CHAPTER 1: AN ENEMY AT THE PALATIAL GARDENS

***The Holy Palatial Gardens***

Tension hung in the air around the Saint’s Palace, as the entire Paladin Guards’ Corps was summoned and deployed throughout its perimeter. Bolstering their ranks were the maidservants and royal knights from Nerfes—courageous and valiant in battle, as well as the guards’ retinues of the queens of Amaranth and Cherwind. At their head was the Beastman Saint, Ruro of the Wolf, her claws unsheathed and on guard stance.

“…”

Facing them was a lone figure. Dressed in an all-black, goth-style clothing, with a delicate-looking rapier in her hand, the Saint of the Flame, Seirna, stood at the middle of that multi-national and multi-race army.

“Is this how you welcome your visitors?” Seirna asked, with a mocking smile on her lips. “The emperor of Chersea can give an even better reception!”

“Of course, we know who you are, Lady Seirna,” Ruro answered her. “Nary a year ago, you nearly destroyed this world with your living dead! Do we really have to give a warm welcome to a mass murderer?”

“Mass murderer, eh?” the Saint of the Flame chuckled. “I guess I am a murderer, as you said, but at least I’m not some dog who willingly let her own people die for the sake of humanity. Aren’t traitors just as despicable?”

“Who are you to tell me that?”

“Likewise, Lady Ruro. Likewise…”

The stand-off continued for a long while, as the Saint of the Flame had no intention of leaving. On the other hand, the human-beastmen armies held fast behind Ruro, blocking the entrance to the Saint’s Palace. While everyone knew Seirna could always force her way in, it was a symbolic gesture meant to tell her that they’re willing to die first before she could enter.

And then…

“My apologies for the delay, Your Holiness, the Lady Seirna!”

“!!!” Everyone’s eyes fell on the young maidservant from the Duchy of Braunhauer, Eris. She carried an elegant, ceramic and silver tray, complete with an equally ornate teapot and cups.

“Welcome to the Holy Palatial Gardens, Holy Saint of the Flame!” she continued, much to others’ disbelief.

“Lady Eris,” Ruro never hid her dismay to what the young maid just said, “you’re seriously thinking of letting that bitch inside?”

“I already talked to Lady von Leese and Lady Henristone,” Eris explained. “If Her Holiness, the Saint of the Flame truly intended to harm us, this place had long been burning.”

“Exactly as she said, doggie saint!” Seirna exclaimed, vindicated in her action. “You people are so paranoid and hot-headed, it clouds your judgment.”

Ruro and the others glared at the Saint of the Flame, but since Eris had clarified that Seirna was to be welcomed, they had no choice other than to allow her passage.

At that moment, the smile on the Seirna’s face disappeared. She sheathed her sword and asked the young maid, “Little Duchess, please lead me to the Human Saint’s chambers as soon as possible.”

“Is it that…serious, Your Holiness?”

“I didn’t like what I witnessed,” Seirna admitted. “I was leagues away from your position when I saw that dark pillar reach up the heavens. I want to see for myself Lady Rubinforth’s condition.”

“Please follow me,” Eris didn’t delay her any further, and led them (together with Ruro) inside the Saint’s Palace.

----------

Cold sweat began forming on Seirna’s forehead the deeper they went inside the palace. The dark miasma permeating the entire place was suffocating, and everyone within its reach was affected, including the guards stationed at the hallways. Though they tried to stand in attention, it’s obvious that they could only keep their watch by leaning on their spears, and by then, they were nearly unconscious. Seirna instructed Eris to take them outside for now.

“I didn’t expect it to be this worse…” the Saint of the Flame muttered, “…and it’s only a couple of days!” She was choking from the dark air; her two other companions were uncomfortable, too.

“What the hell’s happening, Lady Seirna?” it was Ruro. “Maddie suddenly got surrounded by this dark miasma, and nearly killed all of us. We only escaped death when she stopped on her own, and lost consciousness.”

“She must be pissed at you, dog!”

“Don’t play shit on me, bitch!”

“What? You think I’m joking?” the Saint of the Flame countered. “Well, I really mean to insult you, but what I did say is true. Tell me, did Lady Rubinforth get jealous lately?”

“Jealous?” the Wolf saint reflected on the past events. “Hmm…I think there are times like that…”

“Your Holiness,” it was Eris. “The Human Saint had become possessive towards the Lord Kuro for these past few weeks, especially after he got involved in an accident during the incident at the Academy. It’s as if she never wanted us—or any other girl—to come and talk to him, even in public. As far as I know, Lady Madelaine also cast a mind-reading spell on him, to see what he thinks all the time.”

The Saint of the Flame fell awfully silent. She seemed to think about something.

Ruro brought her back to her senses, “Oi! You’re hiding something from us, aren’t you, Seirna? It’s useless to keep it from me.”

“Well, it’s not like I have any intention of hiding it,” she countered. “But in any case, before I let you in my secret, let’s hurry to the Human Saint’s room. I wanted to confirm something.”

“Just to let you know,” the Wolf saint warned, “if you do anything weird, my claws and the Iron Princess’ blade would be digging in your flesh.”

“Heh, if she’s still good to fight, that is…”

“You did something bad again?”

Seirna shook her head. Nevertheless, she chuckled and winked at the Beastman Saint, “Trust me, Lady Ruro, I’m not your biggest problem this time.”

----------

Even when the heavy, gilded oak doors that led to the Saint’s private chambers were shut, the suffocating miasma oozed out from every hole and space available, no matter how small it was. The paladins that stood guard on each side were knocked out, and Ruro had to drag them away from the area.

“Who’s inside, aside from the Human Saint?” the Saint of the Flame asked Eris.

“Lady von Leese, Your Holiness,” she replied. “And also, the Lady Henristone.”

“I cast a magic barrier on them, to mitigate the effects of this miasma,” Ruro revealed. “Though, honestly, I highly doubt if it truly held; those paladins earlier are proof that this darkness is too powerful.”

“Well, in any case,” Seirna brought out her rapier, “you should prepare for any eventualities.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bring out your claws as well. We have no idea of who’s standing behind these doors.”

“Seriously?” Nevertheless, Ruro followed Seirna’s advice and prepared to fight.

It was the Saint of the Flame who took the lead in opening the doors. She also had Eris move further away from them, just as she turned the knob.

“!!!”

Seirna was still halfway in opening the door when a dark sword emerged from the room, aiming for the space between her eyes. She quickly parried it, then countered by grabbing the hand behind the weapon, and hitting the back of its head to subdue it.

“What the—” Ruro could only blurt out as a human-shaped miasma came out. The Saint of the Flame wasted no time; the moment that creature was not moving, she took out something from her chest—a gold-colored amulet, and placed it on the miasma’s head. Much to Ruro and Eris’ shock, the amulet sucked the dark aura and became black as a charcoal!

“Tch!” Serina brought another amulet, and it did the same. Then she took out another amulet, ending with the same results. Moments later, there were five ‘charcoal’ amulets beside her, and the sixth half-full amulet rested on the unconscious head maid’s face.

“Lady von Leese!” Eris cried out.

“Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine,” the Saint of the Flame reassured her. “It’s just that, this dark miasma mixed with her ‘Bloodbath’ ability. And I have to take her down.”

“What is that dark thing, anyway?”

“I’ll explain later,” Seirna gave Ruro a bag full of similar amulets. “Throw those inside the Human Saint’s room. Make sure it will scatter.”

The Wolf Saint did as she was told, and they threw in three bags’ worth of amulets before they entered.

“!!!”

There were still a few isolated remnants of the dark miasma when Seirna, Ruro, and Eris came in, mostly confined at the corners of the room. Aside from the human saint, the captain of the paladin guards was also out of her senses.

“My…barriers were rendered useless…” Ruro muttered as she checked on Lady Henristone.

“Here,” Seirna gave them each a piece of cloth. “It won’t be much, but at least, you have some sort of protection.”

“What’s this stuff, anyway?” the Wolf Saint asked, trying to control her urge to throw up.

The Saint of the Flame, however, didn’t pay any attention to her and went to Maddie’s bed instead. She took out another bag of amulets, “This is my last; I hope this is enough to contain this dark miasma.”

“Enough?” Eris couldn’t hide her anxiety. “Your Holiness, you mean this is not over just yet?”

“It isn’t, Little Duchess,” Seirna kept on placing amulets all over the Human Saint’s body, carefully arranging each one so that every part was covered. “Think of it as a sponge. I’m just sucking the miasma dry, but not totally removing its source.”

“So, Seirna,” Ruro placed the unconscious Lily and Lady Henristone on the nearby sofas. “You’ve been avoiding to tell us what that is, but I guess, this is the right time to say what’s going on.”

The Saint of the Flame took a pause, then a deep breath. She continued on her work, as some of the first amulets she placed on Maddie was already blackened.

“I’ve seen this miasma before, way beyond the first Human-Demon War of the ancient past,” she finally revealed. “No doubt, this is the work of that monster, that Seductress.”

“The what?” the Wolf Saint was confused.

“The Seductress,” Seirna repeated. “For goodness’ sake, Ruro, you should re-read the holy scriptures! She’s an ancient entity, yes…not human, demon, beastman, elf, or even a dwarf. Even the Lord Gaius had no idea where that creature came from, though she corrupts and devours everyone, hence her name ‘The Seductress’.”

“Her? The Seductress? So that creature is a—”

“She takes the form of a beautiful woman, enticing at first, but slowly possesses you. And before you know it, you’ve been caught under her iron sway, the only escape is death. It is said that she was the source of all evil in this realm, and the others.”

It was now Ruro and Eris’ turn to remain silent. Seirna, however, continued…

“I know you’re trying to read my mind, dog. Here, I’ll open my thoughts so you can confirm whether or not my words are true.”

The Wolf Saint obliged. Moments later, her face went pale, “Wait, so the reason you’re after Maddie is—”

“What are you seeing, Your Holiness?” Eris was excited to ask.

“The…Imperial War…” Ruro’s eyes opened wide, as if she realized something important. “Lady Seirna, you…you’re trying to kill the Human Saint to prevent that monster—”

“I…I don’t understand,” the young maidservant was waiting for answers. She kept on staring at the Wolf and the Flame Saints.

Seirna smirked, “I’m telling you, Lady Ruro and Lady Braunhauer, the Human Saint should’ve been dead when she tried to kill herself. It is her fate. Yet, that black-haired otherworlder intervened, so I had no choice but to act accordingly to what the Lord Gaius instructed to me before he stepped down as the deity. I have to protect this realm he made, even if I become the villain…”

“Can we even reverse this?”

The Saint of the Flame shook her head, “You should’ve thought of that when the Seductress still haven’t got a foothold in this land. Yet, you didn’t heed my warning, Lady Ruro. You put your personal feelings over your duties as the Cherwind’s Saint by siding with your friend, the Lady Rubinforth. Now, as I said before, I’m no murderer. It’s useless to kill the Human Saint now; the entity has already entered Chersea again through her.”

“H-Huh?” Eris had a terrified expression on her face. “W-What do you mean, Your Holiness?”

“This is…this is impossible,” Ruro could only blurt out.

“Believe in it, Beastman Saint. Yes, Lady Madelaine Ann Rubinforth, the current Human Saint and the eldest child of the Iron Duke, Albert Matthew Marcus Sidney Rubinforth, is also the daughter of Lady Erika Annie Michelle—the infamous ‘Temptress of Chersea’. What you don’t know is that, in heaven, we refer to her as ‘the Seductress’, the Corrupter of Worlds.”

----------

**Greg**

It was relatively quiet from when we started out of that wilderness and into our current location. I don’t know; at first, the Beastman fox-girl guide said nothing outside the basic conversation we’re having, nor am I inclined to speak to her about anything. It’s as if she’s embarrassed around me, or she did something that she’s ashamed to bring up. Nevertheless, because of our small talks—no matter how routine and ‘automatic’ it was—made her open to me a bit more from time to time.

And it also got me to learn a few more things (or rules) about the Chersean language…though I’m not yet confident to freely express myself properly.

“…”

Another result of those talks was that, I got to know more about my fox-girl companion. Apparently, her name’s Kashca Telis of the Fox Tribe from Cherwind, and she was an agent of the Beastman Saint, Lady Ruro of the Wolf. Also worth noting was her additional words: ‘a faithful subject of His Majesty the Lord Kuro the God-King’. According to what I understood, she was currently working with the Queens of Amaranth and Cherwind, as well as Lady Noir, in trying to save me as I saved her before.

‘Save me from what?’ I always asked. ‘And I saved you from what?’ Well, those parts were always left vague by my fox-girl companion, or maybe, we just couldn’t fully comprehend what we’re telling to each other.

“…”

In any case, when I tried to introduce myself to her, Kashca Telis told me that she already knew who I was. In fact, she claimed she witnessed the many ‘great things’ I did as the man named ‘Kuro’. And, no matter how much I reiterate to her that I’m Greg Santos—that I’m just an ordinary human, not the powerful ‘God-King’ she was telling me I was, the fox-girl still refused to call me by my name. For Kashca Telis, I’d forever be ‘Kuro’…and no one else would sway her respect and admiration for me.

Well, not that I mind it. I mean, it’s kind of nice that someone is treating you kindly and with respect, though she’s a complete stranger. Still, I’m kind of confused whenever she refers to me as ‘Kuro’. You know, those moments when someone calls you another name, and you unintentionally ignore them? That’s how it feels.

“…”

That ‘Kuro’ must’ve done something really great for this person to see me that way…

Ah, anyway, so much for that. I had no idea for how long we’d been traveling. We did sleep for around six, or seven, times…but the intervals were irregular, so I’m not sure if that could measure the days of our journey. On a side note, whenever we’d stop to rest, we’d only eat and/or sleep. While we would talk for a few minutes or sometimes communicate by signs, the fox-girl always made me understood we shouldn’t stay up long for an idle chat.

“We got plenty of time to talk about things while on the road,” she would say. “For now, we should regain our strength for the journey ahead.”

Well, Kashca Telis had her point. I mean, we’re running away here, and while we had some opportunity for a breather, we’re still not safe until we reached our destination. And also, it’s not like I wanted to talk to her that much as well. I just like to know some news regarding the Human Saint, and my other friends back at the Holy Palatial Gardens. Somehow, after that sudden separation, I felt really bothered not seeing them for a long while.

“Focus on escaping,” was her usual, curt, reply whenever I try to raise that matter. At that point, I realized it was useless to ask Kashca Telis, so I stopped bothering her about it anymore.

As for the journey itself, we stayed far from the forests bordering the Chersean northern wilderness, though we followed its entire stretch. The fox-girl explained that the wilderness where she found me was quite a distance from our objective; in fact, Kashca Telis made it clear to me that I was fortunate to stumble upon her. The ‘Desolate North’—as that region was called—was a place very few humans, or other races, dare to enter. The fox-girl told me that it was once a great battlefield, dating back the 11th Human-Demon War, where the armies of the Demon Lord emerged and wreaked destruction over Chersea.

Hmm…when I have the time, I’d surely come to this place and do some sightseeing…

“…”

Whenever we got lost, like inadvertently coming near the forest edge, Kashca Telis would quickly divert our horse away, as if she’s avoiding something. Well, I did ask her about it—in broken Chersean; she did say something, though the only word that I understood was ‘paladin’.

Are we running away from the paladins? Aren’t they the Human Saint’s guards? And the Human Saint is my friend…so, why? Did I do something bad before I gained consciousness?

“…”

When I reasoned to Kashca Telis about it, she gestured for me to re-read the letter from Lady Noir. The fox-girl’s words seemed to say that the paladins were the ones we’re actually running away from, and even the knights from other human kingdoms were not to be trusted.

“So, I…I made…wrong?” I really couldn’t remember anything that offended the Human Saint.

Kashca Telis shook her head. She answered; it was quite a long sentence, maybe explaining her actions. However, the language barrier between us made me understand nothing.

This suck…

Maybe the fox-girl noticed that I couldn’t get whatever it was she was saying. She just gave me a pat on the back. Alright, since she had brought me letters from Queen Ursura, and other tools and weapons, I just went along with her…suppressing any doubt that was within me. As Kashca Telis was my only companion, I had no choice other than to give my trust to her.

“Haa…”

But really, I wish that someone would explain to me what’s actually happening, instead of running around without purpose.

----------

Not too long after we began our journey to the Chersean-Cherflammen border, the demon outpost finally came to our view. By then, I could finally converse in basic Chersean, the result of frequent talking to my fox-girl companion. When we arrived at the crossing, our initial plan was to head over and explain the situation to the outpost commander. I was confident I had the backing of Lady Noir Usarved, after all—the twin sister of the current demon prince.

Nevertheless, Kashca Telis, as suspicious as ever, made me hide instead with the horse behind some nearby hill. She proposed that she go ahead of me, ostensibly to reconnoiter the surroundings for any of our ‘pursuers’.

Of course, I have nothing else to answer, other than ‘yes’. I mean, she’s the one who knows better than I am!

“…”

But in any case, out of my curiosity, I still followed the fox-girl as she approached the demon outpost. Hiding in some uphill ruins of what looked to me as a fortress or a military camp, I watched Kashca Telis and the demon soldiers talked about something, maybe the terms into allowing me cross into Cherflammen. While it was relatively uneventful, I also noticed a small group of cavalries from the distance…

Those are the paladins!

“!!!” I guess, Kashca Telis had already seen them. She quickly pulled down her hood, to show to the Human Saint’s soldiers that she wasn’t the person they were looking for. However, the paladins didn’t mind her. They still came to the outpost, and was welcomed by the demons. The fox-girl slipped away when everyone was distracted, and headed back to where I was hiding.

“Milord,” she said to me in whispers, as if the paladins could hear her from this distance, “I’ve already told the demon commander of that outpost about your intention to cross. However, the Human Saint’s paladins came in time, searching for you as well. We may have to wait until the ‘long sleep’ before you can approach the border.”

“Do I really have to…do this?”

“Trust me, milord. You have to run until things settle down.”

“Settle down? Something happened…to the Human Saint?”

“I don’t understand either,” the fox-girl then took something out of her small bag and gave it to me. It was a golden medal, with a prominent coat-of-arms etched on its face. “Milord, Lady Noir said to show it to the demon soldiers, and they’ll let you pass, alright?”

I nodded and kept it in my pocket.

“Now then, let’s just wait—”

“They’re here, captain!”

“!!!”

Our conversation was interrupted when we heard someone shout nearby. We were both surprised and confused; how did they saw us?

Kashca Telis uttered something under her breath, probably a cuss word. Then she pointed towards the sky—a gryphon was flying above us, and its rider was sending signals towards the paladins at the outpost. Soon, a couple of gryphons appeared as well, circling around us to show our positions. The paladins from the outpost quickly got into the pursuit. And, as if to add to the tension, Kashca Telis brought out her sword, and she pulled me up the horse once she rode it.

“What is happening?” following the fox-girl, I prepared my weapons as well.

“I can’t let you be captured, milord! We’re going to crash into that border crossing,” she smirked. “Hold on tight; this will be rough!”

The fox-girl didn’t even wait for my agreement when she prodded the horse into a full gallop. Fortunately, I wrapped my arms around her just in time. Heck, I should be embarrassed, but to hell with that! If I fell here, then I’d end up in the paladins’ hands.

The paladins spread out in an attempt to surround us. The gryphon riders followed from the air, but both didn’t shoot at us. In fact, I could make out a few words they were shouting at each other.

“Surround them! Don’t attack!”

“Force them to the sides! Be careful of hitting the Lord Kuro!”

“Milord! Please cease running and come with us!”

There were a few magic spells thrown around, mostly aimed at hitting our horse’s legs. The fox-girl either cleverly steered our ride, or those were unlucky shots. Nevertheless, it continued for a while, and I instinctively lowered my head even though it’s unlikely to be hit.

“Hey—”

“Don’t listen to them, milord!” Kashca Telis blurted out. “If you return to the palatial gardens, then it would be the point of no return! Her Holiness the Human Saint would never return to her old self!”

“Return to what?”

“Just escape to Cherflammen!”

“So, I’ll just keep on running?”

“I’ll find you once it’s okay to come back,” the fox-girl skillfully maneuvered our horse against the paladins who sought to block her way, like a cornered basketball player aiming for a basket. Using her sword, Kashca Telis parried the lances that were blocking our exit. “But for now, you have to escape to Cherflammen, please!”

As we broke through the paladin cordon, the fox-girl put the horse to a sudden halt. She then caught my clothes by the collar; for a moment, I was dumbfounded. But when I realized what she was about to do, I could only stare at her in shock.

“Please take care, milord!” Kashca Telis smiled at me, before throwing me like a rock towards the outpost. With a small frame like hers, it was unthinkable that she possessed such great strength. But then again, she’s a Beastman, so it’s a part of her biology. The demon soldiers who were watching the entire ruckus unfold were quick to catch me. As I regained my senses, I saw Kashca Telis turn her horse forward against our pursuers, intending to delay them.