Chương 1663: Interlude: Trouble Brewing I

As the noonval sun bore upon her, the woman tensed, screaming within her heart, letting out a soft sigh to calm herself. Her skin was like late dusk, as beautiful as any of the purple skinned devilkin one could find within Aswadasad, though grey dotted along her face, neck, and the rest of her body, revealing her true nature, and her pristine horns, jutting out on either side of her head, revealed her truly noble blood, or so she would state.

'To think I, the Demon Lord, would be unable to step out in a land of mortals!' Lucy growled quietly to herself, peeking open an eye towards the Iyrmen all around her, each well built, from years of swinging their steel, spilling the sweetest of ichor, swigging the sourest of swill, though she would not speak the words to the Bearded Dragon, for she was wiser than even Aldland in that regard.

The Iyrmen, so well built they were, she thought, at least a small mercy on her eyes, her heart, her soul, for if she was to be trapped within Aswadasad as though a bird within a gilded cage, she would at least enjoy the dessert that were the Iyrmen. Mara settled nearby, reading a book, though her mind was preoccupied with something else. As her eyes scanned the green of the grass, the paleness of the stone, the sweat of the Iyr, she considered what kind of terror would be befalling the Faro.

At the very least, the woman would know a kindness from Vonda and Sara, only tinged by the presence of Difan, however, once the meeting passed, how many would criticise her for hosting two demons? Yet, what were they meant to do? To flaunt the demons so openly, to even force the Faro to accept them within her estates, this was the will of the Iyr, which had finally stepped out in an appropriate force.

When she had first awoken in this land, it had been shortly after that particular massacre, in which Iyrmen slaughtered an entire company of soldiers, those belonging to Aldland upon the southern wastes near the strait. That was the last time the Iyr had taken a matter seriously, not even when the elves had slaughtered an entire town within, what was now, Western Floria, did the Iyr step forward with such a terrifying force.

At the very least, in Aldland, the Iyr could slaughter as it pleased due to a treaty of old, but within Aswadasad, the Iyr needed to show face to the land of sun and gold. Didn't it?

'What is it?' Mara thought.

'What is it that gives you this courage?' She was certain she felt something within the Iyr, though she couldn't place it. However, with the knowledge that Emperor Hadda and Emperor Shama both held a connection to the Iyr, as well as Lord Stokmar, there was definitely a terrifying figure. Certainly, it must have been that Great Elder, the one called Elder Story, whose position was absolute.

'Perhaps it was during the Year of Silence,' Mara thought, thinking of the year in which Elder Story had left with a hundred warriors from the Iyr, seemingly having left the Iyr for the first time. It was at that time even the Iyr retreated from the world.

'If Elder Story is as powerful as Lord Asa of Floria…' Mara closed her eyes, considering for a moment how audacious Floria could act up with Asa, exactly as audacious as they were currently behaving, but the Iyr moved beyond that audacity, beyond courage, beyond even arrogance.

'How many Paragons are there?' Lucy stared at the edge of a building.

'I hope they're bullying the Faro properly, those damn nobles. If you don't bully them enough, I'll make sure no more magical weapons flow through Arisa from the United Kindom.' The only small hope the Faro had was to call them devilkin, and technically, since they were two horn kin, she wouldn't be lying. Lucy sat up. She blinked.

'Wait a minute! Couldn't I seduce Tana and Cho?' Mara looked up from her book, sensing as though her liege was about to get herself killed somehow. She blinked. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It was during this time, the pair found themselves in front of the large estate, a pair gazing upon them in return. The first pair were like one another in many ways, and unlike one another in other ways, one in heavy armour, the other not.

One handsome, the other also handsome, but their handsomeness was different, one pristine, one rugged, both dashing. The pair wore tattoos on their foreheads, wielded blades at their side, and wore trouble upon the surface of their audacious eyes. The other pair were like one another in many ways, and unlike another in other ways. Both wore shalwar, turbans, and each carried silver sabres at their side.

They were each equally as handsome, a gift from their father, their skin the colour of oak, their eyes the colour of leaves, their sneers the colour of disdain. They were twins, and in the town, they were known as the Twin Steel Sabres, but they were different in the sense that one wielded a sabre in his right and left hands, and the other in his left and right hands. Both were also equally as intelligent, a gift from their mother.

"State your business at once!" the pair shouted, reaching for their sabres, though had yet to draw them. How dare those of the Iyr step towards them with such courage? These wicked fiends!

"Do you think you Iyrmen can waltz within the great estate of the Setting Sun?"

"How impressive to match one another's words," Chosen mused, his brows raised in surprise, taking a bite of the hard sweet he had brought on the way, which brought him much grief from his cousin.

"Not even Cirot and Sirot speak as though they were one heart."

"I did not expect to see the Twin Steel Sabres guarding the Setting Sun estate," Tanagek admitted.

"If you have heard of us, shouldn't you-," the pair began, only to pause. Hold on. The pair stared at their foreheads, taking a long moment to think.

"Your tattoos seem familiar."

"If you are the Twin Steel Sabres, then your master is the Weal and Woe Steel Sabres," Tanagek said.

"My granduncle is Shagek, Silver Sword of the Wastes."

"My granduncle is Bloodblade Shasen," Chosen added.

'Don't talk to me about those bastards!' the Weal and Woe Steel Sabres used to exclaimed, beating the twins senseless.

'If I ever meet them again, I'll kill them!'

"I am Tanagek, and this is my cousin, Chosen," Tanagek said, taking responsibility for leading the conversation, uncharacteristic of Chosen, but he was glad his cousin had finally gained some wisdom.

'To think we would meet the Twin Steel Sabres…' Chosen thought. It was not unlikely, for they were in the martial world, and they were at least at the level of the kind who would be hired by the Shums. The twins clasped their palms over their fists, mirroring one another, and bowed lightly.

"Apologies, heroes of the Iyr. Please, what is your business within the Setting Sun? We shall inform the patriarch himself."

"We have come to speak with someone with some authority, if we are able, the patriarch himself, or, if he is unavailable, the one you may call Abdul Shums."

"Of course, young heroes!" The Twin Steel Sabres sent for another set of guards, and they themselves escorted the pair personally. The estate was set atop the top of a hill, as one might have expected, overlooking those of the commoners who toiled away beneath them.

Walls of sandstone, the myriad buildings of a paler sandstone, carved by hands long dead, hands which were certainly from the likes of those who toiled below, and whose hands had hopefully allowed their descendants to step above towards the top of the hill, or even remain within such a fine estate.

The greenery was matched by only others with similar wealth, for even trees reached for the heavens within such an estate, and several streams broke apart the districts within the estate, which would take minutes to run from one end to the next.

As they wound across a path towards a small wooden building, the kind for guests to await while drinking tea, the twins promised to return, darting away, all the while a servant stepped out to meet them, having expected the twins to break protocol, for they were the Twin Steel Sabres, after all.

"They are nimble," Tanagek said in their tongue.

"They might be as talented as Kitool," Chosen said, eyeing up the pair as they moved.

"Tana…"

"They may be at their natural peak already," Tanagek agreed.

'If they are this talented…' Chosen thought.

'If only they were not as stupid as Tana.'

'If only they were not as stupid as Chosen.' As the Twin Steel Sabres burst into the smaller estate of the heir of the Setting Sun, the Roaming Steel Sword drew his blade, and threatened to beat them senseless.

"What did you say?" Abdul half gasped, for though the Twin Steel Sabres annoyed him thoroughly, the fact that they had mentioned those two names to him explained everything. Also, their master was the Weal and Woe Steel Sabres.

'What business do they have with me?' Abdul thought, for their ill fated relationship should have remained but a drizzle against the sands, but it was now an oasis of trouble.

"Have they caused any trouble?"

"They would not cause such trouble, for they are great heroes of the Iyr," the Twin Steel Sabres replied, showing their obvious annoyance to the merchant.

'Father, why did you hire these two fools?' Abdul thought, but he was wise enough not to speak the words, for creating a connection with the Weal and Woe Steel Sabres was a great fortune.

"They must be here to slaughter," the twins said. Abdul blinked.