Tales of Revenants

Chapter 49 – Sweets

The idea where Laken's party is going to leave without helping Alice was merely an act for her to reach out to them.

He bet that the shard Xenon's navigation is showing around the Astral Kingdom is the Shard of Energy that Zoroaster supposed to protect. Sadly, he was missing when he superficially solo-raid the enemies' camp.

Together with Alice and Laken's group were discussing the stratagem they should consider.

Sheria suddenly wakes up from her rest. Apparently, the auto-repair finished fixing the damage she received when Xenon hurled her directly at the riverbank.

“Look, I'm sorry Sheria, if only you directly said you wanted our assistance, we could have aided you,” Xenon asked for her forgiveness by bowing down hitting his forehead on the table's surface.

“No, I should be the one saying sorry. I abducted the half-elf lady when I panicked seeing the face of the Bloodless Revenant.” Sheria also did what Xenon exactly did.

“I'll take that as an insult.” Laken disagrees.

“Forget that.” Alice interjected, “I recounted them everything our side knows. They will be joining us on the raid tomorrow evening.” She told to Sheria.

Laken banged the table about what she just said, “You're telling me the raid will be tomorrow?”

“Of course! There's no telling what they could they be doing with Zoroaster. Just imagine the fear people will have to shallow if they discovered a glorious Heavenly Hero lost to some cult?” Alice forced them to accept yet another point.

“But that doesn't mean it should be tomorrow and evening of all time?” Eirisse tousled her hair in anxiety.

“No, it's actually perfect if I should say.” Xenon stated with confidence clanking up the gears on his core.

“Change attribute: wise... It's not like I'm disparaging their force. The Midnight Pentagram may have the ability to control Nightbeasts, but they are a group of cultists with different races.” Xenon indicates.

“What are you implying?” Alice taps the table with her fingers.

“Based on their last intrusion, their assault is meant to destroy the Hexer Aerial Battalion's camp, but then you arrive with the other celestials and us joining the fray means their plan totally failed.” Xenon told to them.

“Wait...” Laken is now seeing Xenon's point, “The reason why the celestials' battalion was wiped and the assault today pertains to only one thing...” Laken presented them a hint.

Alice gasped when she got the gist of the enemy's true motives, “They intended to diminish our forces, not to crush us!”

“But do you know exactly why they wanted to do so?” Xenon asked and Alice promptly shook her head.

“It suggests the Midnight Pentagram are confident to not lose their fight. They wanted a battle of attrition until the other side wears their power down.” Xenon surmised.

“I also guess their trump card was the unknown fellow who defeated and abducted Zoroaster. The only problem is we don't know anything about their forces.” Laken considers.

“Sending Sheria's battalion will be foolish since they have someone in their rank that can wipe out an entire battalion,” Eirisse suggests after fixing her eyeglasses in deep contemplation.

“Then we need to assault with few forces?” Luciella infers her first card.

“Hm... that was a good idea.” Alice takes Luciella opinion, “We celestials hate violence more than anyone. I don't want to put my comrades and the mechanoids in danger. I shall explain the plan in detail.” Alice grabbed her wand beside her.

She pulled the Shard of Cosmos on the orb and fairly handed it to Luciella, “This is an advance payment for all of your assistance. If you want gold or what, wait after everything is done.” Alice told and clings unto Laken by attaching her hand to his arm.

“What?” Laken stared at her in a grimace.

“I thought we'll discuss the plan?” Xenon questions in confusion when she saw her cling onto Laken.

“Ugh...” Alice let out a drawl, “Just get with it already! Touch each other and make sure you're holding this pissant's hand.” She audaciously insulted Laken but he did not care.

“Like this?” Luciella held Laken's hand tight and everyone touches Laken just as she ordered them.

“I feel dumb,” Laken remarked.

“Shut up! Make sure you never let go. We'll be going on the second magic barrier protection especially in the Alfeiyn. Now... heed my spell...” Alice whispered an ancient language that even Eirisse can't understand.

She spins her wand and chanted, “Aports!” Within a single blink of eyes, they were surprised when the place they are standing isn't camp in the forest anymore, but what greeted them was probably the wonderful place they have witnessed.

“Teleportation magic?! That was astounding!” Eirisse exclaimed in astonishment.

What Alice did is teleportation magic which transfers their grounding in the second magic barrier of the Astral Kingdom.

“Welcome to Alfeiyn. The wide barrier you are seeing on the boundary is the second barrier of the Astral Kingdom to protect the celestials from the foreign evildoers.” Alice pointed her index finger right above them.

The pleasant houses and mysterious aesthetic feeling of comfort when they were welcomed in the Alfeiyn. The air has a different scent, celestials mostly fly in the sky by levitating as they freely live inside their sanctuary.

But what amazed them was the enormous barrier expanding from the horizon up to sky-high. The Astral Kingdom's glamour left them in bewilderment on how peaceful the environment their lands are.

“I can feel the flow of mana. It's surging so strong.” Luciella can clearly see the flux of magic affinity in the form of different colored fireflies.

“Amazing right? This barrier is invisible outside, only the celestials and the people we chose can enter this sacred place,” Alice told them for bragging.

The second barrier covers seventy percent of the celestial’s population. The remaining are the royals and higher-ups who are under the protection of the first magic barrier five times thicker than the second one.

“Wow, this is my first time in the Astral Kingdom, marvelous,” Sheria commented in a monotonic tone. It's not convincing she's amazed but at least she says what she observed.

“Your expression isn't really persuasive,” Eirisse noted.

Alice beckoned them to follow her as they walk in the streets. It's no more than different than the Skyhaven Kingdom.

They have various shops and merchants, the citizens are ebullient, they are all living in harmony without thinking about the outside world.

“Now that I think about it if you have the ability to teleport, why didn't you chase us back then?” Xenon's talking about the time when he saved Laken, Eirisse, and Luciella in an imminent threat of getting caught alive by the Heavenly Heroes.

“I told you already it's because I'm super lazy and I'm fully aware of it,” Alice answered an irony. She is conscious of herself being the most inactive Heavenly Hero they have seen.

Everyone kind of sighed when they heard the most illogical reasoning. They stopped in front of the shop that's selling different sweets and cakes.

Both Luciella and Alice's stomach rumbles from just seeing the luscious desserts, they averted their face in embarrassment, “We'll buy sweets here,” Alice hides her beet-red cheeks using her wand. They willingly followed her inside the shop.

The shopkeeper who was standing behind the counter sees the customer when he heard the chimes sound off on the front door. It's quite tranquil and the shop has few customers.

The party also noticed when the moment Alice teleported them in the Alfeiyn, the celestial citizens aren't being suspicious of Laken and the rest. They live their life to the fullest not minding each other's business.

“My usual set-up pops. But change the apple cake to strawberry cake.” Alice whispered to the man behind the counter but everyone definitely heard her.

The shopkeeper gives her a strange-shaped gold key and escorted them in a room, “Enjoy yourselves,” he said before closing the door.

“What is this...?” Luciella asked uncertainly.

“What is there to enjoy when the room is empty?!” Xenon complains.

The room is completely empty. Not even a speck of furniture or anything. There's not a window to enjoy the sunlight.

 Xenon is confused about why the shopkeeper says something outrageous when there's literally nothing.

“Keep silent, will you? You do this and...” Alice silenced him.

They were startled when she randomly jabbed the air using her key, the place started to brighten and abruptly, they closed their eyes as the dazzling light enveloped the entire empty room.

Abruptly, the moment they peek to the surrounding, it changes into a very luxurious room full of various sweets on the shelves.

The empty floor now has a very comfy green carpet with different patterns. Alice cheerfully sprawled on the comfortable sofa holding a cookie in hand.

“I don't feel good for some reason.” Laken gritted his teeth just from seeing the volumes of sugar a container of cookies could amount.

“I'm a special guest in this shop you see. They use spatial magic to save space in the exact same room but a different theme. This is my own private paradise and we'll discuss our stratagem here whether you like it or not.” Alice declared to them.

Laken groaned when Alice is teasing him off. His stomach is killing him with too many sweets.

He can't believe the day would come where he spends an important discussion about bringing down the Midnight Pentagram in a cake shop with the most frivolous Heavenly Hero he has ever seen in his life.