59 Remedios Custodio
Remedios Custodio wasn't a good strategist and her actions from time to time had caused trouble. She wasn't the smart one in the family. That title belonged to her younger sister, who more often than not would bear the consequences of her mistakes and resolve the troubles she created.
Although she felt sorry for her sister, she did what needed to be done. She couldn't do it covertly and with a lot of planning as her sister would, but she knew what was right and what needed to be done when she saw injustice. Her sister might call her reckless and brash, but truthfully she just wanted to right the wrongs of the world with the only tool she had. Force.
This was what she was good at. Her prowess. Of course, she realized her actions might cause trouble, which was why she left all decision-making to her sister and Calca. With their guidance, her sword would bring out the most than if she acted on her whim and gut feelings.
Usually, she wouldn't question her sister or the queen, but at this moment, her gut was triggering a signal that she just couldn't ignore. Currently, she rode at the forefront of her paladins to the battlefield, where she was tasked to quell the rebellion that was stirring in the south. Now she had gotten what she wanted, to exterminate those traitors to the throne, but she still felt like something was off.
It was mainly the one that was accompanying them on this travel. Her gaze wandered to the man in shining armor. There wasn't even a single scratch on his armor despite being an adventurer for the past weeks. Usually, she would dismiss those with clean armor as some kind of noble, who were out to fool around. However, she had heard of his deeds and they were more than impressive.
There were no reports of him changing his armor frequently or spending much to repair it, which meant there wasn't a need for it. Either he was a blacksmith himself, he wasn't hit by his enemies, or his armor was tough enough to endure everything he had encountered until now.
The latter, she dismissed almost immediately as even the metal adamantite would falter during missions that were taken on by Adamantite adventurers. Besides, she knew what the metal looked like and she could tell this wasn't an adamantite armor. It almost looked like normal steel if it wasn't for the sheen on it. Perhaps it was enchanted.
Either way, his might should even exceed her own, but that wasn't why she had a weird feeling about him. It was the fact with what... intensity her sister and Calca talked about them. Although it all sounded neutral and positive in terms of adding combat power to this mission, there was a hint of admiration for him. Or at least that was how she had perceived it.
Admiration wasn't something that was out of the possible after his deeds to protect the wall. However, there were some things that concerned her, especially the fact that they told her to listen to him. Besides that, someone spread that he had badmouthed the Paladin Order or rather more specifically her leadership. He was a wandering paladin and a very powerful at that, so she could understand that bad rumors were bound to be spread.
And she would have dropped it at that, but when they had met this morning. She could sense that there was some... not hostility but rather dislike toward her, which in turn made her question whether there was some truth to the rumors.
It also made her think about why the queen and her sister, the leader of the priestess, had spent so much time in Kalinsha of all places. In the past, they had rarely visited the place despite the proximity and now after this adventurer appeared all of a sudden they stayed there for multiple days in a row.
"Lady Custodio, we should find a place to rest." Gustav Montagnés, her trusted aid advised.
"I know," She responded before pointing at a clear area in the distance. "We will set up camp there, so we won't be exhausted when we join the rest of the military tomorrow." Gustav only nodded before returning to the others to convey her order.
It only took them half an hour until they arrived and then another hour until everything was set up. During this time, she had looked at the follower of Azazel, preparing their tents to sleep in. At least, he didn't rely on her men to accommodate him. She had heard about his maids occasionally wearing what amounted to blindfolds, she had dismissed it before, but now seeing it firsthand, it was indeed a bit strange.
The short blonde follower, who Gustav mentioned was a former squire, should have been blind with those on, but here she was performing her tasks without fail. Although she wanted to give the former squire a piece of her mind for abandoning her duties, she held herself back as she heard that she performed quite well as Azazel's add-on.
They said that she was being trained by him and that her abilities had soared since then. There was also something about her giving public speeches and other rumors, but she wasn't interested in the former squire's other interests and hobbies.
After watching them for a while and seeing them behave, she returned to her tent to rest. It didn't take long for her to be interrupted though. Gustav announced that Azazel and his follower wanted to speak with her in private. She nodded and invited the other in.
Although they weren't riding into battle just yet, she was still in armor despite resting soon as they were getting close to the battlefield, which meant enemies could be close by. All of the paladins under her knew this as well, so they wouldn't be caught off-guard. So, she wasn't worried that the adventurer and his 'maid' would try anything.
Once settled, the suspicious man entered the tent. He certainly had an imposing figure that would intimidate lesser men or women. She just stared at him, unimpressed and even a little disappointed at seeing him change into more comfortable attire. It was like he was here for an outing. Her opinion of him plummeted as she looked at the supposedly experienced adventurer.
The only good thing was that he was good-looking, but this wasn't something Remedios cared for. Neia, as Gustav had mentioned, had abandoned her blindfold and Remedios would have preferred if she kept it on. "Greetings, Grandmaster of the Paladin Order." He started with a slight bow befitting for a noble, which caused her to scoff.
"What do you want, Azazel?" She said as neutrally as she could. Although she disliked the other, there was no need to antagonize him.
He raised an eyebrow while sitting down on the only other available chair. "Do you know why I am here?" He started as he looked around her tent as if to inspect it. "Did Calca and Kelart inform you?"
"It's the Queen and the high priestess for you." She spat out, not taking any disrespect towards her friend and sister.
He again raised an eyebrow as if she wasn't serious. Just as she was about to correct his misconception, he spoke again. "Huh, didn't know your opinion overwrote theirs." The smile on his face disturbed her, giving her the feeling of one of those cunning ministers who bent their own words to get what they wanted.
She hated those types and avoided them as much as possible. Those are the ones her sister would be best to talk to. However, she was too hung up on what he said to send him away immediately to avoid any confrontation.
"What are you talking about?" She blurted out, which just deepened his smile.
"Calca-, I mean the Queen and the high priestess became quite good friends of mine and they had told me not to be so formal. Of course, if you were just a normal politician then I wouldn't be as informal in my choice of words, but I thought you already knew and we didn't need to put up the polite facade."
Her eyes narrowed at him, trying to discern the truth of his words, but she wasn't good at reading people's ulterior motives. "I would prefer a formal language Azazel." If that was what it took for him to speak about the queen and her sister with some respect.
"Lord." His follower suddenly interjected.
"Excuse me?" Her attention snapped to the smaller woman, who just glared at her in response.
"It's lord Azazel for you. Although he is a foreigner, he is still a prince. Not someone you can casually address." She stated as if it was a fact, though before she could continue, Azazel waved his hand and with just the gesture, she could tell that there was some truth to her statement.
His demeanor carried a familiar grace with it, which reminded her of the times Calca had given a speech or received ministers. The gaze in his eyes was sharp as if he was scrutinizing her every move and judging her for them.
She had never been good at the etiquette of nobles, so she really wasn't prepared to display it in front of Lord Azazel- She shook her head and turned back to Azazel, who had remained quiet. "You are here on behalf of the Queen as an adventurer to help us quell a rebellion." She stated what position he held at the current moment.
He placed his elbow on the small table next to him and propped up his chin on it as he looked at her like he was watching a jester making a fool of herself. "Am I here to quell a rebellion and am I truly here as an adventurer?" He asked, causing her to frown.
What was the meaning of these questions? "What's that supposed to mean?" At her question, he only snortled lightly before turning his head to the entrance of the tent just as Gustav called out from just outside. "Captain, the scout has returned and brought news from the military." Remedios continued to glare at the wanderer paladin/adventurer for a moment longer, who didn't seem to be surprised at the intermission and showed no intention of walking out before she opened her mouth.
"Let him in." She called out before turning her attention to the scout that was entering her tent. He looked exhausted and out of breath, though she wouldn't wait for him to calm down. "What news do you bring?" She asked, her gaze boring into the scout, who grew a bit more pale under the scrutiny.
His eyes wandered to the adventurer and was probably thinking that he shouldn't be there to hear the news. She wanted to use this opportunity to send Azazel out, but the next words left her stunned. "My lord, they have already set camp and are constantly watching the enemy's movement. Until now nothing suspicious has been seen, but the military still hopes that you will take command sooner than later. Some of them are getting restless."
"We won't move the schedule forward, otherwise it would just affect our capabilities if we arrived there tired. The enemy won't attack before two nights have passed, so they will be fine without me until then." He answered and waved him off as if he expected the scout to report to him. Remedios was speechless and just looked at him before turning to her scout, who flinched under her gaze and looked rather unsure whether to leave or not.
After urging him, he proceeded to talk about the basic situation of the army. The numbers, the composition, and more importantly what the enemy's army looked like. Then she waved her hand at him with a scoff and dismissed him, which gave him the courage to move out of the tent.
Gustav had a wry smile on his face and excused himself before leaving with Neia as well. Remedios looked at the adventurer, who was just supposed to be a guest of their paladin order. "Care to explain?" She asked, though her tone was more commanding. Her mind already conjured up the suspicion that he had undermined her authority and was betraying her country.
Not that she would expect anything less from a cunning foreign noble, who apparently wormed himself into Calca's grace. The suspicion in her heart grew and she was almost convinced that he was feeding her sister and Calca lies to strip them of their power.
Azazel leaned back into her chair and just watched her with an amused expression. "How about a bit more tact?" He asked condescendingly, which caused Remedios' blood to boil. Her hand landed on her sheathed sword, non-verbally conveying her threat.
As a response, Azazel shook his head in disappointment. "You really have no class, but I didn't expect you to," he remarked with a wry smile. "Some individuals are just destined for a less refined path, I suppose," he added, his tone dripping with condescension, leaving Remedios seething with a mix of anger and frustration. "Anyway, I am not here to quell the rebellion as you might have guessed."
"Then what are you here for, to waste our time?" She shot back with scorn. She was already at the limit of her patience.
"I am here for a more troublesome and more dangerous enemy than some nobles with grand delusions. A demon is among the rebellious nobles, leading them to wage this conflict." His words surprised her and she couldn't help but retort.
"We already exterminated the demons that attacked the capital." He gave her an unimpressed look, which made her realize her mistake. How could these possibly be every demon?
"Yeah, those were just some of his minions. Their leader is still very much alive. To be honest, you are lucky that you didn't encounter him, otherwise, you would have been dead already." She scoffed at that remark. Although she wouldn't claim to be the strongest even in her country, there weren't many who could fight her one-on-one.
"If he were this powerful why didn't Lady Calca-" inform her? The last few words died in her throat as she looked at the spear that pointed at her head before it disappeared again. It had been too fast and she wasn't prepared for him to make a sudden move. "This- an ambush." He stepped forward grasped her wrists and twisted them above her head before pushing her into the center wooden pillar that held up the tent.
She tried to free herself but found that her strength couldn't resist the other. He was far stronger than her and the only thing she could do was glare at the other's golden eyes. To her, it looked like they were faintly shimmering in the dim light of her tent. "Let go." She hissed through her clenched teeth, a whisper laced with frustration and defiance.
Yet, the grip on her remained unyielding, and her struggle seemed futile against the overpowering force that held her captive. The golden eyes, seemingly untouched by her resistance, held a cold determination that sent shivers down her spine. "Let go," she hissed through her clenched teeth again, the words carrying a mix of desperation and anger, echoing in the tense air of the dimly lit tent.
He finally let go, leaving her to massage her wrists, feeling the warmth of his grasp still imprinted on her skin. "You are not as strong as you think you are," he whispered to her, which might as well have been a shout with the way this statement reverberated through her thoughts. The weight of his words hung in the air, a stark reminder of how helpless she was just now.
"Don't do anything stupid. Let me do my job and keep out of the way, so nothing goes wrong. This isn't a battle you should interfere with." His words resonated, urging her to reconsider any notions of defiance. His words lingered, a word of warning against challenging the boundaries he had now set.
After he said that, he walked out of the tent without looking back, leaving her alone with a swirl of conflicting emotions. The canvas walls seemed to close in around her, and as the flap fell back into place, she found herself grappling not only with the physical aftermath but also with the unspoken challenges that lay ahead.
Despite the rude awakening this interaction had just caused, she was determined to follow him in the battle the day after tomorrow. If there was truly such evil lingering behind the veils of a rebellion then she and the paladin order needed to do their best to exterminate it regardless of what Azazel thought was best.
Her mind then wondered why her sister and Calca hadn't told her of this. Weren't they confident in her strength? Did they worry, she wouldn't be strong enough to combat this evil? Even if she was lacking slightly in comparison, her group was still a lot stronger than what the military could offer.
Her hand tightened around the grip of her sword as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she tried to forget the adventurer's warning. Trying to forget his voice, the color of his eyes, the breath on her skin as he whispered to her, and the grasp around her wrists...
She shook her head and decided to get a good night's sleep before the decisive battle tomorrow.
...
Remedios watched as her subordinates rode into battle against the rebellion. Although there weren't many in her team, they compensated their lack of numbers with quality. Each of them could take on multiple enemies with ease, so in this battle, they were able to make a significant dent in the enemy's line of defense the moment they took action.
However, despite the war going full throttle, she was focused on something else, or rather on someone else. Her gaze trailed toward Azazel, who had spoken with a general in private. A small chunk of their army went along with him into a nearby forest, which necessitated her team's presence in this battle.
Now she knew why their presence was needed when part of the army was doing who knew what. After seeing to it that they were gaining ground on the enemy and their imminent victory was at hand, she decided to take a portion of her group and followed behind Azazel.
She had a bad feeling about this guy and with his strength, it would be difficult to go against him if he had some nefarious motives. She was probably the only one that could do something about him.
Of course, given the display of strength that night, she had realized that she was weaker than him, but an ambush would still give her an edge and physical prowess wasn't all to a battle. Martial arts could be used to bridge the gap.
Besides she had some assistance that would give her the opportunity to strike him even if he hid among the army. After a while they entered a small clearing, her eyes constricted as she watched another group opposite of Azazel's. One being in particular attracted her attention.
A large demon twice as large as a human adult. Thick arms and legs, a big belly, and sharp tusks sticking out of his mouth. A fiery red skin and horns signify his demonic origin. She could feel the demon's intimidating aura. Just from the appearance she could tell that the demon was a mighty foe.
Her hand clenched around her hilt. Although he had mentioned that a demon would be present, she hadn't fully believed him. However, now that she was seeing the demon, her suspicion of Azazel at least halved. She still couldn't stand him and didn't understand why Calca and her sister hadn't tasked the Paladin Order with slaying this demonic creature, but at least the adventure could be trusted. For now.
She didn't hesitate and guided her troop toward the starting clash. The army was obviously at a disadvantage and they were losing ground quickly, so she directly decided to give a helping hand. She unsheathed her sword and directly flanked the army that was led by the demonic entity.
Her appearance certainly surprised not only the demonic camp but also the group Azazel led. She could hear him shout some command and decidedly ignored the glare he threw at her. It was obvious that his ego had been hurt, but this wasn't something one should consider in the middle of a battle.
With her group's addition, they quickly turned the tide of the battle and pushed back the opposition, though their advantage was short-lived. It was as if the demons had anticipated the current situation as more demonic imps appeared on the forest fringe, ambushing Remedios' group.
She had barely time to react to the change and issue orders when she was face to face with an imp. With a swift slash, she bisected the imp that had dared to attack her. However, two replaced his gap, forcing her to abandon the horse and defend from the ground. After adjusting to the ambush, she made quick work of the imps, though she was the only one having a relatively easy time against them.
Her paladins were able to hold their own, though missing the same advantage that they possessed against the rebellion army. They tried their best to ease their army from facing these demons and take this weight off, while they continued to fight the rebellion, but the plan was doomed to fail. She could feel the ground trembling.
A look over to the sound of thuds revealed to her that the demon leader was charging at her. A rotation and a slash at an imp's neck beheaded the demon and gave her enough time to welcome the demon leader's charge.
[Fortress] [Strong Strike] [Holy Strike]
She directly stacked three martial arts and surged forward the instant the demon loomed over her. Her sword clashed with a ferocious fist, sparking an explosion of divine energy that reverberated like a thunderclap. The impact echoed as if striking solid steel, sending shockwaves through her arms, trembling with the force. Her body recoiled, carving a pair of rifts into the earth beneath her feet.
With a stomp, she stopped her momentum before heading back to engage with the demon again. They clashed with unyielding force, her strikes precise and swift, met by the demon's dark, crackling energy. However, despite doing her best she wasn't gaining any ground, quite the opposite, she was pushed back and the demon looked at ease.
There were shouts in the background and she knew that the demons were suppressing them. It wouldn't take long until they would decimate their numbers. This thought, a brief lapse of concentration was directly exploited by the demon.
His fist reached the tip of her sword bending it until it snapped in half. She was only able to raise her arm to shield her from the other fist trying to take her head off. Her view spun around as she felt the crack in her shoulder before she fell heavily to the ground. Her head hit the ground, leaving her dizzy and stunned. Ringing sounded in her ears, leaving her confused.
"I told you that you should have stayed away." A smooth rich voice cut through the ringing as her view darkened and then brightened again. She looked up and saw a figure standing in front of her, holding off the demon, whose face contorted with anger and disgust. However, what truly attracted her attention were the wings attached to the figure.
An angel stood before her. Her mind was blank and she couldn't compute what she was seeing for a moment. The dizziness had already subsided, and she realized that Azazel was an angel protecting her.
He raised a glowing sword and quickly dodged the demon's fists before cutting through it with ease. A demon that she would be troubled with even if she used all her trump cards was easily cut down like this. Azazel didn't rest and continued to pursue the demonic imps and killed them swiftly before he continued with the few remaining resisting rebels.
Only when he sheathed his sword, did everyone cheer for him, some directly knelt toward him, which caused the rest to follow. Even Remedios couldn't help but kneel in front of him.
"I told you not to interfere. Now I had to reveal myself. The devil I am hunting probably will be even more cautious in the future." His voice sounded out rather softly as he judged her actions. She couldn't help but feel her heart constrict when she heard his words.
No wonder her sister and Calca trusted him. He was justice personified. "I-" She started but couldn't find the words to continue. She only did what she thought was best, but that was hardly a good excuse.
"This was supposed to be a trap by having only 'weak' assistance, the true devil mastermind would have revealed itself to kill me. After you arrived, he probably escaped to who knows where. I have hunted this demon for eons already. I know this demon and how he acts. This would have been the time to end it all... Truly disappointing." Each word stabbed into her heart as she realized how severely she messed up. Her head hung low as she bit her lip to suppress the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"Alright, you will have to make up for your mistake." He spoke, causing her to press her forehead on the dirt.
"I truly apologize. I didn't know. I will do anything to repent." She swore though only got a hum from Lord Azazel before he turned to the kneeling army, who were just beyond earshot, unable to catch their words.
This was the moment the world found out that the adamantite adventurer Azazel was in fact an angel.
