WIEDERGEBURT Act III: Chapter 20

This couldn’t be happening…

“K-Kari…”

I stared at Kari’s face, at the half-lidded eyes piercing me with their death gaze, at the slack mouth that was partially open, at the chest that was no longer breathing. I placed my hand against her chest, ignoring the blood, and felt for her heartbeat, but it wasn’t there. Her heart had stopped.

It felt like my entire world had just come to an end. What was a life without Kari in it? She had been with me for years now. She was both my savior and my lover, and she was the person I did everything for. Now she was gone. Did I even have a reason to live?

With pain stabbing my chest, I pulled Kari into my embrace. I hugged her tightly as tears blurred my vision. There was nothing left for me to live for. My entire life had been dedicated to this woman, and with her gone, I felt like the only light in my life had just been extinguished.

Something landed on the ground beside me.

I looked up to see the man I had been fighting staring down at me with a cold, unfeeling gaze. He didn’t seem to care that he had just killed my wife and child. If anything, he seemed disappointed that I was not among those who had died.

“Your woman saved you at the last moment, I see.” He tilted his head, his gaze curious. “It seems you are a very lucky man, but luck can only take a person so far. And now, your luck has come to an end.”

A million thoughts flashed through my mind as this man raised his hand and gathered the dark element around it. I could just let him kill me. It wasn’t like whether I lived or died mattered anymore. I didn’t want to live in a world where Kari didn’t exist, where Kayli wasn’t alive. Dying was preferable to that.

And yet…

I hated this man. I couldn’t stand the thought of this man living while Kari and Kayli did not. I hated the fact that this man had slaughtered the two people I love more than anything in this world without reason. But more than the hatred I had for this person, I hated myself for not being strong enough to protect them.

My hatred for this man and myself mixed together, congealing inside of me. White hot rage flashed through my mind as the darkness around the man’s hand formed a spear. As the rage entered my body, I felt something flash to life inside of me, and suddenly, I could feel a bright and golden light flaring to existence with brilliant incandescence. It was like a solar flare had gone off inside of my mind.

I lifted my hand and pushed all the Spiritual Power I had left through it. The power blasted from my hand, a massive bolt of golden energy shaped like a lightning bolt, and slammed into the gathering darkness.

Light and dark clashed together, twisting, morphing, becoming deformed as arcs of energy erupted from the two contradictory elements. The wind resulting from the two attacks colliding blew my hair out of my face. The man on the other side skidded backwards across the ground, his eyes finally widening in shock. However, he wasn’t injured.

I wanted to change that.

I used the Flash Step to appear in front of him. Golden light gathered on my hand as I thrust it forward. The man raised his arm to block it. Light and darkness clashed in a burst of energy bolts.

I didn’t stop with just that one attack, and my next attack was a roundhouse kick to the man’s head, but that was also blocked. However, I had put more Spiritual Power into my attack this time. The colliding energies was so powerful that the ground beneath us exploded as it was struck by a violent shock wave. Me and this man were knocked backward. While he took to the air, I leapt back toward where Kari’s body was lying.

Looking up at the man who had killed my wife and child, I felt nothing but murderous rage. However, the man I was fighting had placed a hand on his head and was thrashing around.

“Damn you! Back off! You have no power over me!” I blinked as the man shouted to himself. But he didn’t seem to notice me anymore as he swung his head back and forth. However, this eventually stopped. “Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain indeed.” The man looked at me. “You, boy, youmay call me the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain. It seems I won’t be killing you today. Consider yourself lucky.”

The man vanished as suddenly as he appeared. All I could do was stare with impotent rage at the place where he had been. He was gone. I had failed to kill him. However, I also knew this was probably a good thing. Right now, I clearly was not strong enough to kill him.

I looked down at Kari and all the rage in my body vanished as emptiness engulfed me. It felt like I was being swallowed by a void.

Kneeling down, I slid one arm underneath her legs and the other around her shoulders, lifting her into my arms. Her legs swung limply and her head lolled into my chest as I stood back up. One of her arms fell down and began swinging as well.

I stood there in indecision for a moment, wondering what I should do. After a moment, I set my mouth into a thin line and went back toward the now destroyed Brave Vesperia headquarters.

The headquarters was in ruins. I wandered the now empty halls, entered my living quarters, and went over to the bed.

After setting Kari on the bed, the first thing I did was clean her. I couldn’t do anything about the wound around her chest because of that strange energy permeating it, but I could at least wipe the filth from her body. Once that was done, I dressed her in the armor she loved wearing when she was exploring ruins. Finally, I straightened her limbs, placed her hands on her chest, and closed her eyes. I placed one last kiss on her forehead, and then I stepped back and fired a condensed beam of lightning at the bed.

The bed was lit on fire instantly. I stood back and stared at the flames as they burned my beloved Kari. I felt empty. My life didn’t have any meaning. Wouldn’t dying be better than living as an empty shell?

However, the moment I thought this, the image of that man came back to me. What had he called himself? Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain? The seventh plain was Ljosalfheim if I was not mistaken. Did that mean he was one of the great overlords Hreidmar had spoken of? I shook my head. Regardless of who this man was, I would not let him off.

The feeling of emptiness in my chest vanished as something else filled it.

I remained in this room until Kari and the bed had been completely burnt to ashes, and then left the Brave Vesperia headquarters along with Capestrania entirely. I did not know where I was going, but I had a goal, and I would not stop until I had seen it accomplished.

I was going to kill the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain.

***

I didn’t know until a few days ago that you were not supposed to wear the same outfit more than once when attending social functions. Doing so was a faux pas, apparently. Of course, this also meant I could not wear the same outfit I had worn during the parade to celebrate Kari’s birthday to the Grand Ball being hosted by the Eieran Family.

As the one who knew the most about social functions, Kari had given herself the task of making sure all of us—me, Fay, and Lin—had a new outfit to wear for this occasion. Not only had she been in charge of making sure we had new outfits, she also told us everything she knew about the Eieran Family. We learned about their members, their family head, his three wives, their children, and the elders. I also learned that Kaleb—who sold me my previous house and our new base of operations—was not the family head’s son. He was the son to one of the elders.

Because I knew this information was important, I paid rapt attention to everything she said. Lin wasn’t as interested. However, Fay did her best to listen. I think she, more than even myself, wanted to make a good impression on the people we’d be meeting.

When the day for the Grand Ball finally arrived, the four of us took a luxurious bath together before getting dressed.

“S-stupid dress! Why won’t you go on?!”

I didn’t want to laugh at Lin as she tried to put on the dress Kari had chosen for her, but the girl was making it incredibly difficult. The dress Kari chose was a complicated gown that was laced up at the back. It created a lovely gap that went from the base of her neck all the way down to her rump. Lace crisscrossed this gap, but I could still see the smooth skin and the curvature of her spine, as well as the area where her skin shifted into scales.

The girl was in tears because she couldn’t lace the dress herself. I expected her to turn to me for help, but she instead looked at Kari and sniffled.

“Big Sister, could you please help this princess fix her dress?”

Kari’s indulgent smile was a pleasant sight. “Of course. Hold on for just a moment.”

“Kay.”

At present, Kari was not wearing much. Her massive chest was bound with sturdy fabric, her legs were clad in long white socks, and her crotch was covered by string underwear. Not only was she completely exposed, but I could see the plump lips of her pussy beneath the thin fabric of her undergarments.

As Kari helped Lin lace up the back of her dress, Fay was also getting dressed. She slid a pair of very short shorts up her hips. This was followed by a black shirt that went over her breast bindings and revealed a hint of her cleavage. A sleeveless white dress with a split on either side of her hips and no back went over the shirt. The dress didn’t even go past the middle of her thighs. After studying herself for a moment, Fay placed a belt around her waist, though it seemed more like an accessory, and slid a pair of white sleeves up her arms. The sleeves stopped just below her shoulders, and she attached a set of black shoulder pauldrons to them. Finally, to finish the outfit off, she added a black bow to her chest, a shoulder cape that went down to her ankles, and black heeled boots with gleaming greaves protecting her shins.

My own clothing was nowhere near as ostentatious as the girls’s. Black pants and a tunic with black and gray stripes went over the top. The tunic was long-sleeved and easy to move in. However, it did have a few interesting designs near the shoulders. This tunic also closed at the front via many straps. A pair of vambraces went around my forearms. I also had two belts on my waist. One went around my torso just a little above my hips, but the other hung low. The last article of clothing were my black boots.

“You look good,” I complimented Fay on her outfit.

“Thank you.” Fay blushed and looked down. She was twiddling with her thumbs, which I thought was cute. “I think you look very handsome.”

I grinned. “I’m glad you think so.”

Kari finally finished lacing up Lin’s gown, then put on her own. Unlike Fay and Lin, whose outfits showed a lot of skin, the only skin shown by Kari’s was her shoulders, arms, and upper back. The gown itself was predominantly a light blue. It went all the way down to the floor so I couldn’t see her feet, though I knew from watching her that she was wearing boots and shorts underneath it. A white bodice with leaf-shaped hip covers went over the dress. The bodice was drawn tight, accentuating her thin waist, wide hips, and massive breasts, which heaved ever so slightly as she moved despite being bound in bindings.

“I think we’re ready,” Kari said at last. She looked down at herself, sighed, then looked back at us. “The carriage should already be waiting for us, so let’s not remain here.”

We all agreed and left our living quarters together.

There were only a few Spiritualists present right now. Most of them were out on quests. That said, the servants were busy cleaning the many rooms and keeping everything tidy. They greeted us with polite bows as we walked passed them, though Jessie nearly broke a vase when she bowed so low her head knocked into a nearby stand. We smiled and greeted everyone before making our way outside of the Nevarian Braves headquarters.

Just like Kari had said, there was indeed a carriage waiting for us. This one was a custom-made carriage that was long enough to fit a Lamia. It was also being led by two Mastodons instead of Mares. Golden designs decorated the white exterior. I would have said it looked gaudy, but Erica’s carriage had also carried a similar aesthetic… and the one the Astralia Royal Family used was even more ostentatious than this.

A coachman opened the door for us. I climbed in first, turned around, and held a hand out to Lin so I could help her in. It was harder for her to enter because her snake tail was so long, but she was eventually able to seat herself on the bench opposite the entrance. After helping her, I helped Kari and Fay climb inside, and then all of us sat down.

This carriage was unique in that it only had one bench that covered the side of the carriage opposite the entrance and curved around to also cover the back. Lin’s tail took up the entire bench. Kari sat right next to Lin, while I squeezed in between her and Fay.

As the carriage began moving, Kari spoke to us about what we should expect at the ball.

“There will be a lot of drinking and food. However, do not let yourself over indulge. It’s very easy to get caught up in the moment and pig out, but if you do that, the noble families will think less of you. A person who cannot control themselves when good food is present is a fool in their eyes,” she was saying. “Once we arrive, we’ll have to make our rounds. I’ll introduce you to everyone in attendance. It’s always the same people attending, so if you can memorize their names now, you’ll be better off for it.”

“This princess somehow feels like you are talking about her specifically with your comment,” Lin mumbled.

Kari’s smile was mysterious and teasing. “Not at all. I’m talking to everyone. However, it is true that you, in particular, will need to be on your best behavior. You are the only Lamia in all of Nevaria, which means everyone is going to be paying you more attention than most.”

“Hmph. This princess will make sure everyone who looks at her remains in awe.”

While I did what I believed was an admirable job of masking my own nervousness, Fay was taking several deep breaths to calm herself down. However, her leg was thumping against the carriage floor and she was gripping her dress between clenched hands. When I saw this, I reached out and placed my hand on one of hers. This caused her to relax. The thumping stopped.

“Thank you,” Fay said softly.

“Anytime,” I responded just as softly.

The carriage eventually stopped and the door opened. Once again, I stepped out first before extending my hand to help Kari, Lin, and Fay exit.

We had been taken up to a large portico that was surrounded by a courtyard on the left and right. This grand entrance was protected from the sun by a ramada held aloft with six massive columns.

A young man standing before the carriage bowed low to us. It was Kaleb.

“It’s good to see you four,” he said. “I was hoping you’d be able to attend this ball. Thank you for coming.”

“Kaleb,” I greeted.

“If you’ll follow me, I will lead you into the ballroom and announce your arrival to the other guests.”

With a gesture to follow him, Kaleb turned around and walked underneath the ramada. We followed him as he walked between the artfully decorated columns, up to the entrance, which was guarded by six Spiritualists dressed in decorative armor with the Eieran Family coat of arms on the left breast. They were a mixture of men and women. All of them had either blond or brown hair, which was the most common in Nevaria.

Most of the Spiritualists bowed to us when we appeared, but two of them opened the door and allowed us into the vestibule. We didn’t remain there for long. Kaleb journeyed through several halls and a number of rooms before we finally emerged into a large ballroom.

I’d never seen a ballroom before. Balls were something I’d not been a part of in my previous life. While Midgard did have some powerful families that were formed within specific sects, my own sect had never dealt with them outside of business. When we were part of the Explorers Guild, we weren’t important enough to be invited, and when we formed Brave Vesperia, the war against the Sekbeist had taken up all of our time and resources.

This ballroom was easily one of the most massive rooms I’d ever seen, with a total size that was at least two training rooms in both length and width. I looked at the ceiling, which was shaped like a dome and covered in intricate artwork depicting numerous legendary Demon Beasts such as Phoenixes, Drakes, Kaijus, Griffins, and Qilins.

There were already a lot of people in attendance. Dressed in expensive clothing that was flashy and meant to show off their wealth, these nobles and their families mingled together. Some stood near tables. Others stood near the walls. The center of the floor contained an elevated platform, which Kari informed me would be used for sparring matches between Spiritualists for entertainment.

As we stepped into the room, the people nearest us stopped speaking and turned in our decoration. Their eyes displayed surprise and intrigue. I was sure they knew who we were. It was impossible not to recognize their princess, Fay and I had taken part in the Spiritualist Grand Tournament, and Lin was easily the most exotic creature they’d ever seen. We were hard to forget.

“Announcing the arrival of Princess Kari Astrialia, her betrothed Master Eryk Veiger, her Second Sister, Fay Valstine, and her Third Sister, Lin!” Kaleb said in a clear voice that rang throughout the hall.

I had no idea what to do here, but Kari fortunately took the lead for me.

She hooked her arm in mine, and then had Lin also wrap her arms around my other arm. I sadly did not have another arm for Fay. However, the fiery redhead walked just a little behind us as though she was a bodyguard instead of my future wife. I wasn’t sure I approved, but I couldn’t deny that she cut a gallant figure in her current outfit.

Everyone was staring at us as we walked further into the room. Many people whispered in hushed voices that even I couldn’t make out. However, no one was willing to come up to us. Were they intimidated by our reputation? Or were they simply waiting for someone else to make the first move?

While I was waffling in indecision over what to do, Kari guided me toward the first group of people.

“Lord Alexander Eieran.” Because she was still holding my arm, she didn’t curtsy, but the way she politely nodded her head contained a regality that made the man she addressed stand straighter. “It is good to see you’re in fine health.”

“And it is good to see you’re doing well too, Princess Kari,” the man known as Alexander returned her polite greeting with a smile.

Alexander Eieran was a man who had reached the prime of his years and was slowly regressing into an older man. I’d put him at about 40 or 50 years-old. His slicked back blond hair was flecked with gray. A few bangs framed his face, bringing out his refined and regal facial features. I could tell at a single glance that he wasn’t a Spiritualist. Aside from his lack of Spiritual Power, a Spiritualist his age would have looked far younger, much like Hagen Leucht and Hilda Astralia.

Alexander was surrounded by several other people. Some of them bore a slight resemblance, making me assume they were members of his family. However, a good many of them looked like they were not in any way related.

“You’ve never been formally introduced before, so please allow me to introduce my family,” Kari continued with a benign smile. “This is Eryk Veiger, my husband to be, and these two are Fay Valstine and Lin. They’re my future sisters.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I said with a nod that probably didn’t have the same regality of Kari’s.

“This princess greets you,” Lin said with a curtsy.

“Thank you for inviting us to this fine ball,” Fay added with a bow at the waist.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Alexander said with a smile and a wave of his hand. “I hope the four of you enjoy your time here.”

“We will do so, thank you,” Kari said for all of us.

We continued making some small talk with Alexander, who asked many questions regarding our sect, the Nevarian Braves. His primary questions were about what a sect was. When I informed him that we were a group who took on quests, similar to some of the mercenary companies but with the backing of Empress Hilda herself, he expressed his delight with a wide smile.

“What an innovative idea,” he said. “While mercenary companies have always existed in Nevaria, the idea of creating a group similar to one with the backing of the empress herself is something that has never occurred to me. It sounds like a very high risk business venture. However, the Eieran Family knows that with high risks comes even higher rewards. Tell me, Lord Eryk, would you be willing to work with the Eieran Family in the future?”

There was something about the way he spoke that made me wish I could frown, but I knew that I was supposed to keep up a friendly facade. Even so, I could not help but feel like he wanted to try and take advantage of my sect to benefit himself.

“We would be more than happy to work with the Eieran Family,” I said in a polite voice. “Of course, as a sect, we take on any quests that are given to us, provided they do not break the law or go against the Astralia Royal Family. Should you or one of your family members have something you need of us, whether that is protection detail, a quest to slay a powerful Demon Beast, or something else, you may feel free to send us a missive, and the Nevarian Braves shall do their utmost to ensure the successful completion of the quest.”

I was sure Alexander knew I was speaking in a roundabout way, saying my sect would take on quests or them, but that we would not work exclusively with them. However, his polite smile remained in place.

“Wonderful!” He clapped his hands. “I shall be sure to use your services. You can probably expect a missive from me to arrive within the next few days. There are several quests I would like completed that are delicate and something I’d rather not entrust to a simple mercenary company.”

“I will be looking forward to your patronage, then,” I said with a bow of my head.

We didn’t speak to Alexander much longer after that. Kari led the three of us away because we needed to “make our rounds” as she called it. This was essentially just her introducing us to the various noble families.

There were a lot of noble families aside from the Heavenly Families. There were the Seven Major Families, followed by the Thirteen Minor Families.

The Seven Major Families were a group of powerful nobles who were second in prestige to the Heavenly Families. Their power had been acquired through a combination of their strong Spiritualists and numerous business ventures. Some like the Himmelskblad Family were known for the blacksmiths and powerful swordsman. Others like the Vingård Family owned several wine vineyards out in the countryside and made most of their money from that. Each of the Seven Major Families had their own unique aspects that made them stand out from the crowd.

“This is Gudbrand Drage,” Kari introduced a young-looking man with shoulder-length blonde hair and a refined bearing. “He is the head of the Drage Family. His family are well-known for their powerful fire affinity. Many of their Spiritual Techniques are fire-related. They made a name for themselves several hundred years ago during an attack on Nevaria by a powerful Demon Beast. Since then, they have produced stunning Spiritualists.”

“You flatter me,” Gudbrand said with a smile. “We are not so great a family anymore, though it is true that almost everyone in our family has an affinity with fire.” He turned his head to Fay. “I saw your performance during the Spiritualist Grand Tournament and was very impressed. You seem to have a rather strong fire affinity yourself.”

None of the other guests we’d been introduced to had spoken to Fay so far. Having someone finally address her seemed to startle the girl, who took several moments to respond.

“I do indeed have a fire affinity, Lord Gudbrand.” Fay bowed politely. “However, it is not nearly so strong that it’s worth complimenting. I’m sadly still lacking in many ways as a Spiritualist.”

“Nonsense.” Gudbrand smiled. “I saw your battles during the tournament. Despite not having many techniques, all of them were very impressive, and I’m sure you’ve only grown stronger since then. In fact…” His smile widened a little. “I was hoping you would be willing to have a bout with my son, Gudmund. He’s been rather eager to learn some pointers from you.”

As he spoke, a young man around my age stepped out from the crowd. He had the same handsome features as Gudbrand. His clothing had the same refinement as everyone else. The red coat looked like it was made of fire and complimented his black pants and shirt well. He wore a gold breastplate underneath the coat, which trailed down past his knees and was jagged like flames.

His eyes trailed over Fay’s body with an appreciative leer that I didn’t like, but I couldn’t say anything because he wasn’t being overtly lecherous. The man bowed to Fay like a gentleman.

“I would be honored if you’d have a spar with me,” he said with a polite smile that seemed to hide sharp fangs.