Everyone turned to Artyom with looks of surprise.


    “What are you talking about?” scoffed Xerica. “Lensa’s father already told us it’s caused by the magic of the armor piece!”


    “You’re a mage, haven’t you taken a closer look at the undead?” asked Artyom. “Their necromantic energies are concentrated on a single point, that doesn’t happen with natural undead.”


    “Well nothing about the armor piece is natural, it’s beyond that,” she replied with a glare. “That’s why we’re collecting them.”


    “And the armor piece can make surrounding magic stronger, including what animated the undead,” said Lensa. “The goddess’ blessings are powerful. Even a small piece can bring about so much.”


    “I’ll admit the armor piece I found felt special, but it didn’t make me any stronger.”


    “It doesn’t make people stronger unless you have all the pieces, which is why we’re looking for the whole set. A single one can only affect the environment,” said Lensa.


    The others looked at the two women and began to lose interest in Artyom’s words.


    “Come on, let’s just head down there and grab the armor piece right now!” exclaimed Tommy, standing back up from his seat.


    Three of the other four ladies began to follow him as he walked towards the back of the room, but stopped when they saw one was missing from their number.


    “What’s wrong, Lensa?” asked the hero.


    “I mean…” the lavender haired woman began, not quite able to make eye contact with him or the others. “What if there’s another undead attack?”


    “What are the chances of that?” asked Ecole. “Come on, let’s just get this over with.”


    Lensa squirmed in her seat. “I mean, we just got here, and everyone here’s scared, maybe we could stay here for a bit longer and…”


    “Are you coming or not?!” asked Daisy in a frustrated half-shout.


    Lensa flinched, but didn’t say anything.


    Artyom looked on with surprise. This wasn’t something he expected from the group that decided to kill him without needing to exchange words. And yet now in the face of something personal, their foundation was shaking.


    Mean girls indeed.


    But at the same time, a minor undead attack occurring just as they arrived, and learning the supposed source was at the bottom of the town’s catacombs? It smelled like a trap.


    But a trap for Tommy or Artyom?


    Logically it would be for Tommy, but who was to say the others wouldn’t take it as an opportunity to kill Artyom in all the chaos? In terms of raw power, the others were far stronger than him, so they would be able to keep Tommy safe whether or not he came with them.


    Artyom put a hand to his chin. “So the question is whether I want to risk my life to take advantage of their weakness or avoid the obvious trap they’re laying for me down there.”


    “Hey Lensa,” said Artyom with a patient smile.


    She looked up with obvious irritation.


    The words on his lips made him feel it worse, but he knew this would be better in the long run. “You go on ahead, I’ll watch after the priests here and keep them safe.”


    Lensa looked… surprised.


    “Better make it Neitra as well,” said Daisy. “I’d rather trade both of you away to have Lensa along. Not that you’d do much of a better job than our girl at keeping everyone here safe, but I doubt they’d get attacked again.”Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Lensa looked between Artyom and the rest of the party, and finally at Daisy before running to her side. She then looked at Artyom and nodded while wording what looked a lot like “thank you” before walking off with the others.


    Once they were gone, Artyom looked at Neitra with a look of confusion. “Not going to speak up for yourself? You let Daisy walk all over you.”


    She shrugged. “I just want to help out as best I can, and this seems like the best place to do it. You look like you could use my help.”


    Artyom felt his eyelid twitch, but said nothing more as the two took a seat on the couch opposite the priest.


    “What amazing friends Lensa has made,” the old man said with a tired and shaken smile. “That they would look out for her so.”


    “I’m just doing what’s best for me as well,” said Artyom.


    “Worry not, my son. Only through cowardice can one show bravery, and you have wrought a good deed through yours.”


    “I’m not-” he began.


    Neitra began to giggle next to him.


    “Though I must confess,” said the priest with a despondent look. “I too was afraid, yet lacked the courage to send Lensa to go with her friends. Thank you again for helping my daughter.”


    Artyom nodded. “I have to ask though, when you say she’s your daughter-”


    “More of a daughter than any other girl who walks the goddess’ path, but not born from me,” said the priest. “She was left at the church’s front steps as a baby, and I adopted her. This place has been her home ever since.”


    Neitra glared at Artyom, and he saw it from his peripheral vision but didn’t face her. “Oh, I meant like how people usually call priests ‘father’, if that was supposed to be literal in this case.”


    The brunette looked away satisfied.


    “Strange, I’ve never heard of the practice before,” said the priest with an inquisitive look. “Do you perhaps come from far away?”


    “I heard that he’s from the Teccan empire,” Neitra chimed in.


    Artyom stiffened. Had the rumors from Trellisia really followed him this far?


    She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “If you need to use the restroom, maybe use the ocean instead of the toilet?”


    The man from Earth went red and put his hands to his face. “They’re all lies, don’t believe everything you hear on the street.”


    “But they sounded really-”


    Artyom cut her off mid-sentence and turned back to the priest. “I really do believe there’s a person responsible for the undead attack, and since I’m the only one who thinks that way, I want to start investigating when the rest of the party returns empty-handed after an ambush.”


    “Ambush?!” exclaimed Neitra. “Why aren’t we going with them if you think there’ll be one?”


    “I did the math, and it’s better if we stay here,” said Artyom. That math included the injuries he and the ladies would sustain when they inevitably tried to attack him down there, and how that would make it harder for them all to protect Tommy, but he didn’t say that out loud.


    “Oh,” said Neitra, looking down at her feet.


    Artyom rolled his eyes but still felt her reaction strike a soft spot. “The others wouldn’t be at their best if they were still upset with Lensa, and that would make it harder for them to protect Tommy.”


    Neitra visibly perked up at his comment.


    “So as I was saying, I wanted to ask if there’s anyone in town who’s a necromancer or looks suspicious. If not, then someone who’s recently moved here?”


    “Necromancer? Oh, goodness no, nothing like that!” the priest said while placing a hand to his chest. “And nobody here is suspicious either. However there is one resident who is quite new.”


    The other two looked on in interest, urging Lensa’s father to continue.


    “He’s a noble on leave staying at his vacation home further into town. However he’s a good sort and comes to church often, though he has complained about the orphanage in the past, but never in a way that is hurtful.”


    “Orphanage? I’m guessing you must run it,” said Artyom.


    “Not me, that would be Sister Elery.”


    “Then why does Lensa call you her father when she was given there?”


    The priest looked at him with confusion before wincing. A moment later, whatever discomfort he felt was gone and he smiled at the two. “Something about Lensa felt special, as if the goddess was telling me to take her under my wing, and so I did! And it turned out I was right.”


    Artyom nodded politely, but didn’t bother hiding his frown. The priest seemed to ignore it and kept smiling back.


    Before the man from Earth could ask another question, a series of loud footsteps began to echo out from the back of the building, leading to the room they were in.


    Neitra pulled out a dagger and readied it while Artyom began to channel his magic.


    The door burst open and Tommy and the rest of the party came in.


    “Bad news,” said the hero. “The catacombs didn’t have a single undead and the armor piece was missing!”


    Despite the four ladies staring daggers at Artyom to keep his mouth shut, he gave Tommy an unsurprised look. “Hmm, I got one out of two, I think that still counts. Told ya so.”