Chapter 425 Can you
A life on the run wasn't something that a kid so nice like Milliendra deserved. Still, if things continue like that, more accidents will happen. Even if that is prevented, another war wouldn't. Should Zaos try another approach after this long?
"Well, let's think about this later," Zaos said. "I will deal with those visitors first and foremost."
Aleni nodded. While she knew that Nakin and most of the others wouldn't leave them, even if they decided to leave the country, she still would feel bad about all the others and the kids. They already have the skills and the knowledge to forge their own path, but even so…
While Aleni saw Zaos packing his things, she wondered why things had to be so difficult for them. She didn't regret a single of her choices, but she still felt bad because she couldn't do more for Milliendra. The issue of the curse of the demon god truly was beyond her.
After riding Moody, Zaos once again used the underground routes to decrease the duration of the trip. Even though Moody was heavy, Zaos managed to reach the port town mentioned by Nakin around midnight. Using a few tricks Zaos learned over the years from Aleni, he approached the inn of the port town without making any noise, and even without entering it, he could feel four somewhat presences on the second floor of the building. They were in the same room, so capturing them without making too much noise will be hard… unless Zaos uses Sleep.
"One of them is a Mage… how unusual," Zaos thought.
Making the entire inn wake up later than usual would make things convenient for Zaos. However, he will need some time to take care of those four, so he will have to take them somewhere else.
The window of the room where the targets were was closed, and that was a problem. Zaos was in such a sour mood that he considered bringing down the entire inn to make a point, but that would be too much. After thinking for a while, Zaos used his sword to reach the second floor by enhancing it with Earth magic, and once he got close enough, he made a small hole by enveloping his finger with raw mana. Once that was done, Zaos made the sound of Sleep passing through the hole. It didn't take long for Zaos to feel that the targets had fallen asleep even more deeply than before.
After that, Zaos removed the window by removing the borders with wind magic. He almost let out a sigh once he realized that such a way of doing things was too roundabout for him. In any case, he sighed once more when he entered the room and used Light in the Darkness to identify the targets. They were Elius, Cohnal, Melisse, and Nyana.
"I should have known… Drannor really knows me well," Zaos said after he facepalmed.
Drannor had become quite crafty since the last time Zaos saw him. By sending those who were once close to Zaos, he wouldn't risk losing some valuable soldiers. Zaos naturally would hesitate in killing them since his sister was among them, and the other three helped him quite a lot.
Zaos might as well talk with them in the inn. Carrying Cohnal would be too much of a pain, after all. Still, before waking them up, Zaos used the sheets of the beds to tie their arms and legs. Zaos had to be rough because those four would be a pain if they tried to escape. Nyana probably could burn the improved ropes with her magic, but if she tries, Zaos will put her to sleep again.
After a while, Zaos used Cleanse, and then everyone began to wake up. They tried to make some noise when they noticed that they had been captured, but their mouths were also covered with a piece of cloth. When Zaos illuminated the room with Holy Light, they opened their eyes widely. It was only natural, they came to look for Zaos, but Zaos was the one who found them.
"It has been a while," Zaos said. "You guys decided to take some time off pretty far away from home, huh."
Zaos waited for a reply just to fool around since they couldn't talk. In any case, speaking at the same time wouldn't help. Cohnal seemed the most pissed, everything Zaos thought he would be the easiest to talk to.
"Do you want to be the first, Captain?" Zaos asked, and then he saw Elius nodding. "All right, but don't try anything, all right? I am in a bad mood and I might be more than a bit rough to stop you."
"... You really got us good, kid," Elius said as soon as Zaos gave him the chance to talk. "Where did you learn to invade people's rooms like this?"
"... I am Sorry, Captain," Zaos said. "But this isn't the time to chit chat. I have things to do and ships to sink, do you get my gist?"
"You are serious, huh," Elius said. "Then how about you start explaining the reasoning behind your actions in the last few years?"
"You need to be more specific," Zaos said. "Also, I can't answer all of your questions."
"Why did you desert?" Elius asked.
"That, huh…" Zaos furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, Captain, do you know what our kingdom does with the prisoners that we get in the North?"
"... Was it because of that?" Elius asked after he looked to the side. "It can't be helped since they are our enemies and we need the focus amulets."
"Oh, yeah… I heard that all of you became commanders, so you should know about that," Zaos said. "Now think about this, if our kingdom did the same thing with the people of other kingdoms, would you feel the same way?"
"They are not people, kid," Elius said. "They are the offspring of monsters."
"I can imagine that all of you share the same opinion, but then why don't I share the same opinion?" Zaos asked. "Can you guess that?"
