Veldora surprises everyone by appearing over our army carrying both of my daughters. Both are fast asleep though one look is all it takes to see what happened to Sylvi. Her feet are bent out of shape, her bones are broken beyond medical repair. Thankfully in this world potions exist and all it takes is putting them back in place before administering the potion to the affected area and voila...all fixed.
Akane, on the other hand, can't be consoled via a potion as the minute she wakes up she rushes to Luminous and begins crying up a fountain. While Luminous tries to console her, Sylvi wakes up and manages to tell us what happened. From her, we learn that they had been severely abused and that a man forced himself onto Akane but was stopped in time by the arrival of Veldora.
Beside me, I can feel the rage flowing off Velzard as she listens but when she hears how Veldora saved her precious child, she temporarily forgets it all to thank him. I've never seen her EVER treat him this well, even going as far as to hug him with actual love in her eyes and not some mischievous glint.
Still, I am surprised that Gazel would go this far. I mean, I'm sure he never meant for all that to occur but to leave them with clearly untrustworthy individuals? The poor fool has gambled against death and been found lacking.
Velzard: I'm going to kill him.
My point exactly.
Velzard: I'm going to rip him limb by limb!
Luminous remains silent, gently coercing Akane back to sleep. Once she's fallen back asleep, she surprises us all by making a request not even Raphael was able to predict.
Luminous: Can we just go home?
Velzard: What? Are you insane?
She doesn't reply, instead caressing Akane's cheek as she sleeps. I don't know why but I find it hard to deny her request and as such finally decide to intervene in the war efforts by giving Benimaru the order to withdraw our forces back to the Great Forest of Jura.
Velzard opens her mouth to protest but I press a finger to her lips before motioning with my head to Luminous. When she sees the tears falling from the latter's eyes, she too goes silent and accepts the order to withdraw.
...
...
The army marches in silence. There are no shouts for joy. There is no victory parade. It is a mournful ordeal. One would've thought we'd lost the fucking war but alas, everyone knows better than to further upset Luminous as no one wishes to see her cry. She hasn't left Akane's side ever since Veldora brought her to us and though she's thanked him for it, she hasn't said much besides her request to return home.
It's hard seeing her this distraught. I mean, I promised her the world and yet in this moment there is nothing I can do for her to comfort her. She's too broken to even want revenge...though that won't stop me from...Sigh. That can wait.
...
...
It seems the news reached Tempest ahead of the army as the entire city is silent, onlookers watching as the army marches into town with gloom written across every face. I don't know how much they've learned but it is obvious they at least know something happened to my daughters as even the children whisper in hushed tones as much.
Once we get to the centre of town, the army begins dispersing. The knights from Luminous' nation are given accommodations to spend the night. Luminous and Velzard are led into the palace but Luminous refuses to eat. She even refuses a bath and anything that would take her eyes off Akane, including sleep.
It's nearing midnight when the maids come to me and beg me to help because at this rate she'll kill herself. Sighing, I follow them to Akane's room which I enter alone to find Luminous lying down beside Akane. Her head keeps dipping. She's obviously tired and yet fights against it. She doesn't even hear or feel me sitting on the bed behind her until my hand brushes the hair out of her face.
Me: You need to get some sleep.
Surprisingly, she doesn't argue and instead turns around and throws herself at me. As she wraps her arms around me she sobs quietly against my chest.
Luminous: I could have lost her...
Me: Shhh...you know that'd never happen.
Luminous: They could have raped our daughter!
As she continues to cry, I find my heart shattering into a million pieces. She's right but what are we supposed to do? Sure we can take revenge but it won't change...oh, I wonder if that's why she just wanted to head home...
We remain like this for some time, me holding her close as she lets all her pain out until she eventually falls asleep. I consider relocating her to our room but I have a feeling if she wakes up without seeing Akane she'll have a panic attack so I gently lay her back in bed before kissing both good night.
I leave the room to find both Velzard and Sylvi by the door.
Velzard: How is she?
Me: She'll be better in the morning. What's the matter?
Rather than speaking, Velzard prods Sylvi forward and the latter after some hesitation, complies.
Sylvi: I overheard the guards speaking. King Gazel initially took us to coerce you into helping him protect the Kingdom of Raja against the Eastern Empire. However, what the guards didn't know is that I'd overheard King Gazel's Minister discussing feeding us to the dragons that inhabit Dwargon's mountain range in exchange for their protection.
Me: Gazel planned on sacrificing you?
Sylvi: I don't know if the King had any part of that plan but his Ministers certainly did.
Hmmm...
Me: Souei!
Souei: Lord-
Me: Where is Gazel right now?
Souei: He is currently speaking with the Queen of Raja on a balcony overlooking the city.
Me: Good. Let's go pay them a visit.
YOU ARE READING
That Time I Got All The Ladies (Book 2)
FanfictionRimuru awakens after his evolution to find that more has changed besides just a simple increase in strength. For starters, he has become a she!!! How will the revelation that Rimuru has now completely transitioned into a female change his relations...
