Chapter 156: Lord of the Banshee Court (Patreon)

"Stop hiding behind your tricks! Come out!"

A violent surge of Originium energy erupted from the Arbiter's Arts Unit, rippling through the air in waves — a technique that had never once failed against a Caster before. Yet now, without warning, it did nothing at all.

The chanting at his ear grew deeper still. Saito could feel some force tugging at his own thoughts, and he spun to check on the Administrator beside him — sure enough, she seemed even more affected than a moment ago.

"Administrator, give me your hand."

Saito drove the black sword into the ground, seized the Administrator's soft hand, and drew the Originium energy rampaging through her body into himself.

As his body gradually adapted to the energy, the song at his ear grew clearer — a soft woman's voice, drifting near, then far, as if mourning them with her singing.

"This is a Banshee's song," the Administrator murmured, her lips close to his ear. She had already come back to full awareness, though she still had half her body pressed against him.

"A Banshee?"

"That's right. Among the Sarkaz's tangled web of clans, the most powerful and important ones are known to the Sarkaz as Royal Courts. In the days when the ancient Sarkaz stood at their height, there may have been more than a hundred such clans — but most were ruthlessly erased as history marched on, and no small number of those lost were Royal Court clans."

The Administrator explained in a low voice.

"As things stand today, only ten Sarkaz Royal Courts should remain — and the Banshee clan is one of them.

It's a Royal Court whose members are almost entirely women. Legend holds that their songs carry powerful magic — meaning every single one of them is an extraordinarily strong Caster.

By rights, though, the Elegiac Court should have faded from Kazdel's power struggles by now. Word has it the whole clan relocated to some uninhabited valley..."

At that, the Administrator's voice caught. It couldn't really be that much of a coincidence... could it?

The terrain here didn't look like a valley, but the air was noticeably damper than the desert they'd left behind. They had, it seemed, either already blundered into the Banshees' hidden territory — or were about to.

The two of them instinctively glanced toward the girl unconscious in the back seat. She had sunk completely into a deep sleep by now, and otherwise seemed unharmed.

It appeared these Banshees had no intention of taking their lives, for now — though their method of running off unwanted guests was rather heavy-handed all the same.

At the very least, neither the Administrator nor Saito had any wish to be knocked flat by them.

"Administrator, she's using some kind of power to block off my Originium memory. Is there any way you can find her?"

This was the first time Saito had run into such a stubborn opponent. Most of the Casters he'd faced before had stood no chance of fighting back against him at all — yet this Banshee could not only shrug off the Arbiter's influence, she could even block the reach of his Originium radar.

There really was always someone stronger out there, a truth as old as the sky itself. He'd need to move more carefully from here on.

The Administrator didn't answer right away, seeming to be attempting something. Saito, staying alert to their surroundings, used his Protocol Synchronizer to speak with her in silence.

[Administrator, if this really doesn't work, I'll just go ahead and start.]

As he spoke, Saito pulled a few pieces of Originium from his pack and closed his fist around them. Since the other side hadn't gone for a killing blow right off the bat, he'd been holding back — after all, his greatest strength had never been his gear.

"Don't."

The Administrator's eyes snapped open, and she quickly pressed down on Saito's restless hands. In her memory, the Banshees counted as something like half-allies — if she really let Saito open fire with everything he had, the trouble that followed would be far worse.

"I've found her."

The Administrator's tone was easy, relaxed. They'd been caught off guard at first, sure, but they were in Kazdel now — one of the highest-concentration Originium regions on the entire continent of Terra.

Short of standing directly on an Originium vein, or soaking in a Catastrophe itself, there was probably nowhere else on Terra better suited to her abilities.

Hearing this, Saito tucked the pieces of Originite Prime back into his pack, though he couldn't quite hide the disappointment on his face.

Such a shame. He'd been looking forward to a proper brawl.

Reining in the rare battle-hungry urge that had risen in him, Saito's expression shifted. He stepped forward, face blank, and shouted into the air once more — this time, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on a stretch of the Convallis.

"We're only passing through — we never meant to disturb your seclusion. But if you keep attacking us, we'll have no choice but to fight back."

The words seemed to take effect instantly. The singing gradually faded, and a figure draped in black gauze stepped out of thin air, materializing before the two of them.

"How... curious."

The tall woman let out a soft, questioning murmur, her eyes — hidden behind the black gauze — sweeping back and forth over the pair, as though she'd stumbled onto something fascinating.

The sense of being scrutinized like a lab animal stirred a flicker of irritation in Saito. He stepped forward, placing himself between the Administrator and the woman, his tone sharpening.

"Madam, our apologies for trespassing on your territory. We'll be leaving now."

With that, Saito made to pull the Administrator back toward the car — but to his surprise, the elegant, clearly-not-an-ordinary-Banshee woman suddenly spoke up to stop them.

"If the two of you would please wait."

Saito turned back slowly, a note of wariness in his manner.

"Is there something else?"

"Actually, it's I who should apologize to you. This place hasn't technically entered my territory yet — I attacked you so rashly only out of curiosity."

The Banshee bowed slightly, as if to express her apology.

"To make up for it, would the two of you be interested in returning to the valley with me, for a talk?"

"I swear on my name as Great Banshee — the Banshee clan will never do anything to harm you."

"...?" Never mind whether they'd go to the valley for now — what exactly had she just sworn in the name of?

Saito's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at the tall Banshee in disbelief — no, he corrected himself, the Great Banshee.

"Administrator, I think we just hit the jackpot."

Saito rubbed his forehead, exasperated. Just a little while ago he'd been saying they hadn't run into anyone particularly formidable on this trip.

Well, so much for that — now a Great Banshee had popped up out of nowhere.

After all, even Bozkasti had never claimed the title of Great Banshee. This woman in front of him was, at minimum, on the level of a Captain — maybe even stronger than that.

He was rather glad now that he hadn't rushed headlong into a fight with her.

Otherwise, there was no telling how things might have turned out.