BXBX NOVEL Chapter 287 286: Raid (1)
Standing before the gate of the Sariel Compound, a dozen armored soldiers stoically stared at the bustling Elves inside, all of whom were worriedly glancing at the armored form of Marquess Chordeva Asmodia and the lazy figure of Lady Yusa, the Snow Woman who was married to the Empress.
With two important women standing before their door, the traitorous Sariel\'s were rushing around trying to desperately fortify their position, all while we stood outside the compound.
"It\'s been awhile, Chordeva. That\'s Jahi, right? The little Demoness you so proudly showed to Fenyras years ago~?"
Mom coughed softly into her fist as she glared at Lady Yusa, the pale woman grinning at her before turning to look over at me.
She was tall for a Snow Woman, reaching my shoulders, though her presence demanded attention; both because she was a regal, noble woman, but also...
Well, her body screamed sensuality; a tight white dress displayed her incredible curves, and the slit in the dress\' bottom revealed her plump white thigh, almost allowing you to see her perky rear when she moved around.
Long white hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her full white eyes were... both off-putting and rather charming, as was her completely snowy white skin.
Her sensual nature matched rather well with her haughty disposition, and she smirked at me as she asked "So, besides the recent... events, how\'s everything been little one~? You probably don\'t remember me though..."
Scratching my cheek, I glanced over at Leone, who was rolling her eyes as she stared at her aunt.
"Uh... Everything\'s been going fine, I guess? Besides, y\'know, everything that just happened recently?"
I looked at the woman in confusion, before Leone sighed as she said "Aunt Yusa, please, can we get on with this? Why are we giving these traitors time to make things more difficult?"
The Snow Woman grinned at her niece, saying "Difficult? Surely you jest, Leone. These ants aren\'t worthy of our time nor effort. See?"
Flicking her hand out all the soldiers around us, and us as well, froze as we watched a thin needle of ice slice through the air and impale an Elf that rushed by a window inside the compound, the poor Elf\'s head exploding as the needle entered their cranium.
Turning back to us with a chilly grin, the Snow Woman continued on like nothing happened, saying "Now, where were we? Ah~! Jahi dear, a quick question before we begin, if you would?"
Nodding to her, I watched as her grin went from cold and rigid to warm and motherly.
"Would you consider marrying my twin daughters Misa and Lisa? I do believe the union would be rather... incredible, don\'t you think? Oh, and they\'re just as beautiful as Leone here, though I would say where my niece gets fiery, Misa and Lisa both are rather... stoic beauties~!"
Leone stomped over to her Aunt, her crimson eyes flaring as she glared up at her, making the woman chuckle, glancing between Leone and I.
"Well, think it over dear~! They do take after me quite a bit, so you don\'t need to worry about that~! Now, let\'s go before Leone here melts the place, hmm~?"
Turning, her warm smile was replaced by the cold, regal one as she snapped "Forwards. Let\'s make this quick now..."
The soldiers all shouted in affirmation, drawing their weapons and raising their shields as they strode forwards, approaching the gate.
With our street cordoned off, all potential escape routes blocked, and the city on lockdown, the Sariel\'s had no where left to go via normal means.
Stepping to stand beside Mom, I rested my great sword on my shoulder, matching her posture almost perfectly as we watched the soldiers go in first.
Looking down, she raised a brow at that before saying "Damn, you really do take after me... Eh, could be worse..."
Frowning at her, I also raised a brow as I replied "Don\'t know about that; I think I\'m rather different from you. Better, even?"
Smirking at one another she nudged my side with her elbow as she whispered "Yusa\'s two brats are rather good looking, so if you want..?"
Rolling my eyes, I glanced briefly at Leone, who was still glaring at her Aunt, and at Anput, who looked towards me, her ears fluttering slightly.
"I uh... prefer my head where it is, thank you very much. Besides, now... nows certainly not the time..."
Scratching her chin, Mom grinned as she nodded, saying "I guess it isn\'t, but it wouldn\'t ever \'be the time\' with those three, now would it?"
Shaking my head, I chuckled as I added "Never in a million years... not that I want anyone else."
Clapping my shoulder, Mom continued to grin as she said "Well, that\'s good! Didn\'t like the idea of needing to send Yusa a dowry; picky woman, Yusa. Anyways, good to see that you three are all... more focused. Less depressed. You\'ll need a clear head going forwards, especially over in Romagi. The things you\'ll see on a Crusade aren\'t pretty, so..."
Looking over at the others, I smiled wryly as I nodded, before gesturing towards the opened gate.
"Shall we deal with the present first? The future can wait."
Blinking down at me a few times, Mom hefted her claymore before muttering "That was almost a profound statement... maybe she doesn\'t take after me?"
Ignoring her, I strode forwards, Anput and Leone moving beside me as we entered the gate.
The Sariel compound was almost more of a park than a living space, since their entire plot of land was covered in trees and plants, with the only non natural formations being the shaped trees to create rooms.
A giant trunk sat in the middle, which was the Sariel Estate, whilst dozens of smaller trees created various houses around the inside of the compound.
Those were being investigated by the various soldiers we had accompanying us, whilst we made our way towards the main house, where we would, hopefully, find the most clues.
Traversing the overgrown miniature forest that the Sariel\'s called home was a pain, as the current residents had littered the place with various runic traps and other, more conventional traps like pits, spikes, crossbows...
Though, the thick barrier of light that I erected around us as we walked forwards nullified all of those things, and we simply walked around the pits and continued onwards.
Reaching the front of the large trunk house, we were greeted by a shout and a barrage of mana imbued arrows, all of which plinked against the barrier harmlessly.
"Remember, leave the structure standing, and capture anyone who looks important. Otherwise, you have free rein to do as you please."
Anput, Leone and I all nodded, and after another barrage of arrows thunked against the shield, I shrunk it and donned my Mana Cloak, rushing forwards in a flash of golden light.
My two wives followed behind me, their own elements flaring; Anput glimmered silver under the suns light, while Leone was shrouded in a cascade of flames which vaporized the arrows that drew close to her.
Taking in the front of the structure, I saw a few windows housing the archers, whilst the main door was barricaded and likely sheltering a few shielded foes.
So, instead of breaking down their front door, I leapt up into the third story windows, my mana enhanced physique surprising the Elves that gaped at me.
Swinging my blade to the side, I severed their heads and rolled inside, looking around and picking a direction.
Finding myself in a hallway, I listened to the screams and shouts echoing out from under me, and I raised my great sword and made my way down the hall, towards another group of Elves.
Extending my hand, I allowed the Mana Cloak around my hand to splay outwards to create a shield, blocking the magic bolts and arrows that the Elves shot towards me.
"W-What the hells?! Faeryn, Earyn! Come on!"
The three male Elves scrambled away from me, their feet slipping on the soft, lavish green rug embroidered with their Family\'s crest.
Walking calmly after them, I watched in amusement as they slipped into a room, hurriedly bolting the door closed and sliding furniture in front of it.
Chuckling, I stood and stared at the door for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
Lifting my sword, I imbued it with mana before slamming it against the wooden wall, scoring a deep gouge and shaking the area around us.
Repeating that a few times, I tore down the wall and walked inside, my skin still coated in a golden hue that repelled the weak attacks of the three Elves.
Looking them over, I inspected the three men, hoping that one would be wearing something to denote rank or importance, but none were.
Shrugging my shoulders, I raised my blade once more and slashed out, painting the dim room red.
Ignoring the sounds of my boots squelching on the now drenched hardwood, I looked around the bloodstained room, searching for any kind of clue, but found nothing.
Barrels were scattered about, bolts of cloth, feathers, spools of thread, and more materials filling the containers, though most were covered in sticky red fluids and chunks of meat and bone.
Nodding to myself, I exited the room and returned to the hallway, beginning to prowl around as I listened to the echoing screams of the Sariel Family being uprooted.
With each shriek of pain and terror, the smile on my face grew wider and wider, the cacophony of dying Elves soothing my aching heart and worried mind for the moment.