, more towards the defensive type of sword play.
"All right, little demon, let's think about the threat and what you should do so that you don't get kidnapped for goddess knows how many times now" [Arthur].
"As a mature lady of the House of Vars, I humbly request to bite your head off!" [Diana]
"Why are you so obsessed with biting me?" [Arthur]
And this is our usual conversation as well. He really loves to make fun of me, doesn't he? After we both calm down, we sit down and start thinking about who is going to go after me. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the people of Aru Village.
"Right. In that case, I think the best thing to do is to fight them head on. They're fixated on you and only you. Well, Dana too, but you're the easier target. While they may use tactics like coercion, they're unlikely to do so if you engage them" [Arthur].
"That's true. I realized that. Unlike others, they're actually more confident in their strengths, so they use less of those dirty tactics" [Diana].
They're bad guys, that's true, but at least I don't have to feel the headache and worry about the safety of others should they be the ones coming at me. Just like Sir Arthur said, they will just come in, try to beat and kidnap me, and leave. Perhaps they will also cause havoc if they succeed, but with so many of us around, even I am skeptical of their chances of success. Unless they have the whole village, but that's unlikely. Their efforts are also directed elsewhere, where the Empire needs them.
Next is the True Beastmen group. They didn't exactly want to harm or kidnap me, but I did have a fight with their group once during the Salin Event, and most importantly...
"Since I am the one who put a seal around the core, the easiest way for them to disarm it is to make me do it" [Diana].
"True. Even if the researchers put more and more anti-theft measures, they know your ability and will just force you to disarm it. Name it. The researcher put an electrocution theft measure, they knew very well that you're able to disarm it. The researcher put a sound bomb, you can just use vacuum-related magic to prevent it. Whatever the researcher put, they will surely force you to disarm it" [Arthur].
"They are more of a headache than the ones from Aru Village. They will surely use dirty tactics" [Diana].
"No doubt" [Arthur].
Taking hostages. Using my friends to blackmail me. Suicide bombers. You name it. They will do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand in a battle. What's more, their leaders seem to have the fire of the Devil King in their hands. That's definitely a big threat.
"The best way for me to deal with them is to protect others around me and let Nar and Sas take care of them. Right!" [Diana]
"Good! Keep that in mind. I'm sure they'll do anything to get you to come with them. If they go for anything of value, you leave them alone. If they go for your friends, protect your friends and buy time until help arrives" [Arthur].
"Understand!" [Diana]
"We'll see if you put this into practice or not" [Sas]
"It would be better if they didn't attack us in the first place" [Nar].
Nar and Sas join the conversation after munching a cookie. They agree with Sir Arthur's approach. I will be in the center of the group, casting a protective spell, while the other one will go all out to defeat the True Beastmen group.
"What about the elven group led by Grandma Farhah's youngest son?" [Diana]
"We are not sure. We couldn't find Alagast in the forbidden forest, and it's too risky to send Mother after the group" [Farhana].
"I think we can exclude her. Your group will mostly travel on a road, far from the depth of the forest. There are several places they could attack, but I think with the elven delagation on our side as well, they wouldn't want to drag out a battle" [Arthur].
"Agreed" [Nar].
"But still a possibility to keep in mind" [Sas]
"Right!" [Diana]
This time, Sister Farhana was the one who joined the conversation. They've all been listening to Sir Arthur and me talking while taking a break, so it didn't take them long to speak up if they thought it was necessary.
"The Dark Guild. Didn't they just want the Mana Core?" [Diana]
"True, but just like the True Beastman Group, kidnapping you will be better for them. Besides, you have a huge bounty on your head." [Arthur]
"WAIT!? Really?" [Farhana]
"True enough. I remember them saying something about selling me to the highest bidder or to Flint, the leader of Aru Village" [Diana].
"At least you know that" [Arthur]
"It can't be that high, can it?" [Farhana]
"Not really. In fact, the Vars family is the one with the highest bounty in all of Amleth. From Nar to Diana, they all have almost the same amount of bounty on their heads. Their individual bounty alone is higher than anyone else's" [Alaric].
According to Alaric, Nar, Sas, and Sister Khamisah have the three highest bounties among us, followed by Sister Ophelia, and then Dana and I. The money they offer to kidnap or kill us is certainly lucrative.
"What about Kara and Mara? What about their bounties?" [Diana]
"Royalty generally doesn't have one, because they're just too valuable. Frankly, I am surprised to see Her Highness Ophelia on the list." [Alaric]
"Well, she's no longer royalty, she's a Vars" [Nar].
That's just disturbing. Well, that just means we have to tighten our security even more. Not to mention that even Marianne will join us... Now I understand the knight's headache
"And even your best friend Neloufa is on the list" [Alaric].
"WHAT!!!" [Diana]
"That's right. Surprising, isn't it, but not really. A commoner who's close to Her Highness Queen Amleth, the Princesses, the Vars family. Even without all that, she's a talented girl. The students of the famous Madam Vita. Even Prince Rufus himself has an eye for Neloufa's talent, so all of that makes her a pretty valuable target" [Arthur].
"You should be glad that the knights and soldiers are aware of this as well, which is why there have been no attempts on her yet" [Alaric].
"Grrr! If they dare to touch a hair of her, I'll make them pay!" [Diana]
"Agreed" [Nar]
So, how do we best deal with the Dark Guild? They're the most cunning bunch, so it depends on the situation, but we all agree that I should do the same thing against the dark guild as I would against the True Beastmen group.
Here I am, with Sir Arthur, as we discuss the danger that may or may not exist when we connect Amleth to the Elven Kingdom.
The others are taking a short break, so I talk to him to pass the time. A silly goofy but good captain. Like Nar, he's an aura sword user. Unlike Nar, who naturally uses fire element, he uses light and holy element. Unlike Nar, who likes to take the offensive, he's like Captain Rentap from Emas, more towards the defensive type of sword play.
"All right, little demon, let's think about the threat and what you should do so that you don't get kidnapped for goddess knows how many times now" [Arthur].
"As a mature lady of the House of Vars, I humbly request to bite your head off!" [Diana]
"Why are you so obsessed with biting me?" [Arthur]
And this is our usual conversation as well. He really loves to make fun of me, doesn't he? After we both calm down, we sit down and start thinking about who is going to go after me. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the people of Aru Village.
"Right. In that case, I think the best thing to do is to fight them head on. They're fixated on you and only you. Well, Dana too, but you're the easier target. While they may use tactics like coercion, they're unlikely to do so if you engage them" [Arthur].
"That's true. I realized that. Unlike others, they're actually more confident in their strengths, so they use less of those dirty tactics" [Diana].
They're bad guys, that's true, but at least I don't have to feel the headache and worry about the safety of others should they be the ones coming at me. Just like Sir Arthur said, they will just come in, try to beat and kidnap me, and leave. Perhaps they will also cause havoc if they succeed, but with so many of us around, even I am skeptical of their chances of success. Unless they have the whole village, but that's unlikely. Their efforts are also directed elsewhere, where the Empire needs them.
Next is the True Beastmen group. They didn't exactly want to harm or kidnap me, but I did have a fight with their group once during the Salin Event, and most importantly...
"Since I am the one who put a seal around the core, the easiest way for them to disarm it is to make me do it" [Diana].
"True. Even if the researchers put more and more anti-theft measures, they know your ability and will just force you to disarm it. Name it. The researcher put an electrocution theft measure, they knew very well that you're able to disarm it. The researcher put a sound bomb, you can just use vacuum-related magic to prevent it. Whatever the researcher put, they will surely force you to disarm it" [Arthur].
"They are more of a headache than the ones from Aru Village. They will surely use dirty tactics" [Diana].
"No doubt" [Arthur].
Taking hostages. Using my friends to blackmail me. Suicide bombers. You name it. They will do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand in a battle. What's more, their leaders seem to have the fire of the Devil King in their hands. That's definitely a big threat.
"The best way for me to deal with them is to protect others around me and let Nar and Sas take care of them. Right!" [Diana]
"Good! Keep that in mind. I'm sure they'll do anything to get you to come with them. If they go for anything of value, you leave them alone. If they go for your friends, protect your friends and buy time until help arrives" [Arthur].
"Understand!" [Diana]
"We'll see if you put this into practice or not" [Sas]
"It would be better if they didn't attack us in the first place" [Nar].
Nar and Sas join the conversation after munching a cookie. They agree with Sir Arthur's approach. I will be in the center of the group, casting a protective spell, while the other one will go all out to defeat the True Beastmen group.
"What about the elven group led by Grandma Farhah's youngest son?" [Diana]
"We are not sure. We couldn't find Alagast in the forbidden forest, and it's too risky to send Mother after the group" [Farhana].
"I think we can exclude her. Your group will mostly travel on a road, far from the depth of the forest. There are several places they could attack, but I think with the elven delagation on our side as well, they wouldn't want to drag out a battle" [Arthur].
"Agreed" [Nar].
"But still a possibility to keep in mind" [Sas]
"Right!" [Diana]
This time, Sister Farhana was the one who joined the conversation. They've all been listening to Sir Arthur and me talking while taking a break, so it didn't take them long to speak up if they thought it was necessary.
"The Dark Guild. Didn't they just want the Mana Core?" [Diana]
"True, but just like the True Beastman Group, kidnapping you will be better for them. Besides, you have a huge bounty on your head." [Arthur]
"WAIT!? Really?" [Farhana]
"True enough. I remember them saying something about selling me to the highest bidder or to Flint, the leader of Aru Village" [Diana].
"At least you know that" [Arthur]
"It can't be that high, can it?" [Farhana]
"Not really. In fact, the Vars family is the one with the highest bounty in all of Amleth. From Nar to Diana, they all have almost the same amount of bounty on their heads. Their individual bounty alone is higher than anyone else's" [Alaric].
According to Alaric, Nar, Sas, and Sister Khamisah have the three highest bounties among us, followed by Sister Ophelia, and then Dana and I. The money they offer to kidnap or kill us is certainly lucrative.
"What about Kara and Mara? What about their bounties?" [Diana]
"Royalty generally doesn't have one, because they're just too valuable. Frankly, I am surprised to see Her Highness Ophelia on the list." [Alaric]
"Well, she's no longer royalty, she's a Vars" [Nar].
That's just disturbing. Well, that just means we have to tighten our security even more. Not to mention that even Marianne will join us... Now I understand the knight's headache
"And even your best friend Neloufa is on the list" [Alaric].
"WHAT!!!" [Diana]
"That's right. Surprising, isn't it, but not really. A commoner who's close to Her Highness Queen Amleth, the Princesses, the Vars family. Even without all that, she's a talented girl. The students of the famous Madam Vita. Even Prince Rufus himself has an eye for Neloufa's talent, so all of that makes her a pretty valuable target" [Arthur].
"You should be glad that the knights and soldiers are aware of this as well, which is why there have been no attempts on her yet" [Alaric].
"Grrr! If they dare to touch a hair of her, I'll make them pay!" [Diana]
"Agreed" [Nar]
So, how do we best deal with the Dark Guild? They're the most cunning bunch, so it depends on the situation, but we all agree that I should do the same thing against the dark guild as I would against the True Beastmen group.
