Chronicles of the Red Sovereign

Archduchess Zaira Chrishni von Celestine was standing atop the mast of a ship. In front of her was an island enveloped in a black dome; Mt. Tala Island.

“Your Excellency, we’re here!” shouted a voice from below.

“Dino, you remember the plan right?” Zaira questioned, her eyes focused on the dome in front of her.

“Yes. We will proceed to our designated locations soon.”

“Good. I’ll go ahead then.”

A pair of black wings suddenly grew out from Zaira’s back and stretched itself. The wings had the span of one and a half meters and flapped gently. The archduchess soared in the sky towards the top of the dome where she landed at the very center of it. She placed her hand on the dome and golden colored energy flowed out from her hands and stretched outwards like a spider’s web.

“Targeting the dungeon in Mt. Tala Volcano, huh. It makes me wonder if the demons actually realized something about it?” she snorted. “Kuro.”

A cat with two tails emerged from her shadow and landed on her shoulder.

<”Yes Mistress?”>

“Use your phasing ability and head inside. Tell Luna about the plan and have them do something about the inside of the dome.”

<”At once.”>

Kuro turned see through, then he became slightly static and slipped through the dome.

“Well then… let’s get this show on the road.”

***

My eyes widened as I saw three demons making havoc in the base camp. One of them was the greater demon I sensed in the area where Freya and I defeated the demon.

-This is bad. Most of us probably can’t deal with a greater demon.

Explosions erupted on the tents that were set up and screams could be heard from the students. I could see the teachers try to calm the panicking students and evacuate them somewhere. But I knew nowhere was safe especially when it was the demons that trapped us in the first place.

[“Who is it? Who killed one of my subordinates?!”] yelled the greater demon in demon language.

Yes, I can understand and speak the demon language.

The teachers started preparing attack spells and I joined them. Attack spells were launched towards the marching demons but the grater demon just brushed it off with her staff. I couldn’t help but get nervous at the scene after all, humans were relatively weaker than humans.

The demon suddenly howled in pain and I saw Professor Tresde launched an attack.

Form what I remember, Professor Tresde was a wind mage who had experience in the frontlines. Among the teachers with us, she was probably the one with the most experience. Not to mention she used to work for Aunt Zaira.

Professor Tresde suddenly lunged at the greater demon with a rapier in hand.

-Right. She’s a magus knight. I should do something too.

“Vyfal! Go big!”

<”Okay!”>

Vyfal’s fox cub form glowed and she grew in size, still in her fox form. We were still keeping her true race under wraps.

My familiar and I lunged at the other demon, hoping to catch it in surprise. Thankfully, it worked.

I was so focused on the demon in front of me that I did not notice the other demon. Just as I was flung high up in the air, the other demon started charging at me with its spear ready to pierce me, but a shield appeared on its path and he was deflected. An arm snaked on my waist and I saw Professor Noria before me.

“I thought I already taught you to always be vigilant?” she asked.

“Sorry professor, I got too focused.”

<”Luna!”>

Professor Noria placed me on Vyfal’s back and she launched a spell on the demons.

-Right, she is a powerful battle mage as well.

“Get your head in the game. Among the students here, you’re the only one with the experience in dealing with demons. Well Student Freya as well, but she’s busy protecting the evacuating students.”

“I see. I understand professor.”

“Do you have any plans for this? Professor Tresde is dealing with the greater demon, I don’t think she’s in any position to help us.”

“I don’t know. Freya and I kind of just winged it last time.”

I looked down and saw Dean Belliona fighting the two lesser demons with other teachers.

“How about breaking the barrier?”

“Professor, why are you asking me?”

I caught her staring at me which felt weird and awkward.

“You just seem like someone who knows a lot.” was her simple answer.

I was surprised. Professor Noria was our practical lessons teacher and she was usually focused on teaching us how to fight and making sure we can survive out in the field. She was also famous for favoring noble-born students and looking down on commoner students.

Like me at the moment.

“Despite looking like that, there are some things I do not know as well.”

Before she could even respond, I saw a figure come to our direction and a pure black cat with golden eyes landed on Vyfal’s head.

“Kuro?” I called.

“You know this beast?” Professor Noria asked.

-Beast? Kuro is intelligent enough that he usually hides his aura, but she calls him a beast?

But there was no use lying to her. If Kuro was here, that just meant Aunt Zaira was somewhere around the island, or at least somewhere outside the barrier.

Other than Vyfal, I could not understand other familiars or beasts. Unless they had enough capacity and capability to speak human speech or convey their thoughts directly, the language familiars used was a mystery to me. I knew Aunt Zaira’s familiars; Bai and Kuro, were capable to do that but they wouldn’t do it anyway.

At the moment, I could only hear mews from Kuro while Vyfal was really talking to him.

<”Luna, Aunt Zaira is at the top of the dome, she wants you to get there and stand directly where she is.”>

“I beg your pardon?”

Vyfal then told me the supposedly plan of Aunt Zaira that was delivered by Kuro.

The barrier was a strong one where random attacks from inside or outside was futile, but if it was a well thought plan with simultaneous powerful attacks at chosen weak spots of the barrier, then the barrier could be broken. Aunt Zaira wanted four attack mages stationed at the four cardinal directions of the island; north, south, east and west, while I would be stationed directly at where she was. Meanwhile, the same set up was being planned outside.

And then, with a signal, we would activate a powerful attack or spells and destroy the barrier. At least that was what Vyfal told me.

I immediately conveyed this to Professor Noria who only gave me a suspicious look.

“The archduchess wants you to synchronize attacks with her?” I nervously added. “Just who are you Luna Hysi? That the archduchess would even send her own familiar just to convey the plan.”

“Uhm… I-“

“Are you perhaps…” I couldn’t help but start getting worried at her demeanor.

-Don’t tell me she found out I’m one of Aunt Zaira’s adoptive children? Kuro being here really is too obvious!

“Are you like Kayla Tresde?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you work for Archduchess Celestine back in the Celestine Territory?”

Dang! I got worried for nothing!