"Hey, Lina."
"What is it Gourry?"
The three travelers were seated around a campfire in a clearing of a forest. Two of them were quite tired as the third had pushed them to go even faster than they usually did down the road. Obviously, there was something important that they needed to get to.
"Gourry?" Lina repeated. "What is it?"
Gourry looked up from the sweet potatoes he was watching cook in the campfire ashes. "Did you say something?"
"You were the one who asked me first!"
"Here, Lina-san," Sylphiel smiled, handing Lina the first of the done sweet potatoes. Over the year, she had become very used to diffusing explosive situations between the two. "It's been nearly a year hasn't it?"
"Hm? It has?" Lina thought back. Time had not been something she had paid too much attention to for a very long time.
Sylphiel nodded. "I wonder how everyone is."
"They're probably fine."
"Who is fine?"
"Everyone else you idiot!"
Gourry looked around. "There are other people here?"
"No! Sylphiel was talking about everyone else we met in Sairaag!"
"Sairaag?"
"Oh gods. Don't tell me you don't remember Amelia, Eris, Migel, and Zel?!"
"Who are they?"
Lina pulled her hair. "Amelia was the justice obsessed princess of Saillune who chased us over half of the peninsula because Rezo tricked her into thinking we were evil. In fact, she's probably run away again and is off playing hero somewhere."
"Eris was Rezo's old, well she was in love with Rezo and she was the one who created the Vrumuguns!"
"You mean those Copy Men?"
"Yes," Lina sighed. "Maybe she's gotten over Rezo and has settled down into research again."
"I'm not sure she'll ever get over it," Sylphiel said softly.
The young sorceress shrugged. "I wouldn't know since I've never been in love. But from all the trouble it seems to cause, I sincerely hope it never happens to me."
"Migel...is that the weird person who kept thinking I was some great champion of light?"
"There's hope for you yet, Gourry," Lina said with approval. "You actually remembered. He's probably still running around doing good deeds wherever he can. As long as he doesn't revert back to Abran, I guess we can just leave him alone."
"He and Amelia-san didn't appear to get along very well."
"No, they didn't. Clashing philosophies and all. To think they were actually going to see who could out do the other in good and just deeds." Lina shuddered.
"And then there's Zelgadiss-san," Sylphiel said softly, studying Lina.
"What about him?" Lina replied curtly, nibbling on her sweet potato.
"Don't you wonder how he is?"
"Why should I? He's probably off searching for a cure to his chimera condition," Lina shrugged. But, that piece of Ruby Eye they had fought had said even it didn't have the power to change him back. How then could he ever find a cure?
"Lina-san?"
"Lina-san."
"What?"
"I called you twice but you didn't hear me."
"...oh."
Sylphiel smiled secretively. Lina was rarely so preoccupied with her thoughts, especially not when food was present. She was more concerned than she let on.
"What did you want, Sylphiel?"
"I was just wondering why we were in such a rush today." She dug out another sweet potato and gave it to Lina.
Lina carefully peeled open the crisp skin of the potato, letting the steam and thick odor spill into the cooler night air. Gingerly holding part of her dinner in one hand, she reached into her cape and held out a scroll. "It's for this."
Sylphiel took the rolled-up piece of paper and unrolled it. Gourry also leaned over to take a look.
"A wanted poster? Wanted: Gilga, the Immortal Warrior, for numerous counts of murder, destruction, and resisting arrest. Reward for capture is..."
"That's more than what Rezo put up for all three of us!" Gourry exclaimed.
"And that is why, ouch hot, we're going after him, ummmmm."
"But why is he called the Immortal Warrior?"
"Apparently, even though witnesses have seen him killed, he still comes back later alive."
"And we're going against that!"
"Don't worry," Lina reassured, digging out another sweet potato. "After all, this time the beautiful genius sorceress extraordinaire Lina Inverse and two others are going to be his opponents!"
"Two others?" Sylphiel sighed.
"Hey, that was my potato!" Gourry yelled, grabbing for the one in Lina's hand.
"Finders keepers!"
"How do you expect me to fight without any food!"
"It takes a lot to keep a genius going!"
"Give that to me!"
"Hands off!"
Sylphiel just added more potatoes to the ashes.
"But Lina-san, with the bounty this high, won't there be many other people also after this Gilga person?" Sylphiel asked as they traveled down one of the generic trade roads to any and everywhere.
"Most likely," Lina shrugged.
"Aren't you afraid that someone else is going to get the reward first?"
"Don't worry, Sylphiel," Lina winked. "I have it on very good authority that no one has yet taken him down."
"Lina. How are we going to know it's him when we do find him?" Gourry asked, walking with his arms crossed behind his head.
"The wanted poster! The wanted poster!" Lina yelled, pouncing on Gourry and sticking said poster right in his face. "Gilga looks exactly like the picture on the poster!"
"Looks like a collection of dots of varying shades ranging from black to gray to white."
"No! Look at the overall picture."
"But it's too close."
Lina planted her foot in Gourry's gut.
"Ooof!"
"Lina-san! Must you always be so mean to Gourry-sama?"
"Yes." Lina hopped off and continued walking.
"Gourry-sama, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm used to it," Gourry muttered. Just why was he still traveling with her?
"Hurry up you two lovebirds," Lina called.
"It isn't like that!" Sylphiel protested, blushing.
"No one can defeat the Immortal Warrior!!!"
"What did I say? I'm always right!" Lina shaded her eyes from the sun as something went flying into the air. "Looks like Gilga is taking care of our competition for us."
They hurried down the road, finally coming to a large flat grassy field that was bordered on one side by a plateau. In the center of the field was one very tall half-masked man with bulky chest armor and wild dark hair. His glowing eyes overshadowed the rest of his face. Dead bodies were scattered in the waving grasses.
"We're going against that?!" Gourry gasped.
Sylphiel was already muttering prayers for the fallen.
"What? So they were weak. He's nothing compared to us," Lina snorted, tossing her hair back to cover her own shock. Gilga had already killed this many people and that was just here. Whoever put up that bounty was just sending people to their deaths.
Gilga's eyes turned toward them. "So. You are the next ones wishing for an early grave."
"That's pretty big talk for someone whose going to bite the dust soon," Lina retorted. "No one can beat this - "
"The star of justice demands that you renounce your evil ways and seek atonement for the rest of your days!"
"Hey, that rhymed!" Gourry grinned.
"No way. Not here. She can't be here," Lina groaned, peeking through the fingers covering her eyes.
There amidst the waving green grass was Amelia, standing tall and proud, pointing a finger at Gilga from her perch on a white pony's saddle. It was the highest perch in visible distance.
"Amelia-san!" Sylphiel called. "This one is too dangerous. You should leave."
"Justice never runs from danger!"
Gilga glared at the pony with the promise of death. Being an animal, the pony reacted quite predictably. It panicked and ran, causing Amelia to lose her balance and fall off.
"Itai..."
"Amelia, watch out!" Lina yelled as she and the others ran toward her.
The princess looked up to find Gilga looming over her, the sun shining behind him and cloaking him in an aura of light.
"Fireball!"
"Amelia, you idiot! That Fireball will catch you too! Dimilar Wind!"
A blast of highly pressured air slammed into Gilga, blowing away everything in its path. The giant of a man went flying. So did Amelia.
"Lina, you got Amelia too!"
"Hey, it's better than if she got burned by her own Fireball right? Hey, Amelia!"
They ran over to the princess who sat up dizzily from her unexpected flight. She shook her head and glared at Lina.
"Were you trying to kill me, Lina-san?" she demanded.
"Oh come on. I just saved your life," Lina laughed.
"Saved it how?"
"Let's see how you like going against a sword!"
Gourry swung his blade at the Immortal Warrior who was over a foot taller than Gourry's own impressive height. Catching the blade between his two hands, Gilga broke it and flipped the broken piece back. Gourry quickly rolled out of the way.
"And that was a perfectly good blade too," Gourry sighed, releasing the lock for the blade. "Light. It's been a long time since I've needed to use this."
"Ehhh. A sword of light?" Gilga sneered. He raised his two hands above his head, black energy collecting like a network of strings running between the two large palms. When those hands were brought together, a black blade formed in his hands. "Here's my weapon."
With a wide, two-handed swing, Gilga brought the dark blade down on Gourry's light blade. Even though they were both made of energy, the two struck in a burst of sparks. Gilga was not slow or awkward in his unnatural height, putting Gourry on the defensive.
"Flare..." Sylphiel aimed carefully before releasing her spell. "Arrow!"
The thin line of fire crossed Gilga's eyes, briefly blinding him with its heat. With a roar, Gilga slammed his dark blade into the ground before him but Gourry leaped away. Then the Immortal Warrior swung wildly around himself, preventing anyone from getting near.
"Amelia, go!"
"Wait!" Lina grabbed but missed the princess's cape.
"Pacifist Crush!!" Amelia cried, leaping into the air and coming down to deliver a terrifying familiar attack that Lina had never thought she'd see again.
Her fist right in Gilga's jaw but he wasn't phased. Instead, leaving the dark blade in one hand, he grabbed Amelia's arm and swung her around above his head before throwing her into the ground.
"Amelia!" Lina quickly ran through the available options. Obviously physical attacks wouldn't help her. Long range spell but Dragu Slave wouldn't leave anything for the bounty collectors. All right, chose a spell from the next tier.
"Gaav - " Lina paused as the area where Gilga should have been standing was empty. Only Amelia lay there, struggling to get up. Where was he?
Her danger sense screamed and Lina quickly turned to meet the back of Gilga's arm that was swinging toward her. Like a toy, she flew from the force of his blow through the air, skidding and rolling along the rough ground before coming to a very bruised and very scratched-up stop.
"How did he - " Lina gasped, trying to catch her breath.
"Good. You'll be number 200," grinned Gilga standing before her, his dark blade pointed down. The sharp blackness stabbed down.
And struck nothing. Gilga quickly scanned the surroundings. Right, left, up, down, in front, all nothing. That only left one place. The Immortal Warrior stood and glared at the interruption of his fun.
Lina blinked, trying to process what just happened. First she was wincing as Gilga was about to kill her and next she was in the arms of a young man behind Gilga. And what was that near her face, some kind of crest? The North Republic's royal crest?!
"You're a prince?!" Lina blurted out.
"...that's correct," the prince admitted reluctantly.
"You're still alive?" growled Gilga.
"Obviously."
"You're a fool, coming back to face me again."
The prince's white and light blue garments did seem a bit worse for wear with cuts and dirt and grass stains. Of course, that didn't detract a thing from his fair skin, light violet hair, or blue eyes.
"You fought him?"
The prince nodded.
"And he should have run when he had the chance. Killing him would have been much more fun. But what can you expect but foolhardy bravery from the Imperial Prince of the North Republic, the empire that is the sworn enemy of the Western Church?"
Not just a prince but the Imperial Prince! Son of the Emperor of the North Republic! Lina ignored Chibi-Lina's confusion about an emperor ruling a republic.
"We can continue where we left off earlier," replied the prince. "Once I let this girl down."
"Don't think so."
"Hey!" Lina yelled, clinging tightly despite herself to the prince as he dodged one of Gilga's swings. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"
"Gilga is trying to kill us."
"Yes, I know that! But why are you still carrying me?!" This was embarrassing! Gods, and Gourry, Sylphiel, and Amelia were watching all of this!
"If I put you down, Gilga would kill you immediately," the prince answered matter-of-factly.
Lina gritted her teeth. As much as she hated to admit it, Gilga was much harder to defeat than she had thought. Plus there was the matter of that black energy sword he was able to create. Time for a strategic withdrawal from the field of battle.
"Diem Wind!" The wind from Amelia's spell caused Gilga to stagger but didn't blow him away like Lina's Dimilar Wind. It was though, an opening that Lina could exploit.
"Sylphiel! Grab Gourry and get into the air! Amelia you too!" Lina ordered, muttering the chant to another spell. "Dark Mist!"
"That - "
The prince was cut off as a dark mist gathered into existence over the field. There was even less to say as he felt himself being lifted into the air as the sorceress's second spell took hold. It was his turn to tighten his grip as they rose into the air.
"Watch your hands," she said wryly. "Prince or not, one wrong move and I'll deck you."
"Lina-san, when are we going to defeat that scourge of evil?" Amelia quickly polished off a plate of sandwiches.
"After I'm full!" Lina swallowed a large bowl of soup before grabbing some meat.
"That's my pot roast!" Gourry grabbed the other end of the roast and proceeded to fight over it with Lina.
Sylphiel sat quietly eating her own meal and noticed that though the rest of the tavern's patrons were transfixed by the grabbing and devouring everything in sight threesome, the prince was undisturbed. He simply sipped from a mug of whatever he ordered.
"So," Sylphiel began pleasantly. "I believe we heard that you were a prince?"
The prince nodded reluctantly.
"How do you know that?" Gourry grumbled, watching Lina inhale the pot roast.
"Gourry-san, the royal crest is on his tunic!" Amelia pointed out.
"He could have stolen it. Besides, those clothes don't exactly look like royal material."
"He was in a fight, Gourry." Lina grabbed a pitcher and downed its contents in one gulp.
"You shouldn't judge people by their appearances," Amelia lectured.
"You took that from Migel didn't you?"
"Eh! Umm, well, that is I..."
Gourry shrugged. "Still, just because he may look like a prince doesn't make him one right?"
"Hmmmm." Lina remembered a certain...first heir to the throne of her acquaintance. There was no way she'd ever call him prince though that was what he was. "I guess you do have a point. But we can settle that right now with..." She whipped something out. "Lina Inverse's Bonafide Prince Test!"
"What's that?" Amelia asked, peering over Lina's shoulder at the clipboard.
"It's a list of questions that will determine if he is a prince or not. Alright, first question, have you ever slain a dragon?"
The prince sweatdropped. "I participated in a dragon slaying."
"Close enough. Do you have a white horse that has been white from birth and comes from a registered line of pure-breeding white horses?"
"Yes."
"Alright, let's say Gourry was the Archduke of Elmekia."
"But he isn't," the prince objected. "The Archduke is actually - "
"I know it isn't Gourry!" Lina snapped. "Just play along."
The prince shrugged.
"If he was the Archduke, what is the correct form of address?"
"Your grace."
"For a baron, viscount, count, or marquis?"
"Your lordship or your ladyship."
"A prince?"
"Your highness."
"A crown prince?"
"Your royal highness."
"Imperial prince or princess?"
"Your imperial highness." The prince was becoming annoyed.
"King or queen?"
"Your majesty."
"Emperor or Empress?"
"Your imperial majesty," sighed the prince.
"Think you're so smart? How about someone with all of those titles?"
"Your liege."
"Damn."
"Lina-san, why are you angry that he passed those questions?"
"He just sounds like a know it all."
"But isn't he supposed to know all of that?"
"Yes, yes. Okay, is he handsome, charming, and intelligent?"
The three girls studied the prince for a good five minutes. By the end, Gourry noted the following reactions.
Amelia's eyes were large, cute, and filled with stars. Pink hearts floated around her head.
Sylphiel's eyes were large, adoring, and filled with stars. Little cherubs were floating around her head.
Lina's eyes were large, greedy, and filled with stars. Castles and moneybags overflowing with gold were floating around her head.
"So how do I score this?"
"Just give me that," Lina snapped, breaking out of her enthrallment. "Check, check, and check. Are you heir to a country, kingdom, city, empire, continent, world, or any thing else that entitles you to lots of riches?"
"...yes."
"Good!"
"Lina-san, how does that have anything to do with being a prince?" Amelia frowned, crossing her arms.
"It doesn't. It has everything to do with me though because then if I married the prince, I'd be rolling in riches."
"Marrying for money?" Amelia gasped in dismay. "How could you?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"But what about the love that is so deep that the two of you can't bear to be apart from each other?"
"That's all nice and good, Amelia, but it doesn't pay for food."
"Lina-san, you're always thinking with your stomach."
"Always? You barely know me!"
"There they go," Gourry sighed.
"Pardon me, but I don't believe we know your name."
The prince cringed at Sylphiel's question and became slightly agitated. "Well...actually, my name is - "
"I have found you!!"
The door of the tavern slammed open, revealing a skimpily dressed aqua-haired young lady with large cat-like eyes. Immediately her gaze fell on Lina and she pointed at the red-haired sorceress.
"I demand that you hand over to me the magical treasure that you deceitfully stole from me!"
"Lina-san, you stole something?!"
"What is it now?" Gourry wondered.
"Who are you?" Lina asked.
A piece of the ceiling fell on the aqua-haired young lady's head. "How dare you forget my illustrious presence! I am Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, princess of Zoana!"
Lina hit a fist into her hand. "That's right. You were the good-for-nothing princess that set off every trap imaginable in the dungeon."
"Of course!"
"That isn't something to be proud of."
"For all of the hardships I have endured, the compass rightfully belongs to me! So hand it over!"
Lina crossed her arms and thought. The compass could lead her to every one of Lei Magnus's labs and possibly countless volumes of forgotten magic lore. It could also contact him and serve as a directional beacon. Either of which two uses would not be good ones should they fall into Martina's hands.
"Sorry, no can do," Lina shrugged.
"Humph, I thought peasants like you would be stupidly stubborn. So I brought along some help." Martina snapped her fingers and someone stepped into the tavern behind her.
"Gilga?!"
"Don't be confused," growled the wanted man. "I only followed her because she knew where to find you. I still want to make you my 200th kill."
"No thanks but I'll pass. Instead, this great prince will be your opponent." Lina pushed the prince forward.
"What are you doing?" asked the prince.
"Giving you the limelight of course," Lina replied innocently.
"More like trying to get me killed."
"Would I do a thing like that?" She glared at the others. "Don't answer that."
"You two will be my 200th and 201st kills," roared Gilga, swinging toward the prince who dodged and instead broke a table in half.
"You'll have to pay for - " The bartender gulped when Gilga looked at him. "Never mind."
"The sword he's using looks familiar," Gourry noted.
"Does it?" Lina briefly watched the fight and winced when the prince's blade was broken. "Maybe."
"No more sword."
"You think that's all I can do?" The prince stepped back, raising a hand to collect the energy he was summoning. "Dynast Breath!"
From between the floorboards, cold mist rose in tendrils that wrapped around Gilga like a tender lover and froze into the hard grasp of ice.
"Let's see how you like this!" Gourry leaped toward the frozen Gilga, bringing his Sword of Light down on him.
The tavern exploded.
Lina looked up after the falling burning pieces of the tavern stopped raining down. Just before the place exploded, the prince had grabbed her and both of them went flying through an open window. He saved her again even if she didn't need it. Lina hoped this wasn't becoming a trend.
"Hey, everyone alright?" she called.
Amelia poked her head up out of some fallen roof tiles. Gourry and Sylphiel waved, both only slightly singed. They must have also gotten out just before the mysterious explosion.
"Is Gilga dead?" Amelia asked, digging her way out of the rubble.
"He was called the Immortal Warrior for a reason."
"I live!!" Gilga burst out from beneath the tavern's ruins.
Lina sighed.
"You can never defeat the Immortal Warrior, one of the chosen who has undergone unification through the guidance of the Western Church of Saint Ajura!!"
"There he goes mentioning the Western Church again. Sylphiel, do you know anything about that?"
The priestess shook her head. "I haven't heard of the Western Church but I have heard of Saint Ajura. But that was only a small cult."
"We are not a cult but the realization of how we were truly meant to live!" Gilga rose tall above them. "Those who do not follow our beliefs will be killed!"
"No other choice than Dragu Slave then," Lina growled.
"Not again!" Gourry yelled.
"Lina-san, try not to hit us as well," Sylphiel asked.
"You are always like this," muttered the prince.
"If you think your puny spell can match the unparalleled power of being unified with one's true self then - "
A large shadow fell over Gilga.
And then a large metal foot.
They all stared at the foot, and then followed it up the attached leg, to the torso, and finally to the very ugly and very weird mask head.
"HOHOHOHO! With this golem consecrated to the service of the awe-inspiring demonic Zoamelguster, I will bring glory to Zoana!" Martina laughed and struck a pose. The golem followed suit.
"Zoamel-what? Lina, what's that?" Gourry asked.
"I consider myself well informed of all ancient myths and legends but I've never heard of that."
"Of course not." Martina's voice echoed loudly from the amplifier. "How could you have heard of it when it is something I completely made up?"
"I didn't ask to know that," Lina moaned.
"But I have come to assist my ally in - "
"Your ally is under your foot," Gourry called out, pointing to Gilga's twitching fingers.
"What? Has my brave companion fallen? Then I will avenge his death and - "
"But you were the one that stepped on him!" Amelia corrected.
"Don't interrupt me!!" Martina yelled, stomping one foot repeatedly. The golem mimicked the action, repeatedly stomping on Gilga underfoot.
"That has got to hurt."
The golem leaped backwards and its chest cavity opened. A cannon appeared, aiming itself at the five people on the ground and the one person in the ground.
"Now, I will finish all of you with one blow from the mighty cannon of the Zoamelguster Golem!!"
"Scatter!" the prince yelled, grabbing Lina yet again as he dashed out of the targeted area.
Gourry grabbed Sylphiel and sprinted. Amelia flew away. Gilga, being stuck in the ground up to his neck, couldn't move and was easily roasted by the beam. Everyone gathered back at the burnt head.
"Even if he is immortal, he is going to be in a lot of pain," the prince noted.
"Why do you think she keeps hitting him?" Gourry wondered.
"Perhaps it is for the same reason that Lina-san keeps hitting you, Gourry-sama?"
"What is that supposed to mean!" Lina snapped heatedly, her face red from the third time the prince 'saved' her. How was she ever going to live this down?
"Well, Gilga has been stepped on, stomped repeatedly, and blasted. Yes, I think there is a similarity here," the prince nodded.
"And just what do you know?" Lina gritted her teeth.
"If I can't blast you away, I'll stomp you all to the ground!" Martina screamed. The golem leaped up into the air.
"Not again!" Lina muffled a groan. Not because Martina was trying to kill them again, but this prince had managed to grab her in his arms again and was leaping away from the impact zone. She had never seen anyone move as fast. Okay, maybe one person but he wasn't here.
They watched as the golem sunk up to its ankle into the ground from the force of its landing. Then they heard a small pop. Then a slight ping of metal striking metal. And then a large metal ball popped out of the golem's knee and landed with a thud on the earth below.
"What was that?" Amelia asked, hovering in the air.
The knee of the golem began to tremble and then the entire leg buckled.
"WHAT?!?!?" Martina shrieked as the golem crumbled to the ground, burying what was left of the town in a mound of broken metal and gears.
Everyone else blinked.
"Why did the golem fall apart?" Amelia asked, landing on the metal ball.
"Faulty craftsmanship," Lina replied, slipping out of the prince's arms. "The knee joint probably wasn't designed to take that kind of stress so it popped out and without the knee support, the whole leg fell apart."
"For the want of a nail, a kingdom was lost," Sylphiel murmured.
"More or less."
"She said she was from Zoana, didn't she? I believe that country was supposed to be housing a mechanical golem from the days of the Kouma War," the prince mentioned.
Lina and Amelia nodded.
"Old materials and bad craftsmanship."
"I'll get you for this!!" Martina screamed, waving her arms back and forth from where she was stuck.
"What are you talking about? How come I'm at fault?" Lina demanded. "After a thousand years, you kind of expect things to fall apart like this."
"And there was something else about a certain model of golems that had a malfunctioning targeting system," the prince continued. He looked at the cannon, grabbed Lina, and hit the ground. "Oh, and everyone duck."
Amelia, Sylphiel, and Gourry dropped as a cannon beam swung through the air above their heads. After the initial pass, it began to randomly shoot in all directions.
"What is with that thing?" Amelia wailed.
"Looks like there is something on the cannon," Gourry noted, before ducking another low blast that fried a flying bird.
"How cute," Sylphiel added. "It's a yellow smiling face with little arms and legs." It waved cheerfully to her before aiming the cannon and firing. Gourry quickly covered her as the cannon beam roared overhead.
"A yellow smiling face...just what the hell is that?" Lina demanded, trying not to move. It seemed that the cannon was firing at anything that moved.
"Keep your head down," warned the prince. "Must be a minor spirit, the one that was in charge of targeting the cannon correctly."
The smiling yellow spirit was cackling like a mad man with little signs saying 'Bye Bye' and 'Go Boom!' alternatively popping up before it fired at some random target for whatever obscure reason existed in its mind.
"I don't care what it is, I just want to know how to stop it!"
The spirit popped up a new sign that said 'Ba-da-boom!!' and blew up a mountain range.
"That's right, Lina-san! As paragons of justice, we cannot allow such a destructive weapon to reign waste over the countryside!"
"I think it's already too late for that." Gourry pointed to the smoking crater where a mountain used to be.
"I'm just worried about it laying waste to me," Lina retorted. "Well?"
The prince thought. "It is supposedly made out of Orihalcon so normal spells and attacks wouldn't harm it."
"Normal? Who said anything about using something normal?" Lina muttered, beginning to chant the Chaos Words.
"Everyone, run!" Gourry grabbed both Amelia and Sylphiel and made all due haste out of the country.
"Is this your solution to everything?" the prince asked.
"Are you trying to kill me?!" Martina cried, frantically pulling herself out of the wreckage of her golem.
Lina moved up to one knee, facing the berserk cannon and its equally berserk targeting spirit. "Think a minor spirit can get the best of Lina Inverse huh? Dragu Slave!!"
"Minus another town," Gourry sighed, taking one final look at the dark smoke that marked the site of the latest victim of the Dra-mata, Bandit Killer Lina Inverse.
"But the source of evil, both of them, have been destroyed!" Amelia cheered, skipping along the road.
"I'm just glad everyone is alright." Sylphiel's healing spells hadn't been needed as badly this time. "But Lina-san, are you sure you're alright with losing the reward money?"
Lina laughed. "Even Gilga couldn't survive that. And the Dragu Slave wouldn't leave much to give to the bounty collectors."
Gourry raised an eyebrow. Lina was in an uncanny good mood. "Are you sure?"
"I said I'm alright didn't I?" Lina snapped. "Anyway, I've got the Imperial Prince of one of the richest and most powerful kingdoms, no wait, empires on the peninsula!"
Said prince shook his head.
"He probably has a name," Gourry reminded, hiding a smile. Well, Lina deserved what was coming.
"That's right. You were just going to tell us your name when Martina interrupted," Sylphiel added. "So what is it?"
The prince hesitated.
Lina and Amelia looked at him expectantly.
Gourry looked at him with a hidden knowing smirk.
The prince sighed and decided that it was better to get it over with now.
"My name is Zelgadiss."
"WHAT?!?!"