Chapter 232: Paying Former Enemies A Visit

"So what did you talk about?" Sylvia asked curiously after Mika exited the palace and rejoined her.

"They have just given me a rough overview of the current situation." Mika replied calmly.

The two began to walk.

"Where are you headed to now? Unfortunately, my break is about to end soon."

"I will wander around for now. Is there something you have to do?"

"Yes, I and the others are also helping with the reconstruction works here."

"I see."

Sylvia looked like she was pondering about something specific.

"Leave some time for us tonight. Knowing them, they surely want to celebrate your discharge. And it’s not only them, there are also a few other people who want to talk with you." Sylvia said with a slight smile.

"I’ll try."

Sylvia sighed at the unenthusiastic tone of Mika.

"Then, see you later." she said, waving with her hand.

They went in different directions.

[What now?]

Mika pretended to be clueless in front of her.

"I will visit the shelter."

According to his information, the shelter was a little bit outside of Youra. And after asking some strangers on the street for directions, Mika quickly arrived at the shelter where the people from the North were temporarily living.

Unaffected by the people, who were staring at him either with contempt, curiosity or vigilance, Mika headed to the shelter’s center.

There, two people welcomed Mika.

"Heh, seems like you have escaped death, brat." Elsa huffed.

"..."

Elsa stood before Mika with crossed arms and her usual smirk. Beside her was an old woman.

"I don’t know if you are happy or disappointed about it..." Mika muttered slightly taken aback.

That woman was analyzing Mika from the bottom to the top with sharp eyes.

"..."

Mika stared back at her.

"Why’s she staring at me so much?"

The lady laughed.

"I apologize for that, young man. My name is Dura Waret. I’ve already heard a lot about you and couldn’t help but check you out for myself." Dura stated with a gentle smile.

"Is that so?"

Mika also happened to hear a name. From what he remembered, Dura was a water mage in the Grand Order.

"May I ask what led you to us?" Dura wondered.

"I was called to the palace today after waking up. The queen was kind enough to tell me about everything that happened after the battle so I decided to take a look for myself here." Mika replied.

Elsa laughed, whereas Dura had to sigh in turn.

"Elsa, watch your manners. You’re the chief now." she scolded Elsa.

"Sorry, Grandma but don’t you also think that he’s strange in his own way?" Elsa stated, still laughing.

"You know that I’m standing right in front of you, do you?"

"I can’t deny that." Dura responded to Elsa.

"Come on, relax! It’s rare to witness a hero pay a visit at the former opponent’s place." Elsa explained with a huge smile.

"Hero?"

"Yes, that’s what most of the people in Youra call you after you have defeated that demon on your own." she explained as her mouth turned into a straight line.

"..."

Mika was speechless and stunned.

"Leaving that ridiculous nickname aside, I hoped to talk to you, El-"

"Chief."

"Els-"

"Chief."

"Fine..." Mika sighed after Elsa corrected him every time with a provoking grin.

"I was hoping to talk to you, chief."

She took the lead.

"Grandma, can you watch them for the time being?"

"Of course."

Thus, Elsa and Mika sat down on some wooden chairs in her tent which was visibly different from the others mostly due to its size and quality.

"So? What do you want to talk about?" she asked cluelessly.

"It’s about the previous chief and about the people here." Mika stated in a serious tone.

"..."

Elsa roughly understood what Mika wanted to say.

She leaned back on her chair and crossed her legs.

"Brol Nohr..." she began as she narrowed her eyes.

"Without a doubt, he was strong. Although he was not the strongest in the tribe, the majority followed him due to his leadership and strong charisma. There was a time when I actually respected him, too." Elsa added.

She sighed.

"I interrogated everyone here so now I know what really happened."

"..."

Mika listened well.

"Years ago, the demon Vira and Tija Tiam visited the North. Obviously, the people retaliated at first upon the sight of enemies but Vira quickly instilled fear in everyone, making them obey her. Those two demanded a meeting with the higher-ups and Brol."

"Vira forced Brol to make him and his people work under her in her quest to subjugate Leviathan. The North always had the desire to kill Leviathan one day but just like the queen, they did not want to risk unnecessary deaths among their ranks so that idea eventually was pushed into the back of their minds." she elaborated.

"But because of the existence of a being that was stronger than anything else they’ve encountered thus far, their determination was lit up again." Mika guessed.

"Correct. Brol and the others saw an opportunity and came to an agreement. That way, they turned from Vira’s underlings to her partners. However, there were some who opposed that. Among them was the strongest of the village, Arnold Pyril. And because it would have been apparently a waste to kill him, Vira decided to take someone dear to him hostage in order to tame him."

"I see... That explains his behavior towards Sylvia..." Mika muttered somewhat enlightened.

Mika glanced to the side.

"In other words, it wasn’t just Brol who wanted to kill Leviathan."

Elsa nodded.

"The queen manipulated the public into thinking that Brol was the evil one. She was giving the rest of the North a chance to reform themselves. If the truth had gotten out, then there would be surely more deaths among my people." she said.

"And now, you’re the chief so that you can watch after them?"

"That’s a part of it."

"I see."

Mika was about to get up as his business with her was done. After all, he wanted to learn the truth about Brol and the North as well as their current stance.

From what he heard, some people here were still out for Leviathan and were most likely hostile towards Mika who killed their hope of taking Leviathan down.

"I will accompany you to the town. I can’t promise your safety here if I wouldn’t be there."

"Thanks."

However, the moment Mika opened the curtains of the tent’s entrance he saw the bare and wide chest of a middle-aged man.

"You’re Mika, right?" the man asked.

Mika recognized that voice.

"Yes." Mika said, looking up at the man.

It was Arnold who barged into the tent without Elsa’s consent.

And following him was a woman.

She looked relatively young despite her being the same age as Arnold. Her long silky hair was silver and reached to her legs. The pale face did not possess any wrinkles and was instead decorated with a faint and yet gentle smile. The woman’s body was slender and she wore a dress with loose sleeves.

If he were to see her at night, Mika would stiffen up for sure as he would mistake her for a ghost.

Elsa sighed once more but this time, she wore a smile.

"Please sit down." Arnold said to Mika, gesturing with his hand to the other chair.

"..."

Mika sat down and looked at Arnold who was sitting across from him now with the woman standing beside him.

"No need to be so tense." Elsa whispered behind Mika.

It was easier said than done as the first meeting between Mika and Arnold could not have been worse.

At first, Arnold had his arms crossed and wore a stern expression but he soon let up and bowed his head.

"Thank you for killing Vira, young man." he stated.

Copying him, the mysterious woman also bowed her head gratefully.

"..."

Mika inspected that sight for a moment. Now, he understood that Arnold was originally in the anti-Vira faction, meaning that he was not an enemy or someone to be wary of.

"You can lift your head. I have no need for your gratitude, after all, it should be a given to exterminate a demon." Mika said apathetically.

"That’s indeed right but unbeknownst to you, you helped my family a lot. If it wasn’t for you, then my family would have most likely been irreversibly destroyed." Arnold added with a slightly shaking voice.

"Look me in the eyes."

Mika’s tone did not really change much but especially Arnold sensed the pressure Mika was emitting suddenly.

"..."

Slowly, Arnold looked up with a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek.

"!"

Mika stood in front of him and grabbed him by his collar.

"I don’t like this at all..." Mika muttered, on the verge of enraging.

"Mika...?" Elsa murmured surprised.

"I know that someone dear to you was taken hostage by Vira, however, I can’t understand nor do I want to understand why you raised your fists against Sylvia, your own daughter...!"

Mika tightened his grip.

"..."

Ashamed and ridden with guilt, Arnold averted his gaze.

"As a father, shouldn’t your daughter be your number one priority?"

"I..."

"Just who was it that made you fight your own daughter, huh?"

Mika turned angrier despite keeping up an apathetic expression.

"?"

However, the woman, who stood beside Arnold all the time, gently touched Mika’s arm.

"That person would be me, his wife." she stated saddened.