The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 50 - Antagonizing Relatives 2: Vacuum Layer Boogaloo

Chapter 50: Chapter 50 - Antagonizing Relatives 2: Vacuum Layer Boogaloo

With the first possibility set aside for now - though she did not discount that Anper himself was merely a pawn that knew nothing and therefore could have ’lied’ to her reliably - the upset Goltbred walked unsteadily towards her next best option. She did indeed run again for a bit after getting out of the sightline of the infuriating man, but the satisfaction of what she’d done to ’fight back’ with him tanked quickly.

What was left was the realization that her snarky ’defense’ would probably only make home life worse for her husband-wife! Fearing what the taller girl would think warred with her need to find Qatrand. Ultimately, it didn’t outweigh the deeper need.

’When I do find her, she might learn what my mother meant by kidnap...’

She hadn’t seen the small house Yatrel had bought, but she was sure it was lovely. Her mind played decorator and then *darling* in a wishful daydream for a while on the way to The Ironclad Order. But even that distraction didn’t last long or do much of anything to subdue the turmoil. Especially when the person she saw from afar acting as one of the Guild’s watchmen was clearly...

’Another Yecine. But not the one I wanted to see.’

His tall frame and black hair was matched with their more common gray eyes. However, like her Qat he wore a black blazer... and like that fiance, he strapped a heavy blade to himself. He was also-

"You don’t seem to be doing too good. Can I help you with something?"

’-a disgusting being with an Empath Astralism!’

There was a time in the distant ancient past that her facade was not performed and enacted as it was. She would travel places and selectively cover her features with whatever she needed the person to see at the time. It worked well, until it didn’t. Until an Empath brought the wrath of a whole region down on her.

The worst part was, she hadn’t even done anything! That time. Yet.

"I’m looking for a member of your Guild... and also your family. Qatrand er Yecine. Do you know if ’he’ has returned here after ’his’ shift?"

The young man’s eyes squinted then widened for a moment before returning to calm. He had realized who the small girl must be, based on the name she gave for her search. The cousin had not expected to meet someone soon marrying into his family while on duty.

"No. At least, I have been here for three hours on this shift and have not seen him come back. I’ll ask the others if you want me to be sure?"

Elua grimaced because - unless he was also a Breacher - he was not lying. His kind of Astralism was quite useful and arguably more insidious about getting others to believe and do what you wanted than her own. It was one thing to have illusions lead someone into feeling a way... and quite another to simply overwrite their feelings as you pleased.

’I already don’t like him, and I don’t even know him well. Manipulation is a scheming cultivator’s pride... and an Empath with ill intention is just a big hammer over the head to mush things before scooping out and filling it back up.’

"No, that won’t be necessary. I believe you."

"Is my cousin in some sort of trouble?"

The question wasn’t actually concerned, nor was it gleeful. However, one aspect of it ate directly at the girl. She felt she should leave well enough alone, as her other recent defense of her ’fortress’ had already likely made the girl’s position worse.

"You’re... the cousin? No, a better question is does my fiance have any *other* cousins that will be participating in the competition this cycle?"

"No? I think the two of us are it for this time."

"I see. If I might be so rude, could you please tell this Elua er Goltbred your name? I have a feeling you know mine already, but there is understandably less of my blood than yours in this region."

Her formal tautness struck a positive chord with the boy - he felt that *this* was how a prospective wife should behave! His own arranged partner was not nearly so well mannered when they first met. That had *not* changed with the actual marriage...

"Of course, Miss Goltbred. You have been speaking to Navuill er Yecine. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

The brunette tilted her head and ’scoffed’ out loud. Not only was this relative meant to take her glory in the competition, he also bore a knock-off name! The fact that he was two years older than Qatrand was unknown to her... but even if she knew, her response would not have changed. Mint eyes bore into his gray quite coldly.

"Really... ’guardian’ in the old tongue. And what do you guard, besides this night position - only yourself? Your own interest? Or is it merely that your elders don’t trust you to do what they named you for without involving themselves in your affairs."

Not actually understanding why he was being insulted, and getting rather stuck on the change in her demeanor instead, the man only opened his mouth and stared. The spiritualist could tell he was confused and ’clicked’ her tongue.

"Wonderful, so you don’t even know that some of your elders quite *unkindly* informed my beloved that they should ’lose gracefully’ to you."

She shook her head and ’snorted’.

"Considering every one of you is so proud of duty, it makes sense that you don’t actually talk to each other. You must just assume you are all working towards the same noble goal? Fantastic. So, I can’t even be mad at-"

She felt his little spirit try and do something to her, so she abruptly stopped speaking. The sounds around them also closed off completely... sealed by her Vacuum Layer that cocooned the area they stood.

As she’d went to the trouble to think of names for the Gravity techniques her illusion would be teaching Qat, she had also thought her own could use the treatment. At least some day it would be easier to coordinate if her partner wanted her to do a certain kind of thing and could let her know without describing it in *too* much detail.

"That - was a mistake. Is it one you are prepared to stake your life on?"

She warned, but it made things worse! Seeing that his spirit energy had no effect at calming down the younger girl, he became flustered and struck his specially made ring onto his scabbard, creating a spark that blazed into flame. His Fire Element control was said to be very good despite mostly focusing on his swordsmanship!

’If I can just make her back off with-’

The light and heat that had grown off of the air around them stifled itself when rapidly surrounded by a tighter barrier of unmoving gasses. Without sufficient oxygen to feed the combustion, it winked out in seconds. The scarier part was that he had no control over the fire just after his essence had connected to the phenomena - he had been suppressed!

"So you choose to fight with Fire... against an Air elementalist? Are you so excited to harm me that you couldn’t even think that through?"

It was quite clear that she outclassed him in two ways, which only left physical cultivation. He had *never* believed the rumors floating about that Yatrel’s daughter was a combat averse ’medical fairy’ and he certainly did not *now*! His hand shifted shakily towards the hilt of his weapon before the Goltbred ’demoness’ spoke again.

"Did you truly want to try for a third time? I promise you... I will *SCRAP* that sword if it is drawn with my *BARE* hands and turn it into the cuffs which I will *BIND* and *DRAG* you back to your family estate with."

The Yecine halted his already uncertain movement. The sword had been a gift - an expensive one - so having it damaged would not be good!

"No, I-"

"Now, are you done throwing your tantrum, you overgrown child? If not, I can *SHOW* you a real tantrum. You think I was upset and needed calmed with your *UNINVITED* empathic spirit? Is that what you thought before you tried to *SUBDUE* me?!"

The heiress visibly sucked in a large chest of air, before exploding her feelings through her facade.

"I AM UPSET! I DON’T KNOW WHERE MY QAT IS AND I’M SCARED! ANYONE THAT CAN’T HELP IS USELESS AND-"

Her screeching, but still well enunciated, voice stopped suddenly and her head turned in a direction. She became tenser all at once before bodily relaxing to a languid state. The reborn cultivator knew where to go next~ and this time it would not be a waste of time.

"It was not nice meeting you and I will not recommend that my fiance go easy on you in the competition. In fact you will be lucky if ’he’ gives you any quarter at all - even *if* I don’t malign the nature of these events, Navuill. I’m not actually sure ’he’ holds grudges, but there is one thing I do know."

Only because it was something that she would ’usually’ do, did the girl deign to turn to show her ’relaxed’ mint eyes to the young man. She also took the time to remove the illusions hiding their ’talk’, as well as the entrapping layer of miasmic gasses in case he had wanted to run.

"My betrothed has promised to protect and cherish me - and the things done to me today are a little counter to that."

He did not dare say anything as she walked away with a bounce in her step, but as a peak physical Enchanter whose Sixth Echelon Element and Fourth Echelon Astralism were so easily blocked... he did have a thought:

’How is it she thinks someone needs to protect her?’