Chapter 17

  Arrival of the Saint

  When morning came, everyone was already prepared to discuss their course of action. Be it the routine of rising early or the uneasiness of the situation, they were awake and eager to move. They sat together next to the single table in his home. Owen, despite his rough and mean exterior, was actually quite the good host, as evidenced that they had their breakfast ready before they even woke up. Something which for the trio became more surprising when they realized he did that without an arm and without waking them up.

  “Okay so... mnh,” Owen swallowed, “With me joining you, that takes off ten from the...one hundred or so that you need.”

  “You have your own group of mercenaries?” Rigel asked.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I do. We may be a small group of ten, but we get our stuff done. Just what did you thought I was?”

  Rigel looked at Olivia for assistance, to which she quietly gestured him to back down.

  “We thought you were more of a… information guy?” Olivia tilted her head.

  “Huh? And what made you think that?”

  “Aside from the fact that you um… have just one…” Rigel trailed off.

  “…‘Just one’ what?”

  But before he could press the boy against the table, Olivia again intervened with the same cheery mood, “The way you spoke made it feel like you were going to introduces us to Johnny the soldier.”

  “Wait, who?”

  While Olivia chatted with the one-armed man, Rigel shifted his attention to protect his breakfast from Ellyn who stared directly at it with hypnotized eyes. Her hand very slowly crept into this plate, to which he also moved it away while trying to eat as fast as he could.

  “I really did think you weren’t an active fighter anymore. I mean, I hardly hear of one-armed fighters. Besides, you do have the air of the guy who knows everyone and can call in all of his friends.”

  “It would explain all of those contacts, like Johnny.” Ellyn spoke with food in her mouth. While her plate still had some, Rigel’s was completely clean, to which the boy tried to get payback, though he only got those which Ellyn herself fed to him.

  “Who the hell’s Johnny?” Owen grumbled.

  “Obviously we mean Johnny.”

  “That Johnny.”

  “You know the one.”

  Owen sighed. A direct glance into the trio’s faces showed two wide grins and one small smile munching on food as he realized they were doing a thing for fun. He thought of saying something but he couldn't find in him to tell off a bunch of kids just trying to lighten their own moods regardless of whether or not he even understood the joke at all. So he gave up.

  At least they were in high spirits.

  “Ugh... Anyway, yes, I do have a group and I still I’m active risking my remaining limbs. Now, I would like to get to what we talked about last night.”

  The demeanor of the trio, as well as their smiles, turned serious as soon as he finished. Being the designated spokesperson, Olivia was the first to talk, “You told us that most men would not want to get involved against the Wood Fang. Is it really not possible to convince them with this sum of money?”

  “These people aren’t stupid. We just got out of an awful famine, so they will know better than to do something too risky regardless of the gains.”

  Their expressions soured, they too understood self-preservation was paramount even to this day. After all, as a collective that was what they were struggling to achieve.

  “The good news is: Times are still rough. We may not be starving to death, but we are still in a less than an ideal situation. This is good for you because most of the people who become mercenaries, adventurers, you name it, all are on that pinch for money.”

  “What do you recommend, then?” Rigel asked.

  Owen emptied his cup before answering, “Honestly, you just offer them a promise of extra payment that makes both the brave and the fool take the bait.”

  The trio exchanged looks with mixed reactions. In general, however, they were very confused.

  “You…pay them more right away?” Ellyn tilted her head.

  “A rule that sort of exists among us is that we all have a ‘fixed’ hiring price. These can vary depending on certain circumstances but in general, we have a fixed amount required to even hire us based on our experience, popularity, maintenance costs, etc.” He explained.

  All three of them nodded.

  “You are all under guilds, right?” Olivia guessed.

  “We are. Keeps it all neat and organized and it helps each individual company on avoiding skewed payments among their members.”

  “You said no one would want to fight the Wood Fang.” Ellyn intervened.

  “Aye, no one’s dumb enough to fight the Wood Fang… unless the reward is just that good and their situation that bad. Hire them for the fixed amount and promise that, once the bandits are dead and the village’s safe, they can take an extra reward for their trouble—that’s where the value of a holy gold coin comes into play.”

  “I know the value of it but, how much do you think we should offer?”

  Owen leaned back on his seat, his eyes looked to the ceiling and fingers began counting, “I think it will be... around twenty holy gold coins for each knight fallen on hard times and ten holy gold coins for your ol’ reliable man-at-arms. This should cover all their costs for this one time mission. Then we use thirty and twelve of them coins respectively as promised post-payment if they do their job. That will take one thousand coins off the budget and leave another one thousand for twenty knights and forty men-at-arms—that’s my about my estimate, anyway.”

  “That is... an impressively thought-out distribution of the money… but only sixty... and we face almost two hundred…”

  Despite being grateful for Owen’s idea, she couldn’t help but feel distressed at the odds. The Wood Fang having so many trained warriors capable of wielding swords, spears, and bows already created a worrying disparity for her. While it was true that adding the villagers would easily outnumber them, those same villagers were untrained people unaccustomed to active combat—not to mention she simply didn’t see the point hiring men to protect them only to be slaughtered at the front line.

  This meant that the bulk of their force would rely on these sixty-or-so men and their success or failure would be of great importance to the villagers.

  She really wished they could get more...

  “As for me; we’ll take our share of both the cost of our hiring, our weapons, and the post-payment upfront. With that, I’ll give you my word to assist you regardless of what happens.”

  The three exchanged mixed looks as what he asked for was difficult to agree on. The duty they had on their hands was incredibly delicate, and every decision they made had to be carefully considered, for one misstep could cause everything to fail spectacularly—lest their loved ones paid higher than what they would pay for these men. Such is the burden placed on these youngsters.

  “I can’t agree to that. One thing would be the hiring and supplies, but I need the security you won’t abandon us.”

  “Given that I’m a friend of Akira, wouldn’t that make me trustworthy enough? I welcomed you into my home and offer you my knowledge and aid. Surely, I have shown you that I’m a friend of yours too.” He argued.

  She took a deep breath, “Yes, you’ve shown yourself friendly to us. However, what we need the most is certainty, as much of it as we can. Even with a friend, I cannot in good conscience let that amount of our funds go without the certainty that we’ll get what we need.”

  The red-haired girl stared him doing without blinking. The air grew tense as the two went silent and refuse to move a muscle. Ellyn and Rigel both waited with a tinge of wariness, for they didn’t know how he was going to take it. For as friendly as he appeared, they still were in front of a stranger in every sense. However, those concerns were quickly dispersed when Owen chuckled before letting out a sigh. One look saw him with no animosity towards Olivia for refusing his proposal. Yet still, he looked a bit disappointed about it.

  “I see. Well, that’s fine; at least there’s a good head on your shoulders, especially for your age. I like you, Missy. I’ll play fair and also take my extra cut after the fact.”

  She blinked a few times, “So… are we set?”

  “With my guys on board, we can get you higher quality soldiers to fill the gap in numbers.” He rose from his seat, “Now, let’s be on our way to the city, you all need to meet who you will be working with.”

  Owen then headed straight to his room, shortly after, he returned with a sword attached to his hip, black pants and shirt of leather and cotton, and a long cloak resting on his shoulder, covering his missing arm.

  Ellyn, Olivia and Rigel were both already on their feet with their own clothes ready. Sword, book and gloves all prepared and ready to go, though they didn’t expect to run into trouble while being guided by Owen who knew the city well. The air felt more relaxed now that they come to an amicable agreement. Ellyn in particular felt rather anxious thanks to the savage instincts of her blessing, but thankfully nothing came out of it.

  They still had their own opinions to give about the exchange, but they were so minor that they didn’t bother to raise them. It was simply nice to have a clear course of action with someone who knew how to carry themselves—she was thankful to leave the talking to the more socially capable red-haired girl.

  The city was unsurprisingly busy. All the bustling and movement made speaking in anything but high voice impossible. They expected as much from going into a city such as this, including the continuous movement and check-ups of the military from both countries, which constantly stopped them to verify the other side wasn’t up to something. Though, it still proved quite grating.

  Ellyn wasn’t familiar with the armed forces of both countries. Luckily, she could tell them apart by the colors of their flags and tabards. Vigram soldiers wore blue, white and gold from their armors to their shields, in which their coat of arms was visibly displayed. It showed a golden flower and stacks of wheat, separated by an odd-looking cane. Perhaps it was a way of showing the significance of agriculture she had heard so much about, as well as some other cultural things she was not aware of.

  While Vigram’s symbols were relatively easy to figure out, Lamiegal’s made little sense to her. They wore red and white on their tabards that covered their chain mail or plates. This was the case too for the Vigranti soldiers; however, there was more prevalence of mail and gambeson in the vigranti ranks. Lamiegal’s coat of arms, displayed on every tabard, shield, and banner showed a mounted knight, a dragon, a crown, and a sword, all neatly divided into four different sections—It surely meant something, but she wasn’t at all sure about what sort of history they carried.

  “Things sure look busy here. Ellyn, are you taking it well?” Rigel called out to her right.

  “Honestly... way too noisy, but I’ll manage…” She sighed.

  “Knowing about the situation here, and seeing all those soldiers everywhere... pretty nerve-racking, huh?”

  “It's like a they are all waiting for something to happen.”

  While the city itself was as busy and vibrant as any other, the air was tense and unpleasant. As if powder covered the entire city and waited for a little spark. This was understandable, as the reason why was apparent as soon you set foot on the gates of the city. No matter in which direction they looked; soldiers could be spotted in every part of the city: From stores to alleyways, to the open street to even houses.

  They stood silently on guard for anything coming up from the other army, using their swords to keep the others on their sheath; the threat of sparking conflict all too close. The mere tension generated seemingly put everyone on edge, yet until the dispute over the ownership of the city is resolved, they were forced to stay in this uneasy state of affairs.

  Noticing the uneasiness of the trio, Owen parted his lips, “Things have been like this for a while but today are particularly more delicate than before.”

  “Is there something special happening today?”

  “Rigel, was it? Aye, something very annoying: The Princess herself will be visiting this city to discuss with Finglaneon.”

  “Whaa...” Olivia gasped, “Seriously?”

  “They need the princess to defuse the situation?”

  “She is coming to prevent anyone from doing something crazy and starting a war with Lamiegal. While that’s good and all I expect people to behave even more awfully if it means a shot at either Finglaneon or specially the Princess…”

  Everyone looked concerned as they reflected on the situation... everyone but one, who was just very confused.

  “Uhm... Who is this, 'Princess?'” Ellyn asked.

  Owen raised an eyebrow, “... What do you mean?”

  “‘What do I mean...?’ About this ‘Princess’ and Lamiegal...” Ellyn fiddled with her thumbs.

  “... Ah, right.” Rigel realized, “You aren’t from here.”

  “D-Don’t say it like you just remembered some trivia...!”

  Ignoring her, he turned to Owen, “Sorry, Ellyn is not from this country, she hasn’t heard about the Princess at all.”

  “That so? Well, I’ll fill you in quick: Princess Aimid Di Vigrantes is the current ruler of this country, a powerful Blessed One and a magician that is hailed as a saint for ending the famine and rumored one of the only people alive to be capable of using magic thought of myth and legend.”

  Ellyn contemplated the idea of a powerful young saint that is capable of ending the plague as something straight out of a folktale, or even a prophecy. The mercy of the gods that came from a divine realm to deliver the people from their suffering; her imagination, however, was stopped when a certain point caught her attention.

  “‘Blessed’...? Is she one a Blessed One?”

  “That’s what the rumors say. It’s what the mages everywhere use to explain how come she came to use healing magicks of eld, as well as what the churches uses to promote her as a saint.”

  Olivia stepped closer to Ellyn, “The stories say that with her access to the ancient healing magicks of the Western God that were spoken in the myths surrounding the birth of our kingdom, they say she managed to revive the soil itself and end the famine almost five years ago.”

  “Healing magic to revive the earth... I didn’t think something like that was possible.”

  Despite its centuries of studies, research, and preservation, magic still remained among the fields whose surface has barely been scratched. With many techniques lost to time by accident or destroyed on purpose. Tales of spells or even entire branches of magic are thought to exist only in the realm of myth, with plenty that even the eldest of mages have only heard of from children books alone. From the summoning of Northern God’s Spear of Calamity that can decimate cities, armies and mountains in one thunderous strike, to the Eastern Goddess’ runes that allow to communicate with any creature, living and dead, and hold the secret of how to understand every living species' language. There are legends of people wielded such magicks… but they are considered that: legends.

  Healing magic existed within those boundaries. The Western God’s role in religion and myth was one of life bringer, he who crafted the realm of the living. Yet stories of wielding power that prolonged life were only theorized, or muddied with fantasy. Besides, the Southern Goddess, ruler of death, helped scholars explain the lack of it healing magic as the cycle of life running its due course and respecting the importance of death in the natural order.

  Revitalizing the soil was one thing; making it softer, more durable, even weaponizing it. Healing, however, was part of something more... primordial, the very essence of life itself being altered and reformed anew by one’s hand. It was that fundamental change that constituted the theoretical definition of healing magicks, as well as a way to theories for the lack of it, that it was perceived as impossible.

  That is... until Lady Aimid Di Vigrantes came along.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Doing what can only be considered a miracle, life returned to the soil, to the waters, the wounded and ill. In an instant, the princess of a fallen monarchy had become a saint of a realm reborn.

  Her hands performed a form of magic thought impossible even in legend, magic straight out of a fairy tale, saving the land, her royal family, and the people in one move. It was thanks to this that the economy had been slowly improving, food had become once again available, men and women began to work and institutions regained some of their power—Vigram had received a light to follow through the vast darkness.

  Needless to say, the saint had become the object of observation for the other leaders, and Vigram’s once lost position at the international stage looked less like a fall from grace, and more like an eventual retaking of lost glory—if she continued delivering on that prosperous path, that is.

  “I bet soon enough there will be history books talking everything about her.” Rigel said.

  “Hah!” Owen chuckled, “Books? Try religion! Lots of people on the capital already pray to her, it’s the reason we have ‘Holy Gold Coins’ in the soon the named ‘Halidom of Vigram’”

  “I thought it was ‘Kingdom’... That’s what my books said...”

  “Not for long. I heard the process is well underway and when Vigrantes becomes an official Saint to the churches they'll turn this place into a proper holy kingdom. For that, she is tying loose ends like here in Finglas.”

  “...So long as it doesn’t interfere with our objective.”

  The topic, while interesting, held not much weight for Ellyn in the end. This person was important, sure, but that was it for her. Her pressing issue was far beyond the eyes of royalty or saints. As such, they were beyond the reach of her own eyes as well. At the very least, she hoped their presence in the city would not make things any more difficult when it came to mobilizing the men they intended to hire.

  The group reached the city’s central plaza after walking for half an hour through what Ellyn could only guess was a district solely dedicated to commerce, in the distance, she would see what could be described as points of entry to the other zones of the city, and how the streets slightly went up and down as the terrain changed in elevation, all while the castle oversaw it all from the north.

  Their destination was the western district where, by regulations of both Vigram and Lamiegal’s laws, the Mercenary & Adventurers Guild was located as it was where the headquarters of both militaries resided as well—A means of controlling each other in a tight compromise. Owen had suggested going through the central plaza by virtue of being a straightforward, non-time-consuming route, even if generally crowded.

  At the heart of the plaza, men and women had gathered in large numbers as they eagerly waited for something, while Lamiegi and Vigranti soldiers worked together to keep a path clear to the north and prevent anyone from overstepping the lines they’ve set.

  The group caught attention of it and headed to a slightly elevated entrance building to get a quick view of the entire situation.

  Ellyn looked around, “Is this because of that princess?”

  “Most likely, yeah.” Rigel replied.

  “My colleagues told she was arriving tomorrow, huh.” Owen leaned against the railing, “Well, that’s fine, why don’t we stick around to see her holiness?”

  While they were all in a sense of hurry for their mission, they all couldn’t help but feel curious about an opportunity of seeing the famed ‘saint’, Princess Aimid.

  Ellyn observed attentively at the end of the road, using her always active eyes to look out for anyone that might stick out as the Princess of Vigram—Truly, the only inoffensive part of her blessing. Soon enough, a small group of soldiers marched forward with blue, white & gold banners in their hands, then a following group of units escorting well-dressed men that looked in their sixties or above.

  In the middle of that procession, an even smaller group of men and women in highly decorated dark blue uniforms with gold trimmings passed after, led by a blue-haired woman dressing similarly as her peers, although with a long white-as-snow coat that rested on her shoulders, while on her right was a sword that look surprisingly un-ceremonial. As the marching group came closer, Ellyn’s ever-sharp eyes saw that the beautiful lady had was locking eyes with everyone in her sight, including her. Combined with the scar crossing from the left side of her face towards the bridge of her nose, made the raven-haired girl flinch in response.

  “Who is that?” Olivia asked.

  “That’s the ‘Azure Hound’, General Fiona Ceallaigh. General of the Vigranti Armies, Captain of the Royal Guard and the Princess’ personal bodyguard. They say she’s one of those people that classify as a demon on the battlefield and the last thing you wanna see on the opposite side. Not that I’ve seen it myself, luckily.”

  “She looks super cool!” Olivia said.

  “Really? She doesn’t look like a savage warrior or anything.”

  “Who knows for sure, Rigel. All I know is that earning a nickname with ‘Hound’ on it doesn’t usually mean something nice and cuddly, and I trust my boys' words on it.” Owen said.

  “Hm. I can tell from here, she is keeping track of every person that she has seen, us included. She’s quite scary, if you ask me.” Ellyn intervened.

  Rigel’s went silent for a moment before awkwardly laughing, “I-I see, well her job is to guard the most important person in this kingdom after all... Ah! Isn’t that...?”

  A few meters behind, surrounded by soldiers in armor and guards in uniform, a delicate frame in a less ‘rigid’ version of the white and blue uniform everyone else wore, walked gracefully among them.

  Pale blonde hair rested over a blue, white, and gold light dress, with some decorations similar to that of her bodyguards’ uniforms, a veil attached to her crown and a white flower that rested on her hair. Yet even with her face obscured, Ellyn could feel the breathtaking gracefulness the princess evoked.

  Her looks were proper and telegraphed, there was no doubt this girl was from the high nobility. Yet something retained a degree of simplicity that she couldn’t put her finger on. Her frame was so small it looked like a push might badly injure her. Which was probably the case, and the reason all the guards walked so slowly and so close to her while carrying real, ready-to-be-drawn weapons.

  All about the air around her exuded the word ‘Divine’. The movement, the looks, the noble air and higher class, yet comparatively humble when put next to the other nobles a few meters ahead. She felt within reach and warm, yet also untouchable and distant.

  She was starting to understand why she was considered a saint; she looked like the most literal representation of a divine spirit manifested into the flash of man. What could be more hopeful than a sanctified ruler to lead a country away from such times of desperation? Although, to Ellyn, more than a Saint, Princess Aimid Di Vigrantes looked like a Holy Relic, a national treasure that everyone who believed in would guard with their life—the representation of their hopes for the future.

  “She is so pretty… almost like a life-sized doll.”

  “It’s hard to see clearly with that veil, but even then…”

  The crowd had gone silent for a mere moment. It lasted no more than a minute, then, after the initial gasp of the Princess was gone, an eruption of mixed reactions came in:

  “Princess! Princess!”

  “Drive away those Lamiegians!”

  “These lands belong to us! Go away, little girl!”

  “You have no right to be here!!”

  “Princess please! Heal our son! He’s just a baby!”

  “Take back our home!!”

  Rigel, Olivia, and Ellyn were taken aback by the words being hurdled around after such an entrance, and Owen softly smiled at them as he understood the group’s reaction.

  “That’s how it goes here. I trust you know what’s going on, right?”

  “Ah. Err-” Olivia stuttered, “Yeah, the situation... It’s just...”

  “What is it?”

  “The Princess being so important... It’s a bit worrying that she is here in the middle of a crowd that might just explode in a huge fight over her interference.”

  “Right. An attempt on her life would truly be the last straw for many in Vigram, which is why Finglaneon and the Lamiegian soldiers have promised to protect the princess and consider anyone on funny business as a traitor to the empire. So that won’t be happening today... I hope.”

  “Not very reassuring.” Ellyn sighed.

  “Eeeh, maybe. But that’s neither here nor there for us. Let’s get on moving already.”

  The group then walked away from the crowd and headed into the military district. Though, Ellyn felt something wasn’t right... Her senses were fine-tuned for battle, to detect danger and find weak spots in her enemy. It was all part of the Northern God, The God of War’s Blessing and among the most useful things that came from him.

  Those magically amplified senses were firing off all at once, calling her attention somewhere. It wasn’t danger... specifically, but something else that Ellyn found hard to describe. They told her to look to somewhere, to find something, but where? And what?

  She looked high and low, left and right in search of the source of it. What could cause her to feel like this?

  Then...

  “Ah!”

  Her eyes landed on the Princess. Her senses, still in disarray, came into place once she looked directly at the noble girl. Nothing else registered for the raven-haired girl at that moment, only the visage of the saint…

  What troubled her, however...

  “...” Was the fact that she was looking straight at her, too.

  It wasn’t noticeable to others thanks to the veil on her face. Yet Ellyn could feel with every bone that the saint had noticed her, and she in return gazed back at her. Even though she was still walking along with the escorts, her eyes were fixed on the raven-haired girl. She had no doubts about it.

  Ellyn did not know what to make of it, yet she felt uncomfortable by the intense gaze aimed only at her. How did she notice her? Why did she notice her? What are her intentions? If she knew, then perhaps her senses wouldn’t be so alarmed.

  “Hey Ellyn! Don’t fall behind!” Rigel shouted, his voice suddenly dragging her back to earth.

  “Hm. Yeah, I... I’m coming!”

  She shook her head and ran quickly over her allies as she tried her best to focus on the task at hand. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to see nor think about the princess ever again.

  The Princess watched as the raven-haired girl disappeared from sight. She wondered why her eyes locked into her the way they did, or why all of her body's senses told her to look that way.

  Something deep inside told her, or rather, her own self told her to pay attention to that person. Surprisingly, soon after doing that, the girl stared back almost instantly, despite the veil that covered her face, the large amounts of people, and the distance between them. She felt her own gaze across everything and she was even sure their eyes met.

  Even when other objects and places made the energies of within her soul stir, she never had felt how a singular person could make take dominance of her attention so decisively—shutting everything else in the world for a brief second.

  She did not know why that was the case, and she didn’t have the time to fret over it now that the girl was gone.

  The Princess, however, was not someone to leave without answers.

  “Princess, over here please, we must not keep Finglaneon waiting.” One of her escorts said.

  She eagerly anticipated meeting this person again.

  The Western District of Finglas was, in one word: Rough.

  While not a particular marble in architecture, each building in Finglas was at least well-preserved. That was certainly not the case for the western district of the city. There were a noticeable number of buildings that were in dire need of restorations and maintenance—In short, from what she saw in comparison with the other two districts... This one sucked.

  It was probably the oldest of the districts, which in a way, showed the city’s history as a former fortress made long before Ellyn’s grandparents were even born. The streets were also comparatively empty. Everyone guessed it was because of the event happening in the city, but even still... it was empty here—few to no people level of empty. Such an environment was an invitation for less than savory characters to cause mischief to anyone unfortunate enough to be their target. Even in a place such as a western district, when the conditions were right, those dangers would always be present.

  ...At least it wasn’t so noisy anymore.

  “Over there.” Owen said.

  Their walk finally came to an end at the gates of a long, single-story building. Wide and gray, it looked more like as a storage facility than what a guild.

  Above the door there was a sign that read “Vigram’s Lamiegal’s Vigram’s Lamiegal’s Vigram’s (You Animals) Lamiegal’s (Fuck Off!) Mercenaries & Adventurers Guild.” As well as all sorts of posters next to each side of the door that asked to recruit people to mercenary bands and adventuring groups—As well as more colorful language for each nation.

  Ellyn, Rigel, and Olivia stared at the sign for a solid minute before Owen called back their attention.

  “Alright. Olivia, care to come with me inside?”

  “Eh? Just me?”

  “Since you are your group... ‘Leader’, I guess, I thought it would be better if you are there to speak. I’ll introduce you to the guys that may join your cause before trying our luck with the others.”

  While they agreed to make Olivia their ‘leader’, Rigel and Ellyn looked at each other before stepping forward in protest.

  “Why can’t we come all three?”

  “Wouldn’t it be safer if we all go together?”

  Owen scratched his head, “I know it’s a hassle but bear with me here; these idiots can get really unbearable at times. If they see the clients are a bunch of ‘kids’ they might just tell you to piss off. With just me and the stick girl over here, they have less room to maneuver.”

  “Pft!” Ellyn chuckled.

  “S-stick?! What do you mean by that?!”

  “I mean, you’re built like a stick—like a young girl who just stretched upwards but not sideways.” He said, his nonchalant voice somehow made it sting worse.

  Olivia tried to protest, but she was promptly stopped by Owen who signaled to come with him already. One look to her Rigel and Ellyn confirmed that they reluctantly agreed to the situation, leaving her without much to say.

  “Let’s go, the sooner we are done here the less I’ll have to hear about their crazy rantings and other dumb shit.”

  “We’ll be waiting here. Don’t worry.”

  “Right. We’re counting on you. Olivia.”

  Olivia was quiet for a moment, then nodded; a strong look in her eyes was enough confirmation that she was ready. For the good of her people, and herself, she entered the building alongside Owen, disappearing from sight once the door closed.

  Now, Ellyn and Rigel were left wondering what to do in the meantime.

  About an hour had passed, and they were still outside waiting for Olivia and Owen to return. Rigel had walked off to sit at a high staircase a few meters away from the building. Ellyn remained in her own spot with her eyes lost in the myriads of buildings that ascended further north. In particular, the castle that rose from above any other construction. There was no particular reason for her as to why that building. Perhaps marveling at the architecture would be a good way to ignore her own thoughts should they arise—or maybe it was just boredom.

  Whatever the case, the quietness of the place was most welcome indeed. The last few days had been quite eventful, sometimes too eventful for someone like her. Admittedly, part of her had been going through the motions in such a way that she had barely any moment to think about disliking noise and crowded spaces, all with the purpose of achieving that one goal: atoning for the sins she committed.

  Now she had a chance to catch her breath, and while she didn’t appreciate her mind running wild with all those troublesome thoughts... being able to decompress felt incredible.

  “Hey, Ellyn.”

  Ellyn turned around and saw Rigel sitting next to her at the edge of the step, his hand presenting her an apple cut in half.

  “Do you want some?”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “I asked Owen if I could take one, he handed me a butter knife and said it was fine.”

  “Ah, well, thank you. I’ve gotten a bit hungry.”

  The two of them, now sharing the food, ate slowly before Rigel once again broke the silence.

  “Ellyn, I’ve been meaning to ask you... What are you going to do?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean. Should we actually manage to beat up the bandits... What are you going to do next?”

  “...I haven’t thought about it.”

  “Right... Right...”

  He looks down dejectedly. At a loss of what to say, he continued his apple.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Well... I’ve been thinking about what the bandits might do after all of this. I can’t help but think they might take revenge, and we would be defenseless to stop it, and without strong people to keep them away…”

  Ellyn was about to reply “That’s what is most likely to happen.” on reaction, but as soon as she turned her head to face him; She saw his restless and nervous demeanor written from head to toe—It made her rethink her choice of words.

  “...I don’t think it will happen. Not with the force we might muster out of this. It seems Owen knows where to get the correct people for what is coming ahead, so you can rest assured that the village is in good hands. You can leave everything to us.”

  She tried to sound as discreet as she could, but in such matters, it was difficult for her to not sound cold and distant. It made her wish there was a fun book to make fun of or something to tease him about. Just to bring out her more cheerful side. Certainly, that would help him relax more than her awful, ever-prevalent serious side.

  “Right... You are right... I guess I’m worried about having to fight them soon.”

  “What are you talking about? You are too young to take part in a bloody affair like this. You should just make sure your mother is safe in Marco’s home. That house is sufficiently away from the village itself, right? It would be best if you hid there.”

  “What are you even saying...? There is no way I can hide when this is happening. I want to help out here and then make a name for myself to give back to my family. Besides, you are going to fight too, don’t you? Why wouldn’t I help when I know all my friends are going to protect the place I also live in?”

  His voice wavered as if attempting to laugh. She, instead, remained serious as ever. To Ellyn, it was unusual to see the easy to anger, snappy Rigel like this. However, she would not back down on her opinion on the matter for the sake of kindness.

  “Because you are far too young. I have no alternative if I want to atone… you don’t need to sully your hands.”

  Rigel looked down “To atone…”

  “...I want to atone for the sin of killing my family, Rigel. This cursed existence all called a ‘Blessing’ has done nothing for me. Ever. Helping to save your home is about the only thing I can do to at least do something good for once in my life.”

  “But it wasn’t your intention that your uncle…”

  “It doesn’t matter. I killed him anyway. He was the last of a family I almost cannot remember anymore.”

  Rigel did not know how to continue the conversation. It all had turned for the worse in a matter of seconds. However, he then came to understand something that always unsettled him about Ellyn. Something dangerous, something that was eating her from the inside. It was there since he met her, or rather, what was not there. He feared losing his friends and family, the place where he belonged, yet in front of him was someone who was already neck-deep in that difficult, twisting state and he cannot imagine how she could even continue.

  After all of that was lost, what did she have to drive her forward? The need to atone? He wondered if that was even a way to live in the first place, or if instead was just to look for a grave. He felt the answer was the latter, and it explained to him why Ellyn’s deeply saddened look distressed him so much; that girl was not just all that could happen to everyone in the village in less than ten days—she was also out of reach for him to help out of the mire, or so he felt.

  Rigel was a boy who held dearly to his dreams and loved ones, his every effort tied to those he loved most as his anchor. He wished nothing but to look after those that had looked after him.

  Yet there was someone who was already severed of everything they valued most in this world, and the thought of being in that position scared him. The realization that he was close to being in that position terrified him.

  And most of all; Ellyn had become one of those people he cared about, yet being unable to help her… It saddened him.

  Timidly, he raised his voice again, and asked one more time, “Then... what are you planning to do...? After all of this? After you’ve atoned...?”

  Ellyn looked straight ahead. She gazed at the long distance with no focus in particular, no place in sight. Her face unchanging. Her heart still.

  “I have not thought about it.” She replied with a cold voice.

  “Ellyn... please remember you have the strength to keep helping people after all of this. You don't have to let this one be the only time.”

  “I hardly think I can be of help to anyone with this power of mine. Not for good, anyways.”

  “Mn.” He shook his head, “You already have done a ton of good for us. Please remember that. You still can do so much more with your gifts and besides... I wouldn't like to see you bedridden again.”

  “...”

  Neither Rigel nor Ellyn spoke again until Olivia came back. They opted to end the conversation then and there, both looking at the distant scenery of the city.

  Rigel did think, however, that perhaps the reason Ellyn liked looking at places that were so far into the distance was because she longed to be somewhere far, far away.

  Somewhere her disturbed mind and spirit might finally rest.