Shampoo And Flowers

The sun was rising and the inside of the tent began getting hotter so I adjusted the temperature so Olivia wouldn't wake up.

A few hours had passed and not only did I not sleep, but I also did not manage to control my overflowing magic power.

I wasn't able to put a lid on it at all. My magic was leaving my body without warning. I have no idea what she did to me, but i knew her intentions were just.

And above all else, I think I fell in love with a demon girl.

I said I'd protect her but can I really do that? What if they find out about her? How will I protect her? And if my gut instinct is right, then isn't my little sister a demoness or something else as well? They don't use black magic, which is good, but how am I supposed to protect them like this?

My complex emotions were not helping me control my magic power. Calmness and stability are the cornerstones of magic control and I was failing to do either.

I walked out of the tent after setting up a few magical traps around and making sure they would protect Olivia as long as she remained inside.

My troops were already waiting for me to come out.

"Listen up, guys. I will leave you guys in charge of protecting Olivia while I go destroy the camps by myself. When I come back, we will immediately go back to the kingdom."

No one said anything this time.

I figured it was because of the magic power I was releasing without restraint.

"I set up trap magic around the tent, so if you guys get attacked, make sure Olivia stays inside. I might've been chased from yesterday and they might come and get her back."

"You kidnapped her?" Asked one of my soldiers.

"No. I saved her."

"She was about to be sold to some dirty old man and I stepped in to save her. The marriage stuff came after. Which I will not discuss."

"Why not!?" Screamed all my soldiers at the same time.

"My personal business is none of your concern!" I yelled back.

"Listen here you idiots. This is the most important task I can possibly give you. Protect her until I'm back. I will try to be as quick as possible. Prepare food for her and try to entertain her as well. I will pay you all extra later. For now, just keep her safe. Please." I bowed my head because I felt it was appropriate.

Mark was the first one to respond.

"No need to bow your head. We understand, your majesty."

Every else followed along and bowed with their right hand on their chest and one hand behind their back. The salute of our kingdom.

"Don't worry about me either. Right now, I feel invincible." I decided to put one extra trap down around our camp and demonstrated my insane magic power at the same time.

"I'll leave this trap around the camp. It will only work on intruders, so if they come, assume a defensive formation around the tent."

"Understood, your majesty."

I made my way out of the camp and toward the nearest barracks the Nevotre kingdom had set up. I was running at superspeed thanks to my magic enhancement and it didn't take me long to arrive. I had memorized the places the barracks were set up and the nearest one, was also the biggest one.

I needed to take them out and go back home. I don't feel safe with Olivia being outside and unguarded from threats. Even with my soldiers protecting her, there's a limit to what they can do outside of castle walls.

Once I arrived at the camp, I was immediately noticed and people came to greet me.

"Halt!" Screamed a soldier with a huge stature. He was at least three times taller than me. I was still young, but I didn't think I'd grow up to be as tall as this man in front of me.

"Why is a powerful mage like yourself here?" He readied his sword without minding his manners.

"I'm not sure."

I released all the magic power I had inside me into one spell and smashed my hands on the ground. Tremors begun to take form and the earth began to crack.

I had blasted lightning into the ground and caused it to explode from the inside.

I wanted to bury them here. Unable to leave and unable to survive within the hole I wanted to create.

Fissures kept appearing around the barracks and soldiers began screaming as the ground opened up and swallowed them. There were screams coming from the barracks, but they were unguarded to my attack. The earth quickly took them all down without warning and even the strongest fighters within the barracks were unprepared for my attack.

When the ground finished collapsing, I looked down at the massive hole I had left. Bodies were scattered everywhere and blood was dripping from the crushed soldiers.

It was a horrific sight. Nothing but destruction laid before me.

I had been trained and accustomed to not react to the death of people, but... I had never caused so much destruction before.

I was confident I could do this within the palace as well and kill everyone within it. A part of me feared the new found power I had been given by Olivia. However, another part of me was grateful for the gift that will allow me to protect her in the future.

I sat down by the edge of the hole I made and watched as people squirmed and tried their best to get out. I didn't attack them. I didn't have any malicious thoughts toward them. I simply left it up to fate. If they were lucky enough to have survived, then I would leave them alone.

A small explosion went off inside the hole and a few men came out of the smoke screen. They were all heavily injured, but no one seemed to be fatally wounded.

Six people. Six people came out. It looked like they were some of the stronger individuals within the barracks as well. They had been lucky enough to be strong and have fate be on their side.

As I was dangling my legs over the hole, I made eye contact with of one of them.

My magic power had decreased, but I was still releasing enough to be intimidating. My magic power was recovering extremely quickly and I didn't understand why. I had used so much power, yet it was coming back.

"Why did you attack us, great mage?" Asked the strongest looking soldier.

I didn't respond right away.

Why did I attack them? Because my mother said so? Or because I wanted to? Did I do it simply to test out my magic power? Do I even have a reason to attack them after taking Olivia? Wouldn't this cause more problems between the two kingdoms?

While I was lost in thought, he screamed once more.

"You took the appearance of a boy after ascending and you decide to attack us like this? Why?!"

He misunderstood, but I wasn't going to correct him.

"I'm not sure why I attacked you."

He had an irritated look on his face. It was justifiable, of course. If someone attacked me for no reason, I would also be angry. But that was also why I wasn't going to kill them. There was no reason to. I wasn't a mindless murderer and I didn't enjoy killing. Truth be told, I didn't like fighting. I was just good at it.

There was hatred in his eyes and everyone else behind him was the same.

"Leave now. I have no intention of harming you any further. You're alive thanks to fate." I said to them as I stood up and patted my pants down of dust and dirt.

"Survive and live to stay alive. Don't go looking for death on your own. If you're meant to fight, then fight, but if you're not, then don't go looking for a fight. This my advice to you."

I could see the rage and feel their magic power from here. They were filled with hatred and anger. There was nothing I could do about it but say a few words. I wasn't going to kill them nor was I going to humor them and attack them if they attacked me.

It was best for me to just leave.

"Wait!"

"Great mage, what's your name?"

"My name is Sel Arce."

"The prince?!"

"Why are you attacking us?! Is this a declaration of war?!"

"No."

"We'll be under special circumstances from this day forward. Due to this and that, I will be marrying the princess of your kingdom. Soon you'll find out. I don't mean to harbor ill intent toward your kingdom. I also decided that this was the last mission I would take under the name of the queen of the Arceia kingdom."

He looked confused and tense.

"I will personally never attack the kingdom of Nevotre. You have my word, knight of the Nevotre kingdom."

After that, I left. Feeling their hatred toward me growing.

When I arrived back at the camp, it was already dark and my troops were around the campfire with Olivia. She was sitting comfortably over some animal fur and listening to some of my soldiers tell stories.

When I arrived, I didn't know what to expect. I knew I liked her, but how should I greet her? Should I give her a hug? A nod? A handshake? A formal bow? What is the appropriate way to greet my fiancée?

As I approached her, it seemed like time was slowing down. The closer I got, the more time seemed to stop. But my thoughts were racing.

Why do I like her? Is it her appearance? Is it her personality? But I didn't know her well enough yet to say I liked her personality. I certainly liked her appearance. She was perfect in every way. But is that really all? Did I kill all those people just to come back to someone I supposedly love? What is this compelling force that drives me to her? I don't quite understand.

When I finally reached her, she stood up and gave me a hug. I didn't know what to make of it. My soldiers went quiet and I could only hear the sounds of the forest.

So a hug was the proper greeting.

I hugged her back and I felt the tension in the air loosen. I wasn't sure what was happening, but everything seemed to be in slow motion. I felt like I could see the air moving.

My troops weren't saying anything and I could feel her arms tighten around me.

"Welcome back, Sel."

It was nice. Her embrace felt nice on my body. It was tender and gentle. Lovely and charming. Even though we were in the forest, her hair still smelled good. Shampoo and flowers.

"We should get back home as soon as possible." I didn't want her to stay in the woods any longer.

"Yes." She stepped back and gave me a happy smile. Her voice and actions caused my head to go numb. What is this sensation? It feels weirdly nice.

I picked her up and she let out a covered yelp.

"We're leaving now. Pack up and get ready to leave." I told my troops and they quickly got on their feet and moved.

I took her to Mark's horse and jumped on the horse. Helping her get seated and holding her from behind, making sure she wouldn't fall. I used reinforcement magic on the horse for a steadier ride and prepared myself to leave.

"I'll be going ahead, you guys catch up as soon as possible."

With the smell of her hair in front of me, I happily rode the horse with the wind in my face.