When we first arrived, all that surrounded us was darkness.
The atmosphere was thick with Miasma, and I felt the density of malevolence wafting through the air.
It didn't take me a moment to instantly connect to the environment using Spellcraft.
"Uuurhhh..." I heard a voice croak out weakly.
It belonged to an Elf—one who was close to death.
Multiple monstrous figures encompassed her, looking depraved as they grinned with satisfaction.
Their builds were slightly different from the ones that invaded the Eastern Kingdom, but they shared the same features.
That is, their monstrous appearance and the Miasma they exuded.
We had arrived at a bad time—the Demon Beasts were already loose and a conflict had started.
'This could be a good opportunity...' I found myself thinking with a grin.
The more desperate our potential allies were, the better it was for us.
However...
>VWOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH!!!<
In one straight thrust, one of the Envoys I was with—Serah herself—decimated the Demon Beasts that had gathered around the Elf.
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!<
Just like that—with a single hit—they were all destroyed.
I found the sight completely ridiculous, considering the fact that she hadn't even been using Mana just a moment earlier.
'No Fusion Magic or Mage Transformation. Just raw ability...' I thought to myself, staring at the grinning woman.
It seemed that I had to update my earlier evaluation of her.
"Hahahaha!" She laughed, not even minding the dense Miasma around us.
Of course, for the others, I had used Spellcraft to make sure we were unaffected. Still, with or without my assistance, I doubted she would be in any real discomfort.
"I decimated the enemy. What now?" Serah smiled, looking at me.
'Why are you asking me? Don't we have a Leader?' I nearly rolled my eyes as the thought popped up.
Our capable Captain, Fabian was still shaken from Serah's overwhelming display of power. The Miasma around didn't help matters either.
I surmised that he was probably reliving the trauma he faced during the Demonic Disturbance.
"Well, for one, try to avoid collateral damage," I said with a soft, meaningful smile.
Her earlier strike had not only decimated the Demon Beasts, but would have also claimed the entire body of the Elf that was stuck at the center.
If I hadn't used Spellcraft to protect her from my distance, not even a speck from her would remain.
"Let's avoid as many sacrifices as we can, okay?" I smiled.
"Okay, noted." The woman nodded.
'Well, that's surprising... I didn't think she'd listen so easily.'
I suppose, since she was a Superior officer, she understood what priority signified in a mission.
"Now, then, we should resolve matters here as soon as possible," I said, turning to the remaining members of our team.
They must have been prepared for combat, especially after what I told them before teleporting here.
It was a shame that Serah one-shotted all the adversaries.
"I'll get rid of the surrounding Miasma and also salvage whatever stuff I can find. You people should check on the unconscious Elf."
People like Fabian and Damien looked dissatisfied with my concise orders.
"Would you like to input something?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We'll do as you have said. But, please don't forget who the actual leader of this operation is. Let's avoid any form of insubordination." Damien spoke on behalf of his precious Prince.
There were quite a bunch of things I could have said to the man right there and then, but I decided to be patient.
"Sure."
With my snappy response, I got to work.
The clouds of Miasma that were hanging around were too raw and unrefined—even for me.
That was why it took me some minutes to completely dissolve and absorb all the negative energy around.
First, I gathered everything in one spot. Then, after separating the unnecessary elements, I finalized the process and collected the Miasma.
After I was done, I turned around and found that the Elf was already awake.
She had also healed of all her injuries thanks to the Healing Spell I cast on her with Spellcraft.
At my current level of mastery, it wasn't difficult to use Advanced Spells at a far distance.
She was covered in cloth to cover her nakedness, and her expression looked flustered.
However, that wasn't what caught my attention.
'White hair? Don't tell me...!'
At that moment, a distant memory played in my head and I quickly understood that the person I had just saved was Royalty.
It was beyond my expectations, but I immediately considered such a coincidence to be a stroke of luck.
'Why don't I make her a bit more indebted to me?' My grin widened.
While utilizing Spellcraft, I became one with my surroundings. Using Sensory Magic to expand my perception, I could detect even the slightest details around me.
Thanks to this, it was easy for me to find fragments of one of the most important of such an Elf's personal effects—namely, her Spirit Weapon.
I also managed to detect pieces of her Magic Armor as well and repaired both of them.
Controlling them freely, I brought them to me and properly carried them before approaching the group.
'Hopefully, they haven't offended the Royal Elf yet...' I thought to myself, though still wondering why such a high-standing member of Society would be involved in such a battle.
A faint idea popped up in my head, causing me to muse a little.
The Royal Family probably wanted to keep her safe from harm's way, and so sent her to the most peaceful area of their Kingdom—the Eastern Border.
They never would have predicted that the first strike would come from there.
It was ironic, but the opposite of their intentions had come to pass.
'Good thing we arrived...' I smiled, critically observing the girl.
The image of someone overlapped with hers. I didn't even realize when I started to smile as a result of such a bittersweet memory.
'Argh, what am I thinking at this point?'
Quickly snapping myself from dwelling on the past, I heaved a sigh and tightened my resolve.
'Well, let's make a good first impression, shall we?'
