The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 329 - Medallion Of Honor & The Gravity Of Impromptu Stages

Chapter 329: Chapter 329 - Medallion Of Honor & The Gravity Of Impromptu Stages

The Army company and rescued civilians streaming inside the fort’s massive gates were greeted by more soldiers and the few cultivators there. They watched with straightened postures as their allies rejoined them in the imposing structure. A massive location meant to hold thousands of mortal fighters and ten times as many noncombatants in understructure.

Watch guards peered down from the battlements, their gazes lingering on the raven-haired cultivator near the column’s head flanked by the smaller one that had brought the warning. Whispers had raced ahead of them like wildfire, caused by the reports of Captain Cyera to the upper brass.

"That’s the one. The Yecine who slew the leader."

"Alone, they say. Less than a day after the incursion started."

"Impossible..."

"One of their people said they saw it with her own eyes. Maybe we can find them and ask later?"

Qatrand maintained her stoic expression, though the fragment in her wife’s chest revealed a touch of discomfort at all the attention rippling through the air. Slightly beside and behind her, Elua er Goltbred walked with the perfect poise she was known for by some.

Judged that way even with an animal, that many from afar still assumed was just a pelt, draped across her shoulders. It lay there practically boneless - like living ornamentation. Its eyes, however, missed nothing. Every reaction, every subtle shift in posture as they passed.

Especially the ones that lingered on it.

’Interesting creature. I wonder how the ability works? It isn’t structured the way of a usual Sense or Alert Astralism. It also bypassed my attempt to fool its spirit. Maybe it’s something in the body...’

While she couldn’t prevent it from knowing when her attention was on it... she luckily - for its own mental health - could prevent it from understanding that she was considering dissecting it. Just a little. When it died.

A senior Continental Army officer broke away from a group of Guild representatives and strode toward them. The commander of the fort offered a formal salute which the heavy blade wielder immediately returned.

"Qatrand er Yecine. Your reputation precedes you. I’m Commander Huri. The fort welcomes you and your companions."

"Thank you, Commander. Ready to report on the evacuation operation we undertook and the subsequent engagements with enemy forces."

"Quick to duty indeed."

The man’s eyes shifted briefly to Elua, who seemed somehow more ’linked’ in her distance to the tall young man than the other cultivators following, who stood at attention nearby. He wrote it off as newlywed feelings before returning to Qat.

"There will be time for a proper debriefing shortly. But first, your achievements deserve recognition, even in these pressing times."

The commander led them through the courtyard toward a raised platform where several Guild insignias were displayed prominently on hanging flags. Combat forces had gathered to witness the impromptu ceremony put together overnight on the marshalling grounds.

Elua began to slow her following at the stairs, but a tightening tendril of spirit reinforced with a little gravitic pull made her come along to the center of her beloved’s ’spotlight’. Mint eyes dulled with the emotions running through her and the other girl. Qat’s spirit had firmed up with a little tension - and a lot of stubbornness.

Others might not know what roles the smaller girl played, but even if it ’had’ to be in the periphery when it came to certain things... the Yecine heir would make sure others realized her value. To herself, if nothing else.

For it was easy to cherish and protect something hidden - but if that was the way of things they wanted as a couple, then why wouldn’t her cute wife have monopolized the swordswoman entirely? Her El wanted the tall girl to be a known and trusted force - a hero, even. Meanwhile, Qat herself wanted others to know that came with an indispensable ally.

And all these simple but complex feelings could be read by a certain illusionist. It made her want nothing more than to climb on the muscular spouse and send warning glares to every remotely ’lusty’ noise in the crowd! Of course, that was the lowest of the number of impressions she received.

Basic curiosity, understandable doubt, honest respect, and her favorite - ’calculation’ was all parsed and catalogued. Noting particularly the intensity with which a slender man bearing Yecine colors watched the proceedings. A younger elder, who for some reason wore one of the black leather armguards she had crafted.

’Perhaps he is worried about being poisoned by the food they cook here?’

Commander Huri raised his voice to address the assembled crowd.

"Many of you have already heard tales of what transpired. I will now officially confirm that Qatrand er Yecine of The Ironclad Order engaged and defeated a leader-class Voidling in single combat yesterday morning."

Murmurs through the crowd did not stop the commander from continuing.

"In recognition of this extraordinary feat and service to our region and our continent, I hereby present this commendation."

He produced a small medallion in a box... its coppery surface etched with the symbol that supposedly represented an empire that once spanned the continent. The Continental Army had taken it on for their purposes, just like they had taken the ’decorative’ item itself from a cache of them in ages past.

Elua had seen her fathers before - an item reserved for the slayers of important invasion milestones every eighteen years. At the young age, she was originally intrigued by the ’out of place’ metallurgy knowledge in the ’medallion’ before realizing it was simply ancient things repurposed without any understanding.

’An alloy of copper and beryllium required much more advanced methods than any I had seen others using, once I was old enough to explore the city...’

Which is why she had taken it upon herself to craft her Qat’s weapon in the first place! More than for her ability to perfectly blueprint it out, or for all the sigils she intended to carve along the way of the work, she simply didn’t trust the blacksmiths with the task - or her personal understanding of metalwork in the hands of ’amateurs’.

The Goltbred watched as the heavy blade wielder accepted the commendation with a formal bow. Outwardly, her expression remained composed despite the surge of pride the fragment betrayed to Elua. Very few Yecine had received one of these in the last century.

"I merely did what was necessary. Any cultivator would have done the same to protect the civilians in danger or their comrade beside them."

Her low toned voice carried out from the stage, striking the ears and hearts of the combatants. The commander nodded approvingly at the humble response. Of course, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and the warping in his spirit suggested he knew better, from experience.

"Perhaps. But not every cultivator would have succeeded. You did."

While a small nod was returned to the man, a small commotion was raised as an individual pushed through the crowd in a rush to get to the stage. His face beamed as he broke through and caught sight of the two people he wanted to see most. Salt-and-pepper hair stood at odd angles and ink stained the tips of his fingers.

"Qatrand! Elua! Perfect timing. Absolutely perfect."

He scrambled up the steps with an energy that belied his years, barely pausing to acknowledge the commander’s raised eyebrow before continuing.

"I heard the reports come in. With only one confirmed leader in the area - after your impressive victory - this is the ideal window for deployment! The trap must be readied and activated now, before more significant entities manifest and cause the safety issues."

Qatrand recognized the urgency in the familiar researcher’s demeanor. While he had seemed rather calm when she met him at the gravity anomaly site, there were times when he became extremely excitable. Especially when it involved his work. But it was her wife that stepped forward and spoke.

"Master Jevri. I take it the modifications you were struggling to finish are now all complete?"

"Better than complete! It can be deployed at any time."

He gestured excitedly at the ’sweet’ voiced girl before whipping toward the commander. Old eyes wild with youthful academic passion.

"If I may, sir - we need these two immediately. Our research site will be racing against time. Every hour we delay increases the likelihood of more enemies appearing in our region and making the defense of the location harder to manage."

Huri’s expression hardened at this revelation. The Coiled Serpent had sent this man here, as a waypoint for the orders that would be coming in from the other fronts. But other than that, he had been unaware of the exact nature of the sigilist’s need to be there.

The Army officers were too often kept out of the loop on Void Defense Society projects. Even having reports that the man was married to the young Goltbred prodigy’s mentor during Guild training - a report filed by one Talva er Ryleon - did not make it clear. That his whole reason to arrive and wait two days ago had been to pull two valuable members from the frontline if the situation was right.

"Is this related to the accelerated delivery of supplies your team requested last week?"

"Precisely."

Elua raised her finger to her chin and tilted her head. Her voice carried just the right balance of youthful concern and professional expertise that had made everyone think she was a ’prodigy’ in the first place.

"The resonance modifications I suggested should stabilize the array even under heavy load. Though I’d want to review the final sigil forms you implemented before activation."

"Of course, of course! That is the biggest reason why I feel we need you with us at this stage. You have always been excellent at noticing essence strain problems. And Qatrand, with your Element and now this unprecedented experience placing you against leader-class entities..."

He spread his hands wide and so theatrically that a little schemer wanted to clap.

"It’s as if fate itself aligned these events!"

So she did, after wasting so much energy to trick the many hundreds of eyes on her. Qat watched her wife point, turn to her, and mouth ’he is very good at this’. What impressed her the most was that, while part of him did seem to believe his own words, he very much was trying to manipulate the crowd in his favor.

"This is why everyone always takes his side in lover’s quarrels. His husband holes up in his research, while this man gets everyone to recognize him. We can both learn something from this!"

Pointing at her mouth and nodding back at the Yecine let Qat know she could speak safely. The tall teenager hesitated for only a moment, trusting the brunette completely.

"Learn what? I neither intend to ever argue with you or to make others think you are wrong. Just be good, wife."

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