WIEDERGEBURT Act II: Chapter 5

I’d never ridden on a Mare before. It wasn’t just because Mares were only located on the western side of the continent; the fact was that outside of carriages, the only thing I’d ridden on was a flying Demon Beast and that was more just me hanging on for dear life. That said, riding on a Mare was a rather interesting experience. I was sure my butt would remember the pain of being bounced against hard leather for years to come.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad. If nothing else, the view was nice.

I sat behind Kari as our forces galloped across the open plains, following a road that had very little winding. There wasn’t much to see around us. These plains had a few trees and some plantations and farms located further out, but that was really it. We wouldn’t reach any of the other mountains and forests until we were at least a few hundred kilometers away.

It wasn’t the view of our surroundings that interested me.

It was the way Kari’s breasts bounced within the confines of her clothing.

The outfit Kari wore was something she had changed into for this mission. The shirt was made from something sturdier than silk but softer than wool. It had long sleeves and vaguely resembled a dress, but I think it stopped too high up her knees to really be called a dress. The shirt was a combination of blue and white. Meanwhile, she had black tights and brown boots that went past her knees finishing the ensemble.

Her rensaur was resting on a holster attached to the Mare’s flank.

While the outfit was certainly eye-catching on her, it was the fact that she wasn’t wearing a chestplate that really got to me. Technically speaking, she didn’t need a chestplate. Her Spiritual Aura was powerful enough to protect her from being injured by anything less than an A-rank Spiritual Technique, but Spiritualists, especially women, often wore them because they did a great job of confining their breasts. Since she was not wearing either a chestplate or breast bindings, hers were bouncing all over the place.

It had to be uncomfortable, but I had nothing to complain about.

“Eryk?” Kari called out to me. Her soft voice was hard to hear, but I still picked it up.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for making Father let me come with you.”

I tightened my hold around her waist. “Fay is your friend too, right? There was no way I could let you stay in Nevaria when your friend is in danger. If I was in your place, I would have gone insane.” I know it was a bit inappropriate given our circumstances, but I leaned over and set my chin on her shoulder. “Besides, we still need to talk to Fay, you and me, so we can resolve the drama happening between us.”

“Right!” Kari responded with an enthusiastic nod.

We continued riding.

Being one of the most powerful families in Nevaria, I suppose it would only be natural for the Leucht Family to have their own private manor located in the countryside. The city was the seat of Nevaria’s power. However, the city was also congested with what I guessed was several million people. It was only natural that a family like theirs would invest in a more private residence.

So, yes, I expected to end up in an out of the way manor far from civilization.

What I did not expect was the location of the manor.

I stared at the mountain pass before me with a sense of complete disbelief. It was a twenty meter wide path set between two cliffs, and it was the only way to reach the Leucht Family manor, according to Hellen. The craggy surfaces were quite familiar to me. While it had been a long time since I’d been to this place, there was no way I could forget it.

The dying screams of the civilians and Nevarian Spiritualists who had followed me to this place in my previous life still haunted my dreams sometimes.

“Eryk? What is wrong?”

I took a deep breath as Kari’s voice penetrated my ears. Reigning in the guilt that I had long since buried, I squeezed her waist.

“Nothing. I was just… remembering something unpleasant.”

Kari didn’t look like she believed me, but Hellen kept her from saying anything. The broad-shouldered woman directed her Mare to turn around and eyed all of us.

“We’ll have to be careful from here on out,” she said. “The Leucht Family is still located in Nevaria, so I do not believe they will have a heavy guard, but we should be cautious nonetheless.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the three Nevarian Spiritualists with us responded. Kari and I said nothing. However, Hellen took that as our acknowledgement of her orders.

We proceeded more cautiously as we entered the mountain pass, moving at a pace that made me want to grind my teeth. I knew we were just being careful. That only made me frustrated. Every second we spent sludging through this pass was another second in which Fay might be undergoing unspeakable horrors at the hands of Grant. The thought was enough to make my stomach churn.

I was never more grateful than when we emerged from the mountain pass. The Leucht Family estate was about one hundred meters away, nestled snugly against a large mountain. That mountain was part of the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

The estate looked the same as I remembered it, a walled off fortress with impressively sized walls for a single manor and archer towers next to the main entrance. Beyond that was the mansion itself, a two-story structure that, while not tall, was still very large. Columns and flying buttresses decorated it. I couldn’t see much from here, but if I enhanced my vision with Spiritual Power, I could just barely make out the glass windows.

There didn’t seem to be any guards at the front entrance.

“Let’s move,” Hellen said. “But move cautiously.”

The slow crawl we moved at when the mansion was right there pissed me off. I gritted my teeth and struggled not to just hop off Kari’s Mare and use the Flesh Step. When we finally reached the walls, we dismounted the Mares and wandered up to the entrance.

There were only two people guarding it. One of them was a mountainous man with bulging muscles, a rusted iron chestplate, and a massive warhammer resting on his shoulder. The other was a woman. She was slighter than her companion, had russet-colored long hair, and was wearing similarly rusted armor. I didn’t know them. That said, it didn’t matter.

“I wonder why there are only two guards here,” one of the Nevarian Spiritualists muttered. I think his name was Mathius… or something, but I honestly hadn’t been paying attention when he was introduced.

“It’s probably because this kidnapping was a covert action,” Hellen said quietly. “This mansion doesn’t have Spiritualists guarding it all the time. That would be a waste of manpower.”

“That isn’t it,” I said. “It’s because Grant Leucht acted on his own.”

“How can you tell?” asked Kari.

“Because the Leucht Family hasn’t remained in power by being stupid,” I replied. “Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would know that kidnapping a noble is a terrible idea. Even the Leucht Family would not be able to get away with kidnapping a noble unscathed. It’s even worse for them because I just won the Spiritualist Grand Tournament and Fay is close to me. Nevermind having their assets seized and their reputation ruined, they would be lucky to get away with their lives intact.”

I wasn’t talking about bringing them to justice, of course. I was talking about killing them. If they had played a role in Fay’s kidnapping, I would murder every single one of them.

“Since it looks like there aren’t any more guards here, I’m going in,” I informed Hellen as I stepped into the entrance.

“Wait. What?! Eryk, don’t—”

But it was already too late. I walked through the entrance and strolled forward. The two guards had seen me, and they both gawked at me like they couldn’t understand what another living creature was doing there. They were so shocked neither of them even readied their weapons.

That would be their final mistake.

***

Kari grabbed her ranseur and rushed out from behind the gate entrance before Hellen or the other Nevarian Spiritualists could. Her heart hammered in her chest, beating frantically as she raced out to see Eryk already walking toward the two surprised Spiritualists, who had the appearance of mercenaries.

She wanted to say something to him.

She couldn’t.

Her throat had closed up.

In the time it took for Kari’s brain to restart, Eryk had already disappeared. She’d seen his Flash Step during the Spiritualist Grand Tournament. However, seeing it up close was a wholly different experience. All Kari could do was gawk as the Eryk in front of her suddenly vanished and a new one appeared right next to the female Spiritualist.

The woman’s reaction was impressive. She managed to unsheathe her rapier. However, that was all she managed to do.

At that moment, Eryk hopped onto one foot and raised his leg. The leg was wreathed with crackling lightning. It glowed a bright, pale blue as sparks skittered along the limb like a thousand snakes slithering across the ground. Eryk brought that leg back and launched it at the woman in a powerful kick.

The armor shattered. Kari thought she saw a surprised look on the woman’s face, but it honestly might have been her imagination. Not even a second had passed before the woman flew off her feet and slammed into a column. The column collapsed as she plowed straight through it, her body continuing to sale through the area before it struck the wall, which crumbled around her. Kari lost sight of the woman as she became buried underneath a pile of debris. Only her legs were sticking out.

“You bastard!!!”

While Eryk had been delivering a swift and decisive blow to the lady mercenary, the hulking man had raised his warhammer above his head. His face was an enraged red as he screamed at Eryk and brought his hammer down. Kari wanted to scream out a warning. She wanted to let Eryk know he was in danger.

Except there was no need.

The man’s warhammer went straight through Eryk’s body as if he wasn’t even there, as if he was a ghost. Striking the ground instead of a person, the warhammer unleashed a powerful shockwave as it cracked and dented the ground.

“What the—?”

At that exact moment, just as the man finally seemed to realize his pray hadn’t been crushed into a bloody pulp, Eryk appeared above him, descending from the sky like an avenging Demon Beast. His fist was wreathed in lightning like his leg had been last time. He pulled it back toward his head, and then unleashed a furious roar as he thrust it out.

The entire area became bathed in a light so bright that Kari had to close her eyes. Even with her eyes shut, she could still see how bright it was behind her eyelids, forcing her to cover them with her hands. A powerful howling sound pierced the air around her. With her vision completely blocked, that sound and the sensation of incredibly fierce winds slamming into her body were all she had to go on to figure out what was happening.

When the winds finally died down, Kari opened her eyes, only to gawk at the sight that lay before her.

A massive crater at least ten meters wide stretched out in front of her. She walked over on unsteady feet and looked down, seeing nothing but malformed rocks. The mercenary Eryk had attacked was gone. What happened to him? Was he still alive? Had he been completely vaporized? Kari didn’t know, but at that moment, the sound of footsteps caused her attention to shift.

Eryk was walking toward the estate, his pace swift as he held out his hand and unleashed a powerful beam of compressed lightning, which struck the door and made it explode. It didn’t just blow up the door, though. A massive, gaping hole about two times larger than the door now stood in its place.

Kari shivered just a little as Eryk walked into the estate, but then she followed after him quickly.

Eryk had stopped in the middle of a large foyer with a good deal of ostentatious decorations. Her boots tapped against the marble floor as she walked up to him. Looking at him from his profile, she could see that his eyes were closed.

“Eryk?”

Seconds after she called his name, Eryk opened his eyes.

“Fay is this way,” he said before traveling up the stairs.

Kari could do nothing but follow him.

***

Fay’s body and mind felt sluggish as she woke up, like she was wading through half a meter of deep mud. She couldn’t properly focus on anything. Every thought she had slipped away from her before it fully formed, leaving her in a constant state of befuddlement.

The feeling slowly faded and clarity returned to her thoughts. However, her body still felt slow. Just opening her eyes was a task in and of itself.

An unfamiliar ceiling met her. It was made of plaster, a substance that was rarely used and something only the wealthy could afford. Turning her head with great effort, she eyed the room she was in. Expensive furnishings dotted the carpet. Extravagant paintings hung from canvases on the wall. This place was so opulent that even Fay, who belonged to a noble family, felt uncomfortable.

Where was this place?

How had she gotten here?

As these questions flitted through her mind, the door suddenly swung open and someone walked in. Fay felt her blood run cold.

“You…”

The person who walked in had dark blond hair, blue eyes, and broad shoulders. He wasn’t wearing his normal clothes anymore, having swapped them out for an expensive white bathrobe. However, even in different clothing, Fay could never mistake who this man was.

From the moment Grant entered the room, Fay’s memories returned, allowing her to recall the ambush, the fight, and how she’d been rendered unconscious by a powerful Spiritual Technique. She deduced that after defeating her, they had taken her to this place, where ever it was.

“I see you are finally awake,” Grant said.

“What… what…?” Fay tried to speak, but she could only get a few words out.

“I’m surprised you can even produce a sound.” Grant sneered as he walked further into the room, shutting the door behind him. “I pumped you full of drugs to keep you under. You should still be feeling sluggish even now. It will take at least another day before you to fully recover.”

Fay tried to move, but Grant was right, her body did feel really sluggish. That wasn’t the only issue, however. She didn’t realize it until now, but her arms and legs had been tied to the bed. Her arms were raised above her head, while her legs were press spread eagle and tied to either corner. Tears leaked from her eyes as she realized how shameful her position was.

Grant’s eyes gleamed when he saw her tears. It was like he took pleasure in her suffering.

“I’m glad you’re finally awake, though.” He walked up to the bed and touched her bare foot. Fay shivered in disgust, but that just seemed to make him happier. “You don’t know how hard it was to hold myself back. I actually briefly considered taking you while you were unconscious, but it wouldn’t be very satisfying.”

Fay could barely move. The drugs flowing through her made it so her body felt like it was made of iron. She tried, she struggled, but it was no use.

Grant grinned as he removed his hand and undid the sash on his robe, then slid the bathrobe off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Now completely naked, he climbed onto the bed, which creaked and shifted beneath him, and crawled between her spread legs.

“No…” Fay murmured, but that was all she could say.

“I’m going to have so much fun breaking you,” he said as he reached for her shorts. She tried to struggle some more, but her body wouldn’t move as she wanted it to, and it wasn’t long before his hands had grabbed her shorts. It looked like he was prepared to simply tear it off. “That’s the look I want! Yes! That look right there! Keep giving me that look!”

“D-don’t…”

Fay’s eyes stung and became blurry as tears of shame ran down them. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her, couldn’t believe her first time was going to be stolen by the man she hated more than anyone else. Worse than that, however, was the feeling of helplessness. She hated that she couldn’t do anything, hated that she was so weak. This feeling of weakness and shame was enough to make her vomit blood.

“Stop…”

“Oh… yes,” Grant murmured as he began tearing her pants off. A loud ripping sound echoed through the room. Now her shorts were gone, leaving her in just her underwear, stockings, shirt, and vest. “This is exactly what I want. This is—”

Just as Grant’s mad ravings was beginning again, a massive explosion ripped through the air and caused the room they were in to rumble. A bright light exploded outside, visible through the window, which shattered soon after simply from the sound vibrations. Grant was so shocked by what happened that he fell off the bed.

“What the hell?!” He shot to his feet. “What is going on here?! What was that?!”

Fay didn’t know what was happening either, but a strange hope rose within her chest. As if to give her hope wings, the thudding of footsteps echoing from somewhere inside the mansion grew louder before, with explosive force, the door was blasted apart.

Two people stepped into the room. Eryk was in the lead, but Kari walked right by his side. Fay had mixed feelings about seeing these two. However, most of that was caused by her own guilt.

Eryk and Kari had stopped moving the moment they entered, their gazes focused upon her. Fay wished she could cover herself up. She never wanted either of them to see her like this. Out of all the people in the world, these were the two who she’d never want to see her in such a humiliating position.

“YOU!” Grant’s frightened scream caused everyone’s attention to turn toward him. “What are you doing here?! How did you find this place?!”

“Grant Leucht,” Eryk’s voice was nothing but a whisper, but the overwhelming sense of rage in his voice made even Fay shiver. “I’m going to kill you.”

Grant backed away as his face paled. His body shook. He looked like he was going to piss himself.

Eryk took a single step forward.

And then Kari darted past him, rushed up to Grant, and thrust out her ranseur at a speed that Fay didn’t believe was possible. Perhaps Grant didn’t either, or maybe he just hadn’t been expecting it. The man didn’t even try to get out of the way as her weapon pierced his chest. Blood welled up inside of his mouth, which he coughed out as he looked down at the three-tipped spear impaling him. He took a shaky breath, lifted his head, and opened his mouth, though only more blood and several croaking sounds emerged.

Kari’s eyes were cold as she yanked the ranseur from his chest. As if Grant were a puppet that had no strings attached, he fell backward to the ground, blood gushing from the wound on his chest.

A moment of silence passed in the room as Fay, and even Eryk, did nothing but stare at the girl in surprise. She had never known this girl to be cold enough to kill someone. Kari had always been polite and reserved, never speaking out and generally acting meek. Seeing her actually kill Grant in such a quick and brutal manner made Fay wonder if this person was truly Kari Astralia.

“Fay!”

The moment didn’t last as Kari dropped her ranseur and rushed to Fay’s side. Eryk also recovered and, after coating his hands in what looked like a blade of water, sliced through her bindings.

Fay still couldn’t get up because of the drugs in her body, but she didn’t have to, for Kari grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a fierce hug as she began sobbing.

“Fay! Fay! I’m so glad you’re alright! I’m so glad! I… I…!”

An indescribable sense of guilt welled up inside of Fay as this girl, whose friendship she had rejected, welled up inside of her. She didn’t know what to do. Glancing around the room as if seeking rescue from someone, her eyes landed on Eryk, but she could already tell from the soft but worried look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to pull this girl off her.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he came up to the bed.

Fay couldn’t shake her head, but she was at least able to say single words. “Drugs…”

“I see.” Eryk didn’t need to hear anything more to understand her situation. “Kari, please set Fay back on the bed. She’s been drugged. That’s why she can’t move.”

Kari sniffled several times and, her eyes still wet with tears, set Fay back on the bed and took several steps back as Eryk replaced her. He gazed down at her with a concerned look. She found the way he bit his lower lip and his expressive green eyes charming.

“Fay… may I removed the drugs from your body?” he asked.

She understood. If he was asking for her permission, then it meant he had to touch her.

“Do it,” she said in a soft voice.

Eryk nodded and sat on the bed’s edge, turning his body just a bit so he could reach out to her. He slipped his hand underneath her shirt and placed it against her stomach. Fay closed her eyes as heat rose to her cheeks. Her lower belly felt like it was on fire, but she was also acutely aware of Kari watching them.

“I’m about to begin,” Eryk said.

Fay nodded and Eryk, after taking a slow, deep breath, began glowing. A bright blue aura that swirled around him like water mixed with lightning engulfed him and her. Eryk narrowed his eyes. Then a tingling sensation came over Fay. It didn’t hurt or even feel weird, but she did feel strangely numb. However, as the aura continued to surround her, Fay found her thoughts becoming more clear than they had been before.

In what felt like hours but was probably only a few seconds, the aura faded and Eryk removed his hand, leaving Fay only slightly disappointed.

“How do you feel?” asked Eryk as he stepped back.

“How do I… I feel a lot better.”

Fay blinked several times as she realized her ability to talk had returned. Not only that, but her body no longer felt slow. Strength had returned to her limbs, allowing her to sit up. She moved toward the edge of the bed and let her legs hang over. Her feet didn’t reach the floor.

“You two came to rescue me,” she said before bowing her head. “Thank you, and… I’m sorry.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Eryk admitted.

Kari sniffled and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Me too.”

Fay wondered what would be the appropriate thing to say now, but she honestly didn’t have a clue.

Perhaps it was fortunate, then, that the Nevarian Spiritualists, led by the woman she recognized as Hellen Brynhild, rushed into the room. The four Spiritualists took one look around the room, saw the dead Grant lying in a puddle of his own blood, and stared at Eryk.

“I thought you agreed not to kill Grant,” Hellen said, her tone dark and laced with anger.

“Ah.”

At that moment, Kari made a strange noise and raised her hand.

“That was me,” she admitted, causing Hellen and her three subordinates to gape.