Ashes and Kingdoms

1-3. Covert Change

Seasonal patterns near the summer solstice, dusk lasts forever, and the rest of the photographs dye the sky bright. As the earth began to sink into thin ink a foot early, the city of Nanaith snubbed its breath as if the bustle of day were a lie.

Whoever walks outside after the sun has set, he is not in this city. If you had to go outside the building, use the blessed corner lights provided, but rarely.

"That's a very well-behaved city. Are the beasts still mad?

Valt said in confusion as he looked at the houses tightening one door after the other. If they are so menacing, you should already feel sneaky cold air by now. But the signs of darkness are still far away, and the bonfires are just being pounded, and only a dozen people back from Vertier will be on guard.

"Or is there another reason"

To the surprised Valt, Finn replied with a smile on his face.

"I'm not driving all the Dark Families back here. Anything that still has a strong hatred usually comes up to me before I go into the city. It's not always dangerous to ignore a bonfire or the light of a lana. All over the city, every once in a while."

"Whoa!"

"So we all get to rest early when the sun goes down. Originally, I'm not in the luxury of being here."

All the soldiers from Vertier, as well as Valt, stared at the flat corresponding fin with a frigid odor. Finn shrugged his shoulders small,

"I'll know soon enough"

I just said and skipped explaining.

Just there, the priest came as he lit the bonfire in turn. Valt blinked his eyes, a little while between the bundles, and then raised his bare voice.

"Is that your daughter!? What a surprise, Oi!

Nellis, dressed in formal priestly clothing, whose hair remained so short, wore a freshly nineteen daughter-like and luminous beauty. but that look I gave Valt's scream raised my eyebrows was no different than it was three years ago.

"Long time no see, Captain."

After thanking him, he adds sarcastically, "It doesn't seem to change." It was at the beginning that the distracted Valt immediately gave the same laugh as it used to.

"What, because I'm beautiful, and the contents remain the same? I don't think so. But, well, I'd love to be a priest in public."

"Um, I got priestly clothes, but I don't know if I can say for one. I still can't set up the festival. Fentas of Winnea sends me a priest, so I'm always a field and herb attendant."

On that side, it's time for one, Nellis added, a little proud.

The work of the priests of the temple is extraordinary and free, as there is no special provision other than to carry out a few festivals a year, and it is not a weekly prayer just for the daily routine. Therefore, there are ancillary facilities in the temple, such as schools and institutions, through which the priest contributes to society and receives donations and grants.

"Nellis' drug reputation works well."

It was something Finn bragged about happily, and Valt gave it up to his unchanged brother, the fool.

"Oh, yeah."

"It's not my inner desire. Some of the new people who come to Nanais are doctors, but they also say they are out of business if they have Nellis medication."

"You're flattered," says Nellis herself. "Well, but surely, I can do better with the pills and the field stuff, more or less, than others do. With the blessing of Lady Nena."

"I guess so. But you must be very polite yourself."

"Ha ha, no more praise. That's not true, you know how much my greed is. Isn't Eye Ball about to rot? I'm leaving now. What else can I do for you?

Nellis receives a light compliment and looks around at the crew. Finn nodded and stroked his sister's head pounding.

"Oh, be careful and go home."

"Be careful with your brother."

All in all, Nellis returns to the city with a corner light. Valt shook his head with a bitter smile.

"You're the same, brothers and sisters."

"Really? Nellis has grown up a lot. Usually it's a big mess, but I'm actually really polite when I treat you. If you get hurt too, I hope you feel safe taking care of Nellis. Some drugs work for hangovers."

Finn made a scene with his verbal butt. To the soldiers who had complained of headaches after the festival, Nellis gave them a relentless, sometimes bitter and unsavory dose of medicinal water. Basically, it's just a stomach medicine, so I know the extent to which it works for hangovers, but it's a 'good medicine' called Nellis, so...

"Don't trust your smile."

Valt got his tongue out with a face that looked like he had already been given an unsavory pill, and then he went back to his true face to see who was about to get dark at some point.

"... so the fact that you don't need your daughter's blessing is a really easy watch, huh?

"Oh."

Finn also turned off his grin and nodded.

"For the time being, I had them all out to let you guys know what's going on, but it's supposed to be less. The basic way to fight is the same as three years ago. I'll chase you back when you're on your way. We don't attack here, we don't go deep."

So he looked back at the city and showed it with his hands.

"If anyone goes into the city ignoring us, you don't have to. There are a few“ boundaries ”drawn between here and downtown, and even if there are still guys crossing, everything in the city's buildings and boulevards is very weak but stained with the power of Lena. So the power of darkness is pretty much shredded, and it's not a comfortable place for them, so they should leave soon."

"What if someone was fluttering outside?

One of the crew asks. Finn spilled a bitter laugh.

"It's a last resort, but if the citizens get attacked, Lena will help us. However, so far, no one has really taken care of Lena by imitating those idiots. Probably just ran into that blue light all over the city, driven by fear, escaping into some building in the dark clouds, and then for a while, if it was still cloudy during the day, I wouldn't want to go outside. Because I see things like that, I don't like people who want to have the same experience."

However, he scratched his forehead additionally, although the problem is likely to increase as more children arrive.

"Are you getting more?" and Valt.

"Little by little though. The babies born in the last three years...... I think there are about ten Zani. I wasn't there at all the first year. In the following year, the population itself grew, and a couple married in the first year were replaced."

The new children do not know the horrors of the previous darkness. If educated well, he will be an adult who can live in equilibrium with his dark family without fear or insult to the murmur. Until then, however, he has not experienced any danger, he is innocent, he does not look beyond, he is dangerous. As Finn himself once did.

"You must be struggling around here, Dragon Marquis. I'm good enough for those guys."

Valt said in disgust, pulling out his sword. Pompous in the darkness, blue light appears and moves out.

Finn quickly gives the signals he remembers in the mountains. Each of the men scattered in pairs to the indicated holding area.

Blue light dances in darkness.

By the time I heard scratching the ground, there was starting to be cold air at my feet. Valt regains his sword and looks carefully at the other way out. He's not nervous or alarmed, he's very calm. Seeing it, Finn was somewhat relieved. I guess even Vertier was dealing with the beasts.

That's all I know, Finn walked out into the darkness. I can hear Valt breathing a little behind his back. Then tongue pounding and almost a quarreling waist voice.

"Hey, are you still doing that!?

Finn just looked back a little and nodded, and didn't reply. I didn't have time for that.

Gallic Gallic............!

A violent claw sound suddenly grew louder, and shortly afterwards, the darkness jumped over Finn. One by one, the blue light strikes instead of the other.

Over the course of three years, Finn was also used to this way of fighting for a long time. While taking the attack, he also got better at how to protect Lena by putting herself through her powers so that she wouldn't be as painful as possible.

Though it still had to be a tough role.

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Horns thrust with anger. Fairendain played it and the white stars scattered.

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A stiff hoof kicks his back as he screams hatefully. I was just at a glance, and something cut off the sky overhead. As you sink, jump to the side as you flow, escaping the unseen sickle that swung you down.

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The giant jaw that had growled and eaten prevented it by trying to slap his left arm. The steeple was protected, but from the elbow the first was drunk into the darkness, freezing. But he wasn't willing to keep it that way, so Finn immediately stuck out Ferrendaine. The threat works, and the beast jumps out of reach in an instant.

Holding a slightly paralyzed left arm, Finn turned his consciousness to the condition of his companions.

Pleased to have lots of prey tonight, or no beast going beyond the boundaries of light yet. As they did three years ago, the guys were doing their jobs pale with more attacks than they needed.

Eventually, my hands loosened when I realized that there was no way the humans were going to retreat again tonight, or that I was tired of no fear or anger counterattack.

One or two pairs of blue light go away and disappear into the darkness. Alternatively, ignore the fins and go sniffing around near the city in the same way you would a normal beast of the field.

Finn put Ferrendaine in his sheath as he returned to the side of Valt, which was cutting his breath.

"I guess that's it for tonight"

"Already? Whatever it takes, don't be too grumpy."

"This is what it's always been like here"

Finn shook his head and still didn't loosen his guard and saw the blue light wandering around the border. Valt looks stunned and just incredible.

"Vertier doesn't come many times at a time, but he still couldn't help himself until dawn."

After he said it, he gave himself an answer and turned his complicated eyes to Finn.

"... because there is a Dragon Marquis in this city? Are you saying that your methods do work?"

"I hope so."

Finn responded with his usual cliche and looked across the dark with a rugged look.

"That's not all I feel. Suddenly, from this spring, signs of darkness are moving away. At first, I thought it was simply because the winter had passed and the days were longer..."

"No? Heavenly Path is back, and your ways have gone well, so the darkness has stopped leaning on you. Delight."

"I want to be happy, too. But I feel like something's wrong. If you think the darkness has settled, you would have been pleased. The way things are now, it's just a long way away... or have you gone somewhere else?"

"That's when they'll do something about it. No way, no matter how much Dragon Marquis can cover all of Diatius with dragon wings. Take care of yourself. If they don't come back, I'll let them sleep."

Without saying it, Valt makes a huge stretch and rolls around sleeping near the bonfire. Finn looked at it with a slightly shuddered face, then smiled small and bitterly and shook his head.

Finn also lowers his back and looks up at the night sky and breathes like that. The moon on the upper string was hidden from the clouds.

(Long time no see, shall we go see the blue fog?)

He might know better than Finn what's happening north and south of the mountains.

(I've got more personnel for night security, and it'll be okay to stay away for a few days)

It's been a long time since I left Nanais. Finn lay on the ground and closed his eyes as he felt nostalgic. Before I fell asleep, I didn't have long to realize that it was the silver-haired girl that floated on my eyelids.