Chapter 256 - An Old Friend

Ritz…

Alistair reached out for a scroll when suddenly heard a voice in his consciousness and he accidentally knocked out his glass from the table. Amethyst eyes watched as the crystal fell and smashed against the marble floor, shattering into a myriad of small diamonds on the ground.

Footsteps echoed outside his door which opened immediately. Fredek and Ivan stepped in ready for a fight as they searched the room for any intruder but didn't find any.

"What happened? We heard a noise," Iva said as his jade gaze studied Alistair's face.

"Your Majesty…"

Fredek caught Ivan's attention as he pointed at the floor where shards of glass were everywhere. "Your Highness, please don't move. I'll have someone clear it up," he added as he went out of the door again.

Left alone, Alistair sat back on his seat as he tried to recall what he seemed to hear earlier.

"Well?" Ivan prompted and the Ritz King raised a brow.

"Nothing. I just thought I heard Stribog scream. The idiot probably did something stupid again…" he said, rendering the other speechless.

"Ha?"

=====

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Kazehaya Gin's pained falsetto echoed in the place as he stood up abruptly, his hands fanned his scorched crotch.

"Oh dear! Young Master, remove your pants!" the seer scrambled to her feet so fast – an amazing feat considering her age.

She reached Kazehaya Gin and immediately tried to open his fly but Gin won't let her touch his crotch as he continued to cry. Desperate, he produced wind in his hand and used it to blow dry his pants and to cools his poor man-jewels.

A heavenly sigh escaped his lips as he felt the burning stop, replaced by cool air.

SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!

Huh?

Both Gin and the seer paused as they listened, and their eyes widened as they heard the sound again.

SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!

Damn!

Gin gritted his teeth as he dashed outside. The noise sounded like an enraged harpy and he didn't even want to think about what Aello was doing at the moment. He had totally forgotten that he had asked his elemental to wait somewhere near the Kazehaya House as the harpy refused to hide whenever he visited his old house.

She might still remember that time Gin got poisoned and refused to be anywhere she couldn't go immediately. However, due to his talk with his father, and his emotional state after, he had forgotten to return where he left the harpy before coming here. She must have felt his pain earlier and rushed here in a rage, thinking someone had hurt him again.

And he was right…

SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!

Aello screamed murder as she however over the house. Malice oozed from her crimson body as she eyed the people below, her claws open, ready to attack and rip any unfortunate soul she could get her claws on.

Damn!

Kazehaya Gin ran out to where the harpy could see him.

"Aello-chi! I'm okay!" he called out, but Aello seemed deaf and continued to scream.

SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!

"Oh my…"

Gin hadn't realized the madam had stepped in next to him until he heard her voice and he turned. She was looking at the harpy not with horror but with amused pair of eyes, with her lips twitched in amusement.

Huh?

Gin knew it was a good thing not to be afraid of Aello, but being too brave was not a good thing too. Even if the harpy loved psychological games, if they could smash people with bare hands, they'd opt for it as it was faster.

"AELLO, STOP!"

Kazehaya Gin used all the authority he could muster into saying those words. Seeing as he was angry, the harpy finally realized that her master was fine and she screamed one last time, her malice decreasing as she landed in the middle of the courtyard where her master and the old lady was. However, the harpy also noticed the unknown lady next to him, and so bent so low her face giant face was just in front of the old woman, her eyes studying her.

"Aello-chi!"Gin was very unhappy with the way his harpy was acting so stubborn. He began to wonder if he was starting to lose control then, but he could still think properly so she must just be being very stubborn today.

"Now, now, Young Master," the old lady began as she reached out a hand, her palm stretched as if she wanted to touch the harpy, making Gin scared.

"Madam, I don't think that's a good idea."

Even if Aello seemed more docile lately, she's still a bloodthirsty elemental parasite. She'd kill anyone when she had the chance. Or so he thought. In Gin's surprise, Aello took a step forward and let the old woman caress her face.

This however made Kazehaya Gin more speechless. He was still very much afraid for the seer's safety. If anything happened to her…

He was thinking this when suddenly, Aello shifted and scooped the woman from the ground, making her master scream.

"Aello!"

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN…

Kazehaya Gin produced wind in his hand, ready to strike Aello down. Elemental masters were still after all much stronger than their familiars. It was not difficult for Gin to punish the harpy. But as soon as the small tornado appeared in his hand, he heard the old woman laughing.

"There, there. You scared your master. Poor you, you can't tell him you're just being a very worried mama to your baby," the old woman crooned as she patted the harpy which was surprisingly attentive to her.

Gin watched with mouth agape as Aello shifted the old woman in her hand and sniffed her multiple times before rubbing her beak against the old woman's patting hands like a big cat hungry for affection. It was as if the old woman was a long lost friend that she had found again.

Aside from that, he now just noticed that the people who were at the courtyard who he thought were scared of Aello earlier were all looking at the harpy and the old woman with affection.

What's going on?

Kazehaya Gin knew that for sure, this was the first time he'd ever came to this place. But why did the people act like he had been here before?

"Who are you?" he couldn't help but ask.

This time, the old woman smiled as she patted Aello's beak, and the harpy carefully placed her back on the ground like a fragile thing.

"I'm glad you asked,"she said enigmatically s she shape-shifted again to the beautiful woman in her thirties. "I'm Dolya, the Goddess of Fate and Master Stribog's right-hand person."