Chapter 37 - Maya Rosenwald P16
~37.16~
*****
The next day, I received word that a powerful monster appeared on the frontlines. It was quite powerful, enough that a full squad of A ranks, a few S ranks, and an SS rank mage couldn't handle it. My reputation as the rogue was pretty well known on the frontlines, so the information made it to me very quickly.
As soon as my aunt got the message to me via Serah and Stella, I went straight there. Maya was the only other one still at the Villa and asked to go with me again, so I took her as well. We teleported in atop a large wall in front of a barren wasteland full of monsters. There was a single humanoid monster among them
That's SSS level. Mabel and Velarus would have trouble with that.
"Miss Rogue, will you be able to handle this threat?" asked the local commander. "That monster has taken several huge spells from our SS rank mage and his S rank party."
I had a mask and hood on, so the only thing they could see about me was my blonde hair that hung freely in the front, and feminine figure since the outfit was form fitting. I disguised my voice to be a bit different from my actual voice, and told Maya to do the same if she spoke with anyone.
"Yes."
I reached under my cloak and gripped the hilt of my black katana. As I gripped the hilt, sparks of black lightning surrounded me.
"Kuro, are you ready?"
"Ready, master."
"I'll clear the field."
He looked at me with the same stupefied expression that every other frontline commander gave me when I showed up, but I ignored it. I pushed on the tsuba with my left thumb and flashed forward into the field of monsters as I drew my weapon.
I dashed between the monsters, slicing every one of them in half as I passed by, leaving black sparks on their bodies. I quickly made my way through the battlefield until I came face to face with the humanoid monster.
This monster was a human… I eyed the features on the monster. No, elven… warped into this miserable existence by Phantom's power.
"You may rest now," I said before slicing it into several pieces. With every monster on the battlefield cut up and black sparks left behind on each, I readied my spell. I raised my black blade toward the sky and spoke the name of my spell. I preferred simple names. My black lightning was not based in darkness mana. It was simply the color. I called the spell exactly what it was. "<
A cloud had been forming overhead since I arrived. It was part of my preparation. The moment I spoke the name of the spell, thousands of lightning bolts descended from the clouds, one for every black spark left on the monsters' bodies.
Since simply slashing them apart wouldn't kill them, just incapacitate them for a while, I always had to use some degree of overwhelming force to take them out. Last time was a Detonation. This time a grand storm of lightning. Slicing them up was just a simple way to ensure they wouldn't run away after being tagged.
With the battlefield wiped clean, I teleported back to the wall and spoke with the general. "Be sure to continue reporting extreme cases like this. The sooner I hear about it, the sooner I come and destroy it."
"Miss Rogue, would it not be possible to hire you full-time?"
"No. Just like anyone else, I have my own life and responsibilities. I'm not a soldier."
"You're more powerful than any soldier the frontlines have ever seen. Perhaps more powerful than even the Grim Reaper."
Alice fought with a hood and a scythe when she came out to the frontlines, so the soldiers started calling her the Grim Reaper.
"There will come a time when I return without the mask or hood. As for now, not even I can act openly. The frontlines will simply have to accept the aid of a stranger until then."
"We thank you for your aid, Miss Rogue."
I teleported away without another word.
*****
We were back before noon. Having gotten all sweaty, I decided to go to the bathhouse, I wanted to invite Maya and the others to go along with me, but I needed to work out some thoughts beforehand. I told her I wanted to do something, but I wanted to rest for an hour before.
"Oh, okay! I'll be downstairs in the lounge reading a book." She headed off to read her book while Serah followed me to my room.
She said she was coming to clean while I "relaxed", but she knew I had something on my mind and just wanted to be there in case I needed her.
I can't believe I'm developing feelings for these mortals.
Transcendents going into mortal worlds was a rare occurrence, and one falling in love with a mortal was even rarer. Back home in the Transcendent World… thoughts of my wives and daughters never left my mind.
Maya, would you approve of this? What about Adele and Adara.
Just like with mortal realms, the Transcendent World had a variety of cultures and nations. My nation was called Alexandria, and I reigned as King. Maya Velinova was... is my wife... my queen. And we were in a four-way polygamous marriage with two others.
Adele Borealis and Adara Australis.
I love all three of them dearly.
Maya, Adele, Adara, I miss you so much. And Luma... you were my longtime friend and devoted yourself to being my royal guard captain, but I wanted you there for selfish reasons. And you knew it. You wanted me as badly as I wanted you, but your family and that damned oath. We never did get to be together, and now it's too late.
"Princess, your thoughts are quite loud today," Serah said.
"I'm..."
She sat down next tome. Stella was out on an errand so it was only the two of us. She patted my head and told me, "You've been agonizing over this all week. Even if you are... different... I think there's nothing wrong with pursuing happiness. You are no less human than any of us."
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Revision: 2025-2-12