Chapter 943: Relic From The Palace Treasure Room, A Full Retreat
At first, the sixth princess was a bit startled. But, she caught the small object in her hand and carefully observed it. The item was a small black band that resembled a smooth jade bracelet. The band had unknown symbols carved onto its surface. However, what surprised Ranazera was that she could not feel a single drop of mana, or any kind of energy for that matter, coming from the object.
"I have never seen this kind of item before. What is it?" Ranazera inquired.
"Does it matter? Whether you choose to wear it or not is entirely up to your own will. But, I will say that refusing to wear it may bring you more harm than good." Izroth responded without hesitation.
Ranazera was somewhat hesitant to wear some unknown item. But, she understood that she currently did not have much of a choice. She released a long sigh before placing the black band on her wrist.
Snap!
The instant Ranazera equipped the black band, it snapped tightly onto her skin. But, to her surprise, there was no pain or discomfort.
However, Ranazera's eyes widened in shock as she soon realized something was wrong.
"You—What did you do?!" Ranazera scowled.
Once the black band tightened, Ranazera felt all of her strength leave her body. In her current state, even some random foot soldier could claim her life!
She quickly tried to remove the black band; however, it was no use as it would not come off no matter how much strength she exerted.
"The effects are only temporary, but it will ensure that you do not get any ideas about retaliating. As I've said before, this will bring you more good than harm." Izroth answered nonchalantly.
'I was unsure if it would work or not given the differences that exist between the energy sources in the Mortal Realm and ethos, but... It seems my worries were unwarranted.'
Name: Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas(Relic)
Usage: Greatly suppresses the power of the one who wears it. This relic cannot be forcibly placed upon a wearer and must be willingly worn by the wearer themselves. Once equipped, this relic cannot be taken off or damaged by its wearer and must be removed by another person not affected by a Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas.
Special Note: This item is automatically destroyed upon removal from its wearer.
Izroth briefly used his Energy Vision Sense to check on the changes to Ranazera and noticed that the layer of "flames" around her was practically nonexistent. This showed that the Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas was working just as intended.
'The suppressing effects are quite powerful. Though I suppose that's not too strange given the strict conditions that surround the relic.'
The Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas was one of the many items Izroth looted from the Pillar of the West Ourami's Palace Treasure Room.
Just as its name revealed, it was capable of suppressing an individual's power. However, in order for it to properly take effect, the wearer themselves had to equip the relic.
Needless to say, there were not many situations where one would voluntarily weaken themselves. Therefore, despite its powerful suppressing effects, its usage was extremely limited.
"Scoundrel...!" Ranazera growled under her breath as she grit her teeth and held back her anger.
How was this doing her more harm than good?! He was obviously making fun of her!
But, right now, even if she wanted to lash out, it would be like a small child trying to fight a fully grown adult. She could only silently curse Izroth in her thoughts and hope deep in her heart that he kept his word.
"As promised, since you've been so cooperative, I'll tell you my identity now," Izroth stated.
Of course, Izroth heard Ranazera speak under her breath, but he chose to simply ignore it. Even if she whispered a few curses, as long as she behaved, he did not mind her venting her anger a little.
"My name is Izroth. I am the 9th Division Captain of the General Support Unit from the kingdom of Amaharpe." Izroth revealed in a carefree manner.
Captain? General Support Unit? For a moment, Ranazera thought that she was hearing things.
A mere Captain managed to defeat a Centurion of Aloysius' strength and proceed to catch up to her after she used The Carrying Winds magic item? Not only that, he was not even a member of the War Brigade or War Intelligence Group, but a person under the General Support Unit?
Who would believe such nonsense?! Did he take her for a fool?! There was no way a Captain, let alone one from the General Support Unit, known even among other kingdoms for being the weakest war branch, could possibly display that sort of power!
More importantly, Ranazera's pride would not allow her to accept being captured by some unknown Captain from the weakest war branch of an enemy kingdom!
"Hmph, even if you do not wish to tell me the truth, there is no need to come up with such a half-baked tall tale." Ranazera scoffed.
The sixth princess believed that Izroth was telling the truth about his name and being from the kingdom of Amaharpe. However, she considered everything else he said a lie and was something he used as a cover. After all, the best lies had certain truths within them.
Izroth could only inwardly shake his head as he listened to Ranazera's words and witnessed the doubt present in her eyes. But it was not his job to convince her that he was telling the truth; therefore, he chose not to entertain her words.
"Follow me. Oh, and try not to stray too far away. Otherwise, I won't be able to guarantee your safety." Izroth stated as he began to walk back in the direction where the 9th Division was located.
At the same time, Izroth sent a quick message to Niflheim and Menerva to inform them of his success in capturing Ranazera.
Meanwhile, Ranazera stood still for a bit as she silently observed Izroth. A small part of her was tempted to run away when he turned his back; however, despite his obvious display of dishonesty, Ranazera felt that he truly would not make a move against her.
The sixth princess released a heavy sigh before reluctantly following Izroth with quickened steps.
...
Several minutes later...
At the moment, Izroth and Ranazera were supposed to be on their way back to the battlefield they'd just left, but there was a change of plans.
Not too long after he captured Ranazera and was about to start his journey to meet up with the 9th Division, Izroth received a message from Niflheim.
The message stated that Bellum was able to break through the magic formation protecting the carriage.
Upon doing so, the mages within the carriage attempted to resist but were met with a swift death at the hands of Assault Group A.
According to Niflheim, the strength of the mages could not even compare to that of the average magic caster. It was to the point that he had doubts that the mages they eliminated were their true targets. However, regardless of his initial doubts, they had indeed completed their main objective.
As for Guard Commander Fulgencio and the remaining members of the Tempest elite troops, they were cleaned up by the players from the 9th Division.
There were also no signs of changes to the state that Centurion Aloysius was left in.
In addition, the losses to the 9th Division were minimal, as only three of its members had fallen during the intense battle.
All in all, it was an absolute victory for Izroth and the 9th Division!
Since their mission had been completed, Izroth instructed Niflheim and the others to return to the Xanaharpe outpost with the Returning Scrolls provided to them before their departure from the Land of Unity.
They were to then head to meet up with Commander Aurie of the War Brigade and accompany her unit to the Night Lord's Crypt while awaiting his return.
As for Izroth, since he had some company present with him, it was not possible to use a Returning Scroll. He had no choice but to make the journey through the Tempest border and Malentansium lands to the Night Lord's Crypt on foot.
Naturally, Niflheim and Menerva expressed their disapproval of Izroth's plan. Even for him, it would be far too dangerous to travel through the Tempest border and Maletansium alone. This was even more so considering that he was escorting a princess of Tempest.
Without a doubt, there would be people sent by Tempest to pursue him. But, since he defeated Centurion Aloysius, those sent would at least have the strength of a First File. Given Ranazera's status, it was possible that they may even send a First Prefect—someone comparable to a High General of the War Brigade!
In their eyes, it was too risky for Izroth to deal with alone. That being said, Niflheim and Menerva were also aware the current 9th Division was still too weak and inexperienced.