Free Web NovelChapter 334: The Candidates [1]
[Fiona’s Point of View]
I couldn’t help but look optimistic at this continent. Compared to where I stayed for most of my life, the Eastern Continent now looked more promising. I didn’t know what to say to them, but probably Maste-- Lucas had influenced the Eastern Continent.
They certainly became stronger, and most of all, the disciples, who were also known as the Hidden Squad Leaders, were all divine beasts. That was what Lia thought of, and I couldn’t agree more. She was right.
Here before me was all of them. All of them were in front of me. Standing in the forest behind the queen’s palace, I called them here for some reason.
"For what reason were we called to come here, Lady Fiona?" I think the lady who was called Ellisa said. She had noble features, ones that could say that despite her garments, she still looked like a sweet noble lady who would help anyone she saw who was in need of help.
It was nothing special, just an observation.
"Nothing special, I just called you out of curiosity. Why, of all the creatures I have seen in my life, are you under a mere human? That doesn’t make sense." As I said it, Ellisa and the others looked at me with some kind of displeased expression. freёweɓnovel.com
"That one you are calling a mere human is the human that handled you down." A man said, who had a firm body and keen eyes to consider.
"Quatro," I heard he was called by that name by another man who wore normal robes but had a sword on his belt. "That is something that she must not know."
"I still didn’t say anything, Brother Lukros."
The one who was called Lukros faced me and walked slowly toward me. He had a solemn face, and one that anyone could say was deeply displeased with me.
"I am warning you, Lady Fiona. Out of consideration of the deal that you made with Master, I will let you pass. But, if you insult our master like that again, I will surely cut your tongue and feed it to the dogs. I won’t have a second thought about doing that, even if I have to disobey Master for not using my powers again."
I couldn’t help but be amused. They were scary. As a fellow divine beast, I knew that they were loyal to Lucas and they wouldn’t back down until they got to see me dead. Especially the other person who reeked of blood, who wore a bizarre style of garments, mostly crimson red and also black.
He stared at me and gracefully walked, acting nonchalant toward the situation.
"You don’t need to be worried about that. We might have differences, but we are all loyal to Master. So, with what you are thinking, suspicion might be raised. I hope that you forget that. After all, we are on the same side, and we don’t have to go against each other."
He said it in the right words and in the right tone, but I didn’t want to end this provocation. I wanted to know them more, and if it was to insult Lucas, I would do it just for them to talk. They seemed to be struggling with something, and for some reason, I knew that they wouldn’t be able to kill me.
"If you are thinking that we wouldn’t be able to kill you," I suddenly felt the urge to pause and shifted my attention to the person who was talking. He was the person on the borders, which appeared to have a fading body. But I was shocked to hear that he had guessed what I was thinking. "I hope that you know that we have ways to achieve the same result, whether it is not to kill you physically."
"What are you talking about?"
He smiled, then lowered his head. "Nothing special. Just forget about it. By the way, I am Michael, and I hope to get along with you."
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly changed, and I was stunned to notice it. How did he do it, to be flexible that well?
"Same as here." I looked at a man who had a buff body. He seemed to be using a crude sword. But, I didn’t have anything against it. "I am Pilitro, and I hope to get along with you. My siblings might be on the edge, but I hope you ignore that. They tend to act that way when Master is mentioned, but I hope that you will think twice about what you’re going to say."
"Pilitro, Michael, he just insulted Master." Ellisa hissed at them.
"Sister Ellisa, you don’t need to be that strict. A first warning is alright since she seemed to be oblivious to that matter. She was a divine beast who didn’t look up to anyone in her whole life." One who had a slightly lean body talked, wearing average robes, but had a huge bastard sword behind his back.
"You as well, Fukra?"
So he was called Fukra?
"Pleased to meet you, Lady Fiona." He faced me and bowed before me as a greeting. "I am Fukra, and I hope that you keep in mind what we talked about. But, we will not hold it as something grave, so you don’t have to worry about it."
***
"Hey, Shade..."
I walked to the Shade, the White Salamander of the Western Continent, who was lying down on a bed in his human form. His human form was just one of those average male humans. Black hair with 2 inches of equal sides and an average face that looked good with guards.
I didn’t mean to be arrogant toward a fellow divine beast, but I didn’t like his human appearance. He seemed to be degrading divine beasts with his average appearance.
"Hey... You called me with a scoff."
"Sorry..." It wasn’t just that; his name also sounded funny. For him to have a name like "Shade" just didn’t suit his divinity. "I didn’t mean to offend you, but I still couldn’t get used to your average face and your funny name."
He groaned and touched his head before going back to his previous position. He tilted his body sideways and turned his back toward me.
"Hey... What do you think about our new master, Lucas?" I asked.
I was curious about it; I wanted to know what he thought of him. I wanted to be sure that I was doing the right thing, but I also wanted to trust Lucas and put everything on him and serve him. This was probably what the other divine beasts that were acting as his disciples thought originally.
Being a stray creature without ownership was awful. Although I initially thought of living a normal life, I didn’t think that it would be sufficient by now. I had learned that Lucas would achieve greater things, and I wanted to witness it. Hence, being around him would be better.
But, I didn’t want to push myself on him. If he accepted me, then I would follow his orders despite his coming from an inferior species. But the power between us had a huge disparity. That made him worthy of me.
"Ah... that person who now owns all of the continents." He said without a certain expression. "Nothing serious. I just thought that it didn’t end after all. Even without the Emperor, someone would still own me. I just think that it would be useless to think about my freedom."
He was lying down on a bed prepared by the Xiao Dynasty, which was officially under Lucas and had been medically treated by the best of his disciples. What could he possibly be thinking about not having freedom when no one was even guarding him?
I sighed and laughed, ridiculed. How could he say that? He didn’t have any gratitude toward Master.
I was about to grip his forearm before realizing what I had just felt and thought. I paused and thought about it.
Why did I just do it? Why did I think of it? Was it possibly because of the admiration I had for him? Was it possible?
I nearly harmed Shade, who was defenseless at the moment because of the effects of the Emperor of the Northern Continent’s attack on him, backed by Rumadri, who had burned his left hand.
"You don’t have to worry about it, Shade. Master isn’t like what you were thinking."
I knew that he was thinking of Master suspiciously. Although he couldn’t do anything against him, he wouldn’t trust him for the reason that he had gained all the continents. I knew Shade, even though we had met just a few years before the Great World War. I knew that Shade, among the rest of us, was the keenest.
I knew that, but his vigilance this time was unnecessary.
"Master?" he asked, then sighed in disbelief. He moved his body and faced me. "You are now calling him ’Master,’ Fiona. I am disappointed. Among four of us, you were the only one who had a strong pride in being a divine beast."
I smirked. He had underestimated me after all, even after a thousand years.
"You... should know who you are talking to. And, you haven’t met Master, so it won’t be helpful if you suspect him of being another tyrant ruler."
