The Guardian

Parallel Story New Beginning Chapter 5: We Are

In front of a small town scarred by the passage of time, space distorted high in the sky.

*BOOM!

A figure fell to the ground and formed a crater, raising a rather large dust cloud.

When the dust settled, the figure could be seen.

He was a man two meters and several centimeters tall, but when combined with his strong build and muscular physique, then people would think he was a ‘giant’.

Even though he wore casual clothes, everyone could see his muscles and when they looked at him, he gave the feeling that he could crush everything in his path.

His eyes looked slightly gentle, and his face was well-marked with the experience of a grown man. Adding his baldness made him look like an imposing man in his late forties.

“Honey, you’re too flashy,” a voice murmured and a woman gently descended from the sky.

A woman in her thirties, her face was soft and delicate, while her slim and curvy figure was too attractive.

The charming smile did not match her blue eyes, that seemed cold as she looked around and only mellowed as she gazed at that large figure.

“Sorry, I’m excited to see them,” replied the giant, intertwining his arms, looking at the people who had felt the commotion.

The beautiful woman laughed and looked at the village where an African man approached with an expression that hid fear.

“Who are you?” Turay asked, trying to calm down as he saw them both coming out of the crater covered by a light cloud of dust that the giant had caused.

“Where are my daughters?” the giant asked, looking serious.

His figure alone released an intimidating and imposing atmosphere, as if warning no one to mess with him.

Turay got a good look at their figures and recognized them clearly, but that didn’t make his trembling subside.

“Honey, you’re too excited,” intervened the woman, giving him a serious look to calm him down.

The giant let out a sigh and muttered. “It’s normal. We haven’t seen her since ‘it’ happened and I’m worried.”

“Me too,” the woman murmured as her true feelings came to light.

They both looked at each other and together let out long sighs.

“We’re bad parents,” announced the giant, getting the atmosphere to drop a little because of his own depression.

“We are,” replied the woman, sharing the atmosphere.

That was the truth.

They themselves knew they were bad parents and while they could excuse themselves by saying their daughter was uncontrollable and overzealous, the truth, in the end, was that they allowed them to go out into the world.

Their daughter, only fifteen years old, walked away from home after being physically and mentally battered by reality, staining her hands with blood in the process, and disappeared.

It was only when she called was to ask for help that she confessed to them that she was in Africa and needed their help.

“At least of all our children, Alice is more obedient,” muttered the giant, letting out a hollow laugh.

His eldest son was extremely troublesome, but his daughter was also troublesome in her own way.

With a ‘system’, as she called it, she was capable of many things, and training was one of them.

Before they knew it, that child was going out to hunt monsters and from the monsters, she began to spread her sphere of influence into dangerous areas and before they knew it; she was already in Africa, having lost people she knew and loved.

In that sense, his other daughter was the most obedient thing, as she communicated with them and called them to warn them of everything and inform her of the situation.

“Though she will surely betray us if Aurora feeds her,” murmured the woman with a pleasant smile.

They both turned to look at each other and let out a soft laugh.

Troublesome or obedient were their children, and they always gave her the freedom they wanted, never restricting them if they didn’t want it.

Regardless of how bright their daughter was or how dark their son was, in the end, all they could do was stand by both of them when they needed it.

Just like now, where they left everything to come to this place.

Looking at the man who was giving a strange look beside him, the giant chuckled and pointed. “Anton Campbell and my wife Agatha Campbell.”

“The Giant of Steel and Silver Light...” Turay muttered, swallowing harshly at the sight of two highly regarded SS Ranks.

Pioneers, heroes, or illustrious figures.

It didn’t matter what they called it, both individuals created a name for themselves after the Great Cataclysm.

“Those are our titles,” Agatha muttered, and giving a glance at the people, she asked. “Where are our daughters?”

A single one of her glance was enough to scan the entire town that became too big to support all the people.

“They have both gone to help a village with a temporary dungeon and are most likely delayed due to the fact that they will probably bring another group of people.” Turay reported with a slightly exhausted expression.

“Oh, the ‘Ark’ mission,” Agatha said, and when they both looked at her, she commented. “Alice calls it that. Because they gather people from all over and escort it to a safe place... Like an ark.”

Both men were silent at that way of looking at things, but both didn’t question it even though it sounded... Strange.

Before they could say anything to lighten the atmosphere, her holographic clock chimed, and she gave a serious expression.

“They’re coming.”

With those words, she rose and floated into the air, heading a little away from the village, and then waved her hand.

The plants covering that small plain were burned completely to their roots as the fire spread through the area.

Waving her hand again, the earth flattened perfectly and hardened to the level of a tight building.

It wasn’t doing it for several meters, but all of that was taking place for hundreds of meters.

“A runway for planes?” muttered Turay, as he saw that was what was taking shape.

The path for the planes to land was not small, letting it be seen that what they wished to receive were large planes.

The road was completely hardened, making it difficult to break, and extended it for several meters to make it so that there would be no problem for a plane to stop.

The woman made all the preparations from the air only by waving her hand and went so far as to create the signal lights with light magic and even formed a basic tower of several meters.

She did it all with magic... The multiple magics she could handle.

That was the woman who bore the title ‘Silver Light’, someone with the ability to control magical energy and with the ability to employ any magic.

Recognized Grand Archmage, she was one of the strongest SS Ranks with deep connections to the Church of Time and Space and was also recognized as one of the ancient heroes.

Who, with her husband, the ‘Steel Giant’ along with powerful individuals such as Grand Archmage Vincent, founded what was the basis of the Heroes Guild.

Most might not recognize them by name, but the titles were unforgettable.

Agatha, as she finished the job, landed nodding as she looked at her creation and then after waiting several minutes they saw an airplane.

It was a rather large and fast plane.

The first time it flew over them, scanning the entire town and the rudimentary airport, allowing it on the return to land calmly.

That airport could be considered something of an ‘emergency’ despite how excellent it was, but it worked perfectly.

The tail of the plane opened and dozens of people began to descend, along with some machines carrying metal boxes.

“Get everything down carefully. Those boxes have storage space inside and they hold a lot of equipment,” ordered an old man with grayish-white hair wearing a formal suit and seeing more people coming down, he added. “I want this airport upgraded. We need something decent and big for when the planes come in.”

His tone was strict, but sure and confident, getting everyone else to get to work.

He then approached the group as Turay was stunned to see the things they were taking out of the plane that bore a recognizable logo.

Perhaps he was a sailor who had stayed on his ship for a long time, but that logo was quite recognizable and the words engraved on the plane showed who it belonged to.

Apicius Company.

Their food business was spread over several areas and even though Africa was hectic, some guilds that were in these lands sold them materials.

“Oh, James, I didn’t think you were so enthusiastic,” Agatha said, and looking at another cargo plane approaching, she pointed. “When Alice told me she asked you for help, I thought you would send some supplies and not... This.”

The first plane brought many people, and some were mercenaries who were tasked with maintaining security, but the supplies were numerous.

Boxes and boxes that when opened revealed quite a few things, from food, medicine, and building materials of all kinds.

The second plane also had another large group of people and workers who brought down the box, along with some mechanics who opened a box and assembled several construction robots.

The robotics were not as advanced to the level of being used in warfare, but in construction, they were quite advanced and, as if that wasn’t enough, they also brought out several drone power plants that released dozens of drones.

Some explorer drones, other medical drones, and even cooking and construction drones.

The first thing they built was the warehouses, which began to be built at a high-speed thanks to the fact that they had everything ready.

There were even boxes that brought out dozens of furniture of all kinds.

“I had thought you wouldn’t come, but this...” The giant didn’t know what to say when looking at such a scene.

“I was surprised when Her Excelle... The young lady wished to help a small village in the middle of Africa, but here we are,” James Wiley replied with a very normal smile.

His ‘here we are’ was as if it gave the definitive answer to all the doubts anyone could have.

Turay swallowed without knowing what was going on, although he could guess from observing how temporary warehouses were being built.

“Won’t there be problems with the other shareholders?” Agatha asked with curiosity and a serious look.

What was being let out with those warehouses and whatever they were taking out of the two big planes was not something on the level of simple humanitarian ‘aid’.

They looked like they were coming to settle down... And they looked prepared for that goal.

“Yes, there were quite a few problems from the other shareholders. Going to Africa to settle is crazy. Poverty, dangers with warlords, or the magic forest. Settling in the middle of nowhere, having magical beasts as neighbors that for years have been hunted and attacked. Yeah, it’s crazy,” James said, nodding seriously and with a smile, he added. “However, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we fail, we may go bankrupt, and if we succeed... We will be one of the richest companies and replicate the feat of Atlantis City, only in the middle of Africa.”

He was showing his enthusiasm as a trader and at the same time, he was showing the attitude of the CEO of one of the big companies that were formed after the ‘Great Cataclysm’.

Confident or self-assured? No, just bold and determined.

Enough to turn the Apicius Company into a top-notch multinational today.

“Sure. It’s just an idea and even though this seems like a lot, it’s only a first and small investment whose losses I can even pay out of pocket,” Commented James with a shrug and, giving a serious look, he revealed. “I have managed to receive the approval of the other shareholders, but in order to carry out such a colossal task, I first need to get the support of the main shareholder. Well, hers and most likely her sister’s.”

A smile appeared on the man’s face.