"I won again~" Sheira grinned. "You two have no chance against the gamemaster Sheira. You are now allowed to praise my supreme skill."
However, Azure and Aqua merely stared at each other, completely ignoring the boisterous princess.
"That was fun. But Sheira~" Azure slowly turned toward the princess. "Do you think I didn't notice you cheating?"
The Princess reeled back. "W…what?! I would never, I am good!"
"You can't sleight of hand my eyes, much less Aqua's, but it still was fun." Azure crossed her arms and leaned back.
The princess pouted, "I thought I was slick… sorry."
"It's not a problem, you looked cute when you thought we didn't catch you." Aqua chuckled.
"Aqua is right, your little grin was absolutely precious, but next time you will not cheat, right?"
"Ugh, sure." Sheira sulked and placed her forehead on the carriage's window.
They made it out of Onost's walls recently and were in the process of passing the road toward the Academy.
Aqua stared at the surrounding environment.
Something is wrong.
The air was stiff, and both girls' ears twitched. Their playful attitude turned serious.
"Do you smell that?" Azure reached for the wrapped sword on her back.
"Smoke." Sheira's nostrils flared.
The carriage came to a sudden halt, and the smoke reached their window.
The trio rushed out of the carriage. They were surrounded on both sides by a dense forest; however, in front of them was a charred carriage, together with the corpses of a dozen elves.
Azure swiftly dashed toward the wreck, inspecting it closely.
Aqua's eyes glowed. "There is someone trapped inside. They are unconscious and near death."
Her form disappeared in a blue flash and appeared next to the carriage. She waved her hand, and the thick smoke disappeared.
She looked over the charred corpses; they were burned to the bone, and their armor melted into cooled slag. It was a miracle that even a single soul survived. They died hours ago, this close to the elven capital?
The search radius widened, her eyes scanned for the perpetrators, yet she couldn't find anyone nearby. They are long gone.
"Aqua, can you help me get him out!" Azure held a charred elven male.
His hair was gone, and his skin was burned beyond recognition, yet he was alive, albeit barely.
"We arrived at his final moments. Fortunately, I can save him." Aqua shook her head. She then approached and helped Azure place him onto the ground.
"What happened here?" Sheira approached slowly, her voice shaky.
"We do not know, but we need to save him. I can't even recognize his identity in this state." Azure's hands shook.
"You can leave this to me, stand back, Azu." The princess and Azure stepped back, letting Aqua work her miracles.
This doesn't seem like an attack conducted by bandits, nor Red Dawn. The human kingdom would never act so openly. While she couldn't truly profile their modus operandi.
"Is it possible that this has been done by the tribes you are waging war with?" Aqua tilted her head.
The tendrils of flame and water worked to stitch and repair the man's body. I should probably develop a more efficient healing spell. Despite her spell being incredibly effective, capable of both restoring strength and repairing the body no matter their state, it was far too slow.
It took a dozen seconds to restore the man.
The tendrils of water crept into his mouth, restoring his energy to an optimal level.
His once charred visage was replaced by a handsome young man; his hair was short and black. The eyes were green, and the body chiseled. However, his clothes long disintegrated.
I keep having to clothe people, don't I? Aqua chuckled.
The duo behind her averted their gazes. "Azu is jealous?" She nudged her friend.
"No, I know that I am better than some man." She lifted her chin proudly.
"Now that's the confidence I like to see."
Those two are adorable. Her lips stretched into a smile. While gazing at Azure's form, she blushed like a maiden; the man hadn't made her react the same way; instead, she merely observed a patient.
Do I even have any male clothing? Her hand disappeared into the void.
"Do you know who he is?" Aqua asked, her hand searching for the item to cover the victim.
Sheira tapped her face. "He looks familiar; he might be from the Lux ducal family, considering his black hair."
"Is it possible that he had been ambushed by a political rival?" Azure crossed her arms. It disgusted her that the infighting was still so prevalent.
"I say we ask him. No point in assuming anything when the victim is right here." Sheira pointed toward the man who slowly stirred awake.
Aqua nodded, "Ah, found some!" She smiled; Aqua had collected some male clothing over her life, albeit in a pathetic number compared to the amount of dresses and female articles of clothing.
She placed a neatly folded suit next to the man.
His eyes fluttered open, and then widened as he locked gazes with Aqua. "Am I… in heaven? I knew the Keeper Mortas would fulfill my wish for heaven with a beautiful wife. Hah…" He coughed.
Sheira circled to his other side. "No, you are very much alive."
"How?..." His voice was raspy and heavy.
"Thank the red lady next to you, she saved your hide."
Aqua's lips stretched into a small smile. "There is no need."
He blinked, then his eyes wandered down onto his form.
"You can take these clothes, yours were ruined." Aqua pointed toward the black suit.
His body stiffened, and his eyes widened. "Forgive me, my ladies! I will dress at once."
Without any further complaints, he grabbed the provided clothing and rushed behind a nearby tree.
She turned her head toward Azure, who was pouting and averting her gaze. "Azu, anything the matter?"
"Nothing."
"She wants you to touch her naked body too."
"Sheira… you…" Azure facepalmed, "I am trying to think about what could have happened. Touching Aqua comes later."
"I would appreciate if you didn't discuss touching me so brazenly." Aqua covered her mouth.
"Sorry~" Both girls apologized at the same time.
"One thing worries me, though." Aqua scratched her chin. "If an attack like this happened once, who is to say it won't happen again?"
"True… I think we should let him ride with us; it will give us time to question him."
Azure wanted to protest; however, she silenced herself before making a stupid comment.
After some minutes, the elven male made his way out of the forest, fully dressed in a black suit. It resembled much to what a noble might have worn, yet it was sleek and without much ornamentation.
"I must say, my lady. This suit feels amazing on my skin. You must tell me who this tailor is who made such a fine piece." He shook his head, "But no matter, I will certainly return it when i return home…"
His expression soured, his eyes wandered over the charred corpses of his guards. "Such a terrible fate… Mortas preserve them."
The red lady approached from behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me, what happened?"
"Uh…" He walked off, letting Aqua's hand fall to her side. "Let me introduce myself at least. I find it irksome that someone I owe my life to doesn't know my name."
He spun on his heel with a flair befitting a nobleman. He placed his hand on the shoulder and bowed. "My fair ladies, my name is Avaros El Lux. The Heir of the most honorable Lux family."
"Oh, so I was right, you do belong to the Lux family." Sheira approached.
"You would be correct, my lady." He bowed once more.
Sheira stepped forward and curtsied, "My name is Sheira De Brightcrown, the princess of the royal family of our dear kingdom. The white lady is Azure Hallowshield, and the red lady is Aqua De Brightcrown, newly appointed countess of Snake's Domain and my relative."
"T..the princess?!" Avaros took a step back, falling onto his knees, "Forgive me for such disrespectful behavior, your highness. I did not realize you had dyed your hair; otherwise, I would have recognized you right away."
"It's no matter, we headed for the academy and ran into you almost dead."
"I must thank you… I troubled such esteemed persons as yourselves. Forgive me, once more."
"You are a ducal heir, no need to be so subservient. Were you headed toward the Academy, too?"
He nodded.
"However, I think that's impossible now." He crossed his arms. "I must notify father about the attack before the monsters attack us again."
"Mmmm… Aqua?" She turned toward the heroine.
"That's not an issue. I will let Soleah know right away. However, before I do that, tell us what exactly happened."
"Ugh… So. We were attacked by the savages."
"Savages?! This close to Onost?!" Azure shouted.
"I am afraid so, Lady Hallowshield. It was a small group, but I could not find what tribes they were from. They fired their spells at us, and the last thing I remember is my cabin filling with smoke. I thought I would die." He stopped for a moment, "And I probably would, if not for you, Lady Aqua."
She nodded. "I see, this is something that Soleah should get the notice of right away."
"[Message]"
[Soleah. Do not be alarmed, I am speaking telepathically to you. The Southern savages have attacked a carriage transporting the ducal heir, Avaros El Lux. Make sure this issue doesn't grow. Use the letter I left in my chambers if you need to contact me.]
The spell faded. "I let Soleah know, I hope she will contact me if needed."
Avaros nodded, his gaze cast downward, and he grumbled. "I guess it's a secret spell of royalty. Thank you, my lady."
Aqua smiled in response. It was a small gesture for something as important as letting Soleah know about a danger.
"Alright, Avaros. You can travel with us." Sheira clapped her hands. "I am not keen to leave someone as important as you to travel back home alone."
"As a proper gentleman, I am in no position to refuse." He bowed deeply.
"Great, we are only a couple of hours away from the Academy. Coachman, full speed ahead." Sheira gestured for everyone to follow her into the carriage.