WIEDERGEBURT Act V: Chapter 44

Sigrid stood near the burnt out remains of the Nevarian Braves headquarters, a sour look on her face as she eyed the building.

They could have renovated this place, torn down the building, and made something new, but her father had said he wanted to leave it as an example. The destruction of the Nevarian Braves was to serve as a deterrent to prevent others from getting any ideas of rebelling against the Drage Family.

Looking around revealed to her the evidence of combat. Scorch marks littered the ground and several areas looked like they had been turned into glass. She could see plenty of damage from the recent battle that was rumored to have happened here, but there was no sign of the people involved. Neither her own Drage Family members nor the person they fought was here.

Kneeling, Sigrid placed her hand on the ground and sent a pulse of Spiritual Power everywhere. It spread across the ground like a ripple. She closed her eyes and let the Spiritual Power infuse with her body. This created a small visual map inside of her mind, which showed her a detailed location of people, places, and objects respective of her position. So long as something was here, she would see it.

Unfortunately, she did not find anything. There was no sign of any presences for several miles, save for a few curious beggars sitting against the wall of an old building several dozen meters to her left.

Frowning as she realized there really was nothing here, Sigrid decided that investigating further would be pointless and began making her way back home. She looked at the empty street along the way. This place used to be bustling and lively, but it had become destitute and deserted ever since her family came to power. She’d heard rumors that members of her family were abusing their authority and wondered if that was the reason. She might have to find those family members and teach them a lesson.

She soon arrived at the Imperial Royal Palace and went to the entrance hall to see her father and report to him on her findings.

“So, you could not find anything?” asked a disappointed Gudbrand as Sigrid deferentially knelt before him.

“I found evidence that a battle did indeed take place there, but as to the culprit’s current location and our own men… I did not find anything.”

“This is awfully disturbing news,” Gudbrand murmured.

“Are you sure you looked hard enough?” asked one of the elders. This one was a woman.

“I am positive,” Sigrid said. “Not only did I search around the building, I also used Spiritual Sonar and asked the homeless people living nearby if they saw anything strange. The only piece of evidence I have is that someone with a cloak was attacked and wielded a giant sword. However, nobody can recall seeing where this man disappeared to. I’m afraid the trail ran cold long before I arrived.”

Sigrid said nothing as Gudrand spoke with the elders. He sounded uncertain and seeking advice, but she knew the truth. Gudbrand was subservient to these elders.

“I suppose we have no choice but to accept this as a failure,” one of the elders sighed.

“It is unfortunate, but… well, we suppose even you cannot succeed all the time,” another said.

Sigrid twitched as her mind felt a brief flash of irritation, but she held her tongue. “Does your majesty and the esteemed elders require anything else of me?”

“No.” Gudbrand waved his hand. “You’ve done enough. Go and get some rest.”

“Thank you,” Sigrid said, standing up, turning around, and walking out the door.

***

Because Bucharest had now become dangerous, our group relocated to the ruins that myself, Kari, Fay, and Lin had explored during our second excursion into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. I still remembered what happened during that time. A Sekbeist named Skygge had used a woman called Dyr in a ritual to draw all the Demon Beasts in the area to our location. We’d been forced to fight our way out. Then Fay and I acted as bait to lure the vast majority of Demon Beasts away from the others. That was also the first time I fought against an A-Rank Demon Beast after I returned to the past.

The ruins had not changed since I last set foot in them. The main courtyard was massive, as if it had been created with giants in mind, and the entrance into the ruins was equally large. I was sure the dweorg had built these ruins, and I knew they liked making everything big. Yet I couldn’t help but feel like these ruins had been made large specifically to accommodate large people.

We did not travel too deeply into the ruins; after descending to the first basement floor, we turned left at the fork and entered the first room available. I never did figure out what these rooms had been used for. They were about twenty times larger than any room I had ever been in and looked like an entrance hall—except they weren’t located near the entrance. Part of me wanted to believe they were bedrooms, but there was nothing to suggest that had been their purpose.

I summoned a table, some chairs, and even enough dried meat to feed everyone present. Aside from Empress Hilda, her three husbands, and three sons, there was also Catalyna, Catherina, the members of their family, Feinrea Kunis, around one hundred alchemists, Stelys Valstine, and the remaining members of the Valstine Family along with their servants. Altogether, I would say there were about three hundred and fifty odd people.

“I can’t believe it’s been more than three years since you left,” Geirfolf was the one who broke the silence. “It’s good to have you back.”

“The feeling is mutual—or so I would like to say, but the situation we’re in has left me confused.” I looked at everyone present. “Can someone please explain how all this happened? How did the Drage Family manage to take control of Nevaria?”

I only had one table, and there were six chairs. I was sitting at the head of the table. Empress Hilda sat at the other end. Meanwhile, Dante, Reiner, Geirolf, and Catalyna were sitting on either side. Everyone else was standing. Valence, dressed not in armor but normal clothes, stood behind Empress Hilda.

Even with the world flipped on its head, he remained her shadow.

“I wish I could tell you how this happened, but the truth is, none of us know for sure.” Empress Hilda sighed. “All I know is that the Drage Family has truly hidden their strength deeply. When they stormed the Imperial Royal Palace, they did so with six elders and Gudbrand Drage at the front. All seven of them were at the Third State of Spiritualism. Even though my husbands and I have also reached that state, we stood no chance against those seven people and were forced to flee.”

The empress’ words caused me to grimace. It sounded like the Drage Family had been planning this for a long time. They waited until they had an overwhelming force, then waited even more until myself, Kari, Fay, Lin, and Siv—the only people who could threaten them—left before launching their invasion. I suspected they probably wished to enact their plan soon, but they wanted to make sure I couldn’t interfere.

They must have thought I was dead after not returning for three years.

“What about the Nevarian Braves? How did my sect get destroyed?”

“That is my fault,” Geirolf said with a sigh. “I know you told me to keep an eye on Sigrid, and I did just that for the longest time. I remained constantly vigilant for an entire year, but…”

“But?” I asked.

Geirolf’s cheeks burned. “Well, she was just so good at everything she did. She always finished the work I assigned her and then helped me with my work. She was patient, kind, and always willing to lend me a hand. As time passed, I stopped feeling suspicious of her.”

Catalyna snorted as she pinched Geirolf’s waist, making him wince. I could tell she’d put her full strength into that pinch. Geirolf’s face had scrunched up like a dying hog and was beginning to turn red.

“You mean you fell for her charms.” Catalyna’s voice was sharp enough to cut mythril. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you looked at her.”

“Ouch! Ouch! I’m sorry! It was never my intention to look at another woman! You know you’re the only one for me!”

“I had better be.”

Even though the situation was dire, seeing Catalyna bullying her husband caused my heart to lighten just a little. Yes, our circumstances were grim, but it wasn’t like all hope was lost. Nevaria’s people hadn’t suffered. The city was still standing. It might be currently under new ownership, but I didn’t think it would be that hard to reclaim our rightful place.

“So what happened?” I asked.

Geirolf sighed in relief as Catalyna let go of his waist. He turned back to me and answered honestly.

“At the same time that Gudbrand and the elders launched their attack on the Imperial Royal Palace, an uprising took place in our sect. I didn’t know it at the time, but Sigrid was subverting my authority and even adding new members from her Drage Family into the sect. I didn’t even realize what she was doing until more than a third of our members turned on their comrades.”

The longer he spoke, the more despondent Geirolf became, until his shoulders were slumping so fiercely it was like the weight of the realm had been placed on his shoulders. I could imagine the guilt he felt. I still sometimes felt guilty over what happened to the Explorer’s Guild in my last life.

“How many people survived?”

“We have been a bit of good news there,” Geirolf said, brightening. “Most members of the Nevarian Braves survived. The only ones that didn’t were those who were attacked by Drage Family members. Everyone else was taken prisoner. I’m not sure where they were taken though.”

That was… rather interesting. It would have been much easier to kill everyone than it was to capture them. If I had been in Sigrid’s shoes, I would have slaughtered every person who could pose a threat down to the last man. This would keep them from being able to oppose me in the future.

Now I couldn’t help but wonder why Sigrid had decided not to spare those people? Sentiment? She didn’t strike me as the sentimental type.

“What about the rest of Nevaria’s forces? The Imperial Royal Guard? The Nevarian Spiritualists?” I looked at Dante, Reiner, and Valence.

Dante and Reiner looked defeated as they tilted their heads toward the table, shadows covering their eyes as their lips trembled. I didn’t need them to say anything. Their silence was enough. As I glanced I Valence, I saw the man’s stoic face hadn’t changed, but his eyes held a deep sorrow.

“Unfortunately,” Dante sighed, “our forces were not so fortunate. The Drage Family used a similar method to subvert our forces. They bought off several traitorous factions who weren’t happy with their lots in life. While it was only a third of our overall forces, they used trickery and deceit to kill those who opposed them. We’re not sure how many survived, or even if anyone survived.” Dante gave me a bitter smile. “Reiner and I were only just able to escape with our lives, and it was only thanks to the sacrifice of so many that we weren’t killed.”

“That explains why there were no Spiritualists guarding the west gate,” I murmured.

Dante shrugged. “They are probably short on people and chose to focus on guarding in the direction with the biggest threat.”

There were some heavy implications in Dante’s words that I did not like. I tried to steady my breathing and control my heart rate as I observed Dante and Reiner. They hadn’t changed much in the three years I’d been away. Both still looked about the same age, proof that they had reached the Third State of Spiritualism, but their worn and ragged demeanors made them seem a lot older.

“If you two were almost killed, then it means there are even more people on the Drage Family’s side who have reached the Third State of Spiritualism,” I said.

“You’re very perceptive.” Reiner faintly smiled, but it was filled with his own helplessness. “From what I know, there are at least thirteen among them who have reached the Third State of Spiritualism. There are the six elders, Gudbrand, Gudmund, Sigrid, and the family’s four generals.”

“Four generals?” I raised an eyebrow.

“They are the four strongest Spiritualists after the elders and the main family,” Reiner explained. “When the Neverian Spiritualists were betrayed, the traitors were being led by two of these four generals. Like all members of the Drage Family, these four generals have a powerful fire affinity. They are extremely destructive. Dante and myself were almost killed when they launched four simultaneous attacks on our headquarters.”

The more I heard about what happened in Nevaria while I had been away, the worse I could feel my expression growing. I was sure I looked unsightly right now. At the same time, I did not think that could be helped. Even though I had never trusted the Drage Family, learning about their betrayal still upset me. As I sat there with these people, who had been displaced by an overly ambitious family, I promised myself that I would not rest until every member of the Drage Family was buried beneath the earth.

***

Everyone was tired. Traveling from Bucharest to these ruins had taken nearly a week. While that wasn’t much of a travel for Spiritualists, there were quite a few people who were not Spiritualists and therefore lacked stamina. Most of the alchemists hadn’t even reached the First State of Spiritualism and could only use enough Spiritual Power to to do alchemy.

Because it was impossible to plan with more than half our group exhausted, we decided to rest for the night and begin making plans tomorrow. All of us were staying in the room we first selected. Empress Hilda and the others had come prepared. They had one of Kari’s storage rings and it was filled with futons for everyone to use. I learned from Empress Hilda that Feinrea had been the one who grabbed these supplies after being ambushed by the Drage Family.

While the others slept, I did not. I sat before the fire and let my mind turn like the wheels of a wagon. I had so much on my mind that I didn’t think I could sleep even if I tried.

As I was sitting there, a large figure came up and sat down beside him. It was Stelys. He looked a little older than the last time I saw him. His auburn hair had a bit more gray in it, his face had a few more wrinkles, and his shoulders contained a slouch that made him look smaller. I guess being forced to run from the only home he had ever known was weighing on him.

“Father, I am happy to see nothing happened to you. Is there something troubling you?”

“That is an interesting question to ask someone who has been kicked out of his home.” Stelys shrugged. “Considering the situation, I’m not sure that’s a question you want an answer to.”

“I guess not.” I reached up and began tugging on my bangs. “Then does that mean you had a question for me? Did you want to know about how Fay is doing?”

“You saw right through me.” Stelys chuckled, but it was muted. “Are my daughter and grandson doing well?”

“They are both doing great,” I said with a smile. “Fay has become a Master Alchemist and taken on two apprentices. She seems to enjoy it. Whenever she comes home after instructing those two, she’ll talk about them.”

“That is good.” Stelys gave a genuine smile. “And Raul?”

“Raul has already become quite articulate,” I said, my smile widening. “He’s gotten so big too. I think you’d be shocked to see him. He looks nothing like the tiny baby you remember.”

I spoke of my wife and son for at least an hour, telling Stelys about all the things they were doing, but it was late and everyone really did need sleep. I told him we can continue talking at a later date. As the man went to bed, I found myself staring into the fire again, at least until I sensed another presence behind me.

“Mother, were you also curious about your daughter?” I asked, not bothering to turn around.

The air shimmered and a figure appeared. Had it been anyone else, they may have mistaken her for Kari, but I could tell at just a glance that this woman was not my wife. Her breasts were too small for one thing. Kari had a massive chest. While Empress Hilda’s was not small, they were far more modest than her daughter’s.

“It seems I cannot hide from you at all.” Empress Hilda sighed as she sat down beside me in the place where Stelys vacated. “I’m positive my daughter is doing fine, but I would like to hear about what she has been up to, if that is all right with you.”

“That’s fine. I don’t mind speaking about my wife.”

I sent Empress Hilda a grin, then launched into what Kari had been up to since departing Nevaria. I spoke with Empress Hilda a lot longer than I did Stelys Valstine. She asked a lot more questions than Stelys did. I guessed this was her nature as a woman, always curious, always asking questions. Men were fine just knowing someone was doing well, but women wanted to know all the details.

However, as I began talking, something I had noticed already caused me to question her. “Is Kari’s grandfather not with you?”

Hilda went silent. Her eyes dimmed. I already knew what happened from her reaction alone.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

She gave me a bitter smile. “It is fine. You were bound to find out anyway. When the Drage Family assaulted the Imperial Royal Palace, Valence and I were only able to escape because Herleif sacrificed himself for us. He fought off their elders and granted us enough time to rescue Dante and Reiner before leaving.”

I closed my eyes as bitter feelings, a sense of loss and failure resonated within my heart. It was not my fault Herleif died. I knew that. However, if I’d been here when the Drage Family attacked, I was certain he would have never been forced to give up his life. This was a truth I could not deny, a pill even more bitter than the worst tasting alchemy pills.

By the time Hilda retired, I was pretty sure it was already morning. Deciding to get a bit of shut-eye, I sat with my legs crossed and began meditating, slowly letting my Spiritual Power churn inside of me.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that, but I was eventually roused from my meditation by Geirolf.

“Now that you’re here, we can actually come up with a plan to retake Nevaria,” he said to me as we gathered to where the others were.

Because they were on the run and didn’t have much time to get supplies (the futons were all Feinrea had been able to get), all they had to eat was dried jerky. It wasn’t much of a meal. However, none of the people present complained, showing they had grown used to this situation, though I didn’t think that was necessarily a good thing.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, we all gathered around the table again to discuss the current situation. Empress Hilda, Dante, Reiner, Geirolf, Catalyna, and myself sat at the table while the others stood around us.

I glanced at the people gathered. Many of them seemed to have their hope renewed as they looked at me. When I first discovered these people, a lot of them had looked despondent, but now it was like someone had lit a fire inside of them. Were they expecting me to shoulder the responsibility of saving everyone?

“I believe the first thing we need to do is gather more information,” Empress Hilda said to the rest of us. “The reason we were defeated back then was because they took us by surprise, but it was also because we lacked information about the enemy.”

“The Drage Family has always been mysterious,” Reiner confirmed. “Nobody knows much about them. I guess the reason for that is because they were hiding their strength and waiting for the right time to strike.”

It was hard to imagine how long the Drage Family had been planning this. They had thirteen people who had reached the Third State of Spiritualism, and the rest of their members were no slouches either. I was pretty sure all of them were at least at the Second State of Spiritualism.

“Can’t we just crush them now that Eryk is here?” asked Geirolf.

“You know we can’t do that,” Catalyna said. “Eryk is strong, but he’s still only one person.”

Empress Hilda nodded at Catalyna as though praising her intelligence, then addressed the rest of us. “Power isn’t everything. I’m certain Eryk has a Spiritual Technique he can use to destroy the entire Drage Family, but a technique like that comes at a great cost.”

Everyone looked at me like they were expecting me to confirm what Empress Hilda said. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

“I do have a few Spiritual Techniques that I can use to wipe out scores of enemies at the same time, but they cause a lot of damage and do not distinguish between friend and foe. If I were to unleash a technique like that in the city, the surrounding homes and many of the civilians who are wholly innocent would suffer. I don’t think any of us wants that.”

I was fairly certain that part of the reason Empress Hilda had fled was for a similar reason. She had many Spiritual techniques she could use to deal with multiple opponents at once, but fighting within the city would result in the loss of many civilians. Fists didn’t have eyes, after all.

“What do you think we should do, Eryk?” asked Dante.

“I believe Empress Hilda is right. What we need right now is information,” I said. “Gudmund is dead, but they still have twelve Spiritualists that have reached the Third State of Spiritualism—at least, that we know of. Given how cunning the Drage Family has been, they might have left some powerful Spiritualists waiting in the event something unexpected happens. We should at least confirm whether those twelve are the only Spiritualist they have who have reached this state, or if there are more.”

“I believe you are right,” Reiner said with a nod. “But how are we going to sneak into Nevaria to gather that information? The Drage Family won’t leave Demon Beast Gate unattended, and that is the only entrance into the city.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said. “Since I can fly, I can naturally just fly over the Demon Beast Mountain Range. I’ll choose a place that’s far enough from any watchtowers to slip inside.”

Nobody objected to my proposal. We discussed the plan in a bit more detail, fleshing out what sort of information I should focus on acquiring.

“You should definitely try to discover the location of the Nevarian Braves who were taken prisoner,” Geirolf said. “Among them were the dweorgs who joined our sect. That armor the Drage Family is now wearing was created by them.”

While there were a few people outside of the dweorgs who could use runes in their work, it was still a limited amount, and the runes covering that armor was definitely more advanced than something most people could create. Kari might be able to do. However, I didn’t think there was anyone else with that kind of innate talent.

“Once we have a clear idea of their numbers and overall strength, we can begin making more concrete plans.” Empress Hilda paused. “I do not want my people to suffer, so I believe lurring the Drage Family outside of the city where we can fight without worrying will be our best option. However, let us wait for Eryk to acquire the information we need before making a more concrete plan.”

As everyone was nodding along, a woman stepped forward. Her reddish hair contained an orange tint. It wasn’t being worn in a messy ponytail like I was used to seeing, but she had instead let her hair down, allowing it to travel past her lower back. The robes she wore were the purple alchemists robes, but like always, they were loose and exposed some of her cleavage. This was Feinrea Kunis, the Head of the Alchemist Association, though I suppose former head was more apt now.

Feinrea looked older than I remembered. She had only reached the Second State of Spiritualism, so she aged much faster than myself or Hilda.

“I would like to go with you, if possible,” she said.

Studying the woman, I thought about her request. It shouldn’t be too hard to slip into Nevaria with one more person. That said, I still didn’t have a good grasp on the light element, so I was a little worried I might not be able to truly camouflage us both at the same time. Well, I suppose I would cross that bridge when I got to it.

“I don’t mind taking you with me,” I said.

“Thank you.”

Feinrea Kunis bowed slightly. It was just a small bow, but I felt it conveyed more than just her gratitude. I wondered what she wanted to do in Nevaria. Stelys Valstine looked like he had something he wanted to say, glancing back and forth between me and Feinrea, but he ultimately decided to keep his mouth shut.

With our plans made, I decided there was no sense in remaining here. I took Feinrea out of the ruins, lifted her into my arms, and began flying to Nevaria at a low altitude so we would not be discovered by flying Demon Beasts. It was time to see what sort of forces the Drage Family had been building for the last several years.