Chapter Eighty Three: Repercussions

Etis was nowhere to be found. She was in the house when I left and Meila said they were together until a while ago. The time she disappeared was between the time I left Lust and brought back Leila.
Leila was kept in Meila’s room. I placed her on the bed and covered her with the bed sheet. She curled her body together so that she wouldn’t look at me. The tears constantly flowed from her eyes. Her back was all swollen. The whip had left deep wounds on her. It wasn’t just any normal whip.
I asked Meila to give her some of the healing potions I bought in case someone needed them while I headed out to find Etis. 
In my situation, I would never have thought of leaving the house not knowing whether the noble had sent people after us. That is if he has regained consciousness yet. But I couldn’t stay like that when Etis was missing.
Where could she have gone to? Who has taken her? Etis is not the type of person to just leave the house like that. Something bad must have happened to her.
It didn’t add up. The noble shouldn’t have regained consciousness by now. Even though I went east before coming home, it didn’t take five minutes for all that to happen. I flew with amazing speed. As such, I don’t think the noble is behind her disappearance. The sacred land guards should still be in his house trying to figure what happened if the news had reached them.
But then who in the world took her? None of her things were missing. Not even her slippers were gone. There is no way she would leave the house without slippers on except if she was taken or a great emergency occurred.
I made a radius over our house and covered a long distance searching for her. Even though I knew I was now a wanted man, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. All I could think of was finding her.
When it became evident that I wouldn’t find her like that, I heated my brain for a way. It didn’t occur to me before because I was not in a state to think reasonably. I can use the pendant on my neck to find her.
To do that, I needed to have someone with magical powers think about her.
I immediately returned home in a panic. I asked Meila to quickly use the pendant to find her location. She held it in her hands and not long after, the pendant glowed floating southwards.
I took it from her hands without even thanking her or saying anything else to her. Duddul was right there with her by the room Leila was in but I didn’t even think of bringing him with me. I just took the pendant and flew out of the house.
The more south I got, the more the pendant pointed south. I was out of the capital’s barrier in no time. The pendant pointed to the gate town. It was the town Etis lives. 
How can she have gotten there this quickly? It hasn’t even been twenty minutes since she disappeared. There’s no way she could have gotten home. Unless if she used a magical gate to teleport. That only takes seconds. Otherwise it would take over an hour jus to leave the capital’s barrier from our house.
But again, if she is home then doesn’t that mean she’s safe?
Thinking about it like that, I felt a little calmed. I increased my speed nonetheless. It was not even 5pm. There were people in and outside of the capital’s barrier. I didn’t think to fly really high because I hoped to find her as I moved. A lot of people saw me flying. 
At the speed I was going, the air wave I made took down many trees. I continued going until i reached the gate town. From the direction of the rock(Third) I curved towards her inn.
There seemed to be an uproar at the inn, a lot of people were by the entrance almost as if they’d been kicked out.
Having reduced my speed. I landed a bit far from them and ran the rest of the way. Most of them saw the time I touched ground. All their attention turned to me and they pointed in surprise. I didn’t have time for them when I rushed inside the inn pushing away the people in the way. The pendant pointed inside of it.
“Etis!!”
The inside was just like it was when I left. I knew for a fact that the people outside were kicked out when I saw the food and drinks left on the tables.
The grandpa’s room, his office and Etis’ room are all on the first floor. I rushed towards the stairs on the left side. Her room was behind it. I followed wherever the pendant pointed.
“Etis!!” I shouted barging into the room.
Three people were inside. Two old men and a girl lying flat on a bed. It was Etis in the outfit I left her earlier. The other man looked like a doctor.
Seeing me, the grandpa furiously walked to me grabbing my collar “It’s you!! how dare you do this to my child!!” 
I was in no mood to think of manners and formalities “What are you saying!? why is Etis on the bed!? she was with us in the capital not long ago! What happened to her!?” I shouted.
Because of how serious I looked, the old man felt the truth in my words. He let go of me and moved back to the doctor.
“We don’t know what happened. A waitress entered this room ten minutes ago and found her like this. No one saw how she got here. It’s just a mystery to me too. Oh, poor girl. Who did this to you?” he burst into tears holding her hand.
Her eyes were closed. Her arms to the sides. She breathed faintly with no signs of movement in her body.
Seeing her in that state made me lose all the strength in my leg. I dropped on the ground on my knees…..
“I’ve failed you…….. Etis………”
I then told the grandpa the important things that had happened since Etis started staying with us.
How I did the delivery with her, how she cooked for us, how she got along so well with Meila, how they played games and we went out to eat.
This morning was just like any other day. She was in fact a lot happier today than when she came. It may have something to do with the bath we took yesterday. She stuck her body to me each chance she got.
Even when I sneaked out of the house, she was in her happy state. Who did this to her and why? She never did anything wrong!
The doctor further explained her condition to me “An incredibly strong magic must have been used on her. It’s as if she was poisoned. But the antidote was given to her almost immediately. She’s fine right now, but it will take a while before she wakes up.”
“It is very strange indeed. Why go to the trouble of poisoning her if you are only going to cure her? Doctor………. do you think they know? The capital is a much scarier place than I thought.” the grandpa talked as if he was hiding something.
“Calm down. We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Only the two of us should know about it. Unless………….. someone from the orphanage……”
I couldn’t make sense of what they were saying. I asked for an explanation “What are you talking about? Tell me.” 
They both looked at each other for some seconds when the grandpa gave the go ahead “My child seems to have great trust in you. Go ahead doctor, tell him.”
The doctor then cleared his throat and faced me “Since you are already involved, I guess it’s inevitable…….. this girl here possesses a very unique magic. It’s almost the only magic she can use but it’s different nonetheless. It’s called the ‘magic cancellation’. in her current level, I doubt even the heroes can use magic against her if she wishes to defend herself. Whoever did this must be insanely strong.”
“I myself only learned of that ability after I adopted her. I was also surprised when she subconsciously stopped a fight in the inn. That’s why I sought help from the doctor who has been a trusted friend. If whoever did this was after her magic, then the news must have been leaked by the orphanage.
Oh, Etis………………………
I crawled over to her and held her hand “I’m so sorry. If only I was still there when it happened………”
I started blaming myself when the doctor spoke “It’s not your fault boy. I’m sure whoever did this made her disappear instantly. You wouldn’t know where to start even if you were there. The good thing is that she’ll be alright. That’s what’s important for now.”
But still……………..
I held her hand regretting what had happened. It was a bit cold when she called out my name “Sora…….” then smiled like she was awake.
“Etis! I’m here!” but she didn’t speak again after that. Nor did she move.
The two old men both patted on my shoulders at the same time “It’s going to be alright boy. Let’s allow her to rest for now. She looks very happy because of you even though she’s unconscious. I made the right choice by allowing her to go see you in the capital.”
Apparently, the only reason Etis went to the capital was to see me. She started acting strange and weak after I left. She spaced out almost all the time when days passed by. The grandpa went to Wrok who he thought was my friend because he came to the inn that time and asked him about me. To make it less obvious, he gave her some books to return to his friend and told her to drop by and see me when she’s there.
I didn’t want to leave her all alone in that room but they insisted she will be alright after a long rest. But that wasn’t what I was worried about. What if they came for her again?
“Don’t you have things to do in the capital? I’ll watch over her for now.” it all came crashing on me when he said that. I almost forgot about the dangerous situation at home.
“Leila…………..” 
I excused myself and flew back to the capital. This time fast.
Dangers on both sides. Etis risks being taken again but the chances of that are slim considering she’d been returned not long ago. The most pressing matter now is Leila. The sacred land guards are sure to be looking for her as I speak. No, a lot more than just the four of them. I did hit that noble.
I landed next to our house and rushed inside “Leila…….!!” 
“Sis!? is she safe!?” seeing Meila hurrying to the door assured me that we haven’t been found yet.
I grabbed her shoulders and explained to her “She’s going to be alright. Somethings happened but she’s home right now…………….. Meila, I want you to help me pack our things. It’s not safe here anymore.”
She nodded and immediately turned around. 
Duddul stayed looking at me “You help as well Duddul.” I ordered him to lend a hand.
Our clothes and food are the only things we need. All my dropped items are in a Dauka. That includes our money as well. We can put all our food in the Dauka and a separate one for our clothes.
This is a race against time. We can’t stay here any longer.
Meila made good time in packing our stuff. I was already dressed in my black gear. All I had to add was my sword. The cape from the King appears whenever I dress in them.
The Dauka saved us the trouble of carrying heavy things with us. I put all of them in my pockets when we gathered in the living room. Only Leila was still in the room.
I was about to ask Meila to bring her over when the door to Meila’s room opened and Leila rushed out dressed in Meila’s clothes “They are here!!”
I had to react quick. But before I could make a move, a strong sound was coming from the gate. In that instance, I moved and took hold of Leila with Meila’s hand held tightly in my left.“Duddul!!” I called out to him telling him to stick closer to me.
Not a second passed after that when everything froze. Both the house and us. We were swallowed by a mountain of ice. 
My barrier reacted in time. The ice was everywhere. My barrier blocked it from attacking us. That was what I thought when the barrier faded and I saw a glass surrounding us. It was the king’s barrier. It seems the attack didn’t even pass through the king’s barrier which is covers a two meter radius around me.
The blue ring in my hand which I acquired from the king was shining brightly.
Thank goodness.
But there was no time for relief. Another attack came soon after. It was that of thorns. Thick powerful thorns came from the ground destroying both the ice and the ground at the same time. The thorns were as big and thick as century old trees.
Every inch of the house was destroyed instantly. Before the dust could clear, a werewolf woman was landing on my barrier from above. She was the demi-human that is said to guard the eastern part of the sacred land. She had two different colored hair on her body. It was orange with red spots all over. Just like all the beastmen I’ve met before, half of her body was covered in fur. She was unarmed with her fists clenched for an attack. I could feel the danger and her powerful killing intent from her aura.
She landed a powerful punch with her bare hands on my barrier “HIYAAH!!” the sound of her attack was great. It was so powerful my knees nearly gave out. My barrier sank a bit into the ground from the force of her attack. But that is all it did. 
The king barrier was like an unbreakable piece of glass. It got pushed but didn’t shatter.
Meila and Leila were in both my arms. I held them strongly to me with Duddul behind me.
Seeing her attack didn’t work on me, the woman pulled back clicking her tongue “Tch!”
Her attack didn’t work. But then a voice spoke from behind “Then how about this!!??” it was from a dwarf with thick long beard. He wore silver colored armor with a heavy sword on his back. He pointed both fists at us then chanted “Come!!”
The girls started acting strange right afterwards. They’ve been keeping silent with their eyes closed all this time. But they both pulled away from me when he did that. I figured he was using some kind of magic from his hands even though I couldn’t see it. I pulled them to me holding them tightly so they wont escape.
That was when Meila muttered “Mom…….. Dad…… I’m coming!” while Leila called out “Teila!! wait!!” reaching out her hand.
It was a hallucination magic. I wasn’t sure, but my brain told me so. They must be made to see things they want to see the most. That way, they’ll lose sight of what’s actually going on.
But I cant let that happen. I released my dark barrier to negate his magic. I was successful in doing that because the attack had no effect on me.
The barrier faded after a while. I wasn’t under any attack yet. At that time, the dust and ice scattered all around have cleared.
In front of me were three people. A human man dressed in white leather armor, an elf dressed in green and a beast woman with short pants and a shirt the size of a sports bra. Behind me was the dwarf with weird magic.
It was a four on one battle. Leila was in no condition to fight and Meila cannot fight. They were the ones who started this fight. I have no obligations to humor them. All I have to do is defend this girls with my life if I have to.
Without saying a word to each other, the four guards split up blocking all sides. The dwarf stayed behind me. The woman was in the front. The ice man was on the right and the thorn elf was on the left side.
The stayed far away from me then readied their attacks. 
Bad-ump! The king barrier? Will it hold if I fly?
I had to get away from there. Run as far as they wont reach me. But I couldn’t risk flying not knowing whether it will be safe.
The ice guard made a bow and arrow of ice. The woman chanted some magic making a magic circle above us. The thorn guy brought out four thick, long and powerful thorns ready to whip at us at any time. The dwarf readied his sword for an air attack.
This is bad……….. 
The girls clung onto me. I used my cape to completely cover them in case my two barriers didn’t stop their attacks.
“Going invisible wont save you!!!” the dwarf roared.
Invisible? That was when I remembered. The king went invisible using his cape. Could it be…….?
I got a little bit confident along with that invisibility. The only problem was that Duddul can’t be hidden in the cape. As long as they can see him, they’ll know our location. I could have dashed out of there before their attacks. But that would leave Duddul alone exposed. I couldn’t allow that. At the worst case scenario. The black barrier will reduce the damage even if the king barrier got smashed.
After finishing there preparations, they sent their attacks at the same time. “Combined attack!!!”
Even though I cant attack them, my defense still exists. I will use it to make my way out of here!!
The ice guard released his arrow of ice. It fiercely shot at me like a phoenix. The woman made an incredibly big hand emerge from the magic circle above us. It was so gigantic. The elf sent his whips and the dwarf sent a wave from his sword aiming at us.
It all happened in an instance an in such movements. However, for some reason, my eyes followed their attacks in slow motion. It was the result of my fights in the dungeon. I was stronger than I ever was before.“I’m not the man I was before!!!!” I shouted.
My dark barrier instantly covered all the area inside of the king’s barrier. It was so dark nothing could be seen.
Not even sounds were heard this time around. It took a few minutes before the barrier faded. I didn’t feel even the slightest amount of pain.
I found the king’s barrier gone when it did. The whole landscape around me had changed. I was standing above a large crater. Only the ground where the barrier covered was still intact.
“Who……. who are you!!” they uniformly yelled.
The girls made frightened sounds in my arms. As if they haven’t gotten their share of reality, the guards got desperate and rushed at me all at the same time.
This is my chance. I wont be able to defend myself from their physical attacks now that the king barrier is gone. If only I’d learned how to summon it again. I haven’t been to the dungeon since then.
They could only see Duddul and myself. The girls were covered by my cape. I could cover myself and run but Duddul………………….. we have no choice but to fly away together. If we make it fast, I doubt they’ll catch us.
They all closed the distance between us swiftly. I was still thinking of what to do when they all jumped at me with swords. Only the woman came at me with her fists.
Did they realize that my barrier doesn’t stop physical attacks? I have to act fast!!
Just when I got on my toes to jump along with Duddul, a shadow appeared above me.
“Another one!!??” I thought it was another enemy coming at me from above. But it wasn’t.
To my surprise, a big black shield appeared above me. It disappeared and instantly attacked all of them. The shield rammed itself on their bodies pushing them backwards. It disappeared and reappeared on the next opponent instantly.
“What?” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was the black king shield that attacked me just before I defeated him.
I get it. The king had too many defense abilities. And because I can only defend myself against the races. His abilities are perfect for me. Thank you king!!
After scattering them away, the shield floated above me. Thick strong looking chains sprung out of it aiming at all the four guards before they touched the ground with their feet.
It’s attacking!!??
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The chains weren’t made for attacks. They wrapped themselves on the guards and stayed on them. Right before my eyes, they started moving slowly “My strength!!” the yelled at intervals. 
It seemed that the shield was sucking up their strength at a fast rate. Just a minute later, none of them were able to move. They all collapsed on the ground.
“Duddul!!” seeing that, I jumped up high into the sky with the girls in both arms. Duddul followed me.
I flew until I was above the clouds then moved west with my best speed. I only reduced it when I realized Duddul wasn’t able to catch up. I flew opposite of Lust’s house. I was so focused that I didn’t even look at it.
The only reason I went west was to confuse them. The place I was heading to was not in that direction. I flew until I exited the capital’s barrier in a spot faraway from the gate. I immediately changed my direction south after that.
My set location was a place I once called home. To the mountains facing the nightmare forest!!
With the speed I was moving, I arrived there in no time. Spiderwebs covered the entrance of the cave. It was on every other thing as well. The bed and table were covered with dust. I haven’t been here in a long time.
“This will do for now.” 
I removed the cape on the girls. Meila looked at me asking “Are we safe?” she looked very worried. Duddul entered the cave along with us.
Leila remained stuck to me when she started to cry again “……KUH! KUH!……. it’s all my fault this happened. I told you guys to leave me alone…….. I knew this was going to happen if you butted in. Why didn’t you listen to me………..?”
“Shut up!!” Meila angrily yelled.
“Who are you to speak to us that way!!?? do you have any idea how worried of you we were!? how dare you say that to us after we’ve been thinking about you always!!??”
“Meila……..” I tried to calm her down a bit.
Leila continued “But…….. they’ll find us sooner than you think. He placed his magic on me…………. he’ll find us in no time.”
Magic?
“You don’t have to worry about that. If you stay close to me, his magic wont reach you.”
Her eyes were red from all the tears but she looked a bit relieved when I said that “Really?……….. thank you! Thank you! Thank you for caring about me!…………… if it hadn’t been for you, I would have been turned into a slave today………….”
“What!!??”
Apparently, the noble I punched was just about to place a powerful curse on her that would give him complete control of her. A minute later and he would have succeeded in doing so. The only reason he avoided doing that until now was because he had use for her.
That was a close one.
Meila glanced at Leila then at me “Then…. don’t you think we should leave this place? Why don’t we go back to our hometown?”
“Hometown?” Leila and I asked.
“Is it no good?” 
“No. That’s not it. Right now we are trouble. We’ll only involve those around us anywhere we go. The best solution is to settle this. I have to do something about all of this.”
“But how? You cant fight them.”
“I know…………….. but…….”
I have the most powerful woman in the world on my side.