NOVEL NEXT Chapter 223: Return
"Welcome back, you two, glad you made it back in one piece," Raven greeted with a smile.
"Thanks! Man, I'm totally exhausted, that really wore me out," Sighed Akila, stretching his arms up.
"U-Um, did everyone else make it back too? We weren't the only ones who got teleported, right?" Chimed in Kia.
"Yeah, everyone except Raven and I got caught up in that teleport trap, it teleported you two and the others to random Monster-infested locations. We're still waiting on Aster and the Commander, everyone else has returned," Tacitus informed her.
"Mhm, they were pretty exhausted after getting back and went to rest. Different Adventurers have been assigned to guard us while those who returned after getting teleported are resting, and Nero is up in his room sleeping," Added Raven.
"What kind of place did you two end up in?" Inquired Tacitus curiously.
"We got teleported to a cave inside a mountain. It was super dark in there, not exactly a pleasant time. But with my Phase Shift Magic, we headed in a straight line through the walls, and thanks to Kia's Detection Magic, we avoided any Monsters we came across. It was too dark to fight in there, so yeah. There were a lot of them in there, so we had to take a lot of detours," Recalled Akila with a sigh.
"Wh-What kind of Spell was that, anyway? Why didn't everyone end up in the same spot?" Kia asked them.
"According to the enemy leader, it was a random teleporter that teleports its targets to locations with high concentrations of Monster Mana. Evidently, those who were close by to each other when it happened ended up in the same areas. So, it's likely that Aster and the Commander are together," Surmised Raven thoughtfully.
"Anyway, why don't you two go and get some sleep? I'm sure you must be exhausted, you certainly look it," Suggested Tacitus.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Nodded Kia, as she stifled a yawn.
"Think I'll stay up a bit longer. What about you guys, though? You're looking pretty worn out yourselves, especially you," Remarked Akila, as he glanced at Tacitus.
"I'll get all the rest I want after Aster and the Commander get back. I've stayed up this long, might as well see it through," He replied with a sigh.
"The APF will call us as soon as they return, just like they did when you two showed up. Plus, I've got a lot more stamina than most, so I've still got some energy left," Added Raven with a smile.
Akila decided to stick with the two of them, while Kia headed out to her room to get some sleep. Akila began chatting with the pair, which helped them stay awake.
He asked them about what they did after everyone else got teleported, and told them more about what he went through as well.
"Yeah, finding water when you feel like you're dying of thirst is the best," Nodded Tacitus, as he stretched his arms up.
"Oh, yeah, definitely! In the moment, when the cool, clear water wiped out the dryness in my mouth and throat, I swore to myself that I'd never take water for granted," He replied with a wry smile.
"Water Mages are pretty lucky in that regard. So long as they have Mana, they never have to worry about thirst. Same with Ice Mages, except they have to wait for the ice they produce to melt first," Added Raven.
"Yeah, Water Magic is pretty convenient. If I'd awakened a regular Class instead of an Arcane one, I'd probably want to have Water Magic," Mused Tacitus thoughtfully.
"Same, think I'd go with that too. But when I reincarnated and was given the options, I wanted something unique, so I ignored the basic Classes and only looked at the list of Arcane Classes. And, well, I'm happy with my choice, I certainly don't regret it," Smiled Akila wryly.
"Your Magic is pretty hard to deal with, Tacitus is probably the only one who doesn't have to worry about it since he can just nullify it."
"Yeah, glad we're on the same side," Grinned Akila in response, right as the phone in the room began ringing.
Tacitus was seated by it, so he reached out and picked it up, before putting it upto his ear.
"Hello? Yes. Yeah...okay, got it. Yeah, we're still in the same room. Alright, thanks," He spoke into the phone, before adding as he set it down and glanced at the other two, "Looks like Aster and the Commander are finally back. They just arrived at one of the other cities, they'll be teleported here right away, so it shouldn't be long before they're brought here."
"It's about time. As strong as they are, with how long it was taking, I was starting to get a bit worried," Admitted Raven sheepishly.
"Yeah, me too. Glad we worried over nothing, they must have ended up somewhere that was further away from a populated area than the others were," Surmised Tacitus.
"This is great...despite that teleport trap, everyone survived," Smiled Akila in response.
As the three of them waited, it didn't take more than a few minutes before someone knocked on the door, Raven nodding to the others as he picked up Aster and Jules's scents.
Akila got up and headed for the door, the pair stepping inside as he opened it, thanking the APF members who had escorted them back before shutting the door.
"Finally, you guys are the last to return," Sighed Tacitus, as he stifled a yawn.
"Really? Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Responded Aster with an apolgetic smile.
"I take it that means everyone else got back safely?" Jules asked them.
"Yup. Now that you two are back, everyone who got teleported has returned," Raven informed her.
"Guess we were teleported somewhere further away from civilization. Can't think of any other reason, right?" Replied Aster, as he glanced at Jules.
"Huh? Yes, uh, that must be it."
"Hm? What's with the weird tension between you two?" Responded Tacitus in bemusement.
"Huh, there's something a bit strange about your scents too. They're all mixed up, I'm picking up both your scents from each of you," Added Raven, as he sniffed in their direction.
"Did something happened?" Akila inquired curiously.
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," Shrugged Jules, averting her gaze.
"Hm. Well, that was convincing. Did they...?" Wondered Raven, narrowing his eyes at them.
"I mean, uh, we were together for over a day, so that's only natural," Added Aster, trying to play it cool.
"Well, whatever. You two clearly don't want to talk about it, and I really don't care, it's none of my business, anyway. More importantly, I'm exhausted. I'm going to go sleep," Yawned Tacitus, rubbing the corner of his eye sleepily.
"Yeah, you do look pretty tired," Nodded Aster, looking relieved.
"I suppose he's right, it's not any of our business. And besides, I have a pretty good idea of what they're hiding...the way their scents are mixed together, there's only one explanation. But if they don't want to talk about it, it wouldn't be right to press them any further. If I'm right about this, then...man, poor Ravella. Sorry, sis, but I think you might have lost," Raven thought to himself.
"Actually, I think it'd be best if we all get some rest. It doesn't look like any of us have gotten proper rest since yesterday. We still haven't accomplished our primary goal in coming here, establishing the alliance with Anima. We'll rest up and then wrap that up once we're fresh, I doubt Anima will complain if we ask them to let me finalize the alliance on the behalf of our Queen. Even with the threat of Anima Shield dealt with, we should play it safe," Mused Jules thoughtfully, before adding, "Wait, the threat is dealt with, right? No unexpected twists after we got teleported?"
"Yeah, nothing like that. Tacitus was able to use his Nullification Magic in time to save himself and me, we captured the leader, turned him in to the APF, interrogated him and then executed him. There are still a number of Anima Shield members unaccounted for, but with the leader dead and the majority of their numbers wiped out, the remnants should be rounded up before too long," Raven informed her.
"I see, that's good. Once the alliance is finalized and made official, they'll lose their purpose to fight, so let's get through this, and then head back home," Remarked Jules, before letting out a slight yawn.
"Sounds good to me. I haven't even been here that long and I already want to go back. Nothing against the nation itself, but these last two days have been exhausting," Muttered Tacitus wearily.
"Yeah, I'm more than ready to head back too," Nodded Raven in agreement.
"No objections here," Added Akila with a thumbs up.
"Alright, then, get some rest, all of you. You've more than earned it," Smiled Jules.