While Zaos and the others were looking for any information regarding the demon god, two weeks had passed, and around that time, Drannor finally received a message from the king. Knowing that just giving the orders and revealing that Zaos was with him might enrage Drannor, the king sent him one of the scrolls that mentioned the powers of the demon god, and he also mentioned the possibility that Zaos captured Milliendra because of that.
Drannor wondered how the king came to that conclusion out of nowhere. Even if he was right, how would Zaos know that? Did he kidnap her and learn it later? Or the followers of the demon god told him? Again, if that was right, it didn't make sense that Zaos attacked some mansions of nobles as soon as he deserted… otherwise, his actions would be way too random. Regardless, Drannor didn't know if he should share that with others, even with Noemi. He didn't want his daughter to be looked at like she was a monster.
Drannor wrote a letter back and mentioned the gloves… maybe that was something Zaos made to seal those powers. Still, Drannor refused to believe that he did anything to protect Milliendra from that kind of power. The next day, Drannor headed toward the village where the kids were wondering how he should approach Milliendra regarding the gloves. Even if their function was real, he had to confirm if that was the case… if she had the powers of the demon god due to his return and the fact that she was the only one who could revive him, Drannor had to be extra cautious… a single mistake, and he will put the whole world against her.
"... Millie, are those gloves able to stop you from using certain magical powers?" Drannor asked when he approached.
Drannor had been calling her that for a while to decrease the distance between them, but that didn't work until now. Still, he got a response since he saw Milliendra trembling nervously after hearing that. His guess was right… It seemed that Milliendra truly had the powers of the demon god, and he was planning to use her to return.
"It is okay, I won't tell anyone," Drannor said and then smiled to calm her down.
After a while, Drannor began to connect the dots… but there was still a question he couldn't answer. Milliendra was born with that power, or she obtains it later? If she was born with it… what happens when someone has their mana drained? Drannor recalled that Ameria always looked exhausted in her last months of pregnancy. Still, he couldn't believe that such power was the cause of her death… if it were, why did Zaos cut Ameria's wrists?
"No, no… it can't be true," Drannor thought. "He killed Ameria and other royal guards. He almost killed me as well… Zaos didn't kill Ameria in order to protect Millie from Ameria's death."
Zaos recalled that day when he lost Ameria and Milliendra. He cried so much on her deathbed. He couldn't believe that his best friend had done that… still, even though Ameria had bled to death, she looked so peaceful. She looked so tense in the last few times when he met her, and yet… she died like she didn't have to worry about anything. Drannor couldn't believe that she had learned about Milliendra and didn't tell him…
"Millie… did Zaos tell you anything about these powers of yours?" Drannor asked.
"... He said that he would help me control it and then get rid of it," Milliendra replied since she couldn't see any sense in hiding anything else.
"Anything else?" Drannor asked.
"No… I asked more about these powers, but daddy said that I am too young to understand it," Milliendra replied. "He said when I am old enough, Daddy and Mommy will tell me everything."
It made sense… of course, Zaos won't tell Milliendra such a heavy thing. Over the last few weeks, Drannor heard the other kids talking about Zaos and Aleni many times. Even if he was fooling everyone, it was impossible for all the kids to have good things to say about him unless he truly helped them. The kids looked healthy, happy, and they were smart… They were raised well.
Drannor felt like his head was splitting while he tried to fight back the possibility that Zaos, his sworn enemy that destroyed his life, was capable of helping others. Drannor felt like the last ten years of his life were a lie, like they had been wasted… one part of his brain was telling him that, and the other was fighting back. If that was true, Drannor felt like the whole world was trying to make him look like a fool.
"Are you feeling bad, mister?" Milliendra asked.
"... It is okay," Drannor forced a smile. "It is just a slight headache. Millie… did you like the life that you had before?"
"Yes… Daddy and Mommy didn't let me go anywhere alone, but everyone treated us well," Milliendra said with a smile on her face. "Some people didn't like him, but Daddy still respected them… do you hate my Daddy, mister?"
"Yes… Zaos did some things to me, and he never gave me a proper reason," Drannor replied with his head down. "He was my best friend… and he did many things and kept many secrets… but I don't hate you, Millie. We just took you and the other kids from him because we need to confirm some things about his actions. I promise you that everything will be fine. Everything will be as it should in the future…"
Drannor didn't know what was going on with his head. Still, he felt like things had become less blurry lately after he finally confirmed that Milliendra was alive and well. Still, he would find all the answers to that puzzle in one way or the other. That being said, even if all that crazy possibility were true, Drannor was determined to make Zaos pay...
While Milliendra didn't want to talk about her powers, she was more than willing to talk about her daily life in the towns that she had lived in. She always felt like Zaos and Aleni were a bit overprotective. Still, then she finally realized that the world that she lives in is dangerous… she wondered why she never thought that when so many of her friends were war orphans.
Drannor also began to talk with Heiti, while the kid looked insufferable since he was similar to Zaos. Eventually, Drannor realized that he couldn't let his anger control him, much less force him to treat a kid badly.
Thanks to that, Drannor heard a weird story… the story of the night Heiti met Zaos for the first time. He didn't remember the details well because he had woken up and was feeling dizzy for some reason. Still, he could swear that he saw Zaos fighting a monster that was three times bigger than him. A beast that had scales instead of proper skin… it fit the reports that he had heard of one of the demons that Zaos had killed. The story about the return of the demon god was starting to look less and less crazy.
At some point, while Drannot was waiting for answers from the king, he decided to share what he had heard with Noemi. At first, she made a surprised expression, but then she began to look confused. It was too much information to absorb…
"I am sorry, but I have a hard time believing in all this since my country doesn't have a story with the demon god," Noemi said. "Most of us use his stories to make kids behave."
"That is understandable, but my sword is a really powerful weapon like no other… it is the only explanation that something so powerful was forged to defeat such a being," Drannor Said. "Besides, even if I attack a boulder a hundred of times with it, the blade won't suffer a single scratch."
Drannot wasn't crazy. He was a battle-hardened soldier who didn't let many things faze him. Not to mention, he was a good friend of Noemi. So, his words were enough to convince him of all that. Besides, she saw him and Zaos fighting against pirates… they had the strength of legendary heroes in her eyes. It wouldn't be weird if they had been born in such a moment and inherited those legendary weapons for the sake of facing the demon god.
"What do you think of all of this?" Noemi asked.
"The more I think about it, the more the pieces fall into the right place," Drannor replied. "A few years after the war against the Ashiris kingdom, I began to imagine that the mercenaries' country would be our next target. However, that method of thinking was too rash… I probably was too bloodthirsty after that war and after discovering that Zaos escaped. I am a soldier.... I was trained to fight, but I was also trained to defend my country first and foremost. I began to feel like everything was forcing me to start another war of conquest and not give Zaos any place to hide."
"That indeed looks like a rash thing to do, even more so after considering the state of your country…" Noemi said. "I am not much familiar with military affairs, but I never imagined a world where Sairus kingdom would be so big… even if you succeeded in conquering two countries, it would be hard to maintain control over so much land."
"Yes, there is also the fact that we still are facing troubles in the north," Drannor said. "Little by little, the forces of the world are weakening… it almost looked like someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes."
"The demon god?" Noemi asked while frowning. "Is it even possible for a dead being to be able to do that?"
"Apparently, his demons are returning as well… maybe they are the ones doing that," Drannor said.
"This is serious… we can't let Ameria unguarded," Noemi said. "Maybe we should allocate some kids to one of the other houses and make you live alone close to her."
Drannor wondered if that was indeed a good idea… Milliendra was starting to get used to him and even worried about his expression that day. While he was worried about her, trying to live among the kids for a while might scare them more than anything. Besides, they were on the safest island in the country. Only a handful of people knew where Drannor and the kids had been transported to. Not to mention, a good part of Orleand's fleet was around in case somehow they were found out, and someone tried to kidnap Milliendra. Even if someone finds them, Drannor will notice since the enemies won't be quiet.
"I guess I will just help the guards on the night's watch. I don't want to scare Millie," Drannor said with his head down.
"You will have less time to interact with her, but I suppose it can't be helped…" Noemi said. "The other kids are less guarded, but they still aren't used to interacting with adults. I will keep a watch on her while you sleep during part of the day."
"Thank you, Noemi, you are really a good friend," Drannor said while smiling.
"Don't mention it," Noemi said. "While we aren't connected by blood, I want to think of Millie as my own niece."
The next day, Drannor received another letter from Dalyor. He had yet to explain why he suddenly got interested in the stories about the demon god. Still, he kept researching and wrote to Drannor that he had confirmed that demons had returned and they were looking for Milliendra. While they are not immortal, they can always possess another body after a certain time. Things were starting to get out of hand, but Drannor knew that the king wouldn't tell him something that he hadn't confirmed… Much to Drannor's surprise, as soon as he heard that, the island was attacked by a horde of demons...
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