6.9. Reclamation

“So we’re going to Count Stravince’s territory. If that’s the case, should we leave tomorrow?”

“Our plan was to settle things here within a week, so we still have time if we head there now.”

“Are you sure about this Sequencee?” Leticia confirmed.

Seated around the tavern, the three of them were having dinner. A simple meal of coarse bread with butter, a side of rice and shredded meat melted into a pot of warm soup. The unique taste of bread unique to Estia, reminded Sequencee of his childhood days.

“Our schedule is really tight don’t you think? One week here, and then one week at Lumbire, and two weeks to resolve little Linton’s big mommy,” Reese quipped.

“Big mommy.. that’s not bad of a term,” Schwii muttered.

“Schwii, what did you just say?” Sequencee thought he was hearing things.

“No, nothing.”

‘???’

“Let’s first set an agenda. What is your purpose of visiting the count’s mansion? You will be seen as a threat if you come anywhere near there, and we have no certainty that your life will not be in danger.”

“I just want to know what’s going to happen to the Estia territory. The count has control over things here, I don’t know how much of an influence he will continue to hold even if my brother becomes the new baron. It’s likely that he will continue to move under his instructions– Estia will no longer be an independent territory.”

“That’s a given.”

“So that’s it right?”

“Then a day trip would be enough. If they try to invite us to stay the night, it’s better to outright reject them,” Sequencee summed it up.

“Clearly.”

“Hm?”

Reese turned around, prompting everyone to take notice of their surroundings.

“Look what we have here?” Michek had his cronies surround the table which they sat, announcing himself in a haughty tone.

“So they’re the ones who you were talking about?” Sequencee looked at Schwii and Leticia in turn. They both nodded.

“Oi, you know what we did to these two last night? It was nice of them to leave us on the cold naked street like that, isn’t it? Are you the party leader?”

“I hate bar brawls,” Sequencee muttered as he stood up.

“What? You think you–”

A powerful pressure forced the gang onto their knees.

Arrester, a difficult spell which amplified the gravity in a small region.

[Unique Magic: Negative Field]

‘Hm?’

Sequencee’s mana seemed to leak like a broken faucet, his spells were cut, the trap spell bead which surrounded him extinguished themselves.

“HAha, you think you’re almighty..!” A fist was sent Sequencee’s way.

He twisted his body, grabbed the arm and twisted it. Not delaying a beat, Michek went to kicked Sequencee’s leg. Sequencee reacted naturally by putting up a barrier, but due to the effect of the gift, it almost failed against the defense.

‘So there’s someone here with an antimagic gift.’

A few other guys quickly rush towards Sequencee. He released Michek and a wave of haze dissipated into the surroundings.

[Illusion Magic: Universal Haze]

The world tilted and things blurred. For a moment they saw a dragon, in another they saw their own families. A flickering lamp of visions that made no tangible sense in their minds.

A basilisk appeared from within their distorted consciousness and charged towards them.

Micheck took out his hatchet and threw it right at its face. It phased right through.

Seeing this, he realized all of what he was seeing was an illusion, yet, why was he hit by something the moment the basilisk rammed into him?

Oddly, something seemed to be pulling at his legs. When he looked down, he saw a black mass swallowing up his leg.

“The hell is this?!”

He stomped on the ground, trying to rid of the weird tentacle. Futile, the grip on him only grew stronger. The sloshing sound of its movements echoed all around him, he could feel it, he was sinking–

“Let go!” he took out another hatchet– or tried to when more tentacles shot out from the black shadow below and restrained him.

In the next instant, as if the gave out, he fell into the murky black sea–

A domain of shadow, he could see his subordinates, just like him restrained by some kind of shadow creature. No obvious features, just an intelligent entity following orders from its empress.

More and more people entered this odd space, Michek was trying to ascertain what had just happened.

“Boss! What do we do now! My negative field isn’t working!”

“Normal weapons don’t work on these things!”

“Someone tell me where this is?!”

“Calm down and think! This must be some kind of dream state. They used it on us again!”

“Seriously? Then why don’t I see a woman anywhere huh?”

“Boss, I think this one is different. If it was a dream then we shouldn’t be able to see each other like this.”

“I think one of them has a domain-type gift.”

“Arrghh!”

Of those that aren’t analyzing the situation, they were busy trying to remove themselves from the shadow bindings.

It wasn’t long before everyone in their party sank into this unusual space.

And in the moments that followed, they felt a lurching feeling in the pits of their stomach. They were forcefully ejected back out into the overworld.

“They’re all yours. Enjoy!” Reese’s sweet voice echoed before fading into the darkness.

The Catarasis party found themselves somewhere in the sewers.

Drip– drip–

The sound of droplets falling to the ground.

“Damn pest!” Micheck roared.

“B-Boss?! T-That!”

“What.. huh?”

Amidst the darkness, there was a pair of blood red eyes.

…

“Nobody got hurt right?” Sequencee asked around the tavern.

No tables have been flipped during the fight, and the people eating were not affected in any way. But of course, the schism served as a nice performance.

Leticia pulled the hatchet out from the wall. Turning to the waiter next to her, she apologized for the damages.

Schwii was talking to the guard who had come a tad too late.

“Okay, the big people have left the building,” Reese announced as she rose from the shadows. During the fight, thanks to the obscuration of the haze, no one could really make out what happened.

“Let’s continue eating then.. or not.”

‘We’ll just wait a little while more..’

It’ll take a while for Schwii and Leticia to resolve the discussion with the staff here apparently.

===

“I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight Sequencee,” Schwii said, finishing the rough draft of their new schedule.

“Alright, see you tomorrow morning.”

“You too. Don’t stay up too late– you better get some rest.”

“I know. I know”

Schwii counted her fingers before saying, “8 hours. You better sleep for 8 hours.”

Sequencee shook his head.

Schwii frowned, “Suit yourself. Just.. take care. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow Schwii. Good night.”

She entered her room which she shared with Reese. Following that, Sequencee went to his.

It was dark, light from the living room leaking in. A tuft of green hair could be seen buried under the white sheets. Sequencee smiled wryly.

“Good night Leticia,” he said softly.

Sequencee turned off the lights in the living room and shut the door. A few seconds later, Leticia rose from her spot and looked towards the other bed.

‘I wonder where he went..’

Leticia, tired from everything that happened today, flopped back down onto her pillow and let her consciousness melt into her dreams.

===

The streets lit with light posts seemed to struggle against the gloom. The night sky clouded, a fading purple. It was a dark night.

Sequencee made his way down the cold streets with his coat fluttering at each step. Every few minutes, he would check the highest vantage points around the little city for any silhouettes.

He found himself looking up at a familiar, yet unfamiliar path. The pavements were newly built, polished stone slab tiles of the once slow ascending stairs which lead to his old mansion. Sequencee took a step forward.

The few villas in the region of Estia were once a place where he and Leticia stayed. Climbing all the way to the top, he saw that the buildings were perfectly intact, looking just as Sequencee remembered.

Sequencee stood before the locked doors of his mansion and tugged at the handle.

‘Open?’

The foyer was dimly lit by the small magic lamps that lined the wall– someone was living here. He entered the mansion despite knowing there might be a new owner to this place now.

A wave of nostalgia struck him as he made his way down the halls. The placing of some of the items had been changed, like the pictures that hung on the wall, or the small pedestal which served as a display. But the calming ambience was the same as he remembered it.

He entered the living room. It was the centerpiece of the home that connected the many parts of the splitting hallways in the mansion.

And then he noticed.

Anna’s picture hanging just above the mantel shelf.

Sitting on the shelf were numerous smaller pictures of him with her. The fire burning in the hearth below, crackling gently.

‘Had mom always been this beautiful ..?’

Tears gave way to the pain which gripped his heart.

He wiped the unending tears with his wrist.

‘Why..’

The past which he had denied.. it should’ve been reconciled when he visited the memorial site.. right? So why did it strike him so hard, seeing one of her portraits.

‘Why did you die.. mom..’

He felt his spatial magic react to movement.

The presence stopped behind him.

‘I miss you mom..’

Sequencee wiped the last bit of the tears before turning around.

It was a butler.

He fell on his knees.

“Young.. young lord..”

“Robert..?”