Reincarnated in the Villainous Lust System!

Chapter 135: First sight of Nahama

Prince Juan's words carried a sense of command, his voice steady and measured as he continued to address the assembled mages.

"There will be no grouping today," he declared, his tone resolute as he continued. "The attack we face is smaller in scale than the last one, but no less dangerous."

The mages shifted as they absorbed this information, their expressions grim as they listened to the Prince's words.

"We will all ride to Nahama at once," he declared, his gaze sweeping across the assembled mages, his voice firm and authoritative as he continued. "And there, we will engage the beasts in battle."

As the Prince's words faded into the air, a murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd of mages, their bodies shifting in unison as they prepared to heed the call to arms.

Prince Juan, his face grim and his posture straight, nodded in satisfaction as he surveyed the assembled mages, his gaze fixed on each of our faces in turn as he sought to gauge our readiness.

"Alright then, let's go."

With the Prince and the Captain of the Guard leading the way, the procession of mages began to move towards the gates of the palace, our steps quick and purposeful as we readied ourselves for the journey ahead.

Behind the Prince and the Captain, the masters formed a line of skilled and powerful mages, their presence a reassurance to the assembled mages as we prepared to ride into battle.

The rest of us were behind them.

As the masters walked on, the eyes of Master Jared, sharp and piercing, seemed to find their way to me in the crowd of mages, his gaze piercing mine like a dagger as he took in the sight of me among the assembled two-star mages.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart pounded against my chest as I met Master Jared's gaze, my mind raced as I braced myself for the inevitable confrontation.

My eyes searched the master's face for any sign of recognition or rebuke.

As Master Jared's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, the silence stretching like a taut string between us, it seemed for a moment that the master would speak, his lips parting as if to form words.

But then, with a shake of his head and a deep sigh, Master Jared continued on his way, his body moving in step with the other masters as he made his way towards the gates of the palace.

As he moved away from me, the tension that had been building in my body seemed to release all at once, a sigh of relief escaping my lips as I watched the master depart.

My shoulders slumped as the adrenaline of the moment began to fade.

As my thoughts swirled in a flurry of uncertainty, the sound of a familiar voice suddenly cut through the noise of the crowd.

A hand tapped on my shoulder as a familiar face appeared at my side.

"What are you doing here, man?" the voice asked, its tone a mixture of amusement and concern as it reached my ears.

I whipped around to face the person who had tapped me on the shoulder and my gaze fell upon the friendly face of Aaron.

He was standing with Zoe who looked at me with an expression that was both curious and something else I couldn't quite place.

"To protect the Prince". I replied in a bored tone. "Why else?"

Zoe's gaze shifted around us, taking in the crowd of mages as she responded "And where is the prince?"

As I took stock of my surroundings, I suddenly realized that Damon, who I was supposed to be protecting, was nowhere to be seen.

I shrugged. "He is somewhere here".

Aaron chuckled at my words, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Let's go," he said, patting me on the shoulder.

While Aaron remained undeterred by my presence with them, Zoe, on the other hand, seemed less convinced.

As we walked side by side, I caught a glimpse of her face, her expression taut with disapproval.

"You should have stayed at the academy," she said quietly, her words carrying a note of reprimand. "You don't have the experience to fight alongside the two-star mages."

I bristled at her words, my hackles rising as I responded, "I have more than enough," I snapped, my eyes flashing with defiance as I met her gaze.

Zoe seemed to consider my words for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line as she thought about how to respond.

In the end, she seemed to think better of it, clamping her mouth shut as she fell into silence.

The rest of the walk to the gates of the palace passed in uneasy silence, the sound of our footsteps and the whispered conversations of the other mages surrounding us as we continued on our way.

As we approached the gates, the massive stone pillars looming before us like sentinels guarding the palace beyond, I scanned the crowd for any sign of Damon so I could find him and stick close to him.

But it seemed as though he had vanished into thin air, his familiar form nowhere to be found among the throng of mages.

Making a quick decision, I decided to stick with Aaron and Zoe for the time being, my eyes constantly scanning the crowd for any sign of Damon.

The town of Nahama was a quiet place, a small community that was home to no more than 500 people.

As we entered the town of Nahama, a palpable sense of abandonment and decay hung in the air.

The streets were devoid of life, a ghost town of scattered goods and debris that told a story of hasty escape and terror.

The ground was littered with the detritus of everyday life, items once cherished now strewn carelessly across the cobblestones: foodstuffs gone rotten, clothing torn and tattered, jewelry and artifacts scattered like discarded toys.

Indeed, it seemed as though the townsfolk had discovered the impending attack and had rushed to find shelter, barricading themselves in their homes in a desperate attempt to escape the onslaught of the beasts.

Despite their efforts, the townsfolk's attempts to barricade themselves within the safety of their homes proved futile.

The beasts, with their single-minded determination to wreak havoc and destruction, quickly realized the shift in strategy required to carry out their mission.

In a frenzy of rage and savagery, the beasts turned their attention to the homes of Nahama, their powerful bodies crashing through walls and doors, their claws tearing through the weak barriers that separated them from their prey.