Reborn As Noble

Hours Later.

Liana was on her way to Vurghen’s last town, riding her pekko from the Armand forward base. She was escorted by several battle maids on their own pekkos, along with multiple units of Armand Special Operations soldiers. The group moved in a tight, disciplined formation, their eyes scanning the terrain with practiced vigilance.

As they crossed a stretch of open plains, Liana noticed something unusual in the distance. Javier’s battle drones and scout drones were swarming a specific area, their gatling mana guns roaring as they unleashed a relentless barrage of compressed mana fire. Mana missiles streaked through the air, slamming into the ground with explosive force, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.

The escort leader raised his palm, signaling everyone to stop. All the pekkos came to a halt, their heads turning toward the distant commotion, feathers ruffled with alertness. The soldiers tensed, hands gripping their weapons as they watched the swarm of drones continue their assault on the same spot.

Liana tilted her head, her expression calm but curious. She gracefully climbed down from her pekko, her movements fluid and elegant. The battle maids immediately rushed forward, forming a protective circle around her.

”Miss Liana!” one of them called out, her voice urgent.

Liana simply raised her palm, silencing them. Twin elven white-ore blades materialized in her hands, their edges gleaming with a soft, ethereal light. She held them loosely at her sides, her posture relaxed but ready, her eyes scanning the surroundings with quiet intensity.

The escort leader tapped his mana talkie, his voice low and steady as he reported to the forward base.

”Forward base, this is Escort Unit Seven. We have encountered an active combat zone approximately miles ahead. Unidentified hostiles are being engaged by automated drone units. We are holding position and awaiting further orders. Over.”

”Unit Seven. We just received instruction from the Armand Estate.” The voice crackled over the mana talkie, calm but firm. ”Order from the First Queen: Retreat back to the Armand forward base. Immediately. Do not engage.”

The escort leader nodded sharply, his expression hardening as he turned toward Liana.

”Miss Liana. Order from the First Queen. We are to retreat back to the forward base. Now.”

Liana kept her gaze fixed on the distant chaos, her twin blades still held loosely at her sides. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed something emerging from the smoke and debris of the drone assault.

A massive figure stepped into view. He was enormous, towering and grotesque, with a body that was wide, big, and solid. His skin was pale and waxy, stretched tight over bulging muscles and rolls of fat. His head was small compared to his massive frame, with tiny, round eyes that gleamed with a childlike excitement. His smile was wide and creepy, stretching across his face, revealing rows of jagged, uneven teeth, drool dripping from his lips.

He turned his gaze toward them, eyes lighting up with glee.

”Gioni just hungry~ And now Gioni meet food~”

With a giddy leap, he launched himself into the air, ignoring the drones still peppering his back with mana fire. He soared upward before plummeting back down, a fleshy meteor aimed directly at their formation.

The pekkos reacted instantly. Their auras flared, feathers bristling as they unleashed a barrage of wind blasts in perfect unison. The compressed air slammed into Gioni’s massive form like a thousand invisible fists, sending him hurtling backward through the air. He crashed into the ground in the distance, the impact carving a deep trench through the earth.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Gioni sat up, his face twisted with rage, his voice shifting from childish glee to a guttural, furious snarl.

”Gioni just hungry! And Gioni HATE Francesca’s birds!”

Gioni stood up, stomping his feet repeatedly while hitting his own head with both hands, his voice rising into a shrill, childish tantrum.

”Gioni hates the big birds! Gioni hates them so much! Can’t eat them! They fight back! They’re so annoying! Why did Francesca even bring them to this world?! Stupid birds! STUPID BIRDS! They ruin everything! Gioni just wants to eat! Gioni just wants to be happy! But those stupid birds always get in the way!”

He clawed at his own face, dragging his nails down his waxy skin hard enough to leave red welts, his tiny eyes squeezing shut as he let out another guttural howl of frustration.

The battle maids moved with fluid precision, their hands reaching behind their backs and drawing elegant white-ore blades from hidden sheaths along their maid dresses. In the same motion, their other hands swept down to their thighs, pulling sleek mana guns from concealed holsters. They raised both weapons in perfect unison, blades gleaming with ethereal light, guns aimed directly at the towering figure.

The Armand Special Operations escort unit moved in synchronized rhythm, each soldier reaching for the mana crystal chamber on their assault rifles. With a practiced twist, they ejected the standard crystals and slammed in new ones, glowing with a bright, radiant light. The rifles hummed with increased power, the barrels glowing faintly as the light mana crystals charged the weapons.

The escort leader raised his hand, his voice cold and commanding.

”All units. Hold formation. Protect Miss Liana at all costs. If that thing takes a single step toward us, open fire with everything we have.”

”As you command, Leader!”

The soldiers and battle maids braced themselves, weapons raised, light mana crystals humming with power. The air grew tense, charged with anticipation.

Gioni’s mouth stretched wide into a creepy grin, his tongue slowly lolling out as his tiny eyes locked onto Liana. Drool dripped from his lips, pooling on the ground beneath him.

”Ooo~ Gioni sees something delicious~” he cooed, his voice dripping with childlike excitement. ”The pretty elf girl~ So shiny~ So soft~ So mouth-watering~ Gioni has been stuck in boring places for so long~ Nothing good to eat~ Nothing that makes Gioni happy~ But now~ Now Gioni gets to taste something special~”

He let out a wet, gurgling laugh, his body trembling with anticipation as he dropped into a charging stance, his massive hands digging into the earth like a beast preparing to pounce.

”Gioni will eat the pretty elf girl first~ Then Gioni will eat everyone else~”

He launched himself straight toward them, arms spread wide, ready to scoop them all up.

”Gioni is coming~!”

The moment he entered range, every weapon opened fire. Mana bullets streaked through the air, light-infused rounds slammed into his massive frame, and the battle maids’ blades carved arcs of glowing energy toward him. The barrage hit him like a wall of force, stopping his charge mid-leap and sending him stumbling backward.

Gioni let out a frustrated, guttural roar, covering his face with his thick arms as the bullets continued to hammer his body. He slowly pushed forward, each step grinding against the relentless fire, his voice shifting into a whining, tantrum-filled growl.

”The weapons don’t taste good! They sting! They hurt! Gioni doesn’t like them! Gioni wants the elf girl! Human meat is good! But elf girl is DELICIOUS! Gioni will eat her! Gioni will eat her all up!”

Drool poured from his open mouth as he pushed forward, his waxy skin smoking where the light-infused rounds struck, leaving angry red welts and bubbling burns. His tiny eyes blazed with feral hunger, his voice cracking between rage and ecstasy.

”Just a little closer~ Gioni just needs to get a little closer~ Then Gioni can eat~ Gioni can finally eat something delicious~”

( End Of Chapter )