The situation simmer down thanks to everyone's combined effort.
Mages fixed the damages caused by the explosion. Few of the Healers and quasi-Healers healed the injured. And some Knights and Paladins were ordered by Ezra to patrol the area for any possible enemy who might just be lurking around.
Things were progressing smoothly.
As for Valdez, the process of healing him took quite a while, but now he was doing fine and currently recovering, albeit still unconscious.
Back there, what had happened to Valdez was so sudden that even if the people within the room acted immediately upon sensing the changes in him, their reaction still lag against the impending danger.
More so, the space within the room has this kind of energy that limits the people to further themselves to the source of the incoming explosion, thus, inevitably caught along with it.
Fortunately, they only obtained flesh injuries, which was thanks to their own aptitude to lessen the damage and avoided any possible internal ones.
It was Valdez who takes most of the harm.
It was because the explosion came from within his body, not just anywhere. The aftershock that follows was what caused the destruction of things and harm the people around him.
Fortunately, with all that, Valdez managed to survive and also points out one important thing.
He was targeted.
It means that Valdez, though he might not have that plenty of information, at the very least, he certainly had significant ones. The kind that could narrow down, or better be, identify the person, or people, who were pulling the strings in the dark.
Whatever kind of information Valdez has been crucial enough for someone wanting him dead, and it was because of that reason why Valdez needed to be protected.
"Why were you there, sweetheart? Why were you looking for me?"
As things settled, Ezra took his children back to the room. Rusty and the three other men were left to look after Valdez, which was only few rooms away from Vrylle's.
Rusty, was of course, wants to be with Vrylle's side again. But Ezra did not allow it and ordered him to look after the Mercenaries instead. It was because, even before that incident, only himself, his son, Everett, were the only ones who could enter Vrylle's room.
It was for precautions.
"Because I feel danger, Papa, and I was not wrong with it. Unfortunately, I was late."
"But for me, it was a fortunate thing, my child. You have just woken up and still was weak, yet had to hurried over to where we were. It was a good thing that you and your brother weren't there on time, or else I do not know what I could have done to that man, the people he was with, and even to your Knight, if you and Eve got hurt."
Vrylle felt like she got some epiphany to what her father had said.
The danger, uneasiness, her instinct warning her about might be of different reason. Then, Vrylle felt it again, the strange beat of her heart and the chill travelling through the sole of her feet. And then...
BOOM-!
A muffled explosion happened and shook the entire third floor. Thanks to Ezra's wariness, enhancing the room's defense and other more, the room where they were was still intact as the people within were safe and sound.
Though they were aware that the explosion was minimized by someone who prevented for it to cause severe destruction and harm, for it to shake the entire floor meant that the explosion was powerful and could have blown it and the other floor below.
Alarmingly enough, from the vibration, the three immediately knew where the source came from. And the situation would have been more dangerous and terrifyingly more disastrous for his children if Ezra did not do what he had done.
"Sweetheart, no matter what happened, remain here and never go outside. We'll handle things here. All you have to do is be safe."
Ezra tuck Vrylle and kiss her on the forehead before leaving the room, Everett was left with Vrylle as well.
With a laid back attitude, as if the happening outside has nothing to do with him, Everett just sat leisurely on the chair by Vrylle's side, crossed his long and slender legs, tenderly smiled at her, then pulled a book from his spatial item.
Vrylle had a hint what her kind and loving brother had in mind.
"You're not... I mean, in situation like this-"
"Relax, Vy. Just close your eyes and focus only in my voice. Sleep."
Vrylle felt incredulous and wanted to complain. However, when Everett started reading a few paragraphs on the first page of the book, she doesn't know why, but Vrylle felt some kind of energy gently pulling her eyelids close. Something warm and cozy then soon envelops her exhausted body, and she was unable to resist.
Completely defeated, in just a matter of few minutes, Vrylle falls asleep, breathing evenly.
"Sleep well, Vy."
Everett had no other choice but to use his skill, Seraphic Voice, to coax his stubborn sister to sleep. If he did not do so, he fears that Vrylle might be the one who'll 'coax' him to follow Ezra and be mixed with the fray outside.
And that was not a good thing.
With a helpless expression, Everett return the book inside his spatial item, which was also a ring, and touched his sister's forehead to test her temperature. Feeling that her fever has dropped, he smiles and leaned back on the chair, his expression instantly change to being impassive as he expanded his area of senses to know the happening outside.
What he sensed instantly made the look in Everett's eyes darken.
• • • • •
Meanwhile...
Ezra, who was standing on the corridor, had his brows tightly knitted as he saw the walls and floors were cracked, doors damaged. And when he walked towards the room next to Vrylle's and peek inside, because the upper and middle hinges of the door loosen causing it to ajar, Ezra sees that the glass windows were shattered, some furniture were toppled.
Yes, Ezra expected the explosion to be powerful, however, since someone has greatly minimized the explosion, Ezra thought that thing were, at least, a little better.
Who knows that the reality of it was not what he had expected it to be?
Having enough with those people making trouble whenever they want, Ezra run towards the source of the explosion to beat the crap out of them.
His eyes were cold enough to freeze.
As he reached the said room where its door's gone, its broken pieces littered the corridor in their area, and noticed that that room's floor has more cracks while some parts of the walls totally crumble, Ezra's cold eyes shifted to the six people who were isolated inside the barrier.
As a wind element himself, though it was transparent, Ezra could feel the same element of the barrier surrounding the devastated room, and the mana infused with it was something someone could not be taken lightly of.
One wrong move and one's body would be sliced into various pieces the moment someone tries to step in carelessly and without any precaution.
It does not mean that Ezra could not break through. Of course, he could. But he would not be able to go through without suffering a little.
It means that the Mage who made the barrier doesn't have any plan to let the intruder escape and live, and Ezra smirk on that Mage's wise decision. It was also like an indirect help to him since Ezra was planning on killing whoever made the commotion, though he has to vent a little before doing so.
Ezra knew the consequences of what he had in mind once they return, however, he already prepared himself mentally. He really just wanted to let off some steam those people daringly tries since the beginning.
He had enough holding everything back. Ezra wants to let go at least some of it.
The reality of what he had in mind could not be performed into action yet, though. It seems fate wanted him to still hold it back, only taking it out on the right person or people who staged everything.
If that really was the case, then Ezra would gladly do so, and just wait for the right moment, on the right person, to blow.
While Ezra was having that thought in mind, on the other side of the barrier, Alex was at the corner with the still unconscious Valdez carried by Johan. It was Loid and Rusty who were fighting the intruder, and that intruder was alone.
Rusty and the three other men applauded the intruder for his braveness. They thought that the man was conceited because of the explosive he possessed.
Which was indeed destructive and could endanger everyone's lives.
Too bad everyone was still on alert and the intruder's seamless invisibility, though manages to slipped into the room undetected, the moment he activated another form of energy inside him, was what gives him away, especially a Mage like Alex who was sensitive to the flow of mana, was in the room.
Thanks to that, Alex manages to reduce the explosion's force and range by casting three different barriers simultaneously. As a consequence for that, to be expected, ninety percent of his mana was exhausted.
It was because each barrier were infused with so much magical power to make it sturdier and stronger. Not to mention the barrier he used to minimize the explosion. Forty percent was used to that alone. The shock absorption barrier on top of it has twenty, and the barrier surrounding the room, preventing the intruder, them, as well, to leave, had thirty.
This was the first time Alex had to use such massive amount of magical power in just few breaths. It made him dizzy and weak. The rapid release of magical power in his body feels unpleasant.
He'll surely suffer MDS if prolonged, though it was better than suffering Mana Burn in this kind of dangerous situation.
Currently, Alex's complexion was not good. He was breathing heavily, sweating profusely, and looks like going to pass out any moment soon. His pale face and pained expression looked really worrying.
Johan, who was carrying Valdez, had his brows furrowed while watching Alex silently.
He knew to himself that he could not do anything to help Alex's current situation. All Johan could do, and was best at doing, was just physical fights. If it's about brawl, Johan was more than confident to topple his every opponent, helping and protecting his comrades at the same time.
How about giving potion instead? Pardon him, but all were used. Nothing's left.
To begin with, Johan and Loid only had a decent amount of potions with them. That's what their money can afford since potions were expensive. And after their escape to the Hunting Ground, then reunited with them not long after that, the pitiful amount of potions they had were all handed to Alex.
It was a compensation for what they did, then used along to help Valdez and Rusty to heal their injuries, regain their stamina, and replenish their depleting mana.
It was Alex who had plenty of potions. Though he didn't know if he still had some left?
"...Hey, you-"
Before Johan could vocalize his concern, Alex took three medium grade bottles of royal blue potion and drink each simultaneously.
It was easy to identify the difference between low and medium grade potion, and that was by their colour. The purer and deeper the colour of the potion has, means it was more potent and the effect was better.
On the contrary, the lighter in colour it has, means the effect was just doable.
The equation for a low grade potion was like using a water dipper full of water to fill a drum. While medium grade potion was like using a pail with a capacity of fifty liters.
Alex, who had more than just a drum, though, even he has drunk three bottles of medium grade potion, it could only help him to replenish, not to fill, his exhausted mana.
But it was better that nothing.
While Valdez was helpless, and Alex was just resting, waiting for the rest of mana in his body to replenish itself, the battling people on the other side were still ongoing. The limited space in the room did not even bother the three as they fought.
Rusty was the one who charges forward and engaged in sword fight. Loid, on the other hand, was at the rear, standing still and making use of his archery skill.
But the opponent was not just fearless, he was also strong.
The intruder does not need to move too much just to parry the Knight's every attack as he dished out some of his that even manages to pushed Rusty back. While battling the Knight, he was also dodging the flying arrows heading his way. Few of the arrows even ricocheted back to the Archer when he spun his sword.
Bystanders who were watching at the side sees the man as if he was just playing around.
It was that effortless, but really peeving.
As the battle continue with the intruder taking the upper hand, Alex finally solved the thing that puzzling him about that man.
Enough for him to cast another spell, Alex shoots out three wind blades toward the intruder before he shouted for Rusty to look out. He does that intentionally not to alert the man. Rusty must have also understood his purpose, still, that bastard gave him death glare, which Alex responded by rolling his eyes.
"...Ugh."
Though it was a surprised attack, the intruder still manages to dodged two of the three wind blades. The one that got him struck his side, cutting an inch deep on his flesh.
"Chance! Knight, attack him now! He was just being controlled but was now severed! Finish him!"
Rusty then immediately rushed toward the intruder who was clutching the side of his bleeding abdomen.
Unexpectedly, when Rusty's sword was about an inch away on the opponent's neck, the intruder, who was freed to the invisible energy that frustratingly controls him, kneels and surrenders himself at once. He hadn't had any intention to sneak in, more so, attack this place in the very first place, after all.
He, along with the other Mercenaries, were in a thatch house resting after the team he was with rescued some of those who sent the Distress Call.
When it was about time for him to sleep, though, someone whispered in his ear, and before he could react, even his mind was not controlled, his body was, moving on its own and refusing his every command while showing incredible skills and moves searching for this place, then finally sneaking in.
Truth be told, the feeling of being powerful was addicting, but the intruder wants to be strong and powerful with his own efforts, not by someone controlling him. He was not, and refused to be a puppet by anyone.
"I surrender! I surrender! So, please, don't kill me!"
It was better for him to surrender and cooperate with these people. He would say all what he knew and what they needed to know to avoid torture and other forms of beating. Being with them in this place was more secure, he believes. He also believes of the saying that the most dangerous place is also the safest.
Thus, he was safe here than anywhere else.
Whoever uses him as bait to probe and poke the hornet's nest, he would never forgive. His job was just to rescue, nothing else. So, being used as such and left just to die was against to the mission he agreed upon.
The intruder, Will, then would have no guilt dragging them down.