Vez admired himself in the mirror. Yes he did make a striking figure, at least by human standards. Setting himself up as Court Advisor and seducing the Crown Princess Lynis were all part of a much larger plan to bring an end to that usurper Lei and his little pet Lords.
The thing that was bothering him right now was the ruckus outside in the palace. Those brats never showed up again and now everyone was in an uproar searching for them. Lynis would probably be hysterical over her missing niece and nephew. Well, that could be used to his advantage. Hysterical, distracted people were much more open to suggestion.
One of the servants politely knocked on his chamber door.
Vez actually kept no personal servants for obvious reasons. He couldn't risk his cover being broken and few Mazoku wanted to become vulnerable by staying within New Saillune.
The knock came again.
"Come in."
The door opened and two servants came in, some garments carried in their arms. Vez frowned.
"What do you want?"
"The Crown Princess wished for you to wear these robes today."
Vez kept himself from rolling his eyes.
"Very well. Bring them here."
Vez turned back to the mirror, studying his reflection. Then gasped as two pairs of slitted eyes looked back at him.
"You will be very quiet now," smirked one of the fake servants as he changed to look exactly like Vez.
"I have some question I'd like you to answer," remarked the other who was holding a black dagger at Vez's throat. He stepped more clearly into the mirror's reflection, his blue skin studded with gray stone becoming very obvious.
Two other Mazoku.
"You're Lei's Mazoku."
"Give the man, that is Mazoku, a prize," smiled Jedah/Vez in a perfect mimicry of the original's voice. However, Vez would probably never realize exactly who he was dealing with.
For a place dedicated to justice and supposedly pacifism, Val found New Saillune to have rather dismal prisons. Not that he had any previous experiences with being jailed but he suspected the damp, cramp, dirty cells were on the lower end of quality prisons. He wondered if there was a postcard he could send back home. You know, something like 'terrible place, wish I wasn't here' sort of thing.
His mother would have a heart attack. Xelloss would burst a spleen from laughing. Assuming that he had a spleen.
The Ancient Dragon had been languishing in the cell for a night amidst many other unfortunate souls who crossed one of New Saillune's seemingly hundreds of little laws. Perhaps it was a sign of xenophobia that nearly everyone was an outsider except that senile old man who had jaywalked and was a citizen of the city since birth.
And lucky Val was going to be the main event of today's execution. Or so he heard from the prison guards. Seemed like they had a pool running to see how long it would take him to die. Val always assumed hanging was instantaneous death. One of the guards corrected his mistake by pointing out that not all drops result in a broken neck.
So either he died immediately of a broken neck or he swung there and suffocated before the cheering masses. Nice.
Val was definitely going to get Lina back for this.
It was a beautiful day for a hanging. Which, Jedah thought as he surveyed the people of New Saillune, was a rather morbid thought. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and people were getting seats to watch people die. Exactly how much of this was Vez's doing?
"Advisor Vez."
Jedah/Vez turned to look at one of his fellow advisors, a sickly man with a sallow complexion. What was his name again? Crane wasn't it?
"It's time to address the people," Crane reminded snidely.
Oh yes, showmanship time.
"Greetings, citizens of New Saillune!"
That sounded corny even to Jedah's ears. But it was the speech Vez had written to present today and the speech Jedah had memorized in under half an hour.
"Yesterday, by the grace of Ceiphied, we were delivered one of the monstrous Ryuzoku who dare to come among us disguised as a human to destroy us from within!"
Val, standing on the hangman's platform, sweatdropped. Wasn't it a conflicting idea setting Ceiphied and monstrous Ryuzoku in one sentence? After all Ceiphied was the Dragon God.
Jedah was also wondering how the people could possibly be buying this. Didn't anyone know their history lessons at all? But the show must go on.
"Today he will be the first to die as a testament to this city's stand against all non-humans. We will not let ourselves to be overtaken by Ryuzoku, Mazoku, beastmen, or anyone. We humans are the master rulers of this world!"
Ye gods, Vez must have really had these people eating out of his hands. So he was setting up a paranoid country of human supremacists. Still, there was something odd about the entire thing. This couldn't only be a stab against Lei.
"Now let this enemy of the state be executed!" Jedah/Vez nodded to the black robed and hooded executioner. Where. Was. She.
Val gritted his teeth. Lina, where the bloody hell are you! He could probably break out in dragon form but then he'd have his mother trying to wring his neck.
The executioner stood there looking at Val. Val looked back at him. Was he trying to draw out the suspense? What was he, some kind of sadist? Well, since he sentenced people to die for a living he just might be.
"Pull the lever!" someone shouted from the crowd.
Oh yes, they love me. Val rolled his eyes, tensing his muscles for the transformation.
"You might want to try putting the noose around his neck!" reminded someone else amidst hoots of laughter.
The executioner paused, hand on lever, and then shrugged. He turned to Val, noose in one hand. Val finally got a good look into the executioner's hood. And gasped.
"Just what kind of society of justice sentences a war hero to the gallows!"
Everyone looked up toward the source of the arrogant voice. Standing on the roof of one of the buildings directly across from the pavilion where the rulers of New Saillune sat, was a short red-haired girl with a flowing black cape.
"Who is that?"
"How did she get up there?"
That was cutting it a bit close both Val and Jedah thought.
"Don't any of you know your history? That's Val, the Ancient Dragon foster son of Filia Ul Copt, who served on the side of justice during the Second Kouma War!"
Lina smiled triumphantly as the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves. Val groaned. She just had to bring that up. Mother was definitely going to kill him.
Jedah resisted the urge to smile. This girl really did look like Lina Inverse, even acted like her. He could understand very well now why his brother was up and about. However, appearances must be kept. Vez most likely never met Lina Inverse.
"Who are you to say such things?" Jedah/Vez demanded.
"It is illegal to be standing on rooftops during a public execution!" Crane added.
Val, Lina, the executioner, and Jedah sweatdropped. Gods, what was legal in this town?
"I'll do whatever I want," Lina retorted, primping herself. "I'm Lina Inverse!"
Now if these people would just be as hero-worshippig as the twins.
"Lina Inverse hasn't been seen since the Second Kouma War. What proof do you have that you're her?"
Got her there. Lina was the world's leading expert on the Lina Inverse but knowing obscure facts won't help her convince the masses that she was who she said she was.
"The proof is here!"
Lina almost fell off the slippery tiles. "Alfred! Amelia!"
The twin prince and princess of New Saillune appeared on the gallow's platform. In Alfred's hand was a Demonblood Talisman.
"WHA - " Lina clapped both hands over her mouth. No sense giving the game away but just how did those two get their hands on that?!
"It's the royal heirs!"
"Alfred! Amelia!" Crown Princess Lynis called to her niece and nephew. "You two are alright!"
"Hi, Auntie Lyn," the two waved weakly.
"Please calm yourself, your highness," Jedah/Vez placed a restraining hand on her arm. "The two innocent children are part of that impostor's nefarious plot. She kidnapped them to be used against you!"
Lina sweatdropped. That sounded kind of cheesy. Besides which, it was the kids who wanted to be kidnapped. Rather defeats the purpose.
"We were not kidnapped!" retorted the twins in their twin talk. "We escaped from the palace so we wouldn't be killed. That man is a Mazoku!!"
Lina slapped a hand against her forehead. So much for the plan.
Ara, how did they know that? It did however save Jedah the trouble of improvising a way to reveal Vez as a Mazoku. Just go with the flow, this was improv anyway.
'Vez' laughed evilly. "All good things come to an end," he smirked as his human form fell away to reveal a creature of darkness. Jedah had thought Zel was just being his usual nitpicky self when he insisted Jedah learn what Vez's usual form was. Now though, he was thanking his elder sibling heartily.
The audience screamed and began trampling each other in their panic to get away. That was normal. Everyone in the pavilion was stepping away, making signs against evil that never work anyway. That was normal. Crown Princess Lynis was staring at him, blue eyes wide, and completely slack-jawed.
"Better close that dear," Jedah/Vez grinned.
"Bram Blazer!" In synch, the twins released the beam of blue light toward the pavilion.
"Rather careless aren't they?" Jedah grabbed the Crown Princess and leaped into the air.
The pavilion exploded.
"Just what the hell were you thinking?!" Lina screamed at them. "You could have hit your aunt as well!"
"Sorry," whined the two, wearing identical expressions of wavering watery eyes.
"Your niece and nephew need to learn restraint," Jedah/Vez commented, floating over the destruction. Then he had a naughty idea. "I'm afraid this is the end for you dear."
Crown Princess Lynis gasped.
Lina readied a spell to fry the Mazoku.
Alfred and Amelia cried for their aunt.
Gourry, still dressed in the executioner's robes, looked at the rope in his hand and wondered what it was for.
Then 'Vez' kissed the crown princess quite thoroughly.
Jaws dropped with a clang all around the square. There was also a little frying sound because Lina dropped the spell she was holding and got zapped.
Yes, that would stun everyone long enough so he could get a head start on his escape. Jedah smiled and dropped the princess on the waiting Court Advisors below. "Ta ta!"
"Lina-san! He's escaping!" cried Amelia, looking up at the sorceress. There was only an empty outline.
"Down here."
Amelia and Alfred looked down into the cobbled street where lay the slightly fried Lina. Seems she also lost her balance when she got zapped and she fell.
"Would someone please cut me loose?" Val asked irritably.
"Gourry, what have you been standing there doing?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind! Just cut the ropes and let's go!" Lina scrambled to her feet and began running after Vez. She couldn't get a reward if she didn't destroy it. Somehow. "Alfred! Are you sure he can't teleport out?"
Alfred nodded as he and his sister chased after Lina with Gourry and Val not too far behind. "The seals were designed to prevent dimensional travel. Also, because they can't access their own dimension, their power is also much weaker in the city. He won't be able to fly either."
"But wasn't he standing in the air earlier?" Val asked.
"That's different," Lina snapped, trying to keep an eye on Vez. "Just like Levitation and Ray Wing are different spells."
Of course, they didn't know that Jedah actually could fly though Vez certainly wouldn't have been able to. However, it would defeat the purpose of a chase through the city until the inevitable 'destruction' of the evil Mazoku. Now how was he going to pull that off effectively with the added spell power of those twins...
A hand grabbed him and jerked him into an alley. Jedah blinked. He was face to face with a violet haired lady, though that was stretching the definition, with sparking red eyes snapping at him. Her lips curved into a feline grin.
"Not bad. You've got her after you. I'll take over from here and finish your assignment."
Before his eyes, she morphed to look like him. Er, that is to look like Vez in Mazoku form and not Jedah. Who was this Mazoku?
"Stay in here," she snapped, shoving Jedah/Vez into a conveniently placed door and shut it.
Jedah stood there in the dark with only his thoughts to entertain him as he heard Lina and company stampeding by like a herd of runaway cattle with shouts of 'There he is!' and 'Don't let him get away!' filling the air. When they were gone, he poked his normal human-like appearing head out of the doorway.
"Now what was that all about? Just like Zel to not tell me everything about his little pet plan," grumbled the Mazoku Lord as he began walking toward the royal castle.
"He disappeared in there!"
Lina was about to follow when she was tackled by two people and fell face flat into the street.
"Whoever did that," she growled. "Prepare to die."
"Lina-san! You can't go in there!" Amelia cried.
"And why not? Vez just did." Lina pointed toward the open steel doors leading downward into something.
"But that's the royal crypt!"
"Well, Vez is turning into a royal pain in the ass."
"What's a crib doing here?"
"Crypt! Not crib, you idiot! As in a place where you bury the dead!"
"Is he always this way?" Val asked. A resounding 'Yes!' answered him.
Lina frowned as she thought of something. "Aren't the crypts warded to prevent tomb robbing and accidental release of the undead?"
"Yes."
Lina looked at the open doors to the crypt. She was quite sure she saw that Mazoku run down there. "Now why would a Mazoku want to go down there unless..."
Everyone waited.
"I have no idea what he wants down there," she shrugged.
They fell over.
"Don't build up tension like that!" Gourry yelled.
"Anyway, we'll have to go down there to get him out right?" Lina winked at the twins. "And before he decides to graffiti your ancestors' graves."
"What?!"
The twins dashed into the crypt to deal with the monster that would desecrate such a holy place.
"They're going to get themselves killed."
"Val, they're kids. Act first, think later. Remember?"
"If I did that when I was their age, I would have died during the war."
"So why didn't you?"
"Someone taught me better."
"Who?"
"Xelloss."
"What?!"
"Ummm," Gourry called timeout between Lina's and Val's discussion. "Shouldn't we go after them?"
"Right, right." Lina ran through the doors and down the stairs with the two men close behind. The air was not at all musty or damp as she expected and torches lit up automatically as they approached. Lina reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself in a very large room filled with large stone tombs for every single member of the Saillune Royal Family.
"By Ceiphied, how long have they been burying people down here?" Val wondered.
Gourry rapped his knuckles on one. "Hello?"
"Alfred! Amelia! Where are you?" Lina yelled.
"They're right here."
Lina looked for the speaker and found him standing behind the two unconscious children on one of the tombs.
"Don't worry. They aren't dead. Yet. I'd like to study them a bit first, their ability to cast higher level spells together is intriguing."
"So Vez," Lina smirked. "What are you going to do now? Even without the twins it's still three to one. You aren't thinking of using them as hostages are you?"
"Hostages? They're worthless as that. After all, I'm not planning on escaping."
"Oh? So then what?"
Vez jumped down from the tomb to face Lina, Gourry, and Val. Then 'he' shifted, becoming a red-eyed young woman with purple hair held back by a hairband.
"My name is Yllia. And I've come to kill you. Lina Inverse."
What?
"But I thought that the person we were chasing was Vez?" Gourry asked, scratching his head.
"Obviously they've switched places," Lina snapped. Great, there were two Mazoku. Just peachy. And who knew where Vez really was now. "Why do you want to kill me?"
"That's simple," Yllia replied, a black whip materializing in her hands. "Because you work with Xelloss."
"Ara, a renegade." If it wasn't because of Zelgadiss, then it was because of Xelloss.
"Hmph, renegade or not, I'd kill you regardless," Yllia growled, snapping her whip.
"That must be quite a big grudge you have against Xelloss."
"You have no idea." Yllia snapped the whip at Lina, only at the last minute did the sorceress realize that the whip wasn't a whip but a long thin strip of metal. She was saved by Val who knocked aside the incoming blade.
"Well you've certainly grown up," Val remarked calmly, locking eyes with the female Mazoku.
Lina and Gourry looked at the two. "You know each other?"
Yllia narrowed her eyes and studied the blue-haired Ryuzoku.
"Perhaps you don't remember. Second Kouma War. The Ryuzoku and Mazoku forces had spilled over into Zefilia. You were running away from Mazoku deserters that were burning down the forest. I saved you."
"You damn Ryuzoku!" Yllia hissed, red lightning racing down the black whip.
"You don't expect me to believe that you're doing all of this on your own." Zelgadiss glared at the renegade. "This is much too organized for one of your kind. Who is backing this? Who are you following now?"
Vez smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Another dark blade slashed through Vez's astral side.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear. Yes I do want to know." Zelgadiss sat in an armchair, idly tossing a black dagger in one hand, before Vez who was hanging in the air. The renegade was barely in one piece, having lost over half of his physical body and even more of his astral body to Zelgadiss's torturing. "By now, you've been exposed to the main populace of New Saillune to say nothing of the royal family. You have nothing left."
"Nothing huh?" Vez snickered. "Oh I wouldn't say that."
Zelgadiss frowned.
"I recognized you. Lord of the Dead. Should have figured that the Ancient Dragon was your doing. But soon the dead will rule this world. You should be happy about that."
"What are you ranting about?" glared the Mazoku Lord.
"Oh, oh yes, you have that 'death-to-you' look down pat," giggled Vez. "You may be Lord of the Dead but even you can't bring the living back to life."
Zelgadiss caught the dagger in his hand.
"I'll tell you this only because I don't really care about her. Arrogant vixen that one. But even telling you now may not help."
"Get to the point before I rip you in half."
"Hey, Hellmaster!"
Jedah poked his head into the inner room of Vez's chambers. "Who is that girl you sent?"
"Oops," Vez grinned crazily. "Guess it's too late."
Zelgadiss grabbed the Mazoku by the neck, or what was left of its neck. "Who. Is. It."
"Her name's Yllia. And she has a grudge against Dynast."
The Mazoku called Vez disappeared in blast of black fire.
"Lina."
"Um, Zel?" But Jedah's question fell on deaf ears as his brother broke the windows and flew off. "Does he even know where to look?"
An explosion marked by a large cloud of dust erupted in the city. Jedah could just barely make out one figure still flying upwards into the air followed by another one. Was it him or did that first person have wings?
Val winced. Getting blown through the ceiling of a crypt built underground was veeeery painful. At least he hadn't formed his wings before then else they would have broke. And healing dragon wings was a very slow process.
He dodged the end of Yllia's black rapier-whip. The Ancient Dragon had learned the hard way that her whip wasn't just a whip but a very long rapier made of flexible metal. There were the cuts to prove it.
"I saved your life all those years ago and this is how you repay me?"
"No one asked for your help! I can take care of myself!" snarled the Mazoku. "You are just as bad as the girl."
"Guilty by association?"
"Exactly." Yllia drew back a bit and fired a blast of energy at Val who dove to avoid it. In return, he fired his breath weapons at her, a focused plasma beam of heat and electricity.
"Missed," Yllia snorted, snapping her whip again to catch his leg. The Ancient Dragon managed to flip around, letting the weapon wrap around his arm. With a sharp pull, he yanked Yllia within range.
"It isn't my policy to hit girls but -"
"Fool," hissed the Mazoku as she charged the whip. Electricity raced through him, and Val blindly tried to grab something.
"That's far enough."
Yllia turned to see a blue-skinned Mazoku cloaked in black floating there watching. The look in his eyes promised death if she didn't listen to him.
"Alright."
Yllia released the barely conscious Ryuzoku who immediately began to fall. As she expected, the other Mazoku quickly dropped as well to catch him.
"You were lucky this time, Val, Lina. Don't expect to get away again." Yllia turned and flew toward the city boundaries. Once she crossed it she could teleport to her master. The rumors were correct. The Hellmaster had returned.
"Kill the kidnappers! Kill the tomb robbers! Kill the desecrators!"
Lina sweatdropped. The moment after Yllia blew Val through the ceiling and followed him, a whole mob of people came pouring into the crypt. And seeing the destruction and the two unconscious children on the tomb, they automatically assumed the worst. Now she and Gourry were surrounded on all sides by torch-waving, raving paranoid freaks who haven't yet tried to lynch the two just because Lina and Gourry were holding Amelia and Alfred.
"What should we do? They're holding the prince and princess as hostages!"
Actually, Lina and Gourry had been trying to wake them up.
"And they're sitting on the blessed remains of Philionel el de Saillune, the great Fist of Justice!"
"You mean the useless, over-grown dwarf, pro-wrestling Prince Phil?"
"How dare you insult him!"
"The real Lina Inverse would never do such a thing! You are an impostor!"
Lina sighed. Well she wasn't the real Lina Inverse anyway.
"HAHAHAHA! What do you mean she isn't the real Lina Inverse?"
Lina slowly turned around to the somewhat familiar voice. The mob fell silent. Gourry scratched his head.
"Who are you?"
"It's the great Fist of Justice!"
"The undying symbol of pacifism!"
"Father of Amelia the Just, the founder of New Saillune!"
"It's a ghost," Lina summed up. "The question is what is it doing here."
"Ah, Miss Lina, surely you know why I'm here."
"You've mixed me up with the Lina you know. I'm not her."
"You're such a joker. But I'm here to show my poor misguided sheep the true path of justice and pacifism!"
"Oh how have we strayed, your highness? Is it because we haven't executed these heathens yet?"
"No!" Phil pounded his ghostly fist onto the tomb lid. "You people have become too self-centered. You have forgotten the true heart of Saillune. The heart that loves everyone and strives to show those who have strayed the truth path of light! Be they Mazoku, be they Ryuzoku, be they 500 year old sorceresses, our duty as people of Saillune is to guide them to the right path! Senseless persecution is not the way! Locking yourselves against people from other countries and cities is not the way! We must spread the word of pacifism even farther now as many of the other goodly races have retreated. It is not our duty as humans to be the masters of a world where we have decimated all other races. It is our duty to lead the world to an era of peace and justice!!"
The rapt audience jumped up and cheered Prince Phil's rousing speech, swearing to convert immediately. Gourry was snoring on the tomb with the two kids. Lina just shrugged.
"King Philionel."
The crowd parted to let the Crown Princess Lynis pass through. She bowed before him.
"Please do not blame the people. All blame should be placed on my shoulders for being led astray."
The ghost of Prince Phil laughed heartily. "As long as you realized that you were wrong before and now strive to right those wrongs, you have no need to apologize to me!"
"I thought that laugh sounded familiar."
Lina looked up through the hole in the crypt to see Zelgadiss supporting a rather cut-up Val.
"Where's Yllia?"
"She ran off," Zelgadiss shrugged. Lina was looking at him with a wicked gleam. "What?"
"Hey everyone!" Lina yelled. "Here's Zelgadiss! You know, one of Amelia the Just's traveling companions before the war?"
The people cheered.
"This calls for a celebration. I hereby declare today a holiday!" Lynis smiled. "And the guests of honor will be King Philionel and Zelgadiss!"
More cheering and people began to run out to begin the party.
Zelgadiss sweatdropped. "You do realize the irony of this," he looked at Lina who just grinned.
"It is never too late to give up the evil occupation of being a Mazoku," Phil lectured. "Let this celebration show you the true path!"
Zel rolled his eyes. Phil grabbed him and Lina both and began walking out of the crypt leaving the three sleepers be. One of the tombs Lina passed read: 'Here lies Gracia Saillune, otherwise known as Naga the White Serpent, the greatest and most beautiful rival of Lina Inverse.'
Lina shivered as some hideous laughter seemed to echo in her mind.
"This trip was a huge success!" Lina cheered as the five walked down the road back to Merylith. "Who would have known that Yllia was carrying a Demonblood Talisman as well?"
As it was, when Val had been fried by Yllia's power, he accidentally grabbed onto her and pulled something off. That something was one of the two talismans Lina was now calling her own.
"Definitely killing two birds with one stone," Jedah shook his head. Having not seen his brother for so long, he insisted on traveling with them.
"What birds?"
Everyone ignored Gourry's question.
"I think you owe me something, Lina," Val grumbled. "First you get me locked up and then I have to fight your battle for you."
"You stepped in the way. By the way, were you telling the truth back there? You really knew Yllia?"
Jedah and Zel exchanged hidden glances.
"I'm pretty sure it was her. Of course, I didn't realize she was a Mazoku then. After all, we were both kids."
"Hmmmm. Any idea why she might hate Xelloss in particular?"
"Maybe a couple hundred."
"Hey, Zel," Jedah grinned evilly. "Aren't you feeling jealous that she's talking about Xelloss and not you?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"So why are you pulling on your hood? Are you blushing?"
"Jedah," Zel warned.
"Hey, Lina. Don't tell me you're blushing too. Or maybe it's just the sun?"
"Who's there?" both Gourry and Zel asked sharply, looking at some bushes along side the road.
Alfred and Amelia sheepishly crawled out.
"You two?!" Lina gasped. "What are you doing out here?"
The twins looked at each other. "We wanted to go with you."
"Isn't that nice," Gourry smiled, patting them both on the head.
"Isn't that nice he says," Lina booted Gourry into a tree. "I can't believe you two snuck out of the castle again! Are you purposely trying to get me strung up on kidnapping charges?"
"No. Auntie Lyn know we went."
"She even encouraged us. Said we should go out and see the world."
"Go out...and see the world?"
"What's wrong? Lina." Zel frowned, wondering why the sorceress suddenly seemed shaken to the core.
"Eh? Oh nothing, nothing," Lina laughed. Nothing except that she had heard those words before, a very long time ago. "So you two want to come with us? Couldn't Princess Lynis have a royal envoy take you wherever you want to go?"
"But going with you is so much more fun!"
"Plus you can tell us lots and lots of stories about Lina Inverse!"
"I don't mind if they come," Gourry laughed as he let Amelia climb onto his back.
"That isn't the point," Lina sighed. "If we're being targeted by renegade Mazoku, it isn't the safest decision to let them come with us."
Alfred and Amelia pouted. "But we helped you against that Vez."
Jedah whistled innocently.
"And we let you keep that Demonblood Talisman."
"Either you let us go with you or we'll tell Auntie Lyn to charge you the cost for rebuilding the crypt."
"You wouldn't dare!"
Alfred and Amelia crossed their arms and glared.
"Let them come, Lina," Gourry cajoled.
"It would delay us if we had to take them back," Val reminded.
"You have adequate protection against Mazoku now, I would think," Jedah added.
"Is everyone against me?" Lina demanded.
"Not Zel," Jedah pointed. "But then, he's happy as long as you're safe."
Zel refused to comment.
"Well?"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease." Amelia and Alfred did their best puppy dog eyes impression.
"...alright."
"Yea!!"
Lina sighed in defeat. They arrived at New Saillune with three people and now they're leaving with seven. The twin prince and princess Alfred and Amelia, Zelgadiss's younger brother Jedah, and Zelgadiss himself.
"Zelgadiss, what were you doing in New Saillune anyway?"
"..."
"It wasn't because of me," Jedah put in.
"That is..."
Jedah popped up next to Lina, on the side opposite his brother. "You want to know?" he whispered loudly. "It's because - "
"Jedah!"
"Gabriev!!" Gourry's eternal opponent burst out from a tree.
"Zangulus!" Gourry smiled at his friend. "What are you doing here?"
"To finish our duel of course!"
"Not again," Lina groaned as the two immediately began to fight.
"Lucky that other swordsman showed up. Right Zel?"
"Jedah. Just shut up."