The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 280 - The Long-Dormant Volcano Stirs Fires Within The Black-Clad Mountain Range

Chapter 280: Chapter 280 - The Long-Dormant Volcano Stirs Fires Within The Black-Clad Mountain Range

"Yes, I have been occupied with family matters and duties with the Guild."

Anper’s silvery gaze darted past her while seeking an escape route. The retainer who had taken the woman’s purchased fabrics had melted away into the crowd. It left just the two of them standing awkwardly amid the flow of night market-goers.

"Family? Yes, matters like those do require our utmost attention."

Lirades stepped closer with a casual enough posture. The elderly woman’s voice dropped in a semblance of privacy despite the bustling crowds around them.

"I’ve noticed quite a few members that seem similarly occupied. Strange coincidence, that."

"We all have responsibilities."

"Indeed. Though some responsibilities seem to take certain sets of elders in rather unusually similar directions."

He stiffened at her blunt words, realizing hers was the set of eyes he had felt watching his travel earlier. This was precisely why the others had pushed her to the periphery of family decisions. When she had something to say there was little to no subtlety.

She had no patience for the measured pace of things and rarely used others to come to her own information. The fiery woman was always aiming for direct confrontation that risked exposing delicate matters. Of course, she was a bit of an arsonist as well... setting fires just to see what she could smoke out.

"I’m not sure what you’re implying."

"No? Then allow me the opportunity to be clearer."

She gestured toward a small tea stall at the far edge of the marketplace behind him. Whether it was coincidence or if this location was a planned ambush point, he couldn’t say.

"Join me. We’ll talk about exactly what I mean. We’re overdue for a proper conversation."

"As I said, I’m currently-"

"It wasn’t a request, Anper."

The swordsman’s hand twitched toward his blade as her intent to *make* him listen bloomed. Lirades noticed the movement and laughed softly - but the sound held no warmth... only derision.

"How eager you are to draw against an old woman. Is that what we’ve become?"

He hissed his words as he leaned toward her. The irritability in his nature when pressed was clear on his face.

"You overstep your bounds. You hold no position to make demands of me."

"Position? No. I gave up fighting for that long ago."

Her voice remained steady as she continued. The intent she aimed at him had not faded and - while her spiritual cultivation was a little worse than his - her age gave a weighty quality to it.

"However, I’ve walked this earth for nearly three centuries. I’ve watched five Descents come and go for every one. And I’ve buried and grieved for enough of our family members to recognize when someone is acting *against* our interests."

Despite being a woman, Lirades remained one of their most powerful cultivators. It was one of the facts that rubbed so many elders the wrong way. Time and experience had a way of accumulating, even for those who trained inefficiently or were not granted greater resources.

’Staying safe and growing so slowly, she must have let it go to her head.’

"I am not. I resent the assertion."

"Like all the other men in this family, you were never very good to your first wife. But at least you were more capable at making friends outside the family unlike some."

A glut of ’disappointment’ hit him straight from the woman... who had been growing enamored with the tactic of smashing her opinion at people after seeing Elua in action! Why the young girl was so good at it was a puzzle, but Lirades could work on getting to the bottom of that next time.

For Anper, the shift of tone and unexpected direction caught him off guard. Having his deceased wife mentioned seemed like an attempt to set him emotionally off balance. It was something he did not even discuss with his second wife. A fact that was mentioned to the elderly woman by that very spouse.

"Leave her out of this. Whatever you are doing."

"Why? She’s part of your story, just as Ondua once was."

Lirades sighed loudly and suddenly... looked her age. The fire inside dimmed and her shoulders drooped as she let the burden of years infect her spirit. While she had not interacted much with Qatrand’s mother, she clearly remembered the talks so long ago now about the young heir before her that was now a ’young’ elder.

"I am neither senile nor ignorant. There was a time when the two of you were inseparable outside of your duties. Until the matters after the end of that Descent hurt your pride and you let it fester into this... whatever this has become."

His hand twitched again. It was hard not to react severely when someone you ignored suddenly talked about you as if they’d seen everything the whole time. Anper took a step forward, looming over the older woman.

"Times change. People change. But my loyalty to this family has never changed."

Looking down, he saw that the old cultivator’s foot had shifted without him noticing. Her dainty shoe was now firmly planted on top of his own. The only way to move from the spot would be to push her away.

The seemingly simple action also carried the unmistakable flow of essence interrupting his own field and suppressing him in the two ways in which she was especially ’stronger’ than him. Even if he could claim his swordsmanship was superior... the close range was not to his advantage.

"Do you think I’ve never dealt with a man that attempted to use his size and strength to bully me into submission, Anper? You forget, I may be a woman - but I am a Yecine."

What she really meant by that as always was that she was a *born* daughter... not just one of the ones married in that she had taken to looking after. A distinction some of the elders of their family failed to make a handful of times across her life. Every one of them was taught the same lesson eventually.

Which is, that there *was* a time the young girls of their family were initiated in the same traditional rites as the young boys no matter how much the current leadership would be willing to deny it. As well as that... ’weaker’ or not, they were taught to wield the same aggression if forced to fight.

Most importantly in this situation - that the swordsman was recollecting a little late - was that she was the only surviving person of their line from one of the last major continental conflicts. She had seen and partaken in more live combat against other humans than any five or six elders combined.

So when her intent slammed into him this time, it rattled.

"Learn humility, brat... before I force it on you. I know you and the silly faction that took you in are planning something. I vow right now, to your face, to find out what it is."

A cold dread washed over him. He wondered how much she actually knew... or if she was only fishing like she had been known to do in the past - throwing vague accusations to see what stuck.

"Careful. Unfounded accusations against family members carry consequences."

"So do plots against friends of the family. I can afford to be wrong. But we can’t afford to ignore you any longer."

She lifted her foot to punctuate her sentence. Yet, a hand darted forward and held tight on the pommel of his weapon before he could back away. A small demonstration that she was still spry - nothing that would draw attention from passersby... but enough to remind him of what she was capable of.

"I’ve been quiet for too long again. Watching members drift from core values, telling myself it wasn’t my place to interfere if *all* of you wanted to be foolish. But I see quite clearly now - sometimes tradition needs its defenders."

The irony of her using essentially his own justifications nearly made him sneer. Instead, he composed his features into their usual stern mask. He couldn’t afford to validate anything she had said to him so far.

"You’ve taken enough of my time. If you have specific concerns, take them to the council of elders."

The woman all but cackled.

"Some of the same elders I’ve seen sneaking off like naughty children? How convenient."

Her hand pat twice on the handguard after she let go of his weapon.

"No, I think if I do anything... you won’t know until it is happening. But know that I’m watching, Anper. More closely than you may realize."

With that parting bit of mental warfare, she turned and began walking away. Lirades had to say that it felt great to really give her best to a youngster again! For such a long time she basically went through the motions of making complaints and filing grievances.

’I might actually meditate tonight instead of having another cup of tea. Haha! Imagine actually aiming for breakthroughs at my age.’

Despite being the one who said he was busy, Anper stood frozen in the market thoroughfare. People flowed around him like irritated water around a stubborn stone. The lingering sense of pressure on his foot where she had pinned him felt like when his father swatted him with a training blade.

Just enough pain to correct him. Guiding his son like a professional and respected by the family. A short lived memory, considering the man perished in the following Descent before Anper came of age. The rest of his instruction was performed by some of the very men who roped him into this whole plot.

The dark clothed, dark haired Yecine started to chuckle while covering his eyes.

"Things usually do not go my way, but today is especially heinous. I bet next thing-"

"An?"

The swordsman almost wanted to bite off his own tongue.