ã€ŠTale of the Malice Princessã€‹


 Chapter One

    The human skull was a brittle, fragile thing. The one that Lusya held cracked and crumpled in her grasp before the man she had pinned could make a sound. It was easy to wonder, as flesh and blood splattered onto her hand and the wooden floor, how such beings had managed to defeat Father. That lasted just a second. She knew it was foolish. This family may have been weak, but that did not mean all mortals were so helpless.

    She wiped off the worst of the gore on her hand on the man¡¯s shirt and stood, turning her attention to the room¡¯s two remaining occupants other than herself. The woman stood stock still on the other side of the cabin¡¯s main room and kitchen. She held her son to her skirt, her arms wrapped around his chest and his hands gripping her wrists with such intensity his knuckles were pure white.

    The crackling, wood-burning stove in the corner that staved off cold and quiet alike had been forgotten, along with the bubbling pot atop it. The boy, who could not have been older than ten, looked at Lusya with teeth bared and rage burning in his tear-filled eyes. She could recognize the sentiment, even if she had seldom felt it herself.

    His mother, on the other hand, kept her gaze locked on the limp, mangled corpse of her husband. Her breaths came slow and heavy at first but began to gain speed and volume, her eyes bulging from their sockets. It was a matter of time before her shock gave way to a scream of terror. That was something Lusya could not understand. The function of screaming was clear enough, but it would accomplish nothing here. Even not knowing the full facts, the woman had to know it was futile at best.

    Lusya raised a single finger to her lips in a hushing gesture. The movement caught the mother¡¯s attention and she looked to Lusya. Her pallid face seemed to grow more terrified somehow, eyes opening even wider and lips quivering. For some reason, mortals often seemed intimidated by Lusya¡¯s stoic demeanor, in times like this in particular. Another thing she did not understand. Would a smile or a scowl have made the killing less frightening?

    Though the woman had turned her gaze on Lusya, the woman¡¯s demeanor did not change. She would still ruin things in short order. Stopping her would have been trivial, but there was something Lusya wanted to try first.

    ¡°If you contain your fear, your daughter may still survive,¡± Lusya said.

    Her tone was as unemotional as ever. That, too, seemed to frighten the woman, but she had heard what Lusya said. The woman took a long, deep breath in and held it for a moment before exhaling. Still silent, she looked at Lusya with those wide, moist eyes. Something else mixed with her fear. It could have been hope or desperation. Lusya had found those could look rather similar. Whatever the case, the woman seemed to have calmed and the Malice building within her started to abate as well.

    The boy, on the other hand, snarled at Lusya, droplets quivering at the corners of his eyes. He looked to struggle against his mother¡¯s embrace, but she just held him tighter.

    ¡°I have need of her,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you keep quiet, she will be safe until my business with her is done. However¡ª¡±

    The boy pried his mother¡¯s arms off of him and half-ran, half-stumbled toward Lusya in a clumsy charge. The mother tried to seize him again, but he was out of her reach before she could grab him. Whether held back by fear or intelligence, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching him run.

    One fist raised to strike at Lusya, he opened his mouth to shout, but neither the blow nor the sound came to fruition. A simple backhanded strike launched him to the side where he collided with the side of the room with a crack of splintering wood and bone, then slid to the ground, leaving a vibrant red smear upon the logs that made up the wall.

    He had been dead the instant she had hit him, of course. She had felt his bone shatter beneath her fist and his blood mixed with his father¡¯s on her knuckles. It was all but certain the blow had snapped his neck as well, based on the sound she had heard and the angle it was now bent at. The mother reached her arms out toward his body her hands grasping at air. This time, her legs moved, collapsing beneath her as she sank to her knees. A soft whine escaped her gaping jaw, and the tears that had been building in her eyes began to flow down her cheeks.

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    A brief twinge of annoyance passed through Lusya¡¯s heart. Contrary to what many demons had thought, Lusya was not devoid of emotions or Malice. The former were just not often strong or disruptive, though some did seem to be beyond her altogether. Indeed, though the boy had interrupted her¡ªand now the mother was staring at his body and looked about to scream again¡ªher irritation was fleeting. Addressing the problem would accomplish more than resenting its cause.

    ¡°However,¡± Lusya continued, capturing the mother¡¯s focus once more, ¡°if you scream and alert her, she will be useless to me and I will kill her the same as the rest of you. The decision is yours. Regardless of what you choose, both your deaths will be swift and painless.¡±

    Some would have punished the woman for alerting the girl and making Lusya restart her search. Such acts of spite and vengeance were foreign to Lusya, though to say the inconvenience would not have upset her at all would be untrue. She was interested to see the woman¡¯s choice. It was because Lusya could not feel or understand so many emotions that the decisions mortals made in these situations were fascinating.

    Demons could be interesting too, but only the high-rank ones had the complexity to make their choices as intriguing.

    The woman took a deep breath and swallowed. ¡°She¡¯ll be safe?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will not allow any harm to come to her until our task is done. I will protect her to the full extent of my abilities. You have my word.¡±

    Father had often impressed upon her the importance of keeping one¡¯s word, even beyond the obvious practical reasons. It was not a sentiment she understood, but nor was it one she disagreed with. Even if she had, however, she supposed she should respect his wishes as she tried to revive him. She did not understand that sentiment either, despite it originating from her, but that was fine, so long as it did not become a hindrance. Of course, keeping the child safe would be an important part of the mission anyway.

    The woman closed her eyes and drew in another breath. She shuddered as if cold, though the kitchen¡ªdespite the vestiges of winter weather outside¡ªwas warm as a summer day, and gulped.

    ¡°How long will that take?¡± the woman asked, opening her eyes to stare into Lusya¡¯s.

    ¡°A year. Maybe more.¡± Crossing the continent was neither a quick task nor an easy one and Lusya could not even take the fastest route.

    The woman hesitated, her gaze wandering over the remains of her husband and their son.

    ¡°I will keep her unaware of your fate as well,¡± Lusya said.

    The woman¡¯s breath caught at that. She looked up at Lusya with a start, her eyes wide once more. Why did that thought bother the woman so? It would keep her daughter happier. She cast one more glance around the room. Then, she took one more deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her brow furrowed and her jaw set in a scowl that managed to look resolute on her tear-stained countenance. She nodded, saying nothing. Though the woman did not look at Lusya until after that, Lusya still took the gesture for her answer.

    Lusya closed the distance between them in an instant, put a hand on the woman¡¯s throat, and squeezed, crushing the woman¡¯s windpipe, just in case she lost her nerve or changed her mind. Then, Lusya shattered the woman¡¯s skull with a punch, killing her.

    In reality, the choice had never been the woman¡¯s. Lusya was more than quick enough to stop the woman if she had started to scream and Lusya was not prepared to give up the best sacrifice candidate she had found. Still, it had been an interesting exercise. Her time spent among the mortal races since Father¡¯s death had shown her, in hindsight, how much like them he had been. More than her, perhaps. Ironic, in some respects, seeing as she was half-human and he had been the twenty-first Demon King. Then again, perhaps it was expected that the embodiment of mortal anguish would resemble them in more than form.

    There was nobody else in the house and Lusya made no further sound, yet the cracking and popping of the stove continued to keep silence at bay as it lapped at the scorched steel bottom of the vessel above. Whatever was cooking smelled rather pleasant. It was a shame to let it go to waste, but it seemed to be a soup or stew. She had nothing in which to store such a thing, and the pot was too large to travel with, even if she could have explained how she had obtained it to the child.

    Lusya did a quick survey of the cabin. Neither the corpses nor the small amount of damage to the walls and floor they had created seemed like they would be visible from the outside, at least not from a distance. On top of that, she had not done anything to the facade. That was due to the family¡¯s own foolishness. She had noted, in her observations, that they allowed any traveler into their home without question. All she had had to do to gain entrance was knock and ask to come inside. As soon as the father had shut the door behind her, she had gotten to work. Now there would be no interference from this family, nor would they be able to report the child missing.

    Even with the lack of visible harm, it would be a good idea to intercept the child and keep her away. A glimpse inside could be devastating. First, however, Lusya would need to clean off the blood that had gotten on her. It would not be helpful to her delicate charade. After spending close to six months searching and lying low, she did not want to further delay her father¡¯s revival.

 Chapter Two

    It was with a smile and a giggle that Ariya put the finishing touches on her snowman, sticking two rocks into his face for eyes. Coal or some spare buttons would have worked better, but she didn¡¯t have any of either to use this time.

    With her creation complete, she stepped back to admire her handiwork. Considering she had made him all by herself, she thought he had turned out pretty good. His jagged, gray stone eyes weren¡¯t as good as something a little rounder, but they got the job done. And his zig-zagging smile made of twigs made it look like he was trying to decide whether to laugh or cry. Okay, maybe he wasn¡¯t that good. At least the larger stick she had used for his nose looked okay. And either way, she was proud of him.

    If she did have one real complaint, it was that he was more of a snowboy than a man. Without Papa or Jak to help, she could only make him so big. Papa had said he was tired¡ªAriya wasn¡¯t sure from what¡ªand Jak never wanted to play with her anymore. He had been a real spoilsport since he had turned ten and decided he was too old for ¡°baby games.¡±

    That was why she was making a snowman to begin with. She would have preferred to play hide-and-seek or tag, but those weren¡¯t games she could play by herself. She knew, she had tried. It was not very fun. She had also tried using imaginary playmates, but they always caught her right away. Cheaters.

    Making a snowman wasn¡¯t bad, though. Especially since it would probably be her last chance. According to Mama, the calendar said it was already spring, so there wouldn¡¯t be much more snow falling, if any, until the end of the year. Mean old calendar. Snow was pretty and fun to make stuff with. Why couldn¡¯t they just have it all the time?

    She flopped down into the snow and started waving her limbs, carving out a shape within the white sheet that blanketed the forest floor. On Papa, it would have been just over his ankles, but on Ariya it was almost at her knees when standing. More than deep enough to make snow shadows in while she stared up at the sky shrouded in gray clouds. Mama called it gloomy, but Ariya didn¡¯t think it was. It did make her a little sleepy, but that was nothing a little playing couldn¡¯t fix.

    Ariya laid there, flailing and laughing, for some time. Eventually, that got boring, so she stood and gave her snowman one more look. Something seemed off about him¡ªother than his ugly face¡ªlike she had forgotten a part. She frowned and crossed her arms. What could it be?

    ¡°Ah ha!¡± she exclaimed as realization struck. ¡°You¡¯re naked!¡± She wagged a finger like Mama did at her. ¡°Naughty snowman.¡±

    Ariya grabbed a few more rocks off the ground and jammed them into his chest, turning it into a shirt. Even with that, he still seemed a little cold. Also, she was realizing that random rocks from the forest floor didn¡¯t look much more like buttons than they did eyes. He looked less like he was wearing a shirt and more like he just had rocks stuck to his chest. So, she gave him her scarf to wear too. She wrapped it snug around his neck, stepped back, and grinned. Now, he was finished, and he would be warm and decent until he melted.

    He was also still ugly. She almost felt like she had made him worse with his clothes. But he was still her snowman and she loved him.

    ¡°You stay right here,¡± she said, wagging her finger like Mama did when she was being bossy. ¡°I¡¯m gonna want that scarf back.¡±

    She deepened her voice, trying to imitate Papa. ¡°¡®Okay, Ariya. You¡¯re the boss.¡¯¡±

    She laughed to herself, gave the snowman a pat on the head, and skipped off, snow crunching underfoot. Mama would throw a fit if Ariya wasn¡¯t back in time for supper. Besides, they were having Ariya¡¯s favorite soup today.

    Despite her good mood, it was not long before she stopped skipping and settled into a walk instead. Skipping was making her tired and the way the sticks snapped when she landed on them made her feel bad. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been out. More than an hour, if she had to guess, but she was bad at that. How Papa, Mama, and even Jak told time so well without looking at a clock was a mystery to her.

    She could have cut straight through the woods to get home, but Mama didn¡¯t like her doing that. It was dangerous, she said. Bears or wolves might attack, she said. That was silly. It had never happened the two or three times Ariya had done it before getting scolded. Oh, she had seen both of those, though not very often. It was scary, sure, but they never tried to hurt her. And Mama was the one who always said things were fine if they worked out fine.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t worth getting yelled at for and Mama always seemed to know whether or not Ariya had gone through the forest, no matter how hard Ariya tried to hide it. So, Ariya made her way to the path that led to the house first, then started following that toward home. At least, she thought she was following it toward home. It was hard to tell if she was going the right way. She couldn¡¯t see the house from where she had emerged, and the path didn¡¯t have much in the way of landmarks.

    On the bright side, she had plenty of time to greet their waking neighbors. If there was one good thing about spring coming, it was all the animals coming back.

    ¡°Hi there, Missus Squirrel,¡± Ariya said. Missus Squirrel ignored her and scurried past. That was fine. It was important to be polite, even if the other person didn¡¯t do the same. She noticed another neighbor sitting on a tree branch and waved. ¡°Hi to you too, Mister Bird.¡±

    He looked at her and chirped. She chirped back. She didn¡¯t speak bird, but if she copied him, it would be fine, right? He chirped again, pecked at the branch he was perched on, and flew away. She was going to assume that meant he was happy.

    Ariya continued on her way but slowed when she noticed someone on the side of the road up ahead. They looked up as she approached, and Ariya got a glimpse of long white hair under the hood of the long brown cloak they wore. Ariya thought it was a woman, but the cloak made it hard to tell and she didn¡¯t want to assume.

    Once, there had been a hunter who visited the house. Their long black hair had been so silky, soft, and shiny, Ariya had thought it could have been a princess¡¯s and had said as much. The hunter had turned out to be a man. He had taken it in good humor and everyone had had a laugh about it, but it had still been an embarrassing mistake, so Ariya was careful about jumping to conclusions now.

    The person moved into the road in front of Ariya. She could have gone around, but it seemed like they wanted to talk to her, and she didn¡¯t want to be rude, so she stopped, close enough that she could make out more details despite the cloak.

    It was a lady for sure, and a good-looking one. The hair aside, the face and figure definitely looked like one. She was a lot younger than Mama, but Ariya wasn¡¯t sure how old exactly. Her hair was white, but it didn¡¯t have that dry and stringy old person hair look to it. It looked like young, healthy hair that happened to be white. Pretty hair, in fact. It went well with her skin, which was also quite fair.

    The lady lowered her hood, revealing pointed ears beneath. Ariya gasped. Was the lady a reltus? That was so cool! Ariya had never met a real, live reltus before, but it did explain the hair. She had heard they could have a bunch of weird hair colors, including white. Maybe the lady was a thousand years old with super powerful magic and here on a sacred quest, like the wise reltus sages in her stories. So cool!

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The lady opened her mouth to say something, but Ariya was faster.

    ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Ariya!¡± she said. She knew it was rude to interrupt, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°I¡¯m seven.¡± She held up seven fingers to show she knew her numbers. Papa said she was good at counting for her age. ¡°What¡¯s your name? How old are you? Are you a reltus? Papa says reltuses never come down here. I heard you can live to be a million years old. Is that true?¡±

    The lady blinked and cocked her head a bit. Her eyes were so pretty. They were red like roses. ¡°My name is Lusya. I am only nineteen, though relti only live to be about three hundred years old to begin with.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still amazing. What are you doing here?¡± Ariya blushed, realizing how rude that sounded. She decided to imitate Mama when they got visitors. It was good practice. Someday Ariya would be a wife and a mama and need to play host too. ¡°I mean, what brings you to our ham¡­humble home?¡±

    ¡°I am here for you,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You have been chosen for a great purpose. It is very important, but also very dangerous. As such, I will take you under my care and safeguard you until your duty is done.¡±

    Ariya scowled and tilted her head. Lusya used some hard words, but Ariya thought she got the idea.

    ¡°So, I have some kind of job, and you¡¯re going to help me with it?¡± she asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That is correct. I will need to escort you to the northwest of the continent to complete the task. Time is of the essence, so we must leave now.¡±

    Ariya squealed in excitement, jumping from one foot to the other with energy that refused to be contained. This was sounding like a proper adventure, the kind Ariya had always dreamed of. People always said the times between Demon Kings were a ¡°respite.¡± She didn¡¯t know that word, but as far as she could tell, it meant they were boring. All the cool stories of courage and adventure came from when there was a Demon King around. But the twenty-first had been beaten by the Hero less than a year ago and here Ariya was, being offered an adventure a Sacred Knight would be jealous of.

    Lusya stared with blank expression as Ariya worked out her passion. She finished her dance with a twirl, but her fervor started to fade as her thoughts turned to Papa and Mama. And Jak too. They would be mad if she left without telling them. They might be mad anyway.

    The northwest of the continent was far. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure how far, but she knew it was the opposite side. Papa had shown her a map once, and they lived in the southeast. Ariya had never been farther from home than the closest village. That was so close that, when she asked Father to show her where it was on the map, he pointed to the same place, even though it took over two hours to walk there.

    Ariya frowned and looked up at Lusya. ¡°How long will we be gone?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say for sure,¡± Lusya said. The way she talked was weird. She didn¡¯t sound sad, mad, happy, or anything, really. Her face was the same way, no expression. ¡°You may never return home. However, I am sure you will see your family again someday.¡±

    This adventure was sounding better and worse by the second. She would miss her family. And this house. She wasn¡¯t sure what Lusya meant by not coming back to it. Maybe they would give her a castle when she was done? She gasped, a broad smile blossoming once more. Maybe she would even get her own country. Mama said that kind of thing happened sometimes. It showed up in the stories Ariya liked too.

    Still, she couldn¡¯t pass up a chance like this. She could just see Jak giving his jealous little pout. He wanted to learn the sword and be a Sacred Knight, but that was actually harder now that the Demon King was gone. There wouldn¡¯t be another for at least a hundred years, probably more. The other demons would be weaker for a while too. That meant they didn¡¯t need as many Knights, so they were pickier.

    ¡°This sounds really cool, Miss Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Call me Lusya. It is good that this pleases you. You must come regardless, but this will make things simpler.¡±

    Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what that last part meant, but she didn¡¯t care. She was happy and Lusya was happy, so it was fine. ¡°What kind of job am I doing? Am I saving the world?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You are a¡­special existence, which could be used to revive the Demon King, or to ensure he stays dead. For that reason, I must take you to the place of his birth so you may use your talents.¡±

    Ariya didn¡¯t understand all of that, but she managed to get that it was awesome and so was she. It almost sounded like she was a second Hero of Balance. Well, technically, she would have been like twentieth or something. There was almost always one when there was a Demon King. But that didn¡¯t make it any less exciting. She had thought it was sad she would never get to meet one, since Mama and Papa told her he was dead after fighting the Demon King, and for some reason that meant he couldn¡¯t see people anymore. But getting to be a Hero of Balance was so much better.

    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°Do I get a cool sword or a Sacred Blade?¡±

    Even lesser heroes always got a special weapon in the stories. Ariya figured that even if she wasn¡¯t an actual Hero of Balance, she still qualified.

    Lusya cocked her head, more than before, and gave two quick blinks. ¡°I cannot grant you a Blade. That is entirely dependent on you. We shall see about the sword, though I doubt we will be able to find one suitable to you.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the answer Ariya had hoped for, but it sounded like there was a chance for both, so it was good enough. ¡°I can¡¯t wait! When do we go?¡±

    ¡°Immediately,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We have no time to waste.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Let me just go tell everyone I¡¯m going!¡± Ariya started to move around Lusya, but Lusya grabbed Ariya¡¯s arm in a firm grip. It was strong, but not painful. Ariya tried to pull out of it, but she couldn¡¯t make Lusya¡¯s fingers so much as twitch. It was like being in chains. Well, it was like what Ariya imagined being in chains was like. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°You cannot return to your family,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The time it would take you is too great. Every second spent here is a second my opposition may draw near.¡±

    Ariya pouted and pointed toward her house with her free hand, insistent. ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave without telling anybody. Mama will be mad at me.¡±

    ¡°I have already informed them,¡± Lusya said, her gaze boring into Ariya¡¯s. ¡°Returning would only make the situation more dangerous.¡±

    ¡°You told them about all this?¡±

    Lusya nodded.

    Ariya rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you just say so? I guess it¡¯s fine, then, as long as they know.¡±

    Lusya released her arm. ¡°Good. I am pleased that you understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a big kid, I understand lots of things,¡± Ariya said. She snickered. ¡°I bet Jak was jealous, wasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Jak is your brother?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He thinks he¡¯s so great because he¡¯s a little older and taller than me,¡± Ariya said, miming about an inch above her head. Which was maybe a little less than the real difference in her and Jak¡¯s heights. ¡°This¡¯ll show him. So, was he mad?¡±

    ¡°He was unhappy, but I calmed him down.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you must be really good,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Even Mama can¡¯t always calm Jak down when he¡¯s grouchy.¡±

    Which was all the time, more or less. Ariya could have counted the occasions in the past year that Jak hadn¡¯t been grumpy on her fingers.

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. She started walking down the trail, away from the house, beckoning for Ariya to follow. ¡°Now that introductions are out of the way, we must leave with haste.¡±

    Ariya jogged to catch up, then settled into a walk beside Lusya. It was still a quick walk. Lusya took longer steps and was moving fast too.

    Ariya glanced back over her shoulder, toward her home. She felt a sudden pang in her chest and her stomach roiled with unease. She might never see that house, the home she had been born and spent her whole life in, again. Who knew how long until she saw her family again? If she had known, she would have made more of a point to say goodbye. When she had left to play, it had been with a casual shout and a whine to Mama and Papa that, yes, she had remembered her winter shoes this time and of course she would be back in time for dinner. She hadn¡¯t even said anything to Jak on her way out.

    She looked forward and smiled. Even if she would miss them, it sounded like she was going to have a lot of fun, and a lot of stories to tell them. Hopefully she could remember them all.

    She looked up at Lusya and held a hand up, toward the older girl.

    Lusya looked down with that same unreadable expression. She did the head-tilt and two blinks thing again. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Can you hold my hand?¡± Ariya asked, waving it for emphasis. ¡°Mama always holds my hand when we go into town or when I¡¯m nervous.¡±

    ¡°That is unnecessary,¡± Lusya said as she turned her attention forward again. ¡°It would only hinder my ability to respond to a crisis.¡±

    Ariya frowned and lowered her hand. ¡°Okay¡­¡± She could have used the reassurance, but she was a big girl. She could handle it.

 Chapter Three

    The townspeople threw a few glances as Lusya walked into the village of Riverglade with the child. Workers lugging about goods or supplies paused to glance their way, children running through the streets slowed to stare, and a few clusters of chatting friends peeked at them while trying to appear still engrossed in conversation. The villagers¡¯ expressions were curious, but Lusya did not think they were hostile or suspicious. For that matter, their Malice was about as stable as could be expected. She did not detect any sudden increases, which suggested they were not bothered by the appearance of her and the child. Lusya had chosen well in coming to Riverglade instead of Whitehill, the village closest the child¡¯s home.

    Over the course of monitoring the family, Lusya had observed that the child went to Whitehill with her parents often enough to be recognized. Lusya assumed they were bringing the child with them while shopping for food and other necessities, but she was not sure why. Lusya had visited Whitehill a couple of times to do the same¡ªwhich meant she, too, would have been recognized, another reason to choose Riverglade¡ªbut had never had the opportunity to observe their activities without being conspicuous. Still, she could not imagine the child contributed much.

    Regardless, here Lusya and the child alike were strangers as much as any traveler. Though Riverglade was a bit larger, it was not to the extent that one might feel the need to make the longer trip, as could occur with a proper city. There was nothing in particular here that one could not get in Whitehill.

    Lusya looked down at the child as they walked. As always, the girl was remarkably clear of Malice, even among children. Father¡¯s instructions called for ¡°a mortal pure of Malice,¡± but he and Lusya had both known there was no such thing as a totally pure mortal. Like its name implied, Malice was the manifestation of negative emotions. Even a newborn infant could not be free of it.

    Thus, Lusya had inferred that he had meant as pure as a mortal could get. This child had just the smallest seed within her. It had been pure luck when Lusya had detected as much while traveling through the area. As long as Lusya could keep that seed from growing, she was confident the child would be sufficient.

    Despite all that, however, the child looked far from happy. Happiness may not have been something Lusya was very familiar with, but she knew, in general, what it looked like. The plodding gait, drooping eyelids, and lips curved downward were not it. Given that her Malice was stable, Lusya suspected the child was tired rather than upset. It had taken several hours of walking to reach the village, during which the child had struggled to match Lusya¡¯s pace.

    In the future, it may have been worth giving more consideration to the child¡¯s capabilities. Driving her to collapse would hurt the efficiency of their journey. It was doubtful it would be helpful to keeping the child pure either.

    Now was not the time, though. The remote location of the home meant it would take some time for the mess Lusya had left behind to be discovered. She had considered burning the bodies, but she had worried that would alert the child or give her more time to return home. At some point, however, they would be found, and the family was well-regarded and recognized enough in Whitehill that someone may well notice one of them was not among the bodies. Nobody in that tiny village had the means to do anything about it, but they were sure to notify someone more able. Lusya wanted to be as far away as possible before that happened. The chief suspects would be a demon or an opportunistic criminal, the former of which the authorities would be eager to stamp out.

    On top of that, the family did get visitors from time to time. Some were random travelers¡ªwhom the family would, of course, allow into their home¡ªand some seemed to be repeat guests, though her observations had not been long enough to be certain. Based on the responses they received, however, even those who had been there before did not have a regular schedule. The last thing Lusya needed was for one of them or a Sacred Knight patrol to pass through. The child would just have to endure until they were far enough away to obscure their trail.

    Much as she would have liked to leave without a trace, however, Lusya knew they needed supplies. She carried enough for herself to eat and drink, and she was not picky about shelter. Now, though, she needed to keep the child alive, healthy, and comfortable. As comfortable as one could be outdoors, at least.

    Lusya had considered buying supplies ahead of time, but that may have made it more difficult to stay discreet. It also would have necessitated her to visit the same place twice, go to a different town, or try to avoid settlements on the way out altogether. Each option came with its own inconveniences, taking her out of her way or increasing the number of people who may have recognized or remembered her.

    She could have done her buying at Whitehill ahead of time, but she had wanted to be as unmemorable there as possible, and she had already stood out during her stops. Stocking up for a long journey for two would have been conspicuous and may well have marked her as a suspect when it was discovered the child was missing.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Lusya said as she approached a pair of women speaking outside a squat, nondescript building. Much like the child¡¯s cabin, it was built out of wood, though it used planks rather than logs. Based on the lack of signage or distinguishing features, Lusya guessed it was a home, not a business or other public facility.

    The women paused their conversation to look at her. Their eyes were wide. It was difficult to tell if it was in fear or surprise, but, given the lack of other response, Lusya assumed it was the latter. She supposed that in a village this small and remote, a stranger speaking to you was a novel experience, unless perhaps one frequented the local inn. Maybe even then.

    Like the child, Lusya was sure they would assume she was a reltus¡ªsomething else that must have been a rare sight¡ªas most mortals did. That was not a notion she would seek to correct. It was preferable to them thinking her a demon.

    ¡°Yes?¡± one of the women asked. She appeared to be the older of the two, her face dotted with faint wrinkles and brown hair peppered with gray. She was on the plump side and a few inches taller than Lusya. ¡°Did ya need some¡¯in from us?¡±

    The woman spoke with a rural accent, as was to be expected. If anything, it was odd that the child spoke standard Slarvish. Such a discrepancy was a bellows to the fire of Lusya¡¯s curiosity, but she doubted the child knew the cause. The knowledge may well have died with the family. An acceptable loss, if an irritating one.

    ¡°Could you point me to the general goods store?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°Please.¡±

    Being polite was an effective way to earn favor and increase compliance. Or so Lusya had heard. In her time among mortals since her father¡¯s death, she had seen mixed results. The two women before her exchanged a look, then looked at her again. If anything, they looked less comfortable with her now. Maybe it was her delivery. She would have to work on that. There had never been any need for anything other than her natural demeanor while Father had been alive. If things had been different with her mother, she did not remember.

    ¡°O¡¯course,¡± the younger woman said. She was around the same height as Lusya, with a similar build, though her face was longer, almost gaunt, with a nose that seemed just a bit too large. She smiled, but there was something off about it. It was something to do with the width of it, or perhaps the look in her eyes. Although Lusya had learned to read most facial expressions in her time, they still sometimes baffled her. ¡°Just go that way¡­¡± the woman pointed down the road. ¡°¡­take a left at that first turn. It¡¯s a few doors down, with a big sign out front. Ya can¡¯t miss it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lusya hesitated, then allowed her curiosity to rise to the surface. ¡°What is that expression?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡¯dya mean? It¡¯s just a smile,¡± the young woman replied. Her mouth remained in a toothy smile, but one eyebrow rose into an arch. This Lusya recognized as a nervous expression. Those who wore it had, in the past, tended to become unresponsive to further questioning.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Pardon ma¡¯ asking,¡± the older woman said as Lusya started to walk away, ¡°but is the lil¡¯un all right?¡±

    Lusya looked down at the child, who looked much the same as before. There was no reason to think the child was anything other than healthy, if fatigued, so the woman¡¯s question perplexed Lusya. However, it was true that the woman likely had more experience in this area, given her age. Perhaps inquiring was the correct course of action.

    ¡°Child, are you well?¡± Lusya asked.

    The child let out a long yawn and gave a languid nod. ¡°Tired.¡±

    Lusya looked back to the woman. ¡°As you can see, she is fine. I will allow her to rest soon enough.¡±

    The woman pursed her lips and made an odd humming sound. ¡°If ya say so.¡± She waved on down the road. ¡°Go on, then. Ol¡¯Rahburt will be closing up shop soon.¡±

    From context, Lusya guessed that ¡°Ol¡¯Rahburt¡± was the owner of the general store.

    ¡°I see. Your assistance is appreciated,¡± she said. She glanced at the child and walked off. ¡°Come along, child.¡±

    The child followed. She was getting slower. They may have had to stop earlier than Lusya had planned.

    She followed the women¡¯s directions to get to the shop. Their description of the store had been less than accurate. She was not sure if they had misled her on purpose or if their perception was distorted by living in this rural village. Although there was a sign out front, it was not big by any means. It was little more than a small wooden plank thrust into the ground with faint writing on it and a drawing of an animal so faded Lusya could not tell what it was supposed to be.

    The building itself did not stand out either. It was one story tall, constructed of dark wood with a thatch roof, the same as every other building in the area. It was perhaps a little wider, and knowing to look for it helped, but it seemed very much possible to miss.

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    Regardless of if the deception had been intentional or not, Lusya had arrived, so she supposed it was of little consequence. She walked up to the door but felt a tugging on her cloak before she could enter.

    The child was behind her, clinging to the garment as if for her life She had half her face pressed against it, her exposed eye peering up at Lusya.

    ¡°Lusya, can we stop yet?¡± the child asked.

    ¡°We are nowhere near our destination, and it is too soon for a break,¡± Lusya said.

    The child stomped a foot and let out a quiet whimper. ¡°But I¡¯m tired!¡±

    ¡°If there is somewhere to sit inside, you may rest while I purchase supplies. If we are to succeed in this journey, you must bear with some hardship.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Lusya opened the door and walked in. The child was still holding to the ends of Lusya¡¯s cloak while following, but it was proving no hindrance, so Lusya allowed it.

    Considering the size of the building, it was not a surprise to find the interior cluttered. The vast majority of the space was dominated by tables and shelves, each piled with as many goods as it could hold. Just about anything one could want could be found among the stock, from food to weaponry to clothing. None were found in the quality or variety as in a more specialized merchant, but they would suffice for Lusya¡¯s need for the time being.

    Only a narrow aisle remained open, wrapping around the room in a rough rectangle. It wasn¡¯t even wide enough for two people to pass without having to turn sideways.

    A tall, burly man stood behind the counter at the far-left side of the room, slouching and flipping a coin repeatedly. He looked up and smiled as Lusya entered but continued playing with his money. People did things like that to relieve boredom, apparently, which Lusya could not understand. Boredom itself was not foreign to her, but¡ªwhile she would relieve it given the means and opportunity¡ªshe had never felt the need to use random objects on her person in the absence of entertainment nor did she see how such a task would be effective as amusement.

    As she approached the man, she spotted a chair nearby. It could have been furniture or merchandise. Maybe both.

    ¡°You may sit there, child,¡± Lusya said.

    The child nodded, releasing Lusya¡¯s cloak, and plodded over to the chair to sit down. Once she was seated, Lusya, turned her attention to the man. He was giving her an annoyed scowl for reasons she could not guess, but his expression shifted to a smile as soon as he realized her focus was on him. He put his coin away and stood straight, hands on his hips.

    ¡°Are you ¡®Ol¡¯Rahbert?¡¯¡± she asked.

    He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what they call me.¡±

    It was not a very fitting nickname. He appeared hale and healthy, no sign of frailty or illness. A mop of black hair with the barest hints of gray covered his head, accompanied by a matching, well-trimmed beard. He was not young, but he could not have been out of his forties. That was not old for a human, let alone in the grand scheme of things. In fact, he looked younger than the woman who had called him by that title.

    She would admit to feeling curious about how he had acquired that name, and almost asked. Curiosity was one of the few temptations she had ever known. Father had often encouraged her to indulge it for reasons that remained unclear. At the moment, however, time was of the essence. The less time spent in inane conversation, the better.

    ¡°I have put together a list of the goods I require,¡± Lusya said, pulling a piece of paper from one of the pouches she wore around her waist. ¡°Let me know if there is anything I cannot find within your shop, so I do not waste my time searching.¡±

    He took the paper and his eyes scanned over it. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s all here.¡± He chuckled and handed the list back to her. ¡°Most of it¡¯s pretty shit, but it¡¯ll get ya through a trip.¡±

    ¡°Then it is fine,¡± she replied. ¡°I will make my selection.¡±

    ¡°I keep the tents and bedding in the back. Takes up too much room out here,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it for ya.¡±

    He retreated through the door behind him, while Lusya started looking through the goods she could. Nonperishable food was most important. She picked a variety of dried meats, fruits, and nuts. Far from fine dining, but nutritious enough. Bandages and medicine were also important. Lusya healed quick and seldom got sick, but she could not say the same for the child.

    In accordance with her agreement with the mother, Lusya would be doing everything in her power to keep the child healthy, even if that had not been a necessary part of her task to begin with. Lusya was not omnipotent, however. She could protect the child from much, but there was a distinct possibility that the child would fall, cut herself on a protruding branch, or become sick at some point. The better Lusya could tend to such issues, the better served her mission and her promise would be.

    She grabbed a pack as well. When it had just been her, the few pouches she carried on her person had been enough. Now, though she only needed enough supplies to make it to the next city on her planned route, it was still too much to carry when buying for two. She would consider investing in a pack animal at some point. For now, the bag would have to do.

    By the time she returned to the counter, Rahbert was back with a disassembled tent and two rolled up mats to sleep on. The mats were thin and the fabric did not look soft or high quality. They were the bare minimum of not sleeping on the ground, which was more than enough.

    ¡°Here ya go,¡± he said, patting the pile of cloth. ¡°Let me see what ya got there.¡±

    She placed her items on the counter. He sorted through them with a pensive frown, nodding, muttering to himself, and counting on his fingers a couple times. After a minute or so, he seemed satisfied and looked up at her.

    ¡°One silver kolar seems fair for this much,¡± he said.

    Lusya blinked and looked over the items. That was not an unreasonable price considering the volume of her purchase, but it was more than she had wanted to pay. There was only so much money she could make without drawing excessive attention. She could pay that much, but it may have complicated matters down the line if any unforeseen expenses arose.

    She glanced at the child. The child¡¯s head lolled forward, her breathing soft. She had dozed off. In that case, Lusya could handle this. She just had to avoid rousing the child or alerting the townspeople. A gentle approach would serve her best.

    ¡°Make it fifty copper,¡± Lusya said.

    Rahbert snorted. ¡°Half the price?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Yer haggling could use work, missy. A pretty face ain¡¯t all it takes.¡±

    ¡°I am not haggling,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am telling you to lower the price.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°What? Ya threatening me or some¡¯in.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He laughed again but choked on the sound when her hand shot out, lighting quick, to grab his throat. Her hand was much too small to wrap around the whole thing, but she could grasp more than enough to kill him. He pried at her grip with both hands, but that was futile. Her hand did not budge.

    ¡°I could kill you before you could make a sound and leave this town before anyone realizes what has happened,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Under the circumstances, I would like to avoid that, so I am offering to give you something to make the transaction more palatable for you. Do you understand the situation now?¡±

    His head bobbed as much as he could manage with her gripping his neck. She released him and he stumbled back, bumping into the wall behind him with a dull thunk.

    ¡°Huh?¡± the child murmured. Lusya turned to see the child stirring, looking up and blinking rapidly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Lusya shot Rahbert a subtle scowl with a slight tilt to her head. Intentionally or not, he had made this more difficult by forcing her to avoid negotiation methods that would upset the child.

    ¡°Seventy-five,¡± she said.

    He coughed and nodded again. She did not think she had been that rough with him.

    ¡°Sure thing, seventy-five, that¡¯ll do,¡± Rahbert said. ¡°Take it and get out.¡±

    ¡°I am glad we could come to an agreement,¡± Lusya said. She was being sincere, but Rahbert¡¯s snarl suggested he did not believe her. She deposited the agreed-upon sum on the counter and packed up her things. It was fortunate that she did not have to count out seventy-five coins, since the copper kolar was available in denominations equaling one half and one quarter of a silver. The silver itself had similar variants with regards to gold. Most other currencies had similar units these days as well. ¡°We are leaving, child.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m coming,¡± the child replied, though she did not move. She remained sitting, her head lurching forward over and over as she struggled to stay awake.

    ¡°Now.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    The child stood with a yawn and looked to Lusya, as if for guidance.

    Lusya slung her new pack over her back and made her way to the door with the child trailing behind. At the exit, Lusya paused and looked back at Rahbert, who was forward on his counter and rubbing at his neck. When he noticed her eyes on him, he went stiff and pale, eyes wide.

    ¡°Thank you for being cooperative,¡± she said. ¡°Please do not tell anyone about what we discussed.¡±

    He gave a curt nod. ¡°Yeah. I get it.¡±

    She frowned, though she was not sure if he could tell. Would it not be polite under these circumstances for him to thank her as well? She had shown him the courtesy¡ªself-serving as it might have been¡ªof sparing him and paying him. Neither killing nor robbing him would have inconvenienced her much while the child slept.  She would have been the obvious culprit, however, putting a target on her back earlier than she would have liked. That, combined with the small risk she might wake the child, had driven Lusya to show him kindness. She had even shown extra to avoid exposing the child to any distressing scenes.

    Oh well. Mortal manners were complicated and inconsistent, but Lusya did not let them bother her much.

    ¡°Farewell,¡± she said as she walked out of the store. She started toward the north end of the village. Much as she would have liked to go in a straight line to her northwestern destination, that was not practical, so she had mapped out her route ahead of time, along with several alternatives if they proved necessary. ¡°Are you rested, child?¡±

    The child looked up at Lusya with eyes glazed over and gave a slow blink. That was not encouraging.

    ¡°I¡¯m still tired,¡± she said. ¡°Can we stop yet?¡±

    ¡°We will not be stopping in this town. We will exit to the north and travel a bit farther.¡±

    The child let out something between a groan and a wail but offered no further protest. There was no notable increase in Malice, so Lusya judged the child¡¯s discontent a non-issue and continued walking.

    Lusya glanced at the sky. She intended to travel until nightfall. Though the days were getting longer, the sun still set on the early side. It was already close to touching the horizon, though it had yet to paint the sky the reddish orange of dusk.

    As they cleared the town proper and made their way through the farmland beyond, Lusya looked back over her shoulder. The village seemed calm. There were a few notable sources of Malice. One seemed to be Rahbert, based on the location. She had not paid much attention to his earlier, but she did think it had increased. Act of generosity or not, she supposed being threatened and choked would do that, now that she thought about it. The others were too far to be the result of him spreading word of their incident, and, as mortals¡¯ Malice was in near-constant flux and their volatility varied, it was impossible to say if their heightened state was the result of any particular incident or emotion.

    It appeared, then, that Rahbert had not rushed out to tell anyone. Not yet, anyway. As long as he waited until she had left, it was fine. Having to subdue or slaughter the villagers if they confronted her would be difficult to explain to the child. Even the best excuse was all but certain to leave the child tainted and useless.

    Them reporting her to the local lord or to the Sacred Knights would be more of an issue, but she did not think that would happen over a single threat. Even if it did, the authorities would see it as a low priority if they took it as one at all.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± the child asked with an inquisitive tilt of the head. For all her protest, she did seem to have regained some energy.

    ¡°I am making sure we are not being followed,¡± Lusya said, turning her attention back to the road. A farmer doing something with his field gave her a wave, and she replied with a curt nod.

    ¡°By the bad people?¡± the child asked.

    ¡°By my opposition,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Okay.¡± The child paused. ¡°Are we?¡±

    ¡°We are not. I would have told you if we were.¡±

    The child gaped as if that were a world-changing revelation and nodded. She went silent for a few minutes as they left the final outskirts of Riverglade behind.

    ¡°Can we stop yet?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I will inform you when it is time to rest.¡±

    The child sighed and did not speak further.

 Chapter Four

    Ariya hummed a tune to herself as she sat curled up against a tree, devoid of leaves and with a light powder of snow coating its branches. The ground had a layer of snow too, but it wasn¡¯t as thick as around her house, and her coat was doing a good job of not letting it soak through as it melted beneath her.

    Now that they had stopped for the night, her exhaustion wasn¡¯t quite so overpowering. Lusya was finishing setting up their tent, which Ariya wasn¡¯t a fan of. Aside from being an ugly brown color that reminded her of poop, it looked a little small for both of them, but Ariya had never done much camping so she wasn¡¯t sure.

    She was pretty sure one thing was missing, though. Some of her stories had camping in them and Papa and Mama talked about it sometimes too. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure how they knew so much about it, though. They always said they would explain it some other time when she asked. Well, after this, they owed her an answer for sure the next time she saw them.

    ¡°What about the fire?¡± she asked.

    Lusya looked up. ¡°A fire is unnecessary. It is not cold enough to pose a risk to your health and we will not be cooking. The only thing a flame would accomplish would be drawing unnecessary attention.¡±

    Ariya shivered as a gust of wind battered against her. She wasn¡¯t sure about the whole ¡°not cold enough¡± thing, but she assumed Lusya knew what she was doing.

    ¡°Is that why we¡¯re in the woods?¡± Ariya asked.

    Rather than stop on the roadside, Lusya had walked well into the forest surrounding it before finding a clearing to make camp. After walking all day, Ariya¡¯s legs felt just about ready to fall off. If it wasn¡¯t for her aching, gurgling stomach, she would have already laid down and gone to sleep.

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We do not have the luxury of avoiding contact with others altogether, but I would like to do so when possible.¡±

    Ariya frowned and cocked her head, mulling over the words. Even though everybody told her she was smart for her age, the way Lusya talked was kind of hard to follow. If Ariya understood right, though, Lusya was saying that she liked to be alone.

    Lusya finished with the tent and stood, giving it one final look over. She moved to her pack, knelt beside it, and started pulling some smaller bags out of it.

    ¡°How did you get your job?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya looked at her. Lusya tilted her head and blinked a couple times, but otherwise remained silent and expressionless. After an awkward silence, Ariya decided to assume that Lusya didn¡¯t understand the question.

    ¡°I mean, how did you get to find and¡­ex¡­ets¡­¡±

    ¡°Escort?¡± Lusya suggested.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yeah, that, escort me. It¡¯s not as cool as getting chosen, but it¡¯s still really cool.¡± Granted, Ariya still wasn¡¯t sure what she had been chosen for, but it had to be better than being the helper, right?

    Lusya started pulling more things out of her smaller bags. They were little bits of something, but Ariya couldn¡¯t make out what in the dark. ¡°My father entrusted it to me.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he do it?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Papa always says you shouldn¡¯t ask your kids to do something you wouldn¡¯t do.¡±

    Lusya stopped moving for the tiniest fraction of a second. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure she hadn¡¯t imagined it.

    ¡°He is dead,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said. It was only in the past year or so that she had started to understand why being dead was such a big deal. No one she had ever known had died, but she knew it made people sad, and the dead person got really hurt and had to go away. She knew what you were supposed to say when you heard about it too. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    She meant it, too. Even if she still didn¡¯t completely get it, she didn¡¯t want people to be sad. It must have been hard for the dead person too, not being able to see their friends or family anymore.

    Lusya stood, one hand full of whatever she had been taking out of the bags. ¡°Your sympathy is unnecessary and pointless. But the sentiment is appreciated.¡±

    She stood and carried her handful across the clearing. She held it out to Ariya and Ariya took it. It was a bunch of dried food and some nuts. They were cold to the touch after being outside with nothing but the pack to protect them.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya tilted her head. ¡°Dinner.¡±

    Ariya scowled at the food. ¡°This is a snack.¡±

    ¡°It is sufficient sustenance for a meal,¡± Lusya replied. She headed back to her pack and started digging again, presumably to get her own portion.

    Ariya glared at hers for another moment, but she guessed she should try it. Mama was always saying to try something before you decided you didn¡¯t like it. Plus, Ariya did like all the pieces of this ¡°meal,¡± at least.

    She popped a piece of dried meat into her mouth and chewed. And chewed. And chewed some more. It didn¡¯t taste awful, but it was tough, hard, and cold. All that was more than enough to make it unpleasant to eat, regardless of the taste. Ariya was aware that she wasn¡¯t wealthy or nobility. She lived in a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere, as Papa liked to put it sometimes. She knew what she usually ate wasn¡¯t fine dining or anything, even if she didn¡¯t know what was. But what she did know was that this was bad.

    The fruit was a little better. It was nice and sweet and being cold didn¡¯t hurt it as much. The nuts were nice too. They were nice and crunchy with some light salt on them. But she stood by her first reaction. This was not dinner.

    Still, she continued eating. She was a big girl. It was fine not to like something, but if you didn¡¯t at least eat what was in front of you, you were being rude and going hungry. She knew, she had gone through that before. Only once, though.

    "Do we have water?¡± she asked once she was done. Between the meat and the nuts, that had been enough salt to fill the ocean. At least, Ariya assumed it had been. She didn¡¯t know much about the ocean, but she knew it was salty. Maybe she would get to see it during this journey.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lusya said. She had started eating her own serving and paused to hand Ariya a flask of water.

    Ariya gulped much of it down and let out a contented sigh. The food might not have been very good, but at least she wasn¡¯t hungry anymore. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could handle eating that for a year, though.

    ¡°Can we get better food next time you shop?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°That would require me to cook, most likely,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That would require a fire. As I said, a fire is a hindrance.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ Is that a yes?¡±

    ¡°It is a no.¡±

    Ariya sighed and pouted, arms crossed. A breeze blew through the clearing, driving another shiver through Ariya¡¯s body. When the air was still, her coat and hat kept her warm enough that she didn¡¯t shake or sniffle, but the wind cut through those like a knife.

    ¡°I think we could use a fire,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡±

    She could have used the extra light too. The stars and the moon¡ªstill mostly visible after the full moon had passed a couple nights ago¡ªprovided enough to see, more or less, but she would have liked a little more.

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    ¡°You will survive being cold,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is too warm to cause frostbite or other complications, and it will only be getting warmer. Perhaps if our journey continues into next winter, I will revise my decision.¡±

    Ariya sure hoped so. She had heard that the winters in the north were even colder. How that was even possible, she was not sure, but she had been told stories about weather so cold a boiling pot would freeze in seconds and snow so high you couldn¡¯t leave your house.

    They sat in silence for a while. The only sound was an occasional crunch when Lusya bit down on a nut. She looked neither pleased nor displeased with the food, which Ariya was coming to expect. She hadn¡¯t seen any sign of either from Lusya all day.

    Ariya grew colder by the minute. She believed Lusya that the cold wasn¡¯t dangerous, but that didn¡¯t make it feel any better. Ariya was beginning to regret having given her snowman her scarf. Hopefully Mama or Papa could find some use for it while she was gone. At least she had kept her cap. She had considered giving that to the snowman too.

    Ariya let out a yawn. Her vision lurched forward and darkened for an instant, before she forced her eyes open and her head straight.

    Lusya seemed to notice, fixing her gaze on Ariya. Lusya seemed to have finished eating at some point, though Ariya had not noticed when.

    ¡°There is no need to force yourself to stay awake,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may sleep whenever you wish.¡±

    Ariya blinked. ¡°Really? You¡¯ve been telling me all day not to.¡±

    ¡°That was when we were traveling. Now it is time for rest,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°In fact, it would be better if you went to sleep earlier. I intend to leave early in the dawn.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll go to bed now, then,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I have set out a sleeping mat for you in the tent.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ariya said. She stood up and made her way to the tent.

    Ugly as it might have been, the brown fabric it was made of was smoother and softer than she would have guessed. It looked kind of like leather, but Ariya wasn¡¯t sure if that was what it was. Whatever it was, though, it seemed like it was doing a good job keeping out the snow. When she opened the flap, the floor wasn¡¯t wet at all.

    In the middle of the tent sat a single sleeping mat. Mat was a good description. It was a thin sheet upon the ground with a bit of fur on top to make it softer and warmer. Ariya narrowed her eyes skeptically, but she kept Mama¡¯s advice in mind. It wasn¡¯t just about food, after all. Mama said it was about everything, except for things that made you feel scared.

    She walked in and lied down, pulling the cover over herself. She had been right to be suspicious. This was no different to lying on the ground. Not only was it hard, but she could feel every nook, bump, and pebble underneath her back. Sometimes lying on the ground was fine, like to make snow shadows. When she was trying to sleep was not one of those times. It was awful.

    Neither it nor the tent were doing much to keep her warm either. It was a little bit better than outside, sure, but not by much.

    She stewed in her pathetic excuse for a bed for minutes that felt like hours. Then, she jumped to her feet. The food sucked, the cold sucked, and the bed sucked, and Lusya was going to get a piece of her mind.

    Ariya stomped out of the tent into the clearing. Lusya was sitting with her back against a tree, staring off into the woods. What she was looking at, Ariya did not know or care.

    ¡°That mat is bad,¡± Ariya said with a stomp of her feet. ¡°It¡¯s hard and cold and bumpy and I hate it!¡±

    Lusya looked at her with the same blank expression as always. ¡°It is adequate to sleep on.¡±

    ¡°Well, I want a new one.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°We have limited funds and the comfort of your bedding is a low priority, much like the taste of our food.¡±

    Ariya felt her anger melt away under the weight of exhaustion and frustration. Her body shook with a quiet sob. She sniffled and tried not to cry. She was a big girl and big girls didn¡¯t cry because their dinner was gross.

    Luysa blinked. ¡°What is wrong?¡±

    Ariya scowled at her. ¡°You¡¯re mean!¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked two times in rapid succession. ¡°I am¡­mean?¡±

    ¡°You are,¡± Ariya said with a nod. ¡°¡®You don¡¯t need that,¡¯ ¡®that¡¯s not necessitary.¡¯ Well, I¡¯m hungry and tired and cold and I don¡¯t want to eat gross snacks and sleep on the ground for a year! If that¡¯s what adventuring is like, then I¡¯ll go home and Jak can make fun of me.¡±

    Lusya was silent for a moment. ¡°I see. It seems I misjudged how important comfort is to you.¡± She paused again. ¡°Accommodating both your requests at once would be impractical. Select one and I will attempt to fulfill it when next I have the chance.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Between better food and a better bed, select which you want more. I will buy them next time we are in town. The other will have to wait.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say that?¡± Ariya asked. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°You promise?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I promise.¡±

    Ariya crossed her arms and rested her head in her palm, imitating Papa¡¯s ¡°thinking pose.¡± She really did want both, but this seemed like one of those compromise things Mama always talked about.

    ¡°I want food,¡± she said.

    She would only have to put up with the bed at night, but they would have to eat multiple times every day. At least, she hoped they would. Besides, if she managed to fall asleep by some miracle, the bed would stop bothering her. She had slept in uncomfortable positions before and that was always how it was. There was no getting around the food.

    ¡°I will purchase ingredients and cooking supplies,¡± Lusya said with a nod. ¡°As fresh food spoils and is a recurring cost, I cannot guarantee every meal will be to your standards, but I will do my best.¡±

    Ariya stared at Lusya and tilted her head.

    ¡°We will still have to eat the current food sometimes, depending on costs and travel times,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Are you still certain of your decision?¡±

    Oh, that made more sense. Why did Lusya always have to make things sound so complicated?

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Very well then,¡± Lusya said. It seemed like she was done talking for a second, but then she kept going. ¡°It is not my intention to be ¡®mean.¡¯ I apologize. This journey will not always be easy or comfortable, but I will try to be more considerate in the future.¡±

    Ariya tried to force herself to keep scowling, but gave up when she found herself smiling anyway. That was better, she supposed. There was no sense in staying mad when things were working out. ¡°Okay, I forgive you.¡±

    ¡°That is appreciated. You may return to your rest now.¡±

    Ariya turned back toward the tent, then stopped and looked to Lusya.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sleep?¡± Ariya asked. Now that she thought about it, there had been no mat prepared for Lusya. It wouldn¡¯t have been that strange for them to share one, but Lusya gave no sign of moving.

    ¡°I am a light sleeper,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I will stay here so I can be alerted of any danger.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said, her face turning pink. She suddenly felt very silly for complaining about her sleeping situation.

    ¡°Are you well?¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll go to sleep, then.¡±

    ¡°Do so,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Proper rest is an important part of any journey.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like proper rest,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I am¡­different. This will suffice for me.¡±

    Ariya had never heard of relti not needing sleep or anything like that. But then, she knew very little about relti to begin with. Just that they lived a long time, had pointy ears, and their hair and eyes were sometimes weird colors. She shrugged and headed toward the tent, only to freeze at the opening when she heard a rustling in the woods.

    Lusya stood and looked toward the sound, which drew nearer. There was a large shadow shouldering through rustling bushes and crackling branches as it lumbered toward them. Its eyes glinted when they caught a hint of moonlight. When it stepped into the clearing, its shape was clear. A bear, covered in thick brown fur, its elongated mouth open just enough to show off its powerful white fangs and thick, glistening slobber.

    It was the third time Ariya had seen one. The last two times they had just huffed and moved on, but Papa always warned her they could be more dangerous in the wrong situations. Like when only two people were alone in the woods. Ariya was allowed to play alone because, despite Mama¡¯s concerns, not many lived around their house anymore. Most had been hunted or scared off, since they were a problem for Whitehill too.

    The animal stopped just outside the trees. It snorted and scraped the ground with one paw. Even on all fours, it was almost as tall as Lusya and towered over Ariya.

    ¡°Do not move, child,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It may become aggressive.¡±

    That was the same advice Papa had given her. He said bears tried to look tough, but they were scaredy cats who backed down if you stood up to them. She could not imagine this thing being scared of her or Lusya and it certainly did not look frightened in the slightest.

    Lusya punched the tree she had been sitting against, shattering the bark and splintering the wood beneath with a crack of thunder. That made Ariya a little scared of Lusya, and the bear did jump and back away as it turned to face her, but then it growled and slammed the ground with its front paws.

    The bear let out a deafening roar that filled Ariya with an instinctive urge to run as far away as she could. Her legs shook beneath her, but she managed to stand her ground. Then it charged. It loped across the ground between it and Lusya with speed Ariya would not have thought something so big and bulky could possess. Lusya did not budge. When the bear was upon her, it reared up on its hind legs, dwarfing Lusya for a moment before it lurched forward to crash down on her.

    Lusya raised a hand as the bear fell. Its chest came down on the hand and stopped dead, as sure as if it was against a boulder or a tree. Then she shoved back on it. That didn¡¯t just push the bear back. There was a rush of air that buffeted Ariya, like a gust of wind, and a bang. The bear sailed back through the air a few feet, then crashed down and tumbled end over end across the clearing.

    It stopped in a heap when it collided with a larger tree on the edge of the clearing with a painful crack. Lusya kept her gaze fixed on it. The same expressionless gaze as always. She did not look angry, frightened, or like that had taken any effort whatsoever.

    The bear stood, its back peppered with bits of bark it had scraped off the tree on impact, and let out a whine that made Ariya feel bad for it for a few seconds. It looked at Lusya one more time, then walked off into the woods. Ariya thought it might have been limping, but it was hard to tell for sure.

    Lusya kept watching it as it fled, then still watched where she had last seen it once it was gone for a few seconds. When she seemed satisfied with that, she looked around the area, then picked a new tree to sit against. The old one probably wouldn¡¯t have been very comfortable, what with the splinters on the ground and poking out of the trunk. She looked to Ariya.

    ¡°The danger has passed,¡± she said. ¡°Rest.¡±

    Ariya was too stunned to do anything but nod and go to bed.

 Chapter Five

    The faint scraping of boots on the forest floor awoke Lusya. Though she was not sure how long she had slept, leaning on the tree she had chosen to sit beside, it was still dark. The all-but-full moon and the stars sparkling above gave plenty of light to see in the immediate vicinity, despite the former beginning to sink behind the trees, but the cover of night was well in place for any attackers.

    The sounds being those of attackers was not a certainty, but Lusya suspected it was so. Whoever was in the forest was trying not to be heard. She counted seven sets of footsteps. It was difficult to tell for sure, but her senses confirmed the presence of seven mortals. She often looked where she was concentrating her sense for Malice on and visualized the information it provided, but neither of those were requirements. Within its effective range, it worked three-hundred-sixty degrees around her.

    She stood and lowered her hood. Though she often kept it on and it was doubtful it would be much of a hindrance, there was little reason not to remove its obstruction of her vision given such ample warning. The child seemed to be in the tent still. She was nowhere to be seen and Lusya had not heard her rouse.

    For a moment, the noises stopped. No doubt Lusya¡¯s movement had caught their attention and put them on guard. They would need to decide whether or not to proceed. It was not long before the footsteps resumed, still moving toward her. Lusya moved toward the center of the clearing and faced the approaching mortals to wait.

    Under ordinary circumstances, she may have been more proactive, but she did not want to leave the child unattended. It was doubtful the child was their goal, but she would not fare well if they found her.

    There was another pause. Again, the unseen aggressors resumed their advance. But no longer did it consist of quiet scuffs against the dirt. With it being obvious their presence was known, those attempts at stealth were replaced by dull thuds and cracking twigs, though the attackers continued their attempts to remain out of sight, offering only momentary glimpses as they skulked between trees and shrubs. Perhaps they feared being attacked at range.

    A minute later, they emerged from the growth of the forest. They numbered seven, as she had counted, and appeared to be human. Five men with coarse, dirt-caked beards and two women with close cut hair. They wore ragged, roughspun tunics and trousers, topped by sparse parts of dirty light metal or leather armor.

    All were armed. The women and two of the men held spears, while the remaining men wielded one-handed shortswords.

    ¡°I assume you are bandits,¡± Lusya said. They looked very much the part.

    One man chuckled. He stood at the front of the formation, so she assumed he was the leader. He was a tall man, close to a full foot taller than Lusya, rippling with muscles. His black hair was long and wild and old scars dotted his face and exposed arms.

    ¡°Got it in one. We got a smart one, huh?¡± he asked with a glance at his companions. They replied with smirks and chortles. Lusya did not think the leader had said anything particularly humorous, though perhaps she was not the best judge. Many found her sense of humor lacking. ¡°That makes things simple, don¡¯t it? Hand over yer coin and anything worth so much as a copper and nobody gets hurt.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Or ya can fight. Depending on how good ya are, we¡¯ll either kill ya or sell ya afterward.¡±

    ¡°You are not capable of carrying out that threat,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may leave at any time, but your numbers will decrease if you attack me.¡±

    One of the woman laughed. ¡°She¡¯s not very good at playing tough.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be cocky ¡®cause yer a reltus,¡± the leader said. ¡°Yer too outnumbered fer it to matter. Look, I¡¯m a nice guy, so I¡¯ll let ya keep the clothes on yer back and a little food. Ya can go back to Riverglade and live on that while ya figure things out.¡±

    ¡°Your numbers are insufficient to offset your weakness,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You have no chance of harming me.¡±

    She hoped they would listen to reason. Though she would not usually be so concerned, there was the matter of the child. If she awoke during the fight, it could be problematic. Lusya was not sure why mortals so often underestimated her. She knew she did not look strong at a glance. While she kept herself in shape, the fact that, like many demons, her baseline physical strength¡ªeven without any enhancement¡ªwas beyond any mortal meant she had never had any need for extensive muscle training or the like.

    Still, even without accounting for motomancy, she would have thought the ineffectiveness of their threats would have clued them in. However, she would not waste any more effort trying to convince them. It was their lives they were throwing away.

    ¡°Enough with the bluster, boss,¡± another one of the men said. He was blond and a bit scrawnier than the leader, though still well-built. ¡°Let¡¯s just teach her a lesson already.¡±

    The leader nodded to his subordinate and turned his attention back to Lusya. ¡°Don¡¯t say we didn¡¯t warn ya. We don¡¯ accept surrender once the fight¡¯s started.¡±

    ¡°That policy seems needlessly restrictive,¡± Lusya said. ¡°As I mentioned, those of you who survive are free to flee once you realize you are outmatched.¡±

    Without another word, the four with spears charged forward in a rough line, aiming to skewer her, while the swordsmen moved to the sides in an attempt to flank her. It would not have been an awful formation against an opponent more suited to their capabilities.

    Lusya rushed forward, toward the spears, and weaved around the points. The four stopped their charge and hesitated. Keeping pace with her speed would have been a titanic task for the likes of them under the best of circumstances, and it was clear that they had not expected her to move to meet them. She grabbed the closest man¡¯s spear and threw a punch that caved his skull in with a crack and sent him flying across the clearing.

    With his spear freed, she hurled it at one of the swordsmen, a brown-haired man, impaling him through the chest and taking him off his feet as he let out a shout. He wore a leather cuirass, but it did nothing to stop the spear from running through him. With a dull thud, he landed on his back, the spear protruding out toward the heavens from his breast.

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    One of the spearwomen tried to thrust at her, but Lusya dodged with little effort. She grabbed the wooden shaft of the spear near the tip, broke it off, and jammed the blade into the woman¡¯s belly, then swept the woman¡¯s feet out from under her. The woman landed face down on the ground, pushing the spearhead farther into the fissure in her flesh. She tried to push herself up as the snow beneath her was dyed red, but it seemed her strength had left her and she collapsed again with a groan. All she had accomplished was dislodging the weapon and hastening the flow of blood out of her body.

    Lusya would have finished the woman¡ªshe had no desire to make any of their deaths painful ones¡ªbut the remaining spearman thrust at her while one of the swordsmen ran in to attack from behind. Even if she could not have heard his approach or seen him at the edge of her vision, it would have been obvious. Their Malice was as clear to her senses as a forest fire would have been to her vision.

    Lusya sidestepped and slapped the spear passing her, driving it into the swordsman¡¯s heart. She drew her dagger and slashed both men¡¯s throats before either could make a sound. That was the sole weapon she carried. If an opponent was a threat, she would use her Soul Blades. If not, they were not worth carrying the bulk of a sword or a spear. She could handle them unarmed, at the cost of some efficiency. The dagger was there to offset that cost.

    The leader and the remaining spearwoman gaped, pallid and wide-eyed, giving Lusya a wide berth. She could close that distance with ease if they insisted on continuing. They each held their weapon in a defensive stance, as if to ward her off, their gazes flickering from her to the corpses of their comrades.

    ¡°I¡­I think we¡¯ll take ya up on yer offer,¡± the leader said, inching toward the tree line.

    ¡°Ya crazy?¡± the woman exclaimed. ¡°She just took five of ours!¡±

    ¡°If I thought we could win I¡¯d pay ¡®er back ten-fold. But I ain¡¯t looking to join ¡®em. She doesn¡¯t even look winded.¡±

    The woman looked over Lusya once more, then clicked her tongue.

    With that, the woman joined her leader in backing away until they were among the trees, at which point they turned and broke into a run back in the direction they had come.

    Once Lusya was satisfied that they had retreated, she approached the woman with the gut wound, who was still bleeding out on the ground, squirming like a worm and making pitiful whining noises, her glassy eyes struggling to stay open. Luysa knelt beside the woman. With a thrust of her dagger into the skull, Lusya ended the woman¡¯s agony.

    With that done, she cut off some of the cleaner cloth from the dead to use as makeshift towels with which to clean herself off. Then, she heard rustling once more. This time, it was from the tent. The child had stirred.

    Lusya hurriedly wiped off the most obvious blood from her face and hands and marched over to the tent. She crouched in the opening just in time to block the child¡¯s path and line of sight as she tried to exit.

    The child stood, swaying slightly and rubbing at one eye, the other glazed and unfocused. It was obvious she was still groggy.

    ¡°Lusya, what¡¯s happening?¡± she asked. ¡°I thought I heard something.¡±

    ¡°It is not time for you to rise yet,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Return to sleep at once.¡±

    The child yawned. ¡°But I heard¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is nothing you need to concern yourself with. Return to sleep.¡±

    The child gave an exaggerated tilt of her head and a languid blink, as if she had trouble understanding. Then, she yawned again and headed back into the tent.

    ¡°Okay. Good night.¡±

    Lusya heard the child settle back into her bedding and peeked through the opening to make sure that was the case. Sure enough, the child was lying down once more. Within seconds, she had fallen asleep again.

    Expressions of relief like sighing were foreign to Lusya, but she suspected she would have used one if they were not. She had done her research ahead of time. Human children tended to struggle with the concepts of death and mortality. The child was right around the age when she would first start to comprehend those ideas and her reaction to hearing of Father¡¯s death suggested she was in the midst of that process.

    Even if the child had not understood it at all, however, Lusya would want to avoid the child seeing the fresh corpses and blood-stained snow around them. It was not worth the risk that the child would find it traumatic or disturbing. Such things could precipitate an unacceptable increase in Malice.

    If that happened, Lusya would need to dispose of the child and find another. That was not a dire setback, but it would be an inconvenience. Lusya did not know how long it would take her to find another candidate. There was no reason not to avoid that. Besides, she had committed to keeping the child safe. She considered ensuring the child stayed useful a part of that.

    That meant she would need to clean up the clearing before the child awoke again. Moving the corpses and weapons would be trivial. The crimson snow could be more difficult, but she had little choice but to figure it out.

    #

    A couple hours later, Lusya had finished her task. The bodies and their fallen weapons had been deposited around a mile back toward Riverglade, leaving little chance the child would see them. The need to return to the child before she awoke meant Lusya had not been very thorough in hiding them, so someone else might discover the corpses before long.

    By then, however, Lusya and the child would have departed. Even if someone did care to search for the killers of five strangers, they would have little success.

    As Lusya had suspected, there had been no moving the blood. It had soaked deep into the snow and even onto the ground and Lusya had no vessel with which to move it unless she wanted to empty one of her water containers, which she did not. She could have used her hands and cleaned them afterward, but that would have been a slow, tedious process that risked the child waking before it was done.

    In the end, Lusya had opted to burn most of the blood away with Miudofay, one of her Soul Blades. She had wanted to avoid using it to evade the risk of the child seeing it or hearing its name. Infamous as the Demon Blade was, it was doubtful one so young knew it by name or sight, but there was no reason to test that theory. For that reason and for fear of causing excessive damage to her surroundings, she had not used it to dispose of the bodies.

    When it came to the blood, however, it had been the best method available by too large a margin to ignore. It did mean leaving some of what had gotten on the ground alone. Lusya¡¯s control was only so good, and a scorch mark upon the ground would have been more obvious than the remaining stains.

    Just minutes after she had finished, the first sliver of sunlight peeked above the horizon as a vibrant orange line. The child had yet to awaken again, but it was time for them to go. Lusya intended to keep this pace for the duration of their journey, traveling until a bit after dark and rising at dawn.

    That would result in insufficient sleep for the child during the shorter nights and longer days of summer, but that was a minor concern. And, for the moment, Lusya¡¯s research suggested the child¡¯s rest was more than adequate.

    Lusya made her way to the tent and gently shook the child.

    ¡°Still sleepy, Mama,¡± the child muttered as she shifted on her mat, her movements almost as though she were trying to burrow into it.

    Lusya shook the child again. ¡°Wake up, child.¡±

    The child slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at Lusya and started, then looked around, blinking until her eyes widened and jaw dropped in apparent realization. Considering her earlier utterance, perhaps she had momentarily forgotten where she was. That was, Lusya had learned, not an unheard of phenomenon, though she had never experienced it as far as she could recall.

    ¡°We are leaving,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will eat and depart immediately.¡±

    ¡°Hooray, more adventure!¡± the child said, without a hint of the grogginess from earlier or the temper of the previous night. She stood up without prompting and rushed out of the tent.

    Lusya followed and began preparing breakfast.

 Chapter Six

    The sun had made its presence known on the horizon by the time Lusya and the child passed out of the forest and into the clear fields beyond. The land would be a sea of green before long, but for now it was still blanketed in shallow snow. Only scattered blades of yellowed grass poked out from the covering. A few trees dotted the area, but Lusya¡¯s map suggested they would not see proper woodland again for some time. Especially, that was, at their current pace. Lusya had known the child could not keep pace with Lusya¡¯s running in speed or stamina. Most mortals would not have been able to do so. She had even anticipated she would have to slow her walking speed.

    The child, however, was erratic. Sometimes her pace was a virtual crawl, or she would get distracted by trivial things like a rabbit on the side of the road and stop altogether. Other times, she would receive a burst of energy from no apparent source and they could make good progress.

    Perhaps Lusya should have gone with a horse or a carriage after all. She had declined to do so as they were expensive. The animals also needed training and would sometimes refuse to obey or run away from those other than their masters, which made stealing them unreliable. Lusya would reconsider that conclusion. At the very least, she could start saving for a horse or two, though that could take a while. Even more so now that ingredients and cooking instruments had been added to her expenses.

    Lusya noticed that there were a large number of mortals ahead, hidden from view by a hill she would soon crest. She could not tell whether or not they were human. Her ability to sense Malice did not differentiate among the mortal races. Although the other mortal races were not a common sight in this region, they did appear from time-to-time.

    They did not seem to be particularly strong or dangerous. Such things were obvious to her senses. Powerful mortals and demons alike had a certain feel to their Malice, potent yet refined. It was possible they were related to the bandits from before or would otherwise be hostile. Her senses afforded some ability to divine such things, but judging as much was difficult with mortals she was not already familiar with.

    Thinking on it, however, she doubted the people would be looking for trouble. The number was more akin to an encampment than an ambush troop and, sparse patrols or not, the middle of the road would have been a poor choice of placement if they were doing anything illicit. As such, she decided there was no need to avoid them. She could pass through the crowd and be on her way.

    She glanced at the child. At the moment, the child was in the middle of one of her bursts of vigor. She hummed a tune to herself with a wide smile and skipped along the path rather than walking. The snow here was shallow enough to allow that, with footsteps and wheel tracks marking the road, which would otherwise have been indistinguishable from the open ground surrounding it. Every so often the child¡¯s jaunty gait dislodged her hat from her head and she had to struggle to readjust it.

    Soon after, Lusya and the child crested the hill. Beyond, a group of wagons was gathered on either side of the road. People milled about around them. Some were chatting, others tended to the horses, and still more clustered around a handful of burning makeshift fire pits, holding bowls and loafs of bread. Lusya also spotted a few children among the crowd, running to and fro and shouting to each other in high tones. It seemed her assessment had been correct. Whatever this gathering was, it was almost certainly not a bandit camp or the like.

    ¡°Wow, so many people,¡± the child said in a breathy, awestruck tone. It must have seemed a veritable sea of people to her. ¡°What do you think they¡¯re all doing here?¡±

    ¡°There are many purposes this caravan may serve,¡± Lusya replied.

    They could have been merchants, some kind of troupe of entertainers, or just travelers who had met by chance and banded together for safety. It seemed to have worked, seeing as¡ªdespite just a few of those Lusya could see being armed¡ªthe bandits had chosen to attack her when they must have known this group was here.

    ¡°Yeah, but which do think it is?¡± the child asked.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. She had thought that was implied. It was odd that the child had not picked up on that. ¡°Stay close to me as we pass through.¡±

    ¡°I will!¡±

    Lusya continued walking. The child did as she had been told and kept close as they neared the camp. Several of the caravan¡¯s members turned their gazes toward the pair. Most focused on Lusya, though a few seemed enamored with the child. For a while, none tried to approach or speak to them. The most interaction they had was a few people in the road moving out of the way.

    Lusya and the child were about halfway through when one man who was eating with a few others stood up and gave a big wave. His companions exchanged a series of looks ranging from bemused to annoyed.

    ¡°Hey there!¡± he shouted as he ran up to them.

    Lusya considered ignoring him, but the child had already stopped to meet him. Even if they never saw these people again, it would be good to get into the habit of not looking suspicious. Forcing the child away from a routine social interaction would almost certainly qualify as suspicious. As long as they did not spend too long speaking, it would not be an issue.

    ¡°Nice to see some fellow travelers,¡± the man said as he stopped before them, grinning. He was human, as were all the others Lusya had seen, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes. He was average height for a human man, with a broad-shouldered, muscular build. ¡°Might I ask where you¡¯re headed?¡±

    The child opened her mouth to answer, but Lusya cut in. ¡°Why do you want that information?¡±

    The man frowned. ¡°Just curious if you might want to join us. We take anyone heading the same way. Safety in numbers, after all. I don¡¯t have a problem with relti, either, and if anyone does, I¡¯ll give them a talking to.¡±

    Many high-rank demons could pass for relti, Father included. Despite being half-human, which some argued made her something distinct from a high-rank demon, Lusya was no exception. Though there was tension among the mortal races, more so in the times between Demon Kings, being seen as a reltus was better than being seen as a demon, half or otherwise, so Lusya made no effort to dispel the assumption.

    Ironically, despite the races getting along more poorly in general, people were less suspicious of her than they would have been during a Demon King¡¯s reign. There would be far fewer high-rank demons until close to the next Demon King¡¯s formation¡ªor rather, until after Father was revived¡ªso people were more apt to assume she was a reltus. She also lacked most of the few tells other demons tended to possess.

    Humans often seemed to regard relti with a strange mix of suspicion, born of the latter¡¯s resemblance to demons, and awe, born of the relti¡¯s long lives and superior physical abilities despite lacking any obvious physiological differences that would indicate as much.

    ¡°We are heading to the northwest of the continent,¡± Lusya said. She had no intention of joining the caravan, but it would not hurt to share that much information. ¡°We have important business there, though I do not wish to share the details.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, everybody¡¯s got a few secrets,¡± the man said with a shrug. His smile, however, returned with a vengeance. ¡°Still, sounds like we¡¯re going the same way, at least for a little while. Most of us are on a pilgrimage to welcome in the tranquil age, you see. We¡¯re visiting a few places, but next is Hero Klarc¡¯s hometown, and we¡¯re thinking First Paladin Lord Elphrid Blackstone¡¯s will be last.¡±

    Both their stated destinations were in the same general direction. Depending on the stops in between, their paths could diverge quite a bit, but the birthplace of the Hero of Balance would likely have them taking the same route for at least a few days of travel. Lusya did not intend to go through it, but she had little choice but to pass near it or needlessly prolong the journey. She felt almost sick when she concentrated on that fact.

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    As for the First Paladin¡¯s home, Lusya saw little need to go to or near it. It was, however, still northwest of their current location. Granted, that described the vast majority of the continent at this point, but the Paladin¡¯s home was relatively close to the isle where Father had been born.

    ¡°That sounds like fun!¡± the child exclaimed with a small hop of excitement. She looked up at Lusya and smiled. ¡°We should go with them.¡±

    Lusya shook her head and turned to the man. ¡°I appreciate your offer. However, we will be fine on our own.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± the man asked. ¡°The roads are dangerous. Might not be as bad as before, but there¡¯s plenty of thugs who see the beginning of a tranquil age as their chance to hit it big.¡±

    Many mortal cultures divided the passage of time into ¡°tranquil ages¡± between Demon Kings and ¡°turbulent ages¡± encompassing the reign of a Demon King and some time beforehand, varying depending on the people doing the classification.

    It made sense that certain types of criminals thrived in the early stages of a tranquil age. A war had just ended. That meant more people traveling freely, but it also left many nations damaged, disorganized, and with higher priorities than patrolling every country road. Getting away with a quick ambush was easier and there were more potential victims about.

    ¡°Come on, Lusya,¡± the child whined. ¡°Mama always says it¡¯s better to travel in a group. And they¡¯ll be safer with you around too.¡± She turned to the man. ¡°Lusya¡¯s super strong. She beat up a bear with one hand last night!¡± She beamed as if describing her own accomplishment, then pouted at Lusya again. ¡°Please?¡±

    Keeping these people safe mattered little to Lusya. Nor did she think she needed their protection. She could protect herself and the child just fine on her own. On the off chance she encountered a threat from which she could not, the caravan contained nobody strong enough to make a difference.

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s advice is sound,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, I do not think it is worth it in this case. I do not intend to visit either of their destinations and they may slow us down. We will proceed alone.¡±

    The child gave a crestfallen groan and hung her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the man said. ¡°If your¡­friend doesn¡¯t want to join us, I won¡¯t force her. I promise we wouldn¡¯t slow you down, though. We¡¯re traveling at a good pace, from dawn to dusk.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± the child said, with renewed cheer. ¡°They have horses and stuff. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re slower than us. It¡¯s silly to go separate if we¡¯re going the same way.¡±

    There was some truth to both those points, though Lusya remained skeptical. The caravan may have moved faster at any given time. Lusya alone could have outpaced it, but with the child in tow it was a different matter. However, they seemed to start their journey later and likely stopped earlier. It was also a distinct possibility that they took more frequent breaks or had some other factor that would slow them down. Then there was the possibility of one of the horses being injured or the carriages damaged. Then, of course, there was the simple issue of prolonged contact with the same people. That had the potential to give rise to suspicion or conflict which could prove inconvenient. She had decided against going around the continent by sea to avoid such a situation.

    On the other hand, Lusya had not missed the way the man had hesitated, his eyes narrowing at her. He was already suspicious. She had worried about that. At a glance, nobody would think she was related to the child and it would be unusual for a reltus in early adulthood to be traveling with such a young child. Many would immediately see their association as suspect. Even more so since a reltus who looked like Lusya would be in their mid-forties.

    Lusya would have to be careful about that too. She had aged like a human up to now, though some had suspected her aging would slow or stop to be more in line with high-rank demons¡ªwho formed at a variety of apparent ages, usually early-to-mid-adulthood, and never aged¡ªwhen she passed adolescence. She was neither the first natural birth among demons nor the first sired with a member of the mortal races, but both were rare and records on her predecessors were too sparse and poor to provide much insight.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I suppose it will not hurt.¡± She nodded at the man in something resembling a shallow bow. ¡°It will not be long, but it seems we will be in your care.¡±

    Depending on the caravan¡¯s speed, avoiding it would have been difficult, likely requiring her to take a different route and delaying her more than traveling with it. With this man, who seemed to be something of the leader and organizer, suspicious of her, she did not want to meet and depart with them on the road repeatedly, as may have happened as both their paces varied. Her options were to avoid it or join them and try to allay their suspicions. She judged the latter as the lesser inconvenience.

    The child leaped into the air with a whoop of excitement. ¡°Hooray!¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± the man said. He held out a hand and grinned. ¡°The name¡¯s Milean, nice to meet you.¡±

    Lusya shook his hand. ¡°I am Lusya.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m Ariya!¡± the child shouted, jumping once more.

    Milean chuckled and crouched, reaching his hand out to her as well. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice to meet you too, Ariya.¡±

    She took his hand, which dwarfed hers, and shook with enthusiasm.

    Milean stood and turned his focus back to Lusya. ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t we introduce you two to everybody? Then we can get you situated with a carriage.¡±

    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Come along, then.¡±

    He started leading them back the way he had come. Lusya followed and the child walked alongside her with a noticeable spring in her step.

    ¡°Why does this excite you so?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Meeting travelers is fun,¡± the child replied. ¡°They¡¯re all so different and cool. And kind of weird sometimes, but that can be cool too.¡±

    Milean let out a booming laugh. ¡°Can¡¯t argue there. By the shadowlands, you two are an odd pair yourselves.¡±

    Lusya did not dispute that. His mention of the shadowlands caught her attention for information it might provide. There were a small handful of mortal faiths that believed in the mythical land of dead demons and wicked mortals. However, she dismissed it in an instant. Though she could not say for sure if it was true, she had heard and read that the commonness of those faiths had caused many of its curses, that one included, to slip into the general vernacular, even for those who did not believe in the shadowlands.

    ¡°Yeah, but Lusya¡¯s cool,¡± the child said. ¡°Did I tell you about the bear?¡±

    ¡°You sure did,¡± Milean said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to give me the full details later.¡±

    ¡°I will! It was scary, but still cool.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet.¡±

    They reached the circle of people Milean had been eating with. The group encircled a popping and crackling fire with a pot hanging over it that seemed to be almost empty, only a small puddle of broth and a couple chunks of meat visible at the bottom.

    There were six in total, Milean included, all dressed for winter in heavy coats, caps, and gloves. Four of those seated turned their attention to Lusya and the others as they approached, while the final member of the group glanced up, then remained focused on the steaming bowl of soup he held and continued eating.

    ¡°New arrivals?¡± a blonde-haired woman asked.

    She stood and walked to Milean, until she was close enough to lean against him, while he wrapped an arm around her. Based on their closeness, Lusya assumed they were married or otherwise involved in a romantic relationship.

    ¡°Yes, my love,¡± Milean said. ¡°This is Lusya and that child is Ariya. They¡¯ll be traveling with us, though not for very long.¡±

    ¡°We will likely part with you somewhere near Gavamir,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°A little over a week, then,¡± the woman said. She was smiling, though it was difficult for Lusya to tell if it was out of happiness or politeness. ¡°I¡¯m Byanka, Milean¡¯s wife.¡±

    ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± the child said.

    ¡°This here is Izcra, Ivone, Leas, and Buro,¡± Milean said, pointing to each of the others. They each gave a brief greeting when their name was called. Buro was the one still focused on his soup, though he too said hello when prompted. ¡°The four of them and myself are something like the representatives for every group that¡¯s joined up.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Any objections to these two coming with us?¡± Milean asked.

    ¡°Not sure I¡¯m so keen on having a reltus with us,¡± Leas said. He was about the same age as Milean and his wife, in his late twenties or early thirties. He had hair a lighter shade of brown and looked tall, but rather scrawny as well.

    ¡°I agree,¡± Izcra said. She looked to be a bit older than the previous three, somewhere around her thirties or early forties. Her hair, cut a touch shorter than shoulder-length, was the color humans called red for hair, but was actually orange. Lusya was not sure why they insisted on that terminology. When relti could have actual red hair, it seemed a needless cause of potential confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t personally have anything against relti, but I¡¯m reluctant to disrupt our group and it may be a bit frightening for the children.¡±

    Lusya did not think relti were frightening. Nor did she think she was frightening most of the time, for that matter. She had observed that some humans seemed intimidated by her even when she was being polite and civil, however. The reasons behind that remained a mystery to her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem,¡± Ivone said. She seemed to be the youngest among them, just a few years older than Lusya. Her complexion was a bit darker than was found in most of Ysuge, resembling some humans from other continents, and she had brown hair so curled it almost formed into cylinders in places. ¡°As long as she behaves, she can be a lion for all I care.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with the lass,¡± Buro said. It was hard to tell while he was sitting, but he seemed to be a rather short and stocky man, with a shaved head and a coarse black beard that reached down to his chest.

    ¡°I suppose I will yield to the majority,¡± Izcra said.

    Leas shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll live.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± Milean said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get acquainted with us and the others soon enough. For now, let¡¯s find you a carriage with some extra room, shall we?¡±

 Chapter Seven

    Two days after joining the caravan, Lusya was satisfied that she had made the right decision. The group was moving at a satisfactory pace. They had caused her no trouble so far and the child seemed to enjoy the food. Some of their meals were even made using fresh ingredients, preserved using methods that would be impractical or impossible for Lusya to replicate with her current resources like storing them in cases of ice or pickling them in honey. The rest used components very much like Lusya¡¯s dried foods, but prepared with enough skill to render them all but unrecognizable. Lusya may not have had a problem with what she had purchased, but she would not deny that this was better. She had also had concerns that the child¡¯s distaste for their simple meals would cause problems later, which were allayed for the time being. Slight concerns, but none was still better.

    On top of that, the child had befriended some of the other children. So long as they were kind to her, that would be a boon at best and a non-factor at worst to the child¡¯s purity. Thus far, they seemed to be getting along.

    As the caravan stopped for a midday meal, the child ran about with some of her new friends, playing some kind of game they had invented. Today, at last, the weather was appropriate for spring, though, Lusya knew it could dip back into winter in these early days, especially as she and the child headed farther north. For now, however, the sun shone overhead in a blue sky interrupted by a handful of wispy white clouds. Most of the snow here had melted, leaving just a few piles of dirty slush lying about, and much of the ground had even dried already.

    The children kept, for the most part, to the gaps between the smaller groups people had sorted themselves into, though they would sometimes charge right through a group or weave between its members to evade a pursuer, drawing a rebuke in process.

    The children shouted and screamed, but did not seem to be distressed. According to some of the caravan¡¯s other members, the noises were signs that the children were enjoying themselves. Lusya was not sure she would be able to tell the difference between that and a scream of terror, but with her ability to sense and see Malice, it would not be a problem. The child¡¯s small, stable seed would make any increase brought on by negative emotions obvious.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± Milean said as he sat down beside Lusya, holding a bowl of the same meat stew she ate.

    Though she would admit it tasted better than what she had bought, she still could not comprehend the child¡¯s prior reaction.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Lusya said.

    Although her group was just two, she still sat with the other representatives. She knew that was not typical. The five others had been the leaders, at least in function, of already-large groups that had come together to form the caravan. Other small groups had joined along the way as well, and their members were counted as part of a larger group of their choice for most purposes.

    ¡°I guess the others are still taking care of their business,¡± he said, gesturing around where the others would sit.

    She nodded. ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    At the moment, their places were unoccupied. They each had spouses, children, or other family to attend to, as well as the friends and acquaintances that had made up their groups before banding together. When all were counted together, the caravan was close to fifty people in total.

    Milean took a few spoonfuls of his lunch, silent. Then, he sighed.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s good timing,¡± he said. ¡°I know I said I wouldn¡¯t pry, but I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I didn¡¯t at least ask. What¡¯s your relationship with Ariya? How did she end up in your care?¡±

    So, that was it. She had suspected as much. She was included among the representatives because Milean, and perhaps the others, still found her a cause for wariness and wanted her close for observation. If there was anything she had done to earn such scrutiny, she was not aware of it. Lusya fixed him with her gaze. He flinched for a moment, though she had not meant to intimidate him, but then scowled and almost puffed himself up, as if to compensate for that moment of weakness.

    ¡°Looking at you, it¡¯s obvious you¡¯re not related,¡± he continued. ¡°If she¡¯s from around here, it¡¯s unlikely a reltus would be a family friend or something either, no offense. On top of that, neither of you acts like you know each other very well. So I need to know what, exactly, is going on here.¡±

    It seemed her simply being with the child was sufficient cause for concern. Lusya had worried about that. It was not lost on her that they were an unusual pair, even to those who mistook her for a reltus. The possibility that that unusual would become suspicious had not been lost on her, but she had hoped to be wrong.

    ¡°My father tasked me with finding someone with certain characteristics and escorting her to a particular location,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°The child fit those characteristics well, so I informed her parents and brought her on my journey.¡±

    He frowned and made a humming sound that Lusya had learned to recognize as skeptical. ¡°That¡¯s pretty vague.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer to avoid discussing the details,¡± she said. ¡°It is a very sensitive matter.¡±

    Milean¡¯s gaze continued to bore into her, unrelenting. ¡°I can understand that. So let me ask more directly: this isn¡¯t a slave trade or anything like that, is it?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°It is nothing of the sort. The child is with me of her own will. While the family was¡­reluctant, I did secure their cooperation as well.¡±

    After another moment of him glaring at her in silence, he sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take your word for it. But I won¡¯t just stand by if I see any sign something untoward is going on here. Slavery and preying on children are two of the lowest depths anyone can sink to. And I don¡¯t care what the law says about either.¡±

    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I do not think you need to be concerned.¡±

    She took another spoonful of her stew. It was quite good. The improvement from her purchase was not insignificant. Some in Father¡¯s inner circle had spread rumors that she could not taste, feel pain, and other such ideas. They were not true, of course. She was simply better than most at tolerating unfavorable conditions. That did not mean she had no preference.

    ¡°Well,¡± Milean said, his eyes now following the children running about, ¡°if nothing else, she seems happy and in good health. That¡¯s a point in your favor.¡±

    Lusya followed his gaze. Lusya¡¯s child, Ariya¡ªLusya had made a more conscious effort to keep the child¡¯s name in mind to differentiate her from the others¡ªwas laughing as she ran from another girl. Ariya had avoided intruding upon gatherings after her first scolding, instead weaving between them and changing directions at random to stay ahead.

    ¡°I appreciate your assessment,¡± Lusya said.

    He chuckled, though she did not think she had said anything funny. Perhaps he found the children amusing.

    Aside from Ariya, there were half a dozen children participating. There were many more within the convoy, but they varied in age and not all of them associated with each other.

    Among Ariya¡¯s group were Milean¡¯s and Leas¡¯s sons, whose names Lusya had not memorized. Milean¡¯s son was a perfect synthesis of his parents, with his mother¡¯s hair and father¡¯s eyes. At his age, it was hard to tell, but he seemed to be growing into his father¡¯s bulky build as well.

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    Leas¡¯s son, on the other hand, seemed to be taking after his mother. Lusya had met the woman, but had never learned her name. The boy had his father¡¯s hair color, but he was short even for his age, had his mother¡¯s eyes, and even his facial structure resembled her more.

    She did not know any of the other children in any significant way. The other representatives all had children, but none of them would play in this group. Ivon¡¯s daughter was an infant, Izcra had ten-year old twin boys who refused to mingle with the younger children, and Buro had a son who was already an adult and two daughters who were close.

    ¡°They look like they¡¯re having fun, don¡¯t they?¡± Byanka said as she approached from behind.

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Lusya said. ¡°What is the game they are playing?¡±

    She was familiar with a few children¡¯s games. Indeed, though her memories of her time with her mother were hazy at best, Lusya was confident she had engaged in games like tag at least a few times. From what she had observed, the children were playing no game she knew of, though it did bear some resemblance to a few.

    ¡°I think Kalam¡¯s boy, Jahn, came up with it,¡± Byanka replied. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like tag, but I can¡¯t recall how it¡¯s different.¡±

    Lusya did not recall having met either a Kalam or a Jahn. Though it was possible she had and either had not learned their names or dismissed them as unimportant. Byanka had pointed to one of the children, but with them in constant motion at a distance, it was difficult to tell which. Regardless, their identities did not seem important to the matter at hand, so she nodded as if she had followed everything.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s team-based,¡± Milean said. ¡°You have an it-team and a not-it-team. Anyone on the latter who gets tagged joins the former. If the it-team gets everyone, they win.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. That sounded a bit lopsided. ¡°How does the other team win?¡±

    ¡°I remember now,¡± Byanka said. ¡°It used to be that the it-team would hide something in the camp. The not-it team had to find it and bring it back to the start. Whoever was left in that team was considered the winner.¡± She seemed to sigh and laugh at the same time, somehow. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can imagine what a ruckus that was.¡±

    ¡°It sounds very disruptive,¡± Lusya said with a nod. The children were already causing some trouble with their current rules. A set that encouraged them to turn the camp upside-down in search of something must have been a disaster.

    Milean nodded. ¡°Sure was. Now they just ask one of the adults to time the games. If anyone¡¯s left on the not-it team by the end of a few minutes, they win.¡± He shrugged. ¡°The kids say it was more fun the other way, but they keep playing anyway.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Have you been traveling with little Ariya a long time?¡± Byanka asked.

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°It was only our second day together that we encountered you.¡±

    ¡°What luck,¡± Byanka said with a smile. ¡°It must have been Lady Hilrusa¡¯s guidance.¡±

    So, they did belong to one of the Jiorjan faiths, a collection of religions that worshiped a singular deity they claimed had created the world. They were too different to be called a single faith. Some had polar opposite views. For instance, some held that Malice was a force outside their deity¡¯s plan, a flaw in the world¡¯s construction some primordial foe had sneaked in. Others believed their god had created Malice as a way to test the mortal races or to purge the sinful.

    Wars had been fought over such differences in interpretation. This Hilrusa, however¡ªwhile not having osmosed into general speech like the shadowlands¡ªwas an ancient saint all the Jiorjan faiths glorified as a pseudo-goddess of good fortune, so Lusya could not pinpoint which of the faiths Milean and Byanka might belong to.

    ¡°Careful, Byanka,¡± Milean said with a side-eyed glance at Lusya.

    Byanka waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°Oh, hush, it¡¯s pretty obvious she¡¯s not the type to pick a fight over that.¡±

    Few, if any, relti subscribed to the Jiorjan faiths. Many found them absurd or even heretical. Demons often resented them more than other religions as well, though most demons were inclined to resentment to begin with. Lusya felt they contained many obvious mischaracterizations of the nature of Malice and the Demon King cycle, but Byanka was correct that Lusya would not create conflict over it. It was doubtful it would have much effect on Lusya while she was with the caravan, and it would have been a tremendous waste of energy to confront a human every time they were wrong about something with so many present.

    Lusya returned to observing the children. Ariya was laughing as she ran from Milean¡¯s son, while Leas¡¯s son passed in front of her, peeking over his shoulder as he fled from the girl who had been chasing Ariya before. Then, Leas¡¯s son stumbled. His foot stretched back behind him as he struggled to keep his footing and Ariya tripped over it, flopping face-first to the ground with a yelp. A second later, Leas¡¯s son lost his balance as well and toppled forward, though he managed to catch himself on his elbows and knees.

    Lusya put aside her food and hurried over to Ariya, covering the distance in less than a second. Lusya knelt beside Ariya, while Ariya groaned and pushed herself up to a kneeling position.

    ¡°Are you well?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya blinked, as if just realizing Lusya was there. ¡°Huh? Lusya? Yeah, I¡¯m fine. It didn¡¯t really hurt at all.¡±

    ¡°I see. That is good.¡± Lusya turned her attention on Leas¡¯s son, who was standing to dust himself off. ¡°I trust that was unintentional.¡±

    ¡°You accusing my boy of something?¡± Leas asked, his entire face scrunched in a deep scowl. He was just approaching from one of the carriages. The other children had all stopped and gathered around as well.

    Lusya stood, keeping her gaze on his son. ¡°I am not accusing. I am merely confirming that I need not punish him.¡±

    ¡°I can discipline my own kid,¡± Leas said with a derisive snort. She was not sure why he said that, as she had neither questioned his capability nor given any indication she would object if he meted out a fitting punishment instead. He looked down at his son. ¡°So? What happened Arek?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose, I swear,¡± his son replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t watching where I was going so I tripped over that rock¡­¡± he pointed to a stone on the ground, around the size of a grown man¡¯s fist. ¡°¡­and while I was trying to keep my balance, I kind of tripped Ariya too. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Milean¡¯s son said. ¡°I saw the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± the girl who had been chasing Leas¡¯s son said.

    ¡°See?¡± Milean said as he walked up. ¡°Nothing to be upset over.¡±

    ¡°Really, Lusya,¡± Ariya said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    She did not display any signs of increasing Malice, so it must have been true that the fall had been neither painful nor harmful to any appreciable degree. Next time, however, it might be.

    ¡°That is good,¡± Lusya said. She turned her gaze on Ariya and gave the slightest hint of a frown. ¡°However, you are at fault as well. You were not paying sufficient attention to your surroundings. If we are to complete our duty, you must avoid harming yourself.¡±

    Ariya hung her head. ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Lusya,¡± Milean cut in before Lusya could say anything, ¡°mind if I talk to you a bit, over there?¡±

    He gestured toward where they had been sitting earlier. Lusya did not know what he could want, but she could guess it had something to do with the current issue.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Child, stay put.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Lusya followed Milean back to the eating area, out of Ariya¡¯s earshot so long as they kept their voices down. He sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you some advice, since you¡¯re obviously new to taking care of children,¡± he said. ¡°Okay?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will not object to advice from someone more experienced.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Good, that¡¯s smart. It¡¯s pretty simple: you don¡¯t need to scold or punish Ariya. Definitely not more than you already did. You were going to, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Lusya blinked. How had he known? People usually struggled to read her intentions. ¡°I was.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to do anything but make both your lives harder,¡± Milean said. ¡°I¡¯m sure falling hurt at least a little bit, no matter what Ariya says. I¡¯m sure she is smart enough to know it¡¯s something she should avoid. Plus, it was an accident. She didn¡¯t really do anything wrong. Nobody did.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head. ¡°So your reasoning is that because her actions were unintentional and she already understands that they should not be repeated, I do not need to reinforce that fact.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Milean said. He chuckled and scratched at his head. ¡°It¡¯s not always so simple, of course, but Ariya seems like a good kid. In this case, I think you can leave things as they are.¡±

    ¡°I see. I appreciate your advice. I will take it under consideration.¡±

    He smiled and nodded. ¡°No problem. Not like I¡¯ve never made a mistake. Might as well use that experience to help you.¡±

    Lusya took that as the end of their conversation and returned to Ariya. The child had done as she was told and was still standing in the same spot as before, eyes glued to the ground.

    The other children were some ways away, discussing something. Every now and then, one of them would glance at Ariya. Lusya caught bits of what they were saying, including ¡°trouble,¡± ¡°scary lady,¡± and ¡°meanie.¡± But she did not care to pay attention to their conversation as she approached Ariya.

    ¡°You may go play with them,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya looked up with an unusual expression, eyes wide and wet, but not quite crying, her lower lip protruding. It was somewhere between sad and fearful, but not the kind of face one made when in genuine danger. The boy had made a similar face earlier. Perhaps that was the expression of a child anticipating a scolding. This incident had been a learning experience, if nothing else.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡±

    ¡°I am not angry with you,¡± Lusya said. It was the truth. Anger was a fleeting thing with her, unusual as that was for a demon. She had seldom known it to last long or have any particular sway over her actions. Even her intent to punish the child had been born out of the simple belief that it was the best way to avoid a repeat of this incident. ¡°I urge you to be more cautious in the future, but that is all.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s expression shifted into a smile and she gave a series of rapid nods. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± She whirled and sprinted to the other children. ¡°Guys, Lusya says I can keep playing!¡±

 Chapter Eight

    ¡°¡­And I know all my letters and I can count to a hundred,¡± Ariya finished explaining to the older woman beside her.

    ¡°My, my, what a smart girl you are,¡± the woman said, somehow sounding both impressed and indifferent.

    ¡°Are any of those feats impressive for a girl her age?¡± Lusya asked.

    She was not one for idle conversation, but she was curious. Ariya had spent the past several minutes listing things she could do to the woman, from helping her mother cook to hopping on one leg for ten minutes straight. Why Ariya had ever even attempted the latter was a mystery that remained unanswered.

    ¡°Oh, of course they are,¡± the older woman replied. She must have been in her late sixties at least, with thinning gray hair and a hunch when she walked. ¡°I know adults who can barely count to ten and can¡¯t read two words.¡±

    Lusya supposed that made sense. Much of the populace in any nation was uneducated, particularly those in rural areas. A girl living in a cabin in the woods being at all literate was unusual. Lusya¡¯s perspective may have been skewed. She had been able to read, write, and do math as long as she could remember, so such widespread ignorance was easily forgotten. She did not know who her mother had been, but could only assume the woman had been educated herself, wealthy, or both.

    The woman chuckled. ¡°Hopping on one foot for ten whole minutes isn¡¯t something a lot of people can do either.¡±

    ¡°I am unsure why one would want to,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was useful, dear, just impressive.¡±

    Lusya blinked and nodded. ¡°I suppose that is a fair assessment.¡±

    It would have been a trivial feat for Lusya and any motomancy user of considerable skill, but for a layperson, let alone a child, it did seem quite the act of dexterity, now that she thought about it.

    A young man a few seats down threw his head back and let out a loud groan, closing his eyes and pinching at the bridge of his nose as if in pain. ¡°Gah, you guys are so noisy,¡± he said. ¡°Here I was happy I didn¡¯t have to ride with any brats.¡±

    The wagon bounced from some bump it must have hit and man¡¯s hand slipped, driving his fingers into his eyelids. He grunted and sat straight, blinking and rubbing at his eyes, then he glared at Ariya as though she were somehow at fault.

    Ariya was the first and only child in the carriage she and Lusya had ended up in, more-or-less at random. The man had been complaining ever since, though no one else seemed to mind. If they did, they didn¡¯t say so, at least.

    Lusya did not reply to him. She had the first time he had had such an outburst, but the older woman had explained that he did not want to start a conversation or argument, he was just ¡°complaining for his own sake.¡± That was strange. Lusya was aware that people might sometimes speak quietly to themselves when they were deep in thought, but she had never come across someone making clear statements directed at someone else without intending to speak to that person.

    The purpose of such an act eluded her and the older woman had not offered any satisfactory elaboration on her explanation. The act itself did not bother Lusya. So long as he kept to impotent whining, it was little more than background noise and she would not begrudge his dislike of children. The mystery surrounding it was much more vexing.

    Whether or not Ariya did not understand it either or chose to act as though she did not was unclear.

    ¡°You¡¯re mean, mister,¡± she said, then she made a bleating sound and stuck her tongue out at him.

    That was something children did as a gesture of derision or disrespect. Lusya was learning a lot while traveling with these people, which went a long way to making it feel worthwhile. To be fair, they were also making good time. Better, in fact, than Lusya and Ariya would have alone, based on Ariya¡¯s previous pace. The suspicions surrounding Lusya seemed to have been dispelled as well, though she was not sure what she had done to accomplish that.

    The young man clicked his tongue and looked away, arms crossed over his chest. He was scowling and his face was red, clear signs the remark had affected him. According to the old woman after previous, similar exchanges, however, he was trying to appear indifferent. Lusya did not know if he had deluded himself into thinking he was succeeding.

    The carriage stopped without warning. Lusya braced herself just in time, but several other passengers lurched or toppled over with shouts and screams, the complaining man included. Ariya fell over sideways into Lusya¡¯s lap with a yelp. The child¡¯s rear end almost slid off the bench to drag her to the floor, but Lusya caught Ariya and helped her sit up.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ariya said. Her cheeks tinged pink for a moment, then her face lit up into a broad smile. ¡°That was fun. Let¡¯s do it again!¡±

    ¡°I do not think we will be doing that again,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Nor do I think most of the passengers agree with your assessment.¡±

    ¡°Aw, that stinks.¡±

    People started murmuring to each other, casting nervous glances at the flap that formed the entrance to the covered wagon. Why had the carriage stopped? It was too soon after lunch to be taking another break. Lusya was a bit surprised that so many of the others were picking up on that. They had not always seemed like the most observant bunch.

    In the worst case scenario, the convoy may have been under attack. Protecting Ariya would be easy enough in that case, but preventing her from seeing the consequences would be more difficult. The most straightforward course of action would be to flee, but Ariya may still have seen the carnage in that case. Lusya also could not discount the possibility that Ariya would, to some extent, understand they were leaving many of the convoy to die. That left protecting the entire caravan as Lusya¡¯s best option. She was uncertain that was feasible.

    The lack of any raised voices or rattling weapons suggested the issue was not a violent one, however. There wasn¡¯t much sound coming from outside the carriage at all, in fact, save for the whistle of the wind and confused whispers from other nearby wagons and their drivers.

    Lusya stood. ¡°I will go see what has held us up. Child, come.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya said. She had acquired that more respectful form of address after the incident the other day. Lusya could only speculate that it had somehow solidified her as an authority figure to the child.

    Lusya exited the carriage with Ariya in tow and moved to the front of the convoy. Their carriage was toward the middle. Most carriages in that area were for the sick, elderly, or others who would have trouble protecting themselves in case of danger. Children also fit into that category, but they rode with their parents, which scattered them throughout the convoy. Lusya, of course, did not fit into those categories, nor did some of the other passengers she had seen. This seemed to be the result of smaller groups being assigned to whatever wagons had room, with varying levels of consideration for any broader organizational scheme.

    The obstacle that had halted their advance was clear as soon as Lusya arrived at the front. Milean and the other representatives stood there, along with a couple of the carriage drivers. A few of the representatives had their families with them, though Milean was¡ªunusually¡ªnot among them.

    Before the assembly was a stone bridge stretching across a wide river. Or rather, the remains of said bridge. Something had split it in two, leaving a gap around a hundred feet wide in the middle.

    ¡°¡­might of been destroyed in the war,¡± Buro was saying over the gentle swish and gurgle of flowing water. ¡°These things take time to fix.¡±

    ¡°That seems unlikely,¡± Lusya said.

    The others jumped in surprise and turned to face her. Leas even assumed a rough fighting stance. She had not meant to sneak up on them. Considering the sound of her boots on the bridge¡¯s cobblestone surface, her approach had been rather obvious, she had thought. Regardless, they settled down as they recognized her. It was somewhat surprising they had not come to get her. She had continued to be included in their group for meals, at least, though she was not sure why if they were no longer suspicious.

    ¡°What makes ya say that, lass?¡± Buro asked.

    Lusya pointed west. ¡°The fighting was concentrated around the western and central parts of the continent. While the south did see plenty of battle, the southeast was largely untouched. It was not entirely free of conflict, but there would be other signs of battle if one occurred here.¡±

    The southeast seeing so little action was why Father had advised her to start her search there. The conditions lent themselves better to fitting candidates than those that had been hit harder. War and strife bred Malice, after all. She wondered if he had deliberately spared some regions in preparation.

    ¡°She has a point,¡± Milean said. ¡°It still had to have been destroyed recently. Our map is about a year old and it shows the bridge in tact.¡±

    ¡°The local lord or some other noble might have had it destroyed out of paranoia,¡± Ivon said. She had her child in her arms and bounced as she spoke. Infants found that soothing. Another thing Lusya had learned here, though, she doubted it would ever be useful. ¡°In case the demons did attack.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Such actions are not unheard of.¡± She was not familiar enough with any of the regional authorities to know if they would do something like this. She noticed Ariya approaching the point where the bridge broke. The child leaned forward in apparent preparation to peer into the river below. ¡°Child, do not get near the edge. Return to me at once.¡±

    Ariya sighed and slunk back over to Lusya. ¡°Yes, Lusya¡­¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter what happened, does it?¡± Leas said with a sigh. ¡°We can¡¯t cross and that¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°Is there no way to go through the river?¡± Lusya asked.

    On either side of the bridge was an accessible riverbank. They may have been a bit muddy, but at a glance it did not seem enough to pose a problem. The water¡¯s current seemed gentle enough to traverse as well.

    One of the drivers shook his head. ¡°Not happenin¡¯, miss. I been this way before. River¡¯s too deep. The horses might make it and some of us could swim, but no way the wagons are gettin¡¯ through that. We¡¯ll just have to go upstream ¡®til we find another bridge or a shallow part of the water.¡±

    ¡°I see, that is unfortunate for you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you talking like it isn¡¯t your problem?¡± Leas asked.

    She looked at him. ¡°It is not my problem. It will be trivial to get myself and the child across. It seems we will part ways here.¡±

    ¡°And fuck the rest of us, huh?¡± Buro asked, though for once he wore a bemused grin instead of a scowl.

    ¡°The child is my primary concern.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Ariya said. She pouted and crossed her arms as Lusya¡¯s attention turned to her. ¡°You should take everyone if you can get across. Mama always says you gotta help others, or one day someone¡¯s not gonna help you.¡±

    ¡°I do not foresee myself requiring these people¡¯s assistance.¡±

    Ariya stomped her feet and scowled. ¡°It¡¯s the printable!¡±

    Lusya cocked her head. ¡°Principle?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that,¡± Ariya said with a nod. ¡°Plus, you promised not to be mean, so you¡¯ve gotta help.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    That was not what Lusya had promised. Even if one stretched the spirit of her promise to mean that, it had only applied to Ariya herself. However, it was close enough. If Ariya believed that was the promise, Lusya would abide by it rather than fight with the child. This time, at least. In the future, Lusya would have to make the difference clearer.

    ¡°If you insist, I will aid them,¡± Lusya said. She looked to the others. ¡°Give me a moment to consider my options. I was going to carry the child and jump across, using air jumps to supplement if I could not reach. However, I do not believe that plan is applicable at scale.¡±

    ¡°Air jumps?¡± Izcra asked. ¡°You know motomancy?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lusya said.

    Izcra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, as if fighting a headache. ¡°Why did you never mention this before?¡±

    ¡°It was never relevant and you did not ask,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Now, silence.¡±

    Izcra opened her mouth to say something else, but Milean nudged her and shook his head. He was smarter than Izcra. He must have realized that if they kept interrupting her thoughts, Lusya would return to her original plan. Too much time spent answering pointless questions would eventually outweigh the inconvenience of mollifying the child.

    Her original plan was now unworkable. Motomancy was the art of channeling one¡¯s heart into physical forms and forces. The most basic application was to enhance one¡¯s physical abilities, but it could also be used outside the body. For the most part, this was limited to simple things like emitting shockwaves from blows or creating invisible barriers. It could also be used to create short-lived footholds in the air off which to jump.

    More advanced users could sustain such constructs for longer and even create larger, more complex ones.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you make an invisible bridge?¡± Ivone asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard motomancers can do things like that.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°If any can, they are very few, and I am not among them.¡±

    ¡°You just said you could jump on the air,¡± Leas said. ¡°How different is walking on it?¡±

    ¡°Very different,¡± Lusya replied. She jumped a few feet into the air and, at the apex, created a foothold beneath her to halt her descent before it truly began. In less than a second, it gave out and she fell back to land on her feet on the bridge. ¡°That is as long as I can stand on air.¡±

    Buro snorted. ¡°Longer than most people, lass.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, but not enough to create a bridge.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°True enough.¡±

    ¡°Do not interrupt me again,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you do, I am leaving with the child.¡±

    There were plenty of factors involved in one¡¯s ability to use motomancy. Malice was a vital component, but emotions not tied to Malice were also often said to be necessary. The fact that low-rank demons used motomancy little, if at all, supported that hypothesis. Some posited there was something bound to these emotions¡ªMalice¡¯s equal and opposite¡ªrather than the emotions themselves that facilitated motomancy, but thus far there was no hard evidence for such a thing. Despite the hollow nature of Lusya¡¯s heart and her muted emotions, she met the conditions to use motomancy, and her training and an inherent talent for it allowed her to be somewhat skilled.

    However, she was not anywhere near good enough to the get the caravan across. That would require either a construct that spanned the entire gap, or one large enough for a wagon that moved. Both were well beyond her means. Even a Paladin or the strongest of high-rank demons would be hard-pressed to accomplish such a task with basic motomancy.

    She could have carried each person, wagon, and horse across with air jumps, as she had planned to do with the child, but that would have taken much too long for Lusya¡¯s liking. With that in mind, she developed a new plan. It would be simple enough. A bit tedious, maybe, but less so than the alternative.

    ¡°I have settled on my solution,¡± she said. She moved ahead of the others, though not quite to the end of the bridge. They started to follow, but she held up a hand for them to stop. ¡°I require some room first.¡± There was plenty of space and her Blade would have simply materialized within them if there had not been, but she might as well make the process as safe as possible. The others were certain to be upset if they got stabbed because they had gotten too close, even if it was their fault alone. She held out her hand to the side, away from her body and spoke a single word, ¡°Lunera.¡±

    With that, a sword began to appear in the air near her hand. It¡¯s shape filled in seemingly at random, different parts forming where they belonged and connecting until the full weapon had been forged, at which point it gained true physical presence and Lusya wrapped her hand around the hilt before it could fall.

    The process was fast, taking less than a second. Lunera was a pure white sword from the tip of the blade to the end of the pommel. In the center of the crossguard, where other swords might have had a jewel or other ornamentation set, there was an empty hole around the size of one of Lusya¡¯s finger tips. She gave the weapon an experimental swing. It had been some time since last she had wielded her Demon Blade.

    ¡°Gods above and below,¡± Izcra said, almost as if she were short of breath. ¡°A Sacred Blade!¡±

    Lusya nodded. There was no need to correct Izcra, in part because she was not wrong. The distinction between a Sacred Blade and a Demon Blade, though used by both demons and the mortal races, was an invented one. Demons wielded Demon Blades and mortals wielded Sacred Blades. In truth, however, they were the same thing. A crystallization of one¡¯s heart and soul. The apex of motomancy, though, some disputed if they could truly be categorized as part of that discipline. Hence why they were often collectively referred to as Soul Blades or just Blades.

    Demon Blades did tend more toward abilities that did direct harm and there were more Sacred Blades that did not, but even those were general trends. They were not rules and not by any stretch a fundamental difference in nature. Even going by that, however, Lunera would have been classified as a Sacred Blade.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a Sacred Knight, are you, lass?¡± Buro asked.

    ¡°I am not,¡± Lusya said. She had responded a little quicker than was typical for her. Strange.

    Though the Sacred Knights held the bulk of mortals who could summon Blades, there were others. They were few and far between among humans, though somewhat more common among relti and, to a lesser extent, tiransa. They also tended not to accrue the same level of fame the upper echelons of the Knights did. That suited Lusya well. Since Blade users outside the Sacred Knights were not well-known, others would assume she was one they had never heard of.

    ¡°How will that get us across?¡± Leas asked with a skeptical scowl.

    Milean gave a pensive hum. ¡°I¡¯m sure that will become clear soon enough.¡±

    Lusya nodded. She took her stance and struck. Though to others it may have appeared she was slashing at air, her true target was space itself. The space between her and the other side of the bridge split and warped under Lunera¡¯s blade. While the resulting tear would obey her will to some extent in its shape, structure, and how long it lasted, she was limited by what she could effectively gesture by striking with the sword.

    As she finished her work, she stepped back and observed the rift. In an area about as wide as two men standing abreast, the other side of the bridge was a mere step away. She would need to make it bigger for the carriages, but this would do as a test.

    ¡°Someone step through to make sure this is workable,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am certain it is safe, but it has been some time since I transported somebody else. I have been told it is jarring. If it is too much so, this may not be an appropriate solution.¡±

    There was also the fact that she had never transported a mortal with Lunera. Even high-rank demons had sometimes complained about it. Being Malice itself coalesced into a living being, they were inclined to complain quite a bit, but high-rank demons had a better handle on such tendencies and were more equipped to handle something like this than mortals. She had no reason to believe it would do them physical harm, but the purpose would be defeated if they somehow wound up traumatized or comatose.

    Leas stepped forward. His eyes were wide in awe for a moment, but he soon settled into a more familiar scowl. ¡°No one¡¯s just gonna walk into your weird hole in the sky. You haven¡¯t been here that long and you were ready to literally sell us down the river a minute ago.¡±

    ¡°It will not stay open for much longer,¡± Lusya said.

    She grabbed Leas by the collar of his shirt and, as gently as she could, flung him forward, drawing a surprised shout. He flew through the rift and slammed down to the bridge on his arms and knees, skidding forward another foot or so before he stopped. With a grunt and an unintelligible grumble, he started to stand, then paused and swayed, one hand on his stomach and the other over his mouth, like he was fighting not to vomit.

    Seconds later, he lost that battle, falling back to his hands and knees to release his lunch onto the stone of the bridge in a series of loud, wet retches. The rift collapsed just as he finished, leaving Lusya and the others to watch him wipe his mouth on his sleeve and stand from a distance. He seemed to take a moment to collect himself before turning, then leaped almost a foot into the air when he saw how far he was.

    ¡°You crazy bitch!¡± he shouted. ¡°What did you do that for?¡±

    ¡°I needed to test the rift,¡± she replied, loud enough for him to hear.

    He glowered at her. ¡°It¡¯s awful. But it¡¯ll do, I think.¡±

    ¡°Did you choose Leas because he was doubting you?¡± Milean asked as he and the others gathered around her.

    She shook her head. ¡°No, he just happened to be closest to the rift.¡±

    ¡°Because he got closer to argue with you,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°That is a coincidence, child.¡±

    The rest of the group directed strange smiles and frowns at Lusya. She had heard such expressions called ¡°knowing looks,¡± but she had no idea what they thought they knew, so she chose to ignore them. She turned to Milean.

    ¡°I suggest you all return to your carriages,¡± she said. ¡°I will create a larger rift that can fit them and repeat the process as many times as is needed. Assuming the horses handle the process well, it will not take long to finish.¡±

    He nodded and turned to the others. ¡°You all heard her. Let¡¯s get this done.¡±

    The others, the driver and Ariya included, looked toward Leas with palpable unease, their faces somehow both pale and tinged green. Buro broke the deadlock with a sigh.

    ¡°Ah, Lostorm¡¯s beard,¡± he said, invoking a curse that was common in the northeast, itself coming from a god who was often worshiped in the region. ¡°Better than walking who knows how long to another bridge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Ivon said. Her infant stirred with a quiet cry, and she patted its back and murmured something, causing it to settle down again. ¡°But I¡¯m willing to try it.¡±

    They started returning to their wagons, though not without glancing back at Leas every few steps. Milean lingered. Lusya had to assume he wanted to say something to her.

    Ariya started to follow the others, but Lusya placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. ¡°Not you, child. You will remain with me.¡±

    Ariya smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan for you two?¡± Milean asked.

    ¡°I will transport us last,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The fundamental method will be the same, since I have summoned Lunera anyway. I do not foresee this requiring enough usage to exhaust me.¡±

    Milean smiled. ¡°I certainly hope not, we¡¯ll be in real trouble if you run out of steam halfway through.¡±

    With that, he patted her shoulder twice with just enough force to make a pair of dull slapping sounds¡ªa gesture of which the purpose was a mystery¡ªand joined the others in returning to his carriage. Once all of the passengers were back in their carriages and all the drivers back in their seats, it was time for her work to begin in earnest.

    She faced the other side of the bridge again. Leas had moved aside to lean against the bridge¡¯s stone railing, so he would not be in the way. With another slash of Lunera, she opened a rift large enough for the carriages then gestured to the drivers to move forward.

    The first eased his carriage through the rift at a far slower pace than he would normally use. As he took his horses through, he stared at them with all the intensity of a warrior observing an opponent. He had them stop once he was on the other side and watched for another moment. Though Lusya was no expert on horses, they did not seem to be distressed.

    It seemed the driver had come to the same conclusion, because he sighed in relief and urged them onward. He did not have the same adverse reaction as Leas. Perhaps that would vary from person to person, or maybe focusing on the horses had somehow helped.

    That hypothesis was supported by the next driver who, having seen that the previous was fine, did not pay such close attention to his horses and ended up vomiting on them after traveling through the rift. The horses did not seem to notice or care about the chunky bile splattered on their backs.

    While reactions from there varied, the plan went off without a hitch for the most part. Lusya had to reopen the rift a few times, but it still did not take much time or effort to get everyone through.

    The only issue came when the rift closed while a carriage was partway through. The sudden collapse of connecting space severed what was in the middle of the rift with efficiency a master swordsman could only dream of. That ended up being just the horses reigns. Lusya had had to push the carriage through the next rift, but the horses had stayed put, so once that was done the reigns were replaced without issue.

    That was an interesting potential application of Lunera¡¯s portals, though she did not know if she would be able to do that on purpose.

    Within the hour, the caravan had completed its crossing. Lusya and Ariya were the sole remaining members yet to do so.

    ¡°Stand beside me, child,¡± Lusya commanded.

    Ariya looked up from the pebbles she had been making talk to each other and blinked, as though she needed a moment to process what she had been told. Then, she smiled.

    ¡°Yes, Lusya!¡± she shouted, as if Lusya were on the other side of the bridge.

    She skipped, rather then walked, to Lusya¡¯s side and held up her hand in the same manner as when they had first met.

    ¡°That is still unnecessary and may hinder me,¡± Lusya said.

    It would throw off her form. Not enough to become a problem, in all likelihood, but there was no reason to accept the impediment for the sake of something that served no purpose Lusya could discern.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ariya hung her head and kicked at the ground. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You are forgiven.¡±

    Lusya struck at space again. This time, she set the rift so it would envelop her and Ariya when it formed and close immediately after, effectively using it as teleportation rather than a doorway.

    When Lusya had had less experience with Lunera, she had used it to create tunnels of sorts that compressed distances. These days, she more often connected spaces in a more direct manner, making travel about as close to instantaneous as it could get, regardless of ¡°actual¡± distance. Even so, for the briefest of moments, the ¡°frame¡± of the door displayed an image of a twisted, distorted world, and far more of it than the travel time would have suggested possible. Trees stretched into infinity, the ground undulated like water, and somehow the sun and stars shone together in the sky. Then, they were on the other side and all was ordinary. Lusya did not understand what others found off-putting or nauseating about Lunera¡¯s transportation. She was more bothered by the rotten smell of vomit thick in the air.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Ariya breathed, looking all around as if the world were still in that distorted state. She broke into a grin the likes of which Lusya had never seen and started jumping up and down. ¡°That was cool! Again, again!¡±

    ¡°Lunera is not a toy,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I will not waste energy transporting you for your amusement.¡±

    Ariya stopped jumping and her smile faded into a pout as she hung her head once more.

    ¡°However, I am sure you will have the opportunity to see it again,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is my Blade. I doubt I will not use it again for a year.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s smile returned as quick as they had moved across the gap and she leaped into the air one more time. ¡°Really? You better mean it.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Lusya let go of Lunera and allowed it to disappear, dissolving into nothing in an inverse of the way it had appeared. ¡°Now, let us return to our carriage.¡±

    She just hoped none of the smell was coming from there.

 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine

    ¡°Are you sure you have to leave here?¡± Milean asked, arms crossed and frowning. ¡°You¡¯ve been a big help.¡±

    Leas scowled and looked at Ariya. ¡°Even if little Ariya had to twist your arm.¡±

    He held a hand over his stomach and went green. Maybe he was remembering Lusya¡¯s portal thing. Ariya didn¡¯t get why the adults acted like that about it. Going through that thing had been fun.

    There was one pressing issue though. Ariya crossed her arms at him and huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not that little.¡±

    ¡°I am sure,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I planned a route and I would like to stick to it. You have helped and taught me as well, and that is appreciated. But this is where we part ways.¡±

    Buro snorted, like a pig. Mama would have said that was rude, but Ariya didn¡¯t say it out loud, so it was fine. Besides, Mama would have said that Buro was rude too.

    ¡°What¡¯s so great about Gavamir anyway?¡± he asked. ¡°Never got how those city folk can handle being so tightly packed. Barely even room for air in between ¡®em.¡±

    ¡°That aside,¡± Milean said. ¡°You have a Sacred Blade. With someone of your caliber, we might even be willing to scrape some coin together and pay you as a bodyguard.¡±

    Lusya was quiet for a second, then shook her head. ¡°That is a tempting offer, but I will decline.¡±

    Milean sighed. ¡°All right, I won¡¯t try to force you.¡± He patted Lusya on the shoulder and she stared at his hand. Lusya cocked her head far to the side and blinked twice. Ariya had been trying to figure out how to tell what Lusya was thinking and Ariya was pretty sure that meant Lusya was confused or curious. ¡°Best of luck in your travels. Maybe we¡¯ll see you again someday.¡±

    ¡°I would not object to that,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°May I ask a question?¡±

    Ariya beamed. She had been right. Maybe she was getting even better at this than she had thought.

    Milean shrugged and gestured for Lusya to go on.

    ¡°What is the purpose of that gesture?¡± Lusya asked.

    He tilted his head the other way and his face scrunched up in something like a scowl. He was definitely confused. Compared to Lusya, he was an open book.

    ¡°What gesture?¡± he asked.

    Lusya patted his shoulder in imitation.

    His face lit up in realization. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be encouraging.¡±

    Lusya blinked. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, which was kind of a damper on her newfound confidence. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure, actually,¡± Milean said. It sounded like it was the first time he had thought about the question. He shrugged. ¡°Lots of people do it. My father did it to me and I always found it helpful.¡±

    ¡°I see. So you inherited it and understand the purpose, but not the reasoning.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°You could say that, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Papa does it to me too,¡± Ariya said. It was unusual that she got to be helpful in grown-up discussions, so she wasn¡¯t going to pass on the chance. ¡°He usually does my head instead though.¡±

    ¡°My father did that as well, though I believe the intent was slightly different,¡± Lusya said. She nodded to Milean. ¡°Thank you, that was informative.¡± She turned away and started walking. ¡°Farewell. Come along, child.¡±

    Ariya hurried to catch up and settled into a walk beside Lusya. Lusya still walked pretty quickly, but it wasn¡¯t as hard to keep up as it had been that first day, so she must have slowed down a little for Ariya.

    ¡°Why did you want to leave them?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya didn¡¯t answer for what must have been at least half a minute, so Ariya assumed she wasn¡¯t going to and stopped paying attention. Of course, that was right when Lusya decided to respond.

    ¡°I do not wish to visit Willowrun,¡± she said without any warning or preamble.

    It took Ariya a second to process that. She didn¡¯t really know what this Gavamir place they were going to was, but she did recognize the name Willowrun. It was a small town that had gotten famous because it was where the Hero of Balance was from. Being dead meant he couldn¡¯t go there anymore, but now lots of other people were going to make up for it or something like that. Even Mama and Papa had talked about making the trip. Ariya wondered if her little cabin would be famous one day, after she was done with whatever it was Lusya wanted her to do.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I am not sure,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Perhaps it is because my father perished during the war. Whatever the reason, I do not want to go there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I kind of wanted to see where the Hero of Balance was born.¡± Ariya shrugged. ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine, though.¡±

    Lusya nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else. They walked on in silence for a while. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure how long, but after what felt like hours, some kind of big brown rock appeared on the horizon. It didn¡¯t look like a mountain. Not that she had ever seen a mountain in person, but it didn¡¯t match the descriptions she had read or the pictures she had seen. No, it was way too boxy to be a mountain. It got bigger and closer by the second as they kept moving toward it.

    There were some dots Ariya assumed were people going around the bottom and top of the rock. She had heard that people looked like that if you got far enough, but this was her first time seeing it happen. She had seen how people looked smaller and less distinct from a distance when approaching Whitehill, but it had never been so drastic. These people almost looked like ants.

    Ariya tugged on Lusya¡¯s cloak and pointed at the rock. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°That is our destination, Gavamir,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya¡¯s jaw dropped and her eyes practically bulged out of her skull. ¡°People live in that big rock?¡±

    How was that possible? Was it hollow? Ooh, maybe they had some kind of caves or tunnels. That would be amazing, almost like a secret hideout. Except for the secret part, since everybody except her seemed to know about it already.

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    ¡°Those are its walls,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is rather famous for them.¡±

    At that moment, Ariya wished, more than ever, that she could undo the last couple minutes. She knew about city walls. She had even seen pictures of them in books. It had been a golden opportunity for Ariya to show Lusya how smart she was. But no, Ariya just had to forget and make herself look like the world¡¯s biggest dummy.

    Lusya wouldn¡¯t laugh, at least. Well, Ariya thought she wouldn¡¯t. While Ariya had assumed at first that Lusya¡¯s lack of expression translated into a lack of emotions, Ariya was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t the case now. That was why she was trying to figure out how Lusya¡¯s feelings manifested. If Lusya had an equivalent expression to laughing, however, Ariya had not found it yet, so Lusya could have been making fun of Ariya in silence and in secret, for all she knew.

    ¡°Stay near me within the city,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And avoid speaking unless you are directly addressed. If you say something unnecessary, you may jeopardize our journey.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a big girl,¡± Ariya said. She huffed and put her hands on her hips. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡±

    Luysa looked down at her and blinked. ¡°Neither of those statements is true. You will listen to my instructions.¡±

    Ariya groaned, but gave a nod all the same. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    #

    It was much more obvious up close that the walls of Gavamir were not, in fact, one big hunk of rock. They were constructed of some kind of brick and there were parts where they jutted out or sunk in. Ariya thought she saw windows up higher too, so maybe there was some kind of tunnel system. She was going to believe there was, both because she still thought it was cool and because it made her feel less stupid.

    The gate she and Lusya were approaching was another hint. It looked like there was a big wooden door that could be raised or lowered with chains, but right now it was wide open, giving a glimpse into the city within, where Ariya could already see way more people than had been in the caravan, walking every which way.

    Getting closer also made it more obvious how gigantic the walls were. The people next to the walls had looked like ants, and now Ariya felt like an ant gazing up at them. That could have been scary, but instead she found herself smiling from ear-to-ear. There were all sorts of cities in her books and Mama and Papa sometimes talked about them too. Ariya had always wanted to visit one, but she had never thought she would get the chance. She was so glad she had decided to go with Lusya.

    On either side of the gate was a pair of guards holding spears. Only one of them looked like he was doing a very good job of, well, guarding. The other three were leaning against their spears or the wall and one even looked like he might have been asleep standing up, with his eyes closed and his head bowed.

    There were plenty of people ahead of Lusya and Ariya walking into the city and a steady flow of walkers or wagons heading out. The alert guard seemed to be watching them, but he didn¡¯t say or do anything except return a greeting every once in a while.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, new guy, you¡¯re too tense,¡± the alert guard¡¯s partner said as Lusya and Ariya drew near. ¡°It¡¯s a tranquil age. Out in the country they might be having problems, but Gavamir is fine.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be if we let our guard down,¡± the alert guard replied.

    His partner seemed about to reply, but the alert guard stepped away, into Lusya¡¯s path.

    Lusya stopped and cocked her head, a little less than she had before. Ariya didn¡¯t have a good enough view to tell if Lusya was doing anything else. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°You look like you¡¯re trying to hide your face,¡± he said. ¡°Lower your hood.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not,¡± Ariya said with a scowl. She wanted to explore the big city, not listen to this guy pick on Lusya. ¡°Lusya always wears her hood like that.¡±

    ¡°It is fine, child,¡± Lusya said. She lowered her cloak¡¯s hood. ¡°Is this satisfactory?¡±

    The guard studied her face for a minute. Ariya couldn¡¯t blame him for that. Lusya was pretty, even if her hair was kind of messy.

    At last, he nodded and stepped out of the way. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t resemble any wanted persons that I know of. Go on, then. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡±

    ¡°Your apology is accepted,¡± Lusya said as she put her hood back up. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why she always had it that way. ¡°Come, child.¡±

    Ariya stuck her tongue out at the guard as she followed Lusya through the gate. He smiled, probably to hide how embarrassed he was. She kept on shaking her tongue at him as long as she could to make sure he knew he had messed up.

    Once he was back at his post and the wall hid him from view, Ariya turned her attention back to the city before her. Her jaw dropped and stayed agape. This wasn¡¯t just more people than the caravan, that didn¡¯t do it justice. The street was wide enough to fit at least four carriages side-by-side, yet there were so many people that most of them were walking shoulder to shoulder, barely a few inches between them. Sometimes they even had to twist or turn to get around each other.

    The few carriages that were among the crowd were forced to move with all the speed of Papa getting up in the morning to avoid running anyone over. A few walkers tried to clear space for them to move ahead, but not enough to make a difference. If the caravan had been a pond of people, this was the oceans. All of them. And they had barely gotten into the city.

    Then there were the noises. The footsteps alone were a thunderstorm. Then you added in people talking, a musician playing a flute close by, that man shouting as he haggled with a street merchant, and some dogs barking in the distance. It almost made Ariya dizzy.

    ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Lusya asked. She, of course, gave no hint of being overwhelmed. ¡°You look unsteady.¡±

    Ariya looked up and blinked as she refocused. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just¡­so many people. This has gotta be the biggest city in the world!¡±

    ¡°Gavamir is fairly middling as far as proper cities go,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ariya looked around again. The buildings were as tightly packed as the people. She saw some towers in the distance too, the kind she had only seen in storybooks before, along with a huge circular building. Was that an arena? She had always wanted to see one. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It is not small, but it is not especially large either.¡±

    ¡°You mean there are bigger cities?¡± Ariya exclaimed. Her eyes felt about ready to pop out with how wide she opened them.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Many of them.¡±

    That was hard to imagine. What would a city with more people than this even look like? Maybe the people would squeeze out all the air like Buro said? Or maybe they would have to ride on each other¡¯s shoulders to fit in the streets? Now Ariya wanted to see one of these bigger cities.

    ¡°Do you think we can go to one of them?¡± she asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I believe we will visit at least one before our journey is over.¡±

    Ariya jumped and let out an excited whoop, pumping both hands in the air.

    ¡°While we are here, we will need to secure lodging first, then supplies,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise,¡± Ariya said. She was not going back to those scraps after all the yummy stuff she had eaten with the convoy.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I have not forgotten.¡± She glanced around. ¡°Stay close, child.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said with a roll of her eyes. How many times did Lusya think Ariya needed to be reminded?

    They walked onward and Ariya¡¯s mind continued to explode as the crowd somehow got bigger and denser. Her focus shifted from Lusya to the crowd. It was a little frightening, but it was also amazing. Not only were there more people than she had ever seen before, but there were more kinds of people too.

    She saw her first reltus other than Lusya and her first tiransa. At least, she thought so. That last one could have just been a really tall guy with a skin condition. There were also people dressed in colors and clothes she had never seen before, from light, flowing robes to weirdly tight armor. Some of the people had weird skin or hair or eyes too. She felt like she could stand here all day, just watching people go by, and never run out of something new to see.

    If she had one complaint, it was that the place stank. Ariya didn¡¯t think she¡ªor Lusya, for that matter¡ªsmelled like fresh flowers at the moment, but hundreds of sweaty bodies so close to each other was a new level of reek. She thought she could smell fresh bread and other food mixed in, but that just made it worse somehow.

    There was also the distinct lack of green. There wasn¡¯t any snow here and it was nice and sunny, yet there wasn¡¯t grass anywhere to be seen. The road was paved in bricks much like those in the walls and all the buildings were brown, gray, or beige stone. Some of the buildings had pots or planters set out with flowers in them, but that was about it.

    How could a place where people lived be so different from villages like Whitehill? It got both her imagination and her curiosity running wild. Maybe Lusya could tell her more about these things. Lusya was smart, even if it sometimes seemed like she didn¡¯t know simple things.

    Ariya turned and looked up into the face of a stranger who kept on walking without a glance. She started and cast her gaze about, in every direction she could think of. Even down and up, in case Lusya was on the ground or in the air for some reason.

    But Lusya was nowhere to be seen. In this sea of people, Ariya had somehow managed to end up by herself.

 Chapter Ten

    Ariya froze, her feet rooted to the ground as sure as any tree. After being reminded to stay close so many times she had gotten annoyed, she had gotten separated from Lusya. Now Ariya was alone in this strange place, surrounded by countless bodies in a city that stretched to the horizon. She might never find Lusya again in a place like this.

    The diverse crowd that had been so wondrous just seconds before was now terrifying. The new and interesting people had become cold, unfeeling dolls that marched past without a care in the world for Ariya. Someone bumped into her from behind as they walked by, then someone else shoved her aside, nearly knocking her to the ground, where she was sure she would be trampled if she fell.

    ¡°Get out of the way, brat,¡± the person said as they continued on their way.

    Ariya did not look at them, and any details about the voice were lost in her terror. Her legs slowly started to carry her forward with the flow of the crowd in slow, mechanical motions. All the while her eyes scanned the street in vain for any hint of Lusya.

    It seemed her pace was still not fast enough as people continued to go around her or push past. Her eyes burned with forming tears and she shook as she tried and failed to contain her sobs.

    With a wail, she broke into a run, half-blinded by tears, and darted into a nook she had spotted ahead. Once she was there, she stopped and curled up on the ground, knees pulled to her chest and back against the wall. She buried her face in her coat and allowed herself to cry, soaking it in tears.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she sat there. It felt like a long time, but the sun hadn¡¯t started to go down or anything, so it must not have been that long. Her tears started to dry out and her sobs to weaken. And somehow, she felt better. It was like she had wept her sadness right out. She took a few deep, shuddering breaths, wiped the last of her tears onto her dress, and stood. It would be okay. Lusya would come find her. She hoped.

    Ariya looked around, taking stock of where she had ended up for the first time. She had thought it was just an indentation in a wall, but it was a narrow passage between buildings instead. The buildings in Whitehill and that other village Lusya had taken her to had been too small and far apart to have anything like it, but she had heard of this before. She was pretty sure it was called an alley. It was even paved with the same stone as the street.

    Deeper into the alley was a sharp turn, formed where the building on the left met a third behind it. Ariya started walking toward it, but hesitated. It was kind of dark and scary in that corner and it would be harder for Lusya to find her. But, on the other hand, there was more shade over there and it looked nice and cool. Not that it was hot outside, but with the sun on her and her heavy coat, even with the buttons open, it was a little too warm to call comfortable. Plus, going over there would take her farther from all the mean people walking around in the crowd.

    Her decision made, Ariya nodded to herself and walked toward the turn. She only got about halfway there, however, before three men rounded the corner and started walking toward her. She stopped in place as they drew near. Something about them made her want to turn and run, but she ignored that. They looked kind of weird, but maybe they were nice. Maybe they could help her find Lusya. If that were the case, she didn¡¯t want to be rude. Like Mama said, you only got one first impression.

    They moved closer in a sort of triangle formation, with one in front and the other two behind and to the sides. Each had a sheathed knife at his belt. She wasn¡¯t sure what kind, but they were too big to be called daggers and too small to be swords.

    ¡°Told you the crying was coming from over here, Imir,¡± the man on Ariya¡¯s left said.

    ¡°Give me a break,¡± the leader said. ¡°Things echo in here. Last time we trusted your ears, we didn¡¯t get shit for it.¡±

    The man on the right crossed his arms and scowled, but said nothing.

    The leader, Imir, walked forward and looked down at Ariya. He gave her a toothy grin. She really wished he wouldn¡¯t, his teeth were all crooked and yellow.

    ¡°What are you doing in here, girl?¡± he asked. ¡°This is no place for a child.¡±

    ¡°Um, I got lost,¡± she said. ¡°Can you help me find my friend?¡±

    Imir gasped. ¡°How horrible. But I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be of much help.¡± He looked back at the other two. ¡°What about you two gentlemen?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure what to think about Imir. The other two wore white shirts and brown pants, similar to what Papa sometimes wore into town, but way dirtier. Imir, though, was dressed like a prince from a storybook. A dirty prince, but still. He had a red shirt¡ªor maybe it was a coat¡ªone of those kind with two sets of gold-colored buttons and the stringy shoulder pad things. His pants looked like they might have been white at some point, though now even the less visibly sullied parts looked more gray.

    Other than that, though, he didn¡¯t look the part at all. His long brown hair was so grimy and greasy that it was plastered to his head and he had a tangled, scraggly beard to match.

    ¡°Just send her on her way,¡± the man on the right said. He looked a lot like Imir, but his hair was a couple shades darker and his eyes were brown instead of green. ¡°There¡¯s no point in playing games.¡±

    Imir gave a hearty laugh. ¡°That¡¯s pretty rich Simin. Didn¡¯t know you had a soft spot for kids.¡±

    ¡°If you want to think I¡¯m soft, I¡¯ll be glad to slip a dagger in your ribs tonight,¡± Simin said. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why he would want to do that, especially his friend. It sounded painful. Maybe it was a game of some kind? ¡°I just don¡¯t think there¡¯s much sense in robbing the girl. You can¡¯t rob someone who has no money.¡±

    They wanted to rob her? Well, that was no good. Maybe they were just bad guys, like in her stories. Mama and Papa said there were real people like that, but there hadn¡¯t been any back home. Or nobody ever taught them some manners. Either way, she knew robbing meant something bad, so she started to turn and walk away.

    A strong hand gripped her arm and yanked her back. She let out a short shout and another hand clamped over her mouth, painfully tight. She tried to scream or talk, but she could only let out muffled nonsense into the hand. She looked up to see Imir looming over her, holding her.

    He twisted her arm and she whimpered, tears spilling onto her cheeks again.

    ¡°Quiet, or I¡¯ll break it,¡± he said. ¡°Got it?¡±

    She let out a sob and nodded. He released her mouth, but kept holding onto her arm. At least he loosened his grip a little.

    ¡°Now, girl, Simin here says you probably don¡¯t have any money,¡± Imir said, leaning in close. His breath stank of rotten meat.

    Simin sighed. ¡°Who trusts a kid with more than a couple coppers, Imir?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have money,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Lusya doesn¡¯t give me any. Can I go now?¡±

    ¡°Lusya, huh?¡± Imir said, pensive. ¡°That your friend? So, she carries the money. Maybe we can help you find her after all.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked. She was getting very confused on whether or not these guys were nice.

    ¡°Look at her clothes,¡± Simin said. ¡°They¡¯re almost as filthy as ours. I doubt the friend has anything worth the trouble either. You know the Sacred Knights and the nobles are looking for a chance to finish the job.¡±

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    Imir frowned and glared at her, like she was the one arguing with him. He ran his free hand through his beard and grunted as he yanked his fingers through a tangle they had gotten caught in. ¡°You might have a point.¡±

    The man on the left shook his head and clicked his tongue. His hair was blond and he was a couple inches taller than the other two. ¡°You¡¯re both looking at this the wrong way. Her clothes might be dirty, but they¡¯re pretty nice. I¡¯ll bet we can bring this friend or her family to us and get a nice chunk of coin out of the deal.¡±

    ¡°She probably stole that dress,¡± Simin said.

    ¡°No I didn¡¯t!¡± Ariya shouted with a stomp of her feet. ¡°Mama bought this dress and this coat for me.¡± She couldn¡¯t let them tell nasty lies like that. These were some of the nicest things Mama had ever gotten her. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault they got dirty.¡±

    Lusya had not bought any extra clothes for Ariya at that village and either did not know how or did not want to do laundry. Ariya knew Lusya had at least one change of clothes for herself, since Ariya had seen Lusya wearing two outfits under her cloak, so Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why she didn¡¯t get any. She had never thought about it before.

    Simin groaned and rolled his eyes. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong with him. Imir and the other man exchanged a look with big smiles. They looked happy, but somehow Ariya got the feeling she had messed up.

    ¡°All right, girl,¡± Imir said. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. We¡¯re going to wait with you for your little friend, and we¡¯re going to take real good care of you until she comes to get you. And all we want is a little reward in return. Okay, girl?¡±

    ¡°My name is Ariya,¡± she said with a glare.

    She was tired of him calling her ¡°girl.¡± Lusya never called her by name either but Lusya wasn¡¯t¡­okay, Lusya was kind of mean sometimes, but not like these guys. She never hurt Ariya. Plus, Lusya was also nice sometimes and had brought Ariya on this trip, so it kind of evened out.

    ¡°Fine, Ariya then,¡± Imir said, with all the annoyance of someone asked to move a mountain. ¡°Where can we find your friend?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ariya said. She was getting the feeling he wasn¡¯t very smart. If she knew where Lusya was, she would be there.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll come looking,¡± the other man said, then he shrugged. ¡°If not, we can try to send out a message. And if she still doesn¡¯t show, we can just sell this one. There¡¯s some sick bastards buying slaves, parents who don¡¯t care where they get an orphan to adopt, and someone always needs cheap labor or housework.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re one of those sick bastards, Yeno,¡± Simin said. ¡°Or you were, when you had the money to be.¡±

    Imir snorted. ¡°You backed the Demon King, same as us. Don¡¯t act all high and mighty now.¡±

    Simin sighed and shook his head. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll wait for the friend to show up.¡±

    Yeno nodded and patted the knife hanging at his waist. ¡°And we¡¯ll be ready in case she decides to pull anything stupid.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Imir said. He looked out toward the street, then looked at his friends and jerked his head back. ¡°We¡¯re too exposed here, let¡¯s head back and lie low while we wait.¡± He smiled at Ariya again and started pulling her toward the turn. ¡°Come on now, girl.¡±

    Ariya planted her feet and pulled back with all her might. Going with him was the last thing she wanted. But it didn¡¯t matter. She slid along the smooth stone ground anyway with a scraping sound that was much too quiet for her desperate struggle. She was slowing him down, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough to stop him.

    She was about to scream, but then Imir let out a frustrated growl and snarled down at her, and the sound died in her throat, replaced by a soft whimper. He raised a hand to strike her. The only person who had ever hit her was Jak and he had gotten in big trouble for it despite claiming it had been an accident and Ariya believing him. She flinched and clamped her eyes shut, bracing herself for the hit. It had hurt before and Imir was a lot bigger than Jak.

    ¡°There you are, child,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Unhand her.¡±

    Ariya opened her eyes and craned her neck to look at the entrance to the alley, where the voice had come from. Sure enough, Lusya was there, walking toward the group. Framed half in the shadow of the alley and half in the bright midday sun, with her cloak trailing behind her and rustling in the breeze, its hood shading her face, she looked every bit the part of the heroes in Ariya¡¯s storybooks.

    ¡°Lusya!¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    A smile stretching from ear to ear grew upon her face. She didn¡¯t think she had ever been so happy to see anyone before. She looked to Imir again and giggled.

    ¡°You¡¯re in trouble,¡± she sang in the same tune she would to Jak when he did something wrong.

    Imir squeezed her arm, but even that didn¡¯t bring down her mood. She knew Lusya was going to take care of things.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re this girl¡¯s friend?¡± he asked. ¡°We¡¯d be happy to give her back. For a price.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should change our plans,¡± Yeno said. ¡°This one¡¯s grown and a looker. We could definitely get a good price for her.¡± He grinned at Lusya. ¡°Unless, of course, you¡¯re willing to pay enough for this girl to¡­compensate us for lost profits.¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes ran over the men and she tilted her head a tiny bit. It was almost imperceptible. If Ariya hadn¡¯t been learning to look for those little things, she might not have noticed.

    ¡°Sympathizers who do not recognize me,¡± she said. ¡°You are worthless and I have no tolerance for your petty schemes. You have already been warned once. Your own ignorance and impotence are to blame for what transpires now.¡±

    Lusya reached them and grabbed Imir by the wrist. She squeezed and twisted, and she must have been doing it pretty hard because Imir screamed louder than an angry bear and let go of Ariya¡¯s arm. Ariya could have sworn she heard some gross cracking sound too. Lusya pulled his hand back, then she yanked his whole body away by the wrist and threw him back. He landed on his back behind the other two and tumbled along the ground until he smashed into the wall behind him. Simin and Yeno looked at Lusya in shock, then rushed over to Imir, who lay on the ground coughing like he had caught the world¡¯s worst cold.

    ¡°Hey, Imir, you okay?¡± Simin asked.

    Imir sat up with a strained groan and clutched at his injured arm, which had gone limp. He gritted his teeth and squinted like he was trying not to cry too, but the tears were already flowing.

    ¡°Bitch dislocated my shoulder,¡± he said in a strained tone. ¡°Damn near broke my wrist too.¡±

    With the others¡¯ help, he managed to stand. He looked kind of silly with one arm flopping around like a wet noodle, though. They all glared at Lusya and drew their knives, filling the air with overlapping hisses of metal on leather.

    Imir pointed his at Lusya, his eyes filled with ten times the fury of a storm. ¡°Hope you enjoyed that surprise attack, bitch. Let¡¯s see how brave you are with my knife to your throat and my¡ª¡±

    ¡°Child, get behind me and close your eyes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do not open them until I give you permission.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    She darted around and behind Lusya and shut her eyes as tight as they would go. Normally, she might have asked why she need to do this, but after the last hour, she was ready to listen to what Lusya said.

    ¡°You have one chance to flee,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I believe you already know that I will not give you a second warning.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a mouth on you,¡± Imir replied. ¡°But it¡¯ll be crying for mercy soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Miudofay.¡±

    Lusya said that strange word and, despite the spring weather, Ariya felt cold. It wasn¡¯t the same kind of cold she would feel from the wind or snow though. No, somehow, this cold was inside her, like there had been a flame in her chest that was now starting to sputter out.

    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± Simin exclaimed. ¡°Fuck this, run for it!¡±

    Ariya heard their boots clamoring against the stone as they started to run. Then there was some kind of warmth against her skin, like she was sitting by a fireside. The alley went silent. For a moment, Ariya stood in darkness, unmoving and with only the dull chatter of the city to keep her company.

    ¡°You may open your eyes now, child,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya did. The men were gone. There was no sign of them, except for their knives and some kind of powder on the ground that they must have dropped, plus some kind of black paint on the floor and walls. Where had they been carrying that?

    ¡°What happened to those guys?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I frightened them away,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya grimaced and couldn¡¯t keep from gagging as a smell the likes of which she had never known invaded her nostrils. She plugged her nose, but even that didn¡¯t keep the stench out in full.

    ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± she asked. It seemed like it was coming from the powder, but she couldn¡¯t say for sure.

    ¡°Perhaps they soiled themselves,¡± Lusya said.

    That kind of made sense. Whatever it was, Ariya didn¡¯t think it smelled much like poop. But maybe the people here just pooped different. Oh well, that wasn¡¯t important right now. She knew her manners enough to know what was.

    Ariya hung her head and glanced up at Lusya. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t listen and I got lost.¡±

    ¡°I forgive you,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am at fault as well for not paying sufficient attention to you. I¡­apologize for losing track of you.¡±

    Ariya looked up into Lusya¡¯s eyes and smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You saved me and it all worked out, so it¡¯s fine, right? Mama always says there¡¯s no use complaining when everything goes well.¡±

    Lusya blinked and nodded. ¡°I suppose there is truth to that statement. That said, do try not to get lost again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Ariya said. She sighed and averted her eyes once more. ¡°But there¡¯s so many people and cool things. I get distracted and people bump into me. It¡¯s hard.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said.

    For a second, she didn¡¯t say or do anything else. Then, she reached out a hand toward Ariya. Ariya stared at it blankly and cocked her head. Then, her face lit up in another big smile as realization struck.

    ¡°Are you saying I can hold your hand?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will permit it when we are in crowded spaces.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, woohoo!¡± Ariya shouted as she jumped into the air with joy. She grabbed hold of Lusya¡¯s hand like it might disappear if she waited any longer and let Lusya lead the way back into the chaos of the city.

 Chapter Eleven

    ¡°Why are we shopping for books?¡± Ariya asked in a high-pitched whine, almost painful to the ears. ¡°You said we were gonna get food!¡±

    Lusya flipped through the recipe book she had plucked off the shelf, Elberto¡¯s 100 Meals for Weary Travelers. Lusya did not know who Elberto was¡ªthe author of the book had that as neither forename nor surname¡ªbut the recipes seemed like they would suffice.

    ¡°I do not know how to cook,¡± she said. ¡°Nor how to preserve food.¡±

    Ariya scowled. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Unless you would like to return to my selection, I must learn to do those things.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head and repeated the sentence to herself, as if trying to decipher it. Then her eyes grew wide as the sun, and she shook her head like a leaf in the wind.

    ¡°No, no more of that,¡± she said. ¡°Get all the books you need.¡±

    ¡°I only require two,¡± Lusya said.

    She had already selected one on preservation, though she was not sure how helpful it would be. What she had skimmed suggested there was little she could do to keep fresh food viable while traveling with her current resources and storage capabilities. Her best bet would be to cook with nonperishables, which most of the recipes in the mysterious Elberto¡¯s book called for.

    While she still had plenty of food from Riverglade, as traveling with the caravan had allowed her to use little, she would still need more. Cooking utensils would be essential too. And some lightweight dishes and cutlery. This may have been more expensive than she had anticipated. She would need to acquire more funds before they departed. That was not a problem. She had expected as much from the start but had hoped things might change after the caravan allowed her to conserve her resources. Acquiring more coin would not be difficult, but there were risks involved. Minor risks, but still better avoided given the option.

    After a moment¡¯s consideration, she decided she might as well buy a couple more books if she was getting more money anyway. It would not hurt to have something to read when idle in the future.

    She selected two novels in addition to what she already had, purchased her books, and put them in her pack, then departed the shop hand-in-hand with Ariya. The child grasped Lusya¡¯s hand with all the same fervor as the first time. Lusya did not understand what was so exciting about this. It was nothing more than a measure to keep the child from getting lost again. Yet Ariya walked with a spring in her step, almost skipping, and hummed a cheerful tune to herself as they made their way to the market.

    ¡°You¡¯re so great,¡± Ariya said as they walked.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Are you referring to me?¡±

    ¡°Yup. You¡¯re brave and strong and pretty and smart,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I wanna be like you some day, when we¡¯re done with our mission.¡±

    ¡°It would be best if you did not become like me,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is why I selected you.¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought at that. ¡°Okay, but I at least wanna be as strong and pretty as you. I wanna be able to throw guys across alleys.¡±

    Despite the inherently hostile nature of that statement, Ariya did not appear to have suffered any lasting negative effects from her run in with those thugs. There had been a slight increase in her Malice earlier, but it had already corrected itself and her mood had not taken a turn for the worse. If anything, she seemed to be in better spirits than when they had arrived.

    That small, stable nugget of Malice she held had turned out to be quite useful beyond its main, inevitable utility. Few other mortals had anything like it. Some other children did, but Ariya¡¯s was still smaller. Were it not so distinctive, Lusya might not have found Ariya as soon as she had.

    ¡°I am not sure you can achieve those goals, but I will not object to them,¡± Lusya said.

    She did not say that because of anything intrinsic to Ariya. Lusya¡¯s nature had given her a head start in many ways, though it had also stalled her. She knew that there were mortals of all three races who surpassed her in strength, but, for most, achieving such power took years of experience and training, which would not be afforded Ariya.

    As for beauty, Lusya was aware she was considered attractive. Father had encouraged her to take care of her appearance and she had seen little reason not to. She was not sure it had ever benefited her, but it had never hindered her, and she had heard that mortals were more willing to trust those they considered good-looking. Even now she continued as he had wanted, though she had begun neglecting to style her hair during her months in hiding¡ªand even when she did so, she had just a comb and, most often, no mirror¡ªso it was often unkempt even beyond its slight natural wave. She could have combed it, at least, while with the caravan, but she had forgotten.

    Lusya did not know if Ariya had the makings of a beautiful woman, or if such things were even possible to discern at her age. If nothing else, Ariya¡¯s dark brown hair was also rather messy these days, although it was straight by nature. So, if Lusya was still considered good-looking, perhaps that was a good sign for Ariya. Either way, however, it was doubtful Ariya would live long enough to become strong or to be seen as beautiful. In the worst-case scenario, their journey would not last more than two years. If all went to plan, Ariya would never be a day older than nine years.

    ¡°I know I can,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You¡¯ll see. Then we can beat up bad guys together.¡±

    Lusya did not respond to that and kept walking. Another few minutes later, they had arrived in Kavoc Square, one of Gavamir¡¯s premiere markets. It was not the largest, but it was sure to have everything Lusya needed. The larger ones would no doubt be more crowded and expensive.

    Even this place was packed. It made the rest of the city look like a wide open plain. People roamed between shops and stalls, carrying goods or just browsing, with not so much as an inch between them. Stands were placed haphazardly, further reducing the available space. In some areas, the shoppers were so packed together they were more shuffling than walking and had little choice but to brush against each other as they passed, regardless of how they tried to twist or contort to avoid contact.

    On top of that, the whole place was covered in a cacophony of warring voices. From shopkeepers haggling with unruly customers to acquaintances greeting each other as they passed to merchants trying to flag down new patrons, there was not a second of silence to be found.

    ¡°You there!¡± a man shouted from behind a stall. Lusya looked at him and he nodded with a grin. ¡°Yes, you. You look like you could use some jewelry. Finest east of the Lithian River.¡±

    Lusya looked away and kept walking. He continued to call after her for a moment, but soon realized she was ignoring him and moved on to another prospective buyer.

    ¡°I think a necklace would look good on you,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I do not require anything of the sort,¡± Lusya said. She had no particular dislike of them but had never worn much in the way of accessories, though some demons had joked she should wear a tiara. She had never been certain why that idea was humorous to them.

    Perhaps it had been because of its equating her to royalty in an inaccurate way? Though Father had held some land under his dominion and could have been called a king beyond his title, she had never been much of a princess, despite what some called her. It was true he had treated her differently, that she was not blind to, but Father had never groomed her as a successor and there was no precedent for such a thing. Nor would it have been possible, for that matter. The Demon King was a particular order of being. There may have been female ones in the past, but there was no way for someone who was not a Demon King to become one. Even for the daughter of one.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She made her way around the market and bought what she needed as she saw it. Some of the prices were a bit on the high side, but none were unreasonable. She should not have had a problem affording them and taking care of her other expenses for the night. After half an hour of roaming the market, she had acquired the necessary supplies to cook simple meals for Ariya.

    ¡°Thank you for your assistance,¡± Lusya said to the final merchant she needed, who had sold her a pot and a handful of other cooking supplies. He had given her a discount because Ariya reminded him of his daughter. Lusya was not sure if that was a wise way of conducting business, but it suited her just fine.

    The man chuckled. ¡°Thank you for your patronage. Safe travels, you two.¡±

    Lusya nodded and made her way out of the market.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°To find lodging for the night,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya let out an anguished wail. ¡°But there¡¯s so much more stuff here.¡±

    ¡°I have purchased what we require.¡±

    Ariya hung her head and sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lusya once more. ¡°Can we find someplace to take a bath too?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That was always my intention. Hygiene is important.¡±

    ¡°Can we start washing our clothes too, then?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya blinked and examined the child. It had just now occurred to Lusya that Ariya had been wearing the same thing since they had met over a week ago. On top of being unsanitary, that could draw attention and become problematic if the clothes were damaged. Lusya herself tried to make any given article last as long at once as it could. She had changed once since taking Ariya. For that matter, Lusya only carried two sets of clothing. Meticulous folding had allowed an extra set to fit in her pouches, but that had been her limit before she had purchased her pack. Ariya, however, had nothing but the clothes on her back.

    ¡°We can,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will purchase extra clothing for you as well, after we have secured a room at an inn.¡±

    She believed there were public places for doing laundry in the city as well, allowing residents to save space in their home rather than keep a tub around. Perhaps she would pay a visit to one of those before leaving.

    Lusya turned a corner to exit the market and came to an abrupt halt to avoid bumping into a man who was engrossed in conversation with one of his two companions and was not watching where he was going.

    The one he was talking to put a hand on his shoulder and yanked him back to keep him from running into Lusya. The companion, a young human woman, gave Lusya a sheepish smile.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said.

    The man looked at Lusya and rubbed his eyes, as if unsure she were real. ¡°Yes, my apologies, miss.¡± He was a reltus, with golden eyes and short-cut black hair that left his pointed ears exposed for all to see. ¡°I should have been more aware of my surroundings.¡±

    ¡°Your apology is accepted,¡± Lusya said.

    She did not want to prolong this interaction. A reltus was more likely than most to realize that she was not one, but that was not her primary concern. If their immaculate white uniforms and cloaks did not make it obvious, the addition of their Malice¡ªpotent yet well-controlled¡ªdid. These three were Sacred Knights.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t much sound like it¡¯s accepted,¡± the third member of the group said, a burly ¡°red-haired¡± human man. He laughed as he said it, but that did not disguise the annoyance in his voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s just how Lusya talks,¡± Ariya said, but a glance from Lusya silenced her once more.

    ¡°I can¡¯t blame you,¡± the reltus said. He spoke the local language, Slarvish, with a thick accent. ¡°Such a lapse might be easily forgiven in most instances, but more is expected of a Sacred Knight.¡± He put one hand over his heart and bowed. When next he spoke, he switched to a polite form of Gotrian, the primary language of the largest reltus-ruled nation on the continent of Ysuge, and as such spoken by most relti on the continent, even if it was not their native language. By that token, it was also what they tended to default to if they did not know where another was from. In fact, the word, ¡°reltus,¡± was derived from an old Gotrian phrase meaning, ¡°wise one.¡± ¡°Please allow me to make it up to you.¡±

    ¡°You need not repay me for such a minor slight,¡± Lusya said. She had learned to speak Gotrian in preparation for encountering relti on the battlefield, but it also proved helpful in upholding her ruse.

    The reltus smiled. He appeared to be in his early-to-mid twenties by human standards, which placed him in his fifties. Relti aged at roughly half the speed of humans until they reached age thirty, at which point their aging slowed to just one-fourth the speed. He was sure to assume she was a similar age.

    ¡°Your understanding is appreciated,¡± he said. ¡°You are gracious indeed.¡±

    ¡°Gods above and below,¡± the woman said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Stop flirting and let¡¯s go.¡±

    The reltus held up his hands as if in surrender and chuckled. ¡°I was just being polite.¡± He had switched back to Slarvish, though it seemed his companion understood either way. ¡°No need to be so uptight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you,¡± the woman said to Lusya. ¡°He¡¯s trying to get into your pants for sure.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Is that a euphemism?¡± She was not sure why this man would want to wear her pants.

    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± the woman said. ¡°It means he wants to sleep with you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya replied. That was a euphemism she was familiar with. She looked to the reltus.

    He sighed. ¡°All right, fine, guilty as charged.¡± He winked at her and grinned. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I am not interested.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t blame me for trying,¡± he said with a shrug.

    He nodded to Lusya and moved around her. If he had been trying to flirt with her, that was a fool¡¯s errand. She was not entirely without interest in such areas, but she was not one to get distracted by them nor was she familiar with what constituted flirting. If he was sexually or romantically interested in her, he should have just said so from the start. Not that it would have changed the outcome.

    ¡°A good day to you,¡± he said, in Gotrian again, as he moved past.

    ¡°And you as well.¡±

    ¡°Sacred Knights are so cool,¡± Ariya said as they melded into the crowd of the market. ¡°Almost as cool as you.¡±

    Lusya began walking again without any response. Ariya stared up at her with wide, curious eyes. She should have been watching where she was walking, but Lusya supposed it was fine as long as she was guiding the child.

    ¡°Do you not like Sacred Knights?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re not one, even though you¡¯re super strong and have a Sacred Blade?¡±

    ¡°I am not especially fond of them,¡± Lusya replied.

    The Sacred Knights of Ysuge had begun as a military arm of the Church of Telresen¡ªa popular religion originating in the west¡ªthen called the Knights of Telresen¡¯s Light. They had remained as such for close to a thousand years, until seven hundred years ago. A leader of the knights known as Jaune¡ªoften ¡°Jaune the Bold,¡± in modern times¡ªhad led what came to be known as Jaune¡¯s Revolt, a movement that ended in the Knights¡¯ severance from the church and establishment as an independent, secular organization that took members of any faith. Or none, for that matter. Since then, the organization had grown and was now the primary force against demons across the continent. They had led the charge against the Demon King in the last two cycles and had played a pivotal role in several prior to their separation from the church.

    Despite that, their mission had changed little. The Sacred Knights existed for one single purpose: the extermination of demons. The shape that mission took varied with the times. There had been periods where the knights shunned all other concerns, more than willing to raze a city to destroy a single demon, and those where the knights saw protecting the people as their true duty and the extermination as their method, and thus were more conscious of their actions.

    The current leadership fell more toward the latter. It was unlikely those three would have attacked Lusya in such a crowded place even if they had realized her nature. That did not mean it would not have been troublesome to be discovered.

    The humans looked young, and her senses suggested they were weak. They were also probably inexperienced. Depending on just how young they were, they may have never so much as laid eyes on a high-rank demon. Tranquil ages were lulls for the Knights. Although the world was never devoid of demons one who joined the Sacred Knights now might never fight one at all, under ordinary circumstances. As such, they often took on a roll more akin to law enforcement, in the hopes that would slow the accumulation of Malice and delay the next turbulent age.

    The reltus, on the other hand, had almost certainly fought in the war against Father. He did not seem especially strong, but Lusya did not want to test that theory. Even if he was weak, there was too much risk in a confrontation. Witnesses and evidence could both become problems, even if Ariya was not among the former.

    On top of that, there was the heat that boiled within in their presence. Lasting anger was rare for Lusya¡ªindeed, it was already all but gone¡ªbut standing in front of those three had made her blood burn and refuse to be quenched until they had left. The Sacred Knights had played a pivotal role in killing her father. Though the Hero of Balance was not one of them, he had aligned himself with the Knights, as some of his predecessors had in past cycles.

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± Ariya said. ¡°They seemed nice.¡±

    Lusya nodded. They had been polite, if nothing else, and she was aware that many mortals idolized the Knights. ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    The presence of Sacred Knights in the city was cause for concern. However, while there was no guarantee it was just those three, they did not seem to be here in great number. Lusya had not seen any others, and paying closer attention to her sense for Malice now revealed she could not sense them either. There were certainly no Paladins or comparable combatants. Even if they had tried to conceal themselves, they would have been distant thunder to her senses. She would have detected them well outside her usual range. If one were in Gavamir, she would have known.

    For now, it was safe to assume it was just a handful of weaklings. In a city this big, it was doubtful they would encounter any again. Seeing as she needed to top off her funds, she would take that small risk.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an inn?¡± Ariya asked, pointing to a nearby building.

    ¡°We are looking for one away from such populated areas,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And near a bathhouse. Now that you have brought attention to it, you do smell rather unpleasant.¡±

    Though they had bathed in streams during their travel with the caravan, there was only so thorough one could be in such situations.

    Ariya scowled and huffed. ¡°You don¡¯t smell great either. More people would notice if you weren¡¯t so pretty.¡±

    Lusya gave herself a quick sniff. ¡°Perhaps you are right.¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Ariya flopped down onto the bed of the inn room she would be sharing with Lusya. There was only one bed, but it was more than large enough to fit both of them. Ariya curled up, her head on the pillow, and her breathing began to slow. Her eyelids drooped and fluttered as she struggled to keep them open, and her body was tense despite lying down.

    ¡°You may sleep, child,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya let out a yawn and gave a weak shake of her head. ¡°But it¡¯s so early still.¡±

    ¡°I fail to see why that matters,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°There is no reason for you not to sleep if you are tired.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ariya replied.

    She wriggled the covers out from under her and pulled them up to her chin. Only then did she seem to surrender herself to exhaustion and relax, her head sinking into the pillow and wetting its casing. Her hair was still damp from bathing, despite her best efforts to dry it. The innkeeper had expressed concern this would get her sick, but she would likely be fine. The room was warm, and she was bundled up under the bedding.

    Lusya had considered drying Ariya¡¯s hair by vaporizing the moisture with Miudofay, but that would have been pointless at best, and more likely harmful. Ignoring the risk to their surroundings, Lusya did not think her pragmatic concern for the child¡¯s safety would be enough to save her from Miudofay¡¯s flames.

    It was often said that the strongest of Demon Blades did not burn what its wielder did not wish it to, but that was inaccurate. It spared that which its wielder specifically and emphatically wished it to, not anything they favored or were indifferent to.

    Either way, the child would be fine for the time being. They had selected an out of the way inn. As long as the child stayed asleep and in bed, there was little chance any harm would come to her.

    ¡°Good. Do not leave the room while I am away,¡± Lusya said.

    Before she could even start for the door, however, Ariya flung off her bedding and sprang out of the bed. She fixed Lusya with wide eyes, her hands held to her chest as though in a guard.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I need to get new clothes for you,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya bounded closer, until she had to crane her neck to meet Lusya¡¯s gaze. ¡°Take me with you. It¡¯s better if the person you¡¯re buying for is there.¡± She cast her eyes down to the floor. ¡°And I don¡¯t wanna be alone. What if more bad people show up?¡±

    ¡°There is little risk of that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will be safe so long as you stay here, and I have other business to attend to. I do not think you would be interested in accompanying me on it.¡±

    Ariya looked back up with a scowl and stomped a foot. ¡°You don¡¯t know! Maybe I would.¡± Her expression softened. ¡°Please, can I go?¡±

    ¡°You will stay here,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is not negotiable.¡±

    Ariya sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. ¡°Okay. Can you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?¡±

    Lusya blinked and, after a moment¡¯s consideration, nodded. ¡°I will wait ten minutes. If you are not sleeping by then, I will leave regardless.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡±

    Lusya grabbed one of the novels she had bought and sat in the wooden chair at the foot of the bed while Ariya crawled back into bed. Lusya scarcely had time to make it through a single chapter of her book. In just over five minutes, Ariya had fallen fast asleep.

    It was fortunate that Ariya had become tired so early. The sun had not even set yet. Perhaps the city and her brush with danger had sapped her energy. Whatever the case, it left Lusya with plenty of time to complete her two tasks and get some rest herself.

    With careful, deliberate motions, she slung on her pack and made her way to the door and out of the room.

    #

    A bell hanging over the door let out a gentle ring as Lusya walked into the clothing shop. The room¡¯s sole other occupant, who she presumed to be the tailor, looked up from some kind of journal or ledger he had been scribbling in and smiled.

    Lusya would have preferred to handle this task second, but there was not much she could have done about that. Businesses would not stay open all night, after all. She could have stolen what she needed after dark, but it would be wise to keep her crimes to a minimum. Too many too close together could turn into a trail leading back to her.

    The tailor stood and walked around the counter he was seated behind to approach her. He was a diminutive, scrawny man. At almost the same height as Lusya, he was over half a foot below average height for a human man and maybe even an inch or so shorter than the average woman. His wrinkled skin and graying hair suggested he was on the older side. With his hair combed into a neat style and his apparent cleanliness, he gave the impression of being well-groomed, if nothing else.

    ¡°Not often I get a customer this late in the evening,¡± he said. ¡°I was just thinking I might as well close up early.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for keeping you,¡± she said. She believed that was the appropriate thing to say in this situation, though in truth she did not care that she had held him up.

    He chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You can keep me all night, if you pay enough.¡±

    ¡°I do not think that will be necessary.¡±

    He let out another laugh, more strangled than the last. ¡°Yes, well, it was a joke, miss. I¡¯m sure you could stay up all night, but you get to my age and you need your sleep.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I see.¡±

    Whether he had meant that part literally or not, he was correct to some degree. Unlike most demons, she did need sleep, but she could get by on less than most mortals and one night without would be little issue.

    ¡°So, what are you looking for?¡± he asked. ¡°Here for a fitting? I have a few orders ahead of you, but I can have yours done within the week, depending on what it is.¡±

    ¡°That will not be necessary,¡± she said, pointing at the racks of already done clothing. ¡°Those will do.¡±

    He hummed in thought and rubbed his chin as he looked her up and down. ¡°That does limit your options a bit.¡±

    ¡°That is fine,¡± she said.

    She had familiarized herself with how merchants operated. This one was making buying one of those articles sound worse than it likely was because he would make more money off her ordering something new. She was aware that, whether it came to sizes or styles, most tailors did not stock a great variety of premade clothing, but it would suffice for the child. There was little need to be picky about her clothing, after all. As long as it fit on her body without causing any pain, it would be fine.

    He frowned and nodded. ¡°If you say so. In the market for some casual wear or something fancy? Maybe something to impress a gentleman friend? I¡¯m sure a lady like yourself is quite popular.¡±

    ¡°It is not for me,¡± she said. ¡°The clothing is for a child.¡±

    For the time being, Lusya herself would continue to make do with her two outfits. Ariya just needed something that fit well enough to wear. If it was a bit too large or small, it would matter little. On the other hand, clothing that did not fit could be problematic for Lusya in a fight or other crisis. Since she did not have time for a custom fit, she would stick with what she had rather than take her chances on premade clothing. In the past, she had often found it a bit tight around the chest, and compensating made it too loose instead.

    The tailor¡¯s eyes widened in realization and he nodded. ¡°Ah, I understand now. It would be better if the child was here, in that case. With how quick they grow, their sizes can be a bit finicky.¡±

    ¡°I am sure I will be able to tell if something will fit or not,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± he said. ¡°If you want to search through my wares, go ahead. I might be able to help you find something if you describe the child to me.¡±

    Lusya glanced out the window. The sky had turned a striking mix of its usual blue, a dark violet, and various shades of red and orange as the sun dipped below the horizon. She still had some time before it was night and she could begin her second task. Even so, it would not hurt to finish this one quicker and she knew little about clothing.

    ¡°The child is a seven-year-old girl,¡± she said. ¡°About this tall and this wide.¡± She held her hands a bit under four feet and a bit under one foot apart, respectively, to indicate those measurements. She was less confident in the latter. While she was more-or-less accurate in her estimates of height, she had never had much need to assess other bodily measurements. ¡°I believe she weighs about forty pounds as well.¡±

    The tailor gave a bemused smirk and laughed again. Lusya was unsure what had been funny, as she so often was. She would have asked, but in the past, she had found people often dodged such questions. Perhaps it would have behooved her to study humor in the future.

    ¡°I think I can work with that,¡± he said. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    He led her over to the premade clothing until he stopped before a particular shelf and started rifling through the piles there.

    ¡°Here, and here, and¡­here,¡± he said as he plucked dresses from the piles. ¡°How much were you looking to buy, miss?¡±

    ¡°I believe three outfits will be sufficient. Perhaps a set of undergarments as well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It does not matter whether the outfits take the form of dresses or disparate parts. I will take whatever is cheapest and I will be displeased if you attempt to deceive me in that regard.¡±

    The tailor shook his head and laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯d never do something like that, but any tradesman worth his salt learns real quick how to tell apart a customer he shouldn¡¯t lie to.¡±

    ¡°I see. That is a useful skill.¡± She did not share his confidence in its universal nature, but there was wisdom in the statement.

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    He led her to another part of the shop, where pairs of underpants were stacked up on a table. He searched through them until he seemed satisfied and grabbed one.

    ¡°There we go, I think I¡¯ve got what you need,¡± he said. ¡°Underwear¡¯s harder to get right without precise measurements, so no promises it¡¯ll fit.¡±

    ¡°I will make do until next time if it does not.¡±

    He held up three dresses for her, one in one hand and two overlapping in the other, along with a pair of white underpants in the former. Lusya pushed aside one of the latter dresses to get a better look. Two were different shades of brown while the last was a dark gray.

    While they were not made of poor-quality fabric, it was clear that they were a far cry from the likes of fine silks. All three were solid in color, which would also keep the cost down. Varied colors or ornamentation translated to high prices.

    ¡°They seem a bit large, but I think they will suffice,¡± she said.

    ¡°That¡¯s on purpose, miss,¡± the tailor said. ¡°You give a seven-year old something that fits and one week later it¡¯s too small.¡±

    That description of growth seemed hyperbolic, but the sentiment made sense. Lusya had thought that Ariya¡¯s current clothing seemed a bit large on her. Perhaps it had been made with the same idea in mind.

    ¡°I appreciate that accommodation,¡± Lusya said. It would have been quite inconvenient to need to make frequent replacements of the child¡¯s clothing.

    The tailor shrugged. ¡°I figure if I save you a bit of coin down the road, you¡¯ll be happier to throw some my way next time you¡¯re in Gavamir.¡±

    ¡°I see. That tactic holds merit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worked before,¡± he said. ¡°I have a few travelers who stop in once or twice a year. Might not be a lot, but business is business.¡±

    Lusya had to admit it was smart. Even as someone who rarely felt compelled to act upon gratitude, she would be inclined to stop here if she ever needed clothing in Gavamir again. It simply made sense to check where she had gotten a good deal and sound advice on her previous visit.

    ¡°Now, is this all you¡¯ll be buying?¡± he asked.

    She nodded.

    ¡°All right, let¡¯s see then. For these three and the underwear¡­sixty copper seems fair, no?¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Lusya said.

    She had expected more. Perhaps this was another tactic aimed at getting her to return. Of course, if she did ever return to Gavamir, it may well have been to raze or conquer it with Father. Somehow, she thought Father would take this transaction under consideration when doing so.

    She paid for the clothes, put them in her pack, and left to begin her next task.

    #

    Lusya walked into the Gebrilo District of Gavamir with casual ease. Although it contained the homes or secondary residences of many wealthy merchants and a few of the nobility in the area, the district itself had little security to speak of.

    There were more members of the city watch about than elsewhere in the city, but they were still few and far between enough to avoid. The individual homes were blocked off by walls or gates and often had their own guards as well, some from the city and some seemingly privately hired. She assumed which was which depended on who a given home belonged to.

    Lusya was not the only one here. Though the crowd was not as large or as dense as elsewhere in the city, it was still sizable. Between residents out for a stroll, servants bustling about, or citizens from elsewhere passing through, it was simple enough for Lusya to blend in as she surveyed the manors she walked past.

    She paid particular attention to the windows. Those would be her ideal point of entry. Lunera could connect obstructed spaces. It was not a requirement, but being able to see where she was going changed it from doable to downright trivial.

    That did not make them all equal, however. Many of the windows did not afford a clear view of where she would end up if she used them. The less she needed to hunt through the house, the better. Others were tinted too dark to see through or covered by thick curtains. Those she dismissed outright. Though she could still go through them, it would be more worth her time to find something else.

    It was near the end of the district that she found her target. It was a small house by the standards of the area, but a palace by most others. At three stories tall and wide enough to fit over a dozen copies of Ariya¡¯s old home, it was unmistakable as the home of someone wealthy. Who, Lusya did not know. She knew little about specific human figures or territories below the national level. The particulars of which noble or merchant held influence where had never seemed important. Knowing what was happening was important¡ªthough her ability to gain up-to-date information on such was limited¡ªbut knowing who was behind it was not often pressing.

    At the southwest corner of the house was a large window, through which Lusya could see hints of a bed frame. With that, she could get right to her destination. It was possible that room belonged to a child or a servant, but she was confident she could still make that work.

    With her decision made, she passed out of the district like so many others, never arousing notice or suspicion. Anyone who saw her would have marked her as just another passerby and forgotten about her.

    Once she had left the manors behind, she found a nearby tavern, paid for a drink and some soup, and waited at the bar. She watched out one of the tavern¡¯s tiny square windows as the sun fell below the horizon and the last vestiges of its light vanished from the sky. The black of night and the twinkling of stars took its place before long. She waited another couple hours still.

    Some of the tavern¡¯s patrons tried to engage her in conversation. She did not spurn them and responded when they spoke, but many of them gave up and left before long. When Lusya was convinced enough time had passed, she stood and looked to the owner.

    ¡°Thank you, the soup was fairly good,¡± she said.

    He raised an eyebrow and gave an odd smile. ¡°Glad you liked it.¡±

    She nodded and turned to leave. Before she could take a step, a young man rushed over from a nearby table. He looked to be about her age, though he could have been a bit older, with shaggy brown hair and a smattering of stubble along his jaw. The other men who had been sitting at his table appeared to be of similar age.

    ¡°Hold on there, missy,¡± he said. He leaned against the bar in front of her and grinned. ¡°It can be dangerous out there at night. What do you say I walk you home, eh? While we¡¯re at it, I might as well keep you warm for the rest of this cold night.¡±

    It had occurred to Lusya that most of the men and one of the women who had approached her during the evening may have been trying to bed her. Though she could not be certain, they behaved in a similar manner to the reltus sacred knight who, according to his companion, had been trying to do the same. This man was much less subtle.

    ¡°You are not unattractive, and your directness is appreciated,¡± she said. ¡°However, I do not wish to have sexual relations tonight. Best of luck in finding a mate.¡±

    She started to go around the man, but he moved into her path.

    She cocked her head. ¡°If you continue obstructing me, I will remove you. It will not be pleasant.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± he exclaimed. He cast a glance at his table, where his companions were watching and snickering to each other, then leaned close and lowered his voice. ¡°Okay, you want direct? I made a bet with those guys I could get you into bed. We¡¯ve been watching you turn down people all night.¡±

    ¡°You are the first the person I have rejected.¡±

    ¡°The point is,¡± the man continued, emphasizing each word with emphatic hand gestures, ¡°can you do me a favor and help me win? I¡¯ll even give you half.¡±

    That was a tempting proposal. It would be a less risky way of obtaining funds. There were issues to resolve¡ªfor starters, if they used her room, they would disturb the child, so they would need to rent another or return to the man¡¯s dwelling¡ªbut Lusya was sure she could figure out a way to make it work.

    ¡°How much was the bet?¡± she asked.

    The man hesitated and glanced at his friends again. ¡°Ten copper.¡±

    ¡°I decline your offer,¡± she said. ¡°Do not try to stop me again.¡±

    The man hung his head with a sigh and slunk over to his table, where his companions greeted him with laughter and gibes.

    Lusya made her way out of the tavern at last and returned to the Gebrilo District. At this time of night, it was near-abandoned. If not for the hints of candlelight glowing behind some of the windows, one could almost be convinced nobody even lived here.

    Though Gavamir had a nightlife, this was not one of its sites. The residents were tucked away in their homes or gone out to one of the entertainment or red-light districts. Much the same could be said for the rest of the city, reducing foot traffic to almost nothing. There was a guard holding a lantern ahead of Lusya, but he had his back to her and was walking away, his lantern clinking against itself with each step.

    She stopped in front of her mark and reached out a hand.

    ¡°Lunera,¡± she whispered under her breath.

    The sword materialized and she grabbed hold of it. Saying a Blade¡¯s name was required to summon it, though, there was evidence that, if one was gagged or otherwise unable to speak, attempting to say the name was sufficient. Of course, she had no idea what she was saying, nor did anyone else. Although anyone had instinctive knowledge of their Blade¡¯s name from the moment they became capable of summoning it, they were all in a language that¡ªif anyone had ever spoken it¡ªhad long since been lost to the ages.

    She sliced through the air and transported herself into the room she had identified. With the angle she had, she ended up a couple feet in the air and dropped to the ground to land in a crouch. Her boots made a soft thud on the floor, which seemed to be wood with a rug laid over most of it. She stood and dismissed Lunera.

    Someone groaned and turned in the bed, perhaps due to the noise, but they did not wake. Based on the voice and shape in the bed, it seemed to be a grown man, with a woman sleeping beside him. That did not necessarily eliminate the possibility that it was one of the owner¡¯s older children and a wife or mistress. For that matter, one or both of them could have been a servant.

    What was important was that Lusya could find what she needed, and this seemed a fine place to start. The room was dark, but between starlight and the light of the streetlamps filtering in through the window, she could make out enough to complete her task.

    It was a large, spacious room. To her left was the bed, itself with enough space to allow four adults a comfortable sleep. More if they were willing to make a tight fit. It dominated much of the wall it was set against, with an end table on one side and a wardrobe on the other taking up most of the rest.

    To her right was a door. It was the only one she could see, but there was no way to tell if it led into the hallway, a sitting room, or something else. Another wardrobe was against that wall as well, spaced out from the door.

    A glance behind revealed that space was clear, perhaps to allow easier access to the window. Lusya did not think the view was exceptional by any means¡ªthe only thing it afforded clear sight of was a similar home across the street¡ªbut maybe the home¡¯s owners thought different.

    Straight ahead was a long dressing table, with a handful of boxes, bags, and purses strewn across the top. That would be where Lusya would find what she sought. She made her way across the room with care to make as little sound as possible.

    She ignored the boxes and chests. While she could sell the valuables that were likely within, she did not know what would fetch the best prices and she would have preferred to avoid extra steps. As such, what appeared to be coin purses were her best bet. She opened one up and looked through the contents. It was filled to the brim with gold kolar coins.

    In theory, one of those would keep herself and Ariya supplied and fed for months, even in the West where eastern currencies were less valued. However, they were useless to her in practice. She would need to exchange them for smaller coins to get the most use out of them.

    Most merchants would not be able to break them¡ªgold coins were, for the most part, confined to large transactions among the wealthy¡ªso she would need to visit a dedicated coin exchange. At that point, she was not saving any time or effort compared to stealing some jewelry.

    She grabbed another, this one filled with silver. The wealthy did still need to make smaller purchases at times, after all. Silver could still be unwieldy at times, so she searched through another two before finding one with copper. Both that and the silver went into her pack. She would have taken all four, but she needed to be conscious of storage space as well.

    As it stood, between the two she had claimed, she could make it to the next major city at least. If she needed to, she could always find someone else to get more from. In the worst-case scenario, she could find some work to do for a short period.

    She walked back toward the window. A few steps away, a board creaked under her feet.

    ¡°Huh?¡± the man in the bed said.

    He sat up and looked right at her. All that effort to stay hidden, foiled by faulty flooring. She did not think he would get a good look at her if she left now, but she did not want to take that chance. Humans could surprise at times and even a vague descriptor could lead back to her. She supposed she would just have to kill him.

    The man¡¯s mouth opened to shout, but she was upon him before he could make a sound. She clamped her hand over his mouth and shoved him back down to the bed. He squirmed and pried at her hand, letting out strangled, muffled screams, but her grip did not budge.

    ¡°I bare you no ill will, and I apologize,¡± she said. ¡°It is because of my carelessness that you must die.¡±

    He wailed into her hand and flailed wildly. He tried to wrench away her arm with one hand while the other struck at and tried to push her away. Neither had any more effect than before. She drew her dagger and plunged it through his eye and into his brain. With one last gasp, his intact eye glazed over and he went limp.

    One arm flopped down onto the woman beside him, who stirred and glanced over at him. Her eyes shot open and fixed on Lusya. Before she could scream, Lusya slashed the woman¡¯s throat. The building cry turned into a wet, strangled gurgle as blood flowed from the wound and filled the woman¡¯s mouth. Lusya finished her in the same way as the man.

    Lusya cleaned her dagger off on the bed covers and returned to the window. She was not concerned with the evidence she had left behind. It did not link to her in any way. There were no witnesses and news would take time to propagate in a city this size. It was possible she would not hear of their deaths before leaving the city.

    Once she was sure there was no one outside who would see her appear, she summoned Lunera and warped to the street below.

 Chapter Thirteen

    Ariya let out a long yawn in between bites of her breakfast bread. It must have been fresh, considering how fluffy and warm it was. Every bite of it made her feel like curling back up in bed and going to sleep.

    ¡°I am uncertain how you are tired,¡± Lusya said, staring at Ariya. Lusya had already finished her bread and her eggs. She ate so fast, Ariya wasn¡¯t even sure she had tasted the food. ¡°You slept for over ten hours.¡±

    Ariya yawned again. ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t help it. I still feel sleepy.¡±

    It was true that she had gotten a good night¡¯s sleep. Maybe she was still tired from yesterday. It hadn¡¯t all been fun, but it had sure been exciting. Things had calmed down a little after they found the inn, but they had still had to sit in the loud dining room while they ate.

    Then there had been the incident at the bathhouse down the street. There hadn¡¯t been enough soap, so Lusya had gone to ask for more and forgotten to grab clothes or a towel. She hadn¡¯t seemed like she had minded, but the man at the desk had gone red as a tomato and refused to look at her when they were on their way out. Ariya knew you weren¡¯t supposed to look at other people naked, or let them see you naked, even if Mama and Papa had never gotten around to explaining why.

    On the bright side, Ariya finally had new clothes. That had been a nice surprise, even if it hadn¡¯t been nice to have Lusya wake her up a little early to tell her. Luckily, Lusya had just wanted to take the old clothes to wash, so Ariya had fallen right back asleep. She hadn¡¯t even been sure that whole thing had happened until she had noticed she was wearing one of her new dresses.

    They were all kind of the same, just different colors, but Ariya didn¡¯t want to complain. Lusya¡¯s clothes were the same way. She always wore the same thing under her cloak: a blouse, short pants, and tights. As far as Ariya could tell, the only differences in her sets were that one shirt was white and the other light gray and one set of bottoms was dark brown while the other was black.

    ¡°I hope you will gain energy as the day goes on,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will be leaving Gavamir as soon as you finish your meal.¡±

    ¡°Aww, but why?¡± Ariya asked in a high-pitched whine. But a grown-up whine. She was a big girl, after all. ¡°I wanted to see some of those towers. I heard this guy last night saying there was this really good play at the theater too.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°We must complete our journey with haste. Shows at the theater are too expensive anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see a play though¡­¡±

    ¡°The play is incompatible with your duty.¡±

    There Lusya went using big words again. Ariya was pretty sure Lusya was saying they could only do one. Being a hero did sound cooler than watching grown-ups play pretend for a couple hours, as much as seeing people act out a proper story seemed fun. She had, of course, played at stories herself, but there was only so much she could do with just her and, when they decided to go along with her, her family. She could use imaginary actors, but since they stopped acting right if she got distracted, they weren¡¯t quite the solution she had thought at first.

    ¡°I guess we can go then,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I was not offering you a choice, but your cooperation is appreciated,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya sighed and hung her head. She really did want to see a play someday, but she supposed it could wait. Maybe if she waited long enough they would let her in for free as a hero. They might even write a play about her. That thought brought a smile back to her face and she went back to eating.

    The dining room was pretty plain. It was just kind of a square with round tables placed in a haphazard fashion. There was a bar counter opposite the door, which the innkeeper stood behind now, looking over the area with a frown and his arms crossed. A door behind him led into the kitchen. The floor was dark colored wood without any decoration and the walls were painted a solid white.

    It wasn¡¯t as loud or busy this morning. Last night, there had also been a half-dozen women bustling around, getting dozens of people their food as they competed to see who had the loudest voice. Right now, there was just one serving girl, and at the moment nobody needed anything, so she was just leaning against a wall and staring off into space.

    There were still a few other customers scattered around, talking to friends or other guests as they ate. There was even a tiransa man, but he was by himself at a table. Even sitting down he looked so big Ariya was left wondering how he had gotten through the door. And now that she looked closer, he wasn¡¯t even sitting in a chair, but cross-legged on the floor.

    ¡°Where are we going¡ª¡± Ariya started to ask, but stopped when Lusya gave her the shushing gesture.

    Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why she had to be quiet, but after yesterday she figured she should listen to Lusya for at least the next couple days. That didn¡¯t mean Ariya had to be happy about it, though. She dug back into her food with a scowl and decided to entertain herself by listening in on the conversation the two men seated closest were having.

    ¡°¡­the northern road, really?¡± one asked. He had a very distinctive, nasally voice. ¡°What¡¯s the trouble?¡±

    ¡°Well, the road¡¯s basically unusable, for one,¡± the other replied. His voice was deep and booming, even though he was talking at a normal volume. ¡°Lord Inthal had a whole bunch of traps set along it in case the war came this way and hasn¡¯t gotten around to taking them down yet. But even the safe parts have been soaked so bad by the snow melting and the rain last week you can barely walk through the mud.¡±

    ¡°Weird that it¡¯s just that road,¡± Nasal said.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of the ones around here,¡± Boom said. ¡°That one just has it the worst. Luck of the draw, I guess.¡±

    Nasal gave a thoughtful hum. A loud one, like the kind Papa gave when he was pretending to think about something he was going to say no to. ¡°Still, doesn¡¯t sound that bad.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but then you factor in bandits cropping up all over the place. Never know when some might show up around here. Not to mention I hear there¡¯s been some demon problems up there.¡±

    ¡°Even though they barely touched us during the war?¡±

    Boom sighed. ¡°I know, crazy. I guess we¡¯ll just have to find another way through.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a real pain,¡± nasal replied.

    Ariya heard them push their chairs out and looked to see them standing.

    ¡°Thanks for the grub,¡± Boom said with a wave to the innkeeper.

    Nasal gave a similar thanks and the two of them left. As she watched them go, Ariya noticed that the tiransa man was staring at her, but he looked away as soon as their eyes met.

    Ariya knew staring was rude, but she didn¡¯t let it bother her. Maybe he was just as impressed by how small she was as she was with how big he was. In size, of course. Ariya was a big kid in the ways that counted, like being smart and stuff.

    She was almost sure it wasn¡¯t because he wanted to eat her like some of her books said. Mama and Papa always told her those were bad books and that tiransa were nice people who didn¡¯t eat little girls. She was sure they were right. She sure hoped they were.

    Not that she had to worry. Lusya was there, and Ariya was sure Lusya could beat up a tiransa just fine.

    Ariya went back to eating again. This time, nothing interrupted her before she finished a couple minutes later. She let out a content sigh and put down her fork. She was feeling much less tired.

    ¡°You have finished?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yup. I¡¯m ready to go¡­Are you sure we can¡¯t just see a tiny bit of a play?¡±

    ¡°I am sure,¡± Lusya said as she stood up.

    Ariya groaned and lowered her head until it rested on the table.

    ¡°Perhaps I will consider it if we find a less prestigious theater in the future,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Or if we come across a traveling troupe.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked, bolting upright with a smile so big it almost hurt her face. She noticed the tiransa standing up and walking toward them. Maybe he needed to talk to the innkeeper. He would have to pass them to get there.

    Lusya nodded and held out a hand. ¡°Now, let us depart.¡±

    Ariya stood up and grabbed Lusya¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the tiransa said in a low, gravelly voice. He had stopped right behind Lusya and loomed over her like a mountain with his slate-gray skin. From farther away that had made it look like he was made of rock, but up close it was just skin that was colored kind of like stone.

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    Lusya turned and craned her neck to look up at him. She was as small next to him as Ariya was next to her. Despite herself, Ariya half-hid behind Lusya. Just in case Mama and Papa had been wrong.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice those two gentlemen speaking just now,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you overheard them as well.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I did. It is unfortunate news.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re headed that way, are you?¡± the tiransa replied with a sympathetic smile. ¡°Real shame about the roads.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    The tiransa gave an exaggerated hum in consideration and tapped a finger against his chin. ¡°Well, it just so happens that I know this area like the back of my hand. If you like, I could guide you to minimize your detour. For a reasonable price, of course.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°So, you planted those men here.¡±

    ¡°¡­what?¡±

    ¡°You can plant people?¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    She hadn¡¯t noticed anything like that. When had he done it? And how had they escaped? If he was planting them like vegetables, did he eat people after all? So many questions, so few answers.

    ¡°It means he told them to sit there and have that conversation in order to make us more likely to accept his offer,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya blushed. ¡°Oh. That makes more sense.¡±

    ¡°We are leaving, child,¡± Lusya said.

    She led Ariya toward the door, but the tiransa hurried to keep pace with them.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± he pleaded. ¡°You¡¯re right, but everything they said was still true. I promise I¡¯ll shave some time off your journey. We¡¯ll even pass by the traps and ruined parts of the road so you know I¡¯m not lying.¡±

    Lusya stopped and looked at him again and cocked her head. If Ariya was getting as good at reading Lusya as she thought, that was the ¡°you¡¯re annoying me but you have my attention¡± head tilt. Ariya didn¡¯t have a good view of Lusya¡¯s face, but she had probably blinked and had a tiny hint of a frown too.

    ¡°I am sure you understand that I cannot take your word for it,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But thank you for the information. I will attempt to confirm it on our way out of the city and seek out another guide if necessary.¡±

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, miss,¡± the innkeeper said from behind the bar, where he was wiping a section of it clean with a cloth. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing the same thing from travelers for a while now. And there¡¯s no love lost between me and that oaf. I¡¯ve lost three chairs and a table to him forgetting how big he is.¡±

    ¡°That was over the course of two years,¡± the tiransa grumbled.

    ¡°Let me break four of your things in two years and see how you feel about it.¡±

    Lusya opened the door. ¡°Your contribution is appreciated.¡±

    The tiransa whirled to face her again. ¡°Wait, give me a chance. It¡¯s not like you can just find a guide wherever, you know, we don¡¯t have guide centers¡­Maybe we should, actually. But that¡¯s besides the point!¡± He sighed. ¡°Look at it this way: you can spend who knows how long trying to find another guide, or you can hire the one standing right here.¡±

    Lusya blinked, glanced at Ariya, and nodded. ¡°Very well. However, I will pay you after your services have been rendered.¡±

    The tiransa frowned and shook his head. ¡°Normally I charge up front, but make it half when we start¡ªwhen we get out of the city, that is¡ªand half later and you¡¯ve got a deal. Total price will be two silver kolars.¡±

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Lusya said.

    He grinned and held out a hand. Lusya took it and shook. It looked pretty funny. His hand was so much bigger than hers that Lusya just kind of held the edge of his instead of the whole thing.

    ¡°However,¡± she said, ¡°if it turns out that you are lying, I will be taking back my money.¡±

    The tiransa gave a nervous chuckle. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°I am merely informing you of what will happen.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right. Well, let¡¯s get going, shall we?¡±

    ¡°We shall.¡±

    Lusya finally led Ariya out of the inn and into the street beyond. She turned and they waited for the tiransa had joined them. Ariya had heard of tall people needing to stoop to get through doors, but the tiransa man needed to crouch to get outside.

    He then stood to his full height and stretched, rolling his neck and arching his back. Ariya realized then that he had, in fact, been stooping the entire time they were inside. When he reached his hands over his head, he looked almost as big as one of the towers in the distance.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya breathed. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be, like, twenty feet tall!¡±

    ¡°He is closer to nine,¡± Lusya said.

    He held up two fingers and Ariya thought she saw him blushing. ¡°Nine and two inches.¡±

    ¡°Average height for a tiransa male.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to put it like that,¡± he said with a scowl.

    ¡°I assume we are still exiting from the northern gate?¡± Lusya asked.

    The tiransa sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, the problems don¡¯t start until a little down the road. Come on, we can get to know each other while we walk.¡±

    He started walking and Lusya and Ariya followed alongside him.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Izurb, by the way,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch your names.¡±

    ¡°I am Lusya.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m Ariya!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Izurb said. ¡°What exactly gave my little scheme away?¡±

    ¡°The men implied they were also departing to the north,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It would have made more sense to offer your services to them if they were not your collaborators.¡±

    Izurb clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°Shit, you¡¯re right.¡± He gave himself a few light slaps on the forehead. ¡°Stupid, stupid Izurb, you should have proofread the damn script!¡±

    Ariya looked at him, her eyebrows knit together in concern. Meanwhile, Lusya stared at him for a second, then returned her attention to the road ahead.

    ¡°Oh, turn here, it¡¯s a shortcut,¡± Izurb said as they passed a tiny side street.

    He veered onto it and Lusya followed, practically dragging Ariya along to keep up. There weren¡¯t as many people here, just a few walking and a few more loitering. It reminded Ariya of the alley, but she knew there was nothing to worry about with a big, strong tiransa and Lusya around. Well, after seeing Izurb literally beat himself up, she wasn¡¯t confident he would be much help, but at least he looked kind of scary.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, how do you two know each other?¡± Izurb asked.

    ¡°I mind your asking,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is not something I wish to discuss with an outsider.¡±

    Izurb shrugged. ¡°Not a problem. It¡¯s just you two are an odd pairing, is all. A reltus and a little human girl. You¡¯ve got a human-sounding name too.¡±

    ¡°Lusya picked me for a secret mission,¡± Ariya said, beaming at him.

    Lusya looked down at her with a gaze that managed to be piercing despite her expression barely changing. ¡°Silence, child.¡±

    Ariya hung her head. ¡°Sorry, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya was silent for a second, then nodded. ¡°You are forgiven. However, we will be having my supplies for dinner if you do it again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be quiet,¡± Ariya said. She knew it was stupid of her to have said it. That was the whole point of a secret. Sharing secrets could be fun too, but she knew she wasn¡¯t supposed to do it.

    ¡°Your supplies?¡± Izurb said.

    ¡°Common food for traveling,¡± Lusya said. ¡°She is a picky eater.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Kids are like that. Or so I¡¯ve heard, anyway. I don¡¯t have any.¡± He swerved down another turn. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t pry into your business. I¡¯m just here to get you past the rough spots and get paid.¡±

    ¡°That is suitable,¡± Lusya said with a nod.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Ariya said, but then she clamped her mouth shut. She had promised to be quiet. She squirmed. The words almost felt like a physical force, trying to muscle their way out of her.

    ¡°You may speak, child,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Just mind your tongue.¡±

    Ariya smiled at her and nodded, then leaned to look at Izurb. She had to look almost straight up to make eye contact.

    ¡°How old are you, mister?¡± she asked.

    He didn¡¯t have any wrinkles and his short hair was solid black, but she didn¡¯t know what tiransa looked like when they got older. They didn¡¯t live as long as relti, but for all she knew this was what an eighty-year-old tiransa looked like.

    ¡°Just turned thirty last month,¡± he replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s the same age as Mama and Papa,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Do you know them?¡±

    He gave a confused frown and shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t say I do.¡±

    ¡°It is doubtful anyone here knows your parents,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I thought he might since they¡¯re the same age.¡±

    ¡°That does not make any sense.¡±

    It made perfect sense to Ariya, but she wasn¡¯t about to argue over it. Not when she had just gotten in trouble.

    ¡°I kind of assumed she was an orphan,¡± Izurb said to Lusya. It sounded like he was trying to whisper, but his voice was too loud.

    ¡°You are easily audible,¡± Lusya said, which Ariya thought meant pretty much the same thing.

    ¡°Mama and Papa are fine,¡± Ariya said. ¡°They just let me come with Lusya. Oh, and Jak¡¯s fine too, I guess.¡±

    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Jak?¡±

    ¡°Her brother,¡± Lusya said.

    Izurb shrugged. ¡°I guess all¡¯s well then. Let¡¯s pick up the pace a little, I want to get to that gate.¡±

    #

    By the time night fell, they had walked so far that Ariya couldn¡¯t see Gavamir¡¯s walls anymore. Watching something so big shrink and vanish had been just as weird as when she had first approached them and watched them tower over her.

    The area around here was flat and mostly clear of trees, so they had set up camp on the side of the road. Lusya had made a fire and was stirring the contents of a pot hung over it with a ladle, working on some kind of meal. She kept stopping to check the book she had left nearby. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what it was supposed to be, but she had seen Lusya putting some meat and a whole lot of salt in. At the very least, it smelled nice and made a satisfying pop and sizzle in the pot.

    ¡°Is that Elberto¡¯s recipes?¡± Izurb asked. He was sitting close to the fire, but he was still almost as tall as Lusya. ¡°Love that book. Those things are tastier than they have any right to be.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I promised the child I would start cooking after she threw a tantrum.¡±

    Ariya pouted and stomped a foot. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a tantrum.¡± Big girls didn¡¯t throw tantrums. ¡°I was expressing my greases.¡±

    Lusya looked at her, tilted her head, and blinked twice. Then she just stared for a second, which made Ariya very suspicious that she had said something stupid.

    ¡°Do you mean ¡®grievances?¡¯¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya blushed. She hoped being bathed in the fire¡¯s orange light made it harder to tell. ¡°Yeah. That.¡±

    ¡°Hey, she¡¯s got a better vocabulary than I did at her age,¡± Izurb said with a chortle.

    Ariya beamed and nodded so quick her neck kind of hurt. ¡°Mama says I talk good for my age because of how much I read.¡±

    ¡°What a smart girl.¡±

    Ariya gave a smug chuckle and nodded again. She might not have been as smart as Lusya, but at least Ariya knew not to let strangers see her naked.

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Lusya said. She was looking at Izurb now.

    He frowned, but not like he was angry, just confused. As if he wasn¡¯t sure what she could have to ask him. ¡°Yeah? Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Who is Elberto?¡±

    Izurb blinked and didn¡¯t answer for a couple seconds, like he hadn¡¯t heard her. ¡°The guy in the book¡¯s title?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes. The author¡¯s name is listed as Lusor Reve. So why is the name Elberto in the title?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say this is true for sure,¡± Izurb said, then he hummed in thought. It was more natural this time, not like the fake one from before. ¡°I think I remember hearing that Elberto is the one who actually came up with the recipes. He died a while ago, and Lusor put together and published the book. The Lusor guy is Elberto¡¯s son, if I¡¯m remembering right.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°That sounds kind of like you,¡± Ariya said. ¡°He¡¯s doing a job his papa left for him.¡±

    Lusya glanced at Ariya and nodded. ¡°There is a faint similarity.¡±

    She returned her attention to the pot and took a taste of whatever it was she was making, then looked at the spoon and cocked her head. That was her ¡°confused¡± head tilt, same as before. She even did the two blinks. Ariya was getting better at this.

    ¡°I do not think this turned out how it is supposed to,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°What are you trying to make?¡± Izurb asked.

    ¡°The salty beef and mixed nut fry.¡±

    He beckoned to her. ¡°I¡¯ve made that plenty. Give it here.¡±

    Lusya filled up her ladle again and brought it over to him. He took it between two of his giant fingers and slurped up the food. Then he gagged and started coughing into his free hand.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have the supplies tonight,¡± Ariya said.

    Izurb shook his head. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that bad. It just surprised me is all.¡± He handed the empty ladle back to Lusya. ¡°You may have overdone the salt just a little bit.¡± Ariya was pretty sure that little was sarcasm. ¡°But it¡¯s¡­edible, and practice makes perfect.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your impressions are appreciated. In any case, I believe it is done. We will eat now and then rest.¡±

    ¡°No complaints here.¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    ¡°As you can see, nobody¡¯s taking this path any time soon,¡± Izurb said as he stopped at the threshold of the ruined section of road, where the stone that had formed the surface since Gavamir came to an end.

    Indeed, it did not look very usable. The unpaved path had become slick mud as far as the eye could see, dotted with bits of silver poking up from the ground. A carriage was liable to get stuck and it would be difficult for walkers to maintain their footing.

    ¡°I suppose there was truth to your claims,¡± Lusya said. She had started to become suspicious after they had spent the previous day and much of the morning following the road without issues.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Izurb said with smile. ¡°Just gotta work on my marketing a little.¡± He gestured out at the road. ¡°You can even see one of our esteemed Baron Inthal¡¯s little traps there too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know about Baron Inthal,¡± Ariya interjected. ¡°Papa really doesn¡¯t like him.¡±

    Izurb chuckled. ¡°You could count the people who do on one hand.¡±

    Ariya giggled.

    Lusya was not sure if Ariya¡¯s home fell under this Inthal¡¯s domain. They were still in Ariya¡¯s native Kingdom of Ovda, however, so it was not strange that her father may have had a strong opinion on one of the nobility.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Izurb went on, waving to the path once more, ¡°check it out.¡±

    ¡°The metal?¡± Lusya asked. Now that she looked a bit closer, it looked like blades growing from the ground.

    Izurb nodded. ¡°Yup. Hundreds of little spikes buried just below the dirt so you¡¯ll stab your feet. The way the mud¡¯s moved makes them easier to see.¡±

    ¡°Ouch,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be, like, at least as bad as getting a splinter in your foot. And that hurts, I got one this fall, and my foot was sore for the rest of the day, even after Papa pulled it out.¡±

    Izurb chuckled, though Lusya was not sure why. She suspected it had something to do with Ariya¡¯s underestimation of such an injury¡¯s severity. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s putting it lightly. This isn¡¯t even the worst of it. See there, where the trees get thicker?¡±

    He pointed down the road. The land around them was still a grassy field, but a forest cropped up on either side of the path just a thousand feet or so ahead.

    ¡°I see it,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°All kinds of tripwires set up there,¡± he said. ¡°One wrong move and you¡¯ll have a volley of arrows or a couple tree trunks flying at you.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head. She could just make out a hint of the sun glinting off one such wire. It was possible that one was meant to be seen. Setting obvious traps to get an intruder to lower their guard against better hidden ones was a viable tactic.

    ¡°This baron¡¯s commitment to his preparations is impressive,¡± she said.

    Izurb scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s one way of saying he¡¯s nuts and a paranoid bastard.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That may also be an accurate characterization.¡±

    It had not been unreasonable of this nobleman to think the war might have come to his lands. Much of the fighting had been centered around the south, after all. It must have seemed a miracle to the inhabitants of the southeast that they had gotten off so lightly. However, rendering some of his territory all but impassable on the mere possibility did enter the realm of paranoia. It was questionable how effective such traps would have been in the first place if Father had attacked in earnest. Perhaps this baron had been the one who had destroyed that bridge as well. She did not know if that had also been within his domain.

    ¡°Guy didn¡¯t even have the decency to tell us about the traps,¡± Izurb went on. He made a disgusted sound, almost like a gag. ¡°All we got was ¡®we¡¯re fortifying the road north of Gavamir.¡¯ I guess he thought the sympathizers or demons in hiding would tell the Demon King or something, but I¡¯m sure there was some middle ground he could have found.¡±

    ¡°How do you know so much about them if he didn¡¯t tell anybody?¡± Ariya asked.

    Izurb¡¯s opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes widened and whatever he had been about to say turned into a single, drawn-out syllable that continued until he ran out of breath and had to inhale. He cleared his throat and looked at her with a strange smile. It seemed strained and exaggerated.

    ¡°Ah, well, some people found them when they came out this way,¡± Izurb said with muted cheer. ¡°So, then they and¡­their friends let the rest of us know.¡±

    Ariya gave a beaming smile and added a bit of spring to her step. ¡°That was nice of them.¡±

    Even without understanding his strange tone and expression, Lusya could surmise that the traps had first been discovered when people had fallen for them. Izurb had likely been about to say as much before remembering he was speaking to a young child. It was fortunate for all three of them that social norms valued protecting children from such knowledge.

    ¡°Well, I assume you two don¡¯t want to sit here and admire our esteemed baron¡¯s handiwork all day,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll lead you around the traps. There¡¯s some in the woods themselves too, so you have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    He led them off the road, giving the path proper a wide berth before continuing toward the forest. Lusya followed with Ariya in tow, though Lusya no longer led the child by the hand. Outside of the chaos of the city, that was unnecessary.

    Izurb led them into the forest, where he weaved through the trees and ducked under branches with practiced ease. It was clear he had traveled this way before and, though his movements were slow, his sheer size meant he covered plenty of ground with each step. Through simple speed and reaction, Lusya was up to the task of keeping up with him. Ariya, however, was lagging and came close to tripping over a couple roots in her efforts to stay close.

    ¡°Slow down,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The child is having difficulty keeping pace.¡±

    Izurb chuckled. ¡°No need to blame the kid if¡ªAh!¡± He jumped and screamed when he turned to face her, bumping into a tree behind him in the process. She looked around, but there was nothing that might have frightened him. She had certainly not intended to. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were so close behind me. Say something next time!¡±

    Ariya giggled. A glance revealed she seemed to be trying to contain the laughter behind a hand over her mouth, but she was not succeeding.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I am over a foot behind you, as you should have been able to tell from my voice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still pretty close,¡± he grumbled. ¡°And you don¡¯t talk very loudly. Anyway, I¡¯ll slow down. Just not used to having kids in the group. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You are forgiven.¡±

    They continued onward. True to his word, Izurb did seem to make an effort to slow his pace. Ariya did not struggle to keep up near as much. His proficiency in navigating the forest continued to impress. He must have had much of the area memorized, with how he stepped over holes or protrusions without so much as a glance.

    ¡°You really know your way through the woods, mister,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You¡¯re barely even watching where you¡¯re going.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°When you put it like that it makes me sound bad.¡± He gave a sigh, almost wistful. ¡°¡¯Course I know my way around here. I¡¯ve lived in Gavamir for over twenty years now.¡±

    ¡°I did not think many tiransa lived in Gavamir,¡± Lusya said.

    While the mortal races mixed more in cities than elsewhere and tiransa had long co-habited more readily with humans than relti did with either¡ªor either did with relti, for that matter¡ªGavamir was still predominantly inhabited by humans, despite the relative proximity of the Kingdom of Jirania, ruled and majority-populated by tiransa. She had seen some of both them and relti in the city, but the population had been minuscule compared to the humans and it had been unclear how many had lived there versus how many had been passing through. The number who had been raised there could not be very high.

    Izurb nodded. ¡°They don¡¯t. My old man is an artist. He dragged us out here so he could study under some hotshot sculptor who was a big deal at the time. He got pretty good himself, even had nobles and rich folk ordering from him.¡±

    ¡°So, he has sculptures and stuff in castles?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°He sure does,¡± Izurb said. ¡°Of course, he forced me to make the deliveries. And seeing as he was barely paying me and I always liked exploring, I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a detour every now and then.¡±

    ¡°And that is how you familiarized yourself with the area,¡± Lusya surmised.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The old man and my ma moved back home a couple years back, said they were getting too old for the hustle and bustle of the city. But by then it was home to me, so I stuck around and started this work.¡±

    ¡°You must really like it there,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could live somewhere so loud and crowded all the time.¡±

    ¡°I thought the same thing when we first got there. Now the road almost feels lonely if I¡¯m out here too long.¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Being one of the few tiransa in the city must be difficult as well,¡± Lusya said.

    Izurb laughed and looked back at her over his shoulder, moving branch out of his way without looking at it.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a huge fan of tact, are you?¡± he asked.

    She shook her head. ¡°I have no strong feelings on the matter, though you are not the first to suggest I lack it.¡±

    ¡°No surprise there.¡± He turned his attention to where he was going again and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, though. The city¡¯s just not built for me. Can¡¯t even fit down some alleys and side roads, not to mention a lot of the buildings. Even some of the ones I can get into won¡¯t let me in.

    ¡°That¡¯s not even getting into my personal life. If it¡¯s friends, I¡¯ve got plenty, but I wasn¡¯t exactly planning on being single at thirty. Unfortunately, the few tiransa women I know are spoken for. I wouldn¡¯t have any problem with a reltus or a human, but they tend to be¡­intimidated by my size. In more ways than one, if you know what I mean.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I can imagine they would be.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re huge and kind of scary,¡± Ariya said. Then she smiled at him, hurried to catch up, and gave him a pat on the leg. ¡°Until you start talking, at least. Then you¡¯re pretty nice, even if you lied to us in the inn.¡±

    ¡°Thanks?¡± he replied with obvious uncertainty. He shrugged. ¡°Either way, though, home is home, sunshine and rainbows or not.¡±

    Ariya gave a rapid series of nods. ¡°I know what you mean. My house was kind of boring sometimes, but I think I¡¯m starting to miss it still.¡± She hurried to move her gaze to Lusya. ¡°Oh, but I still wanna finish our duty and stuff.¡±

    ¡°Then it is fine,¡± Lusya replied.

    Izurb sighed again and looked to his right. The trap-infested road was off in that direction, hidden from sight beyond the trees and brush. He scowled and clicked his tongue with an angry shake of his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s home that I hate seeing things like this,¡± he said. ¡°This was a nice area to walk through and that bastard had to go and ruin it. Didn¡¯t even end up doing anything, except maybe ending the tranquil age quicker.¡±

    ¡°Why would the traps impact the length of the tranquil age?¡± Lusya asked.

    Izurb glanced at Ariya and made an uncertain humming noise. ¡°Well, you know, because they make people upset. And then people who know those people get upset. And stuff like that.¡±

    So that was his reasoning. He feared the combination of people being hurt or killed by the traps, the grief of those who knew them, and perhaps the frustration of those forced to avoid the traps would speed the accumulation of Malice and thus the manifestation of the next Demon King.

    His concern was moot, seeing as Lusya would be reviving Father before long. Even putting that aside, however, his worry was misplaced.

    ¡°It is unlikely that these traps will have any appreciable impact on the next Demon King¡¯s manifestation,¡± Lusya said.

    It took large-scale suffering and tragedy to accelerate things. That was how the cycle worked. Malice was created by negative emotions and vented at various rates. Within a mortal, Malice was formless and did not take up physical space. Once vented, it gained something akin to form and volume, but remained more of an intangible, invisible energy than any sort of matter. Sufficient amounts and concentrations, however, could gain life and physical form as demons, who in turn created their own Malice and would often go on to drive the creation of more from mortals. As such, demons were never born quickly enough to offset the rate at which countless souls flooded the world with Malice.

    When there was a certain amount of Malice in the world, the bulk of it would coalesce into the Demon King, the most powerful demon who, up to the present, had always attempted to destroy or conquer the world. They would then continue accumulating Malice and growing in strength until they were defeated, usually by a gifted human who was born shortly after the king, known these days as the Hero of Balance.

    That cycle had gone on longer than any could remember. It had surely occurred more than the twenty-one times¡ªincluding Father¡ªthat were included in the typical count. Times from before written history or in distant lands no one here had heard of. The Demon King did not always appear in Ysuge, after all. Of course, in just a year the cycle would be disrupted. Lusya did not know what long-term effects reviving a Demon King would have. She was curious, but not concerned.

    While phenomena like war and famine had been observed as hastening the next King¡¯s appearance by increasing the Malice in the world enough to significantly shorten the time before it hit this critical mass, these traps would never be able to cause enough strife to have a noticeable impact. Every age would have its inconveniences and hardships. One so minor would not be new. In the grand scheme, its contributions to the world¡¯s Malice would be little more than that of an argument between friends or a drunken brawl.

    ¡°You sound pretty sure,¡± Izurb said. ¡°You a Sacred Knight or something?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, but I am well-versed in the mechanics of Malice.¡±

    He pursed his lips and was quiet for a moment. ¡°What about all the bandits?¡±

    ¡°History suggests that happens every cycle,¡± Lusya said. ¡°So even if it is technically an exacerbating factor, it is not worth considering as such.¡±

    He shrugged and seemed content to leave things at that. Ariya looked from him to Lusya.

    ¡°Why are there bandits?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t things supposed to be boring after the Demon King is gone?¡±

    ¡°Not sure if boring is the right word,¡± Izurb said, scratching his head with a pensive look. ¡°But yeah, they are supposed to calm down. And they do, I guess, but nothing¡¯s perfect. Some scum just see an opportunity to cut loose in the aftermath. That¡¯s the kind we get around here, although they usually won¡¯t strike so close to Gavamir.¡± He sighed. ¡°Other cases get a little more complicated.¡±

    ¡°You are referring to those from the battlefields,¡± Lusya said.

    Broadly speaking, one could divide the criminals that sprang up in the early days of a tranquil age into two categories. There were simple opportunists, as Izurb had outlined. Those tended to appear in areas that had experienced just enough strife to devote resources toward fixing it, or were close enough to such regions that they would lend their aid.

    The second category were those from the regions that had seen the worst of the fighting, driven to crime to survive.

    Izurb nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was thinking of. They¡¯ve lost everything. It¡¯s kind of hard to blame them.¡±

    ¡°But they do the same things, right?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°So, they¡¯re still bad.¡±

    ¡°They do the same things, and it¡¯s not okay,¡± Izurb said. ¡°But their reasons are different, and that counts for something. That¡¯s why I said it was complicated.¡±

    Lusya was aware that motivations often factored into mortal moral judgments. She was not sure how they made such determinations, however. She would admit that she often factored motivations into her judgments as well, but she tried to be more pragmatic in doing so than mortals often seemed to. The exceptions befuddled her.

    He sighed and kept speaking. ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t imagine what things look like over where the worst of it went down. The Sacred Knights had an exhibition tournament of sorts in Gavamir, a few years back, before the war got heated. None of the real brass participated, but even so, watching some of those guys go at it was¡­well, it was scary. If the Paladins went all out against demons just as strong, not to mention the Demon King and Hero fighting at the end, the land¡¯s gotta be in pretty sorry state. I can see how someone might decide they need to go outside the law to rebuild, or how they might be numb to hurting others.¡±

    Ariya gave a long, uncertain humming sound, then went quiet for a couple seconds. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± she said at last.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, one day,¡± Izurb said. ¡°Though it might be better if you didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You are correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And as such, this conversation is over.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    She understood the basic conceits of Izurb¡¯s view, but she had no strong feelings about it, mixed or otherwise. As long as they did not bother her, she did not care what those people did in their attempts to get back on their feet. She was too far from those areas for them to do so and she intended to keep it that way.

    And, while she could not be certain, she believed exploring the issue further may have been distressing for the child. As it stood, Ariya gave no signs of distress or Malice increases. Indeed, she seemed content to let the topic pass and began humming a tune as the continued their trek.

    They walked on in silence until they came across a large tree that had fallen over. Izurb groaned.

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t like this last time,¡± he grumbled, seemingly more to himself than to Lusya or Ariya. ¡°Must have gotten knocked over in the storm a couple weeks back.

    Lusya cocked her head. ¡°Can we not simply walk around the tree?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we can,¡± Izurb said. He rubbed his palm against the tree¡¯s trunk as if petting an animal. ¡°I just kind of liked it. When I first started making deliveries, it was one of my favorite finds. The roots formed this nice little nook to sit in, with the leaves shading it from the sun all through the day.¡± He sighed and gave the trunk a pat. ¡°Shame to lose it now. But I can mope about it later. This way.¡±

    He led the way around the tree and onward. Indeed, there was no difficulty in doing so. It took a few extra seconds, at worst, to circumvent the obstacle.

    ¡°Did you two have a particular destination in mind?¡± he asked. ¡°I won¡¯t take you much farther than to safety unless you want to pay more, but I can angle us toward any town or city you might want to visit.¡±

    ¡°I intended to stop at a village called Clearwood,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The nearby Misthaven is also acceptable.¡±

    While visiting population centers increased the risk of her getting caught, it also allowed her to conserve resources and put more in easy reach if needed. With that in mind, she felt the risk was small enough to begin with to be worth taking, for the most part.

    Izurb rubbed his jaw as if stroking a beard, though he was clean-shaven. ¡°Those are a little far for the price,¡± he said. ¡°But I can get you close and point you in the right direction. Clearwood¡¯s a little closer, so you might as well go there if it¡¯s your first choice.¡±

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± she replied. ¡°Will avoiding the road extend our travel time?¡±

    He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Nah, maybe a few hours. Still about two or three days total.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    He glanced back and grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. I take my job seriously. If there¡¯s something you need to know, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± He faced forward and stood a bit straighter. ¡°So just relax and leave it to m¡ª¡±

    He cut off and looked down. Lusya followed his gaze to a razor thin black wire he had just stepped on. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw something approaching through the woods on either side.

    While Izurb stood, frozen, and Ariya looked up at him with an inquisitive frown, Lusya grabbed them both by the backs of their clothes and jumped back, pulling them with her just before two logs swung through where Izurb had stood a moment before. It was doubtful they would have hit Lusya or Ariya, but it didn¡¯t hurt to be safe.

    Lusya set Ariya back down on her feet, but the size difference meant she had little choice but to fling Izurb to the ground. He landed on his back with a grunt and a hiss of pain. For a moment he lay there, panting. She hoped he was not injured. It would be inconvenient to have such a thing happen in front of Ariya and to lose their guide.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Izurb said as he sat up, rubbing at his face as if to wipe something away, his gaze fixed on the logs as they swung back and forth, losing energy until they came to a rest. ¡°That¡¯s¡­a new one. I just saw my life flash before my eyes. I didn¡¯t think that actually happened.¡± He looked to Lusya and bowed his head. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±

    ¡°No thanks are necessary,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I did not want to expose the child to your gruesome death.¡±

    Though tiransa, much like relti, were stronger and tougher than humans, those logs still likely would have dealt enough blunt trauma to kill one and quite possible tear his body apart in the process.

    ¡°Just say, ¡®you¡¯re welcome,¡¯ for Alaka¡¯s sake,¡± he grumbled, invoking the name of a deity Lusya recognized as belonging to the pantheon of a faith practiced in many tiransa-ruled nations. He sighed and stood, then his smile reasserted itself. ¡°Whatever your reasons, I¡¯d say you¡¯ve earned yourself a discount. I¡¯ll knock what you owe me down to fifty copper.¡±

    ¡°That is for saving you?¡± she asked.

    He nodded.

    ¡°I believe it would also be appropriate to ask less since you are obviously not aware of all the traps as you implied.¡±

    He narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Now that I think about it, I probably just misjudged where we were after going around the tree, but fine. I¡¯ll make it forty. But not a single copper less. Unless I fall into another trap, that is.¡±

    ¡°I hope that doesn¡¯t happen,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That was scary. What¡¯s a gruesome death?¡±

    ¡°It is not important, child,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°But I want to know.¡±

    ¡°I will not explain it to you.¡± Lusya looked to Izurb. ¡°Neither will you.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s your kid. Kind of.¡±

    Ariya let out a dejected whine but did not press the issue.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving,¡± Izurb said. ¡°I¡¯m going to get us back on my usual route now, so be extra careful until we¡¯re there.¡±

 Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°This is the end of the road for me,¡± Izurb announced as he stopped and turned to face Lusya and Ariya. ¡°Clearwood is just down the road.¡± He pointed into the distance, presumably toward the village. The direction he was pointing did not actually align with the road at all. ¡°Take a left at the fork up ahead and you¡¯ll be there before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the directions and for your services,¡± Lusya said. She pulled forty copper coins from her purse and handed them to him. ¡°Here is your payment.¡±

    He had not stumbled into any additional traps after the one the previous day. As such, he had proved helpful. Without him, she would have had little choice but to avoid the entire trapped area. That could have delayed her by days or more.

    ¡°Do you really have to go?¡± Ariya asked in a small voice, pouting. ¡°It was fun having you with us.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Course it was. Meeting new people is always fun. Traveling with them is even better. But no journey lasts forever. I¡¯ve gotta head home now. Maybe we¡¯ll meet again if you drop back by in Gavamir someday.¡±

    "¡®Always fun¡¯ seems an overstatement to me,¡± Lusya said. She would not deny meeting new people could be interesting and she had not minded Izurb¡¯s company, but there were certainly times when encounters could be unpleasant.

    It was also doubtful they would ever see each other again, but she decided to keep that to herself. She did not want to arouse suspicion or concern from Ariya.

    ¡°Well, maybe not always, but most of the time,¡± Ariya said, frowning. She turned her attention back to Izurb and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll come visit and see if you fixed your script.¡±

    Izurb chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°I sure hope I have. Can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t catch that. Safe travels, you two.¡±

    ¡°You as well,¡± Lusya said.

    He gave her a nod and a grin and marched back toward Gavamir. Lusya watched for a moment, then turned away and started walking. Ariya took a second to realize Lusya was moving, then ran to catch up and settled into a walk beside Lusya.

    It was an uneventful walk down the road. There were no obstacles and distractions for some time. A wagon drove past, but the driver did not stop or acknowledge them in any way.

    At first, they walked in silence, which suited Lusya just fine. At some point, however, Ariya seemed to tire of it.

    ¡°What are we gonna do in Clearwater?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The village¡¯s name is Clearwood,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°And we will stay the night at an inn and leave tomorrow morning.¡±

    She was not sure what else the child expected they would do. Even on the off chance there was anything of interest in the village, Lusya was not going to waste time sightseeing.

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Why can¡¯t we ever stay anywhere for a little bit?¡±

    ¡°Because we have a destination to reach.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Ariya said, as if she had forgotten. ¡°But like, a day would be fine, right?¡±

    ¡°No. Time is of the essence.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±

    They reached the fork in the road before long and followed Izurb¡¯s instructions. Going by the fact that there was no sign of the town yet, they still had quite some walking to do. After about twenty minutes, however, something caught Lusya¡¯s attention on the side of the road. A mangled shape several dozen feet off the side of the road.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ariya asked, pointing at the form.

    She started to run toward it, but only made it a couple steps before Lusya grabbed her by the dress and pulled her back.

    ¡°It is nothing important,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya pouted and stomped a foot. ¡°But I wanna know!¡±

    Lusya blinked. In truth, she was curious as well. As long as the child behaved, there was no harm in indulging that curiosity. It may have been beneficial, even.

    ¡°I will investigate and tell you if it is anything interesting,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Does that satisfy you?¡±

    Ariya made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a contemplative hum and sighed. ¡°I guess. But I wanna see it too if it¡¯s cool.¡±

    ¡°That will be decided after my investigation,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°You will stay here until I say otherwise.¡±

    Ariya gave a huff, followed by a hesitant, resigned nod. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya approached the shape. As she drew near, it was obvious what it was: a wagon. Specifically, a covered wagon that had been turned onto its side. The front half had also been crushed, the driver¡¯s seat included. There were no horses to be seen and the reigns on the ground nearby appeared to have been snapped in half. Perhaps torn would have been more accurate. The ends were stringy and frayed. Whatever had severed them, it had not been a clean cut. Droplets of blood on and around them suggested the horses had not simply run off.

    It was doubtful the other inhabitants of the wagon had had much less tragic a fate. She could see some dark spots on the cover from the outside. When she circled around and crouched to peer into the wagon, her suspicion that those spots were blood was confirmed. It was hard to tell how old the blood was, but it was not fresh. It had already dried and changed from the vibrant red of fresh blood to the dull, sickly brown of that which had been spilled some time ago. The unique metallic smell of blood hung in the air, but it was faint, further indicating that this wagon had been destroyed some time ago.

    There were no people nor corpses in the back, though that was not to say there were no remains. A single severed arm lied limp and distended on the ground, half propped up against the entrance. It was pale as a sheet, with insects buzzing about and maggots squirming inside the open end. Its rancid scent was still thick within the carriage.

    The wagon had been the victim of some kind of attack, that much was obvious. From what or whom was harder to say. Bandits were a possibility, but they were not often so thorough in cleaning the sites of their attacks. They got what they needed and left. The way the carriage had been crushed also made it unlikely. It was not impossible bandits could have done that with sufficient resources, planning, or perhaps a member proficient in motomancy.

    However, it also seemed excessive, more than a simple robbery demanded. On top of that, bandits or thieves would typically want to leave anything with potential use or value intact. The wagon seemed to meet those criteria.

    She knew of no animals that could cause this type of damage. None that lived in this area of Ysuge, at least. She had heard tell of larger animals that lived on other continents.

    That left one plausible option: a demon. It could have been low-rank or minor-rank. The former was more likely. They were more common, and this level of thoroughness was uncharacteristic of minor-ranks, who were little more than beasts with heightened aggression. One would expect an attack by them to have left behind plenty of gore to find.

    Despite their best efforts, mortals could not rid the world of demons. Demons were formed of Malice and Malice was birthed from the hearts of sapient life, both mortals themselves and the very demons Malice created. The Demon King had always been slain so far, and many other demons were often killed in the process. The Sacred Knights also made defeating any high-rank demons they became aware of a high priority.

    Extermination, however, was infeasible, if not impossible. A new demon could spawn at any time in just about any place and go years without causing enough trouble to land in the Sacred Knights¡¯ sights. That did not mean they were not harming anyone, just too little to draw attention to themselves. And while low-rank demons were primitive beings, they were not without intelligence, unlike the minor-ranks. A low-rank could go into hiding or be selective about their targets. With Father¡¯s death just six months prior, many had likely become more cautious.

    Whatever had destroyed the wagon, Lusya would not allow the child to see it. She did not think the child had a sufficient understanding of mortality or the world in general to draw the right conclusions, but there was no sense in risking it. If nothing else, the stench was unpleasant and Lusya saw no reason to expose the child to it.

    Lusya stood and returned to Ariya.

    ¡°Well?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°It is an abandoned and damaged wagon,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I do not know why it is in that state.¡±

    Ariya looked at the wagon and pursed her lips. ¡°Do you think the people are okay?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say for certain.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said, her gaze still on the wagon. She smiled and looked up at Lusya. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine. We can go now.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Then come. We have wasted enough time here.¡±

    #

    Lusya had not expected Clearwood to be bursting with life. It was a larger town than the likes of Riverglade, but still a tiny village in the grand scheme. After Gavamir, the contrast was almost comical. She could see just three buildings with more than one floor, and few of the buildings were more than ten feet across. Most had been constructed of wood as well, rather than the stone or brick favored in Gavamir. A quiet town with a few residents out and about had been her expectation.

    Instead, the streets were deserted. There was not a soul to be seen. It was evening, but early evening. Lusya would have not expected the town¡¯s inhabitants to have shut themselves away before the sun had even set.

    It was clear that the town itself was not abandoned. Lusya could sense the Malice of dozens of mortals in their homes. Even if she could not have, many of the buildings glowed from within with light. There was shuffling, whispering, and the occasional sobbing from the insides of homes as well.

    Nor did it seem the town had been attacked or occupied. There were no signs of a struggle, every building was perfectly intact, and no guards one would expect from an army or bandit group using the town as a base.

    Yet everybody seemed to have shut themselves away as if hiding from something. A few peered out their windows as Lusya passed, but that was as close to interaction as they got. Was it her they feared? Lusya knew that small towns could be hostile to newcomers, but this seemed a little extreme.

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°They appear to be taking shelter in their homes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am unsure why.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they heard you were coming. You are kind of scary sometimes.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I frighten you?¡±

    ¡°Not anymore, now that I know you¡¯re a nice lady,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Lusya did not think many people would agree with that assessment. ¡°In any case, it seems unlikely I am the cause of this.¡±

    It was possible someone had seen travelers approaching and that, for some reason, that had spurred the town into this lockdown. However, it was doubtful they knew who Lusya was specifically. Few mortals even knew she existed, even among the likes of the Sacred Knights. Which left the question of why travelers were cause for such behavior. And so, the state of the town remained a mystery. With nobody around, she could not even inquire about the situation. All she could do was hope the inn was still operating.

    They were already approaching the inn. It was one of the few buildings with what appeared to be two floors. The sign outside had been freshly painted, indicating the building as the ¡°Feral Rabbit Inn.¡± That odd choice of name was accompanied by a picture of a giant rabbit with spiked fur locked in combat with an armored swordsman.

    Although such inns often doubled as taverns and social space for the locals, this one was as sedate as the rest of the village. There appeared to be a handful of patrons inside¡ªthat, or the inn had a much larger than necessary staff¡ªbut there were no heated conversations or drunken merriment to be heard.

    At least that answered the question of whether or not it was operating, though it was still possible they would refuse guests for the night. Lusya did not have long to ponder that, however. One of the patrons came into view through the window as she neared. He seemed to see her as well. His eyes widened and he scrambled out of his seat and away from the window.

    A moment later, the door opened, and a different man stormed out onto the wooden deck stretching across the front of the building.

    ¡°Fool girls, what are you doing out here?¡± he shouted to Lusya. He was a human. Though he looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, his brown hair was already thinning. ¡°Hurry up and get in here.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s mean,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Why is he yelling?¡±

    ¡°I am unsure,¡± Lusya replied. She was not aware of anything she or Ariya might have done to draw his ire.

    The man let out a groan. ¡°I¡¯m yelling because I don¡¯t want you get eaten. So come inside already!¡±

    So, he was concerned for their safety. Why did he sound angry, then? That seemed likely to provoke the opposite of the desired response.

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will enter.¡±

    Ariya shook her head and made a couple exaggerated grunts. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go into the meanie inn.¡±

    ¡°It is our best option, and you have no input on this decision,¡± Lusya said. Ariya pouted at her. ¡°If he is ¡®mean¡¯ again, I will correct him.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll beat him up?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°That depends on him. Come along. I will simply move you if you insist on being disobedient.¡±

    Ariya sighed and hung her head in apparent resignation. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya led the way into the inn. Despite his earlier demeanor and her implicit threats, the innkeeper regarded both her and Ariya with a bemused smirk as they walked past him into the establishment. Once he had shut the door behind them, however, he sighed and and frowned at them, crossing his arms over his chest.

    ¡°By the shadowlands, what are you doing in Clearwood?¡± he asked. ¡°You got a death wish?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked, once then once more. ¡°I do not understand the nature of your question. I am not aware of any factors making Clearwood particularly dangerous.¡±

    The innkeeper clicked his tongue and turned to look at another man sitting at the edge of the room. ¡°Loc, looks like we¡¯ve got our answer!¡± the innkeeper shouted.

    The other man, Loc, smiled and raised a mug as if in toast.

    ¡°I was hoping word had gotten out by now,¡± the innkeeper said with a sigh. ¡°If only so we could get help faster.¡± He clicked his tongue again and hesitated before continuing. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to alarm you, but we have a bit of demon problem.¡±

    So, the humans were hiding in fear of a demon, perhaps the same one that had attacked that wagon. Though it was hard to be certain. It was even possible the villagers had attributed some mundane problem to a demon. It was not unheard of for mortals to do that. She did recall Izurb¡¯s plants mentioning a demon problem north of Gavamir, but that could have been a coincidence.

    ¡°I thought all the demons were gone or hiding,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya gave her a shushing gesture and turned back to the innkeeper. Knowing more about this threat could be helpful when Lusya and Ariya set out again the next day. ¡°What do you mean by a demon problem?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what it sounds like,¡± the innkeeper said with a scowl. ¡°There¡¯s a demon living not too far from the town. I haven¡¯t seen it myself, but I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s bigger than a house. Already killed a handful of travelers and a few townsfolk who were stupid enough to go out with it prowling around. It¡¯s been making a snack of some of the livestock a farmer just west of the village has got too. Luckily, the old man¡¯s been smart enough not to try to stop it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I was going to say Izurb was bigger than the houses here, but that doesn¡¯t sound like him.¡±

    ¡°While humans mistaking tiransa for demons is not unheard of,¡± Lusya said, ¡°it was never plausible that the demon in question was him.¡±

    ¡°Okay. What¡¯s plausible mean?¡±

    ¡°Likely.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Have you sent for aid from the Sacred Knights?¡± Lusya asked the innkeeper.

    He nodded. ¡°Of course we have. We sent the messenger in the opposite direction from where the demon lives. We even had someone escort him part of the way and come back, so we would know he didn¡¯t get eaten.¡±

    ¡°But of course, we haven¡¯t got a response,¡± an older man sitting at a nearby table said. ¡°Just some small village in the middle of nowhere. Course they¡¯re not gonna help us. City-slicker Sacred Knights probably wouldn¡¯t even do it right.¡±

    ¡°Considering you would not be in this predicament if you knew how to kill demons, I am curious what grounds you have to draw that conclusion,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Watch your tongue, missy,¡± the man replied. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t smack a mouthy lady to put ¡®er in ¡®er place.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll smack you too if¡ª¡±

    ¡°You will be harmed far worse if you place a hand on her,¡± Lusya said.

    The man grumbled something unintelligible, took a swig of his drink, and then stared into his mug, seemingly trying to ignore them.

    ¡°It is true that we haven¡¯t gotten any word back yet,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°It¡¯s been a couple months since this started and about one since we sent out our message. Can¡¯t imagine why it¡¯s taking so long.¡±

    ¡°Did this messenger take a carriage or a wagon?¡± Lusya asked.

    The innkeeper quirked and eyebrow, then shook his head. ¡°No, he just rode his horse. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°It is not important. In that case, it is not surprising you have not heard back. The closest Sacred Knight stronghold is close to a month¡¯s travel on foot,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is less on horseback, but a month for a message to get there and a reply to arrive is not unreasonable.¡±

    The innkeeper sighed. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve got a point. Hard to think of it that way when everyone¡¯s on edge.¡±

    ¡°I am curious, did you send your messenger toward Gavamir?¡± she asked. If the mention in Izurb¡¯s script was a result of the messenger telling people in Gavamir, it made even more sense.

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±

    ¡°That is a little out of the way,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It will have delayed your response further.¡±

    The innkeeper¡¯s jaw dropped, and he went as still as if he had died for a moment. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re joking.¡±

    ¡°There is no reason I would do that, and I do not understand why you would want me to lie.¡±

    He buried his face in his hands and groaned. ¡°We thought¡­There¡¯s not a stronghold in Gavamir? Or at least close by?¡±

    ¡°There is not,¡± Lusya said with a shake of her head. ¡°As I said, the closest is over a month away, while Gavamir is a couple days. The stronghold is also to the northeast, while Gavamir is southeast of here.¡±

    ¡°I thought every city had one.¡±

    ¡°You were incorrect.¡±

    Though many cities were home to or near the Sacred Knights¡¯ so-called strongholds, many were not. Most, in fact. Some strongholds were also in or near smaller communities or freestanding. Lusya had known many of their locations to begin with and had taken care to brush up before starting her journey.

    Though they were called strongholds, many were not designed to be defensible in their own right. Those in cities, especially, served as barracks and information centers, where citizens could ask for aid or report suspected demon activity. Even their vaunted ¡°grand strongholds,¡± all of which had started as actual fortresses, had become less tenable as they had expanded.

    Gavamir did not have a stronghold. The best the messenger could hope for there was to run into a group on some other assignment by coincidence, much like she had.

    ¡°And we thought we were being clever, sending him away from the demon. Now we find out we should have just sent him around,¡± the innkeeper said with a shake of his hanging head. He looked at Lusya with wide eyes. ¡°Still, if Gavamir¡¯s so close, it can¡¯t have been a huge delay, right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It will not have been long, assuming they found out where to go.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not worth getting worked up over, then.¡± He let out a joyless, almost monotone chuckle. ¡°Not that that¡¯s much comfort.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head. ¡°Has the demon encroached on the town itself?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s been getting closer. It¡¯s only a matter of time, and no one wants to be first on the menu when it does show up. That¡¯s why everybody but these idiots¡­¡± he gestured across the dining room at the seated patrons. Most of them reacted to the insult with smiles and laughter. ¡°¡­is locked up tight in their house.¡±

    ¡°That will not offer much protection.¡±

    Based on what she had been told about this demon and the state of the wagon, it would have little trouble breaking through a house¡¯s walls. It may have been slowed, but not stopped.

    The innkeeper shrugged. ¡°Not much is better than nothing.¡± He sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve been letting travelers know what¡¯s happening and asking them to spread the word. But I guess it hasn¡¯t been enough.¡±

    That was not surprising. Clearwood was not a population center, nor was it a trade or travel hub. It did not have any notable landmarks or holy sites that would draw travelers or pilgrims. Even if every traveler who had passed through in two months took the situation seriously and remembered to spread the information, it would not reach very far.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you might as well stay the night,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°It¡¯ll be safer during the day, for what that¡¯s worth.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re still paying full price, though.¡±

    ¡°I have no objections to that,¡± Lusya said. She doubted this demon would pose much of a threat to her, but she had been planning to stay the night anyway.

    She looked to Ariya, who seemed lost in thought. The child was staring at Lusya, but her eyes were unfocused.

    ¡°Child, take a seat,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will take care of payment.¡±

    Ariya blinked. ¡°What? Oh, sit down? Okay.¡±

    She wandered to a nearby table and sat, though she still looked to be pondering something. Lusya decided to let her. It was probably nothing important.

 Chapter Sixteen

    ¡°Do you think you could kill the demon?¡± Ariya asked without warning over breakfast. Her eyes were wide and pleading, but she averted them the moment Lusya met her gaze.

    Ariya had continued to contemplate something all through the previous night and much of the morning. It seemed it had been that question.

    ¡°I have no doubt that I am capable of it,¡± Lusya said.

    It was all but certain that the demon causing trouble was a low-rank one. The vague description the innkeeper had given did not sound like a high-rank, and a minor-rank would not have engaged in the sporadic, persistent harassment he had implied. Lusya was comparable in strength to a high-rank demon, albeit not the strongest among them. She was still more than powerful enough to dispatch any low-rank demon.

    Ariya nodded and squirmed in her seat, looking everywhere in the room except at Lusya. ¡°Will you?¡±

    ¡°I do not intend to,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya slammed her hands onto the table and leaned forward, shaking her cup and spilling milk onto the wooden tabletop. ¡°Why not?¡± she shouted.

    She flushed and looked around, though the only other patron was an old man eating soup on the far side of the room who had shown no reaction to her outburst, and settled back into her seat.

    ¡°There is no reason it should be my responsibility,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It will take time and force us to go out of our way.¡±

    It was doubtful it would cause any significant delay, but Lusya saw little reason to accept any. She did not want to set a precedent to Ariya either, that they would go out of their way to help anyone who was struggling. Lusya had already allowed herself to be persuaded to help the caravan. Now she would establish that that would not be the norm of their travels.

    Cutting down her father¡¯s forces before his revival would also be a foolish move. Though one low-rank demon was not worth much, she would not needlessly dispatch it.

    ¡°But it¡¯s hurting people,¡± Ariya said in a wavering whimper. ¡°The man said so.¡±

    The innkeeper¡¯s wife approached with a pitcher. ¡°More milk, deary?¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°So polite,¡± the woman said as she poured the drink. ¡°You remind me of my daughters at your age.¡±

    Ariya beamed at the praise, but her smile quickly faded, and she looked at Lusya with that same wide-eyed expression, begging in silence.

    ¡°The innkeeper said only a few villagers had been harmed,¡± Lusya said. Attempting to assuage the child¡¯s fears seemed a wise move. ¡°So long as they do not act recklessly until the Sacred Knights arrive, they should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Is that what my husband told you?¡± the woman asked, one hand on her hip. ¡°Only a few got hurt because we learned to stop going out after that. You can barely take two steps out of the village without that thing pouncing on you.¡±

    Lusya was not always the best at detecting hyperbole, but this one was obvious. If that were the case, there would be little reason the demon had not already destroyed the village.

    ¡°I think the only reason it hasn¡¯t attacked us here is because it doesn¡¯t realize there¡¯s nothing we could do about it,¡± the woman said. She let out a heavy sigh. ¡°I just hope it doesn¡¯t figure it out before help gets here.¡±

    That may well have been true. In general, low-rank demons were not very bright. Many were idiots, plain and simple. Clearwood¡¯s lack of defensive capabilities was obvious at even a cursory glance, but it would not have been strange for a low-rank demon to miss it anyway. That would not last forever. Even the dullest of low-ranks would at some point realize that its victims were helpless.

    ¡°See?¡± Ariya said. ¡°They¡¯re in trouble. You¡¯ve gotta help, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Now, now, deary,¡± the woman said. ¡°If it¡¯s just you two traveling, I¡¯m sure your friend is very capable, but not just anyone can defeat a demon.¡±

    ¡°Lusya¡¯s not just anyone,¡± Ariya said. ¡°She¡¯s super strong. She even has a Sacred Blade! She¡¯s basically a Sacred Knight.¡±

    The woman turned on Lusya, eyes wide and bulging from her skull. Her mouth opened and closed several times without so much as a sound. It reminded Lusya of a fish struggling to breath. Finally, the woman swallowed and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I am not a Sacred Knight,¡± Lusya said. With a slight tilt of her head, she fixed her gaze on Ariya. ¡°And you will not say that again, child.¡± Ariya squeaked and seemed to shrink into her chair. Lusya turned her attention back to the woman. ¡°However, the rest of what she said is true.¡±

    The woman went pale and her hand shook, spilling milk onto the floor. Her other hand gripped the apron she wore over her dress, crumpling and distending it. She took a deep breath and set the pitcher down.

    ¡°I¡­recognize that this¡­isn¡¯t your problem,¡± the woman said. She spoke in slow, halting bursts. It was obvious she was choosing her words carefully. ¡°But I¡¯m sure we can find a way to compensate you for your services. We don¡¯t have much in this town, but if everybody pitched in¡­¡±

    ¡°I am unsure you could compensate me for this single task,¡± Lusya said, ¡°let alone the precedent it would set. I do not wish you harm, but we are on a time-sensitive journey. I must decline your offer.¡±

    The woman frowned for a split-second, then broke into a smile and grabbed her pitcher. ¡°Yes, of course, I understand. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage. Best of luck in your travels.¡±

    ¡°That is appreciated,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Best of luck to you as well.¡±

    The woman nodded and walked away without a word, though she did sniffle when her back was turned.

    Lusya took one last bite of her meal and stood. ¡°We are leaving, child.¡±

    Ariya looked to the retreating woman, then to Lusya. The child was still pouting and her eyes appeared watery. ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have made my decision. Come.¡±

    Ariya sighed and nodded. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    They exited the inn. Although there had been light snow overnight, the village was more active now, much like Lusya had expected the previous day. Townsfolk stood outside their homes and talked in hush tones. A few others walked by on the street.

    Like the innkeeper had implied, the people of this village seemed to believe the common, foolish mortal superstition that demons were more active at night. The supposed reasons for that varied, but they were irrelevant seeing as the base claim was untrue. Depending on what one was attempting to achieve, a demon might attempt to use the cover of night to their advantage, but there was no inherent reason a demon would avoid daytime activity.

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    If the low-rank demon was terrorizing the village for its own sake and did not care for stealth, day or night made little difference. That was assuming it was smart enough to use the night if it had cared.

    Lusya led the way to the northwest. She did not know exactly where the proper exit from the village was, but she did know where it would be in general, based on how the road went on the map. It would not be difficult to find the more precise location and continue in their travels.

    Then Ariya stopped in the middle of the street. Lusya turned to look back at the child and cocked her head.

    ¡°Why have you stopped?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you help here?¡± Ariya asked. She sniffled and let out a shuddering sob. ¡°You said you could.¡±

    ¡°We have a duty,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If we stopped to help everybody with a problem, it could take years to finish. This village¡¯s struggles are simply not my responsibility, nor are they yours.¡±

    Tears were streaming down Ariya¡¯s face now, even as she tried to wipe them away. ¡°Mama¡­Mama says that if you can help, you should. Papa too.¡±

    ¡°I do not agree with your parents¡¯ assessment,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Nor am I bound by their opinions. My only obligation to them is to protect you as I promised. Confronting this demon is not necessary to that goal.¡±

    A strangled whine escaped Ariya¡¯s throat. She stomped her feet and held her lips tight together. They quivered as though something were struggling to pry them open from within. When they did open a loud wail escaped followed by a series of sobs.

    ¡°No, you have to help!¡± she screamed. Lusya¡¯s eyes widened, and she took a step back in surprise at the outburst. Eyes turned to them, and villagers whispered and muttered to each other. ¡°Why are you so mean? If you don¡¯t help it¡¯s gonna be your fault when they get hurt, and it¡¯s gonna be my fault for not convincing you, and I don¡¯t like that. So, you¡¯ve gotta help or I¡¯ll hate you, Lusya!¡±

    That seemed to be her limit for keeping her tirade intelligible. Once again, she trailed off into sobs, eyes fixed on the ground as she rubbed at them. The seed of Malice that had laid inert for so long within her chest bubbled and swelled. It seemed Lusya had not been left with much choice. It would be a shame to have to restart over the life of a low-rank demon and a few hours.

    ¡°Child, calm yourself,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya let out a choked hiccup and looked up, her face stained red both by anger and the tears and snot flowing down it. ¡°You¡ªYou have to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I will aid the village, child,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked, voice tinged with hope and doubt in equal measure. ¡°You promise?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I promise. So there is no need to be upset.¡±

    Ariya sniffled. Her tears seemed to have stopped, and she wiped away the last of them, along with the mucus strewn below her nose, on the sleeve of her coat.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°As long as you help.¡±

    The child¡¯s Malice seemed to have stabilized. With any luck, the excess would be gone within a couple hours. Mortals often seemed to see Malice as something that grew without end, but that was untrue. The mere existence of demons showed that one vented Malice over time.

    This happened over time, through various mechanisms, with some variance between individuals. Some emotions, such as rage, had a tendency to vent Malice as well as increase that within the person. People also vented Malice passively most of the time, which would accelerate if it reached a certain maximum threshold that varied from person-to-person and could be increased through a variety of methods, such as training in motomancy, obtaining a Blade and its Full Release, or meditation.

    In most mortals, this passive venting led to constant fluctuation. However, given that the child¡¯s Malice had been exceptionally stable so far, Lusya was hopeful it would return to its baseline. Whether its behavior was something particular to Ariya or the simple mind of a child at work, Lusya did not know. It may well have been both.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Lusya said as she reversed course.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ariya asked, though she followed along regardless.

    ¡°I am going to ask the innkeeper where we can find this demon. I would like to avoid having to search for it.¡±

    ¡°But you said¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what I said,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If necessary, I will seek the creature out.¡±

    Ariya replied with a silent nod.

    Lusya did not think hunting down the demon would be too difficult if she was forced to do it. It would be obvious as soon as it got close enough for her to sense. However, it could still eat up time if she got unlucky with where she chose to start. If the villagers could give her a general idea, that would be preferable.

    She threw open the door to the inn and entered the dining room. Save for the old man from before, who had moved to the counter to drink, the place was deserted. Excepting the innkeeper and his wife of course.

    The innkeeper looked up with wide eyes as she entered. His wife came out from the back area a moment later. It looked like she, too, had been crying, and her Malice had elevated from before, though Lusya was not sure why. She supposed it had been her refusal, but that was not very illuminating. Said refusal had left the woman exactly where she had been, and she had not had any reason to believe or expect that Lusya would agree. Disappointment, perhaps, would have been reasonable, but sorrow to the point of crying was bewildering.

    ¡°Did you forget something, deary?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything when I checked your room just now.¡±

    ¡°I would like to know where I can find the demon threatening this village,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do you have any idea where it might be hiding?¡±

    ¡°Did you change your mind? Will you help us?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I was persuaded to aid you.¡±

    The woman cleared her throat and smiled. ¡°We know it¡¯s to the northeast of the village, but we¡¯re not sure where.¡±

    Back the way they had come, at least in part. Unfortunate, but Lusya supposed she could do nothing now but keep her word and mollify the child.

    ¡°I have a hunch, actually,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Can¡¯t say I have any proof it¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°That is fine,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I used to be a hunter, until I got gored real bad by a buck. Barely survived, couldn¡¯t get back out there. Luckily the old innkeeper didn¡¯t have any kids to take over, so he sold the place to me for cheap.¡± He coughed into one hand and blushed. ¡°Sorry, got a little caught up in the memories. Point is, there¡¯s a pretty big cave around half a day¡¯s hike due northeast. If I was a demon the size of a house, that¡¯s where I¡¯d want to hide out between rampages.¡±

    ¡°I will start my search by assuming it is there, then,¡± Lusya said. She returned to the door with Ariya in tow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call everybody together, see what we can scrape together to pay you,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°I can¡¯t promise much, but we¡¯ll have something by the time you get back.¡±

    She looked back at him and shook her head. ¡°I do not require payment and I will not be returning. Rest assured that the threat will be taken care of.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to leave the girl with us?¡± his wife asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°The safest place for her is with me,¡± Lusya replied.

    Without waiting for any response the innkeeper or his wife might have given, Lusya turned to walk out of the inn with Ariya. Though leaving the child behind might have kept her safe, it did come with risks of its own. Left unsupervised, Ariya might let enough details slip to make others suspicious. Since Lusya was sure she could protect the child, there was no need to take such risks.

    However, Lusya paused at the door as she remembered something she wanted to know. She turned back to the innkeeper.

    ¡°As my reward, you will answer one question for me,¡± she said.

    He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Why is your inn named the ¡®Feral Rabbit?¡¯¡± she asked.

    The innkeeper blinked with a blank expression, then burst into a fit of booming laughter. He slapped the counter twice, then took a deep breath and managed to speak. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s just¡­That¡¯s all you need? After you didn¡¯t even want to get involved?¡± He chuckled and shook his head. ¡°But, if you¡¯ll be satisfied with it, fine. I made a bet with Milon. He was the best carpenter in town. If I won, he made me a new sign for free. If I lost, I paid and he got to rename the place. I lost.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I have no idea why he thought ¡®Feral Rabbit¡¯ was so funny, though.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head. ¡°Was?¡±

    ¡°He died last year,¡± he said. He hurried to continue, as if it mattered to Lusya how the man had died. ¡°Nothing to do with the demon. Fever took him.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. Farewell.¡±

    The innkeeper chortled and nodded. ¡°Good luck out there.¡±

    That matter settled, Lusya left and began making her way out of the village.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t we coming back?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we let them know when we¡¯re done?¡±

    ¡°I am already sacrificing time for this,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not wish to waste any more.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine, as long as you beat up the demon.¡±

    ¡°I will attempt to reason with it first,¡± Lusya replied.

    That was part of why she did not want to return. She doubted she would be able to explain her decision in a way that would satisfy the villagers.

    ¡°You can do that?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°In the stories, the heroes always have to fight the demons.¡±

    ¡°It is not impossible.¡±

    Ariya gave an impressed hum and was silent for a moment.

    ¡°Okay, but why?¡± she asked.

    Lusya tilted her head just a bit. ¡°Depending on the demon¡¯s strength, it may be more efficient. Does it matter how I neutralize the threat?¡±

    ¡°How you what?¡± Ariya asked, her brow knit in a confused scowl.

    ¡°How I stop the demon.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ariya pursed her lips, seeming to consider that for a moment. ¡°I guess not.¡±

    ¡°Good, then come along. I would like to finish this as quickly as possible.¡±

 Chapter Seventeen

    Ariya and Lusya had to walk a long way to get to the cave the nice innkeeper had mentioned. It had been early in the morning when they left town, but now the sun was about as high as it got in the sky, though, it was also starting to hide behind the clouds that had rolled in. Lusya had only allowed one short break during the whole trek.

    Ariya didn¡¯t feel as tired as she would have expected and it did make sense to take care of the demon as soon as they could, so she tried not to complain about it. She had already convinced Lusya to do this in the first place and Ariya had been able to tell that her badgering had been annoying Lusya, especially when Ariya had called her a Sacred Knight. Lusya disliked them more than she had let on, but Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why. Now Lusya seemed fine, but it was still best for Ariya not to push her luck with any more demands for a little bit.

    So, they walked onward for who knew how long, snow crunching and twigs snapping underfoot. Despite the snow on the ground, it was actually pretty warm, so Ariya took off her coat and carried it. She considered asking Lusya to put it in her pack, but Ariya wasn¡¯t sure if that would be too demanding.

    Ariya didn¡¯t regret convincing Lusya to do this, though. How Ariya had done it was another matter. She wasn¡¯t proud of throwing a tantrum, or of saying she would hate Lusya. Lusya had already saved Ariya so many times. There was no way Ariya could hate her, and saying so was just mean. Lusya had been mean too, but Mama always said that didn¡¯t make it okay to be mean back. Ariya had heard that lots of times after arguing with Jak.

    It was as the sun reached its apex¡ªand also slipped completely behind the clouds¡ªthat they came about a craggy mass of rock, like a miniature mountain. Ariya could just make out a hole on one side, which must have been the cave. Lusya slung off her pack and left it leaning against a tree as it came into view and Ariya took the opportunity to put down her coat on top of the pack. Lusya stopped several dozen feet away from the cave. Ariya stopped beside her and cocked her head.

    ¡°Get behind me, child,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is here.¡±

    ¡°You can tell?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya nodded and Ariya hurried to stand behind her. It might have been a little dangerous, but Ariya couldn¡¯t help herself from peeking around Lusya to watch what was happening.

    There was a series of thuds and stomps from inside the cave. Then, a huge hand appeared to grip at the edge. It was a sickly, grayish green color, with yellow nails that were jagged and overgrown. The stone forming the edge of the cave crumbled into rubble under the hand¡¯s grip. The hand¡¯s owner walked out a second later and tossed aside the broken shards of rock. He must have been the demon, and he was a giant. The innkeeper hadn¡¯t been exaggerating when he said the demon was the size of a house. And he hadn¡¯t meant a small house, either. This demon had to be over twice as tall as Izurb, and that was with the hunched posture the demon walked with, its neck bent forward. It could have stepped on Ariya¡¯s house.

    It was vaguely shaped like a person, but, even without accounting for its size or strange color, it was all wrong. The arms were too long and rippled with misshapen and distorted muscles that squirmed beneath the skin like worms. The legs were just a touch too short, and the head¡­there was barely anything that could be called one. A long, sinuous neck just ended in a rounded nub with a single bulbous eye and a mouth beneath. A series of whisker-like growths hung down along the length of its neck, jiggling and swaying with every step.

    The demon strode toward them. He was clad in just a loincloth, which Ariya tried not to look up. Even if he was a demon, she wanted to respect his privacy.

    This was it. Lusya was going to talk to the demon. Ariya was still amazed she would even try. In all the stories about heroes fighting demons Ariya had read, they only had proper conversations when the demon was trying to trick the hero.

    The demon stopped a dozen or so feet away and squatted down, his eye locked on Lusya. He let out a laugh, a high-pitched noise that almost sounded like he was wheezing.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty weird. I almost thought you were one of those humans,¡± he said. Like his laugh, his voice sounded much too high for something of his size, with a slight nasal tone to it. ¡°But I don¡¯t mind having a visitor.¡± He looked to Ariya, making a chill run up her spine despite the warm weather, and a long tongue emerged from his mouth, licking around his jaw and over his open eyeball. ¡°You even brought me a tasty snack.¡±

    Ariya shivered and shrunk back. She clung to Lusya¡¯s cloak and hid herself behind it.

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    ¡°The child is not for you to eat,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I have come to discuss your recent activities.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± the demon let out a shrill hum. It almost hurt Ariya¡¯s ears. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t have a little bite?¡± He laughed again in that awful tone. ¡°Maybe we could have some fun too, since you seem pretty tough. I tried keeping some women alive to play with, but they all broke so quickly.¡±

    ¡°The child is not for eating and I am not for your entertainment,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do not ask again. Do you have a name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Biggs,¡± he said. ¡°I came up with it myself, not that there¡¯s anyone to call me by it.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. She put a hand over one of Ariya¡¯s and gently pulled it off the cloth it was clinging to. ¡°Release me and stay where you are, child.¡±

    Ariya hesitated a moment, then reluctantly opened her other hand. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Biggs,¡± Lusya said, pointing toward his cave. ¡°Follow me. We will speak over there.¡±

    She walked toward the cave and Biggs moved back there as well. They did not enter it, but stopped just outside the entrance. She gestured for him to lower and he crouched and leaned in toward her.

    Lusya started speaking, too quiet for Ariya to hear. Biggs nodded along with whatever she was saying. He would occasionally look at Ariya or comment. It seemed like he was trying to keep his voice down, but it was still loud enough for Ariya to catch a lot of what he said.

    ¡°Hmm¡­So that¡¯s why you¡¯re weird¡­Really?¡± He glanced up at Ariya. ¡°And that¡¯s the girl? Uh-huh¡­That would be nice¡­But the humans in that village are so tasty¡­I don¡¯t know. I guess you have a point.¡±

    Lusya nodded and said something else, then started walking back toward Ariya. Biggs watched Lusya in silence for a second, then let out a loud sigh.

    ¡°But I really want to eat those villagers,¡± he said.

    Lusya stopped and looked back at him. She was close enough now that Ariya could just make out her words.

    ¡°Restrain yourself,¡± she said. ¡°If you have the intelligence to do any sort of cost-benefit analysis, then resist temptation and bide your time.¡±

    Biggs¡¯ one eye narrowed, and his tongue once again lashed over what passed for his face. When his tongue returned to his mouth, Ariya could see his own saliva dripping down his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure that your plan is going to work.¡±

    ¡°I will succeed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And you will die if you do not heed my commands.¡±

    Biggs let out a low, rumbling growl, his gaze locked on Lusya, who stared right back at him. He broke eye contact first, looking off to the side and grumbling something incoherent to himself. Ariya wasn¡¯t even sure he was saying any actual words. He slammed one of his fists into the ground with a boom, sending up a plume of snow and dirt.

    ¡°Good,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Stay in hiding until further notice.¡± She continued returning to Ariya and waved forward when she got close. ¡°Go ahead of me, child.¡±

    Ariya nodded and turned. Normally she was next to or behind Lusya, but Ariya wasn¡¯t going to complain about putting Lusya between her and that monster. It seemed like Lusya¡¯s plan to talk to him had worked, but he was still scary. Even now, not even looking at him, she felt so scared she feared her legs would give out.

    They had only taken a few steps when Biggs let out a rage-filled roar that shook the ground around them. Ariya heard a serious of rumbles, like trees falling, and turned to see that the source was Biggs, charging at them and making those awful sounds with each footfall.

    ¡°Screw the Demon King!¡± he screamed. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    He raised a massive fist to strike at them and punched. Lusya turned, almost casually, and put out a hand as if to catch the blow. Biggs¡¯ attack crashed into her palm with a deafening bang.

    Now, even if people said she was smart for her age, Ariya knew there was a lot she didn¡¯t know or understand about the world. One thing she was pretty sure about, though, was that you usually didn¡¯t break your arm swatting a fly.

    Yet, even though the giant¡¯s fist was bigger than Lusya¡¯s entire body, it was his arm that crumpled like paper with a horrible crunching sound as his blow struck. The limb scrunched up as it collapsed, splinters of shattered bone stabbing out from its flesh. Sprays of black-colored blood spurted from the wounds to stain the ground and run down what was left of his arm.

    And Lusya stood unharmed. The only effect the impact had had was knocking off her hood and making her cloak flutter a little.

    ¡°Foolish creature,¡± she said, with a hint of irritation, which itself was some of the most emotion Ariya had ever heard from Lusya.

    Biggs¡¯ wrecked arm fell to hang limp at his side. It had looked wrong before, but now it was so damaged it didn¡¯t even look like an arm. Despite the fact that he had just tried to crush her, Ariya couldn¡¯t stop herself from feeling a pang of sympathy for him as she looked at it. He bared his teeth in a snarl. They were yellowed like his nails and erratic in shape. A sharp canine and a blunt molar sat right beside each other at the front.

    With a thunderous roar of pain and anger, his remaining arm came swinging around in a sweeping, open-palmed blow.

    Lusya moved to block it so quick Ariya saw little more than blur, then Lusya was someplace else. She caught the incoming hand and splintered bone blossomed from the flesh. The wrist bent at an unnatural angle with a painful snap when momentum tried to carry the arm onward while Lusya held firm.

    While she was watching in wide-eyed fear and awe, Ariya didn¡¯t notice something flying at her until it was too late. A piece of some kind of debris struck her in the shoulder and tore through her dress and skin. She let out a cry of pain and stumbled back until she toppled onto her bottom.

    She felt warmth radiating from her shoulder and something wet. She craned her neck to see a gash with blood leaking out. Fighting back tears, she prodded at the cut. The stinging that brought forced her to pull her hand back, fingers stained with droplets of crimson.

    She tried not to cry. She really did. But it wasn¡¯t long before she let out an anguished wail that faded into powerful sobs while tears streamed down her cheeks.

 Chapter Eighteen

    Lusya looked back as the child sat on the ground, weeping and shrieking. The piece of debris flying out from the impact had not escaped Lusya¡¯s notice, but she had not wanted to give the demon an opening by addressing it and had hoped it would miss. Instead, it seemed it had struck Ariya in the arm. The wound did not appear to be major, but that did not change that Ariya was crying out, the seed of Malice that had almost returned to normal after her previous outburst now growing with every passing second.

    It occurred to Lusya that this may well have been the first time Ariya was harmed by the malicious, intentional actions of another. Perhaps that was the cause, or perhaps the child¡¯s pain tolerance was simply low. Whatever the case, Lusya needed to do something about it.

    She shoved on the low-rank demon¡¯s hand, flinging it and the rest of the arm back and knocking the creature off-balance. Then, she leaped toward him and kicked him in the chest, using motomancy to strengthen the blow and let out a wave of force on impact.

    With a shout, the demon went flying backward until he landed on his back and tumbled end-over-end across the field. That would buy some time. She had heard and felt his ribcage shatter under her attack, and she had sent him well-past his cave¡¯s entrance, almost one-hundred feet away.

    She rushed over to Ariya and knelt beside the child. Lusya put a hand on the child¡¯s unwounded shoulder and gave her a light shake.

    ¡°Child, calm yourself,¡± Lusya said. Ariya gave no response and kept on weeping. ¡°Child, listen to me.¡±

    ¡°B-but, it h-hurts!¡± the child wailed. She let out a wordless scream, then her sobs and tears continued unabated. ¡°It won¡¯t stop! Why did he hurt me?¡±

    This was bad. At this rate, she would be unusable in minutes. Lusya would have to start over. And the spirit of her oath demanded she do what she could to prevent that. But how? How could she get the child¡¯s attention? Maybe there was one thing she could do, something she had noticed the parents in the caravan do, and that her own father had done when he had wanted her focus.

    Lusya put a hand on Ariya¡¯s head. The child looked up at it and her sobs seemed to weaken a little.

    ¡°Ariya,¡± Lusya said, raising her voice just a bit. Ariya¡¯s gaze lowered from the hand to make eye contact with Lusya. ¡°You are all right. Your wound is not serious, and I will treat it as soon as I am done here. So, stop crying and bear with it.¡±

    The child¡¯s sobs slowed and weakened. She gave a powerful sniffle, sucking up some mucus that had been leaking from her nose, and nodded.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Lusya said. Father had praised her with those words. She did not know if she was using them correctly, but it was the best she could do.

    She raised and lowered her hand twice, patting the child¡¯s head. The gesture felt awkward and unnatural, but a small smile from Ariya suggested it had accomplished its intended goal.

    ¡°Cover your ears and close your eyes. I do not want you exposed to this,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya nodded and managed a grunted assent. She squeezed her eyes shut tight enough that it almost looked painful and clamped her hands over her ears with just as much strength.

    Lusya gave the child¡¯s head another pat, seeing as verbal approval would be useless, and stood. Lusya turned to face the demon who called himself Biggs. He had pushed himself to a standing position, though he was still hunched forward more than usual with his hands on his knees, vomiting onto the ground in a mixture of his black blood, yellow bile, and what appeared to be the chewed up, half-digested remains of humans he had eaten. The mixed odor of vomit and rotting flesh was the worst thing Lusya could remember smelling.

    When he had finished with that, he looked up at her, eye filled with fury and teeth bared. His chest heaved as he drew wet, strangled breaths. No doubt his lungs had been damaged when his ribs had given out. His tongue whipped out of his mouth and ran over his face until it had wrapped itself around his head before retracting. He stood to his full height and stomped toward her.

    Ariya¡¯s Malice appeared to have stabilized for the time being, but Lusya still did not want to spend long dealing with this demon. If something upset the child again, there would not be much Lusya could do. For now, she supposed she could lessen the Malice, if not by very much.

    ¡°You little bitch!¡± the demon roared. ¡°I¡¯ll eat your little friend and then we¡¯ll find out just how tough you are.¡±

    Lusya held out a hand. ¡°Come to me, Miudofay.¡±

    The demon stopped in his tracks, eye widened in fear. There was no demon who did not know that name.

    Ribbons of darkness flew in from various directions. They converged before Lusya¡¯s palm to form into the shape of a sword. Once the shape had been formed, the sword solidified into a weapon with blade and hilt black as jet, save for an engraving in red at the base of the blade, consisting of three lines shooting out from a stylized flame.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Lusya grabbed the sword as it gained mass and lowered it to her side in a relaxed stance. Despite its apparent extra steps, the formation had not been faster or slower than Lunera¡¯s manifestation by any notable degree.

    She strode toward the demon. He took a step back, quivering in terror.

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s impossible!¡± he shouted, even as he quaked in terror. ¡°It¡¯s a trick. You can¡¯t summon someone else¡¯s Demon Blade, not the Demon King¡¯s!¡±

    Lusya tilted her head, and a hint of a frown graced her lips. ¡°How ignorant of you." She took a single step forward and the low-rank demon scrambled back several more. ¡°Unlike other Blades, Miudofay is not formed from the Malice within one¡¯s own heart, but by that in all mortals¡¯ hearts. There is no reason I cannot be taught to summon it.¡±

    Of course, it had not been easy, but Father had taught her. It had been one of the few things she had ever asked of him, after discovering Lunera did not have a direct attack. Her version was weaker than his and she would likely never be able to access its Full Release, let alone the Final Release, but it was still a valued part of her arsenal.

    Though it was formed from all mortals¡¯ Malice in theory, in practice, the First Release drew primarily on ambient Malice and the closest hundred or so mortals. She had summoned it in part to draw away some of Ariya¡¯s.

    ¡°You dumb little wench!¡± he shouted at Lusya. ¡°Everything was going my way until you showed up! I¡¯ll kill you for breaking my arms!¡±

    His demeanor was not surprising, nor had been his decision to attack her. High-rank demons were blessed with higher intelligence and a full capacity for all emotions the mortal races could experience, but even then, they often exhibited a bias toward the emotions that caused Malice: anger, fear, sorrow, and others like them. That was another thing that set Lusya apart from them, her more stunted emotional range and intensity. Some speculated it was a result of her demon and human natures conflicting or canceling out in some way, but the truth was a mystery.

    In addition to their lesser intellect, low-rank demons leaned much harder toward negative emotions. Many were not capable of happiness, kindness, or the like at all. Those that were could only experience them in the face or furtherance of others¡¯ suffering. She had no doubt this one would alternate between spiteful anger and fear for the short rest of his existence. He had no one to blame but himself. He had sealed his fate when he had attacked her and Ariya for what amounted to no reason. Despite his protests that he was hungry, demons did not need to eat. As a half-demon, Lusya was the exception that proved the rule. This one ate humans because it was his preferred method of killing them. If he had taken livestock as well, that only meant he was smart enough to know that would also hurt the humans.

    ¡°When someone does them a kindness, mortals feel something called gratitude,¡± Lusya said.

    The demon ground his teeth together. ¡°What are you talking about, you stupid woman?¡±

    ¡°I doubt you are capable of that feeling,¡± she continued. ¡°You likely do not understand kindness at all. So, I will inform you: the death I am about to grant you is far swifter than you deserve. You are fortunate I lack the luxury of meting out a fitting punishment.¡±

    The demon took another step back. For a moment he twisted and looked behind, as though he were about to flee. Then he shook his head, gritted his teeth, and refocused on her. His less mangled right hand tightened into a misshapen fist, blood dripping from the palm as his own shattered bones and jagged nails created new wounds.

    He charged forward at Lusya with impressive speed for his size. She raised Miudofay overhead and slashed down, sending a wave of dark violet-colored fire at him. The flames enveloped him from head to toe. His mouth opened in one last defiant roar, but the sound never escaped before his throat was too damaged to produce it. Despite the flames not being at full strength, he had been reduced to ash in a matter of seconds. That was longer than it had taken for the three humans back in Gavamir with similar effort, but still plenty quick. It was just a low-rank demon, after all.

    And with that, the demon was gone. There was little trace he had ever existed. The sludge he had vomited onto the ground, droplets of black blood that had sprayed onto the snow, and a few scattered fragments of bone were all that remained. The ground upon which he had stood, where Miudofay had burned away the snow and grass as sure as his body and scorched the dirt, attested that some form of destruction had occurred here, but offered few specifics.

    Lusya released Miudofay and allowed it to scatter into countless black particles that flew off in all directions, as if on winds she could not feel. She returned to Ariya and knelt beside the child. She seemed to have stopped crying, for the most part. There was still an occasional sob or other dismayed sound, but they were soft and infrequent.

    Lusya grabbed Ariya¡¯s hands and moved them off of her ears.

    ¡°You may uncover those, but keep your eyes closed,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya sniffled and nodded. ¡°Did you get rid of the monster?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°He is gone.¡±

    ¡°Can we go then?¡± Ariya asked. Her voice was hoarse and strained.

    ¡°Yes. I will take us away from here and treat your wound.¡± Lusya was silent for a moment. She was unsure, but she felt rewarding the child for staying calm was appropriate. She patted the girl¡¯s head again. ¡°You did well, bearing your pain.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s lips twitched up in a momentary smile, though her frown then reasserted itself.

    Before she could lead the child away, something protruding from the nearby snow, a jagged off-white shape, caught Lusya¡¯s eye. ¡°Wait a moment, child.¡±

    She moved to investigate. Based on where it was, it seemed that it may have been the projectile that struck Ariya. Lusya bent to pick it off the ground. Her eyes widened and her grip tightened around it as she recognized it.

    She had assumed what had struck Ariya had been a rock from beneath the snow, kicked up by the demon¡¯s movements. That would have been something Lusya could not have predicted or reasonably prevented.

    However, what she held was instead a ragged chunk of bone. Bone that had shattered and gone flying when Lusya had blocked the demon¡¯s blow. A blow that had put Ariya in danger because Lusya had brought her all the way to the demon¡¯s lair. Lusya would need to take more care in the future to preserve the child¡¯s usefulness.

    ¡°Lusya?¡± Ariya called, as though she might have disappeared back to Clearwood.

    ¡°I am here,¡± Lusya said, placing the fragment where she had found it. She retrieved her pack, stuffing Ariya¡¯s coat inside, and returned to the child¡¯s side. ¡°Stand.¡± Ariya obeyed and Lusya took her hand. ¡°I will lead you until you can open your eyes.¡±

 Chapter Nineteen

    Once they were far enough away that Lusya was confident Ariya would not see any of the demon¡¯s scattered remains, she released Ariya¡¯s hand and slung off her pack to rest it against a tree once more. Lusya gave Ariya¡¯s head another pat and started digging through her pack for her first-aid supplies.

    ¡°Well done, child. You may open your eyes,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya obeyed and blinked several times, adjusting to her returning sight. Her eyes were downcast, and she did not speak. Though she glanced up at Lusya once, the moment Lusya looked directly at her, Ariya flinched and averted her gaze to a stone near her feet. She kept her eyes fixed there, unmoving. It was obvious the child was upset, but Lusya was not sure what could have caused such behavior. Perhaps it was a way of coping with the pain? Or perhaps Ariya blamed Lusya for the wound. That would not have been unreasonable.

    She pulled out her supplies. She was no healer, and her resources were limited. All she had for tending to injuries were the bandages and a few poultices known to speed the healing process, numb pain, and stave off infection. She had bought those in Riverglade in anticipation of the child at some point getting hurt. Lusya had not imagined she would have been responsible for the injury in any way.

    There was also a sewing kit for stitches, but that was for dire emergencies. Though she knew the basics of how to use it, she had never done so, and would not risk making things worse with a mistake unless there were no other options. She had not used the poultices either, for that matter, but she believed they were simpler in application with less potential for error.

    She looked again at the gash on Ariya¡¯s shoulder. The child still refused to meet Lusya¡¯s gaze. From what Lusya could see, the cut was nothing more than a flesh wound. It may have been painful for a child unaccustomed to any injury, but the only threat it posed was if it got infected.

    ¡°I will tend to your wound now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Remove your dress so I can have a better look at it.¡±

    Though the bone shard had pierced through the sleeve of the garment as well, the fabric would still impede access to the wound. While going without the dress may not have been comfortable, the weather was warm enough to allow it without issue while Lusya treated the wound.

    Ariya gave shallow nod. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    She removed the dress. Lusya took it and rested it atop her pack. The gap where the bone had pierced was easily visible and the area around it had been stained with both Ariya¡¯s red blood and the demon¡¯s black.

    ¡°I will need to get this cleaned and repaired,¡± Lusya said.

    Despite having a sewing kit, Lusya knew even less about how to repair clothing than about how to stitch wounds. She would have to look into that. For now, her best and only option was to have a tailor fix it next time they were in a town.

    Ariya replied with a silent nod. Her gaze flitted about the area, though still avoiding Lusya. There was nobody around to see her state of undress, if that was what she was worried about. She also shivered a bit, but she would live. Though Lusya did note that the child¡¯s undergarments had been soiled in the front. Lusya had noticed the scent of urine, but the stain was larger than she had expected. She would have to handle that as well.

    Lusya approached the child and knelt to get a closer look at the wound. She had considered that it may have been larger or more severe than it appeared with the cloth obscuring it, but that was not the case. Her earlier judgment of it had been correct.

    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Not as much, though. Plus, you said to bear with it.¡± Her voice was small and unusually flat for her. ¡°And you weren¡¯t hurt at all after that big monster hit you, so I can¡¯t cry over this¡­¡±

    ¡°You did well tolerating the pain, but you do not need to hold yourself to my standard,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I am older, stronger, a different species, and skilled in motomancy.¡±

    Ariya sighed and hung her head further. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    It may have been debatable if Lusya, being half-human, was a different species, but the spirit of the statement was true enough. And the child still seemed to be under the impression Lusya was a reltus, a notion of which Lusya would not disabuse her.

    Lusya took a glob of poultice in her hands. ¡°This may sting. Brace yourself.¡±

    Ariya nodded.

    Lusya rubbed the salve over the wound, spreading it evenly throughout the area. Ariya¡¯s body tensed and she let out a quiet hiss and whimper, but she conducted herself well otherwise.

    ¡°Next, I will apply a bandage,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Lift your arm so I can wrap it properly.¡± Ariya raised her arm high overhead, reaching for the heavens. ¡°Not that much. Lower. Still lower. Good.¡±

    Lusya wrapped the bandage, making sure it was secure but not too tight. An improperly applied bandage could not only be uncomfortable, but interfere with proper blood flow and even the healing process it was meant to facilitate.

    ¡°Done,¡± she announced. She retrieved one of the child¡¯s remaining three dresses from the pack, the lighter brown one, and hung it on a nearby branch. ¡°Remove your undergarments as well.¡±

    ¡°In the woods?¡± Ariya asked, a note of incredulity seeping through her dull tone.

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked twice. ¡°Yes. It would be unsanitary to continue wearing them in that state. If the nudity taboo is your concern, there is no one nearby to see.¡±

    ¡°It still feels wrong,¡± Ariya said, squirming and shrinking in on herself. She took a deep breath and stood straight. ¡°But okay.¡±

    She turned her head about, as though she did not believe that no one was watching, then took off the garments. Lusya wrapped them in the damaged dress, making sure the stained parts of the dress were on the inside of the resulting bundle. That should have reduced the risk that they would dirty any other clothes or contaminate any food. With that done, she deposited the ruined clothes in her pack. She grabbed a clean set of underwear and the dress on the branch and handed them to the child.

    ¡°You may dress now,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya put on the new clothes faster than Lusya had ever seen her do anything else. She did not say a word while she dressed, and she still had not looked at Lusya.

    ¡°I will allow a rest here,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will depart in approximately one hour.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lusya sat down and pulled a book from her pack. The novel she had purchased and started in Gavamir, in fact. She had continued reading it while traveling with Izurb. While she had not trusted him to guard the camp, she had been confident he would have been able to alert her of danger. If nothing else, most attackers would have pegged him as the biggest threat and struck him first. So, she had deemed it safe to amuse herself before going to sleep.

    Lusya was not immune to boredom, merely resistant to it. Given the choice between entertainment and none when it was safe, it was an easy decision. The demon would likely have scared away much of the wildlife¡ªLusya had not seen any animals in the forest aside from small birds that flew away at the slightest sign of motion¡ªand she could not sense any mortals or other demons in the area.

    As such, she was confident there was no issue. If something entered her sensation radius, she would have ample time to respond whether she was reading or not. On the off chance that something was fast or powerful enough that she did not have such time, then she was dead whether she was reading or not. She opened the book and started reading from where she had left off. She did not make it far before she was interrupted.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ariya said. Though still quiet, she no longer spoke in that even tone, but in a strained, wavering whine.

    Lusya looked up from her book to see the child trembling, with tears building in her eyes.

    ¡°What are you apologizing for?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°Why are you so upset?¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I-I got hurt,¡± Ariya replied. She wiped away her tears before they could fall, but more soon replaced them. ¡°And I slowed us down.¡±

    ¡°Both those events are regrettable, but they are nothing you need to apologize for,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You were not harmed through any fault of your own. If anything, I am to blame for not being sufficiently careful in protecting you.¡±

    ¡°But we were there because I made you go.¡± She drew in and released a shuddering breath. ¡°I just wanted to help everyone. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I do not share your impulse to help others, but I do not begrudge it. Nor do I begrudge you persuading me to help.¡± Though she had been annoyed at Ariya¡¯s insistence in this case, that had not been a very powerful feeling. And while losing over half-a-day¡¯s travel was inconvenient, it was a small loss so long as it did not become a regular occurrence. The precedent set was still a concern, but there was no sense fixating on it unless it became relevant again. ¡°In any case, I was there because you convinced me. You were there because I brought you out of paranoia.¡±

    ¡°Para¡ªwhat?¡± Ariya asked, with a confused scowl and scrunch of her nose peeking through her dejected countenance.

    ¡°My needless worry,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I did not trust the villagers with you.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Why? They were super nice.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I worried you would say something you should not have about our duty, and they would react poorly.¡±

    ¡°Why would they do that?¡±

    ¡°Many reasons. You do not need to concern yourself with them.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    In hindsight, it had been paranoia. Even if Ariya had said something to make the townspeople suspicious, it would not have been a problem. If it had been a city with a dedicated guard force or a Sacred Knight stronghold, it would have been a different story, but the people of Clearwood were harmless. There would not have been anything they could have done about their hypothetical suspicions. Returning to Clearwood afterward may have taken extra time, but it would have been negligible so long as they departed right away. And it would have been well worth it if Ariya was safe.

    Lusya held the child¡¯s gaze for a moment, before Ariya flinched at nothing and looked away.

    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya jumped as though struck and met Lusya¡¯s eyes again. ¡°Why are you sorry? I¡ª¡±

    ¡°As I said, it is my error in judgment that led to your injury,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am sworn to protect you from all harm, and I have failed. For that, I apologize.¡±

    ¡°B-but you didn¡¯t know!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve known. And you could never fail, you¡¯re so awesome! Just ¡®cause you messed up, doesn¡¯t mean you failed. Papa always says that.¡±

    Lusya blinked, then blinked again. She had not expected to provoke such an outburst. The child¡¯s Malice was not increasing, but she was obviously upset in some capacity.

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I suppose there is merit in that viewpoint. My father often said something similar.¡± Granted, in the strictest sense she had failed, but she supposed that was all the more reason not to do so again. ¡°He also often told me that it was possible for things to go poorly even when no one was at fault. I suppose this may be one of those times.¡±

    Ariya was silent for a moment. ¡°¡­So, does that mean you forgive me?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°And you¡¯re not mad at me?¡± Ariya asked with wide, desperate eyes.

    ¡°I am rarely angry with anyone.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s pleading look did not abate in the slightest.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I am not angry with you, child.¡±

    Ariya smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± She paused, then her eyes lit up in apparent realization. ¡°Oh, and thank you, Lusya. For helping me, and making my shoulder better, and all the other times you saved me.¡±

    ¡°No thanks are necessary, child,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I know, but I still wanted to say it,¡± Ariya replied with another smile.

    ¡°Then it is fine.¡±

    With that matter seemingly resolved, Lusya returned to reading her book. It had started as a war story, but had somehow morphed into a romance halfway through. Having pulled it off a shelf at random, she had not known anything about it when she had purchased it. The unexpected genre shift aside, it was well-written and enjoyable enough.

    Once again, however, Lusya read just over a paragraph before Ariya approached, snow crackling underfoot, and cast a shadow over the page.

    Lusya looked up at the child, cocked her head, and blinked. ¡°Did you need something else, child?¡±

    Ariya took a step back and gulped. What had intimidated her was a mystery. ¡°Can I sit next to you?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m still scared.¡±

    Lusya blinked twice. What was the child frightened of? They were no longer in any danger.

    ¡°The threat has passed, child, there is no reason for you to be scared,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya squirmed as if those words were insects crawling about her skin. ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°If your fear is not caused by any threat, I fail to see how sitting beside me will alleviate it,¡± Lusya said. Ariya¡¯s gaze fell more toward the ground with every word, though Lusya had not intended it as a scolding. ¡°However, I also see no reason to refuse. Sit, if you wish.¡±

    Ariya looked up faster than an arrow flew through the air and smiled. ¡°Really?¡±

    Lusya nodded.

    The child scrambled to Lusya¡¯s right side and took a seat on the ground. Lusya returned to her reading. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ariya peering at the book. She was squinting, though Lusya could not tell if that was in concentration or if Ariya could not see the words well from her position. It seemed she was trying to read it. Though she was silent, she did sometimes seem to mouth some of the words to herself.

    This time, Lusya managed to get through several pages before Ariya spoke up again.

    ¡°Can you read that to me?¡± the child asked.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°Well, I always feel better when Mama or Papa read to me. Or even Jak.¡±

    ¡°I suppose there is little reason not to,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Why did you wait so long to make your request?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to interrupt in the middle of a chapter,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I started reading books with chapters last year and that¡¯s so annoying.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± It was true, interruptions while reading were unpleasant. ¡°I appreciate your consideration.¡± Lusya returned her attention to the book. ¡°I will read aloud, though I am unsure you will be able to understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That¡¯s how you learn, right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I suppose it is one way.¡±

    It was fortunate Lusya had bought the book in the area. Ariya likely only spoke her native tongue and perhaps one other spoken nearby. Lusya could read and speak many languages, but she was not sure she was up to the task of translating as she read.

    ¡°¡®The deafening sounds of battle cries and clashing weapons seemed almost a celebration of the display of love and lust that had just occurred,¡¯¡± Lusya began reading.

    ¡°Lust is when you really want something, right?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Correct. In this context the ¡®something¡¯ is sexual intercourse.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I know that one!¡± Ariya said, with all the joy of a beggar receiving a gold coin. ¡°That¡¯s the thing Papa and Mama do but won¡¯t explain when I ask!¡±

    ¡°Please refrain from excessive questions or commentary,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡±

    Lusya gave a nod in acceptance of the apology and continued reading. She intended to stop if she came across anything that seemed too distressing for the child. But, while Lusya was aware many would not have considered the novel to be age-appropriate, there was nothing that made her stop. Ariya never seemed to be upset or frightened. Indeed, she continued to offer questions and comments throughout the reading. They were sparing and lacked the cheer she often displayed, but they were not unhappy.

    It was doubtful Lusya was doing a very good job of reading aloud. Contrary to what some had assumed in the past, she was aware that she almost always spoke in a monotone, which was not conducive to the task. She had not often read to others or told stories, but she had been present for such things. Storytellers often imbued their performance with a fervor Lusya could not muster for the undertaking, modulating and manipulating their voices in ways that were beyond her. It was not a skill she had ever had much desire to learn, even if she could have. And seeing as Ariya did not complain, it seemed there was no need.

    Perhaps thirty minutes had passed when Lusya heard Ariya let out a sigh and felt something lightly strike her arm. Lusya paused in her reading to look down. The child had collapsed against Lusya. Ariya¡¯s eyes were closed and her breathing soft and steady. She had fallen asleep. Perhaps she had been less interested in the reading than she had let on. Or maybe she was just tired. The events of the day must have been stressful for her.

    Lusya could allow the child a bit of rest. With no more audience, Lusya returned to reading in silence.

    #

    Ariya¡¯s eyes slowly cracked open to a world bathed in soft orange light. They started to drift shut again, but she forced them open. She pushed off whatever she was leaning against to sit up and looked at it. It turned out to be Lusya. Ariya¡¯s head hadn¡¯t quite been in Lusya¡¯s lap, but it had been resting on her thigh.

    ¡°You have awoken,¡± Lusya said.

    She was still reading, but it looked like a different book. The cover was a different color, and the bits Ariya could read from her position didn¡¯t sound like the last one. All the characters had different names too.

    Ariya yawned and rubbed her eyes, trying to banish the sleep from them. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to fall asleep.¡± She took another look around. The sky was a striking mix of colors and the sun looked almost red as blood as it neared the horizon. She had obviously been asleep for more than the hour Lusya had said they would stop. ¡°I slowed us down again, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°If I did not consider it acceptable, I would not have allowed it,¡± Lusya said. She turned a page in her book. ¡°You do not need to apologize.¡±

    Ariya nodded, even though she still felt pretty guilty. She knew whatever they were supposed to be doing was important, and now she had cost them almost a whole day of travel.

    Lusya shut her book and put it away. She closed up her pack and slung it onto her back as she stood.

    ¡°We are going now, stand,¡± she said.

    ¡°Now?¡± Ariya asked.

    It wasn¡¯t unusual for them to travel this late, but getting started at this point seemed a little pointless. How far could they even go before it was time to stop for the night? She still stood right away. She didn¡¯t want to drag Lusya down any more than she already had.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I would like to make it west of Clearwood, at least, before we stop. I do not think that is an unreasonable goal.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Ariya said with a nod. Her stomach chose that exact moment to let out a long, loud gurgle. ¡°Um, can we eat first?¡±

    ¡°We will eat when we stop, as usual,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya sighed and hung her head. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya was quiet for a second. ¡°I suppose I can give you a small snack for now, if you wish.¡±

    Ariya smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    Lusya nodded, took her pack off, and pulled out a small bag, which she handed to Ariya. Looking inside revealed that it was a mix of dried fruit and nuts. Ariya was pretty sure it was just some of their normal supplies, but then, she had said those were like snacks when plain. She popped a handful in her mouth and crunched down on it. When it wasn¡¯t being presented as a meal, the salty-sweet mix was pretty good.

    ¡°Do not eat all of that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Now, let us depart.¡±

 Chapter Twenty

    One week after the incident with the low-rank demon, Lusya and Ariya arrived at the next stop on their journey. Lusya had mapped out much of their route ahead of time, though there was some room for flexibility in her plan. Even so, she doubted her intended path would survive the whole way unchanged. At some point, she expected that something would derail them. For now, however, they had arrived where Lusya had planned to after Clearwood.

    It was another small village known as Wildbloom. It was comparable in size to Clearwood and no more well-known or important. However, it was more active than Clearwood had been when they had first arrived, as was to be expected.

    In many ways, it was what Lusya had expected to see there. It was not bustling¡ªthere were not enough people for bustle¡ªbut a few villagers walked or loitered about, some alone and some with friends or family. When they spoke, it was not in the same quiet, fearful voices as the inhabitants of Clearwood.

    If any snow had fallen here recently, it had melted and dried up by now. The dirt of the path and the grass to the sides showed no hint of moisture. Even as they headed north, Lusya expected to see less winter weather. Though the temperature still hung around what most would consider cold, spring was well underway now and it would be months before autumn came, passed, and ushered in winter¡¯s chill again.

    Several of the villagers stared as Lusya and Ariya passed. Their gazes were curious, but not hostile. Travelers were likely not an everyday sight, let alone one who she was sure they assumed to be a reltus. Relti were a rare sight in this region, and Lusya intended to avoid any areas where they were not. They were most likely to realize she was not one. If nothing else, prolonged interaction may have revealed that she was not as old as her appearance would suggest for a reltus. Telling them she was half-human may have deflected suspicion, but she preferred to avoid drawing it in the first place. It would not be possible to avoid those regions in their entirety. She could not reach her destination without passing relatively near relti-dominated lands. But she would do her best.

    ¡°Are we stopping here?¡± Ariya asked. Her voice was tinged with fatigue and, though her actual pace had not faltered, her gait had turned heavy and plodding.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°We are. As usual, we will stay the night and depart in the morning. I will see if I can get your dress repaired before we go to sleep as well.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The child¡¯s tone was noticeably less chipper than it had often been in the past. She also did not express the excitement and curiosity she had when arriving in new locations prior. Despite seeming to bounce back after the demon encounter, she had been that way for several days now.

    It was not an unwelcome change of pace and the child had grown more obedient as well, but it was somewhat concerning. Her Malice had almost returned to its baseline since that day. It had stopped and stayed at a larger quantity than before, but by a very small margin. Ariya was still the purest mortal Lusya had ever encountered by a significant degree.

    Still, the possibility remained that this change in mood could precipitate further growth. Perhaps more concerning was that Lusya was not sure. This mood and its cause were a mystery to her, as were any methods to undo it. The child did not seem upset. She displayed no traditional signs of sadness or anger. It seemed more that she had entered a state of perpetual fatigue, despite getting ample sleep each night and multiple breaks throughout the day.

    Indeed, asking the child if anything was wrong had gotten the response, ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± Prodding for further details had not been helpful. Ariya herself did not seem to know the reason behind her lack of energy.

    Perhaps sleeping in an inn would make a difference? The child was more accustomed to indoor environments and sleeping in beds, though Lusya would have thought Ariya would have acclimated to camping by now.

    There was little for Lusya to do but find out.

    She stopped and turned to a man as he passed. ¡°Excuse me, where is this town¡¯s inn?¡±

    There was little doubt they had one. Lusya had made an effort to ascertain all their stops would have lodging. While limited resources had meant her efforts had not been successful, most settlements of this size seemed to have an inn. Even if not many people passed through while traveling, it was often enough to be worth keeping one around. To fill in the gaps, it also acted as a tavern for the locals, a fact Lusya had ascertained in Clearwood and had even been the case in the much larger Gavamir.

    The man stopped and looked at her with a blank expression, like he hadn¡¯t heard her, but then it seemed to click. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just down there.¡± He pointed in the direction she had been walking. ¡°Turn right at that first road and it¡¯s right there. Can¡¯t miss it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lusya said.

    He nodded and continued on his way. Lusya had learned in Riverglade not to trust humans¡¯ word on how noticeable a building was. However, in this case the inn did stand out well enough. It was broader and taller than all the buildings around it, with a raised wooden deck in front, shaded by an overhang. The sign posted out front was not as pristine as the one in Clearwood, but it was large and still legible. Unlike that inn, this one had a plain, straightforward name: the Wildbloom Inn.

    Lusya walked into the establishment. At the moment, there did not appear to be any other customers. A human woman stood behind the bar counter. She was older, but not enough to be called elderly. Her hair seemed to be graying, but was still mostly brown, and while her face was dotted with lines and wrinkles, they were small and subtle. She was leaned forward, the quill clutched in her hand making gentle scratching sounds as she made notes in some kind of journal or ledger. When the door clicked shut, she looked up at Lusya, then at Ariya, set her quill down into its ink well, and smiled.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± she said with the barest hint of an accent Lusya could not quite identify. ¡°Seeing as I don¡¯t know your faces, I¡¯m guessing you''re travelers, here to spend the night?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°And I assume you want to eat my food too?¡± the innkeeper asked.

    ¡°That would be ideal.¡±

    ¡°One silver for the night, then,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Assuming you¡¯re willing to share a room, that is.¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± Lusya replied. There was little reason not to. The child was small and Lusya was neither tall nor especially broad, for the most part. They had no problems fitting into a single bed.

    ¡°One silver it is. Doesn¡¯t really matter if it¡¯s a kolar or not, I¡¯m not going to sweat the small differences in value.¡±

    That was an acceptable price, so Lusya produced a coin and slid it across the counter to the innkeeper.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the innkeeper said as she pocketed the kolar. ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, go ahead and have a seat and I¡¯ll whip up some lunch.¡±

    Ariya was staring into the counter, eyes unfocused, swaying slightly on her feet. She gave a languid blink and turned as she seemed to realize she was being addressed.

    ¡°Oh, um, yeah,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Then let us select a table.¡±

    ¡°What can I get you two?¡± the innkeeper asked.

    ¡°Whatever you recommend is fine,¡± Lusya said. She had noticed a board with options written on it propped up against the counter, but nothing in particular had caught her eye and she was not a picky eater.

    The innkeeper smiled. ¡°Coming right up.¡±

    Rather than return to her writing or begin preparing food, however, the innkeeper watched Lusya and Ariya walk to their table with unusual vigilance. Only when they were seated did she retreat through a door behind the counter, into what Lusya assumed to be the kitchen.

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    Ariya¡¯s eyes started to close as they waited and her head slowly lurched forward. Just when it seemed she was about to lose consciousness, her head snapped back up, her eyes open as wide as they could go.

    ¡°Are you tired, child?¡± Lusya asked.

    With a long, drawn-out yawn, Ariya nodded. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel unwell otherwise?¡±

    The child shook her head. ¡°I keep telling you I¡¯m fine.¡±

    And yet the child remained fatigued for no apparent reason. She was getting sufficient sleep and rest. Little was asked of her during their journeys. Lusya did just about any task that needed doing, from cooking to setting up the tent at night. So, what could be the cause? An illness, perhaps? It may have been worth investigating if this village had a healer or apothecary of some sort. If nothing else, Lusya knew there were herbs and medicines that could directly target fatigue. She could have inquired if the inn had tea or coffee as well. She had never seen much need to try them, but both beverages were said to offer enough of an energy boost that some mortals became dependent on them. That was not a long-term solution, however. Even if she could have bought the ingredients, she did not know how to prepare them nor did she have cups to drink them from.

    Ariya continued to nod off. She came just short of falling asleep another three times before the innkeeper came out with two steaming plates of some kind of meat and potato dish slathered in a dark sauce, along with a basket of bread.

    ¡°There you go, you two,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s all hot and fresh, so be careful with it. Any drinks?¡±

    ¡°If you have clean water, a carafe and two glasses will be sufficient,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I want juice,¡± Ariya said in a quiet whine.

    Lusya cocked her head. ¡°I do not think there is any juice at this time of year.¡±

    ¡°Afraid not,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard they¡¯ve got ways of keeping it from going bad in some of the big cities, but I doubt I could afford it even if I knew what it was.¡±

    ¡°Milk?¡± Ariya asked.

    The innkeeper nodded. ¡°That we have.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, then.¡±

    The innkeeper smiled, nodded, and looked to Lusya. ¡°Still water for you?¡±

    ¡°If it is clean enough to drink,¡± Lusya replied. She did not get sick easily, but drinking dirty water was still¡­unpleasant.

    ¡°It sure is,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°I¡¯m not much one for drink myself, so I make sure to keep plenty of drinking water around.¡± She chuckled and shook her head. ¡°That was a little confusing, wasn¡¯t it? Anyway, I¡¯ll be back with those in a jiffy.¡±

    Indeed, using drink as a synonym for alcohol was confusing in this context. Lusya was not sure what a jiffy was either, but as long as it was quick, it didn¡¯t much matter. And sure enough, the innkeeper returned with the drinks in less than two minutes.

    ¡°Enjoy, you two,¡± she said.

    With that done, she returned to what she had been working on before. Lusya noticed the innkeeper glancing up and looking at her and Ariya every so often as they ate. The woman¡¯s expression was upset, somehow, but Lusya could not discern any finer details on what she might be thinking.

    It was possible the innkeeper was merely annoyed at having to serve customers during what seemed to be a lull in business. Whatever the case, the woman was not a threat, nor did she seem upset enough to try to be. As such, Lusya judged the woman¡¯s displeasure as unimportant and focused on her meal and on Ariya.

    Ariya still looked tired, with her eyes half-lidded and languid, deliberate movements, but at least she no longer seemed on the verge of collapsing. The meal seemed to have given her a small burst of energy. Her movements may have been slow, but she ate at a good, steady pace until she had all but cleaned her plate.

    The food was quite good, Lusya would admit. It was above-average in quality for an inn like this, with the potatoes well-seasoned and the meat juicy and tender. That made little difference to her, but she would not object to better food.

    ¡°Have you finished?¡± she asked.

    Ariya nodded and yawned again. She seemed to be trying to say something as well, but whatever it was, it was unintelligible.

    Lusya stood. ¡°Then we will go to our room and get you settled before I take care of my business.¡±

    ¡°You two are in the first room on the right at the top of the stairs,¡± the innkeeper said. She finished writing something in her book and looked up with a grin.

    ¡°We will retire there for the moment¡± Lusya said. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡±

    The innkeeper nodded and returned to her work.

    Lusya led Ariya up the stairs and into their room. It was about what one would expect from a rural inn. There was a single bed on one wall, big enough to fit one adult comfortably and two if they squeezed in tight. For Lusya and Ariya, it would be enough. The beds at these establishments tended to be somewhat hard, but they were more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. On the other wall was a drawer and a table with one chair to sit at. The room was so small that, between the furniture, there was only enough room to walk single file across.

    Aside from the furniture, there wasn¡¯t anything in the way of decorations. The floor consisted of bare wooden boards that creaked beneath their feet and the walls a blank, off-white plaster. There was a square window at the far end, positioned at eye level for Lusya and about the same height as her head, but it offered a view only of a small handful of buildings nearby, which themselves were nothing impressive to look at. They were squat, wooden buildings like one could find in any number of villages.

    It was a room made for its function, pure and simple. That suited Lusya just fine.

    ¡°Will you be going to sleep right away?¡± she asked.

    Ariya nodded and flopped down onto the bed without further prompting. She curled up and was asleep less than five minutes later. With the child settled, Lusya grabbed the damaged dress and returned to the dining room. She approached the innkeeper and held up the garment.

    ¡°Is there a tailor in this village?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°I would like to get this repaired.¡±

    The innkeeper ran her eyes over the dress and gasped. ¡°That¡¯s a big tear. What happened?¡±

    Lusya had stopped to rinse out the blood stains in the dress at a stream, as well as the urine on Ariya¡¯s undergarments. That had taken quite some time, though that had not been surprising. Lusya was familiar with how stubborn blood could be and urine being the same had not been a shock. She had also taken the opportunity to do their other laundry as well. She was rather accustomed to washing clothes in the wilderness, so it had not been a terrible inconvenience.

    However, she had not done anything for the tear in the dress, so it remained large and obvious. Its location also made it unlikely it had torn through ordinary wear or usage, so the innkeeper¡¯s reaction was not surprising.

    ¡°A minor injury,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It has healed now. Is there a tailor?¡±

    The innkeeper¡¯s lips drew into a thin line, and she made an odd humming sound. Then, with a sigh, she nodded. ¡°There is, his name¡¯s Yven. Not sure if he¡¯ll be able get to it before you mean to leave tomorrow, but you should at least be able to go ask him.¡±

    ¡°I cannot imagine he is terribly busy,¡± Lusya said.

    The innkeeper shrugged. ¡°We might not have many people around here, but someone always needs something fixed or made, and, unless they want to make a trip out of it, Yven¡¯s their only option. I think he caught the eye of some noblewoman who passed through a couple months back too. Keeps going on about some secret project.¡±

    ¡°That seems to defeat the purpose,¡± Lusya replied.

    The innkeeper laughed and shook her head. ¡°It sure does. If you think you can convince him of that, be my guest. Plenty of us have tried and failed already, but maybe fifty is your lucky number.¡±

    She ripped off small bit of paper from one of the pages of her book and started jotting something down. ¡°Anyway, here¡¯s the directions to get there from here. Doesn¡¯t hurt to ask. For a simple fix like that, he might be willing to bump you up in the line, so to speak, if you explain things to him. No promises, though.¡±

    "I see. I will do what I can,¡± Lusya said. ¡°While we are on the topic, is there anyone who treats illnesses?¡±

    The innkeeper looked up from her writing with a blank look, as if she hadn¡¯t heard the question, but answered soon after. ¡°Brenimir at the general store knows his herbs, but that¡¯s about it. You won¡¯t find any doctors here.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Is one of you sick?¡±

    ¡°I believe the child might be,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± the innkeeper asked.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked two times. ¡°I cannot see anything wrong with her and I have been making sure she receives sufficient rest, hydration, and nutrition, yet she has been lethargic lately.¡±

    The innkeeper let out a sigh. ¡°Is that all? You¡¯ve never taken care of a child before, have you?¡±

    ¡°I have not,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°How long have you two been traveling together?¡±

    ¡°Just under a month,¡± Lusya replied.

    The innkeeper nodded with another humming sound. ¡°And have you ever taken a rest?¡±

    Lusya tilted her head, just a bit. ¡°As I just said, I have ensured she receives sufficient rest. We take a break during the day for lunch and stop in time for her to get approximately ten hours of sleep.¡±

    The innkeeper sighed and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, darling. Have you had a day where you weren¡¯t traveling?¡±

    ¡°We have not,¡± Lusya said. Gavamir had been the closest, when they had spent the bulk of the day in one place, but that had still involved plenty of moving around the city and making arrangements for further travel.

    ¡°And what does she do during your travels?¡± the innkeeper asked.

    ¡°She walks. During rests, she sits and eats. Occasionally she will chase an insect or small animal. We also sometimes engage in conversation or reading.¡±

    When they had been with the caravan, Ariya had played with the other children, but it had been close to two weeks since then.

    The innkeeper pursed her lips and nodded several times. ¡°Do you think maybe she just needs a break? A real one?¡±

    Lusya blinked twice. ¡°What constitutes a ¡®real break?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Not traveling for a little while,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°A chance to stay put and relax, maybe do something fun.¡±

    That sounded like an unnecessary delay in their journey. ¡°Why would something like that be needed?¡±

    ¡°Anyone needs some time to slow down and not worry,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Children are no different. Their attention wanders and they can¡¯t take the pressure as well as an adult. Even a single day can make a big difference.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. One day might have been acceptable. ¡°I will take that under consideration.¡±

    The innkeeper smiled, nodded, and held out the paper she had been writing on. Lusya took it.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your advice is appreciated as well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give it a second thought,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°You learn a thing or two raising six of them. It¡¯d be a shame not to pass that knowledge on when I can.¡±

    Lusya read the instructions off the paper and nodded. ¡°I suppose it would.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-One

    With a mumble of gibberish and a yawn, Ariya turned over in the bed and opened her eyes. As always, she had slept later than Lusya, despite also going to sleep earlier. She sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and let out another yawn. Though Ariya¡¯s stirring had caught Lusya¡¯s attention, it often took some time before Ariya became active, so Lusya returned her attention to the book she was reading until the child was ready to speak.

    ¡°Good morning, Lusya,¡± Ariya said. It had taken around ten minutes this morning. A bit longer than usual.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Ariya climbed out of bed at a sedate pace. Once she was standing on the floor, Lusya stood from her chair and placed her book on the table beside her.

    ¡°Are we leaving right after breakfast like always?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°No, Ariya. I feel a break is in order, so we will be staying in this village for another day.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked, eyes wide.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I have already paid for another night at the inn. You will come with me to retrieve your repaired dress, but after that we will spend the day as you wish.¡±

    Getting that one task out of the way seemed wise. It would leave the rest of the day free as respite. Lusya did not anticipate it would take long either.

    ¡°We get to do whatever I want?¡± Ariya asked with a big smile, clapping her hands together as though applauding the idea.

    ¡°I reserve the right to veto your suggestions,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, the point is for you to relax and enjoy yourself, so I will attempt to be lenient.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s smile faded into a blank, uncomprehending look as she blinked several times. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I can say no to your ideas if I want to,¡± Lusya said. Perhaps it would be easier if she started putting things in terms of Ariya¡¯s vocabulary to begin with. ¡°But I will try to do so as little as I can.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that makes more sense.¡±

    ¡°It means the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ariya frowned and seemed to consider that for a moment. ¡°Well, the second one made more sense to me.¡±

    Lusya supposed that was fair enough and decided it was time to move on.

    ¡°Come, let us eat breakfast,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    There did seem to be a bit more spring in Ariya¡¯s step as they went to the dining room. Was it possible the anticipation was exciting her? Or was the simple knowledge that she would have a day off enough to begin refreshing her?

    So-called ¡°real breaks¡± were not foreign to Lusya and she did not mind taking one where she could¡ªthough she did not see what made them more ¡°real¡± than their briefer counterparts¡ªbut she had never felt like she needed one to continue functioning. They were a luxury, not a necessity. The innkeeper framing them as the latter had caught Lusya off-guard. However, seeing as Lusya was neither a child nor human, and had no experience caring for either, she chose to defer to the innkeeper¡¯s experience in the matter.

    The inn was surprisingly busy as Lusya and Ariya ate breakfast. In Lusya¡¯s experience, evening tended to be the busiest time for such establishments, when people came to drink and socialize and ended up eating while they were there. Few came for the specific purpose of eating. After all, they could prepare their own meals if they wanted to eat.

    Here, however, there were plenty of tables taken by parties enjoying a morning meal. And they were enjoying a meal. This was not a village of drunks who had assembled to inebriate themselves first thing in the morning. Some were partaking of ale, but from what Lusya could see and smell, the majority had foregone alcohol. It seemed the innkeeper¡¯s cooking was the draw. How interesting.

    While it was still less crowded than the previous night, it was still a crowd most inns would be happy to draw at any time. It was so busy that many of the wenches who had come to help during the evening service were now here again, rushing food to tables. Another rarity for such establishments. Most maintained perhaps one employee aside from the innkeeper outside of evening service.

    It seemed the innkeeper had adjusted other elements of her business to account for its apparent popularity among the locals as well, many of which had also been apparent the previous night. In most inns, country ones in particular, there were one or two dishes available at a time. Taverns in cities may have had more options, but even the inn in Gavamir had not had anything resembling a menu.

    Here, the board Lusya had noticed before listed close to a dozen options, and they were different ones than had been there the previous evening. Since many of the villagers were likely illiterate, it also included rough doodles of each dish. Customers requested specific meals from around ten choices. The options even had variable prices for those who came just to eat¡ªeven written out in tallies for those who could not read¡ªthough it seemed Lusya was being charged a flat fee. Different prices were not unheard of and plenty of inns charged for individual drinks or certain other additions, but in most a meal was a constant charge, even if there were a couple different dishes available.

    The child had ordered a sweetened pancake solely because it had had cake in the name, while Lusya had opted for an omelet. Despite its simplicity, the innkeeper had managed to make it tastier than most.

    ¡°This place is really popular,¡± Ariya said as she finished her meal. ¡°They must really like that lady¡¯s food.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°So it would seem. You have sugar stuck to your face.¡±

    Ariya grabbed a napkin and wiped it along the vast majority of her face. She somehow managed to miss the sugar. It was nothing harmful, so Lusya decided against pressing the issue.

    ¡°It is really good,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I¡¯d eat it every day if I lived here.¡±

    ¡°I think that would become expensive.¡±

    Even accounting for the differing prices, the food was cheap for the quality, but it would have added up if eaten so often, at least for the inhabitants of such a town. In cities, where space was at a premium and many did not have their own kitchens, regular dining at food vendors was more common.

    Ariya shrugged and ate the last bite on her plate. A girl her age wouldn¡¯t have to worry about money, if she even understood it. It was not surprising hypothetical expenses did not concern her.

    ¡°If you are finished, let us visit the tailor,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ariya said, almost leaping from her chair. ¡°And then I get to play?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Lusya replied with a nod. ¡°If that is how you wish to spend the day.¡±

    Ariya began hopping in place, shouting, ¡°Then let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±

    That outburst drew looks from around the room. A few of them were annoyed, but most seemed bemused. Some were harder to read and Lusya could not discern what they felt.

    She led Ariya out of the inn and to the tailor¡¯s shop. While she had already decided to give Ariya a break at some point, at the time she had visited the shop, Lusya had been undecided on whether or not to stay in Wildbloom the next day, so she had asked the tailor to have the dress ready by the next morning.

    He had initially told her that between routine work for other villagers and a big project¡ªwhich he had let slip was indeed a dress commissioned by the noblewoman mentioned by the innkeeper¡ªthat would be impossible. With a bit of persuasion, however, he had agreed to prioritize Ariya¡¯s dress instead.

    It seemed she had made an impression, because when she walked in, he stood from the chair he was sitting at so quickly it fell over with a dull thunk. He threw down the needle and thread he was holding, the shirt he had been working on forgotten.

    ¡°Y-you!¡± he exclaimed, pointing at her with a trembling hand. ¡°I have your twice-damned dress. Just wait there and don¡¯t break anything!¡±

    He scurried into a back room and Lusya heard him rummaging.

    ¡°Why would he think you would break something?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Most likely because I did that,¡± Lusya said, pointing to another worktable nearby.

    The corner had been shattered in Lusya¡¯s grip the previous evening. The stray bits of wood on the floor had been cleaned up and a cloth had been hastily draped over the jagged remains, but it was still clear that portion of the table had been destroyed.

    Ariya gasped. ¡°Why did you break his table?¡±

    ¡°I squeezed it too tightly when negotiations became heated,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh, so it was an accident,¡± Ariya said. ¡°He¡¯s just being mean, then.¡±

    Of course, that was a distortion of the truth, though not an outright lie. Lusya was not sure how to lie, so she avoided doing so, preferring to tell partial truths or omit information. The basic concept was clear enough, but she understood there were tricks employed to make the lie seem more sincere. Lusya had learned to spot them¡ªthe fact that lying often triggered a small, but noticeable, surge in Malice helped¡ªbut she was not sure how to employ them herself.

    In truth, after polite requests had failed to sway the tailor, she had asked to see his hands. While not common, it was a respected tradition in this region for a customer to ascertain if such a professional had ¡°tailor¡¯s hands¡± and much the same went for other trades. Lusya did not know how to do that, so she did not explicitly ask, but he had assumed and allowed her to hold one.

    At that point, she had crushed the table. She had been prepared to make more explicit threats to do the same to his hands, throat, testicles, or anything else he valued, but that had proved unnecessary. He had squealed like a pig and agreed to prioritize Ariya¡¯s dress before Lusya could say a word.

    He emerged from the back with the dress in hand and stiffly held it out to Lusya, who took it.

    ¡°Good as new,¡± he said.

    ¡°The repaired area is noticeable,¡± Lusya said. It was not easy to see, but it was there if one paid attention.

    He groaned. ¡°Fine, as close to good as new as you¡¯ll get unless you know some magic for fixing clothes.¡±

    The tailor was a young man. If he was older than Lusya, it was not by more than a couple years. He must have acquired or inherited the shop recently. Or perhaps the owner was away, and the boy was an apprentice put in charge in the meantime. Lusya did not know, and the matter was not interesting enough for her to find out.

    ¡°Happy?¡± he asked. ¡°Thanks to you I lost close to half a day working on Lady Hazev¡¯s dress. If I miss her deadline because of you¡­¡±

    He stopped speaking and just glowered at Lusya for a moment. She cocked her head and blinked twice in confusion, then it occurred to her. She had heard of and seen this before. Every time it bewildered her.

    ¡°Is this one of those instances where you trail off because you are unable or unwilling to follow through on any threat you could make?¡± she asked.

    The tailor continued to glare at her and growled, almost like a dog. ¡°Just pay me and get out.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Thirty copper is a fair price, is it not?¡±

    ¡°It would be,¡± the tailor said. He drew up to his full height, not that that was impressive. He was a few inches taller than Lusya, but most people were taller than her. At five feet and two inches tall, she was just under average height for a human or reltus woman, let alone a tiransa woman, for whom eight feet would have been short. ¡°But after last night, I think you owe me a little extra.¡±

    She was not sure where his confidence came from. He had been terrified before. Perhaps he was confident she would not harm him in front of the child? His accidental correctness aside, his courage was foolish, yet also somehow admirable.

    ¡°I suppose you will be needing a new table,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not really what I meant¡­¡±

    ¡°I will not subsidize the whole cost of one, but I will contribute twenty copper. Is that price satisfactory?¡±

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She pulled out a single fifty-copper coin and held it out toward him. He flinched and stumbled back until his back was against the wall. She had not been trying to threaten him.

    He pointed a shaky finger toward the table he had been at when she entered. ¡°J-j-just put it over there.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so scared?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Lusya¡¯s not mean¡ª¡± she glanced at Lusya and cut herself off for some reason. ¡°Lusya won¡¯t hurt you unless you¡¯re mean first.¡±

    ¡°I like having hands, kid,¡± the tailor said. He pointed at the table, more insistently, and remained pressed against the wall, as though having it behind him offered some form of protection.

    Lusya approached the table and placed the coin down, then nodded to the tailor. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She led Ariya out of the shop. As she walked out the door, Lusya noticed the tailor let out a titanic sigh and all but collapse onto his table. Perhaps he had been putting more effort into appearing confident than it had appeared. That would have been impressive in its own way had he not faltered at the end.

    ¡°Now we can play?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°As soon as I return this to the room,¡± Lusya replied, though she was not sure what the child meant by ¡°we.¡±

    They returned to the inn and Lusya put the dress away in her pack.

    ¡°Oh, miss!¡± the innkeeper called as they were about to exit once more.

    Lusya turned to see the innkeeper beckoning her closer. Lusya approached and tilted her head.

    ¡°If you¡¯re staying for the day, mind if I make some suggestions?¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°We don¡¯t have much in this tiny town, but I can at least help the girl enjoy herself.¡±

    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That would be helpful.¡±

    The innkeeper smiled. ¡°Well then, listen up¡­¡±

    #

    ¡°It has been three minutes,¡± Lusya announced.

    Laughing and screaming trickled into silence as running children stopped in their tracks among the countless flowers blooming around them in myriad colors. The children turned to look at her a few at a time until all dozen sets of eyes rested on her. One boy frowned and crossed his arms.

    ¡°No it hasn¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°That was way too quick.¡±

    ¡°Minutes are not very long,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I am confident in my count of one-hundred-eighty seconds.¡±

    Ariya put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest as though she had just won a battle. ¡°If Lusya says it¡¯s been three minutes, I believe her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just ¡®cause you won,¡± the boy replied. He was about a year older than Ariya, the son of one of the villagers. ¡°I bet your sister or whatever just called time because you were about to get caught.¡±

    ¡°I am not her sister,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you do not trust my timing, you will have to stop participating, as I am the only one here to do it.¡±

    The boy scoffed and pouted. ¡°Who cares if you don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°It will be impossible for the pursued team to win.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not my team, so I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°The teams alternate every round.¡± The implication seemed obvious. But then, Ariya sometimes missed such things as well. Perhaps it was in the nature of children. ¡°It will be your team as soon as the game resumes.¡±

    The boy¡¯s face turned red, and he made an odd, strangled whining sound, as if trying to scream with his mouth shut. He let out a huff and turned away.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said. ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Good, then assume your starting positions.¡±

    The boy grumbled and walked to his place as all the other children sorted themselves into two opposing lines. Ariya had taught the children of the village the tag-like game from the caravan, which had apparently been dubbed, ¡°Plague-Bearers,¡± by the child who had come up with it. Or so Lusya had assumed. Ariya had thought it was ¡°Plaque-Bearers,¡± which made much less sense. Lusya had not heard it referred to by either name while with the convoy. The children had called it ¡°that game,¡± whenever she had heard them speak of it, perhaps because they had not been able to say the title correctly.

    Of course, there was not anywhere to hide anything in the field of play they had chosen, and Ariya had never played that variant anyway. That meant they needed someone to time the games, which Ariya had requested Lusya to do. It was a simple enough task and she had little else to do, so Lusya had not objected. That was a fact she regretted a little bit every time one of the children released an ear-piercing shriek as they ran about, but she was up to the task of tolerating it.

    ¡°Begin,¡± Lusya said once they were all in position.

    The children broke into runs going every which way. There was no planning, strategy, or organization. Unlike with the caravan, there were no groups of people, horses, or halted wagons to play around. So, they just scurried about at random, trying to catch one another. To keep the game simple and the participants in earshot of Lusya, they had set a handful of landmarks they were not allowed to pass. If they did, pursuers were disqualified and the pursued were treated as though they had been caught. Even so, there was still plenty of room for them to cover.

    The meadow they played in was, according to the innkeeper, what Wildbloom was named for. It was, perhaps, the first true hint of spring Lusya had seen since beginning this journey. Despite winter still being close behind, the grass was a vibrant green dotted with flowers of all colors in full bloom. It was a pleasant sight, and the blossoms filled the air with an appealing aroma. Of course, the children crushed more than a few flowers underfoot in their wild chase, but there were plenty more.

    A single tree sat around the center of the field, atop a small hill. That was one of the landmarks the children had chosen. There was a handful of rocks and boulders scattered around the area as well, the only true obstacle in the play area, which some of the smarter children used to evade and confuse pursuers or targets. As Lusya watched, Ariya chased an opponent around one, then looped back to catch them on the other side. They tried to turn back, but their momentum carried them into Ariya¡¯s outstretched hand before they could escape.

    ¡°Got you!¡± Ariya said in a taunting, song-like tone.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± the girl she had caught replied.

    This meadow was a popular place for the children of the village to play. At least, that was what the innkeeper had said. The evidence bore that out. When Lusya and Ariya had arrived, the other children had already been there, playing another game. That had also been a variant of tag, in which players were not allowed to move when a referee said so.

    ¡°Three minutes,¡± Lusya announced.

    A chorus of whines and groans rose up from the children, but none of them chose to complain to her this time.

    ¡°Maybe we should have, like, a thirty second warning,¡± Ariya suggested.

    The boy who had complained earlier nodded. ¡°That would be better.¡±

    ¡°Can you do that, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will let you know when there are thirty seconds remaining in the future.¡±

    The children played several more rounds of the game with the new rule addition. When the sun had just about reached its apex in the sky was when the village children departed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get home for lunch,¡± one of the girls said as she left.

    ¡°Papa¡¯s going to teach me how to string a bow,¡± a boy said.

    ¡°Okay, bye!¡± Ariya shouted with a vigorous wave as the others left.

    ¡°Shall we go someplace else too?¡± Lusya asked. The innkeeper had suggested a few other sights and activities the child might enjoy.

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°Not yet, there¡¯s something else I wanna do while we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. It was likely they would return to the meadow at some point, but there was no guarantee, and it did not matter much to Lusya what the child wanted to do or where.

    The child skipped off into the field of flowers. She stopped and picked one, then wandered about until another caught her eye and she took it as well. She repeated this process many times, humming a cheerful tune to herself, until she seemed satisfied.

    Then, she sat with her back to Lusya and started fiddling with the flowers. From her angle, Lusya could not see what Ariya was doing. There wasn¡¯t anything dangerous she could do with the flowers¡ªwhile mostly untamed, the meadow was combed for any hazardous plants on a regular basis, according to the innkeeper¡ªso Lusya did not try to pry into the matter.

    ¡°Aha, got it!¡± Ariya exclaimed after a few minutes of whatever she was going.

    She jumped to her feet and ran to Lusya to present the results of her labors. Ariya held up a circle formed of flowers for Lusya to see. It seemed to have been created by weaving the stems of the flowers together. Considering that means of construction, it was remarkable how well it held its shape in Ariya¡¯s grasp. Most of the flowers used were purple, but three red ones had been placed at roughly equidistant points.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a flower crown,¡± Ariya said, as if that explained everything. She held it higher and moved it closer to Lusya. ¡°I made it for you.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Why?¡±

    Ariya frowned and lowered the crown. ¡°It¡¯s a present, to say thank you for taking care of me. Do you not like it?¡±

    ¡°I am undecided,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I take it I am supposed to wear it on my head?¡±

    Ariya seemed to perk up a bit, but still looked disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Here, crouch down.¡±

    Lusya did so and Ariya placed the crown upon Lusya¡¯s head. Lusya could not see it, but it seemed to fit well enough. It did not fall or droop down as she stood, at least. Ariya smiled again as she looked up at Lusya.

    ¡°The three red flowers are the three times you saved me,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I picked them to match your eyes.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. There had actually been four times, but Ariya did not know about the bandits. Lusya saw little reason to tell her. ¡°Your gratitude is unnecessary and I did not require compensation, but I do appreciate the sentiment.¡± Receiving a gift of gratitude was novel too, which helped strengthen the otherwise abstract, muted feeling. ¡°I do not mind wearing aesthetic accessories either. I am not sure how long this will last¡­¡± The flowers were sure to wilt before long. ¡°¡­but I believe I like this gift. Thank you, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya held her head up high and beamed. ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡±

    ¡°Now, what would you like to do next?¡±

    #

    That evening, after the sun had set, Lusya returned to the meadow with Ariya in tow. The full moon painted the grass in a soft silver light and countless stars sparkled overhead. Lusya still wore the crown Ariya had made, though it had become clear it would not last until morning. They had seen about everything Wildbloom had to offer. It was, after all, a small rural village. It only had so much, if more than Lusya had suspected. If its sights had been more well-known, it may have seen more visitors.

    Still, Ariya had been entertained and some of the sights had even interested Lusya. There was a decrepit ruin near the village, the remains of an ancient shrine or temple. It was thought to have been left there by an early reltus civilization. That described many of the ancient remains across Ysuge. Relti were the oldest of the mortal races¡ªthought by some to be related to why high-rank demons took their form¡ªand had inhabited much of the continent before anything resembling the current distributions of the races had been established. It was Lusya¡¯s understanding that much the same held in many areas of the world. Some of the writing on the walls did bear a vague resemblance to modern Gotrian, though not enough for Lusya to be able to read. She did not know if any scholars had studied the place. She had never heard about it before, at least. Ariya had used the remains as an obstacle course and seen how quick she could run through them.

    There had also been a set of statues sitting in a circle nearby. They looked old as well, but¡ªaccording to the innkeeper¡ªthey had been placed there less than ten years ago by an eccentric villager who had wanted to add to the ruins to ¡°make history and confuse the shadowlands out of some poor saps.¡± Lusya was still impressed by the craftsmanship. The statues were well-made in emulation of styles found in actual ancient art and the detailing to make them look old was meticulous, with strategically placed cracks, grime, and vegetation.

    Ariya had pretended to have conversations with them while she ate lunch. At least part of the conversations had been about Lusya, but, seeing as she been able to hear less than half of them, she could not say what they had concerned, specifically. Ariya maintained that it was a secret.

    After that they had eaten and rested at the inn, and now they had returned for the innkeeper¡¯s final attraction. Lusya did not have much interest in it, but Ariya was fascinated. One would think the girl had never heard music before with how excited she was. Come to think of it, that may well have been the case, given her isolated upbringing.

    ¡°Come on, come on,¡± she whispered with frantic waves for Lusya to follow. Lusya had been close behind the whole time. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be her.¡±

    Indeed, a young woman stood beneath the singular tree in the field, holding a harp made of dark-colored wood, finished but with no paint or markings that Lusya could see. The moonlight filtering through the leaves above speckled her face and glinted off her instrument¡¯s strings. She appeared to be somewhere around her mid-twenties, a few years older than Lusya and her hair was a pale blonde that almost appeared white as Lusya¡¯s in the sparse light of the night.

    Despite Ariya¡¯s whispering, neither she nor Lusya were otherwise making an effort at a subtle approach, so the woman must have been rather engrossed in thought to miss them. The woman took in a deep breath, held it for a second, then exhaled and began strumming her harp.

    For several seconds, the melodic sounds coming from the instrument were the only ones in the meadow. The woman was rather skilled. Lusya had heard worse from paid musicians. She thought she recognized the song too, though it could have just been a similar one. A moment later, the woman began to sing.

    ¡°Adrift on gray seas, stars light the way. Hold tight my hand, though you know I shouldn¡¯t stay¡­¡±

    It was the song Lusya had thought it was. The lyrics told the story of a pair in a close relationship of ambiguous nature¡ªmost mortals seemed to interpret it as a romantic one, but the song never specified or even implied as much¡ªthat was on the verge of its end. Neither wished for it, yet both saw it as their best option. The song seemed to alternate between metaphor and literal events.

    Lusya had heard it plenty of times. As of late, she had become fonder of it for reasons she could not explain. She always found herself with a mixed sense of unease and content after listening to it.

    The woman sang the entire song without noticing Lusya or Ariya listening and watching. When the song was over, the woman lowered her harp, let out a sigh, and reached for a water skin she had on the ground. She took a swig from it, and another content sigh passed her lips.

    Ariya clapped with vigor, as if to make the sound as loud as she could.

    ¡°That was great!¡± she shouted. She stopped applauding and shook her hands. It seemed she had clapped so hard it had hurt, though she did not seem to lose any excitement. ¡°Play some more!¡±

    The woman screamed and jumped into the air. Both her harp and water skin slipped from her grasp, and she fumbled to keep them from falling, a feat she managed at the cost of ending in what appeared to be a rather awkward position, with both hugged to her chest and her back bent back and to the side.

    After another moment of struggling, she managed to put her water skin back on the ground and get her harp back in a more comfortable place.

    ¡°Wh-who are you two?¡± she asked, her eyes wide and body tensed.

    Perhaps she thought they were going to attack her. An unreasonable assumption. It was plain to see that Ariya was non-malicious and useless in a fight. Such assessments could be misleading, especially when motomancy came into play, but the number of children like Ariya who had significant ability in combat or motomancy could not have been more than a few dozen in the entire continent, as a generous estimate. Relti were stronger than humans by default and learned and taught motomancy more freely, but even among them an unarmed child who looked like Ariya would not be likely to be a threat to a grown human. A five-year-old tiransa might have been through sheer size, but that was a different matter. And if Lusya had wanted to attack, she could have done so already.

    ¡°We are travelers staying at the inn,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your mother told us we could see a private concert if we came here at night. The child insisted we do so.¡±

    ¡°You were enjoying the song too,¡± Ariya said, pouting.

    Lusya nodded, though she was unsure how Ariya had known. ¡°But I was not the one who wanted to come.¡±

    The woman groaned. ¡°Figures it was her.¡±

    ¡°Do you not want us to listen?¡± Ariya asked.

    The woman hesitated a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to, I¡¯m just not used to having an audience. I wanted to be sure I was good enough first¡­¡±

    ¡°You are,¡± Lusya said. She did not know much about music, but she had heard plenty. This woman¡¯s was at least as pleasing to the ear as the traveling bards who sometimes played in inns, if not more so. ¡°And that goal seems ill-conceived. While practicing alone first is not a bad idea, it has its limits. At some point you will need to share your craft. Perfectionism will only keep you from your potential.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Did my mother tell you to say that?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°The first part is my opinion. The second part is self-evident for any skill.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but you¡¯re really good, miss!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re a way better singer than Mama. Oh, nobody tell her I said that.¡±

    The woman giggled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°But couldn¡¯t you at least find somewhere in the village to practice?¡±

    ¡°I did that at first, but people complained,¡± the woman said. ¡°Now that I think about it, they were probably just angry my music was keeping them up, rather than complaining about the quality¡­¡±

    ¡°That is a reasonable conclusion,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I bet they¡¯d love it if you played during the day,¡± Ariya said.

    The woman smiled. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll give that a try. I want to go out and play for a real audience someday, but I think I¡¯ll start with my mother¡¯s inn.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Now, play some more.¡±

    The woman chuckled and started strumming her harp again.

 Chapter Twenty-Two

    ¡°You two sure you don¡¯t want to pay me for another night?¡± the innkeeper asked as she approached the table.

    The raucous laugh she let out after suggested that had been a joke. Sometimes, however, people made jokes that were also earnest questions demanding an answer. Lusya was not sure if this was one of those times, but she assumed it was.

    ¡°We must go,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Our journey is time-sensitive.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got something really important to do!¡± Ariya shouted. She pumped a fist in the air for emphasis then returned to scarfing down her breakfast.

    The innkeeper chuckled. ¡°Well, best of luck with that. You seem to be in high spirits, girl.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Indeed, Ariya seemed to have regained some energy. This in spite of at least as much exertion the previous day as normal. It might have been more, even, considering how much she had run about. Curious. Going by the innkeeper¡¯s explanation, that may have been due to the lack of stakes or importance attached to the activity. Perhaps it also had something to do with the type or variety?

    Lusya would have liked to find out more, but she did not know how long that might have taken. For now, she could live with the mystery, so long as the result was what she wanted.

    ¡°Her mood has improved,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your advice has proven valuable. You have my thanks.¡±

    ¡°You convinced Lusya to stay?¡± Ariya asked.

    The innkeeper shook her head. ¡°Like she said, I just gave her some advice. She made the decision herself.¡± She smiled at Lusya. ¡°No thanks needed. I¡¯m glad it was helpful. And it seems you gave my daughter some encouragement last night. I¡¯d say that makes us even.¡±

    ¡°I was not trying to be encouraging,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I suppose it is fortunate she took it that way.¡±

    The innkeeper shrugged. ¡°If it works, it works. Besides, I was kind of hoping you¡¯d say something when I sent you out there. I keep telling her she¡¯s already fit to play in the Celestial Chorus, but she needed to hear it from someone else.¡±

    The Celestial Chorus was, in the Glegian faith, a band in the afterlife in which all the world¡¯s greatest saints played to bring bliss to the virtuous and purify the souls of the sinful. It was an odd concept. For one thing, Lusya doubted every saint who had ever lived was an adept musician. Glegian doctrine did not mention if such members had to receive instruction before joining the chorus.

    Still, the idea that the daughter could have played well-enough to achieve such properties was hyperbolic. Her music was pleasant to listen to and not much more. That aside, hearing it mentioned all but identified the innkeeper¡¯s accent, which Lusya had been wondering about. Glegity was popular in a small pocket of the southwest and not anywhere else on the continent.

    ¡°She is really good,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Her voice is really pretty, and I like the sounds her stringy thing makes too.¡±

    ¡°It is called a harp,¡± Lusya said. ¡°How much music have you listened to?¡±

    Ariya frowned and cocked her head. ¡°Just that lady and Mama singing. Why?¡±

    ¡°I am unsure if you have sufficient context to judge the quality of either.¡±

    ¡°Now, now,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be an expert to know whether or not something sounds good.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is true,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Well, safe travels,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Drop by if you¡¯re ever in town again.¡±

    Seeing as this was the only lodging in the village, they would not have had much choice if that happened. Of course, it would not. Ariya would be dead and Father returned before Lusya ever had the opportunity to return to Wildbloom.

    ¡°We will,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Your cooking is so good.¡±

    The innkeeper chuckled. ¡°Thank you, darling. The secret¡­¡± she leaned in and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°¡­is practice.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    She laughed again and walked away. The dining room was not as crowded as it had been the previous morning, which was why she had time to converse. There were still more than a few other villagers seated about, but all of them already had their meals. What the difference was, Lusya could not say. Maybe the villagers had collectively decided on a particular day of the week to patronize the inn.

    Ariya had once again ordered the same cake. Lusya found its nutritional value dubious, but she supposed there was little issue, seeing as the child would not be eating it again. She had stopped eating, but it was unclear if that was because she was done or because she had gotten distracted.

    ¡°If you have finished your meal, we should depart now,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya looked at the last chunk left on her plate, big enough to be several bites, as thought she had forgotten it was there. Then she scooped it up and shoved it whole into her maw. ¡°Ahm rdy,¡± she mumbled around the mouthful of food she struggled to chew.

    They exchanged one more set of farewells with the innkeeper and prepared to leave. Just as they were on their way out, the innkeeper¡¯s daughter arrived, harp in hand. Lusya had not expected she would take up playing in the inn so soon.

    ¡°Oh, are you two leaving?¡± the daughter asked. It had not been unkempt before, but now her hair looked to be meticulously groomed, with the back tied into a neat bun.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°We are.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± She gestured toward an space near the counter, which had been empty before, but now had a conspicuous lone stool placed out. ¡°I was just about to play my first song here. Are you sure you couldn¡¯t stay and listen?¡±

    ¡°Can we?¡± Ariya asked. She tugged on Lusya¡¯s cloak as if Lusya would not notice her otherwise. ¡°Please?¡±

    Lusya gently pulled Ariya¡¯s hands off her cloak. ¡°We are leaving.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Well, then, I hope your travels go well,¡± the daughter said. She smiled at Lusya. ¡°And thank you. I think you told me just what I needed to hear.¡±

    ¡°I merely stated the obvious,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am uncertain that is deserving of thanks. But if you believe it is, then you are welcome.¡±

    The daughter nodded. ¡°I do. Goodbye, and good luck in your journey.¡±

    ¡°Farewell,¡± Lusya replied.

    The daughter gave another smile and strode toward the counter. With that done, Lusya and Ariya departed the inn and made their way out of the village. Despite having her request refused, Ariya had a visible spring in her step as they walked. She beamed and hummed one of the song¡¯s the daughter had played the previous night to herself.

    To say that her mood had improved was an understatement. It seemed Lusya would need to consider giving Ariya more ¡°real breaks¡± in the future. How often was an open question. This time it had been right around a month before she had needed one, but it was difficult to say if that would be consistent or what factors could have affected it. For now, Lusya would monitor Ariya¡¯s mood to take rests when necessary. Once Lusya had gathered enough information, she could start planning around taking respites just before Ariya¡¯s mood would sour. With any luck, that would also illuminate why they were effective and satisfy Lusya¡¯s curiosity.

    It would take considerable time away from their journey, but it would also help preserve Ariya¡¯s usefulness, which would be more than worth it. Quickness was irrelevant if it ended in failure. For that matter, it may have been quicker in the long run. Even if Ariya¡¯s fatigue would not have started affecting her Malice at some point, it would have been all but certain to slow their pace.

    ¡°They were nice,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Except the tailor.¡±

    ¡°We did not speak to enough of the villagers to make such generalizations,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Fine, the innkeeper and the harp lady were nice.¡±

    ¡°That much is true,¡± Lusya said with a nod.

    ¡°Towns are fun,¡± Ariya said. ¡°How long until we get to the next one?¡±

    That was an odd conclusion to draw based on the settlements they had visited so far. Riverglade had been uneventful and both Gavamir and Clearwood had seen her endangered. Perhaps the child was giving this singular positive experience disproportionate weight against other, negative ones.

    ¡°It will be some time before we reach it,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I intend to bypass the closest one.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°Aw, why?¡±

    ¡°It will be slightly faster,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Every second we can save counts.¡±

    She had been considering doing so from the start. Having lost time in both Clearwood and Wildbloom had solidified her decision. Even if the latter had been well-spent, she wanted to make up for it as much as she could. Though it might have been time saved in the long-term, she would not treat it as such until she was more confident in that conclusion.

    Skipping the occasional town would also create less of a clear trail. At this point, she doubted they were being pursued. A serious pursuit on horseback or with carriages would almost certainly have caught up by now. Even so, it was wise to make pursuit more difficult, just in case.

    It would put a strain on their resources, but Lusya believed they had enough to make it. They may have been able to stay at roadside inns or lodges to conserve some as well, when the opportunity presented itself. Such establishments were common enough. She was not the only one who did not always want to or have the luxury of stopping in a town.

    ¡°Papa says that too,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Well, not that exactly, but basically the same.¡±

    ¡°Then your father was correct.¡±

    Ariya stood tall, as tall as one just over three feet tall could, and grinned as if she was the one being praised. Then she frowned and tilted her head.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the crown I made you?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°The flowers wilted,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said, her frown growing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have given you something that would last longer.¡±

    ¡°I did not require a gift at all,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You do not need to apologize.¡±

    Ariya frowned for another moment, then broke into a smile once more. ¡°Okay. As long as you¡¯re not upset, I guess it¡¯s fine. Thank you for stopping. I really liked being able to play in the village for a day.¡±

    ¡°If you enjoyed it and feel better, the break has served its purpose,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I did and I do. Thank you, Lusya.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Three

    ¡°Are we staying there tonight?¡± Ariya asked, pointing at the inn off the side of the road.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡±

    It was a standard country inn. Like most village inns it was two stories high, but it was longer and wider than most of them, providing more room for large parties of travelers to stay. It was constructed from stone with a wooden roof, with black smoke puffing out of two brick chimneys. The surrounding forest had been cleared out around the building to create space for wagons and other vehicles, and a stable with room for around half a dozen horses sat against the near wall of the inn.

    Four horses already occupied the stable. At least one of them was sure to go with the wagon on the opposite side of the building, just off the edge of the road. More likely two, given the size of the carriage. It was little more than a long wooden box with a door at the end. The door had a distinct panel placed at roughly eye-level for someone standing on the outcropping beneath the door. If it was what Lusya suspected, there would be a barred window beneath that panel.

    As Lusya and Ariya approached the inn, a man was approaching the wagon, a steaming bowl in hand. He climbed onto the step, pushed aside the panel to reveal a window as Lusya had thought, and dumped the contents of the bowl through the window¡¯s bars.

    ¡°Eat up and keep quiet,¡± he said.

    He jumped back down to the ground and marched back to the inn. When he noticed Lusya and Ariya, he scowled at them and gave a curt nod and a grunt in greeting. Then, he threw open the inn¡¯s door and disappeared inside.

    ¡°Who was he talking to?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Who¡¯s in there?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say for sure,¡± Lusya said.

    That was the truth, if a stretching of it. The wagon had the look of a slaver¡¯s. It even looked to have the larger, removable wooden panels on the sides, which would allow a slaver to present his goods through a wall of iron bars, though it was hard to tell from this angle. Lusya could tell, however, that there were mortals inside, most of whom were overflowing with Malice. Given their apparent conditions, that was not surprising.

    The man¡¯s behavior was another indication, as was his mere presence. Though slavery was legal across much of Ysuge, many saw the practice as abhorrent and slavers as scum. For some, their level of sympathy for the slaves varied¡ªdeserters and war prisoners were seen as more deserving of slavery than debtors and certain petty criminals¡ªbut there was no shortage of those who rejected the institution in its entirety. The fact that most slavers and buyers alike were not scrupulous enough to ensure they limited themselves to those legal to enslave did not help.

    For those reasons, slavers tended to avoid population centers except to acquire and sell their merchandise. That made them regulars at places like this when they wanted a warm bed to sleep in.

    Of course, it was still possible that the man was a bounty hunter or even proper law enforcement transporting criminals. A prison wagon was little different from a slaver¡¯s in form or function and they had their own reasons to avoid towns, such as the possibility their quarry might escape or that they could be mistaken for slavers.

    For that matter, one did not have to be avoiding towns to stay at a roadside inn. They were common stops for travelers regardless. Whatever the case, Lusya was not going to probe into the issue, although her contemplation of alternatives had made her curious as well. She had no strong opinions on slavery, but she was certain Ariya would demand Lusya help any captive slaves. Freeing them would have been trivial, but if she was expected to transport them to safety, the task would become more troublesome and, potentially, time-consuming than she was willing to allow.

    ¡°Have you stayed here before, Lusya?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I have not, though I have been to similar establishments.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Is the food good?¡±

    ¡°It is often average,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is not as good as the Wildbloom Inn¡¯s.¡±

    Ariya rolled her eyes and snickered. ¡°Well, duh, nothing¡¯s as good as that.¡±

    ¡°That is not true, you simply lack experience.¡±

    Ariya pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Really? Well, if there¡¯s better food than that, I want to try it.¡±

    ¡°We shall see if the opportunity presents itself,¡± Lusya said.

    Though she had never dined in a mortal palace or had any other opportunity to sample what was considered fine dining, she had tried a variety of food. There were plenty of inns, taverns, and other dining establishments with comparable or better food. Lusya¡¯s favorite, however, remained Rahgrahb¡¯s cooking. He had been a high-rank demon who had cooked for her during her time with Father. Rahgrahb was unusual in possessing that skill, seeing as full-blooded demons did not need to eat, though some did anyway for pleasure. Even more so since he had not learned to feed her. Rather, he had known how and had jumped at the chance to apply his skill. He had even named himself based on it. Rahgrahb meant ¡°master chef¡± in Draquese, a tiransa language of a land across the ocean to the east.

    She had not seen him since departing for the battlefield Father had assigned her. In all likelihood, Rahgrahb was now dead.

    ¡°At least this place¡¯s food is probably better than what you make,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It typically is.¡±

    Though the child still chose it over simple dried food, Lusya¡¯s cooking still needed plenty of work. That was not surprising. Learning a new skill took time.

    The dining room had just three inhabitants when Lusya and Ariya walked in. There was a man behind the bar counter, the suspected slaver sitting at the counter downing a drink, and a silver-haired reltus man who Lusya guessed was somewhere around one-hundred-twenty years old. Sipping at a glass at a far more sedate pace than his fellow customer, he sat at a table near the crackling fireplace that seemed to be the source of one of the smoking chimneys. The other was no doubt in the kitchen.

    The slaver finished gulping down his drink and slammed the mug down with a bang. He let out a thunderous belch and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

    ¡°Keep ¡®em coming,¡± he said to the bartender.

    It was unclear if the bartender was also the owner of the inn. The owner could have been upstairs or in the kitchen.

    ¡°Greetings, traveler!¡± the reltus called in Gotrian. He waved at them from across the room, a smile plastered upon his face. Perhaps he was excited to see what he assumed to be another reltus.

    ¡°Greetings to you as well,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Hey,¡± the man behind the counter said with a scowl as he placed another mug before the slaver. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to speak Slarvish, at least stick to human languages.¡±

    The reltus smirked. ¡°You think he can tell this is Fifantian and not Gotrian?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Lusya said.

    The reltus raised his eyebrows and nodded in apparent appreciation.

    ¡°What did I just say?¡± the man behind the counter exclaimed.

    ¡°I guess you were right,¡± the reltus said with a chuckle.

    Fifantian was the dominant language in the human-occupied parts of northeastern Ysuge. Though much of that region was ruled and inhabited by tiransa and it was not uncommon for them to intermingle and speak the same tongues, Fifantian was almost always considered a human language, both in common parlance and among those who studied language.

    Relti mixing with the other races was less common. Though there were myriad nations and cultures among the relti as with humans or tiransa, many were insular and kept themselves apart from the other mortals. This was often seen as pompous by the others, and it may indeed have been driven, in part, by pride in being the oldest mortal race, as well as the longest lived. It was unclear by how much relti predated the others. The issue was muddied by the fact that the races seemed to have first appeared in different parts of the world. The general consensus, however, was that relti were the oldest by at least several centuries.

    In recent years, however, this self-imposed separation had begun to erode. Just a few hundred years ago, relti skilled in fighting demons were employed by individual lords or by nation-specific equivalents to the Sacred Knights. These days, most went into the Sacred Knights like anyone else. The old way may have been more convenient for Lusya, as back then an unaffiliated reltus with a Sacred Blade would have been less strange. But then, a reltus traveling with a human child in land occupied mostly by humans would have been stranger.

    Lusya approached the counter. The man there glowered at her. He was a plump, balding man, with a bushy mustache adorning his lip.

    ¡°A room for the night?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°One-and-one-half silver for a room and two meals each,¡± the man said with a gruff tone. ¡°Ya get one drink with each meal, more is extra. If ya don¡¯t like it, door¡¯s over there.¡±

    That was on the expensive side. The man was pushing what was acceptable. Lack of options may have excused him, but the singular inns in villages did not often do the same. Still, the price was tolerable. Lusya handed him the coins. He took them and examined them, though Lusya doubted he had the expertise to determine their validity. Once he seemed satisfied, he pocketed them and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Halka, two more!¡± he shouted at what must have been the top of his lungs. Ariya and the drinking slaver flinched and slammed their hands over their ears in response.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    A muffled affirmation in a woman¡¯s voice came through the door behind the counter.

    The man grunted and waved across the dining room. ¡°Have a seat. Anywhere you like is fine.¡±

    As was typical, he did not ask what they wanted. They would just have to eat whatever to cook had chosen to make. Lusya chose a table and seat at random, and Ariya slid into the opposing chair.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cool, Lusya,¡± Ariya said unprompted. ¡°How many languages do you speak?¡±

    Lusya blinked. It was doubtful Ariya spoke either tongue, so it was impressive if she had been able to tell Gotrian and Fifantian were different languages. They did sound quite different¡ªFifantian had many harsh, sharp sounds, while Gotrian was softer and more flowing¡ªand Lusya was not sure what else could have brought on the question, but she knew languages one did not speak tended to blend together into gibberish.

    ¡°Six fluently,¡± Lusya said. ¡°A dozen well-enough to get by.¡±

    She had always picked up languages quickly. It was something she assumed she owed to her demon heritage, though unlike most she had not known any from birth. She had had to learn them like a human, whereas low- and high-rank demons simply knew one or two languages from the moment they manifested. The exception was the Demon King, who could speak all the world¡¯s languages. Perhaps that had also played a role.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Can you teach me some?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head. ¡°I will think about it.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Though they were near the border of Ovda, many of the surrounding nations also spoke dialects of Slarvish, so it would be some time yet before Ariya could no longer communicate. There would be merits and demerits to having the child speak more languages as they moved out of Slarvish-speaking regions. Ariya being able to speak for herself could land them in trouble if she said the wrong thing. On the other hand, it would be more convenient and if Ariya ever got lost it would be easier for her to find her way back to Lusya. Having to translate every conversation or bit of text they came across may also have grown troublesome, considering the child¡¯s inquisitive nature.

    Some time passed as they waited for their meals. The reltus retired to his room soon after Lusya and Ariya had sat down. The slaver, meanwhile, continued downing mug after mug of ale, growing redder in the face and more belligerent with each one. He also became more loose-lipped, making it clear that he was, in fact, a slaver.

    ¡°And they won¡¯t stop whining!¡± he shouted to the bartender, who Lusya was assuming by now was also the innkeeper. ¡°¡®It¡¯s dark, I¡¯m hungry, I¡¯m cold.¡¯ Well maybe if daddy paid his bills, you wouldn¡¯t be in this mess, so whine to him about it.¡± He grumbled something else into his mug, then laughed. ¡°Assuming daddy hasn¡¯t already been sold off, that is. I always have trouble keeping track.¡±

    The bartender glared with his arms crossed as he listened. Seeing as he had been scowling since Lusya had walked in, it was difficult to tell if he was upset by the slaver¡¯s talk. Most nations had laws requiring slavers to make every reasonable effort to keep families together, but such laws would have been difficult to enforce even if effort was put into it, which it often was not. Perhaps a tranquil age would change that, but Lusya had her doubts.

    After twenty minutes of waiting and listening to such drivel, the door to the kitchen opened and a woman walked out, holding two bowls with steam billowing out. She placed them on the counter, gave the bartender an inscrutable look, and retreated back through the door.

    The bartender picked up the bowls with a sigh, as if he were being asked to carry boulders. He brought them over to Lusya¡¯s table and placed them down.

    ¡°Drinks?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Water,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Water is fine,¡± Ariya said.

    He grunted and went back to the bar, then returned with two mugs and a carafe of water with which he filled them up.

    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout the wait,¡± he said. ¡°Halka makes the stew in small batches, says it keeps it fresher.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya said.

    He gave another grunt and walked away.

    Lusya and Ariya began eating. It was not long into their meal when the front door opened again and five figures strode in, clad in pristine white uniforms that marked them as Sacred Knights. Even their cloaks were smooth and spotless. Lusya noted their entrance and heightened her guard. She doubted they were here for her, but a confrontation was not out of the question.

    Among them were two men¡ªone human and one tiransa¡ªand three women¡ªtwo human and one tiransa. Though women had little-to-no presence in conventional militaries and warfare due to being seen as weaker, the Sacred Knights¡ªand, historically, similar organizations¡ªwere an exception. Few knowledgeable on the subject would deny that motomancy leveled the playing field, and so women in the Sacred Knights were treated little different from the men.

    Jaune the Bold, their founder for all intents and purposes, had been a woman. For that matter, several of the current Paladins of the Blessed, the twenty strongest Sacred Knights¡ªthough not necessarily the twenty highest-ranked¡ªwere women.

    The tiransa man had to stoop to fit inside. He seemed to be a few inches taller than Izurb had been. The tiransa woman was less than nine feet tall and may have been just shorter than the ceiling¡¯s height, but she stooped anyway as well.

    ¡°You two almost look like you¡¯d be more comfortable staying outside,¡± one of the human woman, with ¡°red¡± hair and green eyes, remarked with a giggle.

    ¡°Very funny,¡± the tiransa man said with a roll of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take a sore neck over being cold and bitten by bugs.¡±

    It was still chilly at night, though Lusya had not seen any snow since departing Clearwood and there was no sign any had fallen here in recent days. It did not bother her, as she had never been sensitive to temperatures, but Ariya did sometimes mention it. She no longer complained, however, just made comments. Whether because she had adjusted or feared angering Lusya, Lusya was not sure.

    ¡°Seriously, get new jokes,¡± the tiransa woman said. ¡°The height thing is getting old.¡±

    The human woman shrugged and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, if you insist.¡±

    The tiransa woman groaned and buried her face in her hands, while the man just shook his head and stayed silent.

    ¡°Come, you guys, try to get along,¡± the remaining human woman said. She was the shorter of the two, though all three humans looked minuscule next to their tiransa companions, and had dirty blond hair with brown eyes. ¡°Every second feels like an hour with you guys snapping at each other all the time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault!¡± all three of the others exclaimed in unison.

    Lusya paid attention to those four, just in case they did something more important than bicker. They did not seem very strong, however. By her senses, she would guess only two of them even had the potential to have a Blade, and even they were nothing exceptional. Her true focus was the human man with light brown hair in a neat, slicked back style. He stood at the front of the group. There was a clear separation between them and him. He must have been the leader. And he was strong. She could tell that much.

    ¡°Silence, all of you,¡± he said. ¡°Conduct yourselves like proper knights.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Captain,¡± the red-haired woman said. ¡°But it¡¯s not like¡ª¡±

    ¡°What about silence was unclear, Brigit?¡± the captain asked.

    Brigit blinked and her jaw hung open for a second. ¡°You¡­meant that literally?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± he said. ¡°I believe an hour should be long enough to reflect upon your conduct.¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± the tiransa man said, ¡°you can¡¯t put us in timeout like children.¡±

    The captain scowled. ¡°I can and I have. If you dislike that, Rejib, then I suggest you stop behaving like a child.¡±

    The blonde woman raised her hand. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t even doing any¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shall I make it two hours?¡± the captain asked. ¡°And a report at the next stronghold for insubordination?¡±

    The blonde sighed and fell silent. She exchanged a series of looks with her companions, but no one said a word.

    ¡°Good,¡± the captain said with a nod of approval. ¡°Then have a seat and I will make arrangements for the night.¡±

    The other four sat down at a table while the captain walked to the counter. Being a captain explained his apparent strength. That was not a title the Sacred Knights handed out to anyone. Not even to anyone they saw fit to lead. Power played a large role in the Knights¡¯ ranking system, when it came to field roles in particular, though administrative roles had it as a lesser consideration. While most would not be quite there yet, it was said that any who became a captain had the potential to reach Paladin-level strength.

    In fact, one could technically have been both a Paladin and a captain. Paladin was more an honorary title than a rank in its own right, and historically some had been as low in actual rank as captain, though Lusya was not aware of any at the moment. Of course, that did not mean there were none. Several Paladins had perished in the war, and she was not up to date with all of their replacements.

    Lusya did not think this captain was a Paladin or anywhere near that level of power, but he was dangerous. She did not want to make an enemy of him. She did not want to share this inn with him. However, leaving as soon as a group of Sacred Knights walked in would have made her look suspicious. Her best bet was to plan on rising early in the morning and leaving before the Knights.

    Despite his rank and power, he appeared to be around thirty years old at the oldest. That made him a good bit older than his subordinates, who appeared to be somewhere in their late teens to mid-twenties, but it was still young. In any organization outside of the Sacred Knights, a thirty-year-old traveling the country as the highest authority in his troop would have been unusual.

    He approached the counter, where the barkeeper gave a more polite version of the greeting and pricing he had given Lusya. Showing deference to Sacred Knights was second nature to many mortals. The captain paid for three rooms and a little extra for five meals. That seemed rather sparse. A single room at a place like this would struggle to accommodate two of them, especially when the tiransa were factored in. He turned and headed toward where his subordinates were sitting.

    Then he stopped as he walked past Lusya and Ariya¡¯s table. He looked at Ariya first, then at Lusya, his brow set in a contemplative scowl. Ariya took a moment to notice him looming over her and look at him. Lusya met his eyes, his icy blue boring into her crimson, and his scowl deepened.

    ¡°Do you need something from me, Sir Knight?¡± Lusya asked.

    That was the ¡°proper¡± way to address a male Sacred Knight whose name one did not know. Using it made her blood boil and her stomach churn, but she needed to avoid any ire or suspicion from him. A fight between them now would have endangered Ariya in more ways than one.

    His eyes narrowed and he was silent for another few seconds before responding, ¡°You are rather strong. Trained, too, but you don¡¯t wear our uniform. Are you on leave? Or maybe a drop-out or deserter?¡±

    ¡°I learned motomancy elsewhere,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is not a matter I wish to discuss.¡±

    The captain hummed in thought, his expression unchanging.

    While it was not the same nor as potent as the innate ability Lusya had and shared with other demons, Sacred Knights and other motomancy users could learn to sense Malice in some capacity and even recognize demons. They were high-level techniques that the rank-and-file rarely knew. Lusya believed her half-human nature masked her to some extent, but she was not sure quite how much. If this captain continued observing her so closely, he may have realized. She was not sure how to get him to stop without risking drawing offense and the opposite reaction.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Brigit said as she loped over to him, ¡°what are you doing?¡±

    The captain glanced at her with narrowed eyes. ¡°I do not believe it has been an hour.¡±

    She groaned. ¡°You randomly stopped and started staring at this poor girl. We got worried. For both of you.¡±

    The captain sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be concerned. This young woman merely caught my attention.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Brigit asked.

    ¡°She is strong and well-trained,¡± the captain replied. ¡°There was something else I thought I noticed, but maybe it was just my imagination.¡± He shook his head and shifted his attention back to Ariya. ¡°They¡¯re also quite an odd pair.¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Ariya said with a huff. ¡°Lusya¡¯s awesome and takes care of me.¡±

    ¡°I do not believe that is the issue, child,¡± Lusya said.

    Brigit put a hand on the captain¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°Come on, you see weird groups all the time when you travel. We¡¯re a weird group, and a bigger one at that. Let them eat in peace.¡±

    ¡°You might have a point,¡± the captain said. He nodded to Lusya in what she assumed, given his general demeanor, was intended as a shallow bow. A signal of apology while still holding himself above her. ¡°I am sorry I interrupted you. Please, enjoy your meal.¡±

    He shook off Brigit¡¯s hand and walked back to his group¡¯s table.

    Brigit smiled at Lusya. ¡°Sorry about that. He¡¯s kind of a hard-ass, but he¡¯s not a bad person.¡±

    ¡°Your apology is accepted,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Brigit,¡± the captain called, ¡°get over here and resume your punishment.¡±

    Brigit sighed, rolled her eyes, and strode back to him in silence.

    ¡°What¡¯s a hard-ass?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Is it like, someone with a really fit butt?¡± She gasped and smiled like she had discovered a stash of candy. ¡°Or does that guy have a donkey made of rocks? Or is he a donkey made of rocks, dressed like a person?¡±

    ¡°It is not literal,¡± Lusya said. She did not always understand mortal expressions, but she had never heard someone go to such lengths to try to interpret one as its most base meaning. ¡°It refers to a person who is stern and perceived as lacking in humor or leniency.¡±

    Lusya had been called the term before, in particular by high-rank demons under her father.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not as cool,¡± Ariya said. She took a bite of her stew and pursed her lips. ¡°Well, actually, I guess it is pretty cool. That sounds like you, and you¡¯re cool. Oh, is that guy your brother?¡±

    ¡°That is enough talk on the subject, child.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Four

    The Knights were already there when Lusya and Ariya entered the dining room the next morning. For some reason, Lusya had gotten them up super early. There was no clock, so Ariya didn¡¯t know the exact time, but she knew it was darker than usual, even though it was getting lighter earlier these days. She had looked outside, and the sun had just been peeking up into the sky. When they stayed at inns, the whole thing was usually visible by the time they woke up.

    When she saw the Knights, Lusya did her ¡°annoyed,¡± head tilt. It was a bigger angle than the angry one, but smaller than the confused one, and came with one quick blink. It had taken over a month, but Ariya could now read those three almost all the time. She had some good success with other expressions too.

    Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why the Sacred Knights being there was a problem. She knew Lusya didn¡¯t like the Knights, but it was just eating in the same room as them. She didn¡¯t even have to look at them if she didn¡¯t want to.

    Indeed, she looked away and led the way to the same table she and Ariya had sat at last night, on the other side of the room from the Knights. Once she and Ariya were seated, Lusya didn¡¯t seem to pay the Sacred Knights any further mind. Ariya, however, did. Even if Lusya didn¡¯t, Ariya still thought Sacred Knights were cool. They protected people and their uniforms looked awesome too.

    They seemed like they were in a better mood than last night. Maybe they had been cranky from traveling. Now they were all talking and laughing with each other. Even the captain gave a small smile and pitched in to the conversation sometimes.

    The other two guys weren¡¯t there, but Ariya didn¡¯t know if they had left or if they were still sleeping. She would have liked to see the reltus again and get a chance to talk to one other than Lusya. The other one was no loss, though. He was loud, annoying, and gave Ariya the creeps. Something about him reminded her of those guys from Gavamir.

    The innkeeper brought Lusya and Ariya¡¯s food. Lusya attacked it. She always ate pretty fast, but she might as well have inhaled the food this time.

    ¡°Are we in a hurry?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Is that why you woke us up early too?¡±

    ¡°I would like to be on the road quickly,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But you may eat at your normal pace. It is not of vital importance.¡±

    Ariya nodded and went back to eating. She knew she sometimes got them in trouble by not listening, but she also knew that Lusya said what she meant. If Lusya said it was okay to eat normally, then it was.

    As she ate, Ariya thought of home. After a month, she had already missed Mama, Papa, and Jak and the feeling was fading. She did still miss them, but not as bad. And she was happy Lusya had taken her on this trip. Even putting aside getting to be a hero, Ariya had gotten to see so many things and meet so many people. Not all of it was fun, but it was worth it.

    Plus, even if Lusya was mean sometimes, Ariya liked her. Whether she was being mean or nice, Lusya always protected and took care of Ariya. Lusya was being nicer lately too. With her being so strong and having a Sacred Blade, it was like Ariya had her own personal Sacred Knight. She knew not to say that to Lusya, though. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what had caused Lusya¡¯s grudge against Sacred Knights, but it always drew some of the most obvious emotion Ariya had seen from Lusya. Though Ariya wanted to know more, she wasn¡¯t sure how to ask about it without making Lusya upset.

    A bang from outside interrupted Ariya¡¯s thoughts. It sounded like it must have been right up against the building. The Sacred Knights paused in their conversation and the innkeeper scowled at the wall it had come from as he drank a dark-colored liquid. Ariya thought she smelled coffee, but it was hard to tell if that was his drink or coming from the Knights. Then, there was another bang, louder this time, which made its source clearer. It seemed to be something striking the inn itself from the outside.

    The innkeeper sighed, put down the mug he had been sipping from, and marched over to the front door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out,¡± he said. ¡°Probably just some beast that smells food. Happens all the time.¡±

    He opened the door and walked out. The door slammed shut behind him, then there was silence for several seconds. He must have been walking around to find what was making the noise.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he shouted, his voice muffled by the walls. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Someone else replied, but they were too quiet for Ariya to make out what they said from inside the building.

    ¡°Bah, get lost,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can¡ª¡±

    Whatever he was about to say turned into a scream that made Ariya¡¯s skin crawl. Then there was another thud and a few more voices talking to each other. It sounded like they were arguing, but they still kept quiet enough that Ariya couldn¡¯t understand them.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t sound good,¡± Brigit said. Ariya thought her red hair was pretty, and she had a cool accent too.

    ¡°We¡¯ll check it out,¡± the captain said. He had the same accent, though not as thick. He looked to Lusya and Ariya. ¡°You two, stay inside where it¡¯s safe.¡± He nodded to the blonde lady in his group. ¡°Yunise, stay here to guard them, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain,¡± the lady said with with a shallow bow, one fist over her heart.

    The rest of the group hurried outside. The voices outside were still arguing, but stopped once the Knights were out.

    ¡°Shit!¡± the captain exclaimed. ¡°Rejib, he¡¯s still alive, tend to him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    ¡°If you surrender now, this can end without further bloodshed,¡± the captain said. ¡°You will have to face justice, but I believe that is preferable to losing your lives.¡±

    ¡°Big talk,¡± a man¡¯s voice Ariya didn¡¯t recognize said. ¡°Somehow I¡¯m doubting you can back it up, pretty boy.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°It sounds like bandits,¡± Lusya said. ¡°They likely saw the inn as an easy target.¡±

    Yunise sighed. ¡°That¡¯s probably it. I hear the beginning of tranquil ages are always like this. I know it¡¯s the same in the end, but I can¡¯t help but wonder why this group has turned to crime.¡±

    ¡°We are rather far from the areas most damaged by the war,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°They are likely mere opportunists, assuming they were not already engaged in banditry before the tranquil age began.¡±

    ¡°You do have a point. But it¡¯s possible they started out there and roved over here.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said.

    Yunise smiled. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, a thousand ruffians aren¡¯t a match for one Sacred Knight, let alone four. And if one does slip by, I¡¯m here.¡± She paused and looked at Lusya. ¡°Although, if the captain is to be believed, you don¡¯t really need my protection.¡±

    ¡°That assessment is correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am much stronger than you.¡±

    A blanket of silence settled over the room. Yunise opened her mouth a few times, like she was about to respond, but each time she shut it before making a sound. Ariya, meanwhile, scowled at Lusya.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go help?¡± Ariya asked, when it was clear Yunise didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°As this Knight just said, they do not need my assistance,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The bandits are unlikely to pose a threat.¡±

    ¡°But what if they somehow do?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even matter. We¡¯re here anyway, you don¡¯t even need to go anywhere.¡±

    She stared into Lusya¡¯s eyes, pleading for several, painfully long seconds.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will lend my aid.¡± She stood up and walked toward the door. ¡°I leave the child in your care, Lady Knight. See that she is here and unharmed when I return.¡±

    Yunise nodded. ¡°I will. But are you sure you should go out there?¡±

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    ¡°I will be fine,¡± Lusya said. Then she walked out the door.

    #

    Lusya strode out the door and headed toward where she assumed the confrontation would be happening. Based on the noises, it would be on the eastern side of the building, near the stables. Sure enough, that was where everybody was. Ten humans dressed in rough, tattered clothing stood, brandishing weapons, in a semicircle around the Sacred Knights. As she had surmised, they had the look of bandits who thought an isolated roadside inn an easy mark.

    She noted as well that two of the horses from the previous day were gone, along with the slaver¡¯s wagon. He may have wanted to avoid the Knights as well if he was not adhering to the laws. Two new horses, however, had replaced his, and she had spotted a luxurious white and gold carriage in place of his wagon.

    Behind the three of the Knights who were facing off with the bandits, the innkeeper was splayed out on the ground, groaning with a pained expression on his face. The tiransa man among the Knights knelt beside the innkeeper, holding an ornate torch around the innkeeper¡¯s abdomen. That was sure to be the tiransa¡¯s Sacred Blade.

    There was a tear in the innkeeper¡¯s shirt over his belly, stretching the width of his body, the edges and the ground beneath him soaked with blood. Lusya could only see a tiny cut, however, little more severe than if he had nicked his finger with a kitchen knife and nowhere near large enough to produce so much blood. So, the tiransa¡¯s Blade had a healing ability, then. She had pegged him as one of the two other than the captain with a Sacred Blade, the other being the blonde woman the captain had left as a guard.

    ¡°¡­you have no chance of winning this fight,¡± the captain was saying. ¡°Don¡¯t throw your lives away.¡±

    One of the bandits, a middle-aged man with a tangled black beard, stepped forward and scoffed. ¡°With that one out of the fight, we¡¯ve got you outnumbered more than three-to-one. I don¡¯t care how strong they say a Sacred Knight is, the odds are in our favor. How about you surrender and hand over anything worth coin you might have?¡±

    That strengthened the case for his group being mere opportunists or having already criminals before the war ended. It had never occurred to her before, but once Izurb had expressed as much, it had seemed obvious: seeing Sacred Knights¡ªor any powerful motomancy users, for that matter¡ªfight in earnest must have been a terrifying experience for any layperson. Someone from the wartorn regions would not have underestimated these Knights so, and would have had to be an exceptional fool to confront them with bravado.

    Not that it made much difference. She couldn¡¯t help but ponder such matters, but their motives were irrelevant to Lusya in the end.

    ¡°Boss,¡± another bandit said, pointing at Lusya as she approached.

    The boss chuckled and shook his head. ¡°One more, so what?¡±

    ¡°You should have stayed inside,¡± the captain said with a scowl.

    ¡°The child demanded I help,¡± Lusya said. She did not think refusing would have led to any appreciable increase in Malice, but there was no reason to upset Ariya and risk it over something so minor.

    Brigit smiled at Lusya. ¡°Hey, the more the merrier.¡±

    Lusya walked to the front of the Sacred Knights¡¯ formation and turned her attention to the bandits¡¯ boss.

    ¡°I will give you one verbal warning,¡± she said. ¡°Leave this place at once.¡±

    He laughed as if that was the funniest joke he had ever heard. ¡°Or what, little girl? You don¡¯t look like you could hurt a fly if you tried.¡±

    Lusya remained unsure why so many underestimated her. It was true that she did not look strong, but, even without knowing she was a demon, that meant little when motomancy came into play. They may not have known she could use it, but it they also had no reason to think she could not. Motomancy users, in particular those of considerable power, made up a small portion of the population, but not small enough to make such an assumption. Even more so since mortals assumed she was a reltus. Relti learned motomancy more commonly than either of the other races, often for little more than making everyday tasks easier, though such users did not tend to be very powerful. Perhaps this was another manifestation of the bandits¡¯ ignorance.

    She strode toward the boss. She could have killed them all, but that seemed inconvenient given the circumstances. If she killed them through more conventional means, it would be difficult to keep Ariya from being exposed to the field of corpses. On the other hand, if she used Miudofay to burn the bandits to ash, the Sacred Knights would recognize the sword, by name if nothing else. The women and the tiransa man were not a problem, especially now that she knew the latter¡¯s Blade had a healing ability, but she did not want to start a fight with the captain if she could avoid it.

    In that case, a demonstration of strength seemed in order. In the past, she had not given her opponents a chance to appreciate how outmatched they were before giving them a chance to flee. Perhaps it was worth trying. If it worked, it would be a useful tool in the future.

    ¡°What are you doing, fool girl?¡± the boss asked as she approached, turning his sword on her.

    She stopped a couple feet away. ¡°Try to strike me.¡±

    He narrowed his eyes and ran them over her. Looking for some sign of a trick, she supposed. Once he had finished, he smiled, apparently satisfied there was none.

    ¡°You asked for it,¡± he said.

    He stepped forward and swung his sword at her in an overhead slash. This man may have been a soldier at some point. The strike was simple, but his stance and technique were those of a trained fighter, not some thug who had picked up a sharp object to appear threatening.

    Lusya held out a hand and caught the strike, the flat of the blade held between her fingers and the blade resting on her palm. The swing stopped dead, as sure as if he had struck stone, with not a scratch on Lusya. Indeed, the grunt he let out suggested the sudden stop had been rougher on the boss¡¯s wrists and hands than the attack had been on her.

    Using motomancy, she almost always had her physical abilities¡ªalready well beyond any human¡¯s base capabilities¡ªenhanced, including her resistance to harm. She was more than up to the task of stopping an ordinary sword swing from such rabble without any injury.

    The boss pulled on his sword, trying to yank it out of her grasp, to no avail. She released the blade, and the boss pulled it back with extra vigor. Whether to strike her again or as a mere reflex at his weapon being ¡°freed,¡± it was futile. His sword stopped against the invisible barrier she had placed around the blade, his attempt to reclaim it accomplishing nothing more than throwing him off balance and bending his arms at an awkward angle. The barrier would be short-lived, but it was more than enough to serve its purpose. She stepped forward and threw a powerful punch into the side of his head and let out a shockwave from the blow. She felt the skull buckle under the force of the strike, and it was clear from the angle his neck bent at that it had snapped.

    He was already dead when the attack sent him flying back across the clearing, sailing close to fifty feet through the air before his corpse slammed against a tree and flopped to the ground, bringing several chips of bark with it.

    The remaining bandits watched their leader¡¯s corpse¡¯s flight and stared as it lied in a heap, the broken head oozing blood onto the ground beneath it.

    ¡°Holy¡ªWe have to go,¡± one woman said.

    A man whirled on her and snarled. ¡°No way. We still have numbers, and now we know how strong she is.¡±

    ¡°What does any of that matter if our weapons can¡¯t scratch her?¡± the woman asked. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±

    She retreated into the woods. With obvious reluctance, the rest started to follow her, one-by-one. The man who had argued with her was last to go. He shot one last glare at Lusya and loped after his companions.

    None of them tried to retrieve their boss¡¯s body. That was fine. Lusya could handle keeping Ariya away from a single corpse.

    ¡°Great Telresen,¡± Brigit breathed. ¡°She is strong. You see that, Nimrik?¡±

    The woman tiransa nodded, her green eyes wide in surprise. ¡°I saw it.¡±

    The captain approached Lusya and ran his eyes over her in much the same appraising way the bandit boss had. Once he seemed satisfied, however, he bowed to her. It was a proper bow this time, one fist over his heart and back bent forward forty-five degrees. The traditional bow in this region had both hands on the chest, one open-palmed and one closed, but Sacred Knights always used the western-style bow, which had had the side effect of driving some others to switch to it as well. She suspected this captain was from that region anyway.

    ¡°Thank you for your assistance,¡± he said. ¡°Any loss of life is regrettable, but I fear there would have been more bloodshed had you not intervened.¡±

    He stood and Lusya nodded in acceptance of his thanks. He stared at her, silent, for a moment. It seemed he expected her to say something in response, but she did not. She did not wish to speak with this man more than necessary and he had not said anything that demanded a reply.

    He pursed his lips for a moment, then spoke again. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Captain Kadel Highmoor, of the Sacred Knights of Ysuge. I believe your name was Lusya?¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± she said.

    He had the bearing of a nobleman. As soon as his bow had completed, he had gone back to holding his head high, coming just short of quite literally looking down his nose at her. His introduction was another clue. Though many commoners across Ysuge had surnames, it was uncommon for any other than nobility to feel the need to state them. She had never heard of a Highmoor family, but there were many noble houses throughout the continent she knew nothing about.

    He hummed in thought and nodded. ¡°That does not sound like any reltus name I have heard. In fact, it sounds Talsian more than anything.¡±

    ¡°My mother was human,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am told she named me.¡±

    That much was true and served well-enough as an explanation. The three mortal races could all interbreed. While many of those hybrids ended up taking traits from both parents, there were some who favored one or the other to the point of being indistinguishable from a full-blooded member of that race. She did not know if her mother had been from Talsia, the northwestern most nation in mainland Ysuge, but it was true the name Lusya had the sound of having come from there or one of its neighbors.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± he replied. ¡°What is your family name, if you don¡¯t mind my asking?¡±

    Lusya blinked. What did he hope to gain with this line of questioning? ¡°If I have one, I do not know it.¡±

    Father had claimed a single, self-assigned forename, as most demons did, Romoro, meaning ¡°wandering one¡± in Tofkish, a language spoken on the island of his birth. She was sure that, at some point, she had known both her mother¡¯s name and, if the woman had had one, family name, but Lusya had long since forgotten. She did not even remember her mother¡¯s face.

    ¡°And you said you learned motomancy outside the Sacred Knights?¡± the captain asked. ¡°Not so much as a day in an academy?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating. You are quite skilled. Maybe even captain-level. Who is your teacher? I would love to meet him, if the opportunity arises.¡±

    ¡°He is dead,¡± she said. ¡°And I doubt the feeling would be mutual if he were not.¡±

    Kadel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. You have my condolences. I suppose you would not be receptive to recruitment then.¡±

    ¡°You are correct,¡± she said with a nod.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I think highly of any who oppose the Sacred Knights,¡± he said. ¡°I understand we¡¯re not perfect, but we are the best the mortal races have.¡±

    ¡°I do not care if you think highly of me,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The child and I should resume our journey.¡± She walked past him toward the inn¡¯s front door. ¡°Good day to you.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Five

    The green leaves of the trees shaking gently in the breeze were a sure sign that spring had fought off the last vestiges of winter at last. In this part of the continent, that was. The scenery farther north may well have still consisted of bare branches and snow-laden fields.

    It was getting warmer as well. Lusya was fine. Her wardrobe was selected to allow acceptable levels of comfort at just about any temperature, rare extremes excepted. Ariya, on the other hand, had once again had to take off her coat and carry it. She still looked uncomfortable, though, huffing and panting as she walked along with her face flushed and a light sheen of sweat on her brow. Her dress did not look warm, but perhaps it trapped heat better than it appeared. Or maybe holding the coat so close to her body caused it to keep her warm anyway.

    It was doubtful it would be cool enough for the child¡¯s heavy coat again for some time. There was little point in having her wear it and take it off all the time, nor in having her carry it constantly. It may have even slowed them down. Ariya was keeping pace for the moment, but she did look to be struggling with the coat. She battled to keep it in a neat bundle in her hands and her gait turned to an awkward waddle every time part of it came undone and she tried to fix it.

    ¡°Would you like me to put that in my pack?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya¡¯s expression shifted to surprise for an instant, then she smiled and gave an enthusiastic nod. ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    Lusya slung off her bag and packed the coat away. She put the pack back on and hesitated, staring off into the woods. Something had brushed against her detection radius for just an instant. Perhaps the Sacred Knights? If they were in a hurry, they could overtake her and Ariya without issue. Who or whatever it was, however, was keeping their distance. Whether that was intentional or not was hard to say and the sensation had been too brief to get any details. She was not even sure if there was more than one entity.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°You look like you¡¯re thinking about something.¡±

    ¡°I am always thinking about something,¡± Lusya replied. She waited another moment to see if whatever it was would return. It did not. ¡°You do not need to worry about it, child. Let us continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    They continued along the road, a simple path of packed dirt through the woods. It obviously saw enough traffic to make a roadside inn worth running and it was wide enough for several wagons side-by-side, but Lusya had not seen another soul for some time. Perhaps it was seasonal.

    Before long, Lusya sensed the same presence as before. It was just one person and now they were standing still down the road, waiting. She was confident she knew who it was too.

    If he had gone to the trouble of intercepting her here, she doubted evading him would be simple. She would need to confront him instead. So, she kept walking until she got to where he was waiting. He was within the trees, off the road at a place where it was intercepted by another, smaller path. Maybe he had hoped to glean some of her intentions by observing which way she went.

    Instead, she stopped in place well before reaching the intersection. She slung off her pack and tossed it behind her. It would have been in the way and there was nothing fragile within to worry about. Ariya stopped a moment later and looked up, a question clear on her opening lips.

    ¡°Get behind me, child,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya shut her mouth, nodded, and scurried behind Lusya, staying close.

    Lusya¡¯s eyes went to where their pursuer was hiding. ¡°Show yourself.¡±

    There was a second of stillness and silence, then Captain Kadel Highmoor walked out from behind a large tree trunk and strode into the center of the road some twenty feet ahead. As she had suspected. She had been careful to commit his presence to memory. His subordinates were nowhere to be seen, nor could she sense their presences nearby. There were techniques to suppress one¡¯s presence, but they were advanced and could only make one appear weaker than they were, not hide the user outright.

    It was not impossible that a Blade¡¯s ability could have concealed them, but the odds the blonde girl had such a power were low. He was alone. He also seemed to have discarded the sword he had been carrying earlier. Contrary to what those unfamiliar with motomancy might have assumed, that was not a gesture of peace or goodwill. He wore no sword because it would have been useless at best and a slight hindrance at worst if¡ªor rather, when¡ªthey fought.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I could hide from you,¡± he said. ¡°But it was worth a try.¡±

    She tilted her head at a slight angle. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°There was something I needed to make sure of,¡± he said, eyes narrowing to slits. ¡°And some things I needed to do if my hunch was right. Which it seems it was.¡± He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s remarkable that I¡¯m not sure. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed at all if I wasn¡¯t looking for it. The Natural Philosophy Corps would love to have a look at you, but I get the feeling I won¡¯t be taking you alive.¡±

    ¡°You will not be taking me at all,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Leave, if you wish to survive. You will not receive a second warning.¡±

    Kadel shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Now that I¡¯m here, I must do my duty as a Sacred Knight. I even left the others behind so they wouldn¡¯t slow me down or get caught up in a battle beyond them.¡±

    ¡°Lusya, what¡¯s happening?¡± Ariya asked in a small, shaky voice. She peaked around Lusya, hands wringing the cloth of her dress.

    ¡°Nothing you need to worry about,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The situation will be resolved soon.¡±

    Kadel pursed his lips in thought. ¡°To what end are you trying to shelter that child? You really are a strange de¡ª¡±

    Lusya surged forward and closed the gap between them in an instant. She drew a fist back and launched powerful punch. Kadel¡¯s eyes widened, and he hurriedly assumed a defensive stance. He blocked her fist on his forearm and dug in his heels, but the force of the blow still sent him sliding back along the dirt.

    He lunged and countered with a punch of his own. She weaved around the blow and tried to sweep out his legs, but he moved back to avoid it. She continued her movement, flowing seamlessly into a roundhouse kick. He caught that kick, using both forearms to guard.

    The force of it and the shockwave released took him off his feet and sent him flying into a tree, but after that impact he landed on his feet with no apparent injuries. He rushed at her without an ounce of hesitation. She dodged the first punch, but the second turned out to be a feint and a third caught her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. It took her off her feet and she sailed through the air for a moment. Kadel moved to take advantage of that opening with a kick, but she managed to create an invisible pad to jump off the air and move away from him. She landed back near Ariya.

    They both stopped, catching their breath and waiting for the other to make the next move. It had been some time since she had fought a genuine threat. She knew she could not rush in and hope to win. She could not know what he was thinking, but she assumed it was along similar lines. One mistake could cost either of them the fight.

    ¡°So, she doesn¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Deception is in your nature. Who knows how many other lies you¡¯ve told her?¡±

    ¡°I have not lied to Ariya,¡± Lusya said.

    He scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you justify it to yourself or anyone else, deception is deception.¡± He paused, assessing Lusya. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll withdraw for now, but it will not be fruitless.¡± He extended a hand to his side. ¡°Envili.¡±

    A weapon formed in his hands. As Lusya had suspected, he had a Sacred Blade. In the broadest sense, it resembled a whip. Instead of a lash, however, a mass of dozens of writhing, thorned vines was attached to the handle. He swung the weapon and the vines surged toward Lusya, stretching to reach her. She prepared to defend, but Kadel gave a flick of his wrist and the vines swerved around her toward Ariya.

    Lusya whirled, but the vines wrapped around Ariya before she could react and retracted. Lusya could perhaps have caught them, but if she did not extricate Ariya properly, she may have just made things worse.

    The vines drew back to their original length, some unfurling for future use, while the rest stayed wrapped around Ariya to restrain her. She squirmed and struggled, but the vines gave no sign of releasing her.

    ¡°Lusya, help!¡± she shouted.

    ¡°I will free you soon, child,¡± Lusya said. She turned her attention to Kadel, her head tilted and brow furrowed slightly. ¡°This is your single warning to release her.¡±

    He shook his head and clicked his tongue, like he was scolding a child. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯ll need to take this child from you. I wonder how she¡¯ll feel when she finds out her caretaker is a demon.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Ariya sputtered. ¡°Lusya¡¯s not a demon! She even protected a town from one!¡±

    Kadel raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interesting. Although fights between demons are far from unheard of, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve heard of such an incident before.¡± He turned his attention to Lusya. ¡°Be glad I¡¯ve spared your life, if you are capable of such sentiment. Enjoy the time you have before I rally an extermination force more fit for your strength.¡±

    ¡°That will not happen,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will take the child back. But I am curious what you intend to do with her.¡±

    She was not sure what had driven her to ask. Her natural curiosity had brought about the question, but she was usually better at restraining it in such situations.

    Kadel pursed his lips, then shrugged. ¡°I guess it does no harm to tell you. There is nothing you can do, and I will acknowledge and respect that she seems have a genuine fondness for you.¡± He sighed as if the answer pained him and frowned at Ariya, though not with sorrow. Lusya believed that was pity. ¡°She will be treated the same as any other human who has spent prolonged time among demons: her Malice and corruption levels will be assessed, and a decision will be made based on the results. Given how well she gets along with you, I suspect her corruption will be intolerably high and she will be executed, unfortunate as that may be.¡±

    Corruption. What nonsense. While Malice could be measured to some degree, corruption was a nebulous assessment of a mortal¡¯s affinity for or sympathy toward demons. Perhaps there was a way to measure such things, but Lusya doubted the Sacred Knights¡¯ methods were particularly rigorous or empirical in that regard.

    ¡°E-Executed?¡± Ariya exclaimed. She let out a piercing squeal and thrashed against her bonds with renewed strength, but the result did not change in the slightest. ¡°That means, like, killed, right? Lusya, save me!¡±

    Kadel chuckled and gave a gentle shake of his head. ¡°I really will be impressed if a demon tries to ¡®save¡¯ a human. You¡¯re better off getting as far from here as you can.¡±

    ¡°I still have use for that child,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I gave her mother my word I would protect the child so long as that was so.¡±

    Kadel¡¯s brief show of humor crumbled into a scowl. ¡°If she believed the word of a demon, then she was a foolish woman.¡±

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    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about Mama that way,¡± Ariya said. The vines appeared to tighten around her, some of the thorns pricking her. She winced and fell silent, wide, wet eyes darting from Lusya to Kadel.

    ¡°Keep quiet,¡± he said. ¡°Your input is meaningless outside your assessment.¡±

    Perhaps Kadel had a point. Ariya¡¯s mother had not known that Lusya was a demon and Lusya did not know if she gave the impression of being trustworthy. She struggled to understand how mortals saw her at all at times. Even so, many mortals could not be trusted to hold to their oaths. And¡ªthough high-rank demons could sometimes rise above such impulses¡ªdemons were beings inclined toward treachery and deception.

    It would have been wise to flee. A battle with Kadel was risky, and attempting to rescue Ariya may well have ruined her. There were not many like the child, but Lusya had considered other candidates and she was sure she could find another. Maybe Ariya would even survive this assessment.

    Yet Father, the twenty-first Demon King, had always tried to impress upon Lusya the importance of keeping one¡¯s word. He had gone beyond practical concerns like keeping the trust of allies. For him, it had been a matter of principle. It was not a sentiment she understood. A promise was just words, a statement of intent like any other.

    And yet, it was a sentiment that had rung true from the start. It was something she had latched onto and felt, deep within her soul. One of the few strong feelings she could recall and one that still persisted within her. Maybe at one time she had remembered why that was, but those memories had long since become vague fragments at best.

    Even so, her feelings remained. This wasn¡¯t about her duty, about saving herself the trouble of starting over, or even about keeping Ariya pure and useful. It was about protecting Ariya and one simple conviction: a promise unfulfilled was a terrible thing.

    We¡¯ll see each other again, Lusya. I promise.

    ¡°I am sworn to keep that child safe, and I will uphold that promise. You will not harm Ariya again,¡± Lusya said. She didn¡¯t give him any chance to reply. She rushed forward, hand held out. ¡°Miudofay.¡±

    The sword materialized in her hand as she closed the distance. Kadel braced himself, preparing to defend. But he was not Lusya¡¯s target. She swung the sword at his weapon, sending out a wave of flames to burn away the vines at their base, well away from Ariya.

    Miudofay¡¯s fire pierced through the mass, reducing all it touched to ash. As Lusya had hoped, the now detached vines lost their prior properties. They began to fall, loosening their grip on Ariya. Lusya whirled to catch the child as she fell and place her gently on the ground.

    ¡°Stay put,¡± Lusya commanded.

    She twirled, continuing off her existing momentum, and threw a vicious kick square into Kadel¡¯s chest that launched him backward as he tried to lunge at her. He sailed near a hundred feet through the air. Lusya was not idle.

    She chased after him as he flew. He began to right himself and create footholds to slow himself, but before he could even touch the ground, she slashed Miudofay and sent a wave of flame at him. With no other options, he jumped off his footholds higher into the air. She had known, of course, that he could do nothing else. There was little doubt he enhanced his durability like she did and if he could air jump, he could make barriers. But while his defenses might have been up to the task of lessening their effects, the likelihood that they were strong enough to fend off Miudofay¡¯s violet flames was low.

    So, she flowed into a spinning strike that sent those flames upward, toward her opponent. He again jumped off air, to the side, but he had to know this was getting him nowhere. An airborne target that could dodge in any direction was hard to hit, to be sure. But he also had little means of striking at her and he could not stay up there indefinitely. When he hit his limits on air jumps and fell, it would be trivial to kill him, assuming he didn¡¯t slip up and get hit before that.

    He lashed his ruined Blade, and the vines regrew, their burnt stems falling away as fresh tendrils burst out. They stretched into the trees, wrapped around a branch, and pulled Kadel toward it. She sent out a wave of flames, but he swung from the branch rather than drop down, flinging himself deeper into the forest. The flames incinerated the trunks of a line of trees, including the one he had used, bringing their remains crashing to the ground in a series of cracks and bangs. But he had evaded the fire.

    Lusya hesitated for a few seconds. That maneuver had made it clear that the forest was a battlefield that favored him, so she did not want to follow him. However, she doubted he would emerge unless it was for some underhanded attack or an attempt to seize Ariya again.

    He was still in sight for now, and she could track him even if he went deeper to hide among the trees and growth of the woods. Still, there were plenty of schemes he could use if she lost sight of him. He could retreat out of her detection radius, then return for an ambush. There was no way for him to truly attack her by surprise. His first attempt had failed and now she was on guard and more confident in her ability to recognize his presence. Even so, he could have returned from his flight refreshed and with more of an understanding of his opponent¡¯s prowess.

    Or he could have fled and attempt to gather that force he had mentioned. If multiple Knights of his strength came looking for her, she would be in danger. If someone stronger participated, the odds were against her. And if a Paladin chose to join, she would be a dead woman walking. She may have been able to run, but that would only get her so far in the face of active pursuit. He could not be allowed to escape.

    She ran into the forest after him. Before he could hide or take cover, she closed the distance for a strike, but he jumped back, flung his vines to wrap around a tree trunk, and swung himself around to come at her from behind with a powerful flying kick. Lusya whirled and sent out a wave of flame, forcing him to unfurl the vines early, flinging himself away to avoid the fire rather than connecting his blow.

    Many of his vines got caught and burned away in the process, but they regrew as he landed. Whether that was because of the lesser damage, or they could always do that, and he had been too surprised to regenerate them right away before, Lusya was not sure. Until she had more information, she would assume it was the latter to be safe.

    ¡°Using the Demon King¡¯s Blade,¡± he said with obvious confusion as he resumed his stance. ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°I am his daughter,¡± Lusya said. He was going to die here, so there was no harm in satisfying his bewilderment.

    ¡°Then¡­No, that¡¯s impossible.¡±

    She did wonder what he was thinking, but the time for curiosity had passed. She rushed toward him, but he leaped into the air and pulled himself behind her with his vines. When she turned, he was lashing his whip, the vines flying toward her. She jumped out of the way of the main mass, but a few vines split off and grabbed her by the ankle. They slammed her down and dragged her along the ground, over rocks and roots.

    Another set of vines closed in, angling for the arm holding her sword. Did he mean to tear her limb-from-limb? She slashed Miudofay to send out a wave of fire and burn away the vines before they could seize her, then again to sever those holding her leg. More were closing in, but momentum flung her out of their reach and into a tree, shattering much of the bottom portion of the trunk.

    She pushed herself to stand. She had a few minor scratches and plenty of aches, but no significant wounds. Still, that would have gone badly if he had managed to get a second set of vines on her. Another mass of vines flew overhead and latched onto the weakened tree behind her, then yanked forward. Lusya dashed away from the falling tree, but Kadel was already moving to intercept.

    He ran forward, swung himself off a tree as if to get behind her, then jumped off air to move to the side instead. She flung flames at him to force him to cut off his attack, but another air jump and vine swing allowed him to dodge with ease. He landed near another tree and ran behind it. He moved around her, weaving around and behind trees for cover.

    As she had thought, the battlefield favored him too much. The trees afforded him so many options, his movements were difficult to read, and he could use them as weapons as well. Not very effective ones as of yet, but if he got more cunning with them or the battle stretched on enough to wear out her stamina until her enhancements started to fail, it could be a problem.

    In that case, she would have to rectify the issue. She had wanted to avoid leaving too much obvious fallout from the battle, but it seemed that would not be an option. Discretion would be of no use if she lost. She slashed Miudofay to send out a horizontal wave of the strongest flame she could muster, as wide, high, and far-reaching as she could make it. Perhaps fearing he would not be able to get out of the way in time, Kadel jumped dozens of feet into the air to clear the flames before they rushed through where he had been.

    Of course, he had never been their target and the flames served their purpose. In a fan-shape, widening from a dozen feet to several dozen by the end, reaching over two hundred feet in front of her, a swath of trees had been reduced to ash, along with anything else that had happened to be in that area, leaving a field of soot and charred soil in their place.

    Before he could react, she repeated her attack, burning the forest to either side of her initial path. It seemed she had eliminated all the trees in range of his vines, because he allowed himself to fall to the ground.

    She moved to intercept him and slashed at him, but he jumped off the air at the last second to redirect himself and avoid the strike. That was the obvious thing to do, and he moved to his left as she had predicted. The edge of the scorched earth was a little closer in that direction than behind him, and they were close enough to the road that her maneuver had left no trees to his right to use, a clear view to the path in their place. She followed the momentum of her slash into a jumping roundhouse kick that hit him square in the chest, angled down to drive him into the ground, where he hit hard on his back. She jumped off the air to get a different attack angle and slashed her Blade.

    To his credit, he still managed to dive out of the way of the wave of fire she sent down at him and get to his feet before she landed. Before he could fully recover his bearings, she charged forward and thrust at his head, blade alight with flames. He moved to the side at the last moment. Miudofay severed and incinerated the upper half of his ear and burned much of the surrounding hair and skin.

    He screamed in agony and lashed at her in a blind rage. She retreated and destroyed the vines that tried to follow. He glared at her, teeth bared in an almost bestial snarl. Then he took off running at full speed. But not at her. He was trying to move around her. To move back toward Ariya.

    She ran to intercept him. But, rather than stop to address the threat, he adjusted his course, trying to avoid her. That was futile, she was more than fast enough to catch up to him anyway. Even so, he did not stop. He lashed his vines at her as they entered an undamaged section of the forest, but they were in such close quarters that she wreathed Miudofay in flame and cut the tendrils off at the base. With his weapon disabled for the moment, she kicked him in the stomach, launching him through the air and countless branches that reached out as if in a futile attempt to slow his flight, out of their part of the woods and across the road where he slammed into a tree with enough force to scrape the bark off the tree and shatter most of the trunk.

    She followed after him and raised Miudofay overhead to strike down at him as the tree started to lurch forward. He held his weapon forward and the vines regrew and splayed out into a makeshift shield. He dived to the right just as she struck, slicing through his shield like paper and sending out a wave of fire that tore through the land behind him, reducing another swath of forest to an ash-laden wasteland.

    But his gambit had paid off. He was alive, writhing on the ground and wailing in pain ten feet down the road. The remaining vines had reassembled into their whip-like mass and the damaged ones soon regrew. Kadel was alive, but not unharmed. Lusya had felt the blade cut into his flesh, though only just. Even so, it had been enough. The flames had taken the entirety of his left arm. Only the smallest hint of a charred, blackened stump jutted from his shoulder. Much of his shirt and cloak had been destroyed as well, leaving him clad in tattered white rags, and the left side of his face and body were covered in severe burns.

    In a way, he was fortunate. If the nature of Miudofay¡¯s power did not lead to cauterized wounds, he would be bleeding out as he squirmed in the dirt. And were it not for the abnormal speed with which heat fell off outside the flames themselves, he would have been little more than a charred husk, if not outright ash. Although, looking at him now, clutching at his ruined limb with tears streaming down his face, teeth clenched in an attempt to stifle his own cries, he may have been better served letting himself be burned away.

    Still, with him in such a state, it was a good opportunity to take stock of the situation. She looked back down the road. As she had thought, the few seconds of that last exchange had taken them within twenty feet of Ariya, despite the fight beforehand moving them hundreds of feet in the opposite direction. Given the speeds Lusya and Kadel had moved at, that was not surprising. The shaking child looked from Lusya to the Knight and back again with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

    Lusya was loathe to kill Kadel in front of Ariya. Weak as her grasp on mortality may have been, Ariya was sure to be affected by that much. But in her current state, Lusya was not sure how receptive to orders Ariya would be. Having to goad her into closing her eyes may have given Kadel time to recover or escape. It was also possible he had standing orders for his subordinates to come for him if enough time elapsed. They were not a threat to Lusya, but then she would have had to kill them in front of Ariya too.

    ¡°My wisdom is peerless, my judgment absolute,¡± Kadel said, his voice strained, as he forced himself up to one knee. It took but a fraction of a second for Lusya to realize what he was doing. She surged forward, but that brief time had been enough for him to rally the strength to leap away from her strike while he continued his invocation. ¡°All ought to be bound by my will, Envili Uvgra!¡±

    His whip vanished, and in its place, vines sprouted forth from the ground in a wide circle around them. They stretched toward the heavens then curled inward, forming a dome to cut them off from the outside world. The vines were packed thick, allowing only hints of the sun¡¯s light to peek through the gaps. Or rather, an unnatural facsimile of the sun¡¯s light. The angle was wrong, as though the sun were higher in the sky than it actually was, and the light was just a touch too yellow, the rays too well-defined. They were still not enough to light the dome. To compensate, luminescent flowers bloomed forth to light the area with their own soft, golden glow. The vines¡¯ master still needed to see, it seemed.

    The flowers had taken a second or so to open up, but otherwise the process had been near instant. The captain stood a few dozen feet away from her, just off the center of the dome. It would have formed centered on him, but his dodge might have carried him out a bit. He was still clutching at his destroyed arm and even the unburnt sections of his face were stained from tears, but he seemed to have stopped crying for the moment. Regardless, the battle had just become many times more difficult. It seemed Lusya had underestimated Captain Kadel.

 Chapter Twenty-Six

    Lusya held her ground, neither retreating nor attacking. She could not afford to be rash when she did not know what Kadel¡¯s Full Release did. To think he had achieved the Full Release of his Sacred Blade. She had not predicted that. If she had, she would have finished him off without hesitation and worried about Ariya afterward. He would not have had a chance to think about starting his invocation.

    If what most people thought of as a Blade, known more properly as its First Release, was a crystallization of one¡¯s soul as a weapon, a Full Release could be thought of as forcing a part of the world itself to assume the form of a larger scale crystallization. It was said a Full Release could be achieved only when one achieved a deeper level of understanding and acceptance of themselves, casting off all doubt and self-deception. It was a little more complicated than that in practice, but the core idea was true enough.

    Full Releases were the absolute pinnacle of strength for motomancy users, demon, Sacred Knight, or otherwise. Only a small handful of mortals had them. There was no comprehensive list or count, but most estimates she had seen placed the number at less than one thousand in all of Ysuge. Not many demons had them either, for that matter. Lusya had known perhaps a couple dozen and known of a couple dozen more, most of whom had likely perished in the war.

    There was a higher level still, the Final Release. However, only Miudofay was known to have one. Even the Hero of Balance did not possess a counterpart. That made sense, seeing as the Hero¡¯s Blade was ultimately an ordinary one, different for each Hero. Miudofay, by contrast, was an exceptional Demon Blade, wielded by every Demon King. It was said that, if ever used, the Final Release, Miudofay Enfern Ifi, would engulf the entire world in flame, razing the planet¡¯s surface.

    Lusya spared a glance back. It had been obvious already, but she confirmed that Ariya had been inside its range. She stood inside the dome, trembling as she cast frightened glances all around. She caught Lusya¡¯s eyes, took a deep breath, and seemed to steel herself. Her tremors stilled and she forced her wide-eyed expression into a scowl, though her pallid face still betrayed her fear. The best way to address that was to defeat the enemy.

    Lusya turned her attention back to Kadel. Within most Full Releases, an attack could come from any direction with little physical input from the user required, but observing one¡¯s opponent could still provide valuable information. At the moment, he wasn¡¯t doing much of anything, however. He stood rooted to the spot, back straight as a rod, perhaps using that posture and discipline to fight through his pain. Nevertheless, his shoulders and chest heaved with every heavy breath he took, and he still held the charred remains of his left arm as though that would somehow heal it.

    The size of a Full Release varied with its strength. At the peak of Father¡¯s strength, Miudofay¡¯s Full Release, Miudofay Enfern, had been the size of a large city. That was an exceptional case, of course, but this one¡ªEnvili Uvgra, Kadel had called it¡ªwas small even by more conventional standards. It seemed to have a radius of roughly one hundred feet. He must have achieved it recently. It was even possible this was his first time using it in a real fight.

    None of that changed the simple fact that Lusya was now at a disadvantage. Encountering anyone with a Full Release was a momentous stroke of misfortune. Under the right circumstances or matchups, a First Release could overpower a Full Release, but that was not common, and it was too early to say if Lunera or her Miudofay were up to the task. She had never had to defeat a user of a Full Release on her own before. It was doubtful that Lunera would be a match in a straight fight, and in the past, she had observed that, while Lunera functioned fine within a Full Release, it could not be used to escape.

    Lusya had no access to any Full Release. She could never have Miudofay¡¯s. While it was possible in theory for her to achieve Lunera¡¯s, she had not and had reason to doubt she ever would.

    ¡°It¡¯s over now,¡± Kadel said, his voice still strained and raspy. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I underestimated you. But no more. I¡¯m going to finish this. But first, I¡¯ll secure the girl.¡±

    Lusya whirled as vines branched off and reached down from the ceiling. They moved with incredible speed, several times that the First Release¡¯s tendrils had. They wrapped around Ariya¡¯s limbs and waist to restrain her.

    ¡°Lusya, they¡¯ve got me!¡± Ariya shouted. ¡°Help! Get them off!¡±

    Lusya moved forward. She needed to burn away those vines. No, she didn¡¯t know enough about how their speed or other properties differed from the First Release. Something as simple as misjudging the timing could end with her killing Ariya instead. Lusya would need to get in close and cut the vines away. She ran toward Ariya in order to get in sword-striking range.

    Vines sprouted from the sides and formed two walls, separating Lusya from Ariya. Lusya slashed at the walls and sent out a short-range arc of fire. However, the flames only burned through the first and a small bit of the second wall before petering out. That level of fire had been more than sufficient to tear through the entire First Release.

    The vines holding Ariya started to retract. She let out a high-pitched, wordless scream as they yanked her into the air and kept going. Before Lusya could give chase, her senses and peripheral vision informed her of danger. Vines closing in from the sides and behind. She twirled and sent out a broad crescent of more powerful flames, incinerating the vines.

    From observing the way the vines binding Ariya had behaved, Lusya had inferred that the vines grew incredibly quick during an initial, straight-line growth period, then slowed to speeds comparable to the First Release when further control was demanded. It was possible that had been out of concern for Ariya¡¯s safety, but Lusya doubted it. Binding her high in the air with vines did not seem the restraint of choice for someone who was conscious of her well-being.

    Indeed, the vines that had been closing in continued to do so, but at a slower rate, though still quick enough to be dangerous. However, Lusya did not take that for the main attack. Vines surged out of the wall behind her at their top speed. She leaped into the air and spun, throwing flames around to burn away as many vines as possible. She took out a good chunk of the wall and the vines closing in on her, then used an air jump to get herself out of the tangle of destroyed tendrils surrounding her.

    She landed in a clearer area, with a good view of Kadel, though she doubted it would stay that way for long. He glowered at her in silence. He still had yet to move so much as a step since summoning his Full Release. That was not uncommon for a Full Release user holding the advantage, though this one may have benefited from supplemental attacks. Considering the state he was in, however, it may well have taken all his strength to stand there and direct his vines.

    ¡°Lusy¡ª!¡± Ariya screamed, before additional vines sprouted from her restraint to wrap tight around her mouth. She thrashed and writhed against her bindings as they retracted toward the ceiling but made no headway in escaping. Which was perhaps for the best, considering she was already close to a hundred feet above the ground.

    Once again, this Knight had made the situation more difficult. Now Lusya needed to figure out a way to free Ariya and keep the child from falling to her death in the process.

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    Lusya swung her blade toward Kadel and released a wave of fire. Several layers of vines surged forth to shield him. All but one burned away, but the last held firm. Miudofay could burn through the vines easily enough, but it did consume some of the destructive force of an attack. When enough vines were piled together, they became an effective defense. Even if a full-power strike could have burned through all of them, she could not use them constantly for fear of exhaustion.

    Seeing as he had tried to use his First Release as a shield, she assumed it had a similar property. It had just been too weak to matter. Father¡¯s Miudofay would have destroyed these vines just as easily, but it seemed hers was not up to the task.

    ¡°Stop this unsightly resistance against the inevitable,¡± Kadel said. ¡°It¡¯s evident that you can¡¯t defeat Envili Uvgra.¡±

    ¡°That remains to be seen,¡± Lusya said.

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°Stubborn, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Surrender offers no chance at a favorable outcome,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Therefore, even if the chance it offers is minuscule, fighting remains my best option. I must protect Ariya. And I do not want to lose to you.¡±

    He scoffed. ¡°Revenge, is it?¡±

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. She did resent the Sacred Knights, but was vengeance in her nature? Even if it was, she did not think that was what this was. ¡°And it does not matter. I will defeat you.¡±

    ¡°Saying it won¡¯t make it true,¡± he replied. He let out a smug chuckle. ¡°But I do admire your persistence.¡±

    ¡°The feeling is not mutual.¡±

    Vines dived down at Lusya from above. She dodged them, but another mass came from ahead to intercept her. She jumped over it, then air jumped to the side to avoid the vines that came out of that second mass from below. She burned away most of the third set before more could sprout.

    Then another set sprouted from the second. Rather than rush right at her, it shot up under and behind her, missing her. She reoriented herself, but it was already whipping itself at her. It struck hard, launching her backward and landing a few small scratches with its thorns. She air jumped at the last second to avoid another vine seizing her from behind.

    She launched an arc of flames at Kadel, but another layered shield of vines thwarted it. She was forced to move again to avoid another vine that was almost upon her. Its thorns grazed against, but did not pierce, her skin as she just barely dodged it.

    If she did not think of a way to win soon, she would be in trouble. Consecutive air jumps were taxing, even more so than they logically should have been for reasons that remained unclear. She would need to touch the ground soon. That would refresh her stamina for air jumps, to some degree. Movement caught her eye. It was not another vine, but Ariya, held against the ceiling. She squirmed in vain against the vines holding her and released quiet, muffled screams into her gag.

    Lusya had been approaching this situation from the wrong angle. She had focused on defeating the enemy as the means to resolution. That needed to be done, but it was neither her priority nor her goal. Her oath was not to kill Sacred Knights. It was to keep Ariya safe from all harm. That may well have been as impossible as finding a pure mortal but, just as she had with that task, Lusya would get as close as she could.

    She jumped over the next tangle of vines to try to crush her, avoiding it by mere inches. Then she let herself fall onto it. Kadel had been supplying her footholds all this time, and she had been too busy trying to kill him to notice. She jumped off the mass with all her strength. More vines sprouted chase after her, but she sent down a wave of fire to ward them off and jumped again off the air.

    Ariya was to the side, not directly above, but Lusya could still reach with the next jump. Countless vines surged in from all directions. There was no technique or finesse to their movements. He meant to overwhelm and crush her with so many simultaneous attacks.

    Lusya created a foothold. The greatest motomancy users could stand or even walk upon theirs for extended periods. Lusya had never been able to do so for longer than she needed to jump, but it would suffice. It had to. She created a large, spherical barrier around herself to slow the vines, if by very little, then spun to throw flames out around her. When the foothold was about to fail, she jumped into a flip to send another circle of flames out vertically. She allowed herself to fall onto the burnt vines below and jumped off, through the gap she had created above, whirling to cut away more of the vines.

    At the apex of her jump, she sent out a wave of fire to destroy the vines that had obstructed her view and path to Ariya. Lusya air jumped to get just beneath Ariya. With a swing of Miudofay overhead as she neared the peak of this jump, Lusya sent out a surge of violet flame that engulfed the vines around and binding Ariya, as well as the child herself. A risk there was little choice but to take if Lusya were to free and protect the child.

    Ariya fell out of the flames unharmed and dropped onto Lusya as she used a foothold to stay at the height of her leap for a split-second. Lusya took her left hand off Miudofay and used it to catch Ariya and prop the child up against her. Ariya wrapped her arms around Lusya¡¯s neck to secure herself and clung to Lusya with all the force a tree used to root itself to into the soil.

    ¡°Close your eyes and hold on,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I will,¡± Ariya replied as she buried her face into Lusya¡¯s shoulder.

    Lusya swung and incinerated the vines that tried to sprout from the ceiling at her. She made another foothold to hop off of, then flipped and made another above to push off and propel herself down. She had never done such a maneuver before, but she could not afford simply to fall. She destroyed the vines below that moved to catch her, then righted herself to dodge another barrage. A tangle came at her from the side, so she jumped onto, then off of it, burning it as she left it behind.

    Countless more vines tried to crush or trap her, but she evaded or destroyed them all. Still, that was all she could do and it was getting her nowhere. She needed to go on the offensive or her efforts would be for naught.

    ¡°No matter how much you struggle, it¡¯s pointless!¡± Kadel shouted. ¡°If that¡¯s the best you can do, those flames will never reach me again!¡±

    Lusya oriented herself to face him as she dodged another attack. With all the power she could muster from Miudofay, she slashed and sent out a roaring crescent of flame, annihilating most of the vines closing in on her and continuing toward him unimpeded. Walls of vines surged to protect their master.

    Miudofay¡¯s flames blazed on, burning through layer after layer until the tendrils struggling to snuff them out were all gone. But the fire had exhausted all its energy destroying those defenses and dissipated into a flurry of violet sparks, leaving Kadel standing with his protection gone but untouched by the attack below. Lusya jumped over the remaining vines attacking her and banished Miudofay.

    ¡°Lunera,¡± she said, her hand outstretched. Her Blade materialized in her hand.

    Perhaps fearing the new sword¡¯s power, Kadel grew new vines from his ruined ones in an effort to repair his walls. The opening she had created had all but closed before she could so much as move Lunera, but she could see through just enough to know that he had not fortified the area directly around him.

    ¡°Just hurry up¡­¡± she slashed Lunera through the air before her, creating a rift to connect to that space that engulfed her and Ariya immediately. Lusya appeared in front of him, less than an inch off the ground, and landed.

    He flinched at her appearance. ¡°What the¡ª?¡±

    ¡°¡­and die!¡± she shouted as she struck with Lunera, cleaving clear through the captain in a single blow.

    All the vines froze. Some had just sprung from the wall behind to defend their master, but they too stopped. The two halves of Kadel¡¯s body fell apart as they toppled, his face frozen in wide-eyed shock and terror. The dome of vines and those within dissolved as quickly as they had formed, returning Lusya and Ariya to the sunny road they had walked upon before. Almost where they had been when the fight had started, in fact.

    Lusya dismissed Lunera and took a moment to catch her breath. She had to resist the urge to give into desperate panting and keep herself breathing properly. Her heart pounded and her legs felt like jelly. It had been several months since anyone had challenged her so. She hoped she would not have the displeasure again before her task was completed.

    Though her eyes were still closed, Ariya began to sob. Her entire body shook against Lusya¡¯s. Tears leaked from her eyelids and ran down her face onto Lusya¡¯s cloak. After the first few sobs, Ariya let out a deafening wail and descended into hysterical weeping.

    ¡°That was so scary!¡± she wailed. ¡°I thought I was gonna die!¡±

    Lusya raised her free hand and gave Ariya¡¯s head a pat. ¡°It is okay now. You are safe.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s crying quieted to a sniffle and a sob long enough for her to nod before she returned to her weeping.

    ¡°Keep your eyes closed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will move us away from this area.¡±

    ¡°O-okay.¡±

    With that, Lusya retrieved her pack and walked onward down the road.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven

    Once they were far enough away from the site of the battle for her liking, Lusya stopped. After passing the parts of the woods she had destroyed, she had veered into the forest and walked deep within it. That would throw off pursuers and she thought it best to avoid even incidental encounters on the road for the time being. With the ample evidence of the fight left behind, such meetings could be trouble.

    She had even left the corpse behind for anyone to find. With the scorched earth surrounding, there had seemed little point in hiding or destroying it and she had not wanted to waste any time. Regardless of what Kadel had told his subordinates, they were sure to come looking eventually and would surmise he had been killed in a fight anyway. It would have been inconvenient if they had shown up while she was trying to clean up. In her current state, they may have even been a mild threat. She could not know if they had enough information to know she had been his opponent, but his body would not offer any extra evidence in that regard, since none of them had known she had Miudofay before he had confronted her.

    Lusya placed down her pack¡ªwhich she had carried in her free hand, there being no good way to put it on while carrying the child¡ªknelt, and placed Ariya on the ground on her feet. The child¡¯s weeping had weakened into soft sobs and a steady stream of tears. With her hands now free, she tried to wipe them away as she fell, though her face was red and wet from those that had already fallen.

    Lusya did a quick examination of what she could see of Ariya¡¯s body. There were some scratches and pricks, but nothing major. Lusya had some of those too. The vines¡¯ thorns had seemed to pierce her enhanced durability more than their capacity for damage would normally imply. That was not unusual for a Sacred or Demon Blade. Regardless, the cuts would heal soon enough. Most had already stopped bleeding or scabbed over.

    There was a distinct possibility they would both soon be facing bruises from the vines striking or binding them that had yet to form. Even considering that, it seemed Ariya did not have any major injuries. Neither did Lusya, for that matter. It would still be wise to tend to those open wounds.

    ¡°You may open your eyes, Ariya,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya nodded and her eyes slowly pried open. She blinked several times to adjust to the light, then she hung her head, eyes fixed on the dirt.

    ¡°Are you well?¡± Lusya asked. The child was fine physically for the moment, but it had become clear that that was not an absolute indicator of her overall condition.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°I think so.¡± She grabbed a fistful of her dress and began fiddling with the fabric. ¡°My dress got ruined again. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    It was true that the garment had been damaged where thorns had pierced it, but to say it was ruined was hyperbole. The holes and tears were tiny. Many could not even be seen through, and it would not have surprised Lusya if others failed to notice them at all. The dress would still need to be repaired, but it was usable in the meantime. Lusya would have to take stock of her own clothing later to assess its state.

    ¡°You are not at fault and no action of yours led to this,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You do not need to apologize.¡±

    Ariya made a vague grunting sound and nodded.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°If it will make you feel better, I accept your unnecessary apology.¡±

    Ariya nodded again, this time with a hint of a smile, but she still refused to look at Lusya.

    ¡°And I am sorry that I could not protect you completely.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s gaze rose to meet Lusya¡¯s for an instant before returning to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You did your best. And you still saved me.¡±

    If there was any way to lift the child¡¯s spirits, Lusya was at a loss for what it was. Ariya¡¯s Malice was still stable¡ªit had grown, but less so than during the Clearwood incident and it was already shrinking again¡ªbut she remained upset. Lusya understood neither what was keeping the Malice¡¯s growth at bay nor why the child was upset. Perhaps it was remaining fear or shock, but it did not look like either of those things.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Granted, as long as the Malice was not an issue it would not have any impact on Ariya¡¯s usefulness. Still, there was no guarantee it would stay like that. And Lusya did not want to leave Ariya in this state. If she could feel pain, physical or otherwise, without it affecting her Malice, then it was Lusya¡¯s job, by her word, to soothe that pain. If only she knew how.

    ¡°Is it true what that man said?¡± Ariya asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

    ¡°You will need to be more specific,¡± Lusya replied, although she was confident she knew what the child was speaking about. She just hoped she was wrong.

    Alas, that was not the case. Ariya raised her gaze with slow, deliberate movements until she had met Lusya¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you a demon?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I am.¡± She did not know how to tell such a blatant lie as denying it. Even if she had, if that deception were discovered later, it may have been harmful. ¡°Does that upset you?¡±

    For the first time since the fight had begun, a true smile graced Ariya¡¯s lips.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°I know you¡¯re a good demon!¡± She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Lusya in an embrace. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±

    Lusya was not sure if she was supposed to return the gesture, so she simply waited. After a moment, Ariya released her and stepped back, still beaming.

    ¡°You are welcome,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya twirled about, flailing her arms and making wet, guttural sounds with her mouth. Lusya tilted her head at the display and blinked twice.

    ¡°You were so awesome,¡± she said. ¡°Is that what it always looks like when you¡¯re fighting?¡±

    Lusya nodded. It occurred to her that Ariya had never seen her in a proper fight before. There had been no opportunity to stop her from watching during the early portion of the struggle. ¡°When the battle demands my full effort, yes, more or less.¡±

    ¡°It was pretty.¡± Ariya repeated her prior outburst. ¡°It was like you were dancing and fighting at the same time.¡±

    ¡°So I have been told,¡± Lusya replied. Ariya was hardly the first to remark that Lusya¡¯s agile, flowing fighting style resembled a sort of dance. ¡°Was that¡­thrashing supposed to be an imitation of me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ariya pumped both fists in the air to coincide with that declaration, then frowned. ¡°Did I not do a good job?¡±

    ¡°There is room for improvement,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya giggled. ¡°Well, you can teach me to do it better.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I can do that.¡±

    A brief silence settled over them. Then Ariya furrowed her brow and put her hands on her hips, standing as tall as she could.

    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you tell me you were a demon?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°I thought you were a reltus all this time!¡±

    ¡°You may have believed that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I never claimed as much.¡±

    ¡°Yes you did!¡± Ariya exclaimed, almost before Lusya had finished speaking. Then Ariya went silent for a moment and frowned. Her attempted authoritative posture fell apart as she shrunk in on herself for a moment, as though admonished. ¡°Oh, no, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°As for your first question, I thought it would frighten you and impede our journey. I did not think you would agree to come with me if you knew, so I allowed your assumption to continue.¡±

    Ariya huffed and stomped a foot as if she was about to protest, then paused and made a contemplative humming sound. ¡°You were probably right. But it was still kind of lying and mean and I don¡¯t like it!¡±

    ¡°I see. Then I am sorry.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s expression remained upset for a moment, though a series of twitches ran through it. Then she let out a sigh and broke into a smile once more.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°I forgive you. And now that I know you¡¯re a good demon, everything¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Then the matter is resolved,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°I think I see why you don¡¯t like Sacred Knights now too.¡± Her tone and face stayed cheerful despite that proclamation. ¡°Are they all that mean?¡±

    ¡°I do not know every Sacred Knight,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°We must move on. I will tend to your wounds to prevent infection, then we will continue onward.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°Do we have to? I¡¯m so tired.¡±

    ¡°We do,¡± Lusya said as she retrieved her poultices. ¡°Remove your¡ª¡±

    Ariya was already undressing to grant access to her injuries.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Lusya told her. Such proactive action demanded praise and Ariya beamed at it. ¡°Hold still.¡±

    Lusya applied the poultices and some bandages, then put her supplies away and allowed Ariya to dress.

    ¡°Are you sure we can¡¯t stay here tonight?¡± she asked as she smoothed out her dress.

    ¡°I am sure,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you do not think you can walk, I will continue to carry you.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Really? Yay!¡±

    She leaped forward at Lusya. Lusya caught her and tilted her head, blinking twice.

    ¡°You seem rather energetic,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°I just got excited, I¡¯m still tired.¡±

    As if to emphasize her point, she yawned and leaned her head against Lusya. Ariya had not done much during the fight, but it was easy to believe the stress and fear of the incident had translated into exhaustion. And if the prospect of being carried was so appealing to her, it could serve as a reward for her good behavior.

    ¡°Then we will go,¡± Lusya said.

    She put down Ariya long enough to sling on her pack and picked the child back up. Now that Lusya was not catching Ariya from a fall, Lusya could carry the child in a more natural, comfortable position, more centered as opposed to having the child half-hanging off her neck. Lusya stood and continued walking, sticking to the forest until she was confident it was safe to return to the road. Ariya was sound asleep well before that happened.

 Sacred Knight Personnel Files: Kadel Highmoor

    Kadel Highmoor

    Rank: Captain

    Eye Color: Blue

    Hair Color: Brown

    Height: 6 Feet

    Date of Birth: Telmon 7, 1271 GE

    Academy Graduation: Belary 30, 1292 GE

    Nationality: Scanessian

    Sacred Blade: Envili, a whip made of vines. Full Release: Envili Uvgra. Encloses the area with vines Captain Highmoor can freely control.

    Direct Superior: Colonel Aisof Kavoca

    Direct subordinates: Lieutenant Brigit Redmoor, Knight Yunise Carpenter, Knight Rejib Divdem, Knight Nimrik Chekul

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Additional Notes: Captain Highmoor achieved his Full Release during battle toward the end of the war on Ast 9, 1300 GE. He was able to use it to emerge victorious and has been training with it since, but he has not wielded it in battle again.

    Captain Highmoor¡¯s strength is currently considered insufficient for Paladin candidacy. In regards to future candidacy, the current Paladins who are acquainted with him had the following comments:

    First Paladin Elphrid Blackstone: ¡°I do not believe the title would suit him.¡±

    Seventh Paladin Azure Yasier: ¡°Ha! No.¡±

    Twelfth Paladin Ardria Eltrin: ¡°With a bit of refinement, I do not believe his temperament would be out of place among us.¡±

    It has come to the Executive Council¡¯s attention that Lieutenant Brigit Redmoor and Captain Highmoor are longtime acquaintances. Lieutenant Redmoor¡¯s family is a vassal of Captain Highmoor¡¯s, and the two met when Captain Highmoor was ten years of age and Lieutenant Redmoor was three. Interviewed acquaintances report a quasi-sibling relationship between the two. Lieutenant Redmoor¡¯s assignment to Captain Highmoor appears to have been a coincidence, but we do not believe it to be appropriate and find their failure to report it suspect. An investigation is currently ongoing.

    A comment from Captain Highmoor: ¡°I resent the implication that I, of all people, cannot remain impartial or conduct myself appropriately. I will not deny my history or bond with Lieutenant Redmoor, but she is just another subordinate when we are on duty. I will cooperate fully with the investigation, but I expect a formal apology once I am cleared of wrongdoing.¡±

 Sacred Knight File: On the Twenty-First Demon King

    Report to the Executive Council Regarding the Twenty-First Demon King¡¯s Strength

    I have conducted a thorough review of all battle records following the war against the Twenty-First Demon King(hereafter, ¡°21¡±), as well as conducted numerous interviews. Already, I had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, so I reviewed records of cycles past as well. I have reach a single, undeniable conclusion: the Demon King¡¯s are getting stronger.

    While it is difficult to make direct comparisons of simple might, the emergence of new abilities presents a clear pattern. 21, for example, displayed the ability to summon numerous copies of Miudofay. Past Demon Kings have, at most, been capable of manifesting two swords. There is also know record of them doing so while their Full Release was active, something 21 did quite liberally.

    21 also had a limited ability to control where the Malice for Miudofay¡¯s formation came from. As Malice is vital to motomancy, this allowed him to weaken his opponents to a degree. If this ability, too, becomes stronger in successive cycles, we may soon be faced with an unstoppable opponent. I recommend the Natural Philosophy Corp be put to investigating counter measures as soon as possible.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Perhaps more terrifying than this increased strength is their increasing intelligence. The past few have been much more methodical in their methods, using conquest to make their ultimate goal easier. 21¡¯s nascent empire of Miudo, I¡¯m told, had all the trappings of government, and strict laws to prevent his subordinates¡¯ lust for cruelty from becoming a double-edged sword. I am also told he was less violent, even averse to conflict in his younger days, though I was not able to obtain any details regarding this.

    The point, however, stands. Each Demon King is more dangerous than the last. We cannot simply continue as we have. The Executive Council must begin taking steps to ensure we can keep pace, lest the next Demon King or the one after that destroy us all.

    -Johenna Liston, Head of Investigations and Histories

    The above report contains first-hand information from the following: Hero of Balance(Former, Deceased) Klarc, Second Paladin(Former, Deceased) Alira Kolana, Third Paladin(Former, Deceased) Osark Kivab, Second Paladin(Current) Asina Wupio, Third Paladin(Current) Ezec Birg, First Paladin Elphrid Blackstone, Seventh Paladin Azure Yasier

 Letter From Hataya Minotsu, Ambassador to Talsia

    Brother Kateo,

    I hope the warmth of spring finds you well as it drives away winter¡¯s chill.

    I write to you of two minds, for I have news both great and terrible. I have once again obtained valuable information from the Sacred Knights of this land. Seeing as they are not officially affiliated with Talsia, I greatly appreciate their indulging my inquiries. One cannot doubt their sincerity in wanting to protect all from the threats of demons and Malice.

    That brings me to the main point. It seems the Twenty-First Demon King was stronger than any of his predecessors. Not only did he display new abilities, but victory against him was obtained by the thinnest of hair¡¯s breadths. I am told the Hero of Balance struck the final blow just seconds before the Demon King would have completed his invocation of the Final Release, and the Hero paid with his life.

    I am sure you can see why this has me so conflicted. The Demon King¡¯s growing stronger is dangerous. How many thousands died to this one¡¯s wrath? How many more will to the next? It is a terrible thing.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Yet it also means that we are right. I know, of course, that I am not meant to take satisfaction in such things, but I cannot help but feel a twinge of validation.

    These Ysugians are blind to the truth, of course. I have told you before that I have immense respect for the Sacred Knights. Such an organization is a wonderful thing, and it is full with many upstanding individuals whose mastery of motomancy boggles the mind. We could stand to learn much from them.

    Unfortunately, it has also gotten them far too fixated on martial might as the answer. I am told the Demon King displayed abilities that may neutralize motomancy if allowed to progress in subsequent cycles. Their answer to this is to research ways to fight such an ability. Maybe they will succeed. Maybe they will fell the Twenty-Second Demon King as well, and the Twenty-Third. But if each is stronger than the last, how long before one simply invokes the Final Release before anyone realizes what has happened?

    We know better. We are right. The Demon King cycle cannot continue, and, just as the Way of Wisdom teaches, violence cannot end it. We must find another way, for no one else will.

    May your path be bright,

    Hataya Minotsu, Ambassador from Kirimoto to Talsia.

 Book Two - Chapter One

    ¡°Lusya, no! Stop it!¡±

    Ariya¡¯s agonized screams drowned out the gurgle of the stream and grated on the ears. She thrashed and splashed about, sending sprays of cool river water around her, but she could not escape the solid hold Lusya hand on her head and shoulder as she scrubbed Ariya¡¯s back. Then again, it did not seem that Ariya was making much effort to escape. For all her fussing, she had done nothing with any hope of success to get Lusya to release her.

    ¡°Hold still,¡± Lusya said, filling the bowl in her hand with the river¡¯s water once more. ¡°It will be uncomfortable for you if the soap dries.¡±

    With no more warning, she dumped the water over Ariya¡¯s head. The child let out another shriek and squirmed but made no proper effort to avoid it. She shivered as the water ran off her.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya blinked as she set to lathering Ariya¡¯s arms. ¡°It is an acceptable temperature.¡±

    Were it winter or earlier in the spring still, the stream would indeed have been much too cold for bathing. However, it was the middle of spring now. Toward the end, even. Lusya would not have called the water warm by any stretch of the imagination, but it was tolerable and posed no risk to Ariya¡¯s health. If it had been cold, however, struggling and splashing it about did not seem like an effective way to deal with the issue.

    Ariya huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°I hate this.¡±

    ¡°If it were truly as bad as you would have me believe,¡± Lusya said, ¡°your Malice would be reacting much more than it is.¡±

    Now that Ariya knew that Lusya was a demon, Lusya made less of an effort to conceal the nature of her abilities. Ariya was well-aware of Lusya¡¯s inherent sense for Malice and of the need to keep it a secret. Concealing it may have been unnecessary to begin with, but Lusya had not wanted to test Ariya¡¯s knowledge of demons. Of course, there was still much Ariya did not know. Lusya¡¯s exact parentage and the true purpose of their journey were both still secrets.

    Lusya had also refrained from explaining the importance of Ariya remaining pure. On that note, Lusya hadn¡¯t even told the child that she was the purest mortal Lusya had met. People could behave oddly under the weight of expectations, and¡ªdespite her purity¡ªAriya did have moments of pride that could have given way to something darker. As such, Lusya thought it best to keep Ariya¡¯s purpose and qualifications vague.

    Ariya looked up at her, pouting. ¡°No fair, reading my mind.¡±

    ¡°That is not what I said.¡±

    Ariya shrugged. ¡°Close enough.¡±

    Lusya very much disagreed with that assertion. Observing Malice fluctuations gave her a vague idea of a mortal¡¯s general emotional state. It was not reading thoughts by any reasonable definition. For that matter, outside of extreme cases, it only worked for mortals she was already familiar with. Even then, its reliability varied. Not all mortals had the same stability, and close to none had Ariya¡¯s.

    ¡°And I still don¡¯t like it,¡± Ariya added. ¡°Hmph.¡±

    She crossed her arms and held her head high, as if that statement had marked some decisive victory. Her head lowered a moment later when Lusya dumped another bowl of water over Ariya¡¯s head.

    ¡°In any case,¡± Lusya said, deciding the matter was not worth arguing, ¡°proper hygiene is important. You will finish bathing.¡±

    ¡°Well, you should take a bath too, then,¡± Ariya said, grinning as if victorious.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will, as soon as you are done. If you did not struggle so much, we could do this simultaneously.¡±

    Did Ariya believe Lusya had undressed and gotten in the water solely to bathe her? Ariya displayed a marked lack of awareness at times. Lusya understood it was somewhat typical for a child Ariya¡¯s age.

    They could have taken individual, concurrent baths. Ariya would bathe in the stream if Lusya instructed. However, Ariya¡¯s reluctance tended to make her do a poor job, so Lusya had long since taken it upon herself to handle it.

    ¡°That means at the same time, right?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Correct.¡± Lusya walked to the shore and lathered her hands. The area they bathed in was about waist-high for Lusya. On Ariya, the water reached up to her chest. ¡°We will wash your hair now.¡±

    Ariya groaned. Then, again, she smiled, looking quite proud of herself. ¡°But what if someone walks by?¡±

    ¡°I do not understand the question,¡± Lusya replied, cocking her head and blinking twice, as she worked the soap into the child¡¯s scalp.

    ¡°They¡¯ll see us naked.¡±

    ¡°That does not bother me,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Well, it bothers me,¡± Ariya whined.

    ¡°You will be fine.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Why do you even wear clothes if you don¡¯t care?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°There are a number of reasons.¡±

    Clothing served a number of practical purposes, after all. Lusya suspected the nudity taboo had sprung from them, not the other way around. Then there was the need to blend in, of course. Breaking such a common rule was sure to draw unwanted attention, at best. Even among demons, that had been the case. Most clung to clothes as much as any mortal. She would also have admitted, if pressed, that aesthetics played a part. She still took Father¡¯s advice on such matters seriously.

    She dumped another couple bowls of water over Ariya to rinse her hair out.

    ¡°I think that will do for now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may dry off on the shore while I bathe.¡± She whirled to face the trees beyond the riverbed. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    There was a surprised shout from behind a particularly large tree. Lusya had detected the Malice signature earlier but had dismissed it as a mere passerby. Its strength had been well above average but did not approach that of upper-level Sacred Knights. At best, it came close to a new recruit.

    Few of that level could detect demons, so she hadn¡¯t considered a confrontation. On top of that, Sacred Knights almost always traveled in groups. Paladins and other elites were known to take assignments alone, but this was not one of them. Lusya had dismissed the singular presence as the occasional stray powerful mortal. But it had been stopped behind that tree for a couple minutes now. Too long for a traveler who had perhaps stopped at the noise, and it had kept creeping closer. When it had neared where Lusya¡¯s supplies were was when she had decided the matter needed addressing. She also sensed that it was more powerful than it had appeared at first.

    ¡°Show yourself,¡± she demanded.

    A young human man stepped out from behind the tree, eyes wide and arms raised as if in surrender. At a glance, he wasn¡¯t anything special. He was of just above average height, dressed in a simple shirt under a vest, pants, and cloak. Ordinary traveling clothes. Though of noticeably high quality. There was a sword at his hip, but being armed wasn¡¯t unusual for a lone traveler either. A sword was not the typical weapon of choice for such people due to its skill requirements, but it was not rare enough to be noteworthy.

    ¡°Why were you spying on us?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not nice!¡± Ariya added.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to spy,¡± the man sputtered. ¡°I mean, I wasn¡¯t spying! Well, I was, but I wasn¡¯t going to do anything bad, I swear!¡±

    The man¡¯s face was bright red, and he refused to meet Lusya¡¯s gaze, lowering his eyes the moment they made eye contact. That could have been a sign of nervousness or deception. Although, following his most frequent line of sight presented an alternative theory.

    ¡°Then why were you hiding there?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Well, I heard girls screaming and talking,¡± he said. ¡°So, I, uh, came to take a look, you know?¡±

    She tilted her head and blinked. ¡°I see. So, you are what is called a lecher, then. I had thought so based on your fixation with my breasts, but I am inexperienced with those such as yourself, so I did not want to be hasty in my conclusions.¡±

    Ariya let out a scandalized gasp and hid behind Lusya.

    The man made a series of incoherent sounds, before slapping a hand over his eyes hard enough to make a sound and turning his head to the side. It looked like his fingers were far enough apart that he still could have seen out if he had wanted to. In fact, Lusya was sure she could see one of his blue eyes peering out.

    ¡°S-sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to stare,¡± he said. ¡°And that¡¯s not what I meant! I heard screaming and shouting, so I wanted to make sure everybody was okay.¡±

    She supposed that was a plausible enough explanation of his behavior. That said, she still thought he had lingered a bit longer than necessary if that had been his purpose. Perhaps he had come with those intentions and then decided to watch them bathe. Or perhaps he had wanted to be extra sure in whatever conclusion he reached.

    She supposed it didn¡¯t matter much. He did not seem malicious, nor was he strong enough to be a threat. It was evident he was stronger than most humans, but it had been years since someone like him would have even presented a challenge, and her motomancy had only increased in strength over the past three months. Her combat encounters accounted for part of it, but not all. She was not sure what was responsible for the rest.

    ¡°As you can see, we are both well. Ariya was simply being difficult about bathing,¡± she said. ¡°Your gaze does not bother me, but I suspect your presence will make Ariya uncomfortable¡­¡±

    ¡°You bet it will!¡±

    ¡°¡­and I prefer to avoid unnecessary company. As such, you will leave now.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± the man exclaimed, he reached out his hand toward her, as if to grab someone walking away. The next instant, his eyes widened, and he placed the hand back over them. ¡°Now that I¡¯m here anyway, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°I do not recall us ever meeting before,¡± she said. ¡°I do not see what we could have to discuss. If you are a merchant, I am not interested in your wares.¡±

    ¡°Especially since you watch people not wearing anything,¡± Ariya said, then stuck her tongue out at the man.

    ¡°I said it¡¯s not like that,¡± he insisted, his voice plaintive and his face about as red as Lusya had ever seen a mortal¡¯s become.

    ¡°Silence, Ariya,¡± Lusya said. ¡°What do you wish to speak with me about?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya said. She was a bit sullen, but there was no noticeable reaction in her Malice levels.

    ¡°Well, a few things in particular,¡± he said. ¡°But mostly, I just want someone to talk to. I¡¯ve been traveling by myself for a while. Getting a little lonely, you know?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not know,¡± Lusya said. Loneliness was a feeling she neither experienced nor understood.

    The man let out an uneasy chuckle and scratched at the back of his head with his free hand, ruffling his blond hair. ¡°The point is, I could use some company, if that¡¯s okay.¡±

    Lusya blinked. She did not think indulging him would be harmful, but she was not accustomed to such requests. She could count the number of people who had made a point of seeking out her company on one hand, and Ariya was the sole mortal on the list. None of them had ever made such an explicit, yet vague, request either. Ariya either just started talking or asked for some specific activity or answer. Besides, they were almost always together anyway. Father had always had some purpose as well, though he had confessed that they were often little more than excuses. Other demons had been much the same. While she saw little reason to refuse, she saw little reason to accept either.

    ¡°I totally get it!¡± Ariya said, apparently having forgotten any grudge she bore the young man. ¡°And talking to new people is so fun. Can we, Lusya, please?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head, blinking two times. ¡°I do not understand why we should.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes you just want to talk to someone,¡± Ariya replied. ¡°I have you, and back home I had Mama and Papa and Jak. But sometimes, when I get done playing by myself, I just really want to talk to somebody all of a sudden. It sucks when I don¡¯t get to, and I don¡¯t want anyone to be sad. Besides, it can be fun for us too!¡±

    Lusya hesitated. Considering the lack of apparent disadvantages, keeping Ariya happy seemed the best course of action. Still, the fact that she did not understand the motivations, and very much doubted it would be ¡°fun¡± for her, gave her pause.

    ¡°Please?¡± Ariya asked again.

    Lusya blinked, then nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± She turned to the young man. ¡°Wait on the shore there. We will be done shortly.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± the man replied, grinning and thrusting a thumbs-up at her. ¡°I¡¯ll even go back behind the tree, so you don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m watching you.¡±

    Lusya blinked and nodded. ¡°Do as you wish.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Two

    ¡°If nudity is your concern, you may emerge now,¡± Lusya said as she fastened her cloak to top off her outfit.

    She had had her cloak and clothes repaired following her battle with Captain Kadel but had yet to buy any more. The damage had not been severe enough to warrant a replacement, and she had not yet found an opportunity to have clothes tailored. That was fine. The repairs were all but unnoticeable, so her two outfits would serve well for a while yet. While she valued her father¡¯s instructions on caring for her appearance, such concerns did need to be balanced with practicality.

    The dress Ariya had been wearing at the time had likewise been repaired. She was wearing it at the moment, in fact. The damage was difficult to see if one was not looking for it.

    Lusya grabbed her comb and started brushing her hair as the man came out of his hiding spot. True to his word, he had stayed there the entire time she and Ariya had been bathing, and, either he was very good at hiding it, or he had not peeked out since assuming the position.

    Now that she wasn¡¯t assessing him as a potential threat, she took in more information on him. He looked to be around her age, perhaps a year or two younger or older, and was rather good-looking. His hair was on the longer side for a man, though not enough to appear feminine, and he was clean-shaven. As she had thought, his clothes were nice. His black cloak, in particular, seemed to be made of a finer material than most, perhaps silk. Though it was a bit dirty, it looked soft and all but shone in the midday sun. His vest was of similar quality, while the rest of his clothes, while fine, were less obviously expensive.

    ¡°Right. Sorry again about earlier,¡± he said.

    She cocked her head and blinked. ¡°As I said, it does not bother me. There is no need for you to continue apologizing to me.¡±

    How many times did this need to be reiterated? It was more annoying than the original offense.

    ¡°And I forgive you, so you don¡¯t need to say sorry to me either,¡± Ariya said, before tossing a handful of nuts into her mouth. She had protested of hunger, so Lusya had given them to her as a snack.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the man said, scratching his head again. A nervous habit, perhaps. ¡°Just feels right, I guess. Your reactions aren¡¯t exactly normal.¡±

    ¡°Do you have much experience with reactions in these situations?¡± Lusya asked. It didn¡¯t matter much to her, but she was curious. If, as he claimed, he was not a lecher, there was little reason for him to have the context for such a definitive statement.

    He laughed and shook his head. ¡°No, poor phrasing. I guess I should say I assume your reactions aren¡¯t normal.¡±

    She nodded in acceptance of that explanation. Her understanding was also that most mortals would have been more upset about his observations, well-intentioned or otherwise, judging by stories she had heard, fiction and otherwise. She, however, did not care, and Ariya was quite forgiving. That was to be expected of the purest mortal Lusya knew of. It was rather the point, in fact. Still, Ariya¡¯s mood swings did sometimes catch Lusya by surprise.

    Lusya finished her combing and stowed the instrument in her pack. No doubt some part of her hair would end up sticking up or looking disheveled. It was the nature of working without a mirror, then wearing a hood and sitting and lying on the ground. Still, she had done what she could. She turned to the young man, waiting for him to say something more. It had been he who had wanted to speak, after all. She assumed he would be the one to drive the conversation, seeing as she had nothing to say to him.

    Seconds stretched by, however, with him staring back at her in near silence. He shifted his weight awkwardly and began to glance about the area. Ariya sat on the ground nearby, the crunching of her nuts and the bubbling of the stream providing the only sounds. She looked from Lusya, to the man, and back again.

    Lusya chose to remain standing, and he did the same. The man was not a threat and did not seem hostile, but she did not want to lower her guard regardless. Why he did not sit, she was not sure. Some form of courtesy, perhaps.

    Finally, the young man chuckled, once again scratching his head. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go first, then.¡± He cleared his throat, grinned, and stood tall¡ªhe looked to be about a full foot taller than Lusya¡ªwith his arms crossed in front of him. ¡°My name is Ander Lindun, nice to meet you.¡±

    He looked at her, then at Ariya, his smile growing, as if expecting some kind of amusing reaction. Lusya gave none, and Ariya just cocked her head and continued munching on her nuts.

    ¡°You have had enough for now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We must conserve those.¡±

    Ariya sighed and got up to put them away in Lusya¡¯s pack. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Ander¡¯s smile shrank but did not disappear. He laughed and his posture relaxed. ¡°I guess my family isn¡¯t a big deal out here, huh? Or at least, not where you two are from. I kind of figured, but I was hoping I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°At the very least, I know nothing of it,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Ariya said as she returned to her seat.

    The name Lindun did sound familiar, but that was as far as Lusya¡¯s knowledge went on the subject. She assumed it was a noble family, but her knowledge of those was largely limited to what had been relevant during the war. Even within that scope, names had not always been important, so there were many she had never bothered to memorize.

    He wore no family crest or other identifiers, but she saw little reason for him to lie and plenty for him not to advertise his status. Every noble house had rivals and enemies, after all. Even after moving out of his own country, any signifier of nobility could turn into a target mark for bandits or the like. His clothing would draw attention alone, but that was no reason to draw more.

    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t blame you,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯re a pretty middling family from Nordhem. The kind of size everyone there knows and nobody else does, if you know what I mean.¡±

    She did, more or less. There were plenty of families like that, and it did not surprise her that she did not know of this one. Nordhem was one of the most northeastern nations on the continent, while the war had centered around the southwest and central south.

    Of course, there were a few families she was at least familiar with outside that region¡ªthe entirety of Ysuge, and even some aid from elsewhere, had been involved in some manner¡ªbut mostly ones with national level political power or great military backing or prowess. There had never been any need for her to know every minor house that had contributed a few soldiers or given a small donation to the war effort. Even many of the noble families who had members among the Paladins or the Sacred Knights¡¯ leadership were unknown to her, as the larger house often had little to do with the Knight¡¯s activities or influence.

    Ander looked at each of them in turn, as if expecting some kind of response, his smile fading as none came. Lusya had nothing more to say, and so remained silent. Ariya turned a similar expectant look on Lusya, then seemed content not to say anything either.

    He coughed into his fist and another smile, more nervous than before, reclaimed his face. There was something else different about the expression, but she could not place what it was. ¡°And you two are?¡±

    Ah, he was waiting for an introduction. Social interaction would be much simpler if people just said what they wanted.

    ¡°Lusya.¡± She saw no need to volunteer more than that.

    Ariya jumped to her feet and threw her hands into the air. ¡°And I¡¯m Ariya!¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Lusya and Ariya, huh?¡± He paused and glanced at both of them. When neither of them went on, he continued, ¡°Can I ask where you¡¯re from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from Ovda,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°The southeast, then,¡± he said with a nod. Many people could not have found their own homes on a map, but a nobleman knowing geography was to be expected.

    Lusya had hoped to get by without answering, but he turned to her as soon as Ariya was done answering.

    ¡°I come from the central south,¡± she said.

    There were a few reltus-majority nations that would have qualified as in the central south, Narua chief among them. And, of course, relti and half-relti could be found around the continent to varying degrees. So, the answer played well into the assumption of most mortals that she was a reltus. It did not seem problematic. She did not, however, want to get more specific, and was uncertain how to handle the situation if he pressed for details. Answering Miudo, her father¡¯s short-lived empire, would not have been appropriate. Graca, the kingdom that had become home to the capital of Miudo, would have raised too many questions, with the disarray it was no doubt in, more so than the rest of the region.

    She supposed that, in the strictest sense, she could not be sure any those answers were true. Her birth and the first seven years of her life may well have transpired elsewhere. However, she did not remember where she had lived with her mother. She could make a reasonable inference based on her own name, but she could not be certain. Lusya considered herself from the central south, and she did think most would agree.

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    His eyes widened. ¡°Wow. Things must be rough around there right now, huh?¡±

    ¡°I would not know,¡± she replied. ¡°I have not been there in some time.¡±

    Ander nodded in apparent acceptance, before scowling and cocking his head. He pursed his lips and pressed a finger to them. ¡°Lusya doesn¡¯t sound like a name from Narua or anything. Or any reltus name for that matter.¡±

    ¡°My mother was human, though I do not remember her well,¡± she said. There was no harm in offering that information. For her purposes, people thinking her a half-reltus was little different from thinking her a pure-blooded reltus. ¡°I am told she named me.¡±

    Ander blinked, then laughed and scratched his head. ¡°Sorry, did I say that out loud? That was rude of me. I¡¯m sorry if I touched on something sensitive there.¡±

    ¡°No apologies are necessary,¡± she said. She had little issue discussing her mother that much. Still, this was stretching on a bit long. She had never been one for pointless small talk. ¡°You said you had specific matters you wanted to discuss?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mainly one, really,¡± he said. ¡°The others kind of go along with it.¡± He paused, staring into her eyes for some reason known only to him, and took a deep breath. ¡°I was wondering if you two might want to travel with me. There¡¯s strength in numbers and the road can get lonely.¡±

    Ariya grinned. ¡°That sounds great! Right, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head slightly and glanced at the child. Ariya promptly dropped her gaze and fell silent. She seemed to have developed something of a sense for Lusya¡¯s intentions. It was convenient at times like this, so Lusya had not made any effort to change it.

    ¡°My strength is sufficient to keep us safe,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And as there are two of us, solitude is not a concern.¡±

    Not that solitude had ever much bothered her anyway. She had spent months alone before picking up Ariya. At the end of that period, Lusya would have felt no pull for companionship had her mission not required it.

    The company of others did not inherently bother her either. She was ambivalent to it in most cases. Given the sensitive nature of her quest, however, she preferred to avoid it as much as possible. There had been times in the past when she had needed others, and she was sure there would be such times again. Until then, however, additional companions seemed unnecessary at best and potentially harmful at worst.

    ¡°That might be true, but you can never be too safe, right?¡± he said. He smiled at Ariya. ¡°Besides, no matter how much you like someone, a little variety is nice. Right, Ariya?¡±

    Ariya looked up at Lusya and gave a hesitant nod.

    ¡°If your pace does not match ours, we may be slowed,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander chuckled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that. I have a carriage with plenty of room for all of us. We can travel faster and walk less.¡±

    Ariya seemed to have recovered her nerve, staring at Lusya with wide, hopeful eyes and hint of a smile.

    ¡°I am unsure I can provide for the three of us, even if you also have funds,¡± Lusya said.

    It was clear he had value to provide, but that was not the issue. He was not necessary, and so his value would have had to be astronomical to overcome the potential risks of having him around.

    ¡°Believe me, that¡¯s not a problem,¡± Ander said, almost smug in his cheer. ¡°My paranoid father sent me with more than enough money for ten people to make the trip.¡± His hand lowered to a coin purse at his hip, and he produced a small handful of gold coins. One of those could have fed a family for several months, assuming one had them exchanged to silver or copper or bought supplies in bulk from a prosperous merchant. ¡°I¡¯m happy to share. No need to pay me back or anything either.¡±

    ¡°See, Lusya?¡± Ariya said. ¡°This could be really good! And I want to talk with him more about Nordhem and stuff. Please?¡±

    Lusya glanced at her, then returned her attention to Ander. ¡°I assume you are capable of defending yourself. My focus will be on protecting Ariya in the event of danger.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Not to brag, but I¡¯m pretty strong myself.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said with a nod. ¡°However, there is still the most important deciding factor. Where are you headed, and why?¡±

    He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked! You¡¯re standing¡­sitting in the presence of a future Sacred Knight. You see, I¡¯m going to the academy at the Grand Stronghold in Seris.¡±

    That was as good a reason not to travel with him as any. Sacred Knights and demons were enemies. Even if he wasn¡¯t a Knight yet, he was trying to become one. The last Sacred Knight she had spent any significant time with had almost killed her and taken Ariya. Though they had seen a few Knights in town or on the road, they hadn¡¯t had any more encounters like that since. As Lusya had thought, nothing at the scene had identified her or led the Knights toward her. She was in no rush to risk changing that.

    Even Ariya¡¯s smile turned into a frown in an instant. Lusya was tempted to halt the conversation and leave immediately. Though she knew that would look suspicious in its own right, one human¡¯s suspicion did not seem a great inconvenience. Only curiosity stopped her.

    ¡°Why Seris?¡± she asked. ¡°There is a Grand Stronghold in Riksky, much closer to your home.¡±

    Seris was in Talsia, in the northwest of the continent. It was literally across the continent from Nordhem. Riksky, by contrast, was in a neighboring northwestern country. Even if there were some circumstance preventing him from going there, there were plenty of other Grand Strongholds that were closer than Seris, and each had an academy.

    Ander seemed to notice Ariya¡¯s sudden change in demeanor, staring at her. He blinked and took a moment to respond to Lusya.

    He laughed, again scratching at his head in that odd manner. ¡°My teacher up to now is from Bulice and studied in Seris. He¡¯s kind of a purist and said he wouldn¡¯t write me a recommendation of admittance unless I went to Seris too.¡±

    That was a fair enough explanation. There were likely people like that for every academy. For every educational institution, for that matter. It must have been worse for the Sacred Knight academy in Seris, though. The Grand Stronghold there was the original Grand Stronghold, dating back to the founding days of the Knights of Telresen¡¯s Light. There must have been many who, against all reason, declared it the best by virtue of being the first. And Bulice bordered Talsia, so Seris¡¯s academy was a natural choice for someone from there.

    While she was not familiar with all the inner workings of the Sacred Knights¡¯ academies, she understood they were all somewhat independent, including in admissions. That made Ander¡¯s mentor¡¯s threat quite enforceable.

    Ander¡¯s route seemed a bit circuitous if he was this far south, but there could have been myriad reasons for that. Travel was not always so simple as going in a straight line. Lusya¡¯s intended route was also far from the most direct one to her destination.

    Regardless, she was not going to travel with a Sacred Knight, in training or otherwise, if she could help it. Before she could voice her refusal, however, Ariya spoke up again.

    ¡°That¡¯s the same way we¡¯re going!¡± she exclaimed. She turned to Lusya. ¡°Can we please go together?¡±

    Lusya blinked. This was one of those time¡¯s Ariya¡¯s turnarounds surprised her. ¡°Are you certain you want that? Remember the last time.¡±

    Ariya pursed her lips and let out a pensive humming sound, then gave a resolute nod. ¡°I remember. But this is different. Ander is nice.¡±

    ¡°The last one seemed nice at first too,¡± Lusya replied. Kadel¡¯s first impression had been abrasive, but not unkind. ¡°We have no reason to take him at face value.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m right here,¡± Ander said, as if she could have forgotten.

    Lusya didn¡¯t bother to look at him. ¡°Silence.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said. ¡°But he¡¯s different. I can just tell. And I really, really want to go with him.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head, blinking two times. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, he seems nice and fun to talk to,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Plus, we won¡¯t have to walk. You won¡¯t have to worry about money either. No more counting coins every night.¡±

    There was an appeal to that. Keeping track of funds was tedious, and acquiring them was risky, though she did not ¡°count coins every night.¡± And they would likely move faster with Ander¡¯s carriage.

    ¡°Seris is in the right direction, right?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Perhaps you should have asked before confidently asserting so,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya¡¯s face scrunched up, the way it did when she was trying to decipher a statement. Lusya was not sure what dictated her ability to understand.

    After a moment of what seemed to be deep contemplation, Ariya¡¯s eyes lit up in realization, then she blushed and looked away. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And you are correct.¡± She looked to Ander. ¡°Seris is on our way. If that is your destination, we may be able to accompany you most of the way there.¡±

    Of course, Lusya had no intention of visiting Seris itself. It was still the seat of Sacred Knights¡¯ power, though there had been talk for the past century of moving it to the center of the continent. While she would avoid the city itself, however, she was going to pass near it.

    ¡°Great,¡± Ander said. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to have someone other than my horses to talk to.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head. ¡°Do you actually talk to them?¡±

    Ander chuckled, scratched his head, and said nothing.

    ¡°However,¡± Lusya said, ¡°I do have a rather particular route in mind. If yours diverges too drastically, we may leave.¡±

    Ander hummed in thought, then nodded. ¡°Makes sense. Can I ask what that route is?¡±

    ¡°I intend to travel north from here, cut through the Elzen Valley, then travel west,¡± she said.

    He sighed and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. That¡¯s the exact way I wanted to go.¡± He blushed and scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t speak any reltus languages well, so I want to avoid reltus-ruled or majority kingdoms. Is that what you¡¯re doing too? I¡¯ve heard half-humans have it rough. Or is there some other reason you¡¯re avoiding them?¡±

    ¡°Something along those lines,¡± Lusya replied.

    In truth, she worried relti would see through her ruse. Proportionally, many more relti received training in motomancy, so there were more who could potentially sense her demonic nature. Even without that, they may have noticed something in her behavior or some hole in her deception to give her away that could not be excused by being half-human.

    She supposed it was convenient that the knight-in-training had his own reasons to avoid them. Although, she did not see why he was so relieved. She could not imagine being that starved for companionship. But then, it was not unusual for her not to understand mortals. Or demons, for that matter.

    Using the Elzen Valley had its own complications. While the area within was rather large, there would be virtually no way out other than going back due to the mountains. Still, it was faster than going around or over the mountains, and she doubted there would be any circumstance to render the entire valley inhospitable to her.

    ¡°So, where are you two headed, anyway?¡± he asked. ¡°And why?¡±

    ¡°That is not for you to know,¡± Lusya said.

    She supposed there would have been little harm in saying they were going to Midbud Isle, or even Tofka more specifically, she wanted to keep the information he knew to the minimum. If nothing else, he might have been able to point someone else in their direction, if the Knights caught wind of her.

    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± he said. ¡°I told you mine.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That was your decision. I have made mine.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± He clapped his hands together suddenly. ¡°So, it sounds like that¡¯s decided,¡± he said. She had heard that gesture was sometimes used to draw a close to a conversation in the north. Depending on usage, it was either a gesture of friendship or of rudeness. She did not know how to differentiate the two. ¡°Shall we get going?¡±

    ¡°Were there no other ancillary matters you wished to discuss?¡± she asked.

    He thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°No, I think we covered everything. Let¡¯s go. I can lead you back to where I left my carriage when I came to investigate.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully no one stole anything while you were away,¡± Ariya said with a giggle.

    Ander blinked, then his eyes widened. Lusya may never have seen someone open them that wide. ¡°Shit.¡± He sprang to his feet and ran off into the woods. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry it up!¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Three

    At first, it was almost easy to miss that they had entered the village of Mirewood. Here, at the outskirts, the houses were so far apart, each seemed a lone cabin rather than part of any kind of settlement. It was the fields nearby, more than anything, that signaled the presence of civilization. Even moving farther in, there was ample space between every squat, thatch-roofed home and humble wooden shop. The closest were a couple dozen feet apart, and most were several.

    A few villagers were out and about, but they did not seem welcoming. They regarded Lusya and the other with wide-eyed, fearful expressions, and averted their gazes, all but cowering, at the slightest sign of them being returned. There was a distinct air of Malice about the village as well. It was subtle enough that, on its own, it was difficult to know if it meant anything after having just arrived, but, combined with their behavior, it seemed worth noting.

    Of course, with just a handful of people on the streets, Ander had no problem guiding his carriage on through the road. There was no need to maneuver around pedestrians or slow to a crawl, as carriages did in more crowded areas, though Ander did decrease his speed. She would have used the word wagon rather than carriage to describe the vehicle, but Ander insisted on the latter, and she had no interest in arguing the matter.

    It was a simple vehicle, pulled by two horses. A seat at the front was broad enough for perhaps four non-tiransa adults to sit if they squeezed in. For two adults and a child, it was plenty big. Behind that was the wagon proper, a long box packed with all manner of traveling supplies, from spare clothes to medicine.

    It was much like what a traveling merchant might use. For traveling long distances, it was an effective choice. Lusya had been considering buying something similar for some time, but it was difficult to save up enough to do so while also keeping Ariya happy. The need to learn how to command and care for the animals was another barrier. And even if all that was overcome, she was not sure she would be able to acquire enough supplies to make it worthwhile. Using all that time and money to acquire so much storage would be wasteful if she did not begin carrying much more than she did now.

    Their pace hadn¡¯t improved terribly. The carriage¡¯s default speed on the open road was faster than walking, but only by the slimmest of margins. In isolation, the speed increase was not significant. The vehicle had, however, made them a bit more consistent. No longer at the whims of Ariya¡¯s variable stamina and energy, they were able to advance at a more-or-less constant speed, save for breaks for meals, which also served to let the horses rest.

    Ariya herself had been excited to ride, but her feelings on the matter now seemed less positive. Her eyes were wide and fixed on her lap, her lips drawn to a thin line, as she gripped the seat beneath her with white knuckles.

    ¡°Are you well, Ariya?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya gave a series of rapid nods. ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯m getting used to it.¡±

    Ander looked at her and blinked. ¡°You look awful.¡± He blushed. ¡°I mean, you look scared. You can always ask me to stop if you need me to.¡± He directed his eyes back toward the road. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t really check on you most of the time.¡±

    ¡°No, really, I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied with an uneasy smile. ¡°Just a little nervous still.¡±

    She did seem to have improved over when she had first boarded two days ago. She was not trembling anymore¡ªthough her unnatural stillness seemed to be a similar expression of unease¡ªand there was no noticeable reaction in her Malice. Lusya had actually had to put a stop to the first ride herself to avoid the child being tainted. Fortunately, Ariya had made a quick recovery and had not had a response of similar magnitude since.

    ¡°What frightens you so?¡± Lusya asked, blinking twice as she tilted her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared,¡± Ariya said, almost before Lusya had finished speaking. ¡°Just nervous.¡±

    Every effort Lusya had made to understand Ariya¡¯s fear had met with a similar response. It was perplexing. Ariya had been fine with the covered wagons in the caravan, and with similar heights when Lusya carried her. The only thing Lusya could think of was that it was a combination of the height and instability. The carriage did rock and jump quite a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking we stop here for the night,¡± Ander said. ¡°I could stand to top off a few supplies. And, frankly, I want a bed to sleep in.¡± He patted the backs of his horses, who snorted in response. ¡°These two deserve a stable too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a bed!¡± Ariya said, all signs of fear evaporating as she beamed. ¡°That sounds great, let¡¯s do that, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    They were making good progress, and staying in the town did not seem like a significant setback, even if Lusya¡¯s original plan had called for them to pass right through. It was about time to give Ariya a small treat, anyway. After discovering how Ariya responded to both prolonged travel and breaks, Lusya had made a point of being more flexible with her travel schedule. They stopped in towns she had not originally planned to overnight for small rewards, and they took a day off about once a month to refresh the child¡¯s energy.

    It was still unclear what made these longer breaks ¡°real,¡± as the woman who had introduced the concept had called them, but they seemed to be effective in keeping Ariya content and motivated. Lusya had added the shorter stops in between to prevent Ariya¡¯s fatigue building to concerning levels before longer ones. All the pauses were going to add up and delay their journey¡¯s completion, but they also increased its chance of success and bolstered Lusya¡¯s vow to Ariya¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Great,¡± Ander said. ¡°Let¡¯s find ourselves the inn, then.¡±

    Despite the spread-out nature of the town, finding the inn took little time. Ultimately, despite how spread out it was, the village still wasn¡¯t that large as a whole, and the inn was one of three buildings, excepting barns, that was more than a tiny, one-story home. Not by much, granted. It was two floors and not very large across.

    There was a small wooden landing outside, with a table set to the side of the door. Three men were seated there, drinking and talking. As Lusya and the others walked past, the men glared at them, then clustered closer together and lowered their voices to mere whispers.

    The innkeeper gave them a similar look when Lusya and the others walked in, but quickly switched to a smile instead.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± he said, with excessive volume and cheer. ¡°Travelers?¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°We sure are.¡± He looked over his shoulder at Lusya, holding up three fingers. ¡°Three rooms?¡±

    ¡°Lusya and I share,¡± Ariya said. She grinned and puffed out her chest, though it was unclear what she thought laudable about that statement.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Two is sufficient. We may even be able to fit in one.¡±

    Ander blushed and gave a vigorous shake of his head. ¡°No way, that¡¯s not happening. Besides, it¡¯s not like we need to save money.¡± He cleared his throat and turned back to the innkeeper. ¡°Two rooms it is, please. And whatever¡¯s hot for dinner later.¡±

    ¡°Right, that¡¯ll be one silver,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°You can have the first two rooms, right across the hall from each other. Stairs are over there.¡±

    ¡°Great, thanks,¡± Ander said, handing over a single silver coin.

    The innkeeper inspected the coin, then nodded and waved Ander off.

    The three went upstairs and found their rooms. They were the small rooms one would expect. Ander had made the right call on two rooms. There was no way all three of them would have fit in the bed.

    Lusya set down her pack, having brought it inside rather than leave it in Ander¡¯s carriage. She still did not fully trust him.

    Ariya flopped down onto the bed, limbs sprawled about, and let out a sigh. Her hair spread out beneath her like a puddle. It was getting rather long. Perhaps a cut was in order.

    ¡°I love when we get to sleep at an inn,¡± she said.

    Lusya blinked twice, cocking her head. ¡°I do not understand why you make that sound like an infrequent occurrence.¡±

    It had only been a few days since the last time. They did have to camp out more often than not, but they stopped in town quite often. They could have stood for more frequent access to food, medicine, and bathing facilities¡ªthings that were scarce to nonexistent in tiny villages like this one¡ªbut warm beds were not in short supply.

    Ariya shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±

    Before Lusya could reply, there was a series of knocks at the door. They were slow and quiet, as though hesitant.

    ¡°Can I come in?¡± Ander asked, with obvious apprehension. ¡°You¡¯re not naked again, are you?¡±

    By way of response, Lusya walked over and opened the door.

    Ander looked her over and surveyed the room as if he might have failed to notice some nudity at first glance, then smiled. ¡°I was wondering if you two might want to come shopping with me. There¡¯s still a while before dinner, and I doubt you want to stay couped up here until then.¡±

    ¡°That sounds fun,¡± Ariya said as she sprang up off the bed. ¡°Are we gonna go, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I suppose we will.¡±

    She would have had no objection to staying in the room for the rest of the day. However, she had no particular aversion to going elsewhere or accompanying Ander either. As such, the choice that made Ariya happier seemed the wiser one. And, while there was nothing urgent she needed to buy, there were a few things she could stand to pick up.

    ¡°Great, then let¡¯s go,¡± he said. ¡°I think I saw the general store on the way over. Follow me.¡±

    He led the way through the streets toward the shop. The roads were clear, for the most part. The few people they passed gave them a wide berth, often casting a harsh look before averting their gazes and speaking in hushed tones to any companions. Their eyes were not always angry. Sometimes they instead seemed frightened or dismayed. At other times, they displayed sentiments Lusya could not quite identify. None of them, however, seemed positive.

    Despite the thin crowd, Ariya clutched at Lusya¡¯s hand. Lusya had taken to allowing that even in less dense areas. The disadvantages were minimal, and Ariya seemed to derive some sort of enjoyment out of it. Keeping her happy was part of both Lusya¡¯s mission and the spirit of her promise.

    The general store manager greeted them much as the innkeeper had: a deep scowl followed by a broad smile. Ander went about the store picking out food and other traveling supplies. He had plenty, but she supposed keeping a steady supply was wise.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    She usually waited until she was running low to restock, but that was due to funds and logistics. She could only carry so much, and she preferred to use major cities to acquire money. In a smaller settlement, she would be the obvious culprit, and, while there was nothing they could do to harm her, there were a number of ways their suspicion could become a hindrance. If she had been able to, she would have replaced what she had used every time the opportunity presented itself.

    The manager¡¯s smile never faltered. His tone was friendly, and he was prompt and attentive, but any response he gave to Ander¡¯s questions was curt and to the point.

    ¡°What kind of nut is this?¡±

    ¡°Walnut.¡±

    ¡°And this fruit?¡±

    ¡°Raspberry.¡±

    That exchange seemed odd. Raspberries had a very distinct appearance. Lusya did not know if they grew in the north, but a wealthy noble would likely have seen them at some point.

    ¡°Do you have bandages?¡±

    ¡°There.¡±

    Lusya didn¡¯t have any problem with the brisk approach to conversation, but it did strike her as unusual. In her experience, most mortals¡ªand most demons, for that matter¡ªwere needlessly verbose. Few were content to answer a question and leave it at that, and some even seemed repulsed or offended when given such a response to their own questions.

    Lusya took the opportunity to look around as well. She grabbed some supplies of her own. Relying on Ander¡¯s generosity in sharing his resources did not strike her as a sound plan. She also took a look at a bookshelf toward the back of the store. They were almost done with their current set of books. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to come back and sell the two she had finished. Her pack didn¡¯t have room for more than four at a time with everything else in it, and one slot was occupied by her cookbook.

    ¡°Do you have any preference?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya mimed a series of punches and made a series of wet, guttural noises with her mouth. Apparently, they were meant to sound like the impact of a blow. Lusya supposed there was a vague resemblance.

    ¡°Something with lots of action,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Do you guys like to read?¡± Ander asked as he walked up behind them. He held a bag in one hand, suggesting he had at least finished gathering what he needed.

    ¡°I enjoy it,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It also seems to keep Ariya entertained.¡±

    ¡°Lusya reads to me,¡± Ariya said with an almost smug grin. ¡°And sometimes, I read to her.¡±

    Ander smiled back. ¡°That sounds like a lot of fun. Like some kind of reading party.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    He chuckled and leaned closer to the shelf. ¡°Let¡¯s see, what do they have? Not a bad selection for a town like this. What did you guys read last?¡±

    ¡°We are nearing the end of The Cobbler¡¯s Wife,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Before that, it was A Place for Roses.¡±

    Ander suddenly coughed as if choking on something. ¡°Okay, Cobbler fine, but that last one is not appropriate for kids!¡±

    ¡°I skipped over certain scenes for her benefit,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya scowled. ¡°You did?¡±

    ¡°I thought they would be distressing for you,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ander sighed in relief. ¡°That could do it. Which ones?¡±

    ¡°Violent scenes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I read chapter twenty while she was asleep.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°You read a whole chapter without me?¡±

    ¡°It was not critical to the plot.¡±

    ¡°That still leaves a lot for a kid like her,¡± Ander said, sounding somehow defeated.

    ¡°I am aware of the usual standards for such things,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, neither the erotic scenes nor the cursing seemed to distress her.¡±

    ¡°It was kind of funny how much they swore,¡± Ariya added with laughter in her voice.

    With a great groan, Ander buried his face in his hands and shook his head. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll leave it at that.¡± He raised an eyebrow at Lusya. ¡°Even though it doesn¡¯t seem much like your kind of book either.¡±

    ¡°I chose it at random,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Although, I am unsure what you are making that judgment based on.¡±

    Ander opened his mouth to answer but shut it before a sound could escape.

    ¡°You said you wanted action, right?¡± he said to Ariya. At her nod, he plucked a book off the shelf and handed it to Lusya. ¡°That should do, if you haven¡¯t read it already.¡±

    She checked the title. ¡°I have not. Ariya, have you ever read The Tale of Dancing Tigers?¡±

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°Nope. Never heard of it.¡±

    ¡°Then it will do,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about splitting costs or anything either,¡± he said. ¡°I can pay for everything, no problem.¡±

    She nodded and plucked another book at random. That tended to be her procedure. She would choose one book based on some criteria Ariya identified, one she wanted to read, and one randomly. The Cobbler¡¯s Wife had been Lusya¡¯s preference, so it was the other two categories that needed replacement. The random one was often a novel, as both she and Ariya favored them, and they tended to be grouped together. They did, however, sometimes end up with a history, an atlas, and one time even a book of jokes. Lusya had not understood most of them, but Ariya had found them amusing.

    ¡°I am done,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Can we get something sweet?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Only if you do not want the book,¡± Lusya said.

    It would be some time before the next city where she could top off her funds, and even small sweets could be quite expensive. It would probably have been fine, but she liked to leave herself a buffer. Besides, it was important to balance keeping Ariya happy and managing her diet. She was not going to do the latter herself and having her become sick or fat would only hinder them both.

    Ariya pursed her lips and sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take the book.¡±

    ¡°Hey, no need to hold back,¡± Ander said. He grinned at Ariya, stood tall, and pointed a thumb at himself. ¡°Uncle Ander¡¯s paying, remember?¡±

    Ariya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°Why are you my uncle?¡±

    Ander gave a strangled chuckle, scratching his head. ¡°I have no idea. Forget I said that. Uh, I am paying, though. I literally have more money than I know what to do with, so¡­¡±

    Ariya looked at Lusya with a wide-eyed pout. ¡°Please?¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may select one sweet item, if one is available. But that means no more for several days.¡±

    Undaunted, Ariya jumped in the air with an excited shout and dashed over to a nearby table with some kind of small cakes on it. It seemed she had already had her eye on one, and she snatched it as if someone else was going to.

    They went to the front counter and purchased their goods. Lusya had no problem allowing Ander to pay, so long as there was a clear separation between his purchase and hers. She wanted their resources apart if she had to leave, or if he chose to do so, but using his money posed no problem that she could see.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ander said to the store manager as he paid for her things. ¡°Have a good day.¡±

    The manager clicked his tongue, then widened his eyes as if surprised and assumed a brighter, toothier smile. ¡°Yeah, you too.¡±

    With that done, they returned to the inn. By then, it was about time to eat. Lusya chose to prioritize that, planning to sell off her books tomorrow before departing. Their meal was uneventful and the food itself an unremarkable meat stew accompanied by bread that, though fresh, was also not of exceptional quality. Some of the villagers came in to eat, with their customary glares and distance. There were few of them and they were rather quiet. Any conversation was kept to little more than whispers, and many did not speak at all. It was impossible to say if that was abnormal for this town, but it was atypical in a broader sense. An inn was not always rowdy per se, but patrons did not often make a point of being quiet.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be over to your room shortly,¡± Ander said as they finished. ¡°So don¡¯t, you know, undress or anything.¡±

    ¡°I am unsure why you seem to believe we undress so frequently,¡± Lusya replied. The way he spoke of it, one would think she threw her clothes off the instant no eyes were on her.

    He blushed. He did that a lot. ¡°Just paranoid after how we met, I guess. Anyway, I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    Sure enough, he knocked on the door in his halting, hesitant manner moments after they had returned to their respective rooms. Lusya opened the door to allow him inside. Ariya lay on the bed, eyes half-lidded, though focused on Ander. He remained by the door, while Lusya backed up and stood a few feet away. There was a chair opposite the door, but she saw little reason to use it, and Ander looked at it before seemingly deciding to stand as well.

    He frowned and was silent for a moment, looking at her, then Ariya, then back, as if expecting them to say something. Or perhaps he was simply organizing his thoughts.

    ¡°Have you noticed how the villagers are acting?¡± he asked at last. He crossed his arms over his chest, but, as expected of a nobleman, his back remained straight as a rod.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Hostile and frightened.¡±

    After spending the day here, she was also confident in concluding the villagers¡¯ Malice levels were elevated for humans in peacetime. It was still difficult to conclude anything based on that alone with strangers, but their attitudes made it obvious there was some cause.

    He nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°The innkeeper and store manager did seem friendly, however,¡± she said.

    Ander blinked and knit his brow in confusion. ¡°Really? Their smiles couldn¡¯t have been faker.¡±

    ¡°Lusya can¡¯t tell the difference,¡± Ariya said, her tone as sleepy as her expression.

    ¡°Really?¡± Ander asked, keeping his attention on Lusya.

    ¡°So it would seem,¡± Lusya said.

    She was aware of many different kinds of smiles. They typically conveyed happiness, but they could be tinged with other emotions. Some could be hostile or aggressive, others nervous or frightened. The concept of entirely fake smiles was not foreign to her either. She had tried to use them herself in the past. Her natural countenance had its advantages, but it was not always convenient. A smile was a simple muscle movement she was perfectly capable of replicating, so learning to do so had seemed prudent. However, hers had never looked or felt right.

    She could not recall ever having noticed a fake smile, so she could only assume others were more successful than her at faking them. There had been times in the past when something she could not quite place had seemed off about a smile. Perhaps those had been fake as well.

    ¡°Is it true those smiles were not genuine?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said, yawning as she spoke. ¡°They were fake for sure.¡±

    ¡°Why have you never informed me of this shortcoming?¡±

    Ariya shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s never been a problem.¡±

    ¡°What is the purpose of faking a smile?¡± she asked. She had done it to blend in, but that seemed moot for most. Knowing why people did it seemed rather important.

    ¡°Lots of things,¡± Ariya said.

    Ander nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s usually either to be polite or cover up some feeling you don¡¯t want people to know about. You know, like anger or fear.¡±

    ¡°And this is done to deceive others?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Well, yes, but it¡¯s not necessarily malicious. It can be to keep people from worrying or because you just don¡¯t want to talk about whatever¡¯s bothering you. Or because it¡¯s not actually that important and you don¡¯t want to sidetrack a conversation.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°How is one to tell the difference between these varieties? And why are they employed if seeing through them is a common skill?¡±

    Ander scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure how to explain it, or if I should¡­¡± His eyes widened and he shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re getting off track. The point is that something¡¯s obviously wrong here. I haven¡¯t seen many children either. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re just being kept inside or¡­something worse.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Lusya asked.

    He frowned and hesitated, as if he had not expected to be questioned. ¡°And I want to investigate. Maybe help, if we can.¡±

    ¡°I see no reason to get involved,¡± she replied. ¡°We do not know the scope of the problem. I neither wish to waste time on something trivial, nor get involved in something complicated.¡±

    Ander sighed. ¡°You have a point, but it can¡¯t hurt to ask around. On the off chance it¡¯s something we can solve in an afternoon, I don¡¯t want to turn my back on them.¡±

    ¡°You may do as you wish,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I will have no part of it. If you insist, this will be where we part ways.¡±

    He hesitated, scratching his head. She did not understand why this was cause for such agonizing. If he wanted to involve himself, he could. Had he gotten so attached in just a few days? How strange people could be.

    ¡°Well, when you put it that way¡­¡± he said, trailing off and looking away. She had no idea what he had been about to say.

    ¡°That¡¯s no good, Lusya,¡± Ariya said before he could regain his wits. She sat up, all traces of fatigue gone, and fixed Lusya with a resolute scowl. ¡°If you can help, you should.¡±

    Lusya looked at her. ¡°I have told you that I do not share that philosophy. We do not know anything about what we are getting involved in. It could be a problem that takes years to solve. That is an unacceptable delay.¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± Ariya said. ¡°But it can¡¯t hurt to ask them about it, right? If it¡¯s too hard, we can just leave afterward.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ander said, nodding. ¡°I only want us to get more involved if it¡¯s something simple. Otherwise, we can just let the authorities know next time we have a chance.¡±

    Lusya had no issue with the latter proposal. Informing the local authorities was unlikely to take them out of their way. On her own, she would not have seen any need to do so, but it would not prove an inconvenience and she could appreciate his willingness to yield to practical concerns. Even so, it was not satisfactory.

    ¡°I have no desire to get involved regardless,¡± she said. ¡°Even a day spent is a day wasted.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve gotta,¡± Ariya said. She huffed and crossed her arms when Lusya¡¯s gaze turned back to her. ¡°Especially after before. You don¡¯t get to pick and choose when you¡¯re good. Mama says that too.¡±

    This was the exact precedent Lusya had feared setting. How troublesome. Ariya¡¯s mother had held some rather inconvenient ideals. Still, she wasn¡¯t sure she had much choice but to accept it. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the incident that had set the precedent to begin with. If further involvement looked to become time-consuming, she would have to do another analysis of the costs and benefits, but for now, she would cooperate.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. She turned back to Ander. ¡°We will aid you in your investigations tomorrow.¡±

    He grinned and pumped a fist in the air. ¡°Yes, fantastic! We can come up with more of a plan over breakfast tomorrow. I¡¯m sure you two want to get some sleep. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Night-night!¡± Ariya replied, waving at him.

    He smiled, waved back at her, and left the room with a noticeable spring in his step.

    ¡°I like him,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°He is more trouble than I expected,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is time to rest, child.¡±

    Ariya huffed and pouted. ¡°Can we read a little first?¡±

    ¡°You have already gotten two concessions out of me today. Do not defy me a third time.¡±

    Ariya groaned and flopped back onto her back. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Four

    ¡°¡­so, we were wondering if you could tell us a little about what¡¯s going on,¡± Ander said as he finished explaining his suspicions to the innkeeper.

    The innkeeper kept his fake smile on. If anything, it grew bigger. His slightly yellow teeth looked about ready to jump out of his mouth, an impression not helped by their crookedness. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Maybe people are a bit on edge, but the beginning of a tranquil age can be a stressful time. There¡¯s nothing particularly wrong in the village.¡± He chuckled. ¡°And I would know, people gossip in here plenty.¡±

    ¡°Is there some reason you can¡¯t tell me?¡± Ander pressed, leaning over the bar counter and lowering his voice to a whisper. ¡°A threat of some kind?¡±

    The innkeeper forced a laugh about as convincing as his smile and shook his head. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re referring to. Is this some kind of joke?¡±

    Ariya found the whole fake happiness thing a little creepy. She was pretty sure her face would hurt if she smiled like that. The laugh was strange too, so dull and hollow. It was like an impression from someone who¡¯d had a laugh described to them but never actually heard one.

    Lusya stared at the man with unusual intensity. Maybe she was trying to learn how to tell apart fake smiles. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure it would work. This guy wasn¡¯t very good at it.

    Ander sighed, then smiled back at the man. Ander was much better at faking a smile. Ariya almost couldn¡¯t tell. She noticed Lusya staring at him now too.

    ¡°Well, thank you for the rooms and meals,¡± Ander said. ¡°We¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    He led the way out of the inn and around to the stable, where his horses were. The one with the white mark on its nose was chewing on some hay, while the all brown one was gulping down water from a bucket. They both stopped as Ariya and the others approached but continued when no one went to get them. Ander stopped next to his carriage and turned to face Lusya and Ariya with a scowl.

    ¡°Well, that got us nowhere,¡± he said. He looked to Lusya. ¡°You wanted to go sell your books, right?¡±

    Luysa nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°Then can I ask you to question the general store manager while you¡¯re at it?¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said.

    He smiled, for real this time. ¡°Good. If that doesn¡¯t work, we won¡¯t have much choice but to ask random people on the street.¡±

    ¡°They may be more likely to speak,¡± she said.

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to pressure them if we can help it.¡±

    ¡°I see little reason not to,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But I will cooperate with your plans.¡±

    He chuckled, scratching his head. ¡°Calling it a plan is being pretty generous. I¡¯m just winging it here, to be honest with you.¡±

    ¡°That is fine,¡± she said. ¡°Let us go.¡±

    Ander set to work getting the carriage ready. It looked more like a wagon to Ariya, but she was sure Ander knew what he was talking about when he called it a carriage. The horses listened to him right away when he led them over and got them set up. He gave both of them some petting and apologized for interrupting them before climbing up onto the driver¡¯s seat. He looked down and offered Lusya a hand.

    ¡°Ready when you are,¡± he said.

    Lusya ignored his outstretched hand. She helped Ariya get on the seat, then climbed up by herself. Ander awkwardly raised his hand over his head like he¡¯d been stretching and gripped the reins.

    With Ariya and Lusya on board, it didn¡¯t take long to reach the store in the carriage. Not that it had taken long walking, either. Ariya was starting to get used to the carriage now. She had been afraid she would fall at first, but it didn¡¯t seem like that was going to happen. Besides, Lusya would catch her if it did.

    ¡°It might go better if we don¡¯t all gang up on him,¡± Ander said. ¡°So, you question him while you sell your books. I¡¯ll pretend to browse with Ariya.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked once. Ariya had gotten pretty good at reading Lusya¡¯s expressions by now. She didn¡¯t like what Ander had said, but she was considering it. Now, what it was she didn¡¯t like was unclear. Ariya had gotten pretty good at reading her mood, but Lusya¡¯s exact thoughts were still an enigma most of the time. After a moment, Lusya nodded.

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± she said.

    She got out the two books she wanted to sell, and they entered the store, splitting up like Ander had said. He led the way over to a rack of clothes and started looking through them. He might have had a convincing smile, but that didn¡¯t make him a good actor. The way he rifled through the clothes, it was obvious he wasn¡¯t paying much attention to what he was doing.

    ¡°Do we have to pretend?¡± Ariya asked, meeting his eyes with a conspiratorial grin. She had to look up pretty far to do that. He was over a head taller than Lusya, who already seemed huge to Ariya at times, though she knew Lusya was actually small for a grown-up.

    He laughed. ¡°Maybe we can buy you something if Lusya says it¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d appreciate me making that call on my own. Again.¡±

    Lusya had started talking to the store manager. Her voice was quiet, as usual, so it was hard to make out what she was saying, but the manager was easier to hear, his tone loud and a bit high-pitched. It seemed like he was trying to sound confused and had landed on nervous instead.

    ¡°I have no idea what you mean,¡± he said. Like the innkeeper, he kept his smile plastered on his face. It was a little better, but not by much. ¡°You¡¯ll hardly find a more peaceful town than Mirewood in all of Ysuge.¡±

    People here spoke Slarvish, so Ariya could still understand them. Lusya said that wouldn¡¯t last, though. They were going to move into an area where people spoke Fyemish soon. That was a little scary, but Ariya couldn¡¯t wait to try out the Fyemish Lusya had been teaching her.

    ¡°What exactly are you and Lusya doing together?¡± Ander asked without warning.

    Ariya smiled at him. She was all ready to tell him about her super cool mission. How she was basically a new Hero of Balance, and how people were going to write stories about her, and everyone would know the name Ariya. Then, she remembered something important.

    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to tell anyone about that,¡± she said, blushing at her lapse.

    He frowned and glanced over at Lusya and the shopkeeper.

    ¡°Like I said, everything here is fine,¡± the man said. His smile had slipped, and he sounded annoyed now. ¡°Now, how about we start appraising these books? I¡¯m no expert, but I know a thing or two. I¡¯m sure I can offer you a fair price.¡±

    ¡°Can you at least tell me what your relationship is?¡± Ander asked as he turned back to Ariya. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re related.¡±

    That was true. Most people didn¡¯t comment on it, but Ariya could tell they were thinking it. Obviously, there were differences because of age, but that wasn¡¯t all. Lusya had really pretty white hair and red eyes. Together with her pointy ears, she looked like a reltus. Ariya¡¯s eyes and hair were plain old brown, and her ears dull and round, marking her as human through and through. Well, according to Lusya, some people who were half-reltus and half-human could end up just looking like humans. But a lot of people didn¡¯t know that, and the chances were still that someone who looked like Ariya was human.

    Ariya still thought it was a little silly. She knew it wasn¡¯t common, but she could have been friends with a reltus. There was no need to stare like so many people did. Granted, Lusya was actually a demon and not a reltus, but nobody else knew that. Lusya said looking like a reltus was normal for demons. The only other demon Ariya had met¡ªthat she knew of, at least¡ªhadn¡¯t looked anything like that, but she took Lusya¡¯s word for it. It had to do with ranks or something, plus Lusya being half-human.

    Well, Ariya wasn¡¯t supposed to talk about their mission or any of that, and people prying about her and Lusya was almost as bad as the staring. But it was probably fine to tell Ander a little bit. Something about his tone told her he wasn¡¯t trying to be rude.

    ¡°She¡¯s my escort,¡± she said. She grinned. She could get that word right on the first try every time now. ¡°She¡¯s super cool and strong. She fights bad guys and monsters, and she¡¯s saved me a whole bunch of times.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure why, but Ander¡¯s brow furrowed at that. He pursed his lips and looked to Lusya again, then back to Ariya.

    ¡°She sounds like a good escort,¡± he said, his smile returning. ¡°And you sound like you really like her.¡±

    ¡°I love her,¡± Ariya said. ¡°She¡¯s awesome.¡±

    "That¡¯s good to hear. It seems like she likes you too,¡± he said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like she cares for me, though.¡±

    ¡°Well, you did stare at her boobs a lot,¡± Ariya said.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She wasn¡¯t sure why that was rude, but Mama and Papa had made sure she knew that it was, even when no one was naked. Both so she didn¡¯t do it to other people, and she knew not to let people do it to her when she got older.

    Ander let out a nervous chuckle and blushed. ¡°I mean¡­¡± He made a weird gesture with his hands in front of his chest, like he was holding something. ¡°How could I not, right?¡±

    Ariya just tilted her head and blinked twice in confusion.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said softly, looking away. ¡°Forgot who I was talking to for a second there.¡±

    Ariya smiled. ¡°Well, anyway, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not just you, Lusya doesn¡¯t like that many people.¡±

    ¡°That¡­kind of makes me feel better,¡± he said, scratching his head and smiling nervously.

    Lusya came walking back over to them, the books still in her arms. Ander turned toward her as she neared.

    ¡°He is checking to see if these books are listed in a catalog he has,¡± Lusya said. ¡°He is evading my questions like the other one.¡± Her head tilted just a bit, almost too little to see. She was not happy. ¡°I will make one more attempt to get information from him when he returns.¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°Sounds good. Thanks for helping, Lusya. I know you didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Thanks are unnecessary,¡± she replied. ¡°I am only participating for Ariya¡¯s sake.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I know. But it still helps me out. So, thank you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°You are welcome.¡±

    He peered at the books she was holding and gasped.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you read The War of Three!¡± he exclaimed, his face lighting up with an almost manic smile.

    Lusya glanced at the book. ¡°I saw little reason to.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one of my favorite books,¡± he said, leaning forward in his excitement. ¡°Did you like it?¡±

    ¡°I thought it was cool,¡± Ariya said. ¡°There were a lot of characters to keep track of though. I kept forgetting who some of them were.¡±

    He nodded and laughed. ¡°Yeah, even I had some trouble with that.¡±

    ¡°I did not have any particular problems with it,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I rather enjoyed it. The interconnected plot threads were interesting to follow.¡± She paused, then cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I did not understand Luic¡¯s actions at the end, however.¡±

    ¡°He was just a good person,¡± Ariya said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°That is not an explanation.¡±

    Ariya thought it was. And she hadn¡¯t even liked that part. Way too sad. Luic, one of the main characters, died trying to fight three whole armies. His death was super long, and everybody kept reminding him and the reader that he was an idiot for doing it.

    ¡°I think she¡¯s actually kind of got it,¡± Ander said. He shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s not to understand?¡±

    Lusya blinked again. That meant she didn¡¯t feel like her question had been answered. ¡°His actions had no chance of success and accomplished nothing. The narrative makes it clear he is aware of this. I do not understand why he went through with them.¡±

    ¡°Well, they did kind of shame everyone else into stopping,¡± Ander said. ¡°But he wasn¡¯t planning on that, so that¡¯s not the point. I¡¯m not the writer, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s what Ariya said. He just couldn¡¯t stand not to do the right thing, even if there was no actual point.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°So, he prioritized moral principles over practical concerns to an extreme degree.¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°Pretty much. Honestly, that kind of strength, doing what you think is right no matter what the world says, is something I admire. I kind of want to be like that someday.¡± He laughed and scratched his head. ¡°Maybe a little bit smarter about it though.¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes opened ever so slightly wider, and she nodded. ¡°I understand now. Thank you for explaining.¡±

    She turned and walked back over to the counter without waiting for a response. Ariya nudged Ander with her elbow to get his attention and smirked at him.

    He blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You got an eye-widen,¡± she said.

    ¡°Wait, did her expression change?¡± he asked. He whirled to look at Lusya like he might notice now, but her back was turned, though eye-widens didn¡¯t last that long anyway. ¡°Is that good?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s basically a smile. Maybe not as happy, but still, pretty much the same.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can tell,¡± he said, his gaze still fixed on Lusya¡¯s back. ¡°I might need you to translate going forward.¡±

    She gave him a thumbs-up and grinned. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    The manager returned to the counter a moment later. ¡°Sorry it took so long.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Your continued deception, however, is not. My companions wish to know what is happening here.¡±

    ¡°Would it kill her to be a little less¡­honest?¡± Ander muttered.

    ¡°Lusya doesn¡¯t know how to lie,¡± Ariya said.

    Ander scowled in obvious confusion. ¡°She¡­what? How could a¡ªHow is that possible? You just say something that¡¯s not true. It¡¯s not complicated. ¡®I have brown hair.¡¯ ¡®The sky is red.¡¯ ¡®Tiny purple elephants secretly rule the world.¡¯¡±

    Ariya shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what she told me. And I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve never heard her actually lie. Sometimes she doesn¡¯t say stuff on purpose, though, or she says something that¡¯s true but not the best answer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still kind of lying,¡± Ander said. ¡°Still, interesting.¡±

    Before Ariya could respond, a piercing scream cut through the room.

    ¡°Ow, shadows, you¡¯re gonna break it, let go!¡± the manager cried out.

    Ariya and Ander whirled to see Lusya gripping his hand. He was trying to pull it out of her hold, but it wasn¡¯t working. Of course it wasn¡¯t, Lusya was way too strong. She was so cool.

    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s bandits, okay?¡± he said. He tried prying and clawing at her fingers, but that wasn¡¯t any more successful than tugging on his arm. ¡°Some bandits caused some trouble not too long ago. Now let go!¡±

    Lusya released the man¡¯s hand, and he yanked it away from her, stumbling and almost losing his balance. He was saved when he backed into a shelf behind him and grabbed it for support. There were coins in Lusya¡¯s hand, a few which had spilled out when she opened it. She collected them and stowed them away in her coin purse.

    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation,¡± she said.

    The manager rubbed his hand with the other, glaring at her. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re welcome. Now, I¡¯m not telling you anymore.¡± He thrust his hand toward the door, then winced and pulled it back to cradle against his chest with tears in his eyes. ¡°Get out.¡±

    Lusya nodded and walked away. Ander and Ariya followed her out of the store.

    ¡°It seems there was a bandit problem,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yeah, we heard,¡± Ander said. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hurt him.¡±

    ¡°I did not injure him,¡± she said. ¡°He will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°No harm, no foul, I guess. Still, it doesn¡¯t sound like that¡¯s the whole story. It¡¯s possible something really bad happened, or that the bandits are still around. I think we should see if we can learn more.¡±

    ¡°We may question three more citizens,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will not dedicate the day to questioning every single person here.¡±

    Ander looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±

    He looked around and hurried over to a man who was passing by, carrying a bundle of sticks under one arm.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Ander said, ¡°could I ask you some questions about the bandit attacks?¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes widened, and his face went pale, then he shook his head like a leaf in the wind. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Then he all but sprinted away. Ander sighed and waited for another villager, a woman this time, to get close. He tried asking her the same question, but he didn¡¯t have any more luck.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk about that!¡± the woman shouted before leaving like the man before her.

    ¡°They do not seem cooperative,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander nodded, pursing his lips in thought. ¡°Maybe the bandits are still around? If they¡¯re afraid of being hurt if they talk, that would explain a lot.¡±

    That made sense to Ariya. The people here acted a lot like the ones back in the village with the demon.

    ¡°Perhaps, but I suspect we would already have been attacked if that was the case. At the least, your carriage would likely have been targeted.¡±

    ¡°It depends on how subtle they¡¯re trying to be,¡± he said. ¡°But you¡¯re probably right.¡±

    No bandits could ever stand a chance against Lusya, of course. But they wouldn¡¯t have known that. Most people couldn¡¯t tell how strong Lusya was. That did make sense. She didn¡¯t look that dangerous. Ariya almost wanted them to attack so Lusya could show them, and Ariya could see her fight. But Ariya knew that would be trouble, and she didn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt. That was why it was only ¡°almost.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they already got in trouble,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I always feel bad the whole day after Papa yells at me.¡±

    Ander blinked. ¡°That¡¯s actually not a bad observation.¡± Ariya didn¡¯t know why he sounded so surprised. ¡°They might just be reeling from something that¡¯s already done with.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Well, hopefully we¡¯ll find out now,¡± he said as another woman neared. ¡°Hey, excuse me, can I ask you some questions?¡±

    The woman slowed down, hesitated, and walked over. ¡°What can I help you with?¡±

    Ander looked around, leaned close, and lowered his voice. ¡°It¡¯s about the bandits.¡±

    The woman paled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know anything about any bandits.¡±

    She started to walk away, but Ander put a hand on her shoulder, giving her pause.

    ¡°Please, I want to help,¡± he said. He gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°I¡¯m training to be a Sacred Knight. Helping people is what I do.¡±

    The woman looked him up and down with watery eyes, then nodded, slow and hesitant. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Are they still around?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you being threatened? Is that why everyone¡¯s so jumpy and suspicious?¡±

    The woman shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I¡¯m certain they¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°Then what is the cause of this behavior?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Did everybody eat something bad and get sick?¡± Ariya asked.

    The woman smiled at her, then looked away, rubbing at her eyes.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± the woman said. ¡°We did.¡± She took deep breath and gulped, like there was something stuck in her throat. ¡°The bandits, they were involved in the slave trade. To save the rest of the village, we gave up some people for them to sell. Mostly children.¡±

    Ariya gasped. She¡¯d learned about slavery from some of the books she and Lusya had read, and it sounded awful. The whole having to do what people said thing didn¡¯t seem that bad. Ariya had to do what Lusya said, after all, and Mama and Papa before that. Everything else was terrible though. Wearing chains, getting hit for mistakes, eating awful food. It was like being in timeout times a thousand.

    ¡°That is why there are so few children here?¡± Lusya asked.

    The woman nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t all of them, but folk are keeping the ones left inside right now, even though the bandits are gone. I¡¯ll admit, we are a little scared they might come back.¡± She sobbed. ¡°But I¡¯m so ashamed. I¡¯m sure everyone feels the same way. That¡¯s why¡­we don¡¯t want anyone to find out what we did.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be ashamed,¡± Ander said with a soft smile. ¡°You did what you needed to to survive. Maybe it was wrong, but no one will blame you for it. And we¡¯ll do what we can to fix it. Where did you last see them?¡±

    ¡°The bandits? They left a few weeks back now, heading north. You¡¯ll really help us?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The woman smiled back at him, and he let her go. She walked away, and he waved as she did.

    ¡°Thanks for your help!¡± he called after her. He turned and started marching off down the road.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lusya asked.

    He stopped and turned to look at her with a blank expression, like she had just asked if grass was green. ¡°I¡¯m going to track down the bandits. Once we find them, all we need to do is take them down.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°How do you plan to find them? And why on foot?¡±

    ¡°Um, well¡­¡± Ander said, scratching his head. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t think that far ahead. And I just got a little too fired up¡­¡±

    ¡°What you are proposing is a fool¡¯s errand,¡± she said. ¡°Go if you wish, but I will have no part of it.¡±

    Ander scowled. ¡°Finding them will be hard, but I¡¯m a Sacred Knight in training, and you¡¯ve gotta be pretty strong traveling with just that tiny dagger. I¡¯m sure we can handle it, and the bandits themselves will be no problem.¡±

    ¡°That is true,¡± she replied. ¡°However, all we know is that they went north weeks ago. They could have gone anywhere after the villagers lost track of them. I will not scour the continent in search of these bandits.¡±

    Ariya frowned. If they had hurt these people, she really wanted Lusya to get rid of the bandits. But she knew they had something important to do, and Lusya was right. They might have never found the bandits looking now.

    Ander sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. If we had any better leads on where they were, I would insist. But we don¡¯t. With just the two of us, we might never find them now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here too,¡± Ariya said, waving her arms in case he had forgotten.

    He chuckled. ¡°Right, sorry. That does help, but I still don¡¯t think three is enough.¡± His expression turned serious again as he looked back to Lusya. ¡°We¡¯ll report everything we know when we get to Larsev, okay?¡±

    ¡°I have no objections to that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Let us depart.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Five

    They had arrived in the city of Larsev a few days after leaving Mirewood. Larsev was the largest city in the area, and one of the largest within the kingdom of Ostia. It was not as large as the likes of Gavamir, but it was still home to countless mortals. On arrival, Ander had insisted on heading straight for a guard barracks to inform them of what had happened at Mirewood, and Lusya had not objected.

    ¡°They were last seen heading north from Mirewood a few weeks ago,¡± he said to the guard who was listening as they stood before the building. It was little more than a gray stone box with a few windows and one door. Aesthetics had obviously not been a major concern in its construction. ¡°I know it¡¯s not a lot to go on, but I thought I should report it anyway. They might still be in the area.¡±

    The guard, a tiransa man just under ten feet tall, with darker gray skin than was typical, nodded as he scribbled notes on a page. The pen seemed to be meant for human use, and he had to delicately handle it with the tips of his fingers. He finished writing with an unnecessary flourish and looked up from the page at Ander.

    ¡°Thank you for telling us,¡± he said, his voice deep and gravelly. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to pass it up the chain. I¡¯m not sure how much we can do, but we¡¯ll take the situation seriously.¡±

    Ander smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I could help. Take care.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± the guard said. ¡°Be careful, by the way. We¡¯ve seen an increase in theft in the past month or so, both in frequency and severity.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be on guard. Thanks for the warning.¡±

    They shook hands, and Ander returned to the carriage as the guard retreated into the barracks.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You were so calm. I still think tiransa are a little scary.¡±

    Ander chuckled. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot living in Nordhem too, so I can¡¯t exactly afford to be scared. I probably was when I was your age, though.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t surprising to learn. It was expected, in fact. There were many countries ruled by tiransa in the northeast, and even those that were governed by humans had a substantial tiransa population. Tiransa had always been more willing to mingle with humans than retli were. Likewise, despite¡ªor perhaps because of¡ªthe more obvious physical differences, humans had often displayed a greater affinity for tiransa than for relti.

    Ostia, though it was near the center of the continent, slightly southeast, was much the same. Ostia had been close enough to the fighting that she had known as much, and, though Mirewood had been predominantly human, the mixture was plain to see here in Larsev. Around half the crowd flowing through the streets was composed of the large, gray forms of the tiransa. That posed a challenge, in a way. Even sitting in the carriage¡¯s driver seat, it was difficult to see around them sometimes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you two had anything specific you wanted to do in Larsev, did you?¡± Ander asked as he urged the horses onward.

    ¡°I was planning to purchase more supplies,¡± Lusya said. She had not bought much in Mirewood. More of a buffer would be helpful.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that,¡± he replied. ¡°We have plenty.¡±

    Luysa cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I would still like to.¡±

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Ariya whispered, though she was easily audible sitting between them. ¡°She¡¯s annoyed with you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling him that?¡± Lusya asked. Ariya had already done that a few times in the past few days, informing Ander of what she presumed was Lusya¡¯s emotional state unprompted. It had not posed any issues thus far, but it was a strange behavior.

    Ariya smiled. ¡°He asked me to.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The child¡¯s fear of the carriage seemed to have subsided. She spoke freely and no longer clung to the bench, though she chose to hold Lusya¡¯s hand instead.

    Ander sighed, reached into his coin purse, and handed Lusya a single golden coin.

    She cocked her head and blinked twice as she accepted it.

    ¡°Confused!¡± Ariya announced.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it every time,¡± he said with laughter in his voice before refocusing on Lusya. ¡°You don¡¯t want to depend on my supplies, right? You don¡¯t trust me. Well, there, a gold coin all to yourself. Exchange it whenever you want. With that, you can buy whatever you want whenever you need to, so you don¡¯t need to waste time shopping here.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You have my appreciation.¡±

    She tucked the coin away in her own coin purse. It was true that, with that much money, she was unlikely to end up in a situation where she did not have and could not acquire what she needed. Even if Ander disappeared, she would be able to restock at any town, so long as she had it changed to silver and copper beforehand. Even if she did not, she would be able to buy what she needed with the single coin, though that was best avoided. She doubted many merchants would refuse to accept it if she insisted, but most of its value was sure to end up wasted. There was no way she could buy a whole gold coin¡¯s worth of supplies in one go, and a rural shopkeeper may well not have had enough money to return even half the appropriate change.

    Ander grinned. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. With that taken care of, why don¡¯t we have a walk around town? There¡¯s bound to be something interesting to see in a city this big.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that!¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Lusya said. They were staying the night in Larsev anyway, so they weren¡¯t losing any time by sightseeing, though it was not something she would have proposed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get ourselves a couple rooms and get started, then,¡± Ander said.

    A city this size had plenty of inns to choose from, so it took them little time to find one. With Ander¡¯s ample funds, they ended up at a more high-class, and expensive, one than Lusya or Ariya were accustomed to, named ¡°The Bard¡¯s Retreat.¡± Lusya had no inclination toward such luxury, but no objections either.

    The food was better¡ªin theory, at least¡ªthe tables were adorned with fine cloth, and musicians played at all hours of the day, filling the dining room with the sounds of their voices and instruments. Even the layout was different than normal, designed so the rooms overlooked the dining room from a balcony of sorts.

    The rooms themselves had heavy doors and thick walls, keeping out most of the noise for those trying to sleep. They were more spacious than was typical, and the beds were larger¡ªeasily enough to fit two adults sleeping abreast¡ªand softer. Aside from that, they were ordinary. Except for the beds, the only furnishings were a couple chairs and a desk. There were even more luxurious inns, where each room was a miniature home unto itself, with wardrobes and sofas, even tubs for bathing, with hot water supplied on request. That, however, would have been overkill for a single night¡¯s stay. The Bard¡¯s Retreat was already more than was needed.

    They didn¡¯t spend long taking in the atmosphere or amenities, however. They set back out as soon as they had their rooms.

    From there, they wandered about the city for some time. It wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary, but Lusya supposed it was novel after so long in the countryside. The tight-packed buildings of stone were a stark contrast to the sparse villages and the nothing that separated them.

    The city did have some notable aspects to its architecture. Lusya had noticed on the way in, and it had been evident in the design of the inn as well. Buildings were larger, with higher ceilings, than was normal for a city like this. A one-floor home seemed to be perhaps fifty percent taller than was typical for human-dominated regions, and this increase carried over into additional floors and the breadth of buildings. Accordingly, doors were larger, and some had multiple handles for people of differing heights. Even the roads were wider, and, though still closer than in any village, the buildings were a bit farther apart.

    Unlike the likes of Gavamir, much of this city had been constructed with tiransa in mind, although some buildings did not bear those signs. Older ones, perhaps. Lusya understood that, in historical terms, the prevalence of tiransa in this area was recent.

    It was interesting to see, but easy to acclimate to. And, once she did, Lusya stood by her conclusion that most of the city she had seen so far was unremarkable. Tiransa were large, but it was not as if the city had been built to accommodate giants hundreds of feet tall. Things were just slightly larger in general. Nothing amazing.

    Ander and Ariya seemed to disagree. They looked about, wide-eyed and mouths agape, gawking at every tall door and wide alley and exchanging fervent impressions of everything¡¯s size.

    ¡°Woah, that one¡¯s huge!¡± Ariya exclaimed as they passed a random house, pointing at the door.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Ander gasped. ¡°I know. Who knew a door could even get that big?¡±

    They had had around a dozen exchanges like that in the half hour since leaving the inn.

    That was strange for Ander, in particular. With Nordhem having a large tiransa population, Lusya would have thought he would be accustomed to such sights.

    ¡°Does Nordhem take a different approach to accommodating races?¡± she asked after he had joined Ariya in wondering at the size of what seemed to be barbershop.

    He looked at her blankly, as if he had not heard her, then he chuckled. ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s pretty much the same, but it¡¯s been a while, you know?¡± He jerked his head in Ariya¡¯s direction and winked. Lusya had no idea what that meant. She was familiar with the concept of the conspiratorial wink, but what specific message he was trying to convey was a mystery. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to human-sized stuff.¡±

    She gathered that was not the full explanation and that his true motivations had something to do with Ariya. It was obvious he did not want to speak the truth in front of her. That was suspicious, but his actions did not seem harmful, so she resolved to keep an eye on him and let the issue pass. After an hour or so of ooh-ing and ahh-ing, Ander pulled them to the side of the road to stop.

    ¡°Well, that was fun,¡± he said. Ariya let out a whoop in apparent agreement. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve taken it all in, is there anything specific you wanted to see?¡±

    ¡°I assumed you had something in mind,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t know anything about this place,¡± Ariya said. She spread her arms about in a broad gesture. ¡°Other than that everything is super big.¡±

    Ander let out a nervous chuckle, scratching his head. ¡°Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I got a little ahead of myself. Well, let¡¯s go by eye then. See anything interesting? The walls, or maybe a tower that looks cool.¡±

    ¡°The walls don¡¯t seem as cool as Gavamir¡¯s,¡± Ariya said, frowning.

    It was true, though Lusya would not have used the word ¡°cool.¡± Ironic as it may have been, Larsev¡¯s walls were not as large and imposing as Gavamir¡¯s. They were, however, plenty functional for the city¡¯s defense.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been to Gavamir?¡± Ander said with an appreciative nod. ¡°How cool. Well, anything else?¡±

    ¡°I saw this cool white building over the tops of the other ones,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I think it was that way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any better ideas,¡± Ander said with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Ariya let out a loud, long yawn. ¡°I¡¯m tired, though. Lusya, can you carry me?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little old for that?¡± Ander asked.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°It is not necessary at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Please?¡± Ariya asked, pouting with her eyes as wide as they could go. ¡°My legs are so tired, they feel like they¡¯re gonna come off.¡±

    The obvious hyperbole aside, Lusya saw little point in arguing the matter. And the fact remained that Ariya was tired. That did seem to be the truth, if exaggerated, based on her slumped posture and obvious effort to keep her eyes open. Ignoring that could become problematic.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said.

    She knelt and Ariya all but leaped into her arms.

    Ander chuckled as Lusya stood. ¡°You¡¯re such a pushover for her.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of obvious¡­¡±

    ¡°Shush,¡± Ariya said and stuck out her tongue at him.

    ¡°It is of no concern,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Let us find this white building.¡±

    They moved in the general direction Ariya had indicated until the building came into view, allowing them to navigate to it. It was rather distinctive, painted snow white amid a sea of brown and gray. The building was long, tall, and thin, with a spire at either end and in the center. It towered over most of the buildings around it, but they were noticeably smaller than the rest of the city. The white building was still larger than most buildings, but it would not have been as striking elsewhere in Larsev. The spires, however, did tower over most anything else in the city.

    There were a few guards posted around the perimeter of the building, but none of them moved to stop Lusya¡¯s group as they approached, and they were able to enter without issue.

    What the building was remained unclear as they walked the inside. Some of the paintings and symbols were reminiscent of a temple, though few from any religion Lusya was familiar with. However, such things seemed too scarce for a proper temple, and there was no room that seemed suitable for prayer or assembly. Nor were there any grand displays of devotion to any gods. No massive statues, or any sign that there ever had been as much.

    There was some writing on the walls, but it was in an unfamiliar language to Lusya. It bore no resemblance to Slarvish, the language spoken throughout much of the southeast, and also the most common language in Ostia. Nor did it resemble any of the neighboring languages she knew of.

    It did look a bit like Talsian and other northwestern languages but trying to parse it as such yielded little more than gibberish.

    ¡°Wow, this place is really pretty,¡± Ariya remarked, before coughing into Lusya¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s dirty, though.¡±

    There was quite a bit of dust. With plenty of people walking about much as they were, Lusya could only assume it was intentional on some level. Perhaps for preservation purposes. This place was obviously a historical site of some kind.

    The sightseers were of all races, though mostly human and tiransa. Based on the smaller buildings around it, Lusya guessed the building had not been designed with tiransa in mind. The marks of its seeming importance, however, made it suitable for them regardless, with soaring ceilings and grand doors large enough for half a dozen humans to walk abreast through.

    ¡°What is it, though, Lusya?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s an easy way to find out,¡± Ander said. He stopped and tapped a man gawking at a painting on the shoulder. ¡°Excuse me, but do you know what this place is?¡±

    The man whirled, his eyes wide, as if Ander had attacked him. After a moment of stunned silence, the man let out a breath.

    ¡°You scared me,¡± he said, one hand on his chest.

    Ander chuckled. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You want to know what this place is?¡± the man asked. ¡°I¡¯m no expert, but I think it¡¯s a building of the Odessian Empire, if I remember correctly. It used to be some kind of government office. It¡¯s been used for a bunch of stuff since then, but Count Blezik loves this kind of thing, so he made it off limits, even the grounds around, except to study and admire. Anyone¡¯s allowed to come in and do those things, though.¡±

    ¡°Count Blezik?¡± Ander asked.

    The man chuckled. ¡°Oh, sorry, you¡¯re not from around here, are you? Count Blezik is in charge of pretty much the entire south of Ostia. Short of the king, he¡¯s basically the most powerful guy around.¡±

    ¡°That would do it. Thank you.¡±

    Ander walked away and continued down the hall with Lusya and Ariya.

    ¡°The Odessian Empire, huh?¡± he said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°A large empire that conquered much of Ysuge,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It collapsed approximately one thousand years ago, but it is said that its language and culture formed the basis for modern ones, particularly in human-ruled nations.¡±

    ¡°That about sums it up,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said, grinning. ¡°This place is awesome!¡±

    ¡°It is interesting,¡± Lusya agreed.

    Ander nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a real piece of history, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    They continued to tour the building a bit more, before leaving. There was a makeshift marketplace not far from the building, though not directly in front of it. The market was likely meant to capitalize on the crowd without running afoul of this history-loving count¡¯s rules.

    Though they did not need to shop, they ended up stopping when they stumbled upon the market. It dominated a square where several roads intersected, with dozens of stalls scattered about and merchants standing outside the permanent shops on the edges, trying to flag down passersby.

    The market was more spacious than many of its type, for the same reason as the rest of the city. Under ordinary circumstances, Lusya guessed the tiransa being accommodated would have neutralized any breathing room that might have provided. At the moment, however, the crowd was relatively thin. Perhaps it was due to the time of day, or perhaps the market was a recent development that most did not yet know of. Or maybe it just was not popular. Whatever the case, while there was almost always someone in arms reach, there was some room to maneuver and weave through the crowd as needed.

    ¡°Oh, I want a snack,¡± Ariya said, bouncing excitedly in Lusya¡¯s grasp. Someone weaker may have dropped her. ¡°Can we get something?¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Count me in,¡± Ander said. ¡°There¡¯s just something about street food.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I would not expect that from a nobleman.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Good food is good food. Who cares how classy it is?¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± she said. ¡°I did not think you would.¡±

    After a bit of searching, they found a stall selling some kind of meat wrap. There was a makeshift stove set up to quickly warm the ingredients, though it seemed they had been cooked elsewhere in advance. The smell was rather appetizing, Lusya would admit.

    ¡°Three,¡± Lusya said as they reached the stall.

    The woman at the front nodded and repeated the order back to the man behind her, who started heating things up.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be just a minute,¡± the woman said, smiling.

    Ariya gave a strangled humming sound, then sighed. ¡°You can put me down now. I don¡¯t want to get grease on you. And I don¡¯t want it to be hard for you to eat.¡±

    ¡°I am capable of carrying you and eating at the same time, and my clothes can always be cleaned,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But if you are certain, you may walk.¡±

    She lowered and let Ariya down on the ground. Ariya smoothly moved to stand by Lusya¡¯s side, grabbing her hand.

    The woman at the stall giggled, smiling an unfamiliar smile at Ariya. It did not seem fake, if Lusya¡¯s assessment was correct, and it was happy, but there was something else she could not place.

    The man moved forward and placed the wraps, themselves wrapped in a bit of paper, on the stall counter.

    ¡°Oh, there we go,¡± the woman said. ¡°That¡¯s one copper each.¡±

    Lusya reached for her purse, but Ander stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    He handed the woman the coins, and she pushed the wraps a bit farther forward, into easy reach. Lusya handed one to Ariya, then took one for herself, while Ander grabbed his.

    Ariya bit into hers with ravenous force, grease dribbling down her chin.

    ¡°It¡¯s so good,¡± she squealed.

    The woman chuckled. ¡°You two must have had her quite young. Or maybe not, if you¡¯re a reltus.¡± She raised on eyebrow and looked to Ander. ¡°In that case¡­¡±

    Lusya cocked her head, blinking twice.

    Ander turned bright red and sputtered in incoherent, broken syllables for a moment.

    ¡°W-we don¡¯t have that kind of relationship,¡± he managed to say at last. ¡°And she¡¯s not our daughter. Well, she¡¯s not mine, anyway.¡±

    ¡°She is not mine either,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the woman said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have assumed¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop, thief!¡± a man¡¯s voice cut through the din of the market. ¡°Someone stop him!¡±

    The man shouting was rounding another stall in an attempt to push through the crowd. He saw little success, being a large tiransa. He could have cleared the way with ease, but he seemed to be taking care not to harm any humans in the crowd, slowing him. Another, smaller figure seemed to be ahead of him, though it was difficult to make out any details as they couldn¡¯t be seen over those around them.

    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Ander said. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    With that, he leaped onto the roof of a nearby building and began running along it, scanning the crowd for the thief. He seemed to spot them as they broke out of the market, and he jumped to another rooftop, then down to the ground to follow them.

    ¡°He can do that too?¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    ¡°I suspected his motomancy was sufficient for such feats,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Never mind that!¡± Ariya shouted, despite being the one who had raised the issue. She pointed toward where Ander had landed, though he was no longer visible past the crowd. ¡°You have to go help him.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°He should be more than capable of handling a common thief.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You should still help. We¡¯re here anyway.¡±

    That was true enough. There was no reason to risk upsetting Ariya. This wouldn¡¯t take them out of their way in any significant capacity.

    ¡°I will pursue,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will come with me.¡±

    Without waiting for an answer, she scooped up Ariya again and jumped onto the rooftops.

 Book Two - Chapter Six

    Lusya ran along the roofs. She restrained her speed for Ariya¡¯s benefit, and so the roofs managed to escape undamaged. As she ran, she scanned the streets with her eyes for Ander and with her senses for his Malice. By now, she could recognize the latter. As she had expected, he had not gone far.

    ¡°Woohoo!¡± Ariya shouted as Lusya jumped from one building to the next.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may bite your tongue.¡±

    They might not have been moving at full speed, but Lusya could still only make the ride so steady. Ariya refrained from any further outbursts as they closed in on Ander¡¯s position.

    They found him in a dark alleyway near the marketplace, with, presumably, the thief pinned against the wall. There were some wooden boxes scattered about nearby. Their haphazard placement and light damage did not give the impression they had been placed that way. Perhaps Ander or the thief had knocked them over during the pursuit. Lusya jumped down, landed next to Ander, and set down Ariya.

    ¡°That was so fun!¡± Ariya exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s do it again!¡±

    ¡°Perhaps later,¡± Lusya replied.

    She was not sure what Ariya found fun about it. It was the first time she had been carried at anything other than a slow walk. Other than the fight against Kadel, that was. Lusya had expected Ariya to need some time to acclimate. Moreover, why was that fun but the carriage was frightening? Ariya was perplexing at times.

    ¡°This is the thief?¡± Lusya asked, looking over the person Ander had pinned.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ander replied. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out what to do with him.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°You do not know?¡±

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Ander said. He chortled. ¡°I kind of leaped before I looked.¡±

    ¡°That seems to be a habit of yours.¡±

    Ander pursed his lips, then nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    He offered no further response, so Lusya turned her attention on his captive.

    The thief was a wiry boy. He looked to be in his early teens. Several years older than Ariya, but still a child. His clothes were rough and ragged, his face splotched with dirt. Greasy dark hair was plastered to his head, and he smelled much like a rotting corpse. He was struggling to escape, as Ander held him face first against the wall. One hand pinned a shoulder, while the other twisted the thief¡¯s other arm behind his back. The thief¡¯s efforts were fruitless. It was an awkward hold to get out of, and Ander was plenty strong enough to maintain it. He may well have been the second-strongest person in the city at the moment, for as low a bar that was.

    ¡°Oh, I guess Ander¡¯s already done,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°As I told you,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I appreciate the confidence, but I¡¯m not actually finished here,¡± Ander said. ¡°Like I said, I have to decide what to do next. Oh, by the way, he dropped what he stole over there.¡± He jerked his head downward. ¡°Can you pick it up?¡±

    There was indeed a small leather pouch, with a few dull copper coins on the verge of falling out, at the thief¡¯s feet. Lusya knelt to grab it. The thief took that opportunity to throw one foot back, trying to kick her in the head, but she blocked the blow on her forearm with ease.

    ¡°Ah, shadows, that stings!¡± the thief exclaimed, shaking his foot.

    Lusya grabbed the pouch and stood. All the coins within were copper, but it was about as full as it could get. Far from a fortune, but it would have been substantial sum for most, let alone a vagrant child.

    ¡°What is up with you, lady?¡± the thief demanded, still gingerly holding his foot above the ground.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°That pain is a consequence of your own actions.¡±

    ¡°For the record,¡± Ander said, ¡°if that hurt you, it probably would have gone the same even if she hadn¡¯t blocked. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± Lusya said.

    Being struck in the face was never pleasant, however, no matter how little pain or harm one sustained. She was not sure why. Some kind of instinct, perhaps. There were also practical concerns, like having one¡¯s vision obstructed. That wasn¡¯t important now, but keeping good habits was seldom a bad idea.

    Ander pulled the thief away from the wall. ¡°Time to turn you into the guards, come on.¡±

    ¡°Stealing¡¯s not nice,¡± Ariya said, wagging a finger at the boy.

    The thief scoffed. ¡°I gotta eat, you know.¡±

    ¡°So does that man, I¡¯d imagine,¡± Ander said. ¡°He didn¡¯t look like he was rolling in money to me.¡±

    The thief hesitated. ¡°Well, yeah, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°If stealing is really the only way you can live, then fine, do what you have to,¡± Ander said. ¡°But it¡¯s still wrong, and you¡¯re still going to get punished if you get caught. Speaking of which, I think I¡¯ve decided what to do with you. We¡¯ll be taking you to the nearest barracks to turn you in.¡± He glanced at Lusya. ¡°That¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I have no objections.¡± She was not sure why he thought it mattered to her.

    ¡°The guards?¡± the thief asked, incredulous. ¡°You really think I should go to jail?¡±

    ¡°Seems like a reasonable punishment for stealing to me,¡± Ander said. ¡°You accepted that risk when you made your move. You look old enough to understand that.¡±

    The thief clicked his tongue. ¡°Whatever. I wasn¡¯t gonna let such a good tip slip by¡ª¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    He suddenly clamped his mouth shut and looked down at the ground, eyes wide.

    ¡°Wait, tip?¡± Ander exclaimed. ¡°Are you coordinating with someone?¡±

    The thief didn¡¯t reply, looking off to the side.

    ¡°Answer me,¡± Ander said. It was far from a forceful demand. It was almost gentle, even.

    Ariya drew near, arms crossed and head held high. ¡°Yeah, tell us.¡±

    The thief glared at her and spat. Ariya scrambled back, allowing the glob to land on her shoe rather than her face.

    ¡°Ew, gross,¡± she said, her face contorting in a scowl, which soon morphed into a frown. ¡°I liked these shoes¡­¡±

    ¡°We will get them cleaned,¡± Lusya said as she approached the thief, her head tilted slightly and her gaze fixed on him.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lusya,¡± Ariya said. She reached forward as if to grab Lusya but stopped short of doing so. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    Ander stared at her. ¡°Lusya, what are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Move,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will punish him.¡±

    The thief recoiled. He looked about, squirming and thrashing in Ander¡¯s grasp in a renewed effort to escape.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk!¡± he screamed when he found it as futile as before. ¡°I¡¯ll talk.¡±

    ¡°That matters little to me.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m sorry I spat on the girl, okay? I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Your apology is meaningless,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Lusya, please,¡± Ariya pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Lusya looked at the child. Her lips were protruding in a pout, hands folded in front of her as if in prayer. This seemed to be upsetting her more than the original incident.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said.

    Leaving the thief unpunished did not sit well with her. He had taken malicious action toward Ariya. The minimal result was irrelevant. If acting in response was going to make the situation worse, however, Lusya supposed she had little choice but to stand down.

    Ander sighed and turned his attention back to the thief. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°W-well, a bunch of us decided to get together and share tips,¡± he said. ¡°Y¡¯know, this guy always takes a leak at noon, so you can grab whatever. This lady leaves the window open at night. That kind of thing. You get an easy mark, and whoever told you gets a little kickback.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Ander said. ¡°Some kind of¡­thieves¡¯ association.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called a guild in the stories,¡± Ariya said, as chipper as if the prior incident had never occurred.

    The thief nodded. ¡°I guess it¡¯s something like that. We¡¯re in this together, thieves¡¯ honor, all that crap.¡± He let out a single, joyless bark of laughter. ¡°That¡¯s how it was s¡¯posed to work anyway.¡±

    ¡°And how does it actually work?¡± Ander asked with a deep frown.

    ¡°Guy who started it got a big head,¡± the thief said. ¡°And he¡¯s got a bunch of others who act like he¡¯s the king or somethin¡¯. He takes a little bit of what everybody gets. Don¡¯t play along, and you get a beat down and no more tips for you.¡±

    ¡°Expecting such a scheme to self-regulate seems exceptionally foolish,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Even if the goal were not fundamentally dishonest.¡±

    The thief flinched as she spoke, then turned away, grumbling something unintelligible.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a point,¡± Ander said, turning toward Lusya. He shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t blame them for trying, though. Either way, looks like we¡¯ve got some work to do tonight.¡±

    She tilted her head and blinked twice. ¡°I do not see how.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take down this thief ring,¡± he said, as if it were obvious.

    She blinked once more. ¡°I have no interest in doing that. It is none of our concern.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave it alone,¡± he said with a grimace. ¡°It¡¯s probably behind all the theft that guard told us about, and it¡¯s not even working out for the thieves.¡±

    ¡°I do not care,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you do, then inform the guards. There is no reason for us to get involved.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Lusya,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I¡¯m sure the guards can handle it.¡± She quickly stuck her tongue out at the thief and blew air out at him. ¡°Besides, they¡¯re a bunch of meanies anyway.¡±

    Ander seemed taken aback by Ariya¡¯s input and was silent for a moment.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, they¡¯re mean,¡± he said at last. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t you be mean too if you could never get enough to eat, or a warm place to sleep?¡±

    Ariya hesitated before nodding. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°And do you think it¡¯s okay to be mean just because someone else was?¡±

    ¡°Well, Papa always says ¡®two wrongs don¡¯t make it right,¡¯ but¡­¡± Ariya glanced at Lusya as if for guidance. Before any words could be exchanged, Ariya nodded and turned her focus back on Ander. ¡°¡­I think it depends on how mean they are.¡±

    ¡°You might be right there,¡± Ander said. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get off scot-free, even if you¡¯re hurting. That can only excuse so much. Still, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m okay with just leaving the situation to fester when I can help. Are you?¡±

    For reasons unclear, the thief sighed and hung his head, his forehead pressing against the wall.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked at Ander. She had hoped the matter would be resolved when Ariya agreed with her. Lusya did not appreciate Ander¡¯s attempts at persuasion, but she saw little way to intervene without upsetting Ariya. The smile he returned when he met Lusya¡¯s eyes at least seemed apologetic.

    ¡°I guess not,¡± Ariya said, letting out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t want them to hurt or keep hurting other people. But what about the guards? Lusya said they could do it, and she¡¯s smart.¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°She is, and I¡¯m sure they can. But it¡¯ll take time for them to get organized and do it. Bureaucracy can slow things down a lot.¡±

    ¡°They say that in a lot of books too,¡± Ariya said. ¡°What¡¯s bureaucracy?¡±

    ¡°It basically means there¡¯s a bunch of people and rules that¡ª¡± Ander cut himself off and shook his head. ¡°One of us can explain it to you later. It¡¯s not really the point. What¡¯s important is that, with such a big organization, they need to sit down and plan things out. They need to decide who¡¯s going to do what, and when, and make sure everybody¡¯s ready. Even for something simple, it¡¯ll take a while. A small group like us is more flexible. We can move quicker and get things fixed sooner.¡±

    Ariya frowned, humming in thought. ¡°How much quicker?¡±

    ¡°We can have it done tonight,¡± Ander said. ¡°It¡¯ll take them a couple days at best. Probably at least a week, realistically. Trust me, I know.¡±

    Lusya had no doubt he had been educated on the matter as a nobleman¡¯s son. Whether or not his estimates were accurate was another matter. She could not see any signs of deception, but the way he spoke in generalities made it hard to be sure. She did not have the knowledge to contradict him, however. Miudo had had all the trappings of a functional country, including military and law enforcement, but she had never been involved much in their administration. She had only a broad understanding of their inner workings. His point did ring true with what she did know.

    Ariya seemed more convinced. ¡°Well, if it only takes us tonight¡­¡±

    Ariya trailed off and looked to Lusya for approval. If it really did take just the one night, it would not cost them any time. They were in Larsev for the night anyway. Lusya was inclined to think that estimate, at least, had been an honest one. Lying about it could only backfire. Then again, they had established that foresight was not one of Ander¡¯s strengths.

    It would mean losing sleep, but that was no great blow to Lusya. She would assume Ander knew how to handle fatigue as well. Even if he did not, she was sure she could find a way to compensate.

    ¡°If we do not succeed tonight, I am leaving,¡± Lusya said. She did not bother trying to exclude herself. Ariya was sure to insist she participate.

    ¡°Oh, and apology accepted,¡± Ariya said to the thief. ¡°And sorry I called you a meanie.¡±

    The thief, who had spent the last few minutes listening in uneasy silence, replied with an indecipherable grunt and a roll of his eyes.

    ¡°Now we¡¯re gonna take down that thief king guy,¡± she continued. ¡°Oh, that sounds like something out of a story, so cool!¡±

    ¡°There is no ¡®we¡¯ or ¡®us¡¯ that includes you, Ariya,¡± Lusya said, ¡°you will stay in the inn.¡±

    Ariya groaned and seemed about to protest.

    ¡°This is not up for debate,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It will be dangerous.¡±

    Ariya scowled, crossing her arms. She locked eyes with Lusya, who gazed back, unwavering.

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°So, we, as in you¡ªas in Lusya¡ªand I,¡± Ander said, ¡°are going to take down the thief ring, right?¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ander grinned and turned back to the thief.

    ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s settled, you¡¯re going to tell us where we can find this leader of yours,¡± Ander said. With a smug smirk, he produced two silver coins from his purse. ¡°Do that, and I¡¯ll let you off the hook and give you these.¡±

    The thief needed no further prompting.

 Book Two - Chapter Seven

    The sky was dark when Lusya and Ander left the inn later that day. With no clouds in sight, countless stars twinkled overhead, and the moon joined the oil lampposts in illuminating the city streets. With their goal already set, there was no need for hesitation or discussion, and they started toward their destination. According to the thief, the leader favored a particular abandoned building in one of Larsev¡¯s poorer neighborhoods. She questioned the wisdom of that, but she supposed he wasn¡¯t swimming in choices. At least it made her job easier.

    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Lusya asked. Ander had yet to articulate how he planned to topple this thieving ring.

    Ander chuckled. ¡°Well, not exactly. I figure I can talk him down. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said.

    Without knowing anything about this leader, it was impossible to say how high Ander¡¯s chances of success were. It mattered little, in the end. If he failed, that only meant they had to resort to force, which was certain to be of trivial ease. They would need to find some way to convince him to the leader to dissolve his association, as she doubted Ander would be willing to kill the leader, but that seemed doable with a show of strength and a threat.

    ¡°Thanks for coming with me, by the way,¡± he said.

    ¡°Ariya would have been upset if I did not.¡±

    He laughed again. ¡°She really has you wrapped around her finger.¡±

    ¡°It serves my purposes well enough,¡± she said.

    Ander shrugged, and they continued walking through Larsev¡¯s crowds. A city like this did not slumber when night fell. They did not pass through any entertainment or red-light districts, areas that almost became more alive in the dark, but the streets did not want for activity. Residents and travelers moved about the city by carriage and on foot.

    For that matter, it was not even truly dark. Lampposts posted every dozen or so feet kept the streets well-lit enough to see clear as day, and more light filtered out from doors and windows.

    Many were likely on their way to those livelier districts. Others, it was plain to see, were on their way back, bearing the marks of their merriment. Some simply spoke to their fellows much too loudly, in the way of those who had had just a bit too much to drink. Others wobbled and stumbled as they walked. Nobody paid either much mind. They were just part of Larsev¡ªany city, really¡ªat night.

    The crowd began to thin as they neared the district they wanted, near the city¡¯s eastern edge. It was subtle at first, people taking abrupt turns or stopping someplace, leaving fewer in the road. Then, the streets were empty. Not a soul to be seen, though there were plenty of mortals nearby. The sole remnant of the crowd was a babbling drunken man who had walked ahead of Lusya and Ander most of the way there. He lurched and staggered into an alley, where he slumped against a wall and made clear with thunderous snoring that he had fallen asleep. Whether he lived in the area or was exceptionally drunk and lost, Lusya could not say.

    Traffic was not the only way this area was a stark contrast with other parts of the city. Most of Larsev was pristine, the picture of a city that had undergone updates and construction to comply with its shifting populace. The buildings here were not old. Many bore the same signs of tiransa-inclusive design that characterized much of the city. Yet they were dilapidated, almost seeming abandoned at a glance¡ªwhich some may well have been¡ªand little care seemed to have been put into security or maintenance. Few windows glowed with lamp or candlelight. The lampposts lining the street had not been lit. Building facades were cracked or dirty.

    The transition was gradual. Each home a little more damaged than the last, flamelights growing farther and farther apart. By the time they were near their ultimate destination, walls were crumbling, and the streets would have been in total darkness if not for the moon and stars.

    Guards were absent as well. Lusya had seen several patrolling elsewhere, but not a single one here. It was an odd sort of circular logic that drove these things. The area was too dangerous and crime-ridden, its residents too unimportant, to be worth risking a patrol. In turn, the lack of guard presence allowed crime to flourish, made the place into a perfect hiding place for particularly enterprising offenders, and made it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to survive and remain law-abiding.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s it,¡± Ander whispered, pointing to a building at the corner of two streets.

    Compared to its surroundings, it was in good shape. A one floor building of tiransa-inclusive design, it was intact, with little visible damage. The door looked to be hanging loose on its hinges, and one window was covered with wooden boards, but everything else looked good as new from the outside. Lusya could sense four people within, though she could not tell what they might have been doing. She could not hear any noise, and even the undamaged window was covered by curtains, hiding the inside.

    ¡°It matches the description,¡± she said. There was one missing detail, but that was expected.

    Ander nodded. ¡°Well, nothing to do but walk in.¡±

    Indeed, he walked up to the door and entered without preamble. The door creaked and seemed about to fall as it opened. Lusya followed him. Such a blatant entrance did not seem the wisest approach, but she did not sense any significant threats within. She doubted anybody here would be able to so much as scratch Ander, let alone her, through their motomancy durability enhancements.

    With no sign of lanterns or candles, it would have been dark inside the building, were it not for the bold, diagonal shaft of moonlight shooting in from the ceiling. The thief had mentioned there was a hole in the roof not visible from the front entrance. With that, the room was bright enough to see most of it in detail, not that there was much to see. There were no furnishings or decorations to speak of, save for a tarp and some poles sitting in a haphazard heap beneath the hole. Perhaps they were used to cover it in case of rain.

    A bit behind that, the four mortals she had sensed sat near the wall. Two had their backs right up against it, while the other two sat in front of them, facing the wall. They seemed to have been playing some kind of game, each of them holding a hand of cards, with a pile in the middle of their group. Now, however, all eyes were on Lusya and Ander.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± one of them, a stocky human man with a black beard asked, as he threw down his cards and stood.

    ¡°Are you Oto?¡± Ander asked.

    The other three followed the man¡¯s lead in discarding their cards and standing. Two humans, one a man and the other a woman, and a tiransa woman, around eight feet tall.

    ¡°Yeah, who¡¯s asking?¡± the stocky man said. His eyes ran over Lusya and Ander, assessing them. ¡°What, you two down on your luck and looking to join up?¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Well, actually, we¡¯re here to ask you to stop,¡± Ander said as he scratched the back of his head, nervous laughter tinging his voice. ¡°See, stealing kind of hurts people, and even your thieves are starting to complain you take too big a cut of what they take. If we put our heads together, I¡¯m sure we can think of a more productive way to¡ª¡±

    Oto burst into derisive laughter, cutting Ander off. ¡°What, are you two guards or something?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Ander said. ¡°But I do think it would be in your best interest to cooperate.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, kid, but I¡¯m not stopping until I¡¯m dead or behind bars,¡± Oto said. ¡°What do I care about the rest of this city if my belly¡¯s not full? At least the network I made keeps a few people from starving.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± Oto spat to the side in a show of disdain. ¡°Get out before I make you. You¡¯re lucky I haven¡¯t already gutted you like a fish.¡±

    Ander sighed. ¡°Backup plan time.¡± He looked to Lusya. ¡°Help me scare them a little. Just scare them.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I warned you,¡± Oto said. ¡°Alerbud, rough ¡®em up, and get them out of here.¡±

    The tiransa woman glowered, cracked her knuckles, and stalked forward. Before she could make it half the distance needed, Lusya surged forward and shoved back on the woman¡¯s belly. The push took the tiransa woman off her feet and launched her back against the wall, which cracked on impact. The tiransa slumped to the ground, groaning in pain as she clutched at her stomach. The human man other than Oto, taller but scrawnier, rushed at Lusya, a dagger in hand, and stabbed at her face.

    She stood still and allowed him to strike her, the blade coming to a dead stop against her flesh. Face strikes may have been unpleasant, but she hoped it would get the point across. It seemed it had. The man trembled and dropped the dagger, letting it fall to the wooden floor with a dull thunk. He tried to pull back his hand, but she grabbed his wrist and squeezed, shattering it in an instant. He screamed in pain and flailed wildly, striking at her and wrenching at his arm to free it. None of his efforts had any effect, but she released him in short order anyway. He stumbled away and collapsed to the ground, clutching his ruined limb and weeping.

    The human woman tried to rush toward Ander, but he easily stepped aside and tripped her. He did not attack beyond that, but the woman made the wise choice not to try again. Oto ran for the window, perhaps trying to escape, but Lusya caught up to him, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and threw him to the ground. She created a small barrier over his chest, preventing him from standing. He tried to rise and struggled against the unseen object, grunting and huffing, eyes wide and bewildered, before finally sighing and simply lying back, staring up at the ceiling.

    ¡°Now, can we negotiate again?¡± Ander asked as he approached.

    Oto looked at him. Rather than glaring in anger, Oto shook in fear.

    ¡°You two,¡± he said. ¡°Are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ander said. ¡°I¡¯m a Sacred Knight from the nearest stronghold. I happened to hear about what you were up to while I was passing through. Now, if you stop, this is where it ends. If you keep going, and I hear about it, I¡¯ll make sure the higher ups make shutting you down a priority, got it? Remember: thievery speeds up the cycle too, and that¡¯s not good for anyone.¡±

    Lusya doubted this ring would have had much impact on the Demon King cycle. Then again, from a mortal perspective, she supposed it was still worth considering. Enough drops in the bucket could add up to an ocean, and there were bound to be similar examples of minor strife all throughout the land. That may have been normal, but that did not mean it did not need to be kept in check, and complacency was dangerous.

    She refrained from voicing any of those considerations. There was no need to undermine Ander¡¯s argument. Inaccuracy annoyed her, but she preferred to see this matter resolved than to correct it.

    ¡°A-All right,¡± Oto said. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll stop.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re going to hand us over to the guards now either way, though.¡±

    Ander hummed in thought, then grinned. ¡°Nope, I believe you. Lusya, can you let him up?¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Lusya said, releasing the barrier.

    ¡°Here,¡± Ander said. He pulled out a gold coin and tossed it down onto Oto¡¯s chest. ¡°If you¡¯re really out here trying to survive and help others like you, split that with them. There¡¯s no guarantee it¡¯ll get you back on your feet¡­but it¡¯s a chance. Don¡¯t waste it.¡±

    Oto picked up the coin as he sat up. He turned it over in his hand, examining it with wide, disbelieving eyes, then looked up at Ander, then at the coin again, saying nothing. Lusya blinked twice and cocked her head at the display.

    Ander turned and started to walk away, then stopped. ¡°Oh, actually.¡± He pulled out two more silver coins and walked back to hand them to Oto. ¡°Since you¡¯ll need to pay for some healing too.¡±

    Oto wordlessly took the coins, staring at Ander with his mouth agape.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be going then,¡± Ander said. ¡°Come on, Lusya.¡±

    They walked toward the door. Only as Ander opened it did Oto speak.

    ¡°Thanks, kid,¡± he said.

    Ander just smiled and walked out the door. With that, they started the long walk back toward the inn.

    ¡°I had no idea you were at the level of making barriers, though,¡± Ander said. ¡°Have you ever been to the Academy, by any chance?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°My training was done elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Well, it seems like it worked,¡± he said. ¡°Where was it?¡±

    ¡°Home.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m jealous. My teacher wouldn¡¯t show me anything that advanced. ¡®That¡¯s what the Academy¡¯s for,¡¯ he¡¯d say. Of course¡ªnever mind, not important.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said.

    They walked through the darkened city streets, until eventually they moved back into less rundown, more populated parts of Larsev. The streets were once again bathed in pale orange glows, people walking to and fro. Although it had only gotten later, the crowds had grown thicker. More of them seemed to be drunk as well.

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Lusya asked, tilting her head and blinking twice.

    Ander blinked. ¡°Do what? Did I do something weird?¡±

    ¡°Why did you give him that coin?¡± she clarified. ¡°You did the same thing earlier. I do not understand the purpose.¡±

    He scratched his head and looked skyward, as if the answers lied in the stars. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s not to understand.¡±

    ¡°Was your goal not to see them punished for their crimes?¡± she asked. ¡°You rewarded them instead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure the guy whose wrist your broke is feeling rewarded right about now,¡± he said, frowning. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to argue during the confrontation, but you kind of overdid it back there.¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked. ¡°You asked me to frighten them.¡±

    ¡°You did a lot more than that¡­¡±

    ¡°Their injuries are reparable.¡±

    He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s fine. Anyway, I see where you¡¯re coming from. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I wanted to see them punished. I just wanted them to stop hurting others. If they wouldn¡¯t, I guess more extreme action would need to be taken, but the less we can hurt them, the better.¡±

    ¡°That still does not explain the reward,¡± she said.

    ¡°To me it¡¯s not a reward,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just a chance.¡± He looked up at the stars again, almost wistful. ¡°This might be me being naive, but not many people want to be thieves. Or killers, or any kind of criminal. People, for the most part, want to be good. But things don¡¯t always work out that way. I figure some money is a chance to find a better way to live.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a perfect solution, and maybe I would have chosen differently if I knew more of their stories. Maybe I would have done more, or maybe I would have decided they were beyond help. But under the circumstances, it was the best I could do. That¡¯s really all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°So, you believe they will be able to live comfortably with this money long enough to find a way other than crime to survive.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± he said. ¡°Or maybe they¡¯ll be able to directly put it toward something that¡¯ll help.¡±

    It was possible it would work out that way. It was also possible the thieves would try and fall short. If that happened, they would no doubt turn to crime again. On the other hand, they may not have tried at all. They may have continued as they had, perhaps even putting the money to use in their activities somehow.

    People could be stubborn like that. Just in this journey, she had encountered multiple individuals who refused to stray from their chosen path, no matter how self-destructive it was or how many chances to change they were offered. The leader did seem like the gesture had made an impression on him, but who knew if that would last?

    Ander and Lusya walked on in silence for about another minute, before Lusya spoke again.

    ¡°What is your explanation for Malice?¡± she asked. ¡°How does that fit with your inherent goodness theory?¡±

    Priests and philosophers debated whether all sources of Malice were evil, but most agreed that many were. And those sources, along with Malice itself, were an intrinsic part of the mortal races, just as much as they were for demons.

    Ander seemed taken aback by the question and stared at her blankly as he composed himself, before taking a heavy breath, in then out. ¡°People want to be good. That doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t have some bad in them, or that it never wins.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± she said. ¡°People do not always get what they want.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Even under the best of circumstances, things can go wrong.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Eight

    ¡°You there!¡± a guard called as the carriage neared the city gates. The area was not especially loud, yet he shouted as if to be heard over a great din. It was meant to be authoritative, in all likelihood.

    Ander and Lusya looked to the man, waving to get their attention. A tall human man with a short beard, he stood to the side of the gate, dressed in a dull gray uniform, topped with a well-polished helm and breastplate. The other guards Lusya had seen had been dressed in either the same gray or a dark blue. She had not been able to discern the meaning behind the distinction. Ander urged the horses to the side, out of the flow of traffic through the gate, and stopped the carriage in front of the guard. The guard circled around to stand beside Ander and studied his features in silence.

    Lusya had thought their business in Larsev concluded after breakfast, but it seemed that was not quite the case. She had, of course, considered exchanging the coin Ander had given her, but she had decided against it. She was not in dire need of funds and as such did not have space in her purse for the resulting coins. Keeping some in her pack was an option, but she did not want to sacrifice the storage space. And if she had the coin changed even in part to copper, there would not be room in her pack, as stuffed as she kept it. The gold would do in an emergency, and she doubted she would care about the wasted money in such an eventuality.

    ¡°Are you Ander Lindun?¡± the guard asked at last.

    Ander nodded. ¡°That¡¯s me. Why?¡±

    ¡°The captain asked me to speak with you. It¡¯s about the reports you filed with us.¡±

    Reports, plural? There was another besides the one about the bandits? Ander had eaten breakfast quicker than Lusya and Ariya and left the inn while they finished. He had claimed to be going for a walk and nothing more. That had seemed suspect, but Lusya hadn¡¯t had any idea what he was doing, and nothing had seemed amiss when he had returned. She had thought that whatever he had been up to would not affect her. It was obvious now that he had, in fact, been reporting last night¡¯s events. In how much detail, Lusya could not say.

    If that had been his plan, deceiving her had been the right decision. She would have tried to dissuade him, and possibly left without him if he had insisted. A response from the guard had always been inevitable, and here it was. She did not know how harsh they were on vigilantism, but there was no reason to test it. For the sake of all involved, she hoped the guard did not try to inconvenience them too much.

    ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± Ander replied.

    The guard ran a hand over his face and sighed. ¡°Of course there¡¯s a problem. We¡¯re here for a reason. You can¡¯t just take the law into your own hands, especially not if you¡¯re going to let the culprits off at the end.¡±

    ¡°He does not seem to share your view of the matter,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Being nice is a good thing,¡± Ariya said with a huff. Lusya did not think she had much ground to stand on, given that she had been opposed to the whole operation at first.

    The guard rolled his eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for a child¡¯s opinion.¡± Ariya let out a scandalized gasp. ¡°Mister Lindun, are you sure you won¡¯t give us more information about where we can find this leader of the thieves?¡±

    Ander nodded, his expression set in a determined scowl. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Are you here to arrest me for that?¡±

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    ¡°That¡¯s not something we can arrest you over,¡± the guard replied. ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any actual laws against vigilantism.¡± The guard sighed and muttered something under his breath. ¡°Besides, even if it wasn¡¯t perfect and you shouldn¡¯t have done it in the first place, you did do the city a service, in a way. We¡¯ll have to see if it pans out, but we¡¯ll call it even for that.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Although, that¡¯s the captain¡¯s thinking. If it was up to me, you¡¯d already be in a cell.¡±

    Ander gave a much less jovial laugh, scratching his head. ¡°Lucky me. Thanks for letting me know?¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°We have someplace to be.¡±

    The guard ignored her and looked at Lusya. ¡°You must be the companion he mentioned. Everything I said to him goes for you too. Don¡¯t forget it. Take it with you to other cities, too.¡±

    ¡°Your threats are empty, but the advice is sound,¡± she said. ¡°It is appreciated.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°Right. Anyway, one more thing. About the bandits you talked about.¡±

    Ander nodded, eyes wide in surprise. It was understandable. Lusya had not expected to hear any more on the matter while in Larsev. She had neither expected the guards to go out of their way to inform Ander, nor for there to be anything to inform him of in such a short time frame. It had not even been twenty-four hours since he had filed his report.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t much care about getting information on them. As long as they did not cause trouble for her, the bandits could do whatever they wanted as far as she was concerned. She expected that Ander would be more interested in any updates, however.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± the guard said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing that big. We¡¯re taking the matter seriously, and we¡¯ve compared it to some other reports we¡¯ve gotten. Based on everything, the captain¡¯s decided to send out a scouting force to track down and assess the threat if they¡¯re still in the area, plus he¡¯s going to send word to nobles in the area and ask them to do the same and share any information they find. That¡¯s all. Since I was talking with you anyway, he also asked me to give you that update and let you know we¡¯re working on it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you have it under control,¡± Ander replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it in your hands, then. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re plenty capable.¡±

    The guard scoffed. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to think that last night.¡±

    Ander chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what happened, but you¡¯ve made your point. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±

    ¡°You had better,¡± the guard said. ¡°And don¡¯t go looking for trouble with these bandits. If they come to you, do what you need to do, but try to stay safe.¡±

    The situations weren¡¯t comparable, so the warning seemed rather moot. Ander had had a point about him and herself being able to move quicker than the guards to address a localized threat with a known location. For tracking down and eliminating the potentially distant bandits, their resources and manpower compensated for any organizational or bureaucratic hurdles. It was a matter of scale.

    Whether Ander doubted the guards¡¯ capabilities was another issue. Based on his quickness to report incidents to them, Lusya judged that he had quite a bit of faith in them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°Good. Farewell and safe travels, then. Go¡ª¡±

    ¡°What is the difference between the blue and gray uniforms?¡± Lusya asked. Since they were here wasting time anyway, she might as well satisfy her curiosity.

    The man blinked and gaped, obviously caught off guard. Ander looked at her with similar shock. Only Ariya was unfazed, swinging her legs and humming as she sat on the bench. Lusya was unsure why her speaking was such a shock. Just because she had seen no need to do so before, did not mean she was incapable of it.

    The guard managed to collect himself a second later and cleared his throat before speaking. ¡°We wear the colors of House Baylor, which has the most direct control over the city. Blue and gray. Who gets which is random, more or less.¡±

    ¡°That seems needlessly confusing,¡± she said.

    The guard shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules, miss. Is that all?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Well then, once again, I wish you all the best of luck.¡± He dipped into a shallow bow and waved toward the gate. ¡°Go on through.¡±

    Ander bobbed his head in an even smaller bow, then waved. ¡°Good-bye.¡±

    Ander urged the horses onward. Ariya took one last opportunity to stick her tongue out at the guard. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the flow of traffic. Seconds later, Lusya and the others were out the gate and moving on.

 Book Two - Chapter Nine

    It was obvious the next village was in sorry shape the moment they reached the outskirts. The first house they saw was little more than a pile of shattered and scorched black wood. A sea of ash beside it might have once been a field, in the midst of being cultivated, but it was desolate and lifeless now.

    There was no smell, and not so much as a wisp of smoke. Whatever had destroyed this place had occurred some time ago. Unless it was the work of motomancy, a Blade in particular, that was. Then it could have happened an hour ago for all Lusya knew. She could not see any corpses, but it was possible they were simply hidden from view.

    ¡°What happened here?¡± Ander asked.

    ¡°Considering the scale of the destruction, it is likely that it was an attack of some kind,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander scowled. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same bandits, do you?¡±

    ¡°It could be.¡±

    ¡°Do you think everyone¡¯s okay?¡± Ariya asked.

    Her gaze stayed glued to the house as they passed, no matter how much she had to turn her head. She even turned around in her seat to keep watching it for a while. Her expression was pensive and dismayed, though there was no reaction worth worrying about in her Malice.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You should not focus so much on the destruction.¡±

    Ariya nodded and faced front again. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°Liar,¡± Ariya muttered as she righted herself in her seat.

    He recoiled as if the words had struck him, then chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°I guess you caught me. But that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re hurt. We just can¡¯t know, like Lusya said.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said with a roll of her eyes.

    ¡°Right.¡± Ander shifted his focus to Lusya. ¡°Because Lusya doesn¡¯t lie, right?¡±

    Ariya must have informed him of that. Lusya would have to speak with the child later about telling Ander her faults. The smiles had been one thing. Lusya was only aware of that because Ander had brought it up. She did not want it to become a habit. They still did not know Ander¡¯s full intentions.

    ¡°I do not know how,¡± Lusya said. There was no good way she could think of to mislead him on the matter.

    ¡°That might be the first time anyone¡¯s ever said that,¡± he said. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head and blinked twice at him but said nothing.

    ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± he said. ¡°What do you know about lying?¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°The concept is quite simple. One simply says something untrue, and I am capable of doing that.¡±

    ¡°So, you do know how to lie, then?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± she said. ¡°I do not know how to lie well. I do not know how to employ the tricks of a skilled deception, and so I avoid lying at all.¡±

    He raised an eyebrow and gave her a so-called knowing grin. ¡°That, uh¡­That makes more sense. I get it now.¡±

    They traveled onward. The next two buildings they encountered were intact, but the one after was in a similar state to the first. Then the one after that, and the next. As they moved into a closer grouping of homes, it became clear that those untouched were the exception, rather than the rule.

    Plenty of buildings were in ruins. Even many of those that were not had prominent holes in the walls or roofs. Some had the doors ripped clean off the hinges. Others bore prominent scorch marks climbing up the wall. Those with no damage could have been counted on one hand, with fingers to spare.

    ¡°I¡¯m stopping here,¡± Ander said, pulling back on the horses¡¯ reins. ¡°We should get out and survey the area on foot.¡±

    Lusya nodded in agreement. Though she cared little for the village, it would be wise to gather information. Who or whatever did this could still be in the area. There was nothing that qualified as a threat in her detection range, but they could have been just outside. Even if not, making themselves aware of a potential threat was wise. Whether the culprit was strong enough to be a physical danger to her or not, being prepared would not hurt.

    ¡°Ariya, close your eyes,¡± Lusya said as she helped Ariya down.

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Good call,¡± Ander said. ¡°Let¡¯s look around, preferably for people.¡±

    Lusya could sense several mortals in the area, though fewer than she would have expected, even from a village of this size, but she couldn¡¯t well say that. As in Mirewood, the area was thick with Malice, and she was comfortable calling the Malice of most of the mortals elevated. Given the scenery, that was not surprising.

    They walked through empty¡ªsave for rubble and debris¡ªstreets. They were heading toward some mortals anyway, so Lusya made no attempt to direct their path. As they walked, one more thing began to fill the streets: corpses.

    Some were whole, some were little more than an arm. Some were almost pristine, while others had been burnt beyond all recognition. Men, women, children. Human and tiransa. The culprit had not discriminated. Lusya carefully guided Ariya so that she did not touch any of them.

    ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± Ariya asked, plugging her nose with her free hand.

    ¡°It is nothing you need concern yourself with,¡± Lusya said.

    There was nothing much she could do for the stench. Burnt and rotting flesh had already tainted the air with their foul miasma and would do so for some time yet unless someone moved the corpses. She was just lucky Ariya was not familiar with it.

    After several minutes of walking, they rounded a corner and happened across their first mortal. A human woman with pink, tear-stained cheeks sat amidst the rubble of a ruined home, cradling and rocking a small, unmoving bundle of cloth. Getting closer made it clear what was wrapped within: a tiny corpse, so burnt it was scarcely recognizable as such.

    Lusya and the others stopped in front of the woman. She gave no sign of acknowledging their presence. She did not seem to acknowledge much of anything. Her eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing, refusing to focus on anything, even her dead child.

    ¡°What happened here?¡± Lusya asked.

    The woman did not respond. She did not look at Lusya even for a second. It was as if the words had not reached her at all, but there was little chance of that. Lusya knew her voice tended to be quiet, but it was not so quiet someone a few feet away could not hear her with no other noise in the way.

    ¡°Is someone there?¡± Ariya asked.

    Ander waded into the sea of ash and wood and knelt before the woman. ¡°Hey, is there anything we can do? If you¡¯ll talk to us, we might be able to help.¡±

    The woman gave no indication she had heard. Ander waved a hand in front of her face. Nothing. He sighed, stood, and shook his head at Lusya.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ready to talk,¡± he said as he returned. ¡°And I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get anything out of pushing her.¡±

    Lusya had heard of this condition. Trauma shock, it was called. She did not think it was well understood in general, and she had little personal experience with it, only having seen it in soldiers she had fought and the occasional citizen in the aftermath of a battle. She had never paid it much mind in either case, so she had no basis to dispute Ander¡¯s judgment. Interrogations were not her specialty to begin with, and she doubted she could conduct an effective one on such an unresponsive subject with Ander and Ariya present.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°We will continue our search.¡±

    The next mortal they encountered was another human, a man this time. Like the woman, he was in the middle of a home¡¯s wreckage, and he seemed about as cognizant than her. He lay flat on his back, looking up at the clear blue sky. It was rather nice weather for the aftermath of a disaster.

    He refused to speak or move. At a glance, it would have been easy to think him dead, were it not for the steady rise and fall of his chest. He would shift his gaze to make eye contact when spoken to, if the angle allowed him to do so without moving anything else. As soon as the speaking stopped or the speaker moved out of his field of view, however, his eyes went right back to the sky.

    Next was a tiransa man who ran in the opposite direction as soon as he saw them, screaming, ¡°Stay away, stay away!¡± He was followed by a woman who scurried into a relatively unscathed home and slammed the door shut the moment Ander tried to speak to her.

    ¡°They are not very helpful,¡± Lusya said as they walked past the house.

    Ander sighed and nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t really blame them. Something pretty bad must have happened here.¡±

    ¡°Can someone please tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Ariya asked. It was not a plaintive request, just a curious one.

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    ¡°We have encountered four people who refuse to speak with us,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh. Was one of them the screaming guy?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ariya seemed satisfied with the explanation and went quiet again. They resumed their search. If they did not find anything or anyone useful soon, Lusya was going to declare the search a lost cause and leave.

    It was not much longer, however, before they found a group of just over a dozen humans and tiransa sitting in a rough circle on the ground outside a house. The building was in good condition, compared to most of the others. The door was missing and there was a hastily patched hole in the wall, but otherwise it was intact.

    They did not seem to be doing anything in particular. Some sat there, engaging in hushed conversation. A few were passing around a bottle and taking turns drinking from it. Most seemed content to watch one of the first two groups in silence.

    One of the tiransa men looked up from the ground as Lusya and the others approached, though he was tall enough that he ended up looking more or less straight ahead. The others took note and turned to look at Lusya and the rest as well. All conversation came to a halt in an instant. Although their eyes were wide and wary, and they refused to make a sound, none of this group fled as Lusya¡¯s approached. However, some were inching away, or preparing to leap to their feet.

    ¡°We¡¯re not here to fight, there¡¯s no need to be afraid,¡± Ander said, holding up his hands, palms open. ¡°We just want to ask you some questions, if that¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not going to hurt anyone.¡±

    He made a point of looking at Lusya for some reason. She did not see any reason she would have harmed these people unprovoked.

    ¡°We¡¯re nice,¡± Ariya added.

    The tiransa man eyed Ander suspiciously. After a moment, the man sighed and settled back down. ¡°Fine. Not like there¡¯s anything left for us to lose if you¡¯re lying anyway.¡±

    The others followed his lead and relaxed. They remained tense, eying Lusya and the others with open suspicion, but they no longer seemed about to flee at any moment. Ander settled down as part of the circle, but Lusya chose to remain standing.

    ¡°My name is Ander Lindun. This is Lusya and Ariya.¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± Ariya said cheerfully.

    The tiransa man nodded in greeting. ¡°Rocktiv.¡±

    Ander waited a moment, looking at the others in the circle. They declined to introduce themselves.

    ¡°So, what happened here?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Demons? Bandits?¡±

    ¡°It is unlikely any demon would be bold enough to destroy a town under the current circumstances,¡± Lusya said.

    Even low-ranks were smart enough to know that was foolish. It wasn¡¯t as if demons left mortals alone between Demon Kings, but they did try to avoid anything so audacious. There were exceptions to almost every rule, of course, but destroying settlements was a good way to shoot to the top of the Sacred Knights¡¯ priorities.

    The tiransa man, apparently the de facto leader of this group, nodded. ¡°The girl¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t demons. Just a bunch of thugs.¡±

    ¡°This is unusually bold for bandits too,¡± Ander said. ¡°What happened, exactly?¡±

    ¡°They showed up one day and set up camp in our town,¡± the man said. ¡°They said that if we cooperated, they¡¯d take a few of us and some money and leave the rest of us be. Of course, some of us, fools that we were, decided that wasn¡¯t something we could accept.¡± He sighed and waved an arm, gesturing broadly at the wreckage. ¡°And the result is what you see.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± Ander said. ¡°To think they¡¯d do something like that¡­¡±

    Bandits and the like harassing entire small villages wasn¡¯t unheard of. If a couple dozen former soldiers banded together, they were plenty capable of shaking down a tiny town where no one knew how to fight. Of course, even in such cases, this level of destruction was uncommon. Much like with demons, causing too much trouble would paint a target on their backs.

    ¡°Even accounting for casualties, there are too few people here,¡± Lusya said. ¡°What happened to the rest?¡±

    The man let out a heavy sigh. ¡°A lot got taken in anyway. You must have passed Merka on the way here, right? Her husband got taken, on top of everything else. She¡¯s been like that ever since.¡± Lusya assumed he was talking about the near-catatonic woman. ¡°She eats when we give her food, but other than that¡­Anyway, a lot of the rest ended up leaving. It¡¯s gonna be an ordeal for us to fix this place up, so I can¡¯t blame them. They might even be the smart ones. Maybe the rest of us just aren¡¯t bright enough to move on.¡±

    Ander scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re planning to¡­¡± He glanced at Ariya. ¡°¡­stay here.¡±

    The man let out a joyless chuckle and shook his head. ¡°No, not ready to give up just yet. Just catching our breath, I guess. Still deciding if we¡¯re gonna try to salvage this place or leave.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine. Can you tell me anything more about the bandits?¡±

    ¡°What would be the point of that?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°We might not look it, but we¡¯re pretty strong,¡± Ander said. He gave a muted grin and an unnecessary flex of a bicep. ¡°I¡¯d like to keep an eye out for them in the future, and I need to know what to look for.¡±

    The man sighed. ¡°Not sure how much I can tell you. There was maybe a dozen of them. They fought like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen. They made it sound like there was more of them somewhere else too.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Ander said. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°One thing,¡± the man said with a nod. ¡°They¡­the group that attacked us, at least, was led by a woman. Her I remember. She was a little taller than your friend here, with light brown hair. Stronger than any of the men, too.¡±

    That was unusual. Few martial forces, legal or otherwise, had woman in high positions. The Sacred Knights were an obvious exception, where motomancy served as an equalizing force. Elsewhere, common wisdom held that women were weaker than men. A woman might have been a great warrior, but that general perception, its veracity aside, meant few were afforded the chance.

    Of course, things were different in a less formal context. Many groups of bandits were little more than a loose association of brutes. However, Lusya doubted those conditions favored the advancement of women much.

    ¡°Was she a reltus?¡± Ander asked.

    The man shook his head. ¡°No, human as they come.¡±

    Ander scowled and crossed his arms, contemplative.

    ¡°Lusya, my legs are getting tired,¡± Ariya said.

    They had walked longer than this many times. Was the carriage degrading her stamina? Perhaps, but it was too soon to draw a conclusion. Ariya¡¯s endurance had always been enigmatic and inconsistent. More observation was needed.

    ¡°We will sit,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your eyes will remain shut.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Lusya helped Ariya sit down and sat beside her.

    ¡°Did the bandits show any particular interest in children?¡± Ander asked.

    That was right, the ones who had attacked Mirewood had mostly taken children. It was possible this was the same group.

    ¡°They did,¡± the man said, nodding. ¡°They were obviously taking people to sell as slaves. They were happy to take anyone, but it was obvious who they preferred. There¡¯s a school of thought among slavers that children sell better. They¡¯re easier to mold.¡±

    Ander frowned, eyes narrowing. ¡°I won¡¯t ask how you know that.¡±

    The man cleared his throat loudly but did not respond. A wise choice. Lusya did not know the exact state of slavery in Ander¡¯s native Nordhem. Even in places where it was common and accepted, however, slavers themselves were rarely seen in a favorable light. She did not quite understand that. She had heard people discuss buying a slave as one might buy furniture, then curse slavers in the same sentence. The same was seldom done for any other variety of merchant. Mortals were confusing. Demons weren¡¯t much better.

    ¡°Did you see which way they were headed after¡­?¡± Ander asked, trailing off.

    The man shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was buried under rubble and barely conscious.¡±

    ¡°I saw,¡± another, human man said, sitting a bit straighter. ¡°They went northeast.¡±

    ¡°They keep going north,¡± Ander muttered to himself. He nodded at the human man. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The human man did not reply. He seemed to shrink back into himself, and his gaze fell into his lap and refused to move again.

    ¡°When was this?¡± Ander asked, turning his attention back to the tiransa man.

    The man sighed and shook his head. ¡°Who knows? We haven¡¯t been keeping track of time much. But I figure it¡¯s been about a week. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less.¡±

    ¡°Recently, then.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s all anyone¡¯s going to be able to tell you,¡± the tiransa man said. ¡°It all happened too fast. We had our hands full trying to stay alive, let alone learn anything about them.¡± He groaned. ¡°If only we¡¯d just agreed to their terms¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much better that would¡¯ve been, and you couldn¡¯t have known just how dangerous they were,¡± Ander said. ¡°And you¡¯ve told me plenty.¡± He sighed and looked around. ¡°I wish there was something we could do to help here but¡­I don¡¯t think any of us knows how to build a house.¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Lusya confirmed.

    ¡°Me neither!¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going, then. All we¡¯d do is be a burden,¡± Ander said as he stood. ¡°Best of luck to all of you.¡±

    Lusya followed suit, standing with Ariya. Lusya cared little about troubling the village, but it was clear there was nothing for them here regardless. A devastated town had no resources to offer, and the inn was doubtful to be operating if it even still stood. And, of course, it would be difficult to stay here without ruining Ariya.

    Before they left, Lusya paused and looked to the tiransa man. ¡°I have one more question.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± he replied.

    ¡°Did you see any signs this woman was using motomancy?¡±

    The man shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know what to look for there. All I know is she was strong. Threw me around like a kid¡¯s toy.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is likely, then.¡±

    There couldn¡¯t have been many human women capable of manhandling a grown tiransa man with physical strength alone. Even among the stronger relti, that was no doubt rare.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± the man said.

    ¡°I do,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Farewell.¡±

    She turned and started back toward the carriage with Ander and Ariya in tow.

    ¡°I think we should go find those bandits,¡± Ander said. ¡°They¡¯re probably still in the area.¡±

    ¡°That is not necessary,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°But if they¡¯re hurting people¡­¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°The search area is still too large,¡± Lusya said. ¡°They could have covered plenty of ground and gone in any direction in a week, and none of us are trackers. We cannot undertake such tasks if we are to complete our mission.¡±

    Ariya sighed and hung her head. ¡°Yes, Lusya. I understand.¡±

    ¡°Our mission will be far more impactful than this anyway,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Helping these people is redundant.¡±

    Perhaps, ¡°moot¡± would have been more accurate, but the point was the same.

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°I still think we should, but I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what your mission is, but I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to let people suffer now,¡± Ander said. He hesitated to continue, staring at Lusya, then clicked his tongue and scowled. ¡°Besides, if they keep attacking towns, it could cause trouble for us too. Even if no others get it that bad, they might not be in any shape to house or resupply us.¡±

    Lusya could appreciate his attempt to appeal to her self-interest. Especially since he seemed somehow uncomfortable doing so, for reasons she could not guess at. However, his argument was not persuasive.

    ¡°That may be true,¡± she said. ¡°However, we only have one point of reference at the moment.¡± Mirewood had been harmed, but still more than capable of accommodating them. ¡°If it continues to be a problem, I may be in favor of eliminating them. However, we do not know that. If they went due east after the villagers lost sight of them, it is unlikely they will be a problem again.

    ¡°They may also remain in the south of Ostia. In that case, we are capable of making it out of their territory, even if they have targeted every village we visit.¡± Ariya gasped. ¡°Unlikely as that is, unless they are in fact targeting us, which also seems doubtful.¡±

    Ander frowned. ¡°Waiting for a problem to get worse before you solve it is a good way to get burned.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said, ¡°but attempting to solve a problem where there is none is a good way to waste energy. If we encounter one more settlement that has been significantly impacted, I will consider addressing the issue.¡±

    They arrived at the carriage, and Ander climbed onto the driver¡¯s seat.

    He sighed. ¡°I really just can¡¯t let this go. How many people are we leaving to their fate here?¡±

    ¡°If you want to confront them, you are welcome to do so,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will retrieve my supplies and we will part ways here. You may be late to your destination, but that is none of my concern.¡±

    He stared at her, teeth gritted, in silence. His attachment to this impromptu travel group still perplexed her. Ariya had been understandable. She was a child. They were fickle by nature, and she was dependent on Lusya to survive.

    The same was not true of Ander. He was the same age as Lusya. He had been traveling alone for some time before meeting her. For all he often seemed foolish, he also seemed plenty capable of surviving alone. Maybe he was more starved for companionship than he had made it seem. That was not a sentiment she could understand, but it was an explanation.

    Or perhaps he was not confident in his ability to confront the bandits alone. He had been counting on her aid and was uncertain what to do without it. Maybe he was infatuated with her. Maybe something had scared him out of traveling alone before they had met. There were too many possibilities for her to know.

    Finally, he groaned. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll stick with you guys. But I¡¯m holding you to what you said. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Ten

    Since they couldn¡¯t stay in the village, they had continued on their way and set up camp on the side of the road later that night. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure exactly why they hadn¡¯t been able to stay there. She had seen the broken buildings, of course, but it didn¡¯t seem that bad. There must have been something worse she didn¡¯t see when her eyes were closed. Or maybe buildings being damaged was worse than she gave it credit for. Or both.

    If there had been something more, it had probably been scary, so she was happy Lusya had had her close her eyes. Ariya was a big girl who could have handled it, of course, but it was better not to see scary things. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but be curious about what she had missed. She hadn¡¯t even seen the people they had talked to. She had had to imagine what they looked like. She liked to think the main guy they had talked to was bald with a bushy mustache.

    Camping also meant they couldn¡¯t eat at an inn. Instead, Lusya cooked. When they had first met Ander, Ariya had hoped their camp food would improve. She had thought maybe he had something good in that carriage. Lusya always said the reason they didn¡¯t have anything more was because it would be harder for her to carry.

    Well, Ariya hadn¡¯t been wrong, but she hadn¡¯t been as right as she would have liked, either. Ander did have some pickled fruits and vegetables. The former had sounded gross until Ariya had learned they were pickled in honey. She remembered the caravan from a few months ago had had something similar, and it had been tasty. Ander¡¯s had not disappointed her, and the veggies weren¡¯t bad either. She hadn¡¯t had it much before, but Ariya had decided she liked sour.

    Unfortunately, he only had so much, and he couldn¡¯t buy them everywhere, so he was a little stingy with them. She had only been able to eat some twice so far. He didn¡¯t have any fresh meat or milk or anything either. He said he didn¡¯t want to deal with the ice he would need melting. There were a couple other things he had, like coffee, but she wasn¡¯t interested in them. Papa had given her coffee to try once, and it had been so disgusting she¡¯d felt like her tongue was gonna come off. And she¡¯d almost wished it had so she wouldn¡¯t have to taste it anymore.

    On the bright side, Lusya had gotten better at cooking over the past couple months. She didn¡¯t drown things in salt or spices anymore, nor did she use too little seasoning, and it had been a while since she had burned anything. Her food wasn¡¯t bad by any means. But, even with that Elberto guy¡¯s cookbook, there was only so much she could do with what she had. Even the best recipes tasted pretty similar. Ariya could have gone for some variety.

    ¡°You know,¡± Ander said as Lusya stirred her pot, ¡°we could always try hunting or foraging, if you two ever want something a little fresher.¡±

    Ariya grinned and sprang to her feet. ¡°That sounds great!¡±

    ¡°It would be a waste of time and energy,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya groaned. ¡°But it would taste good!¡±

    ¡°I am not disputing that,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But this is sufficient and does not require extra labor.¡±

    Ariya took a moment to repeat the statements in her head. ¡°Disputing,¡± meant something like disagreeing, right?

    ¡°Well, I guess,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best,¡± Ander said. He chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°I know I¡¯m the one who brought it up, but I actually don¡¯t know how to hunt at all.¡±

    ¡°It is not difficult,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could hunt,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t we been doing that?¡±

    ¡°It would require me to leave you unsupervised,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya huffed, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯m a big girl. I can take care of myself.¡±

    ¡°No matter how much you repeat yourself, neither of those things will become true,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander chuckled. ¡°Well, the first one will, kind of.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ariya said, pumping a fist in the air.

    Lusya didn¡¯t reply to Ariya, instead turning toward Ander. ¡°Is hunting not a common pastime among nobility in Nordhem, as it is elsewhere?¡±

    Ander hesitated, humming in thought. ¡°It technically is, yeah.¡± He half-snorted, half-laughed. ¡°But most noblemen just get an actual hunter to herd some prey toward them for an easy kill, and my father isn¡¯t any different. I¡¯ve gone on some ¡®hunts¡¯ with him, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve learned much.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. She refocused on her cooking.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I have no idea how to forage edible food either,¡± he said as she worked. ¡°I¡¯d probably end up picking out poison¡­¡±

    Another minute or so later, she portioned out the food and they started eating. It was good. Simple, but good. Ariya was used to simple anyway, it was what she had at home. That didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t miss when they got to eat somewhere good, like that inn in Wildbloom. That seemed so long ago already, but she could still taste those sweet, delicious pancakes.

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stop thinking about the bandits,¡± Ander said a few minutes into the meal, letting out a heavy breath.

    ¡°I believe the matter has been resolved,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t gonna go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he said. ¡°But I can¡¯t help but think about it. How could they destroy a whole village? As soon as word gets out, the kingdom¡¯s going to come down as hard as they can. The Sacred Knights might even get involved.¡±

    Ariya didn¡¯t really get it. Bandits were bad people, and bad people did bad things, it wasn¡¯t that complicated. Maybe there was something she was missing.

    ¡°Either they are too desperate to think that far ahead,¡± Lusya said, ¡°or they are confident they can weather such opposition. Or, they are simply foolish, and do not anticipate such a response.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ander said. ¡°There are a lot of people convinced that kings and nobles couldn¡¯t care less about the small folk. And they might be right a lot of the time, but most are still smart enough to know they need commoners. You can¡¯t do much if all your farmers and craftsmen are dead.¡±

    ¡°That is an accurate assessment,¡± Lusya said.

    So, if Ariya was understanding right, the bandits were being stupid. The king was going to get mad at what they were doing, but they didn¡¯t realize that and were doing it anyway. It was like when Jak stood on the furniture even though Mama always got mad about it. Ariya still didn¡¯t get why that was so confusing. So, they were bad and stupid. What was there not to get?

    Ander sighed and stared into his food. ¡°People say stuff like this always happens at the start of a tranquil age. Makes it seem like maybe we shouldn¡¯t be calling it that just yet.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But people find the diametric classification convenient and easy to understand.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right there.¡±

    ¡°What should we call it, then?¡± Ariya asked.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Ander¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the question, like he¡¯d forgotten she was there, then he frowned. ¡°Maybe a transition age? According to history, this usually doesn¡¯t last long enough to be an ¡®age,¡¯ but¡­¡±

    ¡°That may be another reason it is grouped as part of the tranquil age,¡± Lusya said.

    Her eyes were open a little wider than usual. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what she was happy about. They weren¡¯t talking about anything good, and¡ªwhile talking about Malice and stuff did tend to draw her into a conversation¡ªbad things didn¡¯t usually make Lusya happy. She was a good demon, after all.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Ander said. ¡°Plus, we¡¯d probably need a fourth name for the beginning of a turbulent age, since it takes a little bit between the Demon King forming and trouble starting. Plus the time immediately before the Demon King forms¡­It could get complicated quickly.¡± He sighed again, but then smiled and clapped his hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s stop the serious talk right before bed. I¡¯m actually getting curious about you two again. We¡¯ve been together for a couple weeks, and I feel like I barely know you.¡±

    ¡°That is because you do,¡± Lusya said.

    He laughed. ¡°Exactly. And I¡¯d like to fix that.¡±

    ¡°I am uncertain it calls for ¡®fixing,¡¯¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Well, I think it does,¡± Ander replied. ¡°I know you two have your secrets, but there has to be something you can tell me.¡±

    ¡°There may be.¡±

    It was kind of a shame so much had to be a secret. Ariya would have loved to tell people more about how cool Lusya was. And, of course, about how cool Ariya herself was. She might not have done much yet, but she was going to be a second Hero of Balance. Well, twenty-second or something like that, but close enough. All the buildup was going to make her moment all the sweeter. Not that the buildup itself wasn¡¯t awesome. Traveling, seeing all these people and places, and, of course, spending time with Lusya were already enough to make this journey worth it. That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t looking forward to her time to shine, though. She was pretty sure her adventures even had something to do with all that tranquil age stuff they had just been talking about, mostly based on the fact that Lusya seemed interested in that stuff.

    ¡°Do you mind if I ask some questions, then?¡± Ander asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Ariya said, waving a hand in the air.

    ¡°As long as you do not mind having answers withheld, when necessary, I will allow it,¡± Lusya said. She glanced at Ariya. ¡°Be careful with your answers, child.¡±

    Ariya knew that. She knew they had secrets. Sure, she had almost said some things she shouldn¡¯t have before, but that didn¡¯t mean Lusya had to remind her all the time. And ¡°child,¡± was uncalled for.

    Ander nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Then ask,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°You two aren¡¯t related, right?¡± Ander asked.

    ¡°We are not.¡±

    ¡°I wish we were,¡± Ariya said. Lusya was strong, and smart, and pretty. She was mean sometimes, but she could be really nice too. Ariya thought she was already smart and nice, but she could have gone for being strong and pretty too. Then again, maybe they wouldn¡¯t have gone on this adventure if they were family. This was complicated.

    Ander put a finger to his lips and hummed in thought. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to go about asking this, but are Ariya¡¯s parents¡­okay?¡±

    ¡°Papa and Mama are fine,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Oh, and Jak. He¡¯s my brother. Papa and Mama said it was okay for me to come with Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Ander said. He seemed surprised. She didn¡¯t know why everyone seemed to be worried about Papa and Mama. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d tell me why, or where you¡¯re going?¡±

    ¡°We will not,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya thought it would have been fine to drop some hints or something. Just enough to get him thinking, like those cool and mysterious heroes did in stories sometimes. But Lusya was going to get mad if Ariya said that, so she kept quiet. Ariya didn¡¯t know all the specifics either. Maybe Lusya really didn¡¯t trust her to keep them secret. Which, when she went back over everything she had just been thinking, did seem kind of fair.

    ¡°How long had you two been traveling together when I found you?¡± Ander asked.

    ¡°A few months,¡± Ariya said. She would have liked to take credit for knowing that, but Lusya had mentioned it before. Ariya was getting better at telling time, and days were actually easier than minutes or hours, but she still started to lose count after three or four.

    ¡°Approximately three,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander pursed his lips. ¡°You might not want to answer this one either, but do you have something against Sacred Knights?¡± He kept his eyes focused on Lusya as he spoke. ¡°I remember Ariya looked pretty freaked out when I first mentioned I was in training to be one, and you mentioned something about ¡®the last time.¡¯¡±

    ¡°We had a rather unpleasant experience with one two months ago,¡± Lusya said.

    That was an understatement. Captain Kadel had been a disaster. Ariya had never wanted to see that white uniform again after getting done with him.

    He scowled. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°He was super mean,¡± Ariya said. ¡°He hurt me and Lusya and¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is enough, child,¡± Lusya said. She looked to Ander. ¡°You need know nothing more.¡±

    Ander nodded. He had a big frown, but after a few seconds it changed back into a smile. ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯ll give Sacred Knights a second chance. I¡¯m sure there are some bad people in an organization that big, but most of them are just trying to do what¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said nodding. ¡°For a while I was thinking they were just mean, but you¡¯re nice, so all Sacred Knights can¡¯t be bad.¡±

    ¡°He is not a Sacred Knight,¡± Lusya said. She had always hated Sacred Knights. Ariya had kind of been hoping Ander would change her mind too, but that didn¡¯t seem like it was working.

    ¡°He¡¯s close enough.¡±

    Ander chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t let my teacher hear you say that. That answers all my questions for now.¡±

    ¡°Well, now you have to answer our questions,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It¡¯s only fair.¡±

    ¡°I guess it is,¡± he said. ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Nordhem like?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cold and snowy,¡± Ander said with a shrug. ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably stopped snowing in the last month or so.¡±

    Wow. It was almost summer, and it would have just stopped snowing? Ariya liked winter¡ªsnow was pretty and fun to play with¡ªbut that might have been a little too much.

    ¡°Oh, how old are you?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Eighteen, as of last month,¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re only one year younger than Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Closer to two,¡± Lusya said. ¡°My birth was toward the end of the year.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± he said. ¡°How old are you, Ariya?¡±

    ¡°Seven,¡± she said, showing him the number on her hands. ¡°Ooh, do you have a Sacred Blade? Can you make invisible walls and stuff?¡±

    He shook his head, laughing. ¡°A Sacred Blade is a little above my level. I can make constructs, but not enough to do anything useful with.¡±

    ¡°Did you not say your instructor refused to teach you constructs?¡± Lusya asked, blinking and cocking her head.

    Ariya didn¡¯t remember that. It must have been when they¡¯d left her alone to deal with the bad guys in the city. Meanies.

    Ander blinked, then chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°Did I? What I meant was he didn¡¯t want to. He was super stubborn about it. But he caved after I nagged him enough. Just a tiny bit, though.¡±

    Lusya was quiet for what felt like a long time. ¡°I see. You should be prouder of that. Many new Sacred Knights cannot do it at all.¡±

    ¡°People tell me that, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that big a deal,¡± he said, scratching his head again. ¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t actually do anything with it, so what does it matter?¡±

    ¡°You are closer to being able to do something with it than them,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander pursed his lips and shrugged. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡± He grinned. ¡°You¡¯re right, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, how tall are you?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Six feet and three inches,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°About what I suspected,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Tall, for a human.¡±

    ¡°Back home, they say we have to grow big and strong to deal with the cold,¡± he replied. ¡°Not sure I actually believe that, but it is true we trend taller.¡± He paused and counted something silently on his fingers. ¡°Well, I asked you five questions, so, if we¡¯re being fair, I think we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°You asked seven,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I counted.¡±

    ¡°One of those was just a follow-up, and the other was reversing yours. I don¡¯t think those really count. And I¡¯m already counting two of yours as one...¡± He looked to Lusya, like he wasn¡¯t sure what else to say.

    ¡°It does not matter to me,¡± she said.

    ¡°Nuh-uh,¡± Ariya said, hands on her hips. ¡°Seven isn¡¯t five.¡±

    Ander sighed, but he didn¡¯t seem upset. He was smiling. ¡°Fine, you get one more question and we¡¯ll call it even, okay?¡±

    ¡°Aw, but I had a bunch more,¡± Ariya said. It did sound pretty fair, though. Counting the follow-up and echo as one made sense, especially when he was already counting her rapid questions about his powers the same way. Him counting Lusya¡¯s earlier question was a little mean, but Ariya guessed it was fine. She did want to give Lusya a chance to ask real a question, though. ¡°Lusya, do you have one?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so insistent on traveling with us?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°You wanted to confront the bandits but did not when I made it clear that would be the end of our partnership.¡±

    Ander frowned and crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s kind of complicated, but part of it is just that I¡¯m enjoying it. I guess I¡¯m not ready to go back to being alone yet.¡± He chuckled. ¡°But also, if one of them can use motomancy, I probably can¡¯t win on my own. Even if I¡¯m better at it, I don¡¯t like my chances with numbers on their side. And if more of them can do it, I¡¯d be screwed. I do want to be the kind of person who does the right thing even when it¡¯s not very smart, but when it¡¯s suicidal is a little too much for me. Maybe that means my resolve is a bit too weak.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, I do not think you should consider that a negative. You cannot accomplish anything after death, not even pointless symbolic posturing.¡±

    Ander laughed. Not just chuckled, but really laughed, until he was out of breath. Ariya didn¡¯t think it had been that funny.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said once he was done. ¡°I appreciate that.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked twice. It looked like she didn¡¯t get it either. ¡°I see.¡±

    He took one more bite, put down his bowl, and stood. ¡°Well, I¡¯m turning in¡­¡± Blushing, he stopped and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Um, whose turn was it to keep first watch again?¡±

    ¡°Mine,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Great. In that case, I¡¯m turning in for now,¡± he said. ¡°See you in a few hours. And see you tomorrow, Ariya.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Eleven

    Lusya did not believe in jinxes, fate, divine retribution, or anything of the sort. Today, however, she was tempted to revise that opinion. When they had first entered the outskirts of the village of Nearfield, nothing had seemed amiss. They passed fields and farmhouses in perfect condition and even some livestock grazing without a care in the world. There had been no workers to be seen tending the fields or the animals, but there could have been many reasons for that.

    Then, they had gotten into the town proper to see a short, burly man in leather armor herding a small group of villagers into a slaver¡¯s wagon. Chained to the wagon were two creatures, about half as tall as a grown man on four legs, with slick skin black as night. They were broadly feline in shape, with long, whip-like tails, but they lacked any visible ears, instead having bone-white horns protruding from their heads. Their eyes were pure black, making it almost seem they lacked those as well. The creatures snarled and thrashed against their restraints but made no progress in escaping and lacked the intelligence to try a different approach such as trying to destroy the chains themselves.

    Many of the villagers were bruised and battered. Some even seemed to be bleeding from open wounds, a few from claws or horns. The man held a shortsword in one hand and grinned as the villagers filed into his wagon, their heads bowed and shoulders slumped in defeat. Another man and two women with similar equipment were nearby. The man and the short-haired woman were restraining yet more villagers with cuffs, chains, or rope, but the other woman was in the midst of beating a man who was lying on the ground, unmoving.

    All told, there were about two dozen townspeople present, and four assailants. With fewer of each, this could have perhaps been dismissed as a simple exchange between an unfortunate town and a slaver. A large number of debtors or an exceptionally unscrupulous slaver. But with these numbers, that seemed doubtful. This was the group of bandits that had been terrorizing the region.

    Considering that, the town itself was remarkably intact. Most of the buildings Lusya could see had mere cosmetic damage. The worst of them perhaps had a broken window or a missing door. With the lack of smoke from elsewhere, it seemed that nothing was being burned to the ground just yet.

    ¡°They¡¯re here?¡± Ander exclaimed, forcing the horses to stop. They neighed and reared in protest at the sudden halt. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡±

    He sprang off the bench before the horses had calmed and ran at the group, tackling the long-haired woman off her victim. Ander and the woman rolled on the ground, before he managed to get to his feet and throw her into the outer wall of a nearby house with enough force that the wood splintered, the sound mingling with her groan of pain. The other bandits whirled on him, brandishing their weapons, and he drew his sword.

    ¡°You should help too, Lusya,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You said you would if they attacked the next town.¡±

    Lusya had said she would consider it. However, she saw no reason to refuse. There was no way out of this situation without inconvenience. She doubted they would be able to pass through unmolested, and backtracking and going around the village would take time. So, she might as well eliminate the source of the problem.

    On top of that, Ariya¡¯s Malice was already reacting. It was nothing to be concerned about yet, but Lusya had no desire to push it. Leaving this would almost certainly be a disaster.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°Do not watch this.¡± She turned and lifted her pack, which was lying on top of Ander¡¯s supplies. ¡°Hide under here.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    She crawled under the bag and Lusya placed it back down. Looking closely might have revealed the pack¡¯s position was rather unnatural, but Ariya herself was not visible, and a casual look was unlikely to result in suspicion. Anything could have been under it, if one did not know to look for a child.

    ¡°Do not move from there unless you are in danger,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Find me immediately if that is the case.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± came the muffled response.

    Satisfied, Lusya disembarked from the carriage and turned her attention back to the scene before her. Ander was in the midst of fighting all four assailants, including the woman he had attacked at first. He was holding his own, but it was unclear if he would be able to win if this continued.

    He parried an attack from the short man, but the long-haired woman was attacking before Ander had a chance to capitalize on that. He dodged her strike, then another attack from the other, taller man, and slashed at him, but the man blocked the attack, and Ander was forced to retreat in the face of an attack from the short-haired woman.

    All five combatants were using motomancy. The bandits¡¯ was rudimentary, far below the level of Ander¡¯s, making them slower and weaker. Their movements were less refined as well. Every other attack was needlessly overextended, their stances full of holes. Even so, their numbers were enough to give Ander trouble regardless. Lusya dashed forward, reaching the group in an instant, and kicked the tall man in the side from behind, launching him away and through a wall into a house.

    The short-haired woman turned and swung her sword, but Lusya stepped back, out of range of the attack, then drew her dagger and lunged, stabbing at the woman¡¯s throat. The blade broke the skin, drawing blood, but it was little more than a pinprick, not serious damage. That was about where she had estimated their durability enhancement to be at.

    The foolish woman smirked, apparently not realizing that attack had been a test, and swung her sword again. Lusya allowed it to strike against her neck and stop without so much as leaving a scratch. Before the woman could react to her failure, Lusya reached up and crushed the woman¡¯s throat. She collapsed to the ground, clutching at her throat and gasping in a vain attempt to fill her lungs. Lusya sheathed her dagger and would have finished the woman, but the remaining short man cut off his attack on Ander to turn and stab at Lusya.

    She put up a hand, stopping the point of the sword against her palm, then created a small barrier around the crossguard. When the man tried to pull his sword back, he found it stuck in place.

    ¡°Lunera,¡± Lusya said.

    The instant the sword finished forming, she swung it and lopped off the man¡¯s head. His head lolled back and fell to the ground with a dull thump as his body crumpled in a heap. Still trapped by her barrier, his sword hovered in the air for a moment before dropping.

    She settled into a stance, Lunera held at her ready. Miudofay was better for combat, but she did not want to risk Ander hearing and recognizing the name. Besides, Lunera was plenty for the likes of these.

    The tall man leaped out of the hole in the building he had made, sword raised to strike. Ander rushed in, batted the attack aside, and stabbed his sword deep into the man¡¯s eye. Since eyes were relatively fragile to begin with, targeting them was a common strategy when fighting a motomancer without access to a Blade as, while they benefited from durability enhancement, they remained less sturdy than most of the rest of the body. It was likely unnecessary in this case. They might have been able to stand up to a restrained blow from the dagger Lusya barely ever bothered to sharpen, but Ander¡¯s full strength and a well-maintained sword was sure to pierce their enhancement. Still, it wasn¡¯t a bad strategy. The man screamed in pain for a fraction of a second before he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

    Ander looked to the short-haired woman, still writhing and dying on the ground. If left alone, it would be another couple minutes before she succumbed to suffocation. He walked over to her, frowning. He sighed and closed his eyes as if in prayer. After a moment, he opened them and stabbed his blade into her eye as well, killing her.

    The other woman, the one who had been beating the unconscious man earlier, was lying on the ground, motionless, but alive. Lusya had not been watching, but it seemed Ander had somehow knocked her out.

    ¡°Are you going to finish her off as well?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ander shook his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to have someone to question if this isn¡¯t all of them. Besides, I don¡¯t want to kill any more than I need to.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. Both his points were valid enough. She agreed with them, even, though she suspected their reasoning for the second would have differed.

    ¡°They¡¯re using motomancy,¡± Ander said. ¡°It¡¯s not strong, but someone¡¯s obviously taught them.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I noticed. That is not all.¡±

    She walked over to the creatures, still mindlessly posturing, and ended them each with a beheading. Again, she found herself cutting down her father¡¯s forces. But there was no way to release them without causing trouble. They could be trained and commanded, but they were still too volatile.

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    ¡°They are using minor-rank demons as well,¡± she said.

    It was the first time she had seen mortals making use of them, though there were some historical records of such. The practice had never seen wide success, however, and Ysuge becoming dominated by cultures and religions that viewed Malice and demons as primordial evils had put a stop to it on the continent over a millennium ago.

    Demons sometimes used them as underlings, who asked for nothing but to kill, but even then, it was rare. Only the Demon King, who could command them, made use of them with any consistency, and Father had been sparing with it. Left unattended, their thoughtless aggression could become a liability. She had not inherited his dominion over them.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what those are,¡± Ander said. ¡°I kind of suspected, but it¡¯s my first time seeing them outside of books. These guys just keep getting worse.¡±

    ¡°It is not a problem,¡± she said. ¡°They are weak, even for their kind. You should be able to handle them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, but it¡¯s not really what I was talking about.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°To think you had a Blade, though,¡± he said, eying Lunera¡¯s snow white form. ¡°You¡¯re just full of surprises. But enough talking, we should go take care of the rest.¡±

    Shouts and clangs echoed from distant parts of town. Some of the villagers were trying to fight back, it seemed. There still wasn¡¯t any smoke billowing up, or the acrid scent of burning wood, so it seemed the bandits had not gotten to torching the place yet. She suspected that would be their last step if left to their own devices.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said. ¡°Stay with me. You are stronger than them and their demons, but their numbers may overwhelm you alone.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡±

    Lusya nodded and set off through the streets. Nearfield was large, as far as villages went. It might have been more apt to call it a small town. Buildings and homes were packed close together, and Lusya saw more people as they moved than many villages had in their entire populations.

    Many were huddled between or inside buildings, trembling and clutching at each other for support. Others were fleeing, while others still were fighting the bandits. To be more accurate, they were being beaten by the bandits. Villagers armed with makeshift weapons like pitchforks and what appeared to be table legs might have stood a chance against brutish, untrained fighters by virtue of numbers, but they were no match for motomancers, amateur or otherwise.

    Ander insisted they stop to help these victims, and Lusya did not object. Their target was not moving, so there was no harm in cutting down the enemy¡¯s numbers. They never put up much of a fight, anyway.

    Once they were done with a group, they continued toward the target Lusya was leading them toward. A powerful mortal, head and shoulders above the rabble, waiting farther into the village. They did not encounter any more minor-rank demons. She sensed two more with the mortal, so it had not been just the two with the wagon. It was hard to tell exactly what that meant, but it was a good idea not to be too liberal with them if the goal was to take live prisoners. Getting minor-rank demons to listen to basic instructions and kill specific targets was difficult enough. Getting them not to kill at all was like training a human not to breathe.

    Finally, they reached their destination. It turned out to be something of a town square. The scattered splinters and fragments of wood, along with various goods from smashed fruit to broken jewelry strewn on the ground, suggested it had also been a market of some sort.

    The mortal Lusya had detected, her target, was a woman, seated on the edge of a pedestal that housed a headless statue of a warrior. The marble head on the ground suggested it had not been made that way. The target had light brown hair and hazel eyes. She was surrounded by ten other bandits in a loose circle.

    Corpses were strewn about the square as well, but the man lying on the ground in front of the target was still alive, as his heaving and Malice signature attested. The bleeding ash on his back soaking his jacket suggested he would not remain that way for long. He was dressed in finer clothes than the other villagers, The clothes looked to be made of expensive fabrics and crafted with skill.

    Two minor-rank demons were in the midst of tearing apart one of the corpses. They were similar in size and appearance to the ones from before. One had spikes running down its back, another had ears and only one horn, but other than that they were all but identical. Perhaps this was what the bandits could handle controlling.

    The target had her feet hanging off the statue, hanging low enough that she kicked at the man as they swung. There was a small metal ball resting beside her, which did not seem to be part of the statue. She was dressed in a leather cuirass over plain brown clothes, much like the other bandits, with a sword at her waist. As Lusya and Ander entered the square, the target was taking a bite out of an apple.

    She looked up, sedately crunching her morsel.

    ¡°Who are you two?¡± she asked once she had finished. She grinned. ¡°More fools come to lose some blood? Mister Mayor here just got done playing with me.¡± She gave the man a particularly forceful kick, and he groaned. ¡°So?¡±

    Ander scowled. ¡°You have one chance to surrender.¡±

    The target let out a sharp bark of laughter. ¡°Really? I can tell you two are a little strong, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can get cocky. Well, it¡¯s your funeral. I¡¯m not wasting my energy on idiots, though.¡±

    She picked up the metal ball and tossed it across the square at Ander. It landed on the ground near his feet with a thud. At that sound, the demons looked up from their victim and focused on the ball, then on Ander, the closest to it. They snarled and hissed, then charged, bounding across the area in long strides. As far as beasts went, they were fast, but by Lusya¡¯s measure they moved like slugs. A bit stronger and more violent though they may have been, minor-ranks weren¡¯t much more dangerous than a bear or wolf.

    Ander moved prepared to fight them. Lusya refrained from intervening. She did think he could handle it, and she was curious to see if that would hold. If he seemed to be in danger, then she would act. The first one pounced at him, and he deftly stepped aside and slashed, his sword cleaving clean through the length of the body and killing the demon. The next was close behind, undeterred, but it never got the chance to attack. Ander threw a punch into its side that drove it to the ground and sent it tumbling away, then chased after it and stabbed into its head. It struggled and thrashed, its claws slashing at Ander, but they could not pierce his skin. After a few seconds, it went limp, and he withdrew his sword. He returned to Lusya¡¯s side and glared at the target once more.

    The target grimaced as she looked at the beasts¡¯ corpse. ¡°Guess I still have some work to do with the beasts. Don¡¯t get too full of yourself, though. Zuron, Ashash, Alima, Raol, Meranda.¡± Half of those encircling her stepped out of the circle, taking up position between the rest and Lusya and Ander. ¡°Handle them.¡±

    Zuron rushed forward. At least, Lusya assumed it was Zuron based on the order they had replied to her summons in. Not that she cared if she was wrong.

    Ander surged forward to meet Zuron and their swords clashed with a thunderous clang. Zuron was a taller, bulkier man, with wild blond hair and a scar running down his face. Nevertheless, one on one, Ander had him outclassed. Ander shoved hard, pushing Zuron back and knocking him off-balance. Ander lunged, stabbing at Zuron. Zuron narrowly dodged, getting a shallow cut on his cheek for his trouble.

    Before the fight could continue, Ashash rushed in and swung the greatsword he wielded at Ander. Ander dodged and danced away. A wise choice. Ashash was a tall tiransa man. While Ander may still have been stronger with motomancy accounted for, the difference in inherent physical strength made that an unsafe assumption. The blade of the greatsword dug into the dirt, sending up a small dust cloud.

    ¡°You almost hit me, idiot,¡± Zuron said.

    Ashash scoffed. ¡°Not my fault you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    Lusya rushed forward and cut him in half at the waist. Now that she had seen Ander¡¯s skills, she had no interest in playing around with these weaklings. The target, the seeming leader, was her priority. The leader wasn¡¯t just stronger than them. She was comparable in strength to the Sacred Knight captain Lusya had fought just two months prior. The leader was the only real threat, and Lusya intended to eliminate her as soon as possible.

    Zuron stumbled back in shock as Ashash¡¯s two parts fell to the ground, blood and entrails slopping out. Someone was closing in from behind. Lusya turned and dodged the attacker¡¯s first strike. It was the red-haired, spear-wielding woman Lusya assumed was Meranda. Zuron recovered from his shock and went on the attack as well. Lusya evaded his blows with ease.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Meranda demanded, stabbing out with her spear. ¡°Can¡¯t fight when it¡¯s not a surprise attack?¡±

    Lusya swiped Lunera through the air, connecting the space in front of her to the space behind Meranda. Her next spear strike passed through the portal created and pierced straight through the back of her head. She slumped forward, and the portal sliced her corpse in half when it closed a moment later.

    Zuron was stunned once again but recovered quicker this time. He roared and began lashing out with wild, unrefined blows. Lusya dodged and parried a few, then launched him back with a punch to the chest, shattering his ribs. He tumbled along the ground as he landed, then tried to stand, hacking up blood.

    She slashed Lunera and was behind him, then sliced his head off.

    The other two, Raol and Alima, were fighting Ander. He was in the midst of parrying a blow from Raol. Seeing their comrades dispatched shocked them enough that Ander was able to cut Raol¡¯s throat open and knock Alima to the ground. She managed to roll with the fall and retreat before he could capitalize.

    ¡°Seems like I sold you short,¡± the leader said with a frown, pushing off the pedestal to stand. ¡°Alima, fall back.¡±

    ¡°Boss, we can handle this,¡± one of the remaining men around her said.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s mine,¡± the leader said. ¡°Alima.¡±

    Alima, a relatively short tiransa woman, glared at Lusya, then hurried to regroup with the the others. At the same time, Ander moved to stand near Lusya again.

    The leader, meanwhile, strode outside the circle of her subordinates, making a show of stretching out her shoulders and rolling her neck. She stopped about ten feet away from Lusya and grinned. Everything about her lined up with the description they had been given. She was several inches taller than Lusya, a bit over average for a human woman. Other than the height difference, her build was not markedly different.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty strong,¡± the leader said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d consider joining up with us.¡±

    ¡°I am not interested,¡± Lusya said.

    While being part of such a group may have had its advantages, they were far outweighed by the many demerits. Chief among which was that Ariya already knew what these people were, and would never have been happy with such an arrangement.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± the leader said. ¡°I at least like to know the names of strong people I kill, so why don¡¯t you tell me yours? I¡¯m Gisala.¡±

    ¡°You will not be killing either of us,¡± Lusya said. ¡°So, your request is moot.¡±

    Gisala chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re so confident. Let¡¯s see how long that lasts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to last until we defeat you,¡± Ander said. ¡°Your terrorizing of these people ends today.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twelve

    ¡°Defeat me?¡± Gisala scoffed. ¡°You two are in over your heads. I used to be a captain in the Sacred Knights, you know?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ander exclaimed. ¡°How could you do this, then?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy. I just realized I don¡¯t give a crap about hunting demons or saving people. All I want is to live as I please. And this is pretty fun. So, I waited until the Demon King was dead and bailed. Can¡¯t have fun if the world turns to ash, after all.¡±

    Ander snarled. ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡±

    Gisala shrugged again. ¡°Maybe. But you don¡¯t stand a chance of beating me. Flishil.¡±

    She held out a hand and a shield materialized for her to grab. In many ways, it appeared as an unremarkable gray kite shield, only notable for its unusual polish. The surface, however, undulated as it moved, as though it were made of liquid. Despite that, it did not seem in danger of dripping or spilling, even as it was held vertical.  More mundane appearing, though still unnaturally clean and lustrous, metal served as bonding at the sides and the edges of the front.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see whose Blade is better,¡± she said, staring at Lusya. ¡°The boy can watch and see.¡±

    Ander scowled and rushed forward. In an instant, he was upon her and striking. She did not move until he was right in front of her, yet she put her shield between them with ease, allowing his blade to scrape harmlessly along the surface. Undeterred, Ander raised his sword for another blow.

    Before he could strike, part of the shield seemed to leap out, the liquid of its face forming into a blade and slashing at Ander in a mirror of his own strike. He leaped back, but he was just a hair too slow. The imitation blade dug into his flesh, slashing along his lower chest, sending an arc of crimson spilling onto the ground.

    The woman closed in for a follow-up attack, but Ander hurried back out of reach, until he was behind Lusya, where he fell to one knee, clutching at his wound. Gisala chose not to pursue, watching Lusya from a distance. She did not stop smiling, but her eyes were wary and calculating.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, voice thick with pain. ¡°She got under my skin.¡±

    The blow had not been fatal, and Ander¡¯s wound was treatable, but fighting with it would not be smart. It would aggravate the injury and hinder his movement, leaving him open to worse attacks. Considering it was likely his first time receiving an injury anywhere near that severity, it would have been even harder for him to fight.

    She shook her head. ¡°It is fine. I do not need your assistance. Wait there until I am done.¡±

    ¡°You know, your cockiness is actually starting to piss me off,¡± Gisala said, though she was still grinning.

    ¡°It is not confidence,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You simply are not powerful enough to defeat me.¡±

    Going by Lusya¡¯s senses, Gisala was slightly weaker than Kadel had been, and Lusya was stronger than when she had fought him. Blade abilities could turn the tide, but Lusya doubted this woman had anything she could not overcome. Maybe it was confidence, of a sort, but founded in the facts of the situation. The only danger was if the woman had a Full Release, which seemed unlikely given that she was weaker than the wielder of the weakest Full Release Lusya had ever seen.

    ¡°Then go ahead and try me,¡± Gisala said, holding her shield ready to defend.

    Waiting and forcing her to attack may have been the best move under ordinary circumstances. Lusya had no doubt she could have done it. She was more patient than most mortals by a significant margin. Gisala¡¯s Blade obviously favored letting her opponent make the first move, and the way she waited made it obvious she knew that. However, outlasting her patience did not serve Lusya¡¯s purpose. Allowing the village to be destroyed would have upset Ariya, and Lusya did not want to waste time here anyway.

    She rushed forward, weaving around Gisala and striking at her back with Lunera. Gisala whirled and caught the blow on her shield. As anticipated, the surface of the shield formed into a sword and mirrored her strike. Lusya moved back, but let her sword trail, allowing the mirrored strike to hit it just enough to gauge the attack¡¯s power without any large impact on Lusya.

    Based on the strength, the blow would have overpowered her if she had tried to guard it. It seemed to somehow have more force behind it than the original attack, despite emulating the exact shape of Lunera¡¯s blade and moving at the same speed.

    Gisala surged forward with the shield still up, aiming to ram Lusya with it. Lusya kicked the shield and sent a shockwave into it, stopping Gisala¡¯s advance and sending her skidding back. But she surged forward in an identical attack a moment later. When she got closer, a copy of Lusya¡¯s foot shot out of the shield. Lusya dodged it, noting there did not appear to be any shockwave, and struck at Gisala from the side. Unfortunately, Gisala moved fast enough to block the attack.

    Lusya moved away before Gisala could mirror that last attack. From observing her movements so far, it seemed that this Blade, Flishil, could only emulate the last attack that had hit it, and only once. However, it was too soon to be sure.

    Still, Lusya was confident she could figure it out. She had fought as part of her father¡¯s forces in the war. Kadel¡¯s Blade had been too straightforward to warrant much probing, but deciphering the abilities of unknown Blades was not new to her. This one¡¯s powers were troublesome, but that was true for many Blades. And most were not so hindered by their wielder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad,¡± Gisala said. ¡°Everyone struggles. Flishil is pretty amazing, isn¡¯t it? It is my Sacred Blade.¡±

    ¡°I was not feeling bad,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I can see how many would be caught off-guard. However, its abilities are quite simple after some observation.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Lusya slashed Lunera and was behind Gisala. Gisala was already turning to raise her shield. She had started before Lusya had finished her strike. That wasn¡¯t surprising. Gisala had already seen Lunera¡¯s abilities earlier. That was why Lusya had left herself enough room to strike again without hitting the shield.

    She was behind Gisala again. Gisala¡¯s body twisted awkwardly as she tried to stop in the middle of her rapid turn and reverse, but she had no chance of making it in time. Lusya attacked, aiming to cut the woman in half shoulder to hip. At the last moment, Gisala threw herself forward. Lunera cut through her armor, bit into her flesh, and sliced down along her back, leaving an angry red line in its wake, but she avoided death by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    She rolled on the ground and stood and turned to face Lusya in a single motion. Lusya was already upon her, stabbing out. She was too close, Gisala didn¡¯t have time or room to raise her shield. She sidestepped the blow, and Lusya threw a vicious kick into her stomach, launching her away, through a wall and into one of the buildings lining the square.

    Lusya pursued through the new hole and slashed down at the prone Gisala, but Gisala got her shield up in time to block the blow. Lusya moved away as a mirror of her sword slashed up. Gisala stood as Lusya moved back out the hole in the wall and into the open square.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Gisala charged, but Lusya erected a barrier in the mouth of the hole. Gisala recoiled as she collided headfirst with the invisible wall, clutching and shaking her head. She snarled at Lusya.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to hold me,¡± Gisala said.

    Lusya did not expect it to. She was simply buying herself a few seconds. Now that the fight had reset, it was time to proceed to her next test. She released Lunera and allowed it to dissolve into nothing.

    ¡°Miudofay,¡± Lusya said under her breath. Between her volume, the distance, and the distraction of his injury, she did not think there was much chance of Ander hearing the name.

    The jet-black blade of ruin appeared in her hand to replace its snow-white counterpart. Gisala punched the barrier, shattering it, and walked out of the building. She froze, however, as her eyes locked on the sword.

    ¡°What? Two?¡± she exclaimed.

    Lusya raised Miudofay and slashed down, sending a wave of violet flame at Gisala. Rather than block with her shield, Gisala ran to the side, dodging the attack, allowing it to incinerate most of the building behind her, and moving around the square. Lusya would have to be careful about that. Collateral damage did not bother her, but she had two companions who would throw a fit over it. Lusya slashed again, horizontal this time, giving less room to dodge to the sides. Gisala leaped over the attack, and Lusya sent another one at her while she was in the air.

    Gisala raised her shield and blocked the torrent. When it passed her by and she emerged from the flames, she was unharmed as she fell back to the ground. She did not attempt to counterattack.

    ¡°Boss,¡± one of the other bandits called.

    ¡°Stay out of this,¡± Gisala replied. ¡°You¡¯re no match for this one.¡±

    Lusya did a brief mental review of what she could be reasonably certain about. The shield could reflect the last attack that hit it once. It could only defend from the front. That was important. She had encountered defensive Blades that worked from all directions, even when it did not logically seem they should. And, while the shield could reflect an attack from the physical weapon of a Soul Blade, it could not do the same with attacks born of another ability, though it could defend against them. At the very least, any normal shield would have been so hot as to burn its wielder¡¯s hands after blocking those flames. It also did not seem capable of reproducing most products of motomancy.

    How that would have worked with Blades like Kadel¡¯s, where the physical weapon was the entire ability, Full Releases, or attacks like fire from more mundane sources was unclear. Those ambiguities were also unimportant. Two were avenues of attack she did not even have access to, while the last wasn¡¯t something she had any intention of using.

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I think I have learned everything I need to know about your Blade. Now I can simply focus on killing you.¡±

    There were a few other minor details, but she was sure they would resolve themselves soon enough.

    Gisala snarled. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡±

    Lusya surged forward. Gisala raised her shield. She was much too reliant on its abilities. Lusya kicked the side of the shield, driving it aside and throwing Gisala off-balance. Gisala moved away as Lusya followed the momentum of her kick into a slash, but Lusya released a torrent of fire from Miudofay to chase Gisala.

    Gisala leaped up into the air to avoid the attack. Lusya unleashed another wave to chase her opponent, then jumped up into the air herself. Gisala blocked the flames with her shield. By the time they had cleared, Lusya was upon her. Gisala¡¯s eyes widened, and she air jumped backward, away from Lusya. She was not trying to counter with her shield. As Lusya had suspected, only the main, liquid surface had the reflective properties. The solid parts and sides were nothing more than sturdy metal.

    Lusya stopped herself in the air. She could stand on air for just over a full second now. She released Miudofay and summoned Lunera once again.

    Gisala was allowing herself to fall back to the ground, perhaps thinking she would fare better there. Not an unreasonable conclusion, as movement with air jumps was less flexible than movement on the ground, despite the additional dimension.

    With a slash of Lunera, Lusya was behind her. Gisala used a short air jump to whirl and raise her shield, while Lusya slashed once again. Realizing the attack was not aimed at her, Gisala leaped back, obviously anticipating the same sequence as before.

    However, Lusya had not expected her to fall for the same trick twice. Gisala was arrogant and handicapped by her own fighting style, but she was a skilled combatant. Lusya had opened a connection between the space before her and the space behind Gisala, but Lusya herself had not traveled through it. Gisala passed through the rift, emerging with her back wide open right in front of Lusya.

    Lusya stabbed out at Gisala¡¯s throat. At the last moment, Gisala created a foothold and used it to lurch to the side. Instead of piercing her throat, Lunera sliced off her left ear, the flap of flesh plummeting to the ground below. Blood poured forth from the wound, and Gisala howled in pain. She used an air jump to keep herself airborne, and turned, trying to bash Lusya with her shield in a wild blow.

    Lusya jumped over the blow into a flip, and brought her heel down on Gisala¡¯s head, unleashing a shockwave to strengthen the blow. Gisala flew down to the ground like a shooting star, crashing through the roof of a building before finally stopping.

    Lusya allowed herself to fall to the ground outside the building and waited. Gisala was¡ªas was to be expected, since Lusya hadn¡¯t felt anything break under that last blow¡ªstill alive within, though Lusya could not be sure of her exact condition. She did not think going into the enclosed space of the building to check was a good idea. There was no way for Gisala to leave without her knowing anyway.

    After several seconds, Gisala jumped out of the hole she had made and landed several feet in front of Lusya. Clutching the back of her head where the blow had struck, Gisala stumbled on landing, and she was panting so hard her entire body heaved with each breath.

    ¡°Looks like you were right,¡± she said. ¡°What do you say you let us go and we call it even?¡±

    ¡°I refuse,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I have companions who will be upset if I allow you to leave, and you have already inconvenienced me too many times.¡±

    Gisala took a deep breath and, with obvious effort, forced herself to stand straight. ¡°Guess¡­guess it¡¯s time to stop plying¡­playing around, then.¡±

    Even if Gisala hadn¡¯t still been swaying on her feet and struggling to speak, it would not have been a convincing bluff. It was doubtful Gisala had concealed her abilities at all. Some fighters did that, though Lusya was not among them. She did not give every fight her full effort, but that was because it was not always necessary, not because she wished to hide something. That said, catching an opponent off-guard with a sudden increase in prowess or a new ability was a valid, if dangerous, strategy. In the long-term, it could even allow one to benefit from a lack of information on their abilities, exploiting fatal errors a more knowledgeable opponent might not have made.

    If Gisala was trying to use any of that, the time to reveal her true power had passed long ago. Still, Lusya could not discount the possibility that the woman had some other tricks up her sleeve, so she did not lower her guard.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± a voice shouted from behind.

    Gisala¡¯s eyes widened, suggesting that, whatever this was, it was not what she had had in mind. Lusya had no choice but to turn to look. Now that the fight had stopped, she had noticed. Ariya¡¯s Malice signature was behind her.

    A wiry man stood, holding Ariya against him, a knife pressed to her throat.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lusya, I got caught,¡± she whined, her eyes watery. ¡°Help, please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± the man said. ¡°I was the lookout. You didn¡¯t see me, but I saw you. Now, no matter how fast you are, you can¡¯t beat my knife when it¡¯s right on her skin like this, can you?¡±

    It was possible. It was also not worth the risk. It was hard to imagine a worse situation than this. There was no way she could have known about this man. She had sensed plenty of others near where they had started, but knowing one was a hidden lookout was beyond the scope of her abilities. Still, she wished she had done a more thorough sweep of the area.

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Ander exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

    ¡°You stay put too!¡± the man replied.

    Lusya sensed Gisala closing in from behind and moved to the side to dodge a punch.

    ¡°Guess you¡¯re not just gonna let me beat you, huh?¡± Gisala said. Despite her confident tone, her voice was strained and raspy, blood covering the side of her head. ¡°But I bet you won¡¯t fight back, will you? That puts us in a bit of a stalemate.¡±

    She moved away, back toward her group of bandits, never taking her eyes off Lusya. Gisala¡¯s footing was still precarious. She almost seemed ready to topple with each step. ¡°Get over here, Rojer.¡±

    The wiry man moved to join her, dragging Ariya along with him.

    ¡°Now, here¡¯s what¡¯s gonna happen,¡± Gisala said. ¡°You¡¯re gonna let us leave, nice and peaceful. With your kid, of course. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t hurt her. And if you¡¯re really so brave and strong, you can just come get her later, right?¡±

    ¡°She will!¡± Ariya shouted.

    ¡°Shut up, kid!¡± the wiry man said.

    Gisala chuckled, then winced. ¡°We¡¯re not gonna make it easy for you, though. Dereo, give the signal.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± a human man with curly black hair among the bandits said. He pulled a horn off his belt and blew into it. Its call echoed out, no doubt audible throughout the village.

    ¡°Well then, this is goodbye,¡± Gisala said. ¡°Or maybe ¡®see you later.¡¯ Oh, but do give us a head start. Maybe a couple days. If we see you following before then, Rojer¡¯s hand might slip.¡±

    She and her entourage cleared out with Ariya, leaving the corpses of their comrades behind. Lusya couldn¡¯t do anything. She had no choice but to watch them leave. And she could not pursue even after they had gone. It was not worth the risk of them following through on their threat. By the time the grace period was over, who knew where they would be?

 Book Two - Chapter Thirteen

    ¡°I am going after them,¡± Lusya said. It was true that it was risky, but so was doing nothing. They could take Ariya anywhere, and there was no guarantee they would not harm her. ¡°As long as I keep my distance, I should be able to find an opportunity to strike.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Ander called before she had taken a single step.

    Lusya whirled on him, head tilted slightly, a hint of a scowl furrowing her brow. ¡°What is it? We are in this situation because of your insistence on playing at heroism.¡±

    She knew that wasn¡¯t entirely true. They had wandered into this confrontation. Ander and Ariya had both forced her to commit to it, and Ariya would have done so whether he had been there or not. For that matter, Lusya would likely have chosen to get involved without their input. It was unlike her to be so swayed by emotion, but all her effort the last few months would be for naught if she could not retrieve Ariya.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ander said, holding up a hand in a placating gesture. The other still clutched at his wound. ¡°But you rushing off isn¡¯t going to help. You¡¯re not thinking clearly. Plus, even if you won, you¡¯re tired from the fight. If you go now, you might just make things worse.¡±

    ¡°Was it not you who wanted to do the right thing regardless of the consequences?¡±

    ¡°I said when it wasn¡¯t the best thing, not when it was bad,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think getting Ariya killed is the right thing.¡±

    He was right, of course. She needed to stop and plan her response. Rushing into it was as likely to end in disaster as it was to work. There was the distinct possibility that Ariya would not be usable after this regardless. Even so, Lusya had to try to retrieve her. But not right now.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Stay here. I will retrieve medical supplies from the carriage.¡±

    He gave a pained smile and nodded. ¡°Right. Thanks.¡±

    Luckily, the carriage and its supplies were largely untouched. Lusya¡¯s back had been moved aside to reveal Ariya, but its contents were all present. None of Ander¡¯s supplies seemed to have been taken either, even though many would have fetched a decent price. Lusya surmised that the lookout had seen signs of the fight and hurried to take Ariya hostage.

    Lusya retrieved bandages and poultices known to stave off infection and dull pain and returned to the square.

    ¡°You will need to remove your shirt,¡± she said as she knelt beside Ander.

    He chuckled. ¡°Right. Payback time.¡±

    He took off his cloak and shirt without complaint. She assumed he was referring to the fact that he had seen her undressed before. There was no need for ¡°payback,¡± but she saw little need to correct him. Although, this would not have sufficed if there was. A man¡¯s upper body was not considered nude in the same way as a woman¡¯s, though she was aware many would find his alluring. His clothes hid it well, but he was quite muscular, in the lean way of many trained warriors, motomancers in particular, whose abilities made building muscle less important. He was a bit bulkier than most high-rank demons, who had powerful motomancy from birth and inherent strength that defied their builds besides. Even a human motomancer had more need to build muscle. Putting that aside, she began dressing his wound, and he winced as the bandages touched the cut.

    ¡°You got over that pretty quickly,¡± he said. ¡°Most people would still be fuming. Shadows, I probably would be, if our places were swapped.¡±

    ¡°My emotions are not strong or long-lasting,¡± she replied. ¡°It is unusual for me to become so upset at all. Solving the problem will be more effective than raging about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d picked up that you were stoic, but damn.¡±

    She finished bandaging his wound and stepped away. ¡°It is done. I suggest you avoid sudden or extreme movement for the time being.¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± He pointed toward the statue. ¡°Him too.¡±

    The man from before¡ªthe mayor, according to Gisala¡ªwas still lying face down on the ground there, still alive. But he was weakening. The rising and falling of his body with each breath was almost imperceptible now. Lusya cared little for his fate, but she nodded and moved to treat him as well.

    She tapped his shoulder and tried to prompt him to move or speak, to give some sign of consciousness. He was unresponsive, forcing her to tear off his clothes and do everything herself. It was difficult to tell if he was comatose, in shock, or otherwise conscious. His face was buried in the dirt, and she couldn¡¯t turn him over due to the gash on his back. She would have to treat that first, though it was far from his only injury.

    The wounds were more severe than Ander¡¯s. The main wound she had noticed was long and deep, more so than Ander¡¯s cut. He had a variety of other bruises, cuts, and stab wounds dotting his back as well. Some were little more than flesh wounds, others would have been alarming alone. Taking it all together, the man¡¯s life was in danger, but it was possible that he would survive. Although, that wasn¡¯t likely with the treatment Lusya could provide.

    Lusya dressed the wounds on his back before turning him over. He was awake, but his eyes were glassy, and he remained still and silent, though he did look at her. That, at least, was a good sign. The only serious wounds on his front were the other sides of a few stabs she had seen on the back. She treated those as well and stood. By then, other villagers had started to filter into the square. Many were injured, and even those who were not walked with slow, hesitant gaits.

    ¡°A-are they gone?¡± one woman asked.

    Ander nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re asking about the bandits, they ran away.¡±

    The woman breathed a sigh of relief and fell to her knees. ¡°Oh, thank goodness. Thank you both so much.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank us,¡± he said. ¡°It was the natural thing to do.¡±

    Other villagers let out similar exclamations, and a dull roar filled the area as they talked among themselves. Several charged over to Lusya and Ander to offer handshakes and embraces. It was more physical contact than she was used to from strangers, and some were a bit too forceful for her tastes, but it was tolerable, and she did not want to cause a stir¡ªor draw Ander¡¯s ire¡ªby being rough with the injured and traumatized to break away.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Is there anything we can do to repay you?¡± one man asked, as he gave Lusya¡¯s hand a vigorous shake.

    ¡°Doubtful,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What she means is that you¡¯ve lost enough,¡± Ander said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything for us. Just focus on recovering. All of you.¡±

    That was an accurate enough interpretation of her response, though he had added some nuance she had not intended.

    The man frowned. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure.¡±

    ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re done helping you,¡± Ander said. ¡°Do you have anyone who knows healing here?¡±

    The man nodded. ¡°Yeah, a couple of us.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll leave the serious injuries to them,¡± Ander replied. ¡°In the meantime, we can dress anything minor.¡±

    ¡°I have little interest in that,¡± Lusya said.

    He smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good way to get your mind off things for a little while. You¡¯ll be able to take a fresh look at the problem afterward.¡±

    She supposed that was a valid way of approaching things.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°I will help.¡±

    ¡°Besides, do you have anything else to¡ª.¡± He stopped, frowning. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re agreeing with me?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Does that upset you?¡±

    ¡°Well, no,¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°But now I feel like an idiot for thinking of ten more arguments to use on you.¡±

    ¡°I am still not convinced you are not an idiot,¡± she said. ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    They set about tending to the injuries of the townspeople. The ones Lusya and Ander handled were indeed minor. Some scarcely warranted treatment at all, little more than scratches. Still, the task distracted Lusya. She did not stop thinking of Ariya, but her focus was divided, at least.

    True to that man¡¯s word, a pair of villagers eventually arrived and looked at those more seriously injured, including the supposed mayor. Apparently, his actual title was baron, but this town was the only thing of note in his domain, having been granted to him after some favor to a higher noble. The healers systematically removed Lusya¡¯s bandaging and stitched up his wounds before reapplying fresh bandages. According to them, the bandages had likely helped with staving off infection and blood loss, so it had not been entirely wasted effort.

    By the time Lusya and Ander were finished, the sun had started to descend, but there was still plenty of daylight left. A benefit of late spring. Plenty of time left to travel. Their healing had taken them all over the town, and by the end they were back near the carriage. Once she had finished, Lusya moved to it to consider her options. The woman bandit Ander had spared had had her throat slit at some point, so there was no getting any information out of her. Ander started to follow Lusya, but one of the healers, a frail-looking old man, grabbed him by the arm.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t, young man,¡± the old healer said. ¡°I see that injury. It¡¯s already practically soaked through the dressing.¡±

    Ander chuckled. ¡°I guess you would notice.¡± It would have been hard not to. He had not put his ruined shirt back on yet. ¡°But I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s not that bad. You just focus on the other¡ª¡±

    The old healer gave Ander a quick smack on the back of his head, which seemed counterintuitive behavior for a healer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t play tough with me, son,¡± the old healer said. ¡°I won¡¯t have one of our saviors bleeding out because he¡¯s so brave and selfless. Come with me, right now.¡±

    He dragged Ander away, toward where the other healer, a young woman who might have been the old one¡¯s apprentice, was treating other villagers. There was no doubt Ander could have broken away at any time, but, despite continued protests, he made no earnest attempts to do so.

    ¡°Hey, Lusya, tell him I¡¯m fine!¡± Ander called.

    Lusya chose to ignore him. He probably would have been fine with just the bandages, but his wound was bad enough to benefit from a more proper examination and treatment. Right now, she had to focus on what she was going to do next.

    Going after the bandits may or may not have worked, depending on how far and how quickly they had fled. She had last sensed them moving north. That seemed to be a pattern with them. She wondered if they had some destination in the north, or if they were simply combing the land. Not that knowing the answer alone would help her much. Knowing they were going somewhere but not where was useless, and knowing they were combing the land but not their system or where they had started equally so. Either way, without more information, all she could do was chase after them.

    However, that came with its own risks. She had some training in stealth, but it was far from her area of expertise. If they spotted her, they may well have followed through on their threat and killed Ariya. On the other hand, not pursuing them would give them more time to get away, possibly to move in some unexpected way. She was no tracker either. Their wagons would restrict them somewhat, but there were still myriad ways for them to go. She would have to figure out some way of locating them.

    ¡°That is the scariest doctor I¡¯ve ever met,¡± Ander said as he approached, interrupting her contemplation. ¡°He threatened to castrate me if I didn¡¯t sit still. Can you believe that?¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I see no reason not to.¡±

    He chuckled and leaned against the wagon. There were fresh bandages on him now, not a spot of red to be seen. The healer had likely stitched his injury. ¡°Seriously, though, you¡¯re way stronger than I thought. I¡¯m really glad I never pissed you off.¡±

    ¡°Your strength is also remarkable for one so early in his training,¡± she said.

    Ander smiled. ¡°I appreciate you saying that, even if it really doesn¡¯t feel like it right now.¡±

    ¡°Losing to a former captain does not make you weak,¡± she said. ¡°It simply means she was stronger.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah, I guess so. I still wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m anything special, though.¡± He paused, frowning. ¡°How do you have two Sacred Blades, by the way? I was shocked just to find out you had one. I thought more than that was impossible.¡±

    ¡°I will not answer that question,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I guess I can see why you¡¯d want to keep something like that to yourself,¡± he said. ¡°What were their names again? Lu-something, and¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lunera is the white one,¡± she said. ¡°I will not share the other.¡±

    He groaned. ¡°Oh, come on. Blade names are unique, so it¡¯s not like it would mean anything to me. I just like hearing them. They¡¯re all cool and mysterious, and they just get you wondering if they mean something, you know?¡±

    ¡°I do know,¡± she replied.

    He blinked. ¡°Not the answer I was expecting, actually.¡±

    ¡°Their enigmatic nature sparks curiosity,¡± she said. ¡°They seem meaningful, or at least linguistic in nature. They do not feel like random gibberish, yet there is no record of any language into which they might fit. They are fascinating.¡±

    Ander¡¯s face lit up in a renewed smile. ¡°Right? Finally, someone who gets it. At most, everyone else I talk to about this is all like, ¡®yeah, that is weird,¡¯ and most just go, ¡®they¡¯re random, you¡¯re overthinking it.¡¯ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be the one to crack the code or anything, but it¡¯s still cool to think about.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    She had never attempted to have a true discussion on the matter, but when it had come up, she had gotten the impression that most were rather dismissive of it. It was true that it was likely unimportant. Barring the slim possibility that understanding a Blade¡¯s name¡ªif there even was anything to be understood, as the appearance of language did not necessarily mean they were meaningful¡ªbestowed some kind of power, there was little practical reason to care, but it was an interesting matter.

    Ander looked at her expectantly, grinning from ear-to-ear.

    ¡°I am still not telling you the black sword¡¯s name,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of secrets, you know that?¡± he said, before sighing. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°I will return to Larsev,¡± she said.

    Ander raised an eyebrow. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°It is likely the scouts they sent out have moved faster than us,¡± she replied. ¡°I intend to inquire into their findings, if any. They may help me locate the bandits.¡±

    She had decided that would be her best option. Any information on the bandits¡¯ travels or behavior could give her a more intelligent way to approach them, and the Larsev guard was the best potential source she knew of.

    He nodded. ¡°Good plan, I didn¡¯t think of that. Then?¡±

    ¡°I will eliminate the bandits and retrieve Ariya,¡± she said. ¡°The specifics will wait until we know more.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll have your back.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That is appreciated.¡±

    It did not seem in his nature to leave now, but he could have. There was nothing obligating him to assist her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°To Larsev we go.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Fourteen

    With their hurried pace, it took Lusya and Ander half the time to return to Larsev that it had to reach Nearfield. Ander drove the carriage straight to the barracks where he had originally reported the bandit problem. The crowded streets of the city forced them to slow, but they still made good time. As soon as they arrived, they leaped off the driver¡¯s seat.

    Ander stopped to pat one of the horses, while Lusya headed for the door.

    ¡°Sorry for all this,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to treat you when this is over.¡±

    The horse snorted and gave a shake of its head. Ander then hurried to catch up with her as they reached the door. She pounded on the door. In cities like this, guard barracks often doubled as a place to report crimes and conduct any other business one might have had with the guards. Lusya had always thought perhaps living quarters and place of business should be separate, but it wasn¡¯t important.

    The same tiransa guard Ander had originally spoken to peeked his head out the door. Lusya did not know if it was his duty to answer the door or if it was a coincidence. Nor did she care at the moment.

    The guard yawned, then his eyes widened in apparent recognition, and he fully opened the door to step outside. ¡°You two? I¡¯d heard you left the city. Did something else come up?¡±

    She suspected it was uncommon for guards to recognize a random reporter and his companion from weeks ago, but they had done plenty to make themselves memorable.

    Ander grimaced. ¡°You could say that.¡±

    ¡°Have the scouts that were dispatched returned yet?¡± Lusya asked. She had no interest in small talk.

    The guard almost flinched and took a step back, as if her speaking was the most shocking thing he had ever witnessed.

    ¡°Well, some of them, yeah,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I have need of what they have learned,¡± she said.

    Ander stepped forward. ¡°Let me explain.¡±

    He gave a brief recollection of everything that had happened since they had left Larsev with much of the details trimmed out. He skimmed over the first village¡¯s fate. While he mentioned that the bandits used motomancy, he did not go into detail on their strength, and did not mention that Gisala was a former Sacred Knight captain. The guard listened closely, nodding along and occasionally asking questions. As Ander finished, the guard scowled pensively, rubbing his jaw as if stroking a beard he did not have.

    ¡°I understand the situation,¡± he said. ¡°Still, you really should let us handle it instead of¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is not an option,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will tell me what you have learned.¡±

    The guard held up his hands as if in surrender. ¡°All right, all right. If you¡¯re so determined, I won¡¯t stop you. That said, it¡¯s not up to me whether or not to tell you, and I don¡¯t know much anyway. I¡¯ll send for the captain.¡± He opened the door and waved toward the inside. ¡°Would you two like to come in while we wait for the response?¡±

    ¡°That would be great, thank you,¡± Ander said, nodding.

    If she had known his location, it would have been faster for Lusya to find this captain herself. However, she did not know where to look, and she may have ended up going through some intermediary and waiting anyway. It was doubtful the captain was available for anyone to meet with at any time, and it was probable that administering security for a city this size had him too busy to drop everything and speak with her immediately. There were ways to get to him right away, of course, but making an enemy of this kingdom to save a few minutes did not seem prudent.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said.

    The tiransa guard held the door open and allowed them to go in ahead of him, then led them to a sort of common room. There was a sofa against one wall and several chairs, stools, and tables scattered throughout. Most of the furniture was austere in design, consisting of nothing more than undecorated finished wood. The sofa was the only thing with any sort of cushioning to speak of, and it looked rather thin.

    There were seven guards already present. It was doubtful that was the whole population of these quarters, considering the size of the building and the available seating, but there were only two other mortals elsewhere in the barracks. Four were playing cards, another pair was chatting over drinks, and the last was slumped over in his chair and appeared to be sleeping. A few of them gave questioning looks as Lusya and Ander entered.

    ¡°These two have some urgent business,¡± the tiransa guard said.

    That seemed explanation enough for the onlookers, and they returned to their activities without any further delay or questioning.

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± the tiransa guard said to Lusya and Ander. ¡°Anywhere is fine. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Once that was done, he went into another room, while Lusya and Ander took a seat at a table with two chairs. From the other room, Lusya heard papers crinkling and the scratching of a pen, then the tiransa guard spoke to someone else, and the door opened and closed again before he returned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent a messenger to the captain,¡± he said. ¡°Now we wait.¡± He waved at a central table with a few glasses, pitchers, and plates. ¡°Help yourselves to drinks or snacks.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do,¡± Ander said. His stomach audibly growled as he stood.

    He made his way to the table. After a moment¡¯s consideration, Lusya joined him. She was adept at tolerating hunger but saw little reason to do so at the moment.

    There was not a large selection. There seemed to be water or ale to drink, and some kind of cracker to eat. Still, it would be enough to take the edge off. They each grabbed a couple crackers and a glass of water, then returned to their prior seats to eat.

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised you have ale here,¡± Ander said as he sat down and bit into a cracker with a loud crunch.

    ¡°Oh, is that not allowed where you¡¯re from?¡± the tiransa guard asked.

    Ander shook his head. ¡°No, it is. I¡¯d always heard guards couldn¡¯t drink outside of days off in a lot of other places.¡±

    ¡°That is likely the proper way to handle it,¡± Lusya said. ¡°For many reasons.¡±

    She took a bite of a cracker. It was rather dry and packed with salt, but it was not unpleasant. For a simple snack, its quality was more than enough.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as you control yourself,¡± the tiransa guard said. ¡°If you actually go and get yourself drunk on the job, you¡¯ll find yourself in a world of trouble real quick.¡±

    ¡°You know, some people actually think you fight better when you¡¯re a little drunk,¡± Ander said.

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°Putting aside the many other issues, that seems unlikely. Decreased coordination and impulse control do not seem advantageous in battle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, and I¡¯m not going to test it,¡± he replied. ¡°But tradition in Nordhem and a lot of countries near us says a good drink makes you unstoppable, and a lot of people still buy into it.¡±

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    ¡°That is foolish.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with her,¡± the tiransa guard said.

    ¡°There is actually some logic to it, kind of,¡± Ander said. ¡°Lowered inhibitions and dulled pain make you more vicious and harder to hurt, basically. Harder to predict, too.¡±

    Lusya blinked. She had not considered that angle. ¡°I suppose that may offer some boons depending on one¡¯s fighting style. For most, it would not be worth the trade-offs.¡±

    Ander chuckled. ¡°Yeah, probably.¡±

    Lusya nodded. That conversation seemed to have come to an end, when another matter occurred to her.

    ¡°Did you secure the horses?¡± she asked.

    ¡°All-consuming shadows!¡± Ander cursed as he sprang out of his seat. He rushed out the door and returned about a minute later. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I keep forgetting to do that.¡±

    ¡°If they are loyal and you spend much of your time in isolation, it is an understandable habit to develop,¡± she said.

    He sighed. ¡°I guess so¡­¡±

    ¡°It still needs rectifying.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    The tiransa guard laughed. ¡°You two sure get along.¡± He put a hand on Ander¡¯s shoulder and leaned in close to whisper something.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Ander protested.

    The tiransa guard laughed again, causing Ander to flinch at the proximity and volume, and stood.

    ¡°How long will it take to receive a response?¡± Lusya asked.

    The tiransa guard shrugged. ¡°Maybe a couple hours. Half the day if things are busy. On the bright side, if the captain agrees to share information with you, he¡¯ll probably just send someone to tell you right away.¡± He paused. ¡°You two have to be pretty strong to have fought those bandits, huh?¡±

    ¡°Not to brag, but yeah,¡± Ander said. He wore a rather proud grin that faded into an embarrassed one as he scratched his head. ¡°Mainly her, really.¡±

    The tiransa guard gave a knowing smile for a moment, then his expression turned stern. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should be sticking your noses in guard business, though.¡±

    ¡°It is our business now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do not try to dissuade me again.¡±

    The guard sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know. Sorry.¡±

    The rest of the wait passed in silence, more or less. The guard attempted to make further small talk. Lusya ignored him unless he addressed her specifically, and gave short, clipped answers when he did. Ander replied, but they said nothing of substance.

    Finally, after two hours, the door opened. Shortly afterward, a new man strode into the room. He was tiransa, tall even for one of them. Like many of Larsev¡¯s buildings, the ceiling here was extra high, enough for tiransa in excess of ten feet tall to stand comfortably, and this new man still had to stoop. He was dressed in elaborate metal armor with gold-colored detailing and a blue cape flowing from his shoulders.

    His black hair was short and meticulously styled, accompanied by a neatly trimmed beard and mustache.

    ¡°Captain!¡± the first tiransa guard said, shooting to his feet and placing a hand over his heart in salute. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come down here personally.¡±

    ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t,¡± the captain said, turning his gaze on Lusya and Ander. ¡°And normally, I wouldn¡¯t share information like this with civilians, let alone foreigners. Consider this repayment for your report and your aid, however misguided.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ander said. ¡°We won¡¯t forget this.¡±

    ¡°It is appreciated,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°That said, I would like to hear a little more of what you¡¯ve learned as well,¡± the captain said. ¡°It seems you told Corporal Deniv here a little bit, but I get the sense it wasn¡¯t everything.¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to hide anything,¡± Ander said. ¡°Just expedite things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll trust that¡¯s true,¡± the captain said. ¡°But now I want the whole story.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I have no objections to that.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now, what did you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Anything that could help us locate them,¡± Lusya said. ¡°They seem to have been heading north for some time, but I need more information to determine where I might be able to find them next.¡±

    ¡°I think I can help with that,¡± the captain said. ¡°We think we know why they¡¯ve been going north. If you two hadn¡¯t met them, we couldn¡¯t say their next move for sure, but you said you injured the leader? How severely?¡±

    ¡°I slashed across her back, cut off an ear, and beat her,¡± Lusya said.

    Ander chuckled. ¡°You kicked her in the head and drove her to the ground from fifty feet up. You ¡®beat her¡¯ like Nordhem gets ¡®a little¡¯ snow.¡±

    The captain raised an eyebrow. ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°Nordhem is cold. People say a little snow when we get¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not that. Kicking someone from fifty feet? In the air?¡±

    Ander blushed and scratched his head. ¡°Oh, right. Their leader is a former Sacred Knight captain.¡± He gestured to Lusya. ¡°And, apparently, Lusya is at that level.¡±

    The captain scowled in confusion. ¡°But you two aren¡¯t¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in training,¡± Ander said. ¡°She learned somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll accept that for now,¡± the captain said. ¡°None of my business anyway. Still, bandits who use motomancy, and a leader who¡¯s a Sacred Knight captain? We¡¯re going to need to send for help.¡±

    ¡°Where are they going?¡± Lusya asked. They had strayed far enough from the point.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve injured their leader that severely, I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ve fallen back to their hideout,¡± the captain said. ¡°Most bandit troops are little more than roving bands of highwaymen, but it¡¯s not unheard of for larger ones to set up a base of sorts to operate out of. Sometimes it¡¯s a village, sometimes an abandoned fortress, sometimes they even build one from scratch.¡±

    That much, she knew. There were plenty of records of past cycles, and it wasn¡¯t as if banditry was nonexistent during turbulent ages, her father¡¯s included. Knowing a thing or two about how they operated was a useful skill, one she had brushed up on before setting out on her journey.

    ¡°And you¡¯ve located theirs?¡± Lusya asked.

    The captain nodded. ¡°We believe so. Some of our scouts found what seems to be the base itself, and, based on various reports and their movements so far, we¡¯re confident this is it.¡±

    ¡°Where is it?¡±

    The captain reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a roll of paper. He stretched it out on the table, revealing a map of Larsev. Alongside the various settlements, fortifications, and geography, there were a series of conspicuous markings of black ink, mostly lines and arrows. Lusya surmised they were some sort of tracking of the bandits¡¯ movements, based on evidence and witness accounts. Among all the symbols, a large cross shape stood out some ways north and lightly east of Larsev.

    ¡°This mark is it,¡± he said. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told, it¡¯s not a repurposed fortress or anything. It¡¯s a makeshift fortification they¡¯ve built up themselves. Palisades made of wooden pillars and the like. Unfortunately, the area used to be more wooded, but thanks to them gathering lumber for construction, there¡¯s now a good stretch of flat, open land around it, so no one could get a good look inside.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not too far,¡± Ander said.

    The captain nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll want to be quick, though. In cases like these, the ruffians often discard bases and move to new ones, or even keep several at once. It seems this one was still being used as recently as a few days ago, but you never know when they¡¯ll leave.¡±

    ¡°You have not located any others?¡± Lusya asked.

    He shook his head. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t. Nothing that seems like a current or former base. That doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t exist, though. Even if they don¡¯t, they might move. It¡¯s also possible that they¡¯re exceptionally bold and will stay and wait for a fight, but I wouldn¡¯t count on that.¡±

    Lusya nodded. Counting on one¡¯s enemy being a fool was rarely a sound strategy. Unless, of course, one knew them to be. In an actual battle, Gisala¡¯s approach to fighting was suboptimal, but Lusya knew little about Gisala or her subordinates¡¯ ability or acumen on a larger scale. Not enough to predict their actions.

    ¡°We will head for this base,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is the best information available to us.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t try to stop you,¡± the captain said. ¡°But now it¡¯s your turn. Knowing how strong their leader is is helpful, but is there anything else you can tell me? Their strength, numbers, abilities? Any other sign of them you¡¯ve come across? I¡¯d like to include as many specifics as I can when I ask the stronghold for aid.¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°It is moot,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will destroy them. However, I have no objection to sharing information with you, so long as you withhold any specifics about your sources.¡±

    The captain¡¯s eyes narrowed, but he nodded. ¡°I can do that.¡±

    With that assurance, Lusya and Ander shared most of what they knew about the bandits, including their use of minor-rank demons and the town they had destroyed. The captain had already known about that last one. It would have been rather difficult for the scouts to miss, and the ones who had found it would have wanted to report back in as soon as possible. He gave them the map to keep¡ªhe had multiple copies¡ªand they left the barracks.

    Ander yawned as he climbed onto the carriage¡¯s driver¡¯s seat. ¡°It¡¯s pretty late.¡±

    It was. Between the wait and their information exchanges, by the time they left, it was evening. The sky had turned its vivid mix of blues, reds, and violet, and the sun had taken on an orange glow. It was not night yet, but late was an accurate characterization.

    ¡°I think we should stay the night here,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll start our pursuit tomorrow, rested and ready to go.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That was my intention.¡±

    She did want to go rescue Ariya, and was tempted to insist they leave, but she knew excessive hurry could become a hindrance. It was unusual for Lusya, feeling so impatient. It was not her first time experiencing the sensitivities of time. She had had tasks on tight schedules in Father¡¯s forces. Nor was it her first time feeling such for a task that had no set schedule. She wanted to expedite Father¡¯s revival as much as possible, even though he had given no time in which she had to complete her task.

    There were practical reasons for that, like minimizing the opportunities for Ariya to become tainted, but she would admit that it was largely simple, if uncharacteristic, impatience. In life and in death, Father had often had a way of bringing our uncharacteristic behavior in her. Still, the urgency she felt now was unfamiliar. It did fade away quickly, as her emotions tended to, but it was more persistent in returning than most. She could not say for sure she had never felt it before, but she could not recall having done so. Its significance, if any, was just as lost on her.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you¡¯ve calmed down a little. Same inn as before?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That is fine.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°Man, the food here is way better than before,¡± Ander said as he walked into the inn room. ¡°What could have happened in such a short time?¡±

    ¡°It has improved,¡± Lusya said without looking up from her book. ¡°Quite the mystery.¡±

    They were staying at the same high-class inn as the last time they had been in Larsev. The food had been fine before, a cut above typical inn fare, but there had been a remarkable jump in quality. Perhaps they had changed chefs in the brief time since Lusya and Ander¡¯s last visit.

    With a sigh, Ander settled down into one of the room¡¯s chairs. Meanwhile, Lusya remained seated on the bed, reading The Tale of Dancing Tigers, the novel he had recommended, by the soft glow of an oil lantern the inn provided. He slumped in his seat, and, for a time, the room was as quiet as it could be. Music and shouts filtered in from the dining room, though the walls did a fine job of muffling them, interspersed by the occasional turning of a page.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to take advantage of the situation,¡± Ander said without warning, ¡°but would you be willing to talk more if Ariya isn¡¯t around to hear?¡±

    Lusya glanced up from her book at him. He had straightened his posture and stared into her eyes, determined.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she replied.

    He frowned. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means I will judge based on what you wish to know, as always,¡± she said.

    He grimaced but nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±

    ¡°And you must promise not to relay anything I say to Ariya without my express permission,¡± she added.

    ¡°I promise,¡± he said.

    She lowered her book to look more directly at him. ¡°I take promises quite seriously. If you break it, I will kill you.¡±

    Promise or no, she would have killed him if he had tried to tell Ariya anything Lusya did not wish her to know. Breaking a promise simply made it a graver offense, though that changed little in practical terms.

    Ander flinched and took a sharp breath as if she had already attacked him. ¡°I understand.¡± He scowled resolutely. ¡°I swear on the last and next hundred generations of my family.¡±

    That was a somewhat clumsy translation into Slarvish of an expression meant to emphasize sincerity in Wothan, which would have been Ander¡¯s native tongue considering his origin. Lusya spoke Wothan, but they had continued speaking Slarvish regardless. It was working for them, so she saw no reason to switch or inform him.

    She knew the expression meant nothing in any real sense. It was just words, as breakable as any other promise. Yet they accomplished their purpose of making it easier to believe he would keep his word. How perplexing. Promises made her behave quite strangely. It had not been a problem thus far, and she had no idea how to go about investigating the matter, so she had little choice but to accept it for now.

    She nodded in approval. ¡°Good. Then you may ask your questions.¡±

    He crossed his arms and frowned. For a minute or so, he sat there in silent contemplation, occasionally letting out a thoughtful hum. He seemed about to speak a few times, only to stop himself.

    ¡°Are her parents really okay?¡± he asked at last, just as Lusya was about to turn her attention back to her reading.

    She shook her head. ¡°No. They are dead.¡±

    He gave a pained expression and a small grunt, as sure as if he had been struck. ¡°Her brother too?¡±

    Lusya nodded. As long as he kept his promise, there was no harm in him knowing they were dead.

    ¡°What made you suspect as much?¡± she asked. She saw little reason for him to have inquired otherwise.

    He gave a small shrug. ¡°Just a hunch.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Di¡ª?¡±

    Ander clamped his mouth shut after that single syllable. He pursed his lips, opened his mouth, and shut it again. What he had been about to say, she had no idea. Something he had thought better left unsaid, obviously.

    ¡°Where are you from, specifically?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± she replied. ¡°I lived with my mother in my early life, though I remember little of it. That was likely in the northwest somewhere. Later, I lived in the central south, but I do not know what country would be an accurate descriptor.¡±

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    A stretching of the truth, perhaps, but the truth, nonetheless. She did not know where her mother had been from, nor where they had lived, but she could make a reasonable guess. As for her time with her father, there were multiple answers that could have been correct. She would have considered Miudo the best answer, but there was room for debate.

    He frowned but nodded in apparent acceptance of that. Maybe his knowledge that she did not lie was working to her advantage here, lending her words more credence and preventing him from prying. She would have to revise her view on Ariya sharing that information.

    ¡°Where are you going, and why?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I will not answer that,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Why is Ariya with you?¡±

    ¡°I have need of her. I will tell you no more than that.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°If¡ª¡±

    Once again, he cut himself off, shaking his head.

    ¡°You mentioned a bad encounter with a Sacred Knight before. What happened?¡±

    ¡°He attacked Ariya and I,¡± she said. ¡°We fought. I won.¡±

    She would not mention that she had killed Kadel unless pressed. That would have been viewed far worse, even if it had been in self-defense. The only reason she would admit it at all was because she didn¡¯t see any credible way to deny it if Ander asked.

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Ander muttered. After a moment of silent contemplation, he sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m out of questions. For now.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she replied. ¡°You are quite inquisitive.¡±

    ¡°That happens when someone¡¯s super mysterious,¡± he replied. He seemed almost defensive, though she had not meant it as a slight. Quite the opposite.

    ¡°So it does.¡±

    ¡°Especially when that someone is a beautiful woman stronger than over ninety percent of the continent.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Maybe your looks distracted that Knight.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said.

    He scratched his head. ¡°That last part was a joke. I don¡¯t mean to insult your skills or anything.¡±

    ¡°I thought as much,¡± she replied. ¡°I am growing accustomed to your mannerisms, although my ability to detect humor in general is not very keen.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± he said, ¡°seeing as you¡¯re a natural-born straight man.¡±

    ¡°I am a woman.¡±

    Ander started to laugh, then abruptly stopped. ¡°That was on purpose, right?¡±

    ¡°I thought I would try it,¡± she said. ¡°Was I successful?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. See? You¡¯re perfect. Er, for the role. Not that you¡¯re not good in general, just¡­¡±

    ¡°The ¡®straight man¡¯ is an easy concept to grasp,¡± she said. ¡°But I do not understand why it is ¡®funny,¡¯ and other forms of humor tend to elude me entirely.¡±

    Ander grimaced. ¡°Well, that¡¯s no good. You¡¯re missing out on so much.¡± He thought for a second. ¡°What did the egg say when it lost a bet to the chef?¡±

    She recognized the seeming non-sequitur as the setup of a joke. ¡°I do not know.¡±

    ¡°¡®Well, you¡¯ve got me beat,¡¯¡± Ander said with a grin. ¡°Well? You know, because you beat eggs when you cook them?¡±

    ¡°It is my understanding that explaining a joke is considered poor form,¡± she replied. ¡°That said, I understood. I still do not find any humor in it.¡±

    ¡°Well, that one¡¯s not really supposed to be laugh out loud funny. Let¡¯s try another.¡± He was quiet again as he thought. ¡°So, a man, we¡¯ll call him Rahb, walks into the town square¡ª¡±

    ¡°Of what town?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said with a dismissive wave. ¡°Anyway, he declares that no one can beat him in a fist fight and offers thirty gold to anyone who can prove him wrong. Naturally, no one thinks this guy¡¯s actually invincible, and if they win, they¡¯re set for life.

    ¡°So, everybody in town takes up the challenge. A big, burly man goes first and loses. The guy after figures the ¡®invincible¡¯ man is tired, but then he loses too. But surely, after two fights, he¡¯s tired enough for the third challenger to win, and so on.

    ¡°But one man, a weak, sickly man named Bell, gets clever. He gets in line to fight, but then lets everyone go on ahead of him, until everyone else in town has fought and lost. By now, Rahb is panting, he¡¯s sweating, he¡¯s clearly tired, but he¡¯s sticking to his word. So, Bell walks up and throws his single, best punch. It¡¯s the weakest one anyone¡¯s thrown all day, but it knocks Rahb right to the ground.

    ¡°¡®No! How can it end like this?¡¯ Rhab cries.

    ¡°¡®It¡¯s quite simple,¡¯ Bell answers. ¡®I simply waited for the end of the punchline.¡¯¡± Ander looked at her expectantly, the biggest smile she had seen from him yet on his face. ¡°Well?¡±

    She blinked and took a second to contemplate the joke. ¡°I suppose that one was amusing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s meta-humor,¡± he said, as if that would improve her opinion.

    ¡°Once again, I understand the content,¡± she said. ¡°And while I do not believe I was as amused as intended, I believe I do understand the humor of it. Thank you.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°No problem. Hey, why don¡¯t you tell a joke? It might help you.¡±

    She took a moment to think. She did not know any jokes by heart, so she had to create one. Ander stared at her, obviously eager.

    ¡°A man was born without a left arm or leg,¡± she said. ¡°What was wrong with him?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. He was all right.¡±

    Ander smirked and snorted in the way mortals did when something was mildly amusing. ¡°Not bad.¡±

    ¡°Homophones are a common source of humor,¡± she said. ¡°I do not understand what was amusing about what I just said.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just not your kind of joke,¡± he replied. ¡°But it sure sounds like you understand them better than you give yourself credit for.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. I appreciate your efforts to help expand my understanding.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I got you to admit something was funny.¡±

    That was not what she had said, but she supposed it was close enough.

    Ander yawned and stretched his arms over his head. ¡°Well, I guess we ought to get to bed if we¡¯re starting early tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That would be wise,¡± she said.

    She took note of the page she was on, not that she had been reading for the past few minutes anyway, and shut her book. She stood and placed it on the table beside Ander¡¯s chair for the night. With her cloak already off and hanging on the bed frame, she began to unbutton her blouse.

    Ander suddenly sprang out his chair, his face bright red.

    ¡°W-w-what are you doing?¡± he sputtered.

    She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Preparing to sleep. I prefer to do so undressed when practical.¡±

    ¡°But this is my room!¡± he exclaimed, slapping a hand over his eyes.

    She blinked again as she finished removing her blouse. ¡°We only rented a single room.¡±

    ¡°Frostbite! There was one less of us, so I got one less room without thinking about it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get another for me. You can use this one yourself.¡±

    ¡°I do not see a problem, so long as you do not attempt¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just not right!¡± He bolted to the door and threw it open. ¡°Good night!¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Sixteen

    Ariya stumbled and fell forward onto her hands and knees with a shout as one of the men roughly shoved her into a cell. Her palms and legs stung as they scraped against the ground, but it was soft dirt, so it wasn¡¯t too bad, and it probably wouldn¡¯t leave any cuts. Having dirt all over her felt pretty gross, though. She heard the barred wooden door slam shut behind her and the lock click into place.

    There were about a half dozen other people in the room. They were huddled against the walls, and each seemed to be trying their best to stay as far from the door as they could, packing them together toward the back of the room. All of them were dirty, filling the room with a thick stench, their clothes worn and ragged. Only about half of them really acknowledged her, staring as she stood. Most of the rest gave her a quick glance and looked away. One man looked off at nothing, not reacting at all.

    Ariya turned back toward the door, frowning. It consisted of a series of thick wooden bars and a heavy metal lock. There was no way she was breaking either. She thought for a second she might be able to slip through the gaps between the bars, but, when she got closer, it became obvious they weren¡¯t wide enough for that. It had seemed like such a good plan, too. The man who had locked her in was still there, sneering at her. She didn¡¯t know his name, only that he was blond, mean, and smelly. It was hard to tell now that the whole place stank, but she sure had smelled him on the way in.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna wait here, nice and patient like,¡± he said. He wore simple clothes that were barely any better than the people¡¯s in the room. They were just as worn out, just a little cleaner. ¡°Just wait while the grown-ups figure things out.¡±

    He laughed and walked a little bit away. There was a table with two chairs just outside the cell. He took a seat there and started staring into space and whistling. He wasn¡¯t very good at it. There was no tune to it at all, and sometimes the sound almost cut out entirely.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna be in trouble when Lusya gets here,¡± Ariya said.

    The man ignored her and continued his off-tune whistle.

    ¡°She¡¯s gonna beat you up.¡±

    Was it even whistling at this point? He kind of sounded like he was choking now.

    ¡°You better let me go.¡±

    He groaned and glared at her. ¡°Kid, shut up, or I¡¯m gonna knock the daylights out of you.¡±

    She frowned and put her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯m gonna tell Lusya you said that.¡±

    ¡°Girl, I swear¡ª¡±

    ¡°You swear what, Flaven?¡± Boss said with mock curiosity.

    The light-brown haired woman walked in through the door, flanked by a couple other men. Ariya guessed that the walls were thin enough for her to hear. The woman¡¯s name was a mystery, but all the others called her Boss. She wasn¡¯t Ariya¡¯s boss, but Ariya didn¡¯t have anything else to call her.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t going to damage the merchandise over a child¡¯s taunts, were you?¡± she pressed. It was one of those re¡­ra¡­rhetorical questions! That was it. Lusya didn¡¯t use them, but Mama and Papa had sometimes.

    The man, Flaven, paled and shook his head like a leaf in the wind. ¡°No, Boss, of course not. I was just trying to¡­scare her a little, to shut her up.¡±

    Boss smiled. It wasn¡¯t fake, but it wasn¡¯t a happy smile. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fine, then.¡±

    She walked over to the cell door and crouched to get eye level with Ariya. Boss had bandages wrapped around her head, focused on the left side of her head. It would have looked silly, like a funny hat, if not for the fact that the bandages were stained a dark red. Ariya hadn¡¯t been there to see it, but it seemed Lusya had cut off Boss¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Hey there, girl,¡± Boss said.

    Ariya narrowed her eyes. ¡°Hi.¡±

    Boss burst out laughing. ¡°No need to glare at me like that. It¡¯s not going to help you any.¡± She stood and sighed. ¡°Now, what to do with you?¡± That seemed more directed at herself than at Ariya. ¡°Whatever will we do?¡±

    ¡°Why do we need to think about it?¡± one of the men who had come in with her asked. He was tall, but human, with red hair and a patchy beard, and he spoke with a high-pitched, lilting accent. ¡°If we are not treating her as a child, we can treat her like any other prisoner and sell her off when we get the chance, no? Only a slight change from normal, no?¡±

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    ¡°In the long term, you¡¯re right, Garint,¡± Boss said. ¡°That¡¯s good, but you need to think more about now. The other one is almost definitely coming after her.¡±

    ¡°So, we kill her, no?¡±

    Boss shook her head. ¡°I might be able to win¡ª¡±

    ¡°No you can¡¯t,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Lusya¡¯s way too strong.¡±

    Boss glared at Ariya. ¡°Shut up. Anyway, I might be able to win now that I know what she can do, but the rest of you are dead meat. If that¡¯s fine with you, then fine, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I like being live meat, thank you very much,¡± the other man that had walked in with her said. He was shorter than the other one, bald and clean-shaven, with a deep, gravelly voice.

    Boss nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Which means we need to keep the girl around as leverage.¡±

    ¡°Does that change that much?¡± Flaven asked. ¡°It would be a while before we took her to market anyway.¡±

    ¡°That is what I said, no?¡± Garint said.

    Boss shrugged. She didn¡¯t acknowledge that Garint had spoken at all. ¡°True. If it¡¯s been long enough to sell her, we¡¯re probably in the clear. Still, bump her back just in case. We can use her for our needs like the others but be careful not to break her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Flaven said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the others know too.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Boss said. She walked back over to the cell and crouched again. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, girl: you¡¯re going to do whatever we say. If you don¡¯t, we can make you hurt real bad. And if your friend doesn¡¯t show up, we¡¯ll sell you to the highest bidder. Maybe they¡¯ll be nicer than us. Maybe they¡¯ll be worse. Either way, you just be a good girl and wait, okay?¡±

    Ariya huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for Lusya to come and beat you up.¡± She stuck out her tongue. ¡°And my name is Ariya, meanie.¡±

    Boss just laughed again. ¡°Feisty. Let¡¯s see how long that lasts.¡±

    She stood up again and took a step toward the door, then started to lurch forward. She slammed a foot on the floor to regain her balance, but she still swayed slightly, clutching her head.

    ¡°Boss?¡± the deep-voiced man asked, taking a step toward her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she growled. ¡°Back off. I don¡¯t need help or concern from the likes of you.¡± She stood straighter and glared at Flaven. ¡°Flaven, who¡¯s shipping out next?¡±

    ¡°Cell One, I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± he said, pointing down to the cell on the opposite end of the room.

    ¡°Pretty sure?¡± she asked, eyes narrowing to slits.

    He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have it written down someplace, Boss.¡±

    Boss stepped closer to him. ¡°Oh, are you complaining about how I run things?¡±

    Flaven shook his head, just as frantic as before. ¡°Of course not. I can¡¯t read anyway. I-it¡¯s Cell One, I¡¯m sure of it. At the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s all I wanted to know,¡± Boss said, smiling. ¡°There¡¯s a real looker in there, right? Don¡¯t look at me like that. Women buy slaves too, you know. Anyway, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get a good haul, but make sure to replace the stock as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°We are getting closer, no?¡± Garint said.

    Boss nodded. ¡°Yeah. This land is ours now.¡±

    With that, she walked out of the room. The two who had come with her followed her, while Flaven sat back down in his chair. Ariya didn¡¯t have anything more to say to him, so she turned and sat down against the wall. Sitting on the ground was far from new to her, but the bare dirt of the floor felt way grosser than when it was covered in grass. It was probably getting her dress dirty too, but she wasn¡¯t going to stand for who knew how long. She was next to an older man, with long black hair speckled gray and a bushy beard to match. He stared at her for a couple minutes, silent, with his wide, pale blue eyes. It was kind of creepy, but he eventually managed to speak.

    ¡°Are you not scared, girl?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ariya,¡± she corrected. Only Lusya was allowed to call her other things.

    ¡°Ariya, aren¡¯t you scared?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°Of what?¡±

    He nodded at the cell door. ¡°Of them. They¡¯re strong, and there¡¯s nothing you can do against them.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe a little bit,¡± Ariya admitted. She knew they were strong, bad people who could hurt her a lot. ¡°But I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    The man grunted in response and looked away.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Ariya asked. Didn¡¯t he know it was rude not to introduce himself after she had already done so?

    ¡°Hm?¡± The man jumped a little, like he¡¯d forgotten she was there. ¡°It¡¯s Boyan.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±

    A ghost of a smile broke through his dejected expression. ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡±

    The woman sitting opposite Ariya let out a derisive snort. It looked like she was about the same age as Mama, in her late twenties or early thirties. ¡°Are you two stupid?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m super smart,¡± Ariya said with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t be mean.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like this is some kind of play date, then,¡± the woman said. ¡°Do you understand the situation we¡¯re in, girl?¡±

    Ariya scowled. ¡°It¡¯s Ariya. And pretty much.¡±

    She understood the concepts of prisoners and slaves, and she knew these bandits took people to make slaves. They had said Ariya had to stay here and listen to them. That sounded a lot like a slave from what Ariya had read. But she knew it wouldn¡¯t last.

    ¡°Lay off her,¡± Boyan said. ¡°We could use a little sunshine in here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not be teased by a little bit when I¡¯ll never get the real thing again,¡± the woman said. She turned her attention back to Ariya. ¡°If you understand, then you should keep your head down and behave. You¡¯re only going to get yourself in trouble. Or worse.¡±

    ¡°Mama says if you let someone push you around, you lose,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You have to brave and stand up for yourself. And now I know that¡¯s true.¡± That was how Lusya lived. She didn¡¯t let anyone else decide anything for her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡±

    ¡°Standing up to them is brave, but it¡¯s also stupid,¡± the woman said. She crossed her arms and sneered. ¡°You look old enough to know that. Standing up to a bully is all well and good, but you should know when to be scared. There¡¯s a lot worse than some harsh words at risk.¡±

    Ariya tilted her head, blinking twice. ¡°There¡¯s no way anything is going to happen to me.¡±

    ¡°And how do you know that?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Because Lusya¡¯s gonna save me, like always.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Seventeen

    The carriage jerked and jostled as it barreled down the road, the wind buffeting Lusya. Its pace was slower than on the way back to Larsev, but still hurried. They were on track to reach the bandits¡¯ headquarters in under two weeks. The prior speed would have exhausted the horses, according to Ander. If they did not collapse from exhaustion, they would eventually become too tired to keep a reasonable pace, no matter how much Ander tried to make them, which would have slowed them in the long run. Lusya did not know enough about caring for the animals to dispute him and saw little reason for him not to be truthful.

    They did not speak as they rode onward. She had nothing to say, Ander was focused on driving, and the movement of the carriage would have made conversation awkward. One of them might have ended up biting their tongue.

    Lusya checked the back every so often to make sure nothing had fallen out. Nothing ever did, though something always seemed on the verge. The bouncing of the supplies was less than what Lusya felt, however. Looking at it, she supposed the road was rather smooth. It was not without dips or bumps, but most of it was about as even as could be expected from a dirt path. She did not know why the tiniest of imperfections felt like such a massive obstacle. It had been like that when she had been with the caravan months ago too. A quirk of the design of the vehicles, perhaps. Or of cognition. Lusya¡¯s mind may not have worked like most, may have often been less clouded, but that did not make it perfect.

    Though the horses and her body seemed to block enough of the wind to prevent Lusya¡¯s cloak from blowing around, it was all but impossible to keep the hood up. When it did stay on, it blew into her face and blocked her eyes. She had decided to leave it off. The only practical reason she wore it up was to make her more difficult to identify, which was rather moot out on the road. She would admit to an irrational preference to wear it up anyway, but she was not one to let herself be ruled by such things.

    Suddenly, the carriage started to slow down. It was easy to notice. The effective wind weakened, the vehicle bounced less, and the landscape passed more slowly. Lusya glanced at Ander, and he pointed. Looking where he had indicated revealed something on the side of the road. Someone, more accurately. The area around the road was wide open, making her easy to see. In fact, there wasn¡¯t so much as a shrub in sight. The person was a woman with short blonde hair, sitting on the ground with a large pack beside her, not unlike the one Lusya carried. She was dressed in a plain, light brown dress like any peasant might wear, but she had her knees drawn up to her chest and the bottom of the dress pulled up, rubbing at her right ankle and gritting her teeth.

    ¡°We do not have time for this,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long,¡± Ander said. ¡°I promise.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°You have five minutes to get this carriage moving again.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± he said, grinning, as he brought the vehicle to a full stop just in front of the woman. He jumped off the carriage and hurried to her side. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    The woman jumped a bit as she looked up, as if she had not noticed him until he had spoken. Considering how focused on her leg she had seemed, she might not have. ¡°Oh, yes, I just seem to have hurt my leg a bit.¡±

    He knelt beside her. ¡°Can I see?¡±

    She nodded and moved her hands aside. Her ankle was reddened. It had not yet swelled noticeably, but it likely would in short order. It did not look bad enough to be a break, but it did have the marks of a painful injury.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Ander asked.

    The woman pointed down the road. ¡°My foot slipped in a hole over there and I fell. At first, it was just a little sore, but it kept getting worse until I had to stop.¡±

    Ander hummed in thought. ¡°It could be a sprain. Lusya, can you get bandages and other supplies?¡±

    ¡°Was I not supposed to leave this to you?¡± Lusya asked.

    He gave her an exasperated look. ¡°It¡¯ll go a little faster this way.¡±

    By a small margin, but true. She grabbed some medical supplies and brought them to him. He smeared the bandages in a poultice and started wrapping them around the woman¡¯s ankle. The binding was tight, but he was careful to make sure it was not so much so that it would hinder circulation.

    ¡°This should help bring the swelling down,¡± he said. He picked out a few leaves and handed them to the woman. ¡°And if you chew and swallow these, it should help with the pain. Don¡¯t ask for more, though, they can do terrible things to your mind if you rely on them.¡±

    The woman blinked, eyes wide in shock as she accepted the leaves. ¡°Thank you. Why are you helping me?¡±

    ¡°Do I need a reason?¡± he asked with a grin.

    She smiled and shook her head. ¡°I guess not. You just don¡¯t see much of this these days.¡±

    She popped one of the leaves in her mouth and grimaced. With obvious reluctance, she slowly chewed it up and forced herself to swallow, before repeating the process with the next leaf. There were a few plants with similar effects to what Ander had described. The leaves all looked rather similar, so Lusya was not sure which they were, but she understood they were all rather bitter. It was a small wonder any mortal could tolerate them enough to become dependent on them.

    ¡°You are more well-versed in medicine than I thought,¡± Lusya said.

    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m no doctor or healer, but it¡¯s good to know for traveling and for fighting.¡±

    That was true enough. She was familiar with his treatments for much the same reason. For all his demeanor was often that of a fool, at his core, Ander was anything but.

    He turned his attention back to the woman. ¡°What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere anyway? And all alone at that.¡±

    ¡°My husband is a blacksmith. He¡¯s gotten rather famous around these parts lately.¡± The woman paused to swallow the leaves, and grinned. ¡°Have you heard the name Svet?¡±

    Ander scratched his head. ¡°We¡¯re not from the area. Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Really? Your Slarvish is quite good,¡± the woman said. ¡°Oh, well. Anyway, I run deliveries for him. Sometimes I get help from a neighbor, but one¡¯s not always available.¡±

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    ¡°Well, thank you. Wothan is pretty similar, so it was easy to learn,¡± Ander replied, scratching the back of his head. After a few seconds, he seemed to remember the actual topic of conversation and frowned. Maybe there was a little bit of true fool in him. ¡°This area is dangerous right now. There are some awful, crazy strong bandits wreaking havoc.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard plenty about them,¡± she said, with a grimace ¡°But we need to do business to eat.¡±

    ¡°If business is good, maybe you should consider hiring someone to guard you,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°It is doubtful any guard she could hire would have any appreciable impact under the current circumstances,¡± Lusya said.

    She did not know the market well, but if there were any who knew motomancy, they must have been expensive. And even then, one would probably want captain-level strength or multiple guards to fend off Gisala¡¯s group. Even one on the level of a rank-and-file Sacred Knight was liable to be overwhelmed by the enemy¡¯s numbers. Captain-level guards or mercenaries had to be in short supply and cost a small fortune, if they existed at all.

    Ander shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing. And it would still be a good idea if things were better. The roads are never completely safe.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve talked about it,¡± the woman said. ¡°But there¡¯s just not many fighters for us to hire. We would have to wait for one to pass through or go looking for one, then pay him enough to make living in the sticks worth it.¡±

    ¡°That may be hard,¡± Ander said as he finished bandaging the woman¡¯s foot. ¡°But saved effort won¡¯t be worth anything if you¡¯re dead.¡± He stood and offered the woman a hand to help her up. ¡°I¡¯d encourage you to reconsider it. Maybe even make a special trip into the city to look for someone, next time one of your neighbors can go with you.¡±

    The woman took his hand and stood. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± She tapped her foot against the ground, testing it, before standing on it, though she still favored the other. ¡°This feels much better now, thank you.¡±

    He smiled and started gathering up the medical supplies he had not used. ¡°So, where were you headed?¡±

    ¡°Home,¡± the woman said. ¡°It¡¯s a village called Littlerun.¡±

    ¡°Well then, hop on board,¡± he said with a wave at the carriage. ¡°It might feel better, but you shouldn¡¯t walk on that if you can help it. It¡¯s fine, right, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It is on our way. I have no objections. However, your time is up. She will board now, or we are leaving without her.¡± She took her place on the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°If you protest, I am leaving without both of you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure¡ª?¡± the woman started.

    ¡°We¡¯re sure,¡± Ander said, ¡°and she¡¯s serious, come on.¡±

    Ander helped her onto the seat, put her pack and their supplies in the back, and had them moving again in seconds. Their pace was a bit slower than before. Lusya assumed it was for the benefit of the woman and her injury, not wanting to jostle her. It was still acceptable, however.

    ¡°Like I was saying, you shouldn¡¯t walk on that yet,¡± he said. ¡°In fact, you should stay off it for at least the next week. Longer if it still hurts. Lie with it propped up when you can, especially at night. I¡¯d let you do it here, but there¡¯s not really room in the back, and it probably wouldn¡¯t be all that safe even if there was.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep all that in mind,¡± the woman said. She had taken a seat to Ander¡¯s left, the opposite side from Lusya. ¡°Mind you, there¡¯s only so much a working woman can slack off.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°But thank you so much for all your help. Is there any way I can repay you? Maybe you¡¯d like to have dinner when we get home?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Ander said. ¡°I helped because I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°If anything, stopping to eat at your home would be an inconvenience,¡± Lusya said.

    The woman frowned. ¡°¡­Oh.¡±

    ¡°That might be true, but you didn¡¯t have to say it,¡± Ander said. ¡°At least not like that.¡±

    Lusya did not see what the problem was. It had been a simple statement of fact, and not a comment on the woman, her home, or her cooking¡ªor whoever¡¯s cooking it was, considering the woman obviously could not do all of it with her errands. And how else was she supposed to convey such a straightforward sentiment? How perplexing mortals could be.

    ¡°Maybe I could treat you to a meal at the inn?¡± the woman suggested. ¡°A room, even.¡±

    ¡°We do not have time for that either,¡± Lusya replied.

    The woman flinched. ¡°I understand. I¡¯m sorry for suggesting it.¡±

    ¡°That is not necessary.¡±

    The woman nodded and fell silent. She turned away and gazed at the landscape rolling by. There wasn¡¯t much of interest out there. The land was as flat as it was bare, so there were no interesting landmarks to look at. There weren¡¯t even any hills or mountains.

    ¡°Oh, how rude of me,¡± Ander suddenly said. ¡°I¡¯m Ander. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    The woman looked at him with a smile again. ¡°It¡¯s Puvica.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°You as well.¡± The woman looked to Lusya. The woman hesitated, and her eyes flicked about nervously for a second. ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Lusya.¡±

    Puvica waited a moment, as if expecting some additional introduction. When she received none, she pursed her lips, nodded, and mouthed their names to herself. ¡°And what brings you two all the way out here?¡±

    ¡°Just passing through, really,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°And are you two married?¡±

    ¡°We are not,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yet,¡± Ander added with a grin.

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked at him.

    He chuckled. ¡°That was a joke.¡±

    ¡°I suspected,¡± she said.

    ¡°Was it funny?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I thought it was okay,¡± Puvica said.

    He nodded at her. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I did not think so, but you should not fixate so on my opinion on humor.¡±

    ¡°Your advice is noted and denied,¡± he said, his eyes shining as he smirked. ¡°If we¡¯re going to be companions, I want to be able to joke with you. In fact, it¡¯s now my goal to make you laugh before we go our separate ways.¡±

    ¡°That is a foolish goal,¡± she said. ¡°I can never remember so much as smiling from joy.¡±

    ¡°Then it sounds like I¡¯ve got my work cut out for me,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all. Anything worth doing should be a challenge. And if I fall short of such a lofty goal, I¡¯ll still end up somewhere pretty impressive, right?¡±

    She blinked. ¡°That is by no means guaranteed. This seems like a waste of effort.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me not to do it?¡±

    ¡°I am telling you you will fail.¡±

    He grinned. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked again. ¡°You may try, if you wish.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°At least you two seem to get along,¡± Puvica said. She looked at each of them with a smile. ¡°What exactly is your relationship, if you¡¯re not married or lovers?¡±

    Ander smirked. ¡°No one said we weren¡¯t lovers.¡± He chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°We¡¯re not, though. Really, we just happened to meet and decide to join up.¡±

    ¡°Smart, the way things are.¡±

    And yet the woman had been traveling all alone and seemed ambivalent to the danger. She was a strange one.

    ¡°Still, I¡¯d say we¡¯re friends by now,¡± Ander said. He looked to Lusya. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°I will allow that descriptor,¡± she said. She had had few friends in her life, and she would have hesitated to use the word herself, but she supposed it was reasonably accurate.

    Lusya was not sure why people assumed she and Ander were married or romantically involved. Was it so unusual for a young man and woman to travel together? For that matter, most should not have assumed they were the same age. Although, relti did tend to involve themselves with humans of similar apparent physical age. And rural villagers in an area where relti were rare may have had limited knowledge of them. Ariya had thought relti lived for millions of years when they had first met. Granted, Ariya was a child, but that misconception may well have never been corrected if not for Lusya.

    ¡°Speaking of the way things are,¡± Ander said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have happened to have heard anything in particular about those bandits I mentioned, would you? We heard they had some sort of base set up, for example.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard that one too,¡± she said. ¡°A customer was just telling me about it, in fact. Apparently, a friend of his saw some kind of fortress they¡¯d set up. They¡¯d built some wooden walls, even had flags hanging from them, and the friend hid nearby and watched them come in and out.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s more specific than what we heard,¡± Ander asked. ¡°When was this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when it happened, but I heard about it just the other day.¡±

    The woman¡¯s words could not be taken as credible on their face. Nor, for that matter, could the words of her husband¡¯s customer¡¯s friend. It was additional information, however, even if very little.

    ¡°Did you hear anything else?¡± Lusya asked.

    The woman shrugged. ¡°Just that they¡¯re killing, stealing, and kidnapping. Doing what bandits do. They are quite bold, though, and it is terrifying to think some people would rather do such things than live in a peaceful tranquil age.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ander said, ¡°it sure is.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Eighteen

    The cell door swung open, and Ariya looked up to see Flaven standing there. He seemed to be one of a few people in charge of the prison, and he was there most often. It didn¡¯t really matter who was there, though. Every one of them was as mean and dirty as the last. He looked over her and the others, sneering.

    ¡°All right, you lot, time for work,¡± he said. She had heard him say the same thing, word-for-word, to the other nine cells. He wasn¡¯t very creative.

    The others stood with slow, languid motions, like they were half-asleep. The people from the other cells had moved the same way. He stepped aside to let them file out the door. Ariya stayed seated where she was, staring at him.

    ¡°Oh, right, it¡¯s your first day on the job, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked with an awful grin.

    She didn¡¯t answer him, instead choosing to fix him with a silent scowl and stay seated. If he was going to mean, she wasn¡¯t going to bother with him. Mama said ignoring was rude, but bullies were different. Ignoring them was best. With a huff, Ariya crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. A second later, she saw him looming over her out of the corner of her eyes.

    He grabbed the collar of her dress and hauled her up, making the front of the collar press against her throat, then roughly slammed her down on her feet. She coughed as he released her, her eyes watering. Lusya was so hearing about that.

    ¡°Let me explain how this is going to work,¡± Flaven growled. ¡°You¡¯re going to do some chores for us. A girl like you¡¯s done chores before, right?¡±

    Ariya frowned, silent.

    ¡°Answer me when I talk to you, girl,¡± he said.

    She gave a stiff nod. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Sometimes she helped Mama cleanup or make dinner. She had wanted to help Papa chop firewood too, but he had said she was too small to hold the axe. Well, the joke was on him, now she got to go on an adventure and do way cooler stuff. It might have hit a snag, but it was only temporary.

    ¡°Good,¡± Flaven said. ¡°And I¡¯m sure your parents get mad at you, give you a little slap on the wrist if you try to get out of your chores.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said.

    That had only happened once, though. She didn¡¯t want to leave Mama and Papa in the cold when they needed her help. Sure, there had been other times when she¡¯d gotten distracted, forgotten, or fallen asleep, but all it took was a simple reminder to get her to do whatever she was supposed to.

    ¡°Well, this is going to work a lot like that,¡± Flaven said. ¡°Except, instead of a slap on the wrist, we might give you a punch in the gut. Maybe take off an arm or a leg, gouge out an eye. Stuff that¡¯ll make that little boost I just gave you feel like a cozy hug. Got it?¡±

    She nodded but didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Of course, the same goes if you try to run,¡± he said. ¡°You should be grateful. Since the boss wants to keep you around, what I¡¯m saying is we¡¯ll be going easy on you.¡±

    Ariya flinched and shied away at the descriptions. She wasn¡¯t sure how much he was exaggerating. None of the others in her cell were missing any limbs or eyes, and she doubted none of them had ever gotten in trouble. She hadn¡¯t seen any like that from the other cells when they¡¯d been led out, either, but she had kind of stopped paying attention halfway through. It had been both boring and sad just watching them trudge out the door over and over. Plus, not seeing it didn¡¯t mean it had never happened, and she could have just missed something. And they could still have hurt her plenty. She knew now that you didn¡¯t actually have to do a lot of damage to cause a lot of pain.

    Of course, Lusya was coming to save Ariya. Ariya knew that. But getting hurt, or worse, now wasn¡¯t going to help Lusya.

    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Flaven prompted.

    She nodded. ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said in a mocking tone. He patted her head, but it wasn¡¯t like how Papa or Lusya did it. He was practically slapping her. ¡°Then come on out and I¡¯ll give you your first job. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re excited.¡±

    He walked out the cell door and, after a moment of hesitation, Ariya followed. He led her out of the shack that served as the prison and into the yard of the bandits¡¯ base. Ariya had seen it on the way in, but she hadn¡¯t been paying that much attention.

    It wasn¡¯t much to look at. Just a big, flat circle of the same dirt that made up the prison floor with what could have been called buildings scattered throughout, surrounded by a wall of vertical wooden spikes. She was pretty sure there was a word for that, but she couldn¡¯t remember what it was. The buildings ranged from little more than tents to actual wooden structures, but even the latter had a sloppy, ramshackle look to them. There was what looked like a well tucked between two buildings, and some wooden dummies set up near the wall on one side of the base. Ariya had seen drawings and read descriptions of those before. They were for practicing sword fighting and stuff, but no one was using them right now.

    There wasn¡¯t any grass or anything, even though she had seen plenty outside when they had brought her here. They must have made a point of getting rid of it for some reason, but she couldn¡¯t guess what it might have been.

    There were a few cages set up at the edge of the camp, to the right from where Ariya walked out. There were more of those weird animals from the village inside. Ariya had overheard Lusya saying they were demons. It seemed like demons really came in a lot of different shapes. The ones in the cages looked like big cats or dogs with some spikes or horns, maybe weirdly shaped legs or tails. They were making a ruckus, barking and growling as they scratched at the metal bars of their cages.

    She didn¡¯t know how hard getting all this set up was, but she knew almost none of it looked impressive. Except for the wall and maybe the cage, it was all shabby and cobbled together, not to mention brown. The tents were brown, the wood was brown, the dirt was brown, a lot of the bandits wore brown clothes or leather armor. Way too much brown. Ariya was glad she was wearing her gray dress. Despite everything, it was a secret base, though. That was kind of cool no matter what. If it wasn¡¯t being run by bandits, it might have been really cool.

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    Flaven led her over to a large tent, with several tables and chairs underneath. Most of the tables were round, but a row of long, rectangular ones separated most of the area from what looked to be an extinguished fire pit with a pot hanging over it. It looked kind of like an open-air version of an inn¡¯s dining room. And, of course, all the furniture was unpainted wood. So, more brown. Someone needed to tell these guys there were other colors.

    ¡°This is the kitchen,¡± he said.

    They lingered for just a second before he started walking again, leading her over to the well this time.

    ¡°Your job is to draw water out of here and bring it to the kitchen,¡± he said. ¡°After that, you stay here, and wait for me to tell you somewhere else that needs water.¡± He smirked. ¡°It might be a little hard, but you should be big enough to manage. And don¡¯t think you can slack off or try to run just because Boss and I aren¡¯t watching. Everyone here¡¯s gonna notice, and they¡¯re not all as nice as me. Got it?¡±

    She nodded.

    He snarled. ¡°Enough with the silent treatment, girl. Answer me when I¡¯m talking to you.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± she said, sighing. She hadn¡¯t even been making a point of being quiet, she had just thought a nod was a fine answer.

    He smirked. ¡°Good. Then get to work. Three buckets to the kitchen, now.¡±

    He walked away, and Ariya turned toward the well. It wasn¡¯t as built up as some, but it wasn¡¯t just a hole in the ground either. There was a short wall around it, and a bucket and rope for getting water. The wall was made of a bunch of rocks, and some of them were even colors other than brown, like gray or beige.

    Ariya had never had to get water from a well before, but she knew basically how it worked from watching Papa do it. She lowered the bucket down, let it fill with water, and pulled it back up. It was easier than she had expected. Not effortless, but more than manageable.

    The worst part of it was the demons. It didn¡¯t seem like they could get out of their cage, so they were harmless, but they were so annoying. She had thought they had been acting up earlier, but it seemed like that had been them being calm. They constantly threw themselves against the metal bars of their cages, teeth gnashing, howling and roaring. They were chained to the back walls of their containers, but the chains were plenty long enough to reach the bars. It got even worse whenever someone passed in front of them. They screamed almost like people and slammed against the bars, adding loud clangs to their cacophony, and even reached between them to try to swipe at whoever was there. Sometimes they would claw at the bars themselves, filling the air with a horrible screeching that sent shivers down Ariya¡¯s spine. Nobody else reacted much to them, but they sure stayed far away from the cages.

    The hard part of her actual job came when she had gotten the bucket all the way up and needed to carry it herself. She grabbed it, and then lurched forward as the weight almost pulled her into the well. With a mighty heft, she managed to get the bucket out and onto the ground. She untied it and picked it up with both hands, then trudged across the yard to the kitchen.

    The demons just kept on making noise. Some random guy walked by them, and they went back to just growling for a little while, making the area almost quiet, but then they went right back to being loud when he was out of sight. Ariya assumed he, or someone else they acted the same way with, had been out earlier.

    There were bandits and other prisoners scattered around the yard. The prisoners were doing work and didn¡¯t pay her much mind. Most of the bandits didn¡¯t pay any attention either, but a few stared at her. Some were lazing around, some were sharpening weapons. The way they looked at her made her skin crawl. There were fewer of them than she would have thought, considering the size of the base and how many buildings there were. Maybe some of them were still out causing trouble.

    As a man grinned at her while sharpening a sword, or a woman stopped a conversation to snicker at her, the situation started to sink in for Ariya. She was in danger. These people didn¡¯t care if she got hurt. They wanted it, if anything. They were scary and vicious.

    Lusya was coming to save Ariya, that much was for sure. But what was going to happen in the meantime? Even if Ariya did her best to keep them happy, what if something went wrong? For that matter, they¡¯d been hurting people for no reason all this time. What was stopping them from doing the same to her?

    As she was carrying her third bucket toward the kitchen, lost in those thoughts, a woman crossed her path. Ariya didn¡¯t pay her much attention. They didn¡¯t seem on course to collide.

    Then, the woman suddenly slowed, allowing her foot to linger behind her mid-step. Ariya¡¯s foot caught on the woman¡¯s, and Ariya fell forward, the bucket falling from her hands and spilling its contents onto the ground. She couldn¡¯t catch herself while trying to hold onto the bucket, so she fell straight down, smearing dirt all over her front.

    ¡°Oops,¡± the woman said, grinning, and not at all sounding apologetic. She let out an exaggerated cackle. Ariya assumed it was exaggerated. She felt bad if that was just the lady¡¯s normal laugh. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Ariya stood up, dusted herself off, and grabbed the bucket. She frowned at the woman and went back to the well without a word. The woman, obviously having been looking for a bigger reaction, scowled and continued on her way.

    There was no need to be scared of these people. Those men in the alley had been scary. Biggs the demon had been scary. Captain Kadel had been scary. Lusya had saved Ariya from them all. A bunch of adults in dirty clothes playing tricks like Jak were nothing. They were dangerous, for sure, and she needed to be careful, but they were not scary. They were¡­They were bees. They could sting if you really got careless, but, for the most part, they were just tiny little bugs trying to look tough. As long as you didn¡¯t push them to the point of getting stung, you were fine.

    Boyan passed nearby as Ariya was raising the refilled bucket. He was carrying a sack of some kind. It smelled awful, but Ariya couldn¡¯t tell what was in it.

    ¡°You¡¯re handling yourself well,¡± he said.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, wrinkling her nose. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡±

    ¡°Horse shit,¡± he said, holding it up. She hadn¡¯t needed him to do that. It was gross, damp, lumpy, and smelly. ¡°I¡¯m putting it by the entrance. I don¡¯t take it out, but I¡¯m assuming it just gets tossed.¡±

    She grimaced. ¡°It stinks.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s shit,¡± he said. ¡°Besides, this whole place smells like something died. You get used to it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°The demons are so loud, too,¡± she said.

    ¡°Demons?¡±

    She pointed to them.

    He looked and his eyes widened. ¡°Is that what those are? I¡¯d been thinking they were just some strange breed of beast I¡¯d never seen before. How does a girl like you know that?¡±

    ¡°Lusya told me,¡± Ariya said. ¡°She takes care of me, and she knows about a lot of things. I¡¯ve even seen her fight bigger demons.¡±

    Well, she hadn¡¯t seen most of the fight, but she had been there. And she was sure there had been more after she¡¯d shut her eyes and covered her ears.

    Boyan nodded, then sighed again. ¡°Well, same story. You just learn to tune them out eventually. Thank the gods they go to sleep at night like the rest of us. Some nights, at least.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s lucky. Wait, do they just do that all night sometimes?¡±

    ¡°About half the time.¡± He nodded and looked her over. ¡°I meant what I said before. It might be your first day, but I¡¯ve seen people several times your age do worse. But that¡¯s just going to make it worse, you know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± Ariya said.

    He sighed. ¡°And why¡¯s that? Why are you so calm?¡±

    ¡°I was right before¡± Ariya said. ¡°They¡¯re just bullies. And compared to demons, bullies aren¡¯t scary.¡±

    He let out a joyless chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ve got a point there. Just be careful. They can still cut your head off if you piss them off.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you two, quit slacking off!¡± a bandit Ariya didn¡¯t know shouted. He was standing next to a tent nearby. ¡°If you have time to chat, maybe we need to get you some more work.¡±

    Boyan sighed. He gave Ariya a quick nod and started walking away.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re right,¡± she said before he got too far. ¡°But all I have to do is play along until Lusya shows up. I don¡¯t have to let them win.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Nineteen

    There was dark smoke rising from Littlerun as Lusya and Ander neared with Puvica in tow. Not the wispy kind that might drift out of a chimney, not even that from several homes, but a inky, billowing black cloud undulating in the wind. That same wind carried the sounds of screams and the occasional clash of metal on metal, along with the acrid scent of the burning wood.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Puvica asked. She half-stood in her seat, eyes wide. The rocking of the carriage threatened to knock her forward, where she would surely be trampled, but she seemed oblivious to that. She did brace an arm on the seat to steady herself, but that seemed more a reflex than an intentional preventive measure. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Ander muttered a curse under his breath, his grip tightening on the reins. ¡°They¡¯re here too. Of all the luck.¡±

    ¡°Considering we now know they have a headquarters in the area, it is not such an improbable coincidence,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s here? The bandits?¡± Puvica exclaimed. ¡°How can you be so calm? Oh, Svet, please be okay.¡±

    ¡°I am impressed that this village seems to be fighting back,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That seems to be an increasingly common reaction.¡±

    It was also possible Mirewood had been an outlier, and this was the typical response, but she suspected they would have drawn the attention of the kingdom or the Sacred Knights by now in that case.

    ¡°There could be a lot of reasons for that,¡± Ander said. He pulled back on the reigns and eased the carriage to a halt. ¡°In any case, we should get in there.¡±

    She cocked her head, blinking twice. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®why?¡¯¡± he asked, stopping midway through grabbing a stake to tie the horses to. ¡°To help them, of course.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± Puvica said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you two getting hurt trying to help¡­¡±

    Ander smiled at her. ¡°We can handle it, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I have no interest in this matter,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is a pointless diversion from our goal of retrieving Ariya. If you want to keep this woman safe with us, I will not object. Saving this village is excessive and unnecessary.¡±

    Despite her earlier objection, Puvica gasped. ¡°How can you say such a thing?¡±

    ¡°It is the truth,¡± Lusya replied.

    Puvica flinched and turned her attention to the cloud of smoke. However, she made no effort to move toward the village.

    This was not the same as before, when their only objective had been to keep moving, and the bandits as a whole had been an external obstacle. Eliminating them had seemed the most efficient option at the time. Now, Lusya¡¯s goal was their headquarters and a confrontation with them. Bogging herself down with pointless fights was wasteful. If Gisala had been there, it would have been a different story, but Lusya could not sense her. If that changed, so too would Lusya¡¯s judgment. She did note that there were no demons, minor-rank or otherwise, present either. Perhaps Gisala was the only one among the bandits who could control them.

    Ander scowled and set his jaw. ¡°I¡¯m not just going to leave them when we¡¯re already here.¡±

    ¡°Then this is where we part ways,¡± Lusya said.

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    She jumped down from the bench and moved to retrieve her pack. She could move faster than the carriage anyway, over long distances or otherwise. The convenience of the storage and Ander¡¯s supplies, along with the ability to conserve her energy for the proper confrontation, had offset that. It seemed, however, that that time was at an end.

    ¡°What are you going to tell Ariya?¡± Ander asked. He put aside the stake he was holding and walked closer to confront her. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to explain where I went. Can you do that without revealing you did nothing here?¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I will manage.¡± It was not difficult to omit details, and, while inquisitive, Ariya was not one to dig for additional information when presented with a plausible explanation.

    ¡°Does it not bother you at all, knowing how she would react if she knew?¡± he pressed.

    She paused for a moment. ¡°I would not say it does not bother me at all.¡± There was little chance of Ariya finding out, but the hypothetical situation was an unpleasant one. ¡°But it is tolerable, and she will not know.¡±

    ¡°And what about the enemy¡¯s forces?¡± he went on. ¡°This is a good chance to learn about them and cut them down. We don¡¯t know that Gisala is the only one that strong. Even if she is, you might be in trouble if there¡¯s hundreds of bandits. There¡¯s probably at least a couple dozen here that we can take out of play.¡±

    ¡°That is a random guess at their numbers,¡± she said, ¡°and there is no reason to suspect they have additional fighters on her level. There is no guarantee that this will be worth the distraction.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that it won¡¯t be.¡±

    Ander glared into her eyes for another moment, silent. If he thought she would be cowed by a stern look, he was sorely mistaken. She turned to reach for her pack again, and he sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m going in there no matter what you do,¡± he said. She had expected as much. She did not know where he was going with this. ¡°I might end up captured. What¡¯s Ariya going to say when I show up there and tell her what happened?¡±

    Lusya stopped and turned her gaze on him once more, cocking her head slightly.

    ¡°I might die too,¡± he continued. He hesitated, looking away for a moment. ¡°Maybe you can live with knowing how Ariya would react to a bunch of strangers dying because of you, but what about me?¡± He grimaced. ¡°There¡¯s a reason you haven¡¯t told her about her parents, right? I might not be that close to her, but I think she knows me enough to be upset.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°I would not be responsible for their deaths or yours.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± he asked. ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe you¡¯re obligated to help people. And maybe you¡¯re right. But you¡¯re strong. It would be easy for you to save them. If you can help someone and choose not to, you¡¯re responsible for what happens next. Your choice decided their fate. That¡¯s basically the definition of responsibility, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    She blinked again. She had never thought of the matter from that perspective before. There was a certain logic to it that she could not deny. Obligation and responsibility were intertwined, but they were not the same. The matter of Ariya didn¡¯t sway her. His previous argument would have been more successful on that front. Lusya could handle thinking about Ariya¡¯s hypothetical feelings, however troublesome they would have been if brought to reality.

    Yet the argument as a whole was convincing. She could not explain why it was so. It confused her, even. But she could not deny it.

    ¡°You are quite shrewd at times,¡± Lusya said. His ability to tailor his arguments to his audience while still stating what seemed to be his true opinion was impressive. ¡°It seems rather at odds with your outlook.¡±

    That said, it was obvious it made him uncomfortable, and learning to hide it better would have served his purposes. He could appeal to self-interest when moral pleas failed, but, for whatever reason, it seemed doing so caused him some level of distress.

    Ander blushed and scratched his head. ¡°Yeah, well, I am still a nobleman¡¯s son. I might not be the heir, but you pick up a few things here and there¡­Huh, that rhymes.¡±

    And it was gone. No matter, she did not dislike this side of him either. Although, there were few people she disliked in general. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that this aspect also had its appeals, though she could not quite place what they were.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°I will assist you. We will make this quick, and I will not show or tolerate mercy.¡±

    Ander scowled but nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t say that¡¯s fine, but I can live with it. We don¡¯t need to treat these guys like petty thieves.¡±

    ¡°Are you two really going to fight them?¡± Puvica asked. She had been silent, watching her home burn, but it seemed she had been listening, and had now turned to face them.

    Ander nodded at her with a soft smile. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve got this.¡±

    She gaped at him, her eyes brimming with tears. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°There will be no more discussing the matter,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Secure the horses and we will go.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty

    The food in the Littlerun inn was quite good. Far from the best Lusya had ever had, but good. She would not have had a problem paying a little more than was typical for the quality. Of course, she was not about to object to getting a free meal either, as it had been given as thanks for driving away the bandits.

    Part of Lusya wanted to get back on the road right away. To get Ariya back as soon as possible. But they had already used up time fighting. Getting in a meal and rest afterward was a good idea, and it was already close to when they would have stopped for the night anyway, so they were not losing much additional time.

    Although this free food was ostensibly part of a larger celebration, there was little merriment to speak of. The inn was almost silent. It was not empty. Far from it, in fact. Plenty of townspeople sat around the dining room, filling every seat available, eating and drinking to their hearts¡¯ content. Sweet, alluring scents danced in the air with the clicking and clacking of mugs and utensils. The people spoke in hushed tones, however, when they did at all. There was no shouting, no music, no reveling. That all suited her just fine, but it was not expected of a typical celebration.

    She supposed it was natural they would be solemn. Although Ander and Lusya had driven away the bandits, they had still killed several people, injured plenty more, and burned down more than a few homes. Even many of those still standing were too wrecked to be used. The damage had been less than the cloud of smoke on the way in might have suggested, but the town had not escaped unscathed. It was perhaps not the brightest idea for them to be wasting time and resources on this celebration, but Lusya was not going to stop them, and their insistence had overwhelmed Ander¡¯s resistance.

    Ander himself had gotten out of the fight well enough. He sat across from her, slurping up his stew¡¯s broth without a care in the world. The only wound visible with him fully clothed was a tiny cut on his cheek. He did have a few more scratches and bruises dotting his body, but nothing significant. The bandits had been too weak to do much to him. He probably could have handled things alone. Yet she found that she did not regret helping him.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked suddenly. ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡±

    ¡°I am not,¡± she said. ¡°I happened to be looking in your general direction while thinking.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He took another bite of food. ¡°That¡¯s okay, then. Not that I would mind if you were staring at me.¡± He sighed. ¡°Really, though, you¡¯re way too strong. I almost feel like I should ask you to teach me instead of going to the Academy.¡±

    ¡°I see no reason why those options would be mutually exclusive,¡± she said. ¡°If all goes well, we will be traveling together for several more months. But I doubt me teaching would be very productive.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I do not know how to teach motomancy.¡±

    She did not think herself much of a teacher of anything, for that matter, but Ariya¡¯s Fyemish lessons were going well, and even her Slarvish seemed to be improving through their reading and conversations. Though with only one example, it was difficult to say if Lusya was a better teacher than she had expected or Ariya a better student.

    Ander shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta start somewhere, right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I suppose. Perhaps I will consider it after we have retrieved Ariya.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± he asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I was just joking, but I won¡¯t complain if you really want to. I¡¯ll just have to make sure Ma¡ªmy teacher doesn¡¯t find out.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    She had not picked up that he was joking that time. They were both silent for a moment, returning to their meals.

    ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t tell me who taught you?¡± he asked. He gave a vague gesture toward the door. ¡°I¡¯m really curious where you learned all that.¡±

    ¡°It was my father,¡± she said. ¡°I will offer no more details than that.¡±

    Technically, it had been her father and several of his subordinates. Her actual fighting style, for example, bore more resemblance to that of a female demon named Danfia than to Father¡¯s, though he had taught Lusya the basics of swordsmanship. She had learned motomancy from a combination of mentors, and the same went for many other topics. The only thing he alone had taught her was how to call Miudofay. It was, however, still the truth to say that her father had taught her. She did not begrudge his delegation. He had been a busy man, and she was likely stronger for it. Danfia¡¯s techniques, for instance, likely suited her better than Father¡¯s would have. Lusya had never wanted for his attention or company either.

    ¡°He must be pretty impressive himself,¡± Ander said, looking contemplative.

    Despite the tightness in her chest, Lusya nodded. ¡°He was.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.

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    ¡°There is nothing for you to apologize for,¡± she said.

    He hesitated a moment, poking with his spoon at a chunk of meat floating in his broth. ¡°Is your mother still okay?¡±

    ¡°I do not know,¡± she said. ¡°I have not seen her since I was young. I remember little of her.¡±

    Ander nodded in understanding and scooped the meat he had been playing with into his mouth. Once he had finished that bite, he pursed his lips and they quivered, as if he were struggling to keep some words inside.

    "Your parents,¡± he said slowly, ¡°were they¡­your real parents?¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°As opposed to what?¡±

    ¡°Adoptive,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe something like you and Ariya.¡±

    ¡°Ariya does not consider me her mother,¡± she said. ¡°Nor do I see her as a daughter.¡±

    She had thought of Ariya as ¡°her child,¡± in the past, but that had been to differentiate Ariya from other children not in Lusya¡¯s care. It was not a categorization as family.

    ¡°I can tell,¡± Ander said. ¡°But that¡¯s because she already has a mother. If you had met her a little earlier, or if she had lost her parents earlier, it¡¯s easy to imagine that you might both feel differently, right?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°Not particularly.¡±

    She doubted there were any circumstances under which she might have seen Ariya as a daughter. Lusya could not be as confident the other way around, as she did not know enough about parent-child bonds to know if it would ever have been plausible for Ariya to feel that way. Lusya¡¯s relationship with her father did not seem a good reference, and her mother was a non-entity. Still, it did not seem like a strong possibility.

    ¡°Well, take my word for it that it¡¯s possible,¡± he said.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to explain it,¡± he said. ¡°But I think that at least she might have felt that way.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Then again, I¡¯m not an expert on these things. This is just my hunch.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°So, I was thinking maybe your ¡®parents¡¯ were the same.¡±

    She blinked twice again. ¡°On what basis did you arrive at that assumption?¡±

    He chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure. I just started thinking that somewhere along the way. I take it I¡¯m wrong?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°They are my birth parents.¡±

    ¡°Good to know,¡± he said, with an oddly pensive frown. After a moment, he smiled again. ¡°Sorry for prying again. We kind of got sidetracked. Would you really teach me motomancy?¡±

    ¡°You are the one who changed the subject,¡± she said. ¡°But yes.¡±

    It seemed doubtful that Ander would become an enemy at this point. Even if he did, she could not teach him anything that would make him a threat. Though the point was moot, since that wasn¡¯t going to happen.

    ¡°Great,¡± he said. ¡°I would like to be stronger before we go and fight the bandits, but that would probably slow us down, so it can wait until afterward.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°You are strong enough as it is. So long as you coordinate with me and do not do anything foolish, you will be fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± he said with a small chuckle. ¡°But it is hard not to be dumb sometimes.¡±

    ¡°I had noticed.¡±

    He snickered again. ¡°Speaking of motomancy, are you in the ¡®positive emotions themselves enable it¡¯ camp or the ¡®opposite of Malice¡¯ camp?¡±

    ¡°The former,¡± she said, ¡°it is the simplest explanation, given the lack of evidence for the latter.¡±

    He nodded, frowning. ¡°I can understand that. But the second option just feels like it makes more sense, you know?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not know.¡±

    ¡°Besides, it would be kind of sad if only Malice existed. If only things like fear and anger could have a¡­force.¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Would motomancy itself not be that force?¡±

    Ander was quiet for a moment. ¡°I guess it would. Huh.¡±

    ¡°Although, I do not see why you require something to be emitted to validate your emotions,¡± she said.

    He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not really about validation. It¡¯s¡­hard to explain.¡±

    ¡°Try. I am curious to hear it.¡±

    He hummed in thought as he chewed another bite of food. ¡°Well,¡± he said, his voice muffled before he swallowed, ¡°I guess it would just be kind of sad. Like the things behind Malice carry more weight in the world. That doesn¡¯t mean I value other emotions less, and I think the world would be a dull place without the ones that make Malice, but it¡¯s still not a pleasant thought. That motomancy thing is good though. I might have to think about that some more.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    He smiled at her for some reason and nodded. Then, he clapped his hands together.

    ¡°Well, enough of that,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s time for day three of the make Lusya laugh challenge!¡±

    Days one and two had been abject failures. She did not have high hopes for day three.

    ¡°It seems I cannot dissuade you from this foolishness,¡± she said, ¡°so very well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s way too soon to give up,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve got a good one today. So, a man comes home with a painting. The most lifelike portrait you¡¯ve ever seen, framed in solid gold. It cost a fortune. The portrait is of a woman. The man¡¯s wife sees him coming in with is and immediately goes to confront him.

    ¡°¡®Who is this?¡¯ she demands, furious.

    ¡°The man looks confused. He¡¯s about to explain, but his wife keeps going.

    ¡°¡®How could you have a painting made of another woman?¡¯ she shouts. ¡®And this one, at that. Look at her, she¡¯s hideous. She looks like she has a heart of ice, and she¡¯s so ancient she belongs in a graveyard! Well, don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡¯

    ¡°The man thinks on this for a moment and finally replies, ¡®I¡¯m glad we agree, but you could have told me before your mother¡¯s birthday.¡¯¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°That was not a good one.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t like it?¡±

    ¡°It was not amusing,¡± she said.

    ¡°What didn¡¯t you like about it?¡± he asked.

    She blinked again. That was a surprisingly difficult question. Jokes often did not resonate with her, but what separated this from the one the other day that she had found amusing, if only a little?

    ¡°I did not think the twist of the woman not recognizing her mother was especially clever,¡± she said. ¡°And the rest was far too long for such an ending.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± He sighed. ¡°I guess there¡¯s always day four.¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Do you actually expect to succeed at this?¡±

    ¡°Honestly?¡± he said. ¡°No, not really. But that¡¯s no reason not to try. I¡¯m enjoying it, actually. It¡¯s interesting seeing how you react. But I¡¯ll stop if you really want me too.¡±

    ¡°You may continue,¡± she said. ¡°It is your effort you are wasting, and the time you use is not going to anything productive to begin with.¡± Thus far, he had always waited until the evening meal. He did joke outside of that, but that was in the course of normal conversation, so it also did not take any extra time. ¡°At best, I will be amused, and at worst I will be indifferent to the joke. Though it is also interesting hearing what you think I will find humorous.¡±

    He grinned. ¡°On to day four it is, then. Well, this food isn¡¯t going to eat itself. Let¡¯s finish before it gets cold.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-One

    Ariya was still stuck doing chores every day. There were no days off, and the work lasted through most of the day. Her chores back home had been way less packed together. Some days were harder than others. Aside from carrying water, carrying firewood had been the worst. Carrying stuff was so tiring. Ariya didn¡¯t know how Lusya managed to carry that pack around all the time. Or Ariya herself, for that matter. Water was surprisingly heavy once you got a lot of it together, and it was hard to keep neat bundles of firewood together. She felt like she was constantly on the verge of dropping some. It was all pokey and prickly too.

    Doing laundry, on the other hand, was shaping up to be one of the easiest tasks. It wasn¡¯t fun by any means, but it wasn¡¯t strenuous, and it didn¡¯t require any coordination or planning. All she really had to do was dunk a piece of clothing in a basin, rub it a little, and take it out. Afterward, she put it in another basin in a pile.

    That didn¡¯t seem like the best way to do it. Ariya didn¡¯t know a lot about laundry, but it didn¡¯t seem like the clothes were going to dry in a hurry that way. Mama had always hung them up somewhere. But Ariya didn¡¯t care much. If the bandits wanted soggy pants, she wasn¡¯t going to stop them.

    The worst part was what was on the clothes. There was blood, poop, food so rotten it was molding, and more. It was almost impressive, like they were competing on who could be the dirtiest, and everyone was doing a really good job.

    The demons were still there and still just as noisy as ever. Like Boyan had said, she was starting to tune them out. Their endless howling and thrashing became background noise, like the wind, even at night. That was, until she thought about it. Like just now. Then they were back to being super annoying until she got distracted. The laundry wasn¡¯t going to do it any time soon, though. It didn¡¯t take enough brain power or focus.

    Ariya wasn¡¯t alone on laundry duty. There were several dozen bandits in the base. Maybe reaching into the hundreds, even.  They seemed to be from all over Ysuge, based on all the different names, accents, and sometimes even languages Ariya had heard. She wasn¡¯t sure where Boss had found them all, but there were too many for one person to handle all their dirty clothes. So, Ariya had three partners: one to her left, and two to her right, including Boyan.

    Well, maybe partner wasn¡¯t the right word. They didn¡¯t help each other much. They were just kind of doing the same job next to each other. Ariya did try to talk with them to pass the time, though.

    ¡°What¡¯s your family like?¡± Ariya asked the man to her right, between her and Boyan. He was about the same age as Lusya and Ander. She had asked him if he had any family earlier. Apparently, it was his parents and two sisters, one younger and one older.

    He didn¡¯t stay anything. He didn¡¯t even look at her. The only sign he had heard her was his scowl. Rude. Oh well, they had already been through this once. She knew how to get him to talk.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your family like?¡± she asked. ¡°What does everyone do? Hey, you said you had two sisters, right? What are they up to? Hey. Hey, hey, heeeeeey.¡±

    His scowl deepened with every word, and his teeth even started to grind together. She might have overdone it. She had had to pester him the first time they had spoken too, but she hadn¡¯t realized that was what she had been doing until afterward. Now, it was on purpose, and she felt bad for bugging him. After a couple seconds, though, he sighed, and all that frustration seemed to melt off his face, replaced by somber resignation.

    ¡°What¡¯s it matter?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m never gonna see them again.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Ariya said. ¡°When Lusya saves me, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get out too.¡±

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my friend. She¡¯s kind of like a grumpy big sister.¡± Ariya assumed so, anyway. She didn¡¯t really know what having a sister was like. If she was right, everybody who had one was so lucky. She was sure most weren¡¯t as cool as Lusya, though. ¡°She¡¯s really brave and strong and pretty. See? It¡¯s easy. And I told you about her, so now you have to talk about your family. It¡¯s only fair.¡±

    The man sighed. ¡°Not much to tell. Dad runs a store. Mom helps. Natasa, that¡¯s my older sister, she¡¯s probably going to help the guy she¡¯s sweet on with his farm once they get married. My little sister, Etil, says she wants to go to the city and be an actress in some theater. It¡¯s famous, or so she says.¡± He gave a rueful smile. ¡°Argues with Mom and Dad damn near every day about it.¡±

    Ariya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°A lot of folks, even ones who enjoy a good show, don¡¯t think too highly of actors,¡± he said. ¡°Think they basically lie for a living.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°Telling a story isn¡¯t lying.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m on your side, but some of the more traditional people can¡¯t be convinced. Course, none of them seem to have any problem telling a story themselves or spreading gossip they know¡¯s not true.¡± He actually chuckled a little. ¡°Really doesn¡¯t make much sense, huh?¡±

    Ariya smiled and turned to the woman to her left. She was a lot older than the man. Older than Mama, even, but not super old. Her hair wasn¡¯t turning gray or anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about my family,¡± the woman said before Ariya could say anything.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay. What do you want to talk about?¡±

    The woman grunted and didn¡¯t give an answer.

    Ariya looked around the camp. ¡°It¡¯s a nice day, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a lot in the camp to use for inspiration. Not much that would make for good conversation, anyway.

    ¡°Just peachy,¡± the woman said. ¡°Being a slave to these bastards until they find an auction or a market to sell me at. Prime of my life right here.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t come to that.¡±

    The woman scoffed. Ariya tried to draw her into the conversation a few more times, but the woman wouldn¡¯t engage. The man had clammed up too, so Ariya went on to Boyan.

    ¡°Hey, Boyan,¡± she said, ¡°what¡¯s your family like?¡±

    She liked Boyan. He was the nicest one here so far. He was still the only one whose name she knew too. Even the younger man had refused to give his. Most people didn¡¯t talk much at all. When they did, they ignored her asking for their names, even when she was polite and remembered to give hers before asking. She wasn¡¯t sure why.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s not much to tell when you get to my age,¡± he said. ¡°I run the general store in my town with my wife. They didn¡¯t get her, thank all ten-thousand gods. We have a daughter, Burta. Must¡¯ve filled her head with too many stories when she was growing up, ¡®cause it seems like she left town as soon as she could walk. Went to join the Sacred Knights. She writes a lot, but I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s up to right now.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool!¡± she said.

    He smiled. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? Yasna and I could stand to see her take a break and give us some grandchildren, though.¡±

    Ariya didn¡¯t really get it, so she just smiled back and decided to change the subject. ¡°What¡¯s your town like? Is it exciting? Is there anything cool there?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a tiny town you¡¯d find anywhere,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Boring as sin and nothing interesting for miles. Just the way I like it. Well, it was, anyway.¡± He grimaced and looked around. ¡°We should be quiet now. Talk too much and they¡¯ll think we¡¯re slacking.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not hard to rub clothes and talk at the same time,¡± she said as she put a shirt in the drying bucket.

    He nodded. ¡°I know. But this lot isn¡¯t always reasonable about things like that.¡±

    That was true. It didn¡¯t seem like they were reasonable about much at all. So, Ariya took his advice and stopped talking. Leaving the quiet splashing and scrubbing the only sounds, other than ambient ones from the rest of the camp. Talking had helped her tune out the demons too. And now the noise was back again. She started imagining a funny scene from the last book she and Lusya had read to try to distract herself again. It was a shame Lusya didn¡¯t really get funny stuff.

    The gate opened a few minutes later. It was impossible to miss. The hinges screeched like a horrible monster every time. They didn¡¯t look like they were rusted or anything, so Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong with them. Considering how shabby most of the camp looked, maybe someone had just messed up making them.

    A column of people walked in, headed and tailed by a bandit. The rest were prisoners, each carrying a pot. A chamberpot, specifically. One of the jobs was to take those out and dump them in the woods. Ariya had overheard some of the bandits talking about building a canal that would carry the stuff out to a nearby river, but, apparently, they hadn¡¯t even started that yet. In the meantime, nobody wanted a bunch of pee and poop stinking up the camp more than it already stank.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I ever get that job?¡± she asked.

    There were other jobs she was never assigned, but the ones doing those didn¡¯t seem to be prisoners at all. Sharpening weapons was one, cooking another, and chopping firewood yet one more. She assumed they didn¡¯t want prisoners having weapons. She couldn¡¯t imagine stabbing someone even if they gave her one, but that didn¡¯t mean the others felt the same way.

    ¡°That¡¯s only for the ones who¡¯ve been here a while,¡± Boyan said, keeping his voice low. ¡°The ones they¡¯re pretty confident they¡¯ve broken.¡±

    ¡°Broken?¡± she asked.

    He nodded. ¡°Those guys can run like a horse. There¡¯s no way you can escape if they chase. But if everyone in that group tried to run, at least a couple could get away. They could go to a city or a stronghold, and make sure somebody knows how bad things are.¡±

    That made sense. The group was eight people, not counting the bandits. If they scattered in different directions, it would be hard to get all of them, no matter how fast the two bandits were.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t they just send more bandits out?¡± she asked. There were more than enough, and most of them weren¡¯t doing much.

    ¡°Partly because they¡¯re lazy,¡± he replied. ¡°But also, even if they did, and even if they all decided who was going to chase who before they went out, eight people going every which way in the woods are going to be tricky to catch. It only takes one getting away to be a danger.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Okay, I get it now.¡±

    ¡°Of course, they might also just die in the woods alone, but the brutes don¡¯t want to take that chance,¡± he said. ¡°So, they only take ones who are so convinced they¡¯re stuck here, they won¡¯t try to run no matter how good a chance they get.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s sad.¡±

    ¡°It sure is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just the old man¡¯s guess from watching them,¡± the younger man said. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking the same thing, but it¡¯s not like any of the thugs sat down and explained it to us. Although, even if it¡¯s true, I assume they¡¯re still watched pretty carefully out there. Considering what happens when one of them tries to get clever once in a while. Oh, we might see it now.¡±

    Ariya refocused on the group. The rearmost prisoner kept glancing behind himself every so often. It was subtle at first, but, as the gate started to close, he turned his head and slowed down. He started to pivot on his feet, to turn and run. Ariya saw what he was doing. If he slipped out of the gate fast enough, they would have to open it again before they could chase him, and the gate took a while to close or open. Ariya didn¡¯t know if there were guards or lookouts outside, aside from the ones in charge of the gate, but he at least had a chance. If he could make it outside.

    Before he could even finish turning, the rear guard kicked him in the ribs, and the prisoner cried out in pain. The kick threw him to the ground, where he dropped the pot and tumbled several feet, clutching at his side in pain.

    ¡°Trying to get smart, huh?¡± the bandit asked, closing in on him. He didn¡¯t have to worry about anyone else trying while he was distracted. They were watching in shock, giving the gate plenty of time to close too far for anyone to fit through. ¡°You really think you were the first guy to try that?¡±

    The man didn¡¯t reply. He just writhed and looked up with his teeth clenched.

    ¡°All right, get up,¡± the bandit said. When the man didn¡¯t immediately respond to the command, the bandit drew his sword and pointed it down at the man¡¯s throat. ¡°I said, get up. If you¡¯re really hurt so bad you can¡¯t from that love tap, then I guess this is it. A slave who can¡¯t work is just wasting space and food.¡±

    Ariya dropped the shirt she was washing and sprang to her feet. Then she froze. She wasn¡¯t sure what she had been planning in the first place. Stop this¡­how? And then what? She wasn¡¯t Lusya. She couldn¡¯t beat up this guy, let alone all the other bandits. She would have been out of her by now if she could have done that.

    ¡°Get down, fool girl,¡± the woman to her left hissed.

    Step one was a success, at least, even if Ariya hadn¡¯t really done anything. The bandit noticed her standing and snarled. He sheathed his sword and marched over to her.

    ¡°What are you doing, girl?¡± he asked, looming over her.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want you to hurt him.¡±

    ¡°How considerate of you,¡± he said. ¡°But you should worry about yourself.¡±

    Ariya didn¡¯t say anything. She wasn¡¯t sure what to say. The man clicked his tongue, then kicked the drying bucket. It flipped over, spilling all the clean clothes onto the dirt, and he laughed.

    The bandits avoided hitting her. A couple had yanked her by the collar like Flaven that one time, but that was it. And she could handle that. Captain Kadel¡¯s vines squeezing her had hurt more.

    Other than that, they kept to other ways of being mean. They taunted her, tripped her, gave her extra work. Stuff that wouldn¡¯t really hurt. It was more annoying than harmful. She wasn¡¯t sure why. She remembered Boss saying to be careful with her. Maybe the others weren¡¯t sure how much they could get away with hurting Ariya and played it safe.

    She knew him kicking the basin was him trying to hurt her anyway, by making her work take longer. Even then, she couldn¡¯t help but giggle.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± the man growled.

    ¡°You¡¯re stupid,¡± she said without thinking.

    The man¡¯s nostrils flared as he bared his teeth, his face turning bright red. ¡°What was that?¡±

    She knew she shouldn¡¯t have said it, but it was too late now. She might as well explain. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t be so mad if he understood. She pointed to the previously clean clothes scattered on the ground, gathering dirt and stains. ¡°Those are your clothes.¡± She didn¡¯t know if they were his specifically, but the point stood. ¡°Now you just have to wait longer for them to be clean.¡±

    He ground his teeth, then his lips spread into a toothy grin.

    ¡°Think you¡¯re invincible because the boss wants you as a hostage, huh?¡± he said. He looked to either side of Ariya. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. But what about these three, huh?¡±

    Ariya sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡±

    ¡°Really, now? Watch¡ª¡±

    ¡°Really,¡± Boss said. Ariya hadn¡¯t noticed her walking up, but she was right behind the other bandit, just to the side enough so Ariya could see her, now that she was looking.

    Boss¡¯s posture was casual, with one hand on her hip and the other hanging loosely at her side, but her face was anything but. The little frown and furrowed brow didn¡¯t look angry, more like frustrated, but definitely not happy. She had stopped wearing her bandages. Now Ariya, and everyone else, could see exactly where her ear had been severed and the tiny, gross flap of skin that remained.

    The bandit whirled. ¡°B-Boss!¡±

    ¡°Were you really about to punish faultless prisoners because of a toddler¡¯s insults?¡± Boss asked. ¡°Were you actually going to damage perfectly good merchandise over something so idiotic?¡±

    Ariya wasn¡¯t a toddler, but she sensed now wasn¡¯t the best time to bring that up.

    ¡°N-n-no! Of course not, Boss,¡± the bandit said, taking a step backward.

    Boss raised an eyebrow. Then, she was a blur of motion, like when Lusya moved fast. When Boss resolved into a figure again, she had her fist driven into the bandit¡¯s stomach. Despite wearing leather armor, he staggered back, coughing, then collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± Boss said. ¡°I tolerate that from my best. You are barely better than the prisoners. For that matter, the girl is right. I don¡¯t know how many times I have said this already, and you had better not be the one to make me say it again: find a way to punish them without punishing us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss,¡± the man croaked.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad we understand each other.¡± She turned away from him and approached Ariya. ¡°All that said¡­¡±

    Boss¡¯s hand lashed out, and Ariya¡¯s cheek stung as her head swung to the side. She shouted in pain as her face heated and tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop working just because another prisoner is in trouble,¡± Boss said. ¡°I need you alive to bargain with the other one, but that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t need you with all your fingers or both your legs. Don¡¯t get cocky. Get back to work.¡±

    She stared expectantly at Ariya. Reluctantly, Ariya knelt and got back to washing. That really stung. More than she had thought it would. Remembering things that had hurt way more like Kadel and that rock that had hit her back with the demon Biggs helped, but the slap still hurt. But it was okay. She just had to bear it until Lusya showed up. Then it would all be okay.

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Two

    ¡°I think we should stop here for the night,¡± Ander said, slowing the carriage to a halt by the side of the road.

    The location seemed rather arbitrary. There was nothing noteworthy about the random spot in the open field. The timing made sense, however. The last of the sun¡¯s rays peeking over the horizon still provided enough light to see, but it would be a matter of minutes before black night dominated the sky. Lusya would have been fine continuing to travel. In some ways, she would have preferred it. But pacing oneself was an important part of any endeavor, and neither Ander nor the horses had the same stamina as her. Besides, it was not as if she always had a meticulous plan for where she camped. Many of her stops in town were planned, but camp locations did tend to be the first convenient spot she came across once it started getting dark.

    ¡°That is fine,¡± she said.

    It took a few minutes to set up camp and get a fire going. They were not in the forest, and there was only one tree in sight, but Ander carried firewood. Convenient. Lusya only had room for so much in her pack, so she had never been able to do so. Were it not for her agreement with Ariya to improve their food, they would have gone without a fire most nights.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook tonight,¡± Ander said once everything was set up. ¡°Unless you want to, that is.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I have no strong feelings on the matter.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that. I take it you don¡¯t have any requests, then?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± she said. ¡°Make what you wish. I am not selective.¡±

    ¡°I figured that too.¡±

    He got to work on the meal. Even if she had been a picky eater, there were not many options on the road. There were only so many preserved and nonperishable foods fit for cooking with, and only so many dishes one could make with them. Even in the tome of recipes Lusya carried, many were quite similar to each other. Ander¡¯s carriage allowing him to carry a larger variety of ingredients had bolstered the variety of dishes available, but even then, most of the new ones were effectively minor expansions on old ones. The biggest additions were stews and soups, one of which he seemed to be making at the moment. Lusya could only carry so much water, so using any to make a broth had seemed wasteful. Between the two of them, however, they could spare some for the night¡¯s meal.

    Though Lusya had had no objections to doing everything that needed doing with Ariya, it was nice to have someone else taking some responsibility. Lusya was less affected by boredom than most mortals or demons, but she did enjoy being able to use the time Ander was cooking for some additional reading.

    ¡°You know, for someone who¡¯s not picky, you cook pretty well,¡± he said as he fussed over the sizzling pot before him. ¡°I would have thought you wouldn¡¯t have bothered to learn.¡±

    ¡°I used to eat the ingredients alone,¡± she said. ¡°Ariya complained.¡±

    Ander chuckled. ¡°What you mean you¡¯d just take a handful of meat and whatever else and eat it like that?¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± she said.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°It was sufficient and efficient,¡± she said.

    He fixed her with a scowl. ¡°There¡¯s more to food than that. It¡¯s not just about being happy in the moment. A good, warm meal can really lift your spirits, you know. And, on the other hand, bad food can ruin your mood like nothing else.¡±

    ¡°I have not noticed any particular changes since shifting,¡± she said.

    He sighed and offered no further response.

    They continued in silence as he finished the meal. Once he was done, he portioned out two bowls and handed her one. It was decent enough. The dish was in line with what she made, albeit floating in a light broth. He also had added a few seasonings he carried with him. They did add a bit of nuance to the salt of the ingredients, and eating a soup was quite different from a simple heap of food.

    ¡°I am curious,¡± she said as she ate, ¡°how powerful is your father?¡±

    His father was a nobleman. But aside from that and not being well-known outside his country, Lusya knew little about the man. She knew little about Ander, for that matter, and this seemed a decent avenue through which to learn more, which seemed wise if they were going to travel together for the foreseeable future.

    Ander frowned, stirring around his food as he thought. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to answer that, honestly. He owns a decent chunk of land, and he¡¯s technically not a direct vassal to anyone but the king. But compared to the real big shots, it¡¯s not that much land, and he doesn¡¯t have the ear of the king the same way they do.¡±

    ¡°I see. Is there anything of value on this land?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a good supply of iron,¡± he said. ¡°It helps keep the coffers full. There¡¯re a couple farmers who make the best cheese you¡¯ve ever tasted, too, but they don¡¯t produce enough for us to see much from that.¡±

    It did sound a bit difficult to categorize Ander¡¯s father. He seemed to be well-off and powerful, but not influential outside his own lands. In some ways, that may have been a convenient position, with no superiors save the king to worry about answering to, but it also seemed a precarious one.

    ¡°And is your father satisfied with that position?¡± she asked.

    Ander wriggled his hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°Our family¡¯s been in pretty much the same place for generations, and I don¡¯t think he really has a problem with it, personally. But during the war, some of the more powerful nobility took the opportunity to try to take our lands or make Father their subordinate, under the pretense of promoting strength and unity.

    ¡°They failed, but, because of that, I think he feels like he needs to be more proactive in improving our position. He¡¯s been working a lot on making ties with similar families, and one of my sisters is engaged to the heir of one of the most powerful houses in the country. One was even in the running to be betrothed to the crown prince at one point.¡±

    Lusya had heard of similar events. Mortal political machinations did not stop just because the world was about to end. Father himself had exploited that, winning the support of certain mortals¡ªsome covertly, others in the open¡ªin order to bolster his forces. Most had been swayed with false promises of being spared or granted power. A few had been more than happy to join in laying the world to waste, with no pretense needed.

    It sounded like Ander¡¯s father was handling the situation well, though it was difficult to say with certainty. Politics were not her strong suit, nor had Father ever involved her in them to any large degree.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°It sounds as though you have many siblings,¡± she said. Being the third son and mentioning two sisters meant he had at least four, though nobles often had many children.

    He nodded. ¡°Two older brothers, one younger¡­¡± He counted on his fingers as he spoke. ¡°¡­two younger sisters, and one older.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the nature of things. Gotta have a few backups in case something happens to the heir, plus more kids to marry off and forge connections with other families. Even before my father, it¡¯s not like my family wasn¡¯t playing the game at all.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    His eyes suddenly widened. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mean to say my parents just think of us as tools or anything.¡± That had rather been the implication, not that Lusya cared either way. ¡°Some people do that with their kids, but I think getting me a mentor like they did and supporting me joining the Sacred Knights is a pretty good indicator they care about us outside of that.¡± That seemed true enough. ¡°But that¡¯s also not to say those concerns didn¡¯t play a role at all.¡±

    ¡°You have mentioned your mentor several times,¡± she said. ¡°But you have never elaborated on his identity.¡±

    Ander laughed and scratched his head. ¡°That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it? I guess it¡¯s only fair I tell you a little now, since you shared a little about yours.¡± He hummed in thought. ¡°He¡¯s a former Sacred Knight himself, but you probably could have guessed that. I think he got pretty far up back in the day, but I¡¯m not sure what his exact rank was.¡±

    ¡°What is his name?¡± she asked.

    Ander smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Not that I need to hide it, but you can¡¯t go prying when you¡¯re not willing to answer the same questions.¡±

    That was¡­fair. And she certainly was not willing to tell him. Father¡¯s name, Romoro, was not well-known, but she was not going to take the chance that Ander had heard it.

    ¡°I suppose that is the end of that conversation then,¡± she said.

    There was another brief silence before he spoke again.

    ¡°Have you been enjoying Dancing Tigers?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°It has been quite interesting.¡±

    Though there was plenty of action, as Ander had promised, there was also a good amount of political intrigue, and the narrative took pains to explore each major character in depth.

    ¡°Who¡¯s your favorite character?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I do not usually think of things in such terms.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Well, try now.¡±

    She blinked and took a moment to mull over the question.

    ¡°Makwell is interesting,¡± she said at last.

    Ander frowned. ¡°I guess. I didn¡¯t like what a hypocrite he was.¡±

    ¡°That is what makes him interesting,¡± she said.

    ¡°I can see that.¡±

    ¡°I do not understand the title,¡± she said. ¡°There are no tigers, nor any motifs I would identify with them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t get it either,¡± he said. ¡°Then again, I don¡¯t know that much about tigers.¡± She was no expert either, so it was possible they were both missing something. He pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised you like reading. You struck me as the type who would think reading fiction was a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°It is enjoyable, and I primarily do it during time I would not have spent on anything productive anyway,¡± she said. ¡°However, I would not agree with such an assertion even if that were not the case. Fiction provides an¡­interesting look into people¡¯s hearts.¡±

    A story was a peek into a world that worked only as the writer thought it would or should. It was not the only reason Lusya enjoyed them, but it was an unusually thorough look into the often enigmatic and fascinating minds of mortals.

    ¡°When taken as a group, they can be especially enlightening,¡± she continued.

    ¡°Right?¡± Ander said, grinning. ¡°Nothing tells you what¡¯s important to people like what keeps popping up in their stories. Well, sometimes writers specifically avoid including what¡¯s important to them, but that¡¯s interesting in its own way.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    He gasped and smiled, even wider than before. ¡°Did I just get an eye-widen?¡±

    She cocked her head, blinking twice. ¡°What is an ¡®eye-widen?¡¯¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­when your eyes open a little wider,¡± he said.

    She blinked again. ¡°And you believe there is some noteworthy significance to this?¡±

    He frowned. ¡°Do you not realize you¡¯re doing this stuff?¡±

    ¡°What are you referring to?¡±

    He cocked his head to the side, blinked twice, and gestured at his head. ¡°All this.¡±

    ¡°There is no way I could not notice my head tilting that far or my eyes closing,¡± she said. ¡°I have simply never paid it any particular mind.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. So, you don¡¯t know what it means?¡±

    ¡°I am aware I do that when my curiosity gets the better of me, among other, similar situations,¡± she said. ¡°If I have other, similar such expressions, I have not taken note of them.¡±

    Ander let out a contemplative hum and took another bite of his food. ¡°Ariya says an eye-widen means you¡¯re happy. Like a smile.¡±

    ¡°She has been keeping track?¡± That explained Ariya¡¯s apparent ability to interpret some of Lusya¡¯s thoughts and intentions.

    ¡°I guess,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°I have too, for the record. We kind of have to, if we want to have any idea what you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s not like you smile or frown.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I cannot confirm or deny whether that conclusion is correct. I rarely take note of how wide my eyes are open.¡±

    ¡°Well, it is pretty hard to see,¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°I would actually believe you don¡¯t know you¡¯re doing that one.¡±

    ¡°I will attempt to be more observant in the future.¡±

    She had rarely spent much time in close contact with others. Even during her time with Father, she had kept her distance from most demons. As such, demons and mortals alike had trouble reading her through her stoic demeanor. That was useful at times, and it was good to know that sustained contact could erode the mystery for them. Father and a few others, like Rahgrahb and her other teachers, had seemed better at guessing at her inner thoughts. Perhaps that was why. It was a potential inconvenience, but there may have been some situations where it could be a boon as well. None of the others¡ªAriya included¡ªhad ever mentioned it, but, like Ander, they may have assumed Lusya knew.

    She did not know why she would have been ¡°smiling.¡± Much like splitting tasks, being able to have a proper conversation with someone was not an unpleasant change of pace. She never longed for company, but she did not shun it either. Still, she had not been enjoying it that much.

    ¡°Anyway, how¡¯s my cooking?¡± he asked.

    She took another bite. ¡°It is quite good. The extra flavoring is appreciated.¡±

    He gave a smug smirk.

    ¡°Your reaction seems disproportionate to my comment,¡± she said.

    He shrugged. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be happy that a pretty girl gave him a compliment?¡±

    ¡°My attractiveness makes the compliment more impactful?¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t believe in false modesty, I see. And yes, it does.¡±

    ¡°That is good to know.¡±

    She had known it could influence people¡¯s reactions in useful ways, but this particular interaction was new to her.

    ¡°Oh, I meant to ask earlier,¡± he said, ¡°but do you have any siblings?¡±

    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± she replied. All things considered, it would have been no great surprise to learn of half-siblings through either of her parents. ¡°What is having siblings like?¡±

    He scratched his head and hummed in thought. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to explain it to an only child¡­It¡¯s kind of like having friends, I guess? Except they live with you, and you don¡¯t necessarily like them. Not that I hate any of mine, but we definitely wouldn¡¯t all be friends if we weren¡¯t family.¡±

    ¡°I have little knowledge of what having friends is like either,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, frowning. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you know the definition¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°¡­and I¡¯m really not sure how to explain it beyond that.¡± He paused for several seconds, muttered something to himself, then smiled. ¡°But, hey, we¡¯re friends.¡±

    ¡°So you have said,¡± she replied.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll say it again,¡± he said. He blushed. ¡°Do you not actually agree? Were you just being polite in front of Puvica? That would be unusual for you.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I do not have any strong feelings on the matter, but the term is an adequate fit.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take that as a win,¡± he said.

    ¡°Do as you wish.¡±

    She finished her food and put the bowl aside.

    ¡°You may get to sleep when you are finished,¡± she said.

    Ander clicked his tongue repeatedly, shaking his head. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. You kept first watch yesterday. You shouldn¡¯t skimp on sleep like that. Maybe that¡¯s needed when it¡¯s just you and Ariya, but I can handle carrying my weight. I¡¯ll stand guard for a few hours, then we can switch.¡±

    ¡°I am more capable than most of functioning with little sleep,¡± she said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t get it when you can.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I suppose that is true.¡± Once again, she found herself thinking that she could get used to having a companion who was capable of contributing. She stood, but paused before heading to the tent. ¡°Were you not going to tell a joke tonight?¡±

    He grinned, almost victorious. ¡°Are you starting to look forward to it?¡±

    ¡°That is not what I said,¡± she replied. ¡°It has become customary, so I was expecting it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss a day,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m getting close to cracking you, I can feel it.¡±

    ¡°You are mistaken,¡± she said.

    He gestured to the ground. ¡°Sit down, I¡¯ll think of one real quick.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Three

    Lusya had taken to reading as she rode in the carriage. Doing so while walking was inconvenient, but this was much easier. The occasional bump did interfere with the process, but it was manageable. His carriage was another reason she was growing to appreciate having Ander around. She had had no objections to her previous travel conditions, and she would have had no issues returning to them, but this was preferable.

    She was probably going to have to read this book again. Ariya would be upset if she missed it. But that was fine. Lusya did not reread books often, but she doubted it would be a problem.

    If there was a concern, it was that she was going to go through books faster this way. That meant buying replacements more often. With the money Ander had given her, that would not have been a monetary problem even without him, but it could take her out of her way. If she declined to do so, she suspected Ariya would complain of boredom if they ran out of reading material. A small diversion, perhaps, but still worse than none, and it might add up over time.

    Her eyes scanned the page, drinking in each word, as they had as of late. As she turned onto a new chapter, however, they were torn away as something entered her detection radius, and her head snapped up to look in the direction of it. It wasn¡¯t visible yet, so that served no purpose, but it was a habit, and that she saw no reason to curb as it was sometimes useful and never harmful. Besides, she was already capable of reigning it in, and it didn¡¯t happen with every Malice signature anyway. This was not just any signature.

    It was not Gisala, nor was it any of her subordinates. It was not a Sacred Knight. It was not a mortal. If she could sense it, it could almost certainly sense her. She could not see it, but she could see some of its handiwork. Horse carcasses and shattered, broken wagons littered the ground in the distance.

    ¡°We must redirect our course,¡± she said. ¡°It is dangerous here.¡±

    If they had been closer, he might have sensed it too. Though many failed to detect her true nature, many skilled motomancy users had something akin to a weaker version of her senses. However, she doubted a mere trainee, even an above-average one, could sense it from this distance.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± he asked, following her gaze. He sucked in a breath when he saw the destruction. ¡°What¡¯s over there? Is it them again?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Go to the left, now. It may delay us, but we must go around this area.¡±

    ¡°But if there¡¯s trouble, we need to¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is too late,¡± she said. ¡°We must go.¡±

    There was a single mortal still alive nearby. She doubted that would last, regardless of their actions. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have avoided making the extent of her senses so obvious, but right now, getting away was more important. The demon was not so powerful that she could not have defeated it, but it was more than strong enough to be a threat. She did want to take the time or risk of fighting it, especially with someone she would need to protect in tow.

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°I retract that,¡± she said. ¡°It is moving toward us. Fleeing would only provoke it. A head-on confrontation is now our best option.¡±

    She placed her book in the back, stood, and leaped off the carriage. She started walking toward the demon as she landed. Behind her, the horses screeched in protest as Ander yanked on the reigns to get them to stop. Moments later, he ran up beside her.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he demanded. ¡°What is going on?¡±

    She glanced at him. ¡°You may accompany me, but do not interfere. This opponent is far out of your league.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you fight alone,¡± he said.

    ¡°You will be a hindrance if you do not,¡± she said. ¡°At best, you will only get yourself, and possibly me, hurt.¡±

    He clenched his teeth, and seemed about to protest again, but gave a stiff nod in the end. ¡°I understand.¡±

    Good. The sole reason she didn¡¯t tell him to stay with the carriage was because the demon might have chosen to kill him before confronting her. She could not guarantee it would not succeed if he was not close at hand.

    They walked toward the demon as it moved toward them. Its pace was not hurried, and, out of caution, neither was theirs. Still, it was only a matter of minutes before it was nearing them. They had moved into the area of the destroyed wagons by then, with several more surrounding them, along with no shortage of fresh corpses. Most were too mangled to tell much, but, judging from the few intact ones, they weren¡¯t more than a day old. Despite the dearth of life, the air was thick with the Malice these morals had no doubt released in their final moments.

    He was dressed in ragged, dirty clothing. The legs of his pants had been torn off halfway down the calf, and a rip stretched down the front of the sleeveless tunic that served as his shirt from his collar to his navel. Like many high-rank demons, he resembled a reltus for the most part, with black hair and golden eyes. Getting closer, however, revealed his pupils were slit-shaped, like a cat¡¯s, and his grin revealed pronounced fangs for incisors.

    The demon dragged the sole surviving mortal behind him, gripping him by the head. Said mortal was a portly, well-dressed man. Lusya guessed the destroyed wagons had been part of some trade caravan this man had been a part of.

    Overflowing with Malice, the human whimpered and sobbed, tears streaming down his face. He made no effort to escape, not that he could have accomplished much if he did. One arm was bent and twisted. By the looks of it, the demon had broken every joint and bone, from the fingers to the shoulder, individually. Both his legs had seen a similar treatment. The human looked up and weakly reached his good hand out. Two fingers were bent backward and swollen. It seemed Lusya and Ander had interrupted his torture.

    ¡°H-help me!¡± he shouted.

    Ander started to step forward. ¡°We¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Lusya put out a hand and gently pushed him back by his chest. ¡°Do not.¡±

    Ander glared at her but heeded the command. She didn¡¯t care about the human, and, with no good way to save the human without giving the demon an opening, the situation was beyond placating Ander. Even if Ariya had been here, Lusya would not have had much choice but to leave the human to his fate.

    The demon gave a theatrical sigh and hauled the human to his feet. The demon was about a head taller, though the human was not exceptionally tall himself.

    ¡°Too bad you¡¯re here,¡± he said. His tone, posture, and the way he moved all seemed casual, but there weren¡¯t any actual openings to attack. He was ready to strike if Ander took the bait. ¡°I could¡¯ve killed both these humans in one swoop if you didn¡¯t have to go and be sensible. Well, I guess I¡¯m done with this guy, then.¡±

    The human trembled. ¡°N-no, wait, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah, shut up.¡± The demon snapped the human¡¯s neck and tossed the corpse aside unceremoniously. ¡°What an annoying guy, right?¡± He looked and Ander and grinned. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. We were all thinking it.¡±

    It was a better death than the human had likely been on his way to before, but Lusya doubted that was much comfort to Ander.

    ¡°You bastard,¡± he spat.

    The demon chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re making me blush over here.¡±

    ¡°What is a high-rank demon doing here?¡± she asked. She was not interested in taunts or banter.

    Most should have been lying low now. Of course, there were always exceptions, but of all the luck for one to be here. Then again, maybe it wasn¡¯t luck.

    ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± he said. ¡°What are you doing hanging out with a human?¡±

    She was sure he could tell she was a demon, though whether or not he knew she was half-human was not clear. Demons, as was perhaps to be expected, were the inverse of mortal motomancers in that regard. They had no issues discerning her demonic nature, but most were not able to detect her mortal half. At most, they could tell that something was ¡°off¡± or strange about her, but not what.

    Even if he knew she was a half-demon, there was no way to know if he knew who she was. Of the demons serving under her father, most had known of her but never met her. And there were plenty who had never formally bowed to him¡ªthough they had been happy to use the chaos of the war as an opportunity to wreak havoc¡ªwho may have never known of her existence. Those who had encountered Father had, as far as she knew, bowed or died, but Ysuge was a big place, and there had been many more demons at the time. Some had simply slipped through the cracks. She may have been the Demon King¡¯s daughter and the only known half-demon in centuries, but that didn¡¯t mean all knew her.

    Which group this demon was in, she could not say. She did not recall having ever seen him before, but she had never known every rank-and-file member of Father¡¯s forces. It was also, of course, possible she had met him and deemed him not worth remembering.

    ¡°That is none of your concern,¡± she said.

    ¡°Then why is my business yours?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You have made it my concern,¡± she replied.

    He let out a round of uproarious laughter. ¡°I guess I did, didn¡¯t I? I kind of called you out. I guess I¡¯ll tell you then. Truth be told, I tried the whole ¡®lay low and wait for the next Demon King¡¯ shtick at first. But then I heard about all the fun the bandits and their little minor-ranks were having out here, and I just couldn¡¯t resist joining in.¡±

    She hated this type of high-rank. At least low-rank demons had the excuse that they could never be anything but foolish and violent. High-ranks were inclined toward such behavior, perhaps even inexorably drawn to it, but they had the capacity to control when and how they expressed it. Many exercised that capacity. Those like this one did not.

    She did not care if he wanted to kill and destroy. She did not care if cruelty brought him pleasure, though she could not understand either impulse. When his refusal or inability to do so in an intelligent manner inconvenienced her, however, it became a problem. Even during the war, Father had had to deal with these types ruining well-laid plans to satisfy their lust for blood. Maybe if it hadn¡¯t been for them...

    They would have lost anyway. She knew that. Clinging to this irrational blame was uncharacteristic of her. And yet she had carried it all these months. She was not ready to put it down just yet, and this one was making a strong case that that was the right call.

    ¡°I suggest you leave at once,¡± she said. Grudge or no grudge, a peaceful resolution to this was preferable. ¡°Go back to hiding. Do that and I will allow you to live.¡±

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously let him go!¡± Ander exclaimed. He waved an arm around him. ¡°Look at what he did!¡±

    The demon chuckled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, kid. I¡¯m not going anywhere anyway.¡± He smirked at her. ¡°Are you scared or something?¡±

    ¡°I am not frightened,¡± she said. ¡°I merely do not want to waste time on the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so even you can make things personal sometimes?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s not at all what I heard, ice queen.¡±

    So, he knew of her. It made little difference, so long as he did not say too much.

    ¡°Well, whatever, I don¡¯t really care,¡± he said. ¡°The fact is, I came out here to enjoy myself. So, there¡¯s only one way I¡¯m getting out of your hair, and don¡¯t expect me to go easy on you, princess.¡± His smile grew, his eyes narrowing, his expression shifting from smug to predatory. ¡°But first, I think I¡¯ll make sure that weakling doesn¡¯t ruin the fun.¡±

    He charged forward, aiming for Ander. Whether the demon thought the attack had any chance of success, or he was simply trying to provoke her, it was going to fail.

    She put herself between them, batted aside the punch the demon threw at her, and kicked at his stomach. He managed to guard in time, but the force of the blow sent him sliding backward. Lusya didn¡¯t have the luxury of checking on Ander, but she knew nothing had struck him. She also knew he was just as out of his league as she had thought. Her senses suggested he was standing in the same spot. He hadn¡¯t even been able to react to being attacked. As she had suspected, this was all up to her. Some things, it seemed, had not changed with his presence. She leaped forward, throwing another kick at the demon¡¯s head. He blocked that as well and tried to counter with a punch, but she air jumped away.

    Seeing that as an opening, he went on the offensive, pursuing her and throwing countless blows at her. She dodged or blocked them all. When she saw her chance, she threw a punch into his stomach to stun him, then kicked him in the jaw, using a shockwave to blow him away.

    He tumbled away through the air. She gave chase, aiming to intercept where he would fall, but he righted himself and redirected with an air jump. He smiled as he landed and ran at her. He threw a punch that she easily blocked, but then he grabbed her guard, slammed his head against hers, and threw her away, through the remains of a covered wagon.

    As she tumbled along the ground, he pursued her. He closed in, and she threw herself off the ground and kicked him in the chest in one motion, launching him away and allowing her to get to her feet and run after him.

    She caught up as he landed and kicked his legs out from under him as he tried to stand. Before she could follow up further, he rolled away and leaped to his feet. She punched at him, but he blocked and followed up with a blow that caught her in the stomach, throwing her backward.

    He hefted a nearby wagon and threw it at her. She dodged easily, but he was waiting where she moved. As expected. His eyes widened in shock as she jumped over his punch and kicked him square in the face. He rolled back end over end until he hit hard against another carriage, splintering what remained of it with his back.

    He laughed as he stood. She did not hate battle, but enjoying it was another sentiment she could not comprehend. In any case, it was going to take much too long to finish things this way. Dealing enough damage in hand-to-hand combat was all but impossible in a timely manner.

    She reached out her hand. ¡°Lunera.¡±

    She grabbed the sword as it materialized in front of her.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna be, huh?¡± he asked, grinning.

    ¡°As I said, I do not wish to waste time on you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Oh, how scary.¡±

    She slashed Lunera and he was in front of her. His smile dissolved in an instant as the snow-white blade sang for his throat. He danced away, and another slash had her behind him.

    He whirled and raised his arms in a hasty guard as he tried to dodge. Lunera slashed down along his forearm, leaving a thin red line in its wake and flinging droplets onto the ground. Any ordinary mortal would have had their arm cut down the middle there. Even most motomancers would have at least been cut to the bone, probably losing use of the limb to damage to muscles and tendons. His durability enhancement was sufficient to ward off Lunera¡¯s edge. How irritating.

    ¡°Fulesa!¡± the demon shouted, extending his hand. A trident, dark blue from end to end, appeared as he took hold of it.

    He stabbed the weapon forward, and a pillar of water burst forth from the middle tip. The torrent slammed into her, whisking her off her feet and forcing her to close her eyes on reflex. She sensed him moving toward her to capitalize on his advantage. She couldn¡¯t stay here or defend. Her sense for Malice wasn¡¯t enough to fight with. It told her where he was, not what he was doing. She slashed Lunera in the opposite direction, warping her into open air a dozen feet away.

    It took him no time to react, surging toward her. She opened her eyes and sidestepped the thrust that followed. He swept the trident toward her, and she jumped into the air, then air jumped back. Despite the veritable flood that had just hit her, neither her clothes nor body were more than slightly damp. The water had likely evaporated or disappeared quickly. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for creations of Soul Blades to behave that way, much like Miudofay¡¯s flames.

    Nevertheless, she unfastened her cloak and let it drift to the ground. It would be more of a hindrance while wet, and it was extra drag against attacks like that. Helpful in some ways, maybe, but not worth the impediment to her movements or pressure on her throat.

    She used Lunera to quickly warp to the ground. The demon rushed at her. She dodged his strike and struck at him with Lunera in a single smooth motion. He managed a narrow, clumsy dodge, and she flowed into a second slash. He quickly moved his trident, catching the sword between two of the prongs, and twisted it. She could either hold onto her sword and be pulled off-balance or relinquish her weapon.

    She chose the latter without hesitation, releasing and dismissing Lunera. She could always summon it again later. He flung the dissolving weapon aside and struck her with the butt of the trident, forcing her back. A wave followed, sweeping her off her feet and driving her back. She rolled with her fall, but another rush of water was flying at her.

    She jumped over it, and the demon followed her into the air. With an air jump, he got above her and thrust down, sending a ball of water at her. She air jumped to dodge it, and he took the opportunity to jump toward her, water gathering around his trident for a point-blank attack.

    ¡°Miudofay.¡±

    The black sword appeared in her hands. With the blade wreathed in flames, she batted aside the demon¡¯s attack, his water turning to steam in an instant and floating away on the wind.

    The demon jumped away as she slashed Miudofay, sending out a wave of fire. It passed under him, but it had accomplished her goal of driving him away. She released Miudofay and summoned Lunera again to warp behind the demon. He whirled and sent a torrent at her, but she opened a rift, sending the water out behind him to harmlessly splash onto the ground. She didn¡¯t bother trying to hit him with it. Many were immune or resistant to harmful effects of their own Blades.

    She took advantage of his momentary shock to slash at his throat again. He twisted his body, allowing the blade to scrape along his forehead instead. Seizing on another opening, she brought her heel down on his chest, launching him back down to the ground where he impacted with a spray of dust and debris.

    He got to his feet quickly and fired a blast at her. She warped to the ground behind him and slashed at him. He noticed her at the last moment and dodged, whirling to stab at her. She sidestepped the attack, and he retreated before she could counter again. His forehead was bleeding quite a bit, crimson running down his face, but she knew it was not actually a severe wound.

    She pursued him, ready to strike. With a grin, he swept his trident near the ground, sending a wave of water at her legs. She was too close to dodge. The wave hit, knocking her off balance. He seized the opportunity to thrust out his trident. She managed to twist to avoid it stabbing into her, instead scraping her side with one of the prongs, tearing her shirt and leaving a small cut on her. She slapped the weapon away and lashed out with a kick, sending him flying backward. She banished Lunera.

    ¡°Miu¡ª¡±

    The demon threw a desperate blast of water out, knocking her off her feet and driving her back, through a broken wagon and into another. He was already recovered and upon her by the time she had gotten to her feet. She had little choice but to¡ªwhat was that fool doing?

    A second after she sensed his approach, Ander slid to a halt in beside her. He swung his sword and batted aside the demon¡¯s thrust. The demon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he let out a sharp bark of laughter. He raised his trident and swung down with incredible speed. Ander raised his blade to block, but the force of the impact shattered the mundane steel, allowing the trident to continue unimpaired, and drove him to the ground, his leg twisting awkwardly and shards of his weapon slicing into his skin. It was only because he fell that the trident itself didn¡¯t tear through him anyway.

    The demon prepared for a follow-up attack, but Lusya surged forward and kicked him away, augmenting the attack with a shockwave. She dashed after him as he flew through the air.

    ¡°Miudofay.¡±

    She raised the Demon King¡¯s Blade overhead, violet flame billowing off the sword. She liked to avoid such large displays of power that might draw attention to her, but she wanted to end this battle. Water gathered around the demon¡¯s trident, and he desperately thrust it out as she swung down Miudofay. A gout of flame enveloped him and stretched into the distance without slowing, devouring all in its path.

    When the fire dissipated, the demon was gone. There was no sign of him. At least, there was no sign that was distinguishable from the rest of the sea of ash left in the attack¡¯s wake. Her attack had carved out a fan-shaped hole in the ground, hundreds of feet long and just as wide at the far end. Much of the destroyed caravan and the corpses populating it had been consumed in the blaze as well. Leaving behind scars on the landscape like this was another reason she avoided attacks of that scale, but the last one had been months ago and hundreds of miles away. If anyone was even looking, it would take some time to find both and make the connection.

    She dismissed Miudofay and made her way over to where Ander sat on the ground. That he was sitting rather than lying was a good sign. He had propped himself up against the wagon she had collided with. She had caved in and splintered the outer wall, but he had found an intact patch farther from her point of impact.

    His leg was no longer at that odd angle, so it did not seem to be broken. There were several cuts leaking blood down his arms, face, and torso, but none seemed especially severe. He was grimacing, gingerly rubbing his injured leg, but he looked up and gave a strained smile as she approached.

    ¡°That was foolish,¡± she said.

    He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking.¡±

    ¡°I can see that you are well enough,¡± she said. ¡°I am unsure if you can see just how idiotic your actions were.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°It looked like you were on the backfoot. In fact, he was right about to hit you dead on.¡±

    ¡°Only because your approach distracted me,¡± she said. ¡°I would have been more than capable of dodging that attack otherwise.¡±

    Granted, she had only managed that final blow because the demon had likewise been distracted, but she was confident she would have won anyway. So, Ander getting himself injured and almost killed was still a net negative. He didn¡¯t get points for accidentally helping her win a little sooner.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, averting his gaze. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You are fortunate he did not kill you, and more fortunate you were not seriously injured,¡± she said. ¡°Your sword¡¯s fragments could easily have taken a finger or an eye from you. As the Talsian saying goes, you have the Demon King¡¯s luck.¡±

    According to Talsian tradition, the Demon King was extraordinarily lucky, though she had never noticed as much with Father. The primary thesis of the expression, however, was that it required nigh-miraculous luck for a being who was, at a basic level, the enemy of all other life to survive long enough to pose any kind of threat once, let alone over twenty times in recorded history, and who knew how many aside from that. It was a premise that, she would admit, had some merit.

    Ander sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know. I messed up.¡± He smiled. ¡°I appreciate the concern, though.¡±

    ¡°Can you stand?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t a minute ago,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±

    He grasped the side of the wagon and used it to pull himself to his feet. He held the one he had twisted just above the ground. After a moment of balancing on one foot and the wagon, he placed the other foot on the ground. Tenderly at first, then slowly putting his weight on it, until he screamed in pain and yanked it back up, clutching at it with his free hand.

    ¡°That really hurts,¡± he said between gritted teeth. ¡°I think it¡¯s sprained pretty bad. Might even be a minor fracture¡­¡±

    ¡°It does not seem you are in any shape to walk,¡± she said.

    ¡°Probably not,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry. This is all my fault.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Most people would say ¡®no, don¡¯t beat yourself up,¡¯ or something like that.¡±

    ¡°I am not most people,¡± she said. ¡°It is important that you understand your mistake.¡±

    He sighed and hung his head. ¡°I get it. In the first place, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t listen to you that we¡¯re in this mess at all.¡±

    ¡°That is not true,¡± she said.

    He looked up, surprised.

    ¡°You would do well to obey me in the future,¡± she continued, ¡°but it would not have changed the result in this instance. We would not have been able to get away in time. I asked you to understand your mistakes, not to shoulder unnecessary blame.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°All right, message received.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Now, I will help you to the carriage and tend to your injuries.¡±

    He gave a small nod. ¡°That would be great, thank you.¡±

    She approached him and swept him up into her arms. He was too large to carry vertically like she did Ariya, so Lusya held him horizontal, his head on one side and legs on the other. Him being so much taller than her made it a bit awkward, but her strength was plenty sufficient, and it would be more efficient than helping him hobble along. She could have let him ride on her back, but that seemed even more awkward with the size difference, and it would have required more coordination.

    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± he sputtered, his face quickly turning bright red. She gathered it was from embarrassment rather than fever or the like, but she could not guess from what. ¡°You can¡¯t carry me like this!¡±

    She tilted her head, blinking twice. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing,¡± he said. ¡°This is how people carry their lovers, or their babies, or how the hero carries a helpless princess in stories!¡±

    ¡°You are quite helpless at the moment,¡± she said.

    He frowned for an instant before letting out a single bark of muffled laughter. ¡°Was that a joke?¡±

    ¡°It was an observation,¡± she said, beginning to walk toward the carriage. ¡°In any case, there is no one to see.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­¡±

    She blinked. ¡°Would you prefer to walk?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Four

    Ander winced as Lusya finished binding his leg. He sat on the edge of the driver¡¯s seat, his legs swung to hang over the side. Despite the commotion of the fight¡ªand Ander once again forgetting to restrain the horses, which was lucky in this instance¡ªthe horses had remained in place. Apparently, they were trained not to get spooked by combat or move without instruction. That explained how they had stayed around this long, though it seemed wise not to rely on it.

    ¡°Is it too tight?¡± she asked.

    He shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You just did that a little forcefully.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°My apologies. Let us move on to your other wounds.¡±

    Although it wasn¡¯t bleeding, the leg was probably the most severe of his injuries. As far as she could tell, it was not broken. It was, however, a severe sprain. He would do well to stay off of it for a month or so. Of course, that was not an option, but he could at least minimize how much he stressed it.

    The cuts were minor. None of the sword fragments had struck anything vital, and they were too small to pose a grave risk, even in numbers. If they became infected, they may have become problematic, but that was exactly what she aimed to prevent. She grabbed her poultices and bandages and got to work.

    ¡°Are you going to put that on my face?¡± he asked, recoiling at the thought.

    ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°Those cuts are no less at risk than the others.¡±

    ¡°Gross¡­¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked. ¡°To what are you referring?¡±

    ¡°The poultices,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re all slimy.¡±

    ¡°You sound like Ariya,¡± she replied as she dressed his wounds.

    He winced again as she spread poultice onto one of his open cuts. ¡°Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°I would not know,¡± she replied. ¡°I have no opinion on the matter.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    She was not sure what he was implying. Whatever it was, it did seem to be in jest, so she would stay focused on the task at hand.

    ¡°I suggest that you avoid further reckless action for the time being,¡± she said. ¡°You will not be in top shape again for several weeks.¡±

    He smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Do not think holding a sword means you can contribute something.¡±

    She meant that literally. He had spare swords, so it wasn¡¯t as if a lack of a weapon would cow him.

    He gave a weak chuckle. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°You would do well to do so.¡±

    He scrunched up his face and leaned away as she put the final bandages on his cheek and forehead. It really was a stroke of luck that neither of those had taken an eye out.

    ¡°Take these,¡± she said, handing him a couple pain-killing leaves.

    ¡°Right.¡± He put one in his mouth and gagged, but he avoided spitting it out and slowly chewed it up before swallowing and repeating the process. She would have thought making the process quick a better way to deal with the taste. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No thanks are necessary,¡± she said. ¡°Simply learn and avoid a repeat of this situation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    With that, his treatment was finished, and she moved on to her own. He grimaced and scratched at his bandages as she moved away but made no effort to remove them.

    The cut to her side was her only open wound. It was not severe, and, while some of the hits the demon had gotten in might be sore over the coming days, she doubted any of them had done major damage either. Still, it was better to see to the matter than not, so she cleaned and dressed the wound. It did not need more than that. It was not big enough for stitches, and nothing hurt much. Although, she seldom made use of anything to dull pain anyway. She was confident in her ability to handle it on her own. She had to remove her blouse to dress the wound properly, and, for once, Ander did not make a fuss. He just blushed and averted his eyes.

    Once that was done, she examined the damage to her blouse itself. It had not just torn open. Some of the fabric seemed to be gone. Closing up the hole as it was would have changed the fit of the garment. Probably not by enough to hinder her, but it was worth noting. Of course, the whole point was moot. She did not know how to sew. Perhaps it was time to learn, but, for now, she would have to wait for an opportunity to take it to a tailor. In the meantime, she would make do with the other blouse she carried, which she put on once her treatment and examination was complete.

    ¡°Do you want me to fix that one?¡± Ander asked. Now that she was dressed, he was looking at her again, pointing at the damaged blouse.

    She blinked. ¡°Can you?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°It won¡¯t look good, let alone professional, but I can at least close up the hole. There¡¯s a sewing kit and some spare fabric next to where I keep the medical stuff. Pick whatever fabric seems closest and bring it here. I¡¯d, uh, get it myself, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You will not,¡± she said. ¡°You will rest that leg as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    She found what he had asked for and brought it to him, along with the damaged blouse. He cut off a small patch of white fabric and set about sewing it over the hole.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t know how to do this,¡± he said. ¡°Even if you can afford repairs and replacements, it¡¯s not always convenient to get them done.¡±

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    She nodded. ¡°I am realizing that. This is a relatively recent need.¡±

    Fighting under Father, she had never been responsible for repairing her own clothing or equipment. During her search for a sacrifice, meanwhile, it had never been necessary. Avoiding attention and conflict had meant nothing getting damaged. Even during the first month of her journey with Ariya, she had not encountered any enemies capable of even striking her unless she allowed it, so her clothes had escaped unscathed until encountering Captain Kadel.

    ¡°I can teach you, if you want,¡± he said. ¡°We can call it repayment for teaching me motomancy.¡±

    ¡°That would be appreciated,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal.¡±

    He resumed his sewing. It took him about a minute to finish, at which point he handed the garment back to her.

    ¡°There you go,¡± he said. ¡°Can you get me some water too?¡±

    She nodded and returned to the carriage, where she stowed the blouse and grabbed a flask to bring back to him. He grabbed it and began eagerly gulping down the water. Perhaps a near-death experience had made him thirsty.

    ¡°Why do you avoid looking at me undressed?¡± she asked.

    Ander¡¯s eyes opened wider than she had ever seen. He tore the flask away from his mouth and started coughing, pounding on his chest.

    ¡°What kind of frostbitten question is that?¡± he exclaimed.

    She tilted her head and blinked. ¡°It confuses me. I have made it quite clear I have no compunctions about nudity, and yet you avert your eyes and even avoid me entirely when possible. Am I less attractive with fewer clothes on?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure this information would ever be helpful. While her appearance was helpful at times, seduction had never been part of her repertoire. She would not have known where to begin if she wanted to add it. However, greater understanding of one¡¯s strengths and weaknesses was seldom harmful. Above all, it was a mystery that needed solving.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, believe me,¡± he said, blushing a deep red. ¡°I would have looked away way sooner the first time if that were true. I mean, um, I meant to put that more tactfully. Listen to the things you¡¯re making me say!¡±

    She blinked. ¡°I am not forcing you to do anything.¡±

    He groaned. ¡°Anyway, trust me you¡¯re a beautiful woman. It¡¯s just that I was taught it¡¯s wrong. I can¡¯t just stop thinking that, even if you say it¡¯s fine. Maybe that¡¯s inconsiderate of me.¡± He hesitated. ¡°Did you want me to look at you naked?¡±

    ¡°I have no preference,¡± she said.

    ¡°Because I will if it¡¯s really important to you.¡±

    ¡°It is not. I was simply curious.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ander said. He let out a small sigh, almost looking disappointed.

    He took another swig of water, and they were silent for a long moment as the blush faded from his face.

    ¡°Still think the bandits don¡¯t have any effect on Malice?¡± he asked suddenly.

    She cocked her head at him and blinked. ¡°That is not what I said. I said it would have no appreciable impact on the Demon King cycle. A single high-rank demon appearing does not change that.¡±

    Ander scowled. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I am sure,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That would be the case even if he had formed here. If he is to be believed, he did not. He traveled here based on rumors that enticed him.¡±

    Ander kept scowling at her. After a moment, he sighed. ¡°You have a point, and I don¡¯t know enough about the cycle or Malice at this scale to argue. You¡¯re pretty confident, though. Did your father teach you about this too?¡±

    ¡°He taught me about many things.¡±

    Though much of this was intuition and estimation, using history as a guide. She was confident in her conclusions, but it was not an exact science, even having been taught by the nexus of it all.

    Ander nodded and handed her the flask, which she returned to the carriage.

    ¡°We will rest for a few more minutes before we depart,¡± she said. ¡°Can you still drive the horses?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied. ¡°That doesn¡¯t use my legs much.¡±

    She nodded and took a seat beside him. The rest was for her benefit as well as his. That had been an exhausting battle. Being a passenger didn¡¯t take much energy, but it was somehow less refreshing than sitting still.

    ¡°Why do you use your swords like that, by the way?¡± Ander asked.

    She cocked her head, blinking two times. ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Switching between them,¡± he said, pointing at his own hands to indicate switching. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you summon them at the same time? That way, you wouldn¡¯t be vulnerable while switching. Maybe you could even combine their powers somehow.¡±

    ¡°The thought has occurred to me,¡± she said. ¡°However, I have always dismissed it as impractical.¡±

    For one thing, part of her had always worried that using two Demon Blades at once, one of which was not even properly hers, would have negative consequences in and of itself. Summoning a Blade was not especially strenuous once one learned how, but there was always the possibility of some unforeseen interaction between them. She had heard of Blades that were two weapons in and of themselves, but that was not a comparable situation.

    Even putting that aside, however, it had seemed a questionable idea. While both Miudofay and Lunera could be wielded one-handed, she tended to favor using two, unless she needed one open for something else. They were both longswords too. There were styles involving two swords, but two of their size was traditionally considered impractical.

    ¡°It might be,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°But I think you could make it work.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°On what basis?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just have faith in you?¡± he asked, chuckling.

    ¡°Your confidence is not unwelcome, but an actual reason would be preferable.¡±

    ¡°Besides the fact that you¡¯re just strong in general?¡± He smirked. ¡°Most people would consider constantly changing weapons impractical too, but you beat a former Sacred Knight captain and a high-rank demon that way. Why not two swords at once?¡±

    She was not sure that reasoning could be called logical, but there was something resembling sense to it. In any case, the issue may have been worth reexamining. There was no reason she needed to be bound by conventional wisdom, and she had grown in power since the last time she had tried it. Even motomancers avoided using two swords that way, but that did not mean it was impossible.

    ¡°I will give it renewed consideration,¡± she said. She got back off the carriage and walked a bit away. Her injuries were not severe enough to take any special measures for. ¡°In fact, I will practice a bit now. Miudofay.¡± She still said that name under her breath, almost mumbled. She was not sure if Ander had heard it. She had not attempted to hide it at the end of the battle, but he had not given any indication of having heard or recognized it. His injuries may have distracted him too much. ¡°Lunera.¡±

    She called Miudofay to her right hand and Lunera to her left. Perhaps it would have made more sense to call her own Blade to her dominant hand, but having the more offensively powerful weapon there also made sense.

    ¡°Are you going to try to figure it out on your own?¡± he asked.

    ¡°As I said, I have considered this before,¡± she said. ¡°I have read about several dual-sword styles, and even tested some with practice weapons.¡±

    Wielding two longswords may have been impractical, but that did not mean it had never been done. There had been warriors who had done it with some success, and sword masters who had put effort into refining the method because of its difficulty, a dedication to problem-solving that she could appreciate. Furthermore, techniques from schools that used two shortswords or one of each could still be applicable. Some such schools even used two longswords as a training method. The logic being that, once one was accustomed to managing two longswords at once, the actual techniques would come easier.

    She began moving through the motions she remembered. Later, she would have to integrate them into her fighting style, but going over what she had learned as it was was a necessary first step. At first, she was quite rusty. She had not practiced this since well before Father¡¯s defeat. While she was confident in her memory for things she deemed important, it was not perfect by any means, and it seemed her muscle memory did not always keep up. She fumbled motions and forgot techniques. Trying to do a single strike like this would have gotten her killed in a real fight.

    Getting discouraged was not in her nature, however. Resolving the issue was the purpose of practice and serve that purpose it did. She refined her movements, and the missing pieces came back to her. It was not long before she could move through entire forms with ease. It remained to be seen if this would amount to anything, but she could do it, at least.

    Ander watched her intently. In most cases, he was quite an easy mortal to read, but, for a moment, his expression was inscrutable. Somehow, that was not a welcome change. Then, he shook his head, seemingly at some private thought, and smiled at her as his eyes followed her movements.

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Five

    Ariya was on laundry duty with Boyan again, scrubbing clothes in what seemed like an endless cycle of grabbing and rinsing. If not for that and the whole prisoner thing, though, it would have been a nice day. The sun was shining, there was just the right amount of clouds to provide pleasant shade, and there was a perfect breeze blowing.

    ¡°It¡¯s lucky we got put together again,¡± Ariya said.

    Boyan smiled and nodded. ¡°It sure is. Well, maybe not all luck.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, brow furrowing in confusion. She doubted the bandits were nice enough to team her up with her friend on purpose.

    ¡°You get put on laundry duty a lot,¡± he said. ¡°Since they don¡¯t shuffle you around a lot, it makes sense we¡¯d end up together more often.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°That makes sense. I wonder why I¡¯m always doing laundry.¡±

    Not that she was complaining. Well, she was, but less than she would have been if they constantly had her carrying water or something.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s because you¡¯re small and not suited to the more physical tasks,¡± Boyan replied.

    Ariya frowned, her head cocking slightly. ¡°I¡¯m a big girl.¡±

    ¡°You sure are,¡± he said with a gentle smile. ¡°But you are still a kid. You¡¯ve got some growing to do yet before you can carry lumber around all the time. They might like making things difficult for us, but they at least care a little about making sure the work gets done too.¡±

    Well, she guessed all that was true. And she knew she wasn¡¯t really a big girl. Lusya said she wasn¡¯t, and Lusya didn¡¯t lie. So, as disappointing as it was, Ariya knew she wasn¡¯t grown just yet. That tickled something at the back of her mind, though.

    ¡°I heard the bandits liked kids,¡± she said. ¡°What happened to them?¡±

    That was right. Back at the first village she and Lusya had visited with Ander, the bandits had taken a bunch of kids. But here, Ariya hadn¡¯t seen any other than herself.

    Boyan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Where in the world did you hear that?¡± He sighed. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. They¡ª¡±

    A bandit walked by and glared at them. Boyan glanced at him and went pale, snapping his mouth shut. Ariya didn¡¯t acknowledge the bandit. She just looked at Boyan and waited for him to finish. It wasn¡¯t like rubbing clothes took her full attention. The bandit clicked his tongue and walked away.

    Boyan let out a heavy sigh in relief, like he¡¯d been holding his breath that whole time. ¡°Anyway, they do take a lot of children, but the kids are never here long. Not even a day, in most cases, and they¡¯re almost never in the prison with us. As I understand it, they sell the kids quick, and keep everyone else around a while for labor, and so they can ¡®break¡¯ us, which I guess they don¡¯t think they need to do to the kids.¡±

    ¡°I thought kids made better slaves,¡± Ariya said.

    Boyan scowled. ¡°Where are you learning these things?¡±

    ¡°People tell Lusya and Ander, and I¡¯m standing right there,¡± she said with a shrug.

    ¡°Well, that might be true if you need someone to cook or clean,¡± he said. ¡°But, like I said, it¡¯s not if you¡¯re looking for somebody to haul firewood or do anything else physical.¡± He shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s my guess, at least. I¡¯m no slaver, thank the gods.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± she said.

    Boyan nodded and went quiet. Ariya didn¡¯t have anything to say either, so she just focused on her job. She didn¡¯t mind that at first. A little silence wasn¡¯t bad every now and then. A chance to calm down and think. Before long, though, the silence had grown excessive, but Ariya still didn¡¯t have any ideas on how to break it. She blamed the base. This place and the last week hadn¡¯t been stimulating the brain much.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not done yet!¡± a bandit shouted, storming across the camp.

    Ariya looked up from her laundry to see what he was doing, grateful for a distraction from the tedium. She had liked the ease of laundry at first, but by now she had realized that it was also so dull she worried she might die of boredom. When she saw what was happening, though, she quickly realized that this wasn¡¯t something to be grateful for.

    There was a woman a little bit away from the firewood pile, sitting on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Ariya understood. That stuff was heavy, and the woman looked to be on the older side, not to mention sickly. The bandit didn¡¯t seem as sympathetic. Ariya thought she recognized him. His name was¡­Terso, if she was right, but she didn¡¯t remember where or how she might have learned his name.

    The woman didn¡¯t reply. It wasn¡¯t clear if she couldn¡¯t hear him somehow, or if she was ignoring him on purpose. Or if it was just taking that long for her to compose herself. Whichever it was, she just kept panting, so Terso walked right up to her, looming over her. When she still didn¡¯t respond, he gave her a sharp kick in the side. Not hard, but more than enough to hurt. The woman gave a shout, scrambled away, and glared up at him.

    Terso looked down at her, snarling. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just catching my breath,¡± she said.

    ¡°Who said you could do that?¡± he asked.

    It was obvious that he knew the answer. Everybody in camp knew the answer: nobody. The only actual breaks they got were to eat and sleep. Sometimes, there were moments between tasks when they weren¡¯t doing anything, and the bandits wouldn¡¯t complain, but that was different. No one got to stop in the middle of a job, ever. Ariya had seen a man pass out carrying water the other day. The bandits had forced him awake by dumping water on him and put him right back to work. He hadn¡¯t even been allowed to dry off first.

    The woman sighed and stood up, hanging her head. She started back toward the lumber pile, Terso watching her like a hawk. Just as she reached the pile and was reaching for it, she suddenly looked up and turned back, her eyes meeting Ariya¡¯s.

    The woman held Ariya¡¯s gaze for a moment, then nodded. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure which of them that was meant for. The woman looked familiar, but Ariya didn¡¯t even know her name and didn¡¯t think they had ever spoken before. Ariya had kept trying to talk to the others, but a lot of them brushed her off or ignored her. The woman took a deep breath, turned toward Terso, and sat back down.

    ¡°I¡¯m catching my breath,¡± she said again, defiantly crossing her arms over her chest.

    Terso clenched his fists white-knuckle tight as he marched up to her again. He grabbed her by an arm and hauled her to her feet, his face inches from hers.

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    ¡°Get back to work, now!¡± he shouted, his face red with rage, spittle flying from his flapping lips.

    The woman flinched, eyes wide in terror, and tried to pull away to no avail. Then, she took another deep breath and set her expression in a scowl.

    By now, most of the camp was watching. Prisoners and bandits alike had dropped what they were doing to gawk at the confrontation, Ariya included. Laundry was a distant, fading memory now.

    Nobody got closer or said anything, but it was easy to tell what they were all thinking. Some of the prisoners were hopeful, others were concerned or disappointed. There were bandits who seemed amused, and those who seemed angry or indifferent. Ariya wouldn¡¯t have called anyone happy about what was happening.

    ¡°I will work better,¡± the woman said slowly, ¡°if I rest for two minutes than if I collapse.¡±

    Terso squeezed her arm tighter, making her wince, then shoved her forward and threw her to the ground. Once again, Ariya stood on reflex, and once again fear kept her from doing anything more. This time, Terso didn¡¯t even notice. He put a foot on the woman¡¯s chest to keep her from standing as he drew his sword. He raised the weapon high in the air, prepared to plunge it down into her heart. She squirmed and pried at his leg to try to get free, but she couldn¡¯t budge him in the slightest.

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Boss said as she walked across the yard. ¡°What did she do?¡±

    Terso gave a quick recap of what had happened. He mostly told the truth, but he did make the woman sound a lot meaner than she had been, and himself a lot more reasonable until the part where he tried to stab her.

    ¡°And you were going to kill her over that?¡± Boss asked. ¡°That¡¯s a horrible waste of money and labor.¡± She frowned, staring at the woman. ¡°Stab her through one hand.¡± The woman shook, but Boss either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care. ¡°Patch her up so she doesn¡¯t die of blood loss or infection and put her back to work.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Boss,¡± he said.

    He moved to plant his boot on her wrist instead, and, heedless of her continued struggles, stabbed down through her right hand.  The woman screamed in pain. She thrashed and clawed at his ankle and calf, but he didn¡¯t even react. Terso let his blade linger for a second, then pulled it out and yanked the woman to her feet. He guided her across the camp as she held her bloody hand to her chest, wailing with tears streaming down her face. She wasn¡¯t trying to get away anymore.

    ¡°Now, the rest of you lot,¡± Boss said. It was obvious she was talking to the prisoners. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure how, considering she talked to most of the bandits with pretty much the same language, there was just something about the way she said it. ¡°Gather around.¡±

    Nobody moved. Everyone was rooted to the spot, staring at Boss with wide eyes full of shock and fear.

    She grinned. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re getting out of work here. Be happy!¡± All the joy vanished from her voice in an instant. ¡°And come here.¡±

    Ariya waited for someone else to respond. Eventually, a man put down what he was doing¡ªAriya couldn¡¯t see what from her angle¡ªand started trudging over to Boss in slow, hesitant steps. Ariya followed suit, putting down her stuff and making her way to Boss.

    It took a couple minutes, but, eventually, every prisoner in the yard was gathered before her. She looked over all of them with a cold, calculating gaze.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ve noticed a disturbing trend here the past few days,¡± she said. Her expression shifted to a furious glare, but she kept her tone calm. ¡°We¡¯ve had escape attempts, people slacking on their quotas, and now today¡¯s incident. I think it¡¯s about time we put you back in your place. All of you.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Thank your rebellious neighbors, everyone.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Ariya shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not fair. You can¡¯t punish someone who didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Boss laughed again, getting closer to Ariya. She crouched and tousled Ariya¡¯s hair. Ariya pulled away, which just made Boss laugh more.

    ¡°You¡¯re the last person who should be saying that,¡± Boss said with a sinister smirk.

    Ariya scowled. ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    She had thought about it plenty of times, sure. She could have slacked on washing the laundry, spat in their water, knocked over a couple tents. There were plenty of options. She had even had a couple chances to put something gross in their food. But she knew she had to play by their rules until Lusya showed up. Not to mention she didn¡¯t want to get anyone else in trouble. After that one guy had almost hurt someone else for her talking back, she had decided to bide her time.

    She hadn¡¯t even really said anything since then. In fact, she had avoided speaking to or even looking at the bandits as much as possible.

    ¡°Maybe not intentionally,¡± Boss said. ¡°But everyone sees how you act. So brave, always hanging onto hope. It eggs them on. What adult can keep cowering when a little girl is standing so tall? What happened back there is on you.

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not the kind of thing I¡¯m worried about. I can get you all back in line whenever. What I¡¯m worried about is these guys getting bolder when I¡¯m not the one holding the leash. If that starts happening, I¡¯ll have to sell to ¡®proper¡¯ slavers to get them trained. And since those guys will want to sell them again later, I¡¯ll get less money, get it?¡±

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°Not really.¡±

    Boss sighed and hung her head. ¡°Guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected more from a kid.¡±

    A stick suddenly struck her on the back of the head. The stick snapped and splintered on impact, half of it hanging limply by a thread. Boss didn¡¯t even flinch. The only sign she had been hit was the presence of some chips of wood in her hair.

    She slowly raised her head to look at who had swung the stick as Ariya did the same. It was Boyan. He yanked the broken stick back and brandished it. Despite his total failure, his ¡°weapon¡± now being ruined, and his entire body trembling as if the ground he stood on was shaking, there was fire in his eyes. Boss stood up to look him in the eye, her expression locked in a small frown, almost a petulant pout.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t just watch while this girl shows me up. That¡¯s why¡ª¡±

    ¡°No one was paying much for you anyway,¡± Boss said, her voice devoid of its usual cruel humor.

    She backhanded him across the face. Ariya recoiled. There was a boom and a rush of wind, like when Lusya hit things sometimes, then a sickening crack, and he went flying off to the side in a wild tumble, until his momentum finally died enough for him to fall to the ground, where he rolled several more feet before coming to a stop in a limp sprawl. He didn¡¯t get up. He didn¡¯t so much as twitch.

    Ariya looked around at the others. The rest of the crowd had all retreated. Some had just taken a step back in shock. Others seemed to have moved several feet, like they had tried to run away before realizing there was nowhere for them to go. The result was that there was now a distinct gap between them and her. A semicircle a couple feet across now separated Ariya from the closest of the other prisoners.

    ¡°Now, for the rest of you,¡± Boss said. She turned her attention back to them. She hadn¡¯t even looked at where Boyan had ended up, like nothing had happened. ¡°I¡¯m a reasonable person, so I¡¯ll start small. You¡¯re skipping your next two meals. Work schedule is unchanged. Maybe a day of labor on an empty stomach will make you appreciate your situation a little more. Back to work.¡± She smiled at Ariya. ¡°And remember, this is all your fault.¡±

    Ariya hung her head. It was hard to argue, if what Boss had said was true. And there wasn¡¯t much reason to think it wasn¡¯t. What reason was there for her to lie about it? Blaming Ariya didn¡¯t help her any.

    Ariya hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d had that kind of effect on people. She hadn¡¯t been trying to. All she had wanted to do was stay strong while she waited for Lusya, and maybe help the others do the same. Getting them to rebel and get in trouble had never been the plan. She looked up at the unmoving figure sprawled on the ground a couple dozen feet away. Her throat and chest felt tight, like someone was choking her. With a shuddering sigh, she turned and trudged back to her laundry basin, while Boss laughed like a madwoman.

    She looked back one more time. Another bandit came up to Boss. He was scrunched in on himself, like a turtle, as she looked at him. She stopped laughing, and they began talking in hushed tones, just loud enough for Ariya to make out, though she missed the very beginning of what he said.

    ¡°¡ªtwo groups who are way past their return date,¡± he was saying.

    Boss frowned and pursed her lips. ¡°Give it another couple days. I¡¯ll send someone to handle it if they¡¯re still not back.¡±

    Ariya had no idea what they were talking about. It seemed like they were done, but then Boss spoke up again.

    ¡°While you¡¯re here, chuck that corpse into one of the demons¡¯ pens,¡± she said. Since she was out in the yard, the demons were relatively quiet at the moment. ¡°Giving them a toy every now and then helps keep them behaved.¡±

    A quiet sob escaped Ariya¡¯s throat as she looked at Boyan one more time. She wiped some of her tears away on her arm, but more started to trickle down her cheeks right away. She had to be more careful now. If anyone else got hurt¡ªNo, she couldn¡¯t lie to herself about this. She had to come clean about her mistakes. Mama, Papa, and Lusya all agreed on that, and that had to mean it was important. If anyone else got killed because of Ariya, she wasn¡¯t sure she would be able to take it.

    Just a little longer. Lusya had never taken anywhere near this long before, but Ariya knew she was coming. Ariya could only hope it was before things got any worse.

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Six

    Middlewood was not supposed to be a large town. Lusya¡¯s map had it marked as a tiny speck, and, though it had ultimately not made it onto her planned route, she had found nothing noteworthy about while looking into the area. It was also not, she was sure, meant to be a ghost town. Yet there wasn¡¯t much better a descriptor.

    There was no one walking in the road. No one tending the nearby fields. It was evening, yet none of the homes glowed with flame. Perhaps poverty could have explained that, but there were no voices to be heard drifting out, no lingering scents of dinner. Lusya¡¯s senses confirmed the town was all but abandoned.

    ¡°All but,¡± because there were still mortals here. Six of them, to be exact, not including Ander. That didn¡¯t even qualify as a village. Or any kind of settlement, for that matter. It could well have been a single family. There were no bodies to be seen either, and every building was perfectly intact. Well, some of them did have damaged facades or dented doors, but that seemed to be simple wear and tear, not intentional damage.

    ¡°There¡¯s nobody here,¡± Ander said, frowning. He kept looking back and forth, as if he might find someone hiding behind a corner.

    She nodded. ¡°That is obvious.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s creepy,¡± he said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I am not sure I have ever found anything ¡®creepy,¡¯¡± she said. ¡°But it is strange.¡±

    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? Not one thing?"

    ¡°Not that I can recall,¡± she said. She wasn¡¯t even sure she understood what the sentiment was. It was something akin to minor fear or disgust, but it often seemed quite nebulous.

    He gave a skeptical hum but did not question her. ¡°I used to find you creepy, you know.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. Not now though. It was hard to keep thinking of you that way after seeing how you spoil Ariya.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I spoil her?¡±

    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°She barely does anything, but all she has to do is make puppy eyes to get you to do something. The girl¡¯s a saint for how little she takes advantage.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I do refuse her at times, and I have never seen much need to task her with any responsibilities.¡±

    Ander shrugged. ¡°If it works for you, then fine. I didn¡¯t say it was a bad thing.¡± He scratched at his head. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mean to say that¡¯s the only reason, though. You still scare me sometimes, but you¡¯ve got plenty of good points. Even some cute points.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate your praise,¡± she said. ¡°My opinion of you has also improved through our travels.¡±

    It was almost a shame he would one day throw that away by becoming a Sacred Knight. Although, the world might well have been destroyed before then.

    ¡°Good to hear it,¡± he said with a grin.

    She looked around. ¡°It does seem we may have to adjust our plans here.¡±

    With only six people in town, their original intention of staying the night may no longer have been viable. There was no guarantee any of the six was the innkeeper or anyone else willing or able to accommodate them. For that matter, the six may not even have been residents of the village. They could have been travelers, squatters, or even bandits.

    Ander nodded with a grimace. ¡°I¡¯d like to see if we can find anyone still here. Is that okay with you?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°We were planning to stop for the night here anyway, so we are not losing time.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we still can,¡± he said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel great about sleeping in someone¡¯s abandoned house, but the inn would be fine.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°Why would you object if it is abandoned?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied. ¡°It just feels wrong. Like I¡¯m capitalizing on their misfortune.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She did not agree, nor could she comprehend the underlying sentiment, but she did understand what he was saying, and it was quite typical reasoning of him.

    ¡°Speaking of the inn, it seems like a good first place to check,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s it over there.¡±

    He drove the carriage toward the building in question. A sign out front indicated it was indeed the town¡¯s inn, named, ¡°The Rolling Barrel.¡± Lusya¡¯s senses also confirmed that the six mortals still present in the town were inside. They were not making any noise. None audible through the walls, at least. And there still was no light emanating from within. There were shutters closed over the windows, however, so it was possible what light there was was being covered up.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look promising,¡± Ander said, frowning.

    ¡°It remains the best option,¡± she said.

    She was not going to reveal that she knew there were people inside. Short of the likes of the Paladins, even a powerful motomancer¡¯s honed sense for Malice had a much higher detection threshold than Lusya¡¯s inherent ability. They would almost certainly not have sensed all six and may not have noticed anything at all. Ander had not asked about the extent of her senses since the demon encounter, but that was no reason to give a new opportunity for suspicion to rise.

    He nodded, pulled the carriage over to the empty stable by the side, tied up the horses, and got out. She followed him to the inn door. He walked with an awkward gait. It was not quite limping, but the steps he took with his bound, injured leg were light and quick to minimize its strain, giving it a halting, lopsided quality. He reached for the handle to open it, then suddenly hesitated.

    Rather than wait for him to make up his mind, she simply grabbed the door and pulled it open. The moment the door moved, there was a sudden series of surprised shouts from within, followed by the sounds of shuffling and clattering.

    There were six mortals within, as she had sensed. By the looks of it four humans¡ªthree adults and a child¡ªa tiransa, and what seemed to be a child half-breed. The child¡¯s skin was a paler gray than a tiransa¡¯s usually was, and¡ªlooking at other indicators of age like facial structure¡ªthey seemed a bit small for a tiransa child their age.

    They were all standing, loosely assembled around a round table. The two human women and the two children had backed away a bit, the children hiding behind the women. The human and tiransa man were right beside the table. They did not move a muscle as they glared at Lusya. Several chairs were knocked over, there was a bowl on the ground, having spilled whatever was in it, and a few mugs on the table were in a similar state.

    It seemed her entrance had startled them.

    ¡°Are you one of them?¡± the tiransa man asked. He was short for one of them. She would have guessed less than nine feet tall, maybe even closer to eight.

    ¡°One of who?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Those brigands,¡± one of the women asked. ¡°The ones causing so much trouble.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Ander said as he entered behind Lusya. He held up his hands to signal they meant no harm. ¡°We¡¯re just travelers passing through.¡±

    The tiransa man scanned both of them with his eyes, then sighed and slowly sat back down. He had no chair, sitting on a cushion on the ground instead. He was still tall enough that that put him at a convenient height.

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll buy that,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re a little jumpy here. Never know when they might show up.¡±

    ¡°We understand,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°Come on in,¡± the tiransa man, gesturing broadly across the room. ¡°Close the door and take a seat. I don¡¯t have any workers anymore, but I can fix you up with a bowl of warm stew if it¡¯s just the two of you.¡±

    ¡°It is appreciated,¡± Lusya said.

    She took a seat at another table nearby, with Ander sitting down across from her. The room was dimly lit by a single oil lamp, lending the room a faint orange glow with long, dark shadows that consumed the light at the edges of the room.

    After another moment of staring with wary expressions, the other mortals seemed to calm down and reclaimed their seats. They ate and drank in silence. Though they cast occasional glances at Lusya and Ander, they did not seem frightened. The tiransa man stood and headed to the kitchen once everyone had settled.

    ¡°At least the lighting¡¯s nice,¡± Ander said. He chuckled. ¡°A little more and it would even be romantic.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°I was half expecting ¡®why?¡¯ or something like that,¡± he said with a smirk.

    ¡°I am aware of what romance is, and some of its common trappings,¡± she said.

    He pursed his lips and nodded, then grinned again. ¡°So, do you have a special someone of your own?¡±

    ¡°I assume you are referring specifically to a romantic partner?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°I do not,¡± she said.

    ¡°Have you?¡±

    ¡°I am inclined to say no,¡± she said. ¡°I have been attracted to people, been pursued sexually and romantically, and entertained certain advances, but I have never been in what could reasonably be considered a romantic relationship.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± he said. ¡°At least it sounds like you¡¯re not completely hogging your beauty.¡±

    That was a curious expression. She knew what it meant, as similar proclamations popped up in literature, but it had always seemed strange. She could not share her looks with others. Letting them see did not at all seem analogous.

    ¡°And you?¡± she asked.

    He shook his head. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m in pretty much the same boat.¡±

    ¡°That is unusual for a nobleman your age.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m only the third son, and I¡¯m joining the Sacred Knights, which complicates things. I¡¯m sure my family will start nagging me about it eventually, but there¡¯s not as much of a hurry for me to get married and pump out heirs.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said.

    Joining the Sacred Knights did interfere with noble succession to some degree. The organization itself had no direct rules on the matter. It did, however, bar members from taking part in wars among countries without permission. There was also little choice given to Knights on where they would be posted or where assignments would take them. Higher rank members could have some input, but even they may have found themselves crossing the continent for some task or another.

    These factors all conflicted with the duties of the nobility, so those of various countries had taken it upon themselves to resolve the issue. In some places this was done by the king or equivalent ruler, in others it was on a per-family basis. Sometimes there were no codified rules at all, the current head of the family deciding according to their whims.

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    She did not know what rules affected Ander¡¯s family. Based on other things he had said, he had not been disowned. The third son did not have a large inheritance to worry about anyway. Of course, it was possible his official status hadn¡¯t changed at all. The practical concerns of missions moving him around would still have complicated his marriage status, after all.

    The tiransa man emerged from the kitchen, carrying two bowls, a carafe of water dangling from one finger, and two mugs hugged to his body. It was interesting watching tiransa carry human sized objects. He held the bowls in a claw-like grip by the tips of three fingers due to the size of his hands. He arranged the articles on the table and turned to leave.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Ander said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what exactly happened here? Where did everyone go? We didn¡¯t see any sign of a struggle, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Last I saw, they were all alive and kicking,¡± the man said. ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re getting at. We haven¡¯t been attacked yet. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just luck or what. But when word started getting around about bandits who fought like Sacred Knights, people started to get scared. A few left. Then a few more, and so on, until it was just us.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Namyid, by the way. Over there¡¯s my wife, Annetta, and our daughter Renada. The others can introduce themselves if they want. The six of us are the only ones still in town.¡±

    Namyid waved at his table, too vaguely to tell who he was referring to. One of the women¡ªthe one who had not spoken earlier¡ªand the half-tiransa child raised their hands to wave, however, identifying themselves. Annetta had blonde hair and green eyes. Renada seemed to have inherited the latter, a rarity among tiransa.

    ¡°I wonder if it is luck that you have not been attacked, or some kind of plan,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We are less than two days from their headquarters. In a hurry, one might be able to travel the distance in just over half a day.¡±

    Namyid shrugged. ¡°Who knows. We heard about their little base too, but no one was ever brave enough to go check it out.¡±

    ¡°How did you hear about it and the attacks, then?¡± Ander asked.

    ¡°From people running away from them,¡± Namyid replied. ¡°Folks from villages or caravans that had been attacked would come through, warning us about them. Some of them had seen the base too.¡±

    Ander sighed. ¡°So many people getting hurt, and it¡¯s taking this long for the kingdom to respond?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t blame ¡®em too much,¡± Namyid said with a shrug. ¡°Most of those people left pretty quickly, but they might not have known how to get the information to anyone who could do anything about it. And, frankly, some of them probably didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    ¡°Even if they did, it would have taken quite some time to spread the information when traveling on foot,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And they may well have decided or been forced to stop somewhere with little access to the authorities, such as another rural village.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ander said. ¡°It¡¯s still frustrating seeing how slow things can move sometimes. Even the Sacred Knights haven¡¯t done anything yet¡­¡± He smiled at Namyid. ¡°I¡¯m impressed that you¡¯ve stuck around still. Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±

    ¡°Of course we are,¡± the human man said. He raised his voice to be heard from the other table, though perhaps more than was necessary. ¡°But this is our home. My Pa lived here his whole life, and his, and his before him. I¡¯m not leaving it just ¡®cause I¡¯m scared. If they want me gone, they¡¯re gonna have to come here and make me leave.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how we all feel, more or less,¡± the other woman said.

    ¡°I¡¯m Bartel,¡± the man said. He pointed in turn to the remaining human woman and child. ¡°The wife¡¯s Ytka, and our son¡¯s Semo.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Ander said. ¡°Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry for being so rude. I¡¯m Ander.¡±

    ¡°Lusya.¡±

    Bartel nodded. ¡°Yeah, nice to meet ¡®cha.¡±

    ¡°Well, let me know if you need anything,¡± Namyid said. ¡°We don¡¯t have much, but you can stay the night if you want. Don¡¯t worry about paying, either. Not much for me to spend it on these days.¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t possibly do that,¡± Ander said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to be an extra burden on you. We¡¯ll finish our meal and go. And I will pay you. There will come a time when you can use it again. I promise.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourselves,¡± Namyid replied, shrugging.

    Lusya would have been fine sleeping at the inn for the night. She did not see how that would have burdened the man, and she doubted she would have cared if she did. But she did not feel strongly enough about it to argue the issue. There was one more thing, though.

    ¡°Do you know anything about the bandits that might be helpful?¡± she asked.

    Namyid shook his head. ¡°Probably nothing you don¡¯t already know, if you¡¯ve heard about them. They fight like Sacred Knights, have a base close by, and roam this area of Ostia killing and taking prisoners to sell.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said.

    She returned to eating, and Namyid returned to his seat. She cocked her head, blinking twice.

    ¡°I do wonder why this village is untouched,¡± she said.

    ¡°It is odd,¡± Ander said. ¡°Restraint never seemed to be in their vocabulary before.¡± He hummed in thought as he chewed a chunk of meat from his stew. ¡°Could it be they wanted this town to act as a sort of¡­hub? A place for information to be spread out of?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That seems plausible. It does not seem to have worked as intended.¡±

    He scowled. ¡°Were they trying to send some kind of warning or challenge?¡±

    ¡°I can think of little other reason for this hypothesis to make sense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­idiotic. Maybe they could take the local armies if there¡¯s enough of them, but the Sacred Knights would crush them if that happened.¡±

    ¡°It is foolish,¡± she said. ¡°That does not mean it is not the intention.¡±

    He sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. All we can really do is guess, though.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    He clapped his hands to signal the end of that topic. ¡°So, back to what we were talking about earlier. What¡¯s your type?¡±

    She assumed he meant her type of romantic or sexual partner. He could have stood to be less vague.

    ¡°I do not believe I have one,¡± she said. She could not identify any particular commonality that had attracted her to others before.

    He chuckled. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯d have a shot?¡±

    ¡°You are attractive,¡± she said. ¡°However, I cannot risk a pregnancy at the moment.¡±

    He blushed. ¡°I was joking, and not necessarily talking about sex¡­but thanks?¡±

    ¡°I suspected,¡± she said. ¡°You are welcome.¡±

    She took a mouthful of stew, while Ander stared at her, seeming to expect something.

    ¡°Are you not going to turn the question back on me?¡± he asked at last.

    ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°Well, both, I guess,¡± he said.

    She cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I believe I already know at least part of the answers to both.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± he asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow. ¡°Well then, what¡¯s part of my type?¡±

    ¡°Large breasts.¡±

    Ander had chosen to take a bite of meat as she answered. He suddenly coughed, putting one hand over his mouth and holding up one finger on the other to tell her to wait. After a moment of struggling, he managed to swallow.

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t surprise me by now, but you really aren¡¯t shy about this stuff,¡± he said.

    ¡°I am aware they are above average,¡± she said. ¡°It makes finding a good fit on clothing that has not been tailored for me rather difficult.¡±

    His eyes dipped to them for a split second before he tore them away. ¡°I can imagine. And, well, I won¡¯t lie, you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Is there more to it?¡± she asked.

    He blushed and took a bite of stew, which he chewed with unusual vigor, all the while refusing to make eye contact.

    She cocked her head and blinked twice.

    He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s short girls. Not super short, but a little on the small side.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°It seems I fit your preferences quite well. Much of your behavior is now easier to understand.¡±

    He groaned and ran a hand over his face. ¡°This is so awkward¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough about that. What about the second question?¡±

    ¡°I believe you would agree to have sex if I offered,¡± she said. ¡°It is obvious you find me attractive, even if we had not just established that I am your ¡®type,¡¯ and you regularly expound on my beauty.¡±

    His brow furrowed. ¡°I do not¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, I guess I do.¡± His expression softened into a nervous smile, and he scratched the back of his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was doing that so much.¡±

    She could believe that. She did not think Ander was stupid, but there were moments when he did not leverage his intelligence. Many of them, in fact.

    ¡°You really have no problems talking about this stuff,¡± he said. He chuckled. ¡°To the point I almost think it¡¯s a front.¡±

    ¡°I was not aware we were discussing anything taboo,¡± she replied.

    He pursed his lips. ¡°Maybe not taboo, but most people would be at least a little embarrassed to talk about this stuff so frankly. And the sex is at least¡­impolite to discuss in public.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I assure you, it is no act. The nudity taboo is not the only one I have not internalized.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°I guess so.¡± His eyes widened, bewildered. ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    She blinked. ¡°I am uncertain what you are confused about.¡±

    ¡°The nudity thing,¡± he said. ¡°What do you mean you haven¡¯t internalized it?¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I mean I do not personally care about it. I thought I had made that clear.¡±

    ¡°No, you said you didn¡¯t care if I looked,¡± he said, with an emphatic gesture at himself. ¡°Not that I thought that had anything to do with me, specifically, but I thought it was some kind of ¡®You¡¯ve already seen everything, so I don¡¯t care,¡¯ kind of thing. Are you saying you don¡¯t care if anyone sees?¡±

    She nodded. His misunderstanding was an understandable mistake for one looking through the lens of societal norms. ¡°That is correct. However, I do not dislike clothing, and the existence of the taboo means it would be inconvenient to go without most of the time.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true,¡± he said, shaking his head.

    ¡°You are aware that I do not lie,¡± she said.

    He scowled. ¡°Well, maybe you finally figured out how to tell a joke. I refuse to believe you would be fine walking down a city street butt naked.¡± He blushed and looked down. ¡°Great, now I can¡¯t stop picturing it.¡±

    ¡°I am not joking,¡± she said. ¡°I would have no objections to such a situation. It is others¡¯ objections that would inconvenience me.¡±

    He pursed his lips, hesitating, then smirked. ¡°Prove it, then. Take it all off, right here.¡±

    ¡°We are in public,¡± she said. ¡°I have explained why I do not do that in these circumstances.¡±

    He glanced at the other table and lowered his voice. ¡°It¡¯s six people who we¡¯ll never see again, and who can¡¯t do anything about it. If they get upset, I¡¯ll take responsibility and handle it.¡±

    She considered his challenge and reasoning for a moment. His disbelief was no great inconvenience to her. It was not an inconvenience at all, in this instance. Yet she disliked it. She could not think of any good reason for that sentiment, but it was there.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    She pushed out her chair and stood.

    Ander¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re not really gonna¡­¡±

    She unfastened her cloak and shrugged it off, then began unbuttoning her blouse. Namyid at the other table looked at her, but it did not seem he had realized what she was doing yet. She continued unbuttoning.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Ander exclaimed as she got the third button undone. ¡°I believe you, so please, do not strip!¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. This had been his idea.

    The two families stared. After several seconds of silence, they burst into raucous laughter. She did not know how much of the conversation they had overheard, so it was difficult to tell what they found humorous.

    Lusya fixed her clothes and sat back down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know if that was on purpose, but thanks you two,¡± Bartel said. ¡°We needed a good laugh.¡±

    Ander blushed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡±

    The families went back to eating, now talking in hushed tones to each other.

    ¡°To be honest, I mostly believed you before I gave you that challenge,¡± Ander said. ¡°I was half-joking. I really didn¡¯t think you¡¯d do it, even if you were telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to resolve the misunderstanding,¡± she said.

    ¡°I can see that,¡± he said. He chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could convince you to do that on the road.¡±

    ¡°We do not know when we may encounter other travelers, who they may be, or to what extent we may need to interact with them,¡± she said. ¡°However, I could be persuaded to remove my clothing at night for camp.¡±

    Ander blushed brighter. ¡°I was joking.¡±

    ¡°I am aware.¡±

    His eyes narrowed, then he laughed. ¡°So, you have figured out how to tell jokes.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said. ¡°Although nothing I said was false.¡±

    Ander sighed and returned to his meal. She began eating again as well.

    There was a moment of silence as they ate. She could almost see tension draining out of Ander.

    ¡°I noticed you were almost done with Dancing Tigers,¡± he said at last.

    She nodded. She had initially slowed her reading to minimize how much she would have to retread with Ariya, but at a certain point, she had decided she had already read too much for that to be convenient, and finishing it would make little difference.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be past the big battle scene, right?¡±

    ¡°There are many big battle scenes. The book is primarily about fighting.¡±

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about. The one on the mountain?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°So, what did you think?¡±

    They spent the rest of the meal talking. When Ander ran out of questions about the novel, he moved on to other topics. They discussed the places they had been, their preferred places to set up camp, their choices of clothing and hair styling, and more.

    It was a new experience. Nobody had ever been so insistent on engaging her in small talk before. Ariya spoke quite a bit, but Lusya did not consider many of their conversations discussions. Intelligent as she was for her age, Ariya was still a child. She often asked simple questions Lusya could answer in a couple words, spoke nonsense, or went on rambling tangents that required little input from Lusya.

    Father had also spoken with her, as had other demons, but they had never been persistent about it. Small talk was not usually something Lusya cared for, but, with nothing else to do while she ate, she supposed it was fine.

    Soon enough, they finished their meals. Ander bid the mortals farewell and handed the tiransa man a couple silver coins. Much more than their meal was worth, to be sure. After that, they left and started down the road again.

    ¡°We really need to put a stop to these bandits,¡± Ander said.

    ¡°That is the plan,¡± Lusya replied.

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know. Do you have a plan on how to do that?¡±

    ¡°I will kill them,¡± she said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not really a plan,¡± he said. ¡°Are you going to use that big fire attack?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely.¡±

    Though Miudofay¡¯s flames did not burn Ariya, that property could be unreliable when the wielder did not know with certainty that what they wished to save was present. At least, according to Father. She had never had an opportunity to test that herself, and she did not know how he had found out. It was possible it was simply instinctive knowledge that she had not received, since it was not her Blade.

    ¡°I guess that would be risky,¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°What will you do, then?¡±

    ¡°I doubt their strength will necessitate a complex plan,¡± she said. ¡°And if it did, it would be difficult to formulate one without having seen their fortifications.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve got a point there. We¡¯ll just have to get there first.¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± she said.

    She stared down the road, head tilted slightly, as several mortals entered her detection radius. Six of them. None of them were as powerful as Gisala, but they were comparable to lower ranked Sacred Knights.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Is it another demon?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Bandits. They are stronger than most.¡±

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°I was hoping it would be smooth sailing until we reached the base. But maybe this works out. If these are the elites, we can take them out now and only worry about the leader.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said. ¡°But there is no ¡®we.¡¯ You are still injured.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sitting it out,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll stick to providing backup for you, okay? I won¡¯t do anything too dangerous.¡±

    She considered that a moment. There was little she could do to stop him. It would likely be better to go along with his suggestion than risk him doing something foolish without warning.

    ¡°Very well. You may support me. They are directly ahead. Bring us to them.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Seven

    Lusya and Ander had stopped by a large, isolated tree on the side of the road, waiting under its canopy of branches for the bandits to approach. They had left the carriage some ways back, with the horses tied to a stake Ander had driven into the ground.

    Although the sun had already dipped halfway below the horizon, dying the sky a vivid spread of reds and pinks and leaving only the dull orange vestiges of its light to see by, the bandits showed no sign of halting or slowing in their approach. Their pace was steady, though not quick. Still, it wouldn¡¯t be long before they were visible. Indeed, in a matter of seconds, Lusya could see six shadowed forms on the horizon.

    Most rode horses, but two were on foot. Based on their size, those two seemed to be tiransa. Riding horses was awkward for tiransa, and some breeds could not support their weight. With motomancy of their level, they could keep pace for some time, as long as the horses did not move at full gallop.

    At first, the group continued on, their approach unchanged. As they neared, however, they began to slow. One of them pointed at Lusya and Ander and shouted something that was unintelligible over the distance. The other riders drew their horses to a stop. For a couple minutes, the six stayed in place, looking at each other. Lusya could just make out a few mouth movements. It seemed they were having a conversation she could not hear. Then, the riders dismounted, and the group of six walked toward Lusya and Ander, slow and cautious.

    None of them were strong enough to threaten her. Even Ander might have been able to take one or two alone, were he not injured. Still, in numbers, they had the potential to be problematic. She would keep her guard up until they were dead. The last time she had underestimated a weak opponent, Ariya had almost been ruined.

    ¡°Avoid the one in the center,¡± she said to Ander. ¡°He is stronger than the others. Too strong for you to fight while injured.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±

    The bandits stopped a couple dozen feet away. She recognized them as the ones who had been clustered around Gisala back at Nearfield. There were still no minor-rank demons, strengthening the theory that only Gisala could handle them. She recalled having learned some these bandits¡¯ names back then, including the short-for-her-kind tiransa woman, but she hadn¡¯t made much of an effort to remember.

    ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± that same woman growled. ¡°The one who killed Ashash and the others.¡±

    ¡°If you are not prepared to see comrades killed, perhaps you should consider a different line of work,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mock me!¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked twice. It had been a rather straightforward suggestion. Although, on second thought, perhaps there had been an element of derision there. How odd. Mockery was something she seldom engaged in. She could not remember the last time, in fact.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna pay for last time,¡± the woman said. ¡°You¡¯re gonna curse the name Alima as you bleed out.¡±

    Oh, so that was her name. It did sound familiar, now that she had said it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can convince you to go straight and let this end without any bloodshed,¡± Ander said, stepping forward.

    A human man at the center of the formation, the apparent leader, let out a derisive snort. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re gonna give up when we¡¯ve got three times the people.¡± He waved a hand low, indicating Ander¡¯s leg, bandaged and bound in a makeshift brace. ¡°Shadowlands, kid, you barely even count. Maybe you ought to give up and run away.¡± He sneered. ¡°Not that you¡¯ll get far.¡±

    Ander sighed, unfazed by the implicit threat. He frowned in obvious disappointment. ¡°I tried. You¡¯re going to regret this.¡±

    The man waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°If thinking that makes you feel better at the end fine.¡± He shifted his gaze to glare at Lusya. ¡°Just tell me one thing, and we can maybe make this a little quicker for you. Did you take down the two groups who never came back?¡±

    ¡°It has to be her,¡± Alima said, snarling at Lusya.

    The other tiransa, a man, nodded. ¡°She¡¯s obviously coming for us.¡±

    ¡°No doubt,¡± a human woman said.

    ¡°I do not know what you are referring to,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, we did dispatch one troop of your comrades.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like at least one more group got taken out,¡± Ander said. ¡°It could¡¯ve been that demon. Or maybe the kingdom finally took action?¡±

    ¡°Whatever, doesn¡¯t matter really,¡± the leader said. He grinned and stroked his short brown beard. ¡°We¡¯re killing you either way. Then Boss won¡¯t have to worry about you or the girl, and we¡¯ll be free to live as we please.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your goal here, anyway?¡± Ander asked. ¡°If you were roaming around more, I could kind of understand, but it seems like you¡¯ve been holed up here for at least a month. It¡¯s a dead end. Even if we fail¡ªand we won¡¯t¡ªsomeone else is going to crush you before summer¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong pal,¡± another human man, this one thinner with a shaved head and face, said. ¡°We¡¯re not gonna let that happen. Boss has a plan, see.¡±

    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no harm in telling a couple of corpses,¡± the leader said. ¡°With the power Boss¡¯s given us, the slaves we keep, and the money from the ones we sell, we¡¯re gonna have everything we need. Boss has even got a plan for growing food. Soon, this is gonna be our own little country. Ostia won¡¯t stand a chance of beating us, and we¡¯ll fight off the Sacred Knights too. It¡¯ll be our own little land where no one can tell us how to live.¡±

    ¡°How foolish,¡± Lusya said.

    He glared at her. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Your plan is idiotic,¡± she said. ¡°It is based entirely on false assumptions and doomed to failure.¡±

    ¡°For one thing, if the stories are anything to go by, a single Paladin could beat you all, if things get that bad,¡± Ander said. His tone was not mocking or condescending. It was a matter-of-fact explanation. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work.¡±

    There were other factors. Ostia¡¯s army probably could win through sheer numbers, for example. But the Sacred Knights were the primary factor. There had been so-called bandit kingdoms before the Knights¡¯ rise to prominence. Even when the Odessian Empire had dominated much of Ysuge, there had been pockets where local leadership had been weak enough to be supplanted by thugs or warriors without masters.

    It was debatable how different such kingdoms were from any other nation. They tended to be more aggressive, with less regard for diplomacy or their neighbors¡¯ sovereignty. Aside from that, however, in order to survive, the successful ones had ended up needing to adopt proper laws, power structures, and other trappings of a functioning society. That was beside the point, though. That had been centuries ago, in a very different world, and still many had failed. Now, the Sacred Knights influence reached from one sea to the other. While they were not always consistent, they often acted as peacekeepers and law enforcement. And, of course, they always tried to prevent war when possible. They would not tolerate a group of criminals declaring war on Ostia, and it would not take a Paladin for the Knights to win.

    The leader grimaced then shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, I believe in the boss. But even if you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t care. Even if it¡¯s just for a couple months, we¡¯re going to make it happen.¡±

    ¡°I guess everyone has their own goal they¡¯re fighting for,¡± Ander said. Under his breath, but loud enough for Lusya to hear, he added, ¡°Even if it¡¯s a stupid one.¡±

    ¡°Is that not the thrust of your ideology?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I guess it kind of is,¡± he replied, scratching his head, ¡°but it does depend on what you¡¯re trying to achieve and how. If they want their own country, I guess I can¡¯t fault them. Even the thing about not caring how long it lasts would be kind of admirable if they weren¡¯t killing and pillaging to achieve it.¡± He sighed. ¡°But they are. We probably wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation if they weren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    So, he did not take issue with their goal itself, merely their means to achieve it. And it was for that reason that he could not look past how foolish it was. Interesting, how context could change a mortal¡¯s ideals. Doing what one believed was right with intelligence a secondary consideration was something Ander strove for, even admired, under ordinary circumstances. Although, this may have been less a change, and more an additional layer she had not yet seen.

    The leader of the bandits groaned. ¡°Enough talk. You can surrender and we¡¯ll kill you quick and easy, or you fight, and we make it hurt. Your choice.¡±

    ¡°You are incapable of killing me, and I will not allow you to kill Ander,¡± she said.

    The leader chuckled. ¡°Yeah, right.¡± His eyes seemed to sparkle, even in the dark. ¡°I just thought of a great idea. Why don¡¯t I show your body to that girl? I wonder¡ª¡±

    She was in front of him in an instant. She punched him in the face and released a shockwave as she felt bone and cartilage crumple beneath her fist, blood splashing onto her knuckles. The leader went flying backward, spinning end-over-end in an uncontrollable tumble.

    He landed on the ground in an unmoving heap. He was still alive. His durability enhancement was sufficient to survive a blow from her. The blow would, however, have taken him out of the fight for a while.

    ¡°You bitch!¡± Alima roared.

    She charged forward and swung the massive axe she held at Lusya.  Lusya moved away, allowing the weapon to slam into the ground with a spray of dirt. Before she could counterattack, the thin man lunged at her with his sword. She batted the weapon aside with her hand and kicked at his chest. He managed a hasty guard. The blow knocked him away, but he was uninjured. His intervention had denied Lusya the chance to attack Alima, but that mattered little. The tiransa woman was the weakest of the group by a significant margin.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    One of the human women of the group, with blonde hair, and the tiransa man rushed forward together, attacking Lusya from opposite sides. The former thrust a spear forward, while the latter swung a massive sword.

    Ander rushed in and warded off the woman¡¯s attack, while Lusya dodged the tiransa¡¯s. She swept his legs out from under him and kicked him away, then followed the momentum of her kick to whirl and land a vicious, shockwave-enchanced punch to the woman¡¯s stomach, launching her away. Ander moved behind Lusya, his sword held at the ready.

    The final combatant, an unusually tall so-called red-haired human woman wielding a war hammer, ran forward, perhaps thinking Lusya distracted, and swung the massive weapon down at Lusya¡¯s head. Lusya sidestepped the attack, raised her leg high, and brought it down on the woman¡¯s elbow. The snap that followed was drowned out by the woman¡¯s howl of pain as she collapsed to the ground, dropping her weapon to clutch her injured arm with the other.

    Ander took the opportunity to weave around Lusya and stab at the woman¡¯s eyes. Her eyes widened, and she threw herself to the ground in a desperate dodge. It worked, but she was prone, with one arm unusable and the other pinned underneath her, as it had still been holding the broken one.

    Before Lusya could finish the red-haired woman, Alima charged at Lusya with a great shout. The tiransa woman swung her axe through the air, but Lusya jumped over the blow and kicked her in the throat, driving her away.

    The tiransa man had recovered by then and was upon Lusya. Ander lashed out with his sword, forcing the man to parry the blow rather than attack. Lusya used an air jump to stay in the air in order to punch the man in the head, sending him rolling head over heels away.

    She noticed Ander wincing, briefly taking weight off his injured foot for a second before he corrected his stance. She wasn¡¯t the only one. The thin man and blonde woman were on the attack once more. The woman was going for Lusya, but the man ran at Ander.

    Ander parried the man¡¯s sword strike, but once again winced in pain, his injured leg buckling and forcing him to retreat. Lusya batted aside the woman¡¯s thrust, crouched under the swipe that followed, and launched a high kick into the woman¡¯s jaw, launching her high into the air. The woman wasn¡¯t at the level of aerial movement, so that had her incapacitated, if only for a few seconds, and the fall would not be pleasant.

    Following that motion, Lusya jumped back in a flip to bring her heel down on the man¡¯s shoulder as he clashed against Ander¡¯s guard. The man cried out as the blow drove him to his knees. Ander immediately followed up with a slash aimed for the man¡¯s face, but he blocked it on his arms, suffering deep gashes along them, but surviving. As she landed, she smoothly flowed into a punch that launched him away from Ander.

    ¡°Are you well?¡± she asked.

    He nodded, retreating a bit behind her once more. ¡°You know, the way you fight would be kind of pretty if it weren¡¯t for all the¡­violence.¡±

    She had been told that before. The dance-like grace of her movements and transitions between them¡ªcourtesy of Danfia, whose name meant ¡°beautiful dance¡±¡ªhad drawn such comments before. Sometimes in mockery, other times in praise. This seemed to the latter. It was not unpleasant, but she did not have time to respond.

    Alima charged again. She swung her axe down. Lusya sidestepped, weathering the spray of debris that followed, and grabbed the woman¡¯s wrist. Lusya threw a powerful, shockwave enhanced punch into the woman¡¯s stomach. With Lusya holding her in place, the full force of the blow surged through Alima¡¯s body.

    The woman crumpled to her knees, spitting up blood. The red-haired woman was on her feet again, running at them. She had discarded her weapon, functioning fist raised for a punch. Ander leaped forward and struck. The woman shifted to block the blow on her forearm, her enhancement getting her off with a mild cut.

    Lusya grabbed Alima¡¯s head and twisted until a loud crack signaled the snapping of her neck and the ending of her life. With the red-haired woman also injured and unarmed, Ander seemed to have her in check for the moment, driving her back with repeated strikes.

    The blonde woman¡ªwho had landed at some point¡ªtried to intervene, but Lusya drew her dagger and threw it at the woman. The blonde woman had no problem blocking the weapon on the shaft of her spear, but doing so gave Lusya plenty of time to rush behind her and kick her in the side with a shockwave, sending her away and cracking a couple ribs.

    Ander stabbed at the red-haired woman¡¯s chest. She twisted, and his sword pierced through the shoulder of her already injured arm with surprising ease. The pain of her injury must have been distracting her from maintaining her enhancement. What an amateurish mistake. A proper motomancer didn¡¯t need conscious effort to do that. Lusya¡¯s persisted when she was asleep. The red-haired woman howled and threw out a wild punch. It caught him in the face and drove him back, but he didn¡¯t appear to be injured at all. Lusya rushed forward, kicked the woman into the air, then jumped up to kick her away.

    This was going to take much too long at this point. Their durability was sufficient to withstand some pummeling from her, and Ander limited her options. Though he was performing admirably as support under the circumstances, his injury meant she couldn¡¯t afford to leave him to his own devices. She couldn¡¯t stray too far in her efforts to finish things.

    Under ordinary circumstances, these weaklings wouldn¡¯t have called for such measures, but she was done using time on them. Besides, with their numbers, continued combat did give them a chance to get lucky, especially with darkness fast approaching. Lusya had good night vision, bolstered by her sense for Malice, and the moon and stars were plenty to see by on a clear night, but it was a small extra obstacle. She doubted the enemies could do much to her regardless, but Ander was a different story.

    ¡°Lunera, Miudofay.¡±

    She called her Blades to her hands. She had been practicing using them both at once, and a fight with enemies she so outclassed was a golden opportunity to test the technique in combat.

    The thin man had gotten to his feet and was rushing at Ander. Lusya swung Lunera, Miudofay following close behind, connecting the space in front of and behind Ander, and sending out a wave of flame as the rift formed.

    A wave of violet flame erupted from Miudofay¡¯s blade, only to vanish and reappear right in front of the thin man, giving him no time to react before it incinerated him. His sword, glowing red hot, dropped to the ground into a pile of ashes. Ander took a step back in surprise at the unusual attack.

    The tiransa man and the red-haired woman had just collected themselves from their last exchanges, but they likewise froze in response. It was just for a split-second, but it was enough. Lusya used Lunera to appear in front of the man and strike with Miudofay, slashing through his abdomen to kill him. It was slightly faster than slashing again with Lunera as she had been. Against these opponents, it made little difference, but the milliseconds might be useful someday.

    She warped to the red-haired woman, but then sensed the leader moving toward her. He had recovered, it seemed. She turned and parried his strike, then kicked away the woman when she tried to attack, almost in one motion. The leader snarled at Lusya, such as he could. Her blow had crushed his left eye, broken his nose, and caved in his skull around them. Blood streaked down the left side of his face, and it could not move properly. Some might have found such a visage fierce, but the way only half his face obeyed him made his expression look rather half-baked to her.

    The blonde woman tried to attack from behind, but Ander put himself between them and turned her spear aside, then forced her to retreat with a slash. Lusya shoved the leader away, then opened a rift, connecting the space in front of her to that behind the woman.

    The blonde woman moved into the rift as she backed away, appearing in front of Lusya. The woman had an instant to sway as if sick before Lusya lopped off her head.

    Lusya turned and flung Miudofay¡¯s flames at the red-haired woman. She tried to move to the side, but Lusya swung Lunera horizontally, expanding space along that axis, causing the woman to cover less ground than she thought. She stopped, thinking herself safe. Not a second later, her eyes widened, and the flames engulfed her.

    Good. That usage of Lunera had seemed obsolete for a while when she had learned how to open rifts. It was worse for movement, and she had not been able to find any meaningful way to affect enemies with it when she had to attack them in close quarters anyway. In combination with Miudofay¡¯s flames, however, it seemed promising.

    The leader was right behind her. She had neglected him a bit more than she should have perhaps. He was poised to strike. She started to turn, but she knew she didn¡¯t have time to defend. It didn¡¯t much matter. The sword struck, slicing through her cloak and blouse and throwing her forward. It had not broken the skin at all, and she would have recovered before he could follow up.

    Ander lunged between them and swung at the leader. The leader batted the blow aside and kicked Ander in the shin of his injured leg. Ander cried out and lifted the leg on reflex as he pulled it away. Overextended and off balance, he was helpless, allowing the leader to thrust his sword at Ander¡¯s chest. Lusya was moving toward them. She was faster, but the leader had much less distance to cover. His sword hit Ander. The blade struggled against Ander¡¯s enhancement, but it managed to pierce his skin nonetheless, pushing deeper and deeper inside. Lusya was upon the leader in an instant, Miudofay wreathed in flame. She slashed the black blade through the man¡¯s head. She kicked his body away before it could crumple, then banished her Blades.

    The sword, not lodged in far enough to stay in place, slipped out of Ander¡¯s wound as he fell to his knees, then forward onto his stomach. She knelt and rolled him onto his back. Blood was already soaking the front of his shirt, his breathing pained and labored. The sword had not been able to pierce straight through, but it had dug in deep. There was no doubt that it had struck something vital.

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± she asked. ¡°He did not significantly injure me. He would not have been able to harm me. And I told you not to fight him.¡±

    Ander let out a hoarse laugh that quickly gave way to an agonized gasp. ¡°Call it a reflex. I was moving before I really thought about it.¡±

    ¡°I will fetch the supplies,¡± she said.

    He grabbed her hand before she could stand. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything that can treat a hole in my heart, Lusya.¡± He gave a weak smile. ¡°Pretty sure one of my lungs got pierced too.¡±

    ¡°You are dying,¡± she said. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± he replied. ¡°I leaped before I looked because it felt like the right thing to do. It¡¯s not a bad way to go out.¡±

    ¡°You were trying to protect me.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. It was stupid, but yeah. You know, I don¡¯t mean to brag, but people actually say I¡¯m something of a prodigy.¡± He took a long pause. ¡°My teacher, Master Gerad, he said I was better than some Academy graduates. So I figure, I can¡¯t waste that talent. I have to use it to help, wherever I can.¡±

    Gerad. A high-ranking former Sacred Knight from Bulice.

    ¡°Gerad Verbum, the former First Paladin?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s your teacher?¡±

    Ander nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±

    It must have taken a lot of talent, money, or both to get a retired Paladin as a teacher, let alone one who had ranked first. There were so many questions that brought up, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask any of them.

    ¡°Your efforts are wasted on me,¡± Lusya said. Something felt off. Something in her throat. Her voice sounded strange. ¡°I cannot appreciate your fruitless actions.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t do it to hear your thanks.¡±

    ¡°I will not¡­I cannot mourn you.¡±

    He laughed again. ¡°Hey, I guess you and Ariya were wrong. Still¡­¡± He reached a hand up toward her face, and gently wiped away a bit of moisture that had appeared around her eyes. ¡°¡­who knew demons were such bad liars?¡±

    Her eyes widened, her lips parting slightly, though no gasp of air escaped. He lowered his arm to his side, closed his eyes, and went still.

    ¡°How long did you know?¡± she asked to no response. ¡°From the start? Answer me! You can¡¯t die right after saying that.¡±

    All the pieces fell together in her head. Why he had approached them in the first place. Why he had been so fixated on traveling with her and Ariya. His constant probing. It all made sense. It all made him more foolish. This Sacred Knight-to-be had gotten himself killed trying to protect a demon far beyond his strength.

    She brushed more water from her eyes, but it was soon replaced. She knew what they were. Tears. She had shed tears before. There had been times, early in her training, when she had shed them in pain. She had cried when Father had died. There had been at least one other time, hadn¡¯t there?

    That was why her voice had been hoarse too. But she did not sob or weep. Those things, she could not recall ever having done.

    Why had this happened? She should have been able to prevent it, by all rights. She could have insisted Ander stay behind. She could have restrained him for his own good if it came to that. She could have paid closer attention to him, the leader, or both. Why hadn¡¯t she?

    And why was she spending so much time and effort thinking about this? She didn¡¯t have time for this.

    She stood. ¡°Miudofay.¡±

    She understood cremation was the preferred means of funeral for those in the north. It had also been how Father had sent off certain subordinates, though most demons cared little for such things. Every now and then, she found herself wishing she could have done the same for him, but she had not had the chance.

    ¡°Farewell, Ander, you fool.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Eight

    Lusya approached the bandits¡¯ hideout, her head cocked slightly to the side. It hadn¡¯t taken long at all for her to get there in a hurry. It was still the middle of the night, though, with the moon shining bright, it was clear enough to see. Yet she found herself slowing as she approached. She was not sure why, but it did allow her to take stock of the place.

    As she had been told, it was a makeshift wooden fortress, situated in the middle of a flat, otherwise empty field. A few scattered tree stumps attested that it had not always been that way. Roughly circular in shape, the fortress was larger than she had expected. At, she estimated, several dozen feet across, it was almost large enough to be a proper fortification, if a small one. Its defenses consisted of a palisade with a single gate leading in or out, as far as she could see. It was possible there were other entrances hidden from view. Banners were affixed to the palisade at regular intervals. They were a deep blue, with a symbol in white at the center. It was no symbol or crest that Lusya recognized, though she was no expert in such things. It consisted of a stylized feline head, perhaps that of a tiger or a lioness, with its mouth open in a roar, emerging from behind a shield. There were no archer posts or watchtowers that she could see, but there were guards posted outside the walls. There were two at the gate, then one posted every hundred feet or so around the wall, as far as she could tell. Torches were set up near each guard, though they were just bright enough for the corresponding guard to see the immediate area better than the moonlight allowed. It would have been trivial to cripple, if not destroy, the place with a single swing of Miudofay. That, however, was not an option.

    Howls and roars echoed without end from within the fortress. She suspected those were the minor-rank demons she could sense. They had been trained, but not tamed. Being near so many mortals must have had the beasts desperate to shed blood, however they might have been restrained.

    She continued her approach. Although the night was bright enough to see, the darkness did still make it more difficult. The guards were oblivious to her as she walked toward them.

    One of the guards at the gate finally seemed to notice her when she was about one hundred feet away. He suddenly stood straighter, staring at her, then turned to his partner to alert him. She sped back up and was in front of him in an instant. She summoned Lunera and slashed his throat open, then swept his legs away.

    The partner flinched, and she took the opportunity to cut open his belly and kick him away. His leather cuirass might as well have offered no protection from her attacks and his motomancy was much too weak to ward off Lunera¡¯s edge. He rolled to a halt and tried to stand, but couldn¡¯t summon the strength, collapsing in a rapidly growing pool of his own blood.

    The first guard was still on the ground, one hand trying to stem the bleeding of his wound, while his mouth flapped in a vain attempt to breathe, or perhaps to speak. He looked much like a fish dying on land. Both their injuries were debilitating and would lead to a certain, though slow, death. She left them to it.

    She kicked the gate, releasing a shockwave into it. It flew off its hinges and sailed into the yard beyond, where it fell with a loud thud. The yard beyond was dark and devoid of people. She could now confirm that there were no other gates. There was one way in or out. A poor design choice that suited her just fine. The minor-rank demons were thrashing about in a row of cages on the far left of the yard, and she could sense mortals inside the ramshackle buildings scattered about, however. They must have been sleeping.

    They had been, at least, until they heard the gate crash. One of the building doors started to open, and she could sense the nearest guards moving toward her as well. A man in dirty clothing stumbled out of the door, still half-asleep.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡ª?¡± he managed to say, before Lusya closed the distance and crushed his throat in her free hand. Her hands were too small to fully grasp his neck, but she could do more than enough damage for a mortal wound. She let him crumple to the ground to suffocate with his ruined windpipe. He reached out, trying to grab her, so she stomped on his hand and unleashed a shockwave on it, grinding his bones into dust and sending up a puff of dirt around them as the ground shook. His mouth gaped in a silent scream, and she shoved him out of reach with her foot.

    She whirled as the guards arrived at the destroyed gate. Before they could say a word, she used Lunera to warp them in front of her. While they were dealing with the disorientation so many mortals experienced after traveling through Lunera¡¯s rifts, stumbling and struggling not to vomit, she stabbed one through the chest, then shoved him off her blade, using a shockwave to make him travel farther. His screams echoed across the yard as he sailed through the air.

    For the other, she swept his feet out from under him and stomped on his chest, feeling his ribcage shatter and cave under the pressure, no doubt slicing his organs to ribbons in the process. He gave a cry of pain, then rolled onto his side to clutch his chest and cough up blood onto the ground.

    By now, the other bandits were reacting to the noises they had heard and started to filter out of their makeshift homes into the empty, moonlit yard. It was remarkable they could sleep with the constant din the minor-ranks were causing. It must have taken some time to adjust to that. Some bandits stumbled out, half-awake as the first had, defenseless. Others were alert and ready for combat, weapons in hand. A few had even managed to get a piece or two of armor on, and some held torches for light.

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    It made little difference to her. She had the element of surprise, and most of them were too weak to put up a fight in the best of circumstances. They all hesitated as they emerged, gazes flicking between Lusya and their fallen allies. A few exchanged glances or murmured to each other, as if debating who would challenge her first.

    At last, the first bandit, a tall, burly man who had come out wearing a cuirass and bracers with sword in hand, worked up the courage to face her. He screamed in a loud war cry. Maybe it was meant to encourage the others, to intimidate her, or to bolster his own morale. Unless it was the latter, it failed. He charged at her alone. He raised his sword to strike, and she never gave him the chance. She lunged and cut off his arms, letting them and his sword fall to the ground behind him. Then, she sliced off his legs, and left him to writhe and squirm in the dirt like a worm as he bled out and wept about how he didn¡¯t want to die.

    Only as she turned her attention away from him and back on the crowd did they seem to find the will to fight. A trio of bandits, two men and a woman, rushed at her. She used Lunera to warp the first man away and high into the air. He fell and was impaled through his belly on a piece of the palisade. Lusya transported the woman into one of the minor-rank demon cages. The beast pounced on the woman before she could get her bearings, sinking its teeth into a shoulder and raking its claws down her front as she cried for help that would not come.

    The last man faltered for a moment, and Lusya cut down both sides of his chest vertically, slicing open both lungs, then kicked him away to collide with and knock over two of the other bandits.

    For the next man to try his luck, she slashed across his eyes, then warped a comrade in front of him to be struck by his wild, blind swings.

    ¡°Stop, it¡¯s me, you idiot!¡± the comrade screeched as the man¡¯s sword raked across his back. It was not cutting deep enough to do major damage, but it must have hurt.

    The man gasped and ceased his attacks. He opened his mouth to speak, but only an incoherent wail came out as Lusya got cut off his arms, having gotten behind him during his panic. She tossed him across the yard. He landed roughly on the ground and did not stand. For good measure, she maneuvered back around the comrade, sliced his belly open and threw him to the ground. These weaklings were helpless to keep up with her speed, even without Lunera.

    Another woman followed. Lusya tripped her, then planted a boot on the back of the woman¡¯s head when she fell and slowly added pressure as the woman wailed in pain, until finally her skull gave out and her head collapsed in a red, bloody mess. The others recoiled at that one. A few retreated several steps, and all were too stunned to continue attacking.

    ¡°Was killing not one of your primary activities?¡± Lusya asked. No one responded. ¡°Did it never occur to you that someone might try to kill you?¡±

    None of the bandits answered her. Finally, one gave a defiant roar and ran at her. She maneuvered around him, far too quick for him to react to, and stabbed through his spine. He collapsed to the ground, his legs dead. Just to make sure his squirming didn¡¯t obstruct her, she kicked him in the stomach, launching him across the yard to collide with the palisade.

    The others seemed to find their nerve again at last and charged at her, all at once this time. Perhaps they thought that, with their sheer numbers, they could overcome the difference in strength. They could not. She left them all writhing on the ground. Some had limbs broken and twisted beyond recognition. Some suffocated from crushed throats or their own ribs piercing their lungs. Some were bleeding out from gut wounds or missing limbs. Most were defeated before they could throw a single blow or even begin to defend themselves. Those that managed a single parry or dodge were excelling. Relative to their peers, that was.

    Even those who managed to attack accomplished nothing at best. If anything, they were hurting themselves. Most attacks she defended against. Some she dodged or parried, others she created barriers to block. Some she let through, and a lucky few even managed to get past her initial defenses by sheer volume.

    It did not matter. Her enhancement was too strong. Nothing they could do could harm her. And the only thing that seemed to kill morale more than seeing an attack bounce off an invisible wall was seeing a greatsword strike directly on her throat and do nothing, not even draw a reaction.

    After making the first dozen or so corpses, she started making her way toward Ariya as she killed them. Lusya was unsure why she had stopped to kill the first few to begin with. Ariya¡¯s distinctive Malice signature was within the camp. Lusya had noticed it from the start, though it was rather far from the gate. Lusya would have to fight her way there.

    Gisala was also there. She had been elsewhere in the camp but had scurried to where Ariya was at some point during the fight, if it could be called that. Lusya had made sure to memorize Gisala¡¯s Malice signature as well, but she didn¡¯t see much need to seek the woman out. A confrontation was all but inevitable.

    So, she simply fought her way through the crowd. At some point, after she had lost count of how many she had killed, some of the remainder started to turn tail and run. Most were not quick enough. She chased them down and finished them as well. Many of those had been fools who had tried to run in the wrong direction, heading away from the gate or getting trapped by the thronging masses of their comrades.

    A few managed to make it out of the gate by taking wide circles around the yard to avoid her. She let them go. She was tempted to go after them, but she did have to get to Ariya. Perhaps Lusya should have been worried about how much of this Ariya could see or hear from her position, or about later leading Ariya out through ground slick with blood and piled high with corpses and groaning corpses-to-be. But Lusya wasn¡¯t worried about any of that. She could worry about it when she found Ariya. For now, she would just kill any foolish bandits who dared cross her path.

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Nine

    Crash. Bang. Crunch. Screaming. All those sounds and more cut through Ariya¡¯s dreams like a knife, bringing her mind crashing from rainbow-colored meadows and riding ponies with Lusya, Ander, Mama, Papa, and even Jak to the pure darkness of her own eyelids.

    Her eyes fluttered open to catch a split-second glimpse of her cell. Then, they drifted shut again. She started to fall back asleep. She could almost smell the sweet scents of the flowers again. But the noise didn¡¯t stop. Just when she seemed ready to plunge back into dreamland, the clamor dragged her right back out.

    She started to drift off again, only to be stopped twice more. Finally, she gave up on sleep, and her eyes stayed open. Her senses took a few seconds to readjust to the cold, dark cell. The only light was from the moon filtering in the few windows. She and the other prisoners were lying on rough straw with a thin blanket over it as their bed.

    With slow, languid motions, she managed to sit up and rest her back against the wall. She looked at the door and tilted her head.

    Flaven was on duty watching her and the others, though he wasn¡¯t watching them at the moment. Like her, he was staring at the door. His whole body was taut, legs wide and ready to move. He held one hand in a claw-like pose just over his sword¡¯s hilt, ready to draw it at a moment¡¯s notice.

    There was a rapid scuffle of feet on the dirt outside. Flavel tensed.

    ¡°Shit, she¡¯s here!¡± Boss exclaimed as she burst through the door to the prison, letting in a rush of the cool night air. It was almost summer¡ªactually, it might have been summer by now¡ªso it wasn¡¯t cold, but it was far from warm, and the suddenness drove Ariya to shiver. Boss hastily slammed the door shut behind her, driving another burst of wind through the room. She hesitated, staring at the door like it might try to eat her for a second.

    Rather than draw his sword, Flavel screamed in terror and practically jumped out of his skin when the door opened. Once his initial panic had passed and he realized who had entered, however, he let out a relieved sigh and relaxed his body.

    ¡°¡®She?¡¯¡± he asked.

    Boss groaned as she started pacing in front of Ariya¡¯s cell, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. ¡°That damn girl! The reason we took this one.¡± She jabbed a finger at Ariya. ¡°She¡¯s found us, and she¡¯s cutting down those idiots like she¡¯s trimming a hedge.¡±

    For once, Boss wasn¡¯t wearing any armor. She just had a beige sleeveless shirt and some brown pants on. She had tied her hair back, but it was a messy job, with several loose strands that were obviously meant to be in the tie.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­¡± Flaven said.

    ¡°She probably killed those guys,¡± Boss said. She sounded more annoyed than sad about her friends dying. Boss was the worst. ¡°No way she didn¡¯t meet them on the way here. What could have happened, though? No warning, no negotiating, practically torturing her victims. She wasn¡¯t like this before¡­¡±

    Ariya yawned. The cool air had helped stir her, but her head still felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Gradually, as she looked from the door to Flaven to Boss and back to the door, confusion and irritation fought their way through the fluff. All the awful noise outside¡ªthe screams, bangs, and clangs¡ªhad woken Ariya up. Well, she thought so, at least. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure she wasn¡¯t dreaming. What was happening out there? Just when she had started to get used to sleeping through the demons¡¯ noises too. Come to think of it, maybe that was why it had been so hard for even this much commotion to wake her up.

    ¡°Well, she might be pissed off about you taking the girl,¡± Flaven said.

    ¡°This much? After two weeks?¡± Boss asked. She shook her head and let out a heavy breath. ¡°Something else must have set her off.¡±

    She continued pacing, muttering to herself and occasionally touching where her severed ear had once been and wincing. Ariya couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying. It might have just been nonsense.

    ¡°Can you beat her?¡± Flaven asked.

    Boss glared at him, and he shrunk away from her, raising his hands in a defensive posture.

    ¡°Of course I can,¡± she said. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? But I¡¯m not going to come out of it in top shape, and I¡¯m not going to have much of an army left by the end of it at this rate.¡±

    Wait a second. Were they talking about Lusya? Was Lusya finally here? Yes! Ariya had known Lusya would come. Now they were going to be sorry for everything they¡¯d done. In fact, it looked like Boss was already feeling pretty sorry. She¡¯d said she could win, but they both knew that wasn¡¯t true. Lusya didn¡¯t lose. All that noise must have been Lusya fighting. Ariya took back every bad thing she had thought about the noise. It was¡­well, maybe not great, but it was worth putting up with. A sign of great things to come.

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    Ariya couldn¡¯t contain her excitement. She sprang to her feet and dashed to the cell bars.

    ¡°I told you Lusya would come,¡± she said with a hint of smugness. ¡°I told you so. Now you¡¯re gonna get it!¡±

    Boss whirled on her and snarled, jabbing an accusatory finger at Ariya. ¡°Shut up, kid! I¡¯m trying to think here.¡±

    Ariya stopped talking but couldn¡¯t keep herself from grinning. Just a little bit longer. It would just be a couple more minutes that she had to put up with these guys to avoid getting herself or anyone else hurt. Then she could talk back and tell them how wrong they were all she wanted. She could even make fun of them for it. Not that she would, that would be mean and two wrongs didn¡¯t make it right, but it was the¡­printable? Princess pull? Principle, that was the word she was looking for. Look at her, remembering big girl words so fast. Sure, she¡¯d struggled a little, but she¡¯d gotten there in the end. Lusya had taught her so much.

    ¡°Boss,¡± Flaven said, holding his arms up and miming pushing something down, ¡°calm down.¡±

    Boss whirled again, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him into the air.

    ¡°You do not tell me what to do,¡± she growled. She gave him a rough shake. ¡°Got it?¡±

    Flaven nodded desperately as he gasped for air, prying at the hand on his neck and kicking his feet to no avail. Boss let him go, letting him drop to the ground and fall to his knees. He coughed and hacked, trying to catch his breath. She clicked her tongue and went back to pacing.

    ¡°We have the girl, don¡¯t we?¡± Flaven said. ¡°Can¡¯t we use her to get our of this mess? Isn¡¯t that part of why we still have her?¡±

    Boss glared at him again, as if the mere act of asking her questions was an affront. He flinched and backed up until he was against the wall, trembling like a leaf in the wind. It did look a little funny, considering he was several inches taller than her, but Ariya couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bad for him. Even if he was horrible like all the rest, it was hard not to be sympathetic when he looked so scared.

    Boss sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, but I¡¯m not sure I want to go that route.¡±

    Flaven took a deep breath. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how far we can take it,¡± she replied. ¡°We can¡¯t keep taking the girl hostage and running. We don¡¯t have anywhere to run to this time. It¡¯d be a different story if the one outside was like last time. She was strong and merciless, but I wouldn¡¯t have called her violent. Right now, I¡¯m not sure the same tactic will work at all.¡±

    Flaven pursed his lips. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re in a jam.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Boss said. ¡°On top of that, we don¡¯t have much way to exchange the girl while ensuring our safety. Who knows what that one will do if she gets the sense we¡¯re just stringing her along? And somehow, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s just going to call it even and leave even if we hand the girl over.¡±

    ¡°So, what do we do then?¡± Flaven asked.

    The noises outside were getting louder. Or closer. Maybe both. Boss and Flaven must have noticed too, with the way they glanced at the door, like it might have opened at any second. Pale and brow furrowed, with her lips drawn into a thin line, Boss looked at Ariya. Smiling and standing tall¡ªwell, sitting straight¡ªAriya stared back at her. Boss scowled and snarled, but Ariya just couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Well, she did stop when a particularly painful-sounding noise, like a loud, strangled scream or a visceral crunch, filtered in, but her smile always came right back the next second. She felt a little bad for that, since people were getting hurt outside, but she was just so happy. Lusya was here to save the day!

    Ariya and Boss¡¯s little staring contest went on for almost a minute. Flaven kept looking from one of them to the other, but it seemed he was scared to say anything now.

    Finally, Boss let out a frustrated groan and turned away, toward the exit. She stalked to the door, then stopped to look to Flaven.

    ¡°There¡¯s not much choice but for me to fight her,¡± she said. ¡°You hide in here. You can try to run if you think you see a chance.¡±

    Flaven gasped and brought a hand to his heart. ¡°Boss¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand and get all sentimental,¡± Boss said. She grimaced like she was nauseous and clicked her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re still trash, but even I¡¯m not gonna tell you to go out there and die for no reason. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Flaven frowned and nodded.

    Boss opened the door, and the cool night air blew in for a third time, coaxing Ariya further awake. She was sure this wasn¡¯t a dream now. Lusya had come to save her like always. Ariya had been tempted, she had wavered, but her faith had never gone away. And she had been right. Her trust was being rewarded. Everything was gonna be okay. Boss stepped out the door and shut it behind her. Flaven grimaced, then got on his chair and peered out the window.

    Ariya went to where she had been laying, turned to the woman next to her, and gently shook her.

    ¡°Hey, wake up,¡± Ariya said, keeping her voice down.

    The woman groaned and shifted but didn¡¯t open her eyes or sit up. Ariya glanced at Flaven, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention at all, too busy watching whatever was happening outside. So, Ariya tried again, louder.

    ¡°Hey, Miss, wake up.¡±

    She wished she could have used the woman¡¯s name. Just calling her Miss seemed a little rude. But Boyan was still the only other prisoner whose name Ariya knew. It was so awful that he hadn¡¯t made it because of her. But Ariya couldn¡¯t let that drag her down. Just like Ariya had waited for her, Lusya had come for Ariya. Ariya wasn¡¯t going to let her down.

    ¡°Hey, come on, wake up!¡±

    The woman finally sighed and opened her eyes. She looked up at Ariya with a mix of exasperation and resignation.

    ¡°What is it?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Help is here!¡± Ariya said. ¡°Don¡¯t go back to sleep.¡±

    Rather than light up with hope, the woman¡¯s eyes narrowed with skepticism. That was fine, she would know she was wrong soon enough. And it didn¡¯t really matter, as long as she got help. Regardless of her suspicion, she sat up and started staring at the floor.

    Ariya moved on to the next person and started trying to get them up too. She had to wake up as many people as she could, so they would be ready to go when Lusya was done. Some of them had to be awake already. There was no way they were all such deep sleepers. But none of them had roused. Anyone else who had woken up seemed to be pretending to sleep still. That wouldn¡¯t do at all.

 Book Two - Chapter Thirty

    The bandits¡¯ tenacity was starting to fail. Now that it had become clear just how outmatched they were, most refused to attack. Instead, they shied away from Lusya. Some had their weapons ready to defend, others raised their hands in surrender. She killed the ones before her regardless of what they did. The others she ignored for now. They had to die eventually, but they could wait a little.

    The minor-ranks¡¯ cries continued without end. They had now been joined by baleful moans, weeping, and sobs, as the bandits Lusya had defeated waited to expire. A faint metallic scent had come to fill the air, wafting up from the blood soaking into the ground and dripping from Lunera¡¯s snow-white blade.

    Lusya had fed a few more bandits to the minor-ranks, and one of the demons had died when she had warped a man into its cage mid-swing. He had seemed smug about that for a moment, even shouting taunts about her ¡°failure,¡± before realizing she had locked him in there to die of thirst in a few days. He was still throwing himself against the bars in his attempts to escape.

    All the others had been torn apart, except one who was still in the process. Some of them might have been strong enough to kill a minor-rank, but not when they didn¡¯t have a chance to get their bearings before it pounced on them.

    She had yet to deal with the other minor-rank demons, as she was undecided on what to do with them. Killing more of her father¡¯s potential forces seemed wasteful, and she did not much care if they caused trouble in the area, but she wasn¡¯t sure how to release them without them attacking her or otherwise making things difficult. A few minor-ranks wouldn¡¯t have been a huge loss anyway. She could always kill them on the way out if she wanted, as long as she kept Ariya from seeing, so she left them be for the time being.

    In the meantime, Lusya made her way toward Ariya, where Gisala also was¡ªalong with a few dozen other mortals. Why Gisala had gone there was a mystery. If she had intended to use Ariya as a hostage again, she should have done so long ago. Lusya was close enough to tell where exactly they were now. It was a long, narrow building, dotted with small, barred windows. Some sort of prison, perhaps. It mattered little. Lusya just had to kill Gisala and retrieve Ariya. Maybe killing Gisala was not quite a necessary step, but Lusya was going to do it regardless.

    Lusya still had some ways to go and quite a crowd to thin when the door to the building swung open, and Gisala walked out, though Lusya could hardly see her through the crowd.

    ¡°All of you, back off!¡± Gisala commanded. She slammed the door shut behind her. ¡°Get clear and make some room.¡±

    Despite their terror, the bandits hurried to obey her commands. All at once, they moved away and spread out, making a wide circle around Lusya. Those before Lusya shuffled to either side until they had made a thin aisle through which she could see Gisala.

    ¡°Don¡¯t any of you lot interfere,¡± Gisala said. ¡°You¡¯ll just get in the way.¡±

    ¡°You get ¡®er, Boss!¡± one man shouted.

    ¡°Show her who she¡¯s messing with!¡± a woman added.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead meat now!¡± another man shouted at Lusya.

    Other, similar shouts rose up from the crowd. Some encouraging Gisala, others jeering at Lusya. They were accompanied by wordless whoops and hollers of excitement. It seemed they had quite some misplaced faith in Gisala, for their morale to improve so by her appearance. By contrast, the minor-ranks had almost gone silent, their howls reduced to quiet growls.

    Gisala strode through the aisle, keeping her back straight and head held high. As before, she wore her hair pulled back, allowing a clear view of the void where her severed ear had once been. She entered the circle and stopped a dozen feet away from Lusya. Gisala held up a hand to signal silence, and the other bandits ceased their ruckus.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re here for the girl,¡± she said. She wore a friendly smile, but it was fake. Forced. They were not friends, and Gisala knew well that she was doomed. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s some way we can work this out? Say, we give you the girl and you leave quietly?¡±

    ¡°There is not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You must all die. You must all suffer.¡±

    Gisala clicked her tongue. ¡°What in Telresen¡¯s name pissed you off?¡± She glanced around, then grinned. It was genuine this time. Mocking. ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t see the other brat anywhere.¡±

    Lusya charged forward and slashed at Gisala¡¯s throat. Eyes wide with surprise, Gisala moved back to avoid the attack, then crossed her arms to block the kick that followed, though it still drove her backward.

    ¡°Flishil,¡± she called as Lusya flowed into a thrust.

    That shield appeared in Gisala¡¯s hands and blocked Lunera¡¯s point. An identical sword point burst forth from the surface at Lusya. She backed up, avoiding the attack. Then, she used Lunera to warp behind Gisala.

    ¡°That trick¡­¡± Gisala growled as she whirled to face Lusya.

    Lusya feinted with Lunera, baiting Gisala into positioning her shield to block a strike that never came. Lusya followed up with a kick to the shield¡¯s side, where it couldn¡¯t copy attacks. The blow wrenched the shield, and Gisala¡¯s body, to the side. Lusya followed up with a slash from Lunera. Gisala hastily retreated, Lunera slicing across the right side of her chest and sending out an arc of crimson.

    Lusya pursued and followed up with a leg sweep, which Gisala jumped to avoid. It seemed meant as a short hop to dodge the attack, but Lusya slashed Lunera to connect the space above her to one much higher in the air, warping Gisala into the sky. While Gisala glanced about, disoriented, Lusya warped behind her.

    Gisala managed to twist and block as Lusya swung down Lunera, but the force of the blow still drove her down to the ground before the attack could be mimicked. Gisala landed hard on her back in a cloud of dust but managed to roll to her feet quickly enough. By the time Lusya warped to the ground, Gisala had assumed a defensive stance again.

    The shield was still proving to be a nuisance, if not a threat. Lusya had realized from their first encounter that it could never be the latter against her, nor against any fighter of comparable power. Ironic as it was, Gisala¡¯s over-reliance on the shield was what kept it from being dangerous. Once one understood its abilities, they were quite straightforward, and Gisala¡¯s entire fighting style revolving around it made her predictable.

    Based on its abilities alone, perhaps the Blade could have been powerful in the hands of a better wielder. But then, it was a reflection of Gisala. Her weakness was a part of it. Regardless, it was going to drag the fight out at this rate.

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    ¡°Miudofay,¡± Lusya said, calling the black blade to her free hand.

    ¡°Both at once?¡± Gisala exclaimed. ¡°What are you?¡± Her eyes widened in sudden realization, and she took a step back in fear, her face pale, sending a murmur through the crowd. ¡°Did you just call that sword Miudofay?¡±

    Lusya responded with a small blast of violet flame from Miudofay. She couldn¡¯t use too much, as the prison was still behind Gisala. Ariya was probably safe now that Lusya knew for sure she was there, but it was doubtful Ariya would handle the other mortals being incinerated well. Still, the amount of fire Lusya used was more than enough to be a danger.

    Gisala raised her shield to defend. Lusya warped behind her before the flames had fully dissipated and, blade wreathed in fire, stabbed at the woman¡¯s lower back. Gisala threw herself to the side, allowing Miudofay to burn her side instead of her spine. The remaining flames from the blast washed over her, but they were too weak to do more than give her a few severe burns. They could not harm Lusya at all. Gisala turned to face Lusya again and backed away, shield ready.

    Of course, now that their positions had reversed, Lusya didn¡¯t need to be so conservative with Miudofay. She swung the blade horizontally, sending out a tall, wide arc of flame. Gisala raised her shield to block once more. She was saved, but there was too much fire for her to stop it all. What she couldn¡¯t stop continued on past her, burning a swath of her men and the camp to ash. The surviving bandits scrambled away from the ash that had been their comrades.

    When the flames cleared, Gisala took a moment to glance over her shoulder at the destruction.

    ¡°Do you know how long and hard I worked to build all this?¡± she demanded.

    Lusya slashed Lunera, and Gisala whirled, anticipating an attack from behind. But Lusya had not constructed the rift to engulf her immediately. She dashed around it and closed in on foot, then slashed across Gisala¡¯s back before backing away. Gisala cried out in pain and ran away. It was a deep cut, painful and pouring out blood, but it was not debilitating.

    ¡°You think you can toy with me?¡± Gisala roared.

    She charged forward, shield raised. Lusya knew what she was doing. The shield still had that slash from Lunera stored. If it hadn¡¯t been her first attack since then, waiting to use it might have been clever. Instead, it was exactly what Lusya expected from the fool. Lusya waited until the last moment, then opened a rift in front of her. Gisala emerged behind her, the imitation slash whiffing through open air, useless. What was more, Gisala had leaned into the charge, expecting to meet the resistance of flesh, leaving her overextended when she had not.

    Lusya kicked her in the back, on the open wound, and released a shockwave, launching Gisala across their little arena with a howl of pain. She landed on the ground in an undignified tumble. It was not until she rolled to a halt that she began to push herself to stand. For most it was quick, but for a captain-level fighter, her movements were slow and pained. Lusya waited for her to rise. Gisala¡¯s teeth were gritted against the pain, her breathing heavy. Dirt tumbled off her, and the blood of her subordinates she had picked up from the ground mingled with hers.

    She took in a deep breath and charged again with a wordless shout. She raised a fist and tried to punch Lusya. It was not a bad punch, but a blind man could have seen it coming. If only Gisala had bothered learning how to fight instead of how to cower behind her Blade, things might have been different. Not that Lusya was complaining. She jumped over the attack, into a flip to give herself extra momentum, and drove her heel into the back of Gisala¡¯s head as she passed underneath, adding a shockwave for good measure.

    Gisala flew forward and fell face first onto the ground, sliding several more feet before she finally stopped. Her body heaving with each breath, she slowly stood and faced Lusya again, ready to charge.

    ¡°Kingdoms and empires rise and fall,¡± Lusya said.

    Gisala froze. ¡°No, stop,¡± she pleaded. Any captain who had fought in the war knew to fear that incantation. It meant they were about to die.

    ¡°Malice outlives them all,¡± Lusya continued, walking toward her.

    ¡°You¡¯ll ruin everything! You¡¯ll hit the girl too!¡±

    ¡°No matter how strong or built to last, all things must turn to ash. Miudofay Enfern.¡±

    Gisala flinched and raised her shield. It wouldn¡¯t have worked. Miudofay Enfern could burn everything inside it, every inch of space or speck of dust. Defending from the front alone was pointless. Not that it mattered. Lusya knew the incantation, but the sword of ruin had never responded to her using it. Even the First Release would not grant her all its abilities.

    She kicked the raised shield aside while Gisala tried to defend against a non-existent gout of flame. While her body was awkwardly twisted by the blow, Lusya slashed out her right eye with Miudofay. Gisala screamed and stumbled away, slamming a hand over her ruined eye.

    Lusya followed up by slamming Lunera¡¯s pommel into Gisala¡¯s head, driving her down to the ground. Then, Lusya kicked her stomach and released a shockwave, sending Gisala sailing across their makeshift arena. She rolled several more feet after landing before her momentum finally ran out.

    For a moment, she lay there, limp. Then, she pushed herself up off the ground, stood, and raised her shield once more. Gisala made no move to attack again. It seemed she was attempting to fall back on the stalemate she believed her Blade enforced. Attacking would strengthen her Blade, while waiting would give her more time to think of a new strategy.

    That stalemate only existed when one did not understand the Blade¡¯s power in full. Perhaps weak opponents and the element of surprise had carried her this far, but no further. Lusya was above that.

    Lusya swiped Lunera through the air, creating a tiny rift. Gisala braced herself, looking about. She did not turn around. She had learned a little. But it was too late. Lusya stabbed Miudofay through the rift and unleashed a small stream of flame. The blade poked out high above Gisala, out of her, now more limited, field of view. The flames bore down right onto the middle of Gisala¡¯s shield arm. The flames were just wide and powerful enough to burn through her elbow, reducing it to ash. Her forearm and shield flopped to the ground as she screamed in pain, staring at her burnt stump with wild, fearful eyes.

    While she was stunned, Lusya warped behind Gisala and sliced off her legs with Lunera. Gisala released another agonized roar. Lusya released Lunera and stomped on Gisala¡¯s back as she fell, driving her face first into the dirt, blood pouring from her wounds.

    As she drove her boot into the back of Gisala¡¯s shoulder, Lusya raised Miudofay and thrust it down into Gisala¡¯s back. Gisala writhed futilely. Lusya allowed fire to slowly leak from the black sword¡¯s tip into Gisala¡¯s body. Bit by bit, the flames spread through her, reducing her insides to ash little by little.

    Gisala thrashed, but Lusya¡¯s foot kept her in place. Gisala¡¯s remaining arm clutched at and ran through the dirt. It seemed a fruitless effort to drag herself away at first, but eventually it devolved into her merely clenching her fist so hard her nails drew blood.

    Wordless wails and tortured cries echoed from her mouth, tears streaming down her pallid face. Her mouth moved as if trying to form words but failed over and over again to produce anything but incoherent screams. At last, she finally seemed to summon the will to speak.

    ¡°Kill me,¡± she croaked. ¡°Just kill me already!¡±

    Lusya stopped the flames and let up the pressure of her foot, though not enough for Gisala to go anywhere. So much of this attack felt hollow now, and there was a pain within that Lusya could not quite identify. Why had she wasted so much time making this woman¡¯s death humiliating and painful? Why had she taken so long to confront the leader and free Ariya? They were Lusya¡¯s own actions, yet she could not understand them.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no point to any of this.¡±

    Gisala let out a relieved sigh. Lusya set Miudofay¡¯s flames ablaze and dragged it up through Gisala¡¯s body and out through her head, killing her in an instant. Her shield dissolved into white particles and floated off into the sky a second later. Lusya stepped off the half-ash corpse and looked around at her audience. The crowd had thinned. Many of the bandits had fled during the fight. Most, however, were still present, watching in stunned silence. Even the minor-ranks did not immediately resume their uproar.

    That silence began to crumble as the bandits stared at their leader¡¯s remains. They mumbled among themselves about how it was impossible, about how ¡°Boss¡± couldn¡¯t have lost.

    ¡°However,¡± Lusya said, drawing their attention to her, ¡°you all still need to die.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Thirty-One

    The noises outside had stopped. The initial noises had stopped after Boss had gone out. Then they¡¯d come back, but quieter. There were fewer bangs and it had been just her shouting for a while. Then, the other sounds had come back. After that, there had been a couple minutes of nothing but the demons¡¯ noises and pained moaning. Now, it was silent. Even the demons had finally stopped their racket. There was still a horrible smell coming from something outside though.

    Ariya had succeeded in waking everyone in her cell. She waited by the door for Lusya to come in, but the others were either sitting where they had slept and staring at the ground or huddled at the back. The noises were scaring the second group, apparently. Ariya was pretty sure at least some of the people in the other cells were awake too. She had heard them talking. At some point, she supposed it had become pretty hard to pretend they didn¡¯t hear what was happening outside.

    Flaven was gone. He had slipped out a little after Boss. Ariya didn¡¯t know what had happened to him after that. She hoped he was okay. He was a bad person, but she didn¡¯t think it was ever a good thing for people to get hurt.

    He hadn¡¯t unlocked the cell doors or anything, so they were still trapped inside for a little longer. She heard people talking about that, too, even now.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to rot in here,¡± a woman said. ¡°We¡¯re trapped until we starve.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re doomed,¡± a man agreed.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Ariya said. She turned to face them, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°You need to learn to be patient.¡±

    That was something Mama used to say. She thought it fit here pretty well. And she had done a pretty good imitation, if she said so herself. Which she did.

    It was just a matter of time, and it couldn¡¯t even be all that much longer. Lusya was here. If it had gone quiet, that meant she had won. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what else Lusya was doing out there that was delaying her, but it wouldn¡¯t take her that much longer to come inside. She could understand the others, though. It did feel like a long wait, though spending all day working or in a cell had not improved Ariya¡¯s ability to keep track of time.

    Finally, Ariya heard the prison door open. Beaming, she whirled to face it again. Her smile faltered immediately. It was Lusya, like Ariya had thought. But she was covered in blood like Ariya had never seen before. Her face, her shirt, her boots. Everything had fresh, crimson blood splashed on it. A lot of it was still wet. It did not seem to be Lusya¡¯s blood.

    Lusya caught sight of Ariya immediately and approached the cell, every step leaving a bright red print on the floor. Ariya¡¯s smile started to come back. Bloody or not, Lusya being here was a good thing. But then, Ariya noticed something else. There was something different about Lusya¡¯s expression, something Ariya hadn¡¯t seen before. As she studied Lusya¡¯s face, Ariya realized what it was: Lusya¡¯s eyes were open slightly less than usual. Ariya had seen Lusya scowl before, occasionally, but this wasn¡¯t even that. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what it meant. As the opposite of an eye-widen, it made sense to think of it as a frown. But Ariya had already seen plenty of Lusya¡¯s frown equivalent expressions already. This wasn¡¯t one of them, and Ariya couldn¡¯t guess what made it different.

    Lusya grabbed the lock on the cell door and tore it off. The metal lock didn¡¯t stand a chance. She tossed the ruined lock aside and opened the door.

    ¡°Are you well, Ariya?¡± she asked.

    Ariya nodded, sniffling. She tried hard to stay strong and hold herself back. To show Lusya what a good job she¡¯d done. After a moment, heedless of the blood, Ariya burst into tears and ran forward. She wrapped her arms around Lusya, wailing and sobbing. Her face ended up right in a splotch of blood on Lusya¡¯s shirt, but Ariya didn¡¯t care. She just couldn¡¯t stop crying. She felt like such a baby, but she couldn¡¯t help it. For a few seconds, Lusya didn¡¯t do anything, but then she rested a hand on Ariya¡¯s head. The tears just kept coming.

    ¡°They were so scary and mean,¡± she said, as she started to collect herself. She pulled back, wiping her tears, and looked up at Lusya. ¡°But I was brave, and I didn¡¯t let them see, because I knew you were going to come for me.¡±

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    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya replied. She patted Ariya¡¯s head. ¡°Well done, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya beamed. She looked over Lusya¡¯s bloody form again, and again her smile fell.

    ¡°Did¡­Did you kill them?¡± Ariya asked.

    She wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew Lusya killed people. It had been obvious with that Sacred Knight. Lusya had literally told him to die, and then the fight had stopped. Other times, she hadn¡¯t realized at the time, but it made sense looking back. Those guys in the alley. She knew one of Lusya¡¯s swords could burn things really well. That powder on the ground had been their ashes. The demon Biggs. He¡¯d been so loud, but when Ariya had uncovered her ears, he hadn¡¯t made a sound. Because he had been gone. Lusya usually didn¡¯t talk about it. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why. She knew killing wasn¡¯t good, but heroes did it all the times in stories, so obviously there were times when it was okay.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes. I did.¡±

    Ariya wasn¡¯t happy about that. She didn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt, and she had hoped the answer would somehow, against all the signs to the contrary, be ¡°no.¡± Yet she couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel sad about it at all. It was just something that had happened, not good or bad. She guessed that made this one of those times. Did that make Lusya a hero? Ariya wasn¡¯t sure, but she decided right there that Lusya was one anyway. She might have been the helper to make Ariya into a hero, but that didn¡¯t mean Lusya couldn¡¯t be a hero herself.

    All that in mind, her smile returned brighter than ever. ¡°Okay. Are we gonna go now?¡± She looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Ander? Did he leave?¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes narrowed a little more. ¡°He is dead.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°Oh, no¡­¡±

    She got what being dead meant now, more or less. The books she¡¯d read with Lusya had helped. And just being with Lusya had helped. Killing people meant making them dead, so understanding that Lusya killed people had meant understanding death more. A dead person got hurt, and then they were gone forever. They didn¡¯t just go somewhere they couldn¡¯t come back from. They left the world. She wasn¡¯t completely sure what ultimately happened to them, but it seemed like adults couldn¡¯t agree on that either, so it was probably fine.

    Now Ander was dead. Ariya had liked him. He had been nice and happy, warm and comforting in a different, complementary way from Lusya, and he had restored Ariya¡¯s faith in Sacred Knights. In part, at least. She was willing to believe most of them were like him, even if he hadn¡¯t really been one. If Kadel had been more like him, maybe things could have been different three months ago.

    ¡°We must leave now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will continue our journey.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    She pointed back into her cell. Her cellmates who had been huddled against the wall were still there, watching Lusya with wide fearful eyes. Even the ones who had just been sitting now looked poised to run too, and their expressions were just as frightened. Normally, that would have been rude. Maybe it still was, but Ariya could at least understand it right now. Even for Ariya, Lusya looked a little scary covered head-to-toe in other people¡¯s blood. For someone who didn¡¯t know her, Lusya must have been a terrifying monster. Well, they might have thought that even if they did know her, what with Lusya being a demon and all. Ariya knew better, but that didn¡¯t mean everybody would just accept that Lusya was a good demon. Grown-ups could be pretty silly sometimes.

    ¡°Can they come too?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya glanced at them. ¡°They will be a drain on our resources.¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just leave them here,¡± she said. ¡°They don¡¯t have any way to get home or stay alive.¡± She gulped. She didn¡¯t want to say what she was thinking. It seemed mean. But she couldn¡¯t leave the others because of that. He wouldn¡¯t have wanted that either. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you still have Ander¡¯s stuff?¡±

    ¡°It is near enough to retrieve,¡± Lusya said. She was quiet for a second, and her eyes narrowed a little more again. ¡°We will have to return anyway for my pack.¡± Another silence, then she nodded. ¡°Very well. I will escort them as far as the next town on our route. No farther. They will slow us.¡±

    Ariya smiled. ¡°Thank you, Lusya.¡± She pointed down the prison hall. ¡°Everyone else too.¡±

    Lusya nodded. Without a word, she started making her way down the cells, breaking the locks one by one. Ariya heard the people in there muttering or shouting in surprise. A few people outright screamed in terror, which, again, was fair with the whole ¡°soaked in blood¡± thing Lusya had going on. Ariya stepped out of her cell, and the others followed shortly after. The woman who had been whining earlier came close to Ariya and leaned in.

    ¡°Is that the person you kept saying would save you?¡± the woman asked in a whisper, like she thought Lusya would be mad if she heard.

    Ariya grinned and nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Lusya. She¡¯s the best.¡±

    Slowly, people from the other cells started coming out, though they didn¡¯t move much beyond the doors and kept their distance from Lusya. Lusya came back over to Ariya, and one of the men from her cell stepped forward, grabbing Lusya¡¯s hand in both of his and giving it a vigorous shake.

    ¡°Thank you, so much, for freeing us,¡± the man said between sobs. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are or where you came from, but we all owe you our lives.¡±

    ¡°That may be true,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I do not require any repayment.¡± She pulled her hand free, then walked over and offered it to Ariya. Ariya grabbed it like she¡¯d just found ancient treasure. Lusya looked over everyone in the room. ¡°Come along, all of you. I will not ask again.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Thirty-Two

    ¡°Thank you again,¡± the woman shaking Lusya¡¯s hand like she was trying to tear it off said with a tearful smile. ¡°We¡¯ll never be able to say it enough. Thank you so much!¡±

    ¡°I do not require thanks,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Release my hand.¡±

    The woman obeyed and took a step back. She looked shocked for a moment, but quickly smiled again.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be off,¡± she said.

    She walked to the door of the building behind her, where a courier service was based. She paused at the entrance, turned, waved at Lusya, then at Ariya in waiting with the carriage, and finally went inside. Perhaps she intended to contact her home. Whatever she wanted to do, it was no longer Lusya¡¯s concern. With that woman being the last prisoner to leave, none of them were. Most had given similar thanks and farewells. The remainder had been too despondent, and had left with a mumbled good-bye at most, which suited Lusya just as well. Those had had Lusya either drop them off at a random spot in the streets, or at an inn or tavern. She suspected they would squander any chance at recovery, but that was not her problem. She was done with them. She turned and headed back to the carriage. Its supplies had been severely depleted, but they had held up during the almost week-long journey to Whitetree.

    Whitetree was a large town that had seen growth in recent years due to the discovery of large deposits of iron nearby. Even during wartime¡ªor maybe especially during wartime¡ªthat had allowed the town to flourish. Or so Lusya had read. She would not have called it a city, but it was large enough. She had always planned to stop here, and the base had put her in a convenient location to make it her next stop and return to her planned route. Here, the freed prisoners would be able to find lodging, work, and ways to contact their homes. Perhaps not all of those for all of them, but most would end up with at least one.

    It was a lucky coincidence for them. Lusya¡¯s judgment would not have changed regardless of what town was in easy reach. If it had been a village of ten people, they would have had to make do with that. She had ferried the prisoners to their chosen destinations¡ªrather than dump them all at the town¡¯s entrance¡ªand given each a silver coin from Ander¡¯s purse to keep Ariya happy, but she was not going to take charge of the few dozen of them. They had contributed nothing on the way to Whitetree other than draining resources at a rapid pace and slowing Lusya down. She had kept the carriage¡¯s speed at its normal pace, similar to walking, but even then, some of the former prisoners had struggled to keep up. Even many of those fine with the speed had abysmal stamina, comparable to Ariya at the start of their journey. Lusya would have thought all their labor would have increased their endurance, and for some it had. Yet for the bulk, their vitality had only suffered.

    Considering they had sometimes asked to stop despite showing no signs at all of physical exhaustion, perhaps it was some mental issue that was beyond her. All of them had been overflowing with Malice when she had found them and throughout much of the journey, after all. That had reflected in their mood as well. Whether they were keeping up or not, they had often seemed dejected after the initial cheer at salvation had passed. Their Malice levels had begun to go down and their moods to improve as they traveled, but, for most of them, it was only on reaching Whitetree that they had seemed happy. As for that Malice, as difficult to judge and volatile as it could be, she suspected it was still high by their standards. It would take some time for the massive amounts they had produced to vent.

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    Some of that might have improved with time, she was sure. Their stamina may have improved, as Ariya¡¯s had. Their minds may have recovered. They may have revealed or developed useful skills. If nothing else, they could have served as pack mules. None of that was relevant. Regardless of their skills or value, Lusya had no intention of joining up with other travelers.

    Why had her resolve become so firm on that matter? She still did not understand her thoughts and actions on that night. Or some of them since. After defeating Gisala, Lusya had felt distracted. Muddled. She had been underwater, struggling to surface and interact with the world above. Ariya had not seemed to have noticed. That feeling had abated since, but everything about that night still perplexed Lusya. When she thought about it, trying to unravel the mystery, she sometimes found her heart rate climbing, her chest tightening. Another mystery.

    All that, in itself, was cause for concern. If she could not understand her own actions, sometimes even her own thoughts, who could say when she would do something to jeopardize her mission?

    No, she already had. In her uncharacteristic quest for cruelty, she had wasted valuable time and given plenty of openings for something to go wrong. For Gisala to hurt Ariya or use her as a hostage again.

    None of that had happened, but that was a mistake on the opponent¡¯s part. That was not something Lusya could rely on going forward. If something like that night happened again, it might well mean Ariya¡¯s end. Or Lusya¡¯s, for that matter. But there was no way for her to take precautions against a situation so enigmatic.

    There was something deeper. No, there were multiple somethings deeper that gnawed at her. Things she could not begin to grasp or express. It seemed every layer of this mystery added another two layers on discovery.

    ¡°Are we staying here for the night?¡± Ariya asked as Lusya neared the carriage.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°We are.¡±

    There was plenty of light left in the day. They could have continued on. But giving Ariya a rest seemed prudent, after everything that had happened. Other than that, it did not seem anything in particular needed to be done with her. Her seed of Malice had grown again, but it was still smaller than most any other mortal¡¯s reserves. Still the best candidate for Lusya¡¯s task. It was remarkable how little her ordeal seemed to have affected her, in Malice or otherwise. Ariya¡¯s explanation was that she had known Lusya was coming and everything was temporary, but it was still an impressive show of resilience.

    ¡°Are we keeping all this?¡± Ariya asked, waving behind her at what was left of the carriage¡¯s contents. Aside from the spare swords, which the prisoners had had no use for, it was little more than scraps.

    ¡°Most likely not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am imitating Ander¡¯s actions, but the horses do not seem to obey me as they did him, and they somehow seem in poorer health. Selling them and what I cannot carry seems our best option.¡±

    She would get quite a bit of coin out of it, and she still had the gold coin Ander had given her back in Larsev. She was still going to wait to exchange it, although Whitetree was large enough to have a coin exchange. One hundred silver coins would take up quite a bit of space, especially when she was about to get more. Between the sale and Ander¡¯s supply of silver and copper, she could top off her funds and find some way to discard the excess. She cared little for what happened to it, so handing it to a random citizen or leaving it in the road seemed the best options. In the meantime, the gold would remain in reserve for emergencies.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss not walking. But okay, Lusya. If you say so.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss Ander too.¡±

    Lusya nodded, got on the seat, and urged the horses forward. She had little choice but to press on. Perhaps the answers to her questions would become clear with time and contemplation. If they did not, all she could do was try to be careful. There was no other choice. She could not abandon her task. She would revive Father.

 Letter of Recommendation for Ander Lindun

    To Whom It May Concern,

    I am writing to recommend the admittance of Mister Ander Lindun into the Sacred Knight Academy of Seris. As his mentor, I have grown to know this young man quite well, and I can say with ironclad confidence that he would be a worthy and valuable addition to your institution.

    As his instructor of over ten years, I will attest that Ander¡¯s motomancy prowess exceeds ninety percent of new students and even twenty-five percent of graduates. In some respects, I would rank him even higher. He has begun grasping constructs, and his sense for Malice is comparable to even many experienced Knights. The ability to detect demons is exceedingly rare in one so young, and speaks of further untapped potential.

    Of course, character is just as important a trait as prowess for any student and Sacred Knight. Or so we profess, as least. This is an area in which we could stand to improve. In this regard, I assure you, Ander is ready to lead the charge. He is friendly, genial, and polite, already putting him ahead of many of my former colleagues. More than that, he is kind and eager to help others. Perhaps too much so. He will need to be refined and tempered with restraint to turn this hero complex into a sense of justice worthy of a knight, but I submit that this is precisely what the Academy is for.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Lastly, I know you wish to hear of my student¡¯s academics. Ander is fluent in three languages. He is well-versed in all the latest math and science. He reads extensively on all matters, from fiction to philosophy. He is also an impulse airhead with a bad habit of turning off that brain he has worked to hard to cultivate. Once again, sanding off these rough edges is our job.

    If it were not obvious, Ander is strong, intelligent, and of good character. He will make a fine student and Sacred Knight. I am sure you wish to hear me relate some anecdote or another, but I am old and have no patience for jumping through such hoops. If my words are not enough to convince you, then let my name speak for itself.

    Signed,

    Gerad Verbum

 Sacred Knight File: Mysterious Battle Sites

    This file is a compilation of information related to the battlegrounds discovered in Ovda and Ostia.

    Site 1: Located in the northwest of Ovda, in a forest near a roadside inn. Much of the forest appears to have been cleared in the battle. Signs of a fire-based Soul Blade being used have been discovered. One of the combatants appears to have been Captain Kadel Highmoor, whose corpse was discovered by his squad on the scene. Other combatant(s) remain unknown. Captain Highmoor¡¯s squad has a prime suspect, but has been unable to supply a consistent description. This is attributed to the stress of their loss, as most of the squad is young and inexperienced. All that can be concluded is that the suspect is a woman resembling a reltus and a powerful motomancer.

    Site 2: Near a road in central Ostia. A caravan appears to have been destroyed by an unknown attacker, most likely a high-rank demon. Signs of fire and water-based Blades in use. Reason to suspect a battle occurred after the caravan¡¯s destruction, but evidence is inconclusive at this time.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Site 3: Located in central Ostia, in the middle of a deforested plain. Two battles appear to have taken place in a makeshift fortress and on the road to the south. These incidents may be related to the reports of bandits which appear to have been resolved by a third party. Once again, signs of a fire-based Blade. Several corpses discovered, but identities unclear.

    Current Investigation State: Thirteenth Paladin Falin Rivelda has been ordered to investigate all sites while en route to his diplomatic mission. Given the length of time that has already passed, it is unlikely he will discover anything of value, but evidence suggests too powerful a threat to ignore.

    Summary: Inconclusive.

 Book Three - Chapter One

    A belch, louder than Lusya would have thought Ariya¡¯s small body capable of producing, echoed through the room as Ariya finished her milk, capping off her fourth breakfast at the Happy Elephant Inn. She let out a contented sigh and leaned back in her seat. Her burp had not filled the air with a pleasant scent. Odd how foul morning breath could smell. Her breath was not normally so fragrant.

    Lusya had finished her meal several minutes earlier. The inn¡¯s food was well-made, if not exceptional. They used a bit too much salt for her tastes, but not enough to bother her. Then again, she was not a picky eater in general, so that was to be expected unless the food were truly awful. It was possible others would take more issue with it, though Ariya had not complained. Whatever the case, that summed up the establishment in general: good, but not outstanding. Its name was the most interesting thing about it along with its proprietor.

    Lusya had heard about elephants, the strange giant beasts found beyond Ysuge and even seen drawings of them¡ªaside from the one on the sign outside¡ªbut it was unusual for anyone else to know of them, let alone name a business after them. The owner had seen one during a trip and become fascinated by the creatures, or so he said. The underlying purpose of said trip was ¡°just traveling,¡± according to him.

    The inn was not busy either. At the moment, there were two other parties in the dining room eating breakfast, one of which was a single woman who lived in the city and came for breakfast every day. Even during peak business hours in the evening, it was rare for more than three or four tables to be filled, supplemented by a patron or two at the bar. For a country inn, that would have been bustling. For one in one of the largest cities on the continent, it might as well have been empty. Considering the apparent dearth of revenue, the place was in remarkable shape and quite clean. More so than many more successful inns, in fact.

    Not only was it well-maintained, the beds were of higher quality than average, she had seen some customers ordering rather expensive wine¡ªor rather, wine known to be expensive that was being sold at a modest price¡ªand the place was dotted with expensive oil lanterns for lighting at night, themselves covered in ornate ornaments and engravings. Nothing was quite at the level of the most upscale establishments, but it stood out in what seemed to be positioned as a mid-level inn. The place could have just been new, but Lusya doubted that. The innkeeper had made statements implying he had been running it for quite some time.

    As an interesting side effect of the lack of business, the air was less pungent than in most similar establishments. Scents of boiling stew and baking bread still wafted into the dining room from the kitchen, but, with fewer dishes in the room itself, it was a subtler scent than most. It was also quite quiet. Ariya¡¯s belch had been the first sound other than silverware on plates since they had started eating.

    ¡°How much longer are we gonna stay here?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Two more days.¡±

    Ariya gave a thoughtful hum and a nod in acknowledgment.

    Assuming the tailor was on time, Lusya¡¯s new blouse would be ready tomorrow. Not including today, they had already been in the city of Zentril for three days, and he had said five to finish. She had gotten lucky with his schedule. It would have been difficult to convince him to prioritize her order in one of largest cities in Ysuge. This was not a village in the middle of nowhere, where he had no one to turn to if she threatened him, and she had no desire to provoke the city guard. They were no threat to her, but it would still be trouble to have them trying to apprehend her, including not getting her shirt replaced. She could have shopped around, of course, but there was no guarantee any other tailor would be done faster.

    ¡°I am surprised you would ask,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You often advocate for us to remain in place for longer.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Ariya said. She beamed. ¡°I would love to stay here even longer. It¡¯s fun.¡± Her smile faltered. ¡°But it¡¯s still weird. We almost never stop longer than a day or two.¡±

    ¡°Proper tailoring takes time.¡±

    Lusya¡¯s white blouse had been ruined, leaving her with only one upper garment, so she had needed to have a replacement made. After all the things that shirt had been through, receiving minor repairs along the way, it had been the sleeve getting caught on a stray branch that had damaged it beyond salvation. Getting a new one was an inconvenience, but having only the gray blouse more so. With only one shirt, if it was ruined, she may have appeared ¡°indecent,¡± drawing unnecessary attention. If it was dirtied or received lesser damage, it may have compromised the effect her attractiveness had on others.

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Ariya replied. She cocked her head and blinked twice. Lusya was not sure if Ariya was imitating her on purpose or not. It would not have been strange for a child her age to pick up Lusya¡¯s mannerisms without realizing it, from what she had read. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get my clothes tailored?¡±

    ¡°It is unnecessary and expensive,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I would also settle for the best ready-made fit I could find if I did not have to be ready for combat.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Ariya pursed her lips and made a skeptical grunting noise. ¡°I think you just like wearing shirts that show off your boobs.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°You are mistaken.¡±

    It was a matter of function. She wanted to be sure she was not hindered in the event of a fight. Aesthetics were, admittedly, a nice bonus but not the focus. She hoped two months ago would be the last time she needed to fight during this journey, but somehow, she doubted that.

    Two months ago¡­She still did not understand her actions back then. The ferocity with which she had butchered the bandits. Thinking on it had given no answers, nor had any epiphany come when it was not at the forefront of her mind, as sometimes happened with a difficult problem.

    It remained a mystery, and none of her concerns on the matter had been resolved. If anything, the incident with her blouse had caused them to grow a bit. She had been distracted contemplating the issue when her sleeve had gotten caught. That was a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, and all she had been distracted from was walking, but it did not bode well. A repeat in a more dire situation could be devastating.

    After all this time, if an answer had not come, it seemed the best course of action was to put it out of mind. So, that was what she did. Either an answer would come, or the incident would fade into a distant memory.

    Of course, she had already resolved to do the same many times since then. Yet the issue kept crawling back to front of her mind. She had no doubt it would do so again. Still, she could avoid thinking about it for now.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ariya asked, her eyebrows knit in concern.

    Lusya cocked her head, blinking twice. ¡°I am fine. I am unsure what led you to believe otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ariya said, her gaze fixed on Lusya¡¯s.

    Spurred by thoughts of those events, Lusya took a moment to consider Ariya. Her seed of Malice had grown quite a bit from when they had first met, but it was still small enough to be called a seed. It had started out minuscule, though, so it was still a smaller amount of Malice than most any other human by a large margin. She was still the purest mortal Lusya had ever encountered, and she looked on track to remain so until her purpose was fulfilled.

    Her analysis concluded, Lusya stood. ¡°I assume you would not like to remain in the inn all day. How would you like to spend the day in the city?¡±

    Ariya rested her chin in a hand and hummed in contemplation. Zentril abounded in activities and sights to partake of, many of which did not even cost any money. There was no reason to hole up in the inn, and this seemed like a fine opportunity to provide Ariya with plenty of rest and entertainment. Lusya was wondering if Ariya would be able to go longer without another break after this. It was doubtful it would be enough to make repeated similar stops worthwhile, but it did not hurt to know a little more. So, they had gone to see multiple attractions every day so far. Most were of little interest to Lusya, but a few had been interesting.

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got recommendations left, if you¡¯d like to hear ¡®em,¡± the innkeeper said with a grin. He stood behind the bar counter, using a rag to polish a tankard that already all but glowed in the light.

    ¡°I do not suppose you are ready to tell me about your past?¡± Lusya replied.

    The innkeeper¡¯s smile grew as he shook his head. ¡°Nope. My lips are sealed, and no questioning, violence, or torture can open them. Which isn¡¯t to say there¡¯s no way¡­¡± His eyes ran over her and he winked. ¡°But I might be a little old for you. Or is it a little young?¡±

    The man seemed to be about forty. That made him over twenty years older than her. If she had been a reltus, however, going by appearances, he would have been several years younger. It was not the first time he had implied sex would loosen his lips. After the third time she had asked, in fact, he had done so every time. She did want to know. Something was going on. Ordinary innkeepers did not travel to far flung continents and somehow have the money to maintain a business that seemed to be scraping by at best while underselling expensive goods and putting up expensive decorations.

    Her first guess was that he was a criminal, former or otherwise. Not a common thief, of course, but perhaps an assassin or a member of a local organized crime syndicate. He could have ample savings from something like that, and, even if he was no longer active, his former associates likely would have seen value in providing him with funds to keep him quiet if they did not think it worth the trouble to kill him.

    Failing that, she suspected a former government official, perhaps a diplomat. That would have given him plenty of reason to travel, and many of the same justifications for his ability to maintain this business applied.

    There were other possibilities, of course. He could have been a bored nobleman who decided to try his hand at running an inn. Or perhaps a simple explorer who had stumbled upon wealth. She ranked such possibilities lower for various reasons. The former actually did some of the least traveling among citizens¡ªespecially outside of Ysuge¡ªdespite their resources, since they had to maintain their lands and guard it from rivals. The latter, meanwhile, would have required him to be absurdly lucky to be able to afford this business over an extended period of time. It was all quite the mystery, and Lusya¡¯s curiosity roiled like a stormy sea in response. Still, it was not worth the potential complications of his stated conditions.

    She did not necessarily believe him about violence, but interrogating him that way did not seem prudent for much the same reason as intimidating the tailor. Even if she had been leaving immediately, it would have been unwise. People had seen her in his inn, so she would be a potential suspect. She did not want to know badly enough to deal with that inconvenience.

    ¡°What if I showed you?¡± she asked.

    He arched his eyebrows. ¡°Everything?¡±

    She nodded.

    The innkeeper gritted his teeth and let out a breath in a slow hiss, his eyes once again scanning her form. ¡°You drive a hard bargain, but no deal. It¡¯s all or nothing here, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°I see. I do not believe we will be able to come to an arrangement, in that case.¡±

    ¡°No hard feelings?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I will not retain a grudge if you do not.¡±

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Ariya said, her brow furrowed in confusion.

    ¡°It is none of your concern,¡± Lusya said. She turned her attention back to the innkeeper. ¡°I would like to hear your suggestions, if you are willing.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Two

    Ariya gasped at the massive tower before her. She craned her neck, looking straight up in order to see the top. She had known the Golden Tower was huge, but it hadn¡¯t looked quite so big from other parts of the city. Now that she was right in front of it, it almost seemed to stretch on forever into the sky. It might even have been taller than Gavamir¡¯s walls, yet it was so thin. Sure, it looked big enough from right next to it, but compared to how high it was and from far away, it was a twig. From what Ariya could see, it was a uniform circular shape from bottom to top, although she couldn¡¯t quite see the very top.

    Beside Ariya, holding her hand, stood Lusya. She looked up at the tower as well, though she didn¡¯t look impressed. Her eyes were slightly closed. Most people probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but Ariya had had a lot of time to get used to reading Lusya¡¯s facial expressions. Her eyes had been that way since just after breakfast. Ariya had no idea why. She could only guess that Lusya had thought of something that had upset her. That seemed to have been happening a lot the past couple months. Ariya could make a couple guesses at what that something was, but she couldn¡¯t be sure which it was. She wasn¡¯t even sure it was any of them. It was unlike Lusya to dwell on things like that.

    Ariya wished there was something she could do to help, but, if there was, she couldn¡¯t think of anything. Lusya wouldn¡¯t even talk about it. She always said nothing was wrong. Ariya was sure that wasn¡¯t true, but she also knew Lusya wasn¡¯t just saying it. Lusya didn¡¯t lie, after all. That just made the whole situation even more confusing though.

    Well, if nothing else, maybe Ariya could help take Lusya¡¯s mind off whatever it was.

    ¡°How big do you think it is?¡± Ariya asked, pointing to the top of the tower.

    Lusya glanced at her. ¡°About three hundred feet.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya replied. ¡°You read that somewhere, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Cheater.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I was not aware there were rules.¡±

    ¡°Well there were, and you broke them,¡± Ariya said putting her free hand on her hip with a huff.

    Lusya¡¯s eyes widened a little. ¡°I see. I apologize.¡±

    Ariya grinned. Mission successful. ¡°I forgive you.¡±

    She looked up at the building again. Three hundred feet. Last she had checked, Ariya had been a little under four feet tall. Granted, she hadn¡¯t checked in a while, and she was pretty sure she had gotten taller, but it wasn¡¯t by more than a few inches. So this thing was a little less than a hundred of her tall. It was a height that would have been hard to imagine if it hadn¡¯t been right in front of her. Almost too tall. What was all that height even for? And another thing¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s not golden,¡± she said.

    Despite its name, the whole tower was a pale off-white color. It didn¡¯t look anything like gold.

    ¡°It was once covered in a large number of golden decorations,¡± Lusya explained, ¡°according to writing and artwork from the time. Although, it was referred to as the World-Pinning Tower at the time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a cooler name anyway,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I have no strong opinion on the matter.¡±

    ¡°Why was it called that?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Did they think it actually held the world together?¡±

    ¡°Considering there were thousands of years of history prior, they would have had to be quite foolish to believe that,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°By the world, they meant civilization. The tower¡¯s constructors believed themselves the height of civilization, and this tower proof of that.¡±

    Ariya nodded in understanding. ¡°Oh, I get it. That¡¯s kind of snooty.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still cool though.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°So, what happened to all the gold thingies?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°It is unclear,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°It has not had them for quite some time. Gold is resistant to corrosion, so it is unlikely they were all lost to decay. The simplest explanation is that they were somehow destroyed or dislodged, and the remnants moved or stolen, but I am no historian.¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. But I wanna know.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°As do I. However, short of engaging in our own research and achieving a breakthrough, there is no way for us to know.¡±

    Ariya gasped, a broad smile forming.

    ¡°We are not going to do that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We have neither the time nor the resources.¡±

    ¡°Awwww,¡± Ariya groaned as her smile turned into a frown. She understood, but, for a second, she had been looking forward to exploring crypts and uncovering long lost secrets with Lusya.

    A man and a woman walked past, arm-in-arm. The former wore a doublet so clean it almost glowed, with the latter in a puffy blue dress. They gave a questioning look as they glanced at Lusya and Ariya, like they didn¡¯t belong, and continued into the tower. A guard at the entrance started to say something, but then seemed to recognize them and let them through with a smile and a bow.

    Unlike that place back in Larsev¡ªand even a lot of other places in Zentril¡ªthe city here charged people to go into the tower. The view from the top was pretty popular, apparently, so the city got some nice extra cash out of it, though Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what a city was going to do with money. Some nobles and rich people could get in for free, though, which seemed a little backwards to Ariya.

    ¡°So, what time was that?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya tilted her head far to the side and blinked twice.

    ¡°You said ¡®at the time,¡¯¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°The time of the Odessian Empire,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Just before its decline began. Much of this city was built at that time. It owes its current status to a single emperor.¡±

    ¡°The Odessian Empire was a big deal, huh?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡±

    Ariya spent another few seconds just admiring the massive structure. The empire must have been pretty powerful to build something like this. She could kind of understand how they might get some big heads about it.

    ¡°Would you like to visit the top?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya looked up and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s gonna be a lot of stairs, right?¡±

    Lusya would carry her if she got tired, but Ariya didn¡¯t want to force her to do that. Besides, she was a big girl, and big girls could walk on their own.

    ¡°I believe there is an elevator,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya blinked twice. ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°A vehicle of sorts that will get us to the top.¡±

    Ariya gaped, too stunned to speak for a moment. ¡°You mean a flying machine?¡±

    ¡°No. It is a simple contraption that can be raised or lowered by ropes and a pulley system.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Ariya exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. ¡°We have to go up. Come on, come on!¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    She led the way to the entrance. The guard gave them a stern look as the approached.

    ¡°Stop,¡± he said in Zeltan, holding up a palm to signal them.

    Lusya stopped in front of him and said something back to him in Zeltan. A lot of people were impressed by Lusya¡¯s language skills, but this man remained stone-faced throughout. There were a fair number of relti in the city, so she guessed what he thought was one speaking Zeltan wasn¡¯t that unusual. That made Ariya smile a little. She had decided recently that it was kind of fun having a secret no one else knew. Watching people act in ways that would completely change if they knew one little thing she did have a weird thrill to it. It almost made her feel strong.

    The man nodded and replied. Ariya managed to catch the words ¡°girl¡± and ¡°copper.¡± There were some numbers in there too, but they zipped by too quickly for her to parse.

    There were two major languages in Ketslind, the kingdom Zentril was located in: Zeltan and Fyemish. Ariya had learned enough Fyemish to get by, but, since Lusya had only had time to teach her one, Ariya barely knew any Zeltan. She felt a twinge of jealousy every time Lusya spoke the languages like she¡¯d been doing so her whole life.

    She was pretty, strong, smart, and she seemed to speak every language under the sun. Was there anything Lusya wasn¡¯t good at? Well, there was expressing her feelings, Ariya guessed.

    Lusya handed the guard a couple coins and they had one last exchange in Zeltan. The man¡¯s expression noticeably lightened once the coins were in his hand. It was a coin flip which language anyone spoke. Here in the city, most people could speak both. They would change to Fyemish for Ariya¡¯s benefit if they were talking to her, and Lusya would ask them to if the conversation involved Ariya, but often, Ariya was stuck listening to gibberish as Lusya talked to somebody. It had been worse out in the country. Out there, most people spoke one or the other. There were maybe a couple people in a village who knew the other well enough to hold a conversation.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The guard tossed the coins into a box beside him and waved Lusya and Ariya in.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya breathed as she entered the tower, turning her head to and fro to bask in her surroundings.

    It was surprisingly plain. There was nothing there except a spiral staircase snaking across the walls and what Ariya guessed was this ¡°elevator,¡± which seemed to be a wooden platform with ropes tied to a series of bars overhead. It was pretty dim too. Windows ran along the walls, allowing the sun¡¯s light in enough to see, but there weren¡¯t enough to properly light the place up, leaving the tower lit as if by dying lamps. Aside from the windows, the walls themselves were pretty barren too. They were the same off-white as everything else, with nothing resembling a decoration to be seen.

    Even so, it was no less impressive than the outside. Ariya had never seen a ceiling so high up. It was kind of weird, now that she thought about it. Three hundred feet ahead didn¡¯t feel that far, but looking straight up, she could almost believe she was looking at the sky.

    Lusya led the way to the platform. It had fences along the sides for some reason, so they couldn¡¯t get right on. An attendant opened a gate and allowed them to step on, then closed it and moved over to a sort of crank, which seemed to be connected to the rope by something way up at the top of the tower. It looked like a hook of some kind, but it was too far and dim for Ariya to tell for sure. There were several other cranks dotted around, each also manned.

    ¡°When you want to come home, let the guard up top know, and he¡¯ll ring the bell,¡± the first man said in Fyemish.

    ¡°Will you hear from down here?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Sure will. There¡¯s a nice ECHO! In here,¡± the man replied with a grin. There was a faint repetition of ¡°echo¡± all around as he finished speaking.

    Ariya giggled, even as the other men groaned and rolled their eyes.

    ¡°Ready to go up?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°We are,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Hold still, Ariya.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The men started turning the cranks, and, slowly, the platform started to raise. There was an odd sensation, like the ground was pushing up into Ariya¡¯s feet. Which, she supposed, it was, as weird as that thought was. It wasn¡¯t fast, by any means, but it was still cool. Almost like flying. It wasn¡¯t as exciting as Lusya jumping while carrying her, but Ariya decided it was okay for there to be both exciting and relaxing flights. She understood why the fences were there now, though. If they hadn¡¯t been, she probably would have worried about falling. It wasn¡¯t much, but the platform swayed slightly as it rose, which the security of the fences kept from being too scary.

    Within a minute or so, they were at the top, within a small, round room, like a miniature version of the one below. She could see where the stairs let out into the room. It hadn¡¯t looked like anyone was using them on the way up, and it still didn¡¯t.

    A guard waiting there opened two gates: the one on the platform, and another that was built into the floor. Lusya and Ariya stepped off the platform, and the man rang one of two bells hung on the wall next to him. Ariya watched over her shoulder in awe as the platform started to sink back down under the lip of the floor they¡¯d come onto, until she couldn¡¯t see it anymore.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Did they build that ¡®cause people got sick of walking?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°It is part of the original design. The staircase is, and has always been, purely aesthetic, as is the case for the building itself.¡±

    They stepped out of the room onto a massive terrace, which seemed to wrap around the room, making up the bulk of the tower¡¯s top. Planters dotted both the ground and railing, filled with a veritable rainbow of flowers that flooded the platform with sweet smells.

    Ariya and Lusya approached the railing, and Ariya gasped at the view. She could see the whole city from up here. Even the people, though they looked like insects from this distance. It was surreal, seeing so much of the world stretch out before her, seeing the web of streets and buildings from above. From this view, it almost didn¡¯t even look like a city. Just some weird drawing on the ground. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever been this high up before. The only times she had been at all close, she had been in too much danger to appreciate it.

    Wanting to compare with where she had been, Ariya looked straight down into the plaza below and regretted it in an instant. Her head swam as she swayed on her feet, her breakfast threatening to shoot up out her throat. She took a step back and stared at the much closer floor.

    ¡°Are you unwell, Ariya?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya looked up and shook her head. ¡°I feel fine now.¡±

    Lusya glanced down at the ground below. ¡°You should not look straight down from this height.¡±

    ¡°You just did though!¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I am different, child.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°I know.¡± She could understand Lusya not wanting to repeat herself, but still. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ¡®child¡¯ me.¡±

    Lusya blinked, but didn¡¯t say anything else. For a moment, they both just enjoyed the view. Ariya was careful not to look down again.

    ¡°Who builds a building just for looks?¡± Ariya asked, recalling what they had been talking about before.

    Ironically, she had no problems understanding Lusya¡¯s fancy words in Fyemish, since Lusya had taught her the language. Though, by now, Ariya understood most of them in Slarvish too. Lusya tended to switch between the two when talking to Ariya, though she favored Fyemish these days.

    ¡°It is hardly uncommon,¡± Lusya said. ¡°There are the likes of royal palaces, for instance. Almost every royal or noble home is needlessly large and extravagant.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but people still live there, right?¡± Ariya said. ¡°This is just for looking, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Going by the elevator ride, there wasn¡¯t a single real room in the tower. There was the entrance, the little room that served as a separator between the terrace and elevator, and the terrace itself. Plus the stairs, but they were just for looks too. As far as Ariya could tell, the tower looked pretty and let you see a nice view from the top. When Lusya had said purely aesthetic, she had meant it.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Though this view could have pragmatic applications, the tower was built for beauty and as a show of status. At least, that is what historical records indicate.¡±

    ¡°You know a lot about this stuff, huh?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I know a bit about the Odessian Empire, and I made a point of researching them and this area since I planned to pass through here, but I am far from an expert.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still cool,¡± Ariya said. She followed Lusya¡¯s line of sight and realized that, unlike Ariya drinking in the new perspective on the city below, Lusya was just kind of looking straight ahead at the horizon. ¡°You don¡¯t like it, do you?¡±

    ¡°The structure is impressive,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, I have no strong feelings on its appearance or this view.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°Oh. Do you want to leave?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°As I said, I have no preference. If you would like to stay, I have no objections.¡±

    Ariya looked out over the city again and smiled. ¡°I think I would.¡±

    #

    Lusya and Ariya ended up spending almost an hour up on the terrace. Ariya drank in the view from every spot she could. She wanted to sear every angle of this view into her memory. When she was done with that, she spent some time smelling and admiring the flowers. There were tons of different kinds, and getting close let you smell all the subtle differences between them. Some of the dressed up guests gave her funny looks, but she just ignored them. After that, though, there wasn¡¯t much to do. She got pretty bored, so she told Lusya they could leave.

    They went back to the little room. Lusya told the guard they were ready to leave, and he rang the other of his two bells. The elevator platform rose up, Lusya and Ariya got on, and it lowered back down. This time, the feeling was almost like falling, but not quite. It would have been a little scary if Lusya hadn¡¯t been there.

    Finally, they were back on the ground and walked out of the tower. As they exited, a dark-skinned human man in an unusual dress-like garment walked up. The guard at the entrance stepped aside to let him in, though with a less warm welcome than to the couple from before.

    ¡°There¡¯s so many types of people here,¡± Ariya said in Slarvish as they exited the plaza.

    Much like keeping Lusya¡¯s secret, speaking about people in a language they couldn¡¯t understand gave Ariya a strange sense of excitement. She also felt a little bad about it, but she wasn¡¯t saying anything nasty, so it was probably fine.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is quite diverse.¡±

    There were humans, relti, and tiransa of all sorts of colors¡ªwell, mostly shades of brown and gray, but it felt like a lot¡ªwearing countless varieties of clothes in Zentril, including some Ariya had never seen before. The vast majority of the people looked like they came from Ysuge, but it was still the most non-Ysugians Ariya had ever seen in one place. Gavamir was second, and it wasn¡¯t even close.

    Even without that, the split of humans, relti, and tiransa was closer than anywhere else. There were fewer tiransa than there had been in Larsev, but way more relti. Again, humans were still the majority, but, for the first time in this journey, Ariya couldn¡¯t turn anywhere without seeing at least one of all three.

    ¡°But why?¡± Ariya asked. She wasn¡¯t complaining, but it seemed pretty random. Zentril was big and pretty sure, but what drew so many different people here?

    ¡°A variety of reasons,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Some of them are diplomats. Ketslind is rather powerful at the moment. So, if a distant land has any contact with Ysuge, it is worth their time to maintain contact with Ketslind specifically. Zentril is not the capital, but it is the largest city, and many influential people reside here, including the royal family in the early summer.¡±

    ¡°We could have met the king if we¡¯d come earlier?¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    ¡°It is doubtful,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We would have had to reach Zentril about two months earlier, and the chances we would have been able to meet him even if he was in the city are low.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no fair,¡± Ariya said with a pout. She sighed. Oh, well, no use crying over it now. ¡°What are the other reasons?¡±

    ¡°Some come simply for the city¡¯s historical significance. It¡¯s status as a trade hub also draws many, though that may be in large part because of the former factor.¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°You said some emperor guy built this place, right?¡±

    ¡°The city was already here,¡± Lusya said. ¡°He raised it to its current status by moving the Odessian capital here and renaming it Senkrillis, which eventually became Zentril. Whatever it was named before has been lost to time.¡±

    ¡°Why did he do that?¡±

    ¡°He believed it was at the center of the continent, and having the capital there would be symbolic of the empire¡¯s power,¡± Lusya said. ¡°¡®Senkrillis¡¯ means ¡°central¡± in Odessian, just as Zentril does in Zentan.¡±

    ¡°But¡­it¡¯s not the center at all¡­¡± Ariya said. She had seen Lusya¡¯s maps. They were in the center region, but the city wasn¡¯t even close to the exact center of Ysuge.

    ¡°The emperor did not have the benefit of modern cartography,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Is that why there are so many relti and tiransa too?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°They are here for more or less the same reasons.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Ariya blinked as something occurred to her. ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    They had been walking for a while since leaving the plaza. Ariya had assumed they would go to another one of the places the innkeeper had recommended, but Lusya tended to ask about stuff like that first. They could also have been going back to the inn, but it was still early for that, even if it was just to eat lunch.

    ¡°The Square of a Hundred Fountains,¡± Lusya said. ¡°After that, you may select the next location.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head. The innkeeper had mentioned that place, but Lusya hadn¡¯t shown any signs of being interested in it at the time. ¡°Huh? Why there?¡±

    ¡°You seem hot,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya raised a hand to her forehead and wiped it, a big pool of sweat coming off on her hand. She hadn¡¯t felt hot, but she guessed she had been out in the summer sun all day. With the end of Jauna closing in, it was late summer with less than a month to go before autumn, but the heat wasn¡¯t letting up just yet. And now that she was aware of it, the heat was a massive weight bearing down on her shoulders.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ariya said. She wasn¡¯t sure if this square would help, but Lusya knew best.

    Another couple minutes later, and they walked out into what Ariya assumed was the Square of a Hundred Fountains.

    ¡°We have arrived,¡± Lusya said, confirming Ariya¡¯s suspicions.

    The square was huge. You could have fit a dozen of the inn side by side just to make one line across. And, like the name implied, there were tons of fountains placed throughout. Ten, about as large as any she had ever seen, surrounded one the size of a small building at the center of the plaza, with a bunch of tiny ones interspersed between. She didn¡¯t know if it was actually one hundred, but it was a lot. If whoever had named the place had given up on counting and chosen a big number, Ariya couldn¡¯t blame them.

    Most of the fountains were made of white stone¡ªor stone painted white, at least¡ªbut there were some standouts among them. A few were black, others were more outrageous colors like bright red or even rainbow. One fountain even looked like it was made of glass. It wasn¡¯t totally see through, but it was pretty close.

    Lusya led the way into the circle of fountains, and Ariya released a relieved sigh she hadn¡¯t realized had been building. Cool water sprayed on her from all around, light enough not to be oppressive, but heavy enough to drive the heat back and make her body feel a thousand times lighter. Even the bubbling sound of all the running water somehow seemed to soothe her.

    Lusya grabbed her water flask from her belt, took a couple sips, and handed it to Ariya, who greedily gulped down several large swigs before handing it back, blushing. She knew better than to be so greedy with the water by now.

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We can get more water. Zentril has no shortage of it.¡±

    Ariya smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°We may stay here until you are sufficiently relieved,¡± Lusya said. Her eyes were open the normal amount now. Whatever had been bothering her seemed to have passed for now. ¡°Let me know when you wish to move.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Thank you, Lusya.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Three

    A jingle sang as Lusya pushed the tailor¡¯s door open. He had a bell attached to the wall just above, such that each time the door opened, it would ring the bell to notify him. She walked into the shop with Ariya and stopped in front of the desk.

    ¡°Just a minute!¡± the tailor called from the back room, his voice muffled by the walls.

    This store was segmented, partitioned into a front area for customers and a rear for its proprietor. Not an unusual layout, though some merchants preferred to let patrons see them work. The front area was somewhat small, with a desk right in front of the door and sets of ready-made clothing to either side. There was little in the way of decoration. It was not uncommon for such a shop to lack much personalization, but this was a new extreme. The walls weren¡¯t even painted, leaving them the dull, mottle brown of the stone used to build them. A screen had been put up to form a private changing area, albeit one that almost lacked the space necessary even to change clothes. Lusya had had to go into the back for the measuring, as she had lacked the room to position herself appropriately behind the screen. Occupying the bulk of the floor space, the rear seemed larger than necessary, as if the shop portion of the man¡¯s workspace were an afterthought.

    Odd space design aside, however, the tailor had seemed reliable. Multiple people had pointed her here on asking for one, and what she had seen of his work was of good quality. He had conducted himself professionally during their consultation and quoted her a reasonable time and price as well. As they waited, Ariya looked around the shop with idle curiosity.

    After some time had passed, she looked up at Lusya with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s been more than a minute.¡±

    ¡°It was an expression,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°He was not being literal.¡±

    Ariya huffed. ¡°Then he shouldn¡¯t say a minute.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps not.¡±

    Lusya was inclined to agree, but it had not been that long. Maybe two minutes. It was less than another before the tailor peeked his head out from the back.

    ¡°Ah, yes, I have your blouse ready,¡± he said, before disappearing behind the door once more.

    A few seconds later, he emerged with a white blouse in hand. He approached the desk and set the blouse down with a smile. The tailor was a tall, wiry man of perhaps thirty with a gaunt, clean-shaven face. At almost seven feet tall, Lusya suspected he had some tiransa in him, but his size did not seem to make his hands any less deft with a needle.

    ¡°Feel free to try it on first,¡± he said. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t fit, I¡¯ll make it right and knock twenty copper off the price.¡±

    It was the type of declaration only a very skilled or very foolish craftsman would make, although he didn¡¯t sound confident. Despite his size, the tailor had a nervous energy about him, almost perpetually shrinking in on himself and rubbing his hands together as he spoke as if the mere act of speaking to others was frightening. Odd for a merchant. If it had been more money, Lusya might have been tempted to deceive him somehow, but the price he had quoted her was one-and-one half silver, and twenty copper off that was not worth the added delay.

    She nodded and grabbed the shirt. ¡°I will go try it.¡±

    She did just that. Reasoning that Ariya was accustomed to it and the tailor saw people¡ªincluding Luysa herself¡ªundressed all the time for measurements, she didn¡¯t bother moving to the changing area, though, last time, he had insisted on doing the measurements in the back. The tailor¡¯s eyes widened in shock and he averted them, blushing, but he did not try to stop her. The blouse was largely identical to the old one, though the fabric was a bit nicer. The white did suit her better than the gray, and it was a good fit. She tucked the gray into one of her pouches and moved about a bit, making sure the new garment wouldn¡¯t impede her.

    ¡°That was, uh, bold,¡± the tailor said. She did not understand the difference in reaction from the last time they had been in this situation. True, he had insisted on privacy before in case someone entered, but he himself had seemed fine. ¡°Also, wow, that was some nice folding.¡±

    ¡°I have had practice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty!¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the tailor said. He seemed to shed his nerves long enough to allow a hint of smugness before his normal demeanor reasserted itself. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d say it fits.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°The agreed upon price?¡±

    The tailor nodded. ¡°Yup. Didn¡¯t give me any trouble or anything, so no extra charge. Anything else while you¡¯re here?¡±

    Lusya glanced at Ariya, who smiled back at her. The child had grown a few inches in the six months they had been together. Her four dresses still fit, more or less, but the change was noticeable, and Lusya was not sure how much longer they would last. She supposed they would probably remain usable for the remainder of the journey, but that didn¡¯t mean she was without concern. The clothes might have become uncomfortable, and, if the fit became too noticeably poor, they might draw unnecessary attention. Best to address that while she had the chance.

    ¡°How much for four ready-made child dresses?¡± she asked. ¡°And two sets of undergarments.¡±

    ¡°For me?¡± Ariya asked in an odd tone that somehow seemed both happy and worried.

    The tailor looked her over and pursed his lips. ¡°Ah, girl¡¯s outgrowing her clothes, is she? For you? I¡¯ll throw it all in for two silver.¡±

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°But I like my clothes!¡± Ariya whined. Lusya did not understand why. There was nothing remarkable about them. They were all simple, plain-colored dresses, and three of them had been purchased more or less at random.

    ¡°They may not fit you much longer,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will soon need new ones, and it is better to acquire them before that time comes.¡±

    Ariya pouted, but nodded. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    The tailor waved over to one of the piles. ¡°Go ahead and take your pick. And bring in the old stuff if you don¡¯t need it and want some extra coin. I¡¯m sure I can find some use of ¡®em¡±

    ¡°I will do so,¡± Lusya said as she moved to the clothes.

    She selected what she needed and returned to the desk. She had picked up essentially the same thing as before. Ariya did not need anything fancy. The material was a bit softer than what Ariya wore now, but that was down to the tailor, not Lusya¡¯s selection.

    ¡°All right, three and a half silver, please and thank you,¡± the tailor said.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Lusya pulled the appropriate coins from her purse and placed them on the table. She had exchanged most of her money to Ketslind¡¯s keltzer currency while in Zentril. It was worth more than eastern coins, and exchanging was more convenient than working out the difference for every transaction. Some merchants didn¡¯t care, but most did. In a city like Zentril, it was almost all of them.

    The Talsian arga was often considered the strongest currency in Ysuge, but it was close enough that most merchants, especially in Ketslind, treated the keltzer as equivalent. Like much of Talsia¡¯s power and prestige, they owed their currency¡¯s value in large part to the Sacred Knights being headquartered there at the original Grand Stronghold in Seris. The Knights were independent of the kingdom, but the authority resting there had still done wonders to spread Talsia¡¯s influence throughout the continent. Even many knights not from there would contribute, whether they knew it or not, after spending years in the country. Lusya understood there had been talk of moving the headquarters, possibly even to Zentril, but she had no idea what the current status of such plans were.

    ¡°Thank you for your services,¡± Lusya said as the tailor collected his payment. ¡°I will be back later.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure. See you around.¡±

    Lusya grabbed the dresses and held out her free hand for Ariya to take.

    ¡°Come along, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya took her hand with the same glee as always, and Lusya led the way out of the shop.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t think I need new clothes,¡± Ariya grumbled once they were on the street.

    ¡°You will,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Are you really gonna sell my old stuff?¡±

    ¡°We do not have room for all of it.¡±

    Ariya sighed and went silent for a moment, looking pensive as she stared straight ahead. ¡°Can I at least keep the dress Mama gave me?¡±

    Lusya blinked. So, Ariya wanted to keep the dress she had been wearing when they had first met. Though she did not speak of her family as often as she once had, Lusya supposed the request was not surprising, considering Ariya¡¯s past propensity for bringing them up, though Lusya could not imagine assigning such sentimental value to clothing. She liked her clothes, but when they were no longer useful, it was time to discard them. But it was not as if she could not understand the concept at all. She might have reacted similarly if asked never to summon Miudofay again.

    ¡°I will allow that,¡± Lusya said She had the storage for it, and she saw no reason to fight Ariya on the matter for now. It was a bit nicer than what Lusya had bought in Gavamir¡ªthough Lusya had no idea how Ariya¡¯s family had afforded it¡ªso it would have sold for a bit more, but not by enough to argue about. ¡°But we will discard it if you fully outgrow it.¡±

    Ariya smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, that sounds fair. So, what are we doing today?¡±

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I suggest you enjoy whatever it is. We are leaving tomorrow.¡±

    Ariya let out a loud, screeching groan that drew the eyes of several passersby. Most lost interest in short order upon seeing the source was a fussing child, but a few kept watching, perhaps suspicious of what Lusya was doing with a child obviously not related to her. That was less of an issue in a city as large and diverse as Zentril, where Lusya had seen other groups that did not belong together at first glance, but it did still come up from time to time.

    ¡°But it¡¯s so much fun here!¡±

    ¡°We must go,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We have a duty to fulfill.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°I know.¡± She giggled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have ever come here if you didn¡¯t bring me, so I guess I can¡¯t complain.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°It is unlikely you would have gone farther from home than Whitehill.¡±

    ¡°That would have been lame. The world is so cool.¡±

    This had been a pleasant rest. Zentril was home to many fascinating sights and attractions. Not all of them had interested Lusya, but enough, and Ariya had certainly been energized by it all. But the time to enjoy it was over. Lusya would not delay reviving Father more than was needed.

    ¡°Can we go see a play then?¡± Ariya asked. She looked up at Lusya with wide, pleading eyes. ¡°Please?¡±

    ¡°The only way to do that at the moment is in a theater,¡± Lusya said, tilting her head and blinking. Traveling troupes often performed in cities during festivals and other special occasions, but there were no such celebrations ongoing at the moment. They may have had other scattered performances, but, in a city this size, the only way to attend one was to stumble upon it. ¡°It will be expensive.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said, sounding almost guilty. ¡°But I really wanna see one. They sound so fun.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s desire was evident. It was not the first time she had pleaded to see a performance. Smaller towns and villages also received visits from traveling performers, but Ariya had lived in an isolated home in the forest. It was not strange that she had never seen them.

    Lusya considered the request. She supposed there was no harm in it. There was plenty of time left in the day to sell Ariya¡¯s old clothing and attend an evening or early night show. They were leaving in the morning, so it would cost them no time, and it would keep Ariya happy.

    Money was a concern. Zentril¡¯s theaters were not cheap. Many were renowned around the world and demanded an appropriate price. Lusya was not hurting for money, but between paying for almost a week¡¯s stay at the inn, meals, new clothes, and a play, her funds would be depleted more than she liked, and selling cheap used dresses was not going to make up for it alone. She did still have Ander¡¯s gold coin to exchange, but she wanted to save that for a rainy day, not waste it on leisure. Even out west, it was worth enough to sustain them for months on its own.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°If it¡¯s too much, we don¡¯t have to go.¡±

    ¡°I am fine, and it is fine,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will attend a show tonight.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya leaped up into the air, pumping her free hand in a fist. ¡°Woohoo!¡±

    Lusya would need acquire some more money, but that was doable. A city like Zentril held no shortage of opportunity.

    #

    Lusya strode through one of Zentril¡¯s wealthier districts, eying large homes dripping with ornamentation and aesthetic architectural flourishes as she passed them by, from ornate carvings depicting local legends to columns that didn¡¯t seem to be supporting much of anything. She had already sold Ariya¡¯s old clothes and left Ariya at the inn. Now it was time to replenish her purse a bit. All told, Ariya¡¯s clothing had fetched forty copper. Barely enough for one ticket at one of the cheaper theaters. And if Lusya was going to indulge Ariya anyway, they might as well go for one of the higher end theaters.

    This area was not home to nobility, nor to titanic traders who had amassed enough wealth to become nobility in all but name. No, it was those who were affluent but several steps below the likes of them who lived here. A perfect middle ground. They had what she needed, but with less security and eyes on them. Even if they were discovered before she left, their deaths would not be a citywide tragedy.

    Unlike the likes of nobles, for these people, these homes were their primary residences. Most nobles and the wealthiest of merchants had their own land somewhere else. Their main homes may have been in a city, just outside one, or in the middle of nowhere, but most were not in Zentril, although Zentril was large enough that it was home to a higher-than-average number of nobles who owned no land or only owned a tiny bit within the city.

    Still, those who lived elsewhere had ample reason to keep second homes in Zentril. It served as a convenient place for them to congregate, there were the various attractions and its status as a trade hub, and, of course, the king living here in the early summer.

    The fact that none that applied to these citizens of lesser wealth made them a better target, in some ways. True, they had less to their names, but it was still more than enough for her. And it was all here. There was nothing valuable stored at some distant manor in the country.

    She just had to find a good opening to get inside. She was sure there would be complications. The need to be at the theater meant she was doing this earlier than she would have liked. Performances were held late into the night, but Lusya wanted to attend one of the earlier ones to ensure Ariya received the proper amount of rest. Any home residents were likely to be up and about. As long as she left no witnesses, however, that was fine. There was nobody in the area she couldn¡¯t kill in an instant. In fact, though she had seen Sacred Knights about, she had yet to encounter anyone who posed a threat. There had been one captain, but even he had not been worth considering. Lusya¡¯s motomancy had continued to grow, and she had left the likes of him behind.

    There. That side street was empty. She turned onto it and walked until she was just below the open window of a home with grooved columns supporting the overhanging roof, emulating Odessian architecture. That seemed to be the style in the area, as almost every home had some aspect of Odessian architecture incorporated into it. Although the Odessians had conquered the land that would become Ketslind and Zentril, that land¡¯s modern inhabitants seemed to identify much more with the conquerors than those they had defeated. She glanced around. Still no one on the street. She didn¡¯t see anyone at the windows of this or any other house. No one was looking at her. She made sure to scan for anyone she might not have seen with her sense for Malice, but there was nobody. She was in the clear.

    ¡°Lunera,¡± she intoned. She could have jumped up to the window, but she thought that a bit more conspicuous. Now, it was time to get to work.

 Book Three - Chapter Four

    Ariya skipped along as Lusya led the way to their seats. The other theater goers watched, some bemused, others annoyed, most confused more than anything. With the money she had made, Lusya had been able to afford seats at the Vorstil. It was neither the most renowned nor most expensive theater in Zentril, but it was well-known enough that Lusya¡ªnever well-versed in the realm of theater¡ªhad heard of it and knew of its reputation. Every player on stage, every playwright whose material was played, was a master of their craft. Or so it was said. And with that came a hefty premium. Two tickets had cost three of the ten silver keltzers Lusya had taken from that house. It had also cost a couple of the residents¡¯ lives, though she had made their demises swift.

    Of course, the expense and reputation of the theater meant most of the other patrons were well off, and the difference was obvious. They dressed in elaborate outfits of fine silks as if attending a ball. Most were older too. There were a few relti who looked Lusya¡¯s age, and a few humans who were actually around her age, but they were few and far between. The majority of the audience consisted of humans in their thirties or later. There were no tiransa. The seats were too small, and, that aside, tiransa tended to avoid theaters in mixed or human-dominated environments. They were liable to come under scorn when their large forms blocked others¡¯ views. Children were another thing in short supply, likely because it was worried they would be disruptive. In fact, Ariya was the only child in the audience.

    However, there was, oddly enough, a single high-rank demon seated toward the back. A familiar looking one at that. She had sensed him well before entering the theater, and had found him sitting calmly in his seat, even exchanging pleasantries with the man beside him. They might have met in Father¡¯s forces, though she could not place when or where, let alone who the demon was. She remembered faces well, but names often slipped away as soon as they were no longer important. He had given Lusya a thumbs-up and a smile and mimed sheathing a sword when she had looked at him. If he wasn¡¯t going to cause trouble, she saw little reason to bother with him, so she had nodded and let him be. High-ranks did hide among mortals at times. Most mortals, humans and tiransa especially, couldn¡¯t tell the difference between most high-ranks and a reltus. In a city where the three mortal races mixed so freely, a high-rank could stay hidden in plain sight for decades. During the war, the Sacred Knights had treated rooting them out as a top priority.

    According to historical records, past Knights had often been slow to respond during tranquil ages, as long as the demons were not too violent, due to the risk of collateral damage. Which was not to say the Sacred Knights turned a blind eye. Rather, it took them longer to formulate a plan or gather fighters with the right abilities to kill the demon with minimal risk to the city. It seemed the same held now. That said, even at the most urgent of times, the process was not instant or flawless. Even most Sacred Knights could not sense Malice or demons. They were trained to look for visual tells, but not all high-ranks had those, and some were subtler than others. Tranquil age or not, a demon who played his cards right might never be found out.

    It occurred to her that he might be blamed for the two people she had killed to get the money for the tickets. Given the early hour, the corpses had likely been discovered and reported by now. Then again, a city this size saw plenty of crime. Two more murders would not make waves unless those people were somehow much more important than she had realized. Either way, it was not her problem. She would be gone by the time anything happened.

    They reached their seats, and Ariya all but threw herself into hers, the lacquered wood squeaking as she landed on the thick red cushions, while Lusya sat in a more sedate manner. Tickets at the Vorstil were for specific seats, with different ones costing different amounts. Those near the front and on the balconies were the most expensive. Lusya¡¯s seats were middling, located¡ªfittingly¡ªabout halfway to the stage and a bit to the left of the center. There were windows for natural lighting when available, but, as it was night, they were closed at the moment, candles and lamps providing illumination instead. There were a great many of them to ensure visibility for all, lighting the entire room as well as daylight.

    Ariya let out a sudden laugh. Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice.

    ¡°Is something funny?¡±

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just excited.¡±

    ¡°I believe it is etiquette to remain quiet during the show,¡± Lusya said. There were a few quiet conversations going on at the moment, but Ariya had been louder than any of them.

    ¡°It is,¡± a woman behind them added.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°I know, I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Try harder,¡± the woman snapped.

    Lusya glanced at her, head tilted slightly. ¡°If you are going to speak, do so with respect.¡±

    The woman clicked her tongue and said nothing further, settling back in her seat.

    Lusya looked to Ariya. ¡°Do your best.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Ariya said with a grin.

    About ten minutes later, the heavy red curtains covering the stage parted, revealing a man with black hair and a bushy, well-groomed mustache wearing a simple modern suit standing at the center, hands folded behind his back. He looked out over the crowd imperiously as voices died down, until the room was heavy with silence.

    ¡°Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the Vorstil, the finest theater in all of Ysuge,¡± he said. He managed to project his voice enough for that dubious boast to be heard throughout the room without seeming like he was shouting. ¡°Tonight, we bring you a tale of love, adventure, and betrayal, courtesy of the Quadruple Quartet players. Penned by one Wilam Nersen, I present to you: The King¡¯s Lament. Enjoy.¡±

    He bowed and walked off the stage, soon replaced by another man dressed much the same. Though clean-shaven, he looked similar too. Nepotism in action, perhaps. Without preamble, the new man launched into an opening narration, describing the setting of the story as ¡°a long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away, known as Alterius.¡± The king of this kingdom was searching for a worthy husband for his eldest daughter, crown princess of the land, but had had little luck. Either the suitors were of poor quality, or his daughter scorned them despite their virtues, and the king was not quite ready to sacrifice her happiness by forcing the issue.

    Once the groundwork had been laid, the curtain closed for another several minutes. Though it was heavy enough to dampen the noise, one could still hear the shuffling and thuds of the set being put together. Then, the curtain opened once more and the story proper began, opening with the princess sneaking out of the castle to explore town¡ªrepresented by four boards cut and painted to look like buildings¡ªwhere she encountered a kind-hearted orphan who protected the downtrodden with his prodigal martial prowess.

    From there, the story went much as expected. The script and acting were solid, but it was a take on a tale as old as time. The two fell in love, the king forbade it. They ignored him. The king forced a betrothal to a powerful nobleman¡¯s son upon the princess, but she only had eyes for the street urchin. A dragon kidnapped the princess, and the king promised the orphan her hand in marriage if he could save her.

    The third act contained a twist, however. The princess was nowhere to be found in the dragon¡¯s lair. The dragon had done nothing wrong. In fact, the king had hired a band of mercenaries to kidnap his daughter to create plausible deniability, then sent the orphan on what he was sure was a suicide mission. He planned to send the noble¡¯s son to ¡°rescue¡± the princess later, in the hopes this would spark a romance between the two.

    Fortunately, the orphan was strong enough to defeat the dragon, but spared it once it became clear the dragon was innocent. As thanks, the dragon lent the orphan its power to locate ¡°treasure,¡± which, for the orphan, meant the princess. The dragon also turned into a beautiful, scantily-clad woman for no good narrative reason at this point. Lusya surmised it was because having the orphan exchange dialogue with the dragon costume¡ªa two-person costume with colored paper sticking out of the mouth at all times to represent fire and absurd, bulging eyes with tiny pupils¡ªwould have looked sillier than the fight already had. She had no good explanation for the outfit, little more than three strips of fabric covering what most considered the most taboo parts of the body, not that she cared. Perhaps it was simply the writer or costume designer¡¯s preference, which was fair enough. The actress did a fine job infusing the role with wisdom and gravitas, which the costume had little bearing on.

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    In any case, with the dragon¡¯s aid, the orphan was able to save the princess from the mercenaries¡ªwho had broken their contract with the king and were imprisoning her in earnest¡ªand return to the capital. There, they discovered the scheme. The king attempted to kill the orphan himself in a rage. The orphan was reluctant to kill his love¡¯s father, but the noble¡¯s son stepped in and did so, himself disgusted with the extent of the king¡¯s schemes. The noble¡¯s son then graciously stepped aside in the name of true love, the orphan and princess married and took the throne, and they all lived happily ever after. The performers all came on stage and took a bow together, and the show was over as the curtain closed for the last time.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya breathed. ¡°That was so cool! Wasn¡¯t it great, Lusya? It was like being in a book.¡±

    ¡°It was adequate,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya smirked. ¡°You liked it. Your eyes are open wider.¡±

    ¡°I did not say I didn¡¯t,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Let us go.¡±

    She stood, took Ariya¡¯s hand, and led the way out of the theater. Other patrons walked around them, discussing the show.

    ¡°They put a nice spin on it, at least,¡± one man remarked.

    ¡°It¡¯s this Nersen¡¯s guy¡¯s first play, right?¡± another said. ¡°Not bad for a first try.¡±

    Lusya noted that as further evidence of nepotism. Even if it was not the troupe¡¯s first performance, a playwright¡¯s first work being performed did not mesh with the Vorstil¡¯s reputation for allowing only proven masters to grace its stage. It didn¡¯t matter much to Lusya, but it was mildly interesting to see such machinations unfold. She was a bit curious, but, seeing as there was little way for her to pursue the matter, she would live without knowing more.

    ¡°Why did the dragon have to be sexy though?¡± a woman asked.

    ¡°You just don¡¯t understand art,¡± a man beside her replied.

    It had not been a bad show. Lusya did not attend such performances often. She preferred books, but that was not to say she had any dislike for theater. Her neglect for it was more due to it being more time consuming and inconvenient than reading when she had a moment.

    The twist had been interesting, but it had not been well foreshadowed, and she was not sure it had been worth everything up to then being so typical, almost banal. The ending had been the most fascinating part. Sacrificing one¡¯s desires for the happiness of another. It was not the first time Lusya had encountered the convention, but it always got her thinking. She could not fathom doing it, but she had encountered it in real life. Ariya¡¯s mother, for instance.

    Also, the title did not seem to fit. The king did have a monologue before dying, but it was more of a hateful, spite-filled rant than a ¡°lament.¡± A holdover from an earlier draft of the story, maybe?

    ¡°Are you sure we can¡¯t see another one?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I am sure,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Perhaps we will have another chance before our journey¡¯s end.¡±

    Ariya smiled. ¡°I hope so.¡±

    Lusya stopped in the middle of the square outside the theater, beside a large round planter surrounded by benches. She turned to face the theater, ready to fight, though she kept her posture as visibly casual as she could to avoid suspicion or provocation.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Is there a bad person?¡±

    ¡°There may be,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Stay close, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya stepped closer, half-hiding behind Lusya. ¡°I will.¡±

    The smiling demon pushed through the crowd and jogged up to Lusya, one arm raised in a lazy wave. ¡°Hey, Lusya. Long time no see, princess.¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Lusya said. She was sure she had seen him somewhere before, but she did not know where or when. He sure seemed familiar with her, in any case. She supposed it had been almost a year, at least, at this point, so the greeting fit.

    ¡°Nice show, huh?¡± he said with a grin. Though he seemed to be a full demon, he passed for a reltus about as well as Lusya, with deep violet hair and golden eyes.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said, relaxing. He did not seem to be hostile. She could not let her guard down completely, but trying to start a conversation did not seem like a prelude to an attack.

    ¡°Is he a bad guy?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°He seems nice.¡±

    ¡°Well, thanks,¡± the demon said with a chuckle.

    ¡°I do not believe he is a threat,¡± Lusya said.

    The demon chuckled. ¡°Well, of course I¡¯m not.¡± He paused, frowning, looking at Lusya as if examining her. ¡°You have no idea who I am, do you?¡±

    ¡°I am aware we have met,¡± she said. ¡°I have no recollection of you beyond that.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°That figures. We met last Termon? As in, Termon of twelve-ninety-nine?¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked.

    ¡°The Battle of Vara Ridge?¡± She remembered that, of course, but she had met many people then. She could not be expected to remember every irrelevant passerby. ¡°We hung out for like two months?¡± She blinked again. ¡°We had sex?¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I recall that.¡±

    She remembered him in general now, though his name still eluded her. He had taken it upon himself to serve as her companion in the weeks leading up to the battle, as well as the battle itself. After some time, she had chosen to engage in sexual intercourse with him out of curiosity. Her understanding was that most human woman would place more sentimental value on their first time and remember him, but, pleasant as the experience had been, who he was mattered little to her. Up to then, she had largely ignored him, so it was not strange that she had forgotten about him.

    He sighed again, but then smiled and puffed out his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll take that jogging your memory as a compliment.¡± She was not sure he should have. Considering the circumstances, she had likely been easily impressed. A moment later, he deflated again. ¡°You still don¡¯t remember my name, do you?¡±

    ¡°I do not.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Funfein. Not that you¡¯ll remember.¡±

    ¡°It is unlikely.¡± She did not often make a habit of remembering unimportant names.

    He shook his head with a bitter laugh and looked down at Ariya. ¡°And who¡¯s this adorable little thing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Ariya,¡± she replied with a wave, beaming under his praise, any fear apparently forgotten. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± he said before turning back to Lusya. ¡°So, why are you traveling with a human kid?¡±

    ¡°We have a mission,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya glanced at her. ¡°Silence, child.¡±

    Ariya pouted but said nothing as Lusya turned her attention back on Funfein.

    ¡°I cannot explain at the moment,¡± Lusya said. Ariya still did not know most of the specifics of their purpose, and Lusya preferred to keep it that away. Even if Ariya had known, they were in much too public a space to be discussing reviving the Demon King. ¡°However, I advise you continue to keep your urges in check.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve figured out a good way to work them out. Did you know there are places they pay you to beat up other mortals?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Lusya said.

    There were many such establishments, legal and otherwise. There were many different types, for that matter, from informal fighting rings based in seedy taverns to coliseums where millions gathered to watch bouts.

    ¡°Well, there you have it,¡± he said, sounding quite proud of himself. He drove his fist into his palm as if his meaning were not clear. She supposed it was a clever way of managing his inclination toward violence. ¡°Plus, I always win, so I¡¯m rolling in cash. Literally, sometimes. It¡¯s kind of fun.¡±

    The first part was not surprising. Even without motomancy, no mortal would be able to match him in a contest of strength, and it was doubtful the types of organizations he was involved with¡ªprobably leaning more toward seedy taverns than coliseums¡ªhad many fighters prepared to make up the difference in skill. Rolling around in coins sounded more uncomfortable than anything, though. But if he was enjoying himself, that was fine.

    ¡°Even so, you should be cautious,¡± she said. ¡°The Sacred Knights will not ignore you forever. I have already encountered a captain who will likely recognize your nature if you cross paths. They may already know about you.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got an escape plan.¡± He grinned again and leaned closer, lowering his voice. ¡°Anyway, since we¡¯re both here, why don¡¯t you say we¡­¡± He winked at her. ¡°¡­relive the good old days.¡± He pulled back and clicked his tongue. ¡°Right, flirting doesn¡¯t work. Do you want to have sex again?¡±

    She had known what he had meant. It was true flirting tended to go over her head, but there had not been much else he could have been referring to. She did not think he wanted to wage a war with her right after they had discussed lying low, nor that he wanted to follow her around like a lost puppy when it was clear they were going their separate ways in short order.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I cannot afford to deal with the potential consequences at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Shame,¡± he said. ¡°You were a demon in the sheets.¡±

    ¡°I am a demon everywhere.¡±

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a figure of¡ªDid you just tell a joke?¡±

    She nodded.

    He stared at her, slack-jawed for a moment. ¡°I have so many questions. But I¡¯m not getting many answers, if I had to guess.¡±

    ¡°You will not,¡± Lusya said. Ariya gave her a strange look, eyebrows knit in concern. Lusya still did not know the cause of her baseless worry.

    Funfein smiled and nodded. ¡°Well, nice seeing you. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±

    He walked off into the crowd. Lusya watched him go, then led Ariya in the opposite direction to head toward the inn.

    ¡°Was he a demon too?¡± Ariya whispered. Lusya was sure others could have heard, but no one seemed to be paying them much mind. The nature of such a large crowd, she supposed, as long as they didn¡¯t say anything too attention-grabbing.

    She nodded. ¡°He was.¡±

    ¡°Who knew there were so many good demons?¡± Ariya said. ¡°I wonder why all the stories say they¡¯re all bad.¡±

    ¡°Many reasons,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Chief among them is that most are.¡±

    From a mortal¡¯s perspective, at least. Even from Lusya¡¯s point of view, many were more trouble than they were worth. For that matter, even Father had only ever seemed to like a scant few. The rest were useful at best.

    Ariya hummed thoughtfully before breaking out into a grin. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just lucky, then, since I¡¯ve met more good ones.¡±

    Lusya nodded. Ariya gave her a concerned look again, but it passed in an instant, so Lusya did not comment on it.

    ¡°Will you read to me when we get back?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya considered for a moment. ¡°One chapter.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°Come on! I know you want to know what happens next in My Knight Academy too!¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Lusya said with a nod. ¡°But it is already late due to the show. Proper rest is important. This is not up for discussion, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya hung her head. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Five

    Two days after departing Zentril, the fire crackled and spat embers into the sky as Lusya watched Ariya finish her evening meal. Nights were getting colder, but the fire bathed the area in a comfortable warmth. Ariya chewed her last piece of meat with a loud flapping sound before swallowing and taking a swig of water. She let out a contented sigh and leaned against the tree behind her.

    ¡°Your cooking is getting really good, Lusya,¡± she said, rubbing her belly.

    ¡°Such is the nature of practice,¡± Lusya said.

    She would not deny her skills had been subpar at the start. That was to be expected. She had had very little cooking experience before. These days they were adequate. ¡°Really good,¡± seemed to be overstating it, but the improvement was large. Then again, Lusya might not have been the best judge. Her food preferences had never been strong. Just as others might have found food she deemed average worse than her, they may also have found it better.

    She was still mostly drawing on the same cookbook, Elberto¡¯s. It was her execution that had improved more than anything. She had a better sense for eyeballing measurements and estimating vague measurements like ¡°a pinch,¡± though she remained unsure why the author did not simply use more precise units in those cases, especially since they did elsewhere. She knew how long ingredients took to cook and how they interacted to influence flavor and texture. A few times, she had even adjusted a recipe to account for Ariya¡¯s preferences by changing the amounts or proportions of certain ingredients.

    None of those were skills Lusya would have sought out, and she maintained that she did not think they were necessary. She and Ariya should have been fine subsisting on preserved goods alone. Still, since Lusya¡¯s hand had been forced, she supposed it wasn¡¯t a bad thing that she had picked up some new abilities. Those skills might never be useful again once Ariya was gone, but maybe life would surprise her, and Lusya couldn¡¯t complain about being able to do more things, nor about eating admittedly better tasting food. It might have used up money and effort, but it ultimately used little time, which was the most important resource in question. They weren¡¯t on a strict time limit¡ªshe was sure Father would have told her if they were¡ªbut the longer they took, the more likely they were to end up in a situation that would lead to failure. And that aside, Lusya wanted to finish this as quickly as possible.

    Ariya nodded and stared at the dancing flames, perhaps for lack of other stimulation. ¡°Where are we going next? Another cool city? I think I like cities. They¡¯re fun.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said with a shake of her head. ¡°It will be some time before we visit another proper city. The largest settlements in the Elzen Valley are still towns.¡±

    ¡°Towns are still cool,¡± Ariya replied. ¡°Is there anything cool in the valley?¡±

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I did not research tourism, nor would it influence our route if I had.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°I know. But if we were close by anyway, it wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?¡±

    ¡°We should avoid unnecessary delay,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If we stop near something that catches your interest, we may see it. Otherwise, we will pay such things no mind.¡±

    If all went according to plan, it wouldn¡¯t be time for another break until after they were out of the valley. So, they would only be able to enjoy any attractions if they were close enough to do so while staying the night in a town. Of course, delays due to weather and such were still possible even if nothing went horribly wrong, but she hoped they would be brief if they did occur.

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya more grumbled than said.

    Lusya had selected the Elzen Valley route in order to avoid the reltus-dominated nations that occupied much of the area west of Ketslind until one reached nearer to the coast or far enough north. By traveling through the valley and going west afterward, Lusya could spend the rest of the journey in northern human countries. Despite their proximity to relti-dominated countries, such regions were largely rural, giving non-locals little reason to move there and maintaining a vast human majority. What cities there were might have a larger reltus population than most human cities, but not by enough to be more dangerous than Zentril.

    Of course, this course was not without its demerits. The valley ran almost perfectly north to south, for instance, meaning going through it and then heading west would be slower than continuing northwest. Then there was the issue of movement. The Elzen Valley was a wide one. Well over a dozen miles separated the twin mountain ranges that formed it, and that did allow for some flexibility. Still, it was a restriction. Less room to move and fewer options on where to go, unless she was willing to cross the mountains, an option that was inconvenient¡ªbut doable¡ªfor her, but likely to be taxing on Ariya. In the event of a confrontation or pursuit, that would be disadvantageous. Still, Lusya believed those were better risks to take than surrounding herself with the people most likely to realize what she was. She could probably get out of that situation, but it would likely involve more violence than she was willing to bet Ariya could handle.

    There had also been the option of heading north earlier to circumvent the valley, but she had decided against it. Zentril had been a good place to restock, and she would have had to backtrack to avoid the valley after stopping there. Then there was the issue of when to head north, to which there had been no good answers. Too early and it would add too much time. A bit later and there was a Grand Stronghold to the north. Later still, and there was little point in avoiding the valley. Her movement would still be restricted, with the valley on one side and lost progress on the other.

    Not to mention that the obstacle of the mountains could work to her benefit as well. She did not think there was any active pursuit of her ongoing. Or rather, if there was, she didn¡¯t think they knew who they were looking for. She was sure someone was looking for Kadel¡¯s killer, for instance, but Lusya probably would have noticed if she was being chased or if anyone was searching for her specifically. She would have seen posters or some fool would have gotten himself killed confronting her by now. Still, it did not hurt to be cautious. If there were any enemies, it would be easier to predict and keep track of their movements and react accordingly in the valley. And, if worst came to worst, the mountains could hinder them as well.

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    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that play,¡± Ariya said without warning.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I see.¡±

    Ariya nodded, though Lusya was not sure at what. Her own thoughts, maybe. ¡°Isn¡¯t it kind of similar to My Knight Academy?¡±

    ¡°I do not think so,¡± Lusya said.

    My Knight Academy was the novel they were working through at the moment. It told the story of a young man with almost no motomancy ability working his way through the Sacred Knight Academy in a bid to become First Paladin. Lusya had been apprehensive of a novel with such a premise, both because of the subject matter and the absurdity of it, but she was able to divorce it from reality enough to enjoy it. Of course, they only had volume one of twenty at the moment, so it would be some time before they reached the conclusion. It was all but certain the protagonist would achieve his goal, but seeing how it happened was still interesting. Such an untalented person reaching such heights might have been borderline impossible in reality, but it did make for a compelling narrative.

    She could not say there was no common thread between the two, but she did not regard it as particularly similar to The King¡¯s Lament. The plots, subject matter, and tones were completely different.

    ¡°They¡¯re both about underdog heroes in love,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Romance is not a focus of Knight Academy,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°But it¡¯s there.¡±

    That was true. The protagonist had a crush on the current First Paladin¡¯s daughter who was also attending the academy. Within the context of the story, that was. Elphrid Blackstone had no children as far as Lusya knew, and the First Paladin depicted was a fictitious hybrid of him and Gerad Verbum. There were also hints that the daughter admired the protagonist¡¯s courage, though she was thus far mostly hostile toward him.

    However, that was simply a means to flesh out the characters and drive their individual developments. Romance was not the point, and said daughter was only marginally more prominent than the numerous other side characters.

    ¡°Plus there¡¯s a good guy who turns out to be bad,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°The king is an antagonist, if not a villain, from the start,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is not the same as the governor.¡±

    The governor of Seris was an ally of the protagonist who turned on him after discovering some dark secret which had yet to be revealed to the reader. Unlike the king in the play, the governor was portrayed as reluctant and remorseful in his betrayal, his earlier allegiance genuine.

    ¡°But what about the mean guy who also likes the girl?¡± Ariya pressed.

    ¡°They also have few similarities,¡± Lusya said.

    There was a rival character who also had eyes for the Paladin¡¯s daughter in Knight Academy. He was a prodigy from a noble house, but his role in the story was quite different from the noble¡¯s son in the play. The latter was presented as an obstacle to the leads¡¯ romance, while the former was a competitor to the protagonist who also happened to be interested in the same woman, merely another wrinkle in their rivalry.

    For that matter, the noble¡¯s son in The King¡¯s Lament was, while a major character, the least important of the central cast. The rival in the book was second only to the protagonist in prominence. In fact, Lusya often got the sense the author liked him more.

    ¡°I think they¡¯re similar,¡± Ariya said, crossing her arms. She huffed. ¡°You¡¯re just being contrarian.¡±

    ¡°If you did not want my opinion, you should not have asked me,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°There are similarities, but they are elements common to a great many stories. It is not impossible that the playwright was influenced by the novel, but it is impossible to say from what we have seen.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get upset. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it¡­¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I am not upset. I am rarely upset.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Ariya said. She pursed her lips. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, anyway. There are a lot of stories with those things in them¡­¡±

    ¡°I know I am correct.¡±

    Ariya huffed and went silent for a moment, staring at the fire.

    ¡°If there¡¯s an almost-naked dragon-lady, you have to admit I¡¯m right and say you¡¯re sorry,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya blinked and nodded. ¡°I will agree to that.¡±

    That was not unheard of, but it was not common either. Knight Academy was quite popular at the moment. It had been translated into every major language spoken on Ysuge, and there was at least one volume in every bookstore. Lusya had been seeing it for a while before deciding to pick it up. That was without mentioning the number of installments. As far as books went, it had achieved a level of success most could only dream of. So, although there were other possible explanations, including mere coincidence, it did seem rather likely the play may have taken cues from the novel if such a character appeared. That did not mean the other elements were taken from the book, though. For that matter, Lusya didn¡¯t much care if they were. All stories built on each other. As long as they weren¡¯t carbon copies of each other, she didn¡¯t see it as particularly interesting in and of itself, though there may have been interesting conversations to be had on the subject.

    ¡°So, can we read some more?¡± Ariya asked, grinning as she bounced with excitement. They had already read a bit before the evening meal.

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is time for sleep now.¡±

    Ariya sighed and settled down. ¡°Okay.¡±

    After watching the fire for another moment, she stood and started toward the tent. However, she did not head straight for it. When she had moved to the edge of Lusya¡¯s peripheral vision, she veered off course, instead aiming for Lusya¡¯s pack on the ground nearby. However, Ariya did not do much to obscure her path. Seemingly assuming Lusya wouldn¡¯t notice, she was oblivious to Lusya turning to watch her. Of course, even if she hadn¡¯t seen, Lusya would have known. She knew where things were in the camp, and sensing Ariya was as natural as breathing.

    ¡°What are you doing, child?¡± Lusya asked, though she was confident she knew the answer.

    Just as she had reached within arm¡¯s reach of the pack, Ariya jumped and slowly turned to face Lusya. Squirming as if her clothes were filled with insects, Ariya averted her eyes.

    ¡°N-nothing,¡± she said with a nervous smile exaggerated in an attempt to appear innocent.

    Lusya cocked her head a bit. ¡°Do not take a book without my permission.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya replied before glancing at the pack again.

    ¡°If you do, I will burn it with Miudofay,¡± Lusya said. She would probably buy another copy later to finish on her own, but Ariya did not need to know that.

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Yes, Lusya. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°I accept your apology,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Now, go to bed.¡±

    Ariya nodded but hesitated before moving. ¡°Can I come closer first?¡±

    Lusya blinked twice as she tilted her head. ¡°You may, but what for?

    Without another word, Ariya made her way around the fire to Lusya and wrapped her arms around Lusya in a hug.

    ¡°Good night, Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    She released Lusya and skipped to the tent. Lusya was unsure what had prompted that. Displays of affection from Ariya happened, but they tended to be reserved for big moments. Lusya did not know if her not returning them had anything to do with that, but she had never been one for such gestures. She would have least expected to receive one right after a scolding.

    As long as Ariya¡¯s Malice remained stable, she supposed it didn¡¯t matter. The same went for what had just happened. Lusya could not deny she was curious, but Ariya was already in the tent, and Lusya did not want to interfere with proper rest.

 Book Three - Chapter Six

    Ariya looked around with a twinkle in her eye as they entered their first village in the Elzen Valley, as she often did on reaching any new settlement. Lusya did not know why. When it came to major cities, she could understand why one might be interested, even if the extent of it often baffled her, but this was a drop in the sea of small towns and villages they had visited over almost seven months. Few had anything that made them stand out. Few enough that anticipating it seemed a waste of energy.

    This one was no different. The same squat buildings, the same thatch roofs, the same empty space. There was just one thing a little different than usual, and it was not a positive change.

    ¡°What do you expect to see?¡± Lusya asked, though she kept her guard up. She could see the way the villagers looked at them. Most would just look, but it only took one brave fool to cause trouble.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ariya said cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s just always interesting, I guess, seeing how all the villages are different.¡±

    ¡°Most of them are the same in every way that matters,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°You just think that ¡®cause you hate people.¡± That was not strictly true, but Lusya did not care enough to correct it. ¡°They are a lot alike, but people always act just a little bit different.¡± Ariya frowned as she looked about, just now seeming to notice. ¡°Or a lot different.¡±

    The villagers walking by or standing outside their homes glared at Lusya and Ariya with the same mix of anger and fear one might direct at a venomous pest, muttering to any companions in furtive tones. And there were plenty of villagers, at least for the size of place. It was late enough in the evening that many had stopped working for the day, but early enough that they were still out and about, socializing or running errands. It was not uncommon for Lusya and Ariya to attract attention, of course. Lusya alone attracted plenty. Putting her in an unusual pairing amplified it. The hostility, however, was unusual. No one had paid them much mind in Zentril, but, although it was quite close on the map, this was a far cry from Zentril. There, even those who had regarded them with suspicion had done so with less, tempered by the knowledge that there were stranger things in the city. As far as they could tell by sight, anyway.

    Even in other, similar villages, the stares were more curious than hostile. At worst, they were a little suspicious. This level of apparent aggression was unusual, to say the least.

    ¡°Pay them no mind,¡± Lusya said. ¡°They are not a threat.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them,¡± Ariya whispered.

    ¡°Unless they act first, I will not.¡±

    Ariya nodded. She looked up and examined Lusya¡¯s face for a moment before nodding to herself and turning forward once more. Lusya was not sure where the concern came from. She thought it quite well-established that she did not go out of her way to harm those who did not provoke her. Even those who did were often fine, so long as they did not actually inconvenience her. Especially with Ariya herself present. She may have proven able to tolerate a bit of violence, but Lusya was not eager to expose her to more.

    Lusya led the way through the village. Considering the villagers¡¯ hostility, she decided to find the inn herself rather than ask around. She doubted she would get any helpful answers. The village was not large, and it did not take much searching to get to the inn. It was about ten minutes before Lusya led Ariya through the doors of the Elhend Inn. Elhend was the name of the village. Creativity was not the innkeeper¡¯s strong suit, though she supposed there was little need for the only inn in the village to differentiate itself.

    They approached the counter where the innkeeper, a stout older man, stood, humming a tune to himself. He was gruff but civil as Lusya paid for their room and meals, then he directed them to sit where they pleased before disappearing through the door behind him.

    Lusya selected a table at random and sat across from Ariya. The surface of the table was chipped, and there was an indent on the side where a sizable bit of damage had been done at some point. All the tables were like that, along with the bar counter. The floor had seen better days too, and the walls could have used a fresh coat of paint. It was not enough to be concerning, but the inn was not in the best of shape. That wasn¡¯t strange, all things considered. The Elzen Valley saw less travel than most rural areas. Establishments like this had to survive on a handful of local regulars, like the ones there right now. This was fairly normal for an inn that was making it but not thriving. It was the last one that had been the anomaly.

    There were two other groups in the dining room at present, both all men. One group shot a series of glares at Lusya, but seemed to lose interest a moment later and continued drinking from their mugs in silence. There was a mountain of empty mugs on their table, but no sign of food.

    The other would not stop staring from across the dining room. They had been speaking over drinks and a big bowl of something fried when Lusya had entered, gossiping from what she had heard. Apparently, a conflict over the village¡¯s most eligible bachelor had been resolved when he had jokingly suggested the two women vying for his affection share and they had agreed. This sounded like a satisfactory resolution for all involved to Lusya, but it was a bad thing, according to the men. Polygamy was frowned upon in most of Ysuge for reasons she did not pretend to understand. If all involved were informed and agreed, she failed to see any possible harm.

    Since she had sat down, though, the men were silent as they watched her, save for some loud crunching as they finished their last bite of the fried snack they were sharing. It was her they were watching. Their gazes did wander to Ariya on occasion, but only for the briefest of moments before returning to Lusya. Of course, she would be the target of suspicion. Their imaginations were likely running wild and taking them far closer to the truth than they could ever know.

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    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± one of the men said at last. His voice was low as he leaned toward his companions, but the room was small enough that his voice carried plenty well to Lusya¡¯s ears. He was one of three older men in the group, looking about fifty years of age with thinning brown hair. She did not think he was letting her hear intentionally. It seemed to be a combination of the room¡¯s size and a naturally loud voice.

    ¡°We can¡¯t read your mind, old man,¡± the sole younger man in his twenties said. Perhaps realizing the other man was easily audible, this one made no attempt to lower his voice.

    ¡°You know what he means, boy,¡± another man said. He, too, looked to be in his fifties, but still had a full head of pale blond hair. ¡°A demon just walked in here. I¡¯d heard rumors about them in the area, but never thought one would show up here.¡±

    ¡°If she were a demon, we¡¯d be dead,¡± the third older man, this one bald, said with a roll of his eyes. ¡°They don¡¯t just waltz into town and sleep at the inn.¡±

    Some would have. Plenty of high-ranks had the restraint to pick and choose their targets, at the very least. Even some of those who didn¡¯t might have found it amusing to play at being an ordinary traveler before striking. Lusya chose to keep that information to herself.

    The younger man nodded. ¡°Right. She¡¯s gotta be a reltus.¡±

    The blond old man scoffed. ¡°Same thing.¡±

    The younger man gasped. ¡°Pa!¡±

    ¡°What? We were all thinking it!¡± He spread his arms wide and looked to the other two to emphasize his point. They both averted their eyes, apparently unwilling to agree with or reproach him. He didn¡¯t seem to notice, crossing his arms and indignantly turning up his nose as if his point had been made. ¡°Can¡¯t say anything these days¡­¡±

    ¡°Demon or not, can¡¯t say I¡¯d mind that being that last thing I see, though,¡± the brown-haired man said.

    The bald man chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t let Gertra hear you say that.¡±

    The brown-haired man grinned and seemed about to retort, but stopped and looked to Ariya with a frown. ¡°What do you want, girl?¡±

    Ariya was scowling at the men. She had been throughout their conversation. The conversation did not bother Lusya much, but she would allow Ariya her own opinion. There was no reaction of note in her Malice, so it was fine.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your mamas ever teach you it¡¯s rude to talk about people like that?¡± she asked, puffing herself up as she planted her hands on her hips.

    Each of them men had their own reaction to that. The young man laughed, the bald one snorted, the brown-haired one frowned and looked away¡ªseeming properly chastised with his reddening cheeks¡ªand the blond grumbled something unintelligible before chugging down the rest of his drink and screaming for a new one. The men went silent for another moment, then resumed their earlier conversation.

    ¡°So, anyway, sounds like the plan is for one big wedding,¡± the blond said.

    ¡°And one big wedding night, I¡¯d assume,¡± the brown-haired one said. ¡°Lucky bastard.¡±

    The bald man scowled. ¡°Watch it.¡±

    The innkeeper emerged a moment later with food for Lusya and Ariya, as well as the drink the blond man had requested. Lusya thanked him, and he responded with a grunt and retreated to the counter. He didn¡¯t seem to have any staff, or none working at the moment, at least.

    ¡°They¡¯re mean here,¡± Ariya said, keeping her voice too quiet for others to hear. Whether she was blind to her hypocrisy or did not care, Lusya did not know.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya jabbed a fork into a piece of meat and chewed it with unusual aggression. ¡°I liked Zentril better. People didn¡¯t even stare there most of the time.¡±

    ¡°I would have expected you to be acclimated to the stares by now,¡± Lusya said. She took a bite of her own meal. It was bland, but that was fine. She had never been a picky eater. Her preferences were not strong enough for it.

    ¡°I am. But not having them is still better.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Fair enough, but there is little to be done about it.¡±

    ¡°People could just not be mean,¡± Ariya said in a bitter, almost petulant tone. ¡°You know, like in Zentril.¡±

    ¡°Their environments differ too much,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Zentril has long had all manner of travelers passing through, and now as many different kinds of people living there. A resident must adapt to them to live. The same cannot be said for this village. They may never have seen a reltus before.¡±

    She could not say she understood the tendency of others to fear and attack the unfamiliar, but she was aware of it. Some degree of caution was justified, even wise. Fear and hostility seemed not only excessive but foolish. It might well earn the animosity of one who otherwise would have left them be or even been an ally. She had known demons who would have left them in peace, only to kill them all when met with such reactions on principle. That was an extreme example, but the idea seemed broadly applicable.

    Ariya gave a skeptical grunt and resumed her eating.

    Her skepticism did not change the truth. The Elzen Valley did not see many travelers, and those it did were likely to be human. Maybe tiransa. She had heard it was growing in popularity, but it had a long way to go. The valley was known for its so-called natural beauty, and that did draw some visitors. In practical terms, however, the only reason one would pass through was the same reason Lusya was: to avoid reltus lands, something many humans did out of ignorance, superstition, or to avoid heightened linguistic or cultural barriers, real or perceived.

    Otherwise, the valley was seldom the quickest or easiest route to get anywhere. Even those who did travel through would tend to be in a hurry because of that. The people here were not used to outsiders, let alone relti.

    Of course, there was a certain irony in the people¡¯s suspicion and the men¡¯s reasoning. After thinking on it for a moment, Lusya decided she found it humorous.

    ¡°Did something good happen?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I will explain later,¡± Lusya replied. She could not very well talk about it where others might hear.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ariya took another bite of her hash and scowled, tilting her head just a bit. ¡°The food here sucks.¡±

    ¡°It is sufficient,¡± Lusya said, though she would not dispute that it was a step down from the last several establishments they had visited.

    She cast a suspicious, side-eyed glance at the innkeeper. ¡°I wonder if he made it bad on purpose for us.¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± the young man from the other table said. ¡°Kenner just couldn¡¯t cook worth a damn if Telresen showed him how.¡±

    He said that last bit extra loud, ensuring the innkeeper, presumably Kenner, heard him.

    The innkeeper scowled. ¡°Travelers are one thing, you can stay home if you don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°But then we¡¯d miss your lovely company,¡± the brown-haired man said with a grin. The others laughed, and they all took a swig of their drinks. Even the innkeeper himself replied with a brief chuckle.

    Lusya did not find that comment humorous. Ariya, it seemed, disagreed, if her giggling was any indication. She took another bite, and her laughter was abruptly halted by a grimace.

    ¡°It still sucks, though.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Seven

    ¡°So then I said, ¡®Didn¡¯t your mamas ever teach you¡ª¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ariya,¡± Lusya said. She cocked her head, blinking twice. ¡°I was there. Why are you telling me this story?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± Ariya replied with a broad grin.

    ¡°Is it?¡± Lusya did not see how. Even if she had, she did not see how she would have benefited from having it recounted to her.

    ¡°I think it is,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Plus, I want to practice my storytelling. I¡¯ve been thinking, I like stories, so maybe after this whole mission thing is over, I¡¯ll try to write some. Maybe I can even write about the mission. Lots of people would want to read about that.¡±

    Lusya was silent for a moment. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Would that be okay after it¡¯s over?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°I know it¡¯s a secret right now.¡±

    Lusya considered her words carefully. ¡°It may be fine after some time had passed.¡±

    In theory, she would want some time to allow Father to prepare his counterattack before spreading the word, so it would be too late for anyone to respond. In practice, of course, it was a moot point.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything write with.¡± She mimed writing, as if Lusya did not know what she was talking about. ¡°So I¡¯m telling you instead.¡±

    ¡°Oral and written storytelling are not necessarily the same skill, but I suppose it is better than nothing as practice,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, we do have writing supplies.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°We do? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°I did not know you needed them,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I brought them in case I needed them, but that does not seem to happen often, so you may use some if you wish.¡±

    Ariya leaped into the air, pumping a fist. ¡°Yay! I¡¯ll write a story that knocks your socks off.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that, but do as you wish.¡±

    The first attempt of anything was rarely worth admiring. Though Ariya may have been intelligent and eloquent for her age, Lusya doubted being a child would help Ariya¡¯s writing.

    ¡°It¡¯s not gonna be the one about the mission, though,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I can¡¯t write that one until after we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°What will you write about, then?¡±

    Ariya shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I really like My Knight Academy. Do you think it would be copying if I wrote something like that?¡±

    ¡°It depends on how similar you make it,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Well, I was thinking it would be about this guy who wants to be the best, but, instead of the Sacred Knights, he would want to be the best of this group of assassins. But, like, they¡¯re good guy assassins who don¡¯t kill people.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°That is what assassins do, by definition. What do your protagonists do, then?¡±

    ¡°They sneak around and help people,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Also, they eat these funny looking vegetables to get cool powers.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Perhaps you should consider not calling them assassins.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ariya said. ¡°But it sounds so cool. So, is it copying?¡±

    The conversation had veered so far from that question that Lusya had not realized Ariya was still expecting a more definitive answer.

    ¡°No,¡± Luysa said. ¡°It is sufficiently different from your inspiration.¡±

    Ariya whooped in excitement and the conversation ended. Lusya still was not sure why she wanted to write a story about assassins who were not assassins. But, it was probably better that she not explore anything too violent, so Lusya was not going to question it further.

    As something interrupted Lusya¡¯s train of thought, her gaze slid toward the horizon, and she blinked.

    ¡°What?¡± Ariya asked, following Lusya¡¯s line of sight, but there was nothing there that she would be able to see, only a hill near the horizon, and what Lusya sensed was well beyond that. ¡°Is there something over there?¡±

    Lusya had to wonder if there was something attracting high-rank demons to the area, between this one and the one in Zentril. True to her word, she had not memorized the latter¡¯s name. She did not think she would ever need to know it again. Whatever the case, she doubted this one would be so friendly. On the other hand, it did not seem to have reacted to her presence, although it could surely sense her if she could it.

    She ran through her options. Ariya did not seem suspicious, just curious, so it was not too late to divert her and continue on. However, leaving a high-rank demon to its own devices could prove problematic. If it were anywhere else, Lusya might have taken her chances, but in the Elzen Valley, things were different. If the demon rampaged and destroyed a town, it would have a much bigger impact on her plans then elsewhere. Likewise, if it decided to attack her later, it would be more difficult to avoid. Better to have the initiative, in that case. And if it was not hostile, then at least she was informed. That said, the growing mortal Malice signatures around it did not bode well.

    ¡°It is a demon,¡± she said at last.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°A nice one?¡±

    ¡°Doubtful,¡± Lusya replied with a shake of her head. ¡°We will investigate. Stay close.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s eyes bulged as she opened them wide. ¡°You¡¯re volunteering?¡±

    ¡°We cannot afford to leave such an unknown element be at the moment,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Come along.¡±

    Not that Ariya had any choice but to follow, with her hand in Lusya¡¯s. They made their way toward the signature. Lusya did not hurry, wishing to be cautious. Yet none of the mortals'' Malice signatures faded. They moved around and flared up together with the demon¡¯s. Some did weaken after some time, but they never vanished. Interesting. There were perhaps five of them, none motomancers as far as she could tell. Easy prey for even the weakest demon. She could guess at what was happening, then.

    Ariya was quiet during the walk, her hand squeezing Lusya¡¯s extra tight. Nervousness was understandable, but Ariya gave no sign of excessive fear.

    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Lusya commanded as they neared the demon, screams filling the air.

    Without hesitation, Ariya obeyed. She had seen some gore on Lusya during the bandit incident, but Lusya still wanted to minimize her exposure to such sights. The screams were also an issue, but less so, and Lusya also wanted Ariya ready to react or respond to commands. Moments later, they crested a hill, and Lusya looked down upon the field before. If one had been dropped here while asleep, they never would have known they were in a valley. The mountains were not even visible on the horizon. It looked to all the world like a slightly hilly field in the middle of nowhere. It was upon a flat expanse amid those waves of grass and dirt that the demon was at work.

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    An overturned wagon lay on its side in the middle of a flat stretch of ground. There was no road in sight, so Lusya assumed the occupants had tried to take a shortcut or the like. Or perhaps they had futilely fled the demon for a while before it had tired of the chase. The back half of the wagon had been crushed into splinters, and a bloody pulp in front was all that remained of whatever animals had once drawn the carriage.

    The demon himself was in the midst of stomping on the chest of a tall, burly man lying on his back, with what looked to be a vile mixture of blood and bile staining his mouth. Although such a strong demon must have been holding back immensely not to crush the man in a single attack, the man let out a cry of pain each time, while a woman cowering by the remains of the wagon screamed at the demon to stop. He gave no sign he had heard her. The woman clutched an unconscious child around Ariya¡¯s age in one arm and a weeping babe no older than two in the other.

    The child¡¯s left leg was twisted and mangled beyond all repair. For the time being, the infant appeared unharmed. Its face was splattered with blood, but that seemed to be the child¡¯s, not the infant¡¯s. Specifically, it had come from the side of the older child¡¯s head where their ear appeared to have been ripped off.

    In between her and the man lay a boy in his early teens. His Malice signature attested that he was alive and his eyes were open, but they were glassy and unfocused, his body a limp rag. There was no visible damage to him, however, unless one counted the thin strand of drool dribbling out of his mouth.

    The demon was toying with them, as Lusya had suspected. Tormenting them, though Lusya could not say for what reason. Entertainment seemed the most likely explanation, but he gave no sign he was enjoying it. What she could make out of his expression¡ªa slight frown and half-lidded eyes¡ªbetrayed boredom. He paused when he sensed her near to throw a look at her. A slight, irritated scowl marred his features for a split-second, which Lusya returned with a curious gaze that must have appeared impassive to him. Once it became clear she was not attacking, however, his expression faded back into boredom, and he returned to his current victim with another stomp. After that, he seemed to bore of that method, and stopped to grab one of the man¡¯s hands. The man¡¯s thumb, index, and middle fingers were already bent at impossible angles, swollen in a hideous mix of black and blue. The demon pinched the man¡¯s ring finger in two of his own and snapped it back with a flick of his wrist. The man let out howl of agony, interrupted when the demon kicked him in the side, launching him away to tumble on the ground. The man shuddered and then did not move after he stopped, but the demon had been gentle enough to spare his life.

    ¡°It¡¯s hurting people,¡± Ariya said. It was not a question. The answer was quite obvious.

    ¡°Yes, he is,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Will you stop him?¡± Ariya asked. She squeezed Lusya¡¯s hand a bit tighter.

    ¡°That is not wise,¡± Lusya said. ¡°He is strong.¡±

    She could not say she had no chance of victory. She would not have come had that been the case. But it was not a guarantee. Given his apparent disinterest in her and his general lack of hurry, ignoring him and moving on seemed the best course of action. Even if he moved north in search of more victims, staying ahead of him seemed more than doable if he did everything at his current pace. Moreover, intervening may well have been pointless. Many of the humans¡¯ injuries were quite severe. Stopping the demon now may do nothing more than delay their demise.

    ¡°Too strong?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    ¡°That means you can win, right?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°It is possible,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°However¡ª¡±

    Ariya shook her head with such vigor that she swayed Lusya¡¯s arm. ¡°No, no however. If you can win, you have to help.¡±

    ¡°Child¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®child¡¯ me!¡± Ariya stomped a foot. ¡°If you don¡¯t go down there, I¡¯m gonna open my eyes and do it.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s skills of manipulation had improved. Learned by example, perhaps. At the start of their journey, she would have just pleaded and appealed to morality. Lusya could not chance such a fight on that. But, while she could catch Ariya and run away, she could not stop Ariya from witnessing the scene below if she opened her eyes. Ariya may not have known Lusya wanted her Malice low, but it seemed she had learned that Lusya did not want her exposed to certain things that would make it rise. Well, Lusya could grab Ariya and speed away before she had a chance to see anything, but that seemed the worst possible option when considering Ariya¡¯s Malice. Ariya would no doubt be irreparably upset if Lusya refused to help and forced her away after hearing her little ultimatum.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Stay here.¡±

    She shrugged off her pack and started down the hill. Below, the demon was kneeling before the woman, who seemed to be all but frozen in terror, save for chanting ¡°Get away,¡± over and over. Her legs kicked against the ground to try and scramble backward, but with her back against the remains of the wagon, that was accomplishing nothing. She clutched her children closer to her, but he wasn¡¯t there for them.

    ¡°Guess I should give you some attention too, huh?¡± he said, sounding almost tired.

    He raised a hand and poked the woman¡¯s nose. The gesture looked playful, almost gentle, but it sent the woman¡¯s head rocking back to slam against the wagon and broke her nose as sure as any punch. She let out an ear piercing screech and reflexively brought hand to her face in a woefully insufficient attempt to stem the blood staining the lower half of her face. She seemed to remember herself a moment later and wrapped that arm back around the older child¡ªit looked like a boy now that Lusya was closer¡ªleaving bright red hand print on his white shirt.

    For a moment, the demon just watched. He observed the woman¡¯s impotent weeping. He listened to her mutter incoherent, pointless assurances to her herself and her children, one asleep and the other too young to understand. Then, he seemed to tire of that as well. He grabbed the woman¡¯s hair and started to lift her into the air by it, but then he stopped and released her, allowing her to collapse back to the ground with a dull thud as he turned to face Lusya as she approached. The woman huddled against the wagon and clutched her children to her chest, her words replaced by impotent whimpers.

    The demon was over a head taller than Lusya, with a long, unkempt mane of black hair that stuck out in random directions. All he seemed to have done to it was brush the front to the side so it wouldn¡¯t get in his eyes. Blue with bright red sclera, those eyes didn¡¯t show any hint of surprise, fear, or joy as he looked at her. Only boredom tinged with a hint of annoyance.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked with an exasperated tone to match his expression. ¡°Do I know you?¡±

    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± she replied. It was always possible that they had met and she had completely forgotten this one. ¡°I am Lusya.¡±

    She had noticed from the hill too, but it really smelled awful just now. Between all the humans¡¯ various injuries and what was left of the animals, the metallic smell of blood hung thick in the air. Lusya did not hate that scent, but neither was it pleasant, especially so much of it.

    That wasn¡¯t all, though. Sweat joined it, of course. Bile too, not to mention feces. None of those were surprising under the circumstances. None of it would be an issue. Like any trained fighter, Lusya was plenty skilled at tuning out irrelevant and potentially distracting sensory information as needed. While she wasn¡¯t fighting, however, she couldn¡¯t help but notice. It might not have been the worst smell she had ever encountered, but it was in top five.

    The demon clicked his tongue. ¡°Imgelan. I¡¯ve heard of you. What, is the demon princess here to beat me into submission like her old man used to do?¡±

    ¡°If you make it necessary,¡± she said. ¡°I would prefer to avoid that. Cease your activities and leave this place.¡± She glanced back at Ariya and lowered her voice a bit. ¡°I do not care if you resume elsewhere, as long as it is not north of here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t take orders from you,¡± Imgelan replied. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to kill some time here. If it bothers you, then fuck off. I don¡¯t feel like fighting you.¡±

    ¡°The feeling is mutual, but I will have little choice if you insist on continuing.¡±

    He grunted. ¡°Sounds like a you problem.¡±

    ¡°The Demon King will soon be revived,¡± she said, her head tilted a bit to the side. ¡°Your defiance is an obstacle."

    ¡°That also sounds like a you problem,¡± he said. ¡°I fought for your old man, but I don¡¯t care one way or another if he¡¯s dead or stays dead. Anyone who¡¯d give a shit would know your face.¡±

    Lusya doubted that was strictly true, but she was not here to argue about generalizations.

    ¡°If you do not obey, I will kill you,¡± she said.

    He shrugged and turned back toward his victim. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll just have to kill me, then.¡±

    She rushed toward him, aiming a shockwave-enhanced kick for his head. Perhaps he had thought she was bluffing, because he was slow to react. His eyes widened as the blow closed in. One arm came up in a hasty guard that cushioned the blow without stopping it. He dug his heels into the ground and went skidding back through the dirt, shaking his arm to drive away pain.

    ¡°Fighting strong people is such a pain,¡± he said. ¡°Last chance to walk away.¡±

    ¡°As I said, you have left me no choice,¡± she said. ¡°Miudofay, Lunera.¡±

    Her swords appeared in her waiting hands as he called his own Blade.

    ¡°Hever,¡± he intoned, causing a slate gray war hammer to materialize in his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Eight

    ¡°I need a meal,¡± Falin said as he tossed a few copper coins onto the counter. They clattered onto the wooden surface and released an almost rhythmic humming as they wobbled. ¡°What do you have?¡±

    The innkeeper blinked, staring at the coins in silence for a moment, then at Falin, then the coins again. Could the man not hear properly?

    Finally, when the coins went still and the noise stopped, he cleared his throat and spoke. ¡°Just some stew in the pot, Sir Knight. I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have many options.¡±

    Though his words were respectful, there was a suspicious edge to them. He regarded Falin through narrowed, skeptical eyes as he pocketed Falin¡¯s coin. Ignorant rural humans. He could not expect these people to recognize his face here as many did in Seris and the surrounding area, but they could at least show the proper deference rather than look at him like some kind of villain.

    The man even had the audacity to examine one of the coins before putting it away, though that may have had more to do with the coin itself than with Falin. That, in itself, did not speak well of the innkeeper. What kind of backwater was this if he was skeptical of a Talsian arga? It was almost sad that he was so unfamiliar with the greatest nation his people could lay claim to.

    ¡°Give me that, then, and some water,¡± Falin said.

    Propriety as both a Sacred Knight and a nobleman of Gotria forbade excessive drinking while on duty. Humans couldn¡¯t be wrong all the time, much as they tried. The best way to avoid excessive drinking was not to drink at all, though Falin enjoyed a cup of wine every so often in his free time or when duty had him staying in Seris. Much as it galled him to admit, Talsia¡¯s wines put Gotria¡¯s to shame. He had yet to find a better drink.

    Now, though, he was working, and he would be for some time yet. He considered himself on duty until he returned to Seris. As such, Alcohol wouldn¡¯t touch his lips for months. A bit of a shame, but he would live. He wasn¡¯t a drunk who couldn¡¯t live without a drink every five minutes.

    ¡°Coming right up, Sir Knight,¡± the man said. He called to someone in the back to warm up a bowl. They shouted back a confirmation, then the innkeeper gestured broadly around the room. ¡°Sit wherever you like, please.¡±

    Falin nodded and took a seat at the counter. No need to take up a whole table just for him. That might have been more consideration than the likes of these humans deserved, and it was certainly more than they would have given him¡ªor any reltus¡ªif not for the uniform he was wearing, but he was determined not to let them drag him down to their rock bottom level.

    The innkeeper continued glaring at Falin as he sat. He didn¡¯t say anything for a while, but his eyes never left Falin. Oh, he tried to make it look like they did, polishing glasses and cleaning the counter, but he was always watching Falin out of the corner of his eye and did a poor job of hiding it. Then, when he had run out of things to do, he just pretended to stare into space, still obviously looking at Falin, before he seemingly tired of his farce and simply looked straight at Falin, still silent for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got feed for sale, if you have a horse,¡± the innkeeper said at last.

    Falin scoffed. ¡°You must not get many Sacred Knights here.¡±

    ¡°That we don¡¯t,¡± the innkeeper said slowly, as if uncertain he should share that information. ¡°Don¡¯t get much of anyone, really.¡±

    Well, wasn¡¯t that just the surprise of the century. The reasons were sure to remain a mystery throughout the ages. While using a mount was far from unheard of, Sacred Knights, stronger ones especially, did tend to travel on foot for myriad reasons. Horses tended to die in an instant if a serious threat arose, for instance, and many Knights could move faster with motomancy anyway, if the situation demanded it. For some missions, the convenience of a mount or wagon was still useful¡ªcarrying a lot of supplies could be awkward even if one was strong enough, for instance¡ªbut it was rare that it was worth caring for the animal and maintaining the vehicle for a Paladin.

    In Falin¡¯s case, while all that still held, the real reasons were more symbolic. To let the people of the area see him more directly, without placing himself above them. He deserved to be above them, of course. He was a Paladin and a son of one of the greatest noble houses in Gotria, in all of Ysuge. It was neither arrogance nor a sleight against them, merely the reality of the situation. But he had long since learned that the Executive Council was deaf to such concern, blinded by their delusions of equity.

    Those delusions were the whole reason he was here, in this wretched northern hovel. With peacetime arriving, the Paladins were shifted to roles other than fighting. In particular, using their prestige to aid in negotiations or diplomacy. Such was his assignment at the moment, to travel to the southeast and use his position to help persuade the kings of the region to offer aid to more damaged parts of the country. That, itself, he did not take issue with. The central south and southwest were in ruins. Entire cities had been wiped off the map. This was a task that needed doing, and having a Paladin ask personally would put some pressure on these rulers to accept.

    Alas, he could not use a direct route that would take him through home, as he had two secondary assignments. First was to take the route he had been assigned, snaking through rural, human-dominated areas of the continent in order to help acclimate them to both relti and Sacred Knights. While not scorned like the former, the latter still held a sort of mythical status in many areas where people had not had many chances to interact with them. The Executive Council wanted citizens to see Sacred Knights as people they could turn to for help, not idols on some unreachable pedestal. Something that needed doing? Maybe, but he did not see why he had to waste his time and patience doing it, especially when he was superior, and was also tasked with proving it. Some might have viewed this as a first step, to build rapport before establishing the proper order, but they would have been wrong. It was important to establish the dynamics of power first, rather than give commoners, humans, and those who were both the wrong idea.

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    Second among his supplemental missions was to investigate a few areas along his route which might hold important information pertaining to another ongoing matter. Some scars to the landscape indicated clashes between powerful motomancers, and a Sacred Knight captain¡¯s corpse had been discovered near one such scar, mangled and burned. The captain¡¯s squad had a suspect, but the amateurs¡¯ memories had been distorted by grief, and all they had been able to supply was that the suspect was female and looked like a reltus. As all high-rank demons did. Technically that wasn¡¯t true. They had provided more specific descriptions, but they had varied so much that that was all they were left with as reliable information. Humans were so useless. Tiransa too.

    So, it fell to Falin to look for anything useful, though he wasn¡¯t optimistic about finding anything. Ordinarily, this wouldn¡¯t have called for a Paladin¡¯s intervention. All indication was that the culprit was long gone, and there was no reason to think they were Paladin-level anyway. Sending a captain just in case something strong was lurking about would have been enough, if not overkill itself. But he was going to be in the area anyway, so they might as well have him do it to be safe. In and of itself, that made sense, and he had no problem with it. However, with these sites being in their current state for months, it was unlikely there was any evidence worth looking for, so it was just going to be a waste of time.

    As if all that wasn¡¯t bad enough, the Seventh Paladin was supposed to be crossing his path soon enough. It was possible¡ªand he very much hoped¡ªhe would miss her, but propriety and explicit orders demanded he go out of his way to meet with the insolent hag if they happened upon one another. That was not even to discuss anything important. It was nothing more than courtesy she did not deserve. The hag didn¡¯t deserve a second of his time, nor did he deserve the absolute torture of spending even a second in her presence.

    A boy in his late teens emerged from the back and placed a steaming bowl of stew¡ªor what the innkeeper alleged to be stew, anyway¡ªa carafe of water, and a tankard before Falin. The boy¡¯s eyes wandered over him, fixating first on his dark green hair, then on his lavender eyes, and, at last, his uniform, even following the cloak down as it hung toward the floor off the back of the stool.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Falin asked. He was supposed to be seen, but that did not mean he needed to be stared at like some curious bauble.

    ¡°N-nothing,¡± the boy stammered. ¡°Just¡­are you really a Sacred Knight?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Falin snapped. What kind of stupid question was that? ¡°I am Falin Rivelda, Thirteenth Paladin. Address me with the proper respect, boy.¡±

    The boy¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Wow. A Paladin? You barely look older than me!¡±

    Falin scoffed. Such ignorance. In all likelihood, he was over three times the boy¡¯s age. Still, the boy was practically an adult. It was absurd not to know something as basic about the world as how relti aged.

    Not realizing he was a Paladin was more forgivable. His uniform marked him as one, but said markings were relatively subtle and not well known among the general populace. They were more for the benefit of other Knights.

    ¡°Stop bugging customers and get back there,¡± the innkeeper said.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± the boy said. ¡°Good meeting you, Lord Falin.¡±

    With that, he retreated into the kitchen. At least someone around here had some manners, even if that was all he had going for him. The others did not seem ready to learn from his example.

    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± one man whispered to a companion. Poorly, of course. A reltus¡¯s hearing wasn¡¯t significantly sharper than a human¡¯s. The man was just too loud. Of course, these people couldn¡¯t even whisper right. ¡°He says he¡¯s a Paladin. Told you he was a reltus.¡±

    ¡°He could be lying,¡± the woman to his right replied. ¡°Could be a trick.¡±

    Of course they thought he was a demon. The fools. They could not even blame it on their race. No one in Seris assumed every reltus was a demon. For that matter, even villages in the middle of nowhere in Talsia had less ignorant townsfolk. They had the advantage of the Sacred Knights, home to increasingly many relti, being in the country, but even so, it did not take that much effort to educate oneself.

    Nevertheless, Falin forced a smile at them. They paled and fell silent, but at least he had tried to be friendly. Even as a Paladin, he had to do as he was told if he was to advance, as was his and his family¡¯s wish.

    Many conservative noble houses in Gotria and elsewhere pined for their private motomancer forces and bemoaned their fall in the face of the Sacred Knights. There was no shortage of relti who could remember the twilight of that era. House Rivelda was more progressive. They recognized a continent-wide force, unified and impartial, as a good idea and as an opportunity.

    If they were to fill the top ranks of such an organization, they could spread their influence throughout the land and prove reltus superiority while they were at it, after the human-dominated Sacred Knights had made so many forget. So, that was what they aimed to do. That was the core reason Falin was here. He took his responsibilities as a Knight and Paladin seriously as both one of them and a nobleman, but he had joined because of father¡¯s scheme. There were others like him, not to mention other relti who had joined for unrelated reasons. The Twelfth Paladin and the dead former Second were both among the latter, but they served the cause whether they realized it or not.

    Thirteenth was a far cry from the top ranks, but Falin had time. He would still be in his prime when most of his colleagues were decrepit or dead. Many would retire soon, anyway, moving him up again. He had been Eighteenth during the war.

    Falin ate his lunch with slow, deliberate motions. The food here did not deserve proper etiquette, but Falin was loathe to discard it. The ¡°stew¡± was much too watery to be called as such. It was a soup, plain and simple, but it wasn¡¯t good at being that either. The broth had the favor of a rich and flavorful stew that had been watered down, not of a proper soup¡¯s broth.

    In the broth there was meat and assorted vegetables. The meat was overcooked and under-seasoned, while the vegetables were mushy and blasted with so much salt he couldn¡¯t taste the actual vegetables at all. He might as well have been eating rock salt every time one found its way into his mouth.

    At last, he was done. He pushed his bowl away, took a sip of water¡ªwhich he was genuinely impressed at this point to find that they had not messed up¡ªand stood.

    ¡°Will you be needing a room tonight, Lord Rivelda?¡± the innkeeper asked.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Falin replied brusquely.

    It was too early to stop for the day, and he had no desire to stay in this disgusting backwater town if he did not need to.

    ¡°I suggest you and the others review how you treat your betters,¡± he added.

    Not waiting for a response, he turned and walked out of the building.

 Book Three - Chapter Nine

    Imgelan was the first to move again. He rushed forward, his massive hammer raised overhead. Miudofay¡¯s flames could have warded him off, but the humans were still behind him. Lusya did not care what happened them, but Ariya would be upset if they were incinerated. Even if her eyes were closed, it would be difficult not to reveal what had happened if she asked. That meant Lusya needed to be careful not to kill or injure them. In other words, she had to hold back as long as they were in the way.

    She swiped Lunera through the air instead, appeared behind Imgelan, and whirled to slash at him. Lunera clanged off the haft of his hammer as he twisted to block, but that was acceptable. Miudofay still sang for his throat. He lurched backward to avoid the blow, allowing the sword of ruin to draw a thin red line along his jaw.

    It was clear that had been a desperate defense born of surprise. That wasn¡¯t strange. Muscle memory pulled a lot of weight during a fight, and most opponents couldn¡¯t attack twice at once. Even consciously knowing she had two swords, it wasn¡¯t surprising that he had been caught off-guard by the second strike. Despite all that, he was able to lash out with a kick from his awkward position before Lusya could react, catching her in the stomach. The blow and accompanying shockwave sent her tumbling back through the air. Then, in a testament to his combat ability, he was upon her again, prepared to bring his weapon down on her.

    She managed an air jump to dodge the blow, allowing the hammer¡¯s head to slam into the ground with a spray of dirt. That should have been it. It should have bought her the space to counterattack or think about her next move. Instead, she plummeted to the ground with unexpected speed. Everything suddenly felt heavier, from her clothes to her body itself.

    She landed hard on her feet, but the extra weight drove her to her knees the moment she was on land. Imgelan drove his hammer into her face while she was attempting to recover, once again launching her back. He followed her as she sailed through the air, and her head swam as she tried to formulate her next move. Her enhancement had spared her any serious injury, but a hammer to the head would still stun anyone.

    Luckily, reflex turned out to be enough. She righted herself and lashed out with Miudofay, sending out an arc of violet flame. Imgelan ceased his charge to dive to the side and avoid the attack, leaving him unharmed but giving her time to stop her flight. Her fire had been weak enough that it dissipated before coming near the humans.

    From what she could see, the woman had helped the man to unsteady feet. The woman carried the infant and the man the older child. They had gotten the unresponsive teenager to his feet, and, though he still seemed to lack any sort of awareness, he allowed the woman to lead him away by the hand. She hoped they would move quickly, so she would not be hindered by them any longer, but she wasn¡¯t counting on it. None of them were in any shape to be quick, and their current pace bore that out. She still had her doubts they would survive even if they got away, but she didn¡¯t much care either way as long as they left and stopped obstructing her. She did prefer that they got out of sight before dying. It would be much easier if she could simply tell Ariya they had been alive last she had seen.

    Not wanting to give Imeglan a chance to resume his charge, Lusya slashed Lunera to warp him in front of her. His eyes widened in surprise, soon joined by a cry of pain as she ignited Miudofay and stabbed it into his belly. He threw a desperate, blind punch, forcing her to back away to dodge rather than press her advantage.

    Rather than allow him to recover, she closed back in and threw a high kick into his chin, launching him up high into the air. She warped in front of him at the apex of his flight and stood on air to slash at him. However, he was quick to regain his wits and air jumped away, forcing her to give chase.

    A sweeping hammer blow came at her from the side as she drew near. She jumped over it into a flip and brought her heel down toward her opponent. When he backstepped out of range again, she turned her momentum into another whirling kick aimed for his head. This one connected, sending him sprawling through the air to the side. She warped to him with Lunera, but he had already recovered and brought his hammer down toward her. She sidestepped the blow, only for the world to grow heavier once more.

    They both dropped to the ground like shooting stars and landed in a spray of dust. He recovered first, as was to be expected. He was bound to be accustomed to his own power, and it probably didn¡¯t affect him as much to begin with, though the way he had dropped suggested he wasn¡¯t completely immune. It was possible he could control how much it affected him. She was still able to dodge the first hammer blow. Now that she knew what to expect, she could move even under the power of his Blade, though she was hindered. The effect had not ended yet, so it did not seem to be strictly linked to the downward movement of his hammer, thought that may have been necessary to trigger it.

    His next attack, however, struck true. He swept her legs out from under her and slammed the hammer into her belly. She kept her wits about her, keeping track of when her weight seemed to return to normal as she sailed back. It was difficult to keep track of distance at the angle she was flying at, but the radius seemed to be about fifteen feet.

    The humans had not fled yet, but the fight had moved away from them. That meant Lusya could be a bit more liberal with her destruction.

    As Imgelan pursued her, rather than stop herself, she righted herself and pushed off the air, the momentum from his last blow helping carry her out of range of the next. She continued with the next step, and the next, moving away from him and weaving around any blows that came too close. It was not a viable strategy long term. It was successful because she focused only on matching her defensive movements to his offensive. That meant she could not counterattack unless he left her an incredible opening, which was unlikely from an opponent of his prowess. For now, though, it would serve her purposes.

    Just as planned, he growled in frustration after the dozenth time his attacks whiffed through open air and slammed his hammer into the ground. Against most opponents, that would have been an opening, but his abilities made trying to capitalize too risky at this stage. She leaped back and stopped herself at the edge of the area and observed everything that might offer a hint. The way his clothes hung off him, the movement of the grass. Fifteen feet, just as she had thought.

    ¡°This is a fight,¡± he said. He was more exasperated, almost plaintive, than angry. ¡°Not a dance.¡±

    ¡°They are more similar than one might think,¡± she replied.

    She was not as skilled at ¡°choreographizing¡± as Danfia had called it as her mentor. Danfia had been able to make an entire battle, from first exchange to final blow, look like a preplanned sequence with the flawless synchronization of her movements to her opponent¡¯s, allowing her to defeat even enemies significantly more powerful than herself unscathed. Lusya had never mastered that skill to the same extent, so she avoided relying on it, but it did have its uses even in its lesser form.

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    At a more basic level, it was true that the skills demanded of dancing and fighting had much in common. There was a reason Danfia had been trusted to teach Lusya how to fight. Reflexes, coordination, the ability to chain together motions and keep moving, even the ability to match one¡¯s movements to a partner of sorts. All were skills needed for both. Aside from the obvious, there was the key difference that dances were typically preplanned, with success hinging only on the dancers¡¯ execution. Battles were more freeform, both what one did and how well they did it being critical.

    Regardless of the truth of Lusya¡¯s statement, Imgelan scoffed and charged again. She swiped Lunera through the air, extending the space between them to slow his approach. With Miudofay wreathed in flame, she slashed it down, sending a massive gout of fire toward him. He cut off his charge and leaped high into the air to avoid the attack, as anticipated.

    She warped him in front of her, but, rather than go for a killing blow, she aimed Miudofay for his raised arms, driving him back and keeping him from lowering them. As she suspected, he had to swing the hammer to activate its ability, probably downward. A typical limitation of most Blades¡¯ First Releases, but confirming it rather than assuming was still wise.

    She did not pursue him. He had ample room to use his Blade¡¯s power now if she did. Eliminating him at range with Miudofay would be ideal. Its flames might not have been as powerful as in Father¡¯s hands, but they could kill this demon.

    She opened a rift leading behind him and launched an arc of flame through it. He moved to the side to avoid the attack, but she launched another to cut off his escape route. He jumped into the air rather than keep scurrying around on the ground. There was no point in sending flames after him. He was too mobile in the air to have any hope of success.

    At the same time, his own Blade had less immediate effect in the air. With that in mind, she warped behind him. He was aware enough to dodge her first attack. He also caught the second downward kick on the haft of his weapon, but it accomplished its purpose of driving him back toward the ground. She sent a wave of roaring violet flame to chase and devour him. He landed with a boom on his back on the ground, but he managed to push up and dive aside before the flames hit, turning well over a hundred feet of land into ash and soot.

    Yet he had escaped with only a burned shoulder. He clutched it and gritted his teeth in pain, but it would not hinder him for long. She warped to the ground and he dashed at her. She sent out a wave of flame to stave him off, but he kept running, only moving enough to let the flames graze him rather than engulf him. He surprised her again by slamming his hammer into the ground well before reaching her, but within range. She struggled to stay standing, giving him an opening to close the distance and throw a vicious punch square into her chest. She tumbled back through the air.

    By the time she righted herself, he was upon her again, striking down. She had little choice but to guard, crossing her swords overhead to catch the hammer. Her arms shook with the force of the attack, his hammer¡¯s power forcing her to kneel. He took the opportunity to throw a knee into her face, followed by his hammer into her stomach.

    She threw out a wave of fire as he gave chase. He tried to dodge as before, but she opened a rift behind him and to the side, redirecting the attack to cross in front of him and force him to stop.

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°You can take a beating, huh? What a pain. It¡¯s gonna take so long to kill you.¡±

    ¡°That will not happen,¡± she replied.

    Her entire body ached. It wasn¡¯t just the hits she had taken. Every time he used that ability of his, her body strained to support itself. She struggled to maintain proper breathing, resisting the urge to gasp for more air. Despite her assertion, she was far from confident. Like she had thought, he was strong. Not insurmountably, but plenty strong enough to defeat her. That didn¡¯t matter, though. No matter how possible it was, she wouldn¡¯t let it happen. She needed to finish this. She didn¡¯t see any way Lunera would help her. Miudofay was the key. Yet even with a full power blast, he would dodge unless she boxed him in somehow.

    She had a few ideas on how to do that, but no guarantees. That was the best she was going to get right now, though. There was no room for guarantees in this fight. Nor was there any room for doubts. She just had to do her best and win. No matter what happened, the next exchange was going to decide this.

    She rushed forward and threw out a rapid series of slashes. A few landed shallow cuts, but he dodged or blocked most entirely. That was fine. Their purpose wasn¡¯t to hurt him, but to make him think she was on the offensive. After several seconds, she left an opening in her guard for him so seize on, baiting a downward strike. He happily seized upon the bait. More eagerly than she had thought, in fact. A fish on a hook would have been embarrassed for him.

    She warped behind him, out of range, as the attack hit, then whirled, Miudofay raised to strike. Predicting her actions, he moved to the side, falling for her feint as she lowered Miudofay. Another swipe of Lunera brought him in front of her, back exposed. She brought Lunera back the other way, aimed for his throat. Wreathed in flame, Miudofay came up, ready to unleash its wrath upon the heavens. He had three options: he could let her take his head off, let her incinerate him, or dodge to the left, a move easy to predict and react to.

    Then he threw himself backward in an awkward tackle, driving them both to the ground in an uncontrolled tumble, ending with him on top of her. It would have been a stupid move in any other circumstance. Most opponents would have been better off trying a futile dodge or block. There were myriad ways she could finish him off in this position.

    She did not know if he had thought ahead or not, but it was his luck that he had the one ability to make this situation advantageous. Over and over as he stood, he slammed his hammer into the ground, making standing or attacking slower and more laborious for Lusya than it should have been.

    When he got to his feet, she was still lying on her back. He swung his hammer along the ground and slammed it into her. Before she had any chance of recovering, he went after her and struck her down into the ground. He swung his hammer down again as she tried to stand driving her back down to the ground, then a heavy foot stomped on her back to keep her there. A kick hit hard in her side, sending her rolling and bouncing along the ground. She dug her swords in to slow down her flight and stop herself faster.

    She was going to lose. That was obvious. He was already closing in again. It was not in her nature to engage in pointless action, yet she she found herself trying to stand again anyway.

    It was not a blow from Imgelan, but her charge that stopped her. Ariya was moving toward her.

    ¡°Lusya!¡± Ariya called.

    Lusya dared not take her eyes off her opponent to see what, exactly, Ariya was doing. Whatever it was, it was suicidal. Imgelan wasn¡¯t paying her any mind, but that was probably because he didn¡¯t want to take his eyes off Lusya. If he killed her or Ariya got closer, that would be a different story.

    ¡°Stay back, child,¡± Lusya replied. Ariya stopped for a brief moment, then resumed her advance, albeit slower.

    Lusya started to stand again. If Ariya was going to do something foolish, that was all the more reason Lusya had to find a way out of this. An assault on her senses made her stop as sure as it froze him in his tracks. Another powerful Malice signature, this one mortal, was closing in at incredible speed. No, powerful didn¡¯t do it justice. Overwhelming would have been closer. It was almost to her sense for Malice as staring into the sun would have been for her sight.

    A gray blob blurred through the air, and then there was spear embedded in Imgelan¡¯s shoulder, sending him reeling backward. A moment later a figure was kicking him, using his body as purchase to pull the spear out as they sent him flying away.

    The white-clad figure landed and swiped the spear through the air with an unnecessary flourish, flinging the demon¡¯s blood off the blade.

    ¡°Hi there, you two,¡± the woman said. Her tone was almost friendly, but not quite. There was something condescending, mocking about it. ¡°I¡¯m going to interrupt here. I¡¯d say I¡¯m sorry, but¡­well, I¡¯m not.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Ten

    Lusya didn¡¯t dare move. Didn¡¯t dare draw this woman¡¯s attention to her. This may have been the strongest Sacred Knight Lusya had ever encountered. No, there was no ¡°may have.¡± This woman was the strongest by a significant margin. Lusya couldn¡¯t fight an opponent like that, least of all battered and exhausted. She didn¡¯t know what she was going to do about that, and, until she had figured it out, she wasn¡¯t going to risk becoming the woman¡¯s focus. Ariya had stopped moving toward the fight, at least, so there was little chance of her getting caught up in the battle.

    Imgelan groaned as he stood, blood pouring from his shoulder wound. He rolled his shoulder as if to make sure it still worked, then rubbed at the wound and pulled away a bloody hand with a sigh. ¡°Another one getting in the way, really?¡±

    ¡°Really,¡± the woman replied. She strode toward Imgelan at a sedate, casual pace. It was as if she was out on an evening stroll rather than going to confront a high-rank demon. Even her spear was held lazily at her side, not in anything resembling a proper grip or stance. ¡°You can surrender, if you want. I¡¯ve gotta kill you either way, though. I saw the aftermath of whatever you did back there.¡±

    Imgelan grunted and rushed toward her. His Blade came around at her in a broad horizontal swing. And she was just out of reach, letting the hammer pass inches in front of her face, harmless as could be. The dodge had been lighting quick, yet so casual Lusya almost hadn¡¯t registered the backstep as such.

    ¡°Nice hammer,¡± the woman said. ¡°If I were a nail, I¡¯d be shaking in my boots.¡±

    Her arms blurred as she lashed out with her spear. Without the momentum of her charge and throw behind it, it glanced off his chest, leaving nothing more than an almost imperceptible scratch in its wake. The woman was undaunted. She took one hand off her spear and threw a punch into Imgelan¡¯s stomach before he could begin to counter.

    He sailed back through the air, seemingly without end. Indeed, he only stopped because he hit a hill that was in the way, and even then he skipped off the ground like a stone off water and landed a bit higher up the hill. Rather than pursue, the woman looked at her spear. Her face was hidden from Lusya¡¯s view, but she guessed the look was one of disapproval.

    It was a testament to the woman¡¯s power that the first blow had pierced a high-rank demon¡¯s skin with a conventional weapon. The spear seemed high quality, forged entirely from steel, but it was still just an ordinary spear in the end.

    ¡°Wanna try again?¡± the woman called. ¡°Your friends will make fun of you in the next life if that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got.¡±

    Imgelan stood with obvious effort. He had to prop himself up with his hammer like a cane to get up, and he wretched and spat blood onto the ground before he managed to stand up straight and glare at the woman. He closed the distance between them in an instant and struck, but once again, the woman dodged with contemptuous ease and thrust her spear at him. He must have seemed quite slow to her. Her dodges were narrow, but only because she obviously wanted them to be, though it was unclear whether she wanted to stay in attack range or was simply showing off. The first backstep seemed to have been the latter, but this time was harder to judge. She aimed for the throat this time, but saw no more success. She followed up with a kick. Considering her strength, it was a gentle one, only making him double over in pain and stumble back.

    She waited for him to recover and attack again. He swung his hammer down at her, and she stepped to the side. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but¡ªalthough the way her cloak and wavy black hair tugged down attested the gravity ability had affected her¡ªshe did not seem to have any difficulty standing.

    Seizing on this apparent opening, Imgelan brought his hammer up and swung at the woman¡¯s head. The woman brought up a hand and batted the hammer away with a backhand, throwing him off balance as his face contorted in confusion. It hadn¡¯t been a punch or any kind of proper blow or guard, though even that working on such a massive weapon in the hands of such a powerful demon would have been extraordinary. She had waved his blow off as one might shoo a fly. The woman stabbed out at an eye with her spear, but he managed to twist his head in time to let it graze his cheek.

    For no evident reason other than to prove how little she was hindered by his power, the woman threw a rapid series of light punches¡ªin relative terms, as each still stunned him enough that he couldn¡¯t respond for the next¡ªinto Imgelan¡¯s belly and chest before launching him away with a single powerful one. She looked at her hand, flexing her fingers as gravity returned to normal around her.

    ¡°What was that, ten times?¡± she asked. ¡°Not bad.¡± She looked at her spear again and tossed it aside. ¡°This obviously isn¡¯t gonna cut it, though. ¡®It¡¯ being you, for the record. Foropry.¡±

    A new spear, seemingly made entirely of thick blue ice, formed in her hand, a thin mist surrounding her as the spear chilled the air around it. It was broadly similar in shape to her metal one, with two secondary blades branching off the main one. It was not quite a trident, as the secondary blades stretched to the sides in a cross-like shape.

    Imgelan struggled to stand again, his breathing loud and labored. Between his exhaustion and the injuries both Lusya and this newcomer had dealt him, he looked to be in pretty sorry shape, covered in his own sweat and blood. Nevertheless, he managed to get to his feet, and the woman allowed him to. Everything he had done and would do since her arrival, she had allowed. It was obvious she could have killed him several times over by now, if she had wanted to. For whatever reason, she just wanted to toy with him for a while first.

    Undaunted by the Sacred Blade¡¯s appearance, he snarled and charged. Lusya had not taken him to be so foolish, but she supposed there was little else he could do at this point. Anything he did was doomed to failure. She would have expected something a little less blatantly suicidal, but it made little difference. The woman waited until he was near, then stepped aside and swept her spear along the ground, covering it in a sheet of ice upon which his feet slipped. He fell in a heap and slid past her on his back.

    The woman had to turn to face him, allowing Lusya her first look at the woman¡¯s face. She regarded her opponent with a confident smirk, her eyes twinkling in amusement. There was something familiar about her face, but Lusya could not place where she might have seen it.

    ¡°Careful, it¡¯s slippery,¡± she said as Imgelan stood. There were no additional wounds other than to his pride, and he had slipped past the ice itself, but he still had even more trouble getting up than the last time. Fatigue and his wounds were catching up with him, it seemed.

    Imgelan roared and rushed forward. The woman dodged a downward strike and, again heedless of the added weight, struck. Lusya could not see everything, but she did see him flinch and the tip of the woman¡¯s spear emerge covered in blood from the left side of his back. That would have punctured a lung, if not his heart.

    The woman withdrew her spear and struck again before he could do anything, this time through his belly. He grabbed the spear''s shaft, perhaps thinking to trap or disarm his opponent. Instead, she lifted the spear, and him with it, up over her head. It seemed she was going to keep going and bring him down on his head, but he released the weapon midway through, allowing himself to be flung away behind her instead and land with a dull thud on his face.

    As he forced himself to stand, the woman turned and swung her spear. Countless spikes of ice blossomed from the ground between her and Imgelan, angled toward him. They grew at incredible speed, aiming to skewer him, until they were tall and wide enough they obscured him from sight.

    The woman dashed up the sloping pillars. At least, Lusya assumed so. Even to her eyes, this woman was a blur. The woman jumped down when she reached the end, spear held ready.

    A moment later, Imgelan came rocketing out from behind the ice mass. He landed roughly on his back and rolled several feet before finding his footing and stopping. Several broken spikes of ice protruded from wounds all over his body, spattered with his blood, and he was missing his left arm, though his right still clutched at his hammer.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    The woman strode back into view a moment later. He managed to stand, hacking up blood and letting the ice spikes slip from his wounds and clatter to the ground, but he couldn¡¯t make it all the way up this time. His hammer¡¯s head was pressed into the ground, and he had to lean on it to keep from falling over, allowing the blood to drip like rain from some of his more severe injuries. His breaths came heavy and labored, his entire upper body heaving with each inhale and exhale.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to die no matter what now,¡± the woman said. ¡°Even if, by some miracle, you won, it would be a question of when you bled out, not if. So, what¡¯s it gonna be? I can respect if you want to fight until the end, but no one would blame you for giving up, and I promise I¡¯ll make it nice and easy if you do.¡±

    Imgelan took a deep breath. ¡°My heavy soul is made from¡ª¡±

    His throat was impaled on the woman¡¯s spear. When had she moved? No, there had been a blur, a faint one. Lusya hadn¡¯t registered it as a person moving until just now, when she had had to connect it with the image she was seeing.

    Imgelan¡¯s eyes opened wide enough it seemed like they were trying to take over the rest of his face suggested he was much the same. His mouth flapped in a vain search for air, his remaining hand dropping his weapon to grope at the blade in his neck. He managed to grip it and pull, but it didn¡¯t budge. He didn¡¯t accomplish anything other than cutting his hand on top of everything else.

    ¡°Now, now,¡± the woman said, as if scolding a child, ¡°if you do that, I¡¯ll have to do the same, and that won¡¯t be fun for anyone.¡±

    Ice blossomed from her spear''s tip, growing over its victims form. In a second, he was frozen solid, the spear tip still piercing straight through. She yanked it out, to the side, so it tore through his neck, and his entire body shattered, frozen bits falling to the ground like snow.

    ¡°Bye-bye. If your hammer had been ten times stronger, it might have made for a good workout.¡± She looked down at what remained of him in silence. When next she spoke, her tone was sincere. ¡°I hope the next life, whatever it may be, treats you better. Rest well, nameless demon.¡±

    Lusya felt Ariya approaching again. A moment later, Ariya was right behind her. Lusya spared a glance to see the child was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her Malice was flaring. That needed to be dealt with.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked. She ran right up to Lusya and looked her over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you fight. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t listen, too¡­¡±

    ¡°I am in pain,¡± Lusya replied, ¡°but I will be fine.¡± She put down Lunera to pat Ariya¡¯s head, then reclaimed it and stood with a grunt. ¡°There is no need to cry, Ariya, but get behind me.¡±

    Ariya smiled and nodded, her Malice stabilizing as she scurried behind Lusya. Lusya stood on guard, making sure she was fully between the woman and Ariya, though she knew it was pointless. She wouldn¡¯t fare any better than Imgelan had. If the woman got serious, Lusya wasn¡¯t even sure she would be able to slow her down. The woman probably wouldn¡¯t aim to kill Ariya, but Ariya still might get hurt if the woman attacked Lusya or tried to capture Ariya. They could be looking at a repeat of the Kadel incident with a much different outcome.

    ¡°Now then,¡± the woman said, turning away from Imgelan¡¯s remains to face Lusya, ¡°it¡¯s not strange for demons to fight, but something strikes me as off about this situation.¡± She walked forward with that same smug, bemused expression. Now that she got a good look, Lusya could make out the few details that broke up the white of her uniform. She had seen them before, but they had been indistinct from afar. Over the woman¡¯s left breast and on her cloak where it would fall in front of her shoulders, a stylized numeral for seven was embroidered in gold. The markings were actually quite small. From a distance, it had been unclear what, if anything, they meant. Up close, though Lusya had never seen them before their meaning could not have been more clear. ¡°So, I¡¯d like to ask you a few questions. You can answer them, and we¡¯ll make this quick and easy¡­¡± She leveled her spear at Lusya, and Lusya tensed. ¡°Or you can make things difficult and¡­¡± the woman stopped, eyes open wide in shock. ¡°Wait, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya gripped her swords, ready to fight as hard as she ever had. She didn¡¯t say anything. She couldn¡¯t afford the distraction. It was true that she was curious, but she couldn¡¯t afford to let that distract her either.

    The woman lowered her spear and look another step forward. ¡°You are Lusya, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Lusya brandished her swords and the woman stepped back. With her not attacking, curiosity won out. ¡°Who are you? How do you know my name?¡±

    The woman flinched as if the question were a powerful blow and looked down at her feet. ¡°We¡¯ve met. I don¡¯t blame you for not remembering, you were very young.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°You are right. I do not remember.¡±

    The woman raised her head. Her prior confidence was gone, her eyes wide and pleading. She banished her spear and held up her empty hands, palms forward, as if in surrender.

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to fight,¡± she said. ¡°I just want to talk. I¡¯m sorry about before. So, please¡­¡± she gestured at Lusya¡¯s swords ¡°¡­put those away.¡±

    Neither of them moved or spoke for a moment. Then, Lusya relaxed her stance and dismissed her Blades. There wasn¡¯t much point in having them out anyway. She would have been foolish not to take this chance. ¡°Very well. What do you wish to speak about?¡±

    The woman sighed in relief and lowered her hands. ¡°There¡¯s plenty I¡¯d like to say, but first things first, I forgot to introduce myself.¡± She put a fist over her heart and bowed. ¡°I am Azure Yasier, Seventh Paladin of the Sacred Knights of Ysuge.¡± When she stood straight again, she smiled at Lusya, warmer than before. ¡°I¡¯m also a good friend of your mother. I¡¯ve known you since the day you were born, in fact.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya replied.

    Azure nodded. She paused for a moment, as if expecting Lusya to say something. When Lusya did not, Azure giggled and spoke instead. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no reason for you to introduce yourself, but who¡¯s your adorable little companion?¡±

    She leaned to the side just enough to peer around Lusya at Ariya. Ariya shuffled to Lusya¡¯s side, allowing Azure a better look at her, then looked up at Lusya for guidance with a wide-eyed, bewildered expression.

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Introduce yourself.¡±

    That was all the encouragement Ariya needed. Her apprehension dissolved before Lusya¡¯s eyes as she stepped forward with a grin and imitated Azure¡¯s bow. ¡°Hi there, I¡¯m Ariya. Nice to meet you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too, Ariya,¡± Azure said. ¡°Such good manners. What a big girl you are.¡±

    Ariya beamed at Lusya. ¡°See? I told you!¡±

    As soon as the words were out of her mouth, however, she frowned, glancing between Azure and Lusya. Her brow furrowed in concentration, but she said nothing.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya looked to Azure and back one more time before she shook her head and smiled again. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Lusya nodded in acceptance of that. She did not believe it had been nothing, but it did not matter. Ariya did not seem upset, nor was her Malice reacting, so it was not important at the moment. There was no need to pry if Ariya did not wish to speak on it, least of all when making sure they survived encountering a Paladin was Lusya¡¯s priority.

    Cocking her head and blinking twice, Lusya turned her attention back on Azure. ¡°What did you want to talk to me about?¡±

    Azure¡¯s smile faded a bit. She looked off to the side, as if eye contact had become uncomfortable. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been twelve years. I just wanted to catch up a little bit.¡± She perked back up a moment later, her eyes twinkling as they bored into Lusya¡¯s. ¡°Oh, I know, why don¡¯t you come back to my camp, instead of us talking here? I have food and medical supplies you¡¯re welcome to use. If you¡¯ve got bruises forming, I have an ointment that can nip those in the bud, and I even have supplies for helping with minor fractures.¡±

    Lusya did not believe anything was broken, but there was no doubt there were plenty of bruises ready to blossom on her. She did have her own ways of helping with that, but a Paladin¡¯s supplies were sure to be superior. Even if they had not been, however, there was little question to be had here. Lusya didn¡¯t have a choice.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    ¡°Right this way,¡± Azure said as she retrieved her ordinary spear before she started walking off. She was heading back the way Lusya and Ariya had come from, but Lusya was not about to worry about backtracking. She had known Azure had come from that direction anyway.

    ¡°Um, what about the ice?¡± Ariya asked, pointing to the massive spikes Azure had summoned during her fight¡ªfor lack of a better term¡ªwith Imgelan.

    Azure stopped, blinked, and looked at them, then shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t make those go away. The best I could do is shatter them, but all the same ice would still be there. So, they can be a tourist attraction or something until they melt.¡± She looked around. ¡°They go well with all the scorch marks.¡±

    They did make for a fitting juxtaposition, even if they had very little to do with each other in reality.

    ¡°This is what happens when powerful motomancers fight,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is true that I have never cared to repair the sites of my battles, but I could not have done so even if I had wanted to.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said. She smiled. ¡°Okay. It is kind of pretty, so I guess it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Azure said. ¡°Come on, now, let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ¡°I do have a pack that needs retrieving,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure nodded. ¡°I saw. We¡¯ll swing by on the way.¡±

    Lusya started to follow her, when a tugging on her cloak caught her attention. It was, of course, Ariya. She cocked her head and blinked twice as Lusya looked down and met her gaze.

    ¡°Why are you being so nice?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°You¡¯re usually more stubborn than this. And you hate going backwards.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Do you not want to go with her? I do not understand your concern.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Ariya said, shaking her head. ¡°It just kind of makes me worry since it¡¯s not like you.¡±

    Lusya still did not entirely understand the worry, but she saw no reason not to answer. ¡°It is simple: I have no chance of defeating that woman in battle.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Eleven

    Lady Azure¡¯s camp wasn¡¯t much of one. Ariya would have gone so far as to say it wasn¡¯t even really a camp at all. It was just a single traveling pack thrown on the ground in much the same way Lusya did with hers when she needed to fight. The pack itself was even almost identical, with the only real difference being that Azure¡¯s was a little bigger and white to match her uniform¡ªthe Sacred Knights apparently liked white way more than Ariya had thought. There wasn¡¯t any sign of a fire, there wasn¡¯t a tent, there weren¡¯t any sleeping mats or other supplies out. The pack was against a tree that provided some shade, but that was the only thing resembling shelter. Yeah, she was no expert, but Ariya was comfortable saying this didn¡¯t qualify as a camp.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± Azure announced.

    She did a little twirl with her arms outstretched, like she was presenting a palace to them. She followed that up with a little laugh and went to her pack. She leaned her spear against the tree, then dug through the bag before pulling out a brown little circular container. The brief glance Ariya got into the bag was a stark contrast with Lusya¡¯s. Everything in Lusya¡¯s pack was meticulously placed based on factors including, but not limited to, maximizing space, how often she needed it, and how fragile it was. Or so she had told Ariya, which meant it was the truth. In any case, the result was that it was super neat. Azure¡¯s pack wasn¡¯t a disaster by any means, but it was a lot more haphazard, and she had to do a little more sifting and searching to find what she was looking for.

    ¡°Before we get to talking, here¡¯s that ointment I mentioned,¡± she said, popping off the lid of the container to reveal a light green cream within. ¡°You might still feel a little sore, but, with any luck, you won¡¯t even bruise. It¡¯s great for the skin in general too. Very moisturizing. Of course, it¡¯s better to save it for when you need it, though.¡±

    Lusya blinked and stared at the container, not making any move to take it.

    Before she could say anything, Lady Azure scooped a glob onto her fingers and thoroughly rubbed it along her face. When she was done, she grinned and extended the container to Lusya. ¡°Just so you know it¡¯s nothing bad. It¡¯s even safe to ingest, not that I would recommend it. Worst thing I¡¯ve ever tasted, no contest.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya replied as she took the ointment. ¡°It is appreciated.¡±

    ¡°The cream, or the demonstration?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡±

    If she had been suspicious, Ariya couldn¡¯t blame her. Even with it a little farther away from Ariya, the cream had a pretty funny smell to it. It wasn¡¯t bad, just unusual.

    Azure smiled. ¡°Well, you¡¯re very welcome.¡±

    With that, Lusya stepped away to get some room and started undressing to apply the ointment. Lusya being Lusya, she didn¡¯t try to get any privacy or anything. Lady Azure giggled and shook her head. In fairness, Ariya wasn¡¯t sure what Lusya could have really done this time. She could have gone behind the tree, maybe, but that wouldn¡¯t have done anything if someone else came along, and she wouldn¡¯t want to leave Ariya alone, probably. None of those were her reasons, of course, she just didn¡¯t care, but she had an excuse this time.

    ¡°It¡¯s encouraging to see that some things haven¡¯t changed,¡± Azure said. ¡°And where are you from, Ariya?¡±

    Ariya jumped a bit at the unexpected question. ¡°Um, Ovda, Lady Azure, Lady Knight, Lady Paladin, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Lady Azure chuckled and came closer to tousle Ariya¡¯s hair. ¡°For a friend of Lusya, just Azure is fine.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ariya said cheerfully, but she refused to move a muscle.

    She wasn¡¯t afraid, per se. Ander had proved that not all Sacred Knights were bad. Sure, Azure had threatened Lusya, but that had just been a misunderstanding. Azure was being super nice now, after all. So, Ariya wasn¡¯t afraid of Azure, specifically.

    On the other hand, though, Ariya had never met a Paladin before. Right after the Hero of Balance and Lusya, the Paladins were the coolest people there were. So strong and brave. Now that she knew she wasn¡¯t in danger, Ariya could admit that the way Azure had taken on that demon had been awesome. The parts Ariya had been able to see, anyway. Maybe Ariya could count herself above the Paladins once she did whatever it was Lusya needed her to do. For now, though, a Paladin was an awe inspiring presence, and Ariya couldn¡¯t help but worry she would screw something up somehow. Even if Azure didn¡¯t get mad and there were no actual consequences, Ariya worried she might die of embarrassment if she somehow insulted a Paladin on accident.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense,¡± Azure said. ¡°We¡¯re all friends here.¡±

    Ariya gave an uncertain nod in reply.

    ¡°Can I ask why you¡¯re traveling with Lusya?¡±

    ¡°I require her for a task I have been charged with,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may know nothing more than that.¡±

    She was completely naked as she rubbed ointment on herself. They weren¡¯t even that far from the road. Anyone who passed by could have seen her. Ariya would have been mortified, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She had accepted that she wasn¡¯t going to understand Lusya¡¯s feelings on things like that. Though Ariya would admit that she couldn¡¯t come up with a good reason Lusya should change other than being taught different. Lusya just didn¡¯t think clothes were vital, and Ariya couldn¡¯t explain why they were.

    ¡°I assume you got her family¡¯s permission, right?¡± Azure asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I did, though it took some persuasion.¡±

    Azure hummed in thought and shrugged. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fine, then. I¡¯m sure you have a good reason for your secrets.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Azure smiled at Ariya gain. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve got some responsibility on your shoulders, but are you at least having fun with your little trip? We¡¯re a long way from Ovda I¡¯m sure a lot¡¯s happened while you were coming all this way.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been great,¡± Ariya confirmed with a series of rapid nods. ¡°I¡¯ve seen and learned so much and met so many people.¡±

    ¡°Anything that stands out?¡±

    ¡°Lusya fought this big ugly demon,¡± Ariya said. That definitely hadn¡¯t been fun, but it did standout, and it was pretty cool in hindsight, even if she hadn¡¯t seen most of it. ¡°I met some tiransa too, that was cool. They¡¯re way less scary than I thought. I really like the cities too. They¡¯re big and cool and fun with so many people and cool stuff, like Gavamir¡¯s walls or the Golden Tower!¡±

    Ariya didn¡¯t mention Kadel. That hadn¡¯t been fun either, but it had stood out among everything that had happened. Nice as she was, though, Azure probably wouldn¡¯t appreciate that part of the story, considering how it ended. She also left Ander out. She had liked him, but it felt weird to throw him in when he was dead. The bandits too. She didn¡¯t want to talk about them. Way too scary.

    ¡°What about you, Lusya?¡± Azure said. ¡°Any highlights?¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes closed a little for just a second. ¡°Ariya has already informed you of most of the noteworthy events. We also traveled with a caravan and met a budding musician. We saw a play too.¡±

    ¡°How exciting,¡± Azure said. She sounded a little more enthusiastic than Ariya thought made sense for that little bit, but it didn¡¯t seem like she was faking it either. ¡°Anything before you met Ariya?¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Nothing I imagine you would find interesting,¡± Lusya replied.

    Azure smiled. ¡°You might be surprised, but I can take a hint. It sounds like quite the journey.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not always fun, but I still love it,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I kind of don¡¯t want it to be over.¡±

    ¡°Well then, you just need to have as much fun as you can first,¡± Azure said before giving Ariya¡¯s nose a quick tap with her finger. ¡°Your Fyemish is very good, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Thanks! Lusya taught me.¡±

    ¡°That explains it. She was always good with languages. How many do you speak now, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°About twenty well enough to function in society,¡± Lusya said. She seemed to have finished applying the ointment, so she closed the container and handed it back to Azure. Then she moved to where she had left her clothes¡­and didn¡¯t put them on. Ariya guessed she was waiting for the ointment to dry a little first. She had rubbed it in thoroughly enough that you couldn¡¯t really see it, but it was probably still a little wet. It was still weird, though. When she was doing something was one thing, but to see her just standing there like that was bizarre. Despite knowing Lusya didn¡¯t care, Ariya felt like she was seeing something she shouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing,¡± Azure said. ¡°You only knew four last time I saw you.¡±

    ¡°I would not recall,¡± Lusya said. ¡°My memories of my childhood are unreliable.¡±

    Azure nodded, her smile turning sad. ¡°That¡¯s to be expected, I guess.¡±

    ¡°So I have heard.¡±

    ¡°You must remember some things, though, right? It¡¯s not like you were a baby when you left.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Bits and pieces.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, at least.¡± Azure sighed, and there was a brief moment of silence. ¡°I am sorry about how I asked before, but why were you fighting that demon?¡±

    ¡°When I sensed his presence, I thought it better to investigate than potentially be caught unawares later,¡± Lusya explained. ¡°However, when Ariya realized he was harming mortals, she insisted I stop him. He would not listen to reason, so I was forced to attack him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but open my eyes when I heard all the banging and shouting. I couldn¡¯t tell what was going on a lot of the time, but I knew you were getting beat up a lot. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°No true harm was done.¡±

    Ariya hung her head. She felt like she was about to cry. It was all her fault that Lusya had gotten hurt. All because Ariya hadn¡¯t listened. ¡°You always win, so I thought it would be fine. I didn¡¯t think it would go like that. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    ¡°There are many people stronger than me in this world,¡± Lusya said. ¡°However, as I said, it is fine. I accept your apology, so there is no need for further ones.¡±

    Ariya nodded and managed a small smile. ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±

    Azure cleared her throat suddenly. ¡°Lusya, would you mind getting dressed? I understand there¡¯s no one around, but even we¡¯re going to feel a little awkward if you¡¯re naked the whole conversation. Right, Ariya?¡±

    ¡°A little bit,¡± Ariya said, pinching her fingers together to indicate the degree. It was actually a little more than that, but she didn¡¯t want to hurt Lusya¡¯s feelings after getting her body hurt. Lusya probably wouldn¡¯t care, but better safe than sorry.

    Lusya ran a finger over the last part she had put her ointment on and, seemingly satisfied, nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    With that, she started getting dressed.

    ¡°Can I at least ask where you¡¯re going?¡± Azure asked.

    ¡°Oh, I know this one,¡± Ariya said, waving an arm to get Azure¡¯s attention. ¡°It¡¯s, um, Midbad Island.¡±

    ¡°Midbud Isle,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I did not intend to answer that, child.¡±

    Ariya blushed. ¡°Oh. Sorry. Again.¡±

    ¡°You are forgiven,¡± Lusya said as she got her tights on.

    Which meant Lusya was still a little mad about it. She always used roundabout ways of talking like that when she didn¡¯t mean something, or only kind of meant it, but¡ªAriya assumed¡ªshe knew it was the right thing to say. Like saying, ¡°it is appreciated,¡± instead of ¡°thank you,¡± or even, ¡°I appreciate it.¡± She wasn¡¯t doing the slight head tilt, though, so Ariya wasn¡¯t in it too deep.

    ¡°Midbud Isle is nice,¡± Azure said. ¡°A little cold and rainy in the winter, but nice. Your secret is safe with me, by the way.¡± She put a hand to her lips and mimed turning a key. ¡°Nothing you tell me gets to the higher ups.¡±

    Lusya paused in buttoning her blouse to blink twice and tilt her head. ¡°Why make such a commitment?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re Lusya, of course. You might not remember, but you¡¯re still very precious to me.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡±

    Azure must have been real good friends with Lusya¡¯s mama. Ariya suspected she was a sister or a cousin, maybe. That would explain the resemblance. Wavy hair, similar face, big boobs. Azure looked a lot like Lusya if she was older.

    Which wasn¡¯t to say Azure had lied. Ariya didn¡¯t think a Paladin would lie. Even Kadel had been honest. Too honest, even. Family could be friends too, after all. Maybe Azure just thought of Lusya¡¯s mama more that way than as family.

    ¡°Oh, Azure,¡± Ariya said as something occurred to her. ¡°You¡¯re the Seventh Paladin, right? So, you¡¯re, like, the seventh strongest person in the world.¡±

    Azure pursed her lips, hesitating. ¡°Well, our rankings only really count within Ysuge. So, in theory, I¡¯m the seventh strongest on the continent. That said, I¡¯d say Fifth, Sixth, and I are all pretty much tied for fifth. The rankings are a little more complicated than pure power.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool,¡± Ariya said.

    It didn¡¯t make that much difference in practice to her. Azure and Lusya were both, at best, destructive blurs when they fought. She only occasionally caught bits and pieces of what was going on when they slowed down or did something big like those awesome ice spikes Azure had made. But it was still amazing that she was on a first-name basis with one of the top ten strongest people there were. Ariya didn¡¯t like to toot her own horn too much, but maybe she had a talent for making really cool friends. Maybe that was part of why Lusya had picked her.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so, but be careful,¡± Azure said. She smirked and leaned in for a conspiratorial stage whisper. ¡°Lusya might get jealous.¡±

    Lusya, now fully dressed at last, blinked but didn¡¯t say anything in response.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lusya¡¯s still the best,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Even if you¡¯re stronger than her. You can be second, though.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°You¡¯re an honest one, aren¡¯t you?¡± She looked to Lusya. ¡°A little too honest, huh?¡± She returned her attention to Ariya. ¡°I would be honored to be your second coolest friend.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m friends with a Paladin?¡±

    Azure nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Azure said with a smile. ¡°Now, no matter what anyone says to you, you can feel confident you¡¯re cooler then them, because you¡¯re friends with a Paladin. The coolest Paladin, in fact.¡±

    Ariya wasn¡¯t sure whether or not that was meant to be a pun. It was pretty good, so she chose to believe that it was.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even look that old,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I kind of thought the Paladins would be a little older, like wise wizards in stories.¡±

    She had heard that the First Paladin was pretty young, but people talked about him like he was extra special, so she didn¡¯t take that as representative of the group.

    ¡°Most of the Paladins are around my age,¡± Azure said. ¡°Our job is to fight. Giving sage advice to budding heroes is just our side gig.¡± She grinned, and Ariya wasn¡¯t sure how serious she was. ¡°Although, now I¡¯m curious. How old do you think I am?¡±

    Ariya rubbed her jaw while she thought. Azure seemed a little older than Mama, so¡­

    ¡°A little more than thirty?¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Good to hear I¡¯m aging gracefully. I just turned thirty-nine in Ast.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said, blushing. She was a little embarrassed to be wrong, but Azure seemed happy about it, so she guessed it was fine.

    ¡°If there is nothing more to discuss, may we go?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°We do not have time for small talk.¡±

    Azure frowned and seemed to think it over for a moment. ¡°You know, there is plenty more I¡¯d like to talk to you about, but it would take a while to get through it all here, and I¡¯d hate to bombard you all at once.¡± Her face lit up in realization. ¡°You¡¯re going north through the valley, right? Why don¡¯t the three of us go together?¡±

    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Ariya said, looking to Lusya for approval.

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°What is your purpose here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going north to discuss establishing a Grand Stronghold in Fedirheld,¡± Azure said. ¡°I have plenty of time before I need to be there, though, and I thought the Elzen Valley would be nice this time of year. The scenic route sounded fun, so, here I am.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Lusya¡¯s eyes closed a little again. Ariya wasn¡¯t sure why.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Azure asked. If she had known Lusya as a kid, maybe she could read Lusya¡¯s expressions too.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I would simply prefer not to expand our group. The two of us traveling alone is ideal.¡±

    Azure crosser her arms, brow furrowed. ¡°Surely having a Paladin with you can only help.¡±

    Lusya blinked. She was quiet for a long while before nodding. ¡°You are correct. However, it would cost us some time. You said you intended to take the scenic route.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, and I¡¯d love to see the sights with you, but I promise I¡¯ll keep it to a minimum,¡± Azure said. ¡°I do have a deadline too, so I¡¯m mostly going due north anyway. Just making slight diversions to see some things. Besides, travel is unpredictable. With me, you¡¯ll find it far easier to get past any obstacles.¡±

    Once again, Lusya was silent for a moment. ¡°Very well. I will agree to your proposal.¡±

    Ariya wondered why Lusya had been so upset and reluctant. Ariya also wondered why Lusya had given in so easily despite that. Was it still about how strong Azure was? Ariya thought it was pretty clear Azure wouldn¡¯t start trouble just because Lusya said no, but Lusya might have seen things differently, as she often did. Then again, maybe Ariya shouldn¡¯t have questioned it so much. Things were working out the way she wanted, after all.

    Azure still looked concerned for a second, but her expression brightened quickly. ¡°Good to hear it. I¡¯m really looking forward to traveling with you.¡±

    ¡°We should leave immediately,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not wish to lose any more time.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Azure said. ¡°I would hate to set you back.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twelve

    True to Azure¡¯s words, they arrived in a village the next day, on track with Lusya¡¯s schedule. It remained to be seen if that would hold, but, for now, Azure¡¯s sudden addition had offered no delays. Lusya was still skeptical. One day did not make a pattern.

    There was a palpable difference in atmosphere from the last town, for reasons not at all mysterious. People stared, but it was more in the way they had elsewhere. Curious, perhaps even confused, but not suspicious or hostile. Many eyes also stayed glued to Azure rather than Lusya or Ariya.

    Even the voices were different. The hushed murmurs passing from person to person were awed and reverent, rather than fearful and accusatory. Of course, all that had nothing to do with any minor differences between the two villages and everything to do with Azure.

    Lusya did not care much about the villagers¡¯s opinions, but it was true that having them take a more favorable view could have its benefits. It could make them more cooperative if Lusya¡¯s group needed to ask for information for whatever reason, and it could even lead to more favorable prices. With that considered, Azure¡¯s presence was a net benefit so far.

    Azure took the lead as they walked. Lusya had implicitly agreed to accompany Azure on her intended route through the valley, so it was natural for her to take charge. That said, this village was one Lusya had intended to pass through. There was only so much their routes could differ here, and Azure being so close to Lusya and Ariya had suggested she had been going to the same place at the time.

    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m starving,¡± Azure said. Outside of the occasional smile as someone passed, she didn¡¯t seem to acknowledge all the attention she was getting. Lusya supposed she had little choice but to ignore it. If Azure even just greeted everyone gawking, it would slow her down immensely, and, much as for Lusya and Ariya, it was likely this way in most rural areas to some extent. ¡°Is anyone else really hungry?¡±

    ¡°Me!¡± Ariya replied with an excited hop.

    ¡°I am hungry, though not exceptionally so,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go get us a hot meal, then,¡± Azure said. ¡°Speaking of which, good job on the cooking, Lusya. It was much better than I was expecting. Or I could make. It was so good I forgot to thank you before.¡±

    ¡°It is appreciated,¡± Lusya said.

    She would not deny her skills had improved, and she did not dislike having access to tastier meals now, but the skill was a functional one to her. It had been acquired to mollify Ariya. Lusya was satisfied she had improved as much as she had, but she did not think she would have ever missed cooking ability had she not been forced to learn.

    Azure chuckled, though Lusya did not know what about her response had been humorous, and dropped the topic. She looked around until she found a man standing outside a house, looking around. He did not seem to be doing much of anything other than humming a tune to himself. Perhaps he was waiting for someone or lost in thought.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said.

    The man jumped and shouted as though she had materialized from thin air in front of him. Their approach had not been stealthy, and Azure¡¯s uniform was anything but. He looked her over and his eyes widened before he lowered into a clumsy bow, with his hand over the right side of his chest rather than his heart. The western bow used by the Sacred Knights was also the standard in this area, but the common folk did not often bow, so it was not surprising that he did not know how.

    ¡°How can I help you, Lady Knight?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Would you mind pointing me toward the inn?¡± she replied. ¡°My companions and I are tired and hungry.¡±

    The man nodded, almost eager. ¡°Of course. Turn right at the second road that way, go straight for about two minutes, and it¡¯s on the left.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my pleasure, Lady Knight,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°I hope all of you enjoy what we have to offer. Thank you for all you do.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need any thanks, but you¡¯re welcome,¡± Azure replied. She turned back toward Lusya and Ariya. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go, then.¡±

    She started walking without waiting for any agreement, though Lusya followed anyway, hand-in-hand with Ariya.

    ¡°Wow, that was completely different from before,¡± Ariya said. She threw a look back at the man that transitioned from a pensive frown to an irritated scowl to a cheerful grin.

    Azure looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°What was it like before?¡±

    Ariya recounted their treatment in the last village. She played up the hostility of the villagers more than a little, describing them as hurling insults nonstop and their glares as murderous. Lusya corrected these inaccuracies as they came up, drawing a chuckle from Azure each time.

    ¡°That must have been hard,¡± she said when Ariya finished. ¡°People can be nasty about things they don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said with a nod. ¡°They¡¯re mean.¡±

    ¡°I guess we can consider that another perk of traveling with me.¡± Azure smirked, much more smug than Lusya felt the content of the conversation thus far warranted. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure nobody is mean to either of you.¡±

    ¡°I do not care if others are ¡®mean¡¯ to me,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But you may do as you wish.¡±

    Azure¡¯s smirk evolved into an even smugger grin. ¡°Trust me, I will.¡±

    They arrived at the inn moments later. It was a stark contrast to the last one, inside and out. The sign outside was clean and good as new. The inn¡¯s name, the World Cuisine Inn¡ªan interesting choice of name¡ªwas painted on the sign along with a stylized depiction of a chef happily preparing a meal, all in vibrant colors and fresh paint, no blemishes or damage in sight. Likewise, the facade of the building itself didn¡¯t show any signs of wear or tear. It might have been in the best shape of any building in the village.

    The inside was much the same, everything was clean and well-maintained. As far as Lusya could tell, nothing was visibly damaged.

    There were three other parties present. One was still eating, while the others sat around tables stacked with empty plates and cups, conversing. A man Lusya assumed was the innkeeper stood behind the counter, seemingly observing his customers. He was of average height and build with pale blond hair. There wasn¡¯t much remarkable about him.

    Azure approached the counter and paid for two rooms. Lusya was not familiar with how the Sacred Knights were paid, but it was no surprise that money was not a concern for a Paladin. Regardless of her actual pay, it was a distinct possibility that she had been supplied with ample funds specifically for this trip.

    ¡°Thank you for your patronage, Lady Knight,¡± the innkeeper said with needless gravity for someone using his inn. ¡°Sit wherever you¡¯d like, and take as long as you need to decide what you want.¡±

    He waved toward the board with various dishes written on it, a rudimentary menu. Compared to everything else, it was rather primitive in appearance. However, the wood was colored lightly enough and the writing large enough that it was easy to read, and there were quite a few options.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Azure replied. ¡°Let¡¯s find a table, girls.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Despite the inclusive nature of the suggestion, she immediately strode to a nearby table and sat down on her own. Lusya had no objection to the choice, so she said nothing about it. If anything, it was a good choice. The table was positioned so that all of them would have an easy time reading the menu without moving. Perhaps all the tables should have been like that, but that did not seem to be the case.

    Many of the other patrons felt the need to point out Lusya¡¯s group to each other. There were quite a few of them, all things considered. Almost every seat was occupied. Lusya estimated that over ten percent of the village¡¯s population was in this building, though some of the other patrons may have also been travelers. For once, it was someone other than Lusya herself that they were most fixated on, that being Azure. They stared, pointed, and muttered to each other. After a couple minutes however, most seemed to lose interest and return to their own business.

    ¡°Oh, apple pie!¡± Ariya said, pointing at the menu. It was listed rather prominently with a small picture surrounded by a heart next to the text. The innkeeper must have been rather proud of his recipe. ¡°I¡¯m getting that.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever had apple pie?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°A couple times. It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    ¡°It sure is,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°The point is moot,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is a dessert.¡±

    Ariya crossed her arms with a huff. ¡°So? Who said I can¡¯t have dessert for dinner?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Along with whoever decided the basic nutritional requirements for human children.¡±

    ¡°Whoever that guy is, I hate him,¡± Ariya said, pouting.

    Hate was a strong word. True hatred would have sparked a stronger Malice reaction. Lusya was not sure Ariya was capable of such a sentiment. Ariya had even expressed sympathy for the bandits who had enslaved her.

    ¡°One slice for dessert is fine, right?¡± Azure asked. ¡°For each of us, of course.¡±

    Ariya latched onto those words, staring at Lusya with wide eyes and hands folded as if in prayer.

    ¡°I suppose that can be allowed,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yay!¡± Ariya said, pumping a fist. ¡°You¡¯re definitely the second-best, Azure!¡±

    Azure sighed. ¡°I know you mean that as a compliment, but it sure doesn¡¯t sound like one.¡±

    Ariya tilted her head, but a wench approached the table before Ariya could speak. ¡°Lady Knight, have you and your companions decided what you¡¯ll be eating?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯ll have the half roast chicken. And some ale, please.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± the wench said, before looking at Ariya and Lusya. ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    Ariya frowned at the menu for a moment, humming in thought. ¡°What¡¯s schnitzel?¡±

    ¡°Breaded meat, essentially,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°That sounds good,¡± she said. She giggled. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s a funny word. I¡¯ll have that.¡±

    The wench smiled, then turned to Lusya. ¡°And you, miss?¡±

    ¡°The beef and potato hash,¡± Lusya said. It was an arbitrary decision, based on the first thing her eyes had settled on on the menu.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± the wench said. ¡°I will bring that out as soon as it is ready.¡±

    With that, she left. Azure frowned at Lusya, and Lusya tilted her head to blink twice.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Why did you order that?¡± Azure asked.

    ¡°It seemed reasonably appealing,¡± Lusya replied.

    Azure¡¯s frown became a scowl. ¡°But was it the best thing? Really?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I did not read closely enough to know. I selected the first satisfactory dish I saw. My food preferences are not strong.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Lusya always does when there¡¯s a menu,¡± Ariya added. ¡°Sometimes she just asks for whatever¡¯s most popular or something.¡±

    Azure pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s no good. You were never a picky eater, true, but that¡¯s no reason not to eat what you like when you have the option.¡±

    Lusya skimmed over the menu again. ¡°There is nothing I feel strongly enough about to make a meaningful decision.¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to see about that, then, won¡¯t we?¡±

    Lusya blinked again, unsure what that was supposed to mean. She had made her opinion known. What else was there to see about? Azure looked at the menu once more, then leaned back in her chair and waited with a smug smile.

    The wench returned a moment later with the various dishes, as well as some bread, water, and Azure¡¯s drink. Azure took a sip of her drink and let out a contented sigh.

    ¡°Ah, wine is great and all, but there¡¯s just something about cheap ale,¡± she said before turning her attention to the wench. ¡°Excuse me, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice you had southern-styled pasta on the menu. Quite unusual out here, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Indeed, it was, though Lusya wasn¡¯t sure what point Azure was making. A big city might have a variety of cuisines, but even then, it was limited by the ability to transport and preserve ingredients. In rural areas, there were the same factors, plus fewer people likely to care to try. As a result, local cuisine tended to dominate, and they were well north of where pasta was popular. That said, there wasn¡¯t much reason it couldn¡¯t have been found here. Ingredients like flour, milk, and tomatoes could be found in plenty of places, and there were ways to preserve them over at least some distance.

    This inn did have quite a few dishes that were not typical of such an establishment, though. The menu was quite large and varied, and it went a long way to explaining the inn¡¯s name, although it was more Ysuge¡¯s cuisine than world cuisine. While there were options from all corners of the continent, Lusya did not see anything from other continents, nor anything she did not recognize.

    ¡°Oh, yes, it is,¡± the wench said. ¡°Especially with the damage from the war down there. This is the first time in over a year we¡¯ve been able to offer it, since Mister Wurth insists on using their ingredients.¡± She looked around, then leaned in and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°See, he¡¯s from somewhere else in the valley. He doesn¡¯t like us to talk about it, but he¡¯s something of a master chef. Studied all around Ysuge with his brother before they came back to start this place. The brother left over some disagreement, but I don¡¯t know all the details. You didn¡¯t hear any of this from me, mind you. He doesn¡¯t like me spreading it around.¡±

    From context, Lusya guessed that Mister Wurth was the innkeeper. She also noted that despite admitting that her employer did not want her to share that information, the wench was quite quick to do so unprompted. Lusya was beginning to suspect that very few people in the world understood the point of a secret.

    ¡°It seems there¡¯s more to this place than meets the eye,¡± Azure said. ¡°In that case, can I trouble you for a plate of that? Don¡¯t skimp on the sauce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all, Lady Knight.¡±

    The wench smiled and retreated to the kitchen, and Lusya and the others started their food. Ariya squealed with delight as she chewed her first bite, and Azure gave a more subdued hum of content as she dug into her half a chicken. Lusya¡¯s choice was adequate. It was well-done, but it was a rather simple dish. It did not deviate from her expectations or stand out among similar meals she had eaten. And that was fine. Lusya was not selective with her food, nor did she think enjoying food was particularly important as some did. Eating was a survival activity, not a leisure one. It was not repulsive, so it was fine.

    ¡°Don¡¯t eat too much of that, now,¡± Azure said, waving a fork. ¡°I guarantee you¡¯ll want to save room for your new dinner.¡±

    Lusya doubted she would have a strong opinion on the matter. Still, she was curious what had Azure so confident, and so, she followed Azure¡¯s instructions, only taking a few bites before the wench returned with the pasta.

    ¡°Here you are, Lady Knight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s actually for her,¡± Azure said, pointing to Lusya. ¡°She¡¯s a little shy, so I ordered for her.¡±

    That was a complete lie, but Lusya saw no reason to correct it.

    The wench put the plate in front of Lusya and, after confirming that nobody else needed anything at the moment, returned to the kitchen.

    Lusya examined the new dish. It was a heap of long, thin cylindrical noodles, topped with a pale red sauce. The chef had taken Azure¡¯s words to heart. There wasn¡¯t an inch of the dish without sauce on it. Some excess had even gathered below the noodles, almost enough to resemble a broth. There were also chunks of sausage mixed in. They, too, were soaked in the sauce. If there had been any more sauce, it might have been unclear what the dish was underneath it all.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Azure prompted. ¡°Try it.¡±

    Lusya gathered some noodles around her fork, speared a sausage, and took a bite. Without hesitating, she went for another one. It was good. The creamy tomato sauce struck an excellent balance of sweet and savory, the sausage had exceptional seasoning, and the noodles were cooked perfectly.

    ¡°Well?¡± Azure asked, before taking a swig of ale.

    ¡°It tastes good,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Better than the other dish. However, I do not believe my methodology was wrong. The difference is not so great that I would have been dissatisfied with the hash.¡±

    Azure waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re just saying that to contradict me. It¡¯s not like it would take that much extra effort to order something you like.¡±

    ¡°That is not my motivation,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But I suppose you are correct. However, given we will not be here again, I am unsure I will be able to apply it.¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°You can do it anywhere. And if there¡¯s really nothing you like more than anything else, then you can fall back on your way.¡±

    Lusya swallowed another bite. ¡°That is viable.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Azure said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it if it wasn¡¯t.¡± She smiled. ¡°You always liked pasta. And sauce. The more sauce, the better.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. She would not deny she enjoyed those things, though she had never seen it as a powerful preference. Still, there was nothing wrong about what Azure had said. Especially about the sauce. There was something indescribably satisfying about a bite dripping with sauce.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re not as messy an eater as you used to be,¡± Azure went on. ¡°Seven-year-old you would have been wearing half of that by now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Lusya did not remember enough to argue, so she accepted that and went back to eating.

    ¡°You know,¡± Azure said, ¡°you¡¯ve danced around it, but I think you ought to go ahead and admit that I was right.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how Lusya talks,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s no good. You have to say what you mean, or people might misunderstand you.¡±

    ¡°I have not had that problem,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Lusya.¡± Azure grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°You were right.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirteen

    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for¡ª!¡±

    The demon died on Falin¡¯s sword before it could finish its sentence, the blade slicing straight down the middle of its head and through the rest of its form. The two halves of the demon¡¯s corpse flopped to the ground with a pair of thuds, blood and guts spilling out onto the ground. A finger twitched, then the corpse went still while Falin looked around at the similar bodies around him. That had been the last of them.

    Six in total, all low-rank. There had been some different details, but they had all been humanoid, about seven feet tall, with gray skin, scaled like a reptile, and whip-like tails. Weaker low-ranks tended to congregate with those similar to themselves, for all the good it did them. Some proposed they formed together, but there was insufficient evidence for that theory at the moment.

    These six had certainly been weak, even for low-ranks. He had mopped them up with the ordinary steel sword he carried, not even bothering with his Sacred Blade. These were the kind of demons new recruits who didn¡¯t have Blades yet were sent to fight. Even some ordinary warriors might have been able to handle one of them. They were beneath any Paladin, not to mention any son of House Rivelda.

    But fighting demons was a Sacred Knight¡¯s duty. In the absence of men more suited to the job, it fell to Falin to exterminate them. While doing such menial work was a bit frustrating in the moment, he did not begrudge it. Demons needed killing. That was the most basic reason his order existed. If no one else suited to the job was around, then so be it, he would handle it. That was what it meant to be both a Sacred Knight and a nobleman. With that done, he flung the worst of the gore off his sword, then produced a cloth from his pocket with which to clean the blade.

    There was no need to do such proper maintenance. If the sword rusted, nothing of practical value was lost. He could fight just fine without it if need be. Summoning his Sacred Blade was, of course, also an option. Really, the sword was mainly for show. It made him look more the part of a knight to the uneducated masses who did not understand motomancy. Most at least knew Soul Blades existed these days, but understanding of them was inconsistent. There were many who believed every Sacred Knight or motomancer had a Blade, and others who thought them exceedingly rare, even to the point of only the Paladins having them. Some couldn¡¯t understand that the weapons materialized from nothing, believing they were carried like normal weapons, or that a weapon was transformed into a Blade. Even those among the rabble who did understand Blades had been found to prefer that Sacred Knights wear weapons. Despite knowing that was pointless, these people just felt it made them look more prepared and reliable. And so Falin carried this sword, though he had little need of it. It was marginally better than his fists at best in certain fights.

    Even so, it wouldn¡¯t do not to take care of his tools. It was part of keeping up appearances, but he also placed personal import upon it. Proper care for one¡¯s implements was important in any profession, and not doing so could lead to neglect in other areas as well. If he couldn¡¯t be bothered to care for what was vital to his work, it would only be a matter of time before other things became not worth caring for.

    Also, the sword was beautiful. An excellent piece of craftsmanship, especially considering his had been the first reltus hands to touch it. Though he didn¡¯t need it and had chafed at carrying an ordinary sword to mollify the ignorant, Falin had long been happy to have such a masterwork on his person. With a pommel carved into an eagle¡¯s head and the crossguard stylized as wings, the hilt was ornate, but its creator had been careful not to sacrifice practicality. The blade itself was engraved with countless feathers along the flat. Falin did not know the meaning behind the bird motif, but he knew good work when he saw it. Alas, Falin would have liked to meet the craftsman behind such work, but the sword had been issued to Falin as a gift upon becoming a Paladin. There was a record of where it had been made and purchased from, but the shop had been shuttered for good by the time Falin had gotten a chance to pay it a visit. He had never met his sword¡¯s smith, and it seemed unlikely he ever would. He at least hoped they had retired or passed in peace. It would have been a tragedy for such a skilled creator to be killed or forced out of business.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Sir Knight? Is it safe?¡±

    Falin turned to look at the woman who had spoken. She, along with a young man, had been in the midst of being attacked by the demons when Falin had come upon them. The man was also peeking out from behind another tree. Pointless. The trees wouldn¡¯t have protected them if Falin hadn¡¯t intervened. They may have been pushovers to him, but the average human¡ªeven the average reltus¡ªwould be helpless against even such weak demons.

    ¡°The demons are dead,¡± Falin said. ¡°It¡¯s as safe as this place ever is.¡±

    The woman let out a sigh of relief and emerged from her hiding place, followed by the man. They looked around briefly, as if they could not trust Falin¡¯s words. The woman¡¯s eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth as she laid eyes on the demon¡¯s mangled forms. A silent retch seemed to wrack her body, but she didn¡¯t vomit. The man didn¡¯t fare much better, averting his eyes as his face tinged green.

    Finally, the woman managed to recover. She took a deep breath and looked at Falin with an uneasy smile.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± she said.

    Falin clicked his tongue. ¡°I was just doing my duty. I don¡¯t need any thanks from you.¡±

    The woman frowned, taken aback, but pressed on. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t know what we would have done if you hadn¡¯t showed up.¡±

    ¡°Died, probably,¡± Falin said.

    The man chuckled, which Falin questioned the sanity of. For him, it had been a bit of dry humor, but, for this man, it had been very near to reality. ¡°You¡¯re right. But thanks to you, we¡¯re alive. There must be something we can do to repay you.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±

    Falin couldn¡¯t imagine what these people could have to offer him. There was nothing they could give that Falin Rivelda could not obtain on his own.

    Even if there had been, he wouldn¡¯t have wanted it. They disgusted him. Fawning and groveling because he had saved their pathetic lives. There was no doubt in his mind they would have acted like all the rest if they had passed on the road without incident. Calling him a demon, fearing him.

    And even if he had wanted it, he couldn¡¯t have accepted it. Sacred Knights did not accept rewards or repayment, nor did Falin think they should.

    ¡°Please, we have to do something,¡± the man said. ¡°Anything at all.¡±

    Falin sighed as he finished cleaning his sword. ¡°Fine. If you insist, then all I want is for you to tell people about this. Tell them Falin Rivelda, the Thirteenth Paladin saved your lives.¡±

    The woman gasped. ¡°A Paladin?¡± She beamed at her companion. ¡°A Paladin saved us!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± he replied before returning his attention to Falin. ¡°You¡¯ve got it. We¡¯ll tell everyone we see.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then I need to be going,¡± Falin said. He sheathed his sword and directed a curt nod at them. ¡°Good-bye.¡±

    He walked away without waiting for a response. It was a good resolution. Having them spread the word suited both his mission from the Executive Committee and from Father. Plus, it got them to stop pestering him. Now, he got to enjoy the time until he reached town without any humans chattering or slowing him down. Or so he hoped, anyway.

 Book Three - Chapter Fourteen

    ¡°Lusya, why don¡¯t you train with me?¡± Azure asked as she loomed over Lusya.

    Lusya looked up from her book and blinked. What had brought this on? It was rather sudden. Azure hadn¡¯t given any sign she was interested in training with Lusya¡ªor at all¡ªup to now. She hadn¡¯t given Lusya any reason to think she would be opposed to it either, but it was still odd. Lusya certainly hadn¡¯t sought it out, and she couldn¡¯t think of much reason for Azure to do so.

    ¡°Let me rephrase that,¡± Azure said with a grin. ¡°Now that our food¡¯s settled a bit, train with me.¡±

    They had finished the evening meal about half an hour ago. Ariya had gone to bed soon after. Lusya and Azure, meanwhile, would stay up for a while longer before they began taking turns keeping watch. Azure took more time on lookout, at her own insistence. Lusya wasn¡¯t going to argue. There was no point to pretending Azure wasn¡¯t the better suited of them to it by virtue of being stronger, though it was novel being the less capable fighter for the first time in a while. Getting a little extra sleep was not an unwelcome bonus either.

    ¡°May I finish this chapter first?¡± Lusya asked. She had no objections to the suggestion¡ªor command, rather¡ªnor did she see a point in arguing about it. Azure was sure to prove persistent if she tried.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to read that with Ariya?¡± Azure asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Ordinarily, yes. However, I do not believe this chapter would be appropriate for her. It is an extended torture scene. Though I am unsure why. It does not seem to add anything meaningful to the narrative.¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°Maybe the author¡¯s got a fetish.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    That would have explained some of the language, in fact. The writer seemed to enjoy equating various bodily fluids and functions to each other. The validity of these analogies varied quite a bit.

    ¡°Go ahead and finish it so you can continue with her, then,¡± Azure said. ¡°I can wait.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Lusya spent the next few minutes finishing up the chapter. Azure moved behind and read over her shoulder, offering small comments like, ¡°Ouch,¡± ¡°Gross!¡± or, ¡°Is that even possible? Never mind, I¡¯d rather not know.¡± Of course, it was difficult to know what parts she was reacting too, since neither of them was reading aloud. Except for that last one. Lusya was pretty sure she knew which part that was. She had had a less visceral, but similarly incredulous reaction to it. She was fairly certain the answer was no, that was not anatomically possible, at least not for any member of the three mortal races or high-rank demon.

    When she reached the end of the chapter, Lusya shut the book and stowed it in her pack. Azure stared at the pack warily, as if the book might leap out on its own and attack.

    ¡°That was interesting,¡± she said, looking rather nauseous. ¡°Good call reading it without Ariya. Is the book normally like that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It was the comedic story of a jester courting a lady who caught his eye. Ariya selected it.¡±

    Ariya had been enjoying it over the past few days since they had finished the first volume of My Knight Academy. Her laughter was often thunderous. Lusya had not disliked it either. She even understood much of the humor, though she still did not feel much of anything for the bulk of it. Azure had been present for a couple readings, but it seemed she either hadn¡¯t been paying attention or hadn¡¯t been able to glean the premise from what she had heard.

    Azure¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That is not what I just read.¡±

    ¡°Hence ¡®was.¡¯¡±

    ¡°You¡­might want to skim ahead and make sure it doesn¡¯t stay that way,¡± Azure said. ¡°For Ariya¡¯s sake.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I was planning to do so.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you loved it either,¡± Azure said.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°It was less enjoyable than what preceded it, but it was not awful. I will have no problem checking for further such content.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like you,¡± Azure said with a small laugh. ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself, okay?¡±

    ¡°I do not see how I would.¡± Lusya paused, then cocked her head and blinked two times. ¡°Why do you want to train with me?¡±

    Azure wouldn¡¯t gain anything from it, and there was no sense in pretending otherwise. A warrior wasn¡¯t going to sharpen their abilities by stepping on an ant.

    ¡°I want to see how strong you¡¯ve gotten, of course,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°I assume I did not know much about combat when last we met,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°More than you might think. Your mother had you taught some basics, including by me. It¡¯s true that you were too young to be a powerful warrior, though.¡±

    In that case, perhaps teaching Ariya some basic skills for self-defense was in order. Lusya had thought her too young, but Lusya herself would have had to start around the same age based on Azure¡¯s memories. It would be different for Ariya, since she was a human, but she could probably stand to learn how to throw a punch or a kick. No, on further thought, there were too many potential problems with that. Lusya would simply continue protecting Ariya herself.

    Azure led the way to an open stretch of ground away from the camp. It was far enough to give them some room, but near enough that they could keep an eye on their things and Ariya if need be. Of course, from this distance, they would likely destroy the camp and everything in it if they were in a serious battle, but, for training, it would be fine.

    ¡°I do not imagine I will pose much of a challenge to a Paladin,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Not the way you are now,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will one day.¡±

    ¡°My motomancy has been getting stronger at a remarkable rate over the course of this journey,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am not sure of the cause, but perhaps you are correct.¡±

    Azure gave a so-called knowing smile. ¡°Good for you. You are still a ways off from me, though.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Well, anyway,¡± Azure said with a shrug, ¡°I¡¯ll be holding back to keep things interesting. This is about seeing what you can do, not honing my skills. They don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. That was a typical thing for Azure to say, but it was likely true. Putting aside that Lusya couldn¡¯t push Azure at all, she must have kept her skills plenty sharp on her own.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fighting hand-to-hand, of course. No weapons.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I had assumed as much.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Azure turned and strode a couple dozen feet away before facing Lusya again. ¡°Go ahead and attack whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Given the opportunity, Lusya examined Azure before moving, though there wasn¡¯t much point. Azure¡¯s stance was nonexistent. She was just standing there, hands at her side, no more on alert than if she were holding a casual conversation. Lusya knew looks were deceiving. Well, no, deceiving was the wrong word. It wasn¡¯t that Azure feigning relaxation. She just didn¡¯t need to assume a proper stance. Azure was more than powerful enough to respond to Lusya¡¯s attacks regardless. On the other hand, such a relaxed stance gave no hint as to what might be effective. But then, if Azure didn¡¯t restrain herself, nothing would be effective, so perhaps there was no point in trying to search for an opening.

    With no idea what strategy to use, Lusya decided a straightforward approach was best. She charged forward and threw a punch at Azure¡¯s face.

    In a motion Lusya could barely perceive, Azure placed her hand in the fist¡¯s path, blocking it against her palm. Catching a punch like that wasn¡¯t usually advisable. But when one outclassed their opponent so much, it was a viable option.

    Lusya followed up with a high kick, which Azure blocked batted aside with a single forearm. Another defense only effective due to the difference in strength. With her body forced to twist the other way, Lusya followed the motion and dropped into a leg sweep. Azure stepped back out of range, and Lusya leaped forward into another kick. Azure crossed her arms to block the blow, but the force and shockwave behind it still drove her back.

    Her eyes widened as she collided with an invisible barrier behind her, stopping her earlier than expected. Lusya air jumped to allow herself another kick without stopping. Despite her surprise, however, Azure blocked the blow with ease. She did apparently feel the need for her first counterattack: she poked Lusya in the stomach with a single finger, which sent Lusya flying back through the air with such speed that she couldn¡¯t get her bearings to right herself before she crashed onto her back on the ground and tumbled head over heels several feet.

    Although it had sent her quite far, that blow had not done any damage, so Lusya stood without issue. Azure still had not assumed anything resembling a proper fighting stance, but nor was she standing at ease either. Her body was tense, ready to move.

    It had been clear from the start that Azure outclassed Lusya. Lusya wasn¡¯t going to so much as land a blow with her usual abilities. She was going to need to take a risk and use Danfia¡¯s technique. Azure¡¯s restraint would make it easier. She clearly enjoyed making the fight look effortless¡ªnot that that was an act¡ªwhich would make her movements easier to predict.

    Lusya surged forward and kicked at Azure¡¯s head. As anticipated, Azure leaned back to avoid it, letting Lusya¡¯s boot pass inches from her face. Lusya focused on Azure¡¯s movements as she threw her next punch at Azure¡¯s chest, examining every twitch and muscle movement, drawing on past knowledge of her opponent to anticipate the flow of battle.

    Azure blocked the blow with an open palm, as anticipated. Lusya began to bring one leg up, as if to knee Azure in the stomach. The moment Azure moved to catch that attack, just as the hand made contact, Lusya instead used that leg to jump off the air and throw a powerful kick at Azure¡¯s head.

    Lusya¡¯s leg struck an invisible barrier that held firm against the attack. The shockwave paired with the kick emanated out, kicking up dirt and dust around them. Azure shoved Lusya back with one hand. Before Lusya could go far, barriers wrapped around her arms and legs and plunged downward, driving her to the ground and holding her there, acting as manacles. Additional bindings materialized over her belly and throat. Though she strained against the bonds, it was futile. They would not budge.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough,¡± Azure said. ¡°I appreciate you also holding back and not actually trying to take my head off.¡±

    The bonds dissolved, allowing Lusya to stand. ¡°It would have been too destructive if I had used my full strength. We may have also woken Ariya or moved away from her.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t to say that she had not done her best. On the contrary, she had made every effort to defeat Azure. Lusya had simply avoided enhancing the strength of her attacks as much as she would in a real fight.

    ¡°You¡¯re probably not feeling it right now, but you are strong,¡± Azure said with a smile.

    She was right about the first part. ¡°I could not land a single blow on you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the Seventh Paladin,¡± Azure said. ¡°There aren¡¯t more than twenty people¡ªdemons included¡ªwho could on the continent. You probably wouldn¡¯t get past double digits in the whole world.¡±

    ¡°That is true,¡± Lusya said with a nod. ¡°I will take your assessment as the truth.¡±

    ¡°As you should,¡± Azure said with more than a hint of smugness. More than usual, at least. ¡°I¡¯m usually right.¡± Her smile faltered at that. ¡°Usually.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lusya was not sure what had prompted that burst of apparent sadness. She did not know how to address it, nor did she care to. So, she ignored it instead.

    ¡°So, where did you learn that thing at the end?¡± Azure said. ¡°Pairing your movements to mine, making me get comfortable, then turning the tables like that. It¡¯s impressive.¡±

    ¡°A demon named Danfia taught me,¡± Lusya said. ¡°She is responsible for much of my fighting ability.¡±

    ¡°Danfia means ¡®dancer,¡¯ in some language or another, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Azure asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°In Rezish, yes.¡±

    ¡°That explains a lot.¡± She frowned. ¡°Now that I think of it, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the demon that killed the Twentieth Paladin.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Azure held up her hands as if in surrender. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I was just thinking out loud. I can¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t bother me at all, but we weren¡¯t that close, and it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lusya did not necessarily agree. She might not have contributed directly to the Twentieth Paladin¡¯s death, but she had fought for Father, and Danfia had been her teacher.

    ¡°And either way, it¡¯s impressive,¡± Azure said. ¡°It was like we¡¯d planned what we were going to do beforehand.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Any fighter anticipates their opponents actions based on a variety of factors. Danfia was extraordinarily skilled at doing so and at exploiting her opponent¡¯s tendency to do so. I am not as skilled as her.¡±

    ¡°You have your own strengths that she didn¡¯t, don¡¯t you?¡± Azure asked.

    ¡°I do,¡± Lusya said. At this point her motomancy was probably stronger, and she had both Lunera and Miudofay, both of which were more useful than Danfia¡¯s Demon Blade individually, let alone when used in tandem. ¡°It was a simple statement of fact, not of self-disparagement.¡±

    Azure hummed in thought. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Still, you could stand to be a little more confident. You only did that because you knew nothing else would work, right? I think you could stand to be less hesitant. It worked on a Paladin, even if I was holding back, so think about making it more a part of your repertoire than a desperation move. Just because you¡¯re not as good as your teacher, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s useless, and who knows? You might close the gap with practice.¡±

    ¡°I will consider it,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Aside from that, you use kicks a lot, huh? Way more than punching. Is that because you usually use two swords?¡±

    ¡°No, using two swords is a recent development,¡± Lusya said with a shake of her head, ¡°while my prioritizing kicks is quite longstanding. According to Danfia, kicks are stronger, follow more naturally from other movements, are available while armed, can more easily have existing momentum incorporated into them for added power, and are more beautiful. Aside from the last one, my experiences have borne out her reasoning.¡±

    Not that she disagreed with the last point, she simply had no strong opinion on the matter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I disagree with any of those points,¡± Azure said. ¡°It¡¯s not my style, but if it works for you, there¡¯s no reason to change it.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°We should keep at this,¡± Azure said. ¡°You¡¯ll get stronger in no time.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked two times. ¡°Why are you so invested in my strength growing?¡±

    ¡°Like I said before, you¡¯re important to me,¡± Azure said with a soft smile. ¡°I want to see you grow in any way you can. Plus, you¡¯ll be safer if you¡¯re stronger, and of course I want you to be safe.¡±

    Lusya considered that answer for a moment. She supposed it was straightforward enough, though she still did not understand the depths of Azure¡¯s desires.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you get to bed now? I¡¯ll take first watch.¡±

    ¡°It is unlikely I will be able to sleep immediately after that,¡± Lusya said. Exertion went a long way to waking one up. Fighting more than most forms, even if there was never any real danger attached.

    Azure giggled. ¡°Yeah, I guess you wouldn¡¯t, huh? Well then, you could read some more. I¡¯ll join you, as a matter of fact.¡±

    ¡°You wish to continue that book?¡± Lusya asked, cocking her head and blinking twice.

    ¡°Call it morbid curiosity,¡± Azure said with a shrug. ¡°And if it ends up becoming wholesome again, it¡¯ll be like old times.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Did we read together in the past?¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°Occasionally.¡±

    ¡°I see. You may read with me if you wish.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡ªhopefully less horrifying¡ªadventures await next, then!¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°And here we are!¡± Azure proclaimed, stepping up to the edge of the cliff with her arms spread wide, her cloak fluttering in a slight breeze. The wind carried a bit of a chill on it, but it was not enough to be uncomfortable. ¡°It really is everything I was promised.¡±

    Ariya slowly lifted her head off Lusya¡¯s shoulder and groaned. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re done climbing?¡±

    ¡°It would seem so,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya sighed in relief. ¡°You can put me down, then.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Lusya said, lowering to set Ariya on the ground. ¡°Be careful. There is a long drop ahead.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Ariya turned toward Azure and gasped. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so pretty!¡±

    Ariya hurried to stand alongside Azure but stopped a couple feet back when she realized how close the latter was the to edge. Instead, Ariya, stayed a safe distance back to admire the view with her jaw hanging open. Azure, of course, had little to fear from the fall.

    After a moment, a shiver rocked Ariya¡¯s small form. ¡°It¡¯s kind of cold, though. Almost like winter.¡±

    ¡°It does tend to get colder at higher altitudes,¡± Lusya said.

    The Golden Tower hadn¡¯t seemed affected as much, though. Maybe they did something to keep it warm, or maybe it was just the body heat of all the other visitors at work. In any case, comparing the current temperature to winter was a gross exaggeration. It was well within the normal range for an autumn day, and none of them were dressed for particularly warm weather. Though it was possible it really did feel worse for Ariya.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°That¡¯s kind of cool, but I don¡¯t like it.¡± Her frown quickly shifted to a grin. ¡°Get it?¡±

    ¡°Your pun was understood,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It was not funny.¡±

    Her smile not faltering in the slightest, Ariya looked to Azure. Azure sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to go with Lusya on this one,¡± she said. ¡°Sorry, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya let out a small groan.

    ¡°Would you like your coat?¡± Lusya asked. It had been languishing in her pack for months now. It took up space, but there was no reason not to keep it. Ariya would no doubt need it again before their journey was over. Although, it may be wise to make sure it still fit before that time came.

    ¡°You know, though,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that some mountains are so high, they¡¯re topped with snow in the middle of the desert.¡±

    ¡°I have read about that,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya¡¯s discontent evaporated. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool! A desert is the hot, sandy place, right? But not a beach.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°A beach borders a body of water. A desert is lacking in water.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re actually pretty cold at night, though,¡± Azure said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like a fun place to be. Not like the beach.¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to either, so I don¡¯t really know. What about you, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°I have never left Ysuge, and there are no deserts here, so I have no personal experience with them, but I agree that they do not sound pleasant,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Beaches have their positive and negative attributes. I do not particularly like or dislike them.¡±

    Ariya gave another thoughtful hum. ¡°I want to see them both!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get a chance,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°You will at least see a beach before our journey is done,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Technically, the land below, around the lake, is a beach.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya exclaimed, peering down at the lake.

    Azure sighed and shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t get her all excited. You know that¡¯s not really a beach.¡±

    ¡°It is not the typical conception of one,¡± Lusya conceded.

    Ariya deflated. ¡°It¡¯s not a good one?¡±

    ¡°I am sure you will see a ¡®proper¡¯ beach as well,¡± Lusya said.

    They would need to reach the west coast to get a ship to Midbud Isle. Lusya¡¯s current intended route did have them passing some open coastline along the way as well. She did not know if any of that land consisted of a more ideal beach, but the odds were good.

    ¡°What about deserts?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°As I said, there are none in Ysuge, let alone the way we are going, so we will not see any on this journey. However, it is not impossible that you will see one later.¡±

    She knew little about what waited after death, after all. It could be one big desert. Barring that, the chances of Ariya seeing a desert were as near to zero as they could get. Midbud Isle was the closest she would ever get to leaving Ysuge.

    ¡°I hope so,¡± Ariya replied. ¡°I wanna see all sorts of places with you, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya blinked and paused. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°As for me,¡± Azure said, ¡°I can¡¯t really leave Ysuge now, but I definitely want to go see some things once I retire. What about you, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°There are certain destinations I am interested in outside of Ysuge,¡± Lusya replied.

    It was a moot point, of course. The world would be incinerated before she ever got the chance. It was not impossible the renewed war would somehow take her elsewhere, but, more than likely, Father would use Miudofay¡¯s Final Release without ever needing to leave the continent. He had been ready to do just that before his death.

    Azure beamed. ¡°Maybe we can all go together someday.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    Another unlikely scenario, but Lusya would let them enjoy the fantasy.

    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Ariya said. ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± She turned her attention back to the land before her. ¡°First, though, I wanna enjoy this.¡±

    They had climbed up much of one of the mountains bordering the valley, though they were still nowhere near the top. Azure had led them here, to a sharp drop overlooking the land. Forest lined the ground beneath, but a huge lake occupied most of what one could see, the trees forming a border around it. The rising sun reflected off the pristine water as it peeked over the horizon and bathed the land in its soft glow. Wisps of mist clung to the water and the forest alike, obscuring small patches.

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    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great, Lusya?¡± Ariya asked with an excited hop.

    ¡°Do not jump that close to the edge,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya blushed and hung her head. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°To answer your question, I do not see what is great about it,¡± she said. ¡°It is a landscape.¡± It would have been wrong to say Lusya had no preferences with regards to aesthetics, but they had never been applied much to the land. ¡°It is the way it is.¡±

    Azure sighed and turned toward Lusya. ¡°I thought you would react that way. Sorry for dragging you out here. I know you¡¯ve never had much of a taste for literal sightseeing. Every mountain and lake is the same to you, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°They are not the same,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I do not judge their appearances much.¡±

    ¡°What about a desert?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°You seemed kind of interested in that. Would you wanna see one?¡±

    ¡°For the novelty, perhaps,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But I imagine I would feel much the same after the first time I saw one.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±

    ¡°Sorry again,¡± Azure said.

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°There is no need for apologies. I may not enjoy it or understand why you do, but I have no objections to coming here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I was excited to see it.¡±

    ¡°Then enjoy it.¡±

    Azure nodded with a smile. ¡°I will.¡±

    She turned back around to stare at the lake. Lusya joined her for a moment, in the hopes of understanding what was appealing about this activity. Whatever it was, it continued to elude her. With that experiment failed, she allowed her curiosity to run elsewhere.

    ¡°You seem to have known me quite well for a mere friend of my mother,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I cannot help but wonder how that came to be.¡±

    Azure started, apparently caught off-guard by the question. Her eyes widened, and it was several seconds before she collected herself enough to reply.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said in an odd pensive tone.

    It was. Granted, Lusya was no expert on parenting or friendships, but it still struck her as odd. Father had had few friends, but none of them had ever been close to her, even when she was young. Her knowledge outside of that was founded in research, hearsay, and cultural depictions, rather than personal depictions, but that also gave her the impression a parent¡¯s friend knowing so much about her was abnormal.

    ¡°I thought so too,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You¡¯re like a little-Lusya encyclopedia.¡±

    Azure coughed into her hand. ¡°Yes, well, your mother and I are very close, Lusya, but I suppose that doesn¡¯t explain everything.¡± She pursed her lips, almost contorting her face in pain, before continuing. ¡°I had a daughter of my own, you see, about the same age as you.¡±

    ¡°You must have had her young,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Right. Just a little younger than you are now.¡± Azure sighed and rubbed at her eyes, perhaps wiping away tears. ¡°She died right around when you left.¡±

    Ariya let out a horrified gasp.

    ¡°I have no memory of her either,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t blame you,¡± Azure replied, ¡°Before you left us, since we were friends, your mother and I, we wanted you two to be too. We were always pushing you too to spend time together and get along, but you never clicked the way we did.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Azure said nothing more. She seemed to consider the conversation finished, and she returned to gazing out at the lake beneath them. It was not with the same wonder as before, however. She looked out with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. A gust of wind blew through the area, kicking around both their cloaks.

    ¡°This lake¡¯s name is Lake Gevor, you know,¡± Azure said. ¡°It¡¯s said the hole that forms the lake was created when a god was born from the land here. The name means ¡®birth¡¯ in Zeltan.¡±

    ¡°I have heard the story,¡± Lusya said.

    According to the same legend, the god in question was now dead. His mother, goddess of the earth, had foreseen his tragic demise, and trapped him in her womb¡ªwhich was to say, the ground. Heedless of her warnings, he burst out at this spot and lived several hundred years before falling in battle. How he died varied between versions of the story, as did depictions of him.

    Some version cast him as an arrogant fool who rushed to death in defiance of his mother. Others a hero, determined to live life to the fullest even knowing he would meet a horrible end. Most struck a middle ground and depicted him as a rather tragic figure.

    ¡°It must have been difficult raising a child while being a Sacred Knight,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Or perhaps not, if you are a noblewoman.¡±

    She guessed as much. Azure did not act like a typical noble, but her quickness to state her family name, her clear comfort with status and money, and something else Lusya couldn¡¯t quite place marked her as one.

    ¡°I am,¡± Azure said. ¡°Though I¡¯m not the heir. I never was outside the two years before my brother was born. Talsian inheritance favors the eldest male as long as there is one. He was the heir at the time, and he¡¯s the head now. Of course, that boy adores me so I¡¯ve always enjoyed plenty of the perks being a member of House Yasier has to offer.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t want my daughter raised by nannies or servants, so I ended up largely taking those seven years off. I was still officially a member of the Sacred Knights, and I took on small tasks from time to time, but I dropped out of the Paladins and effectively retired.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°You were already a Paladin at the time?¡±

    Azure grinned. ¡°Only Twentieth, but yes. I graduated from the academy early when I was sixteen, and I became a Paladin at seventeen. I¡¯m what you call a prodigy, you see. The kind you¡¯re lucky to see once in a generation.¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡±

    ¡°You know it.¡± Azure¡¯s smile faltered again and she sighed. ¡°Seven years off did set me back, though. I almost definitely could have made it to First. Maybe I would have topped out at Second. I might be a once-in-a-generation prodigy, but Elphrid¡¯s a once-in-a-century genius. Instead I¡¯m probably never going to get higher than Seventh, and that¡¯s only because three people ahead of me died.¡±

    ¡°You are quite fortunate,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure blinked and stared blankly at Lusya.

    ¡°Few people could complain about only being the seventh strongest person in all of Ysuge.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course.¡± Then her eyes shot open and she hurried to continue. ¡°It¡¯s not like I regret having or raising my daughter or anything. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying at all. I loved her dearly. It¡¯s just¡­a little frustrating to think of how far I could have gone.¡±

    Lusya was not sure why Azure seemed to think that clarification would matter so much to her, nor did she know how to respond. ¡°I see. How many Paladins fell in total?¡±

    She had been aware of at least three dying. All had been ranked lower than Azure, so there must have been more, but Lusya had never been in any position to receive a final count. She had asked out of idle curiosity, but it would benefit her to know. Even if the dead were all replaced, the Sacred Knights would be weakened by the loss. Knowing just how much could be useful upon Father¡¯s revival.

    ¡°Seven,¡± Azure said. ¡°Plenty more are injured enough to knock them out of Paladin strength, or even enough that they can¡¯t fight at all. They¡¯ll be replaced in waves. The higher-ups are worried over half the Paladins dying or retiring all at once would hurt morale and public confidence. None of the retiring ones are over me, though. Not that I would wish that on them just for my advancement.¡±

    Lusya blinked. It was rather surprising Azure had shared that information so readily. Lusya had expected her to dodge the question somehow.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s no harm in telling you. The death toll is public information if you look hard enough, and the rest will be soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You practically read her mind.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°Her expressions haven¡¯t changed. I only wish I knew where she got them¡­¡± She looked to Lusya, one eyebrow raised. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to remember, would you?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I was not even aware of some of them until they were pointed out to me.¡±

    ¡°Then the mystery remains unsolved,¡± Azure said.

    Based on that, Lusya assumed her mother also did not have the answers. Once again, there was a brief period of quiet. Ariya and Azure were still admiring the scenery. Birds began to sing in the forest, with Ariya imitating them in response. Lusya considered finding somewhere to sit down and read. First, though, there was one more question on Lusya¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Azure, how did your daughter¡ª¡±

    ¡°You know, I heard this lake is great to swim in during the height of summer,¡± Azure said with what Lusya now recognized as a fake smile. ¡°Do you like swimming, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I am ambivalent on the subject. It is a satisfactory leisure activity on occasion, but I would not seek it out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about what I remember,¡± Azure said with a nod.

    ¡°I wanna swim!¡± Ariya said, waving her hands in the air, as though they would not see her otherwise.

    ¡°You do not know how to swim, Ariya,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya could handle standing in shallow streams to bathe, but no more than that. Or so she said. It was not surprising, considering her isolated upbringing. It was Lusya¡¯s understanding that the family had gathered water from the well and other sources to bathe, so Ariya had never needed to interact much with large bodies of it.

    ¡°I can learn,¡± Ariya said with a stomp of her feet.

    ¡°I do not think that will be as easy as you believe,¡± Lusya said. For that matter, swimming was typically done in the nude, and Ariya did not usually find the concealment of water sufficient. Lusya was not sure if the act of swimming changed something, or if Ariya had not realized that yet.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be there, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Azure said. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Well then, it¡¯s a little late in the year, but let¡¯s go find out if the water¡¯s still warm.¡± She winked with a mischievous grin. ¡°Worst case scenario, I freeze the lake and we go ice skating instead.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Sixteen

    Falin settled into yet another squeaky wooden chair at yet another worn-out round table, waiting for yet another generic stew to be delivered to him. He was getting rather sick of these country inns. Perhaps he was being a bit harsh. Most of those trappings were found even in many upscale establishments, if a bit higher in quality. They were not the fault of the region, nor were they tragic in isolation. On the other hand, the sheer number of these things and their egregiousness was grating. During the war, he would have been forgiving, but peacetime meant higher standards.

    It was the food that held the gravest of sins, and it was what soured him so much on everything else. Every dish was a stew or a hash flavored with little more than excessive amounts of salt by a chef who desperately needed to be informed that other seasonings existed. For a common man it might have been delicious. Even for many noble humans, it may have been acceptable, if simple. For a son of House Rivelda, it was boring and bland. Completely unacceptable. Worse was that he was starting to acclimate to it. He had almost enjoyed the last one. He hoped he would find proper cuisine before too much damage was done to his palate.

    These pathetic lodgings were beneath him, but so was camping as he was forced to do between towns. Oh, he had no problems sleeping outside on a journey from time to time. The cool night air and a bit of stargazing could be a welcome change of pace. But the tiny, cramped tent and bare minimum sleeping mat he had now were hardly befitting of his station. Unfortunately, bringing a proper tent or bedding would have been impractical since he was traveling alone. He had the strength for it, but so much bulk would still be awkward to carry alone without a wagon or pack animal. What he was left with was far worse than cheap, old furniture and mediocre meals. Given the choice, he would choose the lesser of two evils every time.

    ¡°Hey, there, Sir Knight,¡± a cheerful voice said much louder than was needed to get his attention.

    Having been looking down at the table in his contemplation, Falin looked up to the source. Three humans and a tiransa had stopped beside his table, across from him. He could not be sure who had spoken, but he assumed it was the blond human man at the front of the group. He had an idiotic smile that seemed like it would go with the voice and the fact that the speaker had all but shouted for Falin¡¯s attention from about three feet away.

    ¡°Do you have some business with me?¡± Falin asked.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t help but notice you were alone,¡± the blond man said. It had indeed been his voice before. He looked to be about one hundred fifty¡ªno, fifty years old. Sometimes it slipped Falin¡¯s mind that humans aged like fruit flies. ¡°Just wondering if you were looking for some company.¡±

    ¡°It would be an honor to share a meal with a Sacred Knight,¡± a human woman¡ªthe sole woman among the group¡ªadded. With braided brown hair, she seemed to be in her twenties.

    It took a titanic effort for Falin to keep himself from sighing. Just being here was grating enough without these idiots interrupting what peace and quiet he could get. As much as he hated the ignorance of most of the townsfolk in the area, at least it had the result of giving them the good sense to leave him alone most of the time.

    And yet, due to his mission, he had to refuse tactfully. Scolding them would hardly help endear the Sacred Knights or relti to the masses, even if it was their own fault. So, he had to let them down gently, as it were.

    ¡°I do not need company,¡± he said. ¡°While I appreciate the offer, I am perfectly comfortable eating alone.¡±

    There, a perfect tactful rejection. He made it sound like it was his preferences were at fault, rather than them, no matter how untrue that was.

    He didn¡¯t mind sharing a table either, in and of itself. But not with random strangers and certainly not with this lot. The number of people whose company he enjoyed during a meal could have been counted on both hands.

    ¡°We don¡¯t doubt it, Sir Knight,¡± the tiransa said. He had a full head of black hair and a close-cut beard. Judging tiransa ages could be difficult, but Falin placed him in his forties. ¡°We just thought you might prefer a little companionship.¡±

    Couldn¡¯t these people read between the lines at all? Falin felt one eye twitch in annoyance. If he was more explicit in his refusal, it would undermine his purpose here. And he had to admit that he was a bit curious to find people so eager for his time, here where everyone feared a reltus until they needed something from him. Silent, he waved his hand around the table, gesturing for them to sit.

    The humans each grabbed one of the three remaining chairs¡ªflopping into them as if they had passed out¡ªwhile the tiransa sat on the floor between two of his companions, who scooted to the side to make room for his broad form. When the wench returned with Falin¡¯s food a moment later, the interlopers each asked for a meal and a drink for themselves.

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    Poor quality as the food as these places was, Falin¡¯s stomach gurgled at the scent of the stew before him. Hunger was a powerful thing. Still, he refrained from eating. It was rude to begin a meal when others at the table had not yet been served. Though they did not deserve it, even these fools would get proper courtesy from him. As long as they had not committed some heinous crime, it was up to him to provide an example of correct behavior, although he doubted they would learn from it. Such was the duty of a nobleman.

    ¡°What brings you through here, Sir Knight?¡± the remaining bald human man asked with a concerned frown. He appeared to be a touch older than the woman, somewhere in his late-twenties or early-thirties. ¡°Not demons, I hope.¡±

    ¡°I am on a diplomatic mission,¡± Falin replied.

    ¡°Sounds boring, but at least it¡¯s not dangerous,¡± the tiransa said. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Serob, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Kris,¡± the blond man said.

    The bald man raised his hand. ¡°Pol.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m Elayn,¡± the woman said.

    Since they had introduced themselves, Falin was obligated to do the same. ¡°Falin Rivelda, Thirteenth Paladin.¡±

    ¡°Wow, a Paladin,¡± Kris said with a grin. He looked around at his companions, then back to Falin. ¡°We got lucky, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed you did.¡±

    For people like them, it must have been a great honor to meet a Paladin. Their good luck was his bad, it seemed. Or maybe it was actually bad luck for all of them. Many other Paladins would have been far more willing to play along with this idiocy. Their food arrived a moment later, and they all dug in with sloppy gusto, while Falin ate with dignity and grace.

    ¡°Gotta be a pretty important mission if they¡¯ve got a Paladin doing it, huh?¡± Elayn said. Like some kind of barbarian, she didn¡¯t even bother finishing her current bite, though she at least swallowed enough that he could understand her around her mouthful.

    ¡°It is,¡± he replied, declining to give any details. It wasn¡¯t as if the mission was a secret, he just didn¡¯t want to talk with these morons more than necessary. There was only one thing he was interested in from them. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here, are you?¡±

    Their unusual behavior was enough of a clue. Not just that they had approached him, but their general demeanor. Granted, it was hard for Falin to get a sense for the culture when everybody cowered by his mere presence, but his impression so far was that the locals weren¡¯t normally so boisterous. And, credit where credit was due, they ate like proper sapient beings rather than barbarian brutes. The group¡¯s names of varied origin were another hint, as was their spread of ages.

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re travelers,¡± Pol said. ¡°Wanderers, you might say.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Serob said. ¡°We don¡¯t really have any destination in mind. We just wanted to see the world, and we ended up teaming up as we met. Between the four of us, we¡¯ve seen just about every inch of Ysuge, plus a little bit beyond it.¡±

    ¡°That explains it,¡± Falin said. ¡°Most people here are terrified of me.¡±

    ¡°Why would they¡­Oh, of course,¡± Elayn said. She directed a sympathetic smile at him. ¡°Try not to hold it against them too much, Lord Rivelda.¡±

    Kris nodded. ¡°People fear or hate what they don¡¯t understand, and folk around here might never have seen a reltus before. We were all like that, once.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re scared of me too, for what it¡¯s worth,¡± Serob said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth much,¡± Falin said. He had been serious, but the bark of laughter he received in reply suggested it had been taken as a joke. He didn¡¯t care enough to correct the buffoon.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got your blind spots and prejudices too,¡± Pol said. ¡°No offense, of course. Everyone does. Best we can do is try to learn and help each other overcome them.¡±

    Falin restrained himself from rolling his eyes. While he had plenty of strong opinions, he did not have prejudices. He had met more than enough humans¡ªboth in general and of this region¡ªto judge them. In any case, these people had no right to lecture him. They might have been better than the fearfully ignorant bumpkins around here, but only just. The lack of respect they showed to their betters was inexcusable. He was a Paladin and a noble reltus. Even if they did not know he was nobility, they were not his equals or his friends. Addressing him like some drinking partner was preposterous. He didn¡¯t appreciate the condescending advice from people younger than him either. Only Kris was about the same age. Fittingly, he was the only one who had come close to saying something correct and useful, though Falin still did not care for his unsolicited counsel.

    They all finished their meals quite quickly. Their drinks vanished just as fast. Unlike him, none of them were abstaining from alcohol. Kris let out a loud belch as he finished his tankard of ale and slammed it down on the table. Only then did he look at Falin and his only beverage: water.

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna drink, Lord Rivelda?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It would be improper of me to do so while on duty,¡± Falin replied. An oversimplification, but whatever let him talk to them less.

    ¡°Do you mind if we do, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Falin said. Being the only sober person in a group was a coin flip between amusing and frustrating, and he was betting on the latter with this group, but it seemed a little late to ask. If they were going to try to be accommodating, they could do it before doing what they weren¡¯t supposed to.

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that then. We¡¯ll rein it in.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± he forced himself to reply. It was more like they had averted him despising them any more.

    They were lucky outreach was a part of his mission, or he would have gotten rid of them long ago. True to Kris¡¯s word, at least, they did not drink any more during the meal. That kept them from becoming more insufferable. As soon as he was done eating, Falin stood and excused himself.

    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to hang around a little more, Lord Rivelda?¡± Pol asked. ¡°We¡¯re enjoying your company, really.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, but I will be leaving now,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t wait for a response before heading to his room.

 Book Three - Chapter Seventeen

    ¡°You ask her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna ask her, you do it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­intimidating.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to do it!¡±

    The two young women across the street had been muttering such things to each other for the past five minutes. Lusya believed the building they were standing in front of was the general store, based on a peek she had gotten through a window earlier, though it wasn¡¯t labeled in any way. They were blocking the door, but the shop didn¡¯t seem busy anyway, so nobody seemed to mind. The street was quite narrow, so, despite their low volume, the woman were easily audible whenever they got excited. Which seemed to be most of the time.

    Lusya was standing outside this village¡¯s inn with Azure and Ariya. They were not staying the night there, but, since they had been near the town anyway, Azure had suggested they take their midday break there. They had finished their meal, but Azure had wanted to relax outside for a bit before setting off. That was how they had ended up with those women staring at them and whispering. Azure leaned against the inn itself, while Lusya stood straight some feet away and Ariya sat.

    ¡°I believe those women want to speak with you,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure seemed the most likely target of their attention. Lusya could think of many potential reasons they might have wanted to speak to the obvious Sacred Knight, and much fewer why they would seek out a random traveler or a child, though it was not impossible that they had a particular interest in relti for some reason.

    ¡°I¡¯d noticed,¡± Azure said, her eyes twinkling as she smirked at them. They were now looking at each other, continuing their discussion in furtive whispers, and thus did not notice. ¡°I wanted to see if they¡¯d work up the courage to ask me about whatever it is, but it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s going to happen, so I¡¯ll just go talk to them. You two are welcome to come.¡±

    ¡°We will follow,¡± Lusya said. She saw little reason not to. She wasn¡¯t doing anything anyway, and Azure was the only reason they were even standing here. ¡°Come along, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya sprung up from where she sat on the edge of the wooden deck in front of the inn. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Led by Azure, the three crossed the narrow street. The two women were still absorbed in trying to convince each other to approach Azure.

    ¡°You owe me for setting you up with Klouz.¡±

    ¡°That has nothing to do with this. Besides, you¡¯re more of a people person.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, when those people aren¡¯t Sacred Knights.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not going to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°So why don¡¯t you do it?¡±

    They were so engrossed in this argument that they did not notice Azure approaching them until she spoke.

    ¡°Hi there. What can I do for you two?¡±

    The women squealed and leaped into the air in surprise. The taller of the two tried to scramble back, only to bump the back of her head against the shop¡¯s door and wince. Ariya and Azure both giggled at their reactions.

    ¡°L-L-Lady Knight,¡± the shorter of the two said, ¡°you noticed us?¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°It was a little hard not to, what with you staring at me and whispering about me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, we didn¡¯t mean to disturb you,¡± the taller one said.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t think you could hear us,¡± the shorter one added.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make us sound better, dummy!¡±

    They were both young adults right around Lusya¡¯s age. They could have been a bit older or a bit younger. They shared the same brown hair and eyes, along with a similar facial structure. Lusya was guessing they were related.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Azure replied. ¡°You should never worry about approaching a Sacred Knight if you¡¯re in trouble. Even if it doesn¡¯t involve demons, most of us would be happy to help.¡±

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    The shorter woman sighed in relief. ¡°Thank you, Lady Knight. We do actually have something we wanted to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, then.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s some demons in the forest outside of town,¡± the taller woman said. ¡°Not super close mind you, but close enough to worry about.¡±

    ¡°It is strange that nobody else would mention this to us,¡± Lusya said.

    Indeed, no one else in town had shown any sign of fear or discomfort. But then, there were a lot of unknowns here, including when the demons had entered the area¡ªthey may well have materialized yesterday¡ªand what constituted ¡°close enough to worry about.¡± A layperson¡¯s estimation of such was likely to differ from Lusya or Azure¡¯s.

    ¡°Ah, well, you see,¡± the short woman said while her companion nervously chewed her thumbnail. ¡°We were out looking for this rare flower for our ailing father¡¯s birthday when we saw them through the trees. We hurried up and left before they could do anything, and we didn¡¯t get a real good look at them.¡±

    ¡°Was this flower for treatment?¡± Lusya asked. It wasn¡¯t relevant to the matter at hand, but she was curious.

    The short woman shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just his favorite. He just has a nasty cold, so we just wanted to cheer him up. Not that we¡¯d know what to do if it was something more serious.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, because we only got a peek and we¡¯re the only ones who¡¯ve seen them, no one around here believes us,¡± the tall woman said. ¡°They say all the demons died in the war, and they think we just saw people or animals and got spooked. That¡¯s part of why we were so nervous. We¡¯re used to people brushing us off.¡±

    Azure sighed. ¡°We really need to work on educating people about demons.¡± The women withered under her gaze, and she went on. ¡°Oh, sorry, not you two. The other villagers. Not every demon died in the war, and more are born regularly anyway. People need to understand that so they don¡¯t put themselves in needless danger. But even then, that¡¯s not their fault. If we¡¯re going to shoulder the responsibility for Ysuge¡¯s demons, it¡¯s on us to make this knowledge widely available.¡±

    It suited Lusya in more ways than one for most mortals to be ignorant about demons, but she refrained from stating that preference. She was sure Azure knew, and there was no reason to inform these women.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Azure continued. ¡°Even if they¡¯re right about it not being demons, it could still be something dangerous, right?¡±

    The short woman¡¯s eyes widened as if she had not considered that. ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯re right. Could be bandits or bears.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re positive about what we saw, though,¡± the tall woman said, although what her companion had just said made it seem that only applied to one of them. ¡°We might not know much about demons, but those weren¡¯t people or any animal that lives around here.¡±

    ¡°So, you want Azure to help, right?¡± Ariya asked. She put her hands on her hips and stood as tall has her stature allowed, as if she was going to do something about the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Azure and Lusya can beat up any demon no problem.¡±

    Suggesting others could help was technically doing something, and it was the best she could manage.

    In any case, assuming she meant that as a pair and not individually, that was probably true, as far as currently living demons went. Azure alone would overpower the vast majority. That said, Lusya did not appreciate being volunteered for the task, implicitly or otherwise.

    ¡°That is where we were going, yes,¡± the short woman said.

    ¡°Leave it to us,¡± Azure said. ¡°We¡¯ll have those demons gone by sunrise tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± the tall woman said.

    ¡°It¡¯s the natural thing to do,¡± Azure said. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me.¡±

    The woman both smiled, a much warmer reaction than when Lusya informed people thanks were unnecessary. Perhaps it was the wording, or maybe the delivery. It might have been both.

    Azure bid the women farewell, asked them to stay where they were so she could come back and ask for details, and led the way back toward the inn. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be booking a room after all.¡±

    ¡°I believe you promised me minimal delays,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure cringed and began twirling a strand of hair with one finger. ¡°I understand why you¡¯d feel like I¡¯m breaking that promise, but this is minimal. We can¡¯t just leave this situation as is.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said before Lusya could respond, ¡°you¡¯ve gotta help, Lusya. You have to, so it¡¯s minimal.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Very well.¡±

    ¡°But¡ªWow, that was easy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°I take it she usually needs more convincing,¡± Azure said.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Like, an hour of it.¡±

    ¡°That is immense hyperbole, but yes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Ariya typically spends some time cajoling me into aiding others.¡±

    ¡°Why not this time, though?¡±

    ¡°It is none of your concern.¡±

    In truth, the reason was two-fold. First, it had become clear that arguing about this with Ariya was futile. The child had changed over the course of their journey in many ways, but she refused to budge on the moral issue of helping others, and, in fact, had only gotten better at arguing her case. Better to get it over with than waste time and risk upsetting Ariya.

    Second, Lusya did not want a confrontation with Azure. She did not believe the Paladin would turn violent over such a disagreement, but there was no need to risk it. Lusya¡¯s chances were dismal in such a battle. Even if it did not turn violent, an argument with Azure sounded futile at best and frustrating at worst.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re on board,¡± Azure said. ¡°Let¡¯s get a room and get going.¡±

    ¡°Hooray, demon-slaying!¡± Ariya exclaimed, pumping her free hand in the air in a fist.

    ¡°There will be no demon-slaying for you,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You are staying in the inn this time.¡±

    Ariya let out a dismayed groan, though Lusya doubted she had not anticipated that response.

    ¡°This time?¡± Azure repeated. ¡°Did you take her demon-hunting with you before?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Once. It was a mistake I do not intend to repeat.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s all I can ask,¡± Azure said. ¡°Good for you, realizing on your own. Better than a lot of people can do.¡±

    ¡°Your impressions are appreciated,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Now, let us finish with this task.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Eighteen

    ¡°Look, I really am sorry about this,¡± Azure said, glancing at Lusya beside her. ¡°I hope you understand why I did it. As a Sacred Knight, my primary duty is to kill demons, even if I don¡¯t think it should be.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Lusya replied. She did not appreciate or approve of it, but she understood. A lack of understanding on her part was not the issue here.

    They walked through the dark forest in silence for a few moments. Autumn was upon them¡ªthough the leaves had yet to start changing colors or falling¡ªand the days were getting noticeably shorter and colder with each that passed. The sun had all but set by the time Azure and Lusya had reached the forest where the demons had been spotted, though¡ªas they had not rushed¡ªthat had taken several hours on foot. The air was cool and, with the trees and their canopies of leaves blocking out the sun, it might as well have been the dead of night within the forest.

    The forest was quiet, save for the soft swishing of the two¡¯s boots on the grass. Every now and then, that was interspersed with a dull thunk when the butt of Azure¡¯s spear landed on a tree root as she used it like a walking stick. Presumably, she had brought it in preparation for the distinct possibility that the demons in question were low-ranks. A Sacred Blade, let alone a Paladin¡¯s, would be a horrendous level of overkill against most of them, although there was nothing stopping her from using it as a simple spear or moderating its power to an appropriate level. Using a more appropriate tool was also a reasonable solution, however.

    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Azure asked.

    ¡°I am rarely angry,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡±

    ¡°I am not angry.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Azure asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re doing the slight head-tilt thing.¡±

    ¡°I am not angry,¡± Lusya repeated.

    Azure knit her eyebrows in a skeptical expression, but she did not push the issue further. She refocused in front of her and kept walking.

    ¡°You are quite quick to break your word,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not think highly of that.¡±

    Azure frowned. ¡°Minimal means no more than necessary, and this is necessary.¡±

    ¡°That may be true, strictly speaking,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But you have violated the spirit of our agreement, and I doubt you are unaware of that fact. The implication was that our only delay would be the stops you had already planned.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Azure said. ¡°But if I didn¡¯t agree to this, I would have been violating my oath as a Sacred Knight.¡±

    ¡°You are the one who made potentially contradicting oaths,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And, in any case, the fact that I still live suggests you are willing to break that oath when it suits you.¡±

    Azure pointedly looked away, refusing to meet Lusya¡¯s gaze. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it is.¡±

    Azure sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lusya. I¡¯m doing my best here, but nothing you¡¯ve said is wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have made you a promise I couldn¡¯t keep.¡±

    ¡°Your apology is appreciated,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Not even accepted, huh?¡± Azure said, seemingly more to herself than to Lusya. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some space. Figuratively, that is.¡±

    She fell silent, and Lusya had no desire to restart the conversation. They continued on their way and, true to her word, Azure made no further attempt to speak to Lusya.

    The women from the village had given them directions to the specific spot where they had seen the demons, but Lusya was skeptical of their utility. The directions in question were rather vague, with useless instructions like ¡°go right at the second big tree.¡± What qualified as big? Second from what?

    In part, it seemed simple incompetence. The women did not know how to articulate where to go. In addition, their memories were not perfect and, by their own admission, there was nothing in particular that stood out about where they had been. No landmarks or other identifying features to speak of, which seemed to be true from what Lusya had seen so far. The forest was quite homogenous. It seemed dubious Lusya and Azure would find the place or that they would even know if they did. The instructions were so useless, they had been walking in a straight line without regard for them almost since entering the forest, apparently having mutually decided there was no point in trying to use the directions despite not discussing it. Fortunately, the issue was rendered moot soon enough.

    ¡°There are indeed demons here,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure nodded. ¡°I can tell.¡± She pointed a finger. ¡°That way, right?¡±

    ¡°A little to the left.¡± Azure adjusted her arm. ¡°Right. There.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Azure said with a smile. ¡°Your senses are a little more precise than mine.¡±

    ¡°Your thanks are unnecessary,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure flinched. Lusya still was not sure what was different when she said it. She might not have been happy with Azure, but that didn¡¯t mean every word out of her mouth was hostile. ¡°How many? I can tell it¡¯s more than one, but they kind of blend together for me.¡±

    ¡°Six,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°All low-rank.¡±

    ¡°That much, I could tell,¡± Azure said. ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking a high-rank demon.¡±

    There being multiple could have been a hint alone. While not universal, high-ranks did not often congregate for a variety of reasons. It could draw attention to them and make them a bigger target, not to mention that many high-ranks simply had trouble getting along with each other. Much of that also applied to low-ranks, but high-ranks being strong exacerbated the issues and made grouping up less appealing.

    They had grouped together more under Father, but he was the Demon King. Things were different with a Demon King around. And even then, those who had done so readily had been a minority of unusual sorts, like Rahgrahb. Most had needed to be persuaded or forced into compliance.

    Lusya started walking in the demons¡¯ direction. ¡°The sooner we eliminate them, the better.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Azure said with an uncharacteristically uneasy smile.

    Lusya took the lead in tracking down the demons. Even compared to a Paladin, her innate sense for Malice was more potent and precise than any mortal¡¯s learned one.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to reach the demons. The demons hadn¡¯t tried to flee, although they must have known Lusya and Azure were coming. Despite lacking the capacity for motomancy themselves, low-rank demons did share Lusya¡¯s sense for Malice to varying degrees, and Lusya and Azure had not moved so quickly that the demons could not have tried to escape, though Lusya and Azure would have simply sped up and caught them had they done so.

    Nevertheless, Lusya and Azure found the demons waiting in a clearing, staring as they emerged from the forest. It seemed these low-ranks were going to prove their kind¡¯s lower intelligence yet again. Running might have been futile, but it gave them a better chance than waiting to die.

    This lot were all about human-sized and shaped. They had a veritable rainbow of skin colors from blue to red, and all had some other obvious distinguishing feature. One had four arms, another eyes on stalks sprouting from the top of his head, and none on his face.

    ¡°You guys are gonna regret¡ª¡± the eye one managed to get out before Azure sliced his head in half.

    ¡°The sooner the better, right?¡± Azure asked with a smirk.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied.

    Azure skewered another¡¯s¡ªthis one with spikes of bone protruding from each shoulder¡ªheart on her spear before any of them could move. Lusya dashed to the nearest demon, one with leathery, vestigial wings, and crushed its skull in her hands and allowed the body to collapse like falling autumn leaves. By then, the others had finally started to move, not that it did them any good.

    The one with four arms twitched in Azure¡¯s direction before she slashed his throat open. She danced back, minimizing how much of the ensuing spray of blood got on her white uniform. Another with long tusks for teeth took one step back before Lusya grabbed him and punched, impaling her hand through its chest before tossing aside the corpse.

    At least these weaklings wouldn¡¯t put up a lengthy fight. Lusya still would have rather not had to deal with them at all. They had lost half the day regardless of how long the fight took at this point. The last demon, with four legs and needle-like hair, turned to run. Lusya kicked him in the back, sending him flying into a tree. Where he grunted in pain as his face scraped off bark. He started to push off, but she kicked him again, pinning him to the tree. She felt ribs and vertebrae crumple beneath her boot as they let out a series of loud cracks and pops. Then a third time, and a fourth, keeping him from escaping as he broke a little more with each blow smashing bark and splintering wood. Finally, she kicked a little harder with a shockwave. He flew through the tree and skidded along the ground as he landed. He coughed as he stopped, and blood stained the ground beneath him.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Lusya batted aside the tree as it fell toward her and approached him. She was prepared to continue, when her mind went back to all those months ago. The demon writhed on the ground, trying in vain to find the strength to stand. His legs weren¡¯t moving at all. She must have broken his spine and paralyzed him at some point. The sight stirred something odd within her, something cold. She changed her mind and brought her boot down on his head, ending his suffering in a single quick stomp. The job finished, she turned to find Azure staring at her with needless concern.

    ¡°That was something,¡± Azure said, almost fearful.

    Lusya walked past her and started heading back the way they had come. She wasn¡¯t interested in Azure¡¯s impressions of her actions. ¡°It is done. We are going.¡±

    Azure muttered what seemed to be a truncated version the prayer-like speech she had offered the high-rank demon before, then followed without comment. Lusya was in no hurry to draw one out. It was not as intense, but she had the same feeling she had had back then. Confused and dissatisfied. Except it was even more mysterious now than it had been then. There had never been any danger in toying with that demon. There was no reason for what she had done to bother her.

    ¡°You¡¯re upset,¡± Azure said. It was not a question this time.

    ¡°It is nothing,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Even if you were upset over nothing, that still wouldn¡¯t be nothing.¡±

    ¡°It is none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°Lusya,¡± Azure said, coming to an abrupt halt as they passed through a moonlit clearing, ¡°talk to me. Please.¡±

    Lusya stopped and turned to face her. Azure held her hands before her chest in a pleading gesture, her eyebrows knit together and eyes wide.

    ¡°That fight reminded me of an unpleasant incident,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re not getting off that easy,¡± Azure said. She took a seat on a large rock near the center of the clearing and patted the space next to her. ¡°Come on now, sit.¡±

    Lusya blinked, then turned and walked straight into an invisible barrier. She took a step back and gave it an experimental punch, but it didn¡¯t budge. She wasn¡¯t leaving. There was little choice but to go along with Azure¡¯s whims. Lusya joined the Paladin on the rock. While it was large enough to sit on, there wasn¡¯t much space for two people. Lusya¡¯s options were to sit right beside Azure as she had indicated, or back-to-back with her. Lusya opted for the former.

    ¡°So, what happened?¡± Azure asked.

    Lusya hesitated. There wasn¡¯t much about the story that needed hiding, but she was unaccustomed to being so candid about her journey. And she was going to be candid. If she was going to be forced into this discussion, she might as well participate properly. She was sure Azure would be troublesome if she suspected any significant deception or omission anyway. After a moment of contemplating where to begin, she decided to sum up events starting from meeting Ander. Azure had a strange enthusiasm through much of the story, even stopping it to ask pointless questions like how tall Ander had been, though it fell off close to the story¡¯s conclusion.

    ¡°Due to mistakes on both our parts, he was killed by the bandits,¡± she said as she neared the end. ¡°After that, I destroyed the bandits¡¯ base as planned. I made sure each of them died a slow, painful death.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s the part that bothers you?¡± Azure asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I am unsure why I did it, or why I felt the way I did afterward. I was¡­dissatisfied, yet also lost all desire to continue. I killed the rest because it needed doing, but I no longer had any urge to do so in a particular manner, and recalling the preceding events caused a strange emptiness inside me. Moreover, I am unsure if such events may repeat themselves. I wasted time and could have put Ariya in danger. That cannot be allowed to happen again.¡±

    ¡°Well first of all,¡± Azure said, ¡°it sounds like you did it because you were angry, and then you were sad when your head cooled. Both of which are normal reactions to your friend¡¯s death.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°I will grant that I felt both those things, but such feelings are seldom strong enough to influence my actions.¡±

    Azure pursed her lips. ¡°We¡¯ll come back around to that. Before that, it¡¯s not just what happened in general, but what you did that bothers you, right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. It was both the actions and the way she felt about them. One could say that the fact that her actions bothered her bothered her. She supposed that meant, at the heart of the matter, it was her actions that were the cause of her problem.

    ¡°And it¡¯s fair to say you regret the way you handled it?¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s break that down, shall we?¡± Azure said with a smirk that made it clear refusal was not a real option. ¡°Do you regret killing them?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Killing those she needed to had never bothered her, and it was not going to stop now. It was a bit unfortunate when she had to kill in situations where she could have avoided it, like the people she had stolen from in Zentril and Gavamir, but even that was a fleeting sentiment. The bandits had been an obstacle. Killing them had been the natural action, and she felt nothing thinking on those whose demise she had made swift.

    ¡°Do you regret doing so out of anger?¡±

    ¡°I do not grant that that is what happened,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But even supposing that it is, no.¡±

    ¡°So, what you regret is solely being needlessly cruel about it.¡±

    ¡°That is a fair assessment,¡± Lusya said. ¡°As I said, it was a waste of time and an unnecessary risk.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you said that, yet you got upset after you did the same thing to that demon,¡± Azure said. ¡°Wasting only a couple seconds and putting no one but him in danger.¡±

    ¡°I am not upset.¡±

    Azure rested a hand on Lusya¡¯s head and stared into her eyes. ¡°I believe that you believe that, but you¡¯re upset, Lusya.¡± She smiled. ¡°I know you don¡¯t mind killing people, but is it possible you don¡¯t like hurting them more than you need to?¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°It is possible, but it seems rather incongruous with my actions.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the only person to have a mean streak when you¡¯re mad and regret it afterward,¡± Azure said. ¡°Like, say, when you¡¯re angry with mean old Auntie Azure for dragging you out to kill some demons.¡±

    ¡°My anger does not influence me in that manner.¡±

    Azure sighed and looked up at the moon, as if for guidance. ¡°Do you want to know what I think? What I¡¯ve always thought?¡±

    ¡°I suspect you will tell me regardless of my response,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure laughed. ¡°Right answer. I think you underestimate your emotions. A lot.¡± She smiled at the moon, wistful. ¡°I don¡¯t live in your or anyone else¡¯s head, so maybe they are a little weaker than most people¡¯s. But they¡¯re nowhere near as weak as you think. The reason you can think that is because of the wall.¡±

    ¡°The wall?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°The wall in your head,¡± Azure said. ¡°This is metaphorical, of course.¡±

    ¡°I am sure I would have noticed if it were not.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Anyway, for most people, from my observations, emotions and reason mingle constantly. They inform and bounce off each other. People might do their best to separate them, but they can only do so much. Emotion and reason are joined at the hip. All you can do is try to put one in front and hope the other is content to act as support instead of a roadblock.¡±

    ¡°This is an erratic analogy,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°It will make sense soon. What you do is different. Without even trying, you¡¯ve managed to put up a wall between your emotions and your reason. Maybe a dam would be a better analogy. It¡¯s not perfect, and it doesn¡¯t stop them all, but it gives you an extraordinary ability to ignore them¡±

    ¡°I will grant that seems an accurate summation of the relationship between the two,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Good,¡± Azure said. ¡°It¡¯s something only you can do, Lusya, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been your strength in many ways. Even from what you¡¯ve told me, I can see it. It was the same just now too. Most people can¡¯t just stop being angry and stay on task. Most people would have lost focus and slowed down a little when the sadness hit them.¡±

    ¡°I am aware of that.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t any problems with it. You¡¯ve done such a fine job sealing up your own feelings that sometimes you don¡¯t know them when you see them. And that means that, sometimes, when they finally reach a boil and spill over the wall, you don¡¯t know how to deal with them. You might not even recognize them.¡±

    Azure paused. Lusya blinked.

    ¡°And, what do you propose I do about it? Destroy this wall?¡± Lusya asked. She had not yet decided if this theory had merit, but Azure had her attention and curiosity.

    Azure shook her head. ¡°Not at all. Even if you could, it¡¯s something that makes you wonderfully unique, Lusya. I would never ask that of you. What I would suggest is that instead of hiding on the other side of the wall all the time, you try to climb to the top every now and then. Look at what¡¯s beyond it, maybe enjoy a taste sometimes. I¡¯m sure you already take a peek from time to time, but take a good long look instead. Stay a while and take it all in. That way when anger¡ªor sadness, or joy¡ªleave you with no choice, you understand what you¡¯re dealing with.¡±

    Lusya was quiet for a moment, mulling over Azure¡¯s words. ¡°What exactly are you basing this hypothesis and solution on?¡±

    ¡°Watching you be you,¡± Azure said with a wistful smile. ¡°Now and back then. This isn¡¯t the first time this has come up, you know. You¡¯ve grown a lot, but some things haven¡¯t changed. If anything, I think you might have made the wall a little higher since then.¡±

    ¡°You believe your advice will solve my worries?¡± Lusya said.

    Azure nodded. ¡°I do. If you understand your own anger, you¡¯ll be better at noticing it and when you¡¯re acting on it. If anything, you¡¯ll be better than anyone else at catching yourself.¡±

    ¡°Catching myself?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it will happen overnight,¡± Azure said, ¡°but if you¡¯re not happy with how you act when you¡¯re angry, all you can do is try to notice it and stop it when it happens. Maybe eventually you¡¯ll be able to stop it beforehand. No, I¡¯m sure you will.¡±

    ¡°It is only this one aspect of my behavior I take issue with,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I notice you¡¯re not arguing the point anymore,¡± Azure replied with a grin. ¡°What I said still holds. Pay attention and curb your excess. That¡¯s all anyone can do: try to be better.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The clearing was silent for a long while. Azure said nothing further, and neither of them made any move to leave. After several minutes of quiet, Lusya decided to try Azure¡¯s instructions and ¡°climb the wall.¡± She had conceded that Azure¡¯s model of her emotions and reason was likely accurate, so perhaps there was merit in her proposed action as well. What Lusya actually pictured, however, was an impossible tall tree under a cloudless night sky, and rather than looking down at some sea of emotion as Azure had suggested, she was getting a closer look, however slight, at the stars.

    ¡°You are correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not understand why, but¡­I regret causing my victims unnecessary pain.¡±

    Azure smiled. She raised a hand as if to stroke Lusya¡¯s hair, but pulled away before making contact. ¡°That¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to be able to explain why something feels wrong. Because that¡¯s something only you get to decide for yourself.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°You are also correct that I did so out of anger. I was enraged at Ander¡¯s death. I enjoyed his company. He was¡­a friend. My first friend my age. He was foolish and obnoxious, but I felt I could speak with him as something approaching an equal.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡­I¡¯m sure your mother would be upset about your handsome friend dying too,¡± Azure said with a playful smile.

    ¡°We did not have that kind of relationship.¡±

    ¡°And yet you knew exactly what I meant.¡± Azure¡¯s grin softened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°I am still angry with you too.¡±

    Lusya wasn¡¯t sure why she felt the need to say that, but it was true. It had been since Azure had agreed to exterminate the demons. Lusya found herself wondering why she had ever denied it. She also couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she was as angry as she was. It seemed a bit disproportionate to the slight, even considering the broken promise. It just felt worse from Azure for some reason.

    Azure let out a snort of laughter. ¡°All right, you can climb down from there now.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked.

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding,¡± Azure said. ¡°Stay up there as long as you want.¡±

    ¡°I think I am done,¡± Lusya said. She felt oddly tired all of a sudden. If she lied down now, she was sure she would fall asleep in short order.

    Azure stood. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then. I¡¯m glad we had this talk. And don¡¯t be done for too long, all right?¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Nineteen

    ¡°Here¡¯s our next stop,¡± Azure said as she approached the statue in the center of the latest town they had stopped in. She turned and made an emphatic gesture, presenting the statue upon its pedestal.

    The statue depicted a young man with long, unkempt hair. He was dressed in ancient armor, mainly a kilt, pauldron, and a cape that left much of his muscular upper body exposed, with a sword hanging at his waist. One hand rested on the sword¡¯s hilt, while the other was extended forward as if he were issuing commands to an army. The man looked out and slightly downward with a grim, determined expression.

    ¡°This is Garfit,¡± Azure went on. ¡°I bet you haven¡¯t heard of him, have you?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Not even a little bit.¡±

    ¡°I am also unfamiliar with him,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Well, I guess this is an opportunity to learn something,¡± Azure said. She cleared her throat and smiled before continuing in an authoritative tone Lusya assumed was meant to be instructional. ¡°Garfit was the chief of a tribe living in this area. When the Odessian Empire started growing, he united the four other tribes in and around the Elzen Valley at the time to stand against them.

    ¡°Now, everyone at the time thought they were just a bunch of barbarians waiting to get rolled over by the Odessians. But Garfit was smart, and his warriors were strong. They held out for three years, well after several of their more powerful neighbors had fallen. Even after the Odessians subjugated the area, Garfit and his most loyal followers led an underground resistance for another six months before they were captured.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Lusya said, looking over the statue. ¡°It is an interesting story.¡±

    It was likely living in the valley had provided certain advantages. Aside from the defenders simply being more familiar with the land, it must have been difficult even to approach for the Odessians. Neither the entrances nor the mountains were ideal routes for an invasion. Still, standing against the most powerful empire in the world at the time was a significant feat.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost upset I¡¯ve never heard about it before,¡± Ariya said. ¡°People should tell it more often.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Garfit is a local hero in the valley but pretty much unknown everywhere else,¡± Azure replied. ¡°Really, we don¡¯t know a lot about many of the Odessians enemies.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed. Even many of the records we do have are more about how impressive it was for Odessia to defeat a foe than about the foe themselves. As such, they focus more on their military might and how they were defeated more than anything else. Even then, their reliability is questionable. There is evidence that certain similar figures were invented by the Odessians to give the impression they had defeated a worthy opponent, rather than conquered a helpless backwater.¡±

    Azure nodded. ¡°Yup, simple propaganda. Luckily, there¡¯s solid evidence of Garfit¡¯s life outside of what the Odessians wrote about him.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°This all stinks,¡± Ariya said. ¡°The Odessian Empire sounds like a bunch of big jerks.¡± She frowned and cocked her head. ¡°How did they go away if they were so strong, though?¡±

    ¡°Multiple reasons,¡± Azure said. ¡°We study a lot about the cycle at the time in the academy. Or we did when I went. All their conquering sped it up. It calmed down once they started to slow, but then the empire got too big to manage, and that led to other problems that sped the cycle right back up. The last Demon King they faced came less than a hundred years after the one before. For an empire already in decline, that pretty much dashed any hope they had of recovering. They started fracturing apart during that war and didn¡¯t stop after. Before long, there wasn¡¯t anything left that you could call the Odessian Empire. Really, we¡¯re lucky that Demon King didn¡¯t win.¡±

    ¡°They messed up pretty bad, huh,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It¡¯s like Mama always used to say¡­uh, I forget the exact words, but it was something about not doing something you knew was bad. I think there was a knife?¡±

    ¡°We get the idea,¡± Azure said with laughter in her voice. ¡°And you¡¯re not wrong.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Demons are not the only ones whose lack of restraint can destroy them.¡±

    ¡°Enough about that,¡± Azure said. She moved away from the statue to stand next to Lusya and look up at it. Garfit almost seemed to look back with his stern expression. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°The story is intriguing,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I am glad I heard it. The statue is well-made as well. I cannot help but wonder how accurate it is.¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°Nobody knows. We think this was carved a couple hundred years after Garfit died, at the very least. The written descriptions we have of him now are too vague to say, but it¡¯s not impossible the artist at the time had something better to reference.¡±

    ¡°I am surprised artwork of this quality has received such little attention,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The story also seems the type that would be popular.¡±

    Ariya nodded eagerly. ¡°It would make a great book. Ooh, or a play! I would go see that like, fifty times.¡±

    ¡°You would see it once at best,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya pouted. ¡°I was being hyperbolic.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Everybody does like a good underdog story,¡± Azure said. ¡°But I guess some have to slip through the cracks. Especially one where the underdog lost at the end. Plus, no matter who was right, the Odessian¡¯s dominated half the continent for centuries. It¡¯s no wonder it¡¯s their heroes everyone remembers.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so sad,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It is a shame.¡±

    She would not use the word ¡°sad,¡± but it was unfortunate that Garfit was not more widely known, and that similar interesting stories and knowledge languished in obscurity. Popularity itself did not matter to her, but she liked this story. If others like it were more well-known, she would have an easier time finding them. She might have found this one earlier as well, though she did not mind discovering it here and now.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Azure grinned. ¡°Eyes wide open. I knew you would like this more than the lake.¡±

    ¡°You were correct.¡±

    Lusya could appreciate a statue for much the same reasons she could appreciate fiction. A landscape simply was. She did not care much for the aesthetics of the land, so there was nothing to keep her interest. While she tried not to let it cloud her judgment, the looks of people and artwork mattered more to her. But beyond that, the fact that someone had created this statue was what made it truly interesting, offering unique insights and connections to its distant sculptor. Granted, one could have argued that some deity had sculpted the terrain, but that wasn¡¯t the same. It was a little too distant.

    Azure just smiled, which Lusya took as the end of the conversation. She returned to examining the statue. It was quite lifelike, with even every crease in the clothes true to how the fabric would behave. Based on the size, Lusya was guessing the statue was meant to be life-sized. It depicted its subject as about six feet tall and muscular in a tight, coiled way, but not as notably large or bulky otherwise. It was hard to judge by a statue, but he seemed quite young too. Considering the circumstances, Garfit had likely died young.

    She walked closer and circled the statue, looking it up and down. With the armored skirt the sculpture wore, ¡°up¡± allowed her to see that it was even anatomically accurate. Well, all the pieces were there, at least. There was no way to know if they had been quite so impressive in life. Either way, it seemed rather wasteful. Perhaps the artist had meant for it to be nude, as had been typical at the time, and changed their mind? Or perhaps, as many great artists had been, they had simply been obsessed with the details to an absurd degree. Ariya, of course, was right beside her, and giggled when she noticed the same thing.

    There was a plaque on the pedestal, between Garfit¡¯s feet. Lusya recognized some of the characters, but could not make out what it said. She was reasonably certain the large text dominating the plaque was ¡°Garfit,¡± in old Fyemish, but she could not decipher the smaller text underneath.

    ¡°You know,¡± Azure said without warning, ¡°a leader fighting an unstoppable force. It whittling him down bit by bit until he couldn¡¯t stand against it anymore. A tragic, young end. He kind of reminds me of Romoro.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°You knew Father as well?¡±

    Though it was not strange for Azure to know it, Lusya had seldom heard any mortal refer to Father by name. For that matter, likening him to a local hero did not seem like something a simple enemy would do.

    Azure nodded. ¡°I sure did. Maybe that¡¯s part of why this place caught me eye.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Back when I was the Twentieth Paladin, the higher-ups got wind of where he was, so they sent me to kill him early.¡±

    ¡°You did not succeed.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Nope. He was way stronger than me. One of the disadvantages of long Demon King cycles are that it¡¯s easy to forget just how strong a Demon King is, when all we have to remind us are words on a page.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said, though, from her perspective, that was an advantage. ¡°And yet you live as well.¡±

    ¡°I had a chance to kill him, you know,¡± Azure said. ¡°Back then, he didn¡¯t want anything to do with destroying the world. Honestly, he might have been the less violent one between the two of us.¡±

    ¡°That is not difficult to believe,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You seem to enjoy battle more than he ever did.¡±

    Azure blushed. ¡°I¡¯m strong and I like to show it. The point is that he knew one day he would try, as the Demon King. So, he tried to let me kill him.¡± Her expression turned to a wistful smile as she gazed up at the statue of Garfit. ¡°But when I saw what he was doing¡­I couldn¡¯t go through with it. Nobody told me the Demon King would be a lost, confused soul trying to find his way like everyone else.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I cannot imagine that was a popular decision.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no one else knows,¡± Azure said. ¡°They just think he beat me up and I managed to get away. We did end up traveling together for a while after that, but no one who knew or cared to contact the Executive Council saw us, so they think I spent that time recovering from my injuries.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re right, though. It would be the end of my career if anyone found out.¡± She did the same locking motion to her lips as before and winked. ¡°So, don¡¯t go telling anyone.¡±

    ¡°One less Paladin would only benefit me,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You are fortunate I have no means of informing the Executive Council.¡±

    Azure giggled and returned to admiring the statue. A gentle breeze blew through, and she sighed as if prompted by it.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Ariya said. ¡°The Demon King was nice?¡± Her eyes opened wide like saucers. ¡°Wait, Lusya¡¯s papa was the Demon King?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he was,¡± Azure said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he ever completely stopped being nice, either. Lusya?¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I never made a point of evaluating his kindness, but I would be inclined to agree.¡±

    For someone who hated the world and wanted it gone, Father had been rather personable. He was courteous at worst to those who did not antagonize him. Even when he had waged war, he had seldom shown any cruelty beyond what was necessary for his current objective, nor had he ever seemed to enjoy war. While he had forced many demons into obedience through threats and violence, that had always come after they refused peaceful negotiations.

    Ariya scowled and hummed in thought. ¡°This whole demon thing is way more complicated than people make it sound.¡±

    ¡°You could say that about most things,¡± Azure replied. ¡°But it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve realized that. It¡¯s the first step to understanding, and that can only help you in life.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right!¡±

    Azure grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. It¡¯s a skill a lot of people several times your age could stand to learn too.¡±

    It was doubtful Ariya would live long enough to understand demons or benefit from such understanding, but Lusya refrained from making that correction.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s good if there are more good demons like Lusya,¡± Ariya went on.

    ¡°It is, but don¡¯t misunderstand,¡± Azure said. ¡°Romoro was nice, but that doesn¡¯t mean he was good. He might have been when we first met. But in the end, he tried to destroy the world. He was a sad soul, constantly bombarded with all the anger and hatred in this world, but he was bad, and he needed to be stopped.¡±

    ¡°This really is complicated¡­Lusya, why didn¡¯t you tell me your papa was the Demon King?¡±

    ¡°It was never something you needed to know,¡± Lusya said. She had also worried Ariya would draw the line at accepting the Demon King¡¯s daughter as a so-called ¡°good demon,¡± but she wasn¡¯t having an extreme reaction, so it seemed that fear had been unwarranted.

    ¡°You should have told me,¡± Ariya said, smiling. ¡°The only thing that could have made you cooler is being a princess!¡±

    ¡°I am not a princess,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°You are to me.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Think what you wish.¡±

    Ariya gave a small, excited hop and a triumphant grin. ¡°I will!¡±

    ¡°If you knew them both,¡± Lusya said to Azure, ¡°do you also know how my parents met?¡±

    Azure smirked. ¡°Curious, are we?¡±

    Lusya nodded. It would have been hard not to be. This was her origin, after all. She might have forgotten much about her mother, but she didn¡¯t think she had ever known much about how her parents¡¯ union had come to be.

    ¡°Well, they met through me, so yes, I do know.¡±

    ¡°Was my mother aware of who he was?¡± Lusya asked.

    Azure scowled in confusion. ¡°Of course. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I have always been skeptical of a human woman willingly engaging in such a relationship with the Demon King,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I had always assumed that either he hid it from her, or forced himself upon her.¡±

    Azure¡¯s scowl deepened at that last suggestion. ¡°Does that seem like something Romoro would do?¡±

    ¡°It does not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I favored the former option.¡±

    Azure¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Well, rest assured, your mother was completely informed and willing. Although, they didn¡¯t have ¡®such a relationship¡¯ for long. You¡¯re the result of the first and last time they slept together, and he left soon after. Before that, for a while, they were¡­more than friends, but I¡¯m not sure I would have called them lovers."

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Azure prompted, he gestured at the statue with her spear. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m right?¡±

    ¡°I do not see the connection,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But it is not strange that you see him differently than I do, considering the differences in time and relationships.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I miss him.¡±

    Azure smiled and put a hand on Lusya¡¯s shoulder. She didn¡¯t say anything. Lusya appreciated that.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty

    ¡°Civilization at last!¡± Azure cried out, pumping her fists in the air, as the buildings grew thicker around them. She took a deep breath as if drinking in the¡ªrelatively¡ªurban atmosphere.

    ¡°Are villages not civilization?¡± Lusya replied.

    Azure frowned. ¡°You¡¯re right, that was a little disrespectful of me. But the Yasier manor is right outside a city, and I spend a lot of time in Seris, so I guess my perception is a little skewed.¡±

    She seemed to have taken the question as something of a reproach, but it had been a genuine inquiry into Azure¡¯s perspective. Nobody around them had reacted beyond a quick glance, so Lusya didn¡¯t much care how disrespectful the proclamation might have been, though she could see how some might see it that way. So long as the villagers did not cause actual problems, they could be as offended as they wanted.

    ¡°I like cities,¡± Ariya said. ¡°But I like villages too. My family lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, so all towns are big and exciting to me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Azure asked.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Uh-huh! It¡¯s in the woods and no one else lives there. Oh, Lusya, where is your house? I can¡¯t believe I never asked.¡±

    Lusya was also somewhat surprised the topic had never come up before now. Not that she had wanted it to. When she had been concealing her parentage, having to dance around the topic would have been inconvenient.

    ¡°It was in the south, in what was once a country called Graca,¡± Lusya said. ¡°My father took control of it early on. I do not know what has become of it since.¡±

    ¡°About ten different people claiming they have the right to its throne is what,¡± Azure said, suddenly sounding quite tired. ¡°The Sacred Knights are trying to mediate, but a crown really sends people into a frenzy, it turns out. I had to participate in welcoming one to Seris a couple months ago, and I have never wanted to strangle someone more.¡±

    ¡°It does sound like a difficult predicament,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yeah, but like, was your house in a city?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°It was near enough to one to be, for all intents and purposes,¡± Lusya said.

    Father had repurposed Graca¡¯s existing royal palace, which was just outside the country¡¯s capital. It was less than a day¡¯s travel on foot even for a human. For her, visiting the city had been trivial.

    ¡°Another city girl,¡± Azure said. ¡°So, you can see where I¡¯m coming from, right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I suppose. I have no particular attachment to the environment of a city, but they do have many convenient trappings, and the two are linked. However, I would not call this a city.¡±

    Admittedly, the line between a small city and large town could be blurry, but Lusya was confident this was not the former. It wasn¡¯t even that large a town in the grand scheme of things, from what she could tell. For what is was worth, her map had also used the icon for a town to indicate this place, called Deepwood.

    ¡°It¡¯s about as close as you get in the Elzen Valley,¡± Azure said, shrugging. ¡°And I believe it¡¯s been growing lately. Of course, I enjoy the natural beauty of the valley, but a break from it wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    It was true that, compared to other settlements in the valley, this was a metropolis. The buildings lining the streets had a few feet between them instead of a dozen at the least. The roads were paved with cobblestone, and more people walked around Lusya¡¯s group than they had seen thus far in the valley.

    The businesses were also a sure sign of the town¡¯s relative size. Most rural villages were lucky to have one of everything considered essential. One inn that doubled as a tavern, one carpenter, one tailor or seamstress. Here, Lusya had already seen signs for three bakeries and two tailors.

    ¡°It is quite urban, in relative terms,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. And you know what that means, right?¡±

    ¡°It means many things, but I am unsure to which you are referring.¡±

    ¡°It means, it¡¯s time for some shopping,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± Lusya said with a nod. ¡°They will have a better selection of supplies. Although, I have found even small villages usually have enough of the necessities to get by.¡±

    Azure gave a dramatic shake of her head, each movement accompanied by a click of her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Then what are you talking about?¡±

    Azure opened her mouth to explain, then abruptly closed it to grin. ¡°If you¡¯re not picking up on it, then I think I¡¯ll just let it be a surprise. It¡¯ll be all the sweeter that way.¡±

    #

    Lusya did not find this surprise to be sweet at all. She was not sure what to call it, since there was no flavor she outright disliked, but sour likely worked best as the opposite of sweet.

    ¡°This is absolutely pointless.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fun,¡± Azure said. ¡°That¡¯s a point.¡±

    Ariya nodded eagerly. ¡°Yeah, fun!¡±

    ¡°I disagree,¡± Lusya said with a shake of her head. ¡°I do not see anything enjoyable about this activity.¡±

    ¡°You will soon,¡± Azure said with dismissive confidence. ¡°Let¡¯s just get inside and try it.¡±

    She did not wait for a reply before striding into the tailor¡¯s shop. The door creaked open and shut behind her on squeaky hinges. Ariya looked up at Lusya with wide, pleading eyes. Reluctantly, Lusya followed Azure into the store with Ariya in tow.

    There was no real reason they needed to visit a tailor. They had already bought everything they needed, little of which had been anything they could not have found elsewhere. It was true that larger settlements tended to yield a higher variety of goods, but that only went so far for travel. Tents and nonperishable food didn¡¯t change that much, no matter where you went.

    None of them needed clothes or repairs, either. Azure¡¯s could have used a wash¡ªthe uniform white made blemishes stand out¡ªbut they could have handled that themselves, and it wasn¡¯t a service tailors usually offered anyway. No, they were here for nothing more than Azure¡¯s amusement. And Ariya¡¯s, apparently. That, in and of itself, was inconvenient, but tolerable. The implication that Lusya was expected to participate was not.

    ¡°The two of us will not be able to find a proper fit to begin with,¡± Lusya said as she caught up with Azure where she stood in the middle of the floor, waiting with an expectant look.

    Azure wagged a finger like she was correcting a child. ¡°Lusya, Lusya, Lusya. Didn¡¯t I already tell you? We¡¯re not buying anything. I¡¯m sure we can find something that¡¯s bearable for a few minutes, and we can just have fun seeing how it looks. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t see any appeal in that, Miss ¡®I comb my hair for nobody everyday.¡¯¡±

    That was a valid point, and one Lusya could not argue with. While she was no longer alone, she doubted either of her companions would care if she allowed her hair to become unkempt. For that matter, she had continued caring for it even when she had been alone before picking up Ariya.

    ¡°I will admit to deriving some satisfaction from my appearance,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If we were considering purchasing something, and ready-made fits were more common, I might not object to this activity. Neither of those is the case. I do not see anything appealing about trying on ill-fitting clothes for its own sake.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a party pooper, Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    Azure smirked. ¡°See? She wants to do it.¡±

    ¡°And I would have no issue accompanying you two,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is you including me that I find objectionable.¡±

    Azure waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have fun if you give it a try,.¡±

    ¡°I doubt the shopkeeper will be happy with us either,¡± Lusya said.

    The man was sitting behind a small desk at the moment, doing a poor job of pretending not to listen to the conversation. His eyes returned to the book he was holding for long enough to read perhaps one word before focusing on them again. He seemed to be trying to make it seem as if he was staring off at nothing, but his gaze was obviously fixed on Azure. It was unclear if he made a habit of eavesdropping or if he was simply having trouble concentrating with their discussion happening a few feet away. Admittedly, it might have been harder for him not to listen.

    ¡°You don¡¯t care about that,¡± Ariya said matter-of-factly.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Azure giggled. ¡°See? You¡¯re not fooling anyone. It¡¯ll be fine, come on.¡±

    Another point Lusya could not argue with. She didn¡¯t care about the shopkeeper¡¯s mood beyond how it affected her. She had just been hoping her companions would feel differently.

    ¡°Please, Lusya?¡± Ariya said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be left out either.¡±

    ¡°I assure you I would not feel excluded,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But very well. It is obvious you two will not yield.¡±

    Azure nodded. ¡°And that, Ariya, is how you get your way: nonstop nagging.¡±

    Ariya chuckled.

    ¡°Do not teach her such things,¡± Lusya interjected, though she was sure Ariya had learned a similar lesson long ago.

    Azure laughed again and led the way to the desk. The shopkeeper buried his nose in his book as soon as she turned toward him. Lusya was sure Azure had seen, and the way he kept his eyes fixed on one spot did not make for a convincing facade that he was reading.

    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± Azure said to the shopkeeper, ¡°the three of us are looking to try out some new looks. We probably won¡¯t buy anything, but is it okay if we try a few things?¡±

    The man looked up in feigned surprise, as if he hadn¡¯t noticed them, let alone heard everything they had said, before clearing his throat and smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t usually care for window shoppers. But for you, Lady Knight, I¡¯ll make an exception. No promises I won¡¯t try to change your mind, though.¡±

    ¡°Go right ahead,¡± Azure said with a cocky smirk. ¡°I¡¯m open to being convinced if it¡¯s the right item.¡±

    The man pointed to one side. ¡°Woman¡¯s and children¡¯s clothes are over that way.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Azure walked to the side of the store he had indicated, with Lusya and Ariya close behind her. The store, especially the front part, was much larger than the tailor¡¯s shop in Zentril. The design was similar. The front was a large rectangular area with a desk in front of the door to the back at the center of the far wall from the entrance. Then there was ready-made clothing on display to either side. However, there was significantly more clothing, yet the room remained more spacious.

    It was a design that made much more sense for a tailor¡¯s shop doing public business. Part of that was surely due to having more space here than in cramped Zentril, but there was also an obvious difference in planning and priorities at play.

    ¡°See?¡± Azure said. ¡°No problem at all.¡±

    ¡°I saw,¡± Lusya replied. She had been hoping for a rather different response, but she had not expected it. Most mortals were submissive to Sacred Knights.

    ¡°Now, then, let¡¯s see what he has here.¡±

    The tailor had a relatively large selection of ready-made clothing. Even aside from the notably small shop Lusya had purchased her new blouse from, the stock was comparable to what one might find in a larger city. Perhaps even above average by those standards. Of course, for the most part, that meant the selection was still limited. Most of what was there was almost identical, with small variations in color. It was for people who did not have the time or money for proper tailoring. The target market was not in a position to be choosy, so the tailor had no incentive to offer a broad range.

    There were a few standout items, however. A dress with¡ªwhat mortals would consider¡ªa scandalous slit up the bottom. A strange, formfitting one piece outfit. A red dress with a translucent¡ªalmost transparent¡ªfront to its skirt. The items themselves were unusual, but their presence was not especially noteworthy.

    ¡°I mix in stuff people ordered and never picked up in there,¡± the tailor explained as Azure examined the dress. ¡°It¡¯s more expensive, so it doesn¡¯t sell much, but at least there¡¯s a chance I get some of my money back.¡±

    And that was why. Plenty of tailors did the same. These articles were unique, but Lusya had seen strange clothing mixed in with drab ready-made articles before. Lusya had once seen a bird costume mixed in with children¡¯s dresses.

    ¡°I figured,¡± Azure replied. ¡°I just like to see what crazy things I can find.¡± She held up the slitted dress and put her other hand on herself in a rough estimate of where the slit would end. It was well above the hip, and her estimate seemed accurate. ¡°I can¡¯t blame people for getting cold feet with some of these things.¡±

    ¡°I do not see the problem,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Lusya, I love you, but your opinion doesn¡¯t count here.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is reasonable,¡± Lusya said. In almost twenty years, she had yet to receive a satisfactory explanation of modesty, but she recognized that she was in an extreme minority and that others were not receptive to her views on the matter. Still, while she wasn¡¯t looking to convince or be convinced, she would have liked to hear some proper reasoning behind it.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Azure went on, ¡°when was the last time you wore a skirt?¡±

    Lusya thought back. ¡°A bit over a year ago.¡±

    There was no particular reason why it had been that long. She had just taken shorts at the start of her journey instead, and they were working. She had no particular aversion to either.

    ¡°Let¡¯s fix that, then,¡± Azure said, sifting through a few. Lusya did not think anything called for ¡°fixing.¡±

    ¡°Let me help look,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to play dress up.¡±

    ¡°If you insist,¡± Lusya said. She released Ariya¡¯s hand, allowing the child to join Azure in searching.

    Finally, Azure picked out a plain brown skirt and turned around with it. ¡°A little plain, but I still think¡ª¡± She gasped, threw aside the skirt, and ran over to another article, displayed all by itself. ¡°Is this a wedding dress?¡±

    It did look like a wedding dress. Specifically, the white gown that had become popular in the west of Ysuge before spreading throughout the continent. It was even paired with a veil. It was, however, a bit simpler than those tended to be. Wedding dresses tended to have elaborate embroidery and decorations. This was just a white dress with a skirt that flared out a bit more than normal.

    ¡°It sure is,¡± the shopkeeper said. ¡°That¡¯s actually a little different. The town¡¯s been growing lately. Lotsa people moving in, lotsa people meeting someone and getting married. I figured it might be worth making a few of these cheap in advance. That one¡¯s left over, but it¡¯s been working out pretty well so far.¡±

    Azure whirled and shoved the garment and its matching head wear at Lusya. ¡°Lusya, you have to wear this!¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Why that in particular?¡±

    ¡°Just hurry up and do it!¡± Azure looked to the shopkeeper. ¡°That¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Lady Knight.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Azure held out the clothes even more insistently. ¡°Get changed.¡±

    Arguing with Azure was impossible at the best of times. Lusya did not see her relenting in this mysterious fired up state.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said, grabbing the dress and veil.

    ¡°Behind the screen, please,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Lusya may not have understood or cared about the etiquette, but she was capable of following it, and it was usually easier to do so around others. She moved behind the screen set up for this specific purpose and changed into the dress.

    It, of course, did not fit. As the shopkeeper had said, it was intended to be ready for any bride to buy quickly, and it seemed this had been a recent idea on his part. So, the dress was as generic as could be. It was for an average height woman, for one thing, a couple inches taller than Lusya. That wouldn¡¯t have been enough to be be a big issue on its own, resulting only in the bottom of the skirt just barely brushing on the ground. However, the dress was also designed to end most of the way up the wearer¡¯s chest, but not all the way.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± Azure asked. ¡°Do you need help lacing up?¡±

    ¡°I do if you still wish me to wear this,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Oh, I do,¡± Azure said. She joined Lusya a moment later and helped tie the back of the dress shut. Then she stepped back out of the changing area and beckoned Lusya. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s all see how it looks.¡±

    Lusya donned the veil and stepped back out into the open. Azure squealed in delight and clapped her hands.

    ¡°You look pretty,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya glanced in the provided mirror. She did not disagree, but it wasn¡¯t enough to sway her on this activity.

    ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll wear one for real one day,¡± Azure said. Lusya doubted that would happen. ¡°Preferably one you¡¯re not spilling out of.¡±

    That would be the design of the dress¡¯s chest at work. The intent seemed to be for the barest hint of the wearer¡¯s breasts to be visible. Lusya was not sure why that was acceptable and the slit was not. Regardless, it was not working the intended way on Lusya, though it was a decent enough fit besides. If she did anything more intense than walking, there was a good chance she would burst out of the dress. The potential exposure wasn¡¯t what bothered her, though, just that, as long as the dress didn¡¯t fail, it was rather uncomfortable.

    ¡°It is designed with a less¡­buxom woman in mind, Lady Knight,¡± the shopkeeper chimed in.

    ¡°Oh, I understand,¡± Azure said. ¡°I figured it would end up like this, but I still had to see.¡±

    ¡°May I change back now?¡± Lusya asked. She did not think she should have had to ask for Azure¡¯s permission, but it was easier than risking the woman nagging her again.

    Azure smiled. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll try something on next, then Ariya, then we repeat.¡±

    ¡°I do not want to repeat,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure scoffed as if Lusya had claimed the sky was red. ¡°We¡¯re not stopping after one outfit, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya blinked, retreated back behind the screen, and changed back into her own clothes. As Azure had said, she grabbed a different, blue dress, similar in design to the one with the slit¡ªexcept with a much more modest slit that looked to end around the knee¡ªand rushed to change once Lusya was out.

    ¡°Well?¡± Azure said as she emerged a couple minutes later.

    ¡°It matches your eyes!¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya said nothing. Azure looked to her expectantly and smirked. The message was clear. They would not proceed until Lusya gave her impressions.

    ¡°It suits you,¡± she said.

    Azure sighed. ¡°Come on, you can do better than that. Say something specific.¡±

    ¡°It is too small.¡±

    Azure was having much the same issue Lusya had.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. You next, Ariya.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    There was even less choice for a child than for most among the ready-made items. In fact, all there was for Ariya was an assortment of long dresses, little different from what she already wore save for some colors. It seemed neither form nor function were much a priority for children¡¯s apparel.

    Nevertheless, Ariya beamed as she selected a red dress and hurried to the changing area.  She emerged moments later in the dress and twirled around to display it from all angles.

    ¡°Very nice, Ariya,¡± Azure said.

    Ariya ran up to Lusya and waited, bouncing on the balls of her feet. ¡°Lusya?¡±

    ¡°I do not have a strong opinion on its appearance,¡± Lusya said. Ariya frowned, and Lusya felt she should say something else. ¡°Did your choice of color have anything to do with me?¡±

    Ariya pouted and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Not everything is about you, Lusya.¡± She waited for Lusya to cock her head and blink, then giggled. ¡°Just kidding. I picked red like your eyes.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said, though the shade of red was actually quite a bit darker than that of her eyes. ¡°I¡­appreciate that.¡±

    Ariya smiled.

    ¡°Now, get changed so we may continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya!¡±

    As soon as Ariya was back in the dress she had entered wearing, Azure foisted a skirt and blouse upon Lusya and all but shoved her behind the screen. The new clothes were rather plain in comparison to the wedding dress. They were just a plain black blouse and a white skirt. Considering Azure had first gone for a brown skirt, Lusya could only assume she had specifically searched for colors that didn¡¯t match Lusya¡¯s normal clothes. Lusya let the woman admire and coo over the outfit for a minute, then it was Azure¡¯s turn again, then Ariya¡¯s.

    Azure, however, stared at Lusya as they waited for Ariya to finish, rather than staring at the screen, anticipating Ariya¡¯s emergence, as she had before. Lusya met her gaze, and Azure¡¯s brow furrowed.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing the head-tilt.¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡±

    That was not a rhetorical question. Lusya had been paying more attention to her expressions since Ander had pointed them out to her, and Azure¡¯s advice had helped. The anger head-tilt, however, was among those subtle enough that she still did not always realize she was doing it.

    Azure sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really not enjoying this, are you?¡±

    ¡°I am not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not see why anyone would enjoy wearing ill-fitting clothes for others¡¯ amusement.¡±

    Azure frowned. She opened her mouth and seemed about to argue, but then sighed again and hung her head in shame. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have forced this on you. Maybe I¡¯m trying too hard to make up for lost time¡­¡±

    Lusya looked at her for a moment. ¡°I had little basis to suspect I would dislike it, even if I was correct. As long as you do not press me to continue, I will forgive you.¡±

    Azure raised her head and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-One

    Much as it galled him, Falin found that he was grateful for the town of Lorith''s existence. A patch of almost-civilization was an oasis¡ªa paradise, even¡ªamidst the open roads and the glorified piles of sticks called villages. Perhaps that was a bit harsh. While his tastes tended toward cities, it was not rural areas themselves he hated. He would never spend time in one willingly, but they were fine in and of themselves. It was just the ignorant filth in this one who had earned his ire.

    Still, his preference for cities made Lorith a step up. Oh, it was nowhere near a city¡ªthat would have been too good to be true¡ªbut Falin wasn¡¯t seeing any of those for a long time. By his estimation, the next city he would hit would be Zentril, over a month¡¯s travel away. As human cities went, Zentril was nice¡ªif not as much as Seris¡ªand there were plenty of relti around who wouldn¡¯t try to drive him insane. It would have been nice if more of his journey had been in places like that. Even so, at least in Lorith, you were more likely to hit something than not if you threw a stone at random. That density was the sure sign of proper civilization winning over the wilds. He would have liked to blame a lack of understanding of that on humans, but it was just the nature of commoners of all species.

    Unfortunately, this area was still enough of a backwater that the people hadn¡¯t changed much. They still glared at him with open fear and suspicion, despite his obvious occupation and status. The young woman working the general store counter was no exception.

    Her eyes were glued to him every second he picked out what he needed¡ªmostly food to replace what he had eaten. She was a bold one, at least. Rather than terror, her eyes shone with contempt. Even her body language, though tense, spoke more of annoyance than preparation to fight or flee.

    Once he was done and approached the counter, she glanced between him and the door, as if he might run out. He was tempted to, rather than pay this wretch so much as a copper.

    She looked over what he had chosen, weighed some of it, and shoved it back across the counter at him. With enough vigor that some of it almost fell off the counter. He was forced stop it, and the girl clicked her tongue, as though disappointed he had not had to pick his things up off the floor.

    ¡°Fifty copper,¡± she said briskly, her expression set in a petulant scowl.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he replied. ¡°Since you asked so nicely.¡±

    She scoffed. ¡°I know my stuff. Reltis and demons look the same, and I¡¯d rather be rude to a reltus than nice to a demon. Serves you haughty lot right anyway, Sacred Knight or no.¡±

    He produced a fifty copper coin and slid it across the counter. ¡°Quite the mouth for someone who thinks I¡¯m a demon.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t even use the proper plural of reltus.

    ¡°Demon or not, I know you could kill me before I could say ¡®Sir Knight,¡¯¡± she said, taking the coin. ¡°Not gonna die sniveling and crying. Thanks for your patronage.¡±

    It was a change of pace, but Falin couldn¡¯t say it was a good one. At least the fearful humans knew their place, after a fashion. Those travelers before had at least been friendly. This one was insolent and hostile. The worst of both worlds. A shame. She might have been pretty, but that personality soiled the one thing she might have been able to offer the world. Her brains clearly weren¡¯t contribution much. Antagonizing a demon would have been mind-bogglingly stupid. They might have all been vile, but they weren¡¯t always immediately dangerous. Provoking one was suicidal, not brave. He grabbed his goods and left without another word.

    With that, he made his way to the local inn. He wasn¡¯t going to stay, but he was going to see if he could grab some fresh bread before continuing on his way. The quality varied out here, but it would make a decent enough supplement to his lunch and dinner. Most inns could at least turn out a passable loaf of simple bread. And as long as it wasn¡¯t horribly repulsive, fresh bread was always a joy to eat.

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    Of course, it was just his luck that he was told there wasn¡¯t any ready and he needed to wait, delaying him. On the bright side, the bread would be nothing if not fresh. Still, it had better be good bread to make up for the wait, especially when the place wasn¡¯t even busy. There wasn¡¯t a single other person in the inn when he got there. Though now that he thought about it, that itself might have been the reason there was no bread available.

    Falin took a seat at the bar and waited while the bread baked. And waited. And waited. He might as well have just ordered lunch at this point. The innkeeper had told him, ¡°Just a minute, Sir Knight,¡± but it was almost an hour before the man returned with a bundle of cloth, a pleasant smell emanating from within.

    ¡°Here you go, Sir Knight, straight from the oven,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°I hope it¡¯s to your liking.¡±

    Falin accepted it from the man¡¯s trembling hands. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He paid for the food and left with it tucked under one arm. It smelled good, at least. He unwrapped it just enough to tear off a single bite before wrapping it back up. It was good bread. Fluffy, with just the right amount of crunch on the crust. Could have used a pinch of salt, but it was good enough as it was that he didn¡¯t regret waiting for it. He started making his way out of the village, when he heard a familiar voice coming from between two buildings.

    ¡°Bront, for the last time, no,¡± the girl from the general store said. ¡°Go away.¡±

    Falin stopped at the opening of the space. The girl had her back against the wall, with three men close around her.

    ¡°No need to be shy,¡± the man in the center of their little formation, presumable this Bront said. ¡°Trust me, you won¡¯t be able to get enough after a taste.¡±

    ¡°You should be proud,¡± the man to his left said. ¡°It¡¯s an honor for someone like Bront to be interested in someone like you.¡±

    ¡°Then you be his woman, you absolute dolt,¡± the girl snapped at him. ¡°If you¡¯re not already with how you cling to him.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bront said, leaning closer and putting one hand on the wall beside her. The girl tried to inch away, but there was no room, ¡°I don¡¯t tolerate that kind of talk from my girls.¡±

    The girl scowled. ¡°Good thing I¡¯m not one of your girls, then.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you will be,¡± Bront said. ¡°How¡¯s Daddy¡¯s shop doing these days?¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You little¡ª¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Falin asked as he walked closer.

    Bront sighed without turning to look at Falin. ¡°Look, buddy, I¡¯m this city¡¯s next mayor. Don¡¯t cause trouble and my father won¡¯t cause trouble for you.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Falin said. ¡°Now, I believe I asked you a question. That is, I, Falin Rivelda, Thirteenth Paladin of the Sacred Knights of Ysuge, asked you a question.¡±

    Bront and his lackeys whirled to face Falin. Bront was forced to release the girl to do so, and they all took a step away as they laid eyes on him.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not serious,¡± the one on the right said. ¡°No way a Paladin comes somewhere like this.¡±

    Their incredulity was justified, and he couldn¡¯t blame them for not recognizing him. Really, a more recognizable uniform for the Paladins was probably in order. He understood the reasoning behind making it so discreet. It avoided putting the Paladins on too high a pedestal over other knights and kept the common folk from being too intimidated, but he didn¡¯t agree with that logic. It was better for all involved if everyone knew who they were dealing with. He supposed a more noticeable uniform might open the door to impersonators, but they could solve that problem when they got to it.

    ¡°It¡¯s not by choice, I assure you,¡± Falin said. ¡°Would you like to test me? Of course, if you push this any further, I¡¯ll have to report to the Executive Council about the Malice-growing activities the mayor is sponsoring here. That will get to your king, and, eventually, I suppose we¡¯ll see how your father feels about it.¡±

    Bront gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡±

    Falin sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you must feel quite big around here, feasting on lesser vermin, you little worm, but the world is much wider than the patch of mud you squirm around in. I¡¯d advise you to keep that in mind. Now, I believe the lady asked you to leave?¡±

    Bront seethed, then turned and hurried out of the alley, the other two men close behind.

    Falin looked over the girl. Having called her a lady made him feel almost gross, but at least it had gotten the job done. She did not seem to be hurt. It seemed they had only cornered and harassed her.

    She looked back at him in silence, wide-eyed. ¡°You saved me. After¡­before.¡±

    ¡°I was doing what I¡¯m obligated to,¡± he replied. ¡°Unfortunately, your rotten attitude doesn¡¯t change the duties of a Sacred Knight to reduce the flow of Malice.¡±

    The girl averted her gaze and nodded. ¡°Well, thank you anyway.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your thanks,¡± he said. ¡°Like I said, it was just my job.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m giving it to you anyway,¡± she said with a hint of her earlier temper. ¡°And, um, sorry for all that stuff I said about relti. I guess you¡¯re not all bad.¡±

    She smiled a bit. What, did she want a trophy for the bare minimum courtesy she owed him? Did she think them friends now?

    ¡°Think what you want,¡± he said.

    ¡°I will.¡±

    He scoffed and walked away.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Two

    ¡°¡®¡­at last, he had it,¡¯¡± Lusya read. ¡°¡®Lok knew how to conquer Lady Dolor¡¯s icy heart.¡¯¡±

    Ariya groaned as Lusya closed the book with a thump. ¡°A cliffhanger? Can¡¯t we read one more chapter?¡±

    They were nearing the end of the book about the jester. Fortunately, it had more or less returned to normal after the torture scene. It had become perhaps a tad more suggestive, as opposed to the chaste romance from before, but it was nothing that Ariya could not handle. Though Lusya was aware her judgment of that differed from most, she didn¡¯t much care as long as Ariya was fine. And she was pretty sure most would agree. Azure would almost certainly have said something if she did not.

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You need to sleep.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep when I want to know what happens next so bad!¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°That is doubtful. You can barely keep your eyes open.¡±

    She did not relish stopping at this point either. While she was confident she could predict the gist of what would follow, leaving a story in such an awkward spot was unpleasant. And there was always a chance it would surprise her again. Preferably in a very different fashion from before.

    Ariya¡¯s hands shot to her face and pried open her half-lidded eyes. Any effect that might have had was undermined by the great yawn that followed. She rubbed her eyes, and they remained closed for several seconds when she was done before she forced them open again.

    ¡°If you do not go to sleep, we will not read for the next three days,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya groaned and pounded on the bed with her fists. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    Ariya glared at Lusya, pouting. Lusya stared back, expressionless. There was a brief silence, save for the incessant drumming of raindrops on the roof.

    ¡°Will you pat my head if I lie down?¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°If you promise to make an earnest effort to sleep, then yes,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya huffed and threw herself onto her back. Still, pouting, she pulled the covers over herself and closed her eyes. True to her word, Lusya leaned forward and patted the top of her Ariya¡¯s head.

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    Ariya exaggerated her expression for a moment, as if trying to remain angry, before it softened into a smile. Seconds later, her breathing shifted, signaling she had fallen asleep.

    ¡°She is a good girl,¡± Azure said from her seat near the window. ¡°You¡¯re good with her too.¡±

    ¡°I have had practice,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure nodded and glanced out the window at the sheets of rain endlessly pounding against it. With the clouds blocking out any potential source of light, it was pitch black outside. Any visibility was provided more by the lantern burning on the table beside Azure than anything else.

    ¡°This is a lot of rain.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°It came right out of nowhere too.¡±

    Indeed. The sky had been clear minutes before the downpour began. ¡°Weather is strange at times.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I notice you¡¯re not mad at the weather for delaying us.¡±

    That was not entirely true. She was a bit unhappy about it. No delay was desirable. A sudden downpour forcing them to stop at an inn unplanned was inconvenient. They were lucky they had been passing through town anyway, so they hadn¡¯t gotten too wet. Wearing water-logged clothing was unpleasant, her companions would complain if she tried to rectify that problem, and she was sure neither of them would find it pleasant. Nor would they do anything to solve the problem themselves. Still, that had been late afternoon. They had lost close to half a day of travel. However, there wasn¡¯t much point in getting angry at the weather.

    ¡°The weather has no intent,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Nor did it make any commitments to me.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Right you are. Did you want to go to sleep? I can head back to my room if you want.¡±

    ¡°I am unsure why you are here to begin with,¡± Lusya said. She didn¡¯t need Azure in the room for anything, and Azure hadn¡¯t done much other than watch and listen until Ariya had gone to sleep. ¡°But I do not need urgent rest. If you have some business with me, I will allow it.¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°I just want to talk, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°Whatever comes to mind, really.¡±

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    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lusya had expected Azure to initiate a conversation, in that case. Several seconds later, though, she had given no signs of doing so. Lusya blinked. Azure smirked. Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice more. Azure replied with a broad grin. However, as the silence stretched on longer, her smile faded, and she sighed.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re not exactly a conversationalist,¡± she said, yet it seemed she had expected or hoped Lusya would speak first. ¡°Tell you what, why don¡¯t we play a game? We can think about what we want to discuss in the meantime.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°What kind of game?¡±

    ¡°I have some cards in my pack,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    She jogged out the door, only to return a moment later with a deck of cards¡ªpresumably from her pack¡ªwhich she placed on the table. She took one of the two chairs available on either side of the room¡¯s small table, and gestured for Lusya to sit in the other. The deck was a Talsian one, with four suits, common throughout the continent these days.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep things simple, okay?¡± Azure said. ¡°We¡¯ll stick to an easy game, and no gambling.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°That is fine with me.¡±

    Azure explained the rules of the game they were playing. It was rather straightforward. Each player started with five cards in their hand. They would then demand one card denomination which they already held from another player. The second player would relinquish any matching cards they had. If they had none, however, the first player would instead hand over all of theirs. If any player ran out of cards, they would draw five more. Certain cards had various special abilities, however, which could change the normal rules, such as preventing a player from needing to relinquish their cards, or allowing a player to return a card to the deck instead of handing it over to their opponent.

    If a player gathered all four suits of a single denomination, they would set the cards in front of them as a group. Whoever had the most groups at the end of the game won. It was a rather simplistic game, and it was best played with at least four people, but it worked well-enough.

    Lusya was already familiar with the game, but she allowed Azure to explain it in detail anyway. She seemed to be enjoying it for some reason, and Lusya did not particularly care to rush into the game itself. That said, Lusya had seldom played the game. Card games had never been a big interest for her, and she wouldn¡¯t have had many opponents if they had been. Even if she had wanted to join a public game at a tavern or the like, it wouldn¡¯t have been this game, as it was typically considered a game for children or beginners.

    The game went by fast with just the two of them, and they had finished three times over before long. The score was two to one, favoring Lusya. Azure groaned as she leaned back in her chair after the third game.

    ¡°You¡¯re too good at this,¡± she said. ¡°You were always good at card games.¡±

    ¡°It is mostly luck,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°This is not a very strategic game.¡±

    Seeing as all players had to be honest about what cards they had and the only real move was guessing what the opponent had, there was not much room for tactics.

    ¡°My point stands.¡±

    ¡°I am not sure it does,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I do not care enough to argue.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°Smart girl. Don¡¯t get into a fight you can¡¯t win.¡±

    Lusya could not contest that. If only because of how self-assured she was, arguing with Azure was rarely a fruitful endeavor. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. It seemed Azure had nothing more to say, but the grin she directed at Lusya suggested she expected Lusya did.

    Indeed, Azure was not wrong. Lusya had had time to ponder and become curious over the course of three games. There was one thing in particular that she wanted to know.

    ¡°Will you not ask about her?¡± Lusya asked. She assumed it was obvious who she was talking about.

    Azure glanced at Ariya and shook her head. ¡°I trust you, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°You have quite a bit of confidence in someone you have not seen in over a decade.¡±

    Azure hummed in thought. ¡°Nope. I have confidence in someone I¡¯ve spent the last few weeks with.¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡±

    Such faith was misplaced, but Lusya was not going to be the one to tell Azure that. She would find out in short order anyway, when Father returned. In the meantime, there was no harm in allowing her the comfort of trust.

    Azure sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot in twelve years, though.¡±

    ¡°Considering my age, that is to be expected,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Azure said, giggling. ¡°But some people grow less than others, in all sorts of ways.¡±

    ¡°I am aware.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve still got a long way to go, of course, but I¡¯d say you¡¯re on a good track. You¡¯re strong, smart, beautiful.¡± Azure smirked. ¡°I¡¯m sure being your mother¡¯s daughter helped, but they¡¯re still your accomplishments to be proud of.¡±

    ¡°Your assessment is appreciated,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Not to mention you can do something unheard of like wielding two Soul Blades. You¡¯re a regular prodigy yourself.¡± Azure paused and pursed her lips. ¡°You¡¯re not kind, but I think you could be, some day.¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not have sufficient regard for others unless they have already spent some time with me earning my favor.¡±

    Azure gave a knowing smile and a small laugh. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see about that. Still, not bad at all for twenty years old. I¡¯m sure your mother would be very proud.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head. ¡°It seems unlikely the woman who abandoned me at the age of seven would think much of me at all.¡±

    Azure cringed as if the words were a sword hanging over her head. ¡°Lusya¡­Your mother loved and still loves you very much. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision to give you up to your father.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°It is!¡± Azure said, as desperate as if she were dying of thirst and convincing Lusya to give her water.  ¡°Your mother and your father both worried about you. You were a unique child, and even at a young age you were strong, but neither of those things was the issue. They were afraid that, as you got older, you would become angry and violent to go with your strength. That you would want to hurt people. That you would become more, in a word, demonic.

    ¡°That was why your father approached your mother and offered to take you in. He thought he would be better suited to raise you and help you manage any dangerous urges. Your mother tried to convince herself he was wrong. She wanted to keep you. But as she saw your strength and motomancy develop in ways a mortal child¡¯s never could, combined with your abnormal behavior, she couldn¡¯t help but fear that Romoro was right. She let you go with him because she believed from the bottom of her heart that it was what was best for you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said.

    If she had ever been aware of that, she had long since forgotten about it. Considering her age, it was a distinct possibility nobody had ever told her any of it. Not that it mattered much, in the end. The result was the same.

    ¡°So, I can¡¯t tell you how to feel about any of that,¡± Azure said. ¡°But just know that she loves you, and she only ever had your best interest in mind.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I am uncertain if I believe you.¡± Perhaps her knowledge of childrearing was insufficient, but it certainly seemed a questionable choice. Maybe that was just the benefit of not being in that position speaking, though. ¡°But¡­I appreciate your explanation.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Three

    After another trek up much of a mountainside, Azure stopped before a steaming pool of water about ten feet across. The wind blew wisps of the steam and heat toward the group, clashing against the general chill of the mountain. Azure turned back to Lusya and Ariya and grinned, while Ariya inched closer to examine the pool, frowning.

    ¡°Is this what we came out here for?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°It¡¯s just a pond. Why is it hot and smoking?¡±

    ¡°It appears to be a hot spring,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is steam.¡±

    ¡°One guess,¡± Azure said, smiling. ¡°Full marks.¡±

    ¡°It was not a guess.¡± It was rather obvious.

    Ariya nodded in understanding, and her mouth gaped as if she had just learned all the secrets of the universe. ¡°So, this is a hot spring. I¡¯ve read about them, but this is my first time seeing one.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re in for a treat,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°It is quite well-maintained for how remote it is,¡± Lusya said.

    There was a small stone wall erected around the spring, and virtually nothing foreign in the white hot water. In fact, the trees around it had been cleared to prevent anything from falling in. Considering they were miles from the nearest settlement, it was impressive.

    ¡°I hear people from the neighboring villages take turns keeping it this way,¡± Azure replied. ¡°They like a good soak too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice of them,¡± Ariya said, bouncing on her heels. ¡°Can we get in now?¡±

    ¡°You are quite eager,¡± Lusya said. Not that that was unusual. Ariya did not often balk at trying new things.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Every time I read about a hot spring, it¡¯s about how great they all are.¡±

    ¡°They are rather pleasant,¡± Lusya said. She might not have appreciated nature much, but a soak in a hot spring could be quite relaxing. While she didn¡¯t stress easily, that did not mean she could not enjoy relaxation.

    ¡°And it looks like we have the place to ourselves for now,¡± Azure said, shrugging off her pack and cloak. ¡°Ariya¡¯s right. Let¡¯s get in while that luck lasts.¡±

    Ariya watched the cloak flutter to the ground, then blushed as she looked up to find Azure unbuttoning her shirt. She turned to Lusya, who as also in the midst of undressing.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Do we have to get in naked?¡±

    Azure nodded. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s kind of like a bath.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re in the woods!¡±

    Ariya¡¯s reaction was curious. At the lake, she had been eager to swim. Even after realizing that necessitated undressing, she had hesitated for only a moment. There were several differences between that and this, but Lusya could not identify which were responsible. It might have been none of them. It could have been a matter of mood and whims.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s that or soak your clothes.¡±

    ¡°Which you will not do,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Even if you do not ruin them, we are not waiting for them to dry.¡±

    Ariya pouted and looked to Azure again. ¡°Azure?¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re the kind of girl who asks Dad when Mom says no, huh? So was I. Listen to Lusya.¡±

    ¡°If you do not wish to enter, that is also fine,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Just stay where I can see you.¡±

    Ariya looked to the pool, then back to Lusya, then the pool again. After another moment¡¯s hesitation, Ariya groaned and joined Lusya and Azure in undressing. Once all three were nude, they entered the spring.

    ¡°Hot!¡± Ariya squealed as she jumped in surprise, though she did not try to get out.

    Azure let out a contented sigh, leaning against the side of the pool. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. I can practically feel my stress melting away.¡±

    Lusya settled against a side as well. The water¡¯s temperature was quite relaxing, though she refrained from such overt expressions of such. Though a hike up the mountain wasn¡¯t much exertion for Lusya, the small bit of fatigue did somehow enhance the sensation.

    ¡°How are you two so relaxed?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°It¡¯s so hot!¡±

    ¡°Are you in pain?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, but it is kind of uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°It can be jarring when one first enters. You should adjust in a few minutes, but you are free to get out if you do not.¡±

    Ariya pouted. Unlike Azure or Lusya, she did not relax on the sides. Nor did she take up Lusya¡¯s offer to exit. She stayed rooted to the spot about a foot away, where her initial jump had landed her, standing still and tense as she tried to acclimate to the heat.

    ¡°Maybe Ariya¡¯s a little too young to appreciate this,¡± Azure said. She had her eyes closed now, and had adjusted her position so she could lay her head on the bank.

    ¡°I am sure there are many adults who do not enjoy hot springs,¡± Lusya said. She did not think it was an issue of age.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°Their loss.¡±

    Meanwhile, Ariya scowled at Azure. With a huff, Ariya marched to the side of the spring and leaned against it. Despite that, her body did not relax in the slightest. Nevertheless, her expression changed to a triumphant smile as she looked at Azure.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°See? I¡¯m a big girl,¡± Ariya said.

    Azure opened one eye to look at Ariya and smirked. ¡°So you are. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a kid, though. Everyone starts as one. Well, except demons. Romoro was five when I met him and six when he got Lusya¡¯s mother pregnant. Imagine how creepy that would sound if you said it about a mortal.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it,¡± Ariya said, frowning.

    ¡°You probably won¡¯t for a few years,¡± Azure replied.

    Ariya looked to Lusya. ¡°Lusya¡¯s different though, right?¡±

    ¡°I am a half-demon,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I was born like a mortal, and I have grown like one thus far.¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°Yeah, but I bet you were still super cool and grown up as a kid. More than me.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°Lusya was unique, but she was a child, and she was childish.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± Azure sat up straight, looked to Lusya, and smirked. ¡°Prepare yourself, Lusya!¡±

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked twice. ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°In your mother¡¯s stead,¡± Azure said, pointing as if to issue a challenge, ¡°I will take up the duty of sharing embarrassing stories from your childhood!¡±

    Lusya blinked again. ¡°I do not embarrass easily. Go ahead.¡±

    In fact, she could not remember ever feeling embarrassment. If anything, she was curious to hear what kinds of stories Azure would tell. Between her lack of memory of her childhood and her lack of humiliation, Lusya could not begin to guess.

    ¡°Ooh, I want to hear about Lusya as a kid,¡± Ariya said, bouncing in excitement. ¡°What kind of stories are there?¡±

    ¡°Hm. Well, maybe it¡¯s just the environment reminding me of this one,¡± Azure said, ¡°but one time, while Lusya¡¯s mother was bathing, Lusya burst into the room in tears and ran to her mother.¡±

    ¡°Lusya cries?¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    ¡°It does not happen often,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya nodded and let out a small ¡°ah,¡± indicating she understood. ¡°So, why was she crying?¡±

    ¡°I was getting to that,¡± Azure said. ¡°So, Lusya runs up to her mother with tears all over her face, and, of course, her mother asks what¡¯s wrong. Now, keep in mind this is secondhand information, but, if I recall correctly, Lusya¡¯s exact response was, ¡®I am a horrible monster who is hated by all.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I was an articulate child,¡± Lusya said. She did not have much experience with children, but she could not imagine Ariya saying anything like that when they had first met, nor any of the other children she had encountered thus far. Granted, Ariya was more eloquent these days, but that was after months of learning languages from Lusya.

    Azure nodded. ¡°Yes, you were.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°So, what did that mean?¡±

    ¡°It meant the cat living in the manor ran away when she tried to pet it,¡± Azure replied with a grin.

    ¡°¡­what?¡±

    ¡°I do not think I would become so upset over such a trivial matter,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Though it is true that animals do not like me.¡±

    She did not know why. She had no particular dislike for or hostility toward them.

    ¡°Yes, well, you were five,¡± Azure said. ¡°The cat not liking you was the worst tragedy you had ever faced.¡±

    ¡°So, what happened next?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Lusya¡¯s mother found the cat and held it so Lusya could pet it. It got used to her and they were friends.¡±

    Ariya sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m glad it worked out.¡±

    ¡°Why is it ¡®the cat?¡¯¡± Lusya asked. ¡°Was it not my mother¡¯s?¡±

    Azure pursed her lips. ¡°Well, for all intents and purposes, yes, but she didn¡¯t get it on purpose. It just kind of showed up in the manor one day. To this day, I don¡¯t think anyone really knows where it came from. It was healthy and well-fed even when she found it, so it must have been someone¡¯s pet, but no one claimed it when she asked around, and nobody ever came looking for it either.¡±

    ¡°A manor,¡± Lusya said. ¡°So, my mother was also a noblewoman.¡±

    Azure blinked, then her eyes widened, as if she had not expected that observation. ¡°Well, yes, she was. Is.¡±

    That was not surprising. Lusya had suspected as much from the start. Being friends with a noblewoman and Paladin, the most likely options had always been a noblewoman, Sacred Knight, or servant for her mother¡¯s identity. Or some combination thereof.

    ¡°That was a fun story,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I like hearing about Lusya being silly.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I guess it¡¯s because you¡¯re so cool. So hearing about you as a kid makes me feel like I can be like you one day.¡±

    ¡°That is not a goal you should aspire to,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Nor is it one you will achieve.¡±

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re not changing my mind. I¡¯m gonna be cool and pretty and strong like you.¡± She smiled at Azure. ¡°Can I hear one more story?¡±

    Azure grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you as many as you like.¡± She closed her eyes and hummed in thought before opening them again. ¡°Did you know that Lusya once wrote an essay on why she should have a younger brother?¡±

    Ariya giggled. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Three pages front and back,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±

    Azure nodded. ¡°It sure is. Little Lusya was quite the writer, though. She also penned about half a novel before she got bored and stopped. It was a shame, really. I wanted to see how it would end.¡±

    ¡°Was it good?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°For something written by a seven-year-old girl? Yes. In general¡­¡± Azure wriggled her hand in a ¡°so-so¡± gesture. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve read worse.¡±

    ¡°Well, now I¡¯m definitely gonna start writing something,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I¡¯ll make it at least half as good as Lusya¡¯s book.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you want to be a writer?¡± Azure said.

    Ariya nodded rapidly. ¡°I wanna write all about my adventures with Lusya, plus a bunch of other stuff too.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a nice dream to have,¡± Azure replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do great.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Lusya, can you give me the writing stuff next time we stop after this?¡±

    ¡°If you wish,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yay!¡± Ariya replied before looking back to Azure. ¡°So, what was Lusya¡¯s book about?¡±

    ¡°My memory¡¯s a little hazy,¡± Azure said, ¡°but I believe it was about a prince and a princess of rival kingdoms collaborating on an elaborate prank in order to save the world from destruction.¡±

    ¡°An interesting premise,¡± Lusya said. And one she was rather surprised she would write about. Pranks were a form of humor that still eluded her understanding, and she didn¡¯t think she could have invented an original one, let alone an elaborate one, if her life depended on it. Now that Azure mentioned it, however, Lusya did have a vague memory of writing something like that, though she would have to take Azure¡¯s word on the prank part.

    ¡°I imagine you would think so.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Did my essay work?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Azure said. ¡°Alas, your mother was solidly single and unconvinced by your argument that any random man would do as the father. As far as I know, you¡¯re an only child. Sorry to disappoint.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I may have desired siblings at the time, but I have no such desires now.¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with all that stuff,¡± Ariya said, ¡°but, Azure, your Sacred Blade does ice stuff, right?¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Yes, it does indeed do ice stuff.¡±

    ¡°Could you freeze this spring?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Are you still too hot?¡± Lusya asked. She did not think freezing the water was an appropriate solution to that issue, but it would not have surprised her if Ariya disagreed.

    ¡°No, you were right,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I¡¯m used to it, and it feels pretty nice.¡± She did appear to have relaxed and now leaned easily against the side of the spring. ¡°I was just wondering. Hot stuff is harder to freeze, right?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Azure confirmed, ¡°but freezing this would be easy. I¡¯ve frozen lava before, you know.¡±

    ¡°Lava is really hot, right?¡±

    Azure nodded. ¡°It makes this spring look like it¡¯s already frozen.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°For an example you might find easier to understand, I¡¯ve also frozen fire before.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°How does one freeze fire?¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve done it. Miudofay¡¯s flames were immune last I checked, though.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    With that topic concluded, there was a brief silence. The three of them soaked in the water, steam wafting up past them, with nary a sound.

    ¡°So, do you have any more Lusya stories?¡± Ariya asked.

    Azure replied with a grin broad as the sky. ¡°Plenty.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Four

    Azure groaned as she watched the glowing red western horizon. ¡°The sun¡¯s already almost set. This is gonna be tight.¡± She glanced back over her shoulder. ¡°Do you two think you can stand to go a little faster?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Of course you are,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You do not need to do anything.¡±

    She already had to carry Ariya in order to keep pace with Azure. Though Azure had not raised her speed above a brisk walk, Ariya had still struggled to keep up over extended periods of time. If they moved much faster, though, they would be running to the next town.

    ¡°However, I can still handle higher speeds,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do keep in mind that I cannot keep up with your top speed.¡±

    Azure nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± She looked to the west again and sighed. ¡°What do you think about pressing on through the night for a little bit?¡±

    ¡°I think that would interfere with Ariya¡¯s sleep,¡± Lusya said. ¡°She is already tired, and she cannot get proper rest at this speed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not tired,¡± Ariya said before releasing a long yawn.

    Azure cast one more glance at the horizon. The sky was stained orange there while it rapidly darkened above. They were close enough to the mountains that the sun was setting behind them, just barely peeking out behind a relatively low one. The nights were longer than days now, if only just. As winter encroached and the nights began to dominate, Lusya would begin traveling through the night a bit. For now, stopping just after dark provided a good cadence that seemed to suit Ariya¡¯s needs as well. It was doubtful she would sleep well while being jostled by movement throughout the night.

    Azure sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. We¡¯ll stop once it gets dark and pick up the pace tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is satisfactory,¡± Lusya said.

    They got in maybe another fifteen minutes of walking before it was time to stop. With Azure setting such a rapid pace, they covered quite some distance in that time.

    Azure was hurried even as they set up camp, though that had little bearing on their overall pace. She set up the tent and fire for cooking in record time. Lusya set up the pot, and, while she was doing that, Azure grabbed some ingredients from Lusya¡¯s pack and all but threw them at her. It had looked like Azure had grabbed the ingredients frantically at random, but they were, in fact, the right ingredients in the proper proportions for a particular recipe, albeit she had not consulted anyone else on if they wanted that dish. Still, Lusya was not particular, and it was usually a safe bet with Ariya, so Lusya saw no reason to make an issue of it.

    They took turns cooking, every other day, with days spent at inns not counting. Azure¡¯s cooking was comparable to Lusya¡¯s, perhaps a bit worse. That was perhaps to be expected of a woman of Azure¡¯s status. She would likely only cook during solo missions, if then. During the war, she might have often had companions to handle it or been provided rations that didn¡¯t require much or any preparation before eating. So, she had learned to do it well enough to get by and no more. Lusya, meanwhile, had to worry about satisfying Ariya¡¯s particular tastes.

    When the meal was done, Azure even wolfed it down at triple her normal eating speed. Although, impressively, this increase in speed brought with it only a marginal decrease in neatness. Ariya stared at her with brow furrowed in concern, while Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That was kind of cool to watch, but are you okay?¡±

    Azure gave a confused frown. ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°It gives the impression that you are concerned about an urgent matter.¡±

    Azure gave a nervous laugh. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing dangerous, so don¡¯t worry. I just want to get to the next town by a certain day.¡± She clicked her tongue and scowled. ¡°And, of course, I forgot to account for the hot springs taking us out of the way, and now it¡¯s going to take us forever to get to the closest town that doesn¡¯t involve backtracking.¡±

    ¡°What is this day?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°And why is it so important that we are in town for it?¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise. Just trust me.¡±

    ¡°Considering how your last surprise went, that is a bold request,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Technically, my last surprise was the hot spring.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Your last explicitly labeled surprise, then.¡±

    Azure sighed. ¡°That¡¯s fair. But believe me, this time will be different.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°There will not be a third time if you fail.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d better not fail, huh?¡± Azure replied.

    ¡°I believe in you!¡± Ariya proclaimed, waving her spoon in the air. ¡°Go, Azure!¡±

    ¡°Well, now I¡¯d doubly better not fail,¡± she said. In a facetious tone, she added, ¡°Thanks for the pressure, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya giggled and took another bite of her food.

    ¡°I am curious,¡± Lusya said. ¡°How did your encounter with Father go?¡±

    It was a rather spontaneous question. She had been wondering about it since Azure had first brought it up, but it was only now that she had decided to ask. She did not know why.

    Azure frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already give you the cliff notes? I¡¯m happy to repeat myself if you want, but¡­¡±

    ¡°The fight, specifically,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You did not give many details beyond him letting you strike and you refusing to kill him.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I wanna hear the story of you fighting the Demon King too,¡± Ariya said.

    Azure pursed her lips and stared into the fire, then shrugged. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no harm in it, but it¡¯s not that interesting of a story. I had the upper hand at first. I might have underestimated him, but I wasn¡¯t exactly expecting him to be a pushover, so I downplayed my Malice and went for a surprise attack.¡±

    ¡°You must have been skilled to do so against Father¡¯s senses,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°He was nowhere near his peak, of course, but yes, I was skilled back then too,¡± Azure said. ¡°Of course, he did pick up on what was happening eventually. Just in time to dodge my first attack, in fact. That put him on the backfoot, but he was still good enough that I couldn¡¯t land a decisive blow.

    ¡°Then he got his footing and turned the tables pretty hard. He trounced me for a while, but I eventually managed to adapt and make a bit of a comeback. I was still losing, but I was holding my own. I guess that¡¯s when he decided I was strong enough to kill him if he¡¯d let me. So, one time when I went for an attack, he didn¡¯t defend. He dropped his guard and tried to let me stab him¡­¡± she gestured to herself, presumably indicating roughly the spot her blow would have landed. ¡°¡­straight through his chest.¡±

    ¡°I am grateful that you were not able to do so,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But why?¡±

    Azure spoke of Father with a sort of admiration. She seemed to find him both noble and tragic in a way, and it seemed they had gotten along well during their association. However, Azure could not have known that any of that would come to pass at the time. She had implied before that Father¡¯s own conflicted feelings about his existence had stayed her hand, but it seemed doubtful she had known of that either beforehand.

    ¡°There were a couple reasons,¡± Azure said. ¡°For one thing, I thought it was some kind of trap. But mainly, it was his eyes. The look in them. So sad and resigned. It was hard to feel like killing him after I saw that. Of course, I demanded to know what he was doing, and he explained. He wanted me to kill him before the hatred of the world and his own instincts as the Demon King drove him to try to bring the world to ruin.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°What was he doing at the time, if he was not interested the usual goal of a Demon King?¡±

    ¡°When I found him, he was finishing off a demon that was causing trouble,¡± Azure said. ¡°In general, he was wandering Midbud helping people and doing odd jobs. He never stayed in one spot for long. Even some people with no motomancy ability can have a certain reaction to the Demon King, so he couldn¡¯t afford to linger.¡±

    That explained his name. ¡°Romoro,¡± meaning ¡°Wandering One.¡± Lusya had never known the full context behind it.

    ¡°Anyway, once he was done, he asked me to kill him. I refused, of course, and added another reason for doing so.¡± Azure laughed. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to do anything the Demon King told me to.¡±

    ¡°I get that,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Sometimes when someone says something, you just want to do the opposite.¡±

    ¡°I have observed that being contrarian can be a powerful motivator,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°You¡¯ve observed right,¡± Azure said with a smirk. ¡°That¡¯s about the long and short of it. A bunch happened afterward, of course, but we¡¯d be here all night if I tried to tell you about all of it.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you break it down?¡± Ariya said. ¡°And you could pick up where you left off tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I could,¡± Azure said. ¡°But I¡¯d probably need to sit down and decide how to do that. It would probably come out pretty confusing and disjointed if I just tried to tell it on the spot.¡±

    Ariya groaned in protest.

    ¡°It is time for you to sleep anyway, Ariya,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do not groan again.¡±

    Ariya shut her mouth just before doing so. She huffed and crossed her arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll tell you the rest someday,¡± Azure said. ¡°But only if you¡¯re good for Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Can I at least write a little before I go to bed?¡± Ariya asked.

    She had been working on whatever she was writing intermittently as they traveled through the valley. She wrote in Slarvish, and her penmanship was quite good, but Lusya had caught only hints of the project¡¯s contents thus far, and only when she happened to glimpse the page while Ariya was writing. If Ariya noticed Lusya looking, she would stop writing and hide the paper until Lusya moved on. Up to now, Lusya estimated that Ariya had written about fifty pages. That was about half of Lusya¡¯s paper supply, so she hoped Ariya was close to done. There was not much space for more. She mainly wrote when they stopped for camp or at an inn.

    ¡°You should have done so before dinner if you intended to, as per usual,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is time for you to rest now.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t feel like it then,¡± Ariya whined.

    ¡°You know it is bedtime after dinner. It is your responsibility to manage your free time accordingly.¡±

    Ariya huffed, crossed her arms, and pouted.

    ¡°A page or two can¡¯t hurt,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°Compromise now opens the door to greater compromise later,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am not budging on this.¡±

    Azure threw a sympathetic smile at Ariya. ¡°I tried.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go to bed,¡± Ariya said, standing up.

    ¡°Ariya,¡± Lusya said, ¡°what are you writing about?¡±

    Ariya grinned. ¡°Can I stay up if I tell you?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°No. I am just curious.¡±

    Despite being rebuffed, Ariya¡¯s smile did not falter in the slightest. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s a secret. Good night, Lusya!¡±

    Then she skipped to the tent and vanished inside without another word.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Five

    ¡°We have arrived,¡± Lusya said as buildings and people alike grew increasingly dense around them. ¡°Now, what was so important?¡±

    This was another decent-sized town, smaller than Deepwood, but still substantially bigger than most of the Elzen Valley¡¯s villages.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Azure replied. ¡°Just wait a little bit longer. Oh, there¡¯s the inn!¡± Pointing at the two-story wooden building, she added that proclamation before Lusya could say a word. ¡°You two head over there and wait for me. I¡¯ll be with you in a minute.¡±

    With no hesitation, she rushed off to parts of the town unknown at full speed, little more than a white blur. A few townsfolk had to brace themselves against wind and clouds of dust from her passing. Lusya had her mouth open, ready to ask what all the rush had been, but it did not seem that she was going to get the chance. She shut it and made her way to the inn. She could probably have chased after Azure, considering she probably wasn¡¯t going to leave town, but Lusya could wait to find out what was going on. It was doubtful Azure would be forthcoming anyway.

    The inn¡¯s dining room was unremarkable, with plain chairs and tables and a few cheap decorations hanging on the walls, namely a shoddy landscape painting, two fake swords, and a board with some antlers mounted on it. Lusya could not tell if they were real. Once they arrived, she walked to a table and set Ariya down in one chair before sitting in another.

    Although Lusya had carried Ariya much of the way in order to keep up with Azure, Ariya still somehow seemed fatigued from the journey. She yawned and rested her head on the table¡ªwhich could not have been very comfortable¡ªeyes half-closed. Lusya herself was fine, if a bit bewildered by the situation.

    ¡°Are you well, Ariya?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Just tired.¡±

    ¡°I am unsure how being carried has made you tired.¡±

    Lusya was not one to believe only physical exertion could be exhausting. Mental fatigue could be just as draining. However, she doubted that was the cause either. While she did not know what Ariya might have been thinking of while being carried, Lusya doubted it had been anything exceptionally complex or strenuous.

    Ariya shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It just did.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we will stop here for the day, then,¡± Lusya said, ¡°so that you can recover.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked before letting out another yawn. ¡°I think I¡¯d like that.¡±

    Lusya nodded. Ordinarily, it would have been a bit early to stop, and Lusya had not intended to give Ariya a break. She had had plenty of time to relax and enjoy herself since Azure had arrived. If Ariya was exhausted, however, that needed to be rectified before it facilitated anything more troublesome. Of course, it depended on Azure in the end. There was no reasoning with that woman, so her choice was often the deciding one. However, Lusya had a feeling that Azure would be in agreement this time.

    ¡°Hey, you two gonna buy something?¡± the innkeeper shouted across the room from the counter. ¡°Or just take up valuable space?¡±

    Considering there was no one else in the inn, the space could not have been that valuable by simple economics. The innkeeper drummed his fingers against the counter top, glaring as he waited for a response. He was a tall, muscular man, albeit one showing his advanced age, with a with a scar running down the right side of his face that just barely missed going straight through his eye, though the source of the scar was unclear. It could have been from battle, a barroom brawl, a kitchen accident, or all manner of things. Most would have found him an intimidating presence, but he would be disappointed if he thought Lusya would be among them.

    ¡°We are waiting for our companion to make a decision,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean,¡± Ariya added.

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°This isn¡¯t a charity. Pay for something, get out, or I¡¯ll put you out, kid or not.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head just a bit. ¡°Do not threaten her or me. I assure you we will at least buy a meal when our companion arrives. Until then, I suggest you be patient and stay quiet. Do not speak again until spoken to.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him, Lusya,¡± Ariya said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t that mean.¡±

    Lusya glanced at her and nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    The innkeeper¡¯s face, meanwhile, had transformed into a crimson mask of rage. ¡°You come into my inn and start threatening me?¡± He pounded a fist on the counter as he screamed. ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±

    ¡°You should be prepared to be threatened if you are going to threaten others,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The current location has little bearing on that.¡±

    ¡°You bitch,¡± he growled. ¡°Get out. Now.¡±

    ¡°Our companion instructed us to wait here for her,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you no longer desire payment, we will leave as soon as she arrives.¡±

    ¡°Can you not hear right out of those demon ears, reltus?¡± he asked, drawing himself up to his full height. ¡°I said now, not after your friend gets here.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Lusya looked at him and climbed atop her internal tree. This man¡­irritated her. The way he spoke, his needless, toothless aggression. She did not find him frightening, nor was she angry. He was just distasteful. She found something else right beside that feeling. She did not want to move because he annoyed her. Spite. She would not have normally been aware of such an impulse, let alone acted on it. Perhaps it was worth a try. There was little point of her new awareness if she did not experiment with it a little.

    ¡°And I am refusing,¡± she said.

    The man¡¯s mouth gaped in shock, then he took a long breath in preparation for a great shout, but the door opened before he could say anything. Azure entered with a bright smile and humming a tune to herself, carrying a small bundle. Her smile faded as she looked from his beet red face to Lusya, then back.

    ¡°I¡¯d say you could cut the tension in here with a knife, but it¡¯s way too thick for that,¡± Azure said. ¡°Are my friends giving you trouble, sir?¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes widened, his red face turning pale in an instant, his straight posture with chest puffed out melted into an obsequious, almost withdrawn one. ¡°N-no, not all, Lady Knight.¡±

    Azure gave a knowing smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. They can be a handful sometimes.¡± She set her bundle down on the table, then produced a coin and tossed it to the man. ¡°Three of whatever¡¯s in the pot, please.¡±

    The man caught the coin and nodded like there was a spring in his head. ¡°Right away, Lady Knight.¡±

    As soon as he disappeared into the kitchen, Azure pushed the bundle she had been holding across the table, toward Lusya. Lusya looked down at it and blinked. It was a rough rectangle covered by a sloppy wrapping of brown paper. She thought she could smell food from within.

    ¡°It¡¯s for you,¡± Azure said. ¡°Go on, open it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a present?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get a present?¡±

    Azure made a shushing gesture and winked at her.

    Lusya unwrapped the paper to reveal the contents. On top was another wrapped rectangle. The packaging on this one was much neater, even tied with a string to keep the packaging on. Below that was a book. Lusya put aside the rectangle first. It was soft, warm, and definitely smelled like food. She examined the book, titled ¡°Dragon¡¯s Force.¡± A quick flip through the pages suggested it was a novel, though it was hard to tell what kind, outside of that it seemed to involve wizards of some kind. She was not familiar with the title.

    ¡°I skimmed, and it seemed like something you would like, based on what I¡¯ve seen you read,¡± Azure said. ¡°I hope I chose right.¡±

    ¡°We will not know until I have read it,¡± Lusya said, pushing the book aside to focus on the other article. ¡°At the very least, it does not seem like something I will detest.¡±

    She unwrapped the remaining good. It was a cake, about the size of the book, its golden brown surface glazed with honey. It wasn¡¯t hot, but it was warm enough that it had probably come out of the oven quite recently.

    ¡°I got that from the bakery,¡± Azure said. ¡°Lucky that we ended up in a town big enough to have a discrete one.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°If we were in Seris, I would have gotten something fancier and personalized, but I worked with what I had.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You did a lot in that time,¡± Ariya said.

    Azure giggled. ¡°I¡¯m fast.¡± She looked at Lusya. ¡°So?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I am not objecting, but why are you giving me these things? Why were you in such a hurry to get here for this?¡±

    Azure¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I thought it would be obvious now.¡± She smiled. ¡°Happy birthday, Lusya.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday? Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Happy birthday!¡±

    ¡°I suppose it is the first of Dexmon,¡± Lusya said. That also explained the tune Azure had been humming, a song often sung in celebration of birthdays in the west. ¡°I do not always keep track of the precise date, though I do not think my birthday would be worth announcing anyway.¡±

    ¡°Of course it would be,¡± Ariya said, pounding the table. She was quite worked up considering it was Lusya¡¯s birthday they were talking about.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Well, then,¡± Azure said, ¡°why don¡¯t we eat that cake for dessert? Unless you want all of it, of course.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°That is not necessary. We may split it evenly.¡±

    Azure smiled and tore the cake into three almost even pieces. One was noticeably larger than the other two, which she then handed to Lusya with a wink. Lusya did not feel strongly enough about sharing to point it out.

    ¡°Have a taste, I want to know if you like it,¡± Azure said. ¡°I know you¡¯ve never had a big sweet-tooth, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I do not mind sweets on occasion,¡± Lusya said before taking a bite of the cake. ¡°It is good.¡±

    It was nothing extraordinary, but it did taste good. The right level of sweetness, just doughy enough on the inside. It was well-made. She set it aside so it could serve as dessert later. Sweets after a meal were much more pleasant than a meal after sweets, for reasons Lusya did not fully understand.

    Azure sighed in relief. ¡°Good. Looks like I did a good job picking stuff out.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You are very welcome,¡± Azure replied. ¡°So, how does it feel to be twenty?¡±

    ¡°No different than it felt to be nineteen.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°It sounds like a big deal to me.¡±

    ¡°Really,¡± Lusya said. ¡°There have been substantial changes in my life in the last year, but they have little to do with my age.¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fair, I guess.¡± She paused ¡°So, you often¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°I mean, did you often celebrate your birthdays with Romoro?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes. With varying extravagance depending on the circumstances.¡±

    Most years had been fairly low-key affairs. Father had gotten her a present and Rahgrahb had baked her a cake. It had been a good recipe. It made what Azure had bought her look like a mud cake.

    Some years had been different, though. Ten, sixteen, eight. Eight, in particular, had been a standout. The specifics had faded by now, but she recalled music, a feast, private performances, and more having occurred. She was not sure why eight, of all numbers, had¡­No, she did know. She had not yet adjusted to living with Father then. It had been an attempt to assuage her homesickness and longing for her mother. How things changed. Lusya could not imagine being desperate enough to see the woman to need comforting now.

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not too painful to think about now,¡± Azure said. ¡°I should have been a little more tactful.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°No, it is fine.¡±

    She rather enjoyed thinking on those celebrations, in fact.

    ¡°Well, if you were home, you¡¯d have a party that wouldn¡¯t lose to one thrown by a king,¡± Azure said. ¡°But, we¡¯re in the middle of nowhere, so this was the best I could do.¡±

    ¡°This is more than sufficient.¡±

    Azure hummed in thought. ¡°Well, you do seem pretty happy. Right, Ariya?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Super happy!¡±

    That was definitely overstating things a bit.

    ¡°Now, then, Ariya, do you know the song?¡± Azure asked.

    Ariya scowled in confusion for a second before he face lit up in realization. ¡°Only the words, and only in Fyemish. I think we sing a different one back home, so I don¡¯t know the tune.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Azure said. ¡°Just follow my lead.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°You do not need to si¡ª¡±

    They whirled on her in unison. ¡°We¡¯re gonna sing!¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Six

    Falin froze as he walked through the grassy plains of the outskirts of Flatfield Village. Out in the distance, was that¡­? This close to the village? It was. A high-rank demon, just a few miles out. It was too far to see, but near enough that it could have attacked any second if it wanted to. He hesitated. What to do about this? Go out and fight it now? Check in on the village? He needed to restock on food too. If this turned into a chase, what he had might not last. This demon seemed strong enough that it would be able to evade him for some time if it was persistent enough.

    After about a minute spent agonizing, Falin started walking farther into the village again. The demon was not moving toward the village. It seemed to be moving away, if anything. The village didn¡¯t appear to be any worse for wear either, from what he could see. So, the demon wasn¡¯t an imminent threat. Best to prepare first, in that case. He might be late if this was too drawn out, but defeating a high-rank took precedence.

    He looked around for a general store or the like as he entered the village proper. As he did that, he was forced to revise his assessment a bit. The buildings were no worse for wear. The people, not so much. The streets were all but empty, with the few people on them jumpier than usual. He was used to their ignorant glares and fearful glances by now, but these people were unique in the sheer terror of their wide eyes and in their reactions beyond that. They gave him a wide berth, even hugging walls to stay as far as possible. One man did seem to relax after taking a closer look and apparently noticing Falin¡¯s uniform¡ªwhich was foolish, the pure white outfit was designed to stand out¡ªbut, on the other hand, one woman squealed and ran to hide behind a house when she noticed Falin walking behind her.

    Others, Falin could see peering out windows at him. Some dove away as soon as he met their eyes, but most seemed to see his uniform and relax. He did notice, however, that there was a higher-than-average population here of people with missing limbs, eyes, or similar injuries. Their behavior was typical of villages having demon problems, and their injuries clinched it. The demon might not have been attacking right now, but it had. It might again. If he had to guess, it was making a game of it, showing up and using what must have been unstoppable power to the villagers to torment them without killing them or wreaking major destruction.

    That was how high-rank demons often operated. For all their power and fearsome reputation, instances of them actually wiping a town off the map were few and far between. Most were intelligent enough not to make themselves highest-priority targets.

    History attested that was especially true during tranquil ages, but even during turbulent ages, such destruction was rare. While the Demon King¡¯s ultimate goal may have been the world¡¯s destruction, it did not always serve him to wreak such havoc in the short term. Conquest, rather than annihilation, allowed his army to benefit from the resources towns and cities could provide, which was helpful in attempting to hold off his enemies until he could use the Final Release. On top of that, the towns¡¯ simple presence served as an insidious but effective fetter, as the Sacred Knights were rightly loath to cause destruction or the loss of innocent lives themselves.

    Falin¡¯s experience bore out the history. There was a distinct possibility he would still be alive to fight the Twenty-Second Demon King. If so, he hoped his experience would prove valuable. The Twenty-First had come far too close to success for comfort. Another point of proof that relti needed to take a leading role in confronting Malice.

    None of that changed his decision, though, especially not when he was already here. He might as well stock up as planned before going after it.

    The general store¡¯s owner jumped and reached for a knife on his belt when Falin walked in, only to relax a moment later, letting out a heavy sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­we¡¯ve been having demon problems lately. Gotten everybody a little jumpy.¡±

    ¡°And you look like a demon,¡± went unsaid. Falin knew he was thinking it, though. The situation didn¡¯t excuse it. If anything, it made it worse. It was times like this that proved humans needed to educate themselves so that they could tell the difference. Very few demons looked exactly like relti if you looked closely. Would the man have murdered some innocent reltus who hadn¡¯t been wearing a Sacred Knight¡¯s uniform? He might have tried. For that matter, he really hadn¡¯t looked at Falin closely before reaching for the weapon. The man might well have stabbed anyone who walked through that door who wasn¡¯t sufficiently obviously not a threat. Depending on who¡ªincluding if it was the demon itself¡ªhe was as likely to get himself hurt as them.

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    ¡°I¡¯d noticed,¡± Falin said. ¡°I¡¯m just here to stock up on food, then I¡¯m heading out after it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± the man asked, as if killing demons was not a Sacred Knight¡¯s job. ¡°Oh, thank you, Sir Knight. Please, take what you need.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be paying,¡± Falin said. ¡°It¡¯s our policy not to accept gifts, especially not ones given out of desperation.¡±

    ¡°At least let me give you a discount,¡± the man said. ¡°Anything I can do to help.¡±

    Falin sighed. ¡°Fine, make it a small one.¡±

    The man nodded eagerly.

    It was still improper, but Falin didn¡¯t think it was worth arguing about. Besides, it was nowhere near as bad as taking things for free. At worst, accepting a discount would earn him a mild scolding from some administrator who hadn¡¯t been in the field in years¡ªif ever¡ªif anyone ever found out. Which they would, seeing as he was obligated to report such things.

    Falin gathered what he needed, paid, and left. The shopkeeper had knocked a small amount off the final price that amounted to about ten percent. Definitely small enough that no one would make a big fuss about it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be praying for your success, Sir Knight!¡± the shopkeeper called after Falin, which he didn¡¯t think demanded a response.

    Falin hadn¡¯t taken three steps out the door when he noticed someone running at him.

    ¡°Please, Sir Knight!¡± the man cried out. ¡°Please, listen to me!¡±

    Falin stopped and allowed the man to run up to him. The man came to a halt, panting, just in front of Falin, and took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. The man had a short, stocky build, and a strong, square jaw. He looked relatively young, with a full head of black hair complimented by a well-trimmed beard and mustache.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Falin asked. He couldn¡¯t keep a note of annoyance out of his voice. Couldn¡¯t this man tell Falin was doing something important? Trying to help his village, in fact. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s my son,¡± the man said. He took a step forward and gripped Falin¡¯s shoulders, panic writ across his face. ¡°He¡¯s gone out after the demon outside of town!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Falin said. ¡°Why?¡±

    The man shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into his fool head. The demon¡¯s been causing trouble for a while. Showing up, hurting a few people, leaving. Earlier today, my son decided enough was enough and said he was going to kill it himself. I thought he was joking or making an idle boast, but no. I tried to stop him when I realized he was serious, but it was too late, and he got away from me.¡± He sighed and looked down at his feet. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to say I was too scared to leave town to look for him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Falin said. ¡°It¡¯s natural to be scared of something so dangerous. You made the right call. The demon is far too strong for you to risk it. I¡¯ll need some information to know who to look for. How old is your son? What¡¯s his name? What does he look like?¡±

    ¡°He turned ten earlier this year, Sir Knight,¡± the man said. He finally seemed to gather his wits enough to realize he was invading Falin¡¯s space, and released Falin and took a step back. Falin let it slide. Family bonds were a delicate thing that got emotions running high. It could happen to the best of men. ¡°His name¡¯s Jonik. About yea high, black hair like mine, but he¡¯s got his mother¡¯s blue eyes. He¡¯s been a bit hot-headed lately, but I never thought he¡¯d do something so foolish¡­Please, save him.¡±

    Falin nodded. ¡°You have my word that I will do everything in my power to keep him from harm. Do you know which way he went?¡±

    ¡°We have a vague idea of where the demon likes to hide out while it¡¯s not attacking,¡± the man said, pointing. ¡°It¡¯s over that way. I¡¯d imagine he headed there.¡±

    That was indeed the same general direction the demon was in. Falin could only hope the boy hadn¡¯t already encountered it. If that were the case, then it was, in all likelihood, already far too late. Even if the demon maintained its pattern of ¡°only¡± maiming him, there was a good chance he would bleed out before Falin could find him or that his wounds would become lethally infected.

    ¡°I was going after the demon anyway, but I¡¯ll make securing your son¡¯s safety a priority,¡± Falin said. ¡°He¡¯ll be back safe and sound before you know it. In the meantime, try to keep busy and stay calm.¡±

    The man gave a tearful smile and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Sir Knight. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll ever repay you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even bother thinking about it,¡± Falin said. ¡°I¡¯m a Sacred Knight. I don¡¯t need any payment for doing my duty, and the only one I¡¯ll accept is from the Executive Council.¡±

    With that, he sped out of town toward the demon and, hopefully, the boy.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Seven

    Falin spent almost a full day combing the area outside the village. Since the father¡¯s directions had been vague and Falin¡¯s senses weren¡¯t the most precise from this distance, he had little choice but to take a lengthy, winding path in the hopes of finding the boy on the way to the demon. Falin¡¯s ability to detect weak mortals was almost nonexistent, so he had to rely on his more conventional senses.

    Though he had stopped for a brief rest at night, Falin had been searching for almost the entire time since leaving the village. There was no sign of the boy so far. That was not encouraging. If the boy had caught up the demon, he may well have been dead. Then again, this demon seemed to enjoy crippling its victims, so maybe the boy was just missing an arm and bleeding out now. Falin doubted the family would be happy with that, whether the boy survived or not.

    On the other hand, it was also possible the boy had gotten lost. As the village¡¯s name implied, the area around Flatfield was a broad, featureless plain with nothing but grass for miles. Considering everything looked the same, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for even someone who lived here to struggle to navigate it. In that case, though, the boy was still in danger. If he couldn¡¯t get back soon, he was facing dehydration and starvation. Falin hadn¡¯t asked, but he had not gotten the impression the boy had taken the appropriate supplies for his self-imposed mission. In so much as there could be appropriate supplies for something so foolish. The terrain also meant the boy should have been easy to see, but, even going in the demon¡¯s general direction, there was a lot of ground to cover.

    Of course, it was also possible the boy had gotten smart and turned back, going back to town. That was rather likely, in fact, Falin thought. The boy may have been reckless and stubborn enough to run out to fight a demon, but surely he would be smart enough to realize he was in over his head and give up soon after. Falin may not have had a high opinion of the average human¡¯s intelligence, but this was just basic survival instinct. A cockroach could do it.

    And yet, as it turned out, this boy couldn¡¯t. Falin found him at last after a day, still trudging on in the direction of the demon. His movements were sluggish from fatigue. The bags under his eyes were big enough to hold his weight in gold. It looked like he hadn¡¯t slept since he had set out. Yet he was still moving forward inch by inch in languid steps.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Falin asked as he approached.

    The boy jumped in surprise and, after a moment of impotent flailing in fear, settled into a sloppy fighting stance, fists raised in front of him. His eyes scanned Falin and, another moment later, he relaxed his stance. Exhaustion and fear alike evaporated off his features, his bright blue eyes sparkling as a broad smile overtook him.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Sacred Knight!¡± he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Falin said. ¡°I asked you a question.¡±

    The boy stood tall¡ªas tall as he could, at any rate¡ªand puffed out his chest. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill the demon that¡¯s been attacking my village.¡±

    Falin sighed. ¡°I take it you¡¯re Jonik.¡± The boy matched the description. ¡°This is foolish.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± the boy said. He deflated and scowled. ¡°Now you sound like my dad. I¡¯m almost a man. I can handle this.¡±

    ¡°Your father asked me to find you because he was worried,¡± Falin said. ¡°And I see that he was right to be. This isn¡¯t about manhood. Demons are dangerous. A weak demon is beyond the strongest man without motomancy.  Even a child half your age knows that.¡±

    Technically, that was a bit of an exaggeration. A skilled warrior could handle the weakest low-rank, though with great difficulty. Still, that was talking about the cream of the crop fighting the bottom of the barrel. Anything else was beyond humans and even most relti. And it was besides the point, really. A high-rank demon could kill this boy with all the difficulty he would swat a fly. Maybe less. That was what was important to impart at the moment.

    Jonik looked at the ground and shuffled his feet nervously. ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But nothing,¡± Falin said. ¡°If you had even the slightest chance of success I would applaud your bravery, but all you were ever going to do is die. Do you know what a high-rank demon is?¡±

    Strangely, Jonik regained some cheer at that. He grinned and nodded eagerly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve read about this. High-ranks are the ones that look like relti, and they¡¯re really strong, right? Like, you¡¯ve gotta redraw the maps every time they fight.¡±

    ¡°Actually needing to do that is rare, but you¡¯ve got the gist right,¡± Falin said, although there was on an ongoing effort to revise the south¡¯s maps. ¡°They¡¯re strong, and they wreak massive destruction, often simply as collateral damage. The demon you¡¯re going off to fight is a high-rank.¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know that. I never saw it¡­¡± Jonik set his jaw and seemed about to continue his weak defense, but then hung his head again instead. ¡°Okay, well¡­maybe this wasn¡¯t my best idea. But the town was in danger! I couldn¡¯t just do nothing¡­¡± Before Falin could respond, Jonik sighed and shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I mean, that might have been on my mind too, but I mostly just wanted to show Dad that I was serious.¡±

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    ¡°Serious how?¡± Falin asked, though he got the feeling he was going to regret asking. ¡°What are you going on about?¡±

    Jonik sighed. ¡°My dad is the village¡¯s blacksmith. And, of course, he wants me to take over after him. He¡¯s been teaching me how to do it since I could walk. But I¡¯ve always hated it. The idea of doing that forever makes me want to chop my hands off. I want to be a Sacred Knight, to fight for and protect everyone, and I¡¯ve been telling Dad that for years.

    ¡°He keeps saying I can¡¯t, I have to be a blacksmith. But worse, I don¡¯t think he even really takes me seriously. He thinks I¡¯m joking, or that it¡¯s a phase, and any day now, I¡¯ll give it up and discover my love of smithing. I guess I wanted to show him that I was serious, that this was the job for me. It sounds stupid now, but that¡¯s what I was thinking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, it does sound stupid,¡± Falin said. ¡°The whole thing sounds idiotic. You ought to listen to your father. He knows better than you what¡¯s right for you and your family.¡±

    He was no stranger to conflicts of this sort. Falin himself had wanted to be an artist when he was younger. Or perhaps an artisan of some sort. He had never decided whether he preferred to put paintings in people¡¯s hearts or tools in their hands, but he had known he liked crafting beauty.

    Father had had different plans, of course. To dominate the Sacred Knights, show the world relti superiority, and spread House Rivelda¡¯s influence far and wide. With his older brother set to inherit the House, Falin was left as the piece in this plan. Father had made it clear that Falin would join the Sacred Knights, and Falin had agreed, as was his duty as a son of House Rivelda. Besides, those ambitions had been beneath him. Nobility enjoyed art, lesser nobility might have even taken up music or painting, but a Rivelda did not toil to create such things, and they certainly did not sully their hands with base pursuits like smithing or woodwork.

    Jonik groaned. ¡°Not you too! You¡¯re a Sacred Knight, you should get it.¡± He scowled. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t matter what anyone says, I¡¯m not changing my mind. Besides, there¡¯s no point to me becoming a blacksmith anyway. I wouldn¡¯t be any good at it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Falin said. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of practice like anything else. I won¡¯t deny talent exists, but you can overcome it in most things with enough hard work. My potential was considered middling as a child, and now I¡¯m a Paladin. I doubt your village¡¯s standards are that high either, to be frank.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a point, but¡ªWait, you¡¯re a Paladin?¡± Jonik exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! I got to meet a Paladin? Man, no one¡¯s gonna believe this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure most of your village saw me,¡± Falin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have much trouble convincing anyone.¡±

    Even though most couldn¡¯t recognize a Paladin on sight and Falin hadn¡¯t told anyone, most were quick to believe him, and he was sure the same would go for Jonik. Falin assumed they noticed the numerals on his uniform after being told, though he was wary of overestimating their intelligence. The rarity of impostors was likely another factor. Impersonating a Sacred Knight was a serious offense in most of Ysuge, a Paladin even more so. And while most had never seen one, descriptions and depictions of the Paladins were widely available. Not to mention that someone with a bit of motomancy knowledge could dismantle any such scam with ease.

    ¡°Oh, right you did say you talked to Dad, so you must have stopped by the village,¡± Jonik said. Falin had thought that didn¡¯t need to be said. ¡°What was I saying? Oh, yeah, you¡¯ve got a good point. I guess I can¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t be any good. I mean, shadows, as much as I don¡¯t want to be, I¡¯m already decent. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be as good as I could be, you know? Definitely not as good as Dad, and that¡¯s who everyone¡¯s gonna compare me too, including him.¡±

    Falin raised an eyebrow. ¡°And why is that?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Cause I don¡¯t want to,¡± Jonik said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to give anything my all when all I can think of is all the stuff I¡¯d rather be doing instead. Like, maybe if I liked it, I could be the best blacksmith in the world. Maybe even if I just disliked it a little, I could suck it up and be the best. But since I hate it, even if I say I¡¯m trying my hardest, I¡¯ll be, what¡¯s the word? Subcont¡­¡±

    ¡°Subconsciously?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that. I¡¯ll be subconsciously holding back. So, instead of the best, maybe I¡¯d be tenth best or something. And I¡¯d hate it the whole time. And then, since I¡¯m doing it anyway, I¡¯ll want to be the best, but I won¡¯t be because I hate it and I¡¯m holding back, so then I¡¯ll just get more frustrated, and round and round I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Falin snarled. ¡°What absurd reasoning. Truly that of a child. If you were going to say something so foolish, you might as well have ignored my question.¡±

    Jonik scowled and puffed himself up again. ¡°I already told you, you¡¯re not changing my mind, even if you¡¯re a Paladin. If you¡¯re gonna take me home, just go ahead and do it already.¡±

    Falin was quite tempted. He didn¡¯t want to be in this foolish child¡¯s presence for a moment longer. He knew why, but he preferred not to think about it. Unfortunately, taking the boy back right away didn¡¯t seem the best move.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re coming with me,¡± he said. ¡°Even if there wasn¡¯t a demon about, sending you home from here alone would be dangerous. Besides, the demon is getting farther away. If I take you home, I might lose track of it, and I can¡¯t allow something this strong to escape.¡±

    Jonik paled. ¡°I¡¯m¡­gonna be there when you fight the demon.¡±

    ¡°Close by,¡± Falin said. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find someplace relatively safe to stash you, and I¡¯ll do my best to ensure you don¡¯t get hurt. What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡±

    ¡°Just ¡®cause I wanna be a Sacred Knight doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m ready now!¡± the boy exclaimed. ¡°I already admitted it was stupid of me to come out here. You said a bunch of stuff was gonna get destroyed, right? I can¡¯t be a knight if I get destroyed.¡±

    ¡°My abilities are not terribly destructive, and I will make sure the demon doesn¡¯t harm you.¡±

    Jonik pursed his lips, then sighed. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll be fine with a Paladin protecting me.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Falin said. ¡°But first, lie down and take a nap. I¡¯m not slowing down to your snail¡¯s pace and I am not carrying you.¡±

    Jonik yawned and nodded. ¡°I could use a nap, but couldn¡¯t we find someplace to¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Now.¡±

    ¡°All right, all right, Great Telresen you¡¯re grumpy,¡± Jonik said, lying down. ¡°Oh, but first, what¡¯s your name? Which Paladin are you?¡±

    ¡°Falin Rivelda, Thirteenth Paladin,¡± Falin said.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Jonik replied. ¡°I¡¯m Jonik, future First Paladin.¡±

    Falin frowned. ¡°I very much doubt that. Go to sleep.¡±

    Jonik chuckled and closed his eyes. He was asleep less than ten seconds later.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Eight

    After another half-day of travel, Falin was almost upon the demon. With it constantly moving away, it had taken quite some time for him to catch up to it. He was fortunate it was not moving at anywhere near its top speed, otherwise he never would have caught it with the boy in tow. He would have had to choose between abandoning Jonik or giving up on killing the demon.

    Not that Jonik was slow. After a rest and some food and water, he was moving at a good pace, especially for a human child his age. A demon this powerful, however, could move far too fast for any human to keep up with, let alone a ten-year-old boy, if it so chose.

    Of course, even if the demon had been moving at full speed, it would have been a lengthy chase. Falin was confident he was faster than it, but, in all likelihood, it was fast enough to drag things out if it wanted to. On consideration, it probably wouldn¡¯t have been much different than the current situation. A higher speed chase would have given the demon more of an advantage, though. The fact that demons didn¡¯t need to eat would have been more impactful. They did need to sleep, but not as much as mortals. In other words, it would have been able to keep moving without stopping much longer than Falin. That was the case now, too, but it didn¡¯t mean as much when the demon was moving at a snail¡¯s pace

    It was curious that the demon had been moving away the whole time, considering it seemed to have been tormenting Flatfield for a while. He doubted its hideout was this far, especially if this was its usual pace. Which it probably was, seeing as it had been moving at more or less the same speed when Falin had first detected it. Maybe it was because it sensed Falin and was trying to flee? That seemed unlikely, considering its low speed. Unless it was trying to lure him into a trap. There was no way it could have known he would be here, but it could have set something up for Sacred Knights in general. Or maybe it had just gotten bored of Flatfield and was moving on. Whatever the case, it must have been feeling confident. There was no doubt a high-rank could sense Falin from this distance, yet it still seemed in no rush to escape him.

    He supposed it didn¡¯t matter much. Regardless of its motives, he just had to kill it. He was a Paladin, and he had higher to climb still. The likes of this demon were nothing to him. Even so, he didn¡¯t relish heading into battle with such a big unknown. It wasn¡¯t looking like he had much of a choice, though.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± he announced as he came to a halt. ¡°It will be dangerous for you to be near a fight of this level.¡±

    Jonik scowled and crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡±

    ¡°You should be,¡± Falin said. ¡°You¡¯ll almost definitely die if you get in the middle of this, and there¡¯s a good chance I will too. This demon shouldn¡¯t pose much of a challenge to me alone, but, if I have to protect you while I fight, that will be a different story.¡±

    Jonik sighed and nodded. ¡°Fine, I get it. I won¡¯t hold you back.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Falin gestured to a large rock on the ground nearby. ¡°Hide there and stay out of sight.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Jonik ran over and crouched behind the rock. It wouldn¡¯t provide much protection if the demon attacked, and the demon could likely sense Jonik, but it was better than nothing, if only just. Hopefully, with a Paladin to contend with, out of sight was out of mind.

    With that done, Falin moved on. No longer bound by Jonik¡¯s capabilities, Falin ran toward the demon at full speed. It was still moving away from him, still at that slow pace. It took only seconds for Falin to catch up. It was hard not to wonder what it was up to, but there was only one way to find out.

    ¡°Stasio,¡± he said, summoning his Sacred Blade to his hand. It was a simple sword in shape, but it was a brilliant gold from tip to pommel. He swung it as soon as he got in range, aiming right for the neck.

    The demon dove forward, avoiding the strike, and turned to face him as she stood. She only had one detail distinguishing her from a reltus, but it was an obvious one. Her sclera were black instead of white. Her short hair was blood-red, matching her eyes.

    She groaned as she laid eyes on him. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d give up if I just kept moving. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have been too lazy to run.¡± He didn¡¯t get the sense she was mocking him or lying, just griping. It really had been out of simple laziness that she had moved so slowly. It seemed he had been worried for nothing. She burst into a sudden grin and laughed. ¡°But at least this way, I get to kill you. I can avenge my brother too. I¡¯m sure it was one of you who killed him!¡±

    ¡°Your brother?¡± Falin asked, incredulous.

    It was the impossibility that drove him to ask. Demons materialized from Malice. They didn¡¯t have siblings, parents, or any other kind of family. There were stories of demons reproducing like mortals, even with mortals, but there had been no recorded instances of either in centuries.

    ¡°Yeah, I know demons aren¡¯t related to each other and blah blah,¡± she said flippantly. Then her face was a mask of rage and she was shouting. ¡°But we decided we were, so fuck you!¡± She giggled. ¡°I¡¯m Vaio, by the way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± he said, before surging forward and attacking again.

    Vaio danced back out of range. ¡°Rude. You¡¯ll pay for that, bastard! Kaovi!¡±

    She held out a hand and a green scythe materialized in her hands. The color wasn¡¯t uniform. There were countless shades of green on it in random splotches. They even shifted and moved, growing and shrinking, as she held the weapon.

    She swung her Demon Blade. There was a ripple in the air, then something slammed into Falin, knocking him off his feet and driving him back. The same thing hit him from below, launching him into the air.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Vaio was above him, scythe raised to strike at him. He air jumped away from the attack, and his cloak was sent fluttering by the outer parts of the blast that followed. A wind Blade. Always a pain to fight with their almost-invisible attacks, but nothing Falin couldn¡¯t handle.

    He air jumped back toward her, raising Stasio overhead. Vaio brought her scythe up to block, but his strength still drove her back down to the ground when he struck. He did a small hop to turn upside down, then pushed off another foothold to launching himself toward he ground. He landed on his feet less than a second after Vaio had done so on her back, but she was already standing again.

    Falin rushed forward and slashed from the left. Vaio snarled and raised her scythe to block with the shaft again. Two perfect copies of Stasio appeared to Falin¡¯s right and mirrored his strike. Her eyes widened, and she leaped back. Even so, Stasio¡¯s copies scraped their points along her upper chest and belly, leaving long, shallow cuts in their wake.

    ¡°That¡¯s your Blade¡¯s power?¡± Vaio exclaimed, eyes blazing. She laughed. ¡°Two more of the same sword? That¡¯s so lame. You just caught me by surprise is all.¡±

    Falin ignored her. Stasio was effective. It didn¡¯t need to be as flashy as his colleagues¡¯ abilities. As long as it could kill demons, it was plenty. He charged, thrusting out with his sword. He adjusted the copies¡¯ positions to be slightly below Stasio¡¯s main sword to either side, making it impossible to block all three stabs in one motion with her scythe.

    Instead, Vaio dodged to the side and prepared to counterattack. Before she got the chance, however, Falin whirled and swung. He kept one copy where it was, but dismissed the other one and reformed it so that it was coming from the opposite direction. Vaio moved back, choosing to block the two strikes coming from the same way, getting another scratch from the third sword for her troubles.

    It would have been nice if he had cleaved her in two there, but any hit on his opponent was a win. A true death of a thousand cuts would have taken much too long, but any wound would still weaken and distract her, no matter how little, taking him closer to that killing blow.

    She swung her scythe downward, but Falin saw the ripples in the air signaling her attack. He dashed to the side. The gust of wind that erupted from her weapon carved a trench through the field and sent grass and his cloak waving wildly, but Falin was unharmed. He rushed at her while she was recovering from that big swing and slashed toward her throat. One copy came at her from the opposite direction, while another bore down on her head. She leaned back, allowing the former two swords to graze her cheeks and the last to leave a shallow cut down the center of her face.

    One leg lashed out in a powerful kick to Falin¡¯s stomach. The force of it drove him back, but he barely even felt the blow itself. Although she was well above average as far as high-rank demons went, her strength wasn¡¯t sufficient to break through a Paladin¡¯s enhancement. Nevertheless, the attack provided Vaio with an opening. She surged forward and slashed at him. He batted the attack aside with his sword. Then a blast of wind erupted from the tip of the scythe as Vaio whirled. It drove her to turn faster and bring the scythe around in another attack. Fast enough that Falin couldn¡¯t get Stasio in position to block in time. The main sword, at least. All it took was a flick of the wrist to have a copy parry the blow. They all had his full strength behind them, a fact that often took his enemies by surprise.

    He recovered and slashed at her again, all three blades closing in from different directions. She kicked one away by the flat of the blade and parried the others with a single swing of her scythe before attacking once more. Now those swords were out of commission for a little while. That was annoying.

    Falin jumped into the air to avoid the wave of wind that once again rent the earth where he had stood, leaving the inert copies behind. Vaio leaped up over him and swung, sending out another gust to drive him to the ground. He landed hard on his back and looked up to see Vaio rocketing toward him, firing a gust of wind out behind her to boost her speed.

    Falin moved out of the way just as she brought the point of her scythe down into the ground, sending up a spray of dirt and dust. He was well out of range, but he slashed, dismissing the copies, reforming them, and sending them out ahead of him where they could hit. Vaio blocked one on the shaft of her scythe and twisted her body to avoid the other unscathed.

    ¡°I told you, two extra swords is lame!¡± she shouted. ¡°So what if they can reach a couple extra feet in front of you?¡±

    She swung her scythe once more. Falin brought up his sword, held vertical with the flat facing outward. The copies formed in front of him in a narrow wall, but it was enough to divert the brunt of her attack. Debris whipped through the air on either side of him, but he wasn¡¯t affected beyond a light breeze.

    Vaio was next to him in an instant, capitalizing on what she thought to be his vulnerability. Her scythe was held high, ready to carve out his skull. He materialized the copies to either side of her, but she jumped, kicked them aside before they could move, and swung. She had learned. Moving the copies independent of his sword swings wasn¡¯t quite instantaneous¡ªeven if he did so by dismissing and reforming them¡ªespecially after an external force had acted on them. In fact, he couldn¡¯t control them at all for a little while after that. Falin brought his sword down, and two more copies of Stasio sliced through her shoulders. Her scythe careened through the air overhead to land uselessly in the dirt, just as her arms flopped down to do the same. She screamed as blood spewed from her stumps and looked wildly from one blade to the next, until she had seen all four.

    ¡°Whoever said there were only two?¡± he asked with a smirk. ¡°Moving the copies might take some time, but creating new ones is about as close to instant as it gets.¡±

    He raised Stasio and the four copies formed up around her to strike from all sides. Of course, with only four, there was plenty of room to move, so she did. She turned and ran toward a gap. Toward, and not out of, because the cage of swords followed her, maintaining their positions relative to her.

    ¡°Nobody ever said they had to stay near me either.¡±

    He swung down, and the copies followed, slicing vertically down through Vaio from four different angles. Her mangled corpse unraveled as it fell into a heap of limps and entrails. Her scythe dissolved into motes of green light and floated away on an unfelt wind. Falin dismissed Stasio. It was over.

    ¡°Woah! That was so cool!¡±

    Falin sighed and turned to face Jonik as he ran toward Falin. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay put?¡±

    There was no way he had gotten over here so quickly, let alone seen anything to comment on, if he had been behind the rock. For that matter, he wouldn¡¯t have even known the battle was over. Though Falin did have to wonder how much of a fight of that level the boy had even been able to follow.

    ¡°Technically, no,¡± Jonik said with a grin that faded as soon as he saw Falin¡¯s scowl. ¡°Okay, I was, but I heard all the banging and wooshing and I got worried.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Paladin,¡± Falin said. ¡°I don¡¯t need a child to worry about me.¡±

    Jonik sighed. ¡°I know that. But I couldn¡¯t help it. It just didn¡¯t feel right to cower behind a rock while all that was going on, you know?¡±

    ¡°I do know,¡± Falin said. ¡°You still should have stayed hidden. Unless you¡¯re a beast, you need to learn to rein in your impulses.¡±

    ¡°I get it already,¡± Jonik grumbled. ¡°But, hey, neither of you noticed me until just now. So, it worked out, right?¡±

    Falin pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re hopeless. Let¡¯s just get you back home.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Nine

    Azure sidestepped a punch with casual ease, then backed away from the follow-up kick with just as little effort, letting it pass inches from her face for no apparent reason but to show off. Lusya launched into another kick aimed at Azure¡¯s chest, but Azure blocked it with a single hand. The shockwave behind the kick ruffled her hair and cloak, but that was it.

    Lusya retreated, though there was little need to. Azure never went on the offensive until Lusya almost landed a successful blow. Those last few had come close only because Azure allowed it, so they didn¡¯t count. So far, Lusya had yet to strike her opponent for real. Every time she came close, Azure overwhelmed her in an instant. It wasn¡¯t often that she came close for real, either.

    Perhaps that was to be expected of a Paladin, but that didn¡¯t make it any less frustrating. Lusya almost would have preferred that Azure crush her in an instant, though the reason she didn¡¯t was obvious. She had nothing to gain from doing so, while attempting to overcome such a superior opponent was a useful exercise for Lusya. Only so long as said opponent stayed on the defensive to give her a chance, though. She wouldn¡¯t learn anything from being destroyed in seconds. All that said, she could have done without the showboating. Azure¡¯s insistence on defending at the last second was a needless annoyance added to the mix.

    Lusya rushed forward and went on the attack again. She threw out countless blows, and countless blows were dodged or turned aside. She had started using Danfia¡¯s techniques more, but that only helped so much. Knowing that Azure was going to block with her right hand didn¡¯t help much if Azure was quick enough to react to any attempt to capitalize on it, which she was. Maybe for Danfia it would have helped more. Lusya was still slower to read such things. It was by the tiniest fractions of a second, but that meant everything in a battle of these speeds.

    After weeks of sparring, however, Lusya had picked up an additional advantage. She knew how Azure, specifically, fought. At least during these training sessions, that was. How she fought when she was serious was likely a different matter. It wasn¡¯t enough to predict every move, but, combined with everything else, Lusya often had a good idea of how Azure would react before she had moved an inch.

    That was why she knew Azure would step back to avoid that kick. Why she placed a foothold beneath Azure¡¯s foot, distracting her when her foot suddenly stopped higher than expected. Lusya feigned a punch, which Azure raised an arm to block, then threw a kick with the opposite leg. Azure was just disoriented enough. The kick hit Azure square in the side of the head. The impact shook the ground and send a cloud of dirt billowing out around them. Azure, of course, was neither harmed, nor moved. Lusya¡¯s foothold dissolved, allowing Azure to stand straight as Lusya lowered her foot.

    ¡°You hit me,¡± Azure said with a smile.

    ¡°Only because I have adjusted to your movements,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And because you are barely trying.¡±

    Azure clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Lusya was not sure why she felt the need to say that after already making the sound. ¡°Stop trying to downplay it. Striking the Seventh Paladin is impressive, no matter how you try to spin it.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª.¡±

    ¡°No buts!¡± Azure cut in. ¡°Take the compliment and be proud of yourself.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I cannot simply will myself to be proud, but I will accept your praise.¡±

    It was also probably true that she had picked up some more generalizable skills while learning Azure¡¯s fighting style. Lusya might not be able to apply knowledge of how Azure fought to other opponents, but she may well have improved her ability to read and analyze an enemy¡¯s movements in general.

    How that would apply to other opponents of Azure remained to be seen, though Lusya hoped it would not need to be any time soon. Not before Father was revived, at least. She would certainly not see the same results as against Azure herself, but there was reason to hope the experience would still serve her well. If she could be a stronger soldier for Father next time around, then all the better.

    Azure chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll settle for half. In any case, it¡¯s not as simple as you make it sound. That never would have worked a month ago, even if you¡¯d studied my movements for years.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said, nodding. ¡°My motomancy has grown stronger again.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Skill and all manner of special techniques only accounted for so much. When motomancy entered the equation, gaps in power could be insurmountable. That between Lusya and Azure still would have been if they had been fighting in earnest. But when they had started, Azure almost would have had to stand still for Lusya to land a genuine blow.

    ¡°Gee, I wonder why that is?¡± Azure asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Could it be because a beautiful woman helped you get more in touch with your emotions, which power motomancy?¡±

    ¡°I suppose it is,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is what has been driving my growth during this journey.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure fighting strong opponents helped,¡± Azure replied. She looked a bit disappointed, oddly enough. Perhaps she had expected more of a reaction to her sarcasm and humorous boast. Lusya had not found either amusing enough to dwell on. If anything, not acknowledging it was better for both of them. ¡°But I would guess that¡¯s it. You¡¯ve formed a lot of bonds and experienced a lot of feelings that are new to you. Of course that would make your motomancy stronger.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I suppose it would. Still, my growth has been quite rapid.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising, considering whose child you are,¡± Azure said. ¡°It would be weirder if you didn¡¯t improve quickly.¡±

    Being the Demon King¡¯s daughter did have its advantages. Lusya had always been stronger than most mortals her age, but she had plateaued a bit before this journey. Perhaps a change of environment had been what she had needed to realize her potential. She did wish it had been under different circumstances, but she would fix it.

    Azure¡¯s words were true. Lusya was not sure she would have said she had forged ¡°a lot¡± of bonds, but she had forged some. Chief among them was with Ariya. Lusya had grown attached to the child. It might have sprung out of her promise, but that attachment, that affection, was the reason Lusya protected and spoiled her. Lusya did not regret that, but it was temporary. She would not allow it to weaken her resolve. She would fulfill Father¡¯s request and see him again.

    Other than that, Ander had been a friend, but he was dead. She could not say the dead did not count, but it was a different sort of bond. Aside from Azure, who Lusya would have struggled to classify if pressed, nobody else was much more than an acquaintance.

    Still, the core of the matter was as Azure had said. Lusya had met many people and had a range of interactions with them. Making and mourning a friend, doting on a child, even offering encouragement¡ªif unintended¡ªto a struggling musician. All new experiences that stirred new emotions and brought new reactions from others, which in turn stirred more emotions.

    ¡°Your mother would be happy,¡± Azure said. ¡°She worried, you know. Even as a kid, you had trouble making friends.¡± She sighed. ¡°That was partly out of your control. Your mother couldn¡¯t well say she had a child with the Demon King, so she claimed some reltus who didn¡¯t wish to be involved was your father. Other noblewomen didn¡¯t exactly want to be her friend after that, nor did they want their children to be yours. Even with the kids who would hang out with you, though, you always seemed to have issues connecting with them.

    Lusya tilted her head and blinked. ¡°I do not have many friends now.¡±

    ¡°More than you might think,¡± Azure said. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty memorable person. I¡¯m sure plenty of the people you¡¯ve met, even if it was just for a little while, think of you fondly. You might not be close friends, but there¡¯s a bond there just the same.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lusya was still not sure she agreed that those people were her friends, but she had no basis on which to argue that they did not feel that way. She could not read what was in their hearts, and she was no expert on friendships.

    There was a brief silence. Azure sighed and looked up at the moon, as if for guidance. Lusya, in turn, looked at her, wondering what she was thinking.

    ¡°You¡¯re still mad at her, aren¡¯t you?¡± Azure asked.

    Lusya blinked. She considered the question for a moment before nodding. ¡°I am glad for the time I spent with Father, so I suppose I cannot complain about the result. Even so, being discarded does not endear me to her.¡±

    Azure just nodded, silent.

    ¡°Even with your explanation,¡± Lusya went on, ¡°it seems to me that she simply gave up when she suspected raising me would be more difficult than she had expected.¡±

    Azure cast her eyes down and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a fair way of looking at it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right, but it¡¯s easy to see how you would.¡± There was another silence, then she sighed again and smiled. ¡°But that¡¯s okay. Even if you never forgive her, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll keep on loving you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You would know better than I. However, if everything was as you say, I suspect her parting words would not have been a lie.¡±

    She remembered now, who had said those words to her and when, even if most of the details remained hazy. The words that influenced her to this day. The reason she would not inflict a broken oath on another.

    Azure did not seem to have a response to that and fell silent. They sat there for a while, not saying anything. A few times, it seemed as if Azure was about to speak, but she stopped at the last second each time. Lusya, in turn, had nothing more to say. If Azure did not say something soon, Lusya would consider this interaction finished and bid her good night.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d say we have time for one more round before bed,¡± Azure said at last. ¡°What do you say? I¡¯ll be kicking it up a notch, of course. Can¡¯t let you stagnate.¡±

    Lusya blinked. What an abrupt change of subject. Though not a surprising one, she supposed.

    ¡°I accept,¡± she said.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started,¡± Azure replied. ¡°Of course, you still get the first move.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty

    Falin returned to Flatfield the following evening with Jonik in tow. The boy marched along, humming an upbeat tune to himself. From the way he carried himself, one would have thought he had accomplished something during his little excursion.

    His cheer was a marked contrast to the sleepy, desolate mood of the village. With night fast approaching, the superstitious townfolk who believed demons hated the sun had become even more reclusive than on Falin¡¯s last visit. There wasn¡¯t a soul to be seen. Most homes were even devoid of light and sound, to avoid drawing the attention of a would-be attacker. A pointless measure against a high-rank demon, of course. He supposed it was possible one might be drawn to homes with obvious inhabitants, but it might just as well delight in attacking those who thought themselves safe. They might all have been despicable, but demons were individuals. It really came down to each one¡¯s preference.

    Pointless as it was, he supposed the villagers¡¯ cowering was harmless at worst. With no way to know how a demon would react, it was fine if they wanted to do whatever set their minds at ease with the illusion of safety.

    A few brave souls looked out their windows at Falin. Their eyes lit up as they saw him, then they scurried away from the windows, perhaps to inform friends or family. It would have been no surprise to learn that word had spread of Falin and his intent. They saw him and knew the demon had been defeated. Of course, none of them were brave enough to be the first to come out still. This time, he would give them the benefit of the doubt that they were driven by residual fear of the demon and not of him.

    ¡°Boy, where do you live?¡± Falin asked.

    ¡°I can get there by myself from here,¡± Jonik said. ¡°Thanks for everything.¡±

    Falin shook his head. ¡°I should at least escort you as far as your home. Lead the way.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Jonik said, shrugging.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dismissive,¡± Falin said. ¡°This is exactly the type of sense of duty a Sacred Knight must attain. If you say you wish to be one, then show some respect.¡±

    Jonik¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Are you saying I could be one now?¡±

    ¡°That is not what I said at all.¡±

    Quite the contrary, Falin still thought the boy¡¯s ambition foolish and disrespectful to his father. But if he was going to hold onto it until it was definitively crushed, he should at least honor what his hopeless dream entailed.

    ¡°I know what I heard,¡± Jonik said.

    ¡°Believe what you like.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will,¡± Jonik said. ¡°Anyway, thanks for walking me home, I guess. Come on.¡±

    He walked ahead, and Falin followed him through the village until they arrived at a small house with a forge situated outside and the glow of candlelight shining through the windows. It was obvious it belonged to the blacksmith at a glance. Jonik walked up to the home¡¯s door and pushed it open, entering with all the fanfare as if he had returned from an afternoon out.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°You can come in if you want,¡± Jonik said.

    Falin nodded and followed. It was only proper to see this through to the end. Inside were four others: the man who had approached Falin, a woman about his age, and two children younger than Jonik. All four were seated at a table at the center of the house¡¯s main room, eating what must have been their evening meal. It seemed a bit late for that, but it didn¡¯t much matter to Falin when others chose to eat. Though the house had not seemed that large from the outside, it did seem to be divided into proper rooms unlike many peasant homes. This appeared to double as kitchen and dining, with no sign of bedding or bathroom supplies. There were three doors leading to other rooms. Not enough for everyone to have their own, especially if one was reserved for a chamberpot¡ªhe couldn¡¯t say for sure, but he hoped so¡ªbut more space and privacy than the common man dreamed of.

    The four stared at Jonik with jaws agape and eyes wide, motionless. There was a long, silent moment before anyone moved.

    Jonik smiled sheepishly and blushed. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Jonik!¡± the woman cried out. She rushed forward and grabbed him in a tight hug. ¡°Never do anything like that again!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, Mom,¡± he said, his voice strained as he tried to pull out of his mother¡¯s death grip. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    His mother pulled back and wiped her eyes, allowing the father to grab Jonik in just as strong an embrace.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay!¡± his father exclaimed. ¡°You have no idea how worried we were.¡±

    Jonik hugged his father back. ¡°I know, Dad. I¡¯m really sorry. But there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±

    His father pulled back and looked at him with a deep frown. Jonik pointed at Falin, and his father jumped in surprise, clutching at his chest, as if Falin had appeared out of thin air.

    ¡°Sir Knight!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for ignoring you. Thank you so much.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for apologies or thanks,¡± Falin said. ¡°This is the least a Sacred Knight can do.¡±

    ¡°Well, you have our thanks anyway,¡± the mother said.

    Falin shrugged. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t stop you.¡±

    ¡°Can I say my thing now?¡± Jonik asked.

    His father nodded and put a comforting hand on Jonik¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Of course. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°This guy is a jerk,¡± Jonik said, still pointing at Falin. ¡°No, he¡¯s an asshole.¡±

    Falin scowled. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    Jonik¡¯s father gasped. ¡°Jonik, you can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Jonik went on, ¡°he still helped me, and looked out for me afterward, and he fought the demon for everyone, and it was super cool. Dad, I want to be a Sacred Knight like him. Just nicer. Please.¡±

    Falin clicked his tongue. The insults aside, hadn¡¯t this foolishness already been decided? Jonik¡¯s father wanted him to be a blacksmith. That was that. Nobody paid Falin any mind, however. They seemed to be back to ignoring him. He wasn¡¯t about to say anything, either. He felt dumber just listening to this stupid conversation. There was no way he was getting involved in it.

    Indeed, Jonik¡¯s father scowled, pursing his lips as he considered his response. He sighed. ¡°You know, son, maybe I¡¯m just too happy to see you safe to argue, but okay. If you¡¯re serious about it, and you really can¡¯t stand to take up my business¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Dad, but I really do hate it.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t stop you. Do your best, Jonik.¡±

    Falin clicked his tongue again. The fool caved so easily. Didn¡¯t he know what was best? Wasn¡¯t that the root of the whole issue? Yet here he was, giving in to a child¡¯s simple plea. How absurd. A reltus father, even a human nobleman, wouldn¡¯t have caved so easily.

    He turned and walked toward the door. ¡°With your son safe, I¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    ¡°Will you be at the inn?¡± the mother asked.

    ¡°At least let me buy you a drink,¡± the father said.

    Falin shook his head and kept moving without looking back. ¡°I¡¯ve already used enough time here. I need to move on.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the father asked. ¡°You must be tired. I know you said you can¡¯t accept payment, but certainly our hospitality is fine.¡±

    ¡°I am fine,¡± Falin replied. ¡°I will be going now, and there is no swaying me. Farewell.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-One

    ¡°¡®Restore the virtue of your soul,¡¯¡± Ariya read off the sign on the door. ¡°This must be some super special place, right, Lusya? Like some kind of magic shop or secret wizard guild.¡±

    ¡°I believe that is just a slogan,¡± Lusya said. ¡°This seems to be a dining establishment.¡±

    ¡°Right you are,¡± Azure said with a nod.

    Ariya looked at Lusya, shocked. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°The picture of of a steak on top of the slogan you just read was a clue,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya reexamined the door and blushed. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°It would also not be very secret as a building with prominent signage in the middle of town.¡±

    A tiny village, granted, but the point stood.

    Ariya¡¯s blush brightened. ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°There is also the name,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Though it is not surprising you would not be aware of its significance.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal with the name?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s been a bit of a trend recently,¡± Azure said, ¡°of establishments similar to taverns, but focused more on the food and the idea of being waited on.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°There are several names for such businesses, but ¡®restore point¡¯ has emerged as one of the most common.¡±

    Ariya pursed her lips and hummed. ¡°I don¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°It could use some more workshopping,¡± Azure added.

    ¡°Do not tell me as if it was my idea,¡± Lusya said. ¡°In any case, that brings us back to both the name and slogan.¡±

    Aside from the claim about restoring souls, the name, carved into the door right above the steak, was ¡°Minred¡¯s Restore Point.¡± It could not have been more obvious. The idea behind the name was that the food would restore one¡¯s energy, physical and mental. Which was true enough, and the slogan was a reasonable take off of the idea. Still, she found the slogan a bit dramatic, and the overall term was a bit awkward and didn¡¯t quite convey what the purpose was. Then again, tavern also didn¡¯t betray its purpose, so perhaps it was simply a matter of acclimation.

    ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°It is strange to see one here,¡± Lusya said. ¡°There have been elements spreading elsewhere, but proper examples have mostly been confined to urban environments.¡±

    The extensive menus they had encountered in certain inns were themselves an element of restore points. Traditional taverns and inns had more rudimentary menus if they had any at all.

    ¡°Yeah, not sure what the owner¡¯s thinking here,¡± Azure said. ¡°Not a lot of people even know about the place since it¡¯s out in the middle of nowhere. I don¡¯t think this village even has a triple-digit population.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But it¡¯s his call, I guess, and everyone who has eaten here says the food is to die for.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an expression, right?¡± Ariya asked nervously.

    ¡°It is,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I believe the implication is that the food is so good one would die fighting for it as they might a country or ideal.¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± Azure said with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s meant to be hyperbolic, though.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I felt that aspect was obvious.¡±

    ¡°Well then, shall we go inside?¡± Azure asked.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ariya said. ¡°I¡¯m up for delicious food.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go,¡± Lusya said.

    With Azure leading, they entered the building to the subtle scent of bread, meat, and wine. Just enough to be appetizing, it was a stark contrast to the typical tavern or inn, where one could almost choke on the scent of cheap ale and whatever was cooking in the kitchen. That was intentional, at least in part. The kitchen was sectioned off with a heavier door than the likes of a tavern, reducing the flow of smells. As Azure had said, part of the point was to make the patron feel like they were being waited on, as if by servants. Keeping the kitchen separate and the chef hidden, rather than a gruff innkeeper front and center to speak with, was part of that.

    That said, the fact that the place was almost empty likely played a part. Considering Lusya and the others had been able to have a conversation right in front of the door without holding anyone up, it was hardly a surprise to find the inside almost deserted. There was one table occupied by an old man loudly slurping spoonful after spoonful of some kind of soup.

    He wasn¡¯t the only other person there, however. A bored looking girl stood by the kitchen door, examining her nails. She didn¡¯t seem to notice Lusya and others enter, nor the door closing behind them. While most servers in an inn or tavern simply wore ordinary clothes, this girl wore a black dress with an apron over it, giving her the appearance of a wealthy house¡¯s servant, albeit a rather inattentive one.

    Azure stopped before a wooden sign propped up near the door reading, ¡°Please wait to be seated.¡± That seemed more inconvenient than simply sitting down to Lusya, which seemed to run counter to the goal. They stood there for a couple minutes before Ariya tugged on Lusya¡¯s cloak for attention.

    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± she whispered.

    ¡°That woman,¡± Lusya said. She turned to Azure. ¡°I do not think she sees us.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it, does it?¡± Azure said. ¡°Excuse me!¡±

    The girl squeaked looked toward Azure. The girl¡¯s eyes widened and her face paled. She hoisted up her skirt to allow herself to run to the sign and clasped her hands, pleading.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lady Knight,¡± she said. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Minred about this, he¡¯ll kill me.¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°No harm done. Our lips are sealed.¡±

    The girl sighed in relief, then gestured toward a table. ¡°Please, follow me this way.¡± She led the way to the table she had indicated, where every chair was pushed as far in as it would go. She pulled a chair out just enough for Azure to sit in, then repeated the process for Ariya and Lusya. That was probably why they had to wait. So she could pull out the chairs in an attempt to make them feel pampered. Lusya did not miss how she hurried to back away once Lusya was seated. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with menus.¡±

    The girl rushed to the kitchen, then returned shortly afterward with three sheets of stiff paper with writing on them. She handed them out to each of them. Once again, she took extra caution with Lusya, holding the paper out by the very tips of her fingers. If Lusya had done anything to earn that, she was not aware of it. It was likely her apparent status as a reltus, her natural demeanor, or some combination of the two.

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    ¡°Please, call me over when you know what you want,¡± the girl said. ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ll bring some water out for you.¡±

    She scurried back to the kitchen, while Lusya and the others looked over their options.

    ¡°This menu looks familiar,¡± Azure said after a moment.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡±

    ¡°The listed items are quite similar to that in the inn we first stopped at with Azure.¡±

    ¡°That guy had a brother, right?¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°The girl working there did say that,¡± Azure said.

    The girl working here returned with three glasses and a carafe of water moments later. ¡°Have you decided what you want?¡±

    They all placed their orders, with Lusya deciding to go with a similar pasta to at the inn. It had been quite good there. Azure had been right. That was annoying, somehow.

    ¡°Does the owner of this establishment have a brother?¡± Lusya asked as the girl prepared to leave.

    The girl flinched as Lusya spoke, then gave a hesitant nod. ¡°Minred? Yes, he does. I understand they have something of a beef.¡±

    ¡°And what is the point of contention between them?¡±

    ¡°From what I can gather, they both trained as chefs. They promised to go into business together, but then Minred wanted to start one of these new-style places, and the brother wanted to bring better food to a traditional inn. They had an argument over it and haven¡¯t spoken since.¡±

    ¡°That is remarkably petty,¡± Lusya said. It did also line up with what they had heard at the inn. It indeed seemed this was the brother¡¯s business.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my job to judge them, miss,¡± the girl said. ¡°Um, do you need anything else?¡±

    ¡°How does he afford to keep this restore point in such shape?¡± Lusya asked. While there was nothing especially expensive on display in the building, what was there was pristine. Not a speck of dust or so much as a scratch on anything. Even the sign had looked like it might have been painted yesterday. The other brother¡¯s inn had been much the same, and¡ªwhile it had gotten more business¡ªit had hardly been bustling either. ¡°There is almost nobody here.¡±

    The girl squirmed as if the mere act of conversing with Lusya was uncomfortable. ¡°Well, as I understand it, their old man is loaded. He used to be some hotshot merchant, then up and became a recluse and moved to the valley. I guess he chips in, but I don¡¯t really know all the details.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. That explained it. It also explained how two random inhabitants of the valley had been able to travel the continent and afford culinary training for the both of them.

    That was all she wanted to know, but the girl was still standing there, looking around as if for an escape route while she waited for Lusya to say something else.

    ¡°You may go now,¡± she said.

    The girl nodded and hurried off.

    ¡°How did you know about this place, Azure?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°How did you know about a lot of stuff here?¡±

    ¡°Your knowledge of the Elzen Valley¡¯s attractions is quite extensive,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°I told you I wanted to take the scenic route. And if I was going to do that, I was going to do it right. I did a lot of research trying to find the best places to visit.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a shame this place has such a reputation as a backwater. There¡¯s some cool stuff here.¡±

    ¡°You also seem to view it that way,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. It is hard to shake that impression completely. Maybe that¡¯s for the best. This place would probably lose a lot of its charm if a lot people moved here and started building it up.¡±

    No one else entered the restore point as they waited for their food. The man eating soup paid for his food and left, and no replacement arrived. With no bar or staircase to rooms, the place was a little larger than the typical tavern or inn dining room. The extra space only made it feel more empty.

    It was about twenty minutes before the girl emerged again, carrying all the food on a single tray. She set the tray down on a nearby table and began transferring dishes over to Lusya¡¯s. Azure¡¯s saucy steak and Ariya¡¯s pasta¡ªshe had opted to imitate Lusya¡¯s order¡ªwere placed in front of them without incident along with their respective drinks.

    When it came time for Lusya¡¯s meal, the girl once again held the dish as little as possible, as if she was afraid of what might happen if she and Lusya made contact when Lusya took the plate. The girl, unfortunately, did not have sufficient grip strength in just the ends of her fingers to make this work. The dish clattered to the ground and shattered, splashing noodles and sauce all over the floor. The girl stared in stunned silence, then let out a high-pitched squeal.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll go get something to clean that up and get you another one right away!¡±

    Once again, she returned to the kitchen. Lusya watched her go, then turned away and cocked her head a bit.

    ¡°Uh-oh, Lusya¡¯s mad,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I am more annoyed than angry,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°At least she just seems nervous, more than anything,¡± Azure said. ¡°I don¡¯t think she means anything by it. That¡¯s admirable, really. It¡¯s the tiniest villages like this where people often have the most trouble with outsiders.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Her nerves did not bother me until this happened. Now, I am¡­retroactively irritated at her prior behavior as well.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you can express that so easily, at least.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, eye-widen!¡± Ariya called out, before taking a sip of her juice.

    Apples were in season, so fresh-squeezed apple juice was on the menu. None grew around here, but they were close enough to be transported with a bit of ice to preserve them. Even over a short distance, though, that must have been expensive. It was not a common service. Another fruit of this Minred¡¯s father¡¯s fortune, it seemed. Most establishments would not be bale to afford something like that, especially on so little business.

    ¡°You do not need to point out my expression,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I want to, though.¡±

    Lusya blinked. She supposed there was no harm in it. Azure could read her expressions anyway, so there was no risk of giving unwanted hints. ¡°Do as you wish.¡±

    Azure took a bite of her meal and hummed appreciatively. ¡°This is really good. Better than the inn, I¡¯d say. I think I¡¯ll spread the word a bit. It¡¯d be a shame if it shut down, and people will flock here if a Paladin endorses it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything special about food.¡±

    ¡°The Paladin¡¯s are widely known and respected,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Well, I know that.¡±

    ¡°That respect may bleed over into areas where her opinion ought to have no extra weight and lend it strength,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Though I do not understand why either.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°You could stand to word that a bit more flatteringly, but that¡¯s about the gist.¡±

    "What do I always tell you?¡± a man¡¯s voice shouted from the kitchen. He was muffled by the walls but still easy enough to hear.

    The girl replied, but her voice was much quieter, and it was impossible to make out the words. She sounded plaintive but not frightened, so the man¡ªMinred, presumably¡ªexploding could not be an uncommon occurrence. The girl did not strike Lusya as having the fortitude to stand her ground if she had grown accustomed to it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Human, tiransa, reltus, dog. Shadows, you¡¯re no Sacred Knight, if a demon walks in here and orders my food, you serve them with a smile!¡±

    Ariya giggled.

    ¡°Hush,¡± Azure said, though she was also grinning.

    ¡°And that¡¯s another thing,¡± the man continued. ¡°Serve! Half the point here is to make the customer feel like some rich asshole getting waited on hand and foot, so stop talking to them like some common tavern wench!¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°I could just go home if I wanted to feel like that.¡± She paused. ¡°I think I won¡¯t mention the staff in my review.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what they¡¯re talking about,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya was ambivalent on the subject. The feeling of being served or groveled to held little appeal to her. She had had servants at Father¡¯s castle and had rarely made use of them, preferring to get things done herself. While she was fine being waited on in a dining establishment where not doing so was not an option, the extra flourish and emphasis restore points put on it was meaningless to her, neither a boon nor a demerit.

    The girl said something else to the man, sounding incredulous.

    There was a brief pause. ¡°Yes, actually! That¡¯s a brilliant idea. Start doing it right now. Now, get out there and do your job!¡±

    It was now much easier to understand how this man might have had a falling out with his brother over a minor difference in business strategy. The girl walked out holding a broom, a rag, and a dust pan, looking quite chastised. She swept what she could into the pan and wiped most of the sauce up with the rag.

    She briefly placed both of them aside and, her face bright red, approached Lusya. The girl lowered into a clumsy curtsy, almost losing her balance in the process.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier, miss,¡± she said. ¡°Your food will be out again in a minute.¡±

    ¡°Your apology is accepted,¡± Lusya said.

    The girl smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She grabbed her cleaning implements and returned to the kitchen.

    ¡°That was mean,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I do not know what you are referring to.¡±

    Ariya crossed her arms and huffed. ¡°Yes, you do.¡±

    ¡°I assure you, I do not.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Well, I guess we can¡¯t expect you to figure everything out about yourself so quickly.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Two

    Redtree may have been the most lively town Lusya had visited thus far in this journey. Oh, it had less people than the likes of Gavamir and Zentril, but, by and large, the people there were simply going about their day. She arrived to Redtree, meanwhile, to the sound of drums echoing through town and the people in red and yellow costumes doing elaborate dances in the streets.

    She doubted it was so active every day, of course. This was obviously some kind of celebration and not the town¡¯s default state. Still, for now, the inhabitants were all bursting with energy.

    ¡°Yes! We made it in time for the Redtree Festival,¡± Azure said, eyes gleaming.

    ¡°A festival?¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to a festival. What¡¯s it about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s celebrating the coming of autumn,¡± Azure said. ¡°I think, originally, the idea was that autumn would be flattered and last longer or something, that way you¡¯d have a shorter winter. These days, though, I don¡¯t think anyone believes that. It¡¯s just kind of an excuse for a big party.¡±

    ¡°Either way, it seems rather belated,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Autumn is well underway.¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t decide where to put it. Anyway, what should we do first?¡±

    ¡°You are the only one who knows anything about these festivities,¡± Lusya said. Her cursory research of the area had not contained any information on this festival. ¡°Suggest something.¡±

    Azure hummed in thought. ¡°We could go watch some performances?¡±

    ¡°Ooh, is there a play?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°I like plays.¡±

    ¡°I do not think you can so confidently say that after one,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya replied with a smug grin. ¡°I just did.¡±

    Azure laughed. ¡°I think there will be one later, but not right now. You wouldn¡¯t be able to hear them over the music anyway.¡±

    ¡°I can barely hear you right now,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Lusya blinked.

    Azure grinned. ¡°Kidding. Right about now, there¡¯s probably dances¡ªthis one and others¡ªplus things like jugglers and sword swallowers.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°None of that sounds cool.¡± She paused. ¡°Do they actually swallow swords?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is an illusion, essentially.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s lame.¡±

    ¡°A play is also not real,¡± Lusya pointed out.

    Ariya huffed. ¡°That¡¯s different. I don¡¯t wanna watch the fake sword people.¡±

    Lusya was inclined to agree, so she let the matter drop.

    ¡°I guess the dancing could be fun,¡± Ariya said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure I wanna use time on it, since Lusya will probably make us go to bed early.¡±

    ¡°That depends on your definition of ¡®early,¡¯¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But you are most likely correct.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of stalls selling stuff,¡± Azure said. ¡°We could try some street food. I think there are supposed to be some games too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, games!¡± Ariya exclaimed, jumping in excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Azure looked to Lusya.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I have no objections, and there is nothing else in particular I would like to do.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a look around and see what we can find.¡±

    Azure led the way through the area, all of them keeping an eye out. The town was quite populated for the area. Enough so that they had to push through a few dense crowds, though that was, in part, because of the centers of many roads being reserved for dancing, music, and other traditional performances. Though it was hard to know exactly how many of these people were residents of the town. It was quite possible that Azure was not the only outsider intent on attending. Still, it did seem like a relatively large town from the looks of it.

    They passed all manner of stalls set up for the festival and businesses with special offers in celebration. Typical sights for a festival like this, with the most common products on offer being street food and souvenirs. The former seemed to suffuse most of the village with appetizing scents, though sometimes two smells clashed and became disgusting instead. One man had chosen to sell something with the strongest garlic smell Lusya could ever recall right next to a bakery selling mostly sweets for the occasion. Those scents did not go well together.

    It did not take long to locate a game, though they almost missed it. It looked like many of the more familiar stalls selling food or knick-knacks around it. Although it was a bit fancier than the typical street stall, with a full tent providing cover from weather and creating a more defined work area, that was also the norm at this festival, it seemed. Only on closer inspection did it become obvious that the game was something different.

    An older man manned the counter, with an elaborate stack of wooden pegs painted in a rainbow of colors on the table behind him. He smiled as Lusya and the others approached.

    ¡°Welcome, Lady Knight,¡± he said. ¡°In town for the festival?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Azure said. ¡°The little one wants to play a game.¡±

    Ariya huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not that little.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Of course,¡± the man said. He produced a ball from somewhere under the counter and placed it on top. It, too, was brightly colored, with every color of the pegs represented at least once on its surface. ¡°Do you need me to explain the rules?¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°I probably know them, but go ahead.¡±

    The man nodded and launched into an explanation. The rules were about what Lusya had expected. She had not attended many festivals, but she knew of many of their trappings and had heard of this game. It was quite common, and, while there were some variations, the basic rules were almost always the same.

    It was simple. The player threw a ball at the stack of pegs. The more one knocked over, the better they performed. The pegs were stacked such that parts of the pile could collapse without the whole thing falling apart, so it was a bit more difficult than it sounded, or so Lusya had heard. She had never played the game herself.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I thought,¡± Azure said. ¡°Any prizes?¡±

    Many such stalls had prizes based on game performance. Lusya understood toys were common due to the popularity of the game with children, but more expensive items like jewelry were sometimes mixed in to entice adults. This stall, however, did not appear to house anything of the sort.

    The man frowned and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Only prize I have on offer is fun. On the other hand, I¡¯m not charging per throw either. Just trying to contribute a bit to the festival atmosphere.¡±

    That was a fair trade, not that Lusya cared about the prizes to begin with. From her reading, most games like this charged for each attempt, with the prize values and difficulty of the game carefully tuned to make getting the more valuable ones in one try unlikely. They were designed to wring money out of children and parents desperate to please them. None of that would have mattered to their group, but, in principle, eliminating both fee and prize made sense.

    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Ariya said. ¡°We don¡¯t need prizes anyway, right?¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Lusya said. They wouldn¡¯t have had much space for one anyway.

    Azure hesitated. ¡°Well, prizes are nice, but I guess we can manage.¡±

    The man chuckled and rolled the ball across the table for Azure to catch. ¡°Well then, try as much as you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s going first?¡± Azure asked.

    ¡°I can wait,¡± Ariya said.

    Azure looked to Lusya.

    ¡°I have no strong feelings about this game.¡±

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    ¡°Guess I¡¯m up first, then,¡± Azure said.

    She reared a hand back and threw. Though it didn¡¯t seem she had used anything near her full strength, the ball still slammed into the stack of pegs and knocked them all to the ground.

    The man looked from Azure to the pegs and laughed again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m really glad I don¡¯t have prizes now!¡±

    He stacked the pegs again, retrieved the ball, and handed it back to Azure, who looked to Lusya.

    ¡°Ariya can go next,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡±

    She handed the ball to Ariya. Ariya lifted it over her head with both hands and clumsily lobbed it at the pegs. She hit one near the middle of the stack, which didn¡¯t so much as budge. Ariya scowled as the man picked up the ball, not bothering to check on the pegs. He once again handed it to Azure, who extended it toward Lusya.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya replied as she took the ball.

    She threw the ball and, like Azure, had no problem knocking down every peg.

    The man gave an impressed whistle. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what you get out of a Sacred Knight and friends. I probably shouldn¡¯t be so surprised.¡±

    Ariya scowled. ¡°I wanna try again. After you take your turn, Azure.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°That¡¯s sweet, but there¡¯s not much point in Lusya and I hogging time when we already got the best possible scores. You just take as many turns as you want. Right, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. It wasn¡¯t as if they had anywhere else to be. ¡°You may play as long as you like, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya beamed as the man finished stacking the pins once more. He handed her the ball, and she wasted no time in throwing it to about as much effect as the first time. The third time did not go any better. Each time she used the same awkward motions. She even stumbled a bit on the third throw.

    ¡°Perhaps you ought to revise your throwing technique,¡± Lusya suggested as Ariya stomped her feet, seething as she watched the unmoving pegs.

    Ariya looked up and pouted. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You are not as strong as Azure or me,¡± Lusya said, ¡°but proper technique will improve your chances of success.¡±

    A frown furrowed Ariya¡¯s brow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the way I¡¯m throwing?¡±

    ¡°As you can see, it is quite ineffective.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Fine. Can you teach me?¡±

    Lusya did not think imitating her and Azure from memory would be that difficult, but there was little reason to refuse. Moreover, Lusya did not want to. Teaching Ariya herself had a strange appeal.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    The man once more finished his stack and handed Ariya the ball. Rather than throw it, she looked to Lusya expectantly.

    ¡°Bring one arm back like this,¡± Lusya said, demonstrating. ¡°Twist your shoulders and hips this way. When you throw, turn them the other way. Be sure to flick your wrist too.¡±

    ¡°You and Azure didn¡¯t throw like that,¡± Ariya said, pouting.

    ¡°As I said, Azure and I are much stronger than you. This technique will allow you to compensate to some extent. Try it.¡±

    Ariya copied the motions as Lusya instructed. She even did a few mock throws to test it.

    ¡°Am I doing it right?¡± she asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°You are.¡±

    It was a bit clumsy, but for a young child doing it for the first time, it was fine. Ariya assumed the position and threw with all her strength. The ball hit the right side of the stack, knocking down three pegs right away. Two pegs above, including the top one, lost their supports and tumbled down a second later.

    ¡°I did it!¡± Ariya said, leaping into the air in excitement. ¡°Did you see, Lusya? I knocked some down!¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I saw.¡± She gave Ariya¡¯s head a quick pat, and Ariya beamed. She deserved to be rewarded for effectively following Lusya¡¯s instructions. ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°You two are so cute,¡± Azure said. ¡°Do you want to keep trying, Ariya?¡±

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s like Lusya said. I¡¯m not as strong as you guys. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna be able to knock them all down.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Azure replied. ¡°Good on you for recognizing your limits. But that doesn¡¯t mean accept them, okay? I expect you to throw harder than anyone¡¯s ever thrown before next time you need to.¡±

    Ariya laughed. ¡°I will! I¡¯ll practice super hard!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Azure said with a soft smile. ¡°Shall we move on, then.¡±

    ¡°I support that suggestion,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya smiled. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for doing this,¡± Azure said to the man. ¡°It was fun.¡±

    ¡°No problem at all, Lady Knight,¡± he said with a grin.

    ¡°Thanks for the fun, old guy!¡± Ariya said, waving, as she walked away with Lusya and Azure.

    He chuckled and waved back. ¡°My pleasure!¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just call people ¡®old guy,¡¯¡± Azure whispered.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°He is an old guy, and I don¡¯t know his name.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rude.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°Lusya?¡±

    ¡°I believe that is conventionally true,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not care, and that man seemed fine, but others may take offense.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hurt anyone¡¯s feelings. I won¡¯t do it again!¡±

    Lusya nodded. She noted a family of four approaching the booth as they left. She had noticed them waiting earlier, but they hadn¡¯t caused a fuss, so she had not said anything. Ariya¡¯s enjoyment took priority of their children¡¯s.

    Lusya and the others moved on and perused the rest of the festival. They sampled a bit of the food, which was quite good, though it could not quite live up to the standard set by the restore point. And Lusya still held Rahgrahb¡¯s food as the best she had eaten. They browsed through miscellaneous goods on offer, from books to clothes to weapons. Ariya was not allowed to touch the latter, much to her disappointment.

    They watched a few of the performers. Lusya did not care for them. The likes of jugglers and sword swallowers were too one-note for her tastes, but, despite her earlier protests, Ariya was fascinated, and Lusya was willing to tolerate them for her sake.

    As the night wore on, the festival¡¯s traditional drums faded away and the traditional dance came to a close, both giving way to more interesting performers. Lusya saw music, small plays, and even a mock sword fight. Based on the carts and wagons she saw, Lusya deduced that many of the performers were members of traveling troupes. It seemed the festival was big enough to draw at least a few of them in. Some of the other performers seemed to be solo travelers, and Lusya guessed a few were amateurs from around town. Many of those had other locals watching, yelling encouragement or gibes, joking or otherwise.

    ¡°Well, that was fun,¡± Azure said a couple hours in, when they had found a less crowded square to take a break in. ¡°I¡¯m glad we came.¡±

    ¡°It was super fun!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°Festivals are awesome.¡±

    ¡°Lusya?¡±

    ¡°Some of the performances have been enjoyable,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± She turned and started walking back toward the crowd. ¡°Now, wait right here, please. I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Azure looked back over her shoulder, but did not stop. ¡°Just wait there and trust me.¡±

    Then she entered the sea of mortals and pressed on. She was still visible for some time in her distinctive clothing, but conversation or pursuit would have been awkward. And, even with the clothes, her height meant she was obscured after a bit. She was about the same height as Lusya, a bit below average.

    Ariya hummed a song they had just heard to herself, then looked up at Lusya. ¡°Where do you think she went?¡±

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. She couldn¡¯t think of much reason. Perhaps Azure wanted another snack or the like, but it was unlike her to split the group for such a purpose. Another surprise was possible, but it could only be a gift if Azure had to go by herself to prepare it, and Lusya could not think of any occasion to justify that. Unless Azure meant to celebrate the festival itself? The only other possibility Lusya could think of was the bathroom.

    ¡°I like her,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°She is tolerable,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°Are we gonna see the play later?¡±

    ¡°Doubtful,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It will likely extend too late for you to get adequate sleep if we are to leave in the morning.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°I knew it. I would be fine.¡±

    ¡°Proper sleep is important for mortals,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Especially children. I will not have your health compromised by fatigue.¡±

    ¡°Then we could leave later in the day.¡±

    ¡°That is not acceptable,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will not allow a delay for a play.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Azure returned shortly afterward, holding a wooden carving in one hand and a paper in the other.

    ¡°This is yours,¡± she said, holding the carving out to Lusya. Once Lusya had taken it, Azure presented the paper to Ariya. ¡°And this is for you.¡±

    Lusya examined the carving. It was a miniaturized replica of the statue of Garfit they had seen earlier, small enough to hold in her palm. Given the reduced size and difference in material, a loss of detail was inevitable, but it was an admirable attempt.

    Ariya¡¯s paper appeared to be a small landscape painting, depicting a lake from atop a mountain. It might have been the same lake they had visited, but it was difficult to say for sure. She held it up and beamed at it.

    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m standing right there.¡±

    That seemed hyperbolic, but the painting was quite lifelike, especially considering its size. Whoever had made it was obviously skilled.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± Azure said before looking to Lusya.

    ¡°It is well-made,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I like it. What is the gift for this time?¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°Just a souvenir. We won¡¯t be together much longer now, you know. Not that I need a special reason to give you something.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Wait here. Ariya, come.¡±

    ¡°Lusya, wait, you don¡¯t need to¡ª¡±

    Lusya was already leading Ariya away. It was strange. Even examining her emotions, Lusya was not sure why she felt obligated to do this. It didn¡¯t matter much, in the end. Azure had been paying for almost everything as of late, so Lusya had money to spare.

    ¡°Are we buying something for Azure?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Two things. One on behalf of each of us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice.¡±

    There was one difficulty in that Lusya did not know what Azure would like. Lusya had only a superficial knowledge of the Paladin¡¯s interests, and not everything she liked would make a good gift necessarily. Clothes were a safe bet, but they came with the usual issues. Something small like a hair decoration seemed insufficient. Same for some of the cheap, handmade necklaces and bracelets being sold. Proper jewelry, on the other hand, was still too expensive.

    It was by chance that Lusya spotted something that seemed appropriate lying on a random stall. It may have been a bit belated, but it was something Azure was interested in. She purchased it immediately, then looked to Ariya.

    ¡°What would you like to get?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya pursed her lips. ¡°For Azure?¡± She hummed in thought as she looked around. Her eyes lit up and she pointed at something on a distant table. ¡°Oh, maybe that?¡±

    Lusya walked closer and examined it. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°She must have thought the thing she got you was cool, right? Well, this is like the same, but better.¡±

    ¡°I do not concur with your assessment,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But this is a gift from you.¡±

    She bought the item and they returned to Azure.

    ¡°This is from me,¡± Lusya said, handing Azure the book she had bought.

    ¡°¡®History of the Elzen Valley,¡¯¡± Azure said, reading off the cover as she took it. She smiled. ¡°You really didn¡¯t need to get me anything, but thank you. I was meaning to look into the things I skimmed over in some more depth.¡±

    ¡°I thought so,¡± Lusya said. She held out the wooden doll Ariya had selected. ¡°This one is from Ariya.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it cool?¡± Ariya asked.

    Azure grabbed the doll and turned it about to examine it. It depicted a young woman. Considering the small dress it wore and the tiara on its head, it might have been meant as a princess, but it had not been labeled at the stall. There were a series of levers on its back. Azure pressed one of them down, and the doll raised its left arm above its head.

    Ariya gasped. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it could do that! It¡¯s even better than I thought.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t say I play with dolls much, but this is some good craftsmanship, and moving dolls are interesting. It¡¯s great, thank you, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya grinned. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    ¡°Well then,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯d say we¡¯ve still got some time before we need to turn in for the night. What do you say, Lusya? Up for some more festival fun?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will not object.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Three

    It was not much farther to the next town now. After that, it would be a matter of days before they reached the end of the Elzen Valley. Perhaps a week at the most. Assuming all they did was travel, that was.

    ¡°Are there any more stops you intend to make?¡± Lusya asked.

    Azure shook her head. ¡°Nope. The Redtree Festival was the last one. It¡¯s a straight shot out of the valley now.¡±

    That was about what Lusya had expected. Azure buying souvenirs had been a hint, and there couldn¡¯t be much more to see at this point anyway. In that case, there was little for them to do but head for the exit.

    ¡°Aw,¡± Ariya whined. ¡°All the stops are so much fun, though.¡±

    ¡°It is better this way,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I did enjoy some of them as well, but we have a mission to accomplish. It is time for us to resume our journey in earnest.¡±

    This had been an enjoyable diversion. She had not planned on one so soon after Zentril, but she did not regret meeting Azure or traveling as they had. Aside from amusement, Lusya had even gotten some useful information and insights out of it.

    Ariya sighed. ¡°I know. I¡¯m still gonna miss all this fun stuff, though. Oh, and you too, Azure.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Azure said with a bittersweet smile. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you both too. I¡¯m sure this won¡¯t be the last time we cross paths, though.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Lusya asked.

    Azure shrugged. ¡°Call it a hunch. It might be a long time, but it¡¯ll happen.¡±

    If it did, Lusya suspected it would be on the battlefield, with Ariya long dead. Even then, Lusya doubted it. Despite all her recent growth she was still not strong enough to fight Azure. When the war resumed, Lusya would endeavor to avoid Azure and the Paladins in general. She didn¡¯t say any of that, though.

    ¡°I see,¡± was her only reply.

    They walked on for some time. It was not silent, but Azure did most of the talking. At the moment, she was relating another tale from Lusya¡¯s childhood. She had climbed a tree and been too scared to come down. This, Lusya had a vague recollection of. Many of the details, however, she had forgotten, and so much of the story was new to her. This was apparently after the cat incident, as the cat had climbed up after her and attempted to comfort her, only to wind up stuck itself. A servant had helped them both down, and Lusya had given him a silver coin as a reward. Said coin had been stolen from her mother, according to Azure.

    ¡°Why had I stolen a coin?¡± Lusya asked. She wasn¡¯t sure what use she would have had for it as a child living in a noble manor.

    ¡°There was a merchant visiting the manor,¡± Azure replied. ¡°You were going to buy a toy.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Was my mother not going to allow me to have this toy?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t even ask,¡± Azure said. ¡°You just grabbed the coin to buy it with.¡±

    ¡°I see. That does sound like something I would do.¡± It was something she had done, in a more extreme manner, in recent memory. ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°So, of course, Lusya was scolded for getting herself in that situation, praised for her generosity, and scolded for stealing in quick succession,¡± Azure said. ¡°And she didn¡¯t get the toy she wanted. You would think she would be scared of climbing after that, but you would be wrong. She spent the next week trying to figure out the best way to climb trees, so she could get down on her own.¡±

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    Ariya giggled. ¡°Are you still good at climbing trees, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is not a skill I need often.¡±

    ¡°Even when you do, you don¡¯t really need to climb the tree thanks to motomancy,¡± Azure said.

    ¡°That is also true.¡± She could just jump to the top if she needed to.

    Ariya sighed. ¡°I wish I could do cool motomancy stuff.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be able to someday,¡± Azure said. ¡°No one starts out being able to. You¡¯ll just have to learn.¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Lusya, will you teach me?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I do not think you meet the requirements to use motomancy at present, nor do I think I am suited to teaching you from nothing.¡±

    Both those statements were true. In the former case, Lusya intended to keep it that way. Ariya¡¯s purity was what prevented her from being able to use motomancy, and that needed to be preserved at any cost. In that latter, while Lusya had offered to teach Ander, he had already known some motomancy. She had no idea how to teach someone who couldn¡¯t use any motomancy to use it, nor did she remember how she had been taught initially.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°Is there anything I can do to be able to use it?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But it is better if you do not, for the sake of our mission.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said. That seemed to be all the explanation she needed, as she broke into a smile. ¡°Okay. If you say so, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I do.¡±

    With Azure¡¯s story concluded, there was a brief silence as they walked. Ariya was the first to break it again.

    ¡°I know we¡¯re done visiting cool places,¡± she said, glancing around. ¡°But this area is really boring.¡±

    ¡°It is not dissimilar to other stretches we have passed through, even within the valley,¡± Lusya said. She did not dispute the point, though. It was flat, open land in all directions. She might not have had much of an opinion on many landscapes, but this one was relatively uninteresting, in so much as any were interesting.

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It still feels boring, though.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you have become too accustomed to Azure¡¯s diversions, and it has lowered your tolerance for boredom,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It will pass.¡±

    Azure grinned. ¡°Sorry.¡± Despite her smile, she did sound apologetic. ¡°I know you two probably had a good rhythm going. I didn¡¯t mean to mess with that.¡±

    ¡°It is fine.¡±

    Ariya had taken time to acclimate to the pace Lusya set to begin with. Lusya was sure she would adjust again with time.

    There was another brief silence, then Lusya and Azure abruptly stopped, forcing Ariya to do the same with her hand in Lusya¡¯s. Luysa¡¯s eyes were drawn to the northwestern horizon, toward the town they were supposed be headed toward.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ariya asked, looking from Lusya to Azure and back before directing her gaze to horizon as well. ¡°Is something bad over there?¡± She shuddered. ¡°Another demon?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said. It was far worse.

    ¡°Arguably worse,¡± Azure said, clicking her tongue. Lusya had not expected an agreement from her. ¡°I knew he was supposed to be passing through here too, but I was really hoping we¡¯d miss each other somehow.¡±

    ¡°You know this mortal?¡± Lusya asked.

    It was not strange for that to be so. Such a powerful mortal was no doubt a Sacred Knight. A high-ranking one, in all likelihood. It was doubtful Azure knew every strong Sacred Knight, but being familiar with one didn¡¯t seem like it would be unusual either.

    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Azure said. ¡°He¡¯s an annoying little brat.¡± She glanced at Lusya. ¡°And I doubt he¡¯ll be particularly understanding about your presence.¡±

    ¡°I cannot imagine many Sacred Knights would be,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°I¡¯d be able to reason with some of them, but this one¡­He¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°So, why aren¡¯t we running, then?¡± Ariya asked, her head cocked far to the side.

    Azure sighed. ¡°It would be against decorum for me not to go meet him. I would be fine with that, but, more importantly, if I can sense him, he can probably sense us, including Lusya.¡±

    ¡°It would reflect poorly on you if I simply left,¡± Lusya said.

    Azure nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care what he thinks, but it could be trouble if he tells anyone. For all of us.¡± She grimaced. ¡°I have to go, but I¡¯ll take the heat if you don¡¯t want to risk it.¡±

    Lusya considered for a moment.

    ¡°We will accompany you,¡± Lusya said. ¡°He is already coming this way, and he may be able to catch me if he pursued, especially with Ariya with me. It is better to confront him head-on.¡±

    Azure smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Thanks seemed rather pointless when Lusya was doing it for her own sake, but she held her tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can to make sure no one gets hurt.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Four

    With another drop in the endless sea of homely huts and dirty hovels he had been forced to wander left behind, Falin continued his journey. He had at last reached the Elzen Valley proper, if only just. The town behind him was the second within the valley he had visited, with the first being right on the cusp.

    Nothing much had changed from the previous region. Just more tiny homes and ignorant townsfolk. If anything, they had gotten worse. Maybe it was the isolation of the valley, or maybe it had just been a more stupid than average breed of human that hat taken root here. He didn¡¯t particularly care whether nurture or nature was at fault. It was the end result that mattered to him. On the bright side, he would admit there had been some nice scenery on the way in, with the mountains and all. The sun rising over the peaks, casting its rays down upon a land covered with the thinnest of mists, was a feast for the eyes, and a sight he would not soon forget. As a former aspiring artist, he could appreciate a good landscape and nature¡¯s splendor. It was these humans living so close to beasts that he took issue with. There were ways to enjoy nature and be civilized, if one cared to put in the effort. At least at first, he had been able to put those methods into practice, although he doubted his example would be followed.

    Now, however, even the views were gone. The valley was wide enough that one often could not see either edge, and that was the situation Falin found himself in now. He was surrounded by the same flat grass and trees he had seen before arriving. Now, Falin was no uncultured swine who could only enjoy nature in the form of grand, sweeping vistas. Lonely, open fields had their charms too. But he had seen enough of them for this trip. He had tired of them, as anyone would after months of almost nothing else. He might have considered a trip to the mountains for the view¡ªand the variety¡ªalone, but he did have a job to be doing. He couldn¡¯t delay it for such a petty reason, even if he was on track to arrive early. He did still have his investigations as a detour, after all, and there was always the off-chance that he would find something significant that would further delay him. Besides that, it just wasn¡¯t right to put off his mission for personal enrichment.

    So, the journey was going to remain just as dull as before for the foreseeable future. Worse, he wasn¡¯t even halfway to his final destination. He would be, approximately, when he reached the end of the valley, but that was still a month off. And while Zentril would offer a respite, he was not optimistic that rural areas elsewhere would be any different. With few exceptions, they hadn¡¯t been in his past experience. It wasn¡¯t like he could try to avoid them either, aiming for the most populous settlements he could. The whole point was for him not to do that. Moments of rest would be few and far between from Zentril to Ovda. He could at least stop at Klarc¡¯s hometown on the way. Falin hadn¡¯t thought highly of the boy in life, but he had given his life to defeat the Demon King, and that deserved recognition. For now, though, he would need to learn to live with boredom.

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    At least, that was how it seemed before he sensed something close by. Another powerful mortal. One he recognized, much as he wished he didn¡¯t. The hag, of course. He almost cursed himself for complaining about boredom. Clearly, some deity or another had seen fit to show him how much worse things could get. He would take a lifetime of boredom over the frustration of having to hold a conversation with the Seventh.

    He slowed his walk to a crawl. He did not change course to go meet her. Decorum and his orders demanded he did, but it was the last thing he wanted. He had some plausible deniability, at least. He could claim he thought this road would turn and meet her. That seemed unlikely, based on the general direction he sensed her from and the way his road was going, but he didn¡¯t know the area well. Then, by the time he realized he had been wrong, he would have had to backtrack to meet her, and it was more important that he continue toward his duties in the south rather than exchange pleasantries with a fellow knight. Yes, that was a plausible story.

    With a sigh, he dismissed that notion and turned off the road. He knew pretending wasn¡¯t an option. It had been a fun fantasy, but it wouldn¡¯t do to neglect his obligations, no matter how unpleasant. That was beneath a man of his station. If he had been willing to do that, he would have stopped talking to the humans of the region except to pay for things long ago and done his sanity wonders in the process. Might as well get this over with.

    Then he came to a halt. There was someone else with her. Something else. He had been too distraught to notice, but there it was. There was something strange about it, something he couldn¡¯t identify, but that was definitely a high-rank demon. Yet there didn¡¯t seem to be any signs of a fight. It was possible, but unlikely, that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear or see anything from this distance, even if only barely. There were no surges in Malice either, and neither of them seemed to be moving as he would expect from a fight¡ªthough, in fairness, something like that could have slipped by his senses. Taken all together, it certainly did not seem that the Seventh was fighting this demon. What was she doing then? Just talking to it? The hag was known for being a bit soft, for reasons nobody quite seemed to know, but even Falin never would have thought she would associate so openly with a demon.

    How fascinating. He had to know what was going on there. His reluctance evaporating, he started walking again, this time at a hurried pace. Even if he hadn¡¯t been curious, a demon in the valley was something that needed immediate rectifying, regardless of the Seventh¡¯s foolishness or his reluctance. Besides, while it wasn¡¯t likely this was going to be fun, it was all but guaranteed to be interesting.

 Book Three - Thirty-Five

    After about thirty minutes of walking, the other mortal Lusya had sensed came into view on the horizon, dressed in the same immaculate white as Azure. A shock of long-ish green hair marked him as most likely being a reltus. As he got closer, his lavender eyes and pointed ears confirmed it. Much like Azure¡¯s uniform, his had a stylized number embroidered in gold over his heart. In his case, it was thirteen instead of seven.

    Also like Azure¡¯s uniform, the numbers were rather small and subtle. It was an interesting choice to make the distinguishing feature of the Paladins¡¯ uniform so nondescript. According to Azure, the point was to emphasize that, despite their strength, the Paladins weren¡¯t inherently better than other Sacred Knights and avoid putting them on a pedestal. Lusya didn¡¯t understand why the leadership would want to do that, and Azure had not provided a satisfactory explanation. It seemed to Lusya that it would be wiser to make sure everyone knew a Paladin when they saw one. Even enemies. It took away some element of surprise, but it could also serve as intimidation, so it probably evened out.

    The reltus stopped about ten paces away, with Azure doing the same, and Lusya and Ariya just behind and to the side. He had been scowling to start with, but it deepened when he laid eyes on Ariya.

    ¡°A child too?¡± he muttered, seemingly to himself.

    Even powerful Sacred Knights¡¯ sensory abilities struggled to detect weaker mortals as Lusya did with ease, so it was no surprise that he had not realized Ariya was there until he had laid eyes on her. Nor was it a mystery why that seemed noteworthy to him. After a moment, he redirected his attention to Azure. His eyes glided over Lusya without acknowledging her. There was no doubt that he knew what she was, and it seemed he was not interested in the details of the demon present. Still, he was silent for a moment, pinning Azure with a glare that she answered with a cool smile, though she did not seem to be in any hurry to speak either.

    ¡°I wish I could say it was nice to see you, Seventh,¡± he said at last. The animosity lacing his voice did not make his words seem sincere. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s about as nice as gouging my own eyes out.¡±

    Azure giggled. ¡°Ever the polite one, Falin.¡±

    ¡°Being dishonest would be much ruder than anything else I could say,¡± Falin replied. He seemed to be trying to stay calm, but he hadn¡¯t been able to hide a twitch of his eyebrows when Azure brushed off his barb. ¡°Not that you have much room to talk, refusing to address me properly.¡±

    Azure feigned a gasp and raised a hand to her mouth. ¡°My apologies, Thirteenth. It¡¯s just so easy to forget when you don¡¯t act the least bit deserving of it.¡±

    Just as his uniform had suggested, it seemed this man was the Thirteenth Paladin. Lusya was not surprised. Azure¡¯s familiarity, if not friendliness, with him had suggested it, and, while much weaker than her, this Falin was still the second-strongest mortal Lusya had encountered by a significant margin. That did not bode well for what was coming.

    Falin gritted his teeth against the insult, his facade of calm annoyance shattering. ¡°I can tolerate plenty of your foolishness, Seventh, but I¡¯ll have you withdraw that. I have earned this position just as much as you. More, even.¡±

    Azure grinned. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure daddy¡¯s very proud of you, you little brat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m older than you, you dolt,¡± he spat before smirking. ¡°Or have your human brains already started rotting at that age, hag?¡±

    ¡°Falin, dear,¡± Azure said gently, as though to a small child¡ªa rather dull one seeing as she did not speak to Ariya in that matter, ¡°you realize that just makes the way you act more embarrassing, right?¡±

    His smile vanished in an instant, replaced again by his usual scowl, deeper than before.

    ¡°I thought the Paladins were friends,¡± Ariya whispered to Lusya.

    Azure must have overheard, because she glanced at Ariya and laughed. ¡°Some of us are, but not all by any means. I told you strength wasn¡¯t the sole consideration for ranking the Paladins, but it¡¯s still the main one, and it¡¯s just about the only one for being a Paladin in the first place. That doesn¡¯t exactly lend itself to us being a group of well-adjusted team players.¡±

    ¡°That, we can agree on,¡± Falin replied.

    ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± Ariya said. She looked up at Lusya again. ¡°Did you know that?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I did not, but it is not surprising.¡±

    Father had often avoided grouping up powerful demons for similar reasons, and it was Lusya¡¯s understanding that Paladins working together was a rarity. In a tranquil age, it was rare that sending two Paladins somewhere wasn¡¯t overkill, but even during the war, it had been rare for more than one to be in the same place at the same time.

    ¡°Case in point, Falin Rivelda,¡± Azure said, gesturing toward him. ¡°Not well-adjusted, not a team player.¡±

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°I see trying to be civil with you was a mistake.¡±

    ¡°When, exactly, did you try that?¡± Azure turned to Lusya and Ariya. ¡°Did either of you hear anything like that?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Ariya said with an exaggerated shake of her head. ¡°He¡¯s a big old meanie!¡±

    ¡°I did not,¡± Lusya said. Granted, Azure had not tried to be civil either, but Falin had set the tone of the conversation from the start.

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    ¡°Right?¡± Azure said. ¡°See, Falin, the problem here is that you have an absolutely awful personality.¡±

    Falin snarled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, of all people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually quite popular among people who aren¡¯t taking out their inferiority complex on me,¡± Azure said, never losing her cool smile. ¡°I promise I wasn¡¯t born a prodigy or beat you into the top ten out of spite, if it makes you feel any better. I¡¯m just a little better at this than you.¡±

    Falin seethed, clenching his fists tight. ¡°Enough of this.¡± He shook his head and jabbed a finger at Lusya. ¡°Why are you traveling with a demon?¡±

    Azure still didn¡¯t falter. ¡°I don¡¯t believe who I travel with his any of your business. Need I remind you that I outrank you outside the Paladins too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s irrelevant when you¡¯re violating our rules,¡± Falin said. ¡°Providing shelter to demons is a clear violation of the Code of Jaune.¡±

    ¡°And that rule is outdated,¡± Azure said. ¡°Demons are living beings. They don¡¯t deserve to die just for being born.¡±

    Falin scoffed. ¡°Reading Madirian literature, are we?¡±

    ¡°I have been, actually,¡± Azure said. ¡°Broadening your intellectual horizons isn¡¯t something to be ashamed of, not that I expect daddy¡¯s little puppet to understand that.¡±

    Madirism was a religion popular in many lands on the continent of Enya, across the ocean to the east of Ysuge. Unlike most of Ysuge¡¯s popular religions, most sects taught that Malice and demons were naturally occurring, proper parts of the world, rather than some foreign element or test. They believed understanding these things and, ultimately, finding peace with them was the key to overcoming the Demon King cycle once and for all. Of course, even the most devout practitioners were forced to admit that, at present, most demons needed to be dealt with by force.

    Lusya would not have thought a Sacred Knight attracted to it. Their core doctrines were antithetical to one another. Then again, Azure had befriended Father in the past. It was no wonder her views on demons were unusual. Considering her apparent compassion, though, she sure seemed to enjoy battle. People were so complicated. Lusya had realized as of late that it was perhaps a bit hypocritical of her to think that, but that didn¡¯t make it any less true.

    ¡°Regardless of your personal beliefs,¡± Falin said. ¡°This is still a violation of our code.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Azure said. ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯m going to do with her.¡±

    He scoffed. ¡°Do you take me for a fool?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s besides the point,¡± Azure said. ¡°Unless you have something important to tell me, drop it. Now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that,¡± he said. ¡°Not for such a serious infraction. Certainly not for you.¡±

    Azure sighed and held up a hand in a placating gesture. ¡°Come on, now, Falin, no one here wants a fight. You don¡¯t want to end up hurt or dead either, do you? Just forget the whole thing and we can all move on with out lives.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of what I want,¡± he said.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not,¡± she replied. ¡°If it was, you wouldn¡¯t be here in the first place. I could respect your commitment to the rules if it was for any reason other than your father¡¯s delusional ambitions.¡± Her smile suddenly turned from smug to sad. ¡°You¡¯re not going to make First, Falin. You might be here long after Elphrid is gone, but someone else will pass you in the meantime. It¡¯s not because you¡¯re weak or a bad person. Your heart just isn¡¯t in it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you know me!¡± he snapped. ¡°If you insist on protecting this¡ª¡± He looked at Lusya for the first time and fell silent, his eyes going wide. Then his scowl returned, more intense than ever, as he returned his focus to Azure. ¡°Your sins run quite deep, don¡¯t they, Seventh?¡±

    The meaning of all of that was lost on Lusya, but that might have been the first time she saw Azure scowl. ¡°Falin. Leave.¡±

    Falin smirked. ¡°No need to panic. I¡¯ll take it upon myself to purge those sins.¡±

    Azure was ready to charge. It was almost imperceptible, but Lusya could see it, the slightest movements of her limbs, her grip shifting on her spear, ready to drop it so she could call her Sacred Blade to her hand in its place.

    ¡°Azure,¡± Lusya said, drawing her attention, ¡°watch Ariya.¡±

    Azure¡¯s eyes widened. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she frowned and nodded, relaxing a bit. She was still on guard, but no longer about to attack.

    Lusya released Ariya¡¯s hand. ¡°Stay near Azure. Listen to what she says. I will be back.¡±

    Ariya frowned but didn¡¯t hesitate to obey. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡± She ran to Azure¡¯s side, grabbed onto the Paladin¡¯s cloak, and threw Lusya a thumbs up with her free hand. ¡°Go get ¡®im, Lusya!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in playing tough,¡± Falin said. ¡°We both know how this is going to end.¡±

    Lusya shrugged off her pack. ¡°You are stronger than me, but not by a large enough margin to make the end result certain.¡±

    Falin removed his pack as well and tossed it aside. ¡°No. I already know it.¡±

    ¡°You may believe that if you wish,¡± Lusya said, walking forward.

    Falin clicked his tongue. ¡°Of course¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Azure asked. ¡°If you¡¯re not, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°This was inevitable from the start. I was prepared to fight when I came with you. You do not need to trouble yourself by killing your comrade.¡±

    Azure pursed her lips and nodded. ¡°I understand. I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t kill him either, but do what you need to do.¡± She smiled. ¡°And do your best, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya nodded and continued on. She stopped a few feet in front of Falin. For all his talk of how she needed to die, he didn¡¯t make any move to strike her. He seemed to be treating the affair like some kind of duel. That suited her just fine.

    ¡°May we move away?¡± Lusya said.

    Falin scoffed. ¡°Concerned for the child¡¯s safety?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He scowled and clicked his tongue, but he didn¡¯t miss a beat before nodding. ¡°Fine. Follow me.¡±

    He turned and walked away, though he kept his head turned such that he could see her. It would have been nice if he had taken his eyes off her and offered her an advantage, but moving the battle was her primary concern. She likely wouldn¡¯t have risked compromising that by attacking even if he had looked away. She followed until they were a few hundred feet from Azure and Ariya, at which point Falin stopped. She stopped about twenty feet behind him.

    ¡°Happy?¡± he asked as he turned toward her.

    ¡°No, but it will suffice,¡± she replied.

    He frowned. ¡°Good. I am curious. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Lusya,¡± she replied.

    ¡°No surname?¡± he said. ¡°Interesting. Since you¡¯ve introduced yourself, I suppose I¡¯ll return the favor. I am Falin Rivelda, Thirteenth Paladin of the Sacred Knights of Ysuge.¡±

    ¡°I had gathered most of that already,¡± Lusya said.

    He ground his teeth. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there was anything worse than that irreverent hag, but your stoic act pisses me off.¡±

    ¡°This is my natural demeanor,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am not attempting to provoke you.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re just unlucky, then,¡± he said. ¡°Blame your mother for lying with a demon.¡±

    Lusya didn¡¯t know if he knew her mother or had simply guessed that she was a half-demon. For that matter, she didn¡¯t know why he had become quite so fixated on her all of a sudden. He had wanted to kill her from the start, of course, but his animosity seemed to have taken an oddly personal turn. She was tempted to ask, though she doubted she would get a useful answer.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough talk,¡± he said before she got the chance. ¡°Half-demon, half-human. You¡¯re the absolute scum of Ysuge. Consider it an honor to die by a Paladin¡¯s hand. Stasio!¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Six

    Falin charged toward Lusya as a golden sword materialized in his hands. It sang for Lusya¡¯s throat, but she moved back to avoid it. He was fast. Faster than anyone else she had fought in earnest before. Yet she could manage. She could see his movements and evade his attacks. And, she was sure, she could hit him. She could and would defeat him.

    ¡°Miudofay, Lunera.¡±

    Her Blades appeared in her hands. Falin hesitated, eyes wide enough they might have fallen from his skull. She didn¡¯t know whether he was reacting to Miudofay¡ªshe had made no effort to conceal her calling its name¡ªher using two Blades at once, or both. It didn¡¯t much matter. Whatever the case was, it left him vulnerable. With that opening, she surged forward and struck with Lunera. As she had expected, however, he recovered from his shock in time to dodge backward. Several ranks lower than Azure or not, he was still a Paladin. This wasn¡¯t going to be quick or easy. So, she followed up with an attack from Miudofay, sending a surge of violet flame through the rift Lunera had created.

    Falin reacted quickly. Seeing the flames disappear, he scanned the area around him and saw them coming out behind him. He leaped to the side just in time. Miudofay¡¯s fire devoured a good portion of his cloak, but he was mostly unharmed. His expression somehow managed to get even angrier as he glared at her.

    ¡°That woman is worse than I ever could have imagined,¡± he said.

    She had no idea what he was talking about, so she just resumed her attack. She warped next to him and slashed with Miudofay. His sword came up and they clashed, her black sword locked against his gold. With his two-handed grip on his sword and greater physical strength, he could have overpowered her, but she took the opportunity to slash with Lunera rather than give him the chance.

    Then there was another sword floating in midair. An identical copy of Falin¡¯s golden weapon stopped Lunera as sure as if he had held it. He shoved back on Miudofay, and the other sword mimicked the motion, pushing back Lunera and forcing Lusya to take a step away. She couldn¡¯t contest his strength. The gap between them in that respect was a little wider than she had expected, and his second sword behaved as if it had his full might behind it. Even if she had been using two hands, she doubted that would have gone much differently.

    He chased after her and raised his sword to attack. The floating one continued to mimic his motions. While he raised his sword overhead, the floating one¡¯s angle put it in position to slash horizontally. The ability allowed him to attack from two different angles at once, making blocking or dodging awkward without retreating outright. It was not as powerful or visually impressive as many First Releases, but it was effective.

    So, she started to do what she could, moving back out of range. Not a viable tactic in the long term, but she could figure out something better as the fight continued. No, falling back was too obvious. If the way out of his attack was so straightforward, so was the way to cover it, and she was sure a Paladin would not make things so easy. She spared enough of a glance back to confirm the presence of a third sword behind her as she had predicted, just as Falin swung with lightning speed.

    She whirled and used all her strength to strike the third sword with Miudofay. She didn¡¯t have the strength to stop the golden sword outright, but she could parry and divert it. There was something odd about the way it behaved in the face of Miudofay clanging against it, but she didn¡¯t have time to ponder it. In the same instant, she threw herself forward and slashed Lunera through the air.

    Cold steel bit into her flesh for just a moment before she warped a hundred feet forward and whirled to face Falin again. Warm blood dripped down her back, but it was nothing severe, nor was the pain noteworthy. The main sword had managed a shallow cut on her upper back. A split second slower, and she would have been cut into quarters.

    The third sword still hung in the air. It seemed to drift aimlessly in the direction she had hit it for a second, before Falin settled into a ready stance, and both copies imitated him, with the third sword readjusting its position as it did so, so that it was next to him on the opposite side of the other copy.

    What did she know so far? He could summon at least two copies of his sword. They imitated his motions and had all his strength behind them. Parrying had affected one somehow, but she still wasn¡¯t sure of the specifics. At the very least, it seemed to have interfered with its function. He could summon them at a seemingly arbitrary distance. There had to be some limit, but it was well out of striking range at the very least. Her overall assessment remained the same: not flashy, but plenty dangerous.

    There was no time to think further on the details at the moment. Falin charged at her, three swords poised to strike at three different angles. Rather than try to contend with all those simultaneous strikes, she jumped high into the air and sent a wave of flame from Miudofay down at him. Falin moved out of the way with ease, right into the rift she opened up with Lunera, bringing him in front of her. Only one of the sword copies had made it through too.

    Lusya slashed at him with Miudofay wreathed in flame, but he recovered his bearings in an instant and jumped over the blow. As expected of a Paladin¡¯s reaction time, but it was still predictable. She jumped up after him and followed the momentum of her slash into a shockwave-enhanced kick that hit him in the side of the head, sending him tumbling to the side through the air. She had landed her first true blow on a Paladin. A laudable accomplishment, but celebrations would have to wait.

    She warped next to him to follow up, but he was quick. He took a hand off his sword to throw a powerful punch into her stomach, launching her away and knocking the air from her lungs. She righted herself and came to a halt as he did the same. Neither moved immediately as they recovered from their last blows. She could stand on air for about thirty seconds now, and she guessed he would be about the same, so they both had some time to consider their next moves.

    The copy swords at his side and near the ground vanished. Falin raised the main sword, and two copies appeared in front of her. There was no way that was all there was to it. There was at least one behind her too. So, he could summon at least three copies, and it seemed he could do so at some distance too.

    Falin slashed down, and Lusya whirled while striking with Miudofay, sending a wave of violet fire out all around her. As she had suspected, there were two sword copies behind her. All four stopped moving as soon as Miudofay¡¯s flames touched them, floating impotently around her.

    A shadow fell over her. He had jumped over her fire and was descending to attack. That itself wasn¡¯t unexpected, but he was coming in faster than she had thought he would. It was all she could do to face him and cross her swords in front of her in time to block his powerful downward strike. Her foothold gave out as the force of the blow sent her down to the ground like a meteor.

    She landed hard on her back with a grunt. Falin pushed off a foothold toward the ground, charging at her surrounded by his four copy swords poised to cut off her escape routes. She warped away with Lunera before he hit in an explosion of dirt and dust, and she rolled to her feet to face him.

    Before she could think of counterattacking, there was another sword on either side of her. They slashed at her in unison, horizontally at different levels. She wasn¡¯t in any position to do much more than jump and twist to avoid them, so that was what she did. One sword still nicked her thigh, drawing blood. A minor blow, but she could not keep taking minor blows. They would catch up with her sooner or later.

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    She righted herself and warped behind him, then whirled and slashed Lunera. He  managed to face her and raise his sword to guard, but her sword didn¡¯t touch his. Instead, it cut through space and sent him back about two feet, just enough to be disorienting as she brought down Miudofay and unleashed a torrent of flame big enough to scorch the sky. The last thing she saw of him before he was engulfed was him, eyes wide and teeth gritted, desperately raising his sword in front of him.

    When it cleared, it was obvious he had managed to defend. Six swords, with flats facing out to make them broader, were locked together in a makeshift shield, their golden blades warped and distorted, glowing orange after bathing in the heat of Miudofay¡¯s flames, though they were repairing themselves before her eyes already. They parted a moment later to reveal Falin close behind him. His defense had not been perfect. His shield not being airtight had left him with plenty of burns and scorch marks dotting his form, from his boots to his face. The land around him was in ruins. He stood among a sea of ash and scorched dirt where there had once been fertile grassland. But he was alive and in fighting shape. He had probably used a motomancy barrier too, considering the severity, or lack thereof, of his injuries. It hadn¡¯t held out, but it had spared him anything crippling.

    On the bright side, she had learned something. It would have served him to summon the maximum number of sword copies for his hasty wall. Ergo, it stood to reason the maximum number was six, for a total of seven blades. She had already observed that external forces¡ªpresumably other than what was inherent in striking their target¡ªimmobilized the copies briefly. It didn¡¯t even have to be a particularly strong force. Miudofay¡¯s flames imparted little to what they burned, yet they had been sufficient. Though it was also possible there was some threshold of destructive power rather than raw physical force. Either way, she knew some of his Sacred Blade¡¯s weaknesses now. All that was left was to put that knowledge into practice.

    Easier said than done. Father¡¯s Miudofay would have incinerated Falin despite his shield. Danfia would have had no problem weaving around hundreds of swords. Yet Lusya was struggling. Maybe she had hit the limit for how powerful motomancy could be for someone as empty as her. Even so, she had to try. If she fell here, she couldn¡¯t do any of the things she needed to.

    He charged and was upon her in an instant. He thrust at her, his six copy swords surrounding her to skewer her from all angles. She jumped high into the air to avoid them, then warped him up in front of her and struck with all her strength. One of the advantages of being able to stand on air for prolonged periods was the ability to have proper footing for sword techniques, preventing any loss in strength or precision.

    But Falin was quick. He was off-guard for only the smallest fraction of a second, not long enough for her to hit. Then he jumped backward, away from her, completely dodging her attack. He had adjusted to being transported by Lunera so quickly. Much as Azure might have mocked him¡ªand outshone him¡ªhe wasn¡¯t a Paladin for nothing.

    Lusya leaped forward into a kick, which he caught on his forearm, then used that as purchase to push off and send a wave of flame at him. He jumped over that with ease and raised his sword. His six swords appeared all around her at eclectic angles and positions, making it all but impossible to figure out all their paths before he struck.

    So, she didn¡¯t. As he attacked, she threw herself at one and pushed it aside with her crossed swords and warped to the ground. That maneuver let her avoid more than a few scratches, but, even with the warp, it made her movement easy to follow. Falin launched himself down to meet her the next instant, poised to strike. The five sword copies he could still control over encircled her, though their paths were clear enough this time.

    That was what she thought, of course. She prepared to push past a sword again, only for it to suddenly change direction. A feint. She had fallen for a feint from six different attacks at once. Predictable as it was, she warped away with Lunera. Sure enough, the sixth copy, now recovered, was right there waiting where she arrived. She struck it with Miudofay before it could attack and whirled. As Falin himself closed in on her. She dodged his sword slash and batted away the copy flanking to try to cut her off in a single smooth motion. Then a punch caught her in the stomach, shooting her away through the air.

    He was already moving to capitalize on it. That settled it. This wasn¡¯t a fight she could win with what she was comfortable with. She needed to use every tool at her disposal. It was a risk, but she was going to die anyway if she didn¡¯t take it. This way, she at least gave herself a fighting chance.

    Azure had said Lusya¡¯s ability to compartmentalize could be a strength. Time to see how true that was. As Azure would have put it, Lusya built a new wall, though she herself had issues with that analogy. Danfia could use her techniques while holding a casual conversation, but Lusya didn¡¯t need to do that. She threw everything she didn¡¯t need, that might distract her, behind the wall. Doubt, intimidation at fighting a Paladin, pain. She needed timing, but not her sense of time. Who cared how many minutes or hours had passed?

    She was ready by the time he reached her. All six swords surrounded her, again at various angles to make them hard to predict. But she knew. From the way he held the main sword and knowing how he had fought thus far, she knew, because anything that might have distracted her or obscured it was tucked away where she couldn¡¯t see it, almost forgotten. She waited for the last possible moment to throw herself back at just the right angle to let her sail harmlessly between copy swords, one passing inches in front of her face above.

    Then she kicked off a foot hold to flip around, made a wall behind her, and sprang forward off it, launching herself toward him. She saw him, wide-eyed and reeling, readying to defend and slashed Lunera just as she started moving forward, emerging from behind him to thrust at his heart with Miudofay.

    He didn¡¯t have time for a graceful defense or counter. All he could do was throw himself to the side to avoid being skewered, and the sword still bit into his arm as he fled. She used a foothold to turn and jump toward him in a kick. It caught him in the chest with a shockwave, but she didn¡¯t allow it to launch him backward. He crashed right into a wall she had created behind him instead.

    To his credit, he recovered in an instant and tried to slash at her, but she created a small barrier in the attack¡¯s path. It wasn¡¯t up to the task of surviving a blow from a Paladin, but it slowed it enough for her to sidestep and lash out with a strike of her own.

    Falin threw himself back through her wall and raised his sword. The six copies encircled her, but there was no hesitation about what to do about six attacks at once anymore. She used Miudofay¡¯s flames to disable the three in front of her and ran forward, allowing the others to whiff through empty air when Falin swung. She charged toward him.

    He readied a thrust, the three remaining copies taking up positions on either side of her and above. She struck at one to the side with Lunera before he could move, then moved that way and sent Miudofay¡¯s fire back the other way, disabling those two copies right as Falin tried to attack.

    Falin smirked as she was almost in range, poised to strike. The first three copies had recovered and were surrounding her. It seemed he thought she had forgotten about them, and he had won. Like Azure had said, Lusya¡¯s walls weren¡¯t infallible. She didn¡¯t need a sense of humor right now, but she found she could appreciate the irony of Falin falling for a feint after almost defeating her with one.

    Her next step never hit the ground. She created a low foot hold to jump off of, over all three copies and the main sword as they swung. From above, she sent down a wave of violet flame. Falin¡¯s eyes widened, and he moved to the side to avoid them. Before the flames could hit the ground, she created a rift linking where they would have hit with a spot just to her side, redirecting the fire to surge toward where Falin tried to dodge, forcing him to skid to a halt. Although the heat from Miudofay¡¯s flames fell off with unnatural speed, he was close enough that he flinched at it, reflexively shielding his face.

    She kicked off a foothold and launched toward him, Lunera aimed for his throat. He tried to jump back. Lunera¡¯s blade flung blood onto the ground as it finished its arc.

    A series of wild, desperate slashes from six swords forced Lusya to retreat. She hadn¡¯t made it in time. She had inflicted only a flesh wound on the front of Falin¡¯s neck. Yet still, he snarled, face red with fury.

    ¡°Rage, hatred, and spite,¡± he said, all the while forcing her to dodge uncontrolled, difficult to predict strikes. None of them came close to hitting her, but the sudden change in his movements made it difficult to find an opening to counterattack. ¡°My dreams cannot be fulfilled on this path. I have brought myself to a place of nothingness. Yet I will never change! Etner Stasio!¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Seven

    Lusya allowed the wall she had built up to crumble. She needed her full faculties to assess Falin¡¯s Full Release as it formed around her. Otherwise she would not survive it. A dome materialized, she estimated about one thousand feet in diameter. Rather than solid stone or steel, the dome was composed of countless anvils, each with a floating hammer pounding a faintly shining copy of the First Release, a stark contrast against the dark iron they rested upon, as if finishing forging it. A dull orange glow filled in the gaps, the fires of the forge she found herself in.

    The hammers working in unison filled the dome with a faint rhythmic clanging. It wasn¡¯t loud enough to be painful or distracting, but enough that it demanded to be heard.

    Lusya glanced around for anything else important, but she didn¡¯t see anything. Anything about the Full Release, that was. Azure and Ariya were rather close behind her, Ariya straining against Azure holding her back. The Full Release was large enough that it probably would have encompassed them anyway, but she didn¡¯t think they had been that close. She wasn¡¯t sure if they had moved closer for some reason, or if the fight had moved toward them at some point.

    ¡°Lusya, are you okay?¡± Ariya shouted.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got her, Lusya,¡± Azure said. ¡°You stay focused.¡±

    Lusya did just that, returning her attention to Falin.

    He hissed in pain as he ran a hand over his neck wound. The one that had almost been his end. He drew it away to examine his bloodied fingers and scowled.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re proud of coming so close to killing a Paladin,¡± he said, glaring at her. ¡°It¡¯s the only time its going to happen.¡± His focus suddenly snapped behind her. ¡°You stay out of this, Seventh! Don¡¯t make things worse for yourself.¡±

    That seemed an overreaction. Azure was closer, but she didn¡¯t seem ready to intervene. Unless, that was, she had done something else while Lusya was focused on Falin. She didn¡¯t sense Azure getting closer, but Lusya wasn¡¯t going to risk the distraction of visually checking.

    Falin took a deep breath and returned his attention to Lusya. ¡°Now. Die.¡±

    Every single one of the shining swords shot forth from its anvil like an arrow. No, faster than any arrow. They bore down on her from every possible angle. If it hadn¡¯t been for the distance they were coming from, if they had flown from just a bit closer, she would have been dead. Instead she charged forward and slashed Lunera in front of her, glancing behind to allow the Demon Blade to connect a rift there. The copy swords flying at her from the front flew through and clattered against their brethren. She assumed, anyway, based on the clanging cacophony that followed, but she couldn¡¯t keep looking behind her for long to make sure.

    Experimentally, she threw a small wave of Miudofay¡¯s flames to the side, toward swords that would miss anyway now that she had moved. Their glow faded, but they did not immediately stop. With the minimal physical force Miudofay¡¯s fire applied, they kept their momentum and continued on to hit the ground or another sword. She had her suspicions, but it was too early to say for sure what the glow dissipating signaled.

    She deflected several more swords with her own while she ran, closing in on Falin. He made no attempt to move, unconcerned. More swords fired out from the anvils to replace the ones she had neutralized, so she kept deflecting or warping them. Until, that was, a pair danced away from Miudofay and slashed at her throat. She lashed out to hit one away with Lunera in time to dodge the other, noting the one she had hit losing its glow and spinning away to hit the ground.

    Of course, he could control the swords. She had expected as much. It would have been too much of a trade-off for a Full Release if he could only fire them as projectiles from where they were forged. The real question was how many he could control at once. That first volley had been hundreds of swords. There was no way he could exert fine control over all of them at once. There had to be a more reasonable limit. She would guess no more than twenty. If she had to guess, the swords that stopped glowing when hit could no longer be controlled, whether he had done so before or not.

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    Ten swords formed a high wall in front of her and slashed, forcing her to move back. She could have jumped over it, but that was a last resort. Even with all the improvement she had made, she had less control in the air. That would be a death sentence in the chaos of this storm of swords. Even as she retreated, she had to keep defending against blades flying at her from every which way. One managed to slip through and clip her shoulder.

    She made a brief mental note that there were no swords littering the ground, despite how many should have fallen by now. She didn¡¯t have the luxury of observing the exact process, but they seemed to disappear shortly after hitting something.

    When she tried to move forward again, three swords surrounded her. One slashed at her, forcing her to parry, then whirl to bat the other two away as they tried to thrust at her. They weren¡¯t like the First Release that all had to be doing the same thing, then.

    Another ten were around her before she could even try to advance. She span, throwing out Miudofay¡¯s flames before the swords could move, all the while dancing around and deflecting more swords flying at her. Some, unfortunately, made it through to nick her, but she avoided any serious injuries.

    Falin charged at her and hit her with a punch. It sent her sprawling back, the angles of the launched swords changing to track her. She righted herself and managed to defend, but the swords were endless. If it was just the ones shooting straight at her, she might have been able to manage. They were an endless hail, but that was straightforward and predictable. She could have adjusted and tried to fight back. That wasn¡¯t the case, though. Some stopped and slashed or thrust at her, forcing her to respond to them more specifically and preventing her from getting into a rhythm. There was no going on the attack. It was all she could do to stay alive. Even then, the occasional sword slipped past her defenses. None had inflicted any major wounds so far, but she was going to bleed out from the equivalent of dozens of paper cuts at this rate. That wasn¡¯t the main issue, though. There would only be so many close calls. If she couldn¡¯t defeat him or figure out a better way to deal with the swords soon, he would hit her. Whether through luck, skill, or a mistake on her part, it didn¡¯t much matter. She could be dead all the same.

    He appeared in front of her and punched again. She saw it coming this time and jumped back as it struck her, allowing her to control her angle of flight a bit. That was the best she could do under the circumstances. The sword behind her that had been in position to slice her in half clipped her shoulder instead.

    The blow had launched her into the air, though. She whirled about to deflect suddenly closer swords from above and warped to the ground the instant she had a chance. Most of the flying swords were aimed for elsewhere, so the place she had arrived was somewhat safe for a moment, before several swords changed course to attack her, though she managed to defend against them.

    Ten. She had counted ten swords there. That seemed to be the maximum number of swords Falin could exercise fine control over at any given time, for all the good that knowledge did her. She had already observed that the limitations of the First Release were reduced, if they existed at all. He still lost control of swords when an outside force acted on them, but, since he was working with limitless copies instead of seven, he could just switch to controlling another one as soon as he lost one. This was wearing her down. There was no opening to attack, and, if she didn¡¯t find one soon, this battle was over.

    Falin approached again, forcing her to divert some attention to him. She threw a wave of fire at him, but she couldn¡¯t afford the focus for anything big, so he jumped over it with ease, and, came down at her with a powerful punch. If that hit, it would drive her to the ground and leave her vulnerable, she had no choice but to dodge. Right into a sword embedding itself in her left thigh. She winced and struck the sword with Lunera the moment it started to pierce. The golden sword was dislodged and dissolved into motes of white light. Her leg burned as blood seeped out. At least she had managed to turn it into a deep stab wound instead of a hole all the way through her leg.

    Another punch came at her, and this one connected, sending her sprawling and tumbling back. She landed and rolled until she slid to a stop lying on her front. Countless swords converged on her, eager for blood.

    Against the protests of her leg, she managed to rise to one knee and spin, using Lunera to expand the space between her and the swords, buying her some room and effectively slowing them to a crawl. Then she sent Miudofay¡¯s flames toward them and warped away, just as space snapped back to normal. Hundreds of swords crashed together where she had once been, their master unable to redirect them.

    It seemed he had expected that to be the end, as there was a brief respite from the constant hail of blades.

    Falin clicked his tongue as he turned to look at her. ¡°You¡¯re annoyingly persistent.¡±

    She was still kneeling, breathing heavily. Her wound was distracting, but not debilitating. She could stand. Indeed, she started to, but she knew she would never make it to her feet. Another volley of swords was already raining down on her. This was the end.

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Eight

    Countless golden swords bore down to impale Lusya. They sang for her blood, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. She wouldn¡¯t be able to stand in time. There was no blocking or dodging in time. Even if she managed by some miracle, she was in no shape to keep doing so. She would try, but, realistically, she was just waiting for those swords to find their mark. They never reached her. A white cloak fluttered in front of her, and every sword was frozen in a single solid block of ice. Lusya stopped halfway through standing, on one knee. The ice shattered a moment later, allowing the swords to clatter to the ground together in a discordant symphony and dissolve in a blizzard of light.

    Falin snarled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay out of this, Seventh?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember agreeing,¡± Azure replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t take orders from you.¡±

    ¡°Do you think there won¡¯t be any consequences for this?¡± he demanded as new swords appeared upon the anvils that formed the walls of his Full Release. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll hesitate to cut you down for defending a demon?¡±

    Azure shrugged. ¡°You couldn¡¯t do that if I let you. I¡¯ll deal with anything else when I get to it. Now, you wait your turn for a little while.¡±

    She hit the butt of her icy spear on the ground, and a dome of ice formed around her and Lusya just as Falin let the new swords fly. Lusya could hear the golden blades batter the dome, a lethal rain against a steadfast wall. The ice gave no signs of breaking.

    Azure turned and looked at Lusya with a soft smile. Lusya averted her gaze, though she was not sure why. She simply found she could not meet Azure¡¯s eyes.

    It was obvious Lusya could not win this battle. She had already lost. Now she was tired and injured. A short respite in this dome wasn¡¯t going to turn the tide. Unless Azure intended to take full charge of the battle, this was pointless. It was only a matter of when Lusya fell, not if.

    Azure took a couple steps closer and knelt beside Lusya. She put a hand on Lusya¡¯s shoulder. Lusya stiffened as Azure leaned in to speak in a low, quiet tone, almost whispering.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Azure said. ¡°He¡¯s strong. But, you know, your parents were really amazing people. I know you can be at least as great as them. So, go show him, Lusya.¡±

    Azure stood up, and Lusya looked up at her smiling face. Coming here out of practical concerns had been a lie. Fighting to spare Azure had been a lie. The latest in a long list. Lusya had done those things for the same reason she was standing up now. Why was still a mystery, but she did not want to let down Azure. She wanted to fight, win, and show Azure how strong she could be.

    The ice wall started to crack. Azure¡¯s First Release standing so firm against Falin¡¯s Full spoke volumes of her power and the gap between them, but it still couldn¡¯t hold forever. Before it gave out, Lusya needed to speak the words. She didn¡¯t know where they had come from or how, but they bubbled from within as unassailable truths.

    ¡°I feel neither joy nor sorrow. I know neither hope nor despair. No matter how many times I speak such hollow lies, my empty heart wanders on. Lunera Asvixi.¡±

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    The ice shattered under the weight of the blades battering it. Those that had struck it dropped to the ground. Their replacements were close behind, but they stopped an instant later as Lunera vanished from Lusya¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What?¡± Falin exclaimed, taking a step back in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    The dome of anvils cracked. Not individually, but the whole thing, as if it were a painting on the glass of reality. The countless swords hanging in the air shattered and dissolved. Then the entire dome broke apart, illogical chunks falling, but they too dissolved into motes of light before they could hit the ground.

    For a brief moment, clear blue skies were visible again. Then dark violet crept up from the ground until it had enveloped them in a new dome. Innumerable pinpricks of light winked into existence from that backdrop until the starry sky was complete. Only a small patch overhead was left barren until the moon filled in, beginning as a crescent and progressing to full in a matter of seconds. Then it waned until it disappeared and repeated the process.

    Falin¡¯s head whipped to and fro, mouth agape as he gawked at his new surroundings. He seemed to try and fail to find the right words to say several times before he regained his senses and glared at her and Azure, hatred burning in his gaze. Azure, still looking at Lusya, smiled and walked around her, heading back toward Ariya without a word.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Falin growled. ¡°I could accept if it was the hag¡¯s, but a new Full Release can¡¯t overpower mine!¡±

    When two Full Releases were unleashed in the same place, one tended to overpower and destroy the other, or, under certain circumstances, they both collapsed. It was possible to prevent this and force them to coexist, but that took significant conscious effort on the part of the overpowered party, and required the gap in strength not be too large.

    ¡°I see no point in denying the reality before you,¡± Lusya said.

    She had known this would happen. She did not know how, but she had known her Full Release would win. As soon as the words had come to her, that fact had been just as clear.

    Falin gritted his teeth. ¡°Stasio!¡±

    He charged as his golden sword appeared in hand. All six copies materialized in a circle around Lusya as he prepared to strike.

    Lusya curved space around her. There was no need for a sword strike or any other gesture. All she needed to do was will it. As far as Falin was concerned, he traveled in a straight line. Yet he ended up facing away from her, swinging through empty air. His sword copies likewise traveled through a curve and ended up striking away from her.

    Falin turned to face her, stunned, with eyes wide as the sun. With a thought, Lusya severed space midway down his arms. They abruptly flopped to the ground from the elbows down, taking his sword with them. He screamed as his stumps sprayed blood.

    Lusya could not say she was not tempted to toy with him some more out of spite, but she knew any short-term satisfaction she got out of that would be outweighed. She did not enjoy cruelty. In fact, she rather disliked it. Killing her enemies wasn¡¯t a problem, but making them suffer more than necessary felt, not just impractical, but¡­wrong. Though she couldn¡¯t explain why, she was comfortable with that.

    So, as he opened his mouth to scream or curse at her, she severed space through his neck. His angry, agonized expression had an instant to shift toward dismay before his head slid off his body and they fell to the ground in a staggered pair of thumps. His sword and its copies dissipated. The Thirteenth Paladin was dead, and the battle was over.

    Lusya dismissed Miudofay and her Full Release, returning the world to daylight, and allowed herself a rare sigh. Her legs felt weak beneath her, and they gave out a second later. She almost fell to her knees, but someone caught her.

    ¡°Easy there,¡± Azure said. Lusya looked at her. Her smile was bittersweet but filled with pride as she helped Lusya stand again. ¡°You were amazing out there. Great job.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°I am not so certain of that. Killing a Paladin will have ramifications. Even if you do not report what happened here in full, it will indirectly draw more attention to me.¡±

    ¡°You let me worry about that,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it somehow. Right now, you just enjoy your win, and be proud of beating a Paladin.¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes widened a bit and she nodded. ¡°I suppose I will.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Nine

    ¡°Well, I guess this it,¡± Azure said, turning to face Lusya as she stopped at the fork in the road before them. It was right about where the Elzen Valley ended. The mountains could even be seen diminishing to nothing to the west. ¡°This is where we part ways, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It is. You are going north, while we must go west.¡± Strictly speaking, they could have found a ship in the north, but her reasons for wanting to minimize travel by sea remained. ¡°Thank you again for paying for my clothes.¡±

    After the damage they had suffered it had, once again, been easier to replace Lusya¡¯s clothes than repair them. Since Lusya had needed an entire new outfit rather than just a shirt, this had set them back a bit over a week. That was inconvenient, but there hadn¡¯t been much to be done about it. At least Azure had covered the cost in full.

    Azure had also helped tend to Lusya¡¯s wounds. Most hadn¡¯t needed more than some basic dressing, but the stab wound on her leg had needed to be stitched. Fortunately, everything had healed in the past week, so she would be ready next time she needed to fight. She hoped that would not be any time soon, but she doubted this journey would be resolved without at least one more incident. She did not believe in fate, but a peaceful journey did not seem to be in the cards. At the very least, she could hope that there would be no more battles of that level until after Father was revived.

    ¡°Oh, it was no trouble at all,¡± Azure said. ¡°They might not have gotten damaged if not for me.¡±

    ¡°It is possible,¡± Lusya replied. It was a distinct possibility she would have come across Falin either way, if he was going to be in the valley, but it was true that their encounter would not have happened as it had without Azure¡¯s presence. Then again, all things considered, Lusya might have been dead in that case.

    The consequences of killing a Paladin still loomed over her, although there was no way for it to be traced back to her, unless Azure reported her responsibility. Which she said she would not. Still, his death was sure to trigger some kind of response, which might well find its way to Lusya regardless. For now, though, there was no point in worrying over that nebulous future, and so Lusya elected not to.

    ¡°Do you really have to go, Azure?¡± Ariya asked. Lusya had been concerned for her after all she had seen during the fight, but she seemed fine in every way that mattered. Ariya had been a little pale right after the fight, but that had cleared up soon enough.

    Azure smiled. ¡°Believe me, I would love to have you two around a little longer, but I have something I need to do, and so do you two.¡±

    Ariya pouted but nodded. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    ¡°It really was fun being with you two¡± Azure said. ¡°Although, I could do with a little less excitement next time I travel.¡±

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    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Azure held up two fingers pinched together. ¡°Just a little bit less. Everything before that guy showed up was great.¡±

    ¡°I would not say everything,¡± Lusya said. She had forgiven Azure for them, but Lusya was not going to forget the low points of their time together. ¡°But traveling with you was enjoyable. I am glad I was able to see some things I otherwise would not have.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m glad I got to see them with you,¡± Azure said with a broad smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I saw them with both of you,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You¡¯re almost as cool as Lusya.¡±

    Azure chuckled. ¡°Thank you.¡± There was a brief silence, where all she did was stare at Lusya with a sad smile. Then, Azure turned and pointed down the road heading north. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be heading this way.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Farewell.¡±

    Azure nodded back and turned away. She took a few steps down the road, then came to an abrupt stop, her grip suddenly tight on her spear. Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. She opened her mouth to ask Azure what she was doing but never got the chance to speak.

    Azure whirled, throwing aside her spear and threw herself at Lusya. Azure¡¯s arms wrapped around Lusya¡¯s back and pulled her into a tight embrace. One hand held her, while the other gently stroked her hair. It was slight, but Azure was trembling.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you all this time, so much, Lusya,¡± she said in a hoarse, choked voice. ¡°I¡¯m glad I got to keep my promise.¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Mo¡­ther?¡±

    How had she not seen it? Had she not wanted to?

    That was exactly it. She had known for a while now. It had not escaped her notice how Azure resembled her. Lusya was no expert on social dynamic, but, by the end, it had become clear that Azure¡¯s affection for her and familiarity with her childhood was also unusual for a mere family friend. Most of all, all this talk of her childhood had done plenty to jog Lusya¡¯s memory. More than enough for her to remember her mother¡¯s face. A face she had buried as a child, convinced after a year or two that that promise had been broken.

    And that was why now, she had refused to acknowledge her own knowledge. She had put that realization behind as many walls as she could muster so she could pretend, even to herself, that it had not occurred. They were not enough now. All those walls had crumbled in an instant.

    Mother pulled away just as suddenly as the embrace had begun. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, she turned away, grabbed the spear she had discarded, and walked off down the road at a brisk pace.

    Ariya let out a pensive hum. ¡°Your arms¡­were you gonna hug her back?¡±

    Lusya blinked and looked down. Her arms were indeed half raised as if they had been about to return the embrace. She didn¡¯t remember doing that or even thinking about it, however.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± she said as she lowered her arms, offering a hand to Ariya. ¡°Such expressions of affection are beyond me.¡±

    Ariya grabbed the hand, frowning. After a moment, she gasped and broke into a grin. ¡°Oh, are you embarrassed?¡±

    Luysa chose not to dignify that with a response. She did not get embarrassed. She turned and started leading Ariya down the westward road.

    ¡°Bye, you two!¡± Mother called. ¡°Let¡¯s do this again some time!¡±

    Lusya turned to see Mother waving her free hand broadly through the air. Even from this distance, it was obvious her expression was a radiant smile. Lusya offered a more subdued wave in response and turned away to continue walking.

    Ariya gasped. ¡°Are you smiling?¡±

    ¡°I do not smile,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya pouted. ¡°But you are right now!¡±

    ¡°Silence, child.¡±

 Letter from Romoro to Azure

    Dearest Azure,

    Rich as it may sound coming from me, I hope this letter finds you well. I am sure it will. Last I heard, you were as beautiful and vibrant as ever.

    Lusya is doing well, as she has been. I regret that I have not written about her recently, but I am sure you understand. My concerns about her are not allayed, but she is healthy and content, and that is enough for now.

    However, we both know the end is near. Either everyone else will be dead soon, or I will. I am not blind to the latter possibility. At least twenty before me have fallen. There is no guarantee that I will be the last Demon King. If it should come to pass that I am defeated, I have entrusted Lusya with a mission, both for my sake and for her own. And that is what I wish to speak with you about.

    You will find the details of her assignment on the second paper enclosed with this letter. I am sure it will shock and horrify you. I am sure Lusya will do unspeakable things in its name. I will give you a moment to stop laughing at my hypocrisy.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.If you are done, then I will move on to the matter at hand. Please, do not interfere with Lusya¡¯s mission. Do not seek her out. I wish this to be her task, and hers alone. It is inevitable that others will influence her, but I fear her mother¡¯s words will have undue weight, and I know not if that will be for the better or worse.

    Your paths may cross regardless, I know. Should this happen, I have two more requests for you. I will not ask that you do not involve yourself with her. But for the reasons outlined above, I first ask that you do not reveal your identity. Lusya will not recognize you. I know this will be painful, but I beg that you bear it. My second request is quite simple: please forgive her.

    I cannot help but worry about that girl. I fear we chose wrong all those years ago. But it is too late to wring my hands and fret over old decisions. All I can do now is try to make things right for her. For all that has transpired over the years, I know that you feel the same way. So, as unfair as it is, I ask that we put aside our titles and do what is best for our daughter. Truly, this time.

    Sincerely,

    Romoro

 Assignment to Thirteenth Paladin Falin Rivelda

    Lord Thirteenth Paladin Falin Rivelda,

    As you are no doubt already aware, you have been assigned a new task. You are to travel to the southeastern reaches of Ysuge and persuade its uncooperative rulers to lend their aid in restoration efforts throughout the continent. As you know, the central south and southwest faced the brunt of the war¡¯s effects, while the southeast emerged relatively unscathed. They are in a prime position to help their neighbors, but many have refused up to now.

    The region around Ovda and Cavta is where you should focus your efforts. There are a great many independent countries in the region, and we will leave it to your discretion which to concentrate on. Keep negotiations peaceful. We are certain a Paladin asking will sway them enough.

    In addition, we are assigning you two secondary tasks. First, you are to travel there on foot, using the route prescribed by the enclosed map. We wish to allow the common people to see a Paladin walking among them. It is a long-held ideal of the Sacred Knights of Ysuge that we are not above them. Strong as we might be, we are mortals like any others.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.Second, you are to investigate a number of mysterious sites of battle along your route. These are marked on your map, and you will find specific details on each enclosed in separate documents. Evidence suggests powerful motomancers clashed at these sites. Captain Kadel Highmoor appears to have been killed in one of these clashes, and his squad reports encountering a woman who looked like a reltus, whose motomancy was above any of theirs and potent enough to impress Captain Highmoor, shortly beforehand. See enclosed document for additional information.

    Finally, you are likely to cross paths with the Seventh Paladin. She is heading to Elscra to discuss the establishment of a Grand Stronghold in Fedirheld, and her route overlaps with yours. You need not seek her out, but, should your paths cross, we ask that you meet with her.

    We wish you the best of luck in your mission, though we know you do not need it. Carry yourself well, and bring honor to our order.

    From,

    Sacred Knights of Ysuge Executive Council

 Book Four - Chapter One

    ¡°Wow, this is really good,¡± Ariya said before attacking the bowl in her hands with ravenous fervor. Lusya had made a fried beef and vegetable hash for dinner, and, while Ariya¡¯s opinion on the matter wasn¡¯t worth much¡ªhashes were her favorite type of recipe from Elberto¡¯s book¡ªit had, indeed, come out quite well.

    ¡°Practice improves all things,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Do not eat so quickly. You will make yourself sick.¡±

    Ariya slowed down but continued eating. Lusya had become quite proficient at campfire cooking. Her meals were quite flavorful these days. Cooking in a proper kitchen was a different experience, she understood, so it was unclear how much her skills would transfer there. Not that she cared or had any intention of finding out. The improved quality of their food was nice, but, ultimately, it was all still for Ariya and her insistence that they eat composed meals rather than simply what would fulfill their nutritional requirements, though it did not take much to impress her as long as that bar was reached. Cooking wasn¡¯t even a strict requirement. Elberto¡¯s book had a few cold recipes that she had quite enjoyed. In any case, Lusya had no intention of pursuing the culinary arts beyond what was necessary. She may continue cooking for herself when the need or opportunity presented themselves¡ªalthough she doubted that would happen very often with Father returned and the war resumed¡ªbut she would not be going out of her way to procure supplies once Ariya was gone.

    While Lusya continued working on her dinner, Ariya finished hers and let out a satisfied sigh, her breath puffing out and floating up into the air. She rubbed her hands together and slid back on the gloves she had removed to make handling her utensils easier. It was winter now in the rural north of western Ysuge. The air was cold at all times, and a thick layer of snow rested upon the ground, save for the patch Lusya had used Miudofay to melt so she could set up camp.

    It was unfortunate that the timing of their journey had them in one of the coldest parts of the continent during the coldest time of year, but there was nothing to be done about it. That timing was a side effect of Lusya executing her mission as soon as she could. Better to brave the cold than to delay Father¡¯s revival. In that regard, the cold was a good sign. Lusya had expected it to be winter while traveling through this region. Despite the various delays and obstacles they had encountered along the way, they had been able to continue moving in the right direction for the most part, and so, they were only a few weeks behind schedule at most. Ariya seemed to be holding up well too. Lusya would need to keep a close eye on her health, but, for the moment, all was well.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, right?¡± Ariya asked. She kicked her legs up and down, making a wet patch of ground squelch as loudly as she could manage.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°For a certain value of ¡®almost.¡¯ We will arrive at our destination in two to three months.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still a pretty long time,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m gonna miss you when it¡¯s over.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I will also miss your company.¡±

    Ariya grinned. It was unfortunate that her death was necessary, but at least she would be spared the chaos and destruction that would follow.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna pass Seris, right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We will,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will not be visiting for obvious reasons.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°I know. I wish we could, though.¡±

    ¡°Were it not the seat of the Sacred Knights¡¯ power, I would allow a brief break there,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But it is.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Ariya enjoyed cities, and Seris was supposed to be a wonder among cities. The crown jewel of civilization, it was often called. Part of that was mere Talsian boasting, but she had read enough varied accounts to know that a great many neutral parties admired the city. Art, cuisine, architecture, scholarship. Seris was said to be among those at the forefront of all those fields and more. Being home to the Sacred Knights had surely helped.

    Lusya herself was curious about it. Although she did not have the same affinity for cities in general that Ariya did, there was still often much to appreciate in a place where so many people had gathered for so many years, their crystallized accomplishments scattered throughout. If it was true that Seris was exceptional in that regard, it was a shame that Lusya would not be able to see it in its prime, and she did feel¡­guilty about depriving Ariya of the chance. But going was not an option. There would be a veritable army of Sacred Knights including multiple Paladins waiting for them. It would be a bloodbath at best and suicide at worst.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Would you like to read or write tonight?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya hummed in thought. She decided which she would do each day on a whim. Lusya had encouraged her to create a schedule, but Ariya insisted on doing things this way. It was her work she was delaying, and it did not affect Lusya or their mission, so Lusya had stopped pressing the issue after the third time she had brought it up.

    ¡°I think we should read,¡± Ariya said at last.

    ¡°I will retrieve the book,¡± Lusya said, standing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at mine!¡±

    ¡°I will not.¡±

    For whatever reason, Ariya was quite secretive about the writing project she had taken on. She was adamant that Lusya was not to read it without permission. It would have been trivial to read it when Ariya was asleep, but Lusya did not wish to risk Ariya finding out and getting upset. So, Lusya was limited to the brief passages Ariya had shared.

    They were not very good. The concept was solid enough, a group of assassins who didn¡¯t kill anyone fighting injustice. But the writing was well below average. Lusya had not read anything else written by a child¡ªsave for her her own childhood writing project, of which she could not remember enough to judge the actual quality¡ªso she had no frame of reference to how Ariya¡¯s writing fared within that area. As general literature, however, it was quite poor. In order to avoid upsetting Ariya, Lusya simply praised the concept and encouraged her to refine it when asked for feedback. That seemed to satisfy Ariya, even though it was little more than meaningless platitudes.

    Lusya grabbed the novel they were reading at the moment from her pack and sat beside Ariya. Ariya scooted herself as close as she could get to peer at the pages as Lusya opened the book. What the point of that was, Lusya could not say. The book was written in Talsian, which Ariya could not read, though Lusya had been teaching her how to speak it over the past month or two.

    As soon as she had the book open to the page they had last ended on, Lusya began to read aloud. It was an adventure story about three heroes competing, each for their own reasons, to defeat a villain, a nobleman with a good public reputation who was, in fact, corrupt and sought to absorb all the Malice in the world to become the ¡°True Demon King.¡± As far as Lusya was aware, the concepts of mortals absorbing Malice, something the heroes also learned to do over the course of the story, and the ¡°True Demon King¡± had been created for the story, though the precise nature of the latter had yet to be revealed as far as she and Ariya had gotten into the story. Much of the novel was meant to be comedic, using personality clashes between the heroes and their tendency to become more concerned with their rivalry than their actual goal as opportunities for humor.

    Although Ariya seemed to enjoy said humor and giggled at every joke, it was hit-or-miss for Lusya. She understood most of the jokes, but most of them were not amusing. Still, there was enough drama, and the plot was interesting enough to keep her invested. She would have tolerated it anyway for Ariya¡ªand had done so in the past¡ªbut it was preferable when Lusya also derived her own enjoyment from the books they read.

    After around half an hour, they had finished the three chapters Lusya allowed before bed. For much of the journey, her decisions on how much to read had been more arbitrary, but standardizing it had made things much easier. It set Ariya¡¯s expectations and made it easier for Lusya to impose clear punishments by reducing the number. Or, more commonly, to increase it as a reward. Ariya did not often need to be punished.

    ¡°¡®In that moment, Egnas realized that Neel had been right. In this chamber lied the truth of the world,¡¯¡± Lusya read aloud, finishing the last chapter for the night, and closed the book. ¡°And that is it until tomorrow.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°But I wanna know what happens next!¡±

    Although Ariya accepted the three chapter rule most nights¡ªespecially since they often read more throughout the day¡ªthere were times when she was less cooperative. Lusya did not understand that. She had provided a clear and consistent rule. How could Ariya be disappointed or surprised by it? It would have made a bit more sense if she protested beforehand, but she always waited until the end she knew was coming to say something.

    Ariya was perplexing. Were all children like that? Lusya had not been, though she was far from a typical child. She remembered more of her childhood now. Much of it had been lost to the fog of time, but a substantial portion, she had merely hidden from herself in a fit of pique years ago. She had also hidden the fact that she had hidden it, hence her lack of memory until she had realized it recently after reconciling with her mother. Although the true workings of her own mind were new to her in many ways, and Ariya had found that explanation confusing when it had come up a week ago, Lusya found it all made perfect sense to her.

    ¡°That is the nature of a story,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You know we only read three chapters at night.¡±

    ¡°One more won¡¯t hurt,¡± Ariya replied.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°If I read one more tonight, you will want another tomorrow as well. I have made my decision, and you know what to expect. Go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Three will be fine tomorrow, I promise!¡± Ariya pleaded, hands clasped in front of her. ¡°Please?¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Very well. One more. And just for tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Ariya practically threw herself at Lusya to nestle into her side as she reopened the book. She supposed that this, too, could be an occasional reward.

 Book Four - Chapter Two

    There was a demon in the village of Northwood. Lusya noticed that before anything else as they neared the small settlement. A powerful demon. Stronger than the one she had fought in the Elzen Valley. It might have been among the strongest demons Lusya had ever encountered.

    Of course, she had grown stronger since that encounter. She had achieved her Full Release, and she had found that she was now much more powerful even when she was not using it. The demon she had fought back then would never be able to defeat her if they fought now, as impossible as that was.

    This demon, however, might pose a challenge. It might have been able to put up a fight against Mother, even, though Lusya doubted it would stand any chance of winning.

    And yet, there was no sign of trouble. Farmers tended their fields. The other villagers milled around. There were not many outside, but that was to be expected given the cold. As far as Lusya could tell, most were inside, sitting by fires she could see glowing in their windows. If they were in danger, they had a bizarre way of showing it. The few humans who were out likewise did not seem distressed in any way.

    The demon itself had not moved either. It had stayed in one spot since she had arrived, surrounded by several mortals. There was no indication of a struggle, or of the demon being aware of her presence. It did not move to run or confront her though it was impossible that it had not sensed her. How peculiar.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ariya asked. She glanced around and lowered her voice. ¡°Is there a demon?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes. There is. Within the village. We will go investigate.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Ariya exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

    ¡°You will stay behind me and hide if I tell you to,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But it is safer for you to come with me than for me to leave you unsupervised.¡±

    That was not universally true, but it was best to assume it was true here until proven otherwise. And they did not know enough about this village to prove otherwise. So far, all they knew was that the populace seemed completely at ease with a high-rank demon among them. That might not have meant anything. In fact, it was probable that they didn¡¯t know. But there were also several possibilities that would put a young human girl in danger.

    The villagers may have been demon worshipers or sympathizers. The demon may have subjugated the village. That was not unheard of, even in tranquil ages, though such conquests did not often last long without the backing of a Demon King and a unified army. That idea was perhaps contrary to the villagers¡¯ calm, but, depending on how the demon behaved and how long it had been here, they may have simply acclimated, or they may have been instructed to act normally. There could also have been signs of distress Lusya was missing. She was not the most dept at reading others¡¯ emotions, after all.

    Regardless of the details, in any of those cases, how safe Ariya would be around the villagers was likely dependent on the how the demon had instructed them to treat outsiders, and there was no way to know that. It may have wanted outsiders killed or treated nicely and sent on their way none the wiser to what was happening. Being affiliated with the Demon King might help Lusya and Ariya. Or it might make things worse. And Lusya couldn¡¯t very well go advertising that fact without knowing what the circumstances were.

    This was all premature, though. She needed to investigate the situation before making any decisions.

    She headed for the demon with Ariya in tow. Some of the mortals around the demon had left now, but many were still there. In fact, they clung rather closely to the demon. None of them had faded, however, nor was there any other sign they were hurt or fighting.

    There were no screams, no banging or breaking. No smoke or signs of motomancy. Nor any sign of a Demon Blade¡¯s attacks. The village was as peaceful as it could be. Lusya needed to ascertain why that was now. She scooped Ariya up and ran toward the demon. Always happy to be carried, Ariya whooped in excitement rather than protest.

    Finally, they arrived at a place where two roads running through the village met. The demon was there, standing in the center of the intersection. He took the form of a young man with dark violet colored hair and golden eyes, and he was surrounded by a teeming mass of children. They were shouting at him, but it was not in fear or pain, only anticipation and perhaps a bit of impatience.

    ¡°I¡¯m next!¡±

    ¡°No, I am!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s my turn!¡±

    ¡°All right, all right, there¡¯s enough for everyone,¡± the demon said with laughter in his voice, holding a paper bag out of their reach. He chuckled and looked at one boy. ¡°Hey, you already got one. Don¡¯t be selfish. Go on, out of line with you.¡±

    The boy groaned and and squirmed his way out of the crowd. It was not a line. There was no semblance of order to it whatsoever.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see, I believe you were next,¡± the demon said.

    He plucked something out of the bag. It was spherical and wrapped in paper, making it difficult to identify at first. He handed it to another boy, who quickly unwrapped it, giving Lusya less than a second to get of a glimpse of it before he shoved it in his mouth.

    It was a type of candy, made from hardened sugar, sometimes mixed with other flavors. This kind of treat tended to be rather expensive, though not prohibitively so.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Ariya gasped. ¡°Candy! Lusya, can I have some?¡±

    ¡°We do not know if it is safe,¡± Lusya said.

    It might have been poisoned or otherwise tampered with. Hardly out of the realm of possibility with a high-rank demon. That, or he might have been using it to gain the villagers¡¯s trust before striking. In which case the candy would be safe for Ariya, and the matter was not an issue as long as they left before that happened. Lusya had intended to stay the night here, but it would be no great loss.

    Of course, it was not impossible that this was as benign as it appeared, but it was unlikely. He would not have been the first demon to figure out a way to live among mortals, but to live in such peace among them was almost unheard of. Those who were able to blend in tended to find ways to vent their violent impulses that were socially acceptable but still earned them a reputation as ruffians. Hardly the type to hand out candy to children, nor the type children would flock to if one did. Most such demons also chose the cities, where they were less liable to stand out. And, of course, their efforts usually only lasted for so long, whether because their chosen way of venting was no longer enough, or because they were discovered.

    ¡°I assure you, the only thing wrong with my candy is that it¡¯s a little on the cheap side,¡± he said. ¡°No need to worry.¡±

    He grinned at her. Though almost indistinguishable from a reltus, his smile revealed that his canines took the form of elongated fangs. They were subtle enough, however, that they were not likely to be noticed unless one was looking for signs that he was a demon.

    ¡°I will not simply take your word for it,¡± she replied.

    He shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself. It¡¯s pretty tasty.¡±

    He continued handing it out to the village children. Although they looked numerous swarming around him, there was only around two dozen of them in this tiny village, and it did not take him long to finish his distribution.

    Lusya stayed and watched for any sign of duplicity. He was too strong for her to let her guard down and leave only because he did not appear dangerous at first glance. The children cleared out as each received their allotted piece. Ariya watched each one go with wide eyes, her lips drawn into a thin line¡ªpuckering and quivering more with every child that left, as if keeping them shut took tremendous effort¡ªperhaps to hold back the bit of drool that dribbled out the one time she opened her mouth. Then, at last, only Lusya, Ariya, and the demon remained in the intersection.

    ¡°Can I please have one?¡± Ariya asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she stared up at Lusya. ¡°They look really tasty. Like a sugary rainbow!¡±

    Lusya did not understand the connection between those thoughts, but now was hardly the time to probe the matter.

    ¡°I will consider it if the other children are well come evening,¡± she replied. ¡°If he is still around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving at least until morning,¡± the demon said as he approached them. He took another candy out of the bag and popped it into his own mouth, crunching loudly on it. ¡°And there are a few left, if either of you want one.¡±

    The fact that he ate one was encouraging, but not definitive proof of its safety. Motomancers and demons did have some resistance to poison, and his sheer size could make a substantial difference depending on what and how much he was using.

    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly safe,¡± he said. ¡°But I can¡¯t blame your caution. Most of our kind haven¡¯t earned such easy trust, unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°No, they have not,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll save one for your little friend, until you¡¯re comfortable with her having one,¡± he said.

    Ariya huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not that little.¡±

    The demon chuckled and looked Lusya over. ¡°You¡¯re Romoro and Azure¡¯s daughter, aren¡¯t you? I knew those two would get together. Can¡¯t imagine it lasted long, though.¡±

    Lusya tilted her head slightly. ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious?¡± the demon replied, cocking an eyebrow. ¡°You look like your mother with your father¡¯s colors. Sorry about your old man. How¡¯s your mother doing?¡±

    ¡°Well, last I saw her,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your condolences are appreciated. How did you know them?¡±

    ¡°We crossed paths a bit over twenty years ago now,¡± the demon replied.

    ¡°You remember my mother¡¯s face merely from crossing paths?¡±

    He chuckled again. ¡°It was a little more complicated than that. Besides, I have a good memory, and twenty years doesn¡¯t feel like long when you¡¯ve lived as long as I have.¡±

    ¡°And how long is that?¡± she asked.

    Strictly speaking, a demon could live forever as long as they were not killed in battle. However, few lived longer than a human could, and even fewer longer than a reltus. Even those who resisted putting themselves in danger with their combative nature would eventually be hunted down.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s best saved for another time,¡± he replied with a grin.

    She blinked. ¡°You are quite evasive.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Why should I trust you?¡±

    ¡°He has a point,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Fair is fair.¡± She beamed at the demon. ¡°But Lusya¡¯s super trustworthy. She¡¯s awesome!¡±

    She was right. If Lusya was suspicious of this demon, then he had every right to be suspicious of her. Of course, that still left them at something of an impasse. Lusya still did not know his intentions. If he became hostile while she and Ariya were in this village, it could prove troublesome. Perhaps leaving this village was the best course of action.

    ¡°Smart girl,¡± the demon said. ¡°You¡¯re name¡¯s Lusya, is it? I¡¯m Beldo.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Look, I would prefer we trust each other,¡± Beldo said, extending a hand. ¡°Truce?¡±

    She glanced at his hand. ¡°I will not shake that. But I am not opposed to barring hostilities. However, I have no means of ensuring you keep your word.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ll just have to trust me,¡± he said. ¡°Tell you what, as a gesture of good will, I¡¯ll pay for your stay at the inn. And your friend can have two candies.¡±

    Ariya gasped. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, Lusya, please?¡±

    ¡°We cannot trust a strange demon so readily,¡± she said.

    ¡°But I want the candy!¡±

    ¡°Do you want the candy badly enough to die?¡±

    Ariya pouted and looked at the ground. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°How about this, then?¡± Beldo said. ¡°I will pay for your stay at the inn, and leave town. That way, you¡¯ll have plenty of warning when I¡¯m coming back. If I plan to burn this place to the ground or sneaking back and killing everyone in their sleep, you¡¯ll be ready. And when those kids turn out fine, you¡¯ll know it wasn¡¯t because I slipped them an antidote or something after I got caught. Sound good?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°That arrangement is satisfactory, but I am uncertain why you would go to such lengths to earn the trust of someone you have never met before and will likely never see again.¡±

    ¡°That,¡± he replied, ¡°is another matter for another time. Shall we go to the inn?¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Ariya shouted, waving a hand in the air. ¡°Do I still get the candies?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°As soon as your guardian approves, to make up for the wait, you shall have three candies, Miss¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ariya,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And you will not give her more than two. It will disrupt her nutrition.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°But Lusya!¡±

    ¡°My decision is final,¡± Lusya said. She looked to Beldo. ¡°You seem familiar with this village. Lead the way to the inn. And know that I will not show mercy to one who breaks his word.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Three

    As promised, Beldo had ended up paying for the entirety of Lusya and Ariya¡¯s stay at the inn, both their room and meals. He must have visited this village with some regularity. The innkeeper had greeted him with jovial salutations and thanks for assistance with some errand ¡°last time.¡± The innkeeper had even given Beldo a discount. Regardless of his true intentions, it was clear that Beldo was quite the unusual demon.

    After paying for their room, Beldo had continued holding up his end of the bargain and departed town immediately. Lusya had sensed him move farther and farther away without stopping, until he was out of her sensory radius. So far, he was doing a good job of earning her trust. Keeping a promise was a good sign for his character.

    Of course, it was still possible this was all some elaborate, long-term ruse. Perhaps he had been laying the groundwork to earn the villagers¡¯ trust before betraying them and had been forced to improvise around her arrival. If he knew Mother and Father, he might have known more about Lusya herself than he let on, and he may have intentionally played on her affinity for promises. Although the promise that had spawned that affinity had been resolved, the importance she placed upon them had not. Perhaps that was Father¡¯s influence, or perhaps she had just grown to think them important all her own.

    Still, Lusya found it more likely that, for the time being, he was not hostile and would not be for the foreseeable future. It was doubtful someone could know such a detail of her character without her knowing them, and she was sure she had never met Beldo before. And, if she took his word as true, he implied he had met Mother and Father only briefly before Lusya had even been born. So, it was unlikely he was plotting anything against or related to her. For that matter, he had little reason to think he would need to. Perhaps, if Mother had raised her, Lusya may have become a Sacred Knight. But, in this life, it was plain to see that she was not. Beldo had no reason to believe she would object to destroying the village more than any other demon. The only reason she would was because Ariya would.

    None of that precluded him plotting against the village as a whole, of course. But Lusya found it doubtful. He would have had little reason to try to include Ariya and Lusya in whatever game he was playing if there was one, and he had clearly already earned the villagers¡¯ trust some time ago. If his goal was to gain and subvert it, he would have done the latter long ago.

    There were other things, things that poked at Lusya¡¯s curiosity. Small communities were infamously apprehensive of or even hostile to outsiders. Even if it was only with the innkeeper, the level of rapport she had seen was not forged overnight. Beldo must have been coming here for months. Years, if it was not just the innkeeper, which seemed likely considering how popular Beldo had been with the children the previous day. Were the Sacred Knights ignoring him? She could think of no other way that a powerful high-rank demon could have survived for so long during a turbulent age near the Sacred Knights¡¯ seat of power. Even if he was strong enough to fight off a Paladin, they would have sent multiple. It would have been a destructive clash, and word of it probably would have spread. And if¡ªby some miracle¡ªhe survived, he probably wouldn¡¯t have stayed here.

    It was an interesting mystery. One Lusya, unfortunately, had neither the answers to nor the means to derive them.

    She supposed most of those concerns were moot. She would be leaving this village and this region soon enough. It would be¡­frustrating to have so many questions unanswered, but she would live.

    It was as she finished breakfast that she pondered all that. Ariya sat across from her, downing a cup of milk after having finished her meal. She let out a contented sigh and patted her belly, a thin line of milk topping her lip.

    ¡°You have milk on your face,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya grabbed her napkin and wiped the mustache off, then puckered her lips as if Lusya might have trouble seeing over the couple feet between them.

    ¡°Better. If you have finished, we are going now.¡±

    ¡°Am I gonna get my candy?¡± Ariya asked.

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°We still do not know enough about Beldo. I cannot be certain it is safe for you to eat one.¡±

    Although she had not left the inn yet, Lusya would have expected to notice some sign if the other children had suffered any ill effects from the candy¡ªa commotion or change in the villagers¡¯ mood¡ªbut there was none as far as she could tell. Aside from groggy, the innkeeper and the few others eating seemed no different from the previous day. Still, Lusya could not be certain. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Beldo had distributed the sweets. She was not going to take chances by trusting a demon with Ariya¡¯s well-being.

    Ariya sighed but smiled after a moment. ¡°Okay, Lusya. That must be right if you say so.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lusya was well aware that she was not always right, but her judgment was often better than Ariya¡¯s, including in this case, and Ariya having such faith in Lusya was beneficial, so Lusya saw no reason to correct her.

    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m done. We can go.¡±

    Lusya nodded and stood, with Ariya following suit. Lusya looked to the innkeeper and saw an opportunity.

    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality,¡± she said as she approached the counter.

    He shrugged. ¡°No problem at all, as long as I¡¯m getting paid.¡±

    ¡°I would assume as much,¡± she replied. ¡°Although, I am not the one who paid.¡±

    ¡°Money is money,¡± the man said with a smile. ¡°And a friend of Beldo¡¯s is a friend of mine.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I see. He seems quite well-liked, despite being quite distinct.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s been coming around as long as I can remember,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°And I mean that literally. Shadows, I¡¯m pretty sure the man¡¯s been visiting since before I was born. We¡¯ve got whole generations who grew up with him stopping by, since he¡¯s a reltus and all.¡±

    An actual reltus would have aged noticeably in that time, but the other two mortal races were often ignorant of the precise rates relti aged at. And Lusya saw no reason to correct him.

    ¡°And are his visits always like this?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Like what? He usually stops by, chips in with an oddjob or two, and moves on. Sometimes he¡¯s got presents or the like too.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°Like the candy?¡±

    The innkeeper chuckled. ¡°What, you want some? Sorry to say, it¡¯s for the kids. First come, first serve if there¡¯s any leftover. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again just so I could get some¡­¡±

    ¡°That is not what I asked about,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Does he bring it frequently?¡±

    The innkeeper frowned. Probably because she had been rude. If he wanted politeness, he should have answered her the first time. ¡°Not really. Maybe about twice a year or so. Why?¡±

    ¡°I was only curious,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Good-bye.¡±

    ¡°Right, bye.¡±

    Lusya turned and walked away with Ariya in tow. ¡°You may have a candy.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ariya asked. She jumped into the air. ¡°Yay! You¡¯re the best Lusya. You were already the best, but now you¡¯re the extra-best.¡±

    ¡°That statement is nonsensical, but I appreciate the sentiment.¡±

    They made their way to the door and walked out of the inn. At that precise moment, a man trying to enter bumped into Ariya.

    ¡°Oh, sorry, young lady,¡± the man said with a smile. ¡°I should have been more careful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ariya replied. ¡°Bye!¡±

    The man waved and they parted ways. Lusya led Ariya away from the inn, looked around for anyone who might have seen, and stopped. Lusya had not missed the way Ariya¡¯s hand moved, nor the way she now held it, closed loosely enough to appear casual but tightly enough to conceal whatever was in her grasp.

    ¡°Ariya, what did you take from that man?¡±

    Ariya smiled proudly for a brief moment, before she obviously detected Lusya¡¯s displeasure and cast her eyes to the ground. Ariya held up her free hand and sheepishly opened it, revealing a single copper coin within. A Talsian arga, to be specific, but that was irrelevant.

    ¡°Why did you take that?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya squirmed beneath her gaze. ¡°Because we need money¡­right? You¡¯re always talking about it.¡±

    ¡°We do need money,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But that is none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s we then it¡¯s my problem!¡± Ariya replied. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t, your problem is my problem!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Your problems are my problems so long as you are in my care. The reverse does not apply. Regardless, you should not be stealing.¡±

    Ariya looked up at Lusya with wide, questioning eyes. ¡°But you do.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious!¡± Ariya replied. ¡°You go out in the middle of the night and then, all of a sudden, we have more money. Where else could it come from?¡±

    There were numerous other potential sources, and Lusya had considered many of them, but informing Ariya of either of those facts did not seem productive at the moment.

    ¡°You are correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But even so, you should not be stealing. My doing something is not reason for you to do it.¡±

    Ariya hung her head. ¡°I just wanted to help.¡±

    ¡°I know, and I appreciate the sentiment,¡± Lusya replied. She knelt and took the coin. ¡°But you must not do such things. You must avoid harming others.¡± She put the coin in her purse. ¡°We will keep this, because returning it would invite more trouble. But you will not do it again. Am I understood?¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya patted her head. ¡°Good girl.¡±

    Ariya regained some cheer at that, raising her head and smiling. Lusya stood and they continued walking. She would have to be more vigilant in the future. Ariya must have been practicing to have pulled off that maneuver. Her motives were innocent enough that it was not cause for concern, and there was no change worth noting in her Malice levels, but this becoming a pattern could be troublesome.

    For now, they just had to get out of town. Lusya did not know if or when that man would notice a single coin missing, but it would be inconvenient if they waited to find out. It seemed, however, that they would be meeting with Beldo first. He was making his way toward town, and Lusya had the sense he would want to speak with her again.

    Indeed, he intercepted them as they made their way into the outskirts of the village, rounding a corner to meet them. He wore an easy smile and had his bag of candy in one hand.

    ¡°See?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m trustworthy.¡±

    ¡°So it would seem,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°You have quite the reputation in this town, earned over decades. I find it unlikely that is part of some long-term plot, and you could not have known I was coming here to change your behavior.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°Thank you for that analysis on why I probably won¡¯t murder you. Most half-demons are a little strange, but you¡¯re unique even among them. Maybe it¡¯s because of your father.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Have you known many half-demons?¡±

    Half-demons were quite rare, to the point that most mortals didn¡¯t even know they existed, and it didn¡¯t occur even to Sacred Knights that Lusya might be one. As far as Lusya knew, she was the only half-demon born in centuries. It was a favorable state of affairs, seeing as it kept her from being discovered.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say many,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Around half a dozen or so. Before you, I hadn¡¯t seen one in two, three hundred years. Doesn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any more born, of course.¡± His expression and tone soured. ¡°They could have been in hiding, and I¡¯ve heard a lot of them just get killed at birth.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t come here for such morbid conversations. First thing¡¯s first, I believe Ariya was promised two candies.¡± He grinned and extended the bag to her. ¡°Take your pick.¡±

    Ariya grinned and reached into the bag.

    ¡°You will have one,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya looked up at her with wide eyes. ¡°But Lusya¡­¡±

    ¡°Do not ¡®but Lusya,¡¯ me. The revoking of what was a special privilege to begin with is an exceedingly mild punishment.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    She drew a single paper-wrapped orb out of the bag and unwrapped it to reveal a bright red ball. She turned it about in her hand, examining it.

    Beldo cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing you need concern yourself with,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Now that Ariya has received her candy, we must go.¡±

    Ariya popped the candy into her mouth, and all traces of discontent vanished as she squealed in delight.

    ¡°It¡¯sh sho sweet!¡±

    ¡°Do not speak with that in your mouth,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It almost fell out.¡±

    Ariya grunted in agreement and nodded.

    Lusya nodded at Beldo. ¡°Farewell.¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± he said, stepping into her path, ¡°I was thinking we could travel together for a while. I know this area pretty well. I¡¯m sure I can help you find the best way through. Are you headed for Talsia?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It is not our ultimate destination, but we are going in that direction, and we have little choice but to pass through the country itself.¡±

    The country they were in now, Kiner, might as well have been Talsia. It was independent, but a rural villager¡¯s use of a foreign currency did not speak to the strength of that independence. She suspected much the same would hold for the other small countries they would pass through on their way to Talsia.

    ¡°How are you planning on getting there?¡± he asked.

    ¡°We will head northwest from here to Farhaven, then we will¡­¡±

    Beldo nodded along as he listened to her explain her intended route. When she had finished, he hummed in thought for a moment, then nodded once more. ¡°Not a bad way to go about it, but you could do better. Let me be your guide. I¡¯ll show you the best way.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You seem interesting,¡± he replied. ¡°And at my age, it¡¯s rare to find something new and exciting. Gotta seize on it when I do. Besides, I might not have known Romoro and Azure long, but I still feel like I should make sure their kid is doing okay.¡±

    ¡°I do not need your supervision,¡± she said. ¡°And if Mother had any concerns, she could have told me when we met recently. But you have sparked my curiosity as well, and I will not object to a guide, provided your services will not be too expensive.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be charging you a thing,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d share your food with me at mealtimes, but I¡¯ll pay you for anything I eat. And it¡¯s no big deal if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Demons did not need to eat, but, if he was going to compensate her, she saw no reason not to allow him to do so for pleasure.

    She nodded. ¡°I accept your offer. And you may eat during meals.¡±

    A guide could prove beneficial. That had always been the case. Lusya did not know this region well, nor much of the area they had covered during their journey. Her planned route was based purely on maps, and at this point had been planned almost a year ago. Much could have changed in that time.

    The main reasons she had not had a guide for most of the journey were cost and the need for secrecy. Beldo was not asking for money, and he had yet to ask a single question about her and Ariya. It seemed worth using him as a guide. The chance to find out more about him was an added bonus.

    ¡°Then follow me,¡± he said.

    He began walking, and Lusya did just that.

    ¡°If he¡¯s coming with us, can I have another candy?¡± Ariya asked. She had spent a while sucking on it, before destroying it in a series of loud crunches.

    ¡°We shall see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You may earn another with your behavior.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Four

    ¡°Welcome,¡± Beldo said, with a dramatic flourish of his hands, ¡°to Northwind.¡±

    It was a more theatric introduction than the village probably deserved. As far as Lusya could tell, it was an unremarkable rural village like any other. For that matter, they were on the very edge of it, amidst sprawling farmland with homes spaced far apart. One could scarcely tell they were in the village. He should have waited for a denser part of town for that introduction, if such a thing existed.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the last village Northwind?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°That was Northwood,¡± Beldo corrected.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°That¡¯s basically the same thing.¡±

    ¡°They are quite similar,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re in the north. There¡¯s a lot of North-something villages. Northwade, Northwild, Northward¡­¡±

    ¡°That last one is just a direction,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°It¡¯s lazy,¡± Ariya said. ¡°They should be more creative when they name things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°Back when the village was being founded, I suggested they name it Awesomeland, the Shining Capital of Burning Justice, but it¡¯s not exactly my call.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Was that a joke?¡±

    ¡°Did it sound like a joke?¡±

    ¡°They are fortunate they did not heed your advice.¡±

    Beldo laughed. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going.¡±

    He led the way farther into the village, past sprawling fields and working villagers. A few waved and called out to Beldo as he passed. He responded in kind each time.

    ¡°You seem to be well-known in this village as well,¡± Lusya said.

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. I was born around here, you know. I travel a lot, but I tend to come back here pretty often. People end up knowing me.¡± He smiled and held a finger to his lips, as if shushing her. ¡°Oh, but they don¡¯t know I was around when villages were being founded, so keep quiet about that, okay? Don¡¯t need someone who understands relti blowing my cover, so I like to keep things at least a little plausible.¡±

    ¡°I have no reason or desire to disrupt your charade,¡± Lusya said.

    He chuckled. ¡°You could work on sounding more reassuring.¡±

    ¡°I will not.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your secret¡¯s safe,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That¡¯s what Lusya meant too, right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°More or less.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Beldo said.

    They continued into the village, with homes growing a bit closer together. The villagers sent more and more greetings Beldo. It seemed ingratiating himself to them over several generations was quite effective. That information would likely never be useful to Lusya, but it was interesting.

    ¡°Is this not the inn?¡± Lusya asked, stopping before the building as Beldo kept walking.

    ¡°It is,¡± he said. ¡°While we¡¯re here anyway, there¡¯s someone I want to visit. But you can head inside if you want. Sorry, guess it slipped my mind.¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°It is fine. We will accompany you. I find your relationship with these villagers fascinating.¡±

    "Well, thank you,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°It was not a compliment to you in particular.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes you just take the thanks¡­¡±

    ¡°I wanted to correct your misconception.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine. You¡¯re welcome to come, if you want.¡±

    From there, he led them to a nondescript home and knocked on the door. The building was a tad larger than most in the village. It had neither an adjoining field nor any other facilities to indicate the resident¡¯s occupation, and it did not seem to be a shop. Of course, it was possible whoever lived here worked elsewhere within the village.

    The door opened to reveal a middle-aged human man in spectacles. Everyone was human in this region. It had been weeks since Lusya had seen a reltus or tiransa. The man smiled, his green eyes twinkling.

    ¡°Beldo, it¡¯s good to see you,¡± he said. ¡°Here to visit Gouter?¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s up to it,¡± Beldo replied.

    The man nodded. ¡°He should be. He¡¯s not out of the woods yet, but he¡¯s been feeling better. And your friends?¡±

    ¡°These two are travelers. I¡¯m serving as their guide for the time being. Would it be a problem if they joined me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± the man said. He stepped aside, holding the door open. ¡°By all means, come in, make yourselves at home.¡±

    Beldo entered, and Lusya and Ariya followed. The house was, for the most part, about what one would expect of a rural home. It consisted of a singular home, with a table in the center, kitchen supplies on the far wall from the door, and a single bed to the left. The exception was on the right, where three cots were lined up against the wall. Only one was occupied at the moment, by a slightly older man than the one who had opened the door. A woman about the same age as the latter stood nearby, with a bowl of water resting on a nightstand. She removed a rag from the lying man¡¯s head, soaked a new one in water, and placed it on his forehead.

    ¡°Are you a doctor?¡± Lusya asked the spectacled man.

    He nodded. ¡°Something like that. I¡¯m no expert, but I know my fair share about medicine. The name¡¯s Gebrel, and me and my wife, Corenne over there act as the doctors around here. We studied together, you see.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    That was more information than Lusya had asked for or cared to know, but she did not begrudge him for telling her that much.

    ¡°That¡¯s super cool,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I wish I could make sick people better.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all a matter of practice,¡± Gebrel replied.

    Beldo approached the man in the bed, presumably Gouter.

    ¡°How are you holding up, old friend?¡± Beldo asked.

    Gouter looked at him with a weak smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been better, Uncle Beldo.¡±

    ¡°Uncle?¡± Ariya repeated incredulously.

    ¡°Beldo is far older than that man,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I imagine he acquired the habit of that address when their appearances reflected as much.¡±

    Gouter let out a laugh that trailed off into a cough. ¡°Your lady speaks her mind, huh?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that kind of relationship,¡± Beldo said. ¡°She¡¯s an acquaintance¡¯s daughter. I happened to meet her on the road.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    On the one hand, it was not a mistake Lusya could not comprehend. She and Beldo did look to be about the same age. From a human perspective, he did not look more than five years her senior. On the other hand, she was not sure why mortals were so quick to assume romance.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Gouter said. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure whether I needed to chew you out for keeping her a secret or congratulate you on meeting someone. Either way, though, she¡¯s right. Does make me feel a little silly calling you that when you look half my age. But, hey, I¡¯ve only ever known you as Uncle Beldo.¡±

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°Call me what makes you happy.¡±

    ¡°You know, on that note, you¡¯ve been a bachelor for, what, at least fifty years? When are you going to settle down?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a wanderer,¡± Beldo said. ¡°It¡¯s better if I don¡¯t settle down. Don¡¯t you worry about me, I¡¯m happy with the way things are. I¡¯m here to worry about you.¡±

    Gouter waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Bah, there¡¯s not need for that. I feel fine. The only thing I¡¯m suffering from is these two worrywarts fussing over me.¡±

    ¡°Very convincing from a man who¡¯s been bedridden for months,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°You took the words right out of my mouth, Corenne,¡± Beldo said.

    Gouter scoffed, which undermined his point when it was immediately followed by a coughing fit.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t look fine, mister,¡± Ariya said. ¡°You have to say when you¡¯re sick, so people can help you get better.¡±

    Gouter scoffed again.

    Beldo fixed his gaze on the man. ¡°Gouter.¡±

    Gouter sighed. ¡°Oh, fine. I¡¯ve got a fever, my head is pounding, I hack up a lung every other minute, and the only thing I can keep down is the blandest soup known to man. Happy?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I worked hard on that recipe,¡± Gebrel said. He was in the kitchen, fussing over a steaming pot. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly formulated for proper nutrition while being palatable to someone in your condition.¡±

    ¡°It tastes like hot water,¡± Gouter shot back. He returned his attention to Beldo. ¡°I am feeling better, though. Got more energy, and nothing hurts aside from the headache. I think I¡¯ll be good soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Is it true?¡± Lusya asked Corenne.

    Corenne hesitated, and before she could say anything, Beldo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°You wait to ask those kinds of questions in private.¡±

    ¡°I do not understand why one would do that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It seems beneficial for him to know if he is incorrect as well.¡±

    Gouter laughed, while Beldo sighed again and waved at Corenne for her to answer.

    ¡°He should be fine,¡± Corenne said. ¡°His condition has been steadily improving¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡± Beldo asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re a little short on snowroot, the main ingredient of his medicine,¡± Corenne said. ¡°If we can¡¯t get more, we won¡¯t have enough to finish his planned regimen. He should be fine anyway, but it will be a little extra risk.¡±

    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t have that, can we?¡±

    ¡°You worry too much,¡± Gouter said. ¡°She said I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Beldo clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°You can never be too safe. Is snowroot something you can get locally?¡±

    ¡°You can,¡± Gebrel said. ¡°It¡¯s a pain, though. It grows far enough to be a bit of a hike, and only in winter, so we have to wait until it¡¯s warm enough to venture out in the middle of winter.¡±

    ¡°Threading the needle, huh?¡±

    Gebrel nodded.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get some, then?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that cold. Right, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°It is not cold enough to be hazardous in and of itself, so long as one takes proper precautions,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°However, the cold and snow still increase the risk factor of going to harvest the plants. If one of them tries and  anything happens to them, the village will have lost half of its medical capabilities.¡±

    ¡°That about sums it up,¡± Corenne said.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we go get some for you?¡± Beldo asked. ¡°Just point us in the right direction and you¡¯ll have all the snowroot you can stomach.¡±

    Corenne shook her head. ¡°Oh, we couldn¡¯t impose on you like that. Especially not when we¡¯re not willing to risk the trip ourselves. That¡¯s why we won¡¯t ask anyone else in the village to do it either.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all,¡± Beldo said. ¡°In fact, I insist, and I won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±

    What a strange demon he was. Lusya could not say he was the only one so eager to help she had ever met, but he was one of a number she could have counted on one hand.

    Gebrel shrugged. ¡°If you feel that strongly about it, we won¡¯t stop you. The best place to find it is just to the southwest. There¡¯s a thin line of trees, then a wide field with one big tree in the middle. A whole bunch of snowroot grows there. I¡¯ll draw a picture of what the plant looks like for you. Do not confuse it with frostroot. That¡¯s deathly poison.¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Gebrel drew a picture of both plants, complete with careful annotations of how to differentiate them. Frostroot had more jagged leaves and was a darker green, apparently. He wrote a note in the top corner, explaining to be careful but not to panic if they made a mistake. Frostroot was lethal to ingest, but harmless to the touch. Beldo accepted the drawing along with a sack to put the plants in and left with Lusya and Ariya.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go pick some snowroot, then,¡± he said. ¡°You two can go back to the inn. I¡¯m sure your curiosity is satisfied by now, right?¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°And I will learn nothing by watching you gather herbs.¡±

    ¡°But I wanna help!¡± Ariya exclaimed, tugging on Lusya¡¯s hand for attention as if she might not hear otherwise.

    ¡°I have no problem with that,¡± Beldo said. ¡°As long as Lusya agrees.¡±

    ¡°Please, Lusya?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Very well. But you will not go alone with him. I will accompany you. Also, be aware that we will have less time for reading if you do this.¡±

    Though she was confident enough that Beldo was not an imminent danger, she still saw no reason to trust him alone with Ariya. Lusya had known him for only days, and knew little about him other than that he had an odd affinity for the mortals of the region.

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°I know, but I wanna help the sick guy. Plus, it sounds fun. Kind of like picking flowers.¡±

    ¡°Then we will go.¡± Lusya did not understand why killing plants was fun, but she knew Ariya enjoyed it, and Lusya herself had no strong opinion about it. She looked to Beldo. ¡°Let us go, then.¡±

    He nodded, and the three of them made their way to the spot Gebrel had indicated. Lusya had learned over the course of her journey that many mortals were awful at giving directions. They overestimated how notable features and landmarks were, and acted as though they were guiding someone who already knew the general area even when speaking to an outsider. However, Gebrel¡¯s directions had been straightforward, and they found his field easily enough.

    In the summer, it was probably a sea of grass, but right now, it was a sheet of white. A thin layer of snow coated the entire ground, with only a few plants poking out. Including the snowroot they were looking for.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get picking,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ariya agreed, pumping a fist in the air. ¡°I bet I can pick more than either of you.¡±

    ¡°That is unlikely,¡± Lusya said. She looked to Beldo. ¡°May I see that paper?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He handed it to her, and Lusya took a moment to take another look at it and make sure she had its contents memorized. Then, she handed it to Ariya.

    ¡°Refer to this before you pick anything,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And I mean every time.¡±

    Ariya was a bright girl, but it was not unheard of for her to overlook a few details, especially while excited. It would not harm her to pick the wrong plant, but, at best, it would waste some of the doctors¡¯ time sorting through to get rid of the frostroot. At worst, they might not notice¡ªthey did look very similar¡ªand kill their patient. Lusya would prefer not to cause a needless death.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll lose if I do that!¡± Ariya protested.

    ¡°That is unfortunate,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will still do it.¡±

    Ariya huffed. ¡°Yes, Lusya¡­¡±

    She stomped off to the nearest plant, snow crunching underfoot, and looked between the plant and the page before picking the snowroot.

    Lusya watched. She did not find Ariya¡¯s wager interesting, but, given that Ariya did, ruining it was an unfortunate side effect of forcing her to be careful. It had not been Lusya¡¯s intention to upset her so. Maybe she was still upset about the stealing incident as well. Perhaps some compensation was in order.

    ¡°If you do not pick any frostroot, you may have a second candy.¡±

    Ariya immediately looked up at her, beaming. ¡°Really?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°So be careful.¡±

    ¡°I will! I¡¯ll be more careful than anyone¡¯s ever been about anything!¡±

    ¡°That is unlikely, but do your best.¡±

    Ariya nodded and returned to her task. Lusya and Beldo set about harvesting the herbs as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just volunteer my candy like that,¡± Beldo said with a chuckle.

    ¡°You volunteered it to begin with,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You should have said so if you meant to revoke it.¡±

    He laughed again and they continued with their job. By evening, they had harvested an ample supply of snowroot. Ariya had harvested the least, being slower than either of them and having to take time to check her paper every time. But she had succeeded in finding only snowroot.

    ¡°Do I get the candy now?¡± she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

    ¡°You may have it after dinner,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It may hamper your appetite and interfere with proper nutrition if you eat it now.¡±

    ¡°Okay! As long as I get the candy.¡±

    ¡°You will receive your candy.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Beldo hefted the sack of snowroot. ¡°Let¡¯s get this back to the village. The sooner we do that. The sooner we can eat. And the sooner Miss Ariya can get her candy.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±

    They returned to the village and delivered the herbs to the two doctors.

    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Corenne said. ¡°With this, we¡¯ll have plenty.¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to,¡± Gouter said. ¡°But thanks, Uncle Beldo.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°You rest up and get better now. I¡¯ll see you again before next winter. Don¡¯t make me a liar.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Shadows, I¡¯m not a kid anymore.¡±

    Beldo grinned. ¡°You are to me.¡±

    Gouter clicked his tongue but didn¡¯t argue.

    Beldo nodded to each of the doctors. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two again too.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Corenne said. ¡°We¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±

    ¡°Always a pleasure to have you visit,¡± Gebrel added. He looked to Lusya and Ariya. ¡°And you two. You¡¯ve never been here before, and yet you pitched in to help where we wouldn¡¯t risk it. Thank you. You¡¯re welcome back anytime too.¡±

    ¡°I doubt we will return,¡± Lusya said, ¡°but I appreciate the sentiment.¡±

    Gebrel smiled. ¡°Well then, I wish you safe travels and good luck wherever you do go.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I wish you good luck in your medical endeavors as well. Farewell.¡±

    With their extra task done, Beldo exchanged one last round of goodbyes with the doctors and Gouter, and he, Lusya, and Ariya left the house and made their way to the inn at last.

    ¡°If Mister Gouter gonna be okay?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will be,¡± Beldo said. ¡°He¡¯s in good hands, and he¡¯s a tough one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Now, let¡¯s eat so I can have my candy!¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Five

    ¡°Ah, nothing beats the stew here,¡± Beldo said as he reached the top of the stairs to the inn¡¯s second floor. ¡°I could eat nothing but that every day and be satisfied.¡±

    ¡°I found it unremarkable,¡± Lusya said. It had not been bad by any means, but the quality had been average and there had been nothing novel or unique about the recipe. It had just been another drop in a sea of beef stews Lusya had eaten during her travels.

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°To each their own.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Lusya,¡± Ariya said. ¡°The candy was good, though.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was. Well, this is my room. I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I would like to speak with you, if you do not mind,¡± she said.

    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯d love to. Can¡¯t say I ever expected you to say something like that, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, are you okay?¡± Ariya asked. People often made such jokes when faced with unusual behavior, but her tone was tinged with genuine worry. Lusya was not sure if that reflected actual concern or the joke had simply come out more seriously than Ariya had intended.

    ¡°I am fine.¡±

    ¡°We can talk in here,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Unless you prefer your room.¡±

    ¡°I have no preference.¡± It wasn¡¯t as if she had any attachment to the inn room she had just rented nor would one be more secure than the other, and the walk across the hall afterward was a minor inconvenience at best.

    Beldo pushed the door open and walked into the room, beckoning Lusya and Ariya in. They entered, and he took a seat at a chair against the far wall. Ariya seated herself on the bed, while Lusya remained standing.

    ¡°So?¡± Beldo asked. ¡°What did you want to talk to me about?¡±

    ¡°You are a strange demon,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I would like to know why.¡±

    He was obviously an old demon, for one thing, itself unusual. Then there was his relationship with these humans and his exceptional altruism. Even those demons she had met who helped others usually kept to a select few within a specialized area. Rahgrahb and Danfia had been kind enough¡ªeven to the mortals Lusya had seen them interact with¡ªbut they had not been in the business of spreading that kindness unless given a compelling reason. And they had still fought for Father in the end.

    Beldo¡¯s unique characteristics seemed benign enough, and he seemed well-intentioned, but the matter still warranted investigation. He was a bundle of unknowns, and that could prove dangerous.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what it¡¯s about,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I guess I can tell you. I wasn¡¯t keeping it a secret or anything, I just don¡¯t particularly like to talk about myself.¡±

    ¡°I wanna know too,¡± Ariya said, waving an arm for attention. ¡°I¡¯ve met a few good demons during our trip, but you¡¯re different than them.¡±

    Beldo smiled. ¡°Anything specific I should focus on?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°No. How you came to be as you are in general will suffice.¡± She paused. ¡°I would also like to know how old you are. It is clear it is older than most demons live to.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we do tend to get killed young,¡± Beldo said. He sighed. ¡°Mostly our own fault, but it¡¯s still a shame. Well, then, I guess I¡¯ll start from the beginning.

    ¡°I was born about¡­I want to say two thousand years ago? Honestly, it got hard to keep track after a couple hundred. But right around there, in this very region. That was during what they call a turbulent age these days, and boy did I love that. You might have noticed my name.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It does not suit you.¡±

    ¡°Beldo,¡± bore a resemblance to the words in several languages for war. Lusya assumed it to be that same word from a predecessor language, perhaps Odessian.

    ¡°It did back then,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I won¡¯t make little Ariya listen to the gory details¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that little,¡± Ariya said. ¡°And I can handle gory details.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are, and no, you cannot,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Continue.¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I enjoyed war. Really, I enjoyed making people hurt, and war was a great stage to do that.¡±

    ¡°That is not an abnormal sentiment among demons,¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not, and it wasn¡¯t back then either. So, I fought for my Demon King, and I loved every second of it. The Sacred Knights and the Paladins didn¡¯t exist back then, but I was a real terror to their equivalents. But, it didn¡¯t matter. As you, of course, know, my Demon King lost. A mortal hero killed him at the cost of his own life.¡± It was interesting how often that happened. Of course, defeating the Demon King wasn¡¯t something that could come without a high cost, but Lusya still would have expected more variation in what that cost was, especially since such heroes did not often fight alone. Perhaps Demon Kings made a point of killing their heroes when it was clear their death was imminent. Lusya could not say if that applied to Father. She had not been present for his death nor had she ever heard the details. ¡°He was half-reltus, half-human, actually. That was almost unheard of back then.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. That was an irrelevant detail, but she didn¡¯t intend to derail the story by pointing that out.

    ¡°Anyway, after that, I did what I was supposed to,¡± he said. ¡°Went into hiding, tried to lay low, you know the drill.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°We knew most of us would be found. A handful, at best, would get another shot in the next cycle,¡± Beldo said. ¡°It was really just about surviving for as long as possible. So, I ended up finding my way to a little village. I pretended to be injured for sympathy, got them to take me in, and before long I was one of the villagers. They just thought I was a reltus. Relations between the mortal races were even worse back then, but a half-reltus had just saved the world, so I got a little slack.¡±

    So, that detail was not irrelevant. He would have benefited from making that clear first.

    ¡°So, what happened?¡± Ariya asked, as if he would not continue without prompting.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°I settled down,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I lived in that village for years. Worked as a farmhand for an old man who couldn¡¯t tend his own fields anymore and whose son had died in the war. Made friends, found a lover. That kind of thing.

    ¡°At first, it was just about surviving. I just needed to lay low so nobody would hunt me down, and all that was just part of the act. Then one day, I woke up, kissed my wife, and realized I was actually happy.¡±

    ¡°Happier than before?¡± Ariya asked.

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s hard to measure that kind of thing, especially in hindsight. But it was close at least.¡±

    ¡°You do not sound happy about being happy,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Were you dissatisfied with that realization?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know then, and I still don¡¯t. I spent a long time trying to figure it out. I mean, I¡¯m a demon. We¡¯re almost literally made of hatred and anger. I was trying to destroy the world a few years earlier. Was it okay for me to be happy in peace? Was I losing myself by accepting that?

    ¡°And moreover, even though I was happy, I still felt the pull of war. My impulses as a demon weren¡¯t gone. So many times, I thought about strangling that old man in his sleep. Even after I moved into my own place with my wife, I still worked for him. And I thought about the look on his face when he realized I was killing him, after gaining his trust over the course of years.

    ¡°But I was happy without doing those things, and I knew I needed to refrain to survive. So, I held back. I contented myself with my simple life. Started a brawl or two when I really felt the itch and moved on with life.¡± He chuckled. ¡°For not knowing any motomancy, some of those guys could throw a punch. I¡¯ll never forget the feeling of Branus¡¯s right hook.

    ¡°Nothing lasts forever, though. I lived there for almost twenty years. Watched people grow old around me. My benefactor went from a frail old man to a husk that could barely get out of bed if I helped him. And then, this pompous nobleman came into town. I don¡¯t remember his name or what he ruled, but he was a big deal, waylaid into our village by bad weather. The villagers had no choice but to accommodate him, of course, to scrape and bow and cater to his every whim. It wasn¡¯t the first time something like that happened, but most were at least a little gracious about it. This guy relished his power.¡±

    Even now, the incident roused obvious anger withing Beldo. His hands were balled into fists, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl.

    ¡°After a night of gorging himself on our food and drinking every drop of alcohol he could fit in his mouth, he set his eyes on my wife, Iula. I can¡¯t blame him. She was beautiful. But she, of course, told him she was a married woman and refused. I was standing right there and agreed. Tried to be good-natured about it, like it was a joke. Now, there have been countries where a king or a lord can take any woman he pleases, marriage be damned, but this wasn¡¯t one of them. I remember this folk tale about how you¡¯ll turn into a slug if you sleep with a married woman. Ientos, my son, thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

    ¡°Anyway, point is, pompous nobleman wasn¡¯t happy with her answer. He threw some wine on her and ordered his guards to restrain and execute her for defying him. So I killed him. And them. And her. And everyone else in the village. I started because I was angry, and I kept going because I was having fun. After decades of holding back, I couldn¡¯t help but indulge.¡±

    He hung his head in shame, his voice growing lower and lower, until it was almost hard to hear.

    ¡°My benefactor was the last one. His house was on the outskirts. He was awake when I got there. He had been lying in bed, listening to the screams and carnage until I reached him. And when I loomed over him, he just looked me in the eyes and said, ¡®It¡¯s okay. I forgive you.¡¯¡±

    ¡°An interesting choice,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°He knew. I don¡¯t know if he somehow knew some motomancy without me realizing or he knew enough to spot my fangs, but he knew. I asked him how he could forgive me, and he told me, ¡®It¡¯s not your fault. You were made to be evil. The gods played a cruel joke when they made demons. This is all you can be. Yet you came and helped me out of bed every day for the past ten years. If a storm held itself back for twenty years only to do what a storm does, I could hardly be angry at it either.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Did you kill him?¡±

    Beldo nodded again. He was silent for a long stretch of time. Long enough that Lusya was about to prompt him to continue when he spoke again.

    ¡°Then, I left the village. Walked into the woods nearby until eventually I curled up and went to sleep. I was happy with what I had done, and upset with what I had lost. I wasn¡¯t sure which I was feeling more. Until the next day, when I woke up and went to say good morning to Iula out of habit.

    ¡°That was when I decided the prove that old man wrong. That I would conquer my urges and live peacefully. Forever, this time. I wish I could say I succeeded right off the bat, but over the years, I figured it out. I¡¯ll spare you all the details on how. It¡¯s a lot of meditation and introspection. And, well, here we are.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I see. That is quite the story.¡±

    ¡°I guess it is,¡± Beldo said. His eyes were cast downward with a sad smile. ¡°Does that answer your question? Or is there something else you want to know?¡±

    ¡°I have one question to start,¡± Lusya said. She had many, in fact, but most could wait. It irked her that they had skipped close to two thousand years and the details of how he had overcome his urges, and she could not help but be curious, but such details likely weren¡¯t important and fell outside the scope of what she had said she wanted to know. She could wait to learn about them while she focused on the matter at hand. It would take some time to organize her thoughts on two thousand years of a events and a concept she had never heard of before anyway. ¡°Was your village also in this region?¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°It sure was. Of course, it fell into ruin after what happened, and it¡¯s gone now. You can¡¯t even tell people used to live there.¡±

    ¡°That is unsurprising,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Assuming, of course, that any of your story is true.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gotta be true,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It¡¯s so sad and cool and awesome!¡±

    ¡°Those last two are synonyms, and your reasoning is nonsensical.¡±

    ¡°Guess I can¡¯t blame you for being skeptical,¡± he said. ¡°It is a pretty crazy story.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    It was mostly the time scale that put things in question. The story itself was interesting and unusual, to be sure, but it was not implausible, and it seemed to align with Beldo¡¯s behavior. However, for him to have survived for over two-thousand years was such an extraordinary feat that Lusya struggled to believe it. She couldn¡¯t think of any reason Beldo would have to lie, but she could not help but be skeptical.

    ¡°How have you avoided being hunted for so long?¡± Lusya asked. It was one of the key issues that had occurred to her on further consideration. ¡°You are a powerful demon who is often in the same place. The Sacred Knights would ordinarily have killed you long ago.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I make a habit of coming back here, but I travel around a lot,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But, to answer your question, they¡ªand other groups before them¡ªmostly leave me alone. If one of them gets close, I usually run away, and at some point, they decide I¡¯m not a threat and not worth dedicating resources to. Sometimes that understanding is more explicit than others, but it¡¯s been a few hundred years since anyone came after me.¡±

    ¡°Is this one of those times?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°Otherwise you would have run away from Mother.¡±

    Beldo hummed in thought. ¡°Well, I have spoken with a couple Sacred Knights who¡¯ve agreed not to attack me, but I don¡¯t know what the situation with the higher ups is.¡± He chuckled. ¡°The main reason I didn¡¯t run away from Azure is that she was traveling with the Demon King. Curiosity trumped survival for a second there.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is a sentiment I can understand.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay, Mister Beldo?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°We¡¯re sorry if we made you sad by asking.¡±

    ¡°Do not apologize on my behalf, child.¡±

    Beldo raised his head, his eyes widening as his melancholy gave way to surprise. After a moment, he laughed and shook his head.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± he said. ¡°No one needs to apologize. It hurts a little, but it¡¯s nice to talk about it sometimes, actually. It¡¯s not like I get many chances. I can¡¯t tell most people any of this. It¡¯s been years since the last time I explained it. But it¡¯s nice to make sure someone other than me knows about it. So if something happens to me, their existence isn¡¯t just forgotten.

    ¡°That¡¯s a little selfish, sure. There are plenty of other villages and commonfolk who¡¯ve been forgotten after thousands of years. Even kings and nobles from back then have faded away. No one will ever speak their names or think about their stories again. It might be conceited to make sure this one goes on just because it¡¯s mine. But, hey, it¡¯s the least I can do.¡±

    Lusya blinked. She could not say she entirely understood. These were the sentiments of someone who had lived for thousands of years. Perhaps she would never be able to comprehend them in full. But she felt she understood enough. She, too, had someone she didn¡¯t want to be forgotten as just a number in a long list of Demon Kings.

    ¡°Then it is fortunate I asked,¡± she said. ¡°Come, Ariya, it is time for bed.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Six

    ¡°You¡¯ll love the next town, Bigstone,¡± Beldo said as he walked down the road with Lusya and Ariya. ¡°The baker, Raman, makes the best cakes I¡¯ve ever had. And I¡¯ve had a lot over the years.¡±

    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°Did you hear that, Lusya? The best cakes in the world.¡±

    ¡°That is not what he said,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But someone with two thousand years¡¯ experience likely has a large reference pool. His recommendation carries weight.¡±

    Beldo grinned and seemed to stand a bit taller at that. ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed, trust me.¡±

    ¡°Although, your impression of the inn¡¯s food in the last village does offset that somewhat,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is clear that your sentimental attachment to this region clouds your judgment at times.¡±

    ¡°Hey, taste is subjective,¡± he replied, his smile replaced by a frown as he deflated.

    ¡°Yes, and most subjects lack your fondness for this area as a factor in forming their opinions.¡±

    ¡°Lusya has a point,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That food really wasn¡¯t as good as you said.¡±

    Beldo sighed. ¡°Look, whatever the reason, I really like the cakes. You two can try them and decide for yourselves how good they are.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°I suppose we will,¡± Lusya said. She looked to Ariya. ¡°But you will have to refrain from sweets before and after for some time.¡±

    Ariya groaned but nodded. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    There was a pause before Beldo spoke up again.

    ¡°You know, you could have just gone with the flow of the conversation,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t always have to say everything you think.¡±

    ¡°I am aware, and I do not,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I saw no reason not to disrupt this particular conversation and avoid Ariya¡¯s disappointment by tempering her expectations.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d hate to hear the things you hold back.¡±

    They continued walking through the countryside. A couple inches of snow had accumulated on the ground, and more fell at a steady rate, flake after flake drifting down to the ground.

    Other than that, there was not much notable about the area they were passing through. It was a flat, wide-open plain that stretched to the horizon in all directions. It was an ideal road for travel, especially in this weather. In summer, the shade of a forest could be useful¡ªat least for others, as Lusya was fine in just about any temperature¡ªbut a plain was the safest place to be. There was nowhere for someone to lie in ambush. And if an attack did come, one would at least see it coming.

    Ariya stared at the snow-laden ground as they walked. She seemed to be deep in thought, until she finally looked up at Lusya.

    ¡°Lusya, can I make snow shadows?¡± she asked.

    ¡°If you wish, you may do so when we take a break,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will not stop specifically for you to do so.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Okay, that makes sense.¡±

    They walked on in silence for a bit longer.

    ¡°Can we play ¡®I see?¡¯¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°There is not much material for that game in the vicinity,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya looked around and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. How about Guess and Give?¡±

    ¡°If you wish,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Beldo, do you know how to play?¡± Ariya asked.

    Beldo shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever heard of that game before.¡±

    It was a rather common game. ¡°Guess and Give¡± was just the name Ariya had chosen to give it. Lusya had played similar games with both her parents during her childhood, as well as with other children during her time living with Mother, though not much. Other children had found her unsettling, and so she had never had many friends or consistent playmates, despite Mother¡¯s best efforts to arrange some for her.

    The rules of the game were quite simple. One player thought of something. It could be just about anything, but Ariya chose to restrain the boundaries to physical objects. That included living beings, but abstract concepts were not allowed. Any other players¡ªwhich was just Lusya, most of the time¡ªtook turns asking yes-or-no questions to narrow down the answer, until the number of questions asked reached twenty. If they wished, a player could demand a hint instead of asking a question, but that counted as two questions. That was the ¡°give¡± in the name, giving a hint.

    Ariya explained the rules and Beldo nodded in understanding.

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± he said with awe in his voice. ¡°That makes sense. How creative!¡±

    Ariya scowled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie. Lusya already told me lots of people play this game.¡±

    Beldo glanced at Lusya and cocked an eyebrow.

    ¡°I saw no point in attempting to deceive her,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°To be encouraging?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Now I try to think of new games sometimes. That¡¯s fun, it¡¯s almost like a game by itself. One day, I¡¯ll definitely make something Lusya hasn¡¯t heard of before.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°I do not know why you insist on that being your goal,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am not an expert on children¡¯s games. My ignorance does not guarantee your creation is original or unique.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re the only one I have to ask,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I will accept that explanation.¡±

    Ariya smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, now, everyone think of a number. Whoever thinks of the highest number is the thinker first.¡±

    After a pause, she prompted them to give their numbers.

    ¡°Seven,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Two thousand seven hundred forty-five,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya groaned. ¡°Two thousand six hundred seventeen. I wanted to go first.¡±

    ¡°You may if you wish,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°No, rules are rules¡­What¡¯s wrong, Beldo?¡±

    Beldo was staring at them, his mouth agape. ¡°What were those numbers?¡±

    ¡°We have done this many times before,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really answer my question, but fine.¡±

    ¡°Have you thought of your thing, Lusya?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I have. You may begin.¡±

    ¡°Is it a weapon?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Beldo looked bemused at that opening question. ¡°An animal?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    They continued asking questions as they walked. Most were the normal, expected questions in such a game. Did the animal have fur, could it fly, and so on. A few stranger questions came about as well, such as whether the animal could breathe fire and if it was born of Malice. Ariya seemed to consider minor-rank demons animals, and Lusya supposed they met the requirements to be classified as such.

    ¡°Is it a cat?¡± Beldo asked as they neared the end of their allotted questions.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°That was a good first round, now¡ª¡±

    ¡°That was not the final answer,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°It¡¯s more specific than that?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°No fair,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It was my turn.¡±

    Beldo blushed. ¡°Sorry. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Is it a tiger?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo frowned. ¡°Is it a tabby cat?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    They exhausted their questions guessing at various subclassifications of cats, some of which were correct but not the final answer. That made Lusya the winner. There was no particular benefit to winning, but she saw no reason not to try. She had put less effort in at times, but Ariya had complained that Lusya letting her win was ¡°no fun.¡±

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the answer?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Lord Whiskers,¡± Lusya replied.

    Beldo scowled. ¡°What is Lord Whiskers?¡±

    ¡°A mysterious stray cat my mother adopted when it appeared in the manor,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ariya said, understanding dawning. ¡°The one that didn¡¯t like you at first.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°I should have guessed that¡­¡±

    Beldo sighed. ¡°How am I supposed to guess this very specific cat I didn¡¯t know existed?¡±

    ¡°You are not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is what makes it an effective choice.¡±

    Beldo cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Do you two always play the game like this?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fun!¡± Ariya added.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re enjoying it, I guess it¡¯s fine,¡± Beldo said. ¡°By the way, who named the cat?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Lusya said. She wondered if Lord Whiskers was still alive. He had been a young cat when he had first appeared, so it was a distinct possibility. She hoped he was and doing well.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that was your naming sense.¡±

    ¡°It is not. It was when I was five years old.¡±

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°Probably still wouldn¡¯t have guessed that, but fair enough. I believe you¡¯re next, Ariya.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yeah. I already know my thing, so I¡¯m ready.¡±

    They began guessing at what she was thinking of, but they did not make it far. Just a bit farther down the road, they encountered a wagon with one wheel dislodged on the side of the road, along with several other undamaged wagons. A man stood beside the damaged one, looking down at where the wheel at once been with a pensive look. Meanwhile, a handful of other men and women were scattered around the area on either side of the road, rummaging through crates, sacks, and barrels.

    There was no sign of a struggle, suggesting these were the workers of this caravan, inspecting their goods to make sure they had not been damaged in whatever incident had taken the wheel off of the wagon. The horses drawing each wagon stood nearby, breath steaming from their noses, waiting for their masters¡¯ work to finish.

    ¡°Looks like they could use a hand,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Yeah, we should help!¡± Ariya said, the game apparently forgotten.

    ¡°They seem to have the situation under control,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to ask if they could use some help.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said. ¡°We gotta ask.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. Strictly speaking, it could hurt, but she doubted it would be anything she couldn¡¯t handle.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Beldo said as they neared. ¡°You look like you¡¯re in a rough spot.¡±

    The man turned to him and smiled. ¡°You could say that. Hit a bump in the road, and this wheel fell clean off.¡± The man nudged the fallen wheel, sitting in the snow beside him, with his foot. ¡°Probably gonna lose a day fixing it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Beldo said. ¡°None of us are exactly experts in this kind of thing, but is there anything we could do to help?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yeah,¡± the man said. He drew the knife hanging from his belt. ¡°Hand over your coin and everything worth so much as a copper on you.¡±

    There was a series of hisses of steel on leather as the surrounding workers drew their weapons as well. Several of them openly wore knives or swords. That was not abnormal for protection, so Lusya had not paid it much mind. The rest seemed to have been concealing weapons somewhere.

    ¡°It seems we will need to deal with them,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no we, sorry. Can you handle it?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head to the side a bit. ¡°Very well. Ariya, close your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    She had already seen her fair share of violence. She had witnessed Lusya¡¯s fight with the demon in the Elzen Valley, as well as with the Thirteenth Paladin. Although she had seemed fine after those events, there was still no need to expose her to more than was necessary.

    The lead bandit opened his mouth to say something, but Lusya closed the gap before he emitted a single sound. Her fist shattered his skull and sent him flying backward through his wagon and beyond.

    ¡°What just happened?¡± one bandit exclaimed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see her move, did you?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d the boss go?¡±

    Lusya held out a hand. ¡°Lunera.¡±

    The rest of the fight lasted less than a second as she carved through their ranks. The likes of them would never have been a challenge to her. Since acquiring her Full Release, defeating them was like crushing ants underfoot.

    With them dead, they continued on. It wasn¡¯t until the wagon was out of view that Lusya allowed Ariya to open her eyes. Had Lusya used Miudofay in the fight, Ariya could have opened her eyes immediately, but Lusya had called on Lunera first without much thought. That happened often lately, even though she had historically turned to Miudofay first for battle.

    ¡°Beldo was it a cool fight?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Lusya won¡¯t tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°It was very cool,¡± Beldo said with a patient smile. ¡°It was so cool my words can¡¯t do it justice. Just imagine the coolest thing you can, and know it was at least as cool as that.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty cool!¡±

    ¡°Why did you not participate?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°And do what, exactly?¡± Beldo asked with laughter in his voice. ¡°Killed them a couple milliseconds faster? You didn¡¯t exactly need my help.¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I would still like to know why you specifically refused to take part.¡±

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t feeling it today. We all have days like that, right? I¡¯m sure even you have off-days.¡±

    ¡°No, I do not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°My capacity to dissociate thoughts and feelings that might be distracting prevents ¡®off-days.¡¯¡±

    Beldo stared at her in silence for a long moment, his mouth opening and closing as he seemed to debate what to say. ¡°Good for you,¡± he settled on at last. ¡°But you understand the concept, right?¡±

    ¡°I suppose. However, I do not think that is the true reason.¡±

    ¡°There¡­might be more to it,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°But you will not tell me.¡±

    ¡°Not now,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Maybe when I know you a little better. Now come on, Bigstone¡¯s cakes won¡¯t enjoy themselves.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Seven

    The cakes from the Bigstone bakery were quite good. Lusya had to admit, as she finished hers off, that they might be the best she had ever had. In this instance, at least, she agreed with Beldo¡¯s assessment. Of course, that still only gave him a fifty percent success rate, so it was too early to say she could trust his opinions regarding food. Regardless, the baker was obviously a master of his craft, enough that his talents were probably wasted in this village. But it was his prerogative if he wished to do so. It made little difference to Lusya.

    Courtesy of Beldo, they had even been able to purchase the cakes at a discount. He was well-known in this village as well. People waved and greeted him as he walked down the street, and the baker had marked down the price of the cakes as thanks for ¡°his help last time.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did you do for the baker?¡± Lusya asked.

    ¡°Oh, he had ordered some ingredients from far away,¡± Beldo said. ¡°The wagon delivering it got delayed by a snowstorm, so I carried the ingredients in for him. And the driver and his horses, of course. Not all at once. It actually went driver, horses, ingredients. Between the storm and the cold, the driver and the horses were in real danger of freezing to death or being buried alive.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°This is sho gud!¡± Ariya mumbled for the dozenth time around a mouthful of the cake she seemed to be trying to swallow whole.

    ¡°If you eat slower, you will be able to savor the taste for longer,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya nodded in agreement and took her next bite with exaggerated slowness. She hummed in delight, her expression one of pure bliss, as her jaw worked like she was trying to demonstrate how to eat. Lusya had not meant that slow, but as long as Ariya was enjoying it, it was fine.

    There was, however, one thing that had caught Lusya¡¯s attention that might require addressing.

    ¡°Beldo,¡± she said. ¡°It has come to my attention that we are not making progress any faster than I anticipated with my route.¡±

    She had checked the map. They were getting closer to Talsia, and her final destination on Midbud Isle, at about the same rate she had planned on.

    He popped his final bite into his mouth as she spoke, forcing her to wait for him to finish. He held up a finger for her to wait as he chewed and, finally, swallowed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say it¡¯s about the same.¡±

    ¡°Was not the purpose of you guiding us to show us the fastest route?¡± Lusya asked.

    He shook his head. ¡°I never said that. I said I would show you the best route.¡±

    ¡°That usually implies fastest.¡±

    ¡°But not always, obviously. I can show you a faster route if that¡¯s a problem, though.¡±

    She considered that for a moment. It was true they were not saving any time, but they were not losing any either. It was irritating that they would not be making progress faster after such had been implied, but she could not complain about matching her intended pace. Besides, she was curious what exactly Beldo believed the best route entailed in this case.

    ¡°This route is satisfactory for the time being,¡± she said.

    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± he replied with a smile.

    ¡°I expect you to prove that this is the ¡®best¡¯ route.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Of course. Leave it to me.¡±

    They arrived at the inn shortly afterward. Ariya had finished her cake, and was now flapping her mouth, brow furrowed.

    ¡°Do you need to wash that down?¡± Lusya asked.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°We will order you some milk.¡±

    Ariya grinned. ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of drinks,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Why am I always drinking alone? I haven¡¯t seen you take a sip of alcohol.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°I do not understand why you drink alcohol in the first place. It has little effect on us.¡±

    Granted, she didn¡¯t much understand why mortals enjoyed alcohol either. Loss of faculties, decreased judgment, reduced motor control. Intoxication seemed like nothing but demerits to her, and mortals¡¯ affinity for it was perplexing. But at least the fact that they did enjoy it gave them a reason to pursue it. A demon had no such motivation.

    ¡°Some people just like the taste, you know,¡± he replied.

    ¡°I am aware,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not understand that either.¡±

    Her dislike of a taste was not a strong thing, but she did dislike the taste of alcohol. She would never choose to drink it for the taste.

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°Well, I guess that settles that. No big deal, I¡¯m not so insecure I can¡¯t be the only one drinking.¡±

    ¡°Why do they call it ¡®drinking?¡¯¡± Ariya asked. ¡°That¡¯s confusing. Drinking normal stuff is drinking too.¡±

    ¡°It is needlessly confusing,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s language in a nutshell.¡±

    ¡°That is also true.¡±

    If there was one thing knowing many languages had taught Lusya, it was that none of them made much sense. Just when you thought one did, it threw some odd idiom or pointless exception to the rules at you. But, while investigating the origin and usage of such things could be interesting, complaining about them would not change them. She had read essays and treatises urging people to speak or write in a particular way. If the writer was particularly influential, nobility or those in academic circles who spoke or wrote in the writer¡¯s language might heed their advice. But there would always be holdouts, and the common people would never pay such appeals any mind, if they even knew they existed.

    They entered the inn and rented two rooms, along with ordering some milk for Ariya. She eagerly downed it and let out a contented sigh. There was still some time before dinner, but they had sat down while Ariya drank, and, for lack of much that needed doing, none of them were in any hurry to move.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking what your actual destination is.¡±

    ¡°I do not mind your asking,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But we will not answer.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair. Why is also probably a secret then, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied.

    Beldo nodded in understanding and there was a pause. ¡°You said you saw Azure recently, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°As I said, she is doing well. She is the Seventh Paladin and in good health and spirits.¡±

    ¡°Oh, good for her,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Twentieth to Seventh, and she probably took some time off when she had you, right?¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°Not bad at all,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I knew she was talented. Although, considering she was a Paladin basically fresh out of the Academy, that might be a little like saying I knew the sky was blue.¡±

    ¡°It is not a particularly insightful observation,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Was that something you arranged, or¡­?¡±

    Lusya shook her head. ¡°We had not been in contact for several years. I met her by chance on the road.¡±

    Beldo cocked an eyebrow. ¡°So, you were living with Romoro, then?¡±

    ¡°Since shortly after my seventh birthday, yes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    Beldo smiled and shook his head. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just not what I expected.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Beldo hummed in thought. ¡°You know, that reminds me, I¡¯ve told you all about my past, but what about you two? I don¡¯t need to know everything, but how about your journey so far? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been an interesting one.¡±

    ¡°It has!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°Lots of really cool and scary stuff happened! You should tell him all about it, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya most certainly would not tell him ¡°all about it.¡± She didn¡¯t know what Beldo would do if she did, but there was no reason to test him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to pry,¡± he said. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re comfortable telling me is fine. If that¡¯s nothing, then so be it.¡±

    ¡°You gotta tell him a little bit,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It¡¯s only fair.¡±

    Lusya supposed it would not hurt to give him some information. If anything, if Ariya let something slip out later, him having a basic understanding of the situation might be helpful. Even if what she said was suspicious, he might fill in the gaps with an innocuous assumption, as people tended to do.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I suppose I can tell you some of what has happened.¡±

    ¡°Make sure you talk about the big demon,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya blinked twice, tilting her head. ¡°I would have thought you would not want to relive that part.¡±

    ¡°It was scary,¡± Ariya said, smiling. ¡°But it was super cool, too! And I feel like more cool stuff happened while my eyes were closed. So, I wanna hear that too.¡±

    Lusya had not known Ariya was curious about that. Unfortunately, her curiosity would need to go unsatisfied, as much as Lusya could sympathize with that frustration. Lusya did not want to recount any battles Ariya had not witnessed in detail. If Lusya did speak on killing that demon, she would abbreviate the encounter to something along the lines of, ¡°I defeated him,¡± and leave it at that.

    ¡°I will mention the encounter,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I will not go into detail.¡±

    Ariya groaned in protest.

    ¡°Do not groan. I have made my decision.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    And so, Lusya began recounting an abridged, sanitized version of their journey so far to Beldo.

 Book Four - Chapter Eight

    There was nothing remarkable around Lusya and the others, nor anything of note occurring, as they walked through the countryside to their next destination. They were passing through a snow-laden forest, surrounded by a mix of skeletal trees bereft of leaves and still-verdant pine trees. Snowflakes drifted to the ground in a slow, gentle dance, and the forest was quiet. Animals were dormant or hiding, there was no one else around, and even the wind was too still to make a sound.

    The only sounds other than snow crunching under their boots were Ariya excitedly speaking and Beldo¡¯s quiet, placative agreements and praise. She was recounting a summary of the book she was writing to him. Having already heard it, Lusya was not involved much in the conversation, though a differing detail or two did draw her attention occasionally. Ariya seemed to change her mind about parts of the story several times per week. Since Lusya had last heard about it, the names of the mysterious vegetables the protagonists derived their unnatural abilities from had changed from Demon Spuds¡ªalways an odd name, as they were described as resembling celery more than anything¡ªto Leggie Veggies. ¡°Leggie,¡± was not pronounced like leggy, but rhyming with veggie. It was short for legendary, apparently.

    Beldo did not seem disinterested, but nor did it seem he had much to say. Occasionally he offered a real comment, but it was mostly simple responses of one or two words, all brimming with encouragement and agreeing with whatever Ariya said, even things that really could have used correction, such as how she should perhaps not name a key story component in a way that required a pronunciation guide, or the nonsensical motivation of one antagonist, who harbored a murderous grudge against the protagonists for disrupting his sister¡¯s wedding in the process of trying to save her life. In fairness, that was much the same way Lusya responded to Ariya¡¯s writing. There was no reason to upset her with criticism. She should enjoy her writing, as unburdened as possible, while she could.

    Still, there was a distinct difference. While Lusya shied away from negativity, even when it would be useful, she did attempt to give real feedback. It was difficult to do that while being entirely positive, but the points she highlighted were those she genuinely thought were good, and she put effort into articulating that opinion and why she held it. She could not give in-depth feedback, but she wanted what feedback she did give to be honest and useful.

    Beldo made no such effort. Though he looked to be giving Ariya his full attention and his expression suggested more varied reactions, his answers were brief and devoid of any real meaning. Most everything he said was a generic response that could have fit just about anything Ariya might have said. Most of the rest were little more than rephrasing what Ariya had just said, followed by some expression of excitement like, ¡°wow,¡± or ¡°cool.¡± Real questions or input were few and far between.

    It was the way mortals spoke when they were not interested in what their partner was saying, or when they were interested, but preferred keeping who they were speaking with happy by affirming them, rather than risk the potential discord of a real discussion. That seemed to be a common way of speaking to children. Though Lusya¡¯s reference pool was rather limited, and no one had ever spoken to her like that when she was a child.

    Granted, Lusya had not been an ordinary child. But Ariya seemed to be reaching her limit as well.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Beldo said. ¡°That¡¯s so exciting.¡±

    Ariya groaned. ¡°That¡¯s, like, the two hundredth time you¡¯ve said that.¡±

    ¡°It is closer to the twentieth,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°That¡¯s still a lot.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Ariya huffed. ¡°You¡¯re not even listening. You¡¯re just saying stuff to make me happy.¡±

    Beldo held up his hands in a placating gesture. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m listening. And what¡¯s wrong with wanting to make you happy?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Ariya said. ¡°But you can be honest too. It¡¯s no fun talking to you if all you say is ¡®yeah,¡¯ and ¡®wow.¡¯ I might as well talk to that tree.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Ariya,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I guess you¡¯re more used to being spoken to like an adult, more or less, right?¡±

    He gave Lusya a meaningful look.

    She nodded. ¡°I do not make a habit of adjusting the way I speak for her.¡±

    At the beginning, she had had to rephrase from time to time, but those days were long gone. Ariya¡¯s vocabulary had long since expanded enough for her to understand Lusya, in multiple languages at that. So, Lusya saw no reason to alter the mannerisms nor content of her speech most of the time.

    She was aware that was unusual. Though no one had ever spoken to her in quite the generic platitudes Beldo had been using, they had not spoken to her as if she were an adult either. Mother, the servants at the manor, Father, even most of the other demons Lusya had regularly interacted with. There had always been a distinct gap between the way they spoke to her as a child and to each other. It had not been until her age had reached into double digits that they had spoken to her as something resembling an equal. But she did not know how to implement such mannerisms herself, nor did she understand why they seemed to be the default now that she had observed that at least some children could learn to understand normal speech well enough in short order, so she simply behaved as normal.

    ¡°Yeah, Lusya¡¯s way more fun to talk to than you,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s not surprising, because Lusya¡¯s super cool and stuff, but still.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°All right, I get the picture. I¡¯m sorry, Ariya. It¡¯s just that I was talking to you like a normal kid. I didn¡¯t realize quite how bright and grown-up you are. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Ariya beamed, her head held high and chest puffed out. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s fine. As long as you don¡¯t do it again. Did you hear, Lusya? I¡¯m bright and grown-up.¡±

    ¡°One of those things is true,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya giggled and returned to her explanation to Beldo. This time, he did make an effort to give more proper responses to her. That had been quite clever of him, using a compliment to both deflect Ariya¡¯s anger and excuse his own behavior. Lusya supposed two thousand years of life experience, at least some of which had been spent raising his own son, had left him with some knowledge of how to deal with children. It was only Lusya¡¯s influence that threw him off with Ariya.

    With that minor spat resolved, the walk continued, just as uneventful as it had been a moment before. There was nothing interesting around, no sign that there had ever been anything interesting here, and no reason to expect that there would be.

    That was why it was quite a surprise when Lusya detected a distinctive mass of Malice ahead. It was not a mortal, nor was it quite a demon, but that was not to say it was a half-demon. Having never encountered another half-demon, Lusya wasn¡¯t sure she would have recognized one if she sensed them, but she knew what this was, and it was something different.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Seems like you feel it,¡± Beldo said.

    She nodded. ¡°Yes. It is quite obvious.¡±

    ¡°I promise, I didn¡¯t know this was here.¡±

    Ariya blinked and looked between them. ¡°What? What is it? Is it a demon?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Not yet, anyway.¡± He looked to Lusya. ¡°What do you say? Should we go check it out? It could be trouble if we just leave it.¡±

    It could also not affect them at all if they left it. But, there was no easy way to predict which it would be, so it made more sense to confront the issue and seize some control over the outcome. It was better to risk some time wasted by confronting it rather than actual harm by ignoring it. Bodily harm was unlikely, but a destroyed village could be inconvenient. Even a murder or two could make the townspeople less receptive to outsiders, which could be troublesome, even if the people knew Beldo.

    "Yes,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will go confront it.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°What are we confronting? Hey, Lusya, what are we doing?¡±

    ¡°I am not sure what we will ultimately do yet. But we are going to see a demon¡¯s birth.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s expression lit up, her eyes shining with excitement. ¡°That sounds awesome! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±

    They moved toward the mass of Malice. Though vaguely ahead of where they had been, it was also quite a ways off the road to the right, deep in the forest.

    ¡°You¡¯re right to be excited, Ariya,¡± Beldo said as they neared. ¡°This is something not many mortals get to see in their lifetimes. Even demons don¡¯t see it often. I¡¯ve only seen it a handful of times.¡±

    Ariya hopped up and down in excitement even as she continued to follow along with Lusya. ¡°Oh, I feel so special!¡±

    Another minute or so of walking, and they had arrived. There was nothing significant about the location in the slightest. It was not even a clearing, or near a landmark like a large tree. It was just in the middle of the forest, amid a grouping of ordinary trees like one could find everywhere in the forest. That was why witnessing this event was so rare. Although formed by mortals, Malice tended not to actually coalesce in population centers, but some ways away. Ultimately, however, a demon¡¯s birth could happen just about anywhere, and there was little way to predict when or where it would happen beforehand.

    The demon had not been born yet. All that was present was the mass of Malice that would soon become the demon. The Malice was visible, a rare phenomenon outside of this event. It took the form of a pulsing mass of fluid, somewhere between a liquid and mist. Oblong in shape, not quite spherical, it was slightly longer vertically than horizontally. The color was a deep violet¡ªnot unlike Miudofay¡¯s flames¡ªin some places and pitch black in others. The black parts resembled the strands of darkness that gathered to form Miudofay. Indeed, similar strands materialized around the mass to merge with it, though they were not quite the same. These were wispier than Miudofay¡¯s, less focused, and the way they moved was different too. Rather than rush together like when Miudofay formed, they drifted into the mass like clouds. Lusya was not the only one to make the connection.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s kind of pretty,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It looks like Miudofay.¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°Yeah, it sure does. That sword is formed from the Malice in people¡¯s heart, so it only makes sense that¡ªWait, how do you know what Miudofay looks like?¡±

    Ariya¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion, then she rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Lusya summon it, duh.¡±

    Beldo turned, wide-eyed, on Lusya. ¡°You can summon Miudofay? That¡¯s incredible! Why didn¡¯t you tell me that.¡±

    ¡°I saw no reason you needed to know,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I can only summon the First Release.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still amazing,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Seriously, I can tell you¡¯re strong, but that¡¯s an accomplishment. Give yourself a pat on the back.¡±

    ¡°I am the Demon King¡¯s daughter, and Miudofay is not formed from one¡¯s own Malice,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°It is not strange that I could learn to summon it.¡±

    ¡°When you put it like that, sure, it makes sense on paper, but I¡¯ve never heard of anyone summoning someone else¡¯s Blade in any way. Be proud of it.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I do not need you to tell me it is impressive.¡±

    ¡°Well, good.¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought. ¡°Huh. I kind of forgot Miudofay is technically your papa¡¯s Demon Blade.¡±

    ¡°That is not surprising,¡± Lusya said, ¡°since you have only ever seen me wield it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for rolling my eyes at you, Beldo. That actually wasn¡¯t a stupid question.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Now, I think we should turn our attention front. It¡¯s just about done.¡±

    Indeed, the process was reaching its final stages. The clouds of darkness had finished gathering, leaving only the main mass. Before, it had pulsed in a strange, irregular manner, random parts bulging or compressing at random intervals. Now, the whole thing expanded and contracted in a steady rhythm, not unlike a human heart.

    ¡°Based on the amount of Malice, this is going to be a high-rank,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I¡¯d like you to let me try to talk to them first, if that¡¯s okay. Just be on standby for now.¡±

    ¡°Your odds of success are essentially random,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°But I do not object to that plan. It is preferable if you do succeed.¡±

    If they could be reasoned with, fighting the demon would be a waste of time and energy. And besides, Lusya had no desire to decrease the number of demons in the world.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±

    He strode toward the mass of Malice. Its pulsing began to speed up, but it kept its rhythm and shape. As Beldo neared, the rate of the contractions and expansions continued to climb. From once every couple seconds, it sped up until it was pulsing hundreds of times a second.

    Then, it came to an abrupt halt. For a split second, all was still, but that didn¡¯t last. The mass began to shift and contort, shrinking, growing, and molding into a roughly humanoid shape. First, the vaguest caricature of a person took shape, little more than an oval with arms and legs. Then the finer details filled in, as if sculpted by invisible hands. A chest, a proper torso. A bicep, hands. Little by little, the picture came together.

    When the shape was done, it hovered in the air for a second, a pitch-black statue that might have been carved from obsidian. Then, all at once, it gained color. Black marble turned to pallid skin and powerful muscles, and the demon dropped to the ground. His hair was a dark blue, long for a man¡¯s hair, his eyes a matching color. He fell to his knees the instant he hit the ground, panting and looking at his own hands as if confused by his existence. Perhaps he was. This was one aspect of being a demon Lusya could only imagine. Coming into the world as a fully formed adult, brimming with knowledge no one had taught you, had to be a perplexing situation.

    Beldo walked closer to the new demon, who didn¡¯t even seem to realize anyone else was present as he continued inspecting his own body. He was a he. Demons did not come into this world any more clothed than mortals did, making that quite obvious.

    As he stopped just before the demon, Beldo paused, cocked an eyebrow, and glanced back at Lusya with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡±

    ¡°Take this seriously,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice.¡±

    ¡°That is beside the point.¡±

    Yes, quite obvious.

    Beldo stooped and offered the new demon a hand. At last, the demon noticed him with a start, glaring at Beldo¡¯s hand as if it were a weapon.

    ¡°Easy there, friend,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot. Let¡¯s just take it nice and slow. Come on, can you stand? What¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Beldo.¡±

    Broadly speaking most demon births could be broken down into two categories. At least, when others were present for them. It was quite possible other things occurred when no one was around.

    Some demons were lucid and civil the moment someone called out to them. Whether or not they were friendly was another matter, but they could carry a conversation and probably wouldn¡¯t immediately attack.

    Others were quick to lash out at anyone in their surroundings. Regardless of what they ended up being like when they calmed down, they flew into a blind rage and attacked as little more than a roaring beast. Strangely, this type only directed this fury at other people. If one got far enough away, the demon would give up and show little interest in attacking anything else until they calmed.

    There was no way anyone knew of to predict which was which. It was the luck of the draw. Lusya had a very mixed relationship with luck. Today was no different.

    The demon let out a deafening, bestial roar and swiped at Beldo with a powerful punch, that he danced out of the way of. In response, the demon grabbed a rock off the ground and threw it at Beldo, who caught it on his forearm to no harm as the rock shattered on impact.

    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work,¡± Beldo said, grimacing. ¡°We¡¯ll need to subdue him. Please don¡¯t use lethal force if you can help it.¡±

    ¡°Very well, I will assist you,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°This will be a good opportunity to show me your abilities.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry, but could you handle it?¡± Beldo said. ¡°I¡¯m a pacifist.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head slightly. She didn¡¯t have much choice at this point. If she refused, Ariya would be in danger.

    ¡°You should mention such details sooner,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But very well.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Nine

    The demon roared once more and charged at Beldo. Lusya scooped Ariya up and launched into a kick, connecting with the side of the demon¡¯s head and sending it careening through the forest. Ariya whooped in excitement at the speed of the maneuver and groaned as Lusya set her down beside Beldo.

    ¡°At least watch Ariya,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll protect her with my life.¡±

    Lusya chased after the new demon. Fortunately, he was still finding his footing, literally and figuratively. Any seasoned fighter would have stood by now, if they hadn¡¯t managed to land on their feet, but he was just groggily picking himself up off the ground when she arrived at where he had landed. He wobbled as he stood, staring at his feet as if not quite sure how they worked yet. Which, she supposed, he might not be.

    ¡°Have you calmed yet?¡± she asked.

    There was no roar, but he directed a furious glare at her, teeth bared, eyes devoid of anything but rage. That would be a no, then.

    He charged straight at her and threw a punch with no semblance of skill or strategy behind it. She raised a hand and caught the punch with ease, then countered with her own, to the belly. His eyes widened in surprise a moment before he went flying backward once more, crashing through trees and branches.

    Once again, she gave chase. This time, he did manage to roll with his fall and spring to his feet, ready to fight again. It seemed this was going to take some doing. If she had wanted to kill the demon, this would have been over in an instant. Beating him into submission was going to be more of a process. And she did want to avoid killing him. Aside from the practical concerns and Beldo¡¯s request, killing him mere minutes after birth was distasteful, so long as she had other options.

    He charged at her with the same lack of care as before. She easily sidestepped his clumsy blow and threw a kick into his side, launching him away. Again, he stood, and again, they went through another fruitless exchange.

    She didn¡¯t know what to expect here. While she had been present for demon births before, she had never been responsible for subduing the newborn demon, nor had she ever studied what to do in such a situation in detail. It had never been a priority. She knew she was supposed to fight him until he calmed down and gained some sense, but beyond that, she wasn¡¯t sure how this would play out.

    So, she continued fighting him. Over and over he charged, and over and over she turned him away. She blocked blows or stopped his advance with motomancy barriers before countering. The new demon seemed to gain a handle on his body as they fought. He took her blows better, recovered faster, responded stronger. But his fundamental tactics never changed. All he did was run right at her and try to punch her.

    It became rather dull in short order. Lusya was not one to enjoy battle, but she would seldom use the word ¡°boring¡± to describe it. Except today. It was so repetitive. Charge, block, counter, recover, repeat. She didn¡¯t want to go on the offensive for his sake. Given the gap in strength between them, she might hurt him more than she meant to. So she was stuck in this loop. Of course, her attention never faltered. She was capable of acknowledging she was experiencing boredom without letting it impact her behavior. It was a curious feeling.

    They must have gone on like that for hours. The sun sank significantly toward the horizon in the time they were fighting. She was tempted to stop rather than waste more time on this, but now that she had started, she was committed to it. This new demon couldn¡¯t have harmed her in her sleep, but she doubted he would just let her leave peacefully, and there was plenty he could do to cause trouble for her.

    And so, they fought until the sky was dyed the vivid spectrum of violet and red of twilight. The demon panted as he stood from his latest failed attack, clearly exhausted. Lusya herself had barely expended any energy. She was probably getting it back quicker in the breaks between attacks than she was using it.

    Once more, he ran at her. His movements, which had grown sharper and more refined over the course of the fight, were now sluggish and sloppy. Yet he attacked all the same, with that same simple punch. The blow slammed into an invisible wall to no effect. She reached out and shoved back on the demon¡¯s chest, throwing him through the air. She created another wall behind him, stopping his flight when he crashed into it, then three more to close him in, and finally one above, trapping him in a box.

    When he tried to charge at her again, he rebounded off the wall before him. Then he tried again. With his face pressed against the wall, he slammed his fists into it over and over, accomplishing nothing more than sending a series of loud bangs through the forest. It seemed the whole box had been unnecessary. He made no effort to go around or over the wall in front of him.

    For several minutes, he snarled at her, pounding at his prison. She did not release him. If he was going to fight past the point of exhaustion, she was ending this for both their sakes.

    Finally, he ceased his futile attempts at escape. He let sank to his knees, his palms still pressed against the wall, and sighed, hanging his head. Then, after a few seconds like that, he looked up at her with something resembling intelligence for the first time.

    ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯m good now,¡± he said. ¡°Think you can let me outta here?¡±

    ¡°That depends on what you intend to do if I do so,¡± she replied.

    He sighed again. ¡°I said I was good, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°That is not an answer,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am sure you know that many demons would be happy to continue the fight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well I don¡¯t have a death wish, lady,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re way stronger than me. Whatever you are.¡±

    ¡°Due to present circumstances, I cannot release you if you intend to show hostility to anything in the area.¡±

    The demon¡¯s brow furrowed in equal parts anger and confusion. ¡°Huh? Now that¡¯s some bullshit. I might be rational now, but I¡¯m still not gonna be satisfied until I rip something up.¡±

    It was debatable whether or not that qualified as being rational.

    ¡°Here,¡± Beldo said before Lusya could respond. He came up to stand beside Lusya with Ariya in tow. In his free hand, he tossed a balled-up wad of paper. ¡°Lusya, think you can let this through?¡±

    Lusya moved the top wall up slightly, creating enough space for the ball to slip through but not for the demon to get out. ¡°Throw it just above his head.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Beldo tossed the ball up and through the gap, letting it fall down onto the demon¡¯s head, where it bounced off and landed on the ground. The demon flinched, though it was doubtful that had hurt, and picked up the paper. He uncrumpled it and frowned.

    ¡°This is a blank sheet of paper,¡± he said.

    Beldo grinned. ¡°Sure is. Go ahead, rip it up.¡±

    The demon gave Beldo a skeptical scowl before tearing the paper in half. Then again, and again, until it was in the smallest pieces he could manage, at which point he released them and let them drift to the ground like snowflakes.

    ¡°Feel better?¡± Beldo asked.

    ¡°A little,¡± the demon grumbled, averting his eyes, as if it pained him to admit that.

    ¡°Great. I asked you earlier, but what¡¯s your name, son? I¡¯m Beldo, that¡¯s Lusya, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Ariya,¡± Ariya announced with a little hop. ¡°Hi, Mister Demon.¡± She giggled. ¡°You¡¯re naked.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the demon replied. ¡°I am.¡± His tone was irritated, as if he thought nothing of it, but there was a definite pink tinge in his cheeks, and he lowered on hand to cover his genitals. ¡°Anyway, haven¡¯t decided on a name yet. But maybe¡­Aboki.¡±

    "Well, it¡¯s got a nice ring to it,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°It means ¡®assassin¡¯ in Okaryoan,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That is not an encouraging response.¡±

    The newly dubbed Aboki scoffed.

    Beldo held up his hands in a placating gesture. ¡°Now, now, I¡¯m sure we can all manage to get along. Aboki, was it? I¡¯m going to be honest with you. We don¡¯t have the luxury of babysitting you for long. But we can take you to the closest town, help you find your footing. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard. You¡¯re¡­a little on the pale side, but you should be able to pass for a reltus pretty easily.¡±

    ¡°He is not ¡®a little on the pale side,¡¯¡± Lusya said. ¡°His skin is white as paper.¡±

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°Okay, so he can pass for an albino reltus. Either way, he should be fine.  People might talk, but they won¡¯t pick a fight or run in terror. He¡¯ll be able to get by.¡±

    ¡°That is likely true.¡±

    Whether due to doubt or self-preservation, most mortals¡ªsave for actual relti¡ªwould be some level of civil with Aboki. They would be suspicious, and many would avoid him, but it was unlikely any business would turn him away or that anyone would try to run him out of town. He would be able to meet his needs and keep up a facade of being a reltus well enough.

    ¡°Can you get to the point?¡± Aboki said crossing his arms and tapping a finger against one as he glowered at them.

    Beldo grinned and nodded. ¡°The point is, all you have to do is hold off on being violent until we¡¯re far away. I¡¯d prefer if you hold off after that too, but there¡¯s not much I can do about that. If you can¡¯t even manage that much, though, I¡¯m sure Lusya will be happy to cut your head off.¡±

    ¡°I will not be happy,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I will do it.¡±

    ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Beldo asked. He held out a hand to shake, then belatedly seemed to realize Aboki was in no position to do so and pulled it back. ¡°Deal?¡±

    Aboki frowned and looked him over. ¡°This is probably rich coming from a guy who¡¯s only been alive for a couple hours, but you¡¯re weird.¡±

    Beldo let out a hearty laugh in response. ¡°I get that a lot!¡±

    Aboki sighed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like I have much of a choice, though. Fine, I won¡¯t cause any trouble for you guys. No promises after that, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Though, for what it¡¯s worth, you¡¯ll live longer and happier if you control yourself.¡±

    Aboki¡¯s only response was a wordless scoff.

    ¡°Now, why don¡¯t I lend you some clothes? You can make yourself decent.¡±

    ¡°Do what you want.¡±

    With a nod, Beldo fished a shirt and some pants out of his pack and tossed them into the cage. Aboki caught them all and quickly began dressing.

    ¡°There we go,¡± Beldo said. He frowned and looked to Lusya. ¡°On that note, are you okay with Ariya seeing all¡­that?¡±

    ¡°It does not seem to be harming her,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Are you well, Ariya?¡±

    Ariya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°Yeah. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±

    ¡°She is fine.¡±

    Beldo glanced between them. ¡°That¡¯s not really¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Aboki finished dressing and knocked on the wall before him like a door. ¡°All right, I¡¯m dressed. Can I get out of here now?¡±

    ¡°Let it be known that I will kill you at any sign of hostility,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Yeah, I got that. I swear I won¡¯t try anything.¡±

    That was about the best assurance she was going to get. At the very least, he didn¡¯t seem stupid enough to provoke her wrath. She dispelled the walls holding him. He took a tentative step forward and nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°So, where are we going?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Stonefield,¡± Beldo said. ¡°It¡¯s a village right by here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I know about it. Somehow.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll get you set up with some clothes of your own and other traveling supplies and send you on your way. Ideally, I¡¯d like to guide you through your first couple weeks at least, but I already have a commitment with these two.¡±

    Lusya did not see why those conflicted, but she had no particular desire to keep Aboki around, so she did not object.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your guidance,¡± Aboki snapped.

    ¡°It¡¯s more for the people around you, anyway,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°Although, like I said, it would be better for you too if you followed it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Aboki said. ¡°I¡¯ll put up with you until I leave the village. We going right now?¡±

    Beldo hummed in thought. ¡°It is pretty late, and you seem tired¡­¡±

    ¡°We will press on for a bit longer,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will not lose most of a day¡¯s travel for this detour.¡±

    There was no completely compensating for the time spent here, but she wanted to do what she could. The situation had taken longer to resolve than she had anticipated, but there was still plenty of light to see by, and Ariya did not need to be in bed for another few hours. They would continue for as long as they could. There was no room for debate. Father¡¯s revival would not be delayed any longer than absolutely necessary.

    ¡°It seems the decision has been made,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But we definitely won¡¯t be reaching the village tonight.¡±

    Aboki nodded. ¡°Doesn¡¯t make much different to me. I can handle a little walking.¡±

    ¡°You go ahead,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will direct you.¡±

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not going to try to stab you in the back.¡±

    ¡°This will ensure that is the truth.¡±

    Aboki sighed and looked to Beldo, who just gestured in the direction they needed to go. The younger demon let out another sigh and trudged onward as instructed. Lusya offered her hand to Ariya, and they and Beldo fell in behind Aboki.

    ¡°Are you truly a complete pacifist?¡± Lusya asked Beldo, low enough that Aboki likely could not make out her words.

    Beldo hesitated. ¡°Well, if push comes to shove, I will defend myself. But I mean defend. I won¡¯t hit back. No matter what.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    He frowned. ¡°Because I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she replied, turning her attention back to Aboki in front of them. ¡°Do you think he will?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I¡¯d like to hope so. Maybe that¡¯s just me being selfish though. I¡¯m not totally unique, but I¡¯d like to be less so than I am. It would be better for everyone involved. But I know the consequences if it doesn¡¯t work out. I guess that makes me a bit of a hypocrite.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    By not only allowing Aboki to live but helping him, Beldo was putting many mortal lives at risk. A demon like Aboki could kill dozens before he was stopped. Hundreds, even, if Aboki threw caution to the wind and went on a rampage in the right place. That mattered little to Lusya¡ªif anything, it might make Father¡¯s job easier when he returned¡ªbut she was sure Beldo was more concerned.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°But all I can do is try my best. Mortals have the same urges we do, you know. Violence and cruelty. We wouldn¡¯t exist if they didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I am well aware,¡± Lusya said. She had encountered such behavior in mortals more than once.

    ¡°Most of them conquer those urges. Not completely, but they also don¡¯t put much thought into it. They just know how to rein it in. I believe we all have that potential too, even if it¡¯s harder. Not everyone needs to reach the same answer as me. In fact, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a better one waiting for someone out there. But we need to try. It¡¯s the only way forward for us¡­for this world.¡±

    ¡°It may not be that simple,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Violence is in demons¡¯ nature.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s in mortals¡¯ too, if a little less,¡± Beldo said. ¡°They find a balance, and so can we. Acting in accordance with your nature isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. But sometimes, defying it is the only way to grow.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t fault his reasoning. If it was possible for mortals, it was likely possible for demons as well. And if his goal was to spread that balance, to enable some kind of peaceful coexistence, then he had no choice but to balance the risk of mortals coming to harm with the need to advance his cause. Of course, it was all for naught, but there was no reason that he needed to know that.

    ¡°Then I suppose you will just have to wait,¡± she said, ¡°until you find someone who is able to do so.¡±

    He nodded, looking pensive. ¡°Yeah. I guess I will.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Ten

    Later that night, the fire crackled as Lusya stirred the sizzling contents of the pot hanging over it. Ariya sat behind her, humming a tune. Last Lusya had checked, Ariya was working on her book, and the crinkling and scratching of pen against paper suggested she still was. Beldo and Aboki, meanwhile, were in front of Lusya. Beldo was seated near the fire, looking pensive as he watched the flickering flames. Aboki, on the other hand, sat at the edge of the fire¡¯s light, pointedly avoiding looking at any of the others, his gaze instead turned out into the darkness.

    As Lusya continued cooking, and the scents of the frying meat and vegetables filled the air, Beldo rose and hurried to her side to whisper into her ear.

    ¡°Hey, can you make enough for him too?¡± He jerked his head in Aboki¡¯s direction, though it was no mystery whom he was referring to. ¡°Please?¡±

    ¡°I anticipated you would make such a request,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I have already ensured there will be enough to serve four.¡± She glanced at Beldo. ¡°You will compensate me for his portion.¡±

    He nodded with a broad smile. ¡°Of course. Thanks.¡±

    Lusya merely nodded in acceptance of his thanks.

    ¡°Need any help with anything?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I appreciate the offer, but no. You may sit back down.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    It was a rather simple dish. There wasn¡¯t much room for more than one cook. She could have perhaps had him stow the ingredients she was done with back in her pack, but, although there was nothing particularly sensitive in there, she did not relish giving him access to her personal belongings.

    As she had instructed, he returned to his spot and sat, while she continued working on the meal. As it was nearing completion, Lusya took a taste and added a pinch of salt. That ought to be enough for Ariya. Her tastes were the primary concern, though Lusya also felt, personally, that the dish had needed the extra flavor.

    A couple minutes later, it was done, and she divided the contents roughly evenly into four bowls. She brought one to Ariya, who ineffectually covered her in-progress writing with one hand while accepting the bowl with the other. Though Lusya respected her wishes and refrained from doing so, it would have been trivial to read the page Ariya was working on. Lusya returned to the fire to grab her own bowl. Beldo came to claim his, and she handed him one, which he took with a smile. Aboki remained in place, still staring into the night in silence. If he was aware of the waiting meal, he gave no sign of it.

    ¡°Hey, dinner¡¯s ready,¡± Beldo called to him.

    Aboki looked to him, brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°For me too?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t have to eat if you don¡¯t want to, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, he does,¡± Lusya said. She turned her attention to Aboki. ¡°I cooked you a portion. You will eat it.¡±

    His eyes widened, and he nodded. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± He stood, took the last bowl, and sat down closer to the fire, beside Beldo. He examined the bowl, then took a spoonful of food and squinted at it from every possible angle. ¡°So, this is food, huh? It was prettier in my head.¡±

    ¡°It always is,¡± Beldo said. He popped a spoonful into his mouth and swallowed. ¡°But go ahead and eat. It¡¯s good.¡±

    Aboki obeyed, and all was quiet for a moment, while everyone sat around the fire eating, the only sounds the crackling flames and the low sounds of their chewing. Under normal circumstances, it would be Ariya or Beldo, but, tonight, Aboki was the first to break the silence.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°This is good and all,¡± he said, ¡°not that I have a lot to compare it to. But why are we all eating. Isn¡¯t the kid the only one who needs to?¡±

    Ariya huffed. ¡°My name is Ariya.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°You will address her by name if that is what she wants,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°And it is,¡± Ariya added.

    Aboki recoiled as if struck and held up his hands in surrender. ¡°All right, all right, I will. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You are forgiven,¡± Lusya said, causing him to relax and return to eating. ¡°And as to your original question, I also need to eat.¡±

    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I am a half-demon. I have mortal needs most demons do not."

    ¡°Oh. I guess that explains it.¡± He frowned and looked to Beldo. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure why the two of us are joining in, though.¡±

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°Why not? You said it tasted good, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Aboki replied.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a harmless way to enjoy ourselves. Might as well take advantage of it, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, have you given any thought as to what you want to do once we part ways?¡±

    Aboki opened his mouth to answer.

    ¡°Other than kill people.¡±

    Aboki sighed. ¡°Then, no, not really.¡±

    ¡°Come on,¡± Beldo said. ¡°There has to be something else you want to do in life.¡±

    ¡°Does there?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But most high-rank demons have at least some other desires.¡±

    Aboki hummed in thought for a moment before falling silent and taking another bite of his meal.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know what it is right now,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Some demons do know what they want the moment they¡¯re born, but plenty figure it out as they go like mortals do. There¡¯s nothing wrong with trying a few things and seeing what sticks. But if you¡¯ve got any ideas at all, it would help you know where to start.¡±

    Aboki was quiet for another moment before speaking again at last. ¡°Art sounds nice. Maybe sculpting. But painting doesn¡¯t sound half-bad either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s as good a place to start as any,¡± Beldo said. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of ways to learn, different mediums for you to try, and, if you don¡¯t like it, you can move on to something else.¡±

    Aboki grunted. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this is going to replace killing for me or anything.¡±

    ¡°For most high-rank demons, their other desires do not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And I do not share Beldo¡¯s desire for you to refrain from violence. However, if you wish to pursue art, it may benefit you to do so.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said. ¡°No one¡¯s gonna wanna teach you if you¡¯re mean.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°That wasn¡¯t how I would have put it, but that is the essence of it. That, and you¡¯ll probably want models, plus you¡¯ll want to stay in one place for a while to collect references and work on pieces. All much easier if you don¡¯t run around killing people.¡±

    ¡°All right, I get it,¡± Aboki said. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. But I¡¯m not making any promises. Right now, it¡¯s pretty clear to me which I should choose if I have to.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Do not make promises you cannot keep.¡±

    ¡°That is good, but not really the important thing here,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°It is to me.¡±

    He sighed and turned his attention back to Aboki. ¡°It is your choice in the end. All any of us can do is give you advice. If you¡¯ll think about it, I¡¯ll count that as a win for now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Aboki replied. He looked to Lusya. ¡°It sounds like you know a lot of demons. Did you fight in the war or something?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the Demon King¡¯s daughter, in fact,¡± Beldo said. ¡°She grew up around all kinds of demons.¡±

    Aboki¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡±

    ¡°I do not understand why you are apologizing,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I did nothing to indicate my parentage to you.¡± She looked at Beldo, tilting her head slightly. ¡°Nor did I intend to.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what does it hurt?¡± Beldo asked.

    Lusya blinked. ¡°Nothing, I suppose. I still would have appreciated you asking me first.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. Sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°You are forgiven.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Beldo said, returning his attention to Aboki, ¡°that¡¯s her story, and I¡¯m over two thousand years old. Between us, we know what we¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Aboki nodded. ¡°Sounds that way.¡± He looked down into his bowl and grimaced. ¡°Look, I get you¡¯re trying to help, but, if we¡¯re gonna talk, can we talk about something else now?¡± He looked to Lusya. ¡°If that¡¯s okay with you.¡±

    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Lusya said, though she was not sure why he was asking her permission specifically.

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Ooh!¡± Ariya exclaimed. She bounced up and down where she sat, eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°I thought of a really funny joke! Wanna hear it?¡±

    Lusya¡¯s eyes widened, though Ariya was probably the only other one who could tell. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to,¡± Beldo said.

    Aboki shrugged. ¡°Might as well. Shoot.¡±

    She doubted she would find the joke ¡°really funny.¡± She did not have a strong sense of humor, and Ariya¡¯s jokes were hit-or-miss, with even most of the hits being mildly amusing at best. Still, Lusya wanted to encourage her. It would aid the mission, however little. And Lusya enjoyed seeing Ariya as happy as she looked with her proud smile as she began telling her joke.

    ¡°Okay, so a bunny and a fox meet up at this big tree¡­¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Eleven

    ¡°How are you liking those clothes?¡± Beldo asked. ¡°They fit all right? You look good in them.¡±

    Aboki looked down at his clothes, giving a slight tug at his shirt¡¯s collar. The clothes Beldo had bought for him were quite basic. Lusya supposed Aboki did look fine in them, though the clothes themselves were unremarkable. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and brown pants, and Beldo had bought him two others of each, all plain, neutral colors. Beldo had also bought Aboki the pack slung over the latter¡¯s back, along with the maps and food it contained. While Aboki did not need to eat, even if he chose not to do so for pleasure, carrying food would help him avoid suspicion.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re okay,¡± Aboki said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m much of a fashion guy, but it¡¯s nice to be wearing something of my own. Your stuff didn¡¯t quite fit.¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. You¡¯re taller than me, among other things.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Aboki looked to Lusya. ¡°What do you think, princess?¡±

    There was no trace of sarcasm when he used that title. He took the idea that she was the Demon King¡¯s daughter surprisingly seriously and seemed to think it endowed her with an authority it never had. It served her purposes well enough, so she was not going to correct him.

    ¡°They are simple clothes,¡± she replied. ¡°They would look acceptable on just about anybody. Including you.¡±

    Aboki frowned and looked down at himself again. ¡°Acceptable, huh?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not a fashion person?¡± Ariya asked.

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°He asked for a compliment from a pretty girl and got told he looks ¡®acceptable.¡¯ Any guy would second guess himself after that.¡±

    If he had been seeking a compliment, Aboki should not have asked for Lusya¡¯s opinion. He should have said what he wanted. Not that she would have complimented him just because he asked, but she would at least have appreciated the honesty.

    Ariya frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but I think he was asking the wrong person if that¡¯s what he wanted.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Cut him some slack,¡± Beldo said. ¡°He¡¯s a day old.¡±

    Ariya giggled, while Aboki scowled. ¡°Can you guys not talk about me like I¡¯m not here?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gotten you some clothes, what do you say we have a hot meal at the inn before we go our separate ways?¡±

    Aboki pursed his lips. ¡°I get that food tastes good and all, but do we really have to eat three meals a day like mortals?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to, but that doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t,¡± Beldo said. ¡°¡®Taste¡¯s good¡¯ is an understatement. A warm meal is one of life¡¯s great pleasures, doubly so with good company.¡±

    ¡°I did enjoy dinner and breakfast, but I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d go that far. I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind having more, though, since I¡¯ve got the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s head on over.¡±

    Beldo began leading the way toward the village¡¯s inn, with the others following. Aboki made a point of keeping pace with Lusya, and leaned in to whisper to her.

    ¡°Are we good company?¡± he asked. ¡°Or was that just an example? I mean, at least one of us is, I guess, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. Seeing no reason this conversation needed to be a secret, she made no similar attempt to lower her voice ¡°Ariya would likely be considered good company. We would not.¡±

    ¡°I meant you¡­I don¡¯t think kids are really who you want to hang out with.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    Lusya blinked and cocked her head. ¡°Many would consider me good company simply by virtue of being attractive, but I do not think Beldo is concerned with that, and my personality is not suited to socializing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Beldo said. ¡°You might not be the friendliest person around, but you¡¯re still plenty fun to spend time with. Besides, when it comes to sharing a meal, it¡¯s not about who¡¯s the best conversationalist or the best at making friends.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head farther and blinked twice. ¡°Then what is it about?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s something ephemeral that I can¡¯t put my finger on. But it¡¯s something special too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve experienced it during your journey, right?¡±

    After a moment of thought, she decided that was true. While everyone she had shared a meal with thus far had been quite talkative, and she remembered many of their conversations, it was not necessarily what they had spoken about that made her think of some of those memories fondly. True to Beldo¡¯s words, she could not identify what, exactly, did.

    Before long, they had reached the inn, known as the Whippin¡¯ Willow. Many inns in rural villages were simply named after their village. It was a simple, descriptive approach, and there was no need to differentiate it from competitors. Although, Lusya had encountered one village where a feuding family ran two competing inns. The village had in no way been large enough or seen enough foot traffic to support two inns, but the villagers had all taken sides and were quite passionate about which inn they supported. They had almost come to blows over it, at one point. Ariya had found the situation amusing, but Lusya had seen it as little more than an irritating inconvenience. The owner¡ªand patrons¡ªof the inn she had settled on had been too busy trying to verbally convince her of its superiority to do so through food, accommodations, or service. It had been a subpar experience, all things considered.

    Regardless, she could appreciate when a proprietor of a lone village inn like this went through the effort of giving it a proper name. She had to wonder where such names came from, though she knew there was often no real reason. There were no willow trees to be seen in or around the village. It was possible the owner had simply thought the name sounded good¡ªcorrectly, as the alliteration was quite pleasing¡ªbut it was also possible there was more to it. Perhaps she would ask about it, if she got the chance.

    They entered, paid for their meals, and sat down. There was no menu to speak of, and when the serving girl passed by their table, she simply informed them that they would be having pork stew. Typical for a rural inn. They did at least have a few options for drinks. Beldo, of course, ordered himself an ale. When Ariya heard that fresh apple juice was available, she was quick to ask for that. Apple season had just passed, and the inn had plenty of apples from which to squeeze juice. Lusya had that as well. Drinking water in rural inns was unreliable, and fruit juice was quite pleasant. Aboki initially asked for what Beldo was having, but quickly changed his mind after Lusya ordered. The serving girl gave him a knowing smile before leaving to fetch the drinks.

    Aboki idly looked around as they waited, his expression somewhere between curious and confused.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Beldo asked.

    ¡°This is so weird,¡± Aboki said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in one of these before. For that matter, this is only the second time I¡¯ve been inside. But none of it is new to me.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s how you see it? When you think about it, it is pretty strange, but I can¡¯t say it ever bothered me.¡±

    Aboki nodded. ¡°When you think about it, isn¡¯t it weird that I think it¡¯s weird? This is all I¡¯ve ever known. It should be normal to me.¡±

    ¡°You are much more thoughtful than our initial encounter suggested,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I kind of thought you were a dummy, but you¡¯re not.¡±

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m kind of trying to distract myself.¡± He looked at Lusya. ¡°I still want to rip this place and everyone in it apart, but I don¡¯t feel like getting my head cut off. So, I¡¯m trying to think of other things instead.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Beldo said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re learning to control yourself. So early, too.¡±

    ¡°You can be a good demon, like Lusya,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Aboki replied. ¡°I¡¯m still not promising anything.¡±

    In short order, the serving girl returned with their food and drinks. A shared basket of bread and butter accompanied the four bowls of stew. After confirming everybody had what they wanted, she left to speak to a young man at another table. He had finished his meal, and neither of them seemed to have any interest in clearing his table or getting him more food. The girl twirled her hair and giggled while the man regaled her with some anecdote about his farm from yesterday.

    Lusya and the others set about eating their own food. It was nothing extraordinary, but it was good, and the warmth of the stew and the bread was quite satisfying after the cold of the outdoors.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Beldo asked. ¡°Worth it?¡±

    Aboki shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s good. I don¡¯t have a lot of reference to say more than that.¡± He waved his spoon at Lusya. ¡°It¡¯s not as good as her food.¡±

    ¡°This is much better than my cooking,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The taste of food is ultimately subjective, but I find it difficult to believe you genuinely prefer what I make to this stew.¡±

    He blinked. ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Beldo reached over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, that wasn¡¯t bad for a one-day-old with no experience. You just had the wrong partner.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    It had not escaped Lusya¡¯s notice that he had been trying to flatter her. She did not care for flattery. Compliments and praise, she did not mind, but empty flattery was nothing but annoying. People spent enough time dancing around what they wanted to say. She would appreciate if they did not direct their dishonesty at her on purpose.

    She valued honesty, she had decided. Remembering her childhood had dispelled her illusions about her ability to lie. While she still did not understand the finer points of skilled deception, childhood-Lusya had put far less thought into the matter and lied regardless to get out of trouble. As it turned out, Lusya¡¯s demeanor being difficult to read for most also meant most could not discern when she was lying. Only Mother had been able to tell. It had only been later, after forgetting much of her time with Mother, that Lusya had started overthinking deception. Still, even after regaining those memories, she had maintained her earlier policy of avoiding direct lies thus far, for no other reason than that she found them distasteful. Accordingly, she found much of the dishonesty and roundabout speaking people employed as ¡°courtesy,¡± rather annoying.

    Of course, she would not have been quite so blunt if Aboki had been staying with them. His attraction to her would have been a useful tool to control him, and she would have been more apt to encourage it. But he was leaving soon enough, so there was no need for that.

    They finished their meals quickly enough and sat at their table.

    ¡°That was good,¡± Ariya said. ¡°They gave a lot of it too.¡± She yawned. ¡°I¡¯m a little sleepy.¡±

    ¡°You may take a brief nap, if you wish,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It is early enough that it should not interfere with your sleep tonight. No more than one hour, however.¡±

    Ariya shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can stay awake.¡±

    ¡°You will not have another chance.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Aboki stared at her with a similar expression to that he had looked around the inn with, though he quickly tried to clear it when he noticed she was looking back at him.

    ¡°So, Aboki,¡± Beldo said, ¡°what¡¯s the plan? Are you gonna spend the night? We¡¯ll go our separate ways tomorrow, but you can share a room with me, if you want.¡±

    ¡°Do not decide we are staying here on your own,¡± Lusya replied.

    They had arrived in town rather early, and shopping for Aboki had not taken long. It was only slightly past their typical lunchtime. Slightly enough that Ariya had not complained of hunger due to the delay. Considering they had lost so much time the previous day, Lusya would have liked to continue traveling.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I¡¯d really feel better spending an extra day together before leaving him on his own. Would you mind indulging me? I made a commitment, so I¡¯ll move on if you insist, but¡­¡± He glanced at Aboki. ¡°¡­I¡¯d rather not.¡±

    Lusya didn¡¯t particularly care for Beldo¡¯s preferences, but, while she didn¡¯t share his goals for Aboki, it would also benefit her if he was at least well-adjusted enough not to get himself killed immediately. Losing time was always frustrating, and she wasn¡¯t sure how much good one day would do him, but they would still be well within the margin of error for her estimated arrival, so she supposed they might as well do what they can.

    ¡°Very well,¡± she said.

    Beldo smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± He returned his attention to Aboki. ¡°So, what do you say?¡±

    Aboki scowled. ¡°Why do I have to share with you?¡±

    ¡°Because Lusya is going to share with Ariya,¡± Beldo said. ¡°There¡¯s no changing that. I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s not happening.¡±

    ¡°Then why can¡¯t I stay by myself?¡±

    ¡°You know why,¡± Beldo said. ¡°At least while we¡¯re together, I¡¯m not leaving you unsupervised.¡±

    Aboki sighed. ¡°Might as well, I guess. Honestly, I have no idea what to do here.¡±

    ¡°If you do anything that causes trouble for us, I will kill you,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m lost. If I didn¡¯t have you looming over me, I¡¯d just have some fun, starting with this village. But I can¡¯t do that, so I don¡¯t know where to go or what to do.¡±

    ¡°Remember what we discussed last night,¡± Beldo said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of better ways to have fun. Trust me, you¡¯ll get a lot more out of life controlling yourself than not.¡±

    Aboki grunted but said nothing.

    ¡°You could hang around here,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Get a job or an apprenticeship, help some people out. Or you could go to a city. I¡¯m sure you could find an art teacher, or at least a book to learn from. Plus, it¡¯ll make controlling your urges easier because of how monumentally stupid not doing it would be. But that¡¯s just a temporary fix. You¡¯ll have to learn to control yourself properly, not lean on the threat of consequences. Luckily, you do seem to be finding some proper coping mechanisms of your own already, and the trip itself could be helpful. You seem to do well with novelty, and you might even find a place to settle down on the way. Whatever you decide to do, I¡¯ll give you some money before we leave. You can buy what you need and set off down your path. Figuratively, if you decide to stay here.¡±

    Aboki shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll say what I said before: I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask,¡± Beldo said. ¡°In the meantime, there¡¯s still plenty of time left in today. We might as well figure out something to do. I know a great hill for sledding down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that sounds fun!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°Can we go sledding Lusya, please?¡±

    Lusya considered for a moment. Injury was possible, but she would likely be able to prevent it if it seemed imminent. She nodded.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Let¡¯s go right now!¡±

    #

    ¡°Well, I guess this is goodbye,¡± Beldo said as he stood outside the inn with the others the next morning. ¡°Have you decided what you want to do yet? Still leaning toward art?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I haven¡¯t decided for sure yet,¡± Aboki replied. He looked around at the village, frowning. ¡°But I¡¯m not gonna hang around here. I¡¯ve only been here for a day, but it seems boring. I¡¯ll lose my mind trying to restrain myself around here.¡±

    ¡°You should learn to deal with boredom, but that can come with time. For now, keeping yourself stimulated is probably the right call.¡± Beldo fished a handful of coins out of his purse and held them out toward Aboki, who stared at the hand, brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°Go on, take it.¡± Aboki slowly extended his hand, and Beldo deposited the coins in them. ¡°To get you started on your journey. Use it for whatever you need.¡±

    Aboki clinked the coins in his hand and nodded. ¡°Right. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°That should last you for a little while, if you¡¯re smart with it,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can get yourself more if you need it. And I don¡¯t mean by stealing. There¡¯s always someone who¡¯ll pay you for a day¡¯s work, if you need it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a pain,¡± Aboki said. He glanced at Lusya. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re on your own, now,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Goodbye, and good luck, son.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, thanks. Bye.¡±

    Aboki glanced at Lusya again.

    ¡°Farewell,¡± she said. ¡°Remember at least to wait until you have left this region to cause trouble.¡±

    ¡°But not causing trouble at all is better!¡± Ariya added.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Right. See you around.¡±

    He turned and walked off toward the general store, while Lusya and the others made their way out of the village. She very much doubted she would be seeing him around.

    ¡°I have a good feeling about that one,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I think he might manage, at least for a little while.¡± He grinned. ¡°Maybe we should make sure you¡¯re around for more demon births.¡±

    ¡°I doubt we would be lucky enough that they would all be male demons who are both frightened of me and seek my approval due to being attracted to me.¡±

    ¡°I think none of those things are as rare as you make them sound,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°True, but it is doubtful our success rate would exceed fifty percent,¡± she replied.

    Despite the relative rarity of natural births among demons, they did not particularly lack for sexual desires. Given her Paladin-level strength and attractiveness, most male demons and some female would likely share Aboki¡¯s feelings to some extent, though she doubted they would all be quite so pliable.

    During the war, many demons had taken countermeasures to avoid conceiving. She did not know why natural births were so rare outside of that. The fact that demons did not group up often was likely a factor, but it was possible something else was at play as well. Perhaps a generally low fertility, though Lusya being conceived in a single night was a counterpoint to that. But then, the Demon King was exceptional in many ways.

    ¡°That would be a whole lot better than now,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Speaking of which, you noticed?¡±

    ¡°It was rather obvious,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I simply did not return his affections and saw no other reason to entertain them. If he had traveled with us for longer, I may have used them to control him, but that did not happen. It is probably fortunate. I am not skilled in seduction, and sex would likely become a bargaining chip at some point, while I do not want to risk a pregnancy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve¡­put a lot of thought into this.¡±

    ¡°Not particularly,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Most of that was obvious at a moment¡¯s consideration. The latter part is something I decided before setting out.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Well, the point is that I¡¯m confident and hopeful that he can control his urges for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡±

    ¡°That aside,¡± he said, ¡°can you feel that?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed. I sense something strange.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Is it another demon?¡±

    ¡°No. I do not know what it is.¡±

    Lusya sensed something odd about the Malice in the area, but the anomaly was unfamiliar to her. It bore some resemblance to the gathering Malice of a demon¡¯s birth, but it was distinct from that. She could not even begin to say what this sensation might be.

    She fixed her gaze on Beldo. ¡°But I suspect you do.¡±

    There had been no confusion or uncertainty in his tone. It had been a matter-of-fact question, confirming that she was aware of the irregularity. Whatever it was, it was not unfamiliar to him, and, if he did not know what it was, he at least knew something about it.

    Beldo simply nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a sign that we¡¯re on the right path.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Twelve

    Lusya still did not know what this anomaly was, but its nature had become slightly clearer over the last couple days. The strange sensation that had signaled the phenomenon had only grown stronger as they had moved toward Frostwood, the next town on their route. Beldo had not offered any additional details on what it was, only assured her that it would not be harmful to them or to Ariya.

    Now, Lusya was beginning to see what the issue was. Quite literally. Malice was unnaturally thick in the air. So thick that it had become visible as a violet haze enveloping the entire town. Normally, something like this would only happen preceding a demon¡¯s birth. But this still felt different, and the Malice was not coalescing at all. It was just hanging in the air in its unnatural density, inert.

    Inert, perhaps, but not inactive. The state of the village¡ªor the villagers, rather¡ªspoke to that quite clearly. There were few of them out, but they were all in about the same state, with pallid skin and dark bags under their eyes. Their movements were languid as they walked, their eyes half-lidded as if they were falling asleep standing up. They coughed quite frequently, a wet, choking sound. One stopped as he passed by Lusya and the others and turned to look at them with bleary eyes.

    ¡°Travelers?¡± he said

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯d best move on quickly. I don¡¯t know what this weird fog is, but it gives me the creeps, and now we¡¯ve got a plague going around too. Not a good idea to stick around, especially with the little one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that little,¡± Ariya said.

    The man ignored her. ¡°We¡¯d love to offer you some hospitality and all, but it¡¯s just not smart for anyone right now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing, and we can take care of ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± the man replied with a shrug.

    Beldo smiled. ¡°We appreciate it.¡±

    The man nodded and moved on, a series of coughs wracking his body.

    Lusya doubted the villagers¡¯ condition was a coincidence. A plague could have been responsible for a surge of Malice, but not for this unnatural behavior of it. Although she had never seen a phenomenon like this before, it was far more likely that the Malice in the air was making them sick. Which itself raised another question.

    ¡°Did you not say this would not be harmful?¡± Lusya asked, cocking her head slightly.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be, as long as we don¡¯t linger,¡± Beldo said. ¡°If this is what I think it is, it¡¯s been like this for weeks, maybe longer. We¡¯re fine, and it would take days of exposure before Ariya even started feeling it.¡±

    Lusya looked down at Ariya. She did not seem to be displaying any signs of illness. Her brow was furrowed in concern as she observed the Malice and the villagers, but she seemed fine physically.

    ¡°Are you well, Ariya?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t feel any different at all.¡±

    ¡°Then I suppose we do not need to leave immediately,¡± Lusya replied. She returned her attention to Beldo. ¡°You have seen this before?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. It was a few years ago¡­How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Twenty.¡±

    ¡°Then it was a little more than twenty years ago.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    It must have been around when he encountered her parents, if that was his point of reference. Though it was too soon to say if they had been involved, Lusya suspected they had.

    ¡°There should be a device nearby that¡¯s causing this,¡± Beldo said. He cupped his hands in a circle. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a little¡­thing with a glass ball on top.¡±

    ¡°That description is of dubious use,¡± she replied.

    ¡°That was awful,¡± Ariya said.

    Beldo sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll know it when I see it, okay? So, let¡¯s just look together. I doubt it¡¯s in town, so let¡¯s look in those woods to the north.¡±

    ¡°I take it destroying the device will resolve the situation?¡± Lusya said.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Beldo nodded. ¡°As far as this village is concerned, at least.¡±

    ¡°Then we gotta do it,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Being sick is the worst. We can¡¯t let these people stay like this.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya replied, earning a grin from Ariya.

    There was no point in arguing. Though Lusya did not wish to cause suffering, she had little issue with leaving these people as she found them. But she knew what it took to keep Ariya happy by now, and that meant helping the village. At least they wouldn¡¯t lose any time in the process, since Lusya had planned to spend the night anyway.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Let¡¯s go find ourselves that device.¡±

    #

    The odd behavior of the Malice continued well outside the village. In fact, how far it extended to the north as opposed to the east where they had come from made it clear the phenomenon was not centered on the village. More than likely, this device Beldo had mentioned was the center of it.

    And so, they set off into the forest in search of it. Although they were moving toward the center of the phenomenon, the density of Malice did not seem to change much, nor did any of them experience any additional adverse effects. Interesting. Lusya had to admit that she was quite curious about what was happening. The mechanics of making Malice behave this way were a mystery begging to be solved, along with who had done so. A device had to have been constructed by someone, after all.

    With little indication of where to search aside from to the north, they simply began systematically combing the forest once they arrived. It was possible the device was even farther to the north, but the forest seemed to be the best hiding place near the village. The wooded area was rather small, barely worthy of being called a forest. That was fortunate. This method of searching could have taken days with a larger area.

    As it stood, it was still quite slow. But, after a few hours, they found what they were looking for. The voices were the first thing they heard.

    ¡°Man, how long do we need to guard this stupid cup?¡± a plaintive voice asked.

    ¡°As long as the boss is paying,¡± a gruff voice replied. ¡°We¡¯re making what we¡¯d be lucky to pull in in a month in one day. Don¡¯t complain.¡±

    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying. But we can¡¯t really spend it if we¡¯re stuck out here in the sticks. Can¡¯t even go into town, or they¡¯d get suspicious. What¡¯s the point of all this coin if we can¡¯t spend it on anything?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dramatic,¡± a third, nasally voice chimed in. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s been a while, but the job¡¯s not going to go on forever. Once it¡¯s done, you¡¯ll have a heavy purse and you can splurge all you want.¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­Wait, someone¡¯s coming!¡±

    Lusya and the others had made little effort to disguise their approach, so it was not surprising they had been heard. They walked out of the woods into the clearing the three men were in, as the men turned to face them.

    There were no others lying in wait. People felt different enough from the ambient Malice that Lusya had no problem sensing them. It was just these three. Clad in simple roughspun clothes and hardened leather armor, the men had the look of bandits, though they were actually mercenaries judging by what they had said. The two groups did tend to look and act quite similar, and one could easily become the other.

    ¡°What do you three want?¡± the gruff voiced one said. He was actually the most put together of the three, clean-shaven with well-groomed black hair. ¡°You lost or something?¡±

    The words were neither mocking nor sarcastic. He seemed to be entertaining the notion that they were lost travelers drawn in by voices in earnest. From what they had said, they had been hired to protect the device, so there was no reason for immediate hostility. At least they were professional. That was more than could be said for many mercenaries.

    ¡°We can give you directions to town, if you want,¡± the plaintive voiced one said. Even when not complaining, his voice had a distinctive whine to it. Bald and with a thick, tangled beard, his voice, too, did not match his appearance. ¡°You can¡¯t stay here. Area¡¯s restricted.¡±

    The three were gathered around what must have been the device in question. About three feet tall, it resembled a tall, thin silver chalice with a glass ball resting within. It was only the glint of the light off the glass that made it clear that was what it was. Filled entirely with thick Malice, it almost looked like a roiling orb of violet mist, most of the glass all but invisible.

    ¡°Is that the device?¡± Lusya asked Beldo.

    He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±

    ¡°Then we have come to destroy it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± the gruff one exclaimed.

    ¡°Can¡¯t let you do that, little lady,¡± the nasal-voiced one said. He had a stout-build and shaggy red hair. ¡°Just turn around and no one has to get hurt.¡±

    ¡°Do either of you mind if I kill them?¡± Lusya asked.

    Ariya scowled. ¡°They¡¯re bad guys.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re kind of just doing a job,¡± Beldo said, scowling. ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t. But I won¡¯t lose any sleep over it.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re ignoring us?¡± the plaintive-voiced one said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what¡ª¡±

    All three of them were dead before he finished his sentence, their broken bodies scattered around the clearing. Lusya approached the device and looked it over.

    ¡°Is there anything special I need to do with this?¡± she asked.

    Beldo shook his head. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be. Just break it and we¡¯re good.¡±

    Lusya smashed the orb with her fists, then summoned Lunera and cut the remainder of the machine in half to be sure. The Malice within the orb dissipated into the surrounding mist, and the rest of the machine fell apart with little fanfare. Cutting it in half had revealed a rather intricate interior containing gears, axles, and wires, but nothing that offered a hint as to how it worked. At least, no hint that Lusya could discern.

    The pervasive mist of Malice itself began to grow thinner almost immediately. It was a gradual process, but at this rate, it would be done before sunrise tomorrow. That was probably a good thing, but it only added to the unnatural feeling of the phenomenon. It couldn¡¯t sustain itself at all without that device.

    ¡°That should help out the village,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Although I doubt the situation is really over.¡±

    ¡°You seem to know what is happening,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Did you know this was here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, not specifically,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Like I said, this has happened before, and I heard some rumors about it happening again, but I didn¡¯t know this village was having problems until we got close. Now, what do you say we go back to town and ask about it? I only have a very broad idea about what¡¯s going on. If we ask around, we might learn more.¡±

    Lusya could not deny that she was curious, and they were going to spend the night anyway. ¡°Very well. Let us return.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Thirteen

    The change in the villagers was palpable. By the time Lusya and the others returned to town, the thick mist of Malice had thinned to a wispy haze, and the villagers¡¯ condition had changed accordingly. They still looked ill and bore the marks of having been ill for weeks¡ªbaggy eyelids beneath reddened eyes, flushed faces, and pale skin slick with sweat¡ªbut they had seen a remarkable surge in energy. If anything, they seemed to have more vigor than was typical, though perhaps that was just a reaction to the relief of their fatigue. There was a notable spring in their steps, and Lusya heard multiple people humming or whistling jaunty tunes to themselves. There also seemed to be more people out and about, despite the late hour.

    ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s feeling better,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Although, I¡¯m worried they might overdo it¡­They probably won¡¯t be fully recovered for a couple days.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all so happy!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m glad we helped.¡±

    ¡°The speed of their recovery is remarkable,¡± Lusya said. She was inclined to agree with Beldo, however. It was a valid concern that the villagers would make themselves ill again in their excitement at their partial recovery. ¡°It seems we will have no shortage of people to ask for information.¡±

    Beldo sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not really the point, but you¡¯re not wrong. Excuse me, Miss?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± A passing woman replied, pausing to give him an inquisitive look.

    ¡°We¡¯re travelers passing through,¡± he said. ¡°I have to say, we¡¯ve never seen anything like this strange purple mist, and everyone seemed a little under the weather until a minute ago. Could you tell us what¡¯s going on around here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know, it¡¯s just terrible, isn¡¯t it?¡± the woman exclaimed. ¡°First, this weird fog shows up. It was really thin at first, but then it just kept getting thicker and thicker. That was creepy enough, but then everyone in the village starts getting sick, all at once. It was crazy, I tell you, I thought we were done for!¡±

    The woman barely had time to take a breath between words, though it was hard to tell if that was an effect of her recovery or just the way she was.

    ¡°And we just weren¡¯t getting any better forever! It¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? Everyone says it¡¯s a plague, but a plague doesn¡¯t usually hit everyone at once, right? Some people thought we were cursed instead, but I don¡¯t know about that.¡± As far as Lusya was aware, curses weren¡¯t real, so one probably wasn¡¯t responsible for the mist or its effects. ¡°So anyway, we thought we were doomed, but now I¡¯m feeling a lot better, and it looks like everyone else is too. And is it just my imagination, or is the fog going away?¡±

    ¡°It does look thinner than earlier,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Right? Well, that¡¯s about it, did you need anything else?¡±

    ¡°I was just wondering if you have any idea what might have caused this, or¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nope, sorry! It¡¯s a total mystery. Bye!¡±

    The woman practically skipped off without another word. She definitely seemed to have a bit more energy than even the other villagers. Perhaps that was simply her personality.

    ¡°I do not believe we gained any useful information from that,¡± Lusya said. All they had learned were things they could have guessed themselves and things they already knew.

    Beldo sighed. ¡°I know. We¡¯ll keep trying.¡±

    They flagged down several other men and women, and slowly began to piece together more details about what had transpired. It seemed the fog of Malice had first started to gather about two months ago. It had rapidly grown thicker for the first week or two before stabilizing at more or less the level it had been when Lusya and the others had arrived. That was also around the time when the villagers had begun to fall ill.

    While it was obvious the Malice was responsible for the illness, it was difficult to tell if it had needed to get to that thickness before causing difficulties, or if it had simply taken a week or two for symptoms to appear. It may have been a combination of both. Considering Ariya had been fine, it was obvious it did not immediately cause mortals illness even at its greatest density.

    As the first woman had described, the villagers all agreed that they had all become ill all at once, in a manner atypical of a disease. It had not been a rapid spread. Rather, they had all woken up one morning feeling weak and sickly. Only one or two villagers had taken about a day longer to begin showing symptoms. So there was some variance in susceptibility.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Unfortunately, the villagers were unable to shed much light on the true nature of the incident. None seemed to have any idea what had caused it. Some were happy to speculate, but none mentioned the device, and¡ªwhile a few suspected a demon might be at work¡ªnone said anything to suggest they realized that the fog had been Malice itself.

    That was not surprising. While the existence of Malice and its rough mechanics were common knowledge, few mortals had ever seen it, and thus they did not know what it looked like. Many demons, for that matter, never truly saw Malice, although they had a vague, instinctive knowledge of its appearance regardless.

    As for the device, it seemed evident it had been planted in secret. Either that, or it had taken a while to take effect. If its placement had been public knowledge and coincided with the onset of the fog, Lusya was sure someone would have mentioned it. Of course, it was possible someone was lying or that there was someone they had not found yet who knew something.

    ¡°Shall we ask about the device?¡± Lusya asked. ¡°It is possible it was planted long enough ago that they have not made the connection, but that they did know about it.¡±

    Beldo frowned and shook his head. ¡°No. Call it a hunch, but I don¡¯t think anyone knew a thing about that machine. If we bring it up or seem like we know too much, they might suspect us.¡±

    ¡°That would be inconvenient,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯d have to leave,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I wanna sleep in a bed tonight.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Still, it is obvious our line of questioning needs adjustment.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to jump in next time, if you have a good idea,¡± Beldo said.

    He waved down another woman and asked her the same questions he had all the others. She, of course, gave the same answers, repeating all the information they already knew.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I know,¡± she said as she finished. ¡°Anything else I can help you with?¡±

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Did anything else unusual happen around the time the fog first appeared?¡±

    The woman pursed her lips. ¡°Unusual how?¡±

    ¡°In any way,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It need not be anything negative or suspect. Anything out of the ordinary at all.¡±

    ¡°You all seem quite interested in this fog,¡± the woman said. ¡°Why so worked up about our little village?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve traveled far and wide, and seen all sorts of things,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We can¡¯t help but be curious when we see something new or exceptional.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed. And I have never seen anything like that before.¡±

    The woman furrowed her brow then shrugged in apparent acceptance of that explanation. ¡°Well, all right. Something unusual¡­Now that you mention it, there was one thing. A nobleman came through just before then. Count¡­Re¡­Re¡­Rebran, that was it! He doesn¡¯t govern our land, but another chunk close by. Oh, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no connection. He seemed like quite a nice young man, and believe you me, I don¡¯t say that about just any nobleman.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And what did this Count Rebran do in town?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing much,¡± the woman said. ¡°He didn¡¯t have any business here, he was just passing through on his way home from something or other. Stayed the night at the inn, which I¡¯m sure might as well be a mud hut compared to what he¡¯s used to, but he was real gracious about it. Complimented the chef. He even gave Ulis, the butcher¡¯s boy, some coin to use as a dowry, when he heard Ulis grousing about how Lese¡¯s father didn¡¯t think he was good enough for her. Oh, Lese¡¯s father, Erv, is a farmer. Lese is a real beauty and a sweetheart, so I can see why he¡¯s concerned about making sure she gets a good man, but Ulis is as good as any in this village.¡±

    Lusya had not needed much of that information, but pointing that out was likely to make the woman less cooperative, so Lusya refrained. ¡°Was the count alone?¡±

    ¡°No one like that travels alone,¡± the woman said. ¡°He had his guard of course, plus a few mercenaries he hired. They seemed a little out of place, but what do I know about that? Maybe he was shorthanded and they were the best he could find.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. Did you see which direction the count departed in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I didn¡¯t,¡± the woman said. ¡°I would assume the west, where his land is. Why the interest in the count? You don¡¯t think he had anything to do with this, do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Beldo hurried to say before Lusya could respond. ¡°We just like to learn as much as we can while we¡¯re traveling. Especially about the nobility. Makes everything go smoothly, you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I can imagine,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Well, I hope I was helpful.¡±

    ¡°Very much so, ma¡¯am, have a good day.¡±

    The woman smiled and walked off to attend to whatever business she had been on before they had stopped her.

    ¡°Well, I think we have our culprit,¡± Beldo said as soon as she was out of earshot.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Though Beldo was right to hide their suspicions. While the relationship between the nobility and commoners was often an adversarial one, that was not always the case, and the woman had seemed fond of this nobleman. It was likely the other villagers shared her sentiment. Even when the relationship was adversarial, it often benefited the commoners not to antagonize the nobility, so they would likely not care for strangers casting suspicion upon the latter. This Count Rebran may not have governed this land, but he could no doubt wield some influence, and so many of those factors still applied.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re going west anyway,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We might run into more of this count¡¯s machinations. Maybe even the man himself. Are you okay with that?¡±

    ¡°We are!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°Right?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I do not wish to go out of my way to involve myself, but we need not alter our course to avoid doing so.¡±

    Even if Ariya had not spoken up, that would have been Lusya¡¯s decision. Solving the problem today had been trivial, so Lusya saw no reason to alter their course and risk a delay to avoid similar situations. She could revisit her decision later if things changed. Besides, she had never seen anything like this before. She could not help but be curious.

 Book Four - Chapter Fourteen

    ¡°What do you say we stop here for the night?¡± Beldo said with a wistful smile as he looked around at their surroundings.

    They were in the middle of a large patch of ruins. Lusya did not know what age they were from, or what damage might have come from battle, the elements, or mere age, but the term ruins had scarcely had a better match. Disparate patches of crumbling walls and shattered stone pavement dotted the landscape. What was left that could be identified as buildings was overgrown with grass and ivy, though both were yellowed and appeared dead at the moment. Lusya could make out a few battlements atop the broken walls, suggesting this had once been a castle or a fortress, and quite a large one based on how spread out the ruins were. Beyond that, any details about the place eluded her.

    Ariya gasped. ¡°We should. This place it cool!¡±

    It did have a certain intrigue about it. And aside from that, Lusya saw no particular reason not to stop here. It was about the time they would stop for camp anyway, and the ruins provided a convenient place to do so. This time of year especially, the walls could provide some welcome protection from the elements. The cold did not bother Lusya, but¡ªthough she did not complain much these days¡ªLusya knew it was often unpleasant for Ariya.

    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We may setup camp here.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    Beldo simply grinned, and they set about preparing for the night.

    It did not take long. Ample trees had sprung up since this place had been abandoned, so there was plenty of wood for a fire, and Miudofay made creating a dry patch of ground in the corner of two mostly intact walls trivial.

    Within the hour, they had finished their evening meal. Lusya read Ariya her allotted three chapters and ushered her off to bed, leaving Lusya and Beldo sitting on opposite sides of the warm, crackling fire. She did not particularly need the warmth or light, but it would benefit Ariya even in the tent, and Beldo seemed to appreciate it as well.

    ¡°Why did you want to stop here?¡± Lusya asked. She could sense that it was not for the same reasons as herself or Ariya.

    Beldo smiled and looked around again before letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°Call it nostalgia, I guess. I used to love coming here back when it was bustling. Of course, when it was a fortress, not just anyone could waltz in, but still, it was an impressive sight, as big as a city. Even just passing by you could tell it was a lively place, and it was never really at the front of any wars or on any contentious borders, so they sometimes let travelers in to spend the night anyway. And before it was a fortress, it actually was a city. It was great then too. I don¡¯t know what they did to their bread, but it was to die for.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame it ended up like this,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I want to protect the places that are like it used to be now. That¡¯s why I want us to stay on this Count Rebran¡¯s tail.¡± He gave her a bitter smile. ¡°Though I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t feel the same way.¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I have no particular interest in protecting mortal settlements or keeping them lively.¡±

    Although, learning a bit about this place was interesting, at least. It¡¯s decline did not bother her in and of itself¡ªthough she perhaps would have liked to try that bread, now that Beldo had made her curious about it¡ªbut it was interesting to imagine it as it had once been, to try to piece together the past from what remained. Where had the popular gathering spots been? What had that building over there been used for? Why did it decline in the first place?

    ¡°I figured,¡± Beldo said. ¡°So, I know it¡¯s not for me, but I appreciate you going along with it.¡±

    ¡°Your thanks are unnecessary,¡± she replied. ¡°As you say, it is not for you. It is for Ariya and my own curiosity.¡±

    Beldo cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°I have never seen anything like that stagnant Malice or the device that caused it before,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will not object to learning more about either.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take what I can get. You being interested is better than not, regardless of the reason.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. However, my priority is reaching my destination safely with Ariya. If it appears that pursuing this matter will become an obstacle to that goal, I will abandon the matter without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°But for now, having you with me is reassuring. It¡¯s frustrating, but there¡¯s not a whole lot I can do to solve problems like this on my own.¡±

    ¡°That is your own choice,¡± Lusya replied.

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. And it¡¯s the better one. But that doesn¡¯t mean there are no downsides.¡±

    She supposed she could accept that explanation. Beldo could probably destroy the devices without harming the guards, but he likely did not want to take that chance. For that matter, though it was clear it was not a strict taboo for him¡ªseeing as he had helped gather that snowroot before and ate every day¡ªhe may be reluctant to destroy even an inanimate object. He did seem to go out of his way not to damage anything if he could help it. He avoided breaking branches when gathering firewood, even dead ones lying on the ground that were too big to fit in the fire whole. If they needed them, she had to be the one to break them. Ariya had offered once, but she had no chance of doing so. She had not been happy with Lusya for pointing that out, but humoring her by letting her try, giving her some smaller branches to break afterward, and reading an extra chapter before bed had been more than enough to mollify her.

    If Beldo¡¯s reluctance to break anything was an extension of his pacifism, it seemed a bit excessive, but she supposed he knew what worked for him. He had mentioned that he had not discovered how to control himself immediately, so he must have arrived at this extreme level of restraint after some trial and error.

    After a moment of silence, Beldo sighed once more. ¡°It¡¯s cold, but it¡¯s a nice night. Clear with lots of stars.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya replied. She paused for a moment. ¡°Would you tell me more about this place¡¯s past?¡±

    He widened his eyes at her. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I am curious,¡± she said, nodding.

    He grinned. ¡°Well, I definitely don¡¯t want to discourage your curiosity. I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to know.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Fifteen

    The next village, Snowhill, was covered in an even thicker haze of Malice than the last, and the villagers¡¯ symptoms were accordingly worse. The place was a virtual ghost town. Most of them must have been either taking shelter indoors or otherwise unable to leave their homes.

    Lusya was guessing the latter. The one man they passed stumbled past with eyes glazed over, drawing ragged, haggard breaths. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice Lusya¡¯s group, and he almost collapsed right before their eyes, for no apparent reason other than his condition. There was nothing for him to trip over, nor had he tripped over his own feet or nothing as people sometimes did. It seemed as if he simply lost the strength to stand. He managed to catch himself on a building and, after a moment¡¯s rest, recovered enough to continue walking. Both Beldo and Ariya wanted to help him after that, but he remained unresponsive and walked off without acknowledging their offers of aid.

    The innkeeper was in a similar daze. At least, Lusya presumed he was the innkeeper. The man half-strewn across the inn¡¯s bar was the only man present in the inn. He, at least, acknowledged them, but only to look their way and slur his way through, ¡°I¡¯ll be with you in a minute,¡± before returning to motionless silence. He was not, in fact, with them in a minute. It seemed hiding indoors didn¡¯t accomplish much. That was not surprising, seeing as the mist was just as thick inside the inn as outside. Lusya had noticed this in the last village as the fog was dissipating too: physical obstacles meant nothing to this mist. It covered an area without regard for walls, ceilings or other obstructions. Perhaps that was too be expected. The mist was Malice, something that normally lacked a physical form. The device had made it visible, but not tangible.

    That device here must have been placed earlier, perhaps while the count had been heading east on whatever trip he had been returning from when he had passed through the other village. It was impossible to say if this was the sole or primary purpose of said trip. He may have had legitimate reasons to travel and used it as an opportunity to do whatever it was he was doing, or he may have arranged a trip so he had a chance to do this. Or there might not have been a trip. He might have been traveling around placing these devices and telling the locals that he was traveling on some business as an excuse for why he was there. Not that a nobleman needed to justify himself to peasants, but he may still have wanted to avoid suspicion.

    Regardless, this placement must have been quite a bit earlier, since the Malice¡¯s accumulation had plateaued in the earlier village. It would have taken some time for the Malice to grow noticeably thicker as it was here. Or, perhaps, this device had been placed later and was simply better at its job, if this stagnation was indeed its purpose.

    Fortunately, even the effects of this thicker haze did not appear to be immediate. Ariya did not complain and showed no signs of discomfort, save for her obvious concern for the villagers.

    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta help, Lusya!¡± she exclaimed as they left the inn after it had become clear the innkeeper would remain unresponsive. Attempting to speak to him only drew repeated assurances that he would tend to them in a moment upon which he never acted. Lusya would have liked to ask if anyone knew where the device was, but she supposed they would have to search for it again.

    ¡°We will. Do not worry.¡±

    Beldo, meanwhile, looked around at the fog-laden village with a deep scowl. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it this bad before. He must have improved the design. Or is the location different?¡±

    ¡°I trust we will find a device nearby like last time,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°We should, yeah. Let¡¯s hurry up and find it. It looks like our count¡¯s been even busier than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Locating the device did not take long. Much like last time, it was hidden in a nearby forest. Lusya supposed it made sense to hide it somewhere out of the way, and most people would not know to look for it, and may not even realize it was behind this phenomenon if they stumbled upon it. Even if they did, they may not take it upon themselves to solve the problem, or they may be unable or unwilling to get past the guards. But the consistency did make things easier for someone who did know to look for the device and was more than capable of destroying it.

    That, too, was not difficult. It was guarded by mercenaries like the last one. Lusya was guessing they had some means of counteracting the symptoms the stagnant Malice caused, seeing as the last group had appeared hale and healthy. But it was obvious those means were not perfect. Lusya and the others arrived to find the mercenaries sluggish and lethargic, leaning against the surrounding trees to keep themselves from falling over.

    They slowly stood and turned to face Lusya¡¯s group when they arrived. The mercenaries drew their swords and scowled, though it looked more like they were squinting, barely able to keep their eyes open from fatigue.

    ¡°Back off,¡± the leader managed to bark out before letting out a loud, wet cough.

    ¡°Can you not kill them this time, Lusya?¡± Ariya asked.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°If anything, I want to help them. I doubt they signed up to end up in this sorry state. It¡¯s obvious they didn¡¯t really know what they were getting into.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. Their pitiful situation didn¡¯t inspire any mercy in her, but it was all the same to her whether they lived or died. ¡°I will spare them. Lunera¡±

    She dashed past the mercenaries and cut the device apart with ease. When they belatedly turned to face her, she simply swept their legs out from under them, and none of them had the strength to stand. After a few futile attempts, they all lied still and silent save for the occasional pained, anguished groan.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Let us go,¡± Lusya said, taking and Ariya¡¯s hand and walking back toward the village.

    Ariya glanced back toward the mercenaries. ¡°I know I said not to kill them, but is it really okay just to leave them like that?¡±

    ¡°For them, or for the village?¡± Beldo asked.

    ¡°Both, I guess.¡±

    ¡°They are not in serious danger as long as they do not stay there for long,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If last time is any precedent, they should have the strength to move soon enough. As for the village, it is doubtful the mercenaries will take any hostile action toward it. They were hired to guard that device. I doubt they will be invested enough to seek reprisal.¡±

    Some mercenaries might well seek to make up a perceived loss in revenue by sacking the village, but Lusya doubted that would be the case either. A nobleman had likely paid them well enough already, and there was little to be gained from such a small village. In any case, Lusya declined to mention the possibility to Ariya.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°Yeah, it should be fine. Even if they did try something, it would probably be before we leave, so Lusya could stop them.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    If the mercenaries did decide to attack, it was doubtful they would have the foresight to wait for Lusya and the others to leave. They did not necessarily know Lusya and the others were staying in the village to begin with. Even if the mercenaries did guess or find that out, they would likely chalk their loss up to their fatigued state rather than Lusya¡¯s strength and foolishly attack the village thinking they could defeat her at their best. If that happened, she would simply kill them. And if they did wait until she was gone, that was unfortunate but no concern of hers.

    ¡°Anyway, now that that¡¯s done, we should head back to town and find out what the villagers know about what happened here,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°I agree,¡± Lusya said as she came to a stop. ¡°However, before that, you will explain yourself. It is evident that you know more about what is occurring here than you initially indicated.¡±

    He had maintained from the start that he had seen the phenomenon before and he had known about the device, but recent statements suggested he had seen it more than a few times, and that he knew more about the culprit than merely his name.

    Beldo sighed. ¡°All right, I guess I can tell you. I wasn¡¯t hiding it or anything, I just wanted to be sure about some things.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It¡¯d be embarrassing if I gave this big explanation and it turned out to be wrong, right? That said, I¡¯m still not completely sure about some things, but I can tell you what I¡¯m thinking if you¡¯re okay with that.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Like I said before, the first time I saw this was little over twenty years ago,¡± Beldo said. ¡°It was pretty much the same thing we¡¯re seeing now: this stagnant mist of Malice and this device that seems to be gathering it.¡±

    Said mist was already dissipating, much like before. If anything, it seemed to be thinning faster, perhaps as a sort of response to having been so dense to begin with. Regardless of how long the device or the mist had been here, she did not think the latter would take much longer to dissipate than it had in the previous village. How interesting.

    ¡°I won¡¯t claim to know all the details about how he managed to do it,¡± Beldo continued, ¡°but this nobleman figured out how to make these devices that gather Malice without allowing it to coalesce into a demon. It was another attempt at something mortals have always wanted to do: end the Demon King cycle, once and for all.¡±

    Lusya supposed she could see how this device¡¯s functions could theoretically be used for that purpose, if applied to the entire world.

    ¡°But, as you can see, it comes with its own problems, and let¡¯s just say it can get a lot worse. Azure and Romoro were traveling through here right about that time, and they¡¯re the ones who put a stop to the nobleman¡¯s schemes. That nobleman was Count Rebran.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°But Count Rebran is the one doing this now, right?¡± She gasped, her eyes lighting up with excitement. ¡°Oh, did he come back to life? That¡¯s so cool!¡±

    ¡°I never said he died,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°Azure¡¯s nice, but I think she would have killed him,¡± Ariya said. ¡°And the Demon King definitely would have. I bet he said something really cool while he was doing it too.¡±

    ¡°I am inclined to agree,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya beamed. ¡°Right? Did your papa usually say cool things when he killed people?¡±

    ¡°I was not often present when he did so, but I believe so.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡±

    Father had had a tendency to say some parting words before killing an opponent. Lusya was not sure if most people would consider them ¡°cool,¡± but, in her experience and based on what she had heard from others, they had often been clever or biting.

    Beldo¡¯s brow furrowed in concern. Lusya was aware that Ariya¡¯s enthusiasm about killing would normally be considered unsettling for her age, but it didn¡¯t affect her Malice or cause any other problems of note, so Lusya had never seen any reason to correct it.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there. But, yes, they did kill him. I¡¯m guessing the current Count Rebran is his son or another relative who inherited the title.¡±

    Ariya blushed. ¡°Oh. That makes sense. It¡¯s not as cool, though.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, ¡°as far as I know, the previous count never made any of his research or his development of these machines public. But it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he had some private notes or prototypes lying around that his successor could learn from.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°And that¡¯s all I know,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I know some of it is conjecture, but it¡¯s the best I can do. I wasn¡¯t actually all that involved last time. I saw a few of the affected towns, crossed paths with Azure and Romoro a couple times, and mostly heard about what had happened afterwards.¡±

    ¡°It is a sufficient explanation for now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And your conjectures make sense based on the information provided. We can tentatively assume they are true for the time being.¡±

    Granted, Beldo had provided no proof of any part of his story, but she saw no reason for him to deceive her. Her parents¡¯ involvement did intrigue her, but she had been cooperating anyway, and a much simpler explanation could have satisfied her curiosity. Even if he was attempting to use her parents to keep her interest, the fact she intended to continue to travel with him and handle these incidents as they came across them made the point rather moot. It was possible he thought it would be enough to make her go out of her way to resolve the situation, but he was incorrect if that was the case. She was more interested now, but, in the end, her intentions had not changed. She would only tackle these incidents so long as they were along her path¡ªand she was sure Beldo was endeavoring to make that the case anyway¡ªand if doing so put her mission at risk, she would abandon it at once.

    In any case, Beldo¡¯s revelations hadn¡¯t changed much in practical terms. His refusal to tell what he knew had put his trustworthiness in doubt, but his explanation satisfied her. Besides, she did not think he would invent what he had told her. She could not say he was not manipulative at all. He had manipulated her into getting involved with this situation to begin with, after all. But she did not think he would outright lie, especially not about something as important as Lusya¡¯s parents.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Can I assume we can proceed as we have been, then?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°You can.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you say we get back to town?¡± he replied. ¡°I have a feeling I know a lot of what we¡¯re going to hear already, but it won¡¯t hurt to ask around a little.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Sixteen

    Lusya cracked the tent flap open and found Ariya sound asleep within, her shoulders rising and falling with her steady breaths as she lay curled up under her blanket. She would likely stay like that until Lusya roused her in the morning. Ariya was not a light sleeper.

    Lusya turned and went back to the fire, where she took a seat. Beldo sat across from her, flipping through a book he had borrowed from her. It looked more like he was skimming it than actually reading, perhaps trying to discern if it was to his tastes before committing.

    About halfway through, however, he snapped the book shut and set it aside.

    ¡°Is the book not to your liking?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Not quite.¡± He leaned forward, his eyes boring into Lusya from across the fire. ¡°But that¡¯s not the issue.¡±

    She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I take it you need something from me, then?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed quiet long enough. Why are you traveling with Ariya?¡±

    ¡°Why do you wish to know?¡± she asked, blinking once more

    He shrugged. ¡°For my peace of mind. Of course, there¡¯s not much I can do about whatever you¡¯re up to. But I¡¯d at least like to know what¡¯s going to happen to that girl.  That¡¯s about all I can do. The way I see it, it¡¯s my duty to understand what¡¯s going on around me. I don¡¯t believe in ignorance is bliss.¡±

    Lusya considered for a moment, then nodded. As he said, there was not much he could do as a pacifist. There was little harm in telling him. She stood and checked the tent one more time, just to be safe. Ariya was still sleeping. After returning to the fireside, Lusya began her explanation.

    ¡°I am sure you have noticed,¡± Lusya said, ¡°that Ariya is exceptionally pure of Malice. There is no such thing as a pure mortal, but she has extraordinarily little within her.¡±

    Beldo cocked an eyebrow and was silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°My father told me that if I sacrificed a pure mortal at the place of his birth, he would be revived,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Since we both knew a pure mortal did not exist, I inferred he meant someone like Ariya.¡±

    Beldo pursed his lips. ¡°So, that¡¯s what you¡¯re on your way to do.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°After careful observation, I concluded Ariya was an ideal candidate and took steps to procure her. I then began the process of escorting her across the continent to Midbud Isle.¡±

    ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± Beldo said, ¡°where did you start from?¡±

    ¡°The southeast.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Father advised me it would be a good place to find a potential sacrifice, since it was relatively untouched by the war,¡± she said.

    Beldo was silent for a moment. ¡°I see.¡± He sighed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s terrible. But, like I said, there¡¯s not much I can do to stop you. It¡¯s your decision. But are you sure you want to do it?¡±

    Lusya hesitated, and a slight frown tugged at her lips. ¡°When our journey began, Ariya¡¯s fate did not matter to me. She was merely a prop in the ritual I needed to perform, and my protection of and caring for her were only to ensure she was not damaged.¡±

    ¡°And now?¡±

    She hesitated again. ¡°I find the fact that I must kill her unfortunate. I would rather it was not so, and I am sure it will hurt me to do it. But I will. I must revive Father. I want to.¡±

    ¡°That much, I can¡¯t blame you for,¡± Beldo said. ¡°People will talk about the sanctity of life and death and how they wouldn¡¯t do it even if they could, but I doubt there¡¯s anyone who hasn¡¯t, even for a moment, wished they could see someone they¡¯d lost again.¡±

    Lusya did not say anything. She knew from various writings¡ªfictional and otherwise¡ªand people she had known that it was a common sentiment, but she had nothing to add on the subject. She hadn¡¯t often made a point of exploring other people¡¯s grief. Only her own.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll ask again: are you sure?¡± Beldo repeated. ¡°That girl adores you, and it¡¯s obvious you care for her. Are you sure you want to give that up?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°I will revive Father. And while I am sure it will hurt, I will manage. Compartmentalizing my emotions is a strength of mine. That is why I have remained committed to my mission this long.¡±

    The idea of abandoning it had occurred to her. She could settle down with Ariya somewhere and live in peace. But she had rejected that idea and banished it behind the wall. She needed to revive Father.

    ¡°Part of me does want to give it up and spare her,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Perhaps even most of me. But I have separated that sentiment from my intentions. That may not be the best thing to do, and I may only be so at ease with the idea of killing her because of my demonic half. But it is in my nature, and it seems I cannot rebel against that as you do.¡±

    Beldo smiled softly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it like I do. We can have a debate about whether I¡¯m still doing it or if who I am has changed, but, a long time ago, I decided to completely reject who I was. But you don¡¯t have to do that. That¡¯s not the only way, and it¡¯s probably not even the best way. I just wasn¡¯t strong enough to do anything else.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°All you really need to do is take a good, hard look at what you want,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are good at compartmentalizing. But even if you can ignore them, I think you¡¯ll regret it if you let your doubts fester. You need to really think this over and make a decision.¡± He smiled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s my advice, anyway. I can¡¯t really tell you what to do.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°I will take it under consideration.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask.¡±

    She did not think she would change her mind, but he did have a point. She wanted to see Father revived, but she did also want Ariya to live. As of now, she was siding with the former sentiment, and she did not expect that to change. But it was probably a good idea to give the conflict some proper consideration at some point, rather than ignoring it. Feelings she hid behind the wall were still there and could spill over, after all.

    Beldo frowned. ¡°Now, about Ariya, was she an orphan, or¡­?¡±

    ¡°She was not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I killed her family to prevent them from causing trouble while she was away, then deceived her into accompanying me. She does not know of their fate, and you will not tell them.¡±

    He let out a humorless chuckle. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to feel bad about that one.¡±

    ¡°It is unfortunate that knowing would hurt Ariya, and not only for practical reasons,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But it needed to be done, and I did not make any of them suffer. So, no, I do not feel bad about it in and of itself.¡±

    Beldo sighed. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t tell her. Just think about what I said, all right?¡±

    ¡°I will. I will take first watch, if you would like to rest.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Sure. Wake me when you¡¯re ready to change shifts. Good night.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Seventeen

    The next town Lusya and the others arrived in held no sign of the earlier Malice phenomenon. The air was clear and crisp. Nor did the villagers show any symptoms. Most of the adults were taking shelter from the weather inside¡ªit was exceptionally cold, and the snow was falling faster by the minute¡ªbut those out and about were hale and healthy, and there were plenty of children playing in the snow. It was almost idyllic.

    That, of course, was because they were ignorant of the looming threat. Three high-rank demons were just west of the village. They were not growing any closer, but nor were they moving any farther. For the time being, they were holding their position for reasons unknown.

    However, it was doubtful it was anything good. High-rank demons skulking about the outskirts of a defenseless rural village could only mean danger.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad this village seems okay,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Lusya, can I go play in the snow too?¡±

    ¡°Not right now,¡± Lusya said. ¡°There is a matter we must attend to first.¡±

    Ariya gasped and lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°Is it demons?¡±

    Lusya nodded.

    ¡°Are they bad demons?¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡±

    ¡°Most are,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But it¡¯s not just demons. And I think I have a pretty good guess of who the extra is.¡±

    Indeed, there was a single mortal near the demons. There was nothing noteworthy about the mortal¡¯s Malice signature, nor did it exhibit the fluctuations or elevation Lusya would expect if they were in pain or under attack. That, itself, was noteworthy. It was impossible to say for certain the relationship between the mortal and the demons, but, at the moment, it did not seem to be a hostile one. Lusya could imagine several reasons for that, but it was unusual. Some mortals might unknowingly befriend a demon living among them, but it was a rare occurrence, and one mortal alone with three demons far from any city where such demons might be apt to hide pointed to a deeper relationship the likes of which Lusya had seldom heard of. And Beldo was right. There was one very obvious candidate for the mortal¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing to do but head over there,¡± Beldo said.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Indeed. I doubt this will end peacefully. I will trust you to watch Ariya while I handle the situation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to at least try to end it peacefully first,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But if that doesn¡¯t work out, you¡¯ve got it.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go.¡±

    She scooped Ariya up and they ran to where the demons were with Ariya whooping and giggling in excitement all the way. They found the demons a bit off the road in a wooded area to the west. They were completely hidden from the road itself. No one would find them unless they knew to look. Just like the devices before.

    And, indeed, they stood around a device just like those. Unlike the prior devices, this one didn¡¯t seem to be operational. The glass orb at the top was empty of stagnant Malice, so clear as to be invisible. And the mortal was there, kneeling beside it. He had some sort of panel on the side open and was tinkering with the device''s insides.

    ¡°Hey, boss, they¡¯re here,¡± one of the demons said, a woman with long black hair, as Lusya set Ariya down and ushered her to stand with Beldo.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done,¡± the mortal replied. ¡°Just keep them busy for a couple minutes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a tall order,¡± another of the demons, this one another woman with shorter pink hair, replied. ¡°But we¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Any chance you guys will just leave?¡± the third demon said. He was a man with white hair much like Lusya¡¯s. It was shorter than either of the others¡¯ but still long for a man¡¯s.

    ¡°It is doubtful,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°But not impossible,¡± Beldo said. ¡°If you¡¯ll agree to stop what you¡¯re doing, we have no problem leaving in peace, Count Rebran.¡±

    The mortal groaned and shook his head. It was difficult to discern much of his features with his back turned while he worked on the machine, but he did seem to be a human man. He had short-cut hair of a dark brown color, and he wore a long black overcoat dusted with fresh snow. Made of soft, fine fabric with a bit of shine to it, that alone gave him the look of a nobleman. It might well have cost more than Lusya¡¯s entire outfit, and her clothing was far from the cheapest available.

    ¡°I most certainly will not,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you know who I am or about my work, but I won¡¯t let anyone interfere with it. This will change the world, open up a new future!¡± He apparently finished what he was doing and slammed the panel shut, then stood and turned to face Lusya and the others. He was a young man, in his mid-to-late twenties. Though his features were rather soft, they were set in a stern, resolute scowl, his dark eyes burning with anger and determination. ¡°I won¡¯t let it be stopped by small-minded fools like it was for my father.¡±

    Lusya felt a brief twinge of annoyance on her parents¡¯ behalf. She would accept many insults to both of them, but small-minded was not one of them. However, the feeling passed soon enough. She did not even know how much Count Rebran knew about what had transpired back then, considering his age. He might not even know who he was insulting.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll just let me explain,¡± Beldo said, ¡°I think you¡¯ll agree that this isn¡¯t the way to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Count Rebran said, waving the wrench and screwdriver he cluthced in a white-knuckled grip at Beldo. ¡°I won¡¯t hear any of your lies.¡± He looked around at the demons. ¡°The device had been activated. You three, we¡¯re getting out of here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not happening with these two here,¡± the male demon said. ¡°If we turn our backs and run, we¡¯re just asking to get killed.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sure we can talk this out,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°No!¡± Count Rebran exclaimed. ¡°There will be no talking. Not while you seek to stop two generations of my family¡¯s life¡¯s work. Unless you agree to leave me alone and let me finish what my father started, we have nothing to discuss.¡±

    Beldo sighed. ¡°I tried.¡± He looked to Lusya. ¡°Your turn.¡±

    ¡°May I kill the count?¡± she asked.

    Beldo hesitated. ¡°Use your best judgment.¡±

    ¡°Ariya?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a bad guy!¡± Ariya replied. ¡°Go get him, Lusya!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off,¡± the dark-haired demon woman said. ¡°Go.¡±

    ¡°Dari, are you sure?¡± Count Rebran asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die,¡± the pink-haired demon said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Dari replied. ¡°Go.¡±

    Lusya charged at Count Rebran. Her fist was mere inches from his face when a kick from Dari slammed into her side. It didn¡¯t do any damage, but the blow still took Lusya off her feet and sent her careening to the side through the forest.

    ¡°Run!¡± Dari shouted.

    The demon man gathered Count Rebran in his arms, and he and the pink-haired one began to run away to the west. Lusya landed and rushed after them, but Dari intercepted her, standing in her way and throwing a punch, though Lusya blocked it easily enough.

    ¡°Biwifa,¡± Dari said, causing a metallic war fan to appear in her other hand.

    She swiped the fan through the air, and a massive gust of wind threw Lusya backward, tearing trees from the ground roots and all. Before she could land, another gust kept her sailing through the air. Lusya twisted to face Dari and created a barrier behind herself to stop her flight.

    ¡°Lunera.¡±

    She slashed her Blade¡¯s snow-white blade and appeared behind Dari.

    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± the demon exclaimed.

    Lusya whirled and slashed at Dari, who seemed to realize where Lusya had gone just that moment. Dari clumsily tried to dodge the blow, and Lunera bit into her arm and severed it, drawing a pained shout. Unfortunately, that had not been the arm holding the fan. A wild, desperate swing sent Lusya sailing back through the air again. A minor setback, but still inconvenient.

    She quickly warped behind Dari again. To her credit, Dari realized what had happened immediately this time and leaped away from where she had been standing before Lusya could strike.

    Still, Lusya slashed Lunera through the air, creating a rift between where Dari had stood a moment before and where she landed from her dodge, bring the demon right back where she had started.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    That sound of momentary disorientation was the last that demon ever uttered. Lusya slashed Lunera through Dari¡¯s neck and beheaded her, ending her life in an instant. The body and head fell to the ground in a pair of thuds as Lusya looked down at Lunera, pensive.

    She had definitely grown stronger. That demon had been on a similar level to the one she had encountered at the start of the Elzen Valley, the one that would have killed her if not for Mother¡¯s intervention. It wasn¡¯t just her Full Release. Lusya¡¯s strength as a whole had risen to the level of the Paladins. Though she doubted it was quite on par with Mother just yet. The only reason Mother had taken so long to defeat that demon back then was because she had taken the time to toy with him first, something Lusya preferred not to do.

    Unfortunately, that brief fight had been enough. The other demons were gone, and Count Rebran with them. Not only were they nowhere in sight, she couldn¡¯t even sense them anymore. That wasn¡¯t altogether surprising. All three of the demons had been of similar strength. If they moved at full speed, those two could have fled quite some distance even in the minute or so Lusya had been fighting their fellow.

    Lusya returned to where Beldo and Ariya waited for her near the device. A tiny cloud of violet haze had appeared in the center of the device¡¯s glass orb, though none had started gathering in the air yet. Lusya slashed the device in two before dismissing Lunera and turning her attention to Beldo. On seeing she was no longer occupied, Ariya ran over to Lusya and eagerly took her hand, grinning.

    ¡°I wish we didn¡¯t have to fight them,¡± Ariya said, brow furrowed as she looked at Dari¡¯s corpse, but her expression brightened to a grin as she looked up at Lusya instead. ¡°But that was so cool! You¡¯re awesome, Lusya!¡±

    ¡°It is not my goal to be, but thank you,¡± Lusya replied.

    She was not sure what constituted being ¡°cool¡± or ¡°awesome,¡± but she appreciated the intended compliment and saw no reason not to encourage it. Being idolized was a novel¡ªand not at all unpleasant¡ªfeeling, as well as useful for her mission. Accepting Ariya¡¯s compliments would keep her happy, and supporting her idolization would reinforce Lusya¡¯s authority, making it easier to make sure Ariya behaved and did not become corrupted. Indeed, Ariya beamed at the thanks as if she had been praised, while Lusya turned to Beldo.

    ¡°They have fled,¡± Lusya said. ¡°They are already out of my sensory range.¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°Mine too. Not much point in chasing them. But we know the general direction they went, and it¡¯s where we were going anyway. We¡¯re pretty close to the town our count calls home too. I think we can pretty safely guess where they¡¯re headed.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    The count may well have been prepared for further travel, but he would likely retreat to his home out of fright now if it was nearby. That was also likely his base of operations and thus where she could put a stop to his actions. And, perhaps, learn more about them. Beldo had told her his probable motive, and she believed she had a basic understanding of what this phenomenon was, but she could not help but be curious about the details and how his devices induced it.

    ¡°If we¡¯re right, then we¡¯re not on much of a time crunch,¡± Beldo said. ¡°He¡¯ll probably stay there for a little while. Even if he had supplies stashed somewhere around here, he might have to abandon them. If nothing else, it¡¯ll probably take him a little while to feel safe leaving again. But considering we¡¯ve been getting closer and closer to his home, I¡¯d guess he was heading back to take care of something there anyway.¡±

    ¡°I had reached similar conclusions,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s time for the final showdown?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    ¡°In which case, since we¡¯re not on a time crunch,¡± Beldo said, ¡°why don¡¯t we head back to town and rest up before we head out? We¡¯ve gotta be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the final showdown, after all.¡±

    He grinned at Ariya, who grinned back and pumped a fist in the air. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Lusya cocked her and blinked. ¡°Very well. Let us return.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Eighteen

    ¡°Beldo,¡± Lusya called as they settled down for the midday meal.

    Beldo looked up from his bowl at her, a spoonful of meat halfway to his mouth. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I have been thinking about these incidents,¡± she said.

    He grimaced, lowering his spoon. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡±

    ¡°While I am quite curious about the nature of Count Rebran¡¯s device and his purpose,¡± Lusya said, ¡°the fate of these people matters little to me. I sense this matter will demand more time and focus if we continue with it. If you insist on attending to it, I am considering continuing toward our destination on my own with Ariya.¡±

    Beldo pursed his lips, but Ariya spoke up before he had the chance.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°You already started helping. You can¡¯t just quit in the middle.¡±

    Ariya¡¯s objection was not unexpected. But this time, Lusya had a way to deflect it.

    ¡°If we accomplish our objective, the issues here will be resolved anyway,¡± she said. ¡°Nobody is in imminent danger. At worst, they will be ill for a few more months before we reach our destination.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I am positive.¡±

    The matter with the devices would be resolved after Father was revived. He would lay waste to everything here, the devices included.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that your mission might take care of things,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t be so sure that no one is in imminent danger. Including you. And your mission.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Gathering Malice without allowing it to form into a demon is dangerous,¡± he replied. ¡°The minor illness we¡¯ve seen so far is the least of the problems it can cause. It can get much worse and spread much farther. In the worst-case scenario, it will kill you before you get where you¡¯re going, and there won¡¯t be anything you can do to stop it.¡±

    ¡°Could it truly escalate that quickly?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°How likely?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±

    Lusya considered his words for a moment. ¡°Twenty years ago was not the first time you have seen this phenomenon either, was it?¡±

    ¡°It was for this precise iteration of it,¡± he replied. ¡°But there were similar incidents before that.¡±

    She had no way of verifying his information, but also no grounds on which to dispute it. She believed it was at least true that he had seen similar events twenty years ago. In light of that, she saw little reason for him to lie about seeing it before then. He did have plenty of reason to lie about the severity of the problem, but she couldn¡¯t know one way or the other.

    In which case, she had no choice but to assume he was telling the truth. If it turned out he was not, then she would lose some traveling time. More than she would like, but still likely tolerable. On the other hand, if she assumed he was lying, and he wasn¡¯t, the consequences could be catastrophic. That wasn¡¯t something she could abide.

    ¡°See, Lusya!¡± Ariya exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯ve gotta help, or it¡¯ll be bad for us too. It can¡¯t wait until we finish out mission.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°It would seem so.¡± She directed her attention back to Beldo. ¡°We will continue accompanying you to resolve this issue. There will be consequences if you are lying.¡±

    Beldo held up his hands in surrender. ¡°I¡¯m being as honest as I¡¯ve ever been. I can¡¯t say for sure things will get that bad, but it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Then I will prevent that possibility,¡± Lusya said.

    He smiled and nodded. ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± He took a bite of his food, and his eyes widened as he nodded appreciatively.  ¡°This is pretty good.¡±

    She had made a hash incorporating dried meat, nuts, and vegetables that did not spoil easily, another recipe drawn from Elberto¡¯s 100 Meals for Weary Travelers. There were enough written there that she had not yet needed to look to other sources, though she did make occasional adjustments for Ariya¡¯s tastes.

    ¡°I am glad it meets your approval,¡± she replied.

    That was no mere courtesy. She did not care much about Beldo¡¯s opinion specifically, but her food tasting good was a positive. While she found her cooking skill to be of little importance in and of itself, there was a certain satisfaction in doing something well, regardless of what it was.

    ¡°Can I have the recipe?¡± Beldo asked.

    ¡°I read the recipe in a book,¡± Lusya said. This one, she had not adjusted at all. ¡°You may copy it after we eat, if you wish.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Nineteen

    ¡°Can you feel that?¡± Beldo asked, as he stopped on the outskirts of Snowfield Village and stared out into the distance.

    Lusya nodded, her gaze cast in the same direction. ¡°Indeed. I can sense something very strange. It is similar to the effects of the devices but different. Heavier. And very close.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could sense Malice and stuff,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I have no idea what you guys are talking about.¡±

    ¡°You have no need of that skill,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will handle it.¡±

    ¡°I know. But it would still be cool.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°Unfortunately, neither of us could teach you. The way mortals do it is different than the way we do.¡±

    It would also require Ariya to have quite some reserve of Malice, as it was a motomancy technique. It was not only unnecessary for Ariya, it was imperative that she couldn¡¯t do it.

    ¡°Now,¡± Beldo said, ¡°we have an ominous feeling hanging over us and it¡¯s pretty much a straight line to Levire, where the count lives, once we leave here. It seems like we¡¯re headed right for the big showdown.¡±

    ¡°It would appear so,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°And so,¡± Beldo said, ¡°I propose we take a break here. I know it¡¯s early and we could push on, but I think it¡¯s best if we take a day to relax so we can go into this confrontation fresh.¡±

    He was right. It was early, not even noon, and Lusya had wanted to pass through town and continue. They did not particularly need anything, and Lusya wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

    She did not feel like she needed a break. She doubted he did either. Ariya could perhaps have used one, but she was not going to fight, and she could wait a few more days. There was some merit to the idea of resting before an important battle, but Lusya didn¡¯t see it as necessary in this instance.

    However, now that he had planted the idea in Ariya¡¯s head, it was certain they would be staying the night in this village. Lusya was sure he had done that on purpose.

    ¡°That sounds fun,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Can we do that Lusya, please?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Very well, we may take a break here. Let us find the inn.¡±

    While she would have preferred not to, she didn¡¯t mind taking a break, so she saw no reason to argue. Delaying their confrontation with Count Rebran was somehow the more annoying option, but it made little functional difference if she gave Ariya a break now or after the situation had been resolved.

    It did not take long to find the inn, book two rooms, and eat a quick lunch. After they had finished eating, Lusya approached the counter to speak with the innkeeper.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said. ¡°Are there any attractions or activities in or near this village that might appeal to a traveler, particularly a child?¡±

    She always made a point to ask about such things when giving Ariya a break. The answers were often quite mundane in these rural villages, but Ariya always seemed to enjoy them.

    ¡°Attractions, huh?¡± the innkeeper echoed while stroking his scruffy beard. ¡°Not sure we have anything like that around here, but let me think.¡± He hummed thoughtfully for a moment, tugging at his beard. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a pond a little ways north that the kids like to play on when it freezes. Oh, and if you like art, you could go visit the woods to the south. We have an eccentric painter here who loves to hang her work up out there. Telresen only knows why. Other than that¡­the deer in that same forest are pretty used to people. They¡¯ll eat right out of your hand. Travelers and kids seem to get a kick out of that.¡±

    ¡°Is that because they have become accustomed to the presence of the artist?¡± Lusya asked.

    The innkeeper shook his head. ¡°Other way around, actually. They¡¯ve been like that for a couple generations. The story goes that one day a doe wandered into town with a broken leg, and no one needed any meat or anything, so they fed her, patched her up, and sent her on her way. I guess she spread the word, and here we are.¡±

    Lusya did not know enough about animals the evaluate the veracity of that story, but there was likely at least some truth in it. ¡°I see. That is sufficient, thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Hope you enjoy your stay.¡±

    ¡°That is doubtful, but I will endeavor to make sure my charge does.¡±

    He frowned but didn¡¯t say anything as Lusya turned away.

    She returned to the table where Beldo and Ariya waited and relayed the available options to them.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine with whatever,¡± Beldo said with a shrug. ¡°And I doubt you have much of a preference.¡±

    ¡°The art is most interesting to me,¡± she said. ¡°But it is not so much so that I would mind if we did not see it, nor if we did so later. Ariya may select our first activity.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± Ariya exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. ¡°I wanna go ice skating!¡±

    ¡°Then let us go.¡±

    #

    ¡°Woohoo!¡± Ariya shouted out as she slid along the surface of the pond. She was not moving particularly fast, but, if she was enjoying herself enough to elicit such excitement, Lusya could say nothing to deny that to her. Going too fast could be dangerous anyway.

    The entire thing was covered with ice, glistening in the sunlight. Lusya would not have known at a glance if it was thick enough to support a person¡¯s weight, but, as the innkeeper had said, it was a popular gathering place for the village children. Several of them had already been skating around when Lusya and the others arrived.

    They shouted and laughed as they slid to and fro. The pond was rather small, so they often had to reverse course or go in circles. Thus far, they had not interacted with Ariya, nor had she made any effort to speak or play with them. She seemed quite content to shuffle around the pond by herself for the time being.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad she¡¯s having fun,¡± Beldo said with a smile.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. She looked at him, cocking her head and blinking twice. ¡°Why did you want us to stop here? Ariya did not urgently need a break, and I do not believe either of us needed one at all.¡±

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think breaks are something you only take when you need one. Besides, even if she¡¯s not showing it much, I¡¯m sure all this has been getting to Ariya at least a little bit, and the final showdown will probably be at least a little stressful for her.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You are likely correct.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not like this one day is going to make or break anything. I mean, technically, it could. But it¡¯s not likely.¡± Seeing as he was the one who knew the most about the problem at hand, she would trust his judgment on the matter. ¡°Being punctual is all well and good, but you¡¯ve gotta let yourself live a little too.¡±

    ¡°I do not.¡± She preferred having some leisure time, but she would have been fine without. ¡°But that may be true for most people.¡±

    ¡°I speak from a great well of experience,¡± he said.

    ¡°I suppose you do.¡±

    Lusya did not necessarily believe that age equaled wisdom or earned respect, but two thousand years of life had likely taught Beldo at least a few things worth knowing.

    ¡°I¡¯d guess it¡¯s true for you too,¡± he said.

    Lusya blinked, tilting her head again. ¡°Would you?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Your requirements might be lower than most people, but I think you¡¯d break too if you did nothing but focus on your mission for too long.¡±

    ¡°That may be the case,¡± she replied.

    Beldo shrugged. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no way to know for sure, though. I wouldn¡¯t recommend testing it.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    She could not say she had ever felt that way, but then, the longest she had ever gone without leisure of any kind was less than a year. Hardly long enough to draw a definitive conclusion, especially when she might have simply hidden the feeling, and any memory of it, away from herself.

    Ariya had approached the other children and begun playing with them now. They were engaged in an ice skating version of tag. It was rather chaotic, since no one had full control of their movement, with many collisions, slips, and falls, but nobody seemed to be getting seriously injured.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice that she gets to play with some kids her own age,¡± Beldo said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t happen often, does it?¡±

    ¡°On occasion.¡±

    Ariya did sometimes play with other children when they took a break in smaller towns. Lusya neither encouraged nor discouraged it. As long as Ariya did not get hurt, draw suspicion, or let any sensitive information slip, it did not matter to Lusya. Ariya had proven plenty capable of keeping secrets, and she never came out of playing with more than a minor bruise or two, which never seemed to bother her much.

    However, she did not always want to play with the village children. Sometimes, she wanted to spend the day alone with Lusya, whether that meant reading in their inn room or seeing the sights together. Lusya did not mind that either. The whole point of their breaks was for Ariya to spend them as she pleased.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Beldo said. ¡°She loves you, but a girl like that needs to spend time with other kids too.¡±

    ¡°I am aware of the importance of socialization in a child¡¯s health,¡± Lusya replied.

    Beldo smiled a mirthless smile. ¡°Did your research, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Socialization was the one need Lusya could not see to as much as conventional wisdom deemed necessary. They were never in one place for long enough, and they were often alone on the road.

    But Ariya seemed to be holding up well enough regardless. If she was suffering from deficient socialization, she was not showing it. At least, not in any way that Lusya knew to look for. If nothing else, she would almost certainly hold up until they reached Midbud Isle.

    Ariya continued playing with the other children for a bit longer, but it was not long before they had to leave. They bid her farewell, told her they had had fun, and returned to town. Ariya waved them off and went back to playing by herself.

    She slid around the frozen pond, slowly becoming faster and more confident in her movements. As she progressed, she began to throw the occasional spin into her laps around the pond.

    Then, at last, once it seemed she had a good grasp on how to move on the ice, she stopped and turned toward Lusya with a broad grin.

    ¡°Hey, Lusya!¡± she shouted, much louder than was necessary to hear her over the small distance between them. ¡°Watch me do a flip!¡±

    ¡°Do not do a flip,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will hurt yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯m really good at this now. Watch.¡±

    ¡°Ariya, do not attempt to do a flip.¡±

    Ariya skated forward, quickly reaching her maximum speed, and jumped into the air, throwing herself backward. She promptly began plummeting to the ground, primed to land flat on her back.

    Lusya created a motomancy barrier beneath Ariya, catching her after she had fallen mere inches. She landed with a quick grunt, but did not seem at all harmed. Lusya slowly lowered her to the ground and dissolved the barrier.

    Ariya promptly began to stand and managed to do so after her feet slipped out from under her a few times.

    ¡°I told you not to do a flip, child,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya dusted the snow off the back of her coat and grinned at Lusya once more. ¡°That was awesome! I¡¯m gonna try again.¡±

    ¡°Do not try again,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You almost fell. You will be hurt.¡±

    Ariya frowned and cocked her head. ¡°No, I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll catch me again, right?¡±

    Lusya blinked. She could not think of a good counterargument to that. She was confident in her ability to catch Ariya. ¡°I suppose that is true.¡±

    ¡°So, can I keep trying?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°Please? I wanna figure out how to do it.¡±

    Lusya considered for a moment and nodded. ¡°I doubt you will manage to do that within the day, but you may keep trying.¡±

    ¡°Yay! All right, get ready, I¡¯m gonna try again now.¡±

    #

    Eventually, after managing half a flip and almost landing on her belly instead of her back, Ariya had been satisfied with her results, and they had moved on from the pond. Since both the remaining attractions were in the southern woods, that was their next destination.

    Lusya could not help but be curious both about what kind of person hung art up in the woods and what kind of art they hung up. She had expected to find a few paintings hung up on the trees, mostly landscapes or portraits. Instead, she arrived to find dozens upon dozens of canvases nailed to the forest¡¯s trees.

    There were indeed some landscapes and portraits among them, and they had been crafted with some skill. But there was more than that. There were pictures of houses, scenes from daily life in the village, paintings of animals, and more. Some of the paintings could barely even be called such. They were nothing more than seemingly random splotches of paint upon the canvas, a meaningless combination of colors. One was a single black line drawn horizontally across the canvas.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Beldo breathed as he looked around. ¡°It looks like our artist friend¡¯s been at this for years.¡±

    ¡°So it would seem,¡± Lusya replied.

    He briefly stopped to examine a forest landscape before moving on to a portrait of a woman. ¡°I was kind of thinking they would rotate what they had out here, but it looks like they just hang their stuff up and leave it here.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    As a testament to that, many of the paintings were in far from pristine condition. Paint was smeared and faded, canvases frayed and torn, and their wooden frames cracked and broken. A few paintings seemed to have had the rope holding them up snap or the nails fall out and now lay half-covered in snow on the ground. Going by the trees with vacant nails in them and no painting nearby in sight, Lusya was guessing some paintings had even been completely buried, though it was also possible the artist had reclaimed them or that someone or something else had made off with them for whatever reason.

    ¡°They¡¯re nice pictures,¡± Ariya said as she beamed at them. ¡°Oh, I like this one. It¡¯s a cute bunny.¡±

    It was a well-painted rabbit. The artist had obviously taken extra care to capture the texture of the fur. It almost seemed that it would be soft to the touch.

    ¡°There¡¯s quite a variety here, too,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We¡¯re not dealing with an amateur.¡±

    ¡°They are quite skilled,¡± Lusya said.

    It was impossible to say where the artist had learned to paint. They might well have been self-taught. But even so, ¡°amateur¡± did not seem an appropriate label for the level of ability on display here.

    ¡°I wonder why they hang them all up here,¡± Ariya said.

    ¡°Perhaps we will ask them later.¡± Lusya did not know ho was putting these paintings here or where to look for them, but she could always ask.

    Ariya smiled as she looked up at a picture of a squirrel. ¡°Maybe they want the animals to enjoy some art.¡±

    ¡°That is a possible explanation.¡±

    That seemed rather wasteful. Lusya wasn¡¯t even sure animals were capable of enjoying art. But, they were talking about an eccentric who painted dozens of pieces only to display them in the middle of the woods. It hardly seemed implausible that it was meant as some kind of gallery for the forest¡¯s animals.

    ¡°I wonder which paintings are the animals¡¯ favorites,¡± Beldo said with a small smile.

    ¡°Probably the ones with lots of colors,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Those are my favorites.¡± She pointed to a painting. ¡°Like that one!¡±

    Beldo looked at it and hummed in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think they¡¯d prefer some of the calmer ones. But you might be right.¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    The painting was of a forest, with the trees painted in bright, eclectic colors. Vibrant red and blue leaves sprang from violet and yellow branches, and the sky was rendered as a swirl of seemingly every color the artist could manage to get on the canvas. It was an interesting piece to look at, though it was a bit too bright for Lusya¡¯s taste. She almost felt like her eyes were straining just to take it all in.

    ¡°We will browse these paintings for the time being, until some deer arrive,¡± she said. She looked to Ariya. ¡°You still wish to feed them, correct?¡±

    Ariya nodded, beaming. ¡°Yeah! I wanna feed them lots!¡±

    ¡°You may feed them what we have, once they are here,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we go looking?¡±

    ¡°I was told it was best to let them approach us,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°They are accustomed to people, but they may still become frightened if startled, especially by someone not from the village who is unfamiliar to them.¡±

    Ariya sighed, but she quickly recovered her smile and nodded. ¡°Okay. I wouldn¡¯t wanna scare them. That would be mean.¡±

    ¡°Then we will look at the paintings in the meantime. I will let you know if I see any deer.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Me too,¡± Beldo said.

    Ariya nodded again. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you guys if I see any too.¡±

    With that settled, they roamed the area, looking at the various paintings hung around the area. Considering the sheer variety, it remained quite entertaining for some time. Ariya and Beldo both seemed to agree, with the former staring wide-eyed in wonder at most of the paintings, while the latter smiled at them and nodded in more subdued appreciation.

    They discussed the various works of art, though Ariya rarely had much of substance to say. Beldo proved himself quite the astute art critic, giving detailed impressions on the styles, colors, and brush strokes of several pieces.

    Still, the novelty did start to wear thin after a while. Lusya was fine, but Ariya¡¯s expression gradually shifted to a frown, her lower lip protruding, as the artwork lost its luster.

    It was just as her brow started to furrow that a faint crunching of snow caught Lusya¡¯s attention, and she turned to see a trio of deer standing some ways away, separated only by a few low-hanging branches as they cautiously eyed Lusya and the others.

    ¡°Ariya,¡± Lusya said. She tugged on Ariya¡¯s hand to get her to look in the deers¡¯ direction. ¡°They are here.¡±

    Ariya turned toward the animals and gasped. She danced from one foot to the other with excitement, smiling from ear to ear, and seemed about ready to scream in elation.

    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya took a deep breath and managed to stand still, nodding. ¡°Right. Do you have the food?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is nowhere it could have gone since I bought it.¡±

    Lusya opened one of her pouches and produced a small paper bag. Inside were three apples, each sliced into several pieces. Lusya pulled out a few slices and handed them to Ariya, who took them with an overjoyed grin and such enthusiasm that her hands were trembling. Lusya held on to one slice for demonstration purposes.

    ¡°Hold a slice flat on your hand, like this. Otherwise, the deer may bite your fingers.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ariya said. ¡°I was there when the guy explained it. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    Ariya gasped again. ¡°They¡¯re coming closer!¡±

    Indeed, the deer were slowly treading closer. It did not take long for them to close the distance, the closest of them staring at the slice of apple resting upon Lusya¡¯s palm. It seemed her demonstration had drawn them in.

    ¡°Here,¡± Lusya said, proffering the apple to Ariya. ¡°You may begin.¡±

    Ariya shook her head as the deer walked ever closer. The nearest one was now less then a foot away, its head lowered to be level with Lusya¡¯s hand and the sliver of fruit that its unwavering eyes were fixated on.

    ¡°Nuh-uh,¡± Ariya said. ¡°She wants it from you.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°If you insist.¡±

    She held her hand out toward the deer, and it was quick to take the one more step it needed to snatch the piece of apple from her hand. Its tongue glided over her hand as its teeth plucked the fruit from Lusya¡¯s palm, and the creature retreated a couple steps as it crunched on the morsel.

    The tongue on Lusya¡¯s hand had been an interesting sensation, as was the slobber now resting in the apple slice¡¯s place. It was oddly viscous. She could do without repeating that.

    Ariya, however, wasted no time in taking her turn. She placed an apple slice on one hand, clutching the rest in the other, and thrust it out toward the deer. The deer took it without hesitation, and Ariya squealed in delight. Save for its ears twitching, the animal gave no reaction to the sound. Its two fellows approached, and before long Ariya was alternating between feeding each of them, while Beldo came to stand beside Lusya and watch.

    ¡°Lusya, look!¡± Ariya exclaimed as the leftmost deer, having finished its second slice of apple, lowered its head to grab a third from her.

    ¡°I am looking,¡± Lusya replied.

    Ariya continued feeding the deer in turns until she had exhausted her supply of apple slices, at which point she looked up at Lusya and held out her hands. ¡°Can I have more?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lusya said. ¡°This is what they are for.¡±

    She pulled another several slices and gave them to Ariya. As soon as they were in her hands, Ariya returned to feeding the deer with a ¡°Thank you, Lusya!¡± that came so quickly the words blended together almost to the point of being incomprehensible.

    As Ariya refocused on the deer, Beldo cleared his throat to get Lusya¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Could I have a few?¡± he asked, waving at the bag she held. ¡°Just one for each is plenty.¡±

    Lusya looked to Ariya. ¡°Ariya?¡±

    ¡°I can share!¡± she replied hurriedly.

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Very well, then.¡±

    She handed Beldo three slices of apple.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°That guy wouldn¡¯t sell me any.¡±

    ¡°I heard the exchange,¡± Lusya said.

    He shrugged. ¡°I get where he was coming from, but still. It wouldn¡¯t have hurt him to part with a few more.¡±

    ¡°Most likely not.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well. I guess it worked out.¡±

    Lusya had purchased the apple slices from the town¡¯s general store while they passed through town on their way here from the frozen pond. Since most villagers and travelers alike simply fed their own scraps to the deer, the apple slices were not a product the store usually sold. Its owner bought apples and cut them up for his daughter to feed to the deer, rather than waste their food on the animals. Since Lusya was of the same mind, the owner had agreed to sell her some for Ariya. As they had been leaving, Beldo had stayed behind a moment to try to purchase some for himself, but the owner had been uncooperative.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a little girl,¡± he had said, ¡°so, unless you¡¯ve got one of your own who wants to feed the deer, I¡¯m not selling you any of these. Now, either buy something else, or get out.¡±

    As far as Lusya knew, Beldo had not purchased anything else.

    They continued to watch, Beldo holding on to his apple slices, as Ariya fed the deer. Lusya resupplied her a few more times when she ran out of apple, until their supply was exhausted, save for what Lusya had given Beldo.

    ¡°That is it,¡± Lusya said as Ariya reached toward her again. ¡°There is no more.¡±

    Ariya groaned but then beamed at Beldo as she took a step back from the deer. ¡°Your turn.¡±

    He smiled and held out a slice of apple. One of the deer came to claim it, and he repeated the process with the other two. Perhaps sensing, by scent or otherwise, that the three had no more food on them, the deer turned and left only seconds after Beldo had finished feeding the last one, while he wiped the slobber on his hands off on a nearby tree.

    ¡°That was so cool,¡± Ariya squealed as the deer retreated into he distance. ¡°And they were so cute. Did you see, Lusya? Were you watching?¡±

    ¡°I was watching, and I saw,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t they cute?¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°Yes, they were.¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought they¡ª¡± Ariya abruptly stopped, her jaw hanging open as she stared at Lusya. ¡°Did you just say they were cute?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Yes. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± Ariya replied. ¡°But I expected you to be all like¡­¡± She deepened her voice as she continued. ¡°¡­¡®They were not cute. I do not find things cute. Animals do not like me, and I do not like them.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I do not speak like that.¡±

    ¡°Your voice isn¡¯t that deep,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But other than that¡­¡±

    ¡°In any case,¡± Lusya said, ¡°I had a cat when I was younger. I am capable of appreciating the aesthetics of animals, and I do not have any particular distaste for them in general.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Ariya said. ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°It is true that animals often dislike me, but my opinion on them, aesthetically and as a whole, is formed on an individual basis.¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± Ariya said. ¡°What about you, Beldo? What did you think?¡±

    ¡°They were very cute,¡± he said. ¡°And that was very cool. It¡¯s not often you see wild animals so accustomed to people.¡±

    ¡°But you have seen it before?¡± Lusya surmised.

    He nodded. ¡°A few times.¡±

    ¡°Is it always deer?¡± Ariya asked.

    He shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve seen deer before, but it¡¯s also been foxes, wolves, squirrels, rabbits, bears, birds¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ariya said, her wide eyes sparkling. ¡°I would have liked to see that. I wanna ride a wolf into battle!¡±

    ¡°You will not be riding anything into battle,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will not be going into battle.¡±

    Ariya huffed and pouted.

    ¡°Well then, it seems our business here has been completed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Unless you would like to look at the paintings for a bit longer?¡±

    Ariya hummed in thought and nodded. ¡°I think so. Just a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Very well. You may have a few more minutes. After that, we will return to town for dinner.¡±

    Ariya smiled. ¡°Okay!¡± She pointed at a distant painting. ¡°I wanna get a good look at that one! The colors are so pretty!¡±

    They spent the next several minutes looking at various paintings as dictated by Ariya.

    ¡°It is time to go,¡± Lusya declared at last as Ariya finished examining a painting of a multi-colored bear riding an enormous horse.

    Ariya groaned and stopped a foot. ¡°But I wanna look at a little more.¡±

    ¡°It is almost time for dinner,¡± Lusya said. ¡°You will be upset, and it will have adverse physical effects if we delay your meal too much. And I said I would allow few more minutes, and you implicitly agreed. It has already been longer than what is typically considered a few minutes already.¡±

    Ariya frowned and refused to meet Lusya¡¯s gaze. ¡°I guess that¡¯s all true.¡± She sighed and looked up at Lusya with a smile. ¡°Okay, we can go back. I am getting kind of hungry.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go,¡± Lusya said, before looking to Beldo. ¡°I assume you have no objections?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Nope. These are some nice paintings, but I can always come back and see the ones I missed later. I¡¯m ready to go if you are.¡±

    Lusya blinked. ¡°You do not have to come with us right now, if you would rather continue looking at them.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be a very good guide if I didn¡¯t,¡± he said with a bemused smile. ¡°Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to Ariya if I got to keep looking while she has to leave.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ariya said with an emphatic nod, crossing her arms.

    ¡°Then let us go,¡± Lusya said.

    They walked back to town. When they returned, it was to the sight of new arrivals. Several wagons were stopped at the center of the village, near the inn, with men and woman bustling about as they unloaded the wagons¡¯ contents while a few villagers looked on.

    The newcomers seemed to have erected a stage in front of their wagons already, and, while most of what they were unloading was contained in boxes or crates making it hard to see, Lusya did manage to catch a glimpse of some brightly colored costumes and props.

    ¡°Oh, traveling performers!¡± Beldo exclaimed. ¡°What luck for them to stop here while we¡¯re in town.¡± He whirled to face Lusya and hurried to continue. ¡°This really is luck. There¡¯s no way I could have planned this.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I thought as much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are they gonna do a play?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Most likely.¡±

    ¡°Can we watch Lusya?¡± She looked up at Lusya with wide, pleading eyes. ¡°Please can we watch?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°For now, let us continue to the inn for dinner. I am sure they will advertise when they are beginning.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    There was no reason for them not to watch the play. Whether this troupe charged for admission or simply performed and relied on the audience tipping in appreciation, it was unlikely to cost an exorbitant sum. In the latter case, it would cost nothing. She might have been inclined to contribute a small payment in different circumstances, but while traveling and being careful with her funds, she would not feel the least bit guilty about abstaining.

    Depending on when the show started, it was possible that they might get to bed late. This was chiefly a concern for Ariya, but it was unlikely to be by enough of a margin to be an issue.

    ¡°Well, then, let¡¯s get to the inn and get eating,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to miss any of the show.¡±

    #

    Lusya settled down on a wooden bench beside Ariya, while Beldo took a seat on the opposite side of Ariya. Moments after they had finished eating, one of the traveling troupe¡¯s members had entered the inn to announce to all present that a performance was about to begin. At Ariya¡¯s urging, they had wasted no time in leaving the inn and coming to see whatever play the troupe would put on. They did not know for certain that the performance would be a play yet, but the man announcing the show had alluded to it, promising ¡°a deeper narrative, more heartfelt performances, and truer emotion than you will find in any city theater.¡± It was impossible to take such boasts at face value, but Lusya had heard that some traveling troupes were quite skilled, so they could not be dismissed out of hand either.

    Despite Ariya¡¯s rush, there was still quite some time before the play would begin. Most of the seating the troupe had set up was empty, and most of those who were present were others who had been dining at the inn, along with a few of the villagers who had been watching the troupe get set up. The rest of the latter seemed to have tired of waiting and left.

    Other troupe members were roving the streets, shouting out for all to hear that the performance was about to begin. As was to be expected from performers used to projecting their voices, Lusya could hear them from quite some distance.

    Slowly, more of the village¡¯s inhabitants began to trickle into the central area and claim open spaces on the waiting benches. Most were smiling and had a noticeable spring in their step. In a small village like this, a traveling troupe¡¯s performance must have been something of an event.

    The troupe was charging for admission, with a few members intercepting villagers before they could take a seat. However, seeing as they were performing outdoors in the open, the charge was essentially for the seat itself. There was little they could do to stop others from watching, and a few villagers declined to pay and opted to stand as they watched, something the troupe members made no effort to discourage beyond a few jokes calling the villagers freeloaders and suggesting their legs might get tired.

    ¡°When are they gonna start?¡± Ariya asked, shifting restlessly in her seat, as the wait continued.

    ¡°Presumably, when they have judged they have gathered all the paying viewers they can,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°And when is that gonna be?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. Short of the entire village attending, I do not have the experience or expertise to judge what threshold they may wish to reach.¡±

    Ariya scowled and huffed. ¡°Well, I hope they reach it soon.¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too much longer,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Not more than ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s way too long.¡±

    ¡°We do not have much choice but to wait,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Practically speaking, there is nothing we can do to speed up the process. The alternative is not watching the show.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°I know, but waiting sucks.¡±

    The seats continued to fill up over the following minutes. Before long, every seat was taken, and several more villagers were standing nearby, waiting for the show to begin. The troupe members didn¡¯t bother trying to charge the few who arrived after the seats were full.

    The troupe members exchanged a series of looks and nods and retreated behind their stage. It was well put together for something meant to be set up and taken down repeatedly. They had even erected a wooden frame with a curtain in front, though Lusya and the others had been able to see many of the props, performers, and sets waiting behind on their way from the inn.

    As they waited for the curtain to open or the troupe members to reappear, the villagers spoke to each other in excited murmurs, speculating about what kind of show the troupe might perform and how well they might do so, along with a smattering of unrelated topics having to do with the town or their personal lives or relationships.

    Then, at last, the curtain began to move. The myriad conversations occurring died one-by-one, some speakers immediately falling silent while others hurried to finish their last thought first.

    The curtain finished pulling aside to reveal a single man standing upon the stage in the center. He waited a moment for the last few members of the audience to fall silent before clearing his throat and beginning to speak.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen of Snowfield Village,¡± he said. ¡°We are the Everyman¡¯s Ever-Errant Players.¡±  He paused to allow the audience to absorb that information. Most gave little reaction, but Beldo cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward. ¡°You may have heard of us as simply, ¡®the Ever-Errant Players,¡¯ or, ¡®the Everyman¡¯s Players.¡¯¡±

    The man paused once more, and a murmur ran through the crowd. The bulk of the villagers seemed confused, but a few indicated that they had heard one name or the other from travelers before.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± Beldo said, keeping his voice low.

    ¡°Are they good?¡± Ariya asked, making no such effort.

    ¡°I believe it is etiquette to be quiet while someone is on stage, just as in a theater,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya blushed. When next she spoke, it was in a whisper. ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You need not apologize to me,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am merely protecting your interests.¡±

    What was polite or expected in this situation was of little personal concern to Lusya, and, since she would likely never see anyone here save for Ariya and Beldo after tomorrow morning, there were no consequences to worry about for breaching such etiquette. However, if Lusya or the others¡ªmost likely Ariya¡ªwere too disruptive, the villagers or the troupers might ask them to leave or otherwise interfere with their ability to watch the performance. Since they were here anyway, Lusya would rather see the show than not, but it would be a mild misfortune at worst to her if they were prevented from doing so. Ariya, on the other hand, would be quite upset.

    Ariya smiled at Lusya. ¡°Thank you, then.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome.¡±

    Ariya turned back to Beldo. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard they are,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually seen them perform before.¡±

    The man on the stage waited for all the audience¡¯s voices to die down before continuing.

    ¡°Many troupes such as ours have noble patrons. Many of those who do not wish they did. And who could blame them?¡± He put a hand to his chest. ¡°We certainly do not. Having a patron affords stability, even luxury. Wealth, connections, prestige. All these and more can be yours with a nobleman¡¯s patronage. And all you need do in return is perform in his lands as much as you can and perhaps put on a show at his manor a few times every year. Moreover, while many such nobles seek only the fame and admiration that can come with having their name attached to great works, just as many more, to their credit, have a genuine passion for the arts and the artists they support. And yet, although proud noblemen have fallen to their knees, begging, with tears in their eyes, for us to accept their patronage, we have no patron. Why, you may ask?¡±

    He paused again to look over the crowd. Although he held the attention of them all, many of the villagers looked puzzled, which Lusya suspected was more confusion at this speech than curiosity regarding or consideration of the answer to his question. Lusya had not been to many plays, but none of the ones she had been to had begun with a lecture about the workings of the theater industry or patronage system, and she believed that was typical. For her part, she was a little perplexed about the man¡¯s claim about noblemen begging on their knees. It was obviously hyperbolic, but he had delivered it in all earnestness. She was not sure whether or not he expected anyone to believe him.

    ¡°It is because you, dear men and women of Snowfield Village,¡± he said, his arms held out toward the crowd, as if inviting them to take his hands, ¡°are our patrons. You, and all the common men and women of Ysuge. Our mission, nay, our purpose, is to bring quality theater to all, and we will accept no compromise, we will not give an inch, we will not allow ourselves to be beholden to anyone or anything else in pursuit of this goal!¡±

    The man raised his fists into the air, and a few villagers began to clap. Most of the confused expressions in the crowd had given way to appreciative ones, and more and more of the crowd steadily joined in on the clapping, though many of the children¡ªAriya included¡ªhad started to grow restless, shifting in their seats, tugging on their parents¡¯ sleeves, and muttering questions or complaints.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± the man said, and the applause soon died down. ¡°Now then, enough about us, and on to the show. Today¡¯s production is an original play by our troupe¡¯s most-esteemed writer, Adana Trittin. You may laugh. You may cry. You will certainly experience a tale like no other, and a performance without equal. We bring you: The Frozen Court. Enjoy.¡±

    The man bowed, and the curtain closed seemingly on its own, with no stagehand in sight and no room for one to hide. Some hidden mechanism must have been at play. The curtain opened shortly after to reveal another member of the troupe, who, acting as the narrator, began to explain the setting of the story and the circumstances regarding its beginning. Once he was done, the curtain closed again. This time, it remained closed for several minutes, while the audience listened to rustling, shuffling, and thumping emanate from the other side. At the Vorstil, the theater Lusya and Ariya had attended a performance at in Zentril, the curtains had been thick enough and the seats far enough from the stage to dampen much of the noise of sets being assembled and actors taking their places, but that was not the case here. None of the villagers nor Ariya seemed bothered, however.

    After the sounds ceased, the curtain opened once again, and the play began in earnest. It took place in a fictional northern country known as Borana and was largely a comedy, depicting the conflicts and machinations of the country¡¯s court as various nobles attempted to arrange their own ways to impress the king and win his favor at an upcoming ball. Their methods ranged from gifts to favors to performances, leading to a rather humorous moment where many of the¡ªotherwise quite skilled¡ªperformers pretended to be awful at acting as one of the noble¡¯s plan went awry.

    While much of the play was farcical, depicting its scheming nobles as petty and childish, there were some dramatic scenes, and the protagonist¡¯s goals and actions were often played in earnest. Said protagonist was a young noblewoman named Ilva. Most of the other characters wanted the king¡¯s favor for selfish, often exaggeratedly unnecessary reasons. One wanted a greater title, although he already held the second-highest possible for non-royalty. Another wanted lighter taxes, claiming that the gold mines in his territory were beginning to run dry. They had produced about one coin¡¯s worth less in the current year than the previous, and he was the wealthiest man in the kingdom short of the king. Two more each wanted a piece of land they had been feuding over. Said land was one square foot in size. One wanted to gain the king¡¯s trust and be appointed regent in the event of the king¡¯s untimely death until the young prince reached adulthood, so he could then have the king assassinated. Yet another admitted he had no particular reason for it. His life was comfortable and his relationship with the king was fine as it was. He simply felt it was what a member of the court should do.

    By contrast, Ilva, the only child of a relatively poor noble family whose territory encompassed a single town, wanted only the king¡¯s help in restoring a neglected garden the children of the town had once enjoyed playing in. Ilva¡¯s initial plan to impress the king involved creating a sculpture of his prized horse, of which he was exceptionally fond, bringing her into contact with the other characters as they all had something she needed to make the sculpture truly exceptional, such as access to the horse and previous artwork to reference, materials, or humorous anecdotes about the horse she might consider depicting or alluding to in the final piece.

    She was able to create the sculpture, but her plan was ruined when another noblewoman¡ªwho had earned Ilva¡¯s trust by masquerading as a staunch ally¡ªfiled down one of the floor tiles the sculpture was set to rest on for its presentation in secret, making the ground uneven and causing the sculpture to fall and shatter while leaving no evidence the sculpture itself was tampered with. Despite this, the king asked what Ilva sought his favor for and, impressed with her selfless answer, granted her request. The saboteur threw a fit, revealing her duplicity, and, for the crime defiling the likeness of the king¡¯s beloved horse, was sentenced to clean the actual horse¡¯s stable for the next year as punishment. The play ended with the king and Ilva watching the children of Ilva¡¯s town play in the restored garden.

    Waves of laughter rippled through the audience throughout the show, and the villagers responded with thunderous applause when it ended and all the performers came up on stage together one more time.

    ¡°Thank you, all of you,¡± the first man who had spoken said as he stepped to the front and center of the stage, with the performers lined up behind him. ¡°There is no greater joy in life for us than touching the hearts of others through our performances. Your approval means more to us than you can ever know. We are honored by your patronage, and we hope to perform again for you.¡±

    He stepped back and moved to the far left of the stage, at the end of the line, and gave a final bow together with the rest of his troupe. Then it was over. Two troupe members split off and went behind the stage and the curtains began closing¡ªthose two had never been on stage before, so presumably they were stagehands controlling whatever mechanism moved the curtains¡ªwhile the others held their bows, and the crowd began to disperse, chattering excitedly about the show.

    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Ariya exclaimed as she, Lusya, and Beldo headed back toward the inn. ¡°It was so funny. Wasn¡¯t it, Lusya?¡±

    ¡°It was amusing,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Although I would have preferred it were not a comedy. You know I often do not understand or appreciate humor.¡±

    ¡°I know, so it must have been good if you¡¯re saying it was funny. Besides, your eyes were wide a lot.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. The setting was a clever choice as well.¡±

    Ariya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The play was set during winter in a northern kingdom,¡± Lusya said. ¡°That allowed the performers to dress warmly for most of the show. It was the perfect setting for an outdoor winter performance.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Ariya said, her eyes widening in realization. Her expression pensive, she seemed to take a moment to appreciate that before turning to Beldo. ¡°What about you, Beldo? Did you like it?¡±

    ¡°It was good,¡± he replied. ¡°The ending was a little cheesy for my taste, but I¡¯d watch it again.¡±

    ¡°I liked the ending,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It was happy, except for the mean lady, and the king was so nice. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.¡±

    Beldo smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡±

    ¡°It is good that you have enjoyed today, Ariya,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Now, let us hurry to the inn. It is time for bed.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± She let out a long, loud yawn. ¡°I know it¡¯s already late, and I am pretty tired.¡±

    Lusya gave her head a pat. That ready acknowledgment of the situation and obedience deserved a reward. ¡°Good girl.¡±

    Ariya grinned. ¡°Thank you for letting me stay up to watch the play, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome. Come along.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Twenty

    Based on the strength of the strange feeling assaulting her senses from its direction, Lusya had expected to find Levire in a worse state than any of the previous towns with devices. She could not, however, have anticipated the full extent of its situation.

    Elsewhere, there had been a haze of Malice in the air. Here, it was a fog so thick it hampered her sight. From the outside, it had almost looked like a solid violet dome surrounding the town. From the inside, it limited visibility to about twenty feet, beyond which all she could see at any given time was a violet void and the occasional flicker of orange flame from a lantern managing to pierce through.

    Given the situation, although it was daytime, there were a fair few lanterns lit. Perhaps fewer than would have expected in these circumstances, but the cause of that was clear enough: most of the people of Levire were in no state to light lanterns nor to keep them lit. The people of Snowhill had been in a stupor, but it was no exaggeration to say that many of the people of Levire were catatonic. They lay upon the streets, eyes open but unseeing, completely unresponsive. They did not acknowledge Lusya and the others¡¯ presence in the slightest. Beldo attempted to rouse the first few they came across, shaking and speaking to them, but they still did not react, and he had given up by the time the buildings¡ªand the people¡ªgrew denser as they moved farther into the town.

    Levire was not a proper city, but it was a rather large town that had cropped up around Count Rebran¡¯s castle, and it had many traits and fixtures typical of a city as a result. The streets were paved with cobblestones and dotted with lampposts, buildings were close enough to form alleys, and they had already passed at least two competing inns and a tavern. It must have been quite bustling ordinarily. But the people filling it now were one step away from corpses. Only the subtle rise and fall of shoulders and chests betrayed that they were still alive, though perhaps not for much longer. The emaciated state many were in suggested they had been like this for quite some time. If left alone, it probably wouldn¡¯t be long before they died. Rather, it was surprising they hadn¡¯t already died of thirst, if they had been immobile for so long.

    Some of the townspeople were lying flat on their backs, others face down, still others were propped up against walls. Some had crates, tools, or even rotting fruit scattered around them, most likely what they had been carrying when they collapsed. Although¡ªbased on the healthier state some were in¡ªthey must have reached this stage at varying rates, it seemed that either no one had seen fit, or no one had been in any state to move those articles.

    Of course, it was possible some of the people indoors were better off, though Lusya doubted it. They had not checked other than to peer in through some windows, which had not been very illuminating. A few people were in a similar state, but most people indoors were out of view of their windows, especially with the fog obscuring the interiors as well.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to check on some of the people inside¡­¡± Beldo said as they passed another tavern. Lusya could sense several people within. ¡°There might be some people who are still okay. Or some people who are worse. But¡­¡±

    ¡°We do not have time for that,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will resolve this situation as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m actually on your side there. The best thing we can do for these people is probably to clear away this stagnant Malice. We should head straight for the castle.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Ariya shivered as she looked around. ¡°This place is creepy.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°Do you wish to leave?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ariya said with a shake of her head. ¡°I wanna help these people.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Let me know immediately if you change your mind or begin to feel unwell.¡±

    Ariya nodded. ¡°I will.¡±

    Fortunately, it appeared that even the symptoms brought on by this thick fog of Malice were not immediate. Other than some mild discomfort due to it being ¡°creepy,¡± Ariya had not shown any negative effects from her exposure. If she did, Lusya was prepared to take her, leave immediately, and move on, no matter what Beldo said. There was nowhere safe to leave her outside of town, so, if being in town became harmful to her, they would just have to risk Beldo being right about the danger the situation posed rather than exposing Ariya to a more immediate danger.

    Although their destination was set as the castle at the center of town and the situation was urgent, they moved through the city streets slowly. Lusya could have already been there, but, considering the low visibility, she wanted to be cautious. Not to mention the distinct possibility that there was something important outside the castle. Something they might miss in the fog if they rushed straight there.

    And they did come across an unexpected surprise as they passed through a square, lined with stalls and shops. A figure emerged from the fog.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s up!¡± Beldo exclaimed. ¡°Hey, you there! Are you okay?¡±

    The figure didn¡¯t respond. It was a mere silhouette at first, but, as Lusya and the others got closer, it resolved into a woman.

    Lusya had expected to encounter some people up and about. She could sense two high-rank demons, likely the two who had fled with Count Rebran, and the count himself was likely at least in better shape than most of the townspeople. But this was just an ordinary human woman. There was quite a bit of Malice within her, but that was to be expected considering the state the town was in. There was nothing inherently noteworthy about her.

    Although she was standing, however, it was clear that she was far from unaffected by the fog. For one thing, she was just standing. Not walking. Not attending to anything. Just standing stock still in place. It wasn¡¯t that she had stopped to see who was approaching either. She was facing away from Lusya and the others, and she neither turned to greet them nor attempted to flee as they neared.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Beldo asked again as they neared. ¡°Can you move? Can you speak?¡±

    The woman still did not respond. She lurched forward and trembled, as if straining against unseen restraints, before returning to the position they had found her in, her shoulders heaving as she drew in heavy breaths. A water carafe clutched in her left hand provided explanation enough of how the other townspeople were still alive. Those less affected had cared for them, though Lusya could not say what factored into how susceptible one was. Going by the conditions of those already collapsed, there didn¡¯t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who had succumbed first. As a whole, no group seemed to have fared better or worse than any other. Not children or the elderly, not men or women. Who was in the worst shape and who the best appeared to be entirely random. Regardless, it seemed that even the most fortunate were reaching their limits.

    Lusya and the others circled around to stand in front of the woman. Her clothes were dirty and tattered, her hair wild and unkempt, and her face covered with both splotches of dirt and a sheen of sweat. Whether because she had lacked the strength or had been devoting that energy to helping the others, she had obviously been neglecting caring for herself for some time. Unlike the others, her wide eyes followed Lusya¡¯s group as they moved. Still, that seemed to be about the extent of the reaction the woman was capable of. Her lips trembled, but she wasn¡¯t producing a single sound, let alone any words.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± Beldo asked. ¡°Blink twice if you can.¡±

    Her gaze fixed on him, the woman blinked two times.

    ¡°All right, that¡¯s good,¡± he said. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been doing your part to take care of everyone. Great job. It couldn¡¯t have been easy.¡±

    ¡°He¡­Hel¡­¡± The woman finally managed to squeeze out those two syllables, before falling silent again.

    ¡°I know,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take care of it from here.¡±

    The woman did not respond, but a spark of hope flared up in her gaze. She had no reason to believe Lusya and the others could resolve the situation, but perhaps, given the circumstances, she was willing to grasp at any tiny chance of salvation she found.

    ¡°Is she gonna be okay?¡± Ariya asked.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°She will. As long as we can clear this fog.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go,¡± Lusya said. ¡°There is no more we can do for her than any of the others. We should not waste any additional time here.¡±

    Beldo smiled at the woman. ¡°Sorry about her. You just stay strong. We¡¯ll have all this fixed before you know it.¡± Of course, the woman, silent and unmoving, simply kept her hopeful gaze on him as he turned and nodded to Lusya. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They continued heading toward the castle, surrounded by prone townsfolk. There were a few more people like the woman along the way, but it seemed the vast majority of the town was completely incapacitated and had been for some time. Other than that, however, there was little of interest to be found. No device or anything else linked to this phenomenon.

    When they were close enough to the castle to see soft lights glowing high in the air from within its towers, they did come upon another predicament the townspeople were facing. About a dozen of them were lying in a heap in the street, haphazardly piled atop one another, with a few more scattered around. All were as immobile as most of the others. And, based on how many Lusya saw versus how many Malice signatures she sensed, it seemed a few were already dead.

    ¡°Why are they like that?¡± Ariya asked, shuffling closer to Lusya in order to half hide behind her, clutching her cloak.

    Beldo grimaced at the sight and sighed. ¡°They must have suspected Count Rebran had something to do with what was going on, or at least been upset that he wasn¡¯t doing anything to stop it. They probably went to his castle to get answers and collapsed at the gates.¡±

    ¡°So he piled them up here like garbage?¡±

    Beldo shook his head. ¡°I doubt that was his intention. There¡¯s no real reason to do that. I¡¯d imagine he had them moved for their safety. But whoever he gave the job obviously didn¡¯t share those concerns.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said.

    It was true that Count Rebran had nothing to gain from this cruelty, and, from their brief encounter, he struck her as neither sadistic enough to order it nor apathetic enough to allow it knowingly. This was likely the work of subordinates. Regardless, his ordering them moved might well have sealed their fate. More than a few limbs were bent or twisted in ways they should not have been. At least some of the dead had likely died from injuries sustained during their careless placement into this pile, and it must have been harder for the few townspeople still mobile to care for the rest. Some might have died simply because the self-appointed caretakers couldn¡¯t reach them, and either couldn¡¯t move the others or wouldn¡¯t for fear of hurting them. Or, perhaps, they could not bring themselves to touch the corpses.

    ¡°They¡¯re still pretty close to the castle, though,¡± Beldo said, looking up at the lights. He turned back to Lusya. ¡°I¡¯d like to move them a little farther away, so they don¡¯t get caught up in what¡¯s about to happen. Do you think you could wait?¡±

    ¡°As long as you can make it quick.¡±

    He smiled and nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± He started toward the pile, then hesitated and looked over his shoulder at Lusya. ¡°There are probably a few other groups like this. Do you mind if I circle the castle and take care of them too?¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked. ¡°That seems time consuming.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be as quick as I can.¡±

    Lusya considered for a moment. ¡°You have ten minutes. If you have not returned by then, we are leaving.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just gonna leave the place like this?¡± Ariya exclaimed.

    ¡°We cannot afford to linger,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We would be wasting time and risking your health.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you help move them? That would make it go faster.¡±

    ¡°I cannot afford to leave you unattended in this situation either,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Otherwise, I would continue to the castle on my own while Beldo attended to this.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is not up for discussion, child,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I will not jeopardize your safety.¡± She turned her attention to Beldo once more. ¡°Ten minutes. No more.¡±

    He scowled, his gaze locked with hers. ¡°That¡¯s probably not enough for everyone.¡± He was silent for a moment, then he sighed and nodded again. ¡°But I¡¯ll do what I can. I can see you¡¯re not going to budge.¡±

    ¡°I will not,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Get started. We will wait for you here.¡±

    He nodded once more and turned to the pile. He grabbed the topmost person off the stack and sped off with them.

    ¡°Lusya?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I get that you¡¯re trying to protect me¡­¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°As I always have.¡±

    ¡°¡­but what about everyone else?¡±

    ¡°I do not care about everyone else,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Surely, you have realized that by now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But you could, right? Like Beldo. I know there are other people you care about.¡±

    ¡°I never said there were not,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I am merely selective.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you¡­try to be less selective?¡± Ariya replied.

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked as she looked down at Ariya. ¡°I could. I do not see any reason I should.¡±

    Ariya stared back up at her with wide, watery eyes. ¡°Because I want you to. I don¡¯t like seeing you let people get hurt. I don¡¯t like when you talk about it like it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head slightly but considered that for a moment. It was clear her earlier comments had left Ariya upset. That was nothing new. Lusya knew Ariya did not care for such things, but the way she expressed her displeasure was unusual. There was typically more energy behind it. She shouted, threw fits, and plead in a plaintive tone. And she almost always focused on Lusya¡¯s actions, or lack thereof, in the moment. Larger-scale discussion of Lusya¡¯s nature and motives was rare. Now, Ariya¡¯s voice was small and frightened as she pleaded not for Lusya to do anything now, but simply to be kinder in general. Perhaps it was a direct effect of the fog, or perhaps the unsettling nature of the environment had simply left Ariya vulnerable. Or maybe, after months together, she had thought of a more effective way to get what she wanted in the long term. Regardless of the cause, a careless response would only make things worse.

    ¡°I can try,¡± she said at last. ¡°However, I will not become like Beldo, nor like you, nor like my mother. I will never possess the general regard for others you do, nor do I wish to.¡±

    Ariya cast her eyes down and nodded. She hummed in thought for a moment, then looked up again, smiling.

    ¡°Okay! I guess that¡¯s fine. Actually, it¡¯s better that way. You¡¯re already awesome, so I don¡¯t want you to stop being you. Just to be a version of you that¡¯s a little nicer.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lusya said. ¡°As I said, I can try. I will make no promises regarding my success.¡±

    ¡°Okay! As long as you try.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Beldo continued moving the townspeople, rushing back after each one to get the next, while Lusya and Ariya looked on.

    ¡°Are you still not gonna help now?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°I will not,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Your safety remains my top priority. I will not leave you alone here.¡±

    ¡°You could carry me and them at the same time.¡±

    ¡°I will not split my focus while Beldo is also distracted,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Once again, this is not up for discussion.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Okay. I guess I get it.¡±

    They continued watching Beldo work until he had moved all of the humans, even the corpses. Lusya did not know if that was out of respect for the dead or to prevent Ariya from realizing some of the humans had died. It might have been both. After that, he did not return for some time. Presumably, he was circling the castle as he had said, looking for other people in similar situations to help. Either he must have found some, or he was very thorough in his search, because he was gone for the entirety of his allotted time. He returned just as the agreed upon ten minutes had passed.

    ¡°Done,¡± he announced. ¡°Sorry to make you wait.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°Did you find more people like that?¡± Ariya asked.

    He nodded. ¡°I did.¡± He smiled. ¡°And it was a tight squeeze, but I managed to move all of them. Now they won¡¯t be collateral damage to whatever fight¡¯s about to go down.¡±

    Ariya beamed. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±

    Despite Beldo¡¯s efforts, it was doubtful they would be able to avoid casualties among the townspeople altogether. There were more mortals in the castle than just the count. Likely any family he had, along with servants and other residents. If the count had found some way to protect himself from the symptoms the fog brought on, perhaps they were safe as well. But incapacitated or not, it was all but certain that at least some of them would be swept up in the coming conflict. And, of course, there was no guarantee things would be contained within the castle. There were still other mortals within the surrounding buildings and beyond at risk.

    There was no way to avoid harming all of them. In accordance with her agreement with Ariya, Lusya would try, but she was going to need to fight two high-rank demons, likely at once, who she doubted would make any such effort. There would only be so much she could do.

    ¡°If you are done, then let us go,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo nodded. ¡°Right. No more delays. To the castle we go.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Twenty-One

    The two surviving high-rank demons from Lusya¡¯s group¡¯s previous encounter with Count Rebran were waiting right outside the castle gates when Lusya and the others arrived. That was no surprise. Lusya had sensed them and expected as much beforehand.

    ¡°Took you long enough to get here,¡± the pink-haired demon woman said. ¡°What, were you enjoying a nice little stroll through town?¡±

    ¡°Nah, just being careful,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°Gotta move slow when you can barely see past your nose.¡±

    The demon chuckled. ¡°Guess that¡¯s true. This place is a real dump these days.¡±

    ¡°It was a pretty nice town when we first got here too,¡± the white-haired demon man said.

    ¡°If you¡¯re into that kind of thing,¡± the woman said. ¡°Most mortals just annoy me. Can¡¯t stand anywhere with more than a few dozen of ¡®em in one place.¡±

    ¡°Beldo, watch Ariya,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°I will,¡± he said. ¡°But before we start breaking things¡­¡± He stepped in front of her, and put out an arm to stop her from advancing, his gaze fixed on the two high-rank demons. ¡°¡­is there any chance you two will just move aside and let us through?¡±

    The white-haired man scoffed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not happening.¡±

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be so hasty,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We can talk about this. Let¡¯s start with introductions. What are your names?¡±

    The demons exchanged a look and shrugged.

    ¡°Roseko,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°And I¡¯m Samdo,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Beldo.¡± Beldo looked over his shoulder at Lusya. ¡°Go on, you too.¡±

    Lusya saw little reason to give them her name. A fight seemed all but inevitable. Still, she saw little reason not to give them her name either. The odds were slim, but if Beldo could bring this to a peaceful resolution, that would be preferable. It would be quicker and easier. And, she reminded herself, result in fewer deaths among the surrounding mortals.

    ¡°I am Lusya.¡±

    Samdo frowned. ¡°Sounds familiar.¡±

    ¡°It should,¡± Roseko said. ¡°White hair, red eyes, feels weird. That¡¯s the Malice Princess.¡±

    ¡°I do not appreciate that title,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass what you appreciate.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not fight,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We still have one more person who needs to introduce herself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Ariya.¡± Ariya waved at the demons. ¡°Are you good demons, or bad demons?¡±

    ¡°Depends on who you ask,¡± Roseko said with a shrug.

    ¡°We done with introductions now?¡± Samdo asked. ¡°Where are you going with this?¡±

    ¡°I was hoping that we could get to know each other a little, and you would stand down,¡± Beldo replied.

    Samdo chuckled. ¡°What? You just want us to sit here playing icebreaker games or something until we decide we¡¯re friends?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly what I had in mind, but that would be great, yes.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, buddy,¡± Roseko said. ¡°But this just isn¡¯t going to go the way you want. We might as well just get to fighting. It¡¯s even a fair fight, two-on-two, and we won¡¯t go after the kid.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you¡¯re good sports by the fact you haven¡¯t already attacked us,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Although, I won¡¯t be fighting. Didn¡¯t you hear Lusya? I¡¯ll be watching Ariya if it comes to that.¡±

    ¡°Did you draw the short straw and get babysitting duty or something?¡± Samdo asked.

    Beldo shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just a pacifist, so I¡¯ll be sitting out any fighting.¡±

    Roseko burst out laughing at that. It took several seconds for her to collect herself enough to speak. ¡°A pacifist? Whoever heard of a pacifist demon?¡±

    ¡°Not many people,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly advertise that I¡¯m a demon to mortals, and I don¡¯t get along all that well with other demons.¡±

    Roseko shrugged. ¡°Well, whatever. Two-on-one is fine with us too. Makes things easier.¡±

    ¡°Considering the difference in strength between us, it merely serves to close the gap a bit,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But not completely.¡±

    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t we cocky?¡±

    ¡°I am never ¡®cocky.¡¯ It is a straightforward analysis of the situation. I am substantially stronger than the two of you combined, let alone individually.¡±

    ¡°She is right,¡± Samdo said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go taking her side! Just ¡®cause she¡¯s right, doesn¡¯t make her not cocky. Step back, Mister Pacifist, and let me tear out that condescending tongue.¡±

    Beldo held out a hand toward her and toward Lusya in a placating gesture. ¡°Again, let¡¯s not be hasty. We¡¯re not done talking yet.¡±

    Once again, the Roseko and Samdo exchanged a look before turning their attention back to Beldo, Roseko clicking her tongue.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got nothing to say to you. But you¡¯re right, we¡¯re good sports. So, I doubt it¡¯ll change anything, but, if you¡¯ve got something to say before we get started, go ahead and spill it.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve seen plenty in my time. I can guess why you¡¯re helping the count. But you have to see what he¡¯s doing isn¡¯t going to work.¡±

    ¡°It sure is looking that way,¡± Samdo said. He broadly gestured around. ¡°Unless he has some kind of major breakthrough, this is about the best he can do.¡±

    ¡°Then why¡ª¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t care if it works the way he wants or not,¡± Roseko said. ¡°The way we see it, either he figures it out, stops demons from being born, and stops the cycle while he¡¯s at it, or he ends the world with no need to wait for another Demon King. I¡¯d say we win either way.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°I do not understand your motivations. You see both the world¡¯s destruction and the mere cessation of demon births as favorable ends?¡±

    ¡°Of course we do,¡± Samdo said. ¡°In the end, we¡¯re only born so this stuff won¡¯t form.¡± He waved his hand through the air, seemingly indicating the violet mist of stagnant Malice. ¡°And we¡¯re born in a way that puts us in conflict with mortals right from the jump. It¡¯s a pretty miserable existence. If we can prevent more of that, then we¡¯re good, one way or another.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be that way,¡± Beldo said.

    Roseko snorted. ¡°And how can it be, Mister Pacifist? We can reject who we are and live a lie like you? If that¡¯s working for you, I¡¯m happy for you, but that¡¯s not for us. We¡¯re not gonna accept being the big bad monsters for heroes to kill, but we¡¯re not just gonna stop being ourselves either.¡±

    Beldo smiled sympathetically. ¡°Unfortunately, the world rarely offers us perfect solutions, demon or mortal.¡±

    ¡°Then the world is wrong,¡± Roseko spat. ¡°And we¡¯re gonna fix it, one way or another.¡±

    ¡°That would actually be an admiral goal, if not for all the death and destruction.¡± Beldo sighed. ¡°But I can see I¡¯m not going to convince you.¡± He walked to Lusya, who released Ariya¡¯s hand, allowing him to take it and start leading her away. ¡°They¡¯re all yours, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°I will come get you once I have dispatched them,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    He continued walking away, and the two demons watched him go.

    ¡°We can wait for the kid to get some distance,¡± Samdo said. ¡°We¡¯ve got nothing against her.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°You probably don¡¯t get it,¡± Roseko said. ¡°Being a half-demon and all.¡±

    ¡°I sympathize with your position more than you may think. But you are obstructing my goal, so I must eliminate you.¡±

    Roseko chuckled. ¡°All right, then. Come and try it.¡±

    Lusya nodded. She waited another moment for Beldo and Ariya to get a bit farther away.

    ¡°Lunera, Miudofay.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    She surged forward at Samdo, swinging Miudofay at him. Roseko tried to intercept her from the side, but Lusya had anticipated that. A swipe of Lunera sent Roseko dashing in the opposite direction and kept her out of Lusya¡¯s way. However, the momentary distraction did slow Lusya down enough for Samdo to sidestep her strike, the blade only clipping his shoulder before he lashed out with a kick that she retreated from.

    ¡°Bacfa!¡± he shouted, causing a spiked gauntlet to appear on each hand.

    He threw a punch that she easily dodged before slashing at him with Lunera. He crossed his arms in front of him, catching the attack on his guard. The force of it still sent him sailing backward through the castle gates, but he was otherwise unharmed.

    Roseko, having recovered from the disorientation of being transported by Lunera, was quick to attack next. Lusya leaned out of the way of Roseko¡¯s kick and sent a wave of fire at her with Miudofay. Roseko leaped to the side to avoid the flames.

    ¡°Wastoc!¡±

    A massive battle axe, as big as her, appeared in her hands. She lunged at Lusya and swung the weapon down, but her slow speed allowed Lusya ample time to get out of the way, allowing the axe to slam into the ground, shattering the road¡¯s stone pavement.

    Then spikes of rock emerged from around the impact. Then from around the first row, and so on, blooming out in rapid succession. Lusya jumped up onto the castle¡¯s outer wall to avoid the spikes threatening to skewer her. They continued to blossom out, even biting into the wall and some of the surrounding buildings, though not enough to destroy either. However, one Malice signature in one of the the buildings did disappear.

    Just as she landed on the wall, she sensed Samdo approaching from behind. She whirled, but she was too late to prevent one of his spiked gauntlets from slamming into her face, sending her rocketing off the wall and down to the ground. They failed to break the skin, but the blow had had much more force behind it than a demon of his strength should have been able to bring to bear. An effect of this Demon Blade¡¯s abilities, obviously.

    Lusya slammed into the pavement and rolled to her feet, dodging another swing from Roseko¡¯s axe. Once again, spikes emerged from the ground, this time heading for Lusya in a straight line.

    She leaped into the air to avoid them, and Samdo jumped to intercept her, a fist cocked back to strike. She used Lunera to warp him behind him, then whirled and slashed at him with Miudofay. He jumped, but the strike still cut his left foot clean off. Nevertheless, he maintained the composure to turn and punch at her again. The blow was much weaker than before as it clanged off her blades crossed in a guard.

    She lashed out with a kick, which he used his gauntlets to block the brunt of as it sent him flying away to crash into a building.

    Roseko launched into the air after them, her axe raised to strike and a boulder hovering over the tip, following the axe¡¯s movements. She swung the axe down, bringing the boulder down in an attempt to crush Lusya, but Lusya simply warped behind her with Lunera.

    She threw a wave of violet flame at Roseko. The demon threw herself to the side, allowing the flames to consume only her right arm instead of her entire body, reducing it to ash.

    Screaming in agony, Roseko plummeted to the ground, landing in a cloud of dust and debris, while Lusya watched from the sky. She could stand on air for quite some time now, so she could take a second to plan her landing. Wary of Roseko¡¯s stone-based abilities, Lusya chose to jump down onto the castle walls rather than stand directly on the ground.

    She threw a wave of flames at where the demon had landed, but, before it could reach its target, a wall of stone sprung up from the ground to block the fire. That was followed by a rock spike emerging from the wall and flying out at Lusya. She dodged it without issue.

    Using Lunera, she created a rift opening just above where Roseko should be behind the rock wall and flung a gout of flames through the rift. A second later, Roseko dashed out from behind her wall, unharmed. Yet now she was vulnerable.

    Before Lusya could capitalize on that vulnerability, Samdo launched himself out of the building he had crashed into at her, forcing her to divert her attention to him. She brought her swords up to block the punch he threw at her. Although she succeeded in defending, his blow was much more powerful than last time and launched her backward, off the outer wall and straight through another stone wall into the castle proper. She righted herself and landed on her feet, skidding along the floor of the room she found herself in. It looked to be some kind of servants¡¯ quarters, with several beds laid out along the sides, each occupied by a catatonic human in simple clothing. Count Rebran extended an odd level of courtesy to the people of this town as he continued to cause and perpetuate their plight. But she could contemplate that later.

    That was twice Samdo¡¯s attacks had been strong and once they had been weak. What had been different? Both stronger attacks had come after a prior exchange. If she had to guess, his gauntlets grew stronger, allowing him to strike with more power, based on the attacks he blocked with them.

    The two demons jumped up to the hole Lusya had made and entered the room, Samdo using a wooden plank as a makeshift cane to support himself.

    ¡°You are strong,¡± Roseko said. ¡°And even more of a freak than I heard, using that sword.¡±

    ¡°I do not know when your information is from,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I have been able to wield Miudofay for years, but I have grown significantly over the past several months.¡±

    ¡°Good for you.¡±

    With that, Roseko launched at Lusya, massive axe raised to strike. Despite the cramped space they were in, the axe sliced right through the ceiling as Roseko brought it down toward Lusya. Lusya dodged the strike, then moved farther away to avoid the spike that bloomed out from the impact. Samdo hurried to intercept her, but Lusya ducked under his punch with ease. If anything, fighting in this confined space made their teamwork less of a nuisance. It was much easier to keep track of both of them this way.

    She prepared to kick him away but hesitated. At this angle, he would hit one of the servants. She wouldn¡¯t normally care enough about that to stop, but¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re wide open!¡± Roseko explained, swinging her axe around.

    Lusya jumped over the blow, and Samdo took the opportunity to jump up and throw a punch into her stomach. Even without his Blade¡¯s ability, he was still a high-rank demon. The blow was plenty powerful to launch her away, throwing her through another few walls into a more spacious room, filled with long tables.

    As she landed on her feet, she noted that it, too, was filled with servants laid out on bed rolls. From the looks of it, this place was something of a mess hall. Perhaps these were servants who did not live in the castle and therefore lacked quarters to be put in? Another thing to consider later.

    Debris from Lusya¡¯s flight had landed on several of them, including a larger chunk that had left a gash on one man¡¯s head. She did not have the expertise to know how severe the wound was, but it was bleeding quite heavily.

    Roseko dashed through the hole in the wall at Lusya with another axe strike. Lusya dodged, but it didn¡¯t escape her notice that the strike would slice right through a helpless servant if allowed. Lusya swung Lunera and warped Roseko a few feet away, allowing the axe to slam into empty ground.

    Samdo was right behind her, probably hoping to capitalize on Roseko¡¯s attack in some way or another. But Lusya had no problem dodging and slashing at him with Miudofay. He quickly shifted to defense, catching the blow on his gauntlets and letting himself sail away through the air and a wall. Before Lusya could follow up on that, Roseko swung her axe again, forcing Lusya to dodge and whirl to face her. Roseko raised her axe high and slammed it down. Spikes bloomed out from the impact as Lusya sidestepped. Then another set, and another, reaching farther and farther out.

    If there was a fifth it would skewer a helpless human. Lusya swung Lunera, warping the prone man to her feet just as another circle of spikes emerged. She stepped over him and warped him to a far corner of the room before quickly returning her attention to her opponents.

    ¡°Worried about the humans, huh?¡± Roseko said.

    ¡°Not particularly,¡± Lusya said. ¡°But I promised I would try to be concerned for them.¡±

    ¡°Sucks for you,¡± Samdo said as he limped back into the room.

    ¡°I thought you would also show some concern for them.¡±

    Roseko shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to hurt them, and I don¡¯t really have anything against them, but I also don¡¯t care, and I¡¯m sure the count will understand if it¡¯s in the middle of a fight.¡±

    ¡°You seemed much more concerned about innocent life earlier,¡± Lusya replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s more that we wanted to start the fight on fair terms,¡± Samdo said. ¡°We didn¡¯t want you losing because you were distracted worrying about the kid from the get-go. But now that we¡¯ve ended up in this situation, we might as well use it to our advantage.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°If you will not attempt to avoid harming them, then I do not believe these circumstances will be advantageous to you.¡±

    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll just have to see about that.¡±

    He launched himself at her, fist raised for a punch. Something was off about the way he moved. He had always been a rather straightforward fighter, but now he was painfully easy to read. When the blow came, it was slow and half-hearted. He refused to commit to it fully. She sidestepped with ease and lashed out with Lunera. He raised his guard with a readiness that suggested that had been the plan from the start. Her blade clanged off his gauntlet and launched him away, while Roseko closed in from the side. Before she could even begin swinging her axe, Lusya rushed at her at full speed. Lusya threw a vicious kick into Roseko¡¯s stomach, sending the demon flying back through several walls.

    Lusya sensed Samdo coming at her again and turned to face him. His movements were the same as before. He wanted her to evade and attack so he could absorb the strength of her blow. After observing that absorbing one wasn¡¯t enough, he was probably trying to absorb a few before finishing her off with one big attack. But she wasn¡¯t interested in playing his game.

    She dodged and slashed Lunera, but she did not strike him, only opening a rift in front of him. Guard still raised, he started to back away, but she circled around and kicked him in the back with just enough force to send him toppling forward into the rift, which she had set up to close just a second later, with Samdo half inside.

    With the space connecting his body severed, Samdo¡¯s lower half flopped to the floor before her, while she heard his upper body hit the ground where she had connected the rift to behind her. A glance back revealed his body lying there, his eyes still wide with shock as his blood pooled beneath him.

    Using Lunera¡¯s First Release for direct offense was a little impractical, but it was quite potent. She had only seriously started considering it after unlocking her Full Release, the offensive capabilities of which were largely based in finer control over similar feats. She was glad she had.

    ¡°Samdo!¡± Roseko screamed as she charged at Lusya through the holes in the walls she had made.

    Although enraged, Roseko was not blinded. Rather than try to strike Lusya directly, she raised her axe and swung it down well in advance, too far and fast for Lusya to intercept. Roseko likely hoped to force Lusya to split her focus between evading and protecting the humans, leaving her open to a follow-up attack.

    Instead, Lusya created a motomancy barrier just above the ground, stopping the axe cold. Roseko¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°What the¡ª?¡±

    Before she could finish, she let out a surprised shout as two more barriers appeared around her wrists, wrenching her hands above her head and hoisting her into the air. Another two materialized around her ankles, binding them in place. Roseko thrashed and squirmed like a worm against her bonds, but she couldn¡¯t budge them.

    ¡°What happened?¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Why did you get so much stronger all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I did not,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Since I do not know what to expect when we confront Count Rebran, I was attempting to conserve energy. Your disregard for the humans¡¯ lives forced me to prioritize eliminating you quickly instead.¡±

    Roseko clicked her tongue and hung her head in defeat. ¡°Guess you weren¡¯t being cocky after all.¡±

    ¡°I was not.¡±

    Lusya lowered the barriers to put Roseko back in easy reach. Lusya needed to kill Roseko with as little potential for collateral damage as possible. So, she raised Miudofay and swung, beheading the pink-haired demon. Roseko¡¯s head rolled off her neck and landed on the ground with a thud, while her body went limp. Lusya banished the barriers and allowed the corpse to fall to the ground in a heap.

    With the two demons defeated, Lusya banished her Blades and made her way back to the castle gates, where they had started. A moment after she arrived, Beldo dashed around a corner and ran up to her, carrying Ariya. He put her down as he arrived, and she ran over to grab Lusya¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I take it it¡¯s done?¡± he said. ¡°We were watching from the streets. I sensed the others¡­die and saw you come out of that hole.¡±

    Ariya beamed. ¡°I knew you would win, Lusya. Those guys didn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We are free to confront the count now.¡±

    Beldo grimaced and nodded. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get to it, then.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Twenty-Two

    Lusya and the others walked through the desolate, deathly silent halls of Levire Castle. They were entirely deserted, not a soul to be seen. Count Rebran must have had anyone who had collapsed here moved into a room like those she had already seen.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure which is creepier, here or outside,¡± Ariya said as she looked around. ¡°Either way, they¡¯re both really creepy.¡±

    ¡°I will endeavor to make our time here as brief as possible,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry you had to come, Ariya,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I want to be here for this, so there would be no one to watch you outside.¡±

    Ariya frowned and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be outside anyway. I don¡¯t wanna hide when I could watch Lusya do cool stuff. Besides, I¡¯m safer with Lusya anyway.¡±

    ¡°That is generally true,¡± Lusya said. ¡°Since I do not know what will happen going forward, it is best that I did not leave you alone with someone I can only trust to act as your shield.¡±

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡±

    ¡°Given your existing knowledge of the situation, I also desire your presence,¡± Lusya said. ¡°So, even if you were willing to fight, leaving Ariya with you would not be practical.¡±

    ¡°Nice to feel appreciated.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where we might find the count or the device responsible for the stagnant Malice?¡± she asked.

    ¡°If he¡¯s trying to be discreet, I¡¯d imagine underground somewhere,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°A dungeon or a cellar, maybe.¡±

    ¡°That would make sense. Do you know where we might find such a thing?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°No, sorry. I don¡¯t know the layout of the castle. We¡¯re just going to have to comb the place looking for an entrance.¡±

    ¡°Then let us begin. Stay vigilant for any signs of a hidden entrance as well. The count may not want it where anyone could stumble upon it.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    They scoured the first floor of the castle, checking every corner of every room. They did find both a cellar and a dungeon, but there was nothing remarkable about either. The former was filled with expensive wine as one might expect, while the latter was unoccupied at the moment. There was no evidence either had ever been used for anything other than their intended purposes.

    And so, they continued searching, until they reached the count¡¯s study. Walking toward the wooden desk at the far end, Lusya paused as she stepped onto a large red carpet in the center of the room. She tapped her foot against the ground, took a step back and repeated the process, then stepped back onto the carpet and repeated once more.

    ¡°What is it, Lusya?¡± Ariya asked. ¡°What are we doing?¡±

    ¡°The ground here is less solid than over there. There is likely a hidden door.¡±

    She stepped off the carpet and yanked it off, tossing it across the room. That indeed revealed a hidden door, though, for a split-second, Lusya thought she had been mistaken. The door was well-designed. Even without the rug, someone who wasn¡¯t looking for a hidden door might not have thought anything of it. What looked like the seems could have just been the gaps between floor tiles, and there were no visible hinges. Quite a bit of work and ingenuity must have gone into designing it.

    ¡°Great!¡± Beldo exclaimed. ¡°Now we just need to figure out how to open it. The mechanism is probably in here somewhere. If we just push and pull at things, we might get lucky and¡ª¡±

    Lusya stomped on the door, shattering stone and tile and sending it crumbling inward to tumble down the dark stone stairway beyond.

    ¡°Or we can do that,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°I kind of would have liked looking for the way to open it,¡± Ariya said, grinning. ¡°It would have felt like we were explorers, solving an ancient tomb¡¯s puzzles to get to the treasure inside.¡± Smile widening, she looked up at Lusya. ¡°But this way is faster, and we¡¯ve gotta help everyone.¡± She paused. ¡°Do you think we can come back and look for the right way after?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lusya said. ¡°It depends on the circumstances following Count Rebran¡¯s defeat. If they permit it, I will allow a brief search of the study for the proper opening mechanism.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    ¡°Now, let us descend.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead,¡± Beldo said as be began walking down the stairs. He smirked. ¡°That way I can at least be a shield.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Lusya replied.

    They made their way down the stairs, winding around a central pillar, moving deeper and deeper underground. Although there were torches placed every few feet, the stairs were still mostly shrouded in shadow, the flickering flames providing only the bare minimum light necessary to safely traverse the steps. They continued walking for quite some time. It was difficult to gauge the exact distance they traveled, but Lusya was confident they were going quite a bit deeper than the cellar or the dungeon, at least a few dozen feet underground.

    Then, at last, they reached level ground again as they arrived at short passageway ending in a wooden door. Although the distribution of torches was similar to that of the stairway, they were much more effective in lighting the straight, unobstructed hall.

    While the stairs had been silent, Lusya could now hear a faint sound coming from behind the the door. It seemed to be somebody coughing. Count Rebran, she presumed. Perhaps this mist of Malice was affecting him as well.

    ¡°Looks like this is it,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Everybody ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ariya responded.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lusya said.

    Beldo walked up to the door and pulled it open without issue. Lusya supposed Count Rebran saw little need to lock a door that was already so well-hidden.

    Beyond the door was a large, spacious room carved out of stone. The gray walls gently sloped to form a dome-shaped roof. While the walls were devoid of any decoration or adornment, there were a few furnishings scattered about. A few chairs, several bookshelves full to bursting, a couple tables, and a heavy wooden desk piled high with books and papers. The floor was also mostly plain stone, but a few rugs rested beneath the furnishings, and several loose sheets of paper were scattered about.

    And in the center of the room lay a massive version of the devices Lusya had encountered before. It was several times the size of the last ones, at least twenty feet tall and as wide as a small house at the base. A dark violet, almost pitch-black mass roiled within the glass orb resting atop the device. It almost seemed ready to burst free and shatter the orb at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Count Rebran sat at the desk, scrawling on yet another piece of paper and muttering to himself, only occasionally stopping to cough into his hand. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice Lusya and the others¡¯ entrance.

    ¡°Excuse us,¡± Beldo said before Lusya could take any action.

    Although, while she would likely have taken a more confrontational approach, she fundamentally would have done the same thing. While she knew from experience that destroying the device would resolve the immediate situation, she did want to question Count Rebran before harming him. She was curious about what exactly his devices were doing and what this phenomenon they caused was, and, in more practical terms, she wanted to know the locations of any other devices and if he had any other ongoing activities that might threaten Lusya¡¯s mission. She was sure Beldo also wanted to convince Count Rebran to stop and let him live. Seeing as they needed to speak with him anyway, Lusya was willing to let Beldo try. If he succeeded, she had no objections to sparing Count Rebran, but she was more than ready to kill him if he refused to cooperate and cease his activities. Otherwise, they risked him resuming his experiments even if they destroyed all his devices.

    Count Rebran stood and turned to face them. His wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression spoke of surprise, as did the way he put a hand to his chest, but his movements were slow and sedate. It certainly seemed he was experiencing at least some symptoms of his exposure to the stagnant Malice.

    ¡°You?¡± he exclaimed. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±

    ¡°We fought your guards and found your door,¡± Beldo said.

    Count Rebran frowned. ¡°So, Roseko and Samdo are¡­?¡±

    ¡°They are dead,¡± Lusya said. ¡°I killed them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I would have liked to bring them into the new world.¡±

    "There¡¯s no new world the way you¡¯re headed,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Look at your town. Look at yourself.¡±

    Count Rebran coughed into his hand and gave a languid blink. ¡°Those are just temporary setbacks. I know I can fix them. I just need time.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have time,¡± Beldo replied. ¡°Your people are going to die first. You are going to die first.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen.¡±

    ¡°I believe that you¡¯ll try not to,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But you built that.¡± He gestured to the device. ¡°You have to be smart enough to see that it¡¯s too late. You need to shut that thing down, now.¡±

    Count Rebran snarled. ¡°And what would you have me do? Give up? Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to do here? I¡¯m trying to save this world. Not for a few hundred years like the Sacred Knights. Permanently.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I know exactly what you¡¯re trying to do. But this isn¡¯t the way to do it. It doesn¡¯t lead to salvation. Far from it.¡±

    Another coughing fit wracked the count before he managed to reply.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± he said. ¡°My father dedicated his life to this work because he could see the potential in it. He wasn¡¯t wrong. I am not wrong.¡±

    Beldo held up his hands in a placating gesture. ¡°Your father was and you are very smart to figure out how to do this. But there¡¯s more to it than he knew or you know. I understand you want to finish his life¡¯s work. But, at this rate, you¡¯re going to follow in his footsteps right to the very end.¡±

    ¡°So be it, then. I will not throw away everything we have worked for.¡±

    ¡°I do not believe this is working,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Just give me a little more time,¡± Beldo said.

    ¡°You did not seem receptive when he said that.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Beldo chuckled. ¡°Fair point. But please, just let me try a little more.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    He turned back to Count Rebran. ¡°You don¡¯t have to throw it away. Your goal of ending the cycle is laudable, and what you¡¯ve learned here could still point you in the right direction. Just because this route was a failure, doesn¡¯t mean you have to give up or let that failure be your legacy. You can still be the man who saved the world. And your father can still be the man who paved the way for you. But first, you need to turn this thing off and do the same with any others you¡¯ve left out there in the world.¡±

    Count Rebran¡¯s brow furrowed, his hands balled into tight fists. ¡°No. I trust my father. I trust myself. This is the way forward. I will not be stopped by small-minded fools.¡± He turned back toward his desk in what seemed intended as an aggressive motion, but¡ªwith his movements slowed¡ªbecame rather casual. By now, Lusya suspected he had no way of mitigating his symptoms. They simply weren¡¯t as severe as the townsfolk due to the time he had spent away, not being exposed to the town¡¯s thick mist. ¡°Leave. I have no more interest in arguing with you.¡±

    ¡°You are out of time,¡± Lusya said to Beldo. ¡°I am going to destroy the device.¡±

    He frowned and was silent for a moment. At last, he nodded. ¡°Go ahead. Don¡¯t go directly for the glass, and be ready to defend after.¡±

    Lusya nodded.

    Count Rebran faced them once more. ¡°What? Don¡¯t you dare touch my device! You haven¡¯t the slightest idea what you¡¯re doing!¡±

    Lusya released Ariya¡¯s hand and nudged her toward Beldo.

    ¡°I will be back momentarily.¡±

    Ariya nodded and grabbed onto the hand Beldo offered. ¡°Okay. Be safe, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Lusya dashed forward and leaped into the air. She threw a powerful kick into the device around halfway up its metal shaft. Metal crumpled and tore under the force of the blow, and the top of the device snapped off to fly at the opposing wall, where it hit with a loud crash, a web of cracks blossoming across the glass orb.

    Her senses screamed at her. She hadn¡¯t sensed anything particularly important about the Malice in the orb before, but now it was a bright, blinding flame in the darkness. One that was about to turn into a raging inferno. She kicked off a motomancy foothold to get herself back to the ground and rushed to Beldo and Ariya.

    ¡°I feel neither joy nor sorrow. I know neither hope nor despair. No matter how many times I speak such hollow lies, my empty heart wanders on. Lunera Asvixi.¡±

    The starry sky of her Full Release painted over the walls and ceiling, as any Full Release did when used indoors, even if, like Lusya¡¯s, it extended well beyond the room¡¯s bounds. The night sky actually served to brighten the room compared to the sparse torches, especially in the brief moments when the moon was full.

    As soon as her Full Release finished forming, she molded space around herself, Ariya, and Beldo, forming a bubble around them. Nothing from outside would be able to reach them. The glass orb burst, and the roiling darkness within rushed out, streams flying in every direction. She had never seen Malice move like that before.

    Rather than flee, Count Rebran turned back to his desk and began rifling through the papers stacked there, even as more and more streams of condensed Malice launched out from the shattered orb.

    ¡°I can figure this out!¡± he shouted, seemingly more to himself than anyone else. ¡°I can do this!¡±

    ¡°Get over here, you idiot!¡± Beldo exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯ll die!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not too late! I can still fix this!¡±

    Beldo clicked his tongue and took a step toward the count.

    ¡°You will not be able to move more than two feet away,¡± Lusya said. ¡°And he will not be able to join us unless I open a hole in our protection. I will not do that.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°I will not jeopardize Ariya¡¯s safety.¡±

    Lusya felt a tugging on her cloak and looked to see Ariya pulling on it, staring up with wide, pleading eyes.

    ¡°Lusya,¡± she said, ¡°you promised.¡±

    Lusya cocked her head and blinked, before turning back to Beldo. ¡°If you think you can return safely with him, then go. Otherwise, it is not worth the risk.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can,¡± he said.

    ¡°Then go.¡± She opened a hole in the side of the bubble and gestured. ¡°You can get out that way. That is also where I will open the way for you to return. I will not do so if it is not safe.¡±

    ¡°Right. On it.¡±

    Beldo dashed out of the bubble, jumping over and ducking under streams of Malice as he made his way toward Count Rebran. The streams weren¡¯t behaving like ordinary Malice, or even like the other stagnant Malice created by the count¡¯s devices, even aside from their strange movement, maintaining their shapes as they rushed about rather than dispersing evenly. Lusya watched as one slammed into a bookshelf. When it dissipated, there was a hole where it had hit, the books and the shelf they had sat on destroyed. Normally, Malice itself had little capacity for destruction, nor had the stagnant Malice seemed to cause any damage outside of the illness it inflicted upon mortals. Strangely, the wall behind the shelf was unscathed, even though she was sure the stream had hit it after going through the shelf.

    Count Rebran was still rifling through his papers, haphazardly throwing them aside as he dismissed them. He continued to rave to himself about how he could fix the problem and how he just needed to check his notes right up until Beldo scooped him up in his arms.

    ¡°Unhand me!¡± the count protested. ¡°I know I can figure this out! I know I can end the cycle!¡±

    Rather than waste time replying, Beldo simply ran back to the space bubble. Lusya opened up the side for him to reenter with the count and shut it again the moment they were inside. The instant Beldo set the count down, the count ran back toward his desk with reckless abandon. He only stopped when he realized the curved space had taken him about a quarter around the bubble¡¯s circumference rather than closer to his table.

    ¡°Let me out of here,¡± he demanded. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to fix this,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We just need to wait it out.¡±

    A stream of Malice rushed right toward Lusya and the others, only to curve around them. Covered in a dark violet, almost black, dome, it was all but impossible to say what was happening outside their bubble of safety. Only that this condensed Malice was still running wild.

    If her protection faltered for an instant, they would be dead. Anyone would be. Mother, Father, the Hero of Balance. No one could survive. Lusya didn¡¯t know how she knew that. In a word, it was instinct.

    Then, finally, the last of the Malice rushed over them, and Lusya¡¯s vision was clear once more. It seemed that had truly been the last of it, not just that stream. There were no more streams or masses of darkness to be seen. There wasn¡¯t much of anything to be seen. Most of what had once occupied the room was gone. The count¡¯s papers, the carpets, even the door, though the knob and hinges remained.

    Anything not made of stone or metal had been destroyed. There was no debris, no ashes, not a trace. It was as if those things had never existed.

    ¡°What¡­happened?¡± Count Rebran breathed.

    ¡°Where did everything go?¡± Ariya asked.

    Beldo sighed in relief. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s over.¡± He nodded at Lusya. ¡°Thanks. For saving us, and for letting me save him.¡±

    ¡°No thanks are needed,¡± Lusya said. She cocked her head at him and blinked twice. ¡°Now, I would also like to know what happened here. And I believe you know.¡±

    He gestured around at the newly barren room. ¡°This is what happens when you force Malice to condense without allowing it to coalesce into a demon. It becomes what you saw. Anything that is or ever was alive is destroyed on contact. I call it anti-life.¡±

    ¡°You have seen this before.¡± It was not a question.

    He nodded. ¡°Never on this scale. It wasn¡¯t just flattery when I said both Count Rebrans must have been smart to do what they did. But they¡¯re not the first ones to try at all.¡±

    ¡°So, if I had kept going¡­¡± Count Rebran muttered.

    ¡°Eventually the Malice outside the device would have been dense enough to become anti-life too. If you just left this thing running, you might have ended up covering the entire planet with it. You¡¯d end the world, and there would be no chance for recovery. Nothing could ever live here again. To fix it, you would need a way to get rid of the Malice. And the only way that happens right now is when it forms into demons.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya said. ¡°The formation of demons slows the accumulation of Malice, preventing the formation of anti-life. And the Demon King provides a large-scale purge every few hundred years.¡±

    Beldo nodded. ¡°More or less. Though I won¡¯t claim to know if there¡¯s any intelligent design behind it.¡±

    Count Rebran wobbled and fell to his knees. ¡°So, everything my father and I worked for was for nothing?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Beldo said. He knelt beside the count and patted his shoulder. ¡°Like I said, I wasn¡¯t just flattering you. You can take what you learned here and think of something better. And if you can¡¯t finish it, you can pass it on, like your father did to you.¡±

    Count Rebran glanced at him, then looked around the room again and sighed. For a long moment, the count was silent.

    ¡°I suppose,¡± he said at last, ¡°I have no choice. Although, it¡¯ll be harder, now that our notes are all gone.¡±

    ¡°That is a situation of your own making,¡± Lusya said.

    He glared at her. ¡°You destroyed the device.¡±

    ¡°As Beldo explained, your device would have destroyed the world,¡± Lusya said. ¡°We do not know how long that might have taken. Since you refused to heed the advice of someone more experienced in these matters than you and shut the device down, destroying it was necessary.¡±

    The count clicked his tongue and seemed about to retort before Beldo spoke up.

    ¡°Before we start bickering, how about we get out of this room?¡± he said. ¡°We should see how things are going up top. Besides, it¡¯s even drearier down here than it was to start with now.¡±

    ¡°I do not find the room ¡®dreary,¡¯¡± Lusya said. ¡°But you are correct, we should assess the situation if it is safe to do so.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°It should be. If you don¡¯t see any anti-life here, then there is none. Some might have traveled up the stairs, but it hopefully should have dispersed enough to stop being anti-life by now.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go.¡±

    Lusya dismissed her Full Release, leaving them standing in pitch black darkness. The anti-life had destroyed the fuel in all the lanterns and torches in the room. There was a brief moment of silence.

    ¡°Lusya, it¡¯s too dark,¡± Ariya said. ¡°It¡¯s scary.¡±

    ¡°I will use my Full Release for lighting until we reach the top of the stairs,¡± Lusya replied. It seemed a bit excessive, not to mention a waste of energy, but it would get the job done, and there didn¡¯t appear to be any reason she needed to conserve her strength. She didn¡¯t sense anything dangerous. So, they returned to the surface by the light of its moon and stars, albeit slowly. Count Rebran¡¯s symptoms, of course, had yet to abate, including his sluggish movements.

    Beldo appeared to have been right on both counts. The desk that had been in the study was gone, along with the door and several chunks of the bookshelves on either side of the room. However, there was no sign of the anti-life anymore. In fact, the mist of Malice was already thinner than it had been before, though it was still much thicker than it had been in either of the previous towns. Considering the level of accumulation, it would not surprise her if it took days to fully disperse.

    ¡°Good, it looks like the worst has passed,¡± Beldo said. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to wait a little while for this stuff to go away¡­¡± He waved his hand through the air, indicating the violet fog. ¡°¡­but it should be all uphill from here.¡±

    Count Rebran hesitantly poked his head out of the door. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe?¡±

    ¡°Safer than it was before, at least.¡±

    The count let out a sigh that turned into a coughing fit and finished climbing the stairs into the study proper. He looked around at the ruined room and stagnant Malice and grimaced. ¡°This is awful¡­¡± His eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t think anyone got caught up in this, do you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Beldo said. ¡°But I doubt it. Most of the people in here are farther than it could travel, and it¡¯s not like it seeks out people to kill.¡±

    ¡°I am confused why you would object to people being harmed by your activities now,¡± Lusya said.

    Ariya nodded. ¡°Yeah! This fog is already making everyone sick.¡±

    ¡°That was supposed to be temporary,¡± Count Rebran said. ¡°My goal was to find a way to get all the accumulated Malice inside the device. Once that was done, this mist would go away. Even a severe illness for a little while seemed a small price to pay for saving the world.¡±

    ¡°Some of your townspeople have already died as a consequence of that illness,¡± Lusya replied.

    The count averted his gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if you had succeeded, you would have ended up with a bunch of anti-life ready to rush out if anything broke or malfunctioned,¡± Beldo added. ¡°Not exactly an ideal solution.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that much is evident now.¡±

    ¡°Well, anyway, let¡¯s make sure that no one got hurt,¡± Beldo said. ¡°Then you can start working on a formal apology before whatever you¡¯re going to do next.¡±

    The count gulped. ¡°A-And if I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll nag you until you do,¡± Beldo said. He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a pacifist, there¡¯s not much more I can do.¡±

    Count Rebran blinked. ¡°You¡¯re¡­a demon pacifist?¡±

    Beldo grinned. ¡°People¡¯s reactions to that never get old. Now, come on.¡± He looked to Lusya. ¡°Are you going to help? I know you¡¯re probably itching to get going now that the situation¡¯s been resolved.¡±

    That was true. Lusya had no desire to stay here longer than necessary. She glanced at Ariya, who looked back at her with the same pleading expression as when Beldo had wanted to save the count.

    ¡°I will assist in confirming no one was harmed by the anti-life,¡± Lusya said. ¡°After that, we are leaving, regardless of what you wish to do.¡±

    Ariya frowned. ¡°But Lusya¡ª¡±

    ¡°No ¡®buts,¡¯¡± Lusya said. ¡°We will not wait here for you to fall ill.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll get better when the fog goes away.¡±

    ¡°That is irrelevant. You being ill at all is unacceptable. This is not up for discussion. The only reason I am helping this much is because of our promise.¡±

    Ariya sighed. ¡°Yes, Lusya.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Lusya said.

    ¡°Oh, but we can still figure out how to open this door, right?¡± Ariya asked.

    ¡°We could simply have Count Rebran tell us,¡± Lusya said.

    The count cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. ¡°I can tell you if you want. It¡¯s not complicated.¡±

    ¡°I wanna try to figure it out first,¡± Ariya said.

    Lusya considered their options for a moment. ¡°I will allow a ten minute search for the mechanism after we have finished evaluating the castle¡¯s situation. After that, we will ask and be on our way.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair,¡± Ariya said. ¡°Thank you, Lusya.¡±

    Lusya nodded. ¡°You are welcome.¡± With that settled, she turned her attention to Beldo. ¡°Let us begin. I would like to finish as soon as possible.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Of course. First, we should comb the castle for any sign someone was hurt. There definitely shouldn¡¯t have been enough anti-life left to swallow anyone whole, and even if there was, most people carry at least something that was never alive on them, so look out for any suspicious fallen articles. I¡¯ll take the southern half of the castle with the count, and you and Ariya handle the northern half. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Great. And can I at least ask you to help anyone who¡¯s hurt?¡±

    ¡°I am no healer,¡± Lusya said, ¡°but I will stabilize them if I am able. I will also inform you of anything else that needs attending to I find. I did not intend to leave the instant my half of the search was done, only when the task of confirming the nearby mortals¡¯ safety as a whole was completed.¡±

    Beldo smiled. ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. In that case, let¡¯s get started.¡±

 Book Four - Chapter Twenty-Three

    ¡°Sorry I won¡¯t be finishing my guide duties,¡± Beldo said. ¡°I want to stick around here and help with the cleanup.¡± He looked back over his shoulder at Levire, still shrouded in a thick violet mist. ¡°Not to mention keep an eye on our count for a little while, make sure he doesn¡¯t start any other potential world-ending catastrophes.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°I do not begrudge you for prioritizing those goals. The latter benefits me as well.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Thanks for understanding. You sure you can find your way fine from here? I know we¡¯re not on your original route.¡±

    ¡°We are not so far as to create issues. I should be able to navigate with the aid of a map.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. We should be going now. I would like to make at least some progress before stopping for the night. Farewell.¡±

    She started to turn away. Though the gray, cloud-covered sky made it difficult to gauge the exact time, it must have been late in the afternoon or early in the evening by now. They had spent quite a bit of time in Levire. That left only a few hours of travel time at best.

    ¡°Wait, Lusya,¡± Beldo said. She paused and looked at him. ¡°Thank you for your help. You might have just been being selfish, but I appreciate it either way.¡±

    ¡°No thanks are necessary,¡± she said. ¡°I thank you as well, however. By my estimate, we are ahead of schedule, if only by a few days. You have fulfilled your part of the bargain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word.¡±

    ¡°So it would seem.¡± She cocked her head and blinked twice. ¡°There are sure to be other devices in this region. How do you plan to deal with them?¡±

    Beldo raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you volunteering?¡±

    ¡°If need be.¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The remaining devices may still present a threat. She did not know how they functioned or what their capacity for gathering Malice was, but they might very well be capable of producing anti-life and endangering the world. She could not allow that to happen until she had revived Father. Besides, if nothing else, they and their stagnant Malice would harm, possibly even kill, the people in the areas they had been set. She was supposed to be worrying about that now. If that had been all, she would have had to consider how far out of her way she would need to go and the risk of continuing to expose Ariya to the stagnant Malice. However, if Lusya needed to eliminate a potential threat anyway, it would serve her promise with Ariya to consider preventing those people¡¯s suffering for the time being an added incentive.

    ¡°Well, I really appreciate that, but it¡¯s all right,¡± Beldo said. ¡°The count will be sending out men to deactivate and dismantle the devices and relieve the posted guards of their duty. If any of the devices have accumulated too much Malice for his men to be able to enter safely, he¡¯ll send me with some official paperwork and payment to get the guards to stand down and written instructions on turning off and taking apart the machines. And I¡¯d prefer not to, but I can handle smashing one if I really need to.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lusya replied. ¡°Then, I suppose my business here has concluded.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Looks that way.¡±

    ¡°Bye, Beldo!¡± Ariya exclaimed far more loudly than the distance between them warranted, waving a hand through the air in broad motions also more suited for someone much farther away than he was.

    Beldo grinned and crouched until he was eye-level with her. ¡°Bye, Ariya,¡± he said with a far more subdued wave. ¡°I hope we meet again sometime.¡± He winked. ¡°After I¡¯ve had a chance to stock up on candy.¡±

    Beaming, Ariya replied with an emphatic nod. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°And Lusya,¡± Beldo said as he stood, ¡°think long and hard on the road ahead. Take a good, hard look at everything you¡¯ve seen and done, at what¡¯s really important to you, and decide what you want and how you¡¯re going to get it. It¡¯s impossible to live without regrets, but it¡¯s not impossible to live in a way that makes you proud in spite of those regrets.¡± He smiled softly. ¡°I may have only known them briefly, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what both Azure and Romoro would want for you.¡±

    Lusya was silent for a moment as she swiftly pushed aside the flurry of thoughts that arose at his words. There may have been some merit to them. Reviving father would make her proud and happy, she was sure of it. But would¡ªNo, not right now. She didn¡¯t have to think about it right now.

    At last, she nodded. ¡°I will take that under consideration.¡± Later. ¡°Farewell.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye. Safe travels.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You as well.¡±

    With that, she turned and walked, hand-in-hand with Ariya, toward the final stretch of their journey.

 Report on the High-Rank Demon In and Around Kiner

    As ordered by the Executive Council, I have concluded my investigation of the high-rank demon frequenting the area in and around Kiner and report my findings herein. As has previously been reported, the demon proved elusive and initially fled every time I drew near enough for him to sense me. I was never able to find any sign of serious harm in the areas he had fled from, and the people were ignorant of any demon having visited. For their safety and the integrity of my investigation, I did not inform them the demon had just left, nor did I supply the physical description I had been given.

    After several months, however, I was able to reach a town the demon was in without him fleeing. Much as I would like to take credit for cornering him with some grand scheme, this was simply a matter of luck: the demon was helping some locals patch their roof and prioritized finishing the task over fleeing from me. For the next day, I observed the demon from a distance. He did not confront me, though he surely realized I was watching him. I did not observe any hostile or suspicious behavior. Indeed, he seemed to have developed a strong rapport with the townspeople. He left before me the next morning, giving me an opportunity to question them. As prior records indicate, the demon goes by the name ¡°Beldo,¡± meaning ¡°war,¡± in Odessian. He had been visiting the town at least since its oldest inhabitants were children, and many had stories suggesting he had been doing so for centuries. The locals believed this was explained by him being a reltus. This, too, aligns with previous Sacred Knight records. I was also able to question others in the region about this ¡°Beldo.¡± All gave similar stories suggesting he had been a longstanding positive presence in the region¡¯s history.

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    Given his apparent benevolence and his lack of activity during the war against the Twenty-First Demon King, I believe any resources devoted to his elimination would be wasted and recommend we continue our predecessors¡¯ policy of regarding him as a target of the lowest priority. I cannot see into his heart to know if this is a facade meant to protect himself or if he is a genuinely reformed demon, but it is evident to me that he is not a danger to the mortals in the region or beyond nor will he be for the foreseeable future. This concludes my report.

    Captain Deen Tengrove