Chapter 686: New acquiantances

He distinctly remembered telling her that they were going to announce their presence cordially, but it was as though she had simply forgotten.

He didn’t even have a chance to stop her before her figure shot into the distance, becoming little more than a blur in the sky.

Fortunately, she kept her aura suppressed, so at least she was listening to something he had said... If she had done that

A moment later, her booming voice resounded across the sky. "Human meatbags! Kali has come with friends to see your master! Bring him to me now, or I will destroy this place!"

Elion facepalmed. That was certainly one way to get things over with as quickly as possible, but she was also coming across as though she were here to declare war!

’Why do I always attract the troublesome ones!?’ he thought. ’Why not someone normal like Maya or Mayumi!’

[...]

Maya had given him an unusual signal that day; she had been wearing a negligee-like gown under her robe, but she hadn’t done anything similar since, leaving him rather confused.

’Was that just her letting loose around me, or what?’ he wondered.

Regardless, the people below were looking up at Kali, though it was clear that they were all dumbfounded.

A powerful presence suddenly rose into the sky from within the settlement, and Elion focused his vision on the approaching figure.

’That has to be the saint.’

The man moved in a blur, stopping in the air some distance from Kali.

He looked surprisingly young; in fact, he appeared to be around Elion’s age, which was rather shocking.

He wore dull, light-coloured pants and a tunic over them. He was quite good-looking, with sharp features and short red hair, though a deep frown marred his face.

"What are you doing back here?" he demanded. "I thought we came to an agreement of non-aggression the last time you were here. Or have you decided to break it?"

"Hmph!" Kali huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You got lucky last time. If I fought you now, I would easily defeat you."

The young man’s frown deepened. "So I take it you’ve come here with murderous intentions? Devouring so many of our kin was not enough for you greedy monster; now you have come seeking more from us? And I see you’ve brought some people with you as well..." he added, glancing down.

Kali seemed to finally remember why she was there. Her face flushed slightly, and she rubbed her nose with a reluctant smile.

"R-rejoice, human. You get to live a little longer. I come seeking peace today, and my dear bond would like to speak with you as well."

Elion’s brow twitched as he listened, especially since he could see the expression on her face quite clearly.

’This woman!’

"What is it that you want? I have guests today, and I would rather not keep them waiting for too long." His eyes sharpened as he glanced back toward Kali. "And when you say ’bond,’ do you mean to say you formed a contract with one of those humans down there?" His gaze narrowed as it settled on Elion. "Though I see not all of them are human."

It was Elion’s turn to raise a brow. Had he really seen through that with nothing more than a brief glance? This person was becoming more and more interesting.

Elion stepped forward and let his wings unfurl from within his back. A powerful beat stirred a gust around him as he took to the sky, quickly reaching Kali’s side.

"Greetings." He gave the man a nod. "My name is Elion Nova. I come from outside this world, and I was unfortunate enough to be forced into a contract by this murderous woman beside me."

"Hey!" Kali began to protest, but he tuned her out as the young man raised a brow.

"I learned from her that there was a settlement nearby, so I thought to come and see if you might have useful information about this place," Elion continued. "Though I won’t ask you to trust us immediately, I would like to emphasise that Kali’s unruly behaviour has nothing to do with me..."

The young man nodded, clearly understanding what Elion meant.

"You can call me Albert; I am in charge of this humble town. The guests currently in my care are from outside as well, and they have come seeking the same thing as you, so I wouldn’t mind hearing you out."

Elion raised a brow. ’So that’s what you meant by guests. Someone beat us here.’

He nodded. "Well, if it’s not too much to ask, could you let us meet your guests? There might be someone I know among them."

...

"Oho," Elion exclaimed pleasantly. "I would never have guessed that you would be Sir Albert’s guest. It’s nice to see you again, Princess, though I have yet to have the honour of making your acquaintance..."

Princess Isla’s cheeks flushed slightly as she regarded him. "Ah, yes." She cleared her throat. "We’ve crossed paths a few times now, though I must say, you know how to make an impression." The purple-haired princess gave him a firm smile.

Elion returned it. "I’m glad to hear that my humble self has managed to catch the princess’s eye," he said before turning toward the voluptuous figure beside her. "I don’t believe we’ve met."

He smiled, struggling to keep his gaze from wandering over her sinful figure. Her loose robes did little to curb his imagination, and his eyes kept flickering up and down. His subtle staring seemed to anger the armoured woman standing behind the pair.

Solara nodded, her expression calm and neutral beneath her veil.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am known as Solara, the Holy Daughter of the Goddess of Light’s empire. We haven’t met, but I’ve heard plenty about you," she said calmly.

Elion let out a sheepish laugh.

"It seems I’ve become quite famous without realising it, seeing as so many beautiful ladies have come to know about me. It’s nice to meet you, Holy Daughter Solara. I simply go by the name Elion Nova."