After Ella's astonishing display of power in LURENO, Maxuel, standing on a rooftop with Shadow, says to her:
Maxuel: This time, it's certain—we've lost the first round.
Shadow looks at him and asks:
Shadow: And in that case, what are the orders?
Standing up with his staff resting behind his neck, Maxuel stays calm for a moment, watching Ella head toward Arthur. Then he says:
Maxuel: Here's the plan: take our twenty best men that we kept in reserve, and tell the rest to clear out. And of course, take all the mid-level ones, too. Naturally, you and I will be going as well...
Listening to this, Shadow eyes him carefully and asks:
Shadow: Mind telling me what's going through your head?
Maxuel: You know, that's why people should let others finish talking. But since our dear Shadow is in such a hurry, I'll get to the point: we're going to distract the heroic group while the others escape. Anyway, we already have what we came for.
He turns, holding his staff behind his neck with both hands, and starts walking away as he says:
Maxuel: You see, Shadow, there are some things you just shouldn't force.
He then jumps off the roof, leaving Shadow alone. She looks in the direction he went and thinks to herself:
(Shadow): (Always acting like nothing's ever a big deal. That's probably the thing I hate most about him… but I can't help it, because he's never been wrong.)
The Reunion
In the street where Arthur had been trapped, Ella lands in front of a makeshift building. She thinks:
(Ella): (This must be the place. The presence of that holy barrier confirms it. And looking closer, I can sense several people inside.)
She approaches slowly. Then, someone opens the door. On her guard, she takes a defensive stance and points her staff—until she hears:
Arthur: Don't worry, it's just me!
She looks up and sees Arthur. His hands are raised in a gesture of peace as he says:
Arthur: I don't know how you managed to get here, but I'm grateful. Thanks to you, we've been able to protect several people.
At that moment, Ella sees a crowd of people coming out of the building—children, adults, and others—all with faces relieved to have escaped. She lowers her staff and straightens up before saying:
Ella: It's nothing. You needed help.
Arthur lowers his hands, smiling, and steps closer:
Arthur: It must've been troublesome to come all the way here unplanned, especially since I'm sure you were with Alex. I wonder how he's doing. He must be pretty busy with his new position.
Ella looks at him with an exasperated face and replies:
Ella: I'd say Alex is probably trying to find a way to prove his innocence.
Arthur: Prove his innocence?
Then Furious, who hadn't been with them, shows up. He looks at Ella, steps closer, and says:
Furious: Ella, is that really you? You came to rescue us?
Behind Ella, Iris taps her shoulder with a smile:
Iris: That's right! You see how strong our little one really is? But you could've brought Alex along, you know—so the team would be complete.
Ella: It's just that...
Silone steps in behind Iris and says:
Silone: But Lady Iris, you know he's been assigned to guard Princess Melty lately.
Iris: Ah, that's right! By the way, Arthur, you'd better—
And right then, from a nearby street, Maxuel bursts in at incredible speed, striking a young boy with his staff—a blow so powerful it shatters the child's bones instantly.
Everyone is stunned, unable to react—except Ella. She dashes forward, catches the boy in her arms, and fires a beam of light at Maxuel.
Maxuel is thrown into a building but comes right back out, saying:
Maxuel: You're really impressive. Such power at just sixteen... It's true what they say—you're a prodigy. But as you already know, you can't beat me.
Holding the frightened child tightly, Ella points her staff at Maxuel, fury burning in her eyes:
Ella: And who exactly are you—
But then she hears:
Arthur: Stop! Leave him to me. You won't be able to handle him.
Arthur steps in front of Ella, drawing his sword toward Maxuel.
Arthur: I'm guessing you're the mastermind behind all this.
Maxuel looks around for a moment at everyone present. Iris approaches Ella to start healing the injured boy.
Maxuel: With that handsome face, I'd bet you're Arthur. Such altruism! You've protected all these people… And yet, that deep gaze—you resent me, don't you?
Arthur, face tense, replies:
Arthur: Get to the point!
Maxuel spins his staff with one hand, smiling:
Maxuel: You know, I came here just to...
Everyone listens intently.
Then he points his staff at Arthur and says:
Maxuel: ...piss you off!
He grins. From all sides, men begin to pour in. Ella, Silone, and Furious ready their weapons. But then, emerging from Arthur's shadow, men dressed in black appear and grab him from all sides.
Maxuel starts laughing. Ella rises into the sky, creating a path for the civilians to escape.
Fueled by rage, Furious attacks Maxuel with his axe from the left side—but contrary to expectations, Maxuel blocks it effortlessly with his staff, smiles, and sends Furious flying with a single strike to the face.
Taking Furious's place, Silone charges, unleashing a flurry of sword attacks. Maxuel dodges and parries them easily. As their weapons clash, he says:
Maxuel: You're fast, aren't you?
Silone: Don't fool yourself—I'm just the distraction until our hero steps in.
Maxuel: Hmm!
He counters with a rapid series of blows.
A bit farther away, using an invisibility spell, Shadow thinks to herself:
(Shadow): (I knew it would end like this. It's in Maxuel's nature.)
While striking down her attackers with light magic, Ella senses something:
(Ella): (In the next street to the left... someone's hiding.)
At that same moment, both think:
Shadow: (That man is an anomaly.)
Ella: (I have to attack.)
END OF CHAPTER
Hey there, folks! We're getting close to the end of the introduction arc—it'll wrap up around Chapter Thirty.
See you soon!
NEXT CHAPTER: The Heroic Group Takes Action, Maxuel (Part 2)