Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1332  High in the Skies

It gathered beneath them, firm and controlled, lifting boots from stone with gentle insistence. The ground dropped away as the current carried them upward, the shield moving with them as a single enclosed whole.

Higher.

Below them, dwarven heads tilted back in near unison.

"What in the Deep Forges am I lookin' at?" one engineer barked with his wrench slipping from his fingers and clanging off the metal. Another slapped himself. "I swear on my beard that new brew hit me harder than I thought!"

A third dropped a calibration rod clean into the mud. "Holy bearded lassus, they're flyin'! Whole damned group, like a sack of bolts tied together!"

A fourth dwarf slapped the first across the helmet. "Eyes on the vents, you rock-brained idiot! You can gawk after the walls fall and we hoist Elvarida's flag!"

"I am lookin' at the vents!" the first shot back. "They're just… floatin' past 'em!"

Quinlan and the rest ignored the chatter. The battlefield shrank beneath their feet. Cannon lines became neat rows. Troop movements turned into flowing patterns. Even the thunder of dwarven artillery softened, no longer a physical weight in the chest but a distant rhythm that blended together, almost pleasant in its consistency.

Inside the stronghold, visible through gaps and failing sections of the barrier, chaos reigned.

Undead moved through courtyards and corridors, drawing defenders away from walls and defensive siege engines. Fires burned where formations had broken. Orders were shouted and lost. From above, it was all strangely organized, the mess reduced to motion and contrast.

Serika's breath caught.

"From here… it feels so distant."

Her mesmerizing green eyes tracked the movement below, seeing soldiers mounting a resistance against the undead.

"It's like we're watching a play in a theatre."

"And we didn't have enough cash for a premium seat, so we got shoved into the back, far from the podium," Lucille added with a sly smile.

"I'm not complaining, that much is certain…" Aurora whispered in awe at the truly unique sight she was witnessing right now. This whole invasion, seeing elves, dwarves, and undead combine their forces to overwhelm human defenses, was an incredibly brutal yet magical view to behold.

None felt they'd forget it anytime soon.

As the women continued to watch, the siege below crept toward its breaking point.

The barrier still held, but only barely. Its glow flickered unevenly now, patches dimming as defenders struggled to keep the flow of mana steady. Inside the walls, the problem had doubled. Mages meant to reinforce the spell were being pulled away, dragged into brutal close-quarters fights against undead that should never have been there in the first place. Every moment spent holding a corridor was a moment not spent feeding the barrier. Every spell cast inward was one not cast outward.

From above, the imbalance was obvious.

Quinlan let his gaze linger on it for a few seconds longer. Then he turned away from the spectacle and toward Ria.

The blonde assassin had been quiet for a long time before they took to the air. She stood near the edge of the shield, eyes narrowed, tracking movement below, yet just by looking at her, Quinlan could see that she felt uncertain of her position. He thought that she must've been wondering, 'Why am I here?'

Quinlan looked at Ria.

"Tell me, do you want to keep tagging along? This isn't an expedition you are used to as an adventurer. People will die today. I can't promise you protection, I won't lie about that."

He then looked at the girl dryly, "So… Although it might be a bit late to have this conversation, considering where we are, I can still let you land a safe distance from here. You don't have to be a part of this war."

"?!" Ria gasped, brought out of her thoughts as her head snapped in his direction.

Quinlan then added, "You've done well by my allies; I'll reward you handsomely. Just name your wish."

Ria blinked many times in quick succession.

The words didn't land right away. Payment. Reward. A clean exit. She stared at Quinlan as if he had offered her something totally unexpected.

"Rewarded for accompanying your allies?" she asked, just to be sure she heard him right.

Quinlan nodded once. "You've earned it."

That made her inhale through her nose and look away. Her fingers curled, then loosened again. When she looked back up, the usual, playful bounce in her posture was gone. What remained was steadiness.

For once, she didn't look like a fangirl eyeing her idol.

"I get it… I'm just an adventurer. There's no oath, no banner, no reason for me to be here once things turn dicey."

She shook her head and smiled at Quinlan.

"But adventuring was always just a tool to me. Killing monsters meant getting stronger and being paid as well. A two-in-one combo." Her gaze flicked aside for a moment, taking in a pink-haired tanker and a raven-haired warrior. "Then I ran into people who made it… different. Iris. Lyra. You've shown me what being in a real team feels like. You were nothing like the adventurers I knew, and now I understand why. Adventuring has been just a means to an end for you; not even the monetary reward mattered. You had bigger things in life than I ever did, and it showed through your every action."

Feng's eyes widened. "Hey!"

Felicity sucked in a sharp breath. "Hello?! You only mentioned Iris and Lyra?! I get it if you want to leave Feng out, but what about me?!"

"Hey!" the oriental teen yelped for a second time, now aimed at the princess.

Ria turned her head slowly.

Looked at Felicity.

Said nothing.

Felicity stiffened with her lips pressing together as she folded her arms and looked away with a huff. "Hmph!"

Ria faced Quinlan again, smirking slyly, visibly happy to have annoyed both young ladies at once. But as she took in the man before her again, she turned serious. "If you'll have me, I'd like to stay with your group…" Ria then quickly clarified with hurried words, "I am not expecting the kind of trust or position Lyra or Iris have!! I'm just an outsider. I understand that I don't deserve trust." She paused, then lifted her chin a fraction. "But if there's work to be done, I want in. I want to be part of something that actually matters. Something bigger than I ever dared to dream of being a part of. Even if my contribution to it would be on a small, irrelevant scale."

Her eyes drifted downward through the translucent shield, toward the city tearing itself apart below. Her voice dropped.

She then gingerly added,

"And it's not like being an adventurer in Ravenshade right now promises much in the way of life insurance. I might as well remain with my trusted pair of teammates."

"HMPH!!" Felicity scoffed audibly at that.

"So rude…" Feng sighed.

Iris then brought up a good point. "What about your father?"

Ria sucked in a breath. Color drained from her face. "He's… still in the town."

"Where is his settlement located?" Lyra asked at once.

"Further inland. Thankfully, it's not on the border... But it isn't too far either."

Quinlan nodded. "We'll get him out before the war machine reaches that far."

Ria stared at him for a second, then bowed deeply despite the open sky and the wind holding them aloft. "Thank you."