There were about 50 outfits consisting of a simple cotton tunic and a pair of sandals. The design was gender-neutral, and both men and women found themselves with a charisma barely above that of a potato sack when dressed up.
"Sorry about these clothes." The boy apologized with a wry smile. "As you can see, Last Saint Village has just been established and at the moment our options are limited."
He expected some rebuke, but everyone except Kellam accepted his explanation without a peep. Dwilde shuddered as he felt the rough fabric of his tunic rubbing against his skin, but he remained silent.
Once everyone was dressed, they ate breakfast. Not wanting to show off his Spatial Ring to his fellow villagers just yet, they ate breakfast with the food provided by the Welcome Pack.
Ikaris had already decided to reveal the existence of his Spatial Ring to Malia and Ellie for the simple reason that he would need to continually use it to save time. Even if he was careful, sooner or later they would have found out.
He was taking a risk by granting them his trust, but according to Magnus, Malia was reliable and as long as Ellie wasn't captured and tortured, she would never take the initiative to divulge his secrets either. She may have been a wimpy crybaby, but she had an honorable character.
House Morgunis hadn't skimped on the freshness of the fruit, and even though it wasn't very hearty, the villagers were pleased with it. That is, all but one.
"I want meat! Fruit tastes bad!" The Oni named Ezrog threw his apple core to the ground with a disgruntled roar.
At that moment, the previously dormant Transportation Portal suddenly activated and a vortex resembling the surface of an agitated pond filled its interior. A few seconds later, a tall, black-robed woman of heavenly proportions emerged from the portal. Upon seeing her, the male villagers immediately drooled with a bovine look brimming with adoration.
"Anaphiel?" Ikaris clicked his tongue.
He should have been thrilled to meet this hottie again, but what he most noticed was that the Transportation Portal had activated without his permission. He hadn't even received a notification.
"Wasn't I supposed to be the sole master of this Portal?" The boy complained with the same dissatisfied expression as Ezrog.
The young woman stared at him coldly with her mesmerizing emerald eyes, but Ikaris would not budge. After a while, her features softened and she said,
"Ramiro and I may have forgotten to mention it yesterday, but House Morgunis can use the portals of all its affiliated Lords. Don't look at me like that, I don't make up the rules of Tartarus Shade.
Ikaris stopped brooding and accepted her justification. He should have known that these Ruling Houses would not let a new Lord have full control over a Transportation Portal.
If they did, it would have been far too easy for them to choose an unknown territory and cut off all contact with Tartarus Shade. This preventive measure rendered such a thing impossible.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Anaphiel?" Ikaris then asked more courteously.
The woman in black was slightly flustered by his question, her facade of intransigence faltering fleetingly, but with the same sovereign poise as usual she answered unhurriedly,
"Out of curiosity. I wanted to know if you were still alive. You should know that 40% of the newly appointed Lords don't make it through the first night because of engraving errors regarding the inscriptions. Being affiliated with my House, it is my duty to ascertain that you are not dead and that the resources entrusted to you have not been wasted."
"Your concern...touches me." Ikaris retorted with the same indifference. "As you can see, we are doing well."
"I see that." Her lips curled up slightly as she caught sight of Malia, Ellie and the twelve villagers.
However, when she spotted Ezrog and Kellam, the two non-humans, her expression shifted drastically. The Oni especially caught her attention
"Non-humans?" She muttered. "Bold, but I hope you know what you're doing. Multiracial kingdoms have great advantages, but that is also their greatest weakness."
Ikaris preferred to keep his mouth shut. Anaphiel then inspected the hastily carved runes outside and inside the cottage and the refugee men and women alike continued to leer at her the whole time, almost forgetting to breathe.
The only exception was Kellam, but he, too, could hardly take his eyes off such a beautiful woman. He could feel an animal lust flooding his mind and he wondered what kind of sorcery could accomplish such a thing. He immediately decided to distance himself and eventually looked away to focus on the orange in his hands.
As Ana left the cottage, she cast a weird glance at Ikaris and said,
"I didn't think you were so... careful. And efficient."
"Better careful than dead." He answered casually.
The teenager understood that she was referring to the astronomical amount of runes he had carved into the thatched cottage in one night. She had the word paranoid on the edge of her lips, but in the end she refrained, figuring that it was perhaps the most important shortcoming to stay alive in the Warring Lands.
What she didn't say was that she was blown away by the uniformity of the carved inscriptions. With the exception of the first few at the entrance and outside, the last runes carved inside were virtually identical.
This skill alone could allow the boy to make a decent living in the Warring Lands. Any Lord would accept him with open arms.
"Since I have been able to confirm that you are doing well, I am leaving." Anaphiel stated coolly as she walked toward the Transportation Portal.
As she was about to activate it, she turned her head and inquired,
"By the way, where is the bison that was traveling with you? I haven't seen him since I've been here."
Ikaris opened his mouth to answer her, but that was the moment Horny chose to barge into the village with his tongue hanging out and his eyes bulging in terror.
"MOOOO!" (Fly, you fools!)
After his thunderous bellow, he continued to gallop straight ahead, passing the village and continuing on his way without looking back. As Ikaris, Anaphiel and the other villagers were stunned by the scene that had just occurred, another even more deafening roar sounded in the direction of the forest.
"GRRRROOINK!"
Ikaris looked behind Horny and his eyes became wide as saucers when he spotted the most nightmarish boar he had ever seen in his life.
This jet-black wild hog was longer than a tank, and so massive that most of the dinosaurs in his childhood movies wouldn't have dared approach it. Its dark bristles had the sheen of metal and its galloping speed surpassed that of a race car. If that beast ran into them, the only building in Last Saint Village and all its inhabitants would be blown to bits.
Ellie turned white as a sheet, while Malia immediately took up a fighting stance, drawing her sword. The villagers, including Ezrog, Kellam and Danchun, were terrified, but the last three reacted in surprising ways.
Ezrog picked up his apple core and threw it with all his might, aiming at the beast's eye. Kellam grabbed the air in front of him and a beautiful white revolver with fleur-de-lys engravings materialized in his hand. He opened fire without hesitation.
As for Danchun, she took a defensive martial art stance out of habit, but it was obviously impossible for her to repel the charge of such a monster. Remembering her current physical condition, an overwhelming despair descended on her face.
BANG!
The Oni's apple core ricocheted without effect on the giant boar's eyelid, leaving no scratch. However, the bullet fired from Kellam's revolver formed a trail of dazzling white light, which when it collided with the beast caused it to slow briefly as if stunned.
This was clearly not the desired result as the Dwilde turned livid upon discovering that the monster had barely flinched. Conversely, Ezrog became excited, his lust for battle causing him to lose what little common sense he had.
"Hahaha! Bring it on!" The Oni bellowed, drumming his chest with his fists.
Ikaris rolled his eyes, wondering of course where Kellam's gun came from, but it was Anaphiel's spooky comment next to him that made his blood run cold,
"Rank 4 Magical Beast."
