WIEDERGEBURT Act V: Chapter 34

Several hours passed with Fay advising Sana and Lilac on their alchemy refining. They had refined several different pills, not just the Three Way Spiritual Widening Bills, but also Body Forging Pills, Spiritual Essence Pills, and Blood Clotting Pills. They were all low-tier pills, but the Spiritual Essence Pills bordered on being a lower middle-tier pill.

“Thank you so much for your help, Big Sister,” Lilac said as she walked alongside Fay and Sana. Her posture was relaxed, lazy even. She had her hands behind her head, cradling her neck, and her posture was slouched.

By contrast, Sana appeared like a prim and proper young woman. Her back was straight, her bearing refined and elegant. The only thing separating her from most nobles was that she lacked the haughtiness. She would never display that sort of arrogance in front of her big sister, who she only wanted to show her best sides to.

“Thank you,” Sana added. “Your help is incomparable. I believe I will be able to take the Adept Alchemist Assessment Test soon.”

“Hmph! I’ll be able to take it faster than you will,” Lilac said.

“Maybe in your dreams,” Sana shot back.

“I’ll make my dreams into reality!”

“You two… don’t fight in public like this,” Fay said with an admonishing tone, immediately chastising the pair. Since they were walking on either side of her, they could not argue without her being between them.

“Sorry, Big Sister,” they said in unison.

Fay absently pondered their title of endearment. What was it about her that made every woman she met call her “big sister.” Even some of the older women in the Battling Valkyries called her that.

“Oh, right. Big Sister Fay, did you want to come over and visit my family today?” asked Lilac. “Ever since I told them about you, they have been really anxious to meet you.”

Sana looked at Lilac in shock and more than a little consternation. She had also been going to ask Fay to visit her family, but she had been beaten to the punch.

However, Fay could only shake her head as they emerged from the Alchemist Association’s main hall and onto the congested front walkway. Numerous alchemists walked past them. Many gave Fay a second, third, and even fourth glance. One man even tripped over his own two feet and stumbled into someone else because he was too busy staring at her to watch where he was going.

“I am sorry,” Fay said. “I have already made plans today.”

Lilac frowned. “What kind of plans? Can you not change them? Just for today?”

Fay was already planning to deny her again. She did like Lilac and Sana both. They were complete opposites in personality, but neither of them were disagreeable. However, Fay did not like social functions or gatherings. She would attend some with Eryk when there was a need, but she would never go to one if she didn’t have to. Even a simple meet and greet tired her to no end.

“Mommy!”

But just before she could open her mouth, a familiar voice appeared ahead of them. Lilac and Sana didn’t hear. However, Fay’s incomparably sharp ears picked out the shout in an instant.

She turned her head and found three people coming toward them.

One was a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes that were vast, deep, and held a cunning intellect. Her peach-like face gave her a youthful mien that would make anyone mistake her for a girl still in her teens. Such a dazzlingly beautiful face, as if crafted by the hands of gods to embody perfection, was complemented by a figure that could send any man into lustful fits. Large breasts. Wide hips. A thin waist. Kari Astralia was everything a man could want and possessed traits any woman would kill for.

She was dressed in a blue and white blouse with a Rune enchanted breastplate over it. The blouse only extended to the middle of her thighs. From the lower thighs down, her body was covered in black stockings that ended with a pair of brown boots.

Perhaps even more eye catching was the dark-skinned lamia at her side. Her breasts were not as big. However, she had a thin waist and wide hips that shifted into deep brown and yellow scales after reaching her beautifully big butt. While Fay believed Kari was more beautiful than Lin, it was impossible to deny that Lin’s dark skin, scaled long ears, and seven meter long snake tail gave her an incomparably exotic appearance.

It helped that she wore very little clothes. Wrapped around her breasts was a red top, and further down, a red wraparound skirt covered her hips. It kept what shouldn’t be seen invisible, but it was still very revealing.

The last one was walking between the two, holding both their hands. He was a young boy no older than three years and five months old. He only came up to Kari’s thigh. His hair was a little long and the same fiery red as hers, but his eyes were a mixture of hers and Eryk’s. He was dressed in simple black pants and a white shirt.

The moment that little boy saw her, his face broke out into a smile as he let go of Kari’s and Lin’s hands and raced forward.

Fay also smiled as she knelt and scooped the boy into her arms.

Sana and Lilac were nonplussed. They stared at these two incredibly beautiful women who had appeared out of nowhere, curiosity warring with envy. Neither of them were dissatisfied with their looks, but when they compared themselves to these gorgeous women who didn’t look much older than them, they suddenly felt like crawling into a hole somewhere.

“Big Sister… who is that little child? And who are these two?” asked Sana. Lilac looked like she also had questions, but unlike the calm and collected Sana, there was no way the now flabbergasted Lilac could ask anything. All she could do was gape like a fish out of water.

“Oh, I guess I have never introduced you to my family, have I?” Fay smiled as she shifted Raul, holding him with one arm against her hip and gesturing with her free hand toward Kari and Lin as they walked up to their group. “This is Kari Astralia and Lin. They are my sisters.”

“Sisters?” Sana blinked.

“But you three don’t look anything alike,” Lilac burst, suddenly recovering. “One of you isn’t even human! How can you be sisters?”

“Girl, you had better be thankful this princess is in a merciful mood right now,” Lin said, drawing herself up on her tail, which made her tower over Lilac.

While Lilac cowered at suddenly seeing what appeared to be a very angry lamia glaring at her, Kari smiled as she stepped forward. Under this woman’s calm, composed, and elegant bearing, Lilac somehow felt even worse. It had nothing to do with the woman and everything to do with her own insecurities. She would kill to have that kind of incredible composure. This girl was just like a princess!

“Don’t mind Lin,” Kari said, her gentle and refined smile doing wonders to sooth Lilac’s turmoil. “She knows you did not mean anything by it. What Fay meant when she called us sisters has nothing to do with blood relations. Fay, Lin, and myself are all married to the same man.”

“Ah?” Lilac looked like someone had punched her in the gut.

While Lilac’s entire body seemed to have lost color and become lifeless, Sana recovered and quickly deduced who these people were.

“Then that boy in your arms right now is your son?” she guessed.

“That’s right.” Fay smiled. “This is Raul. Raul, this is Sana and Lilac. Say hi.”

The little boy in Fay’s arms looked at the two, staring back and forth between them before, like the sun peeking over the mountains, he gave them both a dazzling smile. It was so bright Lilac and Sana thought they were being blinded. This boy… he was… so adorable! How could anybody be that cute?!

“Hewwo, Big Sis Sana and Big Sis Lilac!”

Lilac and Sana both staggered as if they had come under a powerful assault. This little boy had just called them big sister. Their big sister’s own child had just called them big sister!

For the longest time, Lilac and Sana had disliked Fay’s husband despite never meeting him before, but in this moment, upon meeting Raul, they calmed down a little. After all, Fay’s husband had helped create this incomparably cute child. Surely he could not be that bad, right?

“You big sisters are very pwetty,” Raul added.

“Heh heh heh. Aww, shucks. Thanks, kid.”

Lilac rubbed the back of her head as blood rushed to her cheeks. This certainly was not the first time she had been called pretty before, but somehow, being complimented by this child made her feel more special than whenever the wealthy nobles attending her family’s functions did the same. It must have been because this child had no ulterior motives. Everything he said was said from the heart.

Even Sana was feeling bashful. She didn’t show it like Lilac did, but she had been forced to cross her arms and turn her head in a vain attempt at hiding her blush.

“But Mommy, Big Sister Kari, Aunty Lin, and Sissy are even pwettier!”

And just like that, Lilac felt as if a beautiful illusion had suddenly shattered.

“Brat! Don’t say something like that! Even if it is true!” Lilac shouted with tears in her eyes.

***

Whenever a group of beautiful women gathered, the eyes of men were sure to follow. Kari had always known this to be true, and at this moment, as she, Fay, and Lin walked down the street, she understood this simple fact even more.

From the moment they had appeared together, not a single person hadn’t looked their way at least twice. Even now, several eyes trailed after them, not even bothering to hide the lust brimming within their depths.

To her left, a young couple walked arm in arm. However, the moment her group appeared, the man had stopped walking and was now staring at them. His significant other glared at the young man, then glared at Kari and her sisters as if it was their fault her lover had turned into a vegetable. The last Kari saw of that couple, the young woman had smacked the back of the man’s head and stormed off in a huff.

That was not the only case of a man upsetting his lover. Whether they were young or old, numerous men found themselves stunned and staring at her group—only to receive the retribution of their wives, girlfriends, or lovers.

“Where are we going for lunch today?” asked Lin.

She was slithering along at Kari’s side, an incomparably happy smile on her face. Kari imagined she was just happy to not be babysitting anymore. It was a lot harder to watch a child by yourself than it was with a group. She knew this from personal experience.

“I found a nice little cafe not far from here,” Kari said. “They make really great food. I think you two will like it.”

“I am fine with anything,” Fay said.

“I want food.” Raul added. “Hungry!”

While Lin was on her left, Fay was on Kari’s right, Raul resting snugly underneath the redhead’s right arm.

The cafe where Kari wanted them to eat at was called Moon Under the Eve. On the outside, it looked like a normal two-story building without any special adornments. All it had was a glass window that showed others what was inside—and what was located inside was a bustling throng of activity. After entering the cafe, Lin and Fay gawked at how many people there were. Raul did not seem to mind, but he was a toddler and kind of clueless.

“There are so many people,” Fay muttered.

“Big Sister, are you sure we can eat here? It doesn’t look like they have enough tables.” Lin eyed the tables on this floor with uncertainty. It really did look like all the tables were filled up.

“Hello! Are you three—sorry, are you four here to eat?” someone suddenly asked them.

Kari and the others turned to a vibrantly smiling girl standing just a meter away from them. Her appearance was somewhat average. Whether it was her body, her face, or even her hair, nothing about her stood out.

“Yes, we are,” Kari said for all of them. “However, we’re not here to eat at the tables on the first floor.”

After saying this, Kari passed a small badge over to the girl. It was a simple golden badge with the image of a pastry. While it didn’t look like anything special, the moment the girl laid eyes on it, her expression changed. Her eyes went wide, her body rigid. Then she shuddered before the smile on her face suddenly became much more polite.

“My apologies, Mistress,” the girl said with a low bow. “I had not realized we had someone of such high status standing before me. Please follow me. I will direct you four to your seats.”

Fay and Lin stared at Kari like they weren’t sure what to make of this sudden development, but she just smiled and gestured for them to follow her.

The girl led them up a set of stairs, which led into a small hallway with several doors. Most of the doors had gold plaques on them. On each plaque was a number, though only someone who understood what this floor meant would know what the numbers signified.

“Here you are.” The woman opened the door for them and bowed. “Please make yourselves at home. Someone will eventually come by to take your orders.”

“Thank you,” Kari said as she walked through the door.

Fay and Lin followed her. They stopped walking after catching a glimpse of the room, but Kari didn’t pause as she sat down at the round table in the very center. It had four seats.

“What is… this place?” asked Fay as the door closed behind her.

“It’s called the flower room,” Kari said with an amused smile.

“This princess can see why.” Lin recovered faster than Fay and slid over to the table. “This princess has never seen so many flowers before.”

Decorating the room was neither expensive art, statues, or motifs. Every inch of this room was covered in flowers, a colorful array of blossoms. The flowers created a unique aesthetic that Kari had never seen before in a restaurant. They also had a very calming effect. Each flower produced an incomparably wonderful fragrance that calmed the mind.

“Flowers. Colorful,” Raul added.

The four of them all sat around the table. Lin summoned several sheets of parchment and some crayons from her storage ring, which she gave to Raul so he could begin drawing. Like that, Raul became completely absorbed in his drawing, allowing the three of them to chat about their day.

Kari enjoyed being able to talk like this with her sisters. She would admit that it was one of her guiltiest pleasures, just sitting around and chatting with these two. It was unfortunate Siv was not present. Then their group would have been complete.

A waitress came in to take their order, but she left soon after, and the three of them continued talking until noon past.

After lunch, they left Moon Under the Eve and began walking home. Lin was still talking, telling them about what she and Raul had done that day. It sounded a little like she was both bragging and complaining.

“I have been trying my hardest to teach him the proper way to do art, but Raul just does not like listening to this princess. Why does he not appreciate her tutelage? That’s not to say he is bad. This princess believes he has a lot of potential. However, if he would let this princess teach him, then his artistic abilities would soar. He’d have limitless potential for—”

Lin stopped talking and even stopped walking. Kari and Fay also stopped walking, their expressions turning serious. Raul, once more in Fay’s arm, noticed the expressions on their faces and became alert. He seemed to realize something was wrong, but he didn’t know what.

“We’re being followed,” Lin announced.

“How many and where are they?” asked Kari.

“There are ten of them.” Lin tilted her head and closed her eyes. The scales of her body began turning gray, the same color as the cobblestone beneath their feet. “Four of them are behind us on our left, there are another four on our right, and two more are hanging back. This princess believes they are simply here to observe the others.”

“Can you figure out what their cultivation level is?” Kari continued to question her sister even as a plan began forming in her mind.

“They are all at the Second State of Spiritualism,” Lin said.

Kari was not surprised by this answer. Thanks to the alchemists of the Alchemy Association, it was much easier to train here than it was in Nevaria—at least, it had been before the Alchemist Association in Nevaria had risen to power. With pills like the Body Forging Pill, Three Way Spiritual Widening Pill, and Spirit Recovery Pill, being so readily available on the market, it was no wonder most Spiritualists had reached the Second State of Spiritualism.

If they were only at the Second State of Spiritualism, this problem would be easy to resolve.

“Let’s find some place that’s more deserted,” Kari said at last.

Midgard was not only a large place, but it was heavily populated, which made finding anywhere that was deserted difficult. It was like looking for a single Demon Beast in the Demon Beast Mountain Range. This did not mean it was impossible, though. Kari knew a lot of about this city, so it didn’t take more than fifteen minutes of walking for her to find an empty side street that only had a few people who could be seen inside of the buildings.

“This place should suit our purposes well enough,” Kari said with a nod, then turned and smiled at Raul. “Raul, can you please be a good boy and cover your eyes and ears? I promise to make your favorite dessert if you do.”

Raul had been traveling with them ever since they began their journey, so of course he could tell when danger was afoot. He immediately nodded several times as he placed his hands on his ears and buried his head against Fay’s shoulder. In return, Fay placed a hand against his head.

“Lin?” Kari turned to the lamia.

“This princess knows what you are going to ask,” Lin said. “They’re here.”

At that moment eight people walked into the alley. All of them were relatively plain-looking in appearance. They had the kind of boring face that was hard to pick out of the crowd and made them easy to forget, but that was probably what made them great for jobs like this.

“Lin?”

“On it, Big Sis.”

Lin’s tail thumped against the ground several times, and before the men had a chance to react, the earth churned underneath them before rising from the cobblestone and covering their bodies. The eight expressed shock, confusion, and horror when they realized what was happening. They tried to escape, but it was already too late. Every centimeter of them was covered except their skin.

Kari created a ranseur made of light and used the Flash Step to speed past the group. She appeared behind the two who had not been captured. They’d been hanging further back. If her thoughts were right, these two were meant to be observers. They would travel back and inform whoever was in charge of the success or failure of these henchmen.

As she appeared beside them, the two—both men—widened their eyes. She smiled at them before impaling the two through the throat with her ranseur. Blood splattered across the ground. Both men died, but before their corpses could hit the cobblestone, she stored them inside of a storage ring.

Living people could not be stored.

But a corpse was no longer living.

With another Flash Step, Kari appeared next to Fay and Siv. Raul still had his hands on his ears and was hiding his face in his mother’s neck. Kari turned to Lin.

“Kill all of them except one. We need one person to interrogate so we can find out who’s brazen enough to hire people to come after us and what they want.”

Kari normally wouldn’t have been this decisive about killing people, but she could sense the ill-intent of this group, and she would give no quarter to people who wished her family harm.

The people who were covered up to their necks in pliant earth went cold. Everyone opened their mouth to cry out, but that was the moment Lin acted, manipulating the earth element to fill their mouths and wrap around their heads, and then crushing them. The earth wrapped around their bodies condensed and turned seven of the eight people into mulch. Lin then made the earth sink back into its original position. Only one person remained covered.

“Let this one go,” Kari said as she walked toward the only remaining man, who had been able to witness everything that happened with his now wide eyes.

Lin let the stone surrounding the man fall. This would have been a great time for him to escape, but his body seemed incapable of moving. His legs were already quite weak. As Kari walked up to him, he fell to the ground and began shaking uncontrollably.

An acrid scent filled Kari’s nose and made her pause, but then her lips curled into a sneer as she realized the man had merely lost control of his bladder. She created another ranseur of light and knelt before the man. She was smiling, but considering the circumstances, that smile looked more like a devil’s smile than anything.

“I want you to tell me who sent you,” she said.

Somehow, the man who had pissed himself found the courage to speak. “W-will you let me go if I tell you?” Kari’s smile widened, but she didn’t say anything. The man licked his lips. “Rohan Incelflos… of the Incelflos Family.”

“That name doesn’t ring a bell,” Kari said. “Who is the Incelflos Family?”

“T-they’re one of the largest alchemist families in the Northern Plains,” the man stuttered. “Every member of their family has gone on to become an alchemist of incredible talent. They’re currently ranked as the most powerful alchemist family in the Northern Plains by a large margin. Not even the other three can compare to them.”

Kari pondered this information before nodding. “I see. That is very useful. Thank you for telling me this.”

The man gave her an uncertain smile and opened his mouth, but Kari thrust her weapon forward and into his chest. Her ranseur stabbed deeply into his heart. A look of shock was etched upon his face as he died, body slackening, eyes going dull. She stored his corpse away like the others. She planned on burning them all later.

Fay furrowed her brow as Kari walked over to her. “Did you have to kill him?”

“You know how these people are.” Kari shrugged as she stopped by hers and Lin’s side. “Had I let him go, he would have gone to alert this Rohan Incelflos about how the mission failed. I’d rather he not find out about that right now since it would ruin the element of surprise. This Rohan might also try something even more drastic. Speaking of, I’m guessing Rohan is someone you know?”

Fay hesitated for a moment before nodding. “He is a gold rank alchemist who’s been bothering me for the past few days, asking me if I wanted to eat dinner with him, or meet his family. I have denied him every time he came up to me. The last time he tried convincing me to have lunch with him, I told him I was not interested in him and asked him to stop bothering me.”

“He sounds like another Grant Leucht,” Kari muttered.

While there were quite a few people like Grant and Rohan, very few of them had the power to actually do anything. Unfortunately, just like Grant, this Rohan person was obviously loaded and could afford to spend money to hire people to capture someone who caught his interest.

It was too bad for them their plan wouldn’t have worked even if Kari decided not to act. Of course, since Kari had decided to do something about this, she was going to make sure this Rohan fellow regretted his decision to go after her sister.

“Let’s go,” Kari said as she began walking out of the alley.

“Where are we going?” asked Fay as she and Lin followed her. By this point, Raul seemed to realize everything was okay and uncovered his ears again.

“We’re going to visit Cathrine Hildre of course.” Kari smiled, but there was a sharp and dangerous edge to it. “You can’t destroy a family like that without getting the backing of someone even more powerful.”