Epiphany Of The Weak 201 Sofeea Akiloye - Major Chapter - Willing To Give My All

One by one, they succ.u.mbed to the pain after the Aegis drilled into their hearts. My eyes popped open when I saw it. Gheele had to stop the whole thing after a number of casualties were accrued.

"L-Let me! Give me one of those things!" I said as guards pulled my arms, trying to throw me out of the palace.

Ava, the blonde guy, Gheele, and a few other individuals that I didn't recognize were present there, looking at me. We were underground, specifically inside an empty s.p.a.ce well lit.

"Tell me, slave... Why are you in a hurry to go to the other side, hm?" said Gheele, a few feet in front of me.

"No, Master! I-I just want to repay back everything you have done to us! If I survive this, all those lives will not be for naught! So... please, I beg of you!"

"Repay back...? What nonsense are you telling me?"

"U-Um, Gheele..."

Ava approached him with a furtive expression. "I... I think I know what she was saying."

"Hmm?"

"I donated them the money you gave me back then... and I, um, gave food to them as well... So..."

"...I see. Quite a generous one, are you, child?"

Gheele told everyone that he would let me undergo this 'Aegis Implant' process, but he and basically each one of them warned me of the consequences. I might have a high compatibility rate with one of the Aegis thing-y, but there was still a small chance, but unlikely, that I could die by the end of the whole procedure.

The many corpses of 'compatible' people were enough proof of that possibility.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaargh! Aaagh! Grrrggghhh!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The Aegis container drilled mercilessly into my chest before a network of, what felt like, thin wires, burst out and strung itself into every fiber of my being.

"...She's..."

By the time the pain dissipated, my wound healed in almost an instant. I held a hand on my chest, dumbfounded by what just happened.

"Rejoice, slave!" declared Gheele. "It seems like you have been chosen by fate itself. To be honest, I didn't expect this at all, frankly."

"Sofeea!"

Ava crouched next to me and I looked up— when our eyes met. This little girl, the one I wanted to repay the favor, was genuinely worried about me. I don't really understand why she would. She barely knew me, and yet her red eyes showed no hints of scorn or the like that those from upper cla.s.s usually had.

She offered a hand for me, and I unconsciously accept it.

"...I am indebted to you, Mer Ava. Truly. With this, I hope I can repay everything you have done. I hope that I can be useful to someone as kind as you."

"Eh...? Haha. You're making me blush here..."

Ava scratched her cheek and put up an awkward smile. She told me afterward about what this Aegis was all about, and Gheele expanded on what my job would be like from that point onward. Almost immediately, I noticed a significant difference in how the group treated me.

Each one of them could be described as 'unique' per se but in a good way. It didn't take long for me to warm up to everyone. For once, I never felt discriminated or looked down upon, and these alone was a huge change for me.

"I'm looking forward to work with you, Sofeea Akiloye," said Gheele Folami, the sole ruler of Neo Africa as he handed me a black uniform. "From now on, you are an official member of the Lutalo Aegis Squad. I expect great things from you..."

I bowed deeply. "I am very honored, Ser Gheele."

From the corner of my eye, Ava and the others clapped their hands, enraptured of this scene, this very moment.

"I will do my best to meet your expectations... and the others as well."

♢

♢

"Here we are, Ser Hope."

"...Ugh. I don't think I can ever get used to your power. I feel like... I want to throw up."

"..."

"Don't look at me like that, you two! Ugh... Wait. Let me rest a bit."

"Take your time," Ernestine and I said.

The three of us: Ernestine, Hope, and I teleported into Gheele's palace using my Aegis specialty, the Teleportation Wrap. Just to remind what it is about, this ability of mine allowed me and anyone nearby to teleport anywhere I had marked beforehand, using my Aegis crystals.

This palace in Goz Beida was one of many places 'marked' for convenience, since more often than not, Lutalo group would come back here at the end of our missions.

Initially, we agreed to go straight to Finland after Gheele was informed of this. Gheele Folami was our leader, so needless to say, he has the right to know. But in this case, particularly because of this grand-scale war, we had been very reliant on him for many reasons. Gheele was in the top bra.s.s, and if us—the Aegis Users— went to do our own things, it would cause unrest and discord on his side.

Mostly because of, one:

We were the primary offense force Neo Africa had against Amathelia's own Aegis Users. If we didn't inform him of every little action we did and about to do, it would be quite hard to weave any form of plan to counter those Aegis Users when they showed up.

And because of, two:

By any chance that Neo Africa's forces were overwhelmed in some war fronts, we Aegis Users could be sent there to turn the tide.

"Yo, Gheele Sir!"

Hope pushed open the door to Gheele's throne room with a wide smile— me and Ernestine behind him.

"..."

Gheele sat with one crossed leg on his ebony chair, lifted a few meters on a square pedestal. The throne room generally was bristled with orange Aegis crystals, but this time, it seemed like a good amount was gone, for some reason.

"...Cut the introduction. I get the gist of who that little child is. Don't need to elaborate," said Gheele with an expressionless face.

"What I want to know though, is why you think I will just accept her as she is? Do tell me."

"Ah... Then let me."

"I can fill in as well if you want, Ser Hope."

"Thanks, Sofeea. But I think I got this one in the bag. Here, Ernestine."

Hope motioned for the red-haired to stand next to him, and with a strut, she did just that.

"I will cut it short if you don't mind."

Gheele drew his eyebrows together. "I understand your concern about what is happening in Finland. I lost contact with Maltyie and the rest too..."

"Then, we can teleport there first, and shove this conversation on some other time—"

"I'm actually impressed by your thinking, Hope Domitius. Envious, even, of how ignorant you are of the state of Neo Africa in this war."

I looked at Hope, and he glanced back. Ernestine didn't say a word— her eyes covered with her bangs so I wasn't sure what she was feeling right then.

"...Neo Africa needs Ava and those back in Finland. Without them, we lost the only advantage we had. They make up about more than half of Lutalo's combat strength," said Hope, "So, for now, Ernestine here can make up for it! And I promised her that... that we will get her aunt back."

"...Again with your selfish request, huh, Hope Domitius?"

Gheele stood up from his seat and glared at him. "I don't mind having someone as powerful as her on our side... in fact... I welcome her gladly. But I must say, really, do you really care about Ava as much as you think you are?"

"...Huh?! What are you trying to say here?" Hope said.

"The thing is, you see..." Gheele flicked his wrist and a dozen orange javelins formed from thin air. "For a while now I have been thinking, is there anything in it for you, that you are willing to go out of your way like this for Ava? I am quite certain you said that everything you did is for that child..."

"...Yeah. The fact that I am here, in front of you, is because of her. If she didn't convince me to join back then—"

"I see. But I have something else in mind than letting you go to Finland. The western front, the Atlantic Ocean still needs you there."

"W-Wait... What are you talking about? We need to rescue Ava and the rest! Are you joking? I'm sure you're not though, but still... why?"

"I ordered you to help my forces at that ocean, but I appreciate you bring this..." Gheele pointed at Ernestine.

"Ernestine," I spoke.

"This Ernestine here to join us, temporarily. That order of mine still stands, you know."

"Wait! You have to let me go to Finland! If not..."

"Are you going against me, slave?" The orange javelins floated ever so slowly towards Hope. "An order is an order. Remember your position."

"...I don't want to fight you. I don't want to fight someone I respect. But this is... I see. I have no choice, huh."

"Ser Hope..."

"Mister Hope... will you fight?" said Ernestine.

Hope walked towards Gheele, part of his face was covered with his blond hair. I thought he wanted to duke it out with Gheele, just to get the right to join the forces that would be going to Finland. Though deep inside me, even I knew that wasn't like him if he did that.

Because he cared for Ava that he wouldn't do such a thing.

"Gheele, Sir..."

Hope halted a few feet away from Gheele and, without hesitation, prostrated in front of him.

"Huh?" Ernestine's mouth was agape.

"..."

"Please, let me go to Finland. I know that you know how bad the situation is right now in Finland. I just have this feeling... that Ava is at the center of it. If that's the case, I can help her!"