CHAPTER 456: SUMMONING A STEED (1/2)

Being a highly intelligent species, it was only understandable to want more than just food and shelter. Yet to the Hawkish Faction of the Half-Elves, the idea that their comrades would side with Lanbael simply because they could not take the hardship was abhorrent to them. It was nothing short of a betrayal.

Being the leader of such a prideful faction, Aishael had to put on a resilient front. No matter who it was that came at her, she would meet them head on, never showing any signs of weakness lest those beneath get disheartened as well.

As the saying went, a lion leading a pack of sheep is stronger than a sheep leading a pack of lions. The importance of a leader could not be understated.

Even though she was still a young Half-Elven girl, Aishael had a strong sense of responsibility and duty to her people. On her dainty shoulders was the pride of her entire faction, and on her back were the eyes of every downtrodden Half-Elf. Those of the Hawkish Faction looked to her for hope while those who sided with Lanbael were merely waiting for the time when their cowardice would be vindicated by her failure.

For so much to rest on such a young girl might have sounded ludicrous, but that was the reality of the situation -sometimes, reality was even harder to believe than fiction. Should I find this laughable or just sad?

With the onset of war, those of the Hawkish Faction had to organise themselves into an army. It was a patchwork army, one that answered the call to war wherever they were needed. Yet despite their long history of service, each and every one of them came off as scrawny looking, like a single gust of wind could blow them away.

In contrast, the slave gladiators were a lot sturdier built, most likely a result of their normal diet. After all, these gladiators were not just entertainment, they were potential breeding stock as well. They had to maintain sufficient strength to fight both in the arena and out of it.

It could be said that the Hawkish Faction led by Aishael took a fevered approach to battle. They craved it, because that was how they would show their worth to the world. Or perhaps, that was how they garnered some measure of dignity for themselves -through a warrior’s death.

Without further ado, Aishael led her comrades out of the training ground. The cold and efficient girl that she was, I had no doubt that it wouldn’t take long before an army was formed.

“Who’s the one in charge of supplying the Half-Elves? Is it Lanbael?”

“Their equipment is their own. As for everything else, that’s handled by another elder.” Paliseth shook her head as she explained.

“Understood.” She answered but gave me a deep, long look in the process. As for the aforementioned Lanbael, she was practically shaking in her boots with regret right now.

I bet you didn’t expect me to favor that little acid tongue so much, did you? Honestly, I didn’t as well… I know she made my little bunny cry, but I don’t hate her for that. I pity her, and wish to help her. She shouldn’t be made to bear such a heavy burden at such a young age. At the very least, I can help her bear part of it.

To think that all this started because I wanted to munch on a few souls in the colosseum…

To be honest, these Half-Elves deserve our pity, at least in my books. As a proud member of the Waifu for Laifu Club, my motto has always been: what matters is what’s on the outside. Aishael was a very pretty girl, and that was reason enough for me to help her. Now, if she could just fix that acidic tongue of hers…

Either way, since the colosseum wasn’t going to work, it’s time to head off to the battlefield.

There should be souls for me to feed on there… right?

“That’s right. There’s no better place to harvest souls than a battlefield.” Just as I came to that decision, someone who I had long thought gone suddenly joined the conversation. Ferti’nier, who last said that she had some beauty sleep to catch up on, was more than happy to send me off to that battlefield. That meant something was up.

‘Weren’t you just saying that you were tired?’

“Ha ha ha.” She laught dryly. “Your big sis is no longer tired.”

‘Liar.’

“Your big sis is not a liar. She just awakened because of that Sword Dancer’s soul.”

Sword Dancer? Don’t tell me she means Sarkath? But I don’t remember absorbing any such soul… she didn’t…

‘Our little brother was busy being angry so he probably didn’t notice at all.’

‘All I have to say is, I hope you get a stomachache.’

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t forget, your big sis still has no body so if anything were to happen, it would happen to our little brother.”

“Jokes aside, your current condition isn’t suitable for war, but your big sis has something fun in mind.”

‘Hey. This isn’t some fieldtrip, I’m going there to harvest souls. And you’re the reason why I’m in this trouble in the first place.’

“Oh ho? So our little brother doesn’t want that bracelet then?”

‘Scram! That’s mine now! Speaking of which, why is it so girly… couldn’t you have made it manlier to suit me?’