Chapter 43: Interlude VIII : Strength

Galneira stared at Yeffrey, who looked around the town, gritting his teeth while the caravanhands went to help the townspeople. "What a fucking mess", he said to himself as he looked around, and she couldn't blame him.

"Northern raiders, huh...", she said next to him. She had been helping with the reconstruction, and was currently taking a short break. "How to prevent something like that from happening again ?", she asked herself. When her hometown has been attacked, it was by monsters, so in some ways it had been easier to deal with.

"You cannot negotiate with Northernmen. All they respect is strength.", answered a toolmaker close by. "And we don't have a lot of strength, here.", he admitted, clearly pained by it. Yeffrey looked at Galneira, a complicated look on his face.

He started to talk, clearly uncertain. "Can't you just, like, show them who's the strongest ?", he asked to her as she got back up. "Take out the trash or something ? I definitely think you're strong enough to just deal with the problem at the root." She stopped.

Maybe he was right. No. Not "maybe". She was strong. Maybe not the strongest, for such arrogance always invited getting slapped down, but she was strong, and yet she had done little with her overpowering might so far.

No. It's not that I have done little. It's that I don't really think about how I can use my power like this. And yet it's almost obvious to him. "...I wouldn't have thought about doing that.", she admitted, and it was true. Her job was to protect the caravan, not to play hero like this. "Normally, that would be a breach of protocol, but..." She sighed.

"...They can't really discipline me for it either way.", she realized, before cracking her knuckles, and shouted to get the other caravan guards' attention, before turning to Yeffrey. "You're right." Her glare grew fiercer. "Time to take out the trash."

---

Yeff wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. That may have been a mistake. It had taken little effort to find the Northernmen's camp, for they weren't trying to hide. They, if not actively looking for challengers, at the very least didn't make it hard to find them.

It had taken even less effort to get the big boss' attention. All Galneira had to do was approach the men and show a fraction of her aura to intimidate them. The plan was simple. Beat up the boss in front of all his subordinates, force them to surrender the stolen goods and leave, and beat out any recalcitrance from the willful ones.

The possible mistake Yeff had made, however, was about the big boss himself. Emphasis on big. He was a titan of a man, easily over 2 meters tall, and with a mountain of muscles that could make a wrestler jealous. He looks like that bear-wrangling dude in that meme video. Compared to him, Galneira was much shorter and it looked like he could snap her in half.

I don't like the way he looks at Galnie. But then again, she was definitely stronger than him. Not that Yeffrey would enjoy getting wrestled by Galneira. No sirree. He focused on the massive Northernman to dispel the indecent thoughts from his mind. That's an actual bearskin he's wearing on his back, he realized, shivering slightly. He had even kept the bear's head and upper jaw.

All of the Northerners' bare torsoes was covered in complex, almost artistic blue-indigo warpaint motifs. Even the two-three womens in the group, although Yeffrey was trying not to stare by keeping his eyes on the dudes and Galneira. Many of them wore pelts or furs, although only the big boss had a complete one.

There had been little fanfare. It was a simple duel. And by her sword and capote, I swear Galnie shall once again prove victorious, he thought to himself, the amusement easing his nerves a little. That he had been allowed to watch the fight was already lucky enough. Although Galneira didn't have a sword. Nor does she need one.

One word was enough. "Begin.", a Northernman on the side said. The huge man took a step forwards, and so did Galnie. There was... something. A punch, maybe. Too fast to see. A wave of power radiated over Yeffrey and all the Northerners watching the fight, throwing all of the raiders off their butts or knees, although Yeffrey was unaffected.

The trees around the encampment where blown off their trunks. The torches were snuffed out under the sheer power, a tent got shredded by the impact. The giant of a Northernman went down like a rock. More like a monolith, with how massive he is, Yeffrey thought.

The remainder of the Northerners opposed no resistance to Galneira's requests.

---

"You know.", Galneira said next to Yeffrey, looking around the town. The people were smiling, despite the hardship they endured. They were smiling because of her. "I said it before, but I would never have thought of involving myself like this if it wasn't for your input.", she said, wrapping an arm around his waist and dragging him closer to her, resting her head on his shoulder.

She sighed a little."I... I have asked myself a few times since I started this caravan-guarding duty, what should my purpose be. For all of my power, I had no idea what to do with it. I became the strongest more or less by accident. It had never been my intention."

She looked at him. "For you, however, it was obvious what to do." She appreciated it. I'd like for him to stay even after this guard duty ends. "I don't think I'll find the answer tonight. But... seeing these people. Seeing their happiness... it's a step in the right direction, I think." She brought him closer to her side.

He looked away from her. It was kind of cute. "Yeah, seeing that kind of nonsense... kinda pisses me off. Just... I can't really look away from that kind of shit.", he said, slightly rambling. "...Glad to have helped.", he continued as Galneira smiled.

She decided to change the subject to something a bit lower-stakes, more comfortable. "Would you sing for me another song ?", she asked instead. She quite enjoyed hearing him sing. He smiled, cleared his throat, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. It was very comfortable.

"I'm going back to five oh five..."

---

Caelicia kicked the horror in the... face, the wind screaming behind her. Or where it's face would be, if it even had one. What the hell is this thing ? It had the body structure of an horse, but it was some kind of sluglike abomination, and it was covered in large, metallic plates that made it look like a fully armored destrier.

It charged at her, but Caelicia grounded herself and smashed her right palm into its upper, armored jaw, the metal bending under the force and its charge stopping cold. She grabbed its lower jaw with her other hand, and liberated her dominant hand to punch it in the throat with rock-crushing force.

The monster was thrown into the air, is head almost torn off, the gale howling around it but quickly regained its bearings and regenerated its neck, so Caelicia grabbed her baseball bat and smashed it in the face again. Urgh. Needs to target the soft spots under the armor. While hitting the metal wasn't injuring her, it clearly wasn't working out very well.

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Instead, she shaped sharp spikes of rock to target the monster's feet and try to slow it down or pin it in place, before grabbing its jaw again and executing a throw that flipped it upside-down alongside putting its head farther from her, wind magic forcing the beast in the proper position.

She grabbed her bat, channeling a lot of magic within it, and, the gales preventing the armored plates from covering its stomach, hit it with a blow that could sunder a mountain. There was a gale-force effect that blew a close-by tree off its trunk, as the creature perished under a blow of nigh-unmatched power.

She looked at the body, barely out of breath. "These four cretins would definitely have gotten themselves killed." She had stared at them like they grew an extra head. "They looked barely capable of defeating even a weak Angry Bush !" That thing would definitely have killed them.

Although, there was one thing Caelicia wasn't sure about, still. Why did I even getting involved in this ? She sighed. Whatever. What's done done. And she couldn't say she regretted getting involved. She grabbed the abomination by its forelegs and shoved its remains into her dimensional storage.

After a bit of walking, she found the four cretins waiting for her at the exit of the wooded area, and pulled out the corpse of the monsters before any of them could even speak. "Here. Done.", she said, and they nodded at her, slightly afraid-looking.

The announcement back at the four pipsqueaks' home village of the beast's death had caused a bit of a stir, and they had decided to throw a party in her honor. Caelicia had never been much for parties, but she appreciated the gratitude, although it made her feel a little strange.

"May we have your name ?", one of the older men asked, a chubby-looking guy with a brown mustache and a broad smile. Caelicia thought about it for a bit. She was still Caelicia, but at the same time she wasn't anymore. Not entirely, not after meeting her, not after receiving her powers and everything that happened.

"...Aetherea.", she answered. Apocalypse Aetherea the Second.

---

"How did you get so strong, miss Aetherea ?", the boy sitting next to Caelicia asked. Well, not quite "boy", he was Caelicia's age, maybe a bit younger. It was later in the evening, now, and the sun was setting on the horizon.

The party was beating full, but Caelicia was currently a bit further away. She suppressed a chuckle as two of the pipsqueaks, who had been brother and sister, were currently getting scolded by their parents. They kinda deserve it. A little. Her own parents never really gave a shit. Too busy arguing and fighting with each other.

"It's... complicated.", she answered. It still hurt, to think of Aetherea. All Caelicia could do now was honor the memory of that girl almost no one alive ever cared about, and yet she changed her life in less than ten minutes. "You live here ?", she asked, instead, trying to change her mind from her dour thoughts.

"Yeah. My mom is a weaver, and my father and me help her at home.", he answered. It was a little strange, to have a boy so close to her be so respectful. Most of the dudes her age she had to deal with back on Earth were perverted idiots who cared about nothing but her body. "Thanks for... dealing with the big monster. Will you be here tomorrow, too ?", he asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'll see.", Caelicia answered, scratching the back of her neck. Is he... hitting on me ? Or am I just overthinking things ? Caelicia suppressed a sigh.

Whatever... Just go with the flow and hope it works out.

---

There was stirring in the bedsheets as a man woke in his bed. Anyone who looked at him, a muscular man with purple, short, messy hair and beard would instantly recognize the man. He was no mere man – he was the Bleeding-Hands, the strongest adventurer in the country. A man who got his title from tearing an Apocalypse's heart out with his bare hands.

Few, however, knew his real name of Jatelrov, that number including the attractive maid that was lying down, but not sleeping, besides him. "Ah, hello, Master.", she said with a smile, while staring at his muscular forearm. "Did you sleep well ?"

"Yep.", answered with a grin, before getting up his bed and petting her on the head. "But, while I'd love to stick around, welp, you know. Gotta check on the others." That would be most irresponsible of him to not check on his beloved maids, and also ensure no nobles were trying anything funny.

There were a lot of the nobles that were interested in subverting him for their own gain. Although they never targeted his maids. The only fool to try that ended up sent so far that he came back the other way. Jatelrov hadn't even known the world was round before that happened.

Well, he wasn't the strongest in the world, Demon General Galneira took the title, although he was one of the few even capable of giving her an actual fight that wasn't over in a minute, in this country, he may as well be.

He dispelled the thoughts out of his mind, helped by entering the kitchen where a few of his maids where preparing lunch. "Good morning, Master.", said the only one that wasn't working. Not that she didn't want too, but the other maids had forbade her from helping. The arm she had slung around her enlarged stomach explained why.

"Did you sleep well ?", he asked to her as he went to grab the foods and help his maids. There were quite a few maids in this place, he wasn't the kind of ass to slack off in helping them. A man's gotta provide. Especially with a kid on the way, and his other maids wanting their own.

"Somewhat. I almost got woken up after a kick.", she answered with a smile as another of his maids kissed him on the cheek. "Seems like he takes his energy from his father... I hope the manor will be large enough", she continued with a giggle, to which he snorted in amusement as well.

"Not that I wouldn't mind buying a bigger one, but nobody's sellin'.", he answered with a smile. "I'll have to check in the letters. Maybe someone has one.", he said jokingly, a few of the maids giggling in turn. They all knew the only things the letter contained where dubious schemes from the nobles or attempt to scam them.

If Jatelrov was to be frank, he was happy, between his strength and being surrounded by his maids. Could live like this forever.

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