Chapter 400: 400
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The path to the capital Pith was as always a beautiful one. The lush flora of Bosque was never a sight for sore eyes. But Samuel could not appreciate the blooming flowers or the soaring trees.
He had received the reply to his requests and though the response was positive, it was hard to feel happy knowing you would be sent into a battle.
Samuel Oakley was an adventurer, he had taken human lives before. He however had not participated in a war. The Bosque Kingdom, Galeburst Dynasty, and even the Volcan Empire had not seen a large-scale war for decades.
Still, Samuel was the one that suggested he participate in a war despite his inexperience, and now he could only blame himself.
At the same time, he had suggested it because he was confident in his own abilities. He did not even think of the possibility of dying in battle. What had him in this gloom was the certainty that he would be killing many innocent people.
It was impossible for all soldiers to support going to battle or war. Often times it was the circumstances that forced people to join a profession where they were asked to put their lives on the line.
Even when the soldiers wholeheartedly supported the actions of their leaders, it didn't automatically mean they were worthy of death. Sometimes they were just pitiful.
Indoctrination was practically brainwashing and while the victims of this brainwashing were not blameless, it would be inane to find them entirely at fault for their sins. If they weren't at the extent of being forgiven, the sins of those at the top were at the very least to be amplified.
With all of these considerations, taking the lives of any soldier on the battlefield placed a heavy burden on the killer. In a way, this participation he had imposed on himself was a test. While slaughtering monsters was a day in a dozen, just killing one person made for an unforgettable memory.
Not long later, the carriage Samuel was on came to a halt.
"Thank you very much" Samuel said while tipping the coachman. The man replied with a kind smile before formally bidding him farewell.
After getting out of the carriage, Samuel assessed the location. With the heated situation in Pith, there was no actual travel to it. He was currently in the town of Petal, which was about an hour on foot from the main battlefield.
"It's a miracle the letter was even sent, never mind that I received a reply…" Samuel muttered. All things considered, that was rather dangerous. He had fortunately sent some very competent adventurers to deliver the drop item and letter.
Finally, Samuel dropped by a local restaurant before leaving and heading towards Pith on foot. With Samuel's proficiency with the element of wind, the time that would take most almost an hour was hardly taking him 10 minutes. This was without putting in much effort in the first place.
Marquis Harvest had supposedly surrounded the capital and stationed camps around it. Based on some information Samuel gathered in the restaurant, there would also be constant skirmishes between Lansworth's forces and that of the Marquis.
They never developed further than that, however. The reasoning for it was unknown.
Just as Samuel reached the edge of the forest and entered the familiar pith clearing, he was able to hear the battle cries of charging soldiers. The wave of people stormed forward without regard for their own lives and clashed.
The blinding sun reflected off the radiant red blood, causing Samuel to bite his lip. He had a tough call to make. He could interfere in the battle or first report to the Duke directly.
"Hmm... Let's do that" It turned out it wasn't that tough.
After some consideration, Samuel's figure which was wearing nothing but casual wear shot off with the power of the wind. Where was he headed? To the capital's walls. He was confident, but he wasn't a lunatic.
First, he would report to the Duke to make sure he wasn't ruining any plans and also get himself a decent suit of armor.
"AAAARGH!!!" But even for the great Samuel, it was apparently a pipe dream to try to fly high unseen.
"Up there! A magician?!" Someone asked seeing Samuel wade through the sky. Thanks to his newfound understanding, something like flying using wind was a piece of cake. That being said, he had only actually mastered this technique recently.
Samuel wasn't a magician by craft. It took him a while to get accustomed to constantly exerting any influence on the surrounding elements. This was what made it hard for him to dodge the sudden attacks
"Tsk! Damn!" Samuel muttered audibly, well, audible if one was as high up as he was anyway. Though one would still be hard-pressed to hear anything thanks to the roaring projectiles rapidly approaching his position.
Arrows were whizzing towards Samuel, they were imbued with all sorts of elements triggering his alertness. They ranged from lightning to light and from fire to water, all sorts of elements alike and contrasting were rocketing towards him.
Samuel was unable to dodge these flying menaces, but he was still successfully able to knock them down. Samuel diverted his attention to knocking down the attacks. Even so, the winds which he used to propel himself were unaffected.
A fireball was extinguished by the sudden absence of air and the arrows were broken to pieces by fierce gales. The knights who were fighting in close combat beneath Samuel had initially failed to see his figure, but with broken arrows falling on them, it was impossible to miss.
"Wh- Wow!" One knight was amazed by the flying man. Samuel's face was traced with indifference even as he knocked down attack after attack. Some might even be able to see mild annoyance. Not just that, but his youthful appearance made him seem like something of a wind god.
"This…" One of the mages that had cast a casual spell couldn't help but feel stunned. What was going on!?! They couldn't even sense the use of mana from the man in the air! No, the amount was just too small to even be considered an expenditure.
The sudden appearance of Samuel had shocked the people fighting, but more than anything it confused them.
For starters, why was the man there? It became obvious that he was intending to enter the capital. Someone from the Harvest March was just stupid enough to attack such a powerhouse. With someone initiating an attack the others followed along leading to the current situation. The enemies of the Royal family realized they had made a grave mistake but anyone entering the capital was not on their side, could they be blamed?
The sky was starting to turn darker as precipitation started to gather. The winds were howling a foreboding hymn and the people below were cowering. The sky seemed to be pitch black now and the soldiers beneath could not even see their terrified expressions.
These soldiers were not elites, they were people being tossed aside in skirmishes, they were common people at best, beggars from slums at worst. Only the archers and magicians had any sort of pedigree.
"You want to interrupt me?" Samuel was admittedly irked by the sudden attacks, but that didn't mean he would start a wanton killing.
"Don't mind me then" He would go ahead and interrupt their fight! Samuel didn't know if there was a plan, but if the weather did not allow for a battle then plans on both sides would just have to be postponed.
The water started to torrent down onto the battlefield. Each drop seemed to bear the weight of a pebble as it pelted the people beneath it. Cold quickly permeated the otherwise fresh region of the capital.
"Aaaargh!" Some people started to even be pushed and tossed around by the wind.
"What the hell- What is this?!?" From the tent of the Marquis came out a surprised and angry voice. The opening in the tent showed an isolated world where the clouds were black and swirling winds sliced apart common sense.
The blue sky that served as a contrasting backdrop made it clear what this was… it was magic! There had to be an extremely powerful magician in the hands of Duke Lansworth.
This put them in an immediate pinch as they didn't really possess anyone of the same quality.
"I don't know what this is but put a stop to it" There was only one person that the Marquis could think to handle this situation. This person in the shadows couldn't help but form a twisted smile.
"No problem" He replied coolly. He was hiding his bloodlust and excitement. A kill on a powerful individual… This was exactly what he needed to pad his portfolio. How much greater would it be now?
None answered this question, for only Azrael himself could possibly know the answer.
***
Back at the human's dungeon base, Bloody and W were having one of their usual quarrels. This time, W was the one gloating.
'Hehehe, that will teach you not to listen to me' He was just as much Ed as Ed himself yet he was being treated so poorly. W believed that Ed should be able to feel his feelings and punish the red blob more severely with the command skill.
As for when Ed even had the time to do... Well, It was right before tossing Brennan onto Talon. Having gotten a grip on the man, he took the liberty to insert W. He also commanded Bloody to listen to W.
This was unfair for poor Bloody as it couldn't bear to defy Ed's orders. Going against the command of Ed would require a strong will of defiance, but Bloody didn't even have a grain of it.
With the command, W was able to get free rein over any of Brennan's body parts. Bloody might be upset, but now that W had complete control, he didn't need to worry about its emotions.
'You are admittedly rather adorable for being made out of clotted blood, but I will not be bought over!' Bloody was now pleading for some free will, but there was a problem with allowing that at the moment.
"Whe- Where am I?" Brennan asked groggily. W wanted Bloody to let the king of Bosque act out his part. They would be sharing the same body for a while now.
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The path to the capital Pith was as always a beautiful one. The lush flora of Bosque was never a sight for sore eyes. But Samuel could not appreciate the blooming flowers or the soaring trees.
He had received the reply to his requests and though the response was positive, it was hard to feel happy knowing you would be sent into a battle.
Samuel Oakley was an adventurer, he had taken human lives before. He however had not participated in a war. The Bosque Kingdom, Galeburst Dynasty, and even the Volcan Empire had not seen a large-scale war for decades.
Still, Samuel was the one that suggested he participate in a war despite his inexperience, and now he could only blame himself.
At the same time, he had suggested it because he was confident in his own abilities. He did not even think of the possibility of dying in battle. What had him in this gloom was the certainty that he would be killing many innocent people.
It was impossible for all soldiers to support going to battle or war. Often times it was the circumstances that forced people to join a profession where they were asked to put their lives on the line.
Even when the soldiers wholeheartedly supported the actions of their leaders, it didn't automatically mean they were worthy of death. Sometimes they were just pitiful.
Indoctrination was practically brainwashing and while the victims of this brainwashing were not blameless, it would be inane to find them entirely at fault for their sins. If they weren't at the extent of being forgiven, the sins of those at the top were at the very least to be amplified.
With all of these considerations, taking the lives of any soldier on the battlefield placed a heavy burden on the killer. In a way, this participation he had imposed on himself was a test. While slaughtering monsters was a day in a dozen, just killing one person made for an unforgettable memory.
Not long later, the carriage Samuel was on came to a halt.
"Thank you very much" Samuel said while tipping the coachman. The man replied with a kind smile before formally bidding him farewell.
After getting out of the carriage, Samuel assessed the location. With the heated situation in Pith, there was no actual travel to it. He was currently in the town of Petal, which was about an hour on foot from the main battlefield.
"It's a miracle the letter was even sent, never mind that I received a reply…" Samuel muttered. All things considered, that was rather dangerous. He had fortunately sent some very competent adventurers to deliver the drop item and letter.
Finally, Samuel dropped by a local restaurant before leaving and heading towards Pith on foot. With Samuel's proficiency with the element of wind, the time that would take most almost an hour was hardly taking him 10 minutes. This was without putting in much effort in the first place.
Marquis Harvest had supposedly surrounded the capital and stationed camps around it. Based on some information Samuel gathered in the restaurant, there would also be constant skirmishes between Lansworth's forces and that of the Marquis.
They never developed further than that, however. The reasoning for it was unknown.
Just as Samuel reached the edge of the forest and entered the familiar pith clearing, he was able to hear the battle cries of charging soldiers. The wave of people stormed forward without regard for their own lives and clashed.
The blinding sun reflected off the radiant red blood, causing Samuel to bite his lip. He had a tough call to make. He could interfere in the battle or first report to the Duke directly.
"Hmm... Let's do that" It turned out it wasn't that tough.
After some consideration, Samuel's figure which was wearing nothing but casual wear shot off with the power of the wind. Where was he headed? To the capital's walls. He was confident, but he wasn't a lunatic.
First, he would report to the Duke to make sure he wasn't ruining any plans and also get himself a decent suit of armor.
"AAAARGH!!!" But even for the great Samuel, it was apparently a pipe dream to try to fly high unseen.
"Up there! A magician?!" Someone asked seeing Samuel wade through the sky. Thanks to his newfound understanding, something like flying using wind was a piece of cake. That being said, he had only actually mastered this technique recently.
Samuel wasn't a magician by craft. It took him a while to get accustomed to constantly exerting any influence on the surrounding elements. This was what made it hard for him to dodge the sudden attacks
"Tsk! Damn!" Samuel muttered audibly, well, audible if one was as high up as he was anyway. Though one would still be hard-pressed to hear anything thanks to the roaring projectiles rapidly approaching his position.
Arrows were whizzing towards Samuel, they were imbued with all sorts of elements triggering his alertness. They ranged from lightning to light and from fire to water, all sorts of elements alike and contrasting were rocketing towards him.
Samuel was unable to dodge these flying menaces, but he was still successfully able to knock them down. Samuel diverted his attention to knocking down the attacks. Even so, the winds which he used to propel himself were unaffected.
A fireball was extinguished by the sudden absence of air and the arrows were broken to pieces by fierce gales. The knights who were fighting in close combat beneath Samuel had initially failed to see his figure, but with broken arrows falling on them, it was impossible to miss.
"Wh- Wow!" One knight was amazed by the flying man. Samuel's face was traced with indifference even as he knocked down attack after attack. Some might even be able to see mild annoyance. Not just that, but his youthful appearance made him seem like something of a wind god.
"This…" One of the mages that had cast a casual spell couldn't help but feel stunned. What was going on!?! They couldn't even sense the use of mana from the man in the air! No, the amount was just too small to even be considered an expenditure.
The sudden appearance of Samuel had shocked the people fighting, but more than anything it confused them.
For starters, why was the man there? It became obvious that he was intending to enter the capital. Someone from the Harvest March was just stupid enough to attack such a powerhouse. With someone initiating an attack the others followed along leading to the current situation. The enemies of the Royal family realized they had made a grave mistake but anyone entering the capital was not on their side, could they be blamed?
The sky was starting to turn darker as precipitation started to gather. The winds were howling a foreboding hymn and the people below were cowering. The sky seemed to be pitch black now and the soldiers beneath could not even see their terrified expressions.
These soldiers were not elites, they were people being tossed aside in skirmishes, they were common people at best, beggars from slums at worst. Only the archers and magicians had any sort of pedigree.
"You want to interrupt me?" Samuel was admittedly irked by the sudden attacks, but that didn't mean he would start a wanton killing.
"Don't mind me then" He would go ahead and interrupt their fight! Samuel didn't know if there was a plan, but if the weather did not allow for a battle then plans on both sides would just have to be postponed.
The water started to torrent down onto the battlefield. Each drop seemed to bear the weight of a pebble as it pelted the people beneath it. Cold quickly permeated the otherwise fresh region of the capital.
"Aaaargh!" Some people started to even be pushed and tossed around by the wind.
"What the hell- What is this?!?" From the tent of the Marquis came out a surprised and angry voice. The opening in the tent showed an isolated world where the clouds were black and swirling winds sliced apart common sense.
The blue sky that served as a contrasting backdrop made it clear what this was… it was magic! There had to be an extremely powerful magician in the hands of Duke Lansworth.
This put them in an immediate pinch as they didn't really possess anyone of the same quality.
"I don't know what this is but put a stop to it" There was only one person that the Marquis could think to handle this situation. This person in the shadows couldn't help but form a twisted smile.
"No problem" He replied coolly. He was hiding his bloodlust and excitement. A kill on a powerful individual… This was exactly what he needed to pad his portfolio. How much greater would it be now?
None answered this question, for only Azrael himself could possibly know the answer.
***
Back at the human's dungeon base, Bloody and W were having one of their usual quarrels. This time, W was the one gloating.
'Hehehe, that will teach you not to listen to me' He was just as much Ed as Ed himself yet he was being treated so poorly. W believed that Ed should be able to feel his feelings and punish the red blob more severely with the command skill.
As for when Ed even had the time to do... Well, It was right before tossing Brennan onto Talon. Having gotten a grip on the man, he took the liberty to insert W. He also commanded Bloody to listen to W.
This was unfair for poor Bloody as it couldn't bear to defy Ed's orders. Going against the command of Ed would require a strong will of defiance, but Bloody didn't even have a grain of it.
With the command, W was able to get free rein over any of Brennan's body parts. Bloody might be upset, but now that W had complete control, he didn't need to worry about its emotions.
'You are admittedly rather adorable for being made out of clotted blood, but I will not be bought over!' Bloody was now pleading for some free will, but there was a problem with allowing that at the moment.
"Whe- Where am I?" Brennan asked groggily. W wanted Bloody to let the king of Bosque act out his part. They would be sharing the same body for a while now.
The path to the capital Pith was as always a beautiful one. The lush flora of Bosque was never a sight for sore eyes. But Samuel could not appreciate the blooming flowers or the soaring trees.He had received the reply to his requests and though the response was positive, it was hard to feel happy knowing you would be sent into a battle.Samuel Oakley was an adventurer, he had taken human lives before. He however had not participated in a war. The Bosque Kingdom, Galeburst Dynasty, and even the Volcan Empire had not seen a large-scale war for decades.Still, Samuel was the one that suggested he participate in a war despite his inexperience, and now he could only blame himself.At the same time, he had suggested it because he was confident in his own abilities. He did not even think of the possibility of dying in battle. What had him in this gloom was the certainty that he would be killing many innocent people.It was impossible for all soldiers to support going to battle or war. Often times it was the circumstances that forced people to join a profession where they were asked to put their lives on the line.Even when the soldiers wholeheartedly supported the actions of their leaders, it didn't automatically mean they were worthy of death. Sometimes they were just pitiful. Indoctrination was practically brainwashing and while the victims of this brainwashing were not blameless, it would be inane to find them entirely at fault for their sins. If they weren't at the extent of being forgiven, the sins of those at the top were at the very least to be amplified.With all of these considerations, taking the lives of any soldier on the battlefield placed a heavy burden on the killer. In a way, this participation he had imposed on himself was a test. While slaughtering monsters was a day in a dozen, just killing one person made for an unforgettable memory.Not long later, the carriage Samuel was on came to a halt."Thank you very much" Samuel said while tipping the coachman. The man replied with a kind smile before formally bidding him farewell. After getting out of the carriage, Samuel assessed the location. With the heated situation in Pith, there was no actual travel to it. He was currently in the town of Petal, which was about an hour on foot from the main battlefield."It's a miracle the letter was even sent, never mind that I received a reply" Samuel muttered. All things considered, that was rather dangerous. He had fortunately sent some very competent adventurers to deliver the drop item and letter.Finally, Samuel dropped by a local restaurant before leaving and heading towards Pith on foot. With Samuel's proficiency with the element of wind, the time that would take most almost an hour was hardly taking him 10 minutes. This was without putting in much effort in the first place.Marquis Harvest had supposedly surrounded the capital and stationed camps around it. Based on some information Samuel gathered in the restaurant, there would also be constant skirmishes between Lansworth's forces and that of the Marquis.They never developed further than that, however. The reasoning for it was unknown.Just as Samuel reached the edge of the forest and entered the familiar pith clearing, he was able to hear the battle cries of charging soldiers. The wave of people stormed forward without regard for their own lives and clashed.The blinding sun reflected off the radiant red blood, causing Samuel to bite his lip. He had a tough call to make. He could interfere in the battle or first report to the Duke directly."Hmm... Let's do that" It turned out it wasn't that tough.After some consideration, Samuel's figure which was wearing nothing but casual wear shot off with the power of the wind. Where was he headed? To the capital's walls. He was confident, but he wasn't a lunatic.First, he would report to the Duke to make sure he wasn't ruining any plans and also get himself a decent suit of armor."AAAARGH!!!" But even for the great Samuel, it was apparently a pipe dream to try to fly high unseen."Up there! A magician?!" Someone asked seeing Samuel wade through the sky. Thanks to his newfound understanding, something like flying using wind was a piece of cake. That being said, he had only actually mastered this technique recently.Samuel wasn't a magician by craft. It took him a while to get accustomed to constantly exerting any influence on the surrounding elements. This was what made it hard for him to dodge the sudden attacks"Tsk! Damn!" Samuel muttered audibly, well, audible if one was as high up as he was anyway. Though one would still be hard-pressed to hear anything thanks to the roaring projectiles rapidly approaching his position.Arrows were whizzing towards Samuel, they were imbued with all sorts of elements triggering his alertness. They ranged from lightning to light and from fire to water, all sorts of elements alike and contrasting were rocketing towards him.Samuel was unable to dodge these flying menaces, but he was still successfully able to knock them down. Samuel diverted his attention to knocking down the attacks. Even so, the winds which he used to propel himself were unaffected.A fireball was extinguished by the sudden absence of air and the arrows were broken to pieces by fierce gales. The knights who were fighting in close combat beneath Samuel had initially failed to see his figure, but with broken arrows falling on them, it was impossible to miss."Wh- Wow!" One knight was amazed by the flying man. Samuel's face was traced with indifference even as he knocked down attack after attack. Some might even be able to see mild annoyance. Not just that, but his youthful appearance made him seem like something of a wind god."This" One of the mages that had cast a casual spell couldn't help but feel stunned. What was going on!?! They couldn't even sense the use of mana from the man in the air! No, the amount was just too small to even be considered an expenditure.The sudden appearance of Samuel had shocked the people fighting, but more than anything it confused them.For starters, why was the man there? It became obvious that he was intending to enter the capital. Someone from the Harvest March was just stupid enough to attack such a powerhouse. With someone initiating an attack the others followed along leading to the current situation. The enemies of the Royal family realized they had made a grave mistake but anyone entering the capital was not on their side, could they be blamed?The sky was starting to turn darker as precipitation started to gather. The winds were howling a foreboding hymn and the people below were cowering. The sky seemed to be pitch black now and the soldiers beneath could not even see their terrified expressions.These soldiers were not elites, they were people being tossed aside in skirmishes, they were common people at best, beggars from slums at worst. Only the archers and magicians had any sort of pedigree."You want to interrupt me?" Samuel was admittedly irked by the sudden attacks, but that didn't mean he would start a wanton killing."Don't mind me then" He would go ahead and interrupt their fight! Samuel didn't know if there was a plan, but if the weather did not allow for a battle then plans on both sides would just have to be postponed.The water started to torrent down onto the battlefield. Each drop seemed to bear the weight of a pebble as it pelted the people beneath it. Cold quickly permeated the otherwise fresh region of the capital."Aaaargh!" Some people started to even be pushed and tossed around by the wind."What the hell- What is this?!?" From the tent of the Marquis came out a surprised and angry voice. The opening in the tent showed an isolated world where the clouds were black and swirling winds sliced apart common sense.The blue sky that served as a contrasting backdrop made it clear what this was it was magic! There had to be an extremely powerful magician in the hands of Duke Lansworth.This put them in an immediate pinch as they didn't really possess anyone of the same quality."I don't know what this is but put a stop to it" There was only one person that the Marquis could think to handle this situation. This person in the shadows couldn't help but form a twisted smile."No problem" He replied coolly. He was hiding his bloodlust and excitement. A kill on a powerful individual This was exactly what he needed to pad his portfolio. How much greater would it be now?None answered this question, for only Azrael himself could possibly know the answer.***Back at the human's dungeon base, Bloody and W were having one of their usual quarrels. This time, W was the one gloating.'Hehehe, that will teach you not to listen to me' He was just as much Ed as Ed himself yet he was being treated so poorly. W believed that Ed should be able to feel his feelings and punish the red blob more severely with the command skill.As for when Ed even had the time to do... Well, It was right before tossing Brennan onto Talon. Having gotten a grip on the man, he took the liberty to insert W. He also commanded Bloody to listen to W.This was unfair for poor Bloody as it couldn't bear to defy Ed's orders. Going against the command of Ed would require a strong will of defiance, but Bloody didn't even have a grain of it.With the command, W was able to get free rein over any of Brennan's body parts. Bloody might be upset, but now that W had complete control, he didn't need to worry about its emotions.'You are admittedly rather adorable for being made out of clotted blood, but I will not be bought over!' Bloody was now pleading for some free will, but there was a problem with allowing that at the moment."Whe- Where am I?" Brennan asked groggily. W wanted Bloody to let the king of Bosque act out his part. They would be sharing the same body for a while now.
