I felt as if my knee would break. The fall I had suffered earlier was beginning to take its toll, and the pain still afflicted me, but I could not stop, not while that gigantic thing kept advancing.
After a brief rest and a quick change of clothes and gear, we set off at full speed behind the mabeast, trying to catch up with it as quickly as possible, although, truthfully, it was not as if it was a lightning bolt leaving us behind. However, its enormous size and stride allowed it to gain meters steadily. And if we were to approach it as if nothing, we would surely enrage it again, and it would crush us.
We had no choice but to run along the high mountain trails it followed, thinking about how we could stop it before it reached the base of Rezok.
The truth was that we had no idea how to stop such a creature in open terrain. Even if the terrain it walked on was rugged and mountainous, it traversed it effortlessly, knocking down tree after tree, forming a great path that marked its passage and leaving its huge, sharp crystal "footprints" along the way. With each step it took, the vitrotesta drastically reshaped the landscape, changing green and wooded landscapes to much rockier and deformed ones.
We ran alongside it, as if we were a pride of lions seeking to catch their prey of the day, with the enormous difference that ours was hundreds of times larger than a small antelope, and to say that an antelope is small is already an exaggeration, but even more surreal was that giant tortoise that seemed like a dragon carrying a shell of crystal.
Laurent: 『 And how in the world are we going to stop this thing? 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 I would like to know that too, Laurent! But no matter how, we just have to do it! So, if anyone has an idea...! 』
Hector: 『 This couldn't get any worse. 』
Hector said it right. Without any plan or anything useful. As a reconnaissance team, we are accustomed to devising our strategies well in advance, and clearly, this was completely off-script. We never imagined encountering something of this caliber and finding ourselves in need of fighting it.
Now we had to improvise. In the past, we managed with what we had and what we could do ourselves, but here we had nothing to attack it with. According to Héctor, the skin and especially the shell of a vitrotesta are extremely thick and hard to attempt to penetrate with a large cannon. And I, who only had a miserable bow and arrows, would not even tickle it.
It seemed that the only way we could damage it was through prestidigitation. However, performing commands and elemental attacks was not our specialty. Furthermore, we didn't have any catalysts to help us.
The only one who was attuned to the mana was Jean, but even so, he only knew how to make things explode...
Roef: 『 Hey, Laurent!! Did you manage to tie the bomb to the shell of that thing?!! 』
Laurent: 『 What?! 』
Roef: 『 Did you or did you not?! 』
Laurent: 『 Of course I did! What does that have to do with anything now?! 』
It had everything to do with it. The bomb still remained atop the mabeast, and if I recall correctly, Jean drew one of his pictograms on it to detonate it. So it might still serve us. If we made it explode, perhaps we could manage to finish off the vitrotesta, or at least make it stop. It was worth a try and the only thing we had, and we couldn't keep running the dozens of kilometers remaining to the base forever.
Roef: 『 Jean! How much mana do you have left?! 』
Jean: 『 Enough to keep running from here to the base! Why?! 』
Roef: 『 Our bomb is still atop that thing! I want to know if that's enough to punch a hole in its shell?! Can you do it from here?! 』
Jean: 『 Hmph, what are you saying?! Of course I can do it!! Just tell me when and I'll do it! 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Hmm, very well. Then, let's do it. 』
The Commander understood the plan and nodded. But if we wanted to do it, we had to get out of the blast radius. If Jean really had a lot of energy left, it was most likely that he would blow the bomb to smithereens. When it comes to explosions, he's serious business. So we had to get ahead of the tortoise and slow its pace a bit.
We sped up until we reached a higher point on the trail, putting several meters of distance between us and the mabeast. In front of us was a somewhat narrow cliff, but large enough and spaced between two of the mountain peaks so that the mabeast could keep advancing. We decided to use this narrow point to try to trap it.
I shot three arrows towards the opposite wall of the cliff, while Hector recited a command to create a mana barrier to protect us from anything. Now, we waited for the mabeast to arrive at the exact point to begin.
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Roef, now! 』
Roef: 『 Ostium primum realis. Ruptis vastare! 』
As soon as the mabeast walked beneath the cliff, I activated the command, and the arrows exploded, causing a collapse that dropped several pieces of earth and rock, making the mabeast stumble. Falling, it let out a cry denoting its surprise and annoyance. But it was just a small stumble we caused it, so we had to act quickly before it got back up.
Cmdr. Rask: 『 It's now or never, Jean! Do it!! 』
Jean closed his eyes and stretched his arm forward, tensing his slightly parted fingers as if holding something, and quietly recited a long sentence that suddenly darkened the miasma and raised small blue particles around us.
Jean: 『 Iter peregi. Ad maculus locate. Clavis anima utere. Et ostium vincula. Summa recipis centum. Caerula Ignes! 』
(*BOOOOOOM!!!*)
With tremendous force, the bomb exploded, unleashing beastly gusts of wind in all directions, bending the trees around us and leaving them leafless. It was very difficult to remain standing, even with the mana barrier. The shockwave pushed us with everything, making us feel an infernal heat, the product of the large blue fireball that erupted beneath us.
It seemed to have worked; I couldn't imagine anything capable of surviving such a blast. Apparently, the pounds of gunpowder and glycerin from our makeshift mass combined very well with Jean's elemental mana, burning splendidly.
Finally, things calmed down. Hector could now remove his barrier. We peered out to see how the mabeast fared; I imagined the poor thing all singed and lying on the cliff. However, it was difficult to find it; a dense cloud of smoke and ashes obstructed our view. We couldn't see anything down there.
Laurent: 『 Well? Did it work? Because I don't see anything. 』
Hector: 『 Well, perhaps we could go down and see— 』
(*GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!*)
The ground suddenly shook, and from the dense trail, the figure of the mabeast appeared, showing itself full of burns on almost all its scales and on its shell, where it had a large hole. It screamed in extreme pain and agony, but still alive.
Laurent: 『 How in the hell is that thing still alive?! Don't tell me you held back, Jean! 』
Jean: 『 Well... I— 』
Laurent: 『 YOU MUST BE JOKING!! 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Are you serious, Jean?!! 』
Jean: 『 I didn't want to repeat what happened last time, so I adjusted the power a bit. I didn't think the 'little tortoise ' would endure— 』
(*GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!*)
The mabeast screamed again, this time louder. After managing to stand up, it stomped on the ground, and huge crystalline spikes were created around it, so tall and plentiful that they destroyed part of the cliff and the path where we stood.
We managed to move in time and get away from them; had it not been for our reflexes, we would have been impaled.
Everything began to collapse, the path of the trail was completely destroyed, and with nothing to hold onto, it seemed like we wouldn't make it out of this. We fell and could barely grab onto some of the peaks that now replaced the walls of the cliff, leaving us face-to-face with the mabeast. As soon as it looked at us, it let out another roar of anger. Its whole body and skin seemed to tremble and pulsate from the great pain it felt in its burns. The discomfort it had from what we had provoked was clear.
It opened its mouth wide as if to eat us. But instead, it stayed still, and a sphere of yellow mana began to form in front of it, growing larger every second until it resembled a gigantic cannonball. It was clear that it was going to shoot us with a huge amount of concentrated energy to get rid of us once and for all.
We wanted to move quickly, but there was nowhere to go. Below us was nothing but those sharp peaks, so we could only try to climb, but the truth was we wouldn't make it in time. The mabeast was already poised to fire.
It was all lost for me, I was completely petrified by such power and the chilling image of the mabeast's burned face, those large yellow eyes filled with anger within. This time I couldn't close my eyes, I could only grit my teeth and show all my frustration on my face. I just had to wait for the impact.
Suddenly, the mabeast's attack was interrupted. In less than a blink, a powerful lightning bolt struck the huge beast from the side, electrocuting it for a long while, making it scream again in pain.
Hundreds of sparks and flickering lights surrounded it completely, paralyzing the poor creature. About 20 seconds passed, approximately, until the incessant electric bolts disappeared. The huge tortoise then fell, slowly and dramatically. Its head lay completely inert on the ground, and the gleam in its eyes vanished completely.
It was the end of the mabeast. Its embraced corpse and damaged shell suddenly turned into whitish translucent crystal. It seemed as if it had suddenly transformed into a giant statue marking the recent event of its fall.
Suddenly, silence fell over the entire place. We relaxed for a moment and decided to descend to inspect the body. We carefully climbed the hundreds of peaks created by the mabeast until we reached the bottom of the cliff. We could still see some electricity running through its crystallized body, so we could only examine it with our eyes and try to understand what had happened.
Laurent: 『 Eeeh... Can someone explain to me what just happened? 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 ... Stay alert, we have company. 』
The matter was not yet over. We heard several metallic footsteps coming from behind us, approaching quickly. We drew our weapons and grouped back to back, aiming at the strange armored men who had suddenly surrounded us.
It was a group large enough to be considered a battalion. But they were not troops from the army of Tesotl. Their armor was of a dull gray color with stripes painted in navy blue and dark red, and their helmets had a crest with reddish hair forming a small tail. At no time did they unsheathe their weapons; they simply stared at us, maintaining their distance and forming a circular perimeter around us.
We were prepared to attack at any moment, but the stance of these unknown soldiers made us hesitate. We didn't understand exactly what was happening now.
Laurent: 『 Well? Are they going to attack us or not? 』
Roef: 『 Shut your mouth, Laurent. Can't you see the situation we're in now? 』
Laurent: 『 Of course I can. What I don't understand is who they are and what they want with us. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Focus, you two. Whatever it is, we've been in situations like this before... At my signal, I want you to... 』
King Van Laar: 『 That won't be necessary. 』
Surprisingly, among the soldiers appeared King Van Laar, accompanied by a tall man in red armor and an imposing, long crystal sword of the same tone, which seemed to emit electric energy from within. I then imagined that the powerful lightning that struck the mabeast came from there. He was the one who ended the vitrotesta.
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Your Majesty? What in the world is all this? Could you explain to us who these people are? 』
King Van Laar: 『 No need for concern, Luvric. These men are soldiers from the Kingdom of Tikalt and have come to aid us. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 ... Aid us? Did I understand correctly? You? Seeking aid from a foreign land? 』
King Van Laar: 『 Indeed, Luvric. It's not uncommon for us to have allies, especially in times of war. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 I am aware of that, Majesty. What surprises me is that the stubborn and always steadfast King of Haiza found himself in need of begging for aid from someone else, especially from our 'beloved' neighbors to the Northeast. 』
The Commander's disrespectful and unfriendly manner of speaking to the King whenever we met with him was surprising. Both had a very troubled past, and I didn't exactly know why, but it seemed they didn't quite like each other. Still, I don't think it's a good idea to speak with such insolence to our supreme leader, although he didn't seem to care anyway.
King Van Laar: 『 The reality is that I specifically requested their services to address the issue with the guardian of the gem. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Guardian of the gem? 』
The King didn't respond and walked towards the vitrotesta. He walked upon it until he reached the center of its shell. Drawing his silver sword with a black leather grip, he thrust it into the crystal with force. Constant mana streams were seen inside the body of the mabeast, all flowing towards the sword, which glowed in a multicolored tone as if it were absorbing a rainbow.
All the energy seemed to channel onto the sword. Once finished, he pulled the metallic blade from the shell, and the crystalline corpse turned gray and opaque, like a dry tree.
The sword continued to emit a mysterious miasma charged with light and power. The King then raised it, and all that accumulated energy began to form a perfect, luminous sphere that reflected all those bright colors from before. The sphere floated slowly toward the King's left hand, and he descended from the mabeast.
We all stood amazed at what he had done, the way he managed to channel such an amount of mana, and the form it took. He showed us the sphere and began to explain exactly what it was.
King Van Laar: 『 This is the Gem of creation. Or as the prestidigitators call it, the 'Infinite catalyst.' Capable of storing and emitting all the mana one could imagine, of all types and elements, including the one that keeps us alive. In addition to creating self-regenerating mana wells, like the one they recently buried. 』
Hector: 『 Self-regenerating? So, Majesty, no matter how much you mine, does it always create more catalysts naturally and limitlessly? 』
King Van Laar: 『 Indeed, Héctor. Thousands and thousands of mana-filled catalysts, like that in Laurent's pocket. 』
Laurent: 『 Ah, pardon, your Majesty, this is a normal diamond. 』
King Van Laar: 『 Are you sure? 』
At the King's words, Laurent examined the diamond in his pocket and attempted a simple command with it. With his right hand, he squeezed the stone, and over the left, a small ball of earth appeared, effortlessly created. We all were surprised, for Laurent, while skilled with earth mana, isn't very quick in materializing it.
Thus, we understood that the diamonds we saw in the mine and on the processing machines were actually virgin mana catalysts, functional for all types of elements. Now I understand why the soldiers of Tesotl collected them with their own hands; these were undoubtedly dangerous weapons that could explode in many ways.
King Van Laar: 『 It's because of this gem that the war began, as well as many others that have occurred since before our time. Water, fire, forests, gold, platinum, anything you desire can be created with this. But it can also destroy. In the wrong hands, it could end all life as we know it. During this time, the troops of Tesotl have been harnessing its power to collect as many virgin catalysts as they could, and thus develop their arsenal in order to take over our kingdom entirely and, finally, seize it completely. 』
Laurent: 『 Well, if it is so coveted and dangerous, why not destroy it? 』
King Van Laar: 『 That's impossible. The pure mana it radiates surpasses that of any other existing catalyst and constantly changes its form and volume. It's assigned a host that protects it, and when this host dies, it returns to the earth and reappears after a certain time. It's a cycle that always fulfills itself. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Very well. We understand that this thing is what the Tesotlians have been trying to obtain all this time to create weapons, and furthermore, it's indestructible. What I don't understand is, what does it have to do with all these Tikaleses here? 』
Avak Narek: 『 That I can explain, Commander. My name is Avak Narek, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Tikalt, and we need the gem to save our kingdom. You see, recently, an epidemic has plagued our citizens; many have fallen ill, and it has already claimed the lives of many of them. My wife has also contracted the disease, and her condition worsens with each moment. It is of utmost importance to find a remedy for her, as we cannot afford to lose the future queen of our nation now and risk losing the bloodline we have worked so hard to preserve. With the gem, a cure could be created to help her recover and eradicate this terrible disease once and for all. 』
I see, indeed, I heard rumors about it. It was said that a rare and deadly disease had emerged in the north of the continent. That it was able to corrode people's flesh, darken their blood, and cause unbearable pain in the bones. Undoubtedly chilling, but as long as it was far from the kingdom, it was no problem of ours.
We were too busy in the midst of war to focus on it, so we had no time to offer any help. We have lost many people, hundreds and thousands of soldiers and civilians who have been involved in this foolish fight over damn catalysts; we simply could not continue to collect more corpses, much less from another country whose matter is completely foreign to us. If they were so desperate, they could go seek assistance elsewhere, either with the wealthy of Montland in the South or even with the kingdoms of Euralia; after all, they have many more ties there than with the nations of Axal.
King Van Laar: 『 It turns out that the disease has not only affected Tikalt; the situation is also severe in Tesotl, and they have needed to use these catalysts to mitigate it. And I have received reports of some people in Haiza who have also contracted it. Therefore, we must act; we can no longer allow the troops of Tesotl to continue stealing the catalysts from us if these are some kind of remedy. Besides, Tikalt has supported us in the past; I believe we can do the same. 』
Well, if that's the case, then it was something that concerned us to some extent. But something didn't seem right. In all this time that we have fought, no one notified about this dangerous disease, especially us, who have been so close to Tesotl's territory. It really seemed like they didn't care about us. Besides, if the situation in Tesotl was so dire with this epidemic, wouldn't it be easier for them to ask for help like those from Tikalt? Why then continue with this damn war and make it more complicated?
And come to think of it, why are the people of Tikalt suddenly being so friendly with us? They too are a wicked and cruel kingdom, which has gradually taken territory from the Korax nation and on more than one occasion has fought with us over the mines in the region.
Honestly, I don't believe that the gem is the sole reason. If they had wanted, they could have seized this opportunity and taken it without anyone noticing. Something smelled fishy to me here.
Jean: 『 Excuse me, sire. But isn't your wife the only one who can use it? 』
We were dumbfounded by that statement. We had only just learned of the existence of the gem, but it seemed that Jean already knew how it worked. How could...?
King Van Laar: 『 How do you know that, Jean? Could you tell me? 』
Jean: 『 The thing is, that gem is not the only one. There are a few more scattered in the world, including where I come from. In my kingdom, it's guarded by a girl who claims to be a descendant of the Astris clan, who are the only ones capable of using them. And as Queen Mireya told me, she is one too... Or am I mistaken, sire? It's not that I fully understand yet. I was just sent here to find it. 』
Roef: 『 Wait, Jean. Are you saying you're also here for this thing? That you plan to take it from here? 』
Jean: 『 Well, technically, that was my main purpose. But it's been so much fun being with all you that I decided to stay here. Besides, I had never found out where it was, until now. 』
King Van Laar: 『 I see. At first, I thought you were just an ordinary outlaw, Jean. But now I see, that really, you are a spy. 』
Jean: 『 Not at all, sire. I'm just here to have fun. If I wanted to return to my country now, they would probably kick me out or execute me. But if you don't want me here, I can leave as well. 』
I understood Jean less and less. I don't know if he was aware of how serious his words were. Finding out he was a foreign spy was a shock to us, but to him, it all seemed like a game. I doubted whether trusting him was a good idea. How could we know if he wasn't acting? It was highly possible that he was manipulating us. The possibility angered me greatly. I grabbed him by the collar of his coat and shouted at him, forcing him to tell me the whole truth, but he continued to behave like a mere idiot.
Roef: 『 You're a damn liar!! All this time we've worked together and it turns out to be a deception!! You better speak now or I swear I'll kill you here and now! 』
Jean: 『 Hey, friend− 』
Roef: 『 I'm not your friend!!! 』
Jean: 『 ... Roef, I know this is very sudden for you all. But I have never deceived you. What sense would it make for me to do so? I don't seek to harm anyone. If someone is in trouble, one should help them, shouldn't they? That's something I learned long ago and you showed me that, even without reward, it's worth doing. I know we've only been together for two years, but the truth is that... I've had a lot of fun. To me, you are like family, and I would never betray my family... 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 *Sigh*... Alright, Roef. Let him go. 』
Somewhat reluctantly, I released his coat and set him free. There was a rather uncomfortable silence among all of us and the soldiers surrounding us. Although I was a little more relaxed, the anger within me wouldn't disappear so easily. I was annoyed by so much secrecy that was now palpable and marked how foolish I had been all these years. Not content with discovering secret alliances and strange artifacts that provoke wars, it turned out that one of my closest companions, whom I practically considered a friend, was not who I thought he was.
I had no doubt that Jean's words were sincere; his calm and gentle tone of voice made it clear to me that he had no malicious intentions. He had set aside his true purpose, the initial mission for which he arrived here with us, to help us resolve this war and become part of our already twisted lives. Honestly, I found it both cruel and pathetic at the same time, something typical of him.
I would have many questions for him later, but for now, I had to contain myself and wait. It was much more important to clarify, once and for all, this matter about the cursed gem and its relationship with the Tikaltians who came.
Cmdr. Rask: 『 I think we have dragged this on for too long, so let's get to the point, Argus. What was the deal here? 』
King Van Laar: 『 ... 』
The King suddenly seemed unwilling to answer, lowering his gaze for a moment, avoiding direct eye contact with the Commander and us. It was clear that he had made some kind of agreement with Narek and had no intention of telling us about it. But surprisingly, it was Narek who decided to speak up and tell us what was happening.
Avak Narek: 『 Allow me to explain, King Van Laar. We agreed to make an exchange. The imperial army of Tikalt will be responsible for the rest of the troops from Tesotl; we will evict them from here and invade their territory to subjugate them completely. On the other hand, we are requesting that Queen Mireya go to the kingdom of Tikalt and collaborate with our researchers to mitigate the disease. 』
Héctor: 『 Wait, you are sending the Queen to Tikalt? 』
King Van Laar: 『 ... Yes, that's correct. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 So, let me ask another question. What do you mean by 'collaborate,' Lord Narek? 』
Avak Narek: 『 Perhaps I have not been very clear. We know that Queen Mireya possesses a unique power as a prestidigitator and exceptional talent in the field of healing and medicine. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 And how can you be so sure of this, sir? 』
Avak Narek: 『 We have learned of her deeds performed in her nation. Is it not why she leads the most important hospital in your kingdom, your Majesty? 』
King Van Laar: 『 Indeed, Prince Avak. 』
Avak Narek: 『 Therefore, we would like her to come to Tikalt, so that she may share with us her knowledge and create an antidote with the gem of creation. 』
Now I understand. At first glance, it seemed like a simple matter, to request the help of a qualified physician to investigate and create a cure; there was nothing wrong with that. However, Narek was asking her to do it in his homeland. He wanted us to send our queen directly to the point where this epidemic originated and use her powers to fabricate the cure. Honestly, it was the most foolish request I could ever have imagined. I don't understand how this could have occurred to him. Risking Queen Mireya's safety and handing her over to the troops of Tikalt as if it were nothing? Why on earth did the King agree to this?
Cmdr. Rask: 『 I see now. That's why all these soldiers are here. Since they needed to obtain the gem first, they wanted to take advantage of our foray into Mount Arok and recover it as soon as possible, aye? 』
The commander pointed with some anger at the corpse of the mabeast. Clearly, we were being manipulated by the interests of the King and his companion. We were very close to death, and we had already done all the work for them, even if it wasn't planned that way. It was something that not only bothered him, but all of us in the team felt like fools. We thought we were saving our people, sacrificing ourselves to prevent the mabeast from reaching the base and causing a catastrophe. But it turned out we were only fulfilling the selfish whims of a damned foreign prince who had come to boss us around.
Avak Narek: 『 You are right, Commander. The plan was already set. To take advantage of your strategy to cause a great uproar and then infiltrate the den. We just didn't count on you and your team defeating the guardian ahead of us. 』
King Van Laar: 『 *Sigh* I should have expected that you would cause a complete uproar and end up awakening the mabeast. But still, you managed to leave it wounded and help us recover the gem. Very good work. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 You're a damned fool, Argus. Handing over the Queen to a foreign entity is sheer audacity. What in the world made you think of doing that? 』
King Van Laar: 『 Don't be foolish, Luvric. It's my wife we are speaking of. Of course, I wouldn't leave her alone. You shall go with her. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 ... Pardon?! 』
I thought I heard wrong, but King Van Laar is a man serious in his words. When he decides on something, he doesn't retract later. Whether this was preordained or not was beside the point. He was already giving us our next mission, regardless of the tense situation we were in, perhaps as a way to finally end the discussion and stop Rask's objections.
Roef: 『 Are you serious, your Majesty? 』
King Van Laar: 『 Yes, Roef, I am serious. Since you all question my decisions so much, you will be Mireya's escorts. Your mission is to watch over her and protect her at all costs. If anything happens to her, you will be held primarily responsible. Is that clear? 』
Laurent: 『 But, your Majesty— 』
King Van Laar: 『 No more objections!!... It has been a long day already, and there are still things to be done. Hector, escort Prince Avak and his soldiers to the camp. We need to organize both armies for a raid on Tesotl. 』
Hector: 『 U- Uh, yes, your Majesty. 』
Hector obeyed the order and left with Narek and the soldiers towards the camp. On the other hand, the King clenched the sphere of pure mana and it vanished in his hand. He had absorbed it completely to keep it hidden. It was incredible that he could bear such a quantity of energy within his body as if it were nothing. Many times I forget, but he is also a monster with immense power.
Cmdr. Rask: 『 And what about us? 』
King Van Laar: 『 We return to the capital. I suppose you'll help me persuade Mireya to come. 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Well, don't expect much. Knowing her, she'll refuse instantly. 』
King Van Laar: 『 I'm aware of it, Luvric. But first, we shall go to Solist, seeing that it's nearby. As I understand it, there remains one more outpost to clear. 』
Roef: 『 Your Majesty, with all due respect, I don't think we alone can— 』
Cmdr. Rask: 『 Leave it, Roef. Once he decides, there's no way to change his mind. Besides, I'm in such a foul mood that I feel like beating someone up, so it's a good time. 』
Jean: 『 Oh, well. I suppose this will be fun. 』
Laurent: 『 You're right, Jean. Come on, Roef, you too. Or what? Are you going to chicken out again? 』
Roef: 『 You really are a damned bastard. You know what? I'm tired of this, let's just get it over with. 』
King Van Laar: 『 Very well. Let us go then, Spectrus. We have a war to finish. 』