《Born from a divine gamble》


 -2 Thundering pass battle

    Years before Emperor was born, in B¨ºt¨¦clair, something happened that changed the future of the whole Steelwood empire. A simple battle turned into a disastrous victory.


    Chinui had received a scouting report saying that the migration path of the five thousand strong keradon herd had somehow changed and instead of going north of the hills towards the thorn woods, it had turned southward. That course would lead them right at the heart of the Artefine kingdom.


    He had to deal with this swiftly but there was a small problem. The emperor happened to be visiting B¨ºt¨¦clair, city from where Chinui was commanding the troops. The emperor was in a good mood that day and asked to go with him to see the battle. After all, it had been a long time since the two friends had taken part in an event together.


    Chinui had accepted since it was a wish of his emperor and friend but, he knew this would only bring him more trouble. He had only planned to send two legion of spearmen and bowmen that would have been lead by a local duke but, since the emperor was coming as well, he had to send the whole army stationed in B¨ºt¨¦clair. Instead of sending six thousand soldiers, he had to send almost fifteen thousand and of course, he would have to lead them himself. All of this for the emperor''s protection but also, because he was right. He did not have as much time to spend with him as he did in the past and missed the good times he shared with him in the past.


    Since they were only dealing with a herd of wild beast, Chinui did not bring neither mages nor cavalry with the troops. The cost of bringing the mages was too great compared to the small enemy they had to push back and the cavalry wasn''t useful in the rocky hills of northern Artefine.


    The keradon wasn''t that smart of a creature. They were large, strong and almost unstoppable while they ran but, they had a poor vision, were fearful beasts and were no smarter than a cow. The one charging in front chose the path and the rest followed. There was no tactic involved into fighting them, you only had to force them to turn around or kill them all.


    Usually, the keradons lived most of the year in the plains of the tribes-land. Then, when approaching the peak of summer, they moved west until they reached the fresh air coming from the sea. They enjoyed the breeze for a while, gave birth north of the Thornwoods and went back to the tribes-land afterwards.


    Looking at the map, the path they would take should have been obvious. If they did not take their usual route, they would cut between the hills near Burnston village and follow the path down towards the howling Hill. He would intercept the herd there since such a large amount of troops couldn''t go any faster.


    Chinui moved the troops as swiftly as he could but once he reached Dark-glint, he received some more strange news. The herd did not go through the planned route and instead ran straight towards Burnston.


    This disturbed the great general. Their path did not make sense. Going that way would lead them back eastward through the Thundering pass. They were supposed to go west. Why were they turning around? He changed his plans and moved the troops toward the Thundering pass. He also gave the order to abandon Burnston village and send more scouts to find out what caused such a strange behavior.


    The troops were forced to move twice as fast to reach the pass before the herd, if they let them through here, there would not be anywhere else to corner them. Every fields in the plains of Artefine would be ravaged by the trampling of the herd.


    Those were all the reasons that led Chinui and his troops here at the end of the Thundering pass. On their left, hills with sharp and brittle slopes made it impossible to climb, on their right burnt trees and a labyrinth of splintered rocks and displaced boulders made sure the herd would not go that way. If they really wanted to move forward, they would have to go through the four legions he brought.


    There wasn''t much time left before the beasts arrived but Chinui was still undecided on how to proceed. The scouts had not come back, he felt blind. What took them so long?


    As he awaited the scouts return, he walked around the frontline to see how the soldiers were keeping up. He met up with the captains of each company one by one to see for himself if something was wrong. Aside from how tired they were from the march, everything seemed in order.


    Chinui''s brother, Chijou, was one of the captains present.


    "Great general, sir!" Chijou said with a salute when Chinui approached his company.


    "Don''t sir me Chijou. How are your men?" Asked Chinui casually.


    "Tired but they''ll be all right." He said with a grin. "There was a lot of complains about burnt smell."


    "That''s to be expected here, there''s nothing I can do about it."


    "I know but that won''t stop them from complaining."


    "How about you give each of them a good kick? That ought to help." Joked Chinui.


    "You''re the only one here who feels like a kick is motivating, brother."


    "Well, at least it''s refreshing for the one kicking."


    "Of course you would feel that way, you aren''t the one receiving them so often."


    "That''s because you sleep too much! How many times do I have to tell you to wake up with the sun!"


    "But that''s useless, there''s no point in getting up with the sun if you are to feel tired for the whole day. I still think you should sleep more and let me be for a little longer."


    "Nonsense, you''re such a bad example for your men, if you don''t get up, how are they expected to do it?"


    "I may be a bad example but at least I have a girl waiting for me." Said Chijou, retaliating with the fact that his brother was still single.


    "Yes, and she will wait for a very long time if you just keep sleeping so much."


    Chijou let out something between a laugh and a sigh and changed the subject.


    "Speaking of my almost fiance, what do you think of the swords she made us?"


    "A good pair, she is talented. The enchantments on them are practical, the balance is good, the length perfect for us and the blade deadly."


    "Right? That is an incredible Holia''s offering! I can''t wait to see what she is going to do next. I can''t go anywhere without Night anymore."


    "Day is one of the best blades I ever used, it''s just a little... savage."


    "Savage? Sure it''s not designed quite traditionally but don''t describe something my girlfriend made as savage!"


    "Why not? It perfectly describes them."


    It wasn''t an insult, Chinui genuinely felt that there was no point in a sword looking good if it could not cut properly. Those two swords, Night and Day (1), looked a little raw but their edge was sharper and more reliable than what he usually saw in the capital.


    "You are terrible today. What is it you ate this morning? I''ll ask the cooks to never do that again."


    "That has nothing to do with what I ate. I just don''t get what is happening and the scouts didn''t come back."


    "You think there''s something more?"


    "I''m sure there is, they would never turn around like that on their own, there is something else."


    "Should we make barricades in case we need them? Trenches?"


    "No, it will only tire your soldiers more. Start Putting down spikes at an angle to lead them toward the center. Send some men to get the others to do the same and be ready to move in case we have to."


    "Got it. I''ll see you after the battle and we''ll have a talk about finding you a wife." Chijou made a salute and turned around to lead his troops.


    "You sure about that? You''ll probably be asleep by then."


    "Again? Leave me be, I''m not twelve anymore, I can sleep for as long as I want."


    "It should be the opposite, you are not twelve anymore, I shouldn''t have to tell you to wake up."


    Chijou just made a dismissive gesture with his hand and Chinui went back to the commanding pavilion. That was the last time he saw his brother alive.


    The flags of Steelwood empire, Muracier house, Grandbois house and the Artefine kingdom flew together around its entrance. On them were a crenelated tree, a crenelated wall, a large three over a mountain and a feather over a parchment respectively.


    Bellow the flags stood an old man in military uniform. He saluted Chinui when he saw him approaching.


    "Great general, sir!"


    "Sir duke Jasay, you can stand down."


    Duke Jasay was the one who was supposed to be in charge before the emperor decided to join. He was an half bald old man who did not have much energy left but knew his way around a battlefield. He had been in the army for a long time, and followed three generation of Muracier in combat.


    "Since no one came to find me, I will guess that the scouts didn''t find anything?"


    "This right sir, a third of them who went for the herd came back but didn''t see a thing. Those who went for the Burnston village said that it was burnt to the ground. They be looking for survivors in the hills behind." Said the old man with a strange accent and a smile.


    "Burnt? This whole thing is getting weirder and weirder. Are you sure that is what the scout said?"


    "Aye, burnt he said, not destroyed or abandoned, burnt."


    "Why are you looking so happy about this?"


    "This be my last battle sir. "You be too old for this" said my family. Now, it seems I''m so old they gonna make me an ancient. They found me a place in the school. I''m to be the new principal."


    "You will be the one to teach all those young and foolish nobles?"


    "I''m not the one whose gonna do the teachin, and you be one of those foolish nobles too once. The worst of them even."


    Chinui grinned at the old man and wished him good luck before he went in to meet with the rest of the commanding officers.


    Inside, a group of men were waiting for him in the company of the emperor. There were two generals here, the general Averton, in charge of the right wing, and Chinui''s cousin, in charge of the reserves. The left wing would be lead by the Duke and Chinui was in control of the center.


    The rest of the present people were of lower ranks but Chinui valued most of their opinions, when they had some to offer. Against the keradons, they didn''t have much to say, the fight should be quite straightforward.


    After a quick salute, everyone stood waiting for the words of the great general. Everyone aside from the Emperor who sat on the only chair present and immediately spoke his mind.


    "Chinui my friend, what are we doing? Is it not strange to wait for something to happen?"


    "My lord, there is nothing I can do if I don''t know what is coming at us. For now, I asked the troops to place downs walls of spikes to funnel the keradons in a line easy to take out. For the rest, we will have to wait."


    "Sir, if I may, I disagree." Spoke a man standing close to the emperor. "What could possibly pose a threat to our whole army? We should just press on and clash with them as soon as possible in case they change their path again."


    Chinui answered his cousin, Graube Muracier with a frown. He was always doing this, arguing against everything he did. Sometimes he was right, but most of the times, Chinui felt that his tendency to charge in blindly was, at best, dangerous.


    "The goal isn''t to defeat them as fast as possible. The goal is just to push them back as safely as possible. There is no reason for us to move up general."


    "But we could at least move some archer companies up in the rocks to our east to thin out their number before they reach us." Proposed the emperor.


    "We could." Answered Chinui politely. "But the scouts haven''t found why the herd turned around yet. Our best course of action is still to reinforce the line and wait for them to return."


    "Why are you so sure they aren''t just acting on stupidity? You have no idea what caused them to turn. Maybe their usual path was just blocked and they got lost in the hills."


    "Forgive me but you don''t know either, a bunch of keradons cannot burn down a village. There is something wrong with them."


    "But Burnston is a mining village, a coal mining village. They probably burned it down themselves by accident as they ran away from the herd." Argued Graube. "We should do as the king said and split off our archers on the side. The beasts will never run in that labyrinth."


    "And I tell you that if there is indeed something else with them, our archers will be left defenseless. It is not worth the risk. We will put down the spikes and line up spearmen behind them in a large V shape. The herd will just run into the tip of that V and get stuck there with spearmen and archers on either side."


    "You''re always doing that, camping in your fortifications like a turtle instead of pressing on when you have the advantage."


    "Yes because it''s foolish to run forward when you don''t know what''s up there. That''s why you are not the one with the title of great general."


    Graube inhaled deeply and quite audibly with a flare of his nostrils, visibly angry at his cousin. The emperor, undoubtedly feeling a little uncomfortable in this atmosphere, excused himself.


    "Well, come tell me if something happens or the battle starts."


    The emperor rose from his seat and everyone in the pavilion bowed to him as he left. Those left in the pavilion were forced to assist to the usual bout between the cousins. The argument continued for a short while before Chinui finally dismissed everyone, telling them one final time to wait for more information before moving.


    After that, the only thing Chinui himself could do was wait as well. Outside, long wooden spikes were unloaded from the supply carts and planted along the pass. Any keradon that would run into them would end up impaled, or at least, slowed. The soldiers were taking turns working and resting hoping to get some energy back before the fight. The air in the pass was dry and dust flew down the hills to choke the soldiers but the mood was good. Moral was high and soldiers sang whatever came to their minds as they worked.


    Then, one of the scouts came back, there were more enemies than expected but still no clue as to why they were coming this way. Chinui asked for the information to be relayed and waited again. Not long after, someone came in to inform him that the emperor had grown restless from the last news.


    He told the messenger to send any high ranked officer to reassure him while he awaited more conclusive information. He could go see him himself but he didn''t want any delay if the scouts brought bad news.


    An hour later, a second scout came in. They found a survivor from Burnston, he said he saw giant wolves. Why would there be giant wolves there? Wondered Chinui. Just in case, he asked for the general Averton, in charge of the right wing to place troops at the border of the rocky maze. The wolves would not be put off by it but could instead use it as an advantage and flank them. He still needed this information to be confirmed, he waited again.


    Finally, a last wave of scouts came back as a dust cloud formed by the herd trampling could be seen rising from the other end of the pass. Cursed-bloods riding giant wolves were spurring the keradons onward. There was around two hundred of them. This was the explanation, The herd had been guided to act as a weapon for the cursed-bloods. The original plan would be fine, the herd could be easily contained and at worse, the cursed-bloods would try to flank them.


    He went outside and barked the necessary orders.


    "Every company at their assigned position in the line, the break is over! Archers wait for the signal to fire!"


    The ground in the pass was too flat meaning he could not see the front line from where he stood but he expected his troops to act in a well coordinated way like usual. He advanced slowly towards the tip of the V where the brunt of the enemy force was expected to hit. The moment he got on the frontline, he saw that something wasn''t right.


    First, he saw arrows raining down on the enemy from the right side, from the rock maze. Then, he saw the not so distant wolf riders detach from the herd and charge into the maze after the archers that should not have been there.


    Chinui scanned what he could see of the battlefield, looking for the missing soldiers. He quickly found it. There was a gap in the line on the right side. Someone had failed to lead his company to its designated place and somehow found themselves in the maze. A messenger came running to him with the news.


    "Sir great general, sir! The twelfth company isn''t at its post and can''t be found, General Averton requesting reinforcements to fill in the breach."


    The twelfth? It was his brother over there trapped with the wolves! He needed to rescue him, he felt the urge to run there himself, but, thousands of other men were awaiting his orders to fix the unexpected mess. He had to focus on the battle.


    A single look was enough to know that if he sent reinforcements there, they would never make it in time before the enemy got in. They were charging full speed ahead and were about to reach the end of the line.


    "No time. Make the whole line move to the right to fill it! We move to the right! Reserves take the middle point! Tell Averton to move the maze line into it to rescue the lost company!"


    Sending in part of the right wing was the best he could do for his brother right now. Voices of soldiers echoed in the pass.


    "Move to the right!"


    "Fill the gap! Faster, they''ll get in!"


    "They''re here! Move!"


    Chinui watched with a mix of sorrow and anger as the eleventh company ran into the breach to fill it. They did not have the time. The whole herd saw the gap and turned to face it, ramming headfirst into the unprepared spearmen.


    "Release the arrows, fire!"


    "Turn the formation! Face the enemy!"


    "They''re getting through!"


    "Charge! Fill the gap at all costs!"


    The army was quickly getting cut in half with the right side sandwiched between the herd and the wolf riders. The general Averton, seeing his whole line collapse signaled the retreat into the maze and the wolf riders, trying to get his men out of the way of the charging keradons. Between a bunch of giant wolves and hundreds of charging giants woolly rhinos, he chose the wolves.


    Hundreds of soldiers moved in the narrow passages, walking on each other''s feet and destroying their formation instantly. Stuck there with no space to move, they desperately tried to go forward to let in those that still tried to get in. A large and incoherent group of disorganised soldiers clumped the side of the pass as they tried to get out of the way of the herd.


    Arrows poured down from the left wing killing dozens of keradons but they were not enough to slow down the herd. They advanced so quickly that Graube was forced to used the reserves as a second line in the back to contain them instead of filling in the center. The choc was brutal as the keradons charged through the spear wall and trampled over the men.


    Taller and larger than any horses, their short legs made them hard to topple. They had a long and smooth horn sprouting from their forehead but they didn''t need to use them in their mad charge. They only needed to walk over the soldiers, crushing them under two tons of meat and fur.


    Few would have ever believed that an usually so peaceful creature would become the Artefine army''s nightmare


    Chinui Led a charge from the side in an attempt to slow down the herd. The keradons, pushed from one side was displaced towards Averton who did his best to reform his remaining troops into the maze while defending from all sides.


    Chinui used his long sword Day to cut down the legs of the passing beasts, slowly moving forward in a field of dying mountains of flesh. On either sides of him, hundreds of spearmen planted their weapons into the sides and necks of the animals slowly thinning out the herd.


    The smell of wet fur and musk filled the air and overpowered the usual smell of blood one would expect from a battlefield. The shouts and orders could barely be heard over the rumbling of the earth as thousands of waist thick legs pounded into it without pause. the thundering pass itself only made it worse as, true to its name, every sound made here echoed again and again producing a deafening thundering sound.


    Every time a keradon died, it blocked the path of the others behind it, forcing them to push the body out of the way or run around. Since they were so densely packed, it often resulted into them ramming the corpse of their brethren and getting stuck there.


    It was at this time that more bad news came into his ears from screams echoed around the battlefield.


    "Bear tribe warriors running down the left hills!"


    "Enemies about to hit the left wing!"


    "Archers move forward! Spearmen in the back!"


    "Don''t let them charge the archers!"


    This entire battle was a disaster. The duke Jasay on the left reacted in time and the bear tribe was intercepted by spears and swords but the right wing was worsening.


    The herd finally stopped its mad charge, stuck behind twice as many dead keradons, but still blocked the way between the center and the remnants of Averton''s troops. Once the echoes of their charge finally died, the screams of agony coming from the maze made themselves heard through the pass.


    In the maze, it was almost impossible to see the wolves coming. They were using a hit and run tactic with great effectiveness, killing off the soldiers one by one while the spears of the humans got stuck everywhere in the narrow passages.


    Averton ordered many times to use the swords but the soldiers were afraid to attack something twice their size with swords. and often got their arms bitten off before they could react.


    In the maze, the advantage of number did not exist, the many winding passages were too narrow to let more than one or two soldiers through at a time, forcing them to fight off the wolf riders alone. Worse, they were so many and so densely packed they hampered each other and prevented their comrades from opposing any meaningful resistance.


    The wolfs on the other hand were nimble and flexible, fast and fearless. They squeezed through the smallest of paths, taking soldiers by surprise before running off again. Often, they just jumped over the rocks and came at the soldiers from above, changing paths as they pleased while the soldiers got stuck in a thousand dead ends.


    There was no one left to send their way to help since Graube''s reserves where in taters as well after they had absorbed the charge of the keradon herd. The only thing Chinui could do was force the herd to turn around to free a way for him to rescue the right wing.


    When the herd finally managed to turn around on itself and ran from whence they came to escape this death trap, Averton finally managed to get back out of the maze and fix the ranks of his troops. Chinui ordered all remaining archers from this side of the battlefield to shoot at any wolf riders that would come on top of the rocky labyrinth. Then, he advanced with the center and led the first company into the jagged labyrinth. The first company wasn''t afraid of the maze nor the giant wolves, they were not the first for nothing.


    On either sides of the soldiers, rocks of all shapes and sizes formed walls and holes no man would dare brave alone. Every couple of feet, they were forced to go around a new rock, and another one again. They would have lost themselves quickly if not for their comrades advancing with them.


    They pressed on into the maze as the army outside decisively routed the bear tribe. One by one, the soldiers of the first company cornered the wolf riders from the wolf tribe and killed them to avenge their lost comrades.


    Chinui himself fought many, including the pack leader, wearing wolf skin and armed with a great stone axe. Cornered in a dead-end, the pack leader let out a war cry and ordered his mount to charge Chinui. Since there was no place to dodge, Chinui counter attacked instead.


    The horse sized wolf jumped forward and turned its head to bite at his neck but Chinui waved his sword just as the wolf got close enough for him to see down its throat. Day went through the palate of the great wolf and pinned it to the wall of the passage. The momentum of the beast did not let it stop and the sword cut through its head and brain as the animal almost smashed against Chinui.


    The wolf rolled over Chinui and crashed against the wall behind him, sending its rider tumbling in the passage. Chinui himself did not get hit with too much strength, his sword having absorbed most of the impact.


    The pack leader swiftly got back up, mostly unarmed, and Chinui removed his sword from the rock with a terrible screeching noise. The pack leader revealed his four sharp canines with a low growl of anger, his large ears flat against his head and his tail straight with focus. They had nothing to say to one another. Since his wolf was dead, there was no way for him to leave this battlefield alive he could only take down as many humans as possible with him, starting with the one in front of him.


    He charged swiftly and started the fight with an overhead smash, hoping to cut his opponent in half with a single swing. Chinui backstepped to dodge and when the axe bit down into the rock floor, he went forward again to cut the arm of pack leader at the elbow.


    Unexpectedly, the axe did not get stuck but bounced off the ground with a loud clunk instead. The cursed-blood used the momentum to not only parry the attack by hitting the sword from bellow but also break Chinui''s balance. The back of the axe smashed against his hand and sent his sword high in the air. The wolf used the opportunity to kick Chinui in the stomach and prepared to send his axe down for a second and final swing.


    Chinui had been very surprised by the bounce but the follow up was too slow and the kick too weak. A harder kick would have been possible for the cursed-blood but with his axe raised in the air, he would have lost his own balance as well.


    Chinui, unaffected by the kick did the opposite of what was expected of him and rushed forward, inches away from his enemy. The pack leader did not know how to react, his axe was in the air and chinui was too close to him to be chopped in half.


    The cursed-blood snarled and jumped backwards but Chinui was too fast and sliced his neck open while he did. The winner had been decided. It had not been a question of talent or cunning. Only raw speed had chosen who would live and who would die.


    The axe fell with all the remaining strength of the dying cursed-blood, slicing hairs away from Chinui''s face. Once again, the axe bounced off the ground but this time, the wolf tribe warrior did not have the strength to control it. The stone axe bounced, spun out of his hands and clanked around longer than it took for its wielder to fall dead before it stopped.


    Chinui left the two corpses and the equipment there and resumed his search of the maze. He had no time to spare for cursed-bloods. They quickly routed the remaining wolf riders who quickly left on the back of their swift mounts.


    Chinui moved further and further in the labyrinth, looking for his brother. At some point, later, someone called from the depths of the maze, they had found the lost company. Chinui went there with the first company and witnessed the bloody scene. The twelfth company, primarily made of archers, had been wiped out. They had been forced to break and flee into the maze where they had been hunted by the wolves.


    Corpses were found everywhere in the maze and gathered in the thundering pass. Chinui watched in silence as the corpses were placed in the pass one by one.


    Beside him, officers were counting the numbers. Eleventh company, disastrous losses, almost wiped out. Tenth company, half remaining. Reserves one two and three, five hundred dead, six hundred injured. Company thirteen fourteen and fifteen, four hundred dead, a hundred still lost in the maze, possibly dead. Left flank, minimal losses. Center, minor losses and some injuries. Twelfth company, no survivors.


    Chinui could barely believe what had happened that day. The more bodies they dragged in front of him, the more the colors drained from his face. The more reports came in the stronger his rage boiled.


    They had won, they had defeated the bear tribe and the wolf tribe and forced the keradon herd to turn back. But, he could read it on every faces, there was no joy, there was only consternation and puzzlement. What had happened? He could see the question hanging from their minds and mouths as he could only think the same.


    Finally, they brought back the corpse of his own brother and laid it in front of him. It was a spear that killed him in the end. While most of his troops died by the vicious bites of the giant wolves, Chijou died from a spear that pierced through his chest. The spear had snapped, half of it was still there, it''s quality was shoddy, made of wood and bones, typical of the tribes.


    Chinui stared at the face of his brother for a while. Unable to look away from his eyes, devoid of emotions. Chinui was so angry he could not comprehend how angry he was. Someone''s head had to roll for this catastrophe. He turned towards all the people working under him. There was anger and tension written all over their faces, they knew someone was to blame, they too wanted to know.


    "Who was it?" Chinui asked simply. Anger radiating out of him almost like a physical force. "Who was stupid enough to ask them to move? Who did not report the movement to Averton before it was too late?"


    The eyes of everyone present darted to everyone else, trying to find the clue that would lead them to the culprit. The eyes fell on Graube, Chinui''s cousin. He was the one who had approved of such a maneuver earlier.


    "Graube, tell me."


    It was a very simple question but Graube was frozen in place by it. He had never seen his cousin this angry in his whole life. In fact, he had never seen any member of his family this angry before. There was no doubt in his mind that Chinui would kill him on the spot if he dared give the wrong answer.


    "It''s true I argued for the idea before." He said while making himself as small as possible. "But it wasn''t mine and I didn''t give such an order."


    Chinui could not read any lies in his words but there was missing information.


    "Then who? Who is the traitor!"


    "Well..."


    As everyone present was about to beat him until he spit out the name, a voice of reason came from behind them to cool of their spirits.


    "We lost so many! Chinui, my friend, tell me what happened!"


    All the eyes turned to the emperor. All the eyes except for Chinui''s and Graube''s. Chinui could read it on the face of his cousin, the emperor had something to do with this catastrophe. Could it really be his best friend? Was the man he served all this time behind the catastrophe that befell him today? He answered the question of his emperor with one of his own.


    "Billow, was it you who moved the twelfth?"


    The eyebrows of everyone present raised in surprise as those of the emperor frowned of confusion.


    "Why, yes, I thought..."


    Chinui did not give him a chance to explain, interrupting him with a shout. Years of friendship were instantly forgotten in the face of his blinding rage. He hated the cowardice his friend had revealed that day, he abhorred his stupidity that led to the demise of his only brother but more than that, he despised how distrustful of him his childhood friend had to be to ignore his plan and do his own thing.


    "You thought? Who are you to go around issuing commands in ''MY'' army? You where here to see, not think! It was just a merry tour of the countryside for you well look at that! Is it not a sight to remember? Because of you the battle was a disaster!" Chinui was screaming so loudly that everything he said could be heard across the whole pass, echoing like thunder.


    "Chinui, calm down, I..." Said the emperor trying to appease him.


    "I have no reason to calm down!" Interrupted Chinui once again by screaming at the top of his lungs. "You, my best friend, you killed my brother with your stupidity! More than two thousand died! Why, by all the gods, did you not stay out of my battle!"


    "Chinui enough!" Shouted the emperor, finally angry as well. "Take back what you said and stop shouting this instant or you may not keep your title of great general until tomorrow! ''I'' am the emperor, not you, I go wherever I want, even on the battlefield!"


    "Because now oh sir great tactician over here thinks he can keep his throne without his great general? This is but wishful thinking!" As Chinui was screaming this, he fumbled to untie his commanding badge from his uniform. Once done, he didn''t spare a glance at it before he threw it at the feet of the emperor and finished what he had to say.


    "Go on, try. I''m done. As long as the empire will be lead by you, I refuse to commands its armies!"


    Chinui took the corpse of his brother in his arms and walked away. The emperor raised a hand toward his departing figure and called him one last time.


    "Chinui!"


    "I am not coming back!"


    Chinui knew those were the most childish things he had done and said in his entire life but he had no intention of taking back anything.


    None of the people present knew how to react. Everyone was struck dumb, the emperor in particular felt quite lost.


    (1) I almost called the swords sun and moon but it had a strong Pokemon feel to it for some reason.

 -1 Questions for the readers, please listen.

    Hi everyone, obviously this isn''t a chapter. I''m posting this to ask all of your opinions. I May remove this thing once I get enough feedback, or keep it for reference, who knows.


    Before I get to the meat of the subject, thank you for reading my story until chapter 36! I think it''s important to start with that. We''re entering a new ''arc'' so many things will happen and Emp will start learning real stuff soon, if it all goes according to plan.


    You see, Born form a divine gamble has been going on for four months now already but I''ve received overwhelmingly few comments on any of it. That said, I don''t know for you but I feel like comments are an important thing for a writer to use for improvement.


    So far, I gathered about three things from those very few comments. People don''t like Galana, people don''t like a story that is split in half (Don''t worry, I don''t plan on doing it again) and people like the small stories I rarely put out at the end of a chapter.


    Considering that, there are many things I would like to say and ask. You don''t have to answer everything of course, maybe only one of those things is important to you in that case just answer that one question. I know most of them are pretty vague but bear with me please, I''ve been completely blind up until now so there''s nothing I can focus my questions upon.


    ***


    *First of all,


    as I commented earlier on the latest chapter, I would like to point out that comments, both positive or negative really helps me out, even if you don''t have anything "worthy" to say. Don''t be shy, we are all friends here, we all love to read. Just a simple "loved it" or "too long" really would help me out. Do leave your thoughts in the comments at the end of the latest chapter. If you leave them on earlier chapters, it may take me a long while to see them because Webnovel doesn''t send me a notice when I receive a comment so the only way for me to check if I had some is to open every chapters one by one. By leaving your opinion on the latest chapter, I will see it much quicker. If you don''t receive an answer within a day, do not believe I do not care about what you said, I really do, I just missed it, I will see it eventually, at worse, a month after.


    ***


    *Then about the author thoughts.


    Since I like to talk, the author thought window at the end of the chapters felt too small for me and I migrated all my thoughts on Patreon. No one came to see them, there are 0 views on all of them. Either this means that no one cared enough about why I do things the way I do or you really find bothersome to follow a link.


    What do you feel I should do about this?


    Do you want me to revert back to constricted half-sentences in the small author thought box?


    Do you think it''s OK for them to be over on Patreon and if so, would you prefer me to place the patreon link somewhere else than in the Author thought box?


    Should I make a short version of what I want to say in that box and keep the detailed version up on patreon for those it might interest?


    ***


    *About the length and frequency of the chapters


    If we forget about the very long Red-water part, I''ve been trying to mostly release six-thousand words long chapters, twice a week. The current me can''t write faster than this in English which isn''t my native language.


    Do you think the chapters are too few and far between?


    Should I write shorter chapters for more releases each week or are you like me and you like long meaty chapters?


    Releasing one or two ''one-thousands words'' chapters a day might be easier than what I''m doing now but I''m afraid we''ll end up with way too many cliffhangers and half finished conversations.


    Then, are you upset I put out chapters of a second story out to gain myself some more time to write the chapters coming up next?


    Would you rather have no chapters at all than something different if I can''t figure out the layout and wording of the school chapters for a while?


    Or maybe you would like me to push through anyway even if those chapters feel janky?


    ***


    *About the story and characters themselves.


    Do you have some complain about the pace?


    Do you wish I detailed something more than I did or do you think that there is too much description?


    What are your views on the few fight scenes we had until now?


    What about the design of monsters?


    Are there too many girls around in the story?


    A lot of guys are introduced in the school arc that we just began. Will you be upset if Emp doesn''t get all the girls for himself or do you hate harems and would be glad if for once the side characters got the girls (or boys) they deserved?


    Am I spending too much time on things that seem pointless?


    Where would you like the story to go towards in the future?


    What do you expect to see?


    Is there something you really don''t want to see? For example, maybe you really don''t want Galana to become Emp''s wife. XD Maybe you don''t want to see important characters die or you dislike zombies, I don''t know, that''s why I''m asking.


    Do you think: "Emp isn''t gaining powers fast enough, you should do more time skips and jump to power gains when there is a slowdown." or do you think. "I like the journey more than the result, you should detail more of his interaction with the people around him and stop cutting it short to progress the story a bit, we want the full experience of the noob who doesn''t understand how the world turn."


    Are you tired of Emp being dumb and not understanding what is happening?


    Do you want Emp to stop around random parts of the world more often to have some butchered philosophical musing?


    Do you think his reaction about killing people was out of place, not traumatizing enough?


    Did he have it too easy until now? I didn''t want to put him up against really dangerous things until he had at least some powers to rely upon but maybe I was too soft on the guy?


    You saw some bad endings in the shorts at the end of some chapters but would you like some to happen to "real" characters that are actually part of the story? I have some plans for this later but I didn''t want to kill off all the cast, I have "TV show of a bored god" for that.


    I like to explain the backgrounds of characters a lot but maybe you don''t like to read them? Should I keep more backgrounds in the dark? Maybe I''m just doing it because I always get angry at stories when all the plot could have been resolved if that one character told his group his backstory beforehand.


    Do you want me to be a bit more adventurous in my descriptions? I don''t like to talk about hings I don''t know anything about like beer for example but maybe you''d like me to try anyway?


    Do you think some of the characters are way too two dimensional for you and if so, which one? I have really complicated notes on everyone but balancing between too much personality and not enough can be hard. If you feel that one of them seems wrong or uninteresting, call it out, it will be especially important in the school arc for me since I have around fifty characters to introduce and flesh out for the future.


    While we are here, if you think some part of the story happens just because I need it to happen or that it should just not happen at all, call it out as well. If it feels forced. It can happen sometimes that I am so focused on something that ''has'' to happen that I forget to place out a logical cause for this effect. Call the bullshit if there''s no way this would happen in your opinion. I''m not made out of paper, I can listen. if you are right, I will revise or add more explanation onto it. If you are wrong because you missed some old info, I''ll point it out for you and if you are wrong because I kept some secrets under my sleeve, I''ll giggle like a maniac.


    ***


    *About the wording, language, grammar


    As you know, my true language is French. Since I have no editor and do everything by myself, I does happen that I make some dumb mistakes. Forgive me for those but also, if you tell me, I will fix the chapter. There are many things I never understand from English, for example, why English takes a uppercase or why feet doesn''t take an "s" at the end despite there being two of them and the way people tend to say that word out loud, pronouncing an "s" that isn''t there. I always forget to write "I", I write "i" instead almost 90% of the time and I have to to spot them all in the last correction before the chapter goes out.


    I am not perfect, help me out when you feel I''m butchering your language.


    Also, I don''t know all the words, sometimes, I just look for a synonym or call out for google translate''s help which is never a good idea. Some words or expressions may get overused because I don''t know how to replace them. If you notice and have a good local saying or a replacement for them, tell me, I am more than interested on hearing them.


    Should I install Grammarly on my computer? I keep getting advertising of this on youtube.


    Also, maybe you''d like me to change the way I write dialog? I have been going with "" and no tabs before them until now but maybe you''d like something else instead that would be more visible maybe, easier to read?


    ***


    *About the title, synopsis and tags of the story.


    Do you think the title and synopsis are alright or are they misleading or bad ins some way? Do you have an opinion at all on this?


    Did you give the story a go despite the synopsis or because you were intrigued by it? Should I add any tags, currently there are none but is it even worth it to add some?


    ***


    *Do you want me to interact with you more in some way I haven''t thought about? Since no one comments, no one goes to discord and no one goes to Patreon, I feel that either you mostly don''t care or none of those places are to your convenience. There''s around 2500 of you, surely there must be some that want to say something.


    You see, it''s really scary to move forward with a project when you have all those questions constantly floating in your head and no one seems to think anything of them.


    I''m just aiming to improve myself and provide you a better entertainment in the hopes that my viewership will grow and lead me somewhere in life.


    Also, as an end note: if you feel like you would be a patron but you don''t like the benefits I''m offering tell me, I''ll find something. I would like to rely on Webnovel more but unless I make it to the top somehow, I receive nothing at all from here. Id'' like to say I will keep this up forever but I can''t, I''m already 26, eventually, I will have to get a "real" job and cut the "unrewarding nonsense" as my father gently put it for me.


    Paddle faster or sink is what it seems to be like here.


    And if you answer me, thank you, I appreciate the help.

 1 Emperor

    Somewhere in the depths of an old forest, a brand new existence became conscious that it had just gained consciousness. Lost in its own mind, this existence attempted to make sense of all the information that was trying to drown him. It was flooded in knowledge but could not remember having ever learned anything. In fact, it was very sure that before this moment, there had been nothing.


    More knowledge was being poured in its mind without pause, as if it would never stop. It first knew that he was a man, then, how to eat, how to walk, how to hold things between his fingers, then, the knowledge of even possessing fingers, followed by how to breathe. Realizing suddenly that he needed to breath in order to live, he took a deep gasping breath. Luckily, he possessed a body that was able to breath.


    "It''s working!" A deep voice exclaimed nearby.


    "Of course it''s working, why would it not work?" Answered a second sharper voice.


    A brief moment, which he felt dragged on for an eternity, passed by. In that moment, he vainly tried to make sense of all the information appearing in his mind and to organize it.


    His biggest problem was that the information wasn''t given to him in a logical way. For example, the concept of logic itself came to him before knowing how to breathe. His other worry was that he didn''t know if all that knowledge would be lost to him forever if he didn''t catch it immediately as it appeared in his mind. This forced him to try and analyse each little bit of knowledge, throttling it''s unstoppable flow as more and more piled on to the rest.


    There was too much of it, quickly, he felt crushed by it and unable to resist any longer, he was swept by the torrential flow. In the end, he could only let himself be thrown in confusion and madness by the storm raging in his own mind.


    After a long while of being unable to form any coherent thoughts of his own, his mind started to calm down once again, there was no more knowledge left to invade him.


    He felt it was extraordinary. Mere moments ago, he didn''t even exist and now, he was full of knowledge. At least enough to formulate such a thought.


    He took a long time to regain the total control of his mind. He felt relieved that none of this precious knowledge had been lost, he probably needed it after all.


    Once it was done, he opened his eyes to discover the world around him for the very first time. He was laying on his back in a small clearing. Around him, four beings were gathered and were observing him with great attention. There were three men and a women.


    The first was a burly man whose facial traits were extraordinarily pronounced. His black hair was long and matted, his beard larger than his face and his smile seemed franc and amicable. He wore an armor sparkling like a thousand fire and dozens of sharp objects of all kinds dangled from everywhere on him. He radiated a noble and proud air as his piercing gaze observed him from above his massive crossed arms.


    On his left, a woman wearing a long flowing red dress was fixing him with the same intensity. Her blonde hair were so long that they should have been sprawled on the ground but they seemed to refuse to do so on their own accord. They were lightly floating just above the blades of grass. There was no words to describe her other than beauty. Her slender arms were bringing her hands, seemingly even gentler and thin, to rest upon her sublime face, giving her a pensive yet breathtaking look.


    The next man possessed a beard like the first, his, was only covering the tip of his chin to exaggerate its sharpness. He seemed much older than the first two and wore long robes on which the sleeves were so loose that they reached his knees even if he kept both of his arms in front of him. This one seemed serious and intelligent, much more than the first two. Wisdom was written on his face with small wrinkles and his eyes reflected something astonishingly deep and powerful.


    The last of the four observer was hard to describe with a word different than eccentric. He wore two different pieces of clothing, sowed together by the middle. A total of sixteen different colors were dancing on them without ever stopping in place for more than a brief moment. He possessed long bony fingers that never stopped from rubbing against one another, as if he was really impatient. In contrast though, his face was made of an interesting masculinity and his eyes seemed made of gold.


    The four of them had a joyous expression and exclaimed of triumph upon seeing him open his eyes.


    "Fantastic! He is conscious. Do you understand what I am saying?" Asked the muscled man with the deep voice.


    To answer, he opened his mouth for the first time in his existence.


    "I think", he said. "I feel it is strange though. How do I know if I am really understanding or if I only interpreted the words at random? Maybe all the words are wrongly arranged in my mind."


    "Wha...?"


    The sage started laughing when he saw the confused air of his companion.


    "We were supposed to create an ordinary man, not someone super smart! I don''t understand even half of what he said!"


    "Now now, don''t embarrass yourself. He isn''t that smart, only a hair''s breadth above the average. It is you Strength that isn''t smart enough."


    "What? You want to die? Is that it!" His smile was swiftly replaced by a raging frown.


    "Please, calm down." Intervened the sweet voice of the women. "This poor boy was just born right now. Instead of bickering, we should explain to him what is going on."


    "Yes, alright." Grumbled the warrior.


    He cast his gaze down on the newborn adult man once again and started to explain the situation in a caring manner.


    "First of all, let me introduce us. All four of us are gods. I am Strength, she is Love, he is Sage and finally, this is Luck. It is us that created you for a bet."


    "A bet? As in a gamble?"


    The new born was curious of what kind of bet prompted them to give him life.


    "Yes, answered Luck. It''s a funny story. All four of us were invited together at a feast organised by emperor Mardrakon Landeater XV of the green dragon empire. It is common knowledge that we do not like him very much but we do appreciate feasts. Thus, we went there anyway and started to argue over every single thing like we usually end up doing.


    Drunk on anger and alcohol, we declared that anyone would make a better emperor than him. This whole thing quickly got out of hand until a bet was thrown."


    "The rules are simple." Said Love. "If the emperor dies from anything else than old age or lose his title of emperor, we win. On the other end, we do not have the right to intervene in anything aside from designating someone who will try to topple him on our behalf and bestow upon him a very limited help. Since the green dragon empire is extremely old, powerful, and stable, we will lose without a doubt if we don''t do anything."


    "We could chose another emperor to wage war against him and throw him down but no one would dare attack the biggest power of the continent and even if they did, they would not have the required strength to do so." Said Strength.


    "Hiring an assassin is not much better, if he fails, we lose our only chance to make a move and the bet will be lost. In light of all this, we decided to create our own luck like I always say we should." Said Luck.


    "Instead of choosing someone, we created our very own champion, you!" Followed Sage.


    "I exist to murder an emperor?" Asked the newborn, stunned by what had been said.


    "No, not exactly. We got an even better idea, you exist to take his place!"


    The newborn felt much better knowing he had not been created to murder. It would have been horrible to be given morals and then immediately asked to ignore them.


    "By creating a new life form to beat him, we are already stretching the rules to their maximum so we could not create you as a superior being like we wanted to. We could not even give you our blessings because it would have been too obvious. All we could do is create you slightly above the average. To make us win, you will have to work hard and rise above the masses by yourself."


    "But if I don''t have any advantages, how am I supposed to defeat the biggest empire? I do not even have a name!" This seemed like an impossible task to the newborn.


    "You do have a name my darling" Said Love. "It''s Emperor."


    Emperor thought that the gods had a really bad naming sense.


    "Will I not look like an idiot if I present myself as Emperor? How will people react? On top of that, having a name doesn''t fix my problem, I do not have any advantages."


    "You do have an advantage, albeit a small one. We told you that you were above average but only just slightly. Slightly stronger, slightly more charismatic, slightly more intelligent and slightly more lucky than the average man. Moreover, each of us have the right to bestow upon you an item that will help you out in your quest."


    "Also, we may help out a little along the way, no one will ever know" Followed up Luck with a dismissive wave of the hand.


    Emperor had only just been created and he was already being sent in a quest so hard that it was most probably suicidal. He wondered if he had the right to refuse to try such a thing and instead make the most out of life and the existence that had been given to him.


    As soon as this idea crossed his mind, he rejected it. Those four gods had just created him for this very reason, how could he even think about dismissing such a quest? He vowed to himself that he would honor them and their wish and make them proud of their creation. After all, he existed thanks to them and he was determined to give back this favor to his creators a hundred times over.


    Emperor was still feeling unwell thinking about the task they wanted him to accomplish but since he had decided to do it, he put his worries aside for now. Instead, he thought about the objects they intended to give him. He was curious and impatient to see what were those four items.


    For the first time of his life, he awkwardly got up from the ground and stood upright. In the space of a brief moment, he panicked at the idea that he could fall over at any second, that his balance was all wrong. His apprehension was unfounded. The basic knowledge on how to stand and walk was already a part of him, the movements felt natural for him and his fear flew away as soon as he found his balance for the first time.


    As soon as he stood up like them, the four divinity drew a circle in the air in front of them using their hands. In the center of each drawn space, an object appeared out of nothing. Those were the four treasures that would soon be his, he believed. A big hammer made out of black stone, a ring of gold and ruby, a large book whose cover was made of greenish leather and finally, a strange looking bag.


    Without losing any time, his four creators started to describe with enthusiasm their respective items.


    The first one was the hammer that Strength was presenting him. The hammer head was half a meter large. It''s ordinary looking surface was covered in cracks and in the depths of those fissures, a feeble and intermittent red glow was barely visible. It''s handle was long, even a little longer than Emperor was tall. Aside from the fact that it was completely made of black stone, and for the strange and ominous red glow barely visible when looking closely at it, it seemed very ordinary.


    "I offer you the Great overburdening hammer. However strong you are, this war hammer will always be a little too heavy for you."


    Emperor looked at him with a puzzled look. In which way could a war hammer too heavy for him be useful? He took it in his hands and immediately, it''s weight almost made him fall over. He rushed to put it down before it happened.


    "I can see on your face that you do not understand its use but believe me, the great overburdening hammer is extraordinary. It is impossible to use it effectively in combat but the simple act of raising it or wearing it on yourself slowly raises the strength of its possessor. The more you use it and the stronger you get.


    The best part is that since its weight is always determined by your strength, it''s effect will always be as strong. I do not recommend you to travel with it on your back though because you risk injuring yourself doing so."


    Now that it had been explained, it seemed much more reasonable to him. It was not supposed to be a weapon but a training tool to improve himself. Satisfied by the explanation, he did not interrupt his creators and let Love explain her own gift instead.


    As she delicately presented him the ring, he was able to examine it in more details. It seemed to be made almost entirely of a ruby-like material polished to perfection. On its surface, a number of infinitely fine golden treads were forming symbols and arabesques he did not recognize but he could still appreciate their beauty. By looking at it even closer, it was possible to distinguish small clouds drifting calmly inside the ruby. While Love was sliding it onto his finger, she explained it''s use.


    "This is the Ring of allegiance. For now, It has absolutely no use for you, but later on, it will be a great advantage. By focusing on the ring, using only your will, you can make as many copies of it as you want. Each copy will change in appearance depending on the person wearing it. The better the feelings or the impression you have for the wearer of the copy, the more the copy will be splendid.


    Each copy ring will send information to the original you are wearing. The more beautiful the copy is, the more information you will get. For example, a weak copy would only be able to tell you if the wearer is alive or dead but a stronger one could also tell you where he is, what he is doing and so on until a perfect ring that would tell you all you want to know about the wearer. But beware, the precision of said information will not depend on you but instead on the wearer of the copy!


    If you loved someone from the bottom of your heart, the ring would be magnificent but if the person in question hates you and always lied to you, all the information given by the ring would be false.


    You can love someone as much as you want but it doesn''t mean that the opposite is true. The ring cannot ensure the fidelity of other peoples, it can only help you manage and understand your allies better. Traitors will stay traitors."


    Emperor contemplated The ring of allegiance on his finger while engraving the warning of Love in his memories. Afterwards, he raised his eyes again to see Sage advancing toward him with the enormous book.


    It was thick, heavy, large and seemed tough. It was reinforced with metal bindings, none of its timeworn pages where wrinkled and it''s title was displayed in big golden letters atop the green leather cover. "The book of answers"


    "I present you the Book of answers." Said Sage while dropping it in his arms. "It''s use is really simple. Whatever questions you might have, you only need to ask it to the book and open it at any page at all for it to answer. Sometimes, the answers are a little convoluted but beside that, it''s only restriction is that it cannot answer a question for which you already have the answer. If you ask it how many stars are in the sky, it will answer you but if you ask it how to walk, the page will stay empty. Simple and efficient. The only thing it really cannot do is predict the future."


    Emperor was really happy to receive all those gifts but his hands were already full. To hold the book alone, he needed his two hands, he couldn''t take the hammer as well. He wondered how he would take everything with him. The ring wasn''t a problem but the others were too much, he could barely hold one!


    It''s at this time that Luck decided to come to his rescue with his own gift. From his right hand, he presented Emperor a bag made of a thick black fabric covered with a weird mix of scales and feathers as black as the rest. It''s opening was gaping largely and there didn''t seem to be a way to close it other than by holding it in one''s hands. Even if it lacked a mean to close it, it still possessed a large metallic ring to fix it on a belt.


    "Honestly, I had no idea what to give you so I just took something at random. This is the ugliest of all my bottomless bags! You can put all you want in it, it will never be full, no one but you can access its content and even if you hold it upside down, nothing will fall out of it. There are some rules on what you can and cannot put inside such a bag but I feel too lazy to explain them to you so you''ll have to figure it out on your own.


    To make you lucky would be cheating but at the very least with this, if you are struck with good fortune and find treasures, you will be able to take them with you. Just remember that given luck isn''t that useful anyway, true luck is always made by yourself. Oh also, I put some clothes in it for you because running around naked isn''t the most clever of ideas."


    The mind of Emperor started reeling in panic thinking about what kind of clothes the eccentric Luck could have given him. Just looking at what he was wearing right now and the bag itself, Emperor feared everyone he met would think he was a madman. Luck started laughing when he saw the panic stricken face of Emperor. He casually threw the bag at his feet and defended himself from the silent accusation of Emperor.


    "I wasn''t the one who chose the clothes! I just put them in the bag. I am not an idiot, I want to win the bet as well."


    Deeply relieved, Emperor thanked each of his four creators with a deep bow. These four gifts were extraordinary no doubt and would help him a lot but he knew he would not be able to rely on them entirely. The hammer could make him stronger but left him defenseless because of its weight. The ring had an incredible usefulness but if he misjudged those around him, it could endanger him easily. At first glance, the book had no flaws but in truth, he could already guess that even if the answers were true every time, he had to ask the right question or the answers would be too ambiguous to help him. In the end, he felt that even if the bag was the most ordinary of them all, it was still the safest to use and maybe the most useful. He only had to understand its limitations before he hit a wall in a crucial moment.


    "Thank you so much, I will take great care of everything you bestowed upon me, from my very life to those four gifts, and I will do my best to not disappoint you all."


    "Excellent." Commented Sage. "Remember, those four items belong to you and you only, it is impossible to take them from you unless it''s from your cold corpse."


    Even if that had not been the case, Emperor would probably not be careless enough to let someone take them from him. At least he hoped that would be the case.


    "As a last tip," Said Strength "I will tell you that a good emperor is someone stronger than the rest. Someone who can reassure its allies by his sole presence and make his enemies tremble by the mere mention of his name. Train everyday and become the strongest so that no one would ever dare think about making you submit. Do not run straight into the beast jaw and wait until you have sufficient power before moving."


    With this, Strength lightly tapped the back of his creation and instantly vanished without a trace. Emperor didn''t even have the time to be surprised as Love was already saying her own goodbye.


    "A good emperor is someone that inspire respect from anyone. Someone with manners so refined that no one can stop themselves from admiring him. Answer to hate with hate and love with love. Weave reliable bonds that will last for many a lifetime because no one can stand alone. Become someone who''s kind, charming and honest so that everyone from the smallest to the greatest will look towards you with adoration. Remember my son, if you want to see us again, you will need to find either one of our temples or a chamber of trials"


    She gave emperor a light kiss on the forehead before disappearing in the same manner as Strength. Sage instantly moved forth.


    "A good emperor is someone who knows better than the rest. Someone who can take quick and enlightened decisions related to any and all subjects. It would be a good idea to deepen your knowledge about magic and science. Become someone who''s smart and confident to lead your empire to prosperity and glory."


    He too disappeared without sound or forewarning and Luck became the only one left. His speech was the shortest of them all.


    "Good luck!"


    He instantly vanished with a smile leaving Emperor nude and alone in the clearing. He immediately sat back down in the tall grass to take the time and think about what had just occurred.

 2 First day

    For Emperor, this all felt a little overwhelming... Really overwhelming in fact. So many things were explained and given to him in such a short time. He stayed there a long time lost in his thoughts. Now that he was alone and not bombarded by information incessantly, he had plenty of time to digest everything. Many question appeared in his mind.


    What did they gamble on? Was it something important or did they only want to win because of their pride and their dislike for their opponent? With the way his creators acted in front of him, he would not have been surprised if the reward to the winner had been something ridiculous and without value.


    Whatever the case, he would do is best as promised. He wondered if he was created knowing he would act this way and follow what was asked of him or if his creators had just been lucky. If he had refused this task would they have just erased him and created a new person instead?


    He felt conflicted. He felt deep respect and love for his four creators and wanted to be of use to them but at the same time, he could not help but feel that it was this way because they had decided it would be so. Were his feelings real or imprinted on him? Would it really matter either way? Would the answer change his mind about the quest? Probably not. Still, at the very least, he would have appreciated to know what was the point of it all.


    How long did he have to complete his quest anyway? He needed to kill the emperor or at least make him abdicate before he died of old age but he had no idea how old he was. Maybe he only had a couple of years left or maybe he had a decade or two to prepare.


    What was he supposed to do to win? He understood that an emperor was some kind of amazing leader by the way his creators described a good emperor to him but he had no idea of the scale of things. How many people did he need to lead to be considered an emperor? Five, ten, thirty? Where could he start?


    He didn''t even know where he was, how was he supposed to find out where he was meant to go? On top of it all, he knew absolutely no one aside from his four benevolent creators who called themselves gods. With is basic understanding, he knew that gods were beings that were not supposed to interact with living beings very much. They resided outside of the known world and bestowed their grace upon the worthy. It would be hard to find them again to talk in these conditions.


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt like his task was impossible, he had nothing to work with and couldn''t see the goal. He imagined all kinds of scenarios in his head but none of them ended well.


    For a start, his name was a problem. Even without much relevant knowledge, he understood that is own name would stand out. His creators didn''t hand him a solution about that either before disappearing. How should he present himself to other life forms? Would his creators be angry if he changed his own name? Maybe it would be better to be honest right away and endure the consequences of a different name instead of complicating things with many false names. Or maybe he should cut his name in half and say he was Emp and his family name was Ror, or something like that. If he said it fast it would sound the same but maybe people would say that he tried to mock them with a false name. In the end, he opted to at least shorten it into Emp and think of the rest later.


    He let out a dispirited sigh and griped the bottomless bag laying at his feet. He felt like he should start by putting some clothes on. The moment he touched it, he was startled by the appearance of all its content in his mind. It gave him the impression that there was a vast empty space in his head and in that space, object where floating around by the whims of a wind he could not feel. In that space, there was no walls, no boundaries, there was only space as far as he could comprehend.


    He tried to raise his hand and plunge it into the bag to pick up a pile of clothes and felt it was very awkward. He felt like he possessed two pairs of arms. One of them didn''t really exist, it was just an impression he felt as he grabbed the clothes. He directed the false hand to where he wanted. His mind arm and real arm overlapped and in the next instant, his real hand was holding on to the clothes. He released the bag and the space in his mind became empty again.


    Maybe with a little practice he wouldn''t need to pay so much attention to pick things up from it. Before he touched the bag, he had not noticed that he had so much space in his own mind. Was this normal?


    He dressed himself hastily relying on his inherent knowledge and tied up the bag to his belt. The bag didn''t seem so big now that it was at his waist. It was still ugly though. On the other hand, the clothes he had put on where appropriate. They were not spectacular but were not of shoddy quality either. There were underpants, pants, a shirt and a solid vest he would probably be able to wear for a long time before ripping them. They were not too hot for the temperature and the boots that came with them were comfortable.


    Thoughtful, he wondered what else was in the bag. He had been so focused on trying to get his clothes and so full of wonderment at the sight of that strange phenomenon that he had not paid attention at all to the rest of his possessions. He plunged his hand in the bag once again and its content reappeared in his mind.


    First, he saw more piles of clothing but since he didn''t need them for now, he wished to set them aside. The moment that thought crossed his mind, the clothes moved on their own to the back of the space. It was really intriguing, it felt like his thought had taken a physical form into the space to move the things as he pleased. Impressed, Emp willed the objects inside to parade in front of him and achieved it easily. Everything that was stored into the bag was obeying his will so naturally he could move things around as if they were dancing for him. It would be so easy to pick something up from it. It was definitely an extraordinary gift!


    At first he thought it was a little strange to control, especially with the false arm, but now that he understood the bag a little better he could feel that it was much more intuitive than he first thought. He could barely believe that Luck had picked it up at random.


    In his mind was sprawled some food, bottles, a bunch of coins, wooden utensils and a small knife. He was really happy to have some food as he knew he needed to feed himself to live but he also knew clearly that he didn''t have enough to last him a long while. He would need to get to work quickly and find his own before he ran out but, before his grand departure, he still wanted to familiarize himself a little more with his treasures.


    He quickly judged that that the fastest way to learn more about the bag was to ask the book of answers about it. He would then be able to familiarize himself with the book while learning the secrets of the bag. He got the book on his knees and chose to start his experiment by asking it a number of easily verifiable questions.


    "Where am I?" He asked out loud while opening the book. On the page he landed on, a lone sentence was written. "In the Bloody rabbit forest, near the village of Ardent-fort, in the Steelwood empire. South-eastern end of the continent." The Steelwood empire? Was he not supposed to beat the emperor of the Green dragon empire? What was he doing here?


    "Where is the Green dragon empire then?" He asked. "North-western end of the continent." The book answered him on the next page. So his creators had dropped him the furthest he could possibly be from his adversary? A little more and he would have ended up on the beach. They had probably done it this way to give him some time to prepare. He asked his next question.


    "What is the name of the emperor of the Green dragon?" He flipped to a random page but it ended up empty. It was as expected, he already knew the answer.


    Suddenly remembering the example of Sage, he curiously asked the book a new question.


    "How many stars are in the sky?" The answer of the book was "None". He felt disappointed by the answer even if he understood it. Of course there was none, it was the middle of the day, why would there be stars in the sky? Even if it was the logical answer, that was not what he had meant.


    "At night, how many stars are in the sky?" He thought himself clever but the book gave him a blank page. Was he supposed to know the answer already? That made no sense to him. He gave up for now and went for the main subject.


    "How much space is there in my bottomless bag?"


    Empty page.


    "Can anyone else than me take something in it?"


    Empty page again. He felt somewhat reassured that Luck had not exaggerated it''s abilities.


    "What can not be stored in the bag?"


    This time, the book had a lot to say. "Disagreeing or unprepared life forms, other bottomless bags of any quality, liquids or gas not held in a container, certain artifacts, magic items designed to stay unaffected by the bag, most anti-magic items, the bag''s possessor, the bag itself, planets or anything attached to them and ethereal entities." It seemed like a long list but it was pretty short considering that everything else could be put in it.


    "Is it possible to put things larger than the bag inside the bag?"


    Empty page. Emperor thought a moment about what it meant, if it was empty, he surely knew the answer. He just couldn''t remember Luck telling him anything about this. As soon as he thought that, the answer came crashing down on him. Of course, objects larger than the bag wasn''t one of the things on the list that couldn''t get into it. It obviously meant that it was possible to do such a thing, but how?


    "How do you put object larger than the bag inside it?"


    "They only need to touch it." Was the answer he got. It was a very valuable information for when the time to put the hammer away would come. Since he wanted to keep said hammer for last, he went on to study the Ring of allegiance instead.


    First, he wished to know how to make a copy of it. Love had said that he only needed to will it, did it perhaps work like the bag? He decided to try it and at the very moment thought he wished for a copy, an iron ring appeared in his palm. He found it marvelous, a ring created out of nothing. He examined it from close up but he could only see a very ordinary iron ring with no marks or details at all on it. He guessed someone needed to wear it for it to change. He did not think further into it and stored the copy in the bag before turning to the book again.


    "How many copies of the ring of allegiance is it possible to create?"


    "As many as there are individual intelligent life forms possessing fingers."


    "How many of those life forms are there then?"


    "As much as the number of copies the ring of allegiance can possibly make."


    What kind of answer was that! That answer left Emperor speechless for a good minute before he decided to ask the book a new question.


    "Do you possess a conscience?"


    "No"


    "Why do I feel like you are mocking me?"


    Empty page...


    "Fine then."


    Annoyed, he pushed the book against the bag and made it disappear inside. What a strange object. Extremely useful but also a little too peculiar. For now, he decided to believe the last couple of answers the book gave him didn''t mean much. He had many things more important to do instead of wondering all day if the book was more alive than it seemed. He finally got to the last item, the great overburdening hammer.


    He got back up and stretched his legs before placing himself in front of the gift. He used both his hands to grip the hammer, positioned himself carefully to exert the most possible strength and tried to lift it up. By giving it everything he had, he achieved to free it from the ground and raise it until it was in front of his chest. He had barely reached that point that the muscles in his arms were burning under the efforts and his breath was cut short.


    He tried to keep it up as long as he could but despite his best efforts, it was still slowly going back down. Even exerting every ounce of energy he had, he could only watch it unable to retain it. The burning sensation in his arms quickly spread throughout his whole body up to the point where he felt like he was thrown into a giant furnace. Arms shacking, after barely a few breaths, he let the hammer crash on the ground and lied powerlessly beside it in the grass.


    Strength had told him that he only needed to train with this thing to get stronger. He really wished to follow the counsels of Strength but at the same time, he had no idea how to do so. It was way too heavy! All he needed to do was to carry it but barely lifting it off the ground for an instant had exhausted him. The longer he would carry it, the stronger he would get but the stronger he would get, the heavier the hammer would get. It was obvious that however much stronger he would become in the future, he would never be able to carry it much longer than what he just did. Would that short moment really buff his physical strength? He couldn''t believe Strength had told him not to travel with it on his back! How could he ever even get it there without snapping his spine in half!


    He stayed there unmoving for a couple more minutes to rest whilst he thought about his next course of action. He was under the impression that he was trying to do too many things at once and would forget something important. Still, he was unable to focus on only one subject at a time. The day wasn''t even over yet and he was overwhelmed by the shear amount of knowledge and questions that were fighting to get at the forefront of his mind.


    There was so many that whenever he encountered an obstacle, he could just change his focus to something else easily. The moment a question he was unable to answer presented itself, he just put it aside. He understood it wasn''t a good way to do things but it was really hard to focus under the weight of it all. After thinking this, he noticed that he had once again forgot to breathe and inhaled deeply.


    He needed to reorganise himself, focus and establish a clear course of action, only then would he be ready to move on from this small clearing.


    Keeping the end goal in mind, he had to become an outstanding individual in every aspect in order to become a true emperor. According to his creators, he also had to learn magic and he guessed that some knowledge on how to fight wouldn''t be useless either. Sadly, he couldn''t learn all those things by himself.


    Maybe by using the book he could somehow learn all the secrets and techniques related to those fields of knowledge but he wasn''t confident in his aptitude to grasp every nonsense it would throw at him. On top of that, he would probably still need to practice a lot and without a good example to follow, he feared he would have to start from the very beginning all over again at a later date. Since he didn''t feel like doing everything twice, the only thing he could do was find someone to teach him. While he was exploring the world looking for a teacher, he would raise the Great overburdening hammer as much as he could.


    As he was thinking about all of those things, he started to take notice of his surroundings. He had been there since his creation but had not paid any attention to it yet. Bellow him, a soft ground covered in tall brown grass was nursing him. Above him, a sky without clouds was appeasing his mind as the tall trees around the clearing were giving him a sense of security.


    He wished to stay there for longer, for as long as he could. Sadly, he already felt much better. He had a mission to accomplish and above that, he was very curious of what stood behind those trees. He took a canteen out of the bag to refresh himself before standing back up. He stored both the water and the hammer back into the bag. He felt relieved and extremely lucky that it''s tremendous weight didn''t affect him when it was inside since he had not thought about this point at all before putting it in.


    He looked around him once again, engraving this place in his memories forever. This was the place where his existence had taken shape, where he was, in a way, born. He felt that even if he saw many incredible things in the future, no landscape would ever be as important to him as this ordinary clearing. Once certain that he would never forget it''s sight, he chose a direction at random and advanced between the trees, starting his journey.


    The low hanging leaves rustled as he moved them out of his way. The ground outside the clearing was covered in moss and small plants. At every steps, his feet deeply buried themselves in them as if the earth wanted to devour him. Still, it was very comfortable and made for a very pleasant exploration. He could hear some birds singing around him, but aside from them, only the leaves could be heard as the gentle wind blew through them.


    He walked in the woods for a couple of hours without finding anything useful. On the other hand, he saw some worthwhile scenery. When hunger mercilessly clawed at him for the first time, he made the very wise choice of stopping somewhere to eat.


    Passing between two big trees, he found himself standing at the bottom of a gentle slope covered in tall grass. Long straws as thin as a needle where each supporting tens of grass blades standing horizontally like thousands of small flags. Looking up, small fluffy clouds came crowning those herbs and dance with their leaves thanks to the wind. Accompanied by the living music of the infinite scratching of their leaves, the hill was animated by chaotic yet calm waves. It is at the edge of that hill that Emp sat down to eat, absorbed by the beauty of the spectacle in front of him.


    After having devoured a handful of berries and some meat jerky, he abandoned the view and resumed his walk. The sun slowly went down on the horizon and in the growing obscurity, he reached a river that was almost ten meters wide.


    Its water flowed peacefully but in the twilight, it was impossible to guess it''s depth. He chose to follow the current instead, hoping to find something of interest on its bank. Sometimes, big jutting rocks broke the monotony of the riverside. The water eroded those stones slowly but surely and its sound did the same thing to Emperor''s consciousness. He felt sleepy. That wasn''t a feeling he understood well but he could recognize it since his eyelids felt heavier and heavier the further he walked.


    Once the sun had completely disappeared, the orange sky made way to the darkness and the stars. Those were reflected on the waves, making them sparkle in a thousand and one different light. His gaze hypnotized by the beauty of the river and his mind clouded by its unceasing lullaby, he felt sleep approaching gently.


    Falling asleep on the riverside was probably a bad idea. He understood that but what else could he do?


    It was then that he saw, a little further, after a bend in the river, a light that didn''t belong to the stars. A square of warm light was cut from a stone wall just over there. A cottage in the depths of the woods, surrounded by a small garden and a meter high stone wall. Through the wooden shutters of the window, the light from a fireplace was leaking, as if to invite Emperor.


    Somewhat woken up by his discovery, he went through the garden without hesitation and knocked tree times on the door. From the inside came a muffled noise and a strong and deep voice.


    "Who is it? What do you want?"


    "Good evening, my name is Emp. I was following the riverside and let myself get surprised by the night."


    "A strange name... So what? What does it have to do with me?"


    Surprised, Emp searched for an answer but was only able to come up with a simple conclusion. The man was right, it had nothing to do with him at all.


    "I am sorry for disturbing you, I will be on my way now."


    Emperor turned around and left the man''s garden. His problems were his own, he didn''t need to harass unrelated people about them.


    But, as soon as he had made his way halfway through the garden, he heard the door open behind him. Curious, he turned around to see a man wearing heavy looking clothes standing straight as a pillar, right in the doorway. He seemed to be a middle aged man with a hand long beard and a harsh gaze accentuated by his frown and crossed arms.


    "What are you even doing in those woods in the middle of the night? How did you find this place?"


    Emp, thought for a second about how to answer. After all, he couldn''t tell him the truth, he would never believe him. He chose to weave a story close to the truth instead, based upon what he had seen that day.


    "I have always been in this forest, I just never went this way before. It is only because I chose to follow the river today that I got here."


    "You live in those woods? I''ve been living here for ten years now and I''ve never seen anyone else before. How old are you kid, were are your parents?"


    "Yes, I have been living here since I was born, I am sure of it. As for my age and my parents, I have no clue."


    "How can you not know how old you are?"


    Well, he wasn''t even a day old yet. Emp was pretty sure that wasn''t the answer he was looking for. He said something dumb instead.


    "It is not as if I tallied the days as they went."


    "You really are someone strange."


    This was all the man could comment on this.


    "What is it that makes me strange?"


    "I don''t believe even a word of your story. No one can live alone in those woods. It''s infested with terrible monsters. What''s more, how could a kid alone find enough food to feed himself here?"


    "There are monsters here? I never saw them before, that is a good thing to know. You see, just a little further over there, there is a very charming hill. That is where I spent the most time. It was my parents that left me some food before leaving."


    "How long have they been gone for? When are they supposed to come back?"


    "I do not know, I don''t even think they are supposed to return until I''ve done what they asked me to do. I am not sure, I only talked to them once after all, your questions are really hard to answer.


    "Only once? What did they ask you to do?"


    It would probably be best to omit the Emperor part, at least for now, so he gave him their parting words.


    "They told me to become the strongest and the most intelligent, someone you can depend on. Then, they told me good luck and left."


    "Kid, to tell you the truth, I think you''re a little scary. You''re not some kind of fairy or forest imp are you?"


    "I do not even know what those are. Could I be one without knowing?"


    "That is also creepy, the way you just spew out nonsense as if it was perfectly natural. Usually, I can see right through the lies of anyone, but yours, I can''t. Even if your story is obviously made up and nothing in it makes sense, I still can''t feel them, as if you did believe all the things you told me.


    "You can not see my lies because there are none, I just hid the strangest parts from you because you would not believe them anyway."


    "Are you sent by him? Did he send a simpleton to convince me to come back? That is a strange plan..."


    Emperor was getting really tired and this talk was clearly going nowhere, he couldn''t even understand the subject anymore.


    "I have no idea of what we are talking about now... look, I really did not mean to disturb you, it is just that when I saw your house, I felt it was a much better idea to sleep inside than to sleep on the riverside. I am too tired to try to understand all your questions and it is even harder to find suitable answers for them all. Aside from you, I only know four other persons and none told me anything about the surroundings or those who lived in them. Since you can not help me and I can not answer your questions, I should just leave and quickly find somewhere to lie down."


    On this, Emperor didn''t wait for an answer and once again started to leave. The man called out to him again.


    "Wait kid! It would be stupid to let you wander in the dark in the middle of the woods. I do not believe you but I do not think you are a threat, You can stay the night if you want."


    Emp stopped in his track and turned his head around to throw a confused look at the man. He couldn''t understand what had changed his mind. The man answered the silent question as he stepped away from the doorstep.


    "I do not like to be disturbed but I am not without a heart. Even if it''s him who sent you, I won''t look at you foolishly braving the darkness without doing anything. Come in and take place near the fire, tomorrow, you will answer my questions."


    "I cannot promise they will be more satisfying than those you already got."


    "It''s fine, just come in already."


    Emp nodded and followed the man inside. He locked the door and went back to sit on his bed.


    The inside was warm and welcoming but oddly empty. There wasn''t much here aside from a massive chest at the foot of the man''s bed and strangely shaped set of table and chair. Emp came closer to the fire and after watching it dance for a moment, the drowsiness came back. It was the first time he saw a fire and it was fascinating how it moved angrily on its own but he couldn''t fight sleep for longer.


    He lied down directly on the wooden floor and instantly fell asleep without paying any mind to the master of the place looking down at him with a raised brow.


    "What a strange guy." Thought the man again before he turned back to his own rest.

 3 Chinui

    The next morning, Emperor woke up basked in the sunlight getting in from the window. Not too far on his left, the man was sat on a chair and was slowly eating a piece of bread. Emp sat down in front of him while rubbing his eyes and said good morning to the man.


    He started to speak between two bites of bread.


    "You sleep really deeply."


    "I had never slept before, I feel much better now."


    "What are you saying? This doesn''t even make sense. You need to explain now. That was the condition for letting you in. You need to answer my questions, if you lie, I will kick you out."


    "Alright, ask your questions."


    It didn''t matter much to Emp if the man believed him or not. Now that he had slept, he was ready to go back to his quest.


    "Do you know the emperor?"


    "Mardrakon Landeater XV? No."


    "Who?"


    "It is the name of the emperor, I know his name but I never saw him."


    "What happened to the emperor Billow Grandbois?"


    "I do not know who that is."


    "Who sent you then?"


    "No one, I was just passing by."


    "Did you really live here all your life? You said you only spoke once to your parents, when was this? Who are they?"


    "My parents are named, Strength, Love, Sage and Luck. It was yesterday that I spoke to them."


    "What?"


    The man clearly wasn''t able to grasp what Emp was saying.


    "I was created yesterday by four gods so that I could complete a mission for them. It''s the truth even if you don''t believe me. If you could just give me a tip on how to become stronger or wiser before I go, it would help a lot."


    "..."


    Emp disregarded the fact that the man thought he was saying nonsense and continued to speak.


    "I am only a day old, What am I supposed to answer when somebody ask my age? I do not even know what I look like. On top of that, they named me Emperor. What should I say about my name, I do not have a family name and my surname is Emperor, everyone will mock me I am sure."


    The man was just looking at him with a strange half empty gaze, trying to come up with some kind of answer to that strange story. Emp was looking straight in his eyesbut wasn''t able to guess what was going on in his mind.


    "I did not even think about asking you your name yet! exclaimed Emp. I''m Sorry, what is your name sir?"


    "Chinui Muracier, That is my name."


    "A strange name."


    Chinui had a hard time suppressing his smile when he heard Emperor tell him the exact thing he had said the previous night. He raised his hand to shake Emperor''s but since he didn''t know what shaking hands meant he just shot him a puzzled look.


    "You are supposed to clasp it in yours."


    "Ho, sorry."


    Emp raised his own and they finally shook hands.


    "Nice to meet you." Said Chinui.


    "Same."


    "Still, you understand that your story is the weirdest thing I ever heard right?"


    "Yes, you had to ask me for something else than the truth. Even the gods cannot change the truth into a lie. The truth will always be true, whatever it is or who words it."


    Chinui looked at nothing for some time, lost in his thoughts. Emperor observed him quietly, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him. After a while, his eyes came back to life and landed on Emp.


    "Kid, can you even prove any parts of your story?"


    "I do not know, how can I prove it?


    "You could start by showing me your hunting card."


    "I do not know what is a hunting card."


    Chinui let out a long sigh.


    "Boy, you really are clueless. Everybody is born with one. All you have to do is will it to appear in front of you and it will show up."


    Emperor felt like it was probably similar to how the bag worked and wished for the hunting card to appear. Almost instantly, a panel seemingly made of light and as large as himself took shape in front of him. Even if he was the one that wished for it to be there, he couldn''t help but jump of surprise. Looking at it, most of the card was empty. The only filled section was at the very top. Name: Emperor "Emp". Bellow that, there was a "Titles" section and then, the gigantic "Kills" section that was cut into two halves, both empty. He wondered why it was cut in half but he would have to ask later, for now, his host had things to say.


    "I see that at least you told me the truth about your name. And you have no kills at all, not even a fish or a rabbit."


    "Is that strange?"


    "It is, there are usually so many of those."


    "I haven''t seen either yet, what does a fish look like?"


    Chinui ignored the dumb question and instead, asked for something else.


    "Kid, what do you know about the gods?"


    "I know their names and what they look like. Apart from that, I do not really know them. Strength seemed very likable and love seemed nice. Sage on the other hand seems very serious and always plays with his beard and Luck is too weird, I don''t know what to say about him."


    "Did you know that the gods are named after what they are?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean that their name isn''t just there so that we can designate them. They really are what their name means. If for example a god was named Silence, he would never make a sound however much he tried, he would clap silently and no words would ever come out from his mouth. Not only that, he would probably feel like communicating in any way would not be acceptable. So, Love is the love goddess and everything she does is to love. Sage is the god of wisdom and no one on this earth is more wise than him."


    "I did not know that." Answered Emp, happy to learn something new again. "But what is it you are trying to tell me?"


    "Well, if we suppose your story is true and the gods named you, they named you for what you are or what you are supposed to be because this is how the gods work."


    "I see. They did tell me to take the place of Mardrakon Landeater XV and be emperor in his stead to win a bet for them."


    "Are you trying to tell me you are a god?"


    "I do not know... I do not think so... They said I had to start normal for the bet. Would I know if I was a god? If I was a god named Emperor, there would be nothing more imperial than me on this earth no? I do not feel very imperial though."


    Both men fell into silence for a moment. Emp now felt a little scared to wear such a name. After all, it meant that they expected him to be the best emperor of them all. He already thought that becoming en emperor by itself seemed like an impossible task so becoming the best as well felt a little excessive. How would he do to not disappoint them?


    On top of that, he felt that maybe his name was a bigger problem than he thought. Not only would normal people laugh at him but once he made some progress in his quest, he felt like his target would probably make the link between the bet and the guy named Emperor.


    Would his name influence his destiny? Was his name that important? If he hid behind a false name would he cause a catastrophe? His thoughts where once again interrupted by the voice of Chinui.


    "Hey Emp, what was it you said they asked you to do again?"


    "They asked me to take the place of the emperor of the green dragon, Mardrakon Landeater XV. To do this, they asked me to become the strongest and the wisest. They asked me to become someone people can rely on and trust, because for them, I guess, those are the qualities a good emperor needs."


    "You, what do you think makes a good emperor?"


    "I do not know, I never met an emperor before, either good or bad. You Chinui, what do you think makes a good emperor?"


    Chinui thought about it for a moment before he gestured Emp to get up.


    "Come outside with me, I will show you something. "


    Chinui got up from his chair and went to the door with Emperor on his heels. They walked through the small vegetable garden outside to the side of the house. There were not that many things growing in the garden, Chinui only grew what he needed.


    They arrived in front of a large flat stone engraved with a name, Chijou Muracier. A small tree was bravely growing on top of it.


    "This is the grave of my brother Chijou." Said Chinui while pointing at it. "He died pierced by a spear on a battlefield. He didn''t even have a reason to be there, the orders he received where absolutely idiotic. The truth is that him and all the other members of the twelfth company died for nothing at all. They were sent to their deaths for no reason."


    He took a small break in his speech to calm himself and took the opportunity to remove some dead leaves that had fell on the grave.


    "I will tell you Emp. For me, a good emperor is someone that respect his men. someone that walk with them on the battlefield instead of a coward hiding behind them. Above all, a good emperor is someone that doesn''t give out orders that he wouldn''t follow himself. More so if he doesn''t understand what is going on. I do understand that sometimes, sacrificing troops are necessary but when it''s not..."


    Chinui fell silent and clenched a fist, he was obviously very angry still. Emperor took the time to carefully choose his next words before he spoke. He did not want to appear disrespectful of either his host or his dead brother.


    "I Understand, I will keep the lesson in mind. If I ever become an emperor, I will do my best to not make any more Chijou, to not make anymore twelfth company. If I do not have the courage to do what I am asking, I will not ask at all.


    I do not know anything at all but if it is such a bad idea, there should definitely be another way. All I can give you are words but I swear that I will not forget."


    Chinui looked right into the depths of his eyes to confirm not only his understanding but the sincerity of his words. He could not see the shadow of a lie in them and stayed mute for a moment longer before he seemed to come to some sort of resolution. A small light seemed to shine somewhere in the darkness of his pupils and his brows looked somehow even sharper than before.


    "It''s better than nothing, he said before quickly changing the subject. Did you know, in barely a couple of months, the great school of the Steelwoods will open its doors to new students. There, they teach all sorts of things including fencing and the bases of magic for those who have the talent for it."


    "Really?" Said Emp, hopeful. "That seems to be exactly what I need. I should go there, it would surely help."


    "That is also what I thought but the cost of entry is enormous. Do you think you can pay?"


    Emp made a frown and put his hand on the bottomless bag to check.


    "I have thirty bronze leafs and four silver scepters, is it enough?"


    "Not at all, said Chinui scoffing. You would need a hundred golden crowns to get in!"


    "Is it a lot? I am sorry, I understand the concept of money but not its value yet."


    His host smiled and calmly explained.


    "Kid, the leaf on the bronze coin is there to show that there is a multitude of them, like the leaves in a forest. For five bronze coin, you can buy a kilo of potatoes almost everywhere but you need a hundred of them to make a single silver scepter. Likewise, you need a hundred silver scepter to make a single gold crown."


    Emp made the count quickly in his head before exclaiming in utter amazement.


    "I would need a million bronze leaves to get into the school!"


    "I am impressed you can count that well kid." Said a pleased Chinui. "It''s exact, you need a million bronze leaves. This is not an amount you can find anywhere. Even if you worked your whole life in the fields, you wouldn''t get half of it."


    "What kind of person can afford such a thing? What will I do then?"


    "I don''t quite know what to tell you. Even admitting that your crazy story is true, you can''t just become an emperor like that. Even If you got the money to go study there with the nobles, it wouldn''t help you much. Usually, the first son of the emperor becomes emperor when his father dies. Or rarely, a rival noble house gain so much power and influence that it ends up surpassing the ruling house and takes its place after a lot of spilled blood. Honestly, I don''t see how you could do it at all."


    "With a lot of effort and luck." Said Emp quite unconvincingly.


    Chinui burst out laughing which didn''t dampen Emp''s determination at all. In fact, he thought that his laughter was amusing, he liked it. Chinui didn''t seem like the kind of man who laughed often. It didn''t seem like a mocking laughter either, it was just a merry laugh of surprise.


    "Anyway." Said Emp. "If I became emperor now, I would probably lead the empire into ruin since I do not have any useful knowledge. I have a lot to learn and many people to meet before I get there. Only with a lot of work will I be able to do anything."


    Chinui approved with a nod and a half smile.


    "I''ll tell you what kid. The doors to the great school won''t open before a few months. Meanwhile, I can let you stay here. If you can prove to me that not only what you said is true but also that you are worth the time and effort, I am willing to pay the admission fee."


    Emperor was stunned to hear this.


    "Really? You would do that? That is a lot of money."


    Not only was the man willing to keep him around for months, he was also willing to pay a fortune for a complete stranger. The insanity of such a proposition completely escaped the grasp of Emp.


    "This money is only collecting dust anyway. I never use it because I never leave this forest so it wouldn''t hurt me at all to get rid of it. But you have to understand, you will need to deserve it! I will not leave you idle all day long. If you want that money, you will have to work hard for it!"


    Emperor wasn''t deterred by his warning. He was determined to make all the necessary efforts from the start.


    "Of course I will work hard. I do not think that someone who doesn''t want to make any effort would make for a good emperor."


    "You would be surprised by the number of nobles who are like that."


    "Do you know a lot of nobles?"


    "A long time ago yes, I did. So, are you ready? We start right now and I won''t give any mercy."


    Chinui extended his hand to him and this time, Emperor shook it without being told. He agreed to work hard but he also had to remember what his creators had asked him to do. He had to lift the hammer. Since Chinui would see it at some point and he didn''t really feel the need to hide it anyway, he decided to show it to him.


    "Before we start, There is something I need to do."


    "What?"


    Chinui was curious about what kind of strangeness his visitor still had in reserve. Emperor didn''t waste any time and grabbed his empty looking bag to get the hammer out of it as he explained what it was to Chinui. The giant weapon fell in the dirt with a dull thud.


    "My parents didn''t give me a lot of money but they did give me some useful things. The Great overburdening hammer that Strength gave me is one of them. He said that the more I lifted the hammer, the stronger I would get, it is magic. I do not know what you wanted me to do but I would like to lift it as many times as possible."


    "A bottomless bag!"


    Of course, the hammer was impressive but he was much too impressed by the bottomless bag to pay attention to what Emp was saying. Not many people had bottomless bags. They were hard to find and harder to keep. This did not prove the truth of Emp story but it at least proved that Emp was no ordinary boy.


    Emp didn''t pay any mind to his surprised expression nor to his step of recoil and waited for him to regain his sense while he leaned against the hammer. Chinui quickly regained most of his composure and resumed his interrogation.


    "Say kid, before we speak of the hammer, how much space is there in that bag of yours?"


    "I do not understand the question."


    "What do you mean you don''t understand the question? It''s a simple one though. What is it you can''t understand in that question?"


    Chinui seemed irritated by his answer but Emp was clueless on how else to put it.


    "You said it yourself, it''s a bottomless bag. If there is no bottom, it means there is an infinite space in it."


    "It''s impossible, those bags aren''t really bottomless. They have a space ranging from one meter to around a kilometer cube inside but never more. I just want to know how much space is in it to guess it''s value, that''s all."


    "It is a gift from Luck, he said that there was infinite space in it. I did not believe him at first so I asked the book of answers about it and it said the same thing."


    "It''s ridiculous, if that was true, you could empty the seas in it if you wanted!"


    Chinui had no idea what kind of book that was but he was too interested by the bag to care.


    "No, I can not store liquids that are not held in a container in the bag.


    "It looks like a very convenient excuse to me."


    "I am not the one who made the rules or the bag. In any case, it was not the bag I wanted to show you but the hammer instead."


    He quickly explained what he knew about the hammer to Chinui who stayed silent throughout the whole thing. He did however tell himself to fix Emp''s speech at some point.


    "I see, so, you can only lift it for a few seconds before falling exhausted. That seems interesting. May I try to lift it myself?"


    "Sure but my creators said that the four treasure they gave me belong to me and only me. I do not know if it was a rule or an hard fact. I am unsure of what will happen."


    "It''s all right, I want to try anyway."


    Not scared at all, Chinui rolled up his sleeves with a confident smile and grabbed the haft of the hammer. The moment the hammer entered his grasp, he felt all his strength leave him. Before he even had the time to think about raising it from the ground, he had become so feeble his legs had given up. Too weak to keep his grip, he released the hammer as he fell backward powerlessly. It seemed like the hammer ate his strength much quicker than it did for Emp which scared him.


    "Chinui! Are you all right?"


    Sprawled on his back against the grave of his brother, he was slowly recuperating from the experience. Even if he knew he had done nothing tiring at all, it was without a doubt the most tiring thing he had ever done in his life. He was taking huge breaths trying to bring back fresh air to his burning muscles.


    "It''s impossible! How could you ever lift that! How strong are you supposed to be?"


    Emp felt glad Chinui was alright.


    "I do not think I am stronger than you at all. Instead, I think it is just because you are not the one who is supposed to lift it and that is why the hammer reacted strangely. As I said, it is supposed to always be a match to my strength and I should be weaker than you since my creators said I was ordinary for now. Normally, you should have been able to lift it easily I think.


    "Alright then." Said Chinui still lying on the ground. "Since that thing is really magical and can make you stronger, from now on, you will lift it three times a day, in the morning, at noon and before going to sleep."


    This is how the long stay of Emperor with Chinui began.

 4 Common knowledge

    It did not take long for Emp to learn more about Chinui. He wasn''t the kind of man to hide what he thought so it was the easiest first encounter Emp could have made.


    Chinui was a man who attached a lot of importance to honor and duty, in particular toward one''s family. It was a skeptical man who never believed anything that was said to him unless it was proved true. He would often question the same thing over and over and verify every little details to make sure there was no mistake in the information he had. This was the main reason explaining why he often got annoyed at Emp since nothing he said could be proven without a doubt. Still, it didn''t take long to Chinui to figure out that Emp was a very simple man, mostly because he didn''t have the knowledge to act otherwise. He believed Emperor''s story was the truth but never said it out loud since the proof never appeared.


    Chinui was a practical man who saw value in everything and hated to waste anything. Maybe it was because of the wasted life of his brother, thought Emp. Or it was because he hated wasted things that the death of his brother affected him so much?


    It was all those characteristics that had led him in those woods. His story deeply linked to the Steelwood empire.


    Chinui explained to him how at first, a long time ago, a greatly greedy king decided to conquer all nearby kingdoms. Despite his greed, he was a master tactician and easily forced the other kings to bend the knee to him and swear him allegiance in exchange that they kept their realms. He became the first emperor, the king of kings, his kingdom made up of many conquered kingdoms.


    The other nations bordering his new empire became nervous. Afraid of being swallowed as well, they made many an alliance. It didn''t take long for the leader of each alliance to be declared emperor as well. This is how most of the empires present to that day had been made.


    At that time, the kingdom of Grandbois was lead by a king of the same name. It was him that took the initiative to unite the nearby kingdoms. His own domain was large and rich and his army powerful but he wasn''t talented in things related to war himself. He made the wise decision to entrust all his troops to the general Muracier instead of taking command himself. Once all the kingdoms where united, they both quickly understood that Grandbois would not be able to keep it together or protect it without Muracier and the general didn''t want to lead an empire and did not have the qualities to do so.


    They came to an agreement that pleased both of them and gave both of their name to the empire making it the Steelwood empire. Grandbois would grow the empire like the woods that covered his country and Muracier would protect it from all menace. For each generation of Grandbois emperor thereafter, there would be a general Muracier to help him keep the empire prosper and secure.


    Chinui had been the most recent general of the empire. Like his ancestors, he had always been loyal and had done his very best to protect his homeland from all threats. But, in a large battle against hordes of savage creatures, said enemies managed to surprise his troops.


    Before taking a decision that would influence all his armies, he sent out many scouts and waited for their returns to check twice and trice more the information he had received.


    The emperor Billow Grandbois who had insisted on following him to the battlefield panicked at the idea of the bestial horde nearing them. Without asking for his opinion, he commanded the twelfth company to intercept the beasts behind Chinui''s back. On the order of the emperor, the company marched and never came back.


    If the beasts had managed to surprise them, it was because they were mounted by cursed-bloods hell-bent on driving out humans form their territory. When Chinui confirmed the news, he prepared his troops for the assault and with the appropriate strategy, his loss should have been minimal.


    When the movement of the twelfth company was finally discovered and relayed to him, he barely had enough time to reorganize the troops before the attack could rush into the breach in his defense line. Counting the entire twelfth company, he lost a little more than two thousand men where he should not have lost two hundreds.


    When he understood what had happened, he became furious. Not only had he bypassed him, he had told no one what he was doing which could have cost them the entire battle. So many good soldiers had lost their lives in their scramble to plug the breach and so many more had been sacrificed for the impulsive decision of an emperor who had absolutely no tactical knowledge. Why only one company and why the twelfth in particular? His anger was once again multiplied when the death of his blood brother, commander of the twelfth company, was confirmed.


    Having lost all control of himself, he went and screamed of rage at the emperor. He, insulted by the behavior of his general towards one of the most powerful person on the continent, told him to calm down if he didn''t want to lose his position as a general. Still mad with anger, he screamed at the emperor that if he thought he could keep his throne without the Muracier it was wishful thinking.


    He threw his commanding badge at the feet of the emperor, told him he would not come back for as long as he would be emperor and left with the bloodied corpse of his brother in his arms.


    After he had wandered for a while, he buried himself deeply in this forest and had not come back out for more than ten years. According to him, his ancestors were probably shriveling their roots (1) at the idea that he had given up the protection of the empire but he didn''t care. Billow Grandbois didn''t deserve the protection of the Muracier. Even if he feared what might happen to the citizens, he still did not have the intention of coming back and had not spoken to anyone since then, aside from Emperor of course.


    In life, he had told Emp, you never know what might happen. Sometimes victory is the same as defeat. Sometimes, life just stabs you in the guts without warning. Nothing is ever certain unless you can read the future.


    Even if he had said all this in a fit of anger, he could not take his words back and like his name, his words where made of steel. He could not go back however much he worried.


    When Emp had showed up, he had decided that he should do his best to help him for it would probably be his last chance to help the empire. If Emp had told the truth, he felt compelled to make a better emperor than Billow out of him. If he had lied, Chinui would at least feel like he had made a better person out of him and even if he never came back, maybe a descent general would one day take his place.


    He didn''t have much time ahead of him but he was still determined to do his best to teach him as many things as he could in this short span of time. This was because of three things.


    Firstly, there was of course the possibility that Emperor would make a difference. Even if tiny, he could not ignore it.


    Secondly, he quickly saw that his guest was completely ignorant. He did know how to write and read but did not know anything about history, geography, the simple workings of society, the cursed-bloods, the beasts and monsters, the laws and so on. Whoever where is parents, they were particularly strange. They hadn''t taught anything to their son. Even the shepherds and the farmers knew more than Emp and still, they also knew how to take care of animals and fields for which his guest was also clueless. How could he ever throw out that clueless kid? If he did, he would probably die of some obvious thing in the following week.


    The third reason was that, even if he didn''t want to admit it, he was feeling lonely. He had seen no one in ten years after all, speaking to someone was doing him some good. He never had a wife nor an heir andneither did his little brother. He had never been good with women and did not have the time for love to begin with. His brother had been much better but sadly, he had been the first to die. He still had some cousin born from branch families but they would probably never be as good a general as the main branch. He did not have the time to teach him the art of leading an army but teaching him simpler things was still enjoyable for Chinui.


    Every morning, Chinui taught him all kinds of practical things. He taught him how to fish and set up traps for example. In the river, the fishes were small but numerous and Emp only took a couple of practice sessions to be able to catch enough for the both of them. The small traps Chinui taught him to set up were simple, his favorites were the snares. He did not catch many prey in them but when he did he rejoiced for his next meal. Chinui also forced him to take care of the fish and the meat by himself, be they rabbit or partridges. At first, Emperor felt sickened by the task of opening up those small animals but after a dozen times, he was almost accustomed to it.


    Chinui taught him to not waste any parts of his catches. It wasn''t as important for a small rabbit but for larger prey, in particular monsters, everything was valuable.


    Skin and fur to make clothes, the meat, the bones, the claws and fangs all had uses. For most monsters, many of their organs also had important uses for mages, alchemists or healers of all kind due to their often strange properties.


    Chinui also taught him how to take care of the garden and how to cook. Since Emp had no experience at all with food, everything he ate had a brand new taste and he loved all of them. He also tried to teach him how to use a bow but Emp never achieved to hit the target. Only practice would let him improve but Chinui still had many more things to show him so archery practice would need to be done on his own after his departure.


    Finally with two long sticks, he taught Emp the basics of sword fighting. Chinui felt relieved that Emp was much better at this than he was with a bow. Every move and details he showed him where quickly understood and copied with talent. He seemed to have a fantastic memory for this kind of thing. Chinui guessed that when Emp would arrive at the school, he would definitely not be the worst of all students at it. Some that practiced since they were small would not be that far ahead of him even with their years of practice.


    Every day, all morning long, Emp was driven to physical exhaustion with exercises and practical teaching but in the afternoon, it was his mind that was put to the test.


    Every afternoon, Chinui taught him what he needed to know about the world. The gods had given him basic knowledge about human beings but not on how they acted or the world they lived in. Maybe, for them, the world didn''t matter much since they could just change it however they pleased. He did not know anything about the world but he did know how to read, write and calculate which was apparently rare.


    In fact, he was so ignorant that Chinui didn''t know where to start and threw all sorts of random information at him without any particular order. He wasn''t that good at that kind of teaching but luckily, Emp had no trouble remembering everything he said. Since he knew how to write, Chinui started by telling him why it was so unusual.


    Reading and writing wasn''t all that useful for most people. The nobles mostly knew because it was considered disgraceful to not know. The merchants used writing frequently, they taught it to their kids so they would be able to take the business over when the time came. Artisans knew how to calculate but did not learn often how to read. Some well renowned masters in their respective crafts knew and wrote some compilation of their knowledge. The rest of the population, aside from mage and those in more academic lines of work, had no time to waste on things they would never use and limited themselves to simple numbers. They knew enough to use money, count livestock and the likes but would rarely go above the hundred mark.


    For emperor, it was more like an absence of disadvantage rather than an advantage. Since he didn''t belong in any noble family, it was mostly useless knowledge for now. On the other hand, once he got into the school, he would blend in more easily with all those rich young people. Chinui even told him that a good half of them only learned once there.


    Chinui then took his time to explain to him how the society worked from the most basic things like shaking hands all the way to what a king actually did. There was so many things to remember and so many titles and ranks to know.


    Many of the empires on the continent worked in similar ways and many customs were shared as well. In the Steelwood empire, the emperor himself was at the top of everything and he had the rights to do almost anything. Since the emperor was also the king of Grandbois, a regent was named to take care of the kingdom while he personally oversaw the empire.


    Next, just below the emperor, there where kings, each taking care of their own kingdom. In Steelwood, there were five of them excluding the emperor. They all had the full control of their respective kingdom and the emperor almost never intervened in their affairs. There was even a time in the past where two kingdoms included in the empire went to war against one another without the emperor lifting a finger. It all depended on the situation, politics and the relative safety of the population.


    Bellow the kings were the dukes, then the marquis, the counts, and finally barons all possessing territories of various sizes throughout the empire. All of those people were expected to do a certain things related to their titles and their descendant would inherit their position. Then there were city lords charged to take care of a town for the local higher noble. Banneret and knights where the lowest of the chain having gained honorary titles and were expected to lead troops into war and monster subjugation.


    The knights were both numerous and few. Most family members of noble houses were knights and a kingdom at war could send hundreds on the battlefield. Chijou had been a knight. Anyone worthy could become a knight but since they were expected to buy their own equipment including horse and armor, very few ordinary person ever became one. When a knight wasn''t from a noble family, it was almost always someone from a rich merchant house. Most common folk were forced to join the rank and file or become a death seeker if they wanted to fight for what they held dear.


    Aside from having to buy his own equipment, a high noble or at least a city lord had to recognize your valor and bravery before you could be recognized as a knight. Once done, the knight would enter the service of said noble. Rarely, a knight with no master showed up, sometimes having declared themselves knight. Those were either honourless killing machines or saints too concerned in the well-being of the peasants and lowborn citizens to waste time prancing around in the manor of a noble.


    After the nobles, three social class made the bulk of the population. Those three all shared the same laws, rules and benefits.


    There were the merchants, generally richer and sometimes almost as powerful as nobles. They were the ones who made the money flow through the kingdom and everywhere else in the world.


    There were the artisans, respected for their talents everywhere, without them, no decent life would ever be possible.


    Finally, there was the common folk, tavern keep, farmer, shepherd, butcher, messenger, lumberjack and all those things that made the world turn.


    Still bellow them stood a last group, the slaves. Bereaved of almost all rights, they did all the chores that their masters gave them or died. Once a slave, they weren''t considered human anymore, they were tools which their master could dispose of however they pleased. Usually, their ranks were filled with unredeemable criminals, war prisoners and cursed-bloods.


    For the cursed-bloods in particular, even those who were not slave weren''t treated much better and even a small mistake could shackle them to a collar. When Chinui was speaking of cursed-bloods, Emperor could clearly see the hatred in his eyes. He obviously disliked them and approved of their unfavorable treatment. Such hatred couldn''t only be explained by the death of his brother in the battle against them. It seemed rooted in the depths of his mind from a very long time ago.


    Aside from all those, sometimes, a very poor family had to offer one of theirs in exchange for enough money to save the rest or, even more rarely, a group of slavers attacked a small village and took everyone for profit.


    Three other groups of people stood on the side and protected the rest from other empires and the world itself. There were of course, the soldiers, duty bound to protect the empire, the kingdom and the town where they were keeping watch. They also served as peacemakers, guards and law enforcement. Since the dangers they were expected to face each day was enormous, they were amongst the most paid people in the empire.


    Then, there were the mercenaries, tempted by the gold but not the duty. They preferred to be paid for a specific task and be free of refusing insane commands or free of following whoever they liked in a war.


    The last group was mostly made up of freaks who liked to bend the law or completely ignore it. Instead of working in large armies, they preferred to believe in individual strength and worked in small groups or even in solitary. They were known as the death seekers. Described as adventurers, sometimes hero, sometimes vagabond or flat out criminals but most of the times, suicidal. Everyone appreciated their presence because they took care of any and all problems.


    When the army could not deal with some monster terrorizing an out of the way village, they were the ones who would put their lives at risk for a hefty sum of money or a barrel of ale. Most of their adventures ended up badly for the unprepared. Some chained quest after quest, hoping to save the world before dying of exhaustion. Some went hunting in the most remote parts of savage lands and never came back. Most had the eyes bigger than the stomach and took a mission way to dangerous for them thinking they would come back to live in glory and luxury.


    They were jackasses, even those who survived were usually feeling the irresistible call of danger and took an insane pleasure of running towards their death. Rare were those that made themselves a name and those were so powerful they could do almost anything. Some dedicated their entire life to the hunt of a specific type of creature out of some grudge or uncanny talent for killing them. Those were called slayers, they were undefeatable specialist against a very specific thing. Many found their deaths when they encountered an unexpected quarry.


    Soldiers and mercenaries didn''t have a lot of respect for death seekers but everyone agreed on saying that if there had not been any death seekers, every kingdoms would have fallen long ago. The reason was simple, horrors scoured the land and the army simply could not be everywhere at once. There were too many dangers and not enough soldiers, not enough walls, not enough bravery.


    The monsters encountered by the protectors numbered three big types. Firstly, there were the unnameables of chaos. The common folk just called them horrors. There was never two of a kind, always a uniquely deformed and bloodthirsty monster. They made no difference between man and beast, they where unhinged and mindless terrors that killed everything in their way. They destroyed forests like villages and no one knew were they came from. They just appeared somewhere and started wreaking havoc, never stopping until they met a violent death at the hand of heroes or armies. Of the three types, they were the most feared, the most unpredictable and often, the most dangerous. Glory awaited those who managed to defeat an horror and most of the time, an entire company or rarely, a legion of soldier was sent to stop them.


    Then, there were the natural beasts. They were the most numerous but also the simplest to manage and understand. They were only bigger and stronger types of animals. Each species were largely documented and lived only in a very specific region. It was dangerous to enter their territories or to anger them but with a little knowledge and precaution, even a group of normal villager could get rid of them without too much trouble. Some species had even been domesticated with time and now had a lot of uses from merchandise transportation to construction work.


    Lastly, there were the unnatural beasts, those were the ones that caused the most problems. Even if the horrors where way more dangerous, the unnatural beasts compensated raw power with cunning intelligence and often, sheer number. if the natural beasts were simple to describe and stayed similar to more docile creatures, the unnatural did not follow the same limitations. For example, a natural beast could simply be a giant horned boar, they were easy to recognize and understand, they were just larger more aggressive boars. The unnatural on the other hand often had some strange abilities or form that made them much harder to deal with. In their ranks there were dragons, invisible stranglers, woodland horrors and so on.


    The day Emperor listened to Chinui''s explanation about monsters was the day he understood what was wrong with the cursed-bloods. Many species of unnatural beasts possessed some human traits and could even sometimes communicate clearly in human language. There were some bipedal creatures or some more disturbing like a serpent with a human head. Some had established primitive society in the depths of the earth and others knew how to use tools and weapons stolen from humans. Lastly, some even needed humans to reproduce, mostly in case of unisexual species.


    Since all cursed-bloods possessed some strange physical traits and some even possessed innate powers beyond human capabilities, they stood somewhere between man and beast. How could you trust someone sharing traits with the beasts outside the city walls? Many had even hypothesized that there were in fact no difference between cursed-bloods and unnatural beasts, they were only at the most human end of the monster spectrum, at least in terms of intelligence.


    There were many dozens of cursed-bloods species, all looking more or less like ordinary humans. If their ancestors had been human, that would explain why it was possible to conceive a child between a man and a cursed-blood but in that case, what kind of atrocities had their ancestors done to be transformed like so?


    Either they were beasts or their ancestors had been cursed but either way, they stayed abominations in the eyes of most. They occupied a foggy and confusing zone in a society that didn''t know what to do with them. Should they invite the beasts at their tables running the risk that they would end up on the menu or should they lock them up even if they may be more respectable than many a man?


    In this world where danger lurked at every corner and behind every tree, where people died by the hundreds everyday at the claws of monsters, most people chose to take no risks even if it made them appear unkind. Since everyone acted this way, what wrong was there to crush the cursed-bloods beneath your boots? After all, they weren''t even human.


    "If they are that afraid, Why not just kill them instead of letting them inside as slaves?"


    "Because we need their hands. There are not enough people for all the work that must be done. Not only that but there are some jobs that no one wants to do, it is easier to sacrifice cursed-bloods to those than to convince honest workers with a huge payment."


    "I see."


    Since emperor had never seen a real monster nor a cursed-blood before, he did not know what to think of them. Chinui felt like they were a bad thing but that did not make it the truth. Chinui didn''t entirely believe Emp''s story either. Emp felt like he needed to see for himself to understand better like how Chinui required proof for his story. At least, he would keep Chinui''s distaste of them in mind.


    Ordinary people had all grown up while being told repeatedly that cursed-bloods were bad, scary and bellow them. Emp did not feel the same as them, all he had been told was to become an emperor and that they counted on him. He felt like those people would not understand this just like how he had a hard time picturing how exactly where the cursed-bloods evil. Anyway, it didn''t matter, he wasn''t a cursed-blood and whatever he thought of them would not change their situation.


    Going back to the monster talk, there were as many ways to defeat them as there were varieties of beasts. Swords and bows where widely used but the most effective way to kill them was by far magic. Not many could use magic but those that could use even the simplest spell could gain enormous benefits in fame, money and of course survivability. There were many magic types in this world but they all fit into three great group. There was the magic of the body, mostly called self magic, the magic of the mind and the magic of the soul.


    Self magic was the simplest and was mostly used by warriors. Every magic that was classified as a magic of the body would let the user influence his own body. It could let someone see further and in more details, let them lift impossible weights, run faster and so on. The power of self magic seemed to be directly linked to the stamina and muscle mass of the user. The more healthy and vigorous body someone had, the better his self magic would be.


    Mind magic was the kind of magic people usually referred to when they spoke of spells. With specific words, gestures and ingredients, magic users could influence the world around them to make almost anything happen. Fireballs, stone walls sprouting from the ground, controlling plants and healing serious injuries in an instant where all things that were possible with mind magic. To use this magic, the spell caster had to draw the necessary power from the world itself instead of from his own body which let them do much more than self magic could. The only real limitations were the talent of the caster and his supplies of ingredients.


    The last type of magic, the magic of the soul, was the most mysterious and the rarest. It was a strange magic halfway between self magic and mind magic. The goal of this kind of magic was either to let the world influence the body or the body influence the world. That magic could make someone invisible, prolong the life of someone, boost regeneration, metamorphosis and even a certain control over life and death. Aside from the rare few who knew how to use this magic, no one knew were the energy it used came from.


    It was sometimes hard to see the difference between soul magic and the other two types. Chinui tried to explain it to Emp with an example about a sword slash. Someone using self magic would be able to make his slash stronger and stronger because of the magic amplifying his physical strength. Soul magic on the other hand would not make the slash stronger but could let you throw the energy of the slash away from the sword across long ranges. A soul magic user could then cut his opponent in half using his sword without ever getting near him.


    The difference between mind magic and soul magic was much harder for Chinui to explain. He tried his best but in the end, it was clear that even him had no real idea on how it all worked. In the end, the best he could muster was that both could make you invisible but the mind magic would force you to not see them while the soul magic would let you see through them.


    After all that magic stuff, Chinui went on to explain things he described as "actually useful knowledge". He had a whole lot of customs and beliefs that everyone knew about and applied without thinking to explain. There were so many that Emp was certain he would end up forgetting some of them. Chinui probably forgot to mention some too because of how simple they were. Many of those were rules about the roles of everyone and how to behave with others. The rules about how to behave with nobles were especially complicated but Chinui told him that there would be an entire class about the subject in school mixed in with etiquette. Emp already dreaded them.


    Chinui was afraid for Emp reputation, after all, he wasn''t doing all this so that Emp would disgrace himself first thing after entering a town. At least he hoped he would remember enough basic things to hold a normal conversation without looking like an idiot. He needed to not ask crazy questions like why did that guy have three wives or why that one forced his kids to take care of the horses instead of letting the slaves do it. Everyone had a place and a task and everyone expected the others to mostly conform themselves to these roles. Emp was expected to know them as well. He understood most of them but he had a hard time with all the exceptions. Why could they not all follow the same rules? Emp had a very good memory and did not have a really hard time remembering everything but all those exceptions seemed to be overly complicated.


    For example, it was customary to hang fresh fruits over entrance doors to scare evil spirits away unless the door was facing the north in which case, it would instead stops said spirits from getting out of the house, trapping them inside. He thought it sounded somewhat strange but luckily, other rules made much more sense to him. In case of an attack, it was the duty of the men including nobles to defend women and children with their life on the line unless their work was judged essential like the only blacksmith in town making weapons for the rest. The women also had the right to fight but most preferred not to and those that did have the strength and courage to fight often became famous.


    Since catastrophe often happened, the dead piled up really quickly. This resulted in two things. First, they had to do something with all the bodies. In the Steelwood empire, the dead were buried in the woods and saplings were planted on top of the graves. It was believed that the spirit of the dead would then inhabit the trees and help the future generations through the objects made from its wood.


    The second thing was that because so many men died all the time, there were many more women than men. Women usually lived at least twice as long as their husbands and most took over the trade of their dead partner. Wherever you went in town, most shops and workshops were manned by women. Chandlers, bakers, butchers, carpenters, shop keeps, merchants and even smiths were dominated by women of all ages.


    With most men dying so quickly, people had taken two habits. They married young but waited after the man first fight to do so. The first battle was the most deadly, if a man survived his baptism of blood, his chances of survival greatly increased. Families, to protect their daughters from bad choices, often chose to keep away suitors who had not spilled blood yet. After all, it was really easy to verify with the help of the hunting card.


    Apart from that, a bunch of small rules and customs applied to couples. A couple should not be more than one degree of nobility apart from each other but the rule was often ignored. It was usually the women who chose her husband with the approval of her family and the would be husband. Nobles sometimes went at it in reverse and let an important male heir choose the girl he wanted or offered their daughters for some political or territorial benefits. Polygamy was common as well and encouraged since without it, more than half the women would never get married and more importantly, the population would quickly dwindle. A woman could only bear one child at a time but who knew if their partner would live long enough to give them a second one? And even if he did live long enough to sire more children, many of them would die in tragic fashion before reaching adulthood and then, nearly half the surviving boys would die in their first battle. Depending on the place, it was sometimes more and sometimes less but overall, only forty out of every hundred kids survived with thirty of them being women.


    The age of adulthood wasn''t a fixed number. A boy became a man after he spilled the blood of a monster or another man for the first time and a girl became woman after she bled for the first time. It was really convenient for Emperor since he had no idea of what was his physical age and, if he started counting since the day he was created, it would take a long time for him to reach adulthood. Once someone became an adult, it was expected of him to make his own place in the world but it did not change much for Emp since he had to take care of himself from the start.


    Once adult, a lot of things you did not have the rights to do became possible. Most importantly, it gave you the rights to buy weapons. Emp thought it was somewhat strange that to have the right to buy any weapons, you had to kill something first. Chinui told him that the rules didn''t forbid someone to make his own weapon and didn''t forbid parents to lend weapons to their kids to complete the test. They just didn''t want a bunch of kids running around town with blades waving for no reason.


    "But what about the orphans?" Asked Emp.


    "It''s simple." Answered Chinui. "Either they are extremely lucky and talented or they become slaves willingly to escape death."


    It felt a little unfair to him but since there was nothing he could do about it, he quickly forgot and asked his next question. How did they know if someone did or did not pass the test? It was a very simple answer, it was once again because of the hunting card. It was often used as a identity card since it was mostly foolproof.


    Chinui told him all about it in details. The first thing he told him was that he had no idea how it worked but it did. Mankind mostly believed that the gods had gifted this to them but weren''t sure why aside from the obvious convenience it presented them. It was impossible to cheat the hunting card, impossible to falsify and the thing was really smart. If you won the title of best cook of the empire as a result of a contest, the card would display it, no need to do anything at all. You have the noble title of baron, the card knows and displays it. You tell people you are actually the king in disguise, the card will stay blank revealing your lie.


    Bellow the titles section there was the main point of the hunting card, a list of every kill you ever made sorted in chronological order. The thing itself was divided in two, a side for harmless prey and the other for everything else. Every kill was represented by a small picture and the written name of the creature. In the case of Emp, the first section was slowly filling up with fishes and rabbits and the second section stayed empty. For Chinui, in the second section, there was a list so long that it seemed to never end. Most of the kills were cursed-bloods but besides them, there was mostly other human beings and strange creatures Emp didn''t recognize.


    Chinui told him that the hunting card always knew to which category a kill belonged, even if you believed otherwise. For example, a young noble could want to cheat the test easily by paying people to tie up a creature and present it to him defenseless. But, if he did kill it like that, the card would register it in the harmless prey section for the noble and put it in the other section for the group that had captured it for him.


    Finally, Chinui told him that even if the card itself could not be cheated, people looking at it could. The card allowed some secrecy by letting you hide some information like part of your name or titles but never to change them yourself. For example, Emperor could hide his full name and only keep his nickname Emp written but could not change his name to something else entirely. It was also possible to trick someone with illusion magic, making him see something else entirely but if you had enough talent to do that, there would surely be many easier way to go about your business than casting complicated spells to trick the minds of onlookers.


    To answer the question Emp had first asked, shopkeepers only had to ask for the hunting card and if there was anything at all in the second section, it was proof you passed the test and were considered adult. It was also quite useful for death seekers to prove their hunts had been successful.


    Emp absorbed this information and everything else Chinui said like a sponge. He loved to learn new things, he felt compelled to expend is knowledge. It was to complete the task his creators had given him of course but also because he genuinely enjoyed it. Or, had he been created to enjoy it to compel him to reach his goal? In any case, even if he had not enjoyed it, he wouldn''t have the time to complain about it nor the energy to do so. He felt tired all the time but still did everything Chinui asked him to do knowing that it was a great help for his future.


    (1) shriveling their roots


    In the Steelwood empire, they do not dig traditional graves. They grow trees out of the corpses of the dead instead. It would not make sense for them to say that they turned in their graves. Instead, they say that if you displease one of your ancestors, the roots of his tree will shrivel up to express their anger.

 5 The riverside

    After a couple of months of training and learning, Emperor felt like he wasn''t as ignorant as he was before. He couldn''t be sure that what he felt was the truth but at least, he was confident about his progress. He also felt much stronger than before. When he first arrived, he had to bring buckets of water from the river one by one, almost dragging them on the floor, but now, he could easily lift three or four if he could find a stick solid enough to old them up. The Great overburdening hammer was truly impressive.


    Over the course of his stay, they had both gotten used to the presence of the other. One didn''t want to see a soul and the other didn''t know a single one but in the end, they got along just fine. Emperor didn''t know how to do a lot of things so Chinui had to scold him often but even if he was a little grumpy in general, he wasn''t that bad of a person.


    All in all, Emp had a great time and enjoyed his stay until the day of his departure came. Unaware of what day it was, Emperor just slept peacefully on the wooden floor like usual. Chinui, also like usual, kicked him weakly on his side to wake him up.


    "Hey lazy kid, how many times do I have to tell you to get up with the sun! Stop sleeping and get up!"


    Emperor had found out that he had the bad habit of not wanting to go to bed. It was because he had so many things he needed to do to get better at everything. On the other hand, once he fell asleep, he had an incredibly hard time to get back up. He just wanted to stay asleep and laze around all day long. He pretended he didn''t hear Chinui and moved his arms more comfortably under his head hoping to fall back asleep.


    "Once you get to the school I won''t be there to kick you awake anymore. You should have taken the habit of waking up early by yourself. Get up already! Today is the day you go, you have a long road ahead of you, no time to waste sleeping here."


    Being reminded of what day it was, Emp felt his heart suddenly race and all his sleepiness disappeared like smoke in the wind. He was partly excited at the idea of exploring the world and meeting new people and partly worried about leaving the place he had gotten used to.


    He opened his eyes sharply and somehow managed to get up. Once upright, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and awaited patiently Chinui''s explanation of what he had planned for him today. Since it was the day of his departure, it was also the day Chinui would tell him if he would give him the money or not. As expected of Chinui, he didn''t wait long at all to tell him.


    "I won''t beat around the bush, you won, I will give you the gold."


    Emperor answered with a big smile, unable to find words expressing his gratitude towards this generosity.


    "There is still a lot of things I want to tell you before you go. Go wash your face and we''ll talk during breakfast. "


    Emp quickly ran to the river, washed his face with its cold water to wake himself up completely and came back to the table in front of Chinui. There was only one chair in the house so Emp had always used a big log in place of a chair. He sat on it and smelled the smoked meat and the fruits on the table. He started devouring the food without waiting any longer while Chinui talked to him seriously.


    "So, listen carefully, it''s important. To get to the school, you need to go through two entire kingdoms, many towns, mountains, swamps and of course forests. You will need around forty days of travel to get there if everything goes right. Are you even listening?"


    "Yes, I am." Answered Emp, his mouth full


    Chinui seemed exasperated but he knew how well Emp remembered everything he said so he continued his explanation without minding it too much.


    "First, you will need to follow the river down through the hills until it crosses another one. That other river, you will have to follow it back up instead of down, all the way to the mountains."


    "Will I need to get to the other side of the mountains?"


    "Yes but don''t worry, while following the river, you should eventually come across a road that goes through them. From there, follow the road through the mountains and continue straight forward. Ignore any branches of the road and any intersection you come across until you reach the lake of the Bloody lynx. There, you will take a right and follow the shores of the lake. "


    "Why is it called the lake of the bloody lynx?" Asked Emp curious.


    Chinui waved off the question with his hand and took a big bite of smoked meat.


    "No idea and it doesn''t matter. You are paying attention right?"


    "Yes, yes, I won''t forget anything." Reassured Emperor. "Once at the lake, what do I do?"


    "The lake is in between the kingdom of Dugo and the kingdom of Windbow. If you follow the road on the right, it won''t take you long before you get there. Continue on that road until you reach the city of Red-water. From there, you need to take the north road to Starfall village. Then, take the road through the hills that goes towards the low-woods. There is only one road through the hills so you shouldn''t get lost, same for the low-woods."


    "What are the low-woods?"


    "It''s a forest that looks like a plain. The trees that grows there are so crooked towards the ground that they form a great carpet. In fact, it''s so dense it''s even possible to walk on top of the forest on all its length without falling through."


    "Really? That''s impressive."


    "You''ll see. There is almost nothing worth going there for, aside from the sight. Nothing interesting or useful grows there, the terrain is too treacherous to lead an army through but too thick to let people hide inside. Most don''t have any reason to go there. After the low-woods, continue until you reach the howling hill, you''ll see, it''s impossible to miss. The howling hill is a crossroad and also the border between Windbow and Artefine. You need to take the path that goes to Dark-glint from there, it should be indicated on the signpost. At that point, your trip will be almost over, you just have to continue on that road towards B¨ºt¨¦clair, that''s where the school is." (1)


    "That doesn''t sound that bad, I should be able to do it."


    "If you are lucky yes." Said Chinui with a mocking smile.


    "What do you mean?"


    "The chances of you encountering monsters on the way are high but sadly I have no weapon to lend you. My blade is broken and I still need it, you will need to fend for yourself."


    Emp burst out laughing.


    "I''m sure if you really wanted to give me a weapon, you would find something to lend me. You should just admit that you want me to pass the test. You want me to beat a monster without help."


    "Maybe a little bit of that I admit but that isn''t so important that you should risk your life for it. If you get in an advantageous situation sure take it but don''t throw yourself in the jaws of a night crawler for the test. Your life is way more important. If you do manage to kill something, don''t forget to harvest as much as you can from it, each pieces has a worth."


    "Yes, yes, I know, you told me so many times already. I won''t forget."


    "Good. Aside from that, I will also lend you my family name."


    "Your name?"


    Emp was taken off guard. What did he mean?


    "Yes, you will keep Emp as your name but use Muracier as surname."


    Chinui seemed to not mind it at all, as if it was a normal thing to do but Emp wasn''t convinced at all that pretending to be in the family of the great general Muracier would do him any good.


    "But isn''t it a really well known name? If I use it, won''t it bring me a lot of trouble?"


    "Of course, if you abuse our name to do anything dumb it will but just using it as normal should be fine. If you tell everyone you don''t have a name, first of all, people will think it strange, even orphans have a family name and second of all, you will stand out way more in the school without a name than if you use Muracier. You won''t have a choice, you will have to use a surname eventually. I even wrote a letter for the ancient in charge, you''ll only have to give it to him once there."


    Chinui got a letter sealed with wax from his pocket and placed it casually on the table. On it, Emp could clearly see Chinui''s crest stamped in the wax.


    "Be careful to not open it or the ancient would never believe you."


    "You would really let me use your family name?" Asked Emp, still confused about how to answer this gesture. "Is that not strange?"


    "What other name would you even use? You can''t just make one up, everyone will know easily and if you just take an existing one, you will get yourself an endless amount of trouble for using one that doesn''t belong to you."


    But was it not the same for that surname? thought Emp. What if I get across another Muracier? Emp was not an expert in laws and rules at all but, was it not a terrible crime to impersonate a member of such an important noble family? Without Chinui there to help him, what would he do?


    "Or is it just that you don''t like my name? In that case you can just refuse to take this letter." Said Chinui with a menacing tone and frown.


    "No it''s fine, I got it, I will take the letter." said Emp half scarred of Chinui''s look and half scarred he would take back his generous help.


    "Good!" Said Chinui, obviously pleased. "Aside from all that, don''t forget to buy provisions once you reach a town."


    Chinui picked up a bag of money that he placed on the table just beside the letter and focused on his meal. He did not say a word more. Emperor was a little surprised that he had nothing else to say. Usually, he never stopped talking, he always had something to tell him to do, to remember or to stop doing.


    "Is that all? Do you not have any more advice?"


    "What do you mean is that all!" Exclaimed Chinui, almost throwing his whole plate at him. "I''ve been explaining things to you for months now! I''m dead tired, I have helped you more than enough already you little scoundrel."


    "You are right, I''m sorry, I need to do things on my own as well, I can''t rely on you forever."


    "Exactly, now get out of here and go see the world! I can''t wait to get my silence back again."


    "But I haven''t finished eating yet."


    "You never stop eating."


    Chinui bent his body over the table and snatched the half emptied plate in front of Emp. He ignored the pleading look of Emp, started eating what was left in the plate and showed him the door. Emp made a small disappointed sigh, picked up the letter and the money and stopped in front of the door.


    "Well, good bye then, see you next time."


    "Mhn, later." Answered his mentor.


    Neither of them was used to farewells. Emp got himself outside and closed the door without turning back. He walked to the river and finally started his journey to the great school.


    It was a good day for travelers, it reminded him a lot of the day he was created. A clear sky, a comfortable temperature even for the early hour and a breeze to animate the leaves around. On his right, the river splashed about like usual and from time to time, he could see the shadow of a fish through the water.


    Emp regretted not being able to do the trip in the company of Chinui but at the same time, he felt that not constantly hearing his voice would probably be quite relaxing. He had become so used to it that he often made dreams in which Chinui criticized everything he did.


    He appreciated the calm he had just gained but was also very eager to meet some new people. He impatiently awaited to meet a multitude of weird strangers and wondered if they would be like Chinui. In the mean time, he could only calmly follow the river flow.


    Chinui had told him that the forest, and the rest of the world for that matter, was covered in all kinds of monsters but, of all the time he spent in the woods already, he had not seen a single one. He felt that his luck was so great that the chances of him meeting a monster in his travel was minimal. The trip would no doubt be very relaxing, thought Emperor while stretching his arms.


    Around midday, he stopped to raise the hammer and take a light dinner before resuming his tireless walk. Of the entire day, nothing special happened. When evening came and the sun started to go down, Emp searched for a good place to rest. He wanted a place where the trees distanced themselves from the river a little to give him enough space to make a small fire but finding such a place proved to be extremely difficult. Most of the riverside was filled with tall trees leaning towards the water to steal the sun from it. If not, big rocks covered in moss blocked all the usable space, they were comfortable to walk on sure but not suitable to make a fire on. He ended up finding a place where a tall tree had fallen over its fellow trees opening up a good space.


    He collected small wood from the fallen trees, used it to prepare a spot for a fire and sat on the riverside with his fishing rod. He still had provisions but since he was right next to the river, it was probably a good idea to catch some more fish.


    While waiting for a catch, he searched his surroundings with his eyes, looking for trees with limbs large enough to support him. The reason for that was because Emp slept much too deeply. It was almost impossible to wake him which wasn''t a good thing at all when sleeping alone in the woods. One time, to make him understand, Chinui had played a trick on him. While Emp slept, Chinui had rolled him inside his blanket, lifted him up before placing him back down outside in the garden and buried him halfway before Emp noticed that something was wrong. This had taught him that if ever a predator or a wicked individual found him sleeping, he would have the time to die three times before he even woke up.


    So, to live through a night outside in the woods, Emp needed two things. An extraordinary hiding spot and an even more extraordinary luck. For him, the only way to live was to fall asleep high in a tree and hope nothing would find him. Looking around, he finally found what he was looking for, a tree with some great limbs and an even thicker trunk. He didn''t take the time to go examine it from nearer since he was still fishing.


    After having caught his first fish, he lit a fire like Chinui had taught him and cooked it. Of all the meat he had the chance to taste up until now, the fish''s wasn''t quite his favorite but he didn''t hate it either. In fact, he had not tasted something he didn''t like yet. After his fish had been prepared, cooked and eaten, he went back to his fishing spot to catch another. He did this until the darkness had invaded all his surroundings.


    In the end, he managed to catch five more that he threw in his bottomless bag. He had tested it with Chinui, the food he placed inside stayed exactly as how it was when he placed it there. If he got the fishes out in a month, they would still be good to eat. This bag was really an incredible object.


    After his catches were put into safety, he doused the fire and went back to the tree he had identified earlier. A good chunk of the branches on one side had been ripped off by the falling tree. One of the biggest limbs on the other side was separating itself in two at the base making for a large surface. He climbed there with difficulty because of the lack of branches to use in the lower end of the tree. Once comfortably positioned up there on his perch, he prepared himself to sleep. He wasn''t that high but he knew that if he fell, the shock would be painful. Enough to wake him up, he hoped. Aside from that, missing half of the tree branches left him a little in the open but it was probably still the best place to lie down in the area.


    He quickly fell asleep, tired from the long walk and woke up the next day, sore all over but still alive. Since both the tree and its limbs had been massive, they had been enough to keep him suspended the whole night. He made sure there weren''t anything suspicious around him or lurking on the ground before he clumsily climbed back down. A quick stretch, a hammer lift and a breakfast quickly devoured later, he was already on his way.


    While he was following the riverside, he had all the time in the world to think about anything that crossed his mind. For example, his belt buckle. The belt itself was quite good but the buckle was way too large in comparison. He felt that maybe if he had been twice as tall and muscled like a bull, the buckle would fit him but for now, he was only looking ridiculous by wearing it. It was true, it was as big as his whole hand! It gave the impression he was a kid trying to look beefier than he really was. Sadly, it was the only belt buckle he had so there was nothing he could do about it.


    He also wondered if he would end up hurting his feet or his legs with all that walking. He already felt exhausted but it was mostly due to the hammer, his vigor came back before noon. After another small dinner and many more hours of walking, he reached the point where the two rivers joined. He now only needed to get on the other side and follow the other one back upwards.


    Since the river seemed calm and shallow, he felt like it would be possible to just walk to the other side from where he was. To keep his clothes dry, he removed everything he wore and put it all in the bag before tying it up around his neck. He entered the water and walked towards the middle of it. the water was so clear that he could easily see his feet at the bottom and since he was taking his time to get across, he wasn''t afraid to slip and fall.


    The water wasn''t that cold but the waves combined with the breeze were sufficient to make him shiver. Bellow his feet, the rocks were small, smooth and surprisingly comfortable to walk on. Of course it wasn''t as comfortable as his boots but the sensation wasn''t unpleasant at all. Once he got to the center of the river, he turned towards the direction it flowed and contemplated the stream.


    He stayed there for a long time. Behind him, the two branches of the river joined and in front, they flowed together towards the horizon. His body disturbed the flow and changed the angles of the waves that fought each other afterwards to take back their place.


    If the two rivers could join like that, he asked himself, could they part again later? If that was the case, how did the water droplets know which of the two branches they belonged to?


    He caught a fistful of water in his palm and raised it in front of his eyes. The water imprisoned in the cusp of his hands shined in the sun but the beauty of that spark, he told himself, could not be compared to the magnificence of the river itself. He let the water flow back down between his fingers while thinking that it was their whole that made the beauty of the river. Destiny had brought all those water droplets on the same path and had united them for a while. If destiny wished for it, the droplets would part again and there was nothing they could do against it.


    In a way, it was not unlike how he had crossed the path of Chinui for a time before being separated again. He wondered how many more droplets would accompany him in the river before he reached his destination. How many more encounter and separation would he see? He couldn''t wait to join up with the river and meet all those other droplets. (2)


    From the middle of that river, it seemed even more impressive than when he watched it from the side. He understood very well why the trees were bent like so over the river. They all wanted a part of the light belonging to the river of course but mostly, he believed, they wanted to look at the river from a better angle. If the sun were to find itself just above the river, he imagined very well the sight of three streams. One made of light, shinning in between two steams of darkness made by the trees walling it from each sides.


    The show reminded him of the scene he had witnessed on the day of his creation. What he saw now was as beautiful as what he saw then, even if entirely different. He wondered if all the rivers were as magnificent. If he made his way to another river, would he find the same presence there? Or maybe each river had its own unique charm, its own individuality.


    Was it possible to recognize a river from a mere sight? What about other kinds of landscapes? Was there any other place in this world hiding such a beauty or was it instead omnipresent and he had just not taken the time to see it earlier? Did other people know or were they living in such a beauty without seeing? If he stayed there until nightfall, would he see but the same spectacle drowned in darkness or would it be its own surprising sight?


    Later, once he felt like he had absorbed as much as he could from this vision, he restarted his steps towards the opposite shore and reached it quickly. Feeling refreshed, he quickly clothed himself and hit the road again, this time, going against the flow instead of with it.


    That day, nothing else happened. He caught more fishes and wasn''t disturbed in his sleep.


    The next day, he quickly felt the difference between the path he now followed and the path of the day before. The slope wasn''t going in the same direction. He had not understood it while he was going downwards but now that he was climbing back upwards, he understood that this part of the trip might be a little more tiring than he had first anticipated. That slope was invisible to him, so softly angled that it seemed flat to him but for his feet, it represented a much harder challenge than before.


    Because of the height and density of the surrounding trees, he was unable to see the hills and the mountains he was supposed to cross. He wondered if he would pass them by without noticing.


    The weather still felt nice that day but for some reason, the birds seemed more distant than usual. Nearby, the leaves still rustled in the wind but they weren''t accompanied by the usual chirping of small animals. He felt sorry he couldn''t enjoy the usual melody he had grown used to.


    Sometimes, on his path laid enormous rocks, companions to the many small waterfalls littering the river. Sometimes he climbed them and sometimes he made his way around them but every time, he took his time to not injure himself or let the river out of his sight. Those minor setbacks did not stop him from acting like usual and he did not forget to use the hammer at midday.


    That afternoon, he was climbing atop a boulder when he suddenly stopped on top of it. He had not yet straightened himself and his hands were still laid on the smooth and warm surface of the boulder. He had stopped because something didn''t feel right. Shivers were running through him from head to toes and he couldn''t pinpoint from where that sensation had come from. He had never felt like this before in his life, was it the so called fear? His heart was beating strongly against his chest as if to jump out of it but he still did not quite understand. What was going on? He desperately looked around for the cause of his current state.


    On either side of him, two dead trees were extending their leaf lacking limbs far into the sky. Was it what had caused his state? A lack of leaves? Probably not. In front, big rocks and boulders covered in moist moss and encased in roots paved the riverside. Everything seemed normal.


    Just after the boulder he was standing on, there was a gap, an empty space where another rock should have been but wasn''t. It wasn''t that strange either, that kind of unexpected dent in the terrain was what made the beauty of the landscape, it wasn''t what had scared him either. Above him, there wasn''t anything unexpected either aside from the impression that the branches of the nearby trees were slowly closing in on him due to his fear. Bellow him, there was only that enormous boulder...


    An enormous boulder, smooth and warm...


    Among tens of big mossy stones, moist and cold...


    Had he unknowingly stepped on a creature? Why did it look so much like a stone? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Probably not, his hairs were standing so much on his scalp that they could have flown away by themselves at any seconds now. He couldn''t possibly have imagined that fear. But why had the creature not attacked him yet? Maybe it had not noticed him? He felt it was impossible to not notice something climbing on top of you.


    Then, was it waiting for something? What? For him to fall in a trap, or run away? How to escape the thing? He didn''t even know what it was for sure. Did he have the time right now to check in the book of answers? Probably not. He checked around him again, this time for a path to escape.


    He would never have believed to be able to feel even more scared than this moment but it would indeed be the case. The leafless trees had gotten closer still while he was thinking! When he had the impression that the trees were closing in on him, it had not been just an impression! How could he have been such an idiot?


    As if to confirm what he had just understood, the earth shook, the ground split and the wood cracked. The earth was thrown in all directions as a plethora of roots detached themselves from the nearby rocks and from under the earth to lift the boulder he was crouched on. The two great trees he had previously thought dead were now more akin to gigantic hands with fingers full of sharp claw-like branches as they quickened the pace at which they reached towards him. The boulder, many times bigger than it had seemed once out of the ground, rose quickly into the air. If Emp had not been crouched on it at this moment, he would probably have fallen off already.


    In a mere moment, he had been lifted far above the tallest tree. He was under the impression that the earth itself was alive. Bellow the boulder, a mix of earth, stone and wood formed the body of the beast. The two tall trees weren''t it''s arms but merely it''s tiny hands, the rest was made out of writhing roots and vines used to lift up the body and hands of the titanic thing. If he had used Chinui''s house in comparison, it would have taken at least five of them atop each other to reach the height of the beast.


    From where he was, he could clearly see the mountains, he could even see a cliff side not far from there where a chunk of the mountain seemed to have been ripped out of it. It didn''t even cross his mind to admire the landscape. He did not have the time for it. The hands of the giant were closing in on him. He guessed he would have greater chances of survival by trying to climb down the thing than by trying to fend off the trees used as its hands. He quickly let himself slide off the side of the beast and barely escaped the claws. They rammed into the boulder, leaving deep trenches in the stone and making the whole creature shake while Emp tried to slow down his fall by grabbing at anything projecting out of the beast.


    Dirt and small rocks that had not been able to keep up with the sudden movement fell all around him towards the forest bellow. Large roots writhed in front of him as if to catch him while he passed by. He gripped holds that came near him before quickly letting them go in favor of newer ones further bellow, dodging the tentacle-like roots.


    The body of the beast was bent backward by the shock of its own hands which eased his descent for a brief moment but he was far from reaching the ground still when the thing regained its composure.


    Still far below him, he could see a multitude of agitated roots easily comparable to a sea of snakes. If he fell in them, he had no doubt it wouldn''t end like he hoped it would.


    In the meantime, the beast had started advancing toward the cliff, maybe unknowingly. Did it even have eyes to see where it was going?


    Chinui had told him to run away if he encountered something too dangerous but how could anyone outrun something so big? His path downward was blocked and there was nowhere to go upward either, his only hope was to defeat it.


    The claws of the beast attacked once more, this time, slower as to not injure itself again. thanks to their reduced speed and the highly irregular shape of the beast, he managed to dodge them again by jumping from hold to hold. The branches still managed to lacerate his left calf. He had never injured himself that badly before , in fact, he had never injured himself at all. The pain and surprise almost made him release his hold but thankfully, the fear had already locked up his muscles which saved his life.


    That thing had to had a weak spot, or a dead point in its perception he could use to escape it. He couldn''t go down because of the roots but staying up there was equally suicidal.


    The beast dangerously neared the cliff, it would probably hit it soon. Maybe if he was high enough, he could use it to escape. he doubted the thing could climb. All he had to do was reach the top of the cliff. He started to climb back up the beast as fast as he could while still somehow dodging the claws. At his back, he could feel the cliff getting nearer and nearer as his clothes were slowly getting thorn apart by the sharp branches and twigs darting at him from all over.


    The beast finally got angry at its inability to get rid of the puny Emp climbing on him and decided to try and catch him instead. Emp was now in a difficult situation because if it was somewhat possible to dodge the haphazard swipes of the beast, a spoon could hardly miss a piece of carrot in a soup. Covering him with its entire hand would be easy, what''s more, the cliff was nearly upon them.


    Emp had no choice now but to take a risk and jump with all his strength away from the body of the beast and unto its earthy arm. He barely managed to grip it with the very tip of his fingers. The beast, intent on making him fall from it at last, raised its arm in the air but only managed to give Emp a good spot to nudge his feet into, securing his hold. It''s on that ridiculous scene that the beast slammed its whole body into the cliff.


    Never had Emp heard such a powerful sound. Even if the monster wasn''t that fast, its impressive weight of stone and wood was more than enough to break down part of the cliff and cleaved the rock upon dozens of meters. The arms of the beast still risen in the air did not smash completely against the cliff but the shock still sent Emp flying into a ordinary tree and finally, back down on normal ground.


    Mere meters away from him, the arms of the beast crashed down on the forest atop the cliff and sent dirt and splinters flying once more into the air. Just above the edge of the cliff, The boulder he now saw as the head of the beast peeked menacingly just beside him. The thing had no facial features but an eerie blue glow seeped from the giant fissures its claws had made in the rock, reminding him of his hammer.


    Without knowing what madness took hold of him, Emp got back up as fast as he could and ran straight towards its head before it regained its senses and dislodged itself from the cliff side. He jumped once more on top of the boulder and picked up the hammer from his bag.


    He lifted it as high as he could and smashed it back down on the rock skull of the beast with all his remaining strength. A frightful shrill resounded and part of the boulder cracked like an egg following the trenches already present before half of it caved in. A glowing and viscous blue liquid rushed out of the opening like a waterfall and the creature shook in its entirety.


    As the tentacles at the bottom raged and shamelessly destroyed the local flora, Emp placed the hammer back inside his bag and used all the energy he had left in his legs to fall on top of the cliff. He watched powerlessly as the arms of the creature slid mindlessly from the top of the cliff towards the emptiness after the edge. The beast detached itself from the cliff before it fell backwards into the forest with tons of dislodged rocks. A last rumble shook the forest as the beast hit the ground to never again get itself back up.


    Emp was sprawled at the edge of the cliff, breathless and his mind spinning. His calf hurt and his back burned, he had no strength left but he was happy. No, he was more than happy, he was ecstatic he had won! His first victory! He didn''t think that victory would come this quickly or that his first fight would be this scary. Even if the creature had pretty much defeated itself, he never wanted to do that again.


    When he had found himself dangling by the very tip of his fingers to the beast''s arms, he had been convinced he would fall to his death. If he had been just a little bit weaker, he wouldn''t have reached the arm and would have fell, just a little bit less endurance and he would not have been able to hang on, just a little bit slower and he would have been ripped apart by the razor sharp branches. That day, for the world, he had become a man, for him, it was only the proof he needed much more training with the hammer.


    Bellow, the blue liquid continued to flow steadily from the creatures skull, too far away for him to hear it soak the earth. Up top, parts of the cliff still detached themselves from the rest because of the great collision and fell loudly on top of the enormous corpse.


    Emp took a while to take back the control of his breathing, all the while looking at the devastated landscape the creature had made. After, he managed to rise into a sitting position, he got the Book of answers out from the bag and asked it what was that creature.


    "A woodland horror, often confused for a Lumberjack eater by the more ignorant. Like mankind feeds the pigs to better eat them later, the earth gives life to man to better devour them. Woodland horrors are often taller than castle walls and guard towers, they hunt any and all creature stupid enough to disturb their endless sleep. They sleep until a prey present itself to them, they consume it and everything else in a ten kilometer wide area before going back to sleep. It is said that the liquid contained in its head is the best fertilizer there is but it is sadly also the rarest since nothing short of a couple dozens of mages or an army equipped with many a siege weapon could possibly hunt it down."


    Emp ignored the bits about armies and how scary it was and focused on the fertilizer. If that liquid was such an extraordinary fertilizer, he absolutely had to pick it up. He doubted very much that anything else on the woodland horror had any value, it was mostly stone and wood after all. The blue liquid on the other hand had to be worth a lot of money if they had to dispatch an entire army to get it.


    He wondered how he would ever get back down there. The cliff side didn''t seem as sturdy as it had before the woodland horror had smashed into it. He had no confidence of being able to climb down, more so in his exhausted state. He was aware that he had only defeated it due to luck but he really didn''t want to leave the treasure behind. He needed to go back down there anyway to reach the river once again.


    He felt the cliff was really annoying but he couldn''t get angry at it. If the cliff had not been there and if he did not have the Great overburdening hammer with him, he was pretty sure he would already be dead. If to kill this creature one needed to break the boulder that served as its head, he readily believed there wasn''t many who could boast to have killed one. Maybe a good shot with a catapult or a ballista could harm it, or some kind of spell since the book had talked about mages.


    What had gotten into him to go back there to attack the beast once he had reached the safety of the cliff''s top? That had been way too risky. He had taught he saw something important and jumped on the weak point before he could even register what he had seen. It was only now that he understood how much what he had done had been stupid.


    He stood back up while putting the book away and examined his wounds. His clothes were soaked in blood and ripped in many places but nothing aside from his calf seemed too bad. He used what remained of his clothes to bandage the wound and got a new set to replace it. It hurt but it did not seem that bad, it would probably heal by itself.


    (1) B¨ºt¨¦clair means "Lightning beast" in french. It''s an horrible name in English but sounds great in french. It''s supposed to be said as Bite-hey-clair.


    (2) I am not trying my luck with philosophy here, I''m not going to pretend it is deep or anything. It is just a way for a guy less than a year old to cope with his separation from the only person he knew. I do not think Emp actually knows what is philosophy so you can interpret that whole thing however you like.

 6 Space

    Emp undertook the task of scanning the edge of the cliff for a way to get back down. Treasure was waiting for him down there. He had to collect it and be on his way.


    After around ten minutes of walking, he found an irregularity in the rock. There was a section of stone missing from the top of the cliff, the hole was perfectly rectangular. Once he approached it, he understood what it was. There was a stairway dug into the stone that ended abruptly at the edge of the cliff reinforcing his first impression that the mountain had been cut in half. If it had been dug into the cliff, should it not have followed its side instead of running deeper into the mountain? A stairway ending into an empty space seemed odd to Emp.


    Where could those stairs possibly lead?


    Unable to resist his curiosity, he dropped down onto the first couple of steps and started his descent into the darkness of the mountain. The stairs where composed of simple steps carved into the stone, going down into a straight line away from the cliff. The steps were all identical if you disregarded the rare cracks in the old stone. They seemed to have been carved with care as all the lines were straight and smooth, same for the walls and the high ceiling.


    Before the way could get too dark, a new source of light brightened the way from bellow. What could be shinning down there? This only made him more curious about what awaited him at the bottom of those stairs. Pushing the fertilizer at the back of his mind, he hurried his descent.


    Once finally at the bottom, he could hardly believe what he found. It was a big room with a high ceiling that was supported by immense columns from which hung multiple lanterns. In the middle of this grand room was a large empty space in which an enormous and colorfully painted wooden wheel stood. Beside said wheel, someone stood casually awaiting Emp. That someone was easy to recognize since it was one of the very few people Emp knew and still wore the most eccentric clothing he could imagine. It was Luck.


    "Luck? What are you doing here?"


    "Emperor! Come, I will tell you. Welcome to my trial chamber!"


    Luck raised his arms in the air as if to present something extraordinary to Emp but nothing happened. Emp got nearer as a still beaming Luck explained summarily what was going on.


    "Each god has a trial chamber, or a dungeon if you prefer the term, I hear death seekers love that one. When someone finds it, the god to which it belongs tests the finder to see if they are worthy. The challenge is usually linked to what the god is ruling over and the reward for completing it as well. If you manage to defeat a challenge, you are awarded that god''s blessing as well as a powerful artifact. Do you still follow me?"


    "Yes, I think I get it, so your challenge is about the wheel I suppose."


    The giant wooden wheel was painted as strangely as Luck''s clothing, with many colors changing over and over again in small sections of the wheel. It was maintained in the air from behind to not block the view of the front where dozens of names where written. (1)


    "Exactly, I am Luck after all! Here''s how it works. You will have to make the wheel turn. Whatever names end up at the top of the wheel when it stops turning, just below the small arrow up there, is what you will get. If my name end up just below the arrow you win my trial! If the name of a god for which you already have the blessing end up up there, you win as well! But, if the name of any other god stops bellow the arrow, I will change places with him and you will have to do that god''s trial instead, do you get it?"


    "All those names belong to gods? There are so many?"


    "There are many more than that, they just didn''t fit on the wheel. To be fair, all those names aside from mine will change at random intervals because there are enough names for a good dozen wheels like that one. So, will you make it spin?"


    "Very well, I will."


    Emp gripped the edge of the wheel and gave it a good spin. Luck seemed really disappointed as if he had already failed. He couldn''t see how making a wheel spin made for a challenge but on the other hand, he had to admit that it was definitely all about luck. Was he perhaps supposed to spin the wheel in a very precise manner to get what he wanted? Maybe he should have thought about it more but it was too late now, he could only wait and see the result.


    He looked at the colors and names change nonstop until finally the wheel slowed and stopped on the name "Space".


    "Hoho, Space uh? Well, good luck Emperor and remember, you have to create your own luck."


    "Uh, Thanks?"


    Before he had the time to thank him properly or even think about telling him goodbye, Luck had already disappeared with his wheel.


    Emp stayed there staring at the empty room for a good minute trying to understand what he was supposed to do now before a door appeared out of nowhere in front of him.


    The door-frame was standing up without anything holding it, immobile in front of him and holding an ordinary wooden door. There wasn''t anything around it nor behind it.


    As he wondered what was that door about, the iron doorknob turned by itself and the door opened towards him to let a man enter the trial room.


    The first thing Emp noticed about him where his ample green clothes with golden borders. They were even looser than those that Sage wore, so much so that the arms of his shirt rubbed the ground and his pants hid his feet completely, even while walking. His long blonde hair was as ridiculous as his clothes. They were as long as the hairs of Love, but his were scrapping the ground like a long yellow snake. In fact, not only his hair and clothes, the entirety his being felt long. His fingers, his face, his teeth, his nose, they all seemed abnormally long. It looked like he had been stretched by two giants, each holding an end of him and pulling as hard as they could. Despite his strange air, he didn''t seem scary at all, he had a benevolent smile and welcomed Emperor with a wave of his hand when he got in. He closed the door behind him without minding his hairs but even if Emperor could have swore they got stuck in the door as he closed it, it somehow did not happen. He looked back to Emperor and spoke.


    "? ?? ?????, ??????? ??? ?? ?? ?????!"


    Emp didn''t understand what he just said. He made a frown and decided to apologize for not understanding in case the god would take offence.


    "I am sorry but I do not understand what you are saying."


    The man made a surprised expression before he touched his nose and spoke again.


    "The noble language of the south! That''s one we don''t hear often."


    "Are there many? Languages I mean."


    "Yes, of course, noble languages, common languages, sacred languages, dead languages, crude languages and all sorts of tiny languages almost no one ever speaks."


    "And the one I use is rare?"


    "Usually, only the nobles on the very south of the continents use that language but even them can speak the common tongue normally."


    "Do I need it? How do I learn a new tongue?"


    "I don''t know, probably by hearing it a lot. Or you could try your luck with a language god."


    "Is there one? Where is he?"


    "I do not have the right to tell you and also, before you continue to bury me under your questions, could we instead go on with my trial?"


    Emp wasn''t against it and nodded to signify it to him.


    "So, as I was saying, welcome young man, my name is Space and this," He said while showing him the door. "is my trial."


    He once again opened the door and Emp saw with astonishment that there was a well lit corridor on the other side. It seemed very long and all the way at the end, he could barely see another door. How was it possible, there wasn''t anything around the door, how could there be a corridor there?


    "The challenge is simple and once started, you will have one hour to complete it. All you have to do is to reach the door on the other side, at the end of that passage. In case you are wondering, there is nothing dangerous inside."


    "That''s all?"


    "Yes, that''s all but do not trust what you see, it''s a good way to fail any trial. Everybody tells me how simple it looks but very few ever managed to reach that door. Your hour starts right now."


    Space made a hourglass appear and turned it around in his hand to start the one hour countdown.


    It seemed very simple but if it was that hard, there was probably some kind of trick. If he wanted to find the solution quickly, he needed to understand the problem quickly as well.


    He didn''t lose any time and immediately went to the door. First he sent his hand behind the door-frame to make sure there was nothing there, it was fascinating. He then stepped inside and found himself in the corridor that shouldn''t be there. There was nothing unusual about it.


    Since nothing appeared abnormal at a glance, he started running toward the other side. He ran and ran but after a quarter of the allowed time, he didn''t feel like he had neared the door at all. He threw a quick look behind him and discovered exactly what he had feared, the entrance was just there, he had made no progress at all.


    He had ran for fifteen minutes but had not made a single step forward! No wonder only few made it to the other side, that was unfair! How was he supposed to get to the other side if it was impossible to progress? (2)


    He only needed a few steps to get back out of the corridor. He went around and saw that from the other side, there was nothing inside the frame, no corridor, only a view of Space and the entrance of the room. He chose to go through the frame from there, hoping he would find himself at the end of the corridor anyway but sadly, it did not work.


    "It was well thought young man but that isn''t the answer." Said Space while touching his nose.


    Saddened, Emp turned around and looked into the passage once again. Was he supposed to run even faster and hope to reach the other side before the time limit? Emp took a quick look at the hourglass and saw he still had more than half the time left. He urged himself to think of something else than running. The answer couldn''t possibly be it. That would have been a question of confidence or raw leg strength instead of space.


    Luck had told him that the trials were linked to the god giving them, the answer was for sure about space. He ought to have missed something in there. He got inside once again and observed everything in details.


    The corridor was made out of sculpted white marble. The ceiling was held by pillars in the shape of inverted boots of which the soles where touching said ceiling at regular intervals. From each boot dangled a lantern that lighted powerfully the passage.


    Was the shape of the pillars a clue? What did it mean? As he was thinking about it, he wondered what happened to the entrance when he advanced in the corridor. The first time he went through, he had only seen that at the end, the door was just behind him, he had not seen how it reacted to his movement. He should have walked backwards to examine the entrance''s reaction.


    He put all his attention to the entrance door and started walking backwards to see by what miracle was the door able to stay just behind him. He made twenty steps but everything seemed to react as it was supposed to. The door was getting further away like it should. He continued to move backwards and the first pair of pillars appeared at the edge of his vision.


    Had he found the solution by accident? If he turned around now, would he find himself nearer to the goal or would he lose all his progress? How was he supposed to know if it was really working or not?


    Too scared at the idea of doing it all over again, he did not turn around and pursued his backward advance. Ten steps, twenty steps, a hundred steps, two hundred steps, more and more pillars appeared and the entrance got further and further away. As excitement swelled inside him, he moved faster and faster until after what seemed like forever, his back hit something.


    Full of joy, he almost turned around to look at the exit door but stopped himself just in time. It would have been really dumb to turn around now to discover that he had not moved forward at all. He blindly looked for the doorknob behind him by groping at random until he finally grasped it. He turned the knob quickly and passed the door to find himself staring at the same door-frame he had seen earlier while looking from behind the door. Had he made it or had he failed? Was he supposed to end up here? He threw a panicked look at Space on his left. The god smiled and answered his silent question while storing the hourglass away.


    "You did it!"


    Emp let out a sigh of relief and Space asked him how he had found out the answer.


    "I just wondered how the door behind me was able to stay so close to me so I tried to keep watch on it while I was moving."


    "..."


    Space was looking at him with a gaze meaning he lacked the words to express himself before he exploded in frustration.


    "You didn''t even find the solution! You just got lucky! That''s absurd!"


    "Does this mean I failed?" Asked Emp, a little sad.


    "No." Answered the god, dispirited. "You still won. It''s just disappointing to work on a riddle just to have it resolved by accident. Anyway, what is your name young man?"


    "Emperor, sir."


    "Ha yes, I heard about you! Well met Emperor. As I said earlier, I am Space, the more likable brother of Time. I suppose Luck told you that I need to reward you now that you defeated my trial."


    Emp nodded. He was eager to find out what that god had in reserve for him.


    "Great, so I will give you your rewards and then we''ll talk about rules."


    He wondered what kind of rule Space was talking about but didn''t have the time to ask before Space continued.


    "So, first of all, here is the treasure you win for completing the challenge. I was inspired by a pair of queens I met a long time ago."


    He got a finger-long metal stake out of nowhere, stabbed it in Emp''s shoulder without flinching and left it there.


    Emp yelled of surprise and pain. He quickly reacted by back stepping to put some distance between him and Space. He put his hand on the new wound vainly trying to stop the pain. What was happening?


    The pain spread throughout his body in an instant as if the stake had pierced him from side to side. The pain was so intense that Emp lost the strength in his legs and collapsed in front of Space. It felt as if a flame consumed him from the inside out. Before he had the time to understand what was happening, the pain was already gone and everything was back to normal. He looked at his shoulder but the stake was nowhere to be found.


    Why had Space attacked him? Where was the stake? His clothes had a hole in them where the stake had pierced him but his skin wasn''t damaged, he didn''t even bleed. He got back up and looked towards Space, unsure if he was supposed to be angry or confused. Getting stabbed was not the best reward there could be.


    "I had forgotten the initial pain could be excruciating but I swear it is a formidable treasure, said Space to defend himself. Don''t look at me like that, it is well worth the pain I tell you."


    Since Emp still seemed unconvinced. he just went straight for the meat of the matter.


    "Here, let me explain. The thing I just planted into you is called the Sacred anchor of multiple simultaneous space occupation. I know it''s not a very catchy name but trust me, that thing will never let you down. Haha, do you get it? Catchy, never let you down?" Space said with a grin.


    Emp ignored the joke.


    "Basically." Said an oblivious Space. "The anchor let you make a copy of yourself. If you ever need to be at two places at the same time, no problem, you only need to send another you!"


    Emp just looked at him with a raised brow, unable to believe what he had said.


    "The anchor makes a second you that shares the same body and the same mind as you. Your two selves can now reunite and split again whenever you want, you only need to will it. Once the two are united again, you will keep the memories and experiences of both!"


    Emp was starting to understand the use of such a thing, if it ever really worked of course.


    "So, if I use that anchor and the other me trains while I go fishing, I will get the benefits of the training as well as the fish?"


    "Yes, although people usually find more interesting examples than training and fishing. But beware, for this to work properly, I needed to make it so that absolutely everything would be shared including tiredness, hunger and of course death. So, if either you or your copy where to die, the other would instantly die as well."


    "Understood, to double the profits, I also need to double the risks. Is there something that is not shared?"


    "No, nothing, but some things will be shared only once reunited. As a general rule, only the most critical of things will be shared instantly, like death to continue on my example. Otherwise, a scraped knee or even a chopped off arm will stay unknown to the other until you are combined again."


    "I think I get it, how do I summon the other me?"


    "Nothing more simple! I see that you have Luck''s bottomless bag, do you know how to use it?"


    "Yes, what about it?"


    "Use the anchor like you would the bag, search in your mind for it and wish the other you into being. It''s your will that controls it all. Go on, try, take your time."


    Space started tapping on the tip of his nose as he waited for Emperor to do it.


    Emp closed his eyes and focused his mind to search for the anchor. First, he found the bag, before this point, he had never noticed he didn''t have to put his hand in the bag to feel it, that was an interesting feeling. Maybe he didn''t need to put his hand inside to get things from it? He put the question aside for now and resumed his search.


    He could feel his arms and legs and even feel what was in the bag easily but could not pinpoint the anchor. It was as if someone told him he had a third arm but he was unable to find it, it was frustrating. He searched and searched before finally, after a long time, he felt something he couldn''t recognize. There it was! The anchor was in a place he couldn''t describe, he had no idea where that was or what that was. The anchor wasn''t on him nor in him, it was somewhere else.


    Anyway, he had found it. He did what Space had told him and wished for the second him to appear. Almost immediately, he heard himself say "Oh!" in an impressed tone. He opened his eyes to discover that it wasn''t him that had said it but a second Emp that had just appeared at his side like Space had said. Impressed, he couldn''t help but exclaim "Oh!"


    "It worked."


    Emp took a good look at himself, after all, it was the first time he could see himself. He seemed a little over five feet tall, he had a pair of hazel eyes and short but messy brown hair. He wasn''t as large as Chinui but definitely more than Sage or luck. It felt really strange to look at himself while seeing him do the same.


    "Of course it worked, now look, I will show you something interesting."


    Space pointed towards the far wall and asked Emperor.


    "One of you go there and hit the wall strongly enough to hurt yourself.


    The two Emp looked at each other with a pained grimace. Neither wanted to hurt himself.


    "Go on young man, isn''t it better to confirm all I told you now? You already endured the torments of the anchor, a little pain in the hand is nothing in comparison."


    "Mhnn..." x2


    Space made an impatient gesture and the two Emp decided to follow the instructions. Emp-two went to the far end of the room and punched the wall before leaking a pained groan. While he gripped his pained hand with the other and bent himself forward to comfort it, Space spoke to the first Emp.


    "Perfect, now make him disappear."


    Emp did as he was told and immediately, he remembered how he had made his way to the far wall and punched it. At the same time, his hand started to pain him greatly and he repeated the scene he had just witnessed. He gripped it and buried it in his stomach while the pain bent him forward.


    "See? At first you felt nothing but the moment you remembered what you had done, the pain came back."


    "I just hurt myself, I do not see what was so interesting about that. What was I supposed to see?"


    "That wasn''t what I wanted to show you, just part of it, now bring him back, you will see."


    Annoyed, Emp did as he told anyway and the second Emp reappeared. He instantly saw it.


    "He reappeared over there!"


    "Yes, exactly! If you do not make him disappear at your contact, he will stay where he was! That gives you many advantages but I will let you think about them by yourself, what I wanted to tell you is many times more important. You cannot save yourself by making the other you disappear."


    Emp was smart enough to understand what he meant but Space explained it anyway.


    "If the other you ever happened to fall off a mountain for example, even if you called him back before he hit the ground, the instant you summoned it again, you would both die from the fall. The Sacred anchor of multiple simultaneous space occupation isn''t an item made to defy death."


    "I understand."


    It wasn''t that scary to think that if the other him died, he would die as well. Both of them were the same after all. Since he was sure he would be cautious in dangerous situation, there was no reason for either of them to die.


    "The last thing you need to know about the anchor is that it duplicates everything that is on you but not the things in the bag."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I will show you.


    He called back the other Emp and asked him to get anything out of the bag, as long as it was easy to recognize. Emp-two searched his bag and got the book of answers out of it.


    Space then turned towards Emp and asked him to look for the same book inside his bag. He focused on his bag like he usually did but in the end, was unable to find the book. Space read the result on in his expression and finished his explanation.


    "This is what I meant, the book is over there, how could it be in your bag at the same time? When he put it back in the bag, you will once again be able to pick it up from your side. Since it''s the same bag, they share the same space."


    "How come there is two bags but only one book?"


    "There isn''t two bags young man, there is only one that is sharing two spaces at the same time like you are currently doing. The bag was on you so it was copied with you, the book was in the bag so it wasn''t."


    "If I put something in the bag that wasn''t there at first, will the other me be able to take it?


    "Yes, exactly. Your bag now has two openings to access it. Like a second door on a house. There are a lot of advantages but also the obvious disadvantage that while one is using something, the other won''t be able to take it."


    "Alright, I got it but, what would happen if the other me took off something that got copied with him, his clothes for example? They are the same after all."


    "If the other you gets rid of something that was copied with him, it will still disappear when you recall him. You cannot lose something that way but you can''t make infinite copies of a thing either."


    "That is interesting."


    "I know right? I''m quite proud of myself. Now, let''s go over my blessing!"


    Space raised one of his long fingers and touched Emperor''s forehead. A blinding light invaded his mind and vision before quickly receding and getting back to normal. Emp had no idea what had just happened but he knew Space would tell him before he had the time to ask.


    "The blessings will show up on your hunting card but not their effects. Because yes, there are effectively effects bound with them. Haha, what a wordplay!"


    Emp ignored the wordplay.


    "What you will be able to accomplish with this will only depend on yourself but I will give you the basics. Space and distances don''t work like you think they do. They are often nearer than what you think. For example, the far wall from earlier. You could say it''s on the other side of the room but in fact, it''s just a step away."


    Space gestured for Emp to watch closely and raised a foot he slowly placed back down beside the wall. The two Emp were tongue tied. He had just made a ten meters wide step! Emp had no idea what had just happened. His eyes had to be tricking him, Space had not jumped, he had not stretched himself either and did not disappear, he had just taken a normal step. It was impossible! How could it be?


    "How?"


    "I told you, distances are never how they seem. All you have to do is look over here and convince yourself that you are only a step away since this is the truth anyway. All you have to do is to stop believing this is impossible. You have to feel your proximity to the wall."


    Emp focused on what Space was telling him and tried to understand that new knowledge. Maybe he was right and the wall wasn''t that far away. He made a step forward and found himself were he expected to be, just a step away from where he had been. The other Emp tried as well with the same result. They practiced like that for a whole day under the amused gaze of Space.


    As they tried again and again, Space told them how to do it over and over. It was more a question of sensation and instinct than a question of knowledge which didn''t help Emp in the least. He knew he would get it eventually but he had other things to do, there was a boulder full of liquid gold waiting for him outside and he had a long road to travel. Space, to cheer him on, told him that those who completed his trial usually assimilated the blessing in less than a complete day.


    Finally, in the evening, Emp did it. He had made so many tries already that at this point, he was more daydreaming than anything else. His eyes lost their focus on their own and he felt like everything rushed towards him. He immediately found himself on the other side of the room. Space cheered and Emp himself was really surprised. From then on, it became easier. After he understood he had made it, he recalled the second Emp back to him to share the memory of it and acquire the memory of seeing himself do it . Then, he split again and trained once more. Quickly, they managed to make it happen again and redo it more and more often. He felt really happy and since he was doing well, Space decided it was enough.


    "You are getting better, that''s good. If you could take a break now and recall your double I could tell you about what comes next."


    Emp nodded, touched his double and made him disappear. He sat down against the wall and listened to Space. It was seemingly a god that had a lot to say.


    "It''s a great ability isn''t it?"


    "Yes but wasn''t the challenge too easy for such rewards?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I wondered all afternoon, it wasn''t dangerous and I made it by luck. I won the ability to make a second myself and even a way to move weirdly."


    "But it wasn''t only the trial, you also need to find the place and manage to get in. Every God has a trial room hidden in the most remote places of the world, most people don''t see a single one in their whole life and those who do often fail the trial and almost never find a second one."


    "But why are they so hard to find, once someone gets to it, he should tell everyone else where it is no?"


    "That''s exactly what I wanted to talk about now, the rules. Once you get out of here, you are forbidden to tell anyone about this place, that is the rule. People will be able to read the blessing on your hunting card but will never be able to get the location of the trial ground out of you."


    "Is it that I cannot tell anyone or that I will be made to not tell anyone."


    "Both, the blessing itself will stop you from talking about it and if the gods ever learned that you still managed to tell someone, you would be punished harshly."


    "I get it, I will not tell anyone about the trial ground."


    "Good, aside from that, there isn''t much else to tell. The most important is for you to remember that my blessing isn''t just some weird way to walk, it''s a way to influence the space that surrounds you."


    "What does that mean?"


    Emp did not get it, he had been very sure it was only a way to move quicker.


    "Well, until now, you only managed to reduce the perceived distance between two points to get there faster than a normal person but there are so many more way to use it than you think. I am not supposed to tell you how to use it for the simple reason that it would be boring but, you should use your head much more than your legs. If you really think about it, I''m sure that you, as the creation of Sage, will find all kinds of uses to it."


    Emp already couldn''t wait to see what he could do with it. He had been happy with the faster way to travel already but now that he knew there was more to it than that, his curiosity was dancing of happiness in his head.


    He wanted to know what he could do with it very badly but for now, he was exhausted. Since the night was upon the land already, it was probably wiser to stay here until morning and go back out only on the morrow. He asked Space if he could sleep here for the night.


    "Yes, of course, I don''t mind, I''m glad you can use your mind sometimes. See what I did? Mind and mind!"


    Emp ignored the enormous smug on Space''s face and ate a little before he fell asleep like a rock against the wall. He didn''t fear Space and knew it was definitely the safest place in the region to sleep in.


    (1) It''s just a big TV show wheel with a bunch of names on it instead of money.


    (2) Everybody love that stairway in super Mario 64.

 7 Bloody lynx Lake

    The next day, Emperor said goodbye to Space and promised once again to keep the location secret before ascending the stairs to the exit.


    Once up there, at the edge of the cliff, he put into practice what he had learned the day before. He looked down at the ground far below him, focused, and put a feet down in the empty space in front of him. Instead of falling, his feet touched the ground.


    It worked, it only took him one step to get down from higher than the trees. If he had failed he would have fell from so high, he was glad it worked. He had trained a whole day to do this so he was pretty sure he would be able to do it but still, he felt relieved.


    While he smiled at his own success, he went back to the place where the giant creature had collapsed. Wherever the creature had slithered, the land was devastated, the trees were torn off the ground and nothing remained aside from mud and rubbles.


    The only exception was were the head of the thing fell. There, the blue liquid had spilt from the hole in the boulder and watered the surroundings. Inside the head, only half the liquid remained and outside, not a drop. Everything had been absorbed by the earth and a true mountain of flowers and grass had grown around the skull in the span of a night. It was magnificent to look at aside from the gruesome scene in the center of it.


    A poor squirrel was standing at the edge of the hole in the skull. It had drunk some of the blue liquid and a small tree had grown out of its stomach. Its entrails ripped open from the inside to let the branches and roots through, killing it in the process. It was saddening to see but Emp had learned something important from it. In no way should he ever drink that liquid!


    He got the poor squirrel out of his mind and put the whole head into his bag. Good thing the liquid was already in a convenient container. He only had to touch the head and it disappeared in the bag.


    Afterwards, he followed the trail of destruction back to the river where he had first met the monster. He used the opportunity to continue his training with Space''s blessing. He wanted to do it again and again until the movement came to him as naturally as a normal step would.


    The river wasn''t the same as how he had left it. Part of it had dried because most of the water was caught in the giant hole the creature had left behind. He curiously examined the hole before swiftly moving on. He still followed the river upwards until in early afternoon when he found the road Chinui had told him about. All he had to do now was to follow it. He moved quickly and nothing else disturbed his travel that day.


    The road was heavily angled but with his new technique, the climb wasn''t that tiring. The next day, the road still went upwards, zigzagging between mountains he couldn''t see.


    That day, he saw an enormous bug, as big as himself. It was a beetle possessing arms like that of a scorpion but instead of pincers, they ended with two heads. Where it''s head should have been, in-between its two arms, there was only a huge sharpened horn not unlike a spear. The bug was pale green with many teal spots and possessed a fat and round body supported by many thin and tiny legs. Both of its heads were equipped with a pair of sharp mandibles and small black eyes that looked like beads on top of tiny viscous tentacles.


    When it got out of the woods far behind Emperor, it instantly decided that the human would make for a good snack and went after him. Once he got over his initial surprise about finding yet another strange creature, Emp ran.


    He was still unarmed and didn''t feel like risking his life more than necessary. Also, he had no idea what that creature was capable of. If he couldn''t take it out in one hit with the hammer, he was done for. Even the weakest creature in the world would easily take him out once the hammer drained all his energy. The only reasonable thing to do was escape.


    Anyway, he already had a monster on his hunting card, there was no reason to fight this thing. Even if it was the source of something valuable, Emp felt that the fertilizer combined with the money Chinui had given him were more than enough for what he needed. Of course, he had no idea what he needed yet aside from not ending in the bug''s stomach. He was sure he would find something to do with it.


    He daydreamed about what to do with the money while he was chased but tanks to his space walking and the slowness of the bug, he easily escaped even without really thinking about what was happening. After night came, he asked the book about the bug. the next time he would encounter one, at least he would know what it was.


    "The twin-headed impaling beetles are common asexual bugs that hunt alone. Their usual technique is to firmly grip their prey with their two pairs of mandibles and impaling it on their horn. Their back shell is hollow and used to house the eggs of the creature instead of wings. At the end of their life cycle, they gather in breeding grounds were they form offspring before carrying the eggs away for the hatching. The larvae eats the parent before dispersing.


    The shell of the bug, contrary to its appearance, is brittle and a sword can easily cut through it. The horn can be used for a decent spear tip but aside from it, there are no other known use for this bug. They usually fight to the death but if one of the heads dies, they always run away. They make for a perfect prey for many predators."


    What a strange creature. If he had been armed, he should have been able to defeat it. He closed the book, and did not think about it again.


    In the morning, Emp climbed as high as he could in a tree to admire the surrounding scenery. On either side of the road he was following, mountains rose beyond more mountains that peeked from behind yet again more mountains. They were so tall he could barely see the top of them through the clouds. The road followed a pass between two of them. He suspected that such a convenient path did not appear between each of them, the road was probably following the weakest point through the natural wall the mountains made.


    Emp observed the clouds cutting themselves in half on the mountain peaks for a while. Once again absorbed by a sight he had never experienced before. The clouds just ran into the peaks without slowing down, fearless in front of their demise. Was it brave or just foolish? Maybe they didn''t care at all. Maybe it wasn''t as bad as it looked and they could just easily heal afterwards.


    After getting back down, he noticed the temperature was warmer than it had been before, it now felt too hot to travel. Since the road had left the river, there was nowhere to fill up his canteen anymore. He would have to wait for the next water source but he didn''t feel stressed about it, there should be many more on the way. He was moving quite fast as well, it would take no time at all to reach one.


    It was still early but he was already drenched in sweat from the heat. He just wanted to lie down somewhere and wait for the temperature to go down. In the end, he continued to walk anyway, it wasn''t smart to lie down in the woods and he had a long way to go still.


    The road went up and down many times before it finally started going downwards for good in the afternoon. Many empty spaces started to show up in the tree line. The trees grew in small patches and in between each of those, many ponds and tall grass took the place. Many of those ponds were made of stagnant water but some flowed through the grass into more ponds situated lower. The water here didn''t seem as good as the river.


    Mosquitoes harassed him by millions and sometimes, on the other side of the many ponds, he could get a glimpse of an animal or creature going for a drink. He had not seen many living creatures since his departure but here, they were everywhere. Was it because they were harder to see in the dense forest or they were just more numerous here?


    The sound of the toads had buried the chirping of the birds and the road twisted and turned to dodge all that water. It failed many times and Emp''s boots were quickly covered in mud but at least, the things he could glimpse in his surroundings ignored him. That was what he thought until he crossed path with a second beetle.


    This time, the beetle appeared in front of him, he would have to bypass it to move on. He forgot to breathe once again as the beetle charged at him. Emp had two choices, either he could quit the road and find a way around it or he could try to space walk past it. He didn''t want to fill his boots with water so he went for the second option. When the bug would be about to reach him, he would step either on its left or right and it would become easy to escape it. Now that he was mentally prepared, he only had to wait for the bug to catch up to him. He was about to do it when something unexpected happened.


    The beetle sank into the mud or rather, the mud moved on its own to entrap it. The monster struggled against the earth but it had no effect on the mud slowly creeping up its legs. Once the creature understood it would never be able to cross the mud pit, it tried to back out of it but it only helped the mud creep on its back. Annoyed, the insect opened and closed its shell in quick motions to throw off the mud but the thing refused to let go.


    Emp could clearly see that the scene in front of him was everything but normal but the insect was too dumb to realize. It only understood it was in danger when the mud crept from his back all the way to its twin necks. Panicked, the creature shook and trampled the mud but never achieved to get rid of it. In the end, the beetle tried to bite the mud off but only managed to get more of it on its heads.


    The living mud quickly covered both of its heads. Emp could only watch, scared to death as the insect died slowly asphyxiated by the ground itself. The monster fell powerlessly and the mud covered it entirely until it looked like a large bump in the road.


    Emp was petrified on the spot, unable to understand what had happened. If there ever was any more of those strange mud pit and he put a feet in it, would he be able to get out? If he Spacewalked into such a trap, would he be able to do a second one to get out? How was he supposed to make sure he wouldn''t end up like the bug? He had been so lucky the bug was there to prevent him from walking into the trap.


    He was way too scared to move a single inch forward or back. All he did was shake his feet a little to make sure he wasn''t stuck himself. After a quick look around to make sure there were no other immediate danger, he took the risk of getting the book out right there to ask what was that mud.


    "The mud traps are in fact a type of slime in the category of mimics. They are the most fragile of all slimes, they compensate by hunting in groups. They gather by the dozen and mimic mud until a suitable prey comes into contact with them. Not as corrosive as their many cousins, they can only smother their victims to death. They then slowly absorb the prey and use it''s matter to divide themselves into more mud traps. The mud traps aren''t particularly aggressive and never follow a prey that manage to escape.


    They are considered fragile since they do not possess a good control ability over their own body. The nucleus that animates them always finds itself in the most active part of a mud trap meaning that the part that extends from the main body towards the prey is always its weak point. If the nucleus is damaged or removed, the mud trap dies. Since the mud trap does not only posses the appearance of liquid mud but also its consistency, it is somewhat easy to destroy. Their nucleus is used in many magic discipline."


    The book told him they were weak but he had just witnessed them win over a bug as fat as a bear. Besides, the book had also called that insect weak. Did it have a different definition of weak than Emp? If those were weak, himself was completely inoffensive.


    He didn''t want to risk attacking the nucleus empty handed and since there were more than one in that pool, the hammer was out of the question as well. He thought that a good staff would do the trick, maybe a large stick but now, he was surrounded by mud and water. He would have to get into one of those ponds to rummage for a stick and who knew what was hiding below the surface. He shouldn''t leave the road.


    He searched his bag for anything that could be used for a weapon. Against the beetle it would have been useless but against the mud trap, anything at all would be useful. Unfortunately, he didn''t find anything usable aside from his small knife and the fishing rod. The fishing rod was out of the question, he couldn''t replace it if he ever lost it and he needed it to get himself food. The knife, on the other hand, was so small that if he ever missed the nucleus, the mud trap wouldn''t have any problem to grip both the knife and his hand. It wasn''t much better than fighting empty handed.


    He still got it out of the bag, it wasn''t exactly the best but it was still better than nothing. Then, he spacewalked to the other side of the mud pit and resumed his travel ever so slowly. Stressed at the idea that at any moment, the ground itself could rise up to swallow him, he had a hard time enjoying the scenery like he did before.


    The next day, the swamp became forest again and Emp scrambled to go find a solid stick so that the events of the prior day would not repeat themselves.


    The heat was still uncomfortable but less than the last day and the clouds were thickening. Rain was coming.


    Emp advanced with at a good pace even if his leg was still hurting him. It had a pretty ugly look to it now but he had no idea of what to do with it besides to let it be. He traveled eight more days before reaching the lake. In those eight days he saw all manners of incredible things and got soaked by the rain many times.


    For example, he saw a hill that looked a lot like a rolling wave and formed some kind of overhang over the road. It was an ideal place to protect yourself from the rain and rest but there wasn''t much greenery growing under it.


    Of course, he saw many branching paths going left and right, some clearly more used than others. He kept going on the main road like Chinui had told him to do.


    Once the road got to a river again, he saw the first bridge of his life. It was very large and Emp thought that it was probably used a lot. Since the river here was much larger and deeper than the one on the other side of the mountain, that bridge was very useful. Large tree trunks were used as pillars to keep it above the water, thick boards were tightly nailed together to form the path and there was even a sturdy railing. The rail had all the spaces between its posts filled with more wood and was so thick Emp couldn''t wrap his fingers around it. At each end of the bridge, a lamp stood above the last post of the railings. Even in the afternoon, when Emp passed on the bridge, the lamps were lit. He wondered who took care of them but since there were no houses nearby, the answer remained a mystery.


    Aside from interesting scenery, he also saw more creatures. Every day since got on that side of the mountains, it seemed, he came across a new one. A big bird, orange and green with a human head flew above him. Twenty or so small grey-skinned men with strangely long faces and wearing skins watched him pass from the top of a nearby hill. He came near a field covered in rabbit sized rocks with faces carved on each of them. They turned on themselves to always look his way as he passed by.


    On the other side of the river, he saw a group of four birds bigger and larger than him while he was filling his canteen. They seemed viscous, dripping a foul pinkish brown liquid from the tip of their wings. They had a long and curved crystal beak they held up high as they paraded in front of the one with the lightest pink color. Then, a giant pincer came out of the river at lightning speed and caught one of the birds right by the midsection and brought it back into the river easily, scattering the rest. If the birds were bigger than him and the pincer had been large enough to grab one of them, how big was the thing to which it belonged? Emp quickly got back to the road and chose to walk a little further away from the river. If he had known such a thing lived in the river beforehand, he wouldn''t have filled his canteen here.


    He also saw around fifteen giant ants with the heads and legs of a deer instead of their own. He didn''t go near them either.


    He started to encounter actual people as well. They traveled in large groups of at least ten wagons. They were always escorted by a large amount of armed people, sometimes riding horses. The wagons were always covered by cloth, forbidding him from seeing what was inside of them. Emp was very curious to see but, not enough to brave the guards. The majority of the time, they stayed on guard against him and he had to step aside from the road to let them go by.


    Most of them wore swords or bows but some had more exotic things like a pick or a trident. Since they weren''t wearing any uniforms and all of them had their own set of strange armor, Emp could easily guess that they weren''t soldiers. Maybe they were mercenaries, or death seekers. Sometimes, one of them would come to him to talk, probably to ask him some questions but Emp didn''t understand any of them.


    When he had met Space, he had wondered if he needed to know another language. Now he was certain, it was really frustrating to not understand what everyone was saying. His interlocutor always gave up quickly in front of the clueless Emp and the caravan went by without minding him too much. The only thing he was able to confirm was that his clothes weren''t that strange compared to them all.


    And then, the day finally came where he was able to see a big mass of water at the end of the river. It was the bloody lynx lake. From the road, looking towards the lake, he could see water and only water until he could see no more. If he had not been sure it was a lake, he could have believed that the water went on forever.


    A misty fog rolled lightly above the lake pushed here and there by the wind giving the sky a grayer and grayer tint the lowed you looked towards the horizon, stopping him from witnessing the true size of it all. It was surely a paradise for the fishes. The lake was so vast, it was impossible for them to complain about their living space.


    The pincer had vanished from his mind long ago and Emp left the road to walk on the rugged beach. Once his feet touched the water brought by the waves, he bent himself to grasp some water in his hands. This wasn''t the same water than the water he had gathered in the same way on the other side of the mountains but, however, it looked the same. The sparkling was missing because of the mist but aside from that, it was the same. Would the water on the other side end up in the same kind of place as the water over here? There were hundreds of millions of droplets here, reunited after a glorious trip through mountains, swamps and forested rivers. They now all rested together in the lake, waiting for the fog to take them. It was pretty but Emp also found it a little sad.


    After all those efforts, the only thing left for that water to do was to calmly await it''s end in a shroud of grey mist. Were the waves that attacked the beach nonstop a last ditch effort for the water to escape its fate or only a way to pass the monotonous time they had on the lake? Wasn''t the trip better than the destination? If Emp was like a droplet of water following the river, would becoming an emperor be his lake?


    Maybe he should stretch the trip as much as possible. He felt scared of the silence ruling over the lake. It was not the same silence as the one he remembered from the serene clearing nor was it the agonizing silence that oppressed the surroundings of the woodland horror. It was only an empty silence, the silence of the end. He had the wrong question when he stood in the river.


    If the two rivers could join like that, he had asked himself, could they part again later? If that was the case, how did the water droplets know which of the two branches they belonged to?


    Now he wondered, how was he to know were those branches were going? How could he choose the one that didn''t end up in the lake?


    Emp took a deep breath and hit the road. It was too early to think about it now, he was still at the start. He had plenty of time to figure out which way to go. However much he would think about it now, he wouldn''t find an answer. Better get back on the road instead and let the current bring him further.


    Later that day, the rain finally decided to fall, drenching him and clearing some of the fog. Now that his vision wasn''t hampered anymore, he could see much further and truly appreciate the vastness of this place.


    It wasn''t only the first time he saw that much water, it was also the first time he saw such a big area without any trees. Even around the lake, they had cut down all the trees to grow fields. They spread far and wide around the lake, circling dozens of watchtowers as if it was a second lake grown out of wheat and potatoes. Around it all, many groups of twenty soldiers in armor patrolled to protect the slaves working there and the harvest they collected.


    Here, at the end of the furthest fields from town, was the most dangerous place to work. If a monster got out from the woods, they would be the firsts in line to die. Chinui had explained it to him, when a monster appeared, the nearest watch tower had to light an alarm fire. The nearest soldiers would see it and rush to repel or kill the creature but often, by the time they got there, at least one worker had died.


    To account for that, the fields had been classified in order of importance. The nearer it was to the city, the more the crops grown there was valuable to it, leaving the less valuable crops further to absorb most of the troubles. In the same manner, the nearer you got to the protective walls of the town, the less slaves there was, replaced by paid workers. This way, the nearer to town the field was, the more profitable and safe it was.


    The road Emp followed passed through the fields in a mostly straight line making it so that he lost the sight of the lake because of the tall crops. He would soon be into town.

 8 First town

    It rained not only for the rest of the day but also for another entire day and night before the sun decided to shine It''s way through the clouds again. The following day, two days after he reached the lake, Emperor came into view of Red-water city. Like most towns, It had been built surrounded by three tall walls, two of which made out of solid wood. The first wall stood a couple of kilometers outside the city and was used to keep the monsters out. It was the most defended of the three but when Emp passed its gates, the guards barely looked at him.


    Between this wall and the next, they grew large orchards, mostly apples. They weren''t grown outside the walls because they could have obstructed the field of view of the guards and enabled a creature to get to the wall without being noticed.


    The second wall was used as a backup wall in case the first fell, it surrounded the city tightly to reassure it. As Emp got closer to the gate, he wondered if he would see the third wall while he was there. The first two walls were made of wood to ease the city''s expansion but the last wall was made out of stone. It was used to protect the food supplies and the city center. In the case of a siege or an emergency, the inhabitants would be let inside with the lord.


    Since he had no reason to go there and the houses he could see from the gates were too tall to let him see the wall, he did not believe he would even get a glimpse of it.


    Emp wasn''t the only one to arrive in town. It was getting late in the afternoon and the fields workers were going back home. At the gate, a beefy guy in armor sporting a funny drooping mustache was analyzing the hunting cards of the people getting in. He looked at it for an instant, nodded and then let them in before gesturing for the next in line to advance. Nine more guards were leaning against the door and chatted happily without really minding the people passing by.


    It didn''t seem all that professional to Emp but at the same time, if anything really dangerous came up, it would probably have been stopped at the first gate. Anyway, Emp didn''t believe that a single troublemaker could get rid of ten guards alone, even with the effect of surprise .


    When his turn came, he presented his hunting card to the mustachioed man like the others. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets and he exclaimed something that Emp did not understand. The other guards all looked his way and straightened up but the mustache man still made the sign that he could enter. Emp removed himself from the view of the now very serious guards and stepped into the large paved road of Red-water. He wondered a brief moment why they had acted differently for him but since he had no way to ask, he just forgot about it as he admired the town.


    The buildings were aligned on the road sides, squeezed against each other. Most of them were two floors high and made out of wood but some seemed to like being different and sported a first floor made of stone or strangely painted facade. On the main road, almost all the buildings where for business. There were shops, inns, taverns, bakeries, greengrocers and it went on like that until probably the city center.


    The tiled roofs were shared most of the times with their neighbors but sometimes, a building broke the chain by being only one floor high or by being just a little bit taller than the rest.


    Most of the windows were opened to let the fresh air in and let the passersby see what they were selling in their stores. Everywhere, signs informed the people of what they were selling with clever images but nothing really caught the attention of Emp.


    From many second floor windows, women or kids could be seen picking back up the laundry they had put there to dry. Every so often, narrow alleys where merchants sent and received goods broke through the wall of buildings and led to more alleys, deeper into the city.


    On the main road itself, passersby were plenty and the talks animated. Here and there, carts were stored against the walls of shops with many goods ready to be sold. Kids ran and played around in the shade of the shops while their mothers sat on irregularly placed benches.


    For Emp, this all seemed very interesting. Outside the city, everybody was on guard but here, an atmosphere both calm and frenetic ruled. Maybe it was strange to describe it both as calm and frenetic but it was Emp''s honest opinion. Everybody moved, ran and exclaimed themselves excitedly, noise was everywhere and everything was moving. Still, this atmosphere of excitement was much more soothing to him than the oppressive stillness of the lake.


    Of course, he loved the forest just as much but he still admired the joyous ambiance. Also, it was the first time he saw so many people at once. He had come across caravans before, on the road, but it couldn''t be compared at all to the quantity of people on this road right now. It was most certainly a sight worthy of a lengthy observation but Emp refrained from doing so, afraid to disturb this serene ballet by stopping right in the middle of the road.


    While he gazed at the mostly white and brown city, Emp organized what he had to do in his head. First, he had to find a place to sell the fertilizer. With the money, he would buy a weapon and maybe a night in an inn if he still had enough money. If possible, he would take a look for a new belt buckle. Then, he would need to find someone who could take a look at his leg because even after all this time, it was still hurting. Then, he would ask around to find a way to learn the language everyone seemed to speak around here and finally, he would get back on the road. So first, he needed to find someone who understood him and would conveniently be willing to buy his treasure.


    Going up the road, he looked at every signs in the hopes of finding one he could read. Since the road wasn''t going straight at all, he quickly lost the entrance gate. He had no clue of how long the road would go on for or where it would end. It was possible that what he was looking for did not exist on the main road in which case, he would walk all evening for nothing. Worse, maybe the ideal shop did not exist at all! If that was the case, what would he do?


    He vaguely remembered that Space had told him he spoke the noble language of the south. If he found a group of nobles, would they be able to help him find what he was looking for? How did one recognize a noble? Were they wearing some distinctive sign or was it one of those things were people were supposed to be smart enough to just recognize them as nobles anyway? He hoped that wasn''t the case, Emp was really bad at those. Chinui was a noble too, right? He didn''t seem that different than the rest of the surrounding people at a glance. Maybe they were all nobles?


    Maybe Chinui was just strange among the nobles and didn''t look like them at all. If this wasn''t the case, it would mean that the nobles were all the same as the rest which would be terrible news for Emp.


    After many big turns in the road, he arrived in a large public place adorned with a fountain at its center. The setting sun basked the place in an orange glow to let the peddlers store their stalls away before the night. The whole place was smelling of food, grilled meat and sweet fruits. Emp was quite hungry and the smell alone almost made him drool but since they were closing, he didn''t understand their language and he had no idea how much money exactly he could spend before eating at his school admission fee, he had to let the food go.


    The fountain in the center of the square (1) didn''t represent anything, it was just a pretty water spot. It still was an impressive four layers tall and ended into a pond bordered by a low wall on which people sat to relax. The place itself was round and large enough to accommodate a good hundred peddlers and their temporary stalls. From here, five large road went to places Emp did not know. He had already gotten lost, he had no idea in which direction was the gate he had come from or where was the gate he needed to go through in order to leave.


    Around the place stood the tallest buildings he had seen up until now. Just by looking at their facade, he guessed that Chinui''s house could fit inside them more than a dozen times over. How many people could even live in such a place? In front of each of them were giant signs advertising what those were for but since he couldn''t read them and there were no windows like the smaller stores he had seen before, he could only guess what was inside.


    One had a plethora of large chimneys, one was four-storey high with the first seemingly full of tables and peoples, one was a big rectangular building made of stone with a tall tower sprouting out of it, the fourth one was brimming with clamors and songs and a continuous flow of strangely dressed peoples were going in and out of it.


    The last building was the most normal of them all, it was standing on the side of a large warehouse and it''s first floor was like a big tunnel open to the outside. At the end of that tunnel stood a big stage and on each sides, rows of doors led to unknown rooms. In front of that building stood not only one but around ten signs instead. They were all the same aside from a small but important difference. They were all written in different languages. He knew this because he was able to find one he could read: Merchant guild of Red-water, always open.


    Emp had found was he was looking for! He smiled at his own luck and entered the tunnel. Looking around, he saw that above each door on his left and right were colorful emblems and names, undoubtedly used to identify who was inside. Since Emp knew no one, he ignored them and walked further in.


    Just before he reached the end of the tunnel and the stage, the space opened up greatly, leaving enough room for a whole crowd of people. The two meter high stage occupied the whole length of the room. Behind it, an enormous curtain hid what was behind the scene. On its left and right end, a couple of steps were placed to let people get up the stage.


    On the right wall, a mountain of chairs was stored and a discreet door led to somewhere behind the stage. On the left wall, a long stone counter separated the room from a dozen clerks. Emp went towards them. For now, no one was there aside from him and those who worked there.


    Once Emp got to the counter, a middle aged man with clear blue eyes and reddish hair came to welcome him. He seemed less beefy than most man Emp had seen until now but his upright posture immediately gained him the appreciation of Emp. That man was the only one behind the counter, all the other clerks were women.


    "?????????"


    Of course, Emp didn''t understand the word but guessed it was a welcome. He waved his hand to answer and told him about his problem.


    "Good evening, I am sorry, I do not understand, is there someone here who speaks my language?"


    Luckily, the man nodded in a comprehensive manner and called for another clerk behind him. This one was an old lady. She had pale brown eyes who seemed drowned in the fog of the lake and pale blonde hair, fading strongly towards white. She had tied them in a big hair bun and seemed quite gentle and somewhat tired. She wore long grey robes that were simple but not ugly.


    Once at the counter, she placed both her hands on top of it, swept off some invisible dust with a slow gesture and smiled at Emp while welcoming him, this time, in his own language.


    "Good evening young boy, before I ask you what do you desire from our guild, would you like to share why you refuse to talk in the common tongue?"


    "I am sorry, I do not know a word of it, I only know how to speak in this language."


    "Really? This is quite rare, from where did you come from?"


    She didn''t seem that interested but Emp answered anyway.


    "From the south of the mountains, I am going to B¨ºt¨¦clair for the school."


    "Oh, a young boy full of promises, do tell me, what brings you to us merchants? Just to be sure, we cannot sell to kids even they are... nobles you know?" Said the woman while looking quite harshly at his clothes.


    Emp did not have to look down to know he looked terrible. All his clothes were dirty and most of them were ripped here and there. He did wear an expensive looking ring but bellow all the dirt, it was barely visible. Her gaze did not disturb him in the least.


    "Yes, I know, in my travels, I got lucky and killed a creature, I would like to sell what I got form it and buy a weapon in exchange."


    She seemed a little skeptical and leaked a sigh of fatigue before she unwillingly asked Emp to show her what he had.


    "You can show me young man but we aren''t a street stall here, we do not buy quite everything. We only deal with the most rich and all the big merchant groups of the empire. I do not think that what you are hiding in your pocket would have any value to us."


    A little worried as to whether or not the fertilizer was worth as much as the book pretended it was, Emp turned his back to the counter in order to face the empty room. He then very carefully got the giant stone skull out of his bag as near to the ground as possible in order to not spill any of its precious content. The enormous skull appeared in front of the shocked clerk and the sound it made when it clashed against the stone floor turned the heads of all her colleagues.


    The choc disturbed the liquid inside and a small quantity of it jumped out of the skull and fell in-between two floor slabs. Before anyone had the time to ask Emp what was happening, a plant grew from between the slabs, displacing them to give it enough space to grow. It didn''t take long to identify the plant, it grew tall and thin, leaves sprouted everywhere quickly followed by a bunch of little yellow flowers. It was a tomato plant.


    This was an excellent proof of what Emp was about to tell them.


    "I killed a woodland horror and brought back its skull for the fertilizer. Is it enough to interest you?" (2)


    (1) It always confuses me how public places are referred to as ''squares'' in English even though they are circular.


    (2) I know the scene we have here is a classic trope but people, including me, always expect it anyway. Next time, the flabbergasted face of the old clerk.

 9 Improvised Auction

    Looking at the clerks again, Emp saw many different expressions. Consternation, chock, amazement, fascination and even fear, all were stupefied by what he had just made appear. They were also intrigued by how Emp had managed to get his trophy all the way here but since they were way more preoccupied by the head itself, they didn''t ask.


    The old lady was the first to regain her wits and close her open mouth. She quickly turned her head towards the back and said something Emp did not understand. Another clerk nodded and ran towards a nearby spiral staircase. Emp had not noticed it yet, even if the ceiling was so far above them, there was still a flight of stairs leading to a second floor. What an impressively big building.


    The old clerk focused her attention back to Emp. Her attitude and the way she looked at him had completely turned around. He could easily see that the way she treated him had changed compared to before but he was unable to pinpoint what had changed exactly, he just hoped it was a good thing. She cleared her throat and spoke.


    "My apologies sir for making you wait. To answer your question, yes, this treasure is definitely enough to garner our interest. I am sorry for my previous rude behavior, it was unbefitting of my position, forgive me. If it does not offend you too much, only by curiosity I assure you, would you agree to let me have a look at your hunting card?"


    Emp didn''t really understand why she was apologizing, had she really been rude? He had not noticed. He just shrugged to show her it didn''t matter to him and showed her his card like she asked.


    The woodland horror was easy to spot on it since it was the only creature he had killed. The old lady leaned over the counter to better see it and the others behind her all stretched their necks to try and see above her shoulder.


    "It is quite an unusual first hunt I will admit. Who even choose a woodland horror for his test?"


    As she muttered those words, her eyes naturally went upwards toward his name. She reacted the same way as the gate guard when she saw it, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.


    "Muracier! You are a Muracier! Why did you not say so earlier!"


    Muracier? Emp had not noticed it before. Had he made a mistake? He hadn''t really looked at his hunting card since his departure. He had not expected that the fact Chinui lent him his name would change the information on the card. Now, his name read as Emp Muracier, Emperor being hidden by his will. If he had known, he would have hidden it as well. He had no intention of using that name for anything else than entering the school and didn''t want to put shame on Chinui by accident. (1)


    Before he had any time to explain the situation, the woman had already shoved him into a corridor leading to the backstage. "When did she get on this side of the counter?" Emp thought as she made him climb the stairs leading to the back of the stage, all the while making small curtsies. She was an expert at leading someone with her hands without ever touching, always hovering just a few inchesaway from him. It was impressive to look at. They finally reached a comfortable looking armchair situated just behind the curtain.


    "Sir Muracier, I am highly disappointed by the treatment you received up until now." Said the woman with a hand on her heart. "I assure you that the guild and I will do everything possible to make it up to you and help you to swiftly conclude your important business. Please, make yourself comfortable while we wait for the bidding to start."


    Emp was shoved into the armchair, partly with great care and partly as if she feared he would run away. Two other clerks arrived from who knows where and pushed a round and finely sculpted wooden table in front of the chair. Emp didn''t pay attention to them and instead, focused on what the woman was saying.


    "Bidding?"


    "Yes, what you brought to our humble establishment today is almost priceless. In no way our humble guild would dare fix a price on it. That being the case, this lowly one took the liberty of calling for the director. The woodland horror''s head will be the subject of an auction shortly, right here on this stage.


    I assure you sir Muracier that you will get a good price for it. The representatives of all the great merchant companies and many ruling nobles are staying in rooms on each sides of the alley at all times. Once the director will have announced the item as well as the bid itself, they will gather here, just on the other side of that stage, and those interested will compete for the right to buy your treasure for their respective organization."


    "Oh, this seems interesting."


    "You will not be disappointed in our services. From here, you will have an excellent view over the potential buyers. If you would like stay anonymous, we can leave the curtains closed, as you can see, they are enchanted so that we can see through from this side but not the other."


    Emp was led here in such a dizzying way he had not even noticed. He could really see through the curtains! On the other side, clerks were running everywhere as if they were on fire. If everyone reacted like the women at his sight, it was probably a good idea to stay hidden behind the curtain.


    "Yes please, leave it there, I would appreciate it."


    "Of course sir Muracier! Would you perhaps like something to drink in the meantime? A bottle of wine maybe?"


    That was convenient, his canteen was almost empty. He had been restraining himself from drinking the rest so now he was really thirsty.


    "Just some water please."


    "Of course, what was I thinking!" She exclaimed herself while slapping her own forehead. "Everybody knows that the Muraciers love to stay clear headed at all times and thus, never drink any alcohol. I will take care of it immediately."


    Emp couldn''t remember Chinui ever mentioning something about that but it was useless to tell her otherwise. As the old lady walked as fast as her old age would let her, Emp looked at the surrounding activity.


    In the long tunnel, tens of young people ran to each and every door, announcing the news to those inside. Just below the stage, more people were hard at work picking up chairs in the corner and placing them in rows tidily but quickly. Four giant men wearing large protective suits made of leather came from the warehouse and gathered around the horror''s head. They each took a side of it and managed to lift it up with great difficulty.


    As the four beefy man were trying to get the head on the stage, another man, fat and bald, came down from the stairs and wobbled his way to the stage.


    "What a strange looking man." Thought Emp as the Old lady came back. She arrived with a silver platter on which stood a water pitcher and an assortment of freshly picked fruits.


    "Here" She said while delicately placing it on the table. "Do you wish for me to serve you?"


    "No, no, I will do it myself thank you."


    Emp felt it was strange to let someone else serve him water while the pitcher was right in front of him. He leaned over the table, poured himself a large cup of water and picked up a pear before he sat back down comfortably. He was already hungry before he got here so he couldn''t resist the appeal of the fruits.


    He bit down on it and watched people get out of all their rooms while he appreciated it''s taste. There were all kinds of people but he noticed that, like Chinui had told him, most of them were women. He believed all of them were merchants as he observed them all sit down in front of the stage, armed with long sticks.


    "All those people want to buy the fertilizer?" Asked Emp, unbelieving.


    The clerk answered while making sure she would be heard by him above the growing sounds of the voices coming from the other side of the curtain.


    "Of course, all those peoples are authorized by their respective organization to use large amounts of money. Is it your first auction? Would you like me to explain its workings?"


    Emp was delighted by the proposition and answered positively before taking a new bite from the pear.


    "The man getting on the stage right now is the director Grandus. It his him who will personally host the auction for you. He will first examine the treasure, determine how much of it there actually is and fix a base price on it. Once the minimum value is calculated, Mr. Grandus will announce it and the people bellow the stage will be able to name a price if they wish for it. The others will then have the possibility of offering better and it will go on like that until no one is willing to offer more. The head you brought will then be sold to the person who had the best offer. Aside from the selling tax and our commission, all the money will go to you before the buyer can take the item."


    "How much is the tax and the commission?" Asked Emp worriedly.


    He had risked his life to kill that thing, he didn''t want all those strangers to take all his hard earned money.


    "Each is worth five percent for a total of ten percent. Do you know your numbers sir Muracier? Would you like to hire one of our accountants?" (2)


    "I know how to calculate, it will not be necessary thank you."


    Ten percent couldn''t be that bad. He had no reference on which to compare this to so he was going blind. He would be really sad if Chinui told him later that he had been duped.


    Since the bids were about to happen, he didn''t make a fuss about it. Still, the people around here were fast. He had just stepped foot in the building and they were already about to sell the head. He hadn''t even had the time to finish his pear yet! They must have been really used to it.


    "Is there always an auction when someone brings you something?"


    The clerk shook her head as she gave her answer.


    "No, usually, we directly buy the items before we sell them back ourselves. This stage is only there for particularly pricey or rare items. Usually, we only hold auctions once a month. At that time, we serve as an intermediary between the buyers and the sellers who don''t want to have to deal with them. Your case is an exception we hope you will appreciate. What you brought us is worth far too much for our guild to buy it directly but since you are travelling right now, we couldn''t possibly make you wait until the next auction. We would never dare do such a thing. This is for that kind of rare circumstances that all those representative are staying here at all times."


    "I see, I am sorry for causing you all troubles."


    The old lady quickly denied him his apology.


    "No, not at all, sir Muracier, this is nothing, for such a treasure, no one will be bothered."


    Emp nodded and looked at the other side of the curtain. The bald man was now standing beside the skull and asking for the crowd''s attention. Mr. Grandus then spoke with passion and pointed the tomato plant beside the counter with his finger. The crowd grew noisy with whispers once more and many ladies present took on a serious, almost excited look.


    "What is happening?" Asked the curious Emp.


    "Oh, that''s right, you said you didn''t understand the poor language. Allow me to explain. Mr. Grandus just now revealed to them the contents of the skull. Since the proof of its authenticity has already been made, both by your card and the plant over there, the crowd is growing excited. The starting price will be set at a hundred coins to entice them further but you will see sir Muracier, the price will grow quickly."


    Emp nodded once more to signify his understanding and suddenly realized he did not know the name of the old lady. Should he ask her in a precise manner? Maybe she had not given him her name on purpose. He didn''t want to offend her. Before he could find a solution to his unrelated dilemma, one of the very few men in the crowd rose his own stick. The number seventy-three was written on it''s tip. He declared something with a strong voice and the old lady rushed to explain.


    "The agricultural guild, number seventy-three, made the first offer at a hundred and fifty."


    Immediately after, a woman rose her own stick and declared a number of her own and then, another one did the same. Quickly, sticks rose again and again all over the room and Emp lost his understanding of who bid what really fast. Even the fat Grandus was speaking at the speed of an arrow, pointing here and there without pause. It was interesting but mostly dizzying. Since he didn''t understand a word, for him, it was just a crowd of people waving sticks around. To distract himself from the strange mood, he spoke of something else with the woman.


    "It would be really useful for me to speak this language since it seems that everybody aside from me is using it. Do you know a trick to learn a new language quickly?"


    "I''m afraid sir that there is no such things as a trick to it. Sadly, you will have to study it. If you would like, sir, I could recommend you many reference books as well as interesting pieces that you could use to compare each languages. This would surely help you in this endeavor."


    "I would really appreciate it, after the auction, thank you. I do not intend to stay long in Red-water but I also need to buy some equipment, weapons and clothing mostly. Also, since I do not understand the signs, I am unsure if I can find an inn on my own and I am afraid I will not understand the innkeeper. I am in need of a guide for a day or two at the utmost."


    "Yes of course, I understand your worry, what you are looking for is mostly someone who can speak both languages well, yes? In that case, allow me to recommend my own grand-daughter Galana to guide you. Like me, she speaks both languages fluently and know her way around the city. Her only problem is that she may not be as courteous as she should towards someone of your rank. I am afraid she might bother you." (3)


    "It doesn''t matter, honestly, it won''t ever be worse than when Chinui was waking me up with kicks."


    The woman seemed a little confused by his answer but managed to find her words once again.


    "She can be a little straightforward, cutting even. In fact, to be honest, I''m afraid she might offend you by mistake."


    Insults didn''t scare him in the least but he couldn''t understand why this woman was recommending her grand-daughter if she knew even beforehand that she would shame her.


    "Why are you speaking of her then?"


    "Great sir Muracier, it is because you seem like someone who is quite forgiving. You also don''t seem like someone who takes etiquette to heart compared to other nobles. I hoped it would maybe be a good experience for her but I first wanted to be sure you wouldn''t be too harsh on her."


    Emp understood now, he was like a wooden sword for the girl. When Chinui had taught him the basics of the sword, they had practiced with sticks to familiarize Emp to the movement. "True swords were only for those who knew how to use them." Had said Chinui. Emp agreed.


    From what he understood, the girl needed some training with a wooded noble before she had to deal with the real thing. It was much less dangerous for her to practice with a wooden sword first. Anyway, he didn''t know what etiquette was exactly. There was no way for him to scold her for something he did not understand.


    "All right." He said. "I will be her wooden sword. I assure you everything will be fine. As long as she doesn''t attack me, I do not see what she could do that would anger me."


    Thinking about it, Emp had never been angry before. He wondered if it was as unpleasant a sensation as fear was. He had no idea how to even trigger such an emotion. While Emp was questioning himself about anger, the lady gestured for a young woman standing at attention nearby to get nearer. He supposed it was her grand-daughter but it wasn''t, she just asked her something in the other tongue and the woman ran off.


    "Galana should arrive before the end of the auction and will be able to guide you to a decent inn."


    Emp nodded and took himself some more water and a fistful of small fruits while he watched how the situation progressed on the other side. He did not even notice that he used Space''s blessing to reach for them instead of getting up.


    The rhythm of the sticks had greatly slowed down now. Most of the people present seemed to think about it for a long time before they raised their number again. Even then, there were many still who refused obstinately to stop bidding.


    After a long time, he heard a girl''s voice from behind him.


    "Grandma, you called me? What do you want me to do?"


    "Galana, I would like you to guide this man around town."


    Said Galana proceeded to enter his field of view and and quickly detailed him with her eyes. Emp took the opportunity to do the same.


    She had bright brown eyes and an annoyed look. Her golden blond hair where tied in a ponytail that wasn''t in the middle of her head but more on the right side. It was tied with a thin pink ribbon and the tip of the tail curved back upwards just before her shoulder towards the left seemingly trying to re-center itself.


    Galana was almost a head taller than him and wore a long and simple beige dress. She also wore a shoulder bag and a large black bracelet made of metal on her left wrist. Since her dress was too long, Emp couldn''t see if she wore shoes or boots. He guessed they were probably simple leather footwear by the sound they made as she walked.


    "A man?" She said, confused. "More like a boy, he seems even younger than me. Also, he''s super dirty, what is he even doing here? Say, how long has it been since the last time you washed? You stink."


    "Hm, the last time was before I went through the mountains. I felt like bathing without weapons while surrounded by monsters was a pretty stupid idea."


    The old lady seemed to have paled and Emp wondered if she was all right. He didn''t have the time to express his worry out loud because Galana continued to question him.


    "Oh shit! It''s surprising that you speak that language, I did not think that someone who looked as dumb as you could ever answer that."


    She closed the distance between herself and the table with one big stride and snatched an apple from the silver plate before turning around towards her grandmother. Her face had almost lost all its colors now and Emp was really worried about her. Galana, still oblivious to what was going on just asked her something.


    "What is he doing here anyway, what is he selling?"


    Since the old lady seemed in such a bad shape, Emp answered in her stead to spare her the trouble.


    "I came here to sell the head of the woodland horror I killed."


    When Galana was listening to the answer, she started to notice that something was wrong with her grandmother and raised an eyebrow as she tried to understand. She bit down the apple and while focusing on her grandmother she asked Emp with her mouth full.


    "You? You killed a woodland horror? I can''t believe it. With what, how? And alone at that? I still think you look way too dumb to achieve such a thing. Don''t worry kid, if you admit your lies now, there won''t be any terrible punishment for you, I promise."


    The old lady wavered on her feet and Emp feared she would fall over but she leaned back forward at the last possible second and threw herself on the floor. She apologised on behalf of her grand-daughter while standing on her knees.


    "Please forgive her sir Muracier, it was a mistake to call her here. She wasn''t really thinking all those things she said. If you have to punish someone, let it be me instead!"


    Neither Emp nor Galana had any understanding of what was going on but not at all for the same reason.


    "Muracier? Muracier as in the great general Muracier! That guy is a noble?"


    "Not any noble Galana, he is the son of the general Chinui Muracier himself, right hand of the emperor! Quickly, on your knees and apologise!"


    Galana paled as well and Emp understood that it wasn''t some contagious sickness but fear instead. Was he that scary? Emp felt really embarrassed to see everyone falling on their knees. It was definitely not for this that Chinui had lent him his name. He rushed some words to calm them down.


    "Lady, please calm down and get yourself back up. Do not worry, I just said I would not get angry. Anyway I do not even understand why you are apologizing. What is it that she did wrong?"


    Emp leaned against the chair''s arm to try and help the lady get back up. Meanwhile, Galana, confused, started to enumerate all the things she had done wrong. She couldn''t understand the reaction of Emp and was so scared of what would happen to her now that she just spoke without thinking.


    "I turned my back to you, I said you looked dumb, that you smelled badly and that you were a liar. On top of that, I took one of your apples right in front of you."


    "At least you mostly know what you did wrong!" Screamed the old lady under her breath. "Now stop your nonsense and apologize!"


    "Sorry." Mumbled the confused Galana as she took another bite of the apple.


    Looking at her, Emp had the impression that her mind had just stopped working and she now did things by reflex alone. She just answered things without thinking and ate the apple only because it was in her hand. She knew it was the worst place and time to eat it, more so if it wasn''t hers, but she couldn''t stop herself because of how stressed she was.


    "I still do not understand why this is such a big deal." Said Emp. "The smell is because of all that travel and all that rain, maybe it would have been smarter to stop at an inn first to bathe but since I do not understand the language, I could not. The fruits are not even mine and I do not understand the turned back thing. Finally, to answer the question of how I defeated it, the truth is that it mostly defeated itself by running straight into a cliff while trying to crush me. What I would like to know is what is it that makes me look dumb to you?"


    Emp was very curious about this since he didn''t want for the same thing to happen once he would get to the school. Maybe because of her straightforward personality or maybe just because she was still in a confused state, Galana answered the question thinking all the while it was a terrible idea to do so. Appalled, her grandmother hid her face behind her hands as she listened to the long list of things Galana had to say on the subject.


    "You are wearing old and torn clothes, they are too ordinary as well. Your boots aren''t of high quality, they aren''t even combat boots either, they are just ordinary travel boots. Your hair are so messy it makes one wonder if you ever combed them even once in your life, on top of that, they are very dirty and seems sticky with sweat. Your face too is dirty and you have the look of someone who doesn''t understand what is happening. Finally, your belt buckle is ridiculous and you are wearing the ugliest bag I have ever seen in my life."


    Emp almost laughed but managed to barely keep it in. He felt that if he was to laugh now, it would scare them even more. But, even if he managed to suppress his laughter, he wasn''t able to stop a smile from creeping its way on his face which scarred the two woman even further. He wondered how to fix the situation, he wasn''t even sure why they were so scared of him.


    A woodland horror was scary, an unarmed man sitting in an armchair and drinking water wasn''t supposed to be scary, no? He decided that instead of going forward blindly, it was best to just ask them directly what was so scary.


    "If I look like I do not understand, it is because it is true, I have no idea what is going on. I would really like it if one of you just told me, are nobles supposed to be scary? Why?"


    The two woman looked quite lost. Both party felt like there was a wall between them. A wall through which they couldn''t see and also hindered their understanding of the other side. Emp was trying to look on the other side to understand it but the other side only felt more threatened. Was he trying to trick them? Was he trying to bury them even deeper in their own mess?


    "Why are nobles scary?" Asked Galana.


    "Yes, you are both terrified at the idea that I could be angry but I cannot see what I could do to you even if I did get angry. Galana said it herself, I am only a dirty man, not even armed. Aside from screaming at you and splashing mud on your clothes, I do not see what I could possibly do to you."


    After a short moment of thinking, the old lady chose to answer the question and try to make him understand their reasoning. The hardest part for her was that, if the man in front of her was really not acting, it meant he lacked common sense and if not, she risked too anger him further by explaining everything in detail as if he knew nothing.


    "Sir Muracier, there is many types of power. The nobles rarely use a method as crude as physical might to express their superiority. Depending on the noble, what Galana did could send us both to prison, into slavery or even get us both executed."


    Emp was deeply surprised by the answer. He knew the nobles where supposedly important figures and ruled over peoples in some way but he would never have guessed they would act this way.


    "Really? This seems way too extreme a punishment for just a remark on my appearance and an apple. They should be the ones to be thrown into jail."


    Galana opened her mouth to agree but her grandmother immediately stopped her with her hand. Was it the true trap he had laid for them? If Galana had answered, she would have fell right in it. She had thought that Emp was simple and lenient but he was in fact extremely shrewd!


    If they chose to agree with him here, he could then accuse them of rebelling against local nobles. But, if they disagreed, he could just pretend to be offended by the two ladies going against his words. The words chosen to answer had to be very carefully selected. The old woman gulped and voiced her answer.


    "It can seem a little overboard but it is often the only way for them to follow. The nobles are after all burdened with the protection of all those living in their territory and raise armies to do so. If someone came to such a noble and told him directly that he looked dumb for example, you could take it as an attack on his authority or, in some way, that they are turning his power in ridicule. If his power is so low, why would we expect him to protect us? If a noble was defied like that in a crucial moment, it could have devastating effects on not only him but also his family and whole territory. Rival nobles could even use this against them and bolster their own position. There is no other way but to punish such a slight to make sure it won''t happen again."


    "I see, but I still think this is exaggerated."


    "This is because sir Muracier is a good and kind man."


    Emp didn''t know how to answer that. He also saw that Galana seemed to strongly disagree with the answers of her grandmother but since her mouth was still blocked, she couldn''t voice her objections. Emp chose to change the subject to dodge the compliment he felt he didn''t deserve.


    "How do you recognize who is a noble and who is not?"


    "Usually, nobles go around with many guards and wear clothing of high value and quality, easily recognizable in a crowd. The crest of their house are always embroidered in them and most of the time, they stay in their own territory. It is easy then to recognize a noble since you always see the same few."


    Emp understood that it was a question of logic. If you lived in a barony and you came across a noble, chances were he was in the family of the baron. The people only had to remember the appearance of the few around them and they would be fine. It was impossible to insult the baron by mistake, more so if he was followed by a dozen knights at all times.


    He understood that all of this mess was because of him. He had no idea he would be identified as a Muracier and wasn''t dressed the part. He wasn''t recognizable at a glance and he had caused a massive panic when his identity had been revealed. He felt really bad for them. He had done the same thing as the woodland horror had done to him. They had a normal day until they fell right into a trap.


    "As I am now, it was impossible to recognize me as a noble. How could I punish someone else for my own mistake? Stop apologizing and let us all do as if nothing had ever happened. No one will ever know anyway since we are on the other side of the curtain and no one else is here. I can swear on my name that I forgive you both alright?"


    The two women hesitated for a brief moment before the grand-mother chose to believe him and accept his proposition. Galana followed the example but continued to shoot strange looks at Emp while eating the fruit absentmindedly. She didn''t seem to trust him. Emp didn''t take it to heart and looked back at the auction. As soon as he did, Mr. Grandus pointed at a tall and proud looking woman at the back and started clapping with energy. The rest of the crowd followed with more or less enthusiasm.


    "What is happening?" Asked Emp.


    "Sir Muracier, the head has just been sold to madam Kleis of the southern merchant association."


    "Oh! sold for how much?"


    "Forgive my ignorance, I was too preoccupied with our talk to follow the end of the auction. Mr. Grandus should arrive shortly with your money, we will know then."


    Emp nodded and picked up some more food while he looked at what was happening on the other side. People were going back to their offices while the winner of the auction was managing the transport of the head with a large grin. Some other women had gathered around her and even if Emp could not understand what they were saying, he could see easily that it pleased the one named Kleis greatly.


    One other woman, easily described by her prominent nose, was clearly not feeling as happy as her though. She caught up to Mr. Grandus before he could leave the room. She explained something to him with an air of supplication while her deep blue eyes darted between him and the curtain. Grandus nodded and told her something before freeing himself from her and going to a door in the back.


    "Who was she?" Asked Emp, curious.


    "This was madam Gr¨¦vert, she represents the kingdom of Greenpeaks to the west of our empire. It is said that their kingdom is currently suffering from widespread problems with their fields."


    "Oh..."


    She probably needed the head for those fields. Since it was already sold, it didn''t concern him anymore so he waited silently for Grandus to come back. He arrived after a short eternity with a tray filled with strange coins. He presented the tray to Emp and explained something that the old lady quickly translated for him.


    "The half empty head of the woodland horror was finally sold to madam Kleis of the southern merchant association for the sum of 34,740 golden crowns. This amount already accounted for the tax and our commission. This tray contains three crystal plate, forty-seven red dragons and forty golden crowns. Please verify the amount."


    Emp looked at the tray with great curiosity. It was not an amount he had ever imagined before. There was so much money! Chinui had taught him the value of money before and he knew that most people lived with bronze leaves. What was in the tray was on a completely different scale. It was 347 million bronze leaves! If Emp had not the quest his creators gave him etched into his heart, he could have just taken this money and lived from it for the rest of his life. It was such a huge sum that most people never even saw the last two kinds of coin in their whole life.


    The red dragons were star shaped gold coins reddened by alchemy. On one side, a flame was engraved on it and on the other, the legendary reptile intimidated the coin possessor.


    The crystal plate represented the power of the gods. It was a long white plate with a blue glint to it that was shaped like a playing card of a hand length. The crystal was grown around an imperial seal imprinted in green wax. Innumerable details were engraved on the crystal itself to stop forgery and only the biggest merchant company and high lords dared use that kind of money. If they ever received a fake, the loss would be tremendous.


    Emp did not have that problem. He trusted the merchant and also, he felt this amount was too much. Of course, he was excited by such a sum but he did not think he would suffer even if he lost part of it. Was it because he did not really understand the value of money yet or because he did not feel like his effort was worth that much? He did not know. At first, he was scarred he would not get enough for his trouble since he had, after all, risked his life for it. Now he thought the reverse, what he had done wasn''t worth this much money. He would have been satisfied with the ten percent they kept.


    None the less, he quickly counted the money and emptied the plate in his bag. He would probably find something to do with all that currency. At his side, Galana had become pale once again in front of the fortune he threw in the bag.


    Grandus said something else and the old woman resumed her translation.


    "Madam Gr¨¦vert of the Greenpeaks kingdom hoped she could buy more fertilizer from you. She was lamenting her lack of funds for this auction and would like to meet you to discuss this further."


    Even if Emp met her, he could do nothing for her anymore. Did she believe he killed woodland horrors regularly? He chose to not meet with her, both because it would be a waste of time and because he didn''t want to be followed everywhere for that head. He told himself that this curtain was extremely useful. With all the money he had now, who knew what kind of person would have followed him.


    "Tell her that I am sorry that I do not have any more of that fertilizer but also that, if I ever find more, I will go see her first."


    If he ever came across another woodland horror, he would definitely prefer to get as far away from it as he could but if ever another miracle happened, he would gladly help out those who needed it. He had no desire of seeing those people starve, there was just nothing he could do for now. If something happened to them, it wouldn''t be Emperors fault.


    His answer was translated to Grandus who nodded in understanding before wishing him good night and going back to madam Gr¨¦vert. Emp turned around towards the other two thinking he was indeed tired.


    "Now that we are done, Galana, could you please guide me to a good inn? Preferably somewhere where there is something to eat and a place to bathe."


    Galana shot him a confused look.


    "You still want me as a guide?"


    "Yes, why not? I already said that nothing happened."


    She thought about it for a moment, shooting many nervous look to her grandma, asking her what to do. The old lady just acted as if she did not see, leaving Galana to take her own decision. Finally she took a deep breath before exposing her conclusion.


    "Alright but on two conditions."


    "Tell me."


    "First of all, I will only be your guide. I am not your servant and I will not get into your bed."


    Emp just nodded. He didn''t understand the use of that condition but since it was very easy to do, he just accepted it without thinking about it too much.


    "Second, I want to be paid."


    "Of course you are going to be paid, is it not normal to pay you?"


    "In that case, let''s go."


    Without waiting any longer, she went straight for the door with the apple still in her hand and Emp followed in her steps. The grandma threw a goodbye at them and Emp answered with a wave of his hand without losing sight of Galana.


    There wasn''t many people left in the big room and those that were still there did not pay any mind to Emp and his guide. With how he looked, no one would ever guess he was the one who had brought the head here and Emp hoped it would stay that way.


    Outside, the sun had disappeared and the darkness had taken the city over. Lamps were hung here and there to help those still outside to find their way but the square was now almost empty.


    "There is a good inn just a little further down that road." Said Galana as she led the way.


    Emp followed her in silence for a while but since she wasn''t talking at all, he took the initiative to say something. After all, he had not spoken to someone in a while.


    "You know, I spent all my life in the woods on the other side of the mountains, it would be great if you told me how the empire is doing currently."


    "What kind of things do you want to know?"


    "Anything that come to your mind really, I have no knowledge of anything that happened in the last ten years. I don''t even know if it is still Billow Grandbois who is the emperor."


    "Of course it''s still him! Who else would it be? Is your head empty?"


    She had not learned anything from her last scare it seemed.


    "I do not know, that is why I am asking."


    "Aren''t the Muraciers the hand of the emperor? How come you don''t even know who that emperor is?"


    "Chinui and I have not spoken to anyone since their quarrel."


    Technically it was the truth, he wasn''t even born when it happened and her grandma was the first human being he really spoke to since he left Chinui.


    "What quarrel?"


    "Chinui got really mad at the emperor and decided to leave."


    Galana stopped dead in her track and turned around with eyes as big as the moon shining above.


    "The great general Chinui left! Since when?"


    "I do not really remember, many years at least. He left when the emperor sacrificed his brother in a battle against cursed-bloods. Chinui got angry and the emperor told him to calm down or he would lose his position as a general. Chinui told him that it was wishful thinking to believe that he would be able to keep his throne without the Muraciers and told him he was leaving and not coming back. It is from that moment that we do not have any news from the empire. I believe it was a war in the north of the Artefine kingdom."


    "The north of Artefine! But it was fifteen years ago! You are telling me that we''ve been fifteen years without a great general to protect us and no one noticed!"


    "I do not know, I just told you I was not there."


    He wondered if she was really listening.


    "But how come no one tried to stop him from leaving! Why did you not try to convince him?"


    "I was not even born when they quarreled."


    "But how is the empire supposed to defend itself without the Muraciers!"


    "I do not know. I imagine it is the problem of the emperor, he only had to not put himself into trouble."


    "Are you retarded?"


    If the power of a scream could kill, Emp would most definitely be dead right now.


    "I do not really care if you call me retarded but if your grand-mother was here, she would probably faint."


    Galana tried to calm herself down with deep breaths as Emp reassured her the best he could.


    "An empire should not collapse just because one man went away. Chinui is not an all powerful god, he is just a man. It has already been fifteen years since he went away and everything is going like usual. So much so in fact that no one noticed he was gone right? There is no reason for this to change anytime soon. What is more, Chinui said he had some cousins who could somehow do the job while he was gone."


    "When is he coming back?" Asked Galana much more calmly.


    "When Billow Grandbois will not be the emperor anymore."


    Galana grunted and started walking again and Emp followed.


    "Fine, the empire can fall, I don''t care anyway."


    "Why is that?" Asked Emp, curious.


    "If it happened, a good chunk of the nobles would go as well and I would really like that."


    Emp wasn''t quite sure on how to answer that so he just changed the subject again.


    "Since we are talking about nobles now, could you tell me who are the nobles here in Red-waters so I do not make any mistakes."


    "There is the count Staedler and his family, the viscount Rougefond and the viscount Balpoisson, both with their families as well." (4)


    Two viscounts? That was a lot for only Red-water city. Emp wondered if there was a particular reason for all those nobles to be living in the same town.


    "What use are they?"


    "They have no use! They are all useless, rotten, they are terrible, I hate them."


    "Really? why do you hate them?"


    "It has nothing to do with you and also, you''re a noble as well!"


    "Would it not be better to just tell me what they are doing wrong so that I could try to not do the same? After all, I have no idea how it all works."


    Instead of answering, Galana pointed a building to their left.


    "Here we are, the golden fish, it''s the name of the inn." (5)


    She went inside without waiting for him. Emp thought she was strange. First, she had insulted him because of how he looked, then, she got scarred of what he was and now she was just ignoring him. He also thought it was strange that even if she clearly hated the nobles so much, her grandmother pushed her to guide one around. He didn''t pay any attention to the perfectly painted sign of the inn and followed her inside, still lost in his own thoughts.


    There, Galana was already talking to the clerk in the common tongue he didn''t understand. The woman on the other side of the counter was leaning against it holding her head in her hand. Her eyes were half closed as she half-heartedly tried to stay awake. A small lamp was placed at her side and behind her, many keys were hung to the wall. On the right of Emp, an open door led to many round tables and on his left, stairs led to another floor.


    The woman herself had nothing of particular interest aside from the fact that she was clearly pregnant. Black eyes, black hair, light clothes to resist the summer heat and visibly older than Galana. She spoke slowly but clearly and it didn''t take long at all for Galana to explain the situation. From time to time, she turned towards him to confirm what he wished.


    In the end, it cost him a silver coin for a night with a super as well as a breakfast and a tub of water. He gave her the silver coin with a smile and the woman handed him a key numbered fifteen.


    "So, all you have to do now is sit down at a table over there and wait for your food. After, you''ll only have to get up those stairs to the first floor. Your room will be easy to find, the number is written on the door. She said the tub should already be filled when you get there. You just have to leave it there once you''re done, they''ll empty it tomorrow. For your breakfast, you only need to give her back the key in the morning and sit down over there like tonight. Someone should eventually bring you something. You got all that?"


    It was very clear, he had no questions. To thank her, he decided to pay her the supper since she had probably not eaten yet either.


    "Are you hungry? You want to stay for supper?"


    "No, not at all, I''m going home. Don''t even try."


    She didn''t seem to have liked his attention. He had just wanted to be friendly.


    "Do you want me to accompany you? It''s dark outside."


    "No I don''t want you to walk me home! We are in Red-waters here not in the forest! I can walk back home on my own!"


    Emp wasn''t convinced it was really all that safe with the giant birds he had seen before but since she seemed really angry he didn''t insist.


    "Then we meet here tomorrow, good night."


    "Mhm mhm." She hummed while leaving.


    Emp saw her leave the inn and went to eat something without worrying for her anymore. After a good bowl of thick soup, a careful scrubbing of his hurt leg and a lift of the hammer, he went to bed. It was the first time he ever slept in a bed. He was used to the hard floor and the twisted branches, the comfort was incomparable, it was extraordinary. He didn''t even have the time to look properly at the room before he fell asleep.


    (1) I can already hear the complaints. "I thought you said the card could not be cheated or changed willingly by anyone, how come Emp is now named Muracier." You are right! I hate it when rules aren''t respected, let me explain how such a thing happened. Everyone is born with a name, if someone is born and immediately abandoned, the card will display his true name anyway. In such a world, you don''t need DNA tests, the card never lies. Emp though is different, he was not born but created and has no real parents. His family name wasn''t hidden, there was just none. When Chinui started considering him as part of his family, even if it was unconscious and even if he would never admit it, the card was compelled to fill the blank with the name the majority of the 1 persons that knew him felt was right. Now that even more people think of him as a Muracier, that name will be stuck there for ever, the card cannot be changed by will alone. As for the reason why Chinui felt like Emp was a part of his family, maybe it was because he reminded him of his brother or maybe it was just because he felt lonely, like how people think of their dogs as part of their family. I will let you all be the judge on that.


    (2) A selling tax of 5% seems small but they make their money back on incredibly high land tax, harvest tax and also because they keep it all when a group of soldiers defeats a creature. It''s almost theft at this point.


    (3) Galana. At first, she was named Gilly. I designed her and wrote this chapter and part of the next before I took a break of this story for more than a year in favor of others. In one of those other story, I made another character I also named Gilly by accident. She had such a strong personality that when I came back here, I could only see that other character in her name so I changed it for Galana. It''s not important, I just wanted to share that with you.


    (4) Balpoisson, not to be confused with Balpoison. In french, Fish is written poisson, only a letter away from poison which is written the same as in English. This leads to a lot of hilarious homeworks from primary school students. That name could be interpreted either like a ball (as in the dance) of fishes or an order for someone to beat the fish. The only thing you have to know to say as intended is to keep the ''s'' as an ''s'' instead of turning it into a ''z''.


    (5) The golden fish inn. I almost translated it as the goldfish inn but it would have a very different meaning then.

 10 The inn: Emp

    By some miracle, Emp woke up the next day without anyone coming in to hit him. Maybe those nights outside had taught him to wake up at a reasonable hour by himself?


    The room he slept in was now lit by the sunlight, letting him take a look at it. There wasn''t much to see. Aside from the bed and the tub full of brown red water that took almost all the space in the small room, there was a bedside table with a drawer but nothing else. He did not mind the small space, more so since he would probably not come back. The only thing he would miss was the bed.


    Now that he had slept in one for the first time, he understood why everyone did the same. He wished to buy one and bring it everywhere with him. It was so comfortable, he had thought he could sleep all day before but now, he definitely could. This thing was both the best thing he ever found but also, a terrible death trap! If he brought one with him in his travels, he would never wake up, putting him in even more danger. It was with a broken heart that Emp decided to not buy a bed of his own.


    After a quick training, he locked the door behind him and walked downstairs. As he set foot on the last step, Galana suddenly appeared right in front of him making both of them jump in surprise. Like the day before, she wore a dress devoid of color, this one with short sleeves. She also wore her hair like the day before, including the red ribbon. Her face immediately turned from surprise to anger, or maybe annoyance?


    "What took you so long! Don''t tell me to meet you in the morning if you''re going to sleep all the way up till noon!"


    It seems he didn''t wake up in time like he had first thought.


    "Is it really already noon? I am sorry, it was the first time I ever slept in a real bed. I slept so well it seems I did not wake up."


    She just looked at him in astonishment, unable to find anything to say and Emp had to answer her silent question.


    "I usually just sleep on the floor, or in a tree while traveling."


    "Who, by all the trees, sleeps on the floor!"


    "Chinui''s house was a little small and there was only one bed."


    "It''s absurd!"


    Emp did not mind talking about this topic, or any other things for that matter, but, he was really hungry.


    "If you do not mind, could we talk while eating? I am famished."


    He gave the key back to the clerk at the entrance and went to the other room. Galana released an exasperated sigh and followed Emp in the dining room.


    There was many more people then when he came the previous night but still not enough to fill half the room, most of them probably left the inn a long time before he woke up. They both sat at opposite sides of a table and resumed their conversation while waiting for the meal.


    "You are really strange." She said with furrowed brows. "I never saw someone as weird as you before."


    "Is it a good or a bad thing?" Emp had no clue.


    "I''m not sure... At least you don''t look like the lord of filth anymore."


    "I prefer to look like the lord of filth than be devoured because I bathed somewhere I should not."


    Galana made a half smile somewhere in between laughter and amazement.


    "Are all the Muraciers like that?"


    "Like what?" Asked Emp both confused and curious of where this was going.


    "Last night, when I got home, I searched for the Muraciers in books. They say they are serious and loyal people that are always ready for action. This is also from there that the rumor saying they don''t drink any alcohol comes from, it would slow down their reactions. They say they almost never laugh and they find value in very few things that are unrelated to war."


    That seemed really close to the grumpy Chinui he knew. Maybe they really did never drink any alcohol.


    "Still." Followed Galana. "All I see when I speak to you is a weird and a little bit idiotic boy."


    She had already failed her grandmother''s test again. She really was bad with nobles.


    "At least I rose from a complete idiot to a little bit idiotic in your esteem."


    "Idiot." She said, deepening her frown and sending Emp back down the ladder. "I don''t understand what''s wrong with you."


    "What do you mean what''s wrong with me?"


    As Emp wondered What she meant by that, A small boy wearing suspenders came to their table and placed a well filled plate in front of Emp.


    The plate was full of fresh fruits, still warm bread and bacon. It was an impressive breakfast but there was still something wrong.


    "Oh? Only one? Where is yours?" Said Emp


    "What do mean where''s mine?"


    "I won''t eat all alone, that would be weird."


    "Nobles aren''t supposed to eat with the common folk."


    "Nonsense, I am the one paying anyway, ask him another plate."


    Galana looked at him, thinking for a moment, unsure of what she should do before she asked something to the boy who answered with three fingers.


    "Three bronze leaves for another plate."


    Without thinking, Emp grabbed four coins from his bag and presented them to the boy.


    "Three for the plate and one to thank him."


    Galana, still perplexed, translated to the small waiter who smiled and said what Emp supposed was ''thank you'' before he snatched the coins and ran happily to the kitchen. The sight made Emp smile as well.


    "You see! That is exactly what is wrong with you! I do not understand where you''re going with your little games. Are you trying to make me lower my guard by seeming likable? I feel like the moment I will be gone, you will come back here and accuse him of having stolen the last coin, making them pay an incredible amount to make you forget the story."


    Emp almost choked on his first bite hearing her story. She just stared at him, trying to find a proof, or a crack in his acting.


    "Who would ever do such a thing, it does not even make sense! Why did it even cross your mind?"


    "It wouldn''t be surprising coming from a noble."


    "From what I am hearing, I am not the only one who is strange here. You need a very distorted mind to think of something like that. Also, I do not see the point in lowering your guard, from what your grandmother told me yesterday, if you were sitting in front of any other noble right now, you would already be dead twenty times over."


    Galana grumbled of displeasure as the boy came back with her plate. Since she was too focused staring at him to thank him, Emp did it in her stead. He repeated the word the kid had used earlier and the boy smiled at him before he left.


    "I thought you said you didn''t speak the common tongue."


    "I did because it is true, I just assumed the word he used earlier meant tank you."


    Galana didn''t seem convinced at all. She stared hard at him and spoke in the other language. The other customers all stopped eating to stare and some seemed shocked. Many cringed, a woman hid her face behind her hands and many men in a group around a table started laughing.


    What she had just said must have been really impressive but he didn''t understand a word of it. The group of men, all bearded and almost as dirty as Emp had been last night, even clapped and threw a bunch of comments Galana ignored. She was too busy looking for a reaction. Of course, it was obvious he had not understood. Emp wondered what she could possibly have said to gather so much attention from the rest of the customers. He did not have the time to ask before she admitted he had said the truth.


    "Alright, you really don''t understand, no one could have possibly kept his calm through that."


    "So, now are you going to tell me why you hate nobles so much?"


    "And you, are you going to stop pretending you care about what I have to say or about my safety?"


    Emp wasn''t angry but he was starting to get a little annoyed at all those accusations.


    "Enough already. I do not understand any of your accusations at all. All I asked was information because I have a huge lack of knowledge about nobles."


    "Of course, it''s got nothing to do with me being a pretty girl."


    "To be honest, I only spoke to a total of three women in my whole life, my mother, your grandmother and you."


    He was not sure if she really was pretty or not. Were pretty people factually beautiful or was it just some kind of feel?


    "It''s not because I''m the only girl you know that you have to try to sleep with me! What are you thinking? Do you really need the first girl you ever met as a trophy?"


    "Now, I do not even understand what we are talking about anymore. What does sleeping have to do with turning you into a trophy?"


    People weren''t cutting the heads of their sleeping partners to mount on their walls now were they?


    "Idiot! When I say sleep I don''t mean actual sleep, I mean the act between a man and a woman."


    Emp understood what she meant with that, or at least, he believed she was referring to copulation. But, also understanding people didn''t like to talk about it, he felt like it was a perfect opportunity to get revenge for all those crazy accusations. It was time to push the questioning further!


    "What kind of act?"


    "What kind of act do you want it to be idiot!"


    "Like in a theater play?"


    "For the love of all gods! I''m talking about... When a man and woman... Wait, you need a man to... the sheets... And then... In the dark... And a kiss..."


    At first she was screaming at him, frustrated by his ignorance but when she got halfway through her first sentence, she seemed to realise what she was about to scream in public. She had almost said some very embarrassing things. She had been pushed along by her anger and her desire to see trough his supposed game. Her explanation quickly devolved into a mess of incoherent words and gestures. Her face was now beet red, she didn''t know how to get out of this mess. Then she saw it, on Emp''s face, a smile was slowly creeping up on it. He was mocking her!


    "??? ??????? ????? ?? ????!"


    She yelled something in the common tongue and threw a slice of bacon at him while Emp burst out laughing. He caught it flying before it hit is face and ate it as he laughed.


    "To go back to what you were saying before, Chinui told me that many men had multiple wives and everyone should be wed as soon as possible. Do you think I should be looking for a wife now that I made it through a fight and survived?"


    Galana just looked at her plate with an angry pout and refused to answer. Emp took another couple of bites from his breakfast before she finally decided to say something.


    "Are you still trying to mock me or is it a true question?"


    "It is a true question. I have no idea of what I am supposed to do. What are people doing usually?"


    "I don''t think I have to be the one answering that."


    "Who then?"


    "I don''t know, a friend? At least a man."


    "But, aside from Chinui, I only know four other men and all of them are gods. I am not even sure on how to contact them and anyway, I don''t think the advice Luck would give would be all that useful. You said the way I dressed was strange but him wears rainbow clothes with strange patterns combined with all sorts of crazy accessories. It was him that gave me the bottomless bag, the one you find horribly ugly."


    "Wait, you know four gods!"


    "No five."


    "What! How many blessings do you have?"


    "One."


    "You were lucky enough to find the hiding spot of five different gods but failed four of their tests! How can anyone waste such an opportunity!"


    "No, I received only one test, the other four were my creators."


    Emp had just said it without thinking but after the words left is mouth, he felt like maybe he should have kept this information for himself. Now for sure, she would not believe anything he told her anymore.


    He chose to not worry about it and took another bite of bacon. Anyway, he didn''t need her to believe everything he said, he just needed her to translate for him while he bought some equipment. Might as well answer all her questions with truths since it would be less tiring for him than trying to come up with a story every time.


    "What you just said doesn''t even make sense. It''s just crazy. First of all, how can you be the son of four different people at once! Also, isn''t your father supposed to be Chinui Muracier?"


    "I can swear I''m not lying but I can''t prove it. If you want to know the whole story, you will have to tell me yours."


    Galana just laughed at him.


    "Was this your plan? Dream on!"


    Emp shrugged and they both ended their breakfast in silence. They both greedily devoured their food and it was all gone in an instant. Since they had already paid, they just left the inn once they were done. While leaving, the men from the other table shouted something at Galana who answered with a raised brow before leaving without paying them any more attention. Emp did not worry about it and just admired the view outside while he waited for her.

 11 The inn: Galana

    Galana woke up early that morning to prepare herself for the no doubt tiresome day she would have. She needed to accomplish her task as smoothly as possible to not get into more trouble than she already was.


    Because of that, she had not slept a lot. She had used most of the night to scour all the books she had in her bookstore for information on the Muraciers. It was better to know who she was dealing with after all.


    According to the books, the Muraciers were amongst the empire founders and their house was as old as the imperial family itself. It was written that they had almost as much influence as the Grandbois since all the armies of the empire were under their control. Luckily for the imperial family, the Muraciers never had the ambition to take their place, preferring instead to focus on the art of war and the betterment of their own martial prowess.


    She had read that the Muraciers were quite strict and did not laugh often. They also usually rewarded true talent over lineage since in a battle, whose blood is flowing in your veins does not matter to anyone.


    It was quite convenient for her since she had no ancestors worth anything of value. Including the fact that there were no written records of a Muracier ever betraying his words, she felt that her chances to get out of this unscathed were high as long as she did the job right and did not commit a mistake too huge.


    She put on a dress that wasn''t too old to at least not look as dirty as him, ate some hard bread to fill her stomach and headed straight towards the inn.


    On the road, only early birds strolled about the streets, after all, the sun wasn''t completely past the horizon yet. The books said that the Muracier woke up with the sun to train. If it was true, she needed to get there early to not make him wait.


    She got inside the inn and the innkeeper told her that he had not come down yet. She had arrived in time, that was a good start. She sat on a nearby chair and waited for him to get downstairs.


    She saw many people get here one after the other, go to the dining room one after the other and leave the inn one after the other. She waited and waited but after many hours, she was grinding her teeth in frustration.


    How could anyone sleep for so long? Didn''t he have things to do? ''He'' may not but ''she'' had plenty to do! If she had know she would be here waiting for so long, she could have opened up her bookstore for the morning instead!


    Unable to hold back anymore, she got up and decided to go beat on his door until he came out. She was almost in the stairway when Emp appeared from it and almost ran into her.


    She was so surprised, she almost fell backwards. Was he angering her on purpose? The goodwill she had in the morning was already forgotten as she screamed at him to alleviate her annoyance.


    He gave her a nonsensical explanation for his tardiness then dodged her questions by going in the next room for his breakfast. She followed him and sat at the opposite end of his table.


    She noticed he didn''t look as terrible has he did the day before now that he had bathed. Now, even with his torn clothes, she was the worst of the two with her more than ordinary clothes. It did not matter though, however he looked, he was still a disgusting noble and he was still late.


    Hoping to get some sort of advantage, she tried to extract information about the Muracier out of him by telling him what she knew but all she managed to get out of him was a dumb comeback. She couldn''t be sure if he was doing it on purpose or if he just didn''t have any common sense. Everything he did was strange, something was definitely not right. She didn''t understand what was wrong with him.


    "What do you mean what''s wrong with me?"


    Damn-it, she had once again spoken without thinking. How was she to answer that without cutting herself down?


    "Oh? Only one? Where is yours?"


    "What do mean where''s mine?"


    She had no idea what he was talking about. She was too focused on searching for an appropriate answer, she didn''t know what he was talking about anymore.


    "I won''t eat all alone, that would be weird."


    She finally saw it, the innkeeper''s son was here with his plate, she had not even noticed him in her panic. Anyway, it didn''t concern her.


    "Nobles aren''t supposed to eat with the common folk."


    "Nonsense, I am the one paying anyway, ask him another plate."


    Why did he want to eat with her? He wasn''t a friend, he wasn''t even an acquaintance. He was just a guy paying to have her translate things for him. She didn''t want a stranger to pay for her food, that was just weird. Or was he trying to charm her? Would he take it badly if she flat-out refused to eat? On the other hand, her breakfast had been long ago already and what was filling his plate was looking much more tasty than the bread she had. Fine, she would go with it just this once.


    "How much would it be for another plate like this one?" She asked the small waiter.


    "Three of bronze, miss."


    It was a lot for just one plate but there were fruits and even bacon in it. When was the last time she ate bacon, years ago? She shot a look back at her client to see his reaction when she would tell him the price.


    "Three bronze leaves for another plate."


    He searched his bag without delay and got four coins that he presented to the son of the innkeeper.


    "Three for the plate and one to thank him."


    It seemed quite generous of him, there must be something behind it. There was no way a noble would do such a thing. She knew them too well. Nobles hated to waste money and always tried to find a way to pay less than they should have. Him, gave more than necessary, as if it was natural, or planned in advance.


    "He says you can keep the last coin."


    "Thanks!"


    The boy left happily with his coins, hiding back in the kitchen as soon as possible in case the man changed his mind. The noble in front of her smiled at the scene which annoyed her even more. That had to be some kind of ploy, it had to be!


    "You see! That is exactly what is wrong with you! I do not understand where you''re going with your little games. Are you trying to make me lower my guard by seeming likable? I feel like the moment I will be gone, you will come back here and accuse him of having stolen the last coin, making them pay an incredible amount to make you forget the story."


    Emp had just put a piece of bread in his mouth and chocked on it when she exposed her hypothesis to him. At least she had managed to surprise him so much he choked, that was satisfying. She had to be on the right track. He was trying to appear friendly and coax her into doing something for him. Worse, maybe he was in cahoots with the disgusting young master Balpoisson from the start. He also had a very strange way of speaking that kinda annoyed her but it didn''t matter right now.


    "Who would ever do such a thing, it does not even make sense! Why did it even cross your mind?"


    "It wouldn''t be surprising coming from a noble."


    "From what I am hearing, I am not the only one who is strange here. You need a very distorted mind to think of something like that. Also, I do not see the point in lowering your guard, from what your grandmother told me yesterday, if you were sat in front of any other noble right now, you would already be dead twenty times over."


    She didn''t know how to refute this since it was most probably the truth. Once again she had not managed to make a crack in his mask and it frustrated her very much. Nobles acting nice were so troublesome to deal with.


    "Thanks" Said Emp to the boy Galana had not seen coming back.


    It surprised Galana enough to bring back her attention on what was happening. Had he not just spoke in the common tongue? Had he lied to her grandmother and herself since the very beginning? If he had lied, it meant she didn''t have a reason to be here.


    "I thought you said you didn''t speak the common tongue."


    "I did because it is true, I just assumed the word he used earlier meant tank you."


    Liar! This seemed way too convenient of an excuse! But, she knew of a very easy way to prove it. With a few words, she would know the truth for sure.


    "You are a disgusting piece putrefied shit. If only you could be slowly devoured alive in a dark corner everybody would cry of joy. Your father would even go kiss those who did it to thank them. If only your mother had been raped by a horde of blood-spitter and had birthed some kind of monstrous hybrid instead of you, she would probably have loved it more than you and the world would have been a better place. Even as a degenerate whore, your mother didn''t deserve the affliction you are. Just looking at your retarded self, we can easily tell you have nothing in your pants explaining why when you tried to screw your own mother, she just laughed in your face before throwing up while picturing the scene."


    "Woah!" A guy somewhere behind her screamed. "Fuck him up! hahahaha!"


    "That''s incredible!" Another said. "What did he do to deserve this!"


    "Slap him! I''m sure he deserves it."


    "Come sit with us instead, I''m sure we''ll get along real nice."


    She ignored them all, too busy looking for Emp''s reaction. She had insulted him, his father, his mother and even his virility and still, he didn''t seem disturbed at all. No laugh, no anger, nothing showed up on his face. Either he was the best actor in the world or he really didn''t understand. She chose to believe that the boy in front of her could not possibly be that talented.


    "Alright, you really don''t understand, no one could have possibly kept his calm through that."


    "So, now are you going to tell me why you hate nobles so much?"


    "And you, are you going to stop pretending you care about what I have to say or about my safety?"


    She still couldn''t believe what he had said the night before. "Do you want me to accompany you? It''s dark outside."As if she would fall for such a cheap trick. He probably just wanted a taste of her before the other asshole could put his greasy hands on her. It wouldn''t be the first time it happened.


    "Enough already. I do not understand any of your accusations at all. All I asked was information because I have a huge lack of knowledge about nobles."


    "Of course, it''s got nothing to do with me being a pretty girl."


    "To be honest, I only spoke to a total of three women in my whole life, my mother, your grandmother and you."


    "It''s not because I''m the only girl you know that you have to try to sleep with me! What are you thinking? Do you really need the first girl you ever met as a trophy?"


    "Now, I do not even understand what we are talking about anymore. What does sleeping have to do with turning you into a trophy?"


    What? Was he simple minded or just an idiot?


    "Idiot! When I say sleep I don''t mean actual sleep, I mean the act between a man and a woman."


    "What kind of act?"


    "What kind of act do you want it to be idiot!"


    "Like in a theater play?"


    She got so carried away, she just screamed an answer.


    "For the love of all gods! I''m talking about..."


    She stopped dead in her tracks, she couldn''t say that out loud, what was she thinking?


    "When a man and woman..."


    No, that wouldn''t work either. Did he even know what was sex?


    "Wait,"


    How could she get out of this mess! Why did she have to explain even that! All she had to do was tell him that a man needed to give his seed to a woman and should would be free.


    "You need a man to..."


    No! Way too crude! What was she thinking, she would be ashamed for the rest of her life. Anyway, all of this needed to be done under "the sheets" because if not it would be way too much. "And then" you should only be doing it "in the dark" because it would be way too shameful if someone ever got in the room. It was all because of this idiot! He didn''t want her at all, he was just a clueless boy!


    Of course, since she was thinking about how it was all his fault, his image took the place of the mystery man in her mind. At least in the dark, she didn''t have to look at his stupid face. Then, like in the stories, he would lean forward sweet talking his way to a hug "and a kiss".


    As the scene annoyingly took shape in her mind, she saw him smile from the other side of the table, unable to keep his laughter in any longer. He was mocking her! He was doing it on purpose!


    "You fucking piece of shit!"


    She badly wanted to slap him but since he was too far away, she gripped a slice of bacon and threw it at his face. The guy just caught it easily in the middle of his laughter, to her great disappointment, and ate it without a second thought.


    She instantly regretted what she had done. When would be the next time she would get the chance to eat bacon? Maybe never, she thought sadly as she went back to her own meal. The cunning man sitting in front of her just continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.


    "To go back to what you were saying before, Chinui told me that many men had multiple wives and everyone should be wed as soon as possible. Do you think I should be looking for a wife now that I made it through a fight and survived?"


    As if she would fall twice for the same trap! Never again! She waited for him to change subject but he just kept staring and eating without saying another thing. she had no choice but to answer.


    "Are you still trying to mock me or is it a true question?"


    "It is a true question. I have no idea of what I am supposed to do. What are people doing usually?"


    What are people doing usually! What did he expect her to answer? Wed the love of his life? Wait to receive an offering of Holia? (1) Buy his own in a slave market bargain? Maybe she should tell him that his only chance would probably be to wait for a divine intervention. This was too stupid of a question, she refused to take part in such a talk.


    "I don''t think I have to be the one answering that."


    "Who then?"


    "I don''t know, a friend? At least a man."


    May the gods protect the poor girl who would be stuck answering his crazy questions.


    "But, aside from Chinui, I only know four other men and all of them are gods."


    What? What was he saying now?


    "I am not even sure on how to contact them and anyway, I don''t think the advice Luck would give would be all that useful. You said the way I dressed was strange but him wears rainbow clothes with strange patterns combined with all sorts of crazy accessories. It was him that gave me the bottomless bag, the one you find horribly ugly."


    At this moment, she didn''t care at all about the bag. There was something much more crazy going on.


    "Wait, you know four gods!"


    "No five."


    "What! How many blessings do you have?"


    "One."


    "You were lucky enough to find the hiding spot of five different gods but failed four of their tests! How can anyone waste such an opportunity!"


    If she had possessed the strength to do it, she would have hit him with the table, no, beat him into a pulp with it. The few people who merely found one secret trial ground in their whole life were instantly raised to the rank of national celebrity and were known across entire kingdoms.


    This imbecile was without a doubt the luckiest man alive if he found five but even then, he had managed to waste four of them! If only it had been her instead, or her parents! All her problems would have instantly vanished into smoke. How could anyone be so annoyingly incompetent! It was disconcerting.


    "No, I received only one test, the other four were my creators."


    What kind of idiotic absurdity was he trying to convince her of now?


    "What you just said doesn''t even make sense. It''s just crazy. First of all, how can you be the son of four different people at once! Also, isn''t your father supposed to be Chinui Muracier?"


    "I can swear I''m not lying but I can''t prove it. If you want to know the whole story, you will have to tell me yours."


    "Ha ha ha. Was this your plan? Dream on!"


    As if she would just spill out the story of her life and all her personal information in exchange for an obviously made up story.


    The rest of their meal went on in silence. As they were leaving, the men sitting at the next table yelled at her, saying they were certain they had better and bigger tools than him and told her that she could still join them if she wished to have a good time. She shot them a disgusted look and left without answering.


    At least they should make the effort to bathe and shave if they wanted her to have the decency to answer them with a clear no.


    (1) I''ve spoken about the offering of Holia twice now but did not explain it yet. It is one of the important customs Chinui forgot to explain to Emp. You will have to wait for someone to explain it to Emp to understand clearly but I''m sure you can somehow guess what this is about.

 12 Swords and Hammers: Emp

    Outside the inn, the weather was still great. Many passer-by went up and down the street around them while Emp told Galana he wanted to buy a weapon first. She gestured him to follow her and moved into the crowd.


    Now that there were so many people around him, Emp saw that he wasn''t all that tall. Most of them, including Galana, were taller than him, making it so that he couldn''t see very far into the crowd.


    Emp understood because of the knowledge imparted to him at his creation, that normal people were not born tall but instead very small and would grow into their optimal form with time. He wondered if he was created at his optimal height or if he would still grow. He hoped it would be the case because this current height was making it hard to see.


    Around him, all kinds of people wearing all kinds of things walked around like the previous day. Tall and short, young and old, wearing long thin boots, large work boots or heels, colorful clothing, armor, dress, shirts, hats and trinkets of all kinds, so many different things.


    He also saw what he assumed to be cursed-bloods, there was always something wrong with how they looked, betraying the fact they were not human. Sometimes it was their eyes with strange pupils or color, sometimes it was the hairs that had something strange, sometimes it was their skin, either showing a wrong color or being covered in scales, he even saw someone who was pale purple with large fin-like wings attached to his arms. They all walked through the crowd like the rest but people had a tendency to get out of their way so as to not meet them.


    Emp didn''t examine anyone in detail because focused on not losing Galana in the swarm of people.


    "Here, the shops are selling high quality gear but the price is much higher than elsewhere. Is it all right with you?" Said Galana speaking more about the area than a shop in particular.


    "My life will depend on my weapon and armor, I''m ready to put down as much money as I need."


    "In that case, the rich people usually buy their equipment at Tiberius''s shop. He is a pretty good smith and knows a lot of others, many times more talented than him. He sells all their works in a building annex to his forge over there at the end of this street."


    She explained all that while bringing him to the annex in question. Just passing by the forge itself, Emp could feel the heat spreading out of it, proof that Tiberius was at work. The adjacent shop didn''t have any windows but the door was wide open.


    Emp entered behind Galana and was immediately impressed by the quantity of things exposed here. Daggers, swords, spears, shield, bows, all kinds of armors and all sort of things he couldn''t recognize were sprawled across shelves and racks so numerous it was hard to move inside.


    A woman, tall and muscled, welcomed them in the common tongue and Galana answered for them both.


    While Galana was speaking to her, Emp made a mental list of what e needed here once again. Since he had a lot of money now, he wasn''t afraid to put a lot of things in said list. They expected him to learn fencing so he needed a sword. The reach of a spear could save his life so he wanted one too. If he had a bow as well, he could practice and maybe improve but since he did not plan on using one, he would settle down for a cheap one.


    He also wanted a war hammer because after wielding the Great overburdening hammer so much, he had gotten used to it. It was also the weapon he used to beat his first opponent. Since he couldn''t use the one he already had in combat very well, he wanted a new one that could actually be wielded.


    Aside from that, a shield he could just bring out of the bag if he needed and an armor not too heavy to let him travel more easily, would complete his list. It was a pretty long list but since everything would be weightless once in the bag, it wasn''t all that unreasonable.


    "She would like to see your hunting card to confirm you can buy anything here." Said Galana from the counter.


    Emp interrupted his thoughts to show the card to the woman who nodded and asked something else.


    "She wants to know what you are looking for and how much you are ready to pay for it."


    Emp just repeated to her the list he had just made. Galana seemed exasperated and the woman surprised by the length of his answer.


    "Idiot, what are you even going to do with all that!"


    "The hammer is the most important but the sword can be practical as well, the spear is just there for a very specific kind of situation and the bow is just for training, I don''t need a fancy one."


    Galana let out another sigh and the woman asked her something she took a long time to answer. She laughed hard at the answer and brought them to a bunch of blunt weapons that were leaning against a wall. There were maces and clubs, small and big hammers, in metals or strange materials most probably taken from monsters.


    "She says to try and lift those that catch your eyes to see if the weight is right for you, if it is, she will tell you about their specifics."


    "All right."


    Emp proceeded to lift every hammer starting by the one who seemed the lightest, slowly raising the weight as he went. He didn''t know about what others looked for in a hammer but he himself felt that its weight was the most important. The heavier it was, the stronger the impact would be. He had witnessed it clearly in his fight against the woodland horror, the impacts of both the cliff and the hammer against the creature still rang in his bones.


    So, he was looking for the heaviest hammer possible, with a handle long enough to wield it with both hands. While he was checking them one by one, Galana started questioning him again.


    "Why a hammer instead of a sword? Do the Muracier have a secret hammer technique?"


    "No, at least, I do not think so. It is more because of what I learned on my way here."


    "What is it?"


    "When I fought against the woodland horror, I would have died if I had used a sword. Its skull was its only weak point but you have seen it in the auction yesterday right? A foot thick stone at least, impossible to break with a blade or a spear. If I did not have the right tool, I would have died. This is why I need both a hammer and a sword, only having one of those two could lead me to my death."


    "Wouldn''t a sword sharp enough to cut even stone do the job?"


    "That would be a great blade if it was able to cut into stone as thick as a wall without getting stuck or chipped. I am sure it does exist but I am also sure it would cost a fortune. Why bother with it since I can get the same result with a good hammer. Speaking of a good hammer, this one has a great weight."


    Emp had just weighted a hammer with a long leather covered iron handled. It''s head seemed to be a tooth as large as his own head. He raised it at the height of his torso and made it bounce a couple of times in his hands to feel its weight and balance. The woman, seemingly pleased, said something that Galana translated.


    "She says that it''s surprising for someone of your height to be able to lift that. It''s a hammer made from the tooth of a Thunder-chew. She says that it''s worth a lot but it''s very durable, you shouldn''t be able to break it by hitting anything with it. Aside from that, there''s no enchantment to it and has nothing really special to it."


    "I like it''s weight, I will take it." Said Emp satisfied. "The swords now."


    "You want me to hold it for you while you check the swords?" Asked Galana while presenting her hands.


    "I thought you said you weren''t a servant?" Said Emp, confused.


    "The one time I try to be nice!"


    She was making her usual pout now, she seemed displeased with his answer.


    "Fine, but are you really sure you can hold it?" Asked a skeptical Emp.


    He would have just put it in the bag but he had not paid for it yet. Since he did have to check the blades, he was tempted to accept her offer.


    "If you are able to hold it, there''s no reason I wouldn''t be able to as well." She said even more displeased.


    Maybe she was right, he didn''t know what sort of strength to expect from anyone yet. He held the hammer in his palms and placed it in hers but every time he tried to lower his own to release it, hers followed with the hammer. He raised it back up and tried to release it two more times but Galana wasn''t able to keep it in the air. The shopkeeper laughed when she saw the confused face of Galana.


    She started swearing in the other tongue and the shop keeper explained something to her while laughing.


    "How can you be so strong?"


    "I am not that strong though."


    Just beside them, there were many more hammers he could not lift, way heavier than this one. If they were all sold here, did it mean the woman could hold them all? After all, someone had to place them there. He doubted the woman was considered that strong, meaning that there was many more weapons even her could not lift. He still had a long way to go until he became the strongest like Strength wished.


    Since she could clearly not support the weight of the hammer, he took it back and presented it to the Woman instead. She took it with one hand and nested it on her shoulder as if the weight didn''t bother her at all.


    "See? I''m far from strong, she is much more powerful than me."


    Galana seemed to want to yell at him again but managed to hold back as the group moved to the many racks of swords. They had a much larger selection of them, a good half of the shop was left to blades of all sorts, choosing one from all those would be a long task. He took a good hour talking about swords with the two girls and check dozens of them.


    "If you only want a sword to look good in that school of yours, why take all this time to choose? Just pick a pretty one and be done with it." Galana told him, ten minutes in.


    "No, I am pretty sure I will use the one I bought a lot. Choosing it for its appearance alone would be dumb."


    "What are we looking for then?"


    "I want something light and fast to cover all the hammer cannot do. I want a well balanced long sword that will leave my left hand empty to use anything else. Aside from that, I want it to be sharp, durable and of good quality of course."


    "Didn''t you just describe all swords? What else could you possibly want from a sword?"


    Emp had only received the basic teaching of Chinui but it seemed Galana knew even less than him. Luckily, what he knew was enough to answer her question.


    "Every blade has a specific use, they are useful in very precise area. This one for example is curved toward the outside to ease combat from horseback by helping it slide on the enemy instead of bouncing off which would probably break the balance of the rider and leave him open for counter attacks. This one is thin and flexible, it''s made to bend instead of break and is very useful either against really soft targets or to slide into the smallest of weak points but it would never pierce a good armor."


    Without noticing it herself, Galana came closer to better listen to the explanation. She didn''t know much about it all but was clearly interested so Emp just kept talking.


    "The blade of that one seems weak but all those dents are used to catch the blade of your opponent and break it with a sharp move of the arm. This one has a hook at the end that hampers trusts with it but, in exchange, it lets you go around the opponent''s shield, rip it off his hands if he is not paying enough attention or even trip him by pulling at his ankle. The guard of this one cover the whole hand of the wielder to better protect it. It is made for duels were the winner is often determined by who can disarm the opponent first. This one on the other hand, has a weirdly curved guard that can lock the sword of the other. This one is heavy and has a long handle made to be held two handed."


    End Emp went on like that for the largest part of the hour. Sometimes, he had no idea what a blade was for and maybe sometimes he was wrong but he had a great time touring the swords none the less.


    "So, to finally answer your question, all those blades have a different use and they are all very interesting but I need something that I can use in many different situation rather than a very specialised blade."


    After their long talk, Emp chose to buy two different swords, unable to choose which one he preferred. The two were made as a pair, their blades were around a meter long each. One was made out of steel infused with silver and the other made out of cold Iron. (1) They were both single bladed swords but their backs was as deadly as the blade as it was made out of a long many spiked bone.


    The shop keeper told him through Galana that the bones were the ulna of a mountain shredder. They supposedly were a bipedal lizard specie that could grow as big as a bear. They used their forearms as both a protection and a weapon, using their overgrown ulnas as a shield and shredding their attackers with the spikes coming out of them. (2)


    The bone spikes were placed on the sword to point towards the wielder like how they would be placed on their original owners. They could be used both to destroy the internal organs of the target and to parry other weapons more easily by locking them between the spikes.


    The handle wasn''t long enough to put two hands on it and the last spike had been shortened to stop at the guard for ease of handling. Aside from that bone, they both seemed like classic straight swords.


    Both had a large triangular pommel to balance the weight of the blade. Both of them were also covered in runes engraved into the bone and the metal, they were both enchanted. The one infused with silver was enchanted to be lit on fire the moment it was unsheathed and the one made out of cold iron could spread out a light powerful enough to break shadows and destroy evil spirits. The pair was named quite simply, Flame and Ray and was worth a fortune. (3)


    What interested him the most about them though, wasn''t their enchantments or their special look or even their edge. What really got his attention was that they had the same kind of feeling to them as the sword Chinui used.


    Galana Paled when she heard their price but for Emp, it did not matter as long as they did their job. Both of them were made to be effective against a very particular kind of creature but even against other things, Emp felt these blades would do the trick.


    The rest of his buying was done swiftly. He chose a long wooden spear with a classic steel point and the most ordinary of bows with a good quantity of arrows. He took a large wooden shield reinforced with steel that didn''t display any coat of arms. The shield was enough to cover most of his chest and around half of his legs. If he came across something strong enough to break such a shield, the chock alone would be enough to knock him out anyway.


    Armors were not a subject he had any knowledge in so he just took the one the muscle woman recommended. Apparently it had been made by the same person who had forged the two swords and the hammer he had bought.


    The creator was named Marcellia and lived in Dark-glint village. Marcellia was the sister of the shopkeeper''s husband, Tiberius. She was very talented but disliked to be disturbed and never took orders. She just made the item she wanted whenever she felt like it and sold them in this shop in exchange for more interesting materials she couldn''t find in Dark-glint.


    The armor she made was very impressive to look at.


    "It looks like the clothes of a barbarian." Commented Galana, a little disturbed as Emp tried it on.


    It was made out of the thick skin of an unknown creature reinforced with large red scales covering important parts. It covered the whole length of his arms and the main body of the armor fell all the way to his knees. The borders were made out of red fur and the open helm was decorated by it as well. Large bones were added to the torso, the forearms, the shoulders and the legs with a row of tightly packed fangs raising from the armor around his neck to protect it.


    The whole thing was quite heavy but not enough to disturb him. It took a while for the woman to adjust everything to his size.


    "If you really wear that, you will look even more of an idiot than you already look."


    "I don''t really want to look like an idiot in town but outside, monsters don''t care about what I''m wearing." Answered Emp. "I would rather stay alive than be well dressed. Still, I would like to ask her, is it effective as an armor?"


    She answered by explaining to him that the bones were as hard as iron even if they were lighter. The scales, taken from a giant lizard were almost impossible to pierce by conventional weapons and the skin beneath was tougher than the leather generally used in armors. Only top quality materials were used to craft the armor.


    To prove it, once Emp had removed it, she took a sword from a nearby rack and slashed at the armor resting on the counter. A loud but muffled bang was heard but in the end, the skin between the counter and the sword was merely scratched.


    It was enough to convince Emp, he added the armor to the pile of what he was buying. The woman went over the goods on the counter once more and announced that the total cost was fifty-three gold crowns and a couple of silver coins she was willing to ignore if, of course, he was able to pay the rest.


    Emp had enough money of course but not enough crowns so he gave her a dragon instead. After she went over her surprise, she smiled and started looking for some change bellow the counter.


    Meanwhile, the gaze of Emp got caught by a dagger hanging near the counter. It was a simple dagger, as ordinary as it could be and probably cost almost nothing. He asked her through Galana if he could take it as well and the woman nodded saying she would give it for free with the rest. It must have been a good transaction for her to just give out things freely with a smile.


    He wanted the dagger but not for himself. He had instead brought it for Galana. He had noticed she wasn''t wearing any weapon and it was annoying him. This was not right.


    He gathered all his new things aside from the dagger and stored it in the bag. Then, he took the remaining item by the blade and presented it to Galana handle first.


    "Here, I give it to you."


    Galana furrowed her brows and asked him why.


    "I noticed you did not have any weapon on you."


    "So? What does it matter? How is it in any way related to you?"


    "What will you do if you ever get attacked and you do not even have a weapon?"


    "Why would I be attacked! We are in Red-water here not in your mountains!"


    "That does not mean anything. That it never happened to you before doesn''t mean it is never going to happen in the future. Even if you have been very lucky until now and never got soaked by the rain in your entire life, there is nothing to guarantee you that the sun will shine upon you until your death."


    "Argh, you are so annoying, you even sound like my father now! Why does it even matter to you if I get killed or not! What is it you expect to get in exchange for that damn dagger?"


    By all the gods! Was thinking Emp. How could someone ever be so annoying and bull headed! Could he not just want to help? He would have to try something else.


    "I would be really displeased if one of the only people I can talk to just died because they were too much of an idiot to just take a cheap dagger with them. Can''t you see it didn''t even cost me anything? Asking for something in exchange would be nonsense. I find it really annoying to see you walk around unarmed. No one should ever let his own security in the hands of others. If misfortune ever strikes you and you do nothing just because you think the guards or whoever else will be there for you, you won''t even have the time to regret it. If you do not even try to protect yourself, you lose the right to complain no one is trying to help you because even yourself didn''t lift a finger, why should the others do? So just take it and stop arguing against me for nothing."


    He pushed the dagger into her hands and before she could think of an answer to his long tirade, he waved to the shopkeeper and left the shop.


    ***


    (1) Cold Iron: I know it''s a trope and that iron is weak and that cold iron doesn''t make sense, it doesn''t even have a clear meaning or way to make it. I just didn''t want to have to make so crazy fantasy metal just yet. We are just in the beginning of the story, those are entry level weapons. Who knows if cold iron is actually useful against anything. I just don''t want to make the classic mistake of saying something like: now this metal is the best and can do all those marvelous things. Then, later, have to make a better metal for story reason and come up with a cheap reason.


    (2) Those spikes are actually mainly used as climbing tools by the mountain shredder but when someone sees enormous spikes on the forearm of a creature, they are bound to believe they are weapons instead.


    (3) They were named fire and light but then I realized there were most probably gods with those name already so I changed them. Why am I having trouble with the names of all my pairs of swords?

 13 Swords and Hammers: Galana

    After they left the inn Galana guided her client to the blacksmith Tiberius, known across town for his good work of course but mostly for his shop containing all kinds of treasures. More importantly, the shop was run by a woman she knew, Palonia, the wife of Tiberius. She was a retired Death-seeker who had risen to glory quickly with her impressive strength. She was very muscled, kind and also, very dangerous if you took her the wrong way.


    "Good day and welcome in Tiberius''s shop!" She said excitedly when they entered. "Galana? It''s been a while since I last saw you. What can I do for you both."


    "Hi Palonia, that guy is the young master Muracier, he came to buy a weapon I think. He doesn''t speak the common tongue so I''m here to translate."


    "Muracier? I haven''t heard that in a long time. And you said he doesn''t speak our language? That''s a bit odd."


    "I think so as well but I made sure of it already, he really doesn''t understand a thing."


    "All right, I''ll rely on you then. Still, good thing you are here, or I might have took him for an ordinary guy because of how he is dressed."


    Galana knew exactly what she meant since she had made that very mistake herself. She answered with a forced smile and Palonia got to the main subject.


    "How are your parents doing?"


    That wasn''t supposed to be the main subject! She didn''t expect that at all. She didn''t really want to talk about it so she just showed her bracelet to Palonia to answer the question.


    "Oh... I''m sorry, do you think you can manage on your own? Do you need my help?"


    "I''m taking care of the book store, that should be enough with a little bit of luck."


    "You sure?"


    Galana nodded, more to convince herself than Palonia.


    "Alright, if you say so. Back to business, I would like to see his hunting card first to make sure I can actually sell anything to him."


    She transmitted the message to Emp who showed them his hunting card. Galana had not seen it yet and her eyes were quickly attracted to the small section above the hunting list itself. There, she could see it, in the titles section, ''Space''s blessing'' was written on his card! It meant that at least one part of his story was true. But why lie on the number of gods he had met?


    Normally, if someone failed one of those tests, they would keep it secret until their death, too ashamed to reveal to anyone how they had let such an opportunity slip between their fingers. Emp, him, was pretending to have seen five, saying out loud he had missed four of those seemed insane to her.


    She came back out of her own wondering when she heard Palonia''s voice, nodding while looking at the card.


    "I can barely believe it, you are right, he really is a Muracier, that is surprising. And I confirm that he has at least one victory under his belt, I am willing to trade with him. What does he want exactly and how much is he willing to pay? Usually, the nobles just want a fancy or flamboyant sword to impress their peers. I''m willing to bet he wants a sword too but since I knew some Muraciers long ago, I''m sure it''s going to be a little more special."


    Galana was surprised to hear that she knew some of them but since she was working, it wasn''t the time to ask her about it. As for what he wanted, she was pretty sure he would just ask for a pretty and expensive sword like the rest but still asked him just to be sure. The answer surprised the both of them.


    "I would like a war hammer, a one handed sword, a spear, a bow, a shield and an armor light enough to travel. I am willing to pay as much as I need to."


    "Idiot, what are you even going to do with all that!"


    She couldn''t believe what she had just heard.


    "The hammer is the most important but the sword can be practical as well, the spear is just there for a very specific kind of situation and the bow is just for training, I don''t need a fancy one."


    Who walks around with that many weapons on himself?


    "What did he say? All I understood was hammer." Asked Palonia, leaning over her shoulder.


    "He said he wants a hammer, that''s the main thing, aside from that, he also wants a sword because he says it''s practical, a spear I don''t really know why, a bow for training, a shield and an armor to travel. He is ready to put down whatever it will take to buy all that and trust me, he has the money, he sold big last night at the guild."


    "Hahaha! I knew this would be interesting! As expected of one of those weapon loving Muraciers! Follow me, the hammers are at the back over there. I have small ones and heavy ones, maces, clubs and picks stored with them. I even have some here made out of metals and alloys so rare there may only be less then ten in the whole empire. The best would be for him to try to wield them one by one until he finds one that suits him."


    Galana relayed the message to him and the young Muracier started lifting hammers one by one. Sometimes, they were to heavy which didn''t surprise either Galana nor Palonia and sometimes, he barely lifted them from the ground before putting them back down with a disappointed look. While he was experimenting, Galana asked him why he wanted a hammer. After all, that was very unlike the nobles she knew.


    "Why a hammer instead of a sword? Do the Muracier have a secret hammer technique?"


    "No, at least, I do not think so. It is more because of what I learned on my way here."


    "What is it?"


    Galana was curious to know what he could possibly have learned that would have convinced him to go for a hammer instead of the much more commonly used sword. After all, it had to be the most used on the continent for a reason.


    "When I fought against the woodland horror, I would have died if I had used a sword. It''s skull was it''s only weak point but you have seen it in the auction yesterday right? A foot thick stone at least, impossible to break with a blade or a spear. If I did not have the right tool, I would have died. This is why I need both a hammer and a sword, only having one of them could lead me to my death."


    "Wouldn''t a sword sharp enough to cut even stone do the job?"


    "That would be a great blade if it was able to cut into stone as thick a wall without getting stuck or chipped. I am sure it does exist but I am also sure it would cost a fortune. Why bother with it since I can get the same result with a good hammer. Speaking of a good hammer, this one has a great weight."


    In the end, he was just a cheapskate who wanted to pay less. He should have said that from the start. She was pretty sure the rest was just random nonsense. While Emp tested out a hammer made out of a big tooth, Palonia described it to her. She had seen his interest in the way he held it.


    "I almost can''t believe he likes that one. It''s a hammer made out of the tooth of a thunder-chew. We call them that because when they close their giant jaws, you can hear them from miles away, as if lightning had fell just besides you. They are very uncommon and very scary, I have seen some men piss themselves when hearing one. Their teeth are worth a small fortune and so, this hammer does as well. There are no enchantments on it but it doesn''t need any, just the tooth alone is almost unbreakable. It''s why it''s so valuable, you can use the hammer on anything you want without ever being scared of cracking it. I''m surprised though that a guy of his height can lift it up, he is stronger than I thought."


    Galana translated the gist of it and the noble confirmed he would buy it. Since his list was so long, she decided to regain some of the points she had lost at the inn by asking to carry the hammer for him while he was shopping for the rest. She had made so many mistakes already, she needed to be of some use if she wanted to be paid.


    "You want me to hold it for you while you check the swords?"


    "I thought you said you weren''t a servant?"


    "The one time I try to be nice!"


    Now he was using her own rules against her. May he be cursed thirteen times over!


    "Fine, but are you really sure you can hold it?"


    He was looking at her as if he was strongly doubting her ability to hold it for him which frustrated her a lot. When her parents were still alive, when they were still death-seekers, she had often helped them to take care of their equipment.


    Back then, she had known a lot of death-seekers, that was how she had met Palonia. She had often played around with their things, weapons and all. She had seen a lot of super heavy things and some dangerous things as well. This one didn''t seem heavy at all, more so if himself was able to lift it.


    "If you are able to hold it, there''s no reason I wouldn''t be able to as well."


    And so he placed the hammer in her hands like she had asked but when he came to remove them, she was unable to keep it up. How could this thing be so heavy! She felt like she was trying to lift Palonia up! Emp made it go up and down just to mock her as she desperately tried to keep it in the air. She couldn''t understand what was happening. Palonia just started laughing beside her.


    "What the fuck!" yelled Galana out of frustration.


    Her friend told her why.


    "It isn''t for nothing that I found it surprising that he could lift it. That thing is weighting seventy kilograms! There isn''t a lot of people who can just use that in combat."


    But he wasn''t tall nor muscled! He just looked like a normal boy a little younger than her. How was this possible?


    "How can you be so strong?"


    "I am not that strong though."


    He took back the hammer and gave it to Palonia who accepted it with one hand and placed it on her shoulder without difficulty.


    "See? I''m far from strong, she is much more powerful than me."


    But she is renowned for her strength! Screamed Galana in her head. She almost said it out loud but managed to keep it to herself. It wasn''t worth it with this idiot and she would just get herself further down. They went over to the swords instead and Galana was left without any true answer for his abnormal strength.


    With how he talked, it did not take her a long time to understand that he wanted a sword mainly because the school expected him to have one.


    That school disgusted her. They took people with too much money, only nobles sons and daughters then, and they crammed them all into a huge and luxurious building where they led an extravagant life and learned obscure things that were hard to find elsewhere. In her opinion, the only real use of that thing was to prove the nobles superiority over ordinary people, the money requested to enter was only there as an excuse to stop the really talented people of entering there to shame the oh so poor nobles.


    In short, she understood he only needed a sword for that sick place.


    "If you only want a sword to look good in that school of yours, why take all this time to choose? Just pick a pretty one and be done with it."


    "No, I am pretty sure I will use the one I bought a lot. Choosing it for its appearance alone would be dumb."


    "What are we looking for then?"


    "I want something light and fast to cover all the hammer cannot do. I want a well balanced long sword that will leave my left hand empty to use anything else. Aside from that, I want it to be sharp, durable and of good quality of course."


    "Didn''t you just describe all swords? What else could you possibly want from a sword?"


    Wasn''t a sword just a piece of sharp metal? Once, her father had tried to explain to her that his weapon was very important for him like all warriors. To be able to do his work correctly, he needed to know every details of his weapon perfectly and choose it very carefully.


    Emp seemed to follow this principle and explained to her in details how each sword variation present here worked and why he didn''t want them. Not only that but Palonia often told her some more details from the side. She felt like she was back with all the death-seekers with her parents beside her teaching her all they knew about their job and telling her all about their adventures. She felt it was so long ago even though it had only been a little more than a year ago.


    All that knowledge on different sword types wouldn''t be of any use to her anymore because of her circumstances but, she couldn''t help but be interested. The only annoying part was that all those interesting tidbits came from one of the nobles she hated so much.


    Time went by quicker than she noticed and when he finally chose the sword he wanted, they had already been in the shop for a very long time. He had taken a pair of savage looking swords.


    "I can''t believe it! That''s crazy!" Said Palonia.


    "What is it?"


    "Those too were made by my sister in law."


    "Is it that crazy?"


    Galana knew that her sister was a very talented smith so it did not seem that extraordinary to her that someone who had some knowledge about weapons would choose something she had made.


    "It is!" Insisted Palonia. "You just don''t know the full story. I never told you before because it''s an old story but she was betrothed to a Muracier once."


    "What!" Galana was flabbergasted.


    "Yes, she had given the guy an offering of Holia in the form of a pair of swords named night and day for him and the great general to use. He accepted it but disappeared before they could be wed."


    "What do you mean disappeared?"


    Had he ran away with the gift? Wondered Galana. She expected that much from an untrustworthy noble.


    "He was called for a battle but never came back." Explained Palonia, still a bit saddened by the story. "Marcy tried everything to find him because she was so sure he wouldn''t betray her like that but never found out in the end. She asked around all the way to the soldiers who also went there, sent letters to the great general himself and other officers she knew because of Chijou but no one ever gave her a clear answer. I just assumed he was dead after a while."


    Galana was very surprised to hear such a story, it was just like what the small guy told her the day before. She was also surprised by the fact no one told them he was dead. She was about to say it but decided against it at the last second in a sudden stroke of panic. Why did no one know the great general was gone? They had not said anything to anyone and even hid the death of his brother. The empire really did not want anyone to notice. Was it a state secret? If this was the case, it meant that this guy went around revealing state secrets to however asked for them! She would get in so much more trouble if the truth escaped her mouth.


    "Can you believe that if everything went like Marcy hoped, I would actually be the aunt of this guy along with her. He comes here in my shop of all places and buys three weapons made by my sister. What are the odds? I''m still happy those will end up in the hands of a Muracier though. Other nobles would never buy something looking like that anyway." She said to regain her spirit.


    Meanwhile, Galana was thinking about how a person she knew so well almost became both sister and aunt of a bunch of nobles. Was this not scary? She did not know how to feel between the hate she felt for nobles and the fact that the person in front of her, who she trusted more than most, was once almost part of them.


    "The price of the pair his forty-four gold crowns."


    The price brought Galana back from her thoughts. Forty-four! That was way too pricey for just a secondary weapon. Both of the swords were each worth more than the hammer he chose as a main weapon! The guy didn''t seem to mind at all but this was nonsensical to her. Shouldn''t the main weapon be more valuable than the spares? Palonia didn''t waste as much time as Galana on the price and was already on the case of the armor.


    "Since he already chose the thunder-chew tooth and the Fire and Light pair, I have the perfect armor for him. That armor was made by my sister in law too."


    "It looks like the clothes of a barbarian."


    No nobles in their right mind would accept to wear that, at least none from the Steelwood empire. It gave the impression the one wearing it was leading a horde of savage beasts. When big battles of old were told on the public square or in plays, cursed-bloods chieftains were almost always depicted wearing that kind of things.


    "If you really wear that, you will look even more of an idiot than you already look."


    She had no choice but to warn him, everyone would think he was a death-seeker, at best.


    "I don''t really want to look like an idiot in town but outside, monsters don''t care about what I''m wearing. I would rather stay alive than be well dressed. Still, I would like to ask her, is it effective as an armor?"


    Still crazy, he was still crazy. Palonia then proceeded to tell them all the details of the armor and even made a demonstration. Galana had to admit it seemed to be pretty good. He couldn''t possibly get hurt with that on his back. What a shame.


    He bought that and a bunch of other smaller things including a spear, a huge shield and a dagger he added at the last second. After he had paid Palonia, he put it all in his bag before he presented the dagger to her.


    "Here, I give it to you."


    "Why are you giving it to me?"


    "I noticed you did not have any weapon on you."


    "So? What does it matter? Who is it in any way related to you?"


    "What will you do if you ever get attacked and you do not even have a weapon?"


    "Why would I be attacked! We are in Red-water here not in your mountains!"


    That was just silly, was he obsessed by the possibility of people getting attacked in town? He had probably been robbed once or twice before.


    "That does not mean anything. That it never happened to you before doesn''t mean it is never going to happen in the future. Even if you have been very lucky until now and never got soaked by the rain in your entire life, there is nothing to guarantee you that the sun will shine upon you until your death."


    "Argh, you are so annoying, you even sound like my father now! Why does it even matter to you if I get killed or not! What is it you expect to get in exchange for that damn dagger?"


    She hated when other people tried to meddle in her business, she hated being indebted, she hated stupidity and she hated nobles. He was the combination of the four right now. By the love of all gods! Thought Galana. How could someone ever be so annoying and bull headed! Not only that but meddling too! Could he not just leave her in peace?


    "I would be really displeased if one of the only people I can talk to just died because they were too much of an idiot to just take a cheap dagger with them." He said, seemingly as displeased as herself. "Can''t you see it didn''t even cost me anything? Asking for something in exchange would be nonsense. I find it really annoying to see you walk around unarmed. No one should ever let his own security in the hands of others. If misfortune ever strikes you and you do nothing just because you think the guards or whoever else will be there for you, you won''t even have the time to regret it. If you do not even try to protect yourself, you lose the right to complain no one is trying to help you because even yourself didn''t lift a finger, why should the others do? So just take it and stop arguing against me for nothing."


    Galana was enraged but had no idea how to answer. He shoved the dagger into her hands and left the shop without leaving her any time to answer. While Galana was sending out a stream of curses after him, Palonia talked to her in high spirits.


    "He really is a strange lad, he has a blessing and he''s got a magic bag too, I like him. He''s like the other Muraciers, less of an idiot than the usual nobles that come here." Galana thought otherwise, he was much more of an idiot than the rest of the nobles. Despite the fact that she hated nobles, she had to admit that they, at least, usually made sense.


    "I think it''s reassuring that he is the one who has your debt."


    "It''s not him." Denied Galana.


    "No? Who then?"


    "Balpoisson." She said, simply. There was no need to precise which one.


    Palonia made a disgusted face.


    "Pay that debt quickly before that mound of fat gets his greasy hands on you."


    "I know that! What do you think I''m doing?"


    "You said that this guy here has a lot of money no? I''m pretty sure he is the kind of guy who would help you out if you asked. If he his like his uncle Chijou, he must have a big heart. Or at least, you could have him buy back the debt from Balpoisson."


    Galana answered with an annoyed pout and passed the door to escape that displeasing conversation. As if she would ask another noble for help. She would only be moving the problem around without actually fixing it.


    "You''re running after trouble Galana! You have to ask if you need help!"


    Galana ignored her and joined back up with Emp.

 14 Dismantling square: Emp

    Once Emp got outside the shop, he took the time to watch the passersby as he awaited Galana. He was starting to see similarities between them. For example, very few people wore hats here, they preferred to adorn their hair with trinkets or ribbons like Galana did. he also saw that there wasn''t a lot of people who wore weapons on them.


    He thought it was really strange, Chinui would never go anywhere without a weapon and he felt he was right. With all those crazy things outside, walking around without a weapon seemed crazy. Were they so confident in their walls that they thought they wouldn''t need a weapon? Maybe they all just left it at home?


    What he had said to Galana in the shop may have been a little exaggerated but Chinui had said almost the same thing to him once. He did not know if this was right or wrong but it was the only way he could think of to force her to keep the dagger. In the end, he just wanted to help.


    She interrupted his thoughts when she arrived at his side.


    "Where do you wish to go now?"


    She still seemed both angry and somewhat depressed but he knew it would get worse if he said anything about it so he just ignored it. Speaking to people was hard work. If he was like a wooden sword for her, he also felt like she was one for him, and he was making all the possible mistakes.


    "I need a lot of small things, travel supplies and rope. I need to buy food as well."


    "Food? But we just ate!"


    The remark made him chuckle but that wasn''t what he meant.


    "Food to bring on my travel, not to eat right now."


    "I see. Then how about the general market, if we go through the dismantling square we should get there in no time."


    "All right, lead the way."


    Emp had no idea what was what and where were things so he just relied on her to find all he needed. In the mean time he asked Galana something that he just thought about.


    "I was able to buy a lot of good equipment without even using a complete red dragon, what do you think I can buy with a crystal plate?"


    "I have no idea, it''s way too much money for only one person. Maybe it''s enough to have an entire castle built for yourself."


    What would he do with a castle? With only him to man the wall it would not be that useful. Or did she not mean a fortress kind of castle but the residential kind of castle instead? It was just a big house, no? What would he do with all that space. The fortress was probably a better idea.


    As they progressed through the streets, he felt like the atmosphere became even livelier compared to the rest of town. He could hear more and more laughter and songs from afar.


    "What is happening over there? They seem like they are having a lot of fun."


    "That''s the dismantling square." Explained Galana "We''re almost there. They must have caught something big. It''s easier to explain once you''ve seen it."


    Emp wondered what she meant until they arrived in said square. There, on an enormous wooden platform, was held the corpse of a creature so large it rose above the surrounding houses.


    The creature had weird looking round head with a prominent skull so thick its own skin did not cover its top. It''s jaw, now slack in death, was unhinged and separated itself in the middle to reveal an extremely long slimy tongue that extended all the way to its legs. The thing had no eyes but enormous ears shaped like those of a bat on the side of its head.


    Below its head, a large and long bulbous neck linked it to the center of the rest of its body like a pillar. It''s body was disgustingly fat and had been supported by six comparatively thin legs reminding one of a crab''s. Like a crab, It''s legs were protected by a shell that had the appearance of tree bark but the rest of its body was instead covered in long shaggy fur.


    All around the creature, men and women were slowly taking the thing apart, piece by piece. The shell was removed in sections, the fur cut down with razor blades to access the meat bellow, and kids were climbing up and down of it, either for fun or to collect some valuable little parts like it''s many teeth.


    Below the platform, a bunch of people were taking notes and organising the rest. Around them and the piles of meat already harvested, a huge crowd of people had gathered. Emp had a hard time guessing what they were doing there but thankfully, Galana was there to explain.


    "On the dismantling square, there is a party, almost a festival, every time a death-seeker brings back something good. Musicians and singers gather and perform for the crowd." She said while pointing at a group of drummers, flutists, tambourine players and singers standing on a side stage.


    "Then, there is of course all the persons who are there to take the thing apart. Since it''s a big one, cooks gathered as well to offer pieces of it to those that want a taste."


    Emp could see them in front of large fires they used to cook some of the monsters meat. It seemed really tasty so he decided to buy a couple and joined the line of the people waiting for one.


    "Here, everyone eats and drinks while listening to the story of how they caught the creature. It''s the moment of glory the death-seekers dream of."


    Emp could feel it, the electric joy in the air. The merry and jaunty music bringing still more people to the square and convincing some of those already there to join the dance in front of the harvest. A large group of people stood proudly beside the creature, laughing and talking with passion. They were probably the ones who caught it. In front of them, a large crowd had gathered to listen to their tale, stuck between the dismantlers and butchers hard at work and the people dancing and drinking behind them.


    "Usually, it''s a giant fish they bring back." Said Galana in the waiting line with him. "This one is unusual."


    "I do not know what that is but I hope it is tasty."


    "Also, I thought you said you didn''t want to eat now."


    "But it looked so good, I could not resist. It is not even a full meal. How much do they ask for it?"


    "A copper leaf for a skewer." Galana answered.


    When Emp''s turn came, he gave the cook three coins for three skewer. One for now, one for later and one for Galana. He put one in his bag and gave one to Galana as he got out of the way for the next in line.


    "I thought I told you I don''t want you to buy me food!"


    Emp was getting pretty used to her being angry so he did not mind it and just shoved the skewer towards her.


    "I did it by reflex and I will not keep all three for myself, if you do not take it I am just going to give it to someone else, like the girls over there."


    "Don''t!" She said as she snatched it. "I mean, not to them, those are hero fishers."


    "What is a hero fisher?" To him, they were just a bunch of lightly clothed girls. Galana took a bite of the skewer before she answered, she seemed to really like it.


    "They come here looking for a husband from the group of victorious death-seekers. Now, they are just waiting to see if any of them are interested."


    "Can they not just go ask them? I thought women were the ones to choose who they wanted to be married with."


    "Of course they can''t just go there! If they just go ask and get denied, not only would they have failed but finding another one would be much harder because the rest would feel like they are just a replacement. Instead, they go for the safest way, they make themselves as pretty as possible and wait to see who they can catch before they reel him in to ask. That''s why they are called hero fishers."


    He wondered why they did not go to someone they already knew instead, it would be much less complicated.


    "I see. This whole marriage thing is getting harder and harder to understand."


    Emp took a bite out of his skewer himself and had a hard time understanding why everyone was so eager to get some of it. Compared to rabbit meat, it was harder to chew and it tasted so salty. It was far from bad but there was just too much salt, it was worse than the bacon he had for breakfast. He asked his next question before he took another bite.


    "I understand what they are doing here now but not why I can''t give them a skewer."


    "Idiot! Isn''t that obvious? If you bring them one, everyone will think you are interested in them but since you aren''t one of the intended target, they won''t know what to do with you. Not only will you look ridiculous but you will probably also anger a lot of people."


    "I don''t get how bringing them food makes me interested in them. I do not even know them."


    "That''s what I''ve been telling you since this morning! Stop buying food to strangers! It''s weird! People only buy things to those they care about!" She yelled as she threw the now cleaned skewer stick at him.


    Emp would try to remember but this was hard. He could not help those he did not know but, he had so much money to waste. Helping people was hard, become someone they could rely on for Love would be harder than he first thought it would be.


    They left the festivities behind and walked to the nearby market. Galana was pouting again but at this point, Emp just considered it was her normal mood.


    It was much quieter here than on the dismantling square. The people were still in a good mood of course but did not feel like singing and dancing. They just went about their business like normal.


    There were so many stalls selling all kinds of things, from food all the way to the strangest of trinkets.


    Emp knew he had fallen behind the schedule so he did not waste time looking at everything. He quickly found all the things he needed and bought a lot of fresh fruits he put in the bag. He still had a lot of fish left and he had nothing against it but, only fish every day was starting to get boring. He even found a new and slimmer belt buckle.


    "You''re really going to buy a new buckle? Do you even know how to replace it?" Asked Galana


    "No I don''t, but next, I need to buy a lot of new clothes so I will ask there."


    "What kind of clothes are we talking about?"


    "I need clothes for the school and new travel clothes because mine are badly damaged."


    "Alright but we won''t find both of those things in the same shop. Could you tell me what other things you need right now so that I can take the most efficient route? If we continue like that, we''re never going to be finished before night."


    "I need to see someone who can fix an injury and I need books about languages. Maybe I should also get a new pair of boots? After all that, you bring me to the north gate and we will be done."


    "What kind of injury?" Asked Galana with a frown.


    "I hurt my leg fighting the woodland horror and it still has not fixed itself."


    "You want magic heal or an apothecary?"


    "Which is faster?" Asked Emp curious.


    "Magic of course, but it''s going to cost you a lot more than the other way."


    "It''s fine, I do not mind, I just want to be done with it."


    "Alright, follow me, we''ll start with that, I think there''s a healing mage on the west road over there."


    Finally, his leg would stop hurting him all the time.


    They left the busy market through a small street and Galana led him through a series of back alleys connecting it to the main west road. But, in their shadows, they came across a group of men wasting their time in a animated discussion. Funnily enough, they were the same men they saw that morning at the inn.


    With the impressive number of people he had seen in the city, he would have never thought he would meet back with the same ones twice.


    When they noticed Emp and Galana, the group of five blocked the narrow path. It was quite easy to do since they only had to be two to block the whole way. They said something that made Galana frown. She asked them a question and the men answered by smiling weirdly and drawing a bunch of long knifes from hidden scabbards.


    "What is happening?" Asked Emp confused.


    Galana gulped and simply said. "They are threatening you."


    ***


    About the Dismantling Square:


    In the dismantling square, the party last as long as the hunters keep coming back. They bring something and the city feast. The day they don''t, they mourn the lost heroes from present and past with stories and songs instead. The atmosphere is different but the entertainment never stops. People need entertainment and hope to live after all. As long as successful hunters will be viewed as heroes, the festivities will never come to an end and there will always be someone to bring back what the town needs to survive.

 15 Dismantling square: Galana

    Galana left Tiberius''s shop to find Emp staring blankly at the passersby. what was he thinking about now? Probably something crazy again. She strapped the dagger on her waist while she approached him.


    There was no way she would ever borrow money from that idiot noble. Not a chance, she had learned from her parents mistake, she would not do the same. Just thinking about it made her even angrier.


    Shedecided to interrupt him in his thoughts since she wanted the day to end eventually and she didn''t like standing around doing nothing.


    "Where do you wish to go now?"


    "I need a lot of small things, travel supplies and rope. I need to buy food as well."


    "Food? But we just ate!"


    He laughed at her but was still able to quickly answer.


    "Food to bring on my travel, not to eat right now."


    "I see. Then how about the general market, if we go through the dismantling square we should get there in no time."


    "All right, lead the way."


    Galana easily remembered the way to the dismantling square from here, she had been there often. It was one of the places death seekers loved to hang out at. She had barely made ten steps with the noble behind her that he asked her something else.


    "I was able to buy a lot of good equipment without even using a complete red dragon, what do you think I can buy with a crystal plate?"


    Why was it that idiot who had crystal plates and not her! With so much money, she could get rid of the debt, find herself a magic teacher and use her new powers to find out once and for all what had happened to her parents. She couldn''t answer his question with that though.


    "I have no idea, it''s way too much money for only one person. Maybe it''s enough to have an entire castle built for yourself."


    That was a good answer, nobles were keen on manors and castles. they loved to fill the rooms with treasures and works of art stolen from other people.


    As they approached the square, she wondered if she would meet someone she knew there. She didn''t really want to. She was ashamed of her current situation and also, she did not want a repeat of the conversation she just had with Palonia.


    "What is happening over there? They seem like they are having a lot of fun." Said the idiot.


    "That''s the dismantling square. We''re almost there. They must have caught something big. It''s easier to explain once you''ve seen it."


    She could smell the cooking meat from here. It had been so long since the last time she had some. She forced herself to not think about it. She was not that hungry, she told herself, plus, she had no money to spare on this.


    Shortly after, they stepped foot into the everlasting festival of the dismantling square. Galana did her best to explain it all to Emp as she scanned the crowd to find a possible acquaintance. Fortunatly, she did not recognize the death-seekers who had brought back that huge catch and no one she knew seemed to be working here that day.


    Said death-seekers were retelling how their group had found and dispatched that huge beast. Their tale starting with how their scout had been instantly pummelled to death in a surprise attack and ending with how their leader had put an axe into its neck after a long and arduous fight. The crowd cheered at every good hit and despaired at every death, enraptured by the tale of blood, profit and glory.


    On the other side of the square, on top of a smaller stage, a group of five women sang alongside the musicians and their jolly tune. They wore the long red skirts usually associated with songstresses of the lake and charming bodices adorned with many long ribbons. They sang of past glory and horrendous creatures of old, defeated by heroes, nobles and common folk alike. It was only fitting for such festivities.


    The favorite of the crowd was the song about the battle between the founder of Red-water and the bloody-lynx who gave its name to the lake. A giant black lynx had fused with a ancient ooze with the color and consistency of blood. The new creature, result of the combination of those two already powerful monster, had forbidden the access to this side of the lake since the creation of the kingdom itself. He had been thought to be undefeatable. The song brought this historic battle to the crowds, from the fateful encounter to how the corpse of the legendary creature dyed the waters around the city in red forever.


    Galana had read the detailed version in a book and preferred it to the song but most disagreed with her and found the song was the most entertaining version.


    After she finished scanning the crowd, she noticed she was now standing in the waiting line of a skewer stall. Had her stomach taken over the control of her feet?


    "I do not know what that is but I hope it is tasty."


    Of course, it was because of the idiot. She felt somewhat relieved that she hadn''t done it by herself but now, she would have to endure watching him eat one of her favorite things right in front of her. Maybe she could change his mind.


    "Also, I thought you said you didn''t want to eat now."


    "But it looked so good, I could not resist. It is not even a full meal. How much do they ask for it?"


    She definitely would not be able to change his mind. She let out a weak sigh and answered his question.


    "A copper leaf for a skewer."


    He proceeded to buy three and tried to give her one. What was his deal with giving out food? It wasn''t less strange now than it had been earlier. She was sure now he was trying to get something from her, she just couldn''t understand what it was.


    "I thought I told you I don''t want you to buy me food!"


    "I did it by reflex and I will not keep all three for myself, if you do not take it I am just going to give it to someone else, like the girls over there."


    "Don''t!"


    Damned stomach, betraying her at the last moment! She had to find a good excuse quickly. Good thing he pointed at a group of hero fishers.


    "I mean, not to them, those are hero fishers."


    They wore make-up, extravagant haircuts and not so decent clothes, probably designed by them for the sole purpose of catching the eyes of their target. The hero fishers stood in front of the crowd there to listen to the story of the successful hunt, applying all the charms in their possession to hook a potential husband.


    "What is a hero fisher?"


    At least he could have given her some time to taste the meat before he asked random things again! The taste, It was just like in her memory, that incredible saltiness combined with how filling that meat was. She loved it. It was never the same meat but the way they cooked it was always so satisfying, always the best. If only she could eat this every day. Wait, when did she pick it up? Damned stomach.


    "They come here looking for a husband from the group of victorious death-seekers. Now, they are just waiting to see if any of them are interested."


    "Can they not just go ask them? I thought women were the ones to choose who they wanted to be married with."


    "Of course they can''t just go there! If they just go ask and get denied, not only would they have failed but finding another one would be much harder because the rest would feel like they are just a replacement. Instead, they go for the safest way, they make themselves as pretty as possible and wait to see who they can catch before they reel him in to ask. That''s why they are called hero fishers."


    "I see. This whole marriage thing is getting harder and harder to understand."


    It was not hard at all, it was just common sense. No one wanted to look like an idiot in front of everyone else. Better be sure of the result before you did anything unless you wanted to be badly burnt.


    At some point she had thought of doing something similar herself to find someone who would be able to pay her debt. She had quickly changed her mind. If she was to share the rest of her life with a man, she wanted someone smart and someone willing to marry her despite her debt wasn''t fitting that description at all. Also, she disliked the idea of escaping a guy by throwing herself at another. She didn''t want the help of a random idiot, she had to escape her fate by herself.


    "I understand what they are doing here now but not why I can''t give them a skewer."


    "Idiot! Isn''t that obvious? If you bring them one, everyone will think you are interested in them but since you aren''t one the intended targets, they won''t know what to do with you. Not only will you look ridiculous but you will probably also anger a lot of people."


    "I don''t get how bringing them food makes me interested in them. I do not even know them."


    He was the worst! He had done it twice with her already and he didn''t understand such a basic concept.


    "That''s what I''ve been telling you since this morning! Stop buying food to strangers! It''s weird! People only buy things to those they care about or those they want something from!"


    She had the urge to slap him but since her hand was busy holding the remains of what had been a skewer, she threw that at him instead. It bounced off his chest and he seemed to not mind at all. This was truly an unsatisfying release, once again.


    They both left the square soon after and Galana led him to the marketplace. He continued to act like a madmen as she helped him find what he wanted. For example, he bought out the entire stock of fruits from a stall, forcing the merchant now out of stock to close for the day.


    He bought rope for who knew what, a large quantities of matches, a pot and a bunch of random unusefull things but ran away from a stall selling cushions as if it was a plague.


    Then, he stopped in front of a stall where a small girl was selling dozens of different belt buckles. Was it because she had said the one he wore was too big for him? Why did it even matter? It was a waste of money.


    "You''re really going to buy a new buckle? Do you even know how to replace it?"


    "No I don''t, but next, I need to buy a lot of new clothes so I will ask there." He said.


    He was going to ask them how to replace a belt buckle? Was it not easier to just buy a new belt at this point? They would end up telling him he needed to take the leather band apart and sew it back together after. It was a huge waste of time and she was pretty sure he did not know how to sew.


    She just gave up and decided to go along with whatever crazy thing he wanted to do. There was no point in arguing with him. She just needed to know what kind of clothes he wanted.


    "What kind of clothes are we talking about?"


    "I need clothes for the school and new travel clothes because mine are badly damaged."


    Yes they were indeed, at least those he wore the day before were definitely badly damaged. It made sense that he wanted to buy both those kinds of clothes but it didn''t make things easy for her.


    "Alright but we won''t find those things in the same shop so could you tell me what other things you need right now so that I can take the most efficient route? If we continue like that, we''re never going to be finished before night."


    He thought for a moment and gave her a vague answer.


    "I need to see someone who can fix an injury and I need books about languages. Maybe I should also get a new pair of boots? After all that, you bring me to the north gate and we will be done."


    "What kind of injury?" He seemed fine to her, it should not be that bad.


    "I hurt my leg fighting the woodland horror and it still has not fixed itself."


    That wasn''t what she meant! She wanted to know what kind of injury as in what kind of treatment he requested.


    "You want magic heal or an apothecary?"


    "Which is faster?"


    For the love of all gods! Did he not even know that?


    "Magic of course, but it''s going to cost you a lot more than the other way."


    "It''s fine, I do not mind, I just want to be done with it."


    "Alright, follow me, we''ll start with that, I think there''s a healing mage on the west road over there."


    She knew a great shortcut to get there too. They just needed to go through a bunch of back alleys and small roads almost no one used beside those living there. They would be there in no time and the best clothing store in the city wouldn''t be that far from where the mage lived.


    She knew the way through by heart because it was so close to the dismantling square. She took turns after turns until they came across a bunch of dirty looking men. She wanted to turn back and go through from elsewhere but they noticed them before she could move and called out to her.


    "Heyyyy. If it isn''t the foul mouthed lass again with the dickless bitch! How lucky of us."


    "A beautiful girl like you doesn''t need to stay with him. See, you''re still angry at him. Just let us help you out."


    Where they the same guys that were at the inn before? She didn''t expect to meet them again. She would have preferred it did not happen either.


    "You can rely on us, trust me, we''re death-seekers."


    They looked like a bunch of lowlife bandits more than death-seekers. She didn''t believe them at all. What did they want from them?


    "What kind of help?"


    The five men all retrieved weapons and answered with a creepy smile.


    "We could just get rid of him for you. Dead men can collect no debt."


    "Ya hear that boy, we''ll cut you down for the pretty lass, she will certainly praise us for it."


    What were they even thinking? This was one of the stupidest thing she had ever heard. Why her? Go bother someone else. Was she perhaps born with a moron magnet embedded in her flesh? There were so many other girls, why must it always be her that attracted the most idiotic of them? Were they really stupid enough to attack a noble? At that moment, a second thought came to her mind. They had no idea that the man at her side wasn''t a random thug like them but a high noble instead.


    All she had to do to get rid of them was to tell them his name, they would freak out and run away. There was another possibility though.


    Maybe all those dumb idiots would kill each other if she just said the right thing. Not only would there be one less idiot noble in the world but she could use the unjust amount of money he had on him to be free of all the rest of her troubles too.


    "What is happening?" Asked the clueless idiot at her side.


    What should she do? what was the right answer here? If you excluded all the idiotic things he pulled off out of cluelessness, Emp had done nothing wrong, ''yet''. But, as he had so vehemently put it himself earlier, that she was never soaked by the rain before did not mean she would never be in the future.


    Those other dirty men weren''t trustworthy at all but they could easily be discarded afterwards. She even had a dagger to help her now, conveniently given by him.


    Still, it seemed unfair. He was more like a random idiot with a noble title than a noble who happened to be an idiot. After all, she did knew nobles that happened to be idiots and they were much more vicious. he somehow did not fit her usual description of nobles.


    Fuck! Why was this such a hard choice! It should have been easy, freedom was dangled in front of her eyes and she was hesitating to take it. She moistened her lips, gulped out of nervousness and gave her answer.


    "They are threatening you."

 16 Alley fight: Galana

    Galana really didn''t know what to do. She hated nobles to the bone and wanted them all to die. She had suffered from them for long enough. At the same time though, she still had a hard time seeing that guy as one of them. He was just an idiot with a big name.


    Killing him could very well save her but she felt that not only was it unlike her but her parents would shrivel their roots in disappointment. It felt more like something a despicable noble would do than what the proud daughter of a death-seeker would do.


    She couldn''t make the choice and had no time to think it through. She said they were threatening him to leave all the doors open. If he died than fine, she would be saved from the other one as well, if he lived than she would still be in trouble but wouldn''t have to live with the guilt.


    "Why are they threatening me, what do they want?"


    Damn it, why was he suddenly clever enough to ask that?


    "They want to kill you, can you not guess even that with all those blades out?"


    "Why do they want to kill me though?"


    That annoying idiot! Because of your money of course! What else? Sure, it was mostly because of her, but, she didn''t ask them to do it, they were just a bunch of moronic thugs. Just go and die already! Or not, maybe.


    "Is it really the time for that! Do something!"


    The young master chose to fight them, slid his hand in his bag and retrieved the new spear from it. As expected, the thugs in front cheered when they understood it was a magic bag.


    "It''s a magic bag!"


    "We found ourselves a true treasure!"


    "Wonder what else might be inside."


    Galana knew the answer, so much gold you could drown in it.


    "You should probably stand back then."


    "Huh? Oh, right, of course."


    She was not paying attention at all, she had even forgotten what they were about to do because of how febrile she was right now. What would follow could possibly change her future forever.


    She moved behind him like he asked and the fight started almost instantly. As his spear hit the first man in the chest, she thought that it would probably be very easy to drive the dagger in his back now since he didn''t expect it at all.


    If he died now, no one would know aside from those thugs and even then, only a couple of other people knew who he actually was. She felt like her chances of escaping the consequences of this crime were high. Even if she got caught, it would probably not be worse than what would happen to her when she would fail to pay back that stupid debt.


    She was literally a step away from freedom. All she had to do was move a little bit forward, get the knife out and drive it in his back. So easy.


    As she was thinking that, Emp blocked a sword hit with his spear. Now was the perfect time! She reached for the dagger and slid it out of its scabbard but then, out of nowhere, Emp got one of the two magic swords in his hand and sliced the belly of the man open. A foul mess burst out of it but the poor man didn''t have the chance to worry about it since the blade plunged into his chest.


    What just happened? Thought Galana. Everything had frozen, no one dared move. From where she was, she could see the tip of the blade sprouting out of the man''s back. Was he dead?


    Emp put his other hand on the shoulder of the guy and looked straight into his eyes as he pulled his sword back out. A stream of blood and fleshy bits got removed from his chest and Galana even saw a bone poke out of the wound.


    Her entire body shook as the sight sent all her emotions into a swirling mess. She had never seen something as disgusting as this.


    "What is... what the fuck am I doing?"


    Emp had just killed a guy and he didn''t even flinch.


    The other dirty men were starting to panic as well.


    "He''s got a magic sword too!"


    "The fuck do we do?"


    "We just be careful, can''t let him go free with Joe''s death."


    "He''s only one of them too."


    Galana was still trembling as she saw Emp get the shield out and run straight at them. It only took him two steps before he rammed into one of them. They were surprised he got there so quick and just mindlessly beat on his shield to force him back.


    Instead of backing away, he pushed one with the shield and with a slash of his sword sent the knife of another spinning. Before he could understand what was going on, his throat was sliced open and he had died.


    The other three lost all the remaining will to fight they had and ran. They had no hope of being able to avenge their two dead friends anymore. The small guy in front of them was too dangerous, at least they could still live if they ran.


    He did not stop them and she watched petrified as the young master Muracier looked once more at the two dead men. Then, he turned towards her. Of course he would win easily, what was she thinking. It didn''t even cross her mind that he was a Muracier. He was born to lead entire armies into killing things for the emperor. Why would five random thugs ever be able to kill him?


    "Galana, are you alright? Did you get hurt somehow?"


    He had utterly crushed her and he didn''t even notice. He was more like a death-seeker than a noble. Dumb, full of dirt and as strong as a monster. He was as violent as one too, the whole alley was so messy. That poor guy''s chest had almost been entirely turned inside out and it was all her fault. She couldn''t get her eyes away from it.


    "Galana?"


    What was it he asked again? Ho right.


    "Yes. Yes, I''m fine."


    "Are you sure? Just tell me if you are not, I will ask the mage to patch you up as well when we get there."


    That small idiot, once again worried about her. As if any of those thugs could have possibly went past him to harm her. He had no idea, he was worrying for her even if it was all because of her.


    "I am glad you thought of getting that dagger out but you do not need it anymore, you should just put it away."


    Her eyes left the corpse to look at her own hands. The dagger was still in her grip, just to remind her of what she had almost done. She had wanted to commit a murder and she was so close to doing it too. If that guy had not died when he did, maybe it would all be different now.


    She still did not know what to think, was this a happy thing or not? In the end, she wasn''t a murderer, death was too scary. So many times more scary than she had thought. She couldn''t do it. She did not wish to look at that weapon again, she felt too much shame when she did. Was it shameful because she couldn''t do it or shameful because she had thought of doing it? She sheathed it back with trembling hands, it took her three tries.


    If only he had not given her that weapon she would be just fine right now and none of this would have happened. Yes, it was all his fault! It was because of this idiot who did not understand anything at all.


    That was why she hated idiocy almost as much as she hated nobility. Not only did it bring trouble to everyone, that thing was like a contagious plague. Now, she hated herself too for being so stupid she though for even a split second she could ever get away with the murder of the son of the great general himself. He was probably the fourth most important person in the whole empire and she had been there wondering if she should try her luck with stabbing him in the back, with a dagger he had bought for her himself, from her friend who happened to be almost in his family, no less.


    This was without a single shadow of a doubt the most retarded thing that ever crossed her mind. She looked upward at the sky, barely visible between the roofs of the buildings bordering the alley, unable to look at the corpses any longer. This was such a huge failure she wished she could somehow disappear right now and go hide in her bed.


    Sure go ahead, back-stab the son of the great general, turn your back on not only the empire as a whole but also all the friends you have left. Brilliant! The roots of not only her parents but every single one of her ancestors would have shriveled so much that all their trees would have fell.


    And this was all assuming she could even achieve to finish him. He just drove back five guys alone, killing two in the process. Sure, try to kill him. Anyone saying they wished to attempt to defeat a Muracier alone would be laughed at, there was no way it would ever happen. For the love of all gods, he had managed to kill a woodland horror by himself!


    She could have cried right now if not for the fact that she was much more angry than anything else.


    Galana felt so bad she believed she would throw up, partly because of what she did but also, the first corpse was too much. She would have nightmare plaguing her for weeks because of it.


    Not knowing Emp wasn''t a reason to wish for him to die. Him being a noble wasn''t one either, because, for one, he didn''t feel like a noble but, mostly, because Palonia liked him. She should have understood that earlier. Palonia disliked nobles as well but had a good opinion of the Muraciers.


    She was so focused in her attempt to unmask him that she had not considered the possibility that maybe he wore no mask at all. Everyone agreed the Muraciers were the kind of people who worked hard and trained all day with the only goal of protecting the empire. Dishonesty, politics and elegance had no use in a fight, she had just witnessed it for herself. They were not like the rest, if they had been as two faced as the other nobles, they would have sat on the imperial throne long before her birth.


    She had wanted to betray the one noble who would never even think of betraying anyone. Feeling almost as dejected as when her life turned into a nightmare, she looked downward again and her eyes met the gaze of Emp. He was standing right in front of her. Had he understood what had crossed her mind yet, what she had almost done? Her grandmother gave her an enormous opportunity on a silver platter and she not only trampled on it but smashed it on the head of a wolf as well.


    "Are you back on our side?"


    That choice of words, he definitely knew. Was he giving her one last chance to redeem herself. Was he trying to ask her if she was back on his own team or if she still wanted to kill him? It took all her remaining will to nod once, she would never think of doing such a stupid thing again.


    "What do we do with those two?" He asked, immediately leaving the rest to the past.


    Galana tried to regain enough control over herself to answer but the whole sentence came out as a broken mess.


    "I don''t, know... I''ve never seen... I, I''ve never... a dead person before. I''ve never seen... someone die."


    And she never wanted to see such a thing again. It was too gruesome for her. She could watch a beast getting chopped into small pieces no problem but seeing the life of another human being leave him was too much. The thought of what it would feel like to have her chest pierced by that scary blade, she could almost feel it as if it was real, the agonizing pain punishing her mind over and over.


    "Should we just leave them here?" Asked the noble.


    Focus on something else, that was all she had to do. How about trying to remember all the lines of her favorite book one by one, that would work. While she tried to remember the first line of the book, she answered him in a mechanical way.


    "Maybe... anyway if the other three are stupid enough to go find the guards they''ll be in for the surprise of their lives when they... Wait, what happened to your arm!"


    What she was about to tell him completely vanished from her mind with the half remembered sentence when she saw a huge cut on his arm. The cut ran along his whole arm and was dripping blood everywhere like a roof after the rain.


    If he died from blood loss now, it would be because of her and she would be a dead girl. That and she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.


    "The guy there cut me with his knife when I took out the sword."


    "But it''s bleeding so much! Why Didn''t you say anything! We should hurry to the mage''s place, quick!"


    He wasn''t that far anymore, he would fix his arm and all would be like nothing ever happened. Then, she would be able to start it all over, she would not waste the second chance he gave her! No more calling him an idiot, no more screaming and no more secret insults. She would just do her best for the remainder of the day, get her pay and not screw up again. She could focus on that, yes, lets focus on fixing his arm to forget the corpse.


    "Why are you so concerned with my arm? It''s not that bad."


    What was that? A revenge for what she had screamed at him earlier? Was this really the time and place to do this? There was a shiver inducing puddle of blood building up at his feet and that idiot was trying to get revenge for a perfectly understandable suspicion!


    "Idiot! Just move."


    Damn it, she had already fucked it up again! She ran out of the alley so he wouldn''t see her face as she screamed mentally at herself.

 17 Alley Fight: Emp

    It was the first time Emp was ever threatened. He wondered what they wanted. Why did they feel the need to threaten him instead of just asking?


    "Why are they threatening me, what do they want?"


    "They want to kill you, can you not guess even that with all those blades out?" Said Galana, annoyed.


    He knew that humans sometimes waged war against each other but he had no idea they attacked each other for no reason. The dagger he had bought Galana was now much more valuable than he had thought. The possible dangers had sudenly multiplied.


    Still, he couldn''t believe it really was for no reason, they had to want something. At least himself would never fight something for no reward at all. It just seemed like a waste.


    "Why do they want to kill me though?"


    "Is it really the time for that! Do something!"


    She was right, they were already moving forward, he had no time to think about that. Since Emp had not reacted like they thought he would yet, they had chosen to carefully progress towards him instead of just rushing in.


    Emp was indeed scared, he recognized the feeling, but not as much as when he saw the monsters outside. Those five guys were absolutely not as scary as the river monster or the woodland horror. They were barely at the level of the twin headed impaling beetle and the path was too narrow to let them circle him.


    Considering this, he felt that his spear was the best weapon for the situation. He put his hand in the bag and got the spear out of it. The men cheered when they saw the spear appear from the bag. Why would they rejoice seeing their opponent reach for a weapon.


    "You should probably stand back then." He told Galana as he pointed the spear at the men in front.


    If they really were to attack, he did not want her to be in his way, or to get hurt.


    "Huh? Oh, right, of course."


    She moved out of his field of vision to stand behind him. Now he could fully focus on the men in front of him and his first real fight. Last time, he had defeated the woodland horror by pure luck but this time, it would be a real battle. Unless of course they changed their minds and went away instead. Emp hoped this would be the case. He wasn''t wearing his armor and fighting five at once seemed hard for a first try.


    The two men up front rushed on either side of the alley towards him. Alas, they did not choose to retreat! In a panicked gesture, Emp trusted his spear towards the man on the right side and pierced through his long beard full a dirt and into his clavicle.


    He felt the spear scratch against the hard bone and slip bellow it between his sternum and his ribs. The man screamed in pain but Emp did not have the time to care as the second one arrived at his side.


    The spear was still inside the first man and it was too long to fight the second just beside him. It seemed like he had made a huge mistake. He had thought the spear would keep them at bay in such a narrow path but instead, it was to long to be wielded properly. The guy raised his knife high, aiming at his neck, and Emp raised his end of the spear to meet the blade.


    As he raised the spear, it''s tip dug even deeper into the other man and displaced his bones to accommodate the sudden movement. He screamed some more while the blade of his friend struck the shaft of the spear.


    Emp kept it there using only his left hand and the first guy who kept the other end of the spear in place and quickly threw his right hand in the bag to get a new weapon out.


    In an instant, he got Flame in his hand and swept it on his side as he got it out of the bag. The man did not expect another weapon to come out and had been focusing on lowering the spear with his blade while he waited for his friends to come help him. Just as the first man finally removed the spear form his chest and the blade of the second resumed its downward motion, the flaming sword appeared.


    Flame left a large gash on the man''s belly and the burning pain caused his knife to slide on the spear shaft and cut into Emp''s right arm instead of his neck.


    Emp felt pain and let out a groan but did not let his chance slip away and made a second strike. This time, he just drove it into the man''s chest with a thrust. His eyes opened wide and he looked at Emp in confusion, still not understanding were the sword had just came from.


    That one was done for, Emp knew, but it did not feel like he thought it would. When he beat the woodland horror, he felt joy and pride. Now, he just felt confusion. He could see in that man eyes that he wanted to say a thousand things but only a pained whisper slipped past his lips.


    Emp could not understand him. He did not understand his actions nor his words and he could still not understand his thoughts as he died. That was what bothered him the most, he did not understand what had led them both here. He could not figure out why he was killing him.


    He did not even have the time to think about it as there were four more of them. He let go of the spear and put his hand on the dying man''s shoulder to yank his blade out of him. The spiked bone of the sword destroyed his insides and got stuck in a rib he had to break as well to free the sword.


    Galana made a gasp and mumbled something from just behind him. In front, the four remaining men showed a fearful expression as they yelled something as well.


    They talked at a rapid pace and two more men took the place of the dead and the injured. Emp could not understand why they did not go away. If they were afraid, they should just leave.


    Emp did not feel like he could win against two men. They were much more cautious than earlier and were taking their time to advance towards him. He would need more to win than just a sword. He searched his bag once more with his left hand and got his brand new shield out. This was much more reasonable now.


    The two man frowned but kept going forward. Emp wondered if he should wait for them or go meet them halfway. Chinui had not taught him anything about that.


    In the end, he chose to move forward as well, they were so slow it would take forever to clash if he didn''t. He raised his shield and ran at them.


    The two tensed up and readied their knives. When he got near enough, they both attacked at the same time but Emp blocked both with the shield. Then, they continued to hit it again and again, raining hits on the shield really noisily. Perhaps they thought that if they attacked often enough he wouldn''t be able to hit back?


    Every hit was felt through his entire arm but he didn''t care much, neither this or the wound on his right arm would ever be as painful as his leg was. He pressed forwards with a sudden charge and forced them both to take a couple of steps back. The left one almost tripped because of the sudden retreat and Emp felt the shield push against his face.


    He decided to suddenly open his arm widely, pushing the guy further back with the swing of his shield. Only one guy remained in front of him but the shield wasn''t there to protect him anymore.


    The remaining man trusted his knife at him when he saw the opportunity but Emp caught it with the spine of his sword and drove it aside before he kicked the man in the balls.


    That was a move Chinui had taught him. Inexperienced fighters only watched out for the blade of the opponent so they were easy to surprise with a elbow hit or a kick. Emp would be just as easily surprised but at least he knew such a trick existed.


    The man turned blue and let go of his knife so Emp easily sliced his neck open before his partner could come back to help. Barely any blood spilled through the burn mark while the man just collapsed lifeless.


    The three remaining attackers finally made the choice of running away. One of them was already hurt badly and of the two remaining one, none had the confidence to say they could possibly win against the man in front of them. They left their dead friends behind and ran away without looking back.


    Emp did not pursue them and just watched them run silently as the fresh blood on his blade sizzled and crackled. He did not want to fight them in the first place, pursuing them was pointless.


    After all three of them had disappeared, he took another look at the two dead men. The one with the disgusting chest wound was bald and had a ear bigger than the other by a small margin. The one who had his neck sliced had long hairs, a beard and a pair of really bushy brows.


    He wondered what he was supposed to do with them now. He wasn''t supposed to dismantle them like monsters was he?


    He turned towards Galana to ask but she seemed even more lost than him. She was staring blankly at the scene with the dagger he had bought her clenched in her hands. Maybe she was hurt?


    "Galana, are you alright? Did you get hurt somehow?"


    She turned her empty look at him and blinked twice. Did she even hear him?


    "Galana?"


    "Yes. Yes, I''m fine."


    "Are you sure? Just tell me if you are not, I will ask the mage to patch you up as well when we get there."


    She just stared at him some more, like she was waiting for him to say something else. She really didn''t look all that fine but there was nothing he could do if she did not talk. He put back the sword in his bag and asked Galana to do the same. It would be dangerous if she tripped after all.


    "I am glad you thought of getting that dagger out but you do not need it anymore, you should just put it away."


    Galana looked at her hands and the dagger she was holding and shook a little before sheathing it. She was acting oddly but Emp could easily admit this was a stressful event.


    While he waited for her to regain some sort of composure, he put both the spear and the shield back in the bag, he would wash off the blood on everything later. Then, he went and stood just in front of her. She was staring at something above them but when he looked, he did not find anything. Maybe she was just daydreaming, lost in another world? When she finally lowered her eyes to him, Emp talked again, asking her if she had finished her daydreaming.


    "Are you back on our side?"


    She answered with a small nod.


    "What do we do with those two?"


    "I don''t, know... I''ve never seen... I, I''ve never... a dead person before. I''ve never seen... someone die." She fumbled.


    With an answer like that, Emp guessed her head hadn''t really come back from the sky and that she was still lost in some dream land.


    "Should we just leave them here?"


    He disliked to leave things unfinished but he did not have all day to wait for Galana to come back to her senses, he had other things to do before sunset.


    "Maybe... anyway if the other three are stupid enough to go find the guards they''ll be in for the surprise of their lives when they... Wait, what happened to your arm!" She screamed as her eyes focused on his wound.


    Emp stated the facts.


    "The guy there cut me with his knife when I took out the sword."


    "But it''s bleeding so much! Why Didn''t you say anything! We should hurry to the mage''s place, quick!"


    Emp was pretty sure he had said something like ''ouch'' when he got cut though. Also, his leg was much worse, the cut on his arm wasn''t even a knuckle deep.


    "Why are so concerned with my arm? It''s not that bad."


    "Idiot! Just move." She answered like the usual her.


    Galana stormed out of the alley and Emp had no choice but to follow her, leaving the two dead men there. She was taking that small cut way too seriously.

 18 Magic Healing: Emp

    They soon came back on a large stone paved street and Galana lead him with huge steps, almost running, to the iron gates of a manor. The place was huge and even had its own garden at the front between the gate and the house itself.


    The gates were closed but a group of eight pregnant women were relaxing in the garden with a bunch of small kids.


    Galana ran to the gate ahead of him and nervously rang the bell hanging on its right side. One of the women got up from her seat and went to the gate were Galana hurriedly explained something to her.


    The woman nodded and called one of the kids who ran inside the house. She then opened the gate for them and led them inside as well.


    The room at the entrance was large but almost empty with the exception of many sets of chairs. The walls had interesting patterns sculpted into them and the whole place was well lit. There were three sets of doors and two flight of stairs leading to this room, excluding the one that led to the ouside. A man''s voice called from the room on the left behind some tall double doors and the pregnant woman led them there.


    That other room was much more furnished than the entrance room. Every wall was covered by shelves staking up all the way to the high ceiling. They were filled with jars and small items of all sorts that he could not recognize. In the middle of the room stood a large and solid looking wooden table and five chairs almost all positioned on Emp''s side of the table.


    On the other side, a man alone sat in the last, most comfortable looking chair. With so many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, he was easy to see even with the absence of windows.


    The man was wearing a white gown with red and gold fringes. (1) He was tall but thin, had a large jawbone and long sideburns. He had friendly look to him and kept his hair tied behind his head.


    He gestured them to come sit in front of him and the pregnant woman went to stand by his side, seemingly interested in what would happen. Galana spoke to him in the other language for a short moment.


    "I could just speak in the noble tongue then." The man suddenly said. "Would that be easier for you?"


    "You can speak it?" Said Galana.


    "That is great!" Said Emp. "I am so glad to meet someone I can speak to again."


    "Good, so, let me see who I am speaking to."


    Emp showed him his hunting card like he wanted and the man seemed really pleased from what he saw. Emp also noticed that there were now humans twice on the card with the woodland horror.


    "A Muracier under my roof, what an honor for me to be able to help you." The man extended a hand as he presented himself. "My name is Bernard Forcore, mostly known for my talent in healing, what can I do for you."


    Emp shook the man''s hand with a smile.


    He had assumed he would immediately talk about his arm since he was bleeding all over his desk but since he was asking, Emp went straight to what was bothering him the most.


    "You see, my leg hurts."


    "For the love of all the gods and the spirits too! Are you really doing this to me right now? Could you not start with your arm that''s bleeding everywhere first!" Galana screamed from the side with a bunch of angry gestures.


    "But it is not really that bad. It is not even a knuckle deep."


    "I was about to say the same!" The mage said as if he had known Emp for a long time. "You just need a bandage and some ointment for this."


    That guy definitely knew what he was talking about.


    "Just fix it! We''ll talk about the leg after! All right?"


    "Let''s do something about your arm then since your wife is so agitated and won''t stop nagging us about it."


    Wife?


    "She is not my wife, she is just my guide."


    "Good for you, it would have been a pity."


    "What''s that supposed to mean!" She said with an angry pout.


    Emp just shrugged since he did not know either and left his arm in the care of the man. Said man cleared his throat and went over to one of the shelves while the women left the room again. It seemed he knew exactly what he was looking for and immediately found it, fetching a sealed jar containing some sort of organ.


    "Eww, what is that?" Asked Galana when he got it out from it.


    "That''s the heart of a blood-spitter, kept sealed and as fresh as possible. No need to worry, there''s no blood left in it."


    He brought it above Emp''s arm and put down his other hand on the wound. Then, he moved the heart seemingly at random as he said in quick succession a number of words that were impossible to understand.


    Bernard reached a crescendo and rose the heart high before he slapped it on Emp''s chest. The heart beat once on its own and Emp felt his own quicken. The mage moved the heart back on top of his other hand that was still on the wound and Emp felt all his blood rush to his arm in order to follow the heart.


    It gushed strongly between the fingers of Bernard and Galana gasped of fright but right afterwards, he squeezed the wound and slid his hand across the length of his arm. Emp felt a displeasing tingle wherever his hand passed and felt a little feeble, not unlike when he used the hammer. But, what was left behind the passage of his hand had no trace of having ever been cut.


    Once it was done, he put the heart back in the jar and washed his hand in a bowl of water the pregnant woman had brought back while he worked. Emp was impressed that the cut had completely disappeared.


    Galana made a long relieved sigh and thanked Bernard who answered happily.


    "No problem, that was really easy to do. But, I used a lot of your blood to fix it so you will have to eat a lot to fill back your veins and you may feel a bit dizzy for a couple of days."


    Emp nodded in understanding and Bernard went on to talk about his leg.


    "So, now that this is done, what were you saying about your leg? Show it to me."


    Emp rolled up the leg of his pants and showed his wound to the mage. When Galana saw it, she turned as pale as her grandmother the day before.


    "That one is much worse indeed. Good thing you came to see me."


    "????! What is that? How can you even walk on that!" Screamed Galana as she turned around to not have to look.


    "Well, I told you my leg hurt."


    "That''s crazy, you''re the dumbest idiot I''ve ever seen! You should have went to fix that immediately!"


    "Speaking of which." Interrupted Bernard. "This is an old wound, when did you get it?"


    "I am not sure, a little more than a week ago. I only reached Red-water yesterday so I did not have the time to do anything about it yet."


    "Young man, you really need to learn how to take care of a wound better than this. Not only is your wound ugly but it''s also infected."


    "Will he lose his leg?" Asked Galana after a gasp.


    Why would he lose his leg? It was just a gash.


    "No, not if I heal it but it''s going to cost you a good sum."


    "I do not mind paying for that."


    "All right then, lay down on the table and I will fix it."


    While Emp did as he was asked again and lied face down on the table, Bernard looked all over the shelves in order to find a small blue flower and a foul looking black liquid in a clay pot.


    "You''ve been walking with this for a whole week and you haven''t done anything about it, really?" Asked Galana, still looking away.


    "I did, I stopped it from bleeding too much."


    "That''s nowhere near enough idiot! The thing is infected now, if you had not gone to the mage, it would have eaten your leg and the rest of you too!"


    Emp felt she was exaggerating. His leg did hurt a lot but there was no way a gash would ever eat him. It was just ugly.


    Bernard came back and poured part of the liquid over the cut on his leg. He felt like he had put his leg on fire but aside from a reflexive jerk of his leg, he tried to stay still for the mage.


    "It''s going to hurt a lot more in a moment so I''ll have my second wife hold down your leg for me alright?"


    "Yes this is fine." Answered Emp.


    "Do you need me to do something too?" Asked Galana.


    "I need you to not disturb me and not faint."


    Galana did not answer and Emp felt a pair of hands clasp around his ankle and hold it down. He hoped the pregnant woman was stronger than she looked. Bernard started chanting a spell made of words Emp did not understand once again. Then, still while he was saying nonsense, he planted the flower into his wound, just were the cut begun.


    Bernard then slapped his leg, smashing the flower into the wound. Emp knew it wasn''t as painful as when Space gave him the anchor but the only thing his mind could grasp at this moment was pain. He screamed and the women barely managed to keep his leg in place. Meanwhile, the mage continued his spell and Emp felt as if a thousand worms crawled in his wound and the rest of his leg.


    It lasted for a long while until only a buzzing sensation remained.


    "And it''s done." Said Bernard in a sigh.


    Emp twisted himself to take a look at his leg and saw that there was now a carpet of small blue flowers growing on it, no, ''in'' it, linked together by a jumble of small roots digging through his skin. It reminded him greatly of the dead squirrel.


    "Don''t worry about it, that flower will feed off of the infection and keep your wound closed at the same time. It will fall off on its own when you are fully healed so don''t remove it. If you do, you''re just going to make more trouble for yourself. It will leave a scar but if it really annoys you, another spell should be able to remove it then."


    Emp had no idea how to answer other than "Thank you."


    "Will it really be alright with just that?" Inquired Galana.


    "How dare you say just that! I will have you know this is one of the hardest spells I know how to cast and it used up all my reserve of corruption drinking elixir and a blue fairy-bell too. A good physician would have told you to cut off his leg before he lost the rest too."


    What? Cut off his leg? That would have been terrible, he still needed it after all. Could he really have lost his leg to a simple cut?


    "Yes, of course, I''m sorry, that''s not what I meant to say." Fumbled Galana. "I just meant to ask if this spell was enough on its own or if he needed something else as well."


    "No, he doesn''t need anything else. The corruption drinking elixir gathered all the infection in itself and will feed the fairy-bell with it. The spell will stop the flower from growing out of control and when there is nothing left for it to drink, it will fall off. The flower also has healing properties of its own and will help his body heal itself."


    "This is incredible."


    "I know." Said the mage proudly. "You can get back up now."


    After Emp stood back up, he felt much better than before. He was tired, hungry and his leg was buzzing, but, it wasn''t painful anymore. He thanked the mage again, paid him what he asked and left with Galana.


    "It''s a pleasure to work for a Muracier, come back anytime." Bernard said as he accompanied them to the entrance gate.


    Even though he liked the man, Emp felt it would be a bad thing if he had to come back.


    (1) It''s a classic healer getup I know but white and red are after all the main colors associated with healing across the world. I just thought I didn''t have to change that.

 19 Magic Healing: Galana

    Once out of the alley, she started walking again to gain back some semblance of dignity. She walked and walked but the mage''s house wasn''t coming into view. She wanted to get there as fast as possible but the place seemed so much further away than in her memory.


    She was going as fast as she could but the noble behind her just kept leisurely walking. The worse was that he easily kept up with her. How was he walking so slowly but moving so quickly?


    Finally, the iron gates leading to the mage''s domain came into her view. She went to it and rang the visitors bell. The wives of the mage were relaxing with their kids in the front yard when Galana arrived. One of them came to the gate to see who it was.


    "Good afternoon miss, what can we do for you?"


    "Hi we got attacked in an alley nearby and he is in need of healing."


    The woman shot a quick look at Emp''s bleeding arm before she nodded and called her son.


    "Reighter, go tell your dad he''s got customers."


    The kid ran inside and the woman opened the gate for them. She led them both inside and Galana was stunned by what she saw. She had never been into such an expensive estate.


    The walls were painted, the doors, their frames and the stairs railings were all impressively detailed and even the waiting chairs were all lavish. Tall scented candles lined the walls and the high ceiling gave the impression that the corridor was much bigger than it really was.


    They were then led through a giant double door into the room were the mage performed his magic. It was easy to tell that it was his working place by the strange mood ruling over the room and the large quantity of magical ingredients lining the walls.


    The mage was sat in the middle of the room and beckoned them to also sit down on the chairs facing him. She did and he started talking immediately.


    "I''m always glad to be of help but I would like to make sure of two things first."


    "What?"


    "I like to know who I am talking to and also, I would like to be sure you can actually pay for my services. Judging by the debt iron you are wearing, I would guess not."


    "But I''m not the one injured, he is and he does have a lot of money."


    "If that''s the case, why are you here?"


    "I''m here to do the translation because he doesn''t understand the common tongue."


    "I could just speak in the Noble tongue then. Would that be easier for you?" He asked Emp in his language.


    "You can speak it?" She was glad because everything would be easier now but she also was a little annoyed that she was now useless.


    "That is great!" Said Emp. "I am so glad to meet someone I can speak to again."


    What about herself? He spoke to her so much she wanted to glue his lips together to stop him but now he said it as if none of it even mattered to him.


    "Good, so, let me see who I am speaking to."


    Emp showed him his card and the man had an expected reaction.


    "A Muracier under my roof, what an honor for me to be able to help you. My name is Bernard Forcore, mostly known for my talent in healing, what can I do for you."


    They shook hands and Galana felt exasperated that Emp bled all over the desk of the mage without a care. Why even ask, about what they needed, wasn''t it obvious with all the blood! There was a literal trail of blood beginning at the entrance door and leading all the way here. She was so glad this wasn''t her own house, she really did not want to have to scrub that afterwards. She felt faint just thinking about it.


    "You see, my leg hurts." Said Emp innocently.


    What was wrong with him! That wasn''t the time to talk about his leg at all!


    "For the love of all the gods and the spirits too! Are you really doing this to me right now? Could you not start with your arm that''s bleeding everywhere first!"


    "But it is really not that bad. It is not even a knuckle deep."


    What kind of measurement was that? A knuckle deep would be a quarter of his whole arm, probably as deep as the bone. That wound may not be knuckle deep but it was deep enough to bleed everywhere.


    "I was about to say the same!" Said the mage before she had the time to protest. What was wrong with the heads of those two? "You just need a bandage and some ointment for this."


    "Just fix it! We''ll talk about the leg after! All right?"


    She couldn''t stand all that blood anymore, she just wanted things to go back to how they were. If it was that easy than just fix it already instead of teasing her.


    "Let''s do something about your arm then since your wife is so agitated and won''t stop nagging us about it."


    Who was nagging? And she wasn''t his wife either!


    "She is not my wife, she is just my guide." Said Emp to correct him.


    "Good for you, it would have been a pity."


    "What''s that supposed to mean!"


    This was clearly an insult! And Emp just shrugged like he didn''t disagree. They didn''t even know her, how could they say she wouldn''t make a good wife? She would have punched the both of them if not for the fact that it would put her into even more trouble.


    The mage went to a shelf and came back with a jar he put on the desk. He unsealed it, slid his arm inside and got something moist and disgusting out of it.


    "Eww, what is that?"


    "That''s the heart of a blood-spitter, kept sealed and as fresh as possible."


    The heart of a blood-spitter! Wasn''t that thing dangerous? She thought. It''s blood could melt steel armor!


    "No need to worry, there''s no blood left in it." Said the mage when he saw her face.


    He placed it above Emp''s arm and did a simple ritual accompanied with complex spell casting. After a short moment, he gripped the arm and blood gushed out of it in droves. She started to panic, was this supposed to happen? If it went wrong and something happened to Emp, she was definitely dead. Also, all that blood was making her sick.


    The mage did not pay any attention to her and finished his spell to reveal that the arm of the noble was brand new. She could finally relax. Emp would not die because of her stupid mistake and she would be safe for a time. Relieved, she slumped herself down on the chair and thanked the mage sincerely.


    "Thank you, I can finally breathe."


    "No problem, that was really easy to do." He told her before turning back to Emp. "But, I used a lot of your blood to fix it so you will have to eat a lot to fill back your veins and you may feel a bit dizzy for a couple of days."


    At least now he had an excuse to eat so much thought Galana.


    "So, now that this is done, what were you saying about your leg? Show it to me."


    Galana didn''t expect much from it, what could possibly be worse than the cut he had on his arm earlier. Emp proceeded to reveal one of the worst things she ever saw. It looked like a wolf had gnawed at his leg for a month. The thing was all jagged and full of pus, the color alone was enough to almost make her throw up. It looked like the stomach of the other guy even though it was just a leg.


    "Fuck! What is that? How can you even walk on that!"


    She shook of disgust and had to turn around to keep her diner in.


    "Well, I told you my leg hurt."


    "That''s crazy, you''re the dumbest idiot I''ve ever seen! You should have went to fix that immediately!"


    If he was trying to scare her to death, he was really good at it.


    "Speaking of which, this is an old wound, when did you get it?"


    "I am not sure, a little more than a week ago. I only reached Red-water yesterday so I did not have the time to do anything about it yet."


    He wasn''t sure he said! How could you even forget something like this?


    "Young man," Said the mage, "you really need to learn how to take care of a wound better than this. Not only is your wound ugly but it''s also infected."


    "Will he lose his leg?" Earlier that day she wouldn''t have minded but now, she felt it really wasn''t in her best interest for him to lose a leg, at least not now.


    "No, not if I heal it but it''s going to cost you a good sum."


    "I do not mind paying for that."


    Who would mind paying for that! As long as one had enough money, anyone would pay to not lose a leg!


    "All right then, lay down on the table and I will fix it."


    The mage once again went around his shelves and came back with a liquid that looked like a stew forgotten in an empty room for a year. Meanwhile Galana tried to figure out what could possibly have went through his mind in that week.


    "You''ve been walking with this for a whole week and you haven''t done anything about it, really?"


    "I did, I stopped it from bleeding too much."


    "That''s nowhere near enough idiot! The thing is infected now, if you had not gone to the mage, it would have eaten your leg and the rest of you too!"


    She had seen it happen a couple of times already. Sometimes, a death-seeker got stuck somewhere with nothing for a while and came back with an infected wound despite his best efforts. Then, the healers had to do their best to remove all the infected flesh with knife and flame, hoping it would be enough to stop it from spreading further. Sometimes it wasn''t and the poor guy died of a strange sickness.


    This guy was the worst, he didn''t even try to prevent it. What would have happened if he didn''t go to a mage? He could have been taken by a fever any day now!


    The mage finished preparing his things and she heard him pour the rot smelling liquid over the wound. She heard Emp hiss and the mage talk.


    "It''s going to hurt a lot more in a moment so I''ll have my second wife hold down your leg for me alright?"


    She hadn''t even noticed that the wife was still there. She wondered where the kid had disappeared.


    "Yes this is fine." Answered the idiot.


    "Do you need me to do something too?"


    She wanted to help too if at all possible, what a better way to prove that she was sorry than to help save his leg? And sure, she wanted him to be safe too, if only a little.


    "I need you to not disturb me and not faint."


    He didn''t even think she was as useful as his pregnant wife? Why did she seem so untrustworthy to him? She had done nothing wrong... Well, almost. And she had changed her mind too, that had to count for something no?


    She heard the atrociously long spell casting from behind her but she refused to look because she was scared she would really faint if she saw it again. She heard Emp scream of pain and she wished she could turn her ears away as well. He hadn''t even reacted to the terrible cut, how painful must this be for him to scream like that? After a very long time, everything stopped and the tired mage announced he had finished.


    Galana hesitatingly turned around to peek at the wound but was only half relieved when she saw that now, instead of a gaping wound, there was a plant covering most of his leg. What was happening now?


    "Don''t worry about it, that flower will feed off of the infection and keep your wound closed at the same time. It will fall off on its own when you are fully healed so don''t remove it. If you do, you''re just going to make more trouble for yourself. It will leave a scar but if it really annoys you, another spell should be able to remove it then."


    "Thank you." Emp said simply but Galana wasn''t satisfied with only that.


    "Will it really be alright with just that?" He had just covered the wound with a bunch of flowers after all. If the guy died because of random spell, it would be terrible. Terrible for her she meant.


    "How dare you say just that! I will have you know this is one of the hardest spells I know how to cast and it used up all my reserve of corruption drinking elixir and a blue fairy-bell too. A good physician would have told you to cut off his leg before he lost the rest too."


    Of course she knew what the physician would have said, the taverns were full of random warriors with missing limbs! That wasn''t what she was talking about! Who was he taking her for, an idiot? Still, he was a mage, she couldn''t afford to offend him, and since he already was, she had to backtrack.


    "Yes, of course, I''m sorry, that''s not what I meant to say. I just meant to ask if this spell was enough on its own or if he needed something else as well."


    "No, he doesn''t need anything else. The corruption drinking elixir gathered all the infection in itself and will feed the fairy-bell with it. The spell will stop the flower from growing out of control and when there is nothing left for it to drink, it will fall off. The flower also has healing properties of its own and will help his body heal itself."


    "This is incredible." She said to flatter him.


    "I know. You can get back up now." He said to Emp.


    The noble got back up but he seemed really tired to Galana. It was as if he had worked in the fields for the whole day and he was as pale as bones.


    "Then, about my payment, It will cost you a total of forty gold coins."


    It was so expensive! No wonder there were so many warriors missing limbs. Who could ever afford that kind of spell?


    Her own mother had known some magic too but she didn''t have the money to learn or even cast those powerful spells that brought fortune upon an entire family. Her teacher had died before she could learn the advanced things and herself had died before she could teach anything to Galana. She had tried but Galana seemed to have no natural talent for the control of water, unlike her mother.


    While she was thinking of her mother, Emp got the money from the bag without even haggling and paid the mage what he asked.


    "It''s a pleasure to work for a Muracier, come back anytime." Once they were back at the entrance gate.


    Of course you would like that you sly bastard, forty gold! There were only magic healers to ever wish for their clients to get hurt.

 20 Arrested: Emp

    Once outside of Bernard''s house, Emp was ready to move on to the next thing on his list.


    "Only clothes and books left. Where do we go?"


    "I think most nobles wear things made in a shop on this street, it should be nearby."


    "They all buy at the same store?"


    "There aren''t that many nobles and they all want the same. It seems that this place is the only one that can satisfy them in Red-water."


    "Let us go there then."


    If they all did the same, it must have been quite an impressive place.


    They barely had the time to walk five steps before a bunch of guards split the crowded street to get to them. There was no doubt they were the target since they had fixed their gaze on him and were pointing his way. The people in the surroundings easily made way for them, unwilling to be dragged in their business by mistake.


    Emp wondered two things. First, what did they want with Galana and him? Second, was it the same group of guards as the one watching the gate yesterday or did every group of guards had a man with a drooping mustache?


    As they got closer, Emp got the answer to both of his questions. They were indeed the same guards as the previous day. Emp thought it was funny how, as they got closer, they recognized him as well and their angry expressions turned into confusion.


    Because they did, at first, have an angry look to them. Emp could understand why they were angry since they were walking with the three remaining bearded men. After all, how could anyone have a good time walking with guys who attacked other people for no reason at all, more so with how smug they looked right now. They had the faces of someone who just found treasures. Emp felt this shouldn''t be the emotion they should express just after the death of two of their friends.


    The guards, on the other hand, started shooting nervous glances at each other while they were moving through the last bits of the crowd.


    Emp could easily guess that they were all here to talk about what had happened in the alley. Good thing Galana was here to translate, he would have had a hard time explaining this on his own.


    The surrounding crowd formed a circle around them to watch what was happening, curious. Emp did not really mind because he felt the same way as them.


    The guard with a mustache approached first and talked to Emp. He did not seem hostile and Galana translated for him.


    "He wishes to see your hunting card."


    Emp thought it was unnecessary since he already had but showed it to him once again anyway. Of course, since he already knew what was on it, he wasn''t surprised at all and just noted the new kills. The bearded men seemed to believe they had just won and spoke excitedly. Emp didn''t understand why they felt this way but he didn''t care much either. Instead, he turned towards Galana.


    "Ask him what we should have done with the corpses."


    This was what bothered him the most after all.


    "What? Now? Could you not let them do their jobs first."


    "They already did though, they caught the guys."


    What else was there to do?


    "Idiot! They didn''t catch the guys, they themselves went to the guards to accuse you of attacking them in reverse."


    Emp saw the mustache of the guard twitch but didn''t mind it. Could people really do that? Maybe anyone could make his mustache twitch like that with a little practice. (1) Emp did not have one to try though and decided to focus on what was important instead. Could people really reverse the truth to their benefit?


    Emp wondered if he would have to spin the truth into lies at some point as well. He didn''t want to do that kind of thing. He liked the truth better, it was easier to understand things when everyone told the truth.


    Then, he remembered about his own name. He was lying too was he not? Not only that but in the end, he never told anyone he wasn''t really the son of Chinui, he had completely forgotten to. His friend would be so mad when he came back. He should probably clear up all those misunderstandings before he left the city.


    Anyway, such a lie could not last, lies where easy to tell, Chinui always said so.


    "That is not true though, they were the ones to start it all, is that not obvious?" He said to Galana.


    "How would it even be obvious?"


    He himself wasn''t able to tell lies just looking at someone but that was only because he didn''t know a lot of people yet. Surely, Galana was able to do it like Chinui. She only needed to look at their faces and she would know straight away.


    "Well, look at them."


    "You do realise that you look as terrible as them right now right?"


    That wasn''t what he meant but it was still true. He really needed new clothes. There was still a huge difference between him and them.


    "I do not have a beard though."


    "What does that even have to do with anything? Beards can be alright too if they are well groomed."


    Emp agreed, he had seen it before on the few persons he knew. Strength''s beard, for example, matched so well with him that Emp could not picture him without it. Maybe he should get himself one too then? What kind of beard? A long and thin thing like Sage? Maybe Galana would have a good idea since she liked beards.


    "Should I grow a beard too then?"


    "No, it doesn''t suit you."


    Emp felt somewhat relieved, not because he disliked beards but more because he had no idea how to grow one. It was much easier to not do it than to do it. It was always good to have one less objective on the list of things he had to do.


    "Anyway" Followed Galana to bring back the conversation to what it was supposed to be about. "They still need to ask about a bunch of things like who started it, why were you fighting and if there were witnesses or other people involved."


    "But they just ran at me with their knives out in an alley, why so many complicated questions?"


    "How much of an idiot can you be!"


    He was probably tired of being ignored because the whole face of the guard cramped but Emp still didn''t mind, he was busy trying to understand what Galana was saying. There were also the bearded men making noises but they were only a minor annoyance so Emp didn''t glance at them.


    "Before they arrest someone, they need to know who was in the wrong and who is the bad guy. Since there were no other witnesses than us, It will be your words against theirs. The more question they ask, the easier it becomes to figure out who is lying and who is saying the truth."


    Like Chinui then, he asked questions upon questions, always looking at his face, searching for a lie. The guards wanted to do the same to see who was right and who was wrong for themselves.


    "I see, then we just have to say the truth?"


    "In our case, the fact that you are the son of the great general is a big help. No one in their right mind would go against the words of someone who is almost as highly ranked as an imperial prince."


    "But that has nothing to do with the truth."


    Not only it had nothing to do with what had happened but even worse, this was just a complete lie! What if they saw it on his face?


    "I know it has nothing to do with the truth but that is how it works anyway. Then, we can ask for the mage we just saw to testify that you were injured by them, setting in stone the fact that they indeed raised their weapons against a high noble. The fact they wanted your money and your magic bag or the fact they provoked you with their blades first doesn''t matter in the story."


    "But it is the most important part! I had no reason to kill them if they just went away instead."


    "Maybe it''s important for you but the guards can''t possibly check if those are true or not unless they ask the help of a scrying mage."


    Was this true? Why would they need a mage to see if someone lied or not?


    "The only things they can be sure of is that a high noble was involved in a fight with a bunch of bums in an alleyway. With your name, they can also guess that if you really wanted them all to die, you could have made it so easily."


    But he wasn''t a high noble! And his name was Emperor not Warrior. This whole thing was getting worse and worse, from where did all those misunderstanding come from?


    "Plus, you had no reason to attack them. Trust me I will talk to them and we will be done quick, anyway you can''t speak the common tongue."


    Emp felt terrible, this would never work. Galana turned towards the guard to tell him but instead, he raised a hand in front of her and spoke first.


    "No need to repeat all that, That''s an unusual way to get answers but I think I understand pretty well what happened back there now."


    Emp was a little scared of what he understood but he seemed friendly so it probably wasn''t a bad thing. At least he hoped. The other thing was that he had found another person who spoke the same language! This was great!


    "That is great! Now we do not have to go through all that again."


    At least, since he had heard everything, he would know that Emp was against lying.


    "How come you speak the noble tongue?" Asked Galana.


    "My mother was a dye trader on the main central road, she taught me how to speak it when I was small."


    "I see."


    That was interesting to know but Emp was more curious about what was happening right now. Who was going to be arrested?


    "What do we do now?"


    "You can just go back to your business sir, I have all I need."


    The guard turned on himself and made a sharp hand gesture to go along with what he said to them. A look of horror appeared on the bearded men faces and one of them tried to dash away only to be caught by the arm instantly. The guards may have seemed slack at the gate but here, their movements were swift and precise. In no time at all, all three of the bearded men were under their control.


    They pleaded and protested but Emp could not understand what they were saying. By curiosity, he asked Galana for a translation.


    "They said that if they had known you were a Muracier, they wouldn''t have attacked you."


    Emp frowned, he may not have been the brightest but this, he felt, was much worse.


    "Is that not dumb?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well, in that one sentence, not only are they admitting they did attack me but also that if I had been anybody else, they still would have done it. That is much worse, they could have killed anyone if I had not been there."


    The guard with a mustache laughed at his comment and answered with his own comment before he led the rest away.


    "Well, criminals aren''t usually the brightest people around."


    Emp though that what he said made sense. With all the creatures outside the walls, only people with nothing in their heads would attack other human beings. If you were confident enough to kill someone to steal his money, was it not better to kill a random monster instead and bring back money that way?


    He was so lost in those thoughts that it was only when the guards had disappeared with the kicking and screaming criminals that he realised they were gone and that he had forgotten the most important part.


    "We forgot to ask about the corpses in the end." He said in disappointment.


    "What is it with you and the corpses?" Asked Galana with a frown.


    "I just do not like to waste things and I feel like they were."


    "You feel like the corpses were wasted?"


    "No, the guys. I still do not understand them, if they just wanted money, they could have asked some and I would have given it to them, there was no need to attack us."


    He had so much of it anyway, it didn''t matter to him at all.


    "No one ever does that, no one just gives out money like that without anything in return."


    "Why not?"


    "Because not everyone kills a woodland horror like you and end up walking around with infinite money! They work hard for it and they need it as well."


    Emp started pondering about this and the circle of onlookers dispersed itself quickly. Why was no one willing to give money and why some were willing to kill for it. Was it because there was not enough of it? But he had seen a lot of things that were highly valued today. With the money he had paid for the magic alone, he could have eaten his big breakfast more than ten thousand times.


    Why did they have so little money? Maybe they wanted something that was worth way more than a meal but then, why was it so expensive? Only a couple of copper coins for a meal but forty gold to fix a leg and gold again to buy armor and weapons. What explained the price and where did the money go afterward? How come he had made himself such a large fortune to sell a fertilizer if the end result would be sold in copper coins? Were they not losing money if they did that? However much he thought about it, he could not find the answer.


    (1) I''m sorry, it was way too tempting to not do it.

 21 Arrested: Galana

    Once outside on the street again, the young master Muracier told her to lead the way to the clothing store. But, before she could, a group of guards showed up and forced their way through the crowd.


    Most people shied away from guards since they didn''t want any trouble but they all still followed them to see what poor soul would feel their wrath. It did not take a long time for them to be followed by a small army of curious.


    The guards were clearly coming for Emp and her but it did not stress her at all, instead, a devious smile crept up her face, mirroring those the thugs displayed.


    She knew how this would end, they had no clue they were doing a terrible mistake. If they had known it was the young master Muracier they had attacked, they would have run out of town instead but in their ignorance, they tried to play the card of the victims, using their dead companions as a tool to corner the one they had attacked.


    There was a small possibility it would have worked on an ordinary man. With no witness, the guards would probably stand on the side of those who were friends with the dead, more so considering the murderer had left the scene without telling any guards or calling for help. Emp was really the perfect culprit. But, he was no ordinary man, he was the son of the great general. This changed everything.


    Between the words of two guys looking like thugs and the words from one of the highest ranked noble in the empire, the soldiers would easily know who to believe. As the guards got closer, they seemed shaken by the calm exhibited by Emp and the confidence displayed by herself. She enjoyed this greatly.


    "Yes mister guard, I am absolutely sure, it is him that attacked us in that alley." Said one of the thugs.


    Galana almost laughed out loud, after all the stressful things that happened to her that day, this was very soothing. A guard captain with a fancy mustache came towards them first and talked politely to Emp. He seemed to have realised what was up despite Emp''s shabby look which dampened her fun a bit.


    "Sir, may you forgive us for this but please, could you show us your hunting card just for the sake of things?"


    Galana translated to him without delay, eager to see the faces that everyone would show when his identity would be revealed. Sure it wasn''t her own victory and she even wanted him dead an hour ago but she couldn''t help but feel as if she was winning as well. She had made up her mind to be on his side until he left town after all so it wasn''t entirely false.


    Once Emp showed up his card, the guard captain wasn''t surprised at all. The thugs didn''t even see his name and focused on the kill list instead pointing at it from behind the guard.


    "See, it''s written on his card, he is the one who did it!"


    The guard wasn''t feeling as happy as them though, the job was always more difficult when a noble was involved. Galana was delighted, all she had to do now was push her own version of the story and no one would ever know what she had attempted to do. She just needed to be very careful with her story.


    The crowd had a hard time keeping their excitement for themselves, eager to know how this whole thing would pan out. She was ready to give them a good show, what should she start with? Fools you are standing in front of the young master Muracier, watch your manners! This would be fun.


    "Ask him what we should have done with the corpses." Suddenly said Emp.


    "What? Now? Could you not let them do their jobs first."


    "They already did though, they caught the guys."


    "Idiot! They didn''t catch the guys, they themselves went to the guards to accuse you of attacking them in reverse."


    "That is not true though, they were the ones to start it all, is that not obvious?"


    "How would it even be obvious?" She had a hard time following what he was saying now and both the guards, the thugs and the crowd were looking curiously at them while they talked seemingly casually.


    "Well, look at them."


    What was that supposed to mean? They looked like thugs yes but that didn''t make them guilty of anything. Also, he looked just as bad.


    "You do realise that you look as terrible as them right now, right?"


    "I do not have a beard though."


    "What does that even have to do with anything? Beards can be all right too if they are well groomed."


    She didn''t really like beards but at least if someone had one they should maintain it properly.


    "Should I grow a beard too then?"


    She tried to picture him with a beard but it just looked ridiculous. She was pretty sure he would become the laughing stock of everyone if he did have a beard.


    "No, it doesn''t suit you."


    Wait, how did she end up in a conversation about beards? She was supposed to be in the middle of putting up a show right now. At least, her answer seemed to please the guy so whatever.


    "Anyway, they still need to ask about a bunch of things like who started it, why were you fighting and if there were witnesses or other people involved."


    "But they just ran at me with their knives out in an alley, why so many complicated questions?"


    "How much of an idiot can you be!"


    All the other people present were confused but none of the guards seemed willing to interrupt them. They were all just waiting there for them to finish talking like they did not mind. Except for the attackers of course.


    "What are they saying?" Asked one of the thugs. "Why are you not arresting them?"


    They still had not quite figured out what was happening but Galana ignored them, She was too busy trying to explain how the world worked to Emp.


    "Before they arrest someone, they need to know who was in the wrong and who is the bad guy. Since there were no other witnesses than us, It will be your words against theirs. The more question they ask, the easier it becomes to figure out who is lying and who is saying the truth."


    "I see, then we just have to say the truth?"


    No, wrong, in front of a noble that was the perfect way to get arrested! Although this time she was on the side of the noble. What a strange and uncomfortable situation.


    "In our case, the fact that you are the son of the great general is a big help. No one in their right mind would go against the words of someone who is almost as highly ranked as an imperial prince."


    "But that has nothing to do with the truth."


    She knew that very well, that was part of why she hated nobles so much. They could say whatever they wished and everyone sided for them. She despised such behaviors.


    "I know it has nothing to do with the truth but that is how it works anyway. Then, we can ask for the mage we just saw to testify that you were injured by them, setting in stone the fact that they indeed raised their weapons against a high noble. The fact they wanted your money and your magic bag or the fact they provoked you with their blades first doesn''t matter in the story."


    "But it is the most important part! I had no reason to kill them if they just went away instead."


    "Maybe it''s important for you but the guards can''t possibly check if those are true or not unless they ask the help of a scrying mage. The only things they can be sure of is that a high noble was involved in a fight with a bunch of bums in an alleyway. With your name, they can also guess that if you really wanted them all to die, you could have made it so easily."


    She had seen it with her own eyes after all, this guy was scary in a fight. No wonder the Muraciers where above every soldiers in the empire.


    "Plus, you had no reason to attack them. Trust me I will talk to them and we will be done quick, anyway you can''t speak the common tongue."


    Now, she was at last ready to start. The crowd was on the verge of loosing interest too so she had to make it quick. She turned back to the guards but before she had the time to weave them the perfect story, the captain raised his hand to interrupt her.


    "No need to repeat all that, That''s an unusual way to get answers but I think I understand pretty well what happened back there now."


    He spoke the noble tongue! This was a catastrophe! She had treated the young master Muracier like an idiot right in front of the guard captain! What had she done! She really needed to stop talking in the noble tongue as if no one else understood it, she had been caught like that three times in two days already.


    "That is great!" Said Emp, excited. "Now we do not have to go through all that again."


    "How come you speak the noble tongue?" Asked Galana in a panicked reflex.


    "My mother was a dye trader on the main central road, she taught me how to speak it when I was small."


    "I see."


    And so, because of the mother of the guard captain, she had not only lost her chance to show off but also labelled herself as a disrespectful lowlife in the eyes of the guards forever. Just another thing to erase from her memory once the day would be over.


    "What do we do now?" Asked Emp, nervous.


    "You can just go back to your business sir, I have all I need." The guard answered in a reassuring tone.


    On this, he turned around and spoke to his men.


    "Alright guys, those three fools here committed an act of rebellion by attacking the son of the great general Muracier and we have a witness in the form of the mage who healed him afterwards. In accordance to our laws, arrest them."


    The guards didn''t waste any time to take hold of the surprised thugs, leaving them no time to react. The crowd hollered in surprise and cheered on the guards loudly. They had not expected to witness the arrest of someone who would dare attack a Murracier that day.


    "Wait! How could this be?" Complained the criminals. "If we had known he was a Muracier we wouldn''t have attacked him!"


    "What are they saying?" Asked Emp, curious.


    Galana feared that her scheme would be revealed if she answered that. She feared someone would point out she should have announced him as the young master Muracier from the start but since the guard captain was there and understood all they said, she had no choice but to tell him.


    "They said that if they had known you were a Muracier, they wouldn''t have attacked you."


    "Is that not dumb?" Said Emp with a frown.


    "What do you mean?"


    She failed to see how pointing out their own ignorance could be dumb.


    "Well, in that one sentence, not only are they admitting they did attack me but also that if I had been anybody else, they still would have done it. That is much worse, they could have killed anyone if I had not been there."


    Galana hadn''t taught of it like that. She had believed that all of this was her fault but maybe someone else would have died anyway if they had not been there. Maybe she wasn''t as responsible for this as she thought. This made her feel a little better. As she pondered this, the guard captain laughed at Emp''s comment and led his men away as he answered.


    "Well, criminals aren''t usually the brightest people around."


    After the desperate thugs and the guards had disappeared once more in the dispersing crowd, Emp spoke again.


    "We forgot to ask about the corpses in the end."


    "What is it with you and the corpses?" Asked Galana still distracted by her own thoughts. In the end, what she did didn''t matter much, everyone involved got what they deserved for once right?


    "I just do not like to waste things and I feel like they were."


    "You feel like the corpses were wasted?"


    Corpses are corpses, how can you waste them? She was certain someone would eventually go bury them in the forest, there was no need for him to personally do anything.


    "No, the guys. I still do not understand them, if they just wanted money, they could have asked some and I would have given it to them, there was no need to attack us."


    Once again, he wasn''t making any sense.


    "No one ever does that, no one just gives out money like that without anything in return."


    "Why not?"


    "Because not everyone kills a woodland horror like you and end up walking around with infinite money! They work hard for it and they need it as well."


    After hearing her answer, the noble just entered in deep thoughts and Galana was left to walk him to the tailor in silence. What a strange guy, to just give them money instead of a loan. That same morning, she would not have believed it at all but now, she had a doubt that this guy was so dumb, he really might do it.

 22 Clothes: Emp

    After the guards left, Galana led him to the clothing store, the sign of which read as: Pfigal''s needle.


    Inside the shop, a short women wearing glasses, a glittering dress and her hair tied in a bun was sewing two parts of what Emp assumed to be a shirt together. When she heard them get inside, she shot a sidelong glance at them before she went back to her work.


    "I do not take care of the rabble here. Get out."


    She didn''t seem happy to see them but at least she spoke his tongue. Galana made her usual pout and answered for him.


    "That guy isn''t rabble, he is the young master Muracier."


    This reminded him that while he was thinking about money and its uses, he forgot to tell her that he wasn''t really the son of Chinui.


    "Ha! You really think I will believe that? Go on then, show me your hunting card if you have the courage to lie on such a thing."


    The short women seemed to be in a mood as bad as Galana''s. He didn''t want to upset anyone so he just did as he was asked. The woman made a strange sound and adjusted her glasses on her nose before she spoke again. This time, she sounded much more amiable.


    "I''m sorry, it seems you really are a Muracier. By the forest, what kind of tragedy befell you to make you look like this! Please, let me help you. I cannot stand by and watch you go around dressed like so."


    It was exactly why he was here after all, if his clothes had been all right, he would have no reason to come in the first place. She hesitated for a second before she gestured him to follow her. With a spin and a wave of her sparkling dress, she led them deeper in the shop.


    Around them, there were unfinished pieces of clothing suspended everywhere. There were many tables covered in a mess of materials and delicate tools, all surrounded by dummies and mannequins wearing more or less finished works.


    With all the things present, it should have been an ordeal to move through the shop but it surprisingly wasn''t. The floor was kept extraordinarily clean and a large path had been cleared through all this mess to let everyone move freely between the different areas of her shop.


    She brought them to a corner of the room were dozens of ribbons were kept, not so neatly, on a set of two tables. She threw almost all of them on her shoulder and got Emp to stand in the middle of a cleared area to start her work. Emp had no idea what she was doing. She was circling around him with the ribbons, throwing them around his body parts here and there, sometimes saying a number out loud and sometimes placing one of the ribbons carefully back on the table even though they were completely disorganised when she had first picked them up.


    After she had finished doing her thing, she reached into a drawer to get an empty parchment, a feather and a pot of ink. Once everything was neatly placed on the table, she dipped the feather into the ink but it was old and dry.


    "Stupid ink, never works when you need it." She grumbled as she searched around in the two next drawers to find a replacement.


    When she finally found some working ink, she recorded all the numbers she had previously mentioned on the parchment before she turned around to ask him something.


    "Sir, you''re still growing, right?"


    "I hope so." Answered Emp, causing an amused snort from Galana.


    The short woman who still had not introduced herself frowned, either at his answer or Galana''s reaction, he wasn''t sure. Either way, she drew an upward arrow on her parchment before she turned back to him in a wondering manner.


    "And how tall is your father?"


    Did she want to know how tall Chinui was or how tall his creators were? The two answers would be completely different. The purpose was probably to guess how tall he would become himself so Chinui had nothing to do in this. Then he guessed he needed to think about strength since Sage only cared about his mind and Luck didn''t care at all. How tall was Strength again?


    "Almost twice my height I think."


    The eyes of both girls enlarged. Did he say something crazy? Anyway it was the truth so there was nothing he could do about it. "Alright." Mumbled the woman, turning around in a daze. The short women thought for a moment before she drew three more upward arrows beside the first. She set the feather aside, clasped her hand together and made a faint smile.


    "Then, the fun part, the materials and the design, what is it you desire?"


    For a long time after after that, Emp was drowned in questions he barely understood, shoved left and right towards dozens of different types of cloth and materials and made to try so many different pieces of clothing he would not be able to say which he had tried and which he had not yet. After a while, he could have sworn he had already tried most of those the two girls presented to him.


    The only clothes he had since he was born were the clothes Luck had given him. He had never thought it was this hard to buy clothes. It was so much more complicated than buying weapons! The value of Luck''s small gift rose well above the clouds. How hard must it have been for Luck? Next time he saw him, he would thank him again for the clothes.


    Emp had lost control over what was happening, and felt like he was only an outside witness to the never ending flow of textures and colors that were pushed upon him. By the end, he wished he would never have to buy clothes ever again.


    Emp loved to learn new things and had nothing against knowledge about clothes but, there was just too much of it. It was all going too fast and decisively for him to grasp anything. He could see clearly now, it would be much harder than he thought to become knowledgeable in all things like Sage wanted.


    At least Galana was there to filter most of it for him. She bickered with the short women the whole time on every possible subjects. Not that cloth, she would say, it''s too reflective for him. Not that one either, it''s too stiff, he is a Muracier, he will hate it if he can''t move well in it. Too much of this, too much of that, not enough this, too colorful, not enough length, doesn''t fit his personality at all.


    The both of them combined made for one very dizzying experience. Emp understood a little better now how the old woman felt in the guild, how someone could be as scary as a monster.


    Before they had reached a conclusion, Emp had shut his eyes and thought about other things while the two of them argued over things that did not matter much to him. He understood why Galana''s book told her the Muraciers had no interest in things unrelated to combat. If it took this long to talk about mere clothes, he could easily picture Chinui just leaving without a word to train instead.


    He also decided it was probably for the best to ignore the belt for now. He feared that if he was to mention it now, he would be thrown into a whole new mayhem. The Belt buckle didn''t matter in the face of this ordeal.


    He was drawn out of his daydreaming at some point by Galana.


    "Idiot! I mean sir, I mean... whatever. Which color do you prefer?"


    Emp opened his eyes to see the two girls holding a myriad of small cloth pieces, all of different colors. How was he supposed to choose? Did it even matter? He had never thought about which color was his favorite before. He looked closely at all the colors presented before him.


    The two girls were still talking but he did not listen to what they were saying at all. He didn''t need their opinion to choose what color he liked. There was a lot he felt were great and a lot he didn''t care about. One by one, he removed them from the possibilities until only a few remained. A deep green, a bloody red, a pale and calm blue and a purple. In the end, he pointed at the purple one.


    "I like this one."


    "The royal purple?" Asked Galana, pouting once more. "Why?"


    "See, in the end I was the one who was right lowlife!" Screeched the short woman towards Galana, ecstatic.


    "I don''t know." Answered Emp "This one just feels better, color doesn''t matter anyway."


    Galana made a half smile and anger flashed on the face of the short woman. Had he missed something important?


    After another while of confusing things he did not understand, the short woman finally decreed they were done and Emp released the longest sigh of his life.


    "Now, I only need to know where I shall have them delivered once I''m done. Or perhaps you would prefer to come pick them up yourself?" Said the woman.


    Emp failed to grasp the meaning of what she said.


    "What do you mean?"


    The short woman just looked at him confused for a while before Galana found what was wrong for the both of them.


    "Wait, did you think you would get the clothes now?"


    "Is that not the case?"


    "Of course not, she has to make them first! Did you think she had all of that prepared somewhere in case someone with exactly your size and tastes came around to buy something?"


    Said like that, it made perfect sense but Emp couldn''t help but feel like he had wasted a lot of time. It also meant that he still had no clothes that weren''t torn to wear for now. It was unpleasant to think he had to go through all that but wouldn''t see anything for a while. He would still get them at some point so he went along with it anyway.


    Still, did she not said that she could not stand watching him walk around dressed like that when he got in? Was it just a way of speech or did she think he would stay like that for the whole time until his clothes were delivered?


    "Then, send it to the school in B¨ºt¨¦clair. I will be there for a while."


    "In Artefine? No problem sir, It will all be sent there once I''m done. Now let''s talk about the price." She took on a mischievous air before she continued. "With everything we discussed thus far, I would say sixty crowns for three sets, delivery included."


    Emp didn''t mind paying but Galana seemed really upset. She snorted and pointed angrily at the short, still unnamed, women.


    "You''re not really going to pay that right? That''s obvious theft!"


    Was it? He didn''t even know what he was buying exactly.


    "Would you shut up you lowlife servant!" The women lashed back. "If a grand character such as the Muracier heir wants to bargain he doesn''t need the input of an unsophisticated savage like you! Leave me be you dung eyed fish!"


    Emp frowned, that was the first time he ever heard such an insult. It wasn''t directed at him but he could still feel the anger and malice dripping from it. Something must have happened between them while he wasn''t paying attention. Galana laughed in disdain.


    "Dung eyed fish? Is this really the only thing you could come up with? Is someone of your class unable to find a good insult unless it''s been taught to you in a school or is it just because you are so small you can barely see me through the floorboards and confused me with the fish you keep as a lover?"


    The short woman snorted in contempt before she counterattacked.


    "At least I have some features to be insulted upon. Both your clothes and yourself are so plain that if you were not both a gold digger and the most annoying hag I''ve ever heard, I would have never noticed your existence."


    Emp wasn''t quite sure on how to stop them so he just tried to tell them to stop directly.


    "Let us all stop for a moment and talk calmly."


    But his words fell into deaf ears.


    "What about you? Not only are you small but you''re flat as well. I would be convinced you have no husband because it is obvious you can bear no child but I''m sure it is rather for the fact that a giant fly surely has a more charming personality than yours."


    "You have no look, no taste and no redeeming traits but if you still want to compare, it seems I win in terms of wealth as well since you appear to be unable to understand how money works and decided to waste more than what was rightfully yours. So when you, brainless bitch, end up thrown to the pigs, I will be laughing from my successful business."


    "If said pigs were to ask you, you would gladly spread your legs for them. What''s more, that debt was out of my control from the start, I had nothing to do with it."


    "Who was it then, your parents? Then, they are even more retarded than you and like the worms they are they tried to steal from their better. Or did they just walk around lazily all day begging for money?"


    "Don''t you dare!"


    Galana was shaking in anger, her face beet red.


    "Ho, I do dare! I''m curious now, what was it? Your father probably died in some genius way like drowning in a puddle somewhere and your mother was so useless she ran out of coins and started stealing pocket money in the market place. Maybe your mother had no charm at all and your father accepted her out of pity, before he ditched her when he finally understood he would have to take care of you as well. That would explain both your plain looks and your terrible tastes as..."


    "Enough!" Screamed Emp to stop them both. "I do not understand what is happening between you two but I am too tired to listen to this nonsensical fight any longer."


    On one side, there was Galana, shaking in anger with tears spilling out of the corner of her eyes. On the other, the small women had crossed her arms and looked at her with a disdainful gaze from the corner of her own eyes. They both seemed so charged with emotions Emp had no idea how it was still contained in their bodies.


    He gained a lot of insight about anger but that wasn''t what he had come here for at all. He had to settle this or nothing would be done for the rest of the day. He waited four breaths to be sure none of them would talk again before he made a decision. He looked towards the short women and talked to her first.


    "You," He still had no idea what was her name. "apologize to Galana first."


    She seemed really taken aback by what he asked.


    "Why me and not her?" She complained.


    "Because you had the last words and she is the only one of you two who is crying. It is only fair that you would be the one to correct your wrongs first."


    "I refuse to apologize to one such as her! You cannot force me to do so."


    Emp felt his eyebrows furrow even more. Was he angry as well? He did not think so, he just felt really annoyed.


    "I may not be able to force you to apologize but I there is also nothing you can do to stop me from just walking out."


    Her face showed worry.


    "You wouldn''t, not after all this work! There is no one else that can do the job right in this city."


    "Just watch me do it then."


    On this, Emp turned around and walked out of the shop.


    "But what about all my work!" She appealed as he stepped out.


    "But what about all my time you wasted."


    Both of the women stared at the door for a moment before Galana dashed after him, leaving the tailor alone and confused in her shop.


    Emp had no idea where he was going, he just wanted to put some distance between him and the shop. He wondered how long he could walk like that before Galana stopped him to ask where he was going.


    She was just walking beside him in silence. Did he walk far enough already? Should he stop here and ask her to take the lead because he had no idea where he was or did she not stop him yet because he was surprisingly moving in the right direction? He had left that shop but he still needed clothes before he left the city.


    "I''m sorry." He heard Galana say from the side.


    Why was she sorry? He wasn''t the one she had insulted, if she was to apologize, she should apologize to the unnamed tailor instead.


    "Because of me, you wasted a lot of time and did not get any clothes at all. I apologize for that, and also, thank you... for taking my side I guess."


    Emp wanted to tell that it didn''t matter that much and that he hadn''t really taken her side. He had just asked the tailor to apologize first. He would have told Galana to apologize as well afterward. But, looking at her, he felt that this apology really mattered to her. It was probably a bad idea to tell none of it mattered. What should he say instead? What else was true that could explain his action?


    "Well, I had no idea what was happening in there and she did not even introduce herself for the whole time we have been there, what else was I supposed to do?"


    That was right, she didn''t introduce herself, Emp didn''t like to not know who he was talking to. Was it not a simple act of politeness to present oneself when meeting someone? She had been rude from the start. Aside from that, he just didn''t like to listen to those two screaming at each other. Then, out of nowhere, Galana made a small reverence to him while holding the hem of her dress.


    "Good afternoon young master Muracier. My name is Galana Whisryba, would you please allow me to keep being your guide for the rest of the day."


    What was happening? What was she doing? Not only was it strange because she introduced herself in the middle of a conversation but also because the way she said it was very unlike her. What was he supposed to answer to that? At least her grandmother would approve of the way she said it.


    "Who else would do it if not you? Of course I will allow it. I still need clothes, some I could wear tomorrow if possible. I already said I wouldn''t get angry at you, and your grandmother is counting on me to help you out with the way you treat nobles."


    "I understand, I won''t disappoint you again. I think I know a good place where to buy clothes."


    She was really acting strangely. Emp had gotten used to her calling him idiot all the time, pouting for anything and everything and yelling at his every mistakes. Now, she just seemed defeated, the events in that tailor shop must have been tiring for her as well. Maybe he should ask her if she felt all right. Would she get angry at him again if he did? That would solve the problem.


    "Are you alright? You are acting weirdly." He asked just after they had resumed their walk.


    "Yes, I''m fine."


    Emp felt this was a lie. He wasn''t sure of course but it didn''t sound right. Also, she was crying minutes ago. Was it something the short tailor had said? She had started losing her composure somewhere around the debt thing and mentions of her parents. The only way to find out was to ask.


    "What was that, earlier, about a debt? Is this why you are feeling unwell?"


    She continued to walk in front of him without slowing down but raised her hand above her shoulder to show it to him.


    "Do you know what that is?"


    He assumed she did not mean her hand but the only other thing that was there, her iron bracelet.


    "An ugly bracelet." He answered honestly.


    "It''s a debt iron not a bracelet!"


    He could not help but notice she had not started her sentence with idiot.


    "It''s made out of black iron and serves to stop those highly indebted to leave the city before they have paid back what they owe. It''s weight serves to remind you of the consequences that awaits you if you do not pay back. The amount you owe and the name of who you owe money to is carved on it in case some mishap happens to either the debt holder or the debtor."


    So that was how the tailor had known she had a debt, it was plain for everyone to see.


    "I see. So you owe money to someone."


    "Yes."


    "And this is what upset you?"


    "No, not really."


    What was it then? He was so sure it was because of that. There was still the part about her parents left but he had a hard time understanding how talking about ones parent could be upsetting.


    "Then was it because she talked about your parents?"


    "More on the point yes."


    That was really it?


    "Why?"


    "I don''t know and I don''t want to talk about it sir Muracier."


    She called him sir Muracier again. That felt odd every time. He should really tell her it was a borrowed name before something happened again. How was the best way to say it? Maybe the simplest way to explain it was to tell her how he had met Chinui but then he would have to talk about his creators.


    He had told her earlier that he would tell her about them only if she agreed to tell him why she hated nobles. He didn''t want to go back on what he had said, Love had asked him to become someone trustworthy. He couldn''t go back to the tailor shop for the same reason he couldn''t tell her about his creators, simply because he did not feel someone trustworthy would do this. It would be the same as lying.


    But on the other hand, was it not worse to let everyone believe he was the son of Chinui? He hadn''t done a lot to deny it, was that not a form of lie too? Which was worse between breaking his words and leaving the misunderstanding about his identity continue? The later sounded worse in his head but Chinui did after all lend him his name to let him pretend he was a Muracier in the school. He had been allowed to lie about this, in a way. Was there really such a thing as an acceptable lie? A feint in combat maybe?


    It would be much easier for him if she just told him why she hated noble. Then, he wouldn''t have to ask himself which of the lies didn''t feel as bad.


    "Will you tell me why you hate nobles then?"


    "No! Why would I have changed my mind?"


    Why not? Why was this such a bothersome thing to explain?


    "I do not know, I just really wanted to tell my story but I already told you that I would do it only if you told me that."


    "Right, the Muraciers can''t break their words."


    But he wasn''t a Muracier! That was the whole problem! The only thing he could do now was to follow her to the next place, unable to understand what was wrong with his guide and unable to clear up the misunderstanding about his name.


    They both stayed silent until they reached a large store filled with clothes. The outside had nothing special and its sign was just a drawing of a tunic. The place felt cramped by how tightly packed all those clothes were. They all looked alike, the owner must have made as many as he could as quickly as he could. From what he understood from Galana, many people living outside of big cities just made their own clothes. It was only those who had no talent at it that bought already made clothes and often, when they did, they bought old clothes that had been patched up in some second hand store.


    In the city though, most people chose to buy clothes like what was in this store in order to not waste time. Then, you only had to thinker with it a bit instead of making it from the ground up which was a lot quicker.


    Emp though, did not know how to do that kind of thing so he only intended to wear them as they were. None of them had buttons because the shop owner didn''t bother to make any shirts or pants needing some. All the clothes here were made from cotton or wool, none of them were dyed and they came in a variety of sizes.


    "Will this really be all right?" Asked Galana, probably still upset about his retreat from the tailor''s place.


    "Yes, as long as they are not ripped, they will do the job."


    Emp understood that something made by that tailor should be of a much higher quality than what was sold here but he did not really care. Of course he didn''t want to look like an idiot but those were not that bad and even if they had been, he would not have cared that much. His life would not be forfeited or saved by some cloth. At least, he didn''t believe so. Also, he was really glad no one was here to drown him in questions he could not understand.


    "But they are way too plain for a noble. And, you don''t know how to fix that, I''m sure because if you did, you would have repaired your old clothes instead."


    "No calamity will befall me because my clothes are not spectacular enough. Plus, I am still planning to leave today, I do not have the time to wait for someone to embellish a thing that will probably not survive the journey to B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    She reluctantly nodded in agreement and Emp started walking through the rows of tunics. To see what exactly was the size he needed, Emp removed his own and moved it around in the shop, placing it over the many hanging shirts as he searched for a similar one. Galana seemed really annoyed by his action.


    "Idiot! Could you not just pick another one from your bag? Why must you remove the one you are wearing!"


    At least she was back to calling him an idiot.


    "I do not understand why it matters, all their sizes are the same."


    "I''m saying that there is no point in flaunting your body if you look like that. You''re just a scrawny kid!"


    He wasn''t flaunting anything though, he was just looking for the right size of clothes. In the end, he bought twelve new tunics and six new pair of pants.

 23 Clothes: Galana

    Galana led the noble away from the crowd and further on the main road. They arrived shortly after to the tailors shop and got inside to see the women running the place. She was a short person who didn''t even reach the height of Emp. She wore a short light blue dress that reflected the sun, delicate looking white elbow-long gloves and a thin pair of glasses held on her conceited face. She welcomed them harshly in the noble tongue.


    "I do not take care of the rabble here. Get out."


    A mere look from her had classified them as undesirable visitors. It annoyed Galana of course but she expected something similar. Instead of getting angry like she usually did, she just exposed to her the plain truth.


    "That guy isn''t rabble, he is the young master Muracier."


    "Ha! You really think I will believe that? Go on then, show me your hunting card if you have the courage to lie on such a thing."


    Galana was about to change her mind and scream at her overconfident face but Emp just went along with her antics and showed her his card. Her reaction managed to calm Galana down. When she saw the name on the card, she almost choked on her own tongue and fumbled to replace her glasses in a fake manner to hide her surprise.


    "I''m sorry, it seems you really are a Muracier. By the forest, what kind of tragedy befell you to make you look like this! Please, let me help you. I cannot stand by and watch you go around dressed like so."


    What a turnaround this was, Galana instantly hated her. The tailor reached to grab Emp''s hand but then changed her mind because of the blood still left on them and made him follow her with a wave of her own instead.


    Galana followed them both to a corner of the room where all sorts of measuring ribbons where sprawled on the tables. She gripped a bunch of them and moved swiftly to measure every piece of his body. Galana thought she was sometimes much closer to him than she needed to. She could almost smell it, she wasn''t married and was testing the waters around the highest noble she had ever met. As if she had any chances, that guy was clueless to this sort of things anyway. The only thing this accomplished was to make Galana dislike her further.


    Once done, she got herself the necessary things to write and noticed her ink was dry.


    "Stupid ink, never works when you need it."


    As someone who took care of a bookstore, Galana was annoyed at the way she took care of her ink but she wasn''t about to tell her how to do so properly.


    "Sir, you''re still growing, right?"


    "I hope so."


    The idiot seemed serious but Galana found his answer very funny. For once, she wasn''t the one who had to piece together a decent answer from all his nonsense.


    "And how tall is your father?"


    "Almost twice my height I think."


    Twice his height! Was the great general a giant? The disgusting women was as surprised as her but quickly got over it.She scribbled some arrows on her parchment and took the look of a predator having just found a prey.


    "Then, the fun part, the materials and the design, what is it you desire?" She asked while leaning subtly towards him.


    Galana was quite sure Emp had no idea what it was he desired. She had learned it throughout the day, aside from the combat related things, he had no idea what he was doing. Just like the book had said about the Muraciers.


    She was also quite sure that the tailor was trying to sell him much more than just clothes by the way she asked her question. Galana knew this was the perfect opportunity to raise her value back up. All she had to do was to help him get clothes that made sense and keep the midget at bay.


    She stepped between them to protect him from her advances and answered for him since she already knew what he was after.


    "Sir Muracier will be attending the school in B¨ºt¨¦clair shortly. He needs clothing fit for his standing with enough flare to shine among his peers like he should."


    He was the heir of the great general after all, if he was to look like a the son of a baron he would be underestimated. Her opponent seemed really displeased with her interference but since Emp didn''t react to it, she had no choice but to go along with it.


    "How about two everyday sets and a suit for now?"


    Emp nodded to agree and Galana''s war officially started. The tailor asked questions upon questions and since Emp didn''t understand most of them, she often had to answer for him. It was really hard for her because she was not at all an expert in clothing. The only things she could be certain of was that her taste and knowledge were better than those of Emp and that she couldn''t let the tailor have everything she wanted even though she was the only one here who actually knew what she talked about.


    She had to step in all the time to drive back the tailor or give an opinion in Emp''s stead. The price didn''t matter but the actual clothes had to follow some specific guidelines.


    She had known Emp for merely a day but she mostly understood what he wanted based on both the fact that he was easy to read and his identity as a Muracier. He needed clothes that were comfortable above clothes that looked great. He needed clothes that would make him look strong because he was more of a fighting guy than a ballroom noble.


    Based on the rest of his clothes, he wasn''t someone who was careful with them, if the materials were not resistant enough, he would rip his clothes immediately.


    Every time she butted in to give her opinion, the tailor got a little more angry with her. Soon, they both almost forgot Emp was even there. They dueled on opinions and designs, making him try and discard all sorts of pieces, trying to push forward their own vision of what the high ranking noble at their side should look like.


    After many debates on textures, cuts, shapes and ornaments, Galana felt she was well in the lead if you decided the winner based on who was the less annoyed and angry. The tailor was fuming. Almost all her professional inputs denied by Galana and hers, often approved by the noble absentmindedly.


    But, there was still many important matters to discuss, mainly the colors of the sets of clothes.


    "The colors of the clothes is what gives them personality and often the first thing everyone sees. I think he would look good in either royal purple or a brick red." Said the tailor.


    "I think he would rather dress in the colors of the empire with forest green and steel blue."


    "Then, let us each pick the colors we think would fit him most and have him choose himself. you may have been right about the length of the shirt and the cuffs of the suit but you will see once and for all that ''I'' am the one who is right on things that really matter."


    Galana wondered if that girl was a distant relative of some minor noble or simply a terrible person. Still, she agreed to the challenge and gathered color samples in front of her noble. Why were his eyes closed? Did he fall asleep standing there?


    "Idiot! I mean sir, I mean... whatever. Which color do you prefer?"


    He opened his eyes and after he managed to process the question, he fixed the many colors held in front of him. The tailor was too busy thinking about the colors to notice what she had just said and started selling her colors instead, describing how superior their meaning was. Galana would not be undone and also vividly praised her own choices of colors.


    Finally, the idiot chose his color, poorly at that.


    "I like this one."


    "The royal purple? Why?"


    It was one of the tailors colors. She felt greatly disappointed which wasn''t the case of her opponent.


    "See? In the end I was the one who was right lowlife!" The other gloated.


    She felt betrayed, she had been harshly defeated. Why would he choose such a color?


    "I don''t know. This one just feels better, color doesn''t matter anyway."


    That sentence brought back her smile. That was right! The Muraciers didn''t care about things unrelated to combat, the design and ease of movement were much more important for him and she had many victories in those aspects. Since the colors didn''t matter for him, her final score would be much higher.


    She shot a meaningful look at her opponent. She could feel the anger boiling inside of her, who was just talking about the importance of colors moments ago. As long as she was angry, Galana felt it was her victory.


    Afterward, she oversaw the final touches on the three sets of clothes agreed upon and both ended mildly satisfied and mildly angry. The tailor took a deep breath and put all the notes she had taken in a neat pile before she decided to end this tiring encounter.


    "Now, I only need to know where I shall have them delivered once I''m done. Or perhaps you would prefer to come pick them up yourself?" She said in a last ditch attempt to entice him.


    "What do you mean?" Asked Emp.


    The two girls were so tired of their bout that they could barely register the question. Then, it hit Galana like a keradon.


    "Wait, did you think you would get the clothes now?"


    "Is that not the case?"


    "Of course not, she has to make them first! Did you think she had all of that prepared somewhere in case someone with exactly your size and tastes came around to buy something?"


    She probably should have clarified this first. Now he just looked like an idiot again in front of the tailor. Surely, by now, she understood that it was a rather good thing that this idiot was blind to her advances.


    "Then, send it to the school in B¨ºt¨¦clair. I will be there for a while."


    "In Artefine? No problem sir, It will all be sent there once I''m done. Now let''s talk about the price." She took on her predator face again, now was her time to find profit in her ordeal with Galana. "With everything we discussed thus far, I would say sixty crowns for three sets, delivery included."


    Galana had no doubt she had caught on the fact that Emp was an idiot by now. To her, he was probably an easy target to deprive of gold. As if she would let her steal from him without doing anything!


    "You''re not really going to pay that right? That''s obvious theft!"


    The tailor finally had enough and snapped. Fulminating, she let her anger loose through poison filled words.


    "Would you shut up you lowlife servant! If a grand character such as the Muracier heir wants to bargain he doesn''t need the input of an unsophisticated savage like you! Leave me be you dung eyed fish!"


    So now was resorting to insults. She had wrongly judged Galana if she thought she wouldn''t be able to retaliate!


    "Dung eyed fish? Is this really the only thing you could come up with? Is someone of your class unable to find a good insult unless it''s been taught to you in a school or is it just because you are so small you can barely see me through the floorboards and confused me with the fish you keep as a lover?"


    "At least I have some features to be insulted upon. Both your clothes and yourself are so plain that if you were not both a gold digger and the most annoying hag I''ve ever heard, I would have never noticed your existence."


    Her, a gold digger? She wasn''t the one trying the seduce a noble here. Was she so muddle headed she confused who did what throughout this afternoon?


    "What about you? Not only are you small but you''re flat as well. I would be convinced you have no husband because it is obvious you can bear no child but I''m sure it is rather for the fact that a giant fly surely has a more charming personality than yours."


    This one seemed to disturb her somewhat since she completely changed the subject.


    "You have no look, no taste and no redeeming traits but if you still want to compare, it seems I win in terms of wealth as well since you appear to be unable to understand how money works and decided to waste more than what was rightfully yours. So when you, brainless bitch, end up thrown to the pigs, I will be laughing from my successful business."


    Since a noble was here, neither could resort in physical violence so they had no choice but to continue their insults until one gave up. Neither of them wanted to admit defeat and both wanted to drive the other into the mud.


    "If said pigs were to ask you, you would gladly spread your legs for them. What''s more, that debt was out of my control from the start, I had nothing to do with it."


    Galana must have been tired as well, she realised too late the mistake she had just made. She had entered a defensive stance, the worst thing to do in that kind of fight since it just highlighted the weak point of the opponent.


    "Who was it then, your parents? Then, they are even more retarded than you and like the worms they are they tried to steal from their better. Or did they just walk around lazily all day begging for money?"


    Galana frankly didn''t care for her lazy insults but no one was allowed to speak ill of her dead parents!


    "Don''t you dare!"


    "Ho, I do dare!" Said the tailor, jumping headfirst into the crack in her walls. "I''m curious now, what was it? Your father probably died in some genius way like drowning in a puddle somewhere and your mother was so useless she ran out of coins and started stealing pocket money in the market place."


    Her mother would never steal from anyone and her father was a proud warrior, how dare she! She squeezed her fists out of rage and ground her teeth in order to stop herself from strangling the tailor right here and there.


    "Maybe your mother had no charm at all and your father accepted her out of pity, before he ditched her when he finally understood he would have to take care of you as well. That would explain both your plain looks and your terrible tastes as..."


    "Enough!" An angry shout came from their side. "I do not understand what is happening between you two but I am too tired to listen to this nonsensical fight any longer."


    She wished she could put her dagger through the chest of the tailor but she couldn''t. She knew it was a stupid idea, she knew she would not have the mental strength to do it and she knew Emp would stop her if she tried. She couldn''t just go away either, the only thing she could do was withstand it all and bottle up her anger.


    "You," Emp said to the tailor "apologize to Galana first."


    "Why me and not her?"


    "Because you had the last words and she is the only one of you two who is crying. It is only fair that you would be the one to correct your wrongs first."


    Was she really crying? She touched her cheeks with her fingers and felt her tears. How disgraceful, she used the back of her hands to quickly and strongly wipe out the tears from her eyes. She had no reason to cry, what the tailor had said wasn''t even close to the truth at all, why did it upset her so much?


    "I refuse to apologize to one such as her! You cannot force me to do so."


    The noble seemed angered by her retort. His forehead was all scrunched in a frown, his eyes cold and the slight curve of his lips revealed the depth of his displeasure. She had never seen him angry before. She had insulted him, annoyed him, called him an idiot all day and even betrayed him but never once had he shown such a scary face to her. In fact, he did not show such a face even in front of those who tried to kill him.


    "I may not be able to force you to apologize but, there is also nothing you can do to stop me from just walking out."


    "You wouldn''t, not after all this work! There is no one else that can do the job right in this city." Said the tailor with confidence despite her worried expression.


    She had worked so hard and put up with Galana for so long to do this trade, she couldn''t believe he would really just walk away. But with nobles, you never know, Galana knew this very well.


    "Just watch me do it then."


    And he really did. Was this a family trait of the Muracier, to walk away when things didn''t go their way? She couldn''t believe it, that guy took her side and was willing to waste all the time spent here to deny the victory of her opponent.


    "But what about all my work!" She wailed behind him.


    "But what about all my time you wasted." He answered emotionlessly as he stepped out.


    She had seen a lot of strange whims and flimsy decisions from nobles before. She always felt disgust at how they played the merchants around, wasted their time and asked for impossible things from them. This time though, this was the first time she did not feel disgusted, mainly because it was to the detriment of the tailor instead of hers.


    It wasn''t exactly to her benefit since there was nothing to gain out of this but it was quite clearly for herself. He could have just paid that girl and be done with it but instead, he had chosen to stand on her side to his own detriment. This was totally unexpected and surely a once in a lifetime thing. The chances of her ever being on the winning side of an argument including a noble again were almost nothing.


    Noticing she was still standing there in the shop, she ran after him. Her head was a mess right now, too many things had happened today. She was exhausted, saddened by the memory of her parents, angry at everyone, she felt guilty about what she had done and also for messing up once again and felt ashamed of what had come out of her mouth but somehow, she was a bit happy as well.


    She ran to his side and walked with him in silence for a while. She had no idea of what to tell him. Maybe she should start by apologizing. Because of her, he had ended up wasting a lot of time and gained nothing out of it, he didn''t seem all that pleased about it.


    "I''m sorry." She said from his side.


    He looked her way, seemingly unsure of how to answer. Her apology wasn''t strong enough it seemed.


    "Because of me, you wasted a lot of time and did not get any clothes at all. I apologize for that, and also, thank you... for taking my side I guess."


    He thought about his answer carefully before opening his mouth.


    "Well, I had no idea what was happening in there and she did not even introduce herself for the whole time we have been there, what else was I supposed to do?"


    She didn''t introduce herself? Was this the reason this idiot was angry? He had not intended to take her side at all! He was just upset about something idiotic! Did he even realize she had not introduced herself either since they met the day before? Was he asking her to do it now? She should probably do it in case she managed to get him angry.


    She stopped in the middle of the road, right in front of him and gave him a curtsy.


    "Good afternoon young master Muracier. My name is Galana Whisryba, would you please allow me to keep being your guide for the rest of the day."


    She saw it on his face then, shock. He was shocked at her late presentation and had no idea how to react. Had she screwed it up again? Finally, he found something to answer.


    "Who else would do it if not you? Of course I will allow it. I still need clothes, some I could wear tomorrow if possible. I already said I wouldn''t get angry at you, and your grandmother is counting on me to help you out with the way you treat nobles."


    Wait, was this why she was still alive even after she betrayed him? Because he had said he wouldn''t get angry? The words of a Muracier really were powerful, many times more than she thought. She dreaded the idea of what would have happened to her already if he had not promised this to her.


    He had promised to pay her as well, but not for how much. She would end up being paid with a single copper coin, she knew.


    "I understand, I won''t disappoint you again. I think I know a good place where to buy clothes."


    Her only chance was to accomplish the last two tasks perfectly. Find him clothes and find him books. At least, she would still get some money from the books she intended to sell him, if he ever agreed to buy any from her. Why was everything going wrong today.


    She released a sigh and started to move towards the next shop with the noble on her heels.


    "Are you alright? You are acting weirdly." He asked.


    If she was alright? She wasn''t, not at all. She wished to dig a hole and hide in it. But, she couldn''t possibly tell him she wasn''t alright because she felt bad about what happened earlier and her lack of money.


    "Yes, I''m fine."


    "What was that, earlier, about a debt? Is this why you are feeling unwell?" He asked moments later.


    Where did that question even come from? Was he back to being nosy now? Of course she was frustrated to have a debt but that had nothing to do with what she felt right now. Why did he only bring it up now and not earlier when he was asking about why she hated nobles? Thinking about it, there was so many common things he had no idea about. Maybe he didn''t know what was a debt iron? She raised hers in the air to show him.


    "Do you know what that is?"


    "An ugly bracelet."


    He truly didn''t know. What an unknowledgeable guy.


    "It''s a debt iron not a bracelet! It''s made out of black iron and serves to stop those highly indebted to leave the city before they have paid back what they owe. It''s weight serves to remind you of the consequences that awaits you if you do not pay back. The amount you owe and the name of who you owe money to is carved on it in case some mishap happens to either the debt holder or the debtor."


    "I see. So you owe money to someone."


    "Yes."


    "And this is what upset you?"


    "No, not really."


    "Then was it because she talked about your parents?"


    "More on the point yes."


    "Why?"


    She didn''t know! It just did, did she really need a reason to be upset? Why was he bothering her like that now? Could he not possibly just shut up?


    "I don''t know and I don''t want to talk about it sir Muracier."


    There was a short silence before the noble spoke again.


    "Will you tell me why you hate nobles then?"


    "No! Why would I have changed my mind?"


    "I do not know, I just really wanted to tell my story but I already told you that I would do it only if you told me that."


    "Right, the Muraciers can''t break their words."


    After that, he stopped talking. She had managed to shut him up. Since he was behind her, she couldn''t see his expression but she guessed he felt disappointed by how silent he became afterwards. She didn''t care if he was disappointed or not by her answer, this wasn''t his business. He couldn''t force her to say anything.


    Although this was what she felt, she still hoped he would cheer up because of the shop she brought him to. He had asked for something he could wear right now so she had delivered.


    The clothes here were quite ordinary, they were all made the same way, one by one, and hung in rows in the clothing shop. The differences between them were minimal and they were not shoddy at all but their quality would never be up to par with custom made clothes. None of the things in this shop were fit for a noble, this was what common sense told her but Emp seemed to not really care.


    "Will this really be all right?" She asked, skeptical.


    With the unordinary day she had lived, she understood that the guy didn''t act quite like the nobles she knew and hated, but he was still one of them, if only in name. He should never wear those as they were now.


    "Yes, as long as they are not ripped, they will do the job." Answered the man, seemingly unfazed.


    "But they are way too plain for a noble. And, you don''t know how to fix that, I''m sure because if you did, you would have repaired your old clothes instead."


    "No calamity will befall me because my clothes are not spectacular enough. Plus, I am still planning to leave today, I do not have the time to wait for someone to embellish a thing that will probably not survive the journey to B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    She could only nod at his statement, it made sense after all. In the back of her mind though, she knew that other nobles would never agree to that sort of logic, they would always find a way to get what they wanted anyway. This was often the source of all kinds of unreasonable demands, or orders, that annoyed her so much she wished they would all just disappear.


    She had a hard time understanding him since at every turn, he was either doing something perfectly normal or something absolutely ridiculous. He almost never did anything like a noble, aside from how he treated the tailor. Was it worse to be an idiot or a noble? It didn''t really matter in the end. She hated both and he was both.


    Or maybe he wasn''t as big of an idiot as she thought he was, just like he wasn''t as much of a noble as she first though. After all, what he had just said proved he was capable of logical thinking. And then he immediately proved he was indeed an idiot.


    "Idiot! Could you not just pick another one from your bag? Why must you remove the one you are wearing!"


    "I do not understand why it matters, all their sizes are the same."


    That was exactly what she was saying, if they are all the same why not just pick one in the bag? How dumb could this living being possibly be?


    "I''m saying that there is no point in flaunting your body if you look like that. You''re just a scrawny kid!"


    A scrawny kid that happened to be stronger than her but that was beside the point! He just looked at her with his usual confused air and proceeded to walk around the shop half naked to her great annoyance.


    When at last, her ordeal ended, he had bought a lot of clothes and they were ready to move on.

 24 Bookstore: Emp

    Emp put all the new clothes in his bag and left the shop with Galana who noticed there wasn''t a lot of daytime left.


    "Do you really intend to leave today? Won''t you end up traveling in the dark?"


    He hoped not. Maybe he should have paid for a second night at the inn, but then, he would delay his arrival at the school. He wasn''t quite sure when exactly he needed to be there and he wasn''t certain either of how long it would take him to go there so the better thing to do would be to get there as fast as possible. He didn''t want to waste a second night here if at all possible. If only the inn''s bed had not been so comfortable he would still have a lot of time left.


    "I do not mind stopping just after the wall. If I stay here another night, I will end up losing another half a day to the bed. I have to move if I want to get there."


    "But are you sure you will have enough time to even get to the gate?"


    "Maybe if I only buy books? I do not really need a new pair of boots, what I have now should last me until at least the next town."


    "Then, let''s go to my bookstore, it''s this way."


    "You have your own bookstore?"


    "Yes, I do."


    Maybe she had talked about it before but he couldn''t remember. He felt like she had not but she should have, this was so much simpler this way.


    "You must know all kinds of books then, that is really useful. Your grandmother told me she would make me a list of useful books but I forgot about it so now I have no clue what I am looking for."


    With all that had happened, he had forgotten to ask for the list before leaving the merchant guild.


    "She left the list in the shop but even without it, I should be able to find you something useful anyway." She said with confidence.


    The last time she said something like that, she almost got herself squashed by the weight of a hammer. At this moment, he felt truly relieved the list had not been lost.


    While she lead him to her place, Emp decided to ask her more about her debt.


    "What happens when someone doesn''t pay back their debt?"


    He walked up to her side to better listen to her answer as they progressed through the busy streets.


    "When someone doesn''t pay, the one he owes money to has the right to take whatever he wants from them up to a maximum value of what is owed. But, most of the time, when someone doesn''t pay, it''s because they can''t even with that. In those cases, when everything is taken from them including house, clothes and food and the amount is still too low, they are forced to become debt slaves to pay the rest."


    Emp knew about slaves but didn''t think there were more than one kind.


    "Are they different from a normal slave?"


    "They should but often aren''t. You see, they are supposed to stay slaves only until they worked enough to pay back what they owe but more often than not, they never get out of it."


    "Why?" Was that not odd?


    "It''s because slaves don''t really have any rights and because there cannot be an exact value to the work they do. If their new master just say that their work is worth almost nothing, there isn''t anything the slave can do about it. The master can just say that they cost more to feed than what they bring back and then the slave gets stuck there forever."


    "But, is that not unfair?" Emp had a hard time believing people would let that kind of things happen.


    "Of course it''s unfair, that is why it''s common sense to not borrow money from someone else and why it is so stupid to just give out money freely. No one want to be indebted because they are scarred of what could happen to them. Usually the family help out as much as they can so it doesn''t happen and when it does, they do all they can to pay the remainder to get their relative out of slavery. The town lord doesn''t really care about that as long as the slaves stay alive."


    So, if he understood everything correctly, if he gave money to someone out of kindness, they would then be afraid he would ask it back latter. But that didn''t explain everything, should there not be some form of contract to prove that he had indeed lent money to someone?


    Could they not just pretend it never happened? Emp guessed that the iron bracelet was made for that specific purpose but then, people had no reason to be afraid of a gift if the bracelet didn''t come with it.


    "Why would people be afraid to be given money, isn''t it much better than to have to borrow it?"


    "Idiot! It''s not because they''re afraid, it''s because it''s plain stupid to give out money while you could have them borrow it instead. If you try to give them money just like that, most will think it''s some kind of scam or that you are giving counterfeit money. No one wants to get in trouble because they accepted a poisoned gift from a stranger."


    Emp felt that everything was over-complicated in this town. Or was it that it was the same everywhere?


    "Would it not be easier for everyone if they just helped each other out?"


    "When their life are in danger, they do help each other but once the danger is gone, they all revert back to their greedy selves. Everything you give is something you won''t have later when you need it and then who will be idiotic enough to give you that same thing? The answer is no one."


    This whole thing seemed quite depressing and the subject seemed to be quite displeasing to Galana so he stopped his questions there. At that point, they had left the main roads a while ago and had crossed many smaller streets. Galana stopped in the middle of one of them, barely large enough to let two carts pass by each other. They had arrived at her bookstore.


    The construction was similar to those around it but looked like it had not been maintained for a while. It looked darker than its neighbors somehow. The sign hanging above the door, barely visible through the grime, presented a book and a sword with the name written bellow them.


    "What is the name of the store, and why is it covered in dirt?"


    "It''s Whisryba''s bookstore and ruin seekers. I wanted to wash it but I can''t reach and I don''t have any ladder."


    It was indeed really high, even standing on a chair, she wouldn''t be able to reach it. How did it get this dirty in the first place?


    "Do you want to climb on my shoulders to do it?" He asked in an effort to help.


    "Absolutely not!"


    She reached a hand into her dress to get the key hanging from her neck and unlocked the thick wooden door. She pushed it open with a long squeal from the hinges and made her way inside.


    Galana advanced in the darkness of the windowless room and reached for a candle standing on a nearby table. She picked up a match and scratched it on the rough desk to light it and the candle.


    With it, she walked around lighting the many others as Emp stepped inside as well to take a look. The first thing he noticed was how tidy it all looked. Contrasting with the outside look of the house, it''s inside had not a speck of dust to be seen. Everything was neatly and orderly placed and everything from floor to ceiling was clean, but, the air had a strong smell of parchment.


    In the center of the room, there were two large desks each accompanied by a chair were people could sit down to look at one of the books. On each desk, there were two standing candle helping the reader to see what they were looking at but they were not the only ones. There were more in the corners of the room, between the shelves and standing on top of poles placed around the room making the room quite bright despite the lack of windows. On one of the desks was a pile of papers and ink, ready to be used.


    Then, of course, there were the shelves and the book they contained, they were the most important parts of a bookstore. There were many of those shelves, standing in rows around the room and all along the walls but, there weren''t that many books in them. Only a few rows were full and some entire bookshelves were left empty, standing in the open, as clean as the rest. Despite the fact the whole place was perfectly and carefully maintained, it''s lack of content gave the eerie feeling the place was decaying, not unlike what he felt in front of the lake.


    "I like how clean this is but, is it not a bit, empty?" He said, hesitating on the word to use at the end.


    "It is." She answered calmly. "I''ve had to sell many but I''m having a hard time filling them back up. Many of the books here belonged to my parents, I didn''t want to sell them but I ran out of choices."


    She had said belonged, as in no longer. Were her parents just gone? Or maybe dead? Chinui disliked to talk about his brother too, if her parents were dead, that would explain why she did not want to talk about them. Since he did not want to upset her again, he let the subject die and let her do her work.


    Once all the candles had been lit, she placed the first one back on the desk and picked up a note written on a parchment , probably the one left by her grandmother.


    "So" Galana said while eyeing the note. "She said to give you a Bilingual dictionary but I sold mine long ago so I will have to skip that one. Don''t worry, I think I can find something to replace it somehow. The rest should be fine."


    She went around the half filled bookshelves and collected four large books that she placed on the desk in front of him.


    "This one is a regional monster encyclopedia, this one is a history book of the Steelwood empire, this one is a collection of folk tales in your language and the last one is the same book but in the southern common language."


    The title of the third book read: Woes and heroes of our woods. Emp wondered what kind of stories it contained.


    "Here is what you are going to do." Told Him Galana. "You will read the last two side by side, since they are the same, the words should more or less match even if they aren''t in the same language. By comparing each sentences, you should be able to find the meaning of most words."


    That was a clever way to do it.


    "I understand, that should be fine. But, would it not be easier if it was all in the same book?"


    "That is what the dictionary was for. It''s a book that goes through each words one by one with their equivalent in the other language. I used it a lot to learn the noble tongue. It is one of the most useful tools you could have and I wish I still had one myself. I once heard there is also a book comparing the letters of every languages, It must not be useful at all but it must be impressive to look at. Truly a magnificent work of art."


    Both of those book seemed impressive seeing how Galana praised them. With a book like the dictionary, he could have just asked it for whatever words he wanted... Could he not do the same with the book of answers? He had not thought about it before this moment but he could have just asked the book to tell him the words he needed.


    "I also have an interesting book I would like to show you. It was Sage that gave it to me."


    "What kind of book?"


    Before he answered, he got the book out of his bag and put it down on the desk beside the other four. Its old cover outshining the others by a dozen times.


    "This is the book of answers. I can ask it anything and it always give me the answer. For example: What is the worth of the four books I plan to buy?"


    Emp opened the book at a random page and the answer was written clearly. ''''The combined worth of the four books is of five gold crowns and thirty four silver scepters.''''


    "Five gold coins and thirty four silver coins, is this correct?"


    She nodded with a face between wonder and disappointment and Emp Gave her six gold coins.


    "I do not have enough silver ones so I will pay with crowns, you can keep what is left."


    She stared sadly while he put back the five books into his bag and she pocketed the money he gave her. He thought she would have been impressed with the book but instead it saddened her. Or maybe it was because it pained her to part from her own books, if they belonged to her parents, she probably felt sad to watch someone take them away.


    "If you want, I could send them back to you once I am done with them."


    "Even if you really did, I wouldn''t have the money to buy them back at that point."


    "Who is talking about selling? I can just send them back as gifts can I not?"


    "Did we not talk about gifts many times before? You should not give things to peoples you don''t know."


    "But I know you more than anyone aside from Chinui now. Can I not just say we are friends?"


    The only things that made it difficult to understand her was that she refused to tell him anything about her parents or her hate of nobles. Emp wasn''t certain of the appropriate description of what a friend was but if Galana wasn''t a friend he wasn''t sure what else she could be. A helpful stranger perhaps? It did not feel right for him to call one of the few people he knew by name as a stranger. Maybe he should call Bernard the mage a friend as well, after all, he was indeed friendly no?


    "You really are an idiot." She said in a sigh. "Get out now so I can douse the candles and close the shop."


    He did as he was asked, but resolved to send her back the books anyway. Once she had them, she wouldn''t be able to refuse them, if she did, she would have to pay to send them back all the way to B¨ºt¨¦clair. Emp did not believe she would do such a thing.


    Galana extinguished the flames, closed back the door, locked it again and took the path towards the north gate with Emp.


    ***


    Long ago, a young man was traveling wherever he pleased. With large sums of money, he organized balls and feasts wherever he went.


    Over the years, he met a countless amount of people, some lovely and others vile. He found that whoever they were, be they guardsmen, noblemen or slave, they had all one thing in common. They all lied. Either they lied to him, to others or to themselves, they all twisted the truth to their own convenience.


    Small or big, white, sweet or fueled by greed, a lie was still a lie and all of them were fine. He often lied as well to improve his own life and garner the flattery of those he met. But, as fate would have it, he one day came across a god named Truth. Since no one was there with them, no one knows for sure how it happened but, when the man came out of the trial chamber, he had been cursed.


    From now on, the god had said, all the things you say will become the truth, henceforth, not a false word will ever escape your mouth.


    At first, the man, like everyone else, thought it was a boon instead and used his newfound power with great efficiency. He went back to town and easily became it''s ruler with two sentences. This castle is mine. I am the king now.


    Like the god had declared, what he said became truth and the crown was placed on his head.


    Records of his time as king are hazy at best. In all likelihood, the many changes appearing overnight in his kingdom prevented anyone from writing things down clearly. After all, what was true one day might have been false the following.


    With so many changes, some were bound to reach us and through the ages, some of his declarations remained clear.


    At first, with is power, the lord of truth brought great things to himself and others.


    Be assured, he would say to a man, your wife never cheated on you, and so it was.


    When a woman was pleasing to his eyes, he could just tell her, I''m sure you love me, and so she did.


    When he ate something, he could just declare after the very first bite that it tasted even better than usual and flavor would invade his mouth.


    When they came to tell him about the lack of lumber, he answered by saying it was impossible to not have enough wood since forests covered every bit of land from the eastern border of his kingdom all the way to the mountains far beyond the westernmost border. Anything he said had the power to change the world and from endless plains, his whole kingdom and those neighboring him became the most forested of all lands.


    My lord, a man would plead, the citizens are starving, the fields are full of trees. The king would answer, how could they be starving with all this food? The harvest has been great this year, we have plenty of reserve. And indeed there was.


    But, how could the anger of a god be so easily dodged? However you see it, a curse is indeed a curse and no amount of careful thinking would let him escape it. Every word coming out of him had the potential to break him or the world. Having led a life made of feasts and balls up until now, he had a sharp mind and a swift tongue, he loved to jest. Whenever he would say a word without thinking, something catastrophic would happen.


    How many poor souls angered him by accident and left the castle turned into a crude animal or a sentient sack of excrement by his careless insults? Any passing comment he made could turn something ordinary into a farce or worse, a monstrosity.


    One man farted in his hall, the king said he was disgusting and so he became. His new appearance was in fact so revolting that the king could not help but say more, ugh now you''re even more disgusting than a monster, and so it was.


    He quickly had to give up on any jokes and jests he wanted to say since every time he made one, he regretted it deeply. Of course, the time he slept with his friends mother was terrible but after a group of fairies kidnapped nearly a thousand kids and a grain mouse ripped apart almost all the guards in his castle, he had enough and sealed himself with a few words, I will never jest again.


    This was not the only things he came to have trouble with, for example, he could not say that he loved the cake his personal chef made because he feared he would romance the cake. He could not profess his love to any of his wives or kids either since even though he felt it was really the truth, he didn''t dare find out what would happen to his own mind if he said it aloud.


    He also had to be careful to never exaggerate anything after the time he declared he wouldn''t go hunting in the forest near the northern hills because it was always windy enough to fell trees.


    As time passed, more and more came to ask for his favor or manipulate him into saying insane things. The worst offenders in this were his own marquess and an envoy from a neighboring kingdom. One had him turn an entire nation to sand and the other made him grow a giant forest of thorns to protect his northern border.


    One time he was eating with the marquess, he asked him about his eastern neighbor. The marquess harboring dreams of conquest, told him not to worry since all there was east of their border was sand and dust. Since there was only sand and dust all the way up to the sea, asked the king. Would they not come invade his lands for their resources? From then on, only dust and sand was to be found in the east because of how he had framed his question, but it did not stop there.


    They would never attack my lord, said the marquess, they are a peaceful nation content with their lot. I see, answered the king, for such a peaceful nation to exist, they must be a land of scholars and artists, they are surely respected by all that know of them. Hence, the marquess thirst of conquest was stopped by the respect he held for his neighbors now blessed with artists and scholars but cursed to live in an empty land.


    Similar things happened not only with the envoy for his forest of thorns but time and again. The king eventually found out, he was reminded that all those he knew lied, all the time, for any reason. Why must they all be lying to me? What are they making me say? He started to distrust those around him, and distanced himself from them all. The same was also happening in reverse, fearing a catastrophe would happen to them if they were ever to be the target of the king''s words, they came to fear him.


    One day, looking at the strange gaze harbored by everyone in his court, he was reminded of all the horrors he had caused to his people. They must all hate me for what I did, I''m sure. He told his councilor. Realising his mistake just as the words left his mouth, he said all that crossed his mind in an attempt to reverse what he had done but the truth stayed the truth however much he tried to lie to himself. Once said, a truth cannot be taken back.


    Crowds came all at once and no one stopped them, the guards were on their side. He did not have to say it aloud to know the truth, they wanted to kill him.


    Cornered, he screamed at them, you can''t kill me, and thus it was the truth, they were unable to kill him. But, they still needed to get rid of this walking calamity, the one who caused the death of innocent children, the one who covered the fields in dark woods, the one who could kill them all with a single misplaced word.


    They decided to seal his lips, with thick white tread and a needle they seized him. In his panic, the last thing he said was, if you do that, our kingdom will fall to ruin! They did anyway, fueled by a divine hatred, they sowed his lips together, tied him up in chains and shackles and left him in a stone sealed mausoleum.


    Like he had said, the kingdom fell to ruin and was swallowed by the trees and it''s beasts. its inhabitants left and new kingdoms later came to be. Of what happened to his descendants, nothing is certain and his name has been forgotten but two truths remain.


    Truth holds power and angering it or any other gods will leave you with a fate worse than death.


    -- Words of truth, Woes and heroes of our woods.

 25 Bookstore: Galana

    They did not spend a long time in the clothing store but when they left, the sun was getting lower in the sky. There were not that many hours of daylight left.


    "Do you really intend to leave today? Won''t you end up traveling in the dark?"


    "I do not mind stopping just after the wall. If I stay here another night, I will end up losing another half day to the bed. I have to move if I want to get there."


    "But are you sure you will have enough time to even get to the gate?"


    "Maybe if I only buy books? I do not really need a new pair of boots, what I have now should last me until at least the next town."


    "Then, let''s go to my bookstore, it''s this way."


    "You have your own bookstore?" Asked the noble as he followed her.


    "Yes, I do."


    She hoped he would not decide to go elsewhere because she really needed the money. It wasn''t impossible for him to do such a thing. She had seen him walk out of a store with a disappointing owner already.


    "You must know all kinds of books then, that is really useful. Your grandmother told me she would make me a list of useful books but I forgot about it so now I have no clue what I am looking for."


    "She left the list in the shop but even without it, I should be able to find you something useful anyway."


    If there was one thing she could not mess up, it was this. It was, after all, her true job.


    Eager to end the day, she took him in the direction of her home. The only things left for her to do were to sell him whatever he wanted and escort him to the gate and at last, she would be freed. Or at least, as free as she could get.


    On her way home, she got harassed with questions she had no desire to answer. Did he realise he was asking her to describe what would happen to her soon in details? Yes, she would indeed end up being enslaved if she couldn''t pay up by the time limit and yes, she knew if it happened, she would never get out.


    "But, is that not unfair?" He asked innocently.


    She had the urge to punch him at that moment but remembering how he had ripped the stomach of a guy open right in front of her, she refrained from doing so.


    "Usually the family help out as much as they can."


    That wasn''t really the case for her. Only her grandmother did her best for her, coming out of her retirement and working at the guild again to send clients her way. Her many aunts on the other hand all looked the other way, "Your mother should never have married a death-seeker to begin with, this was bound to happen." they said, "We have our own families and problems to take care of."


    What was the use of having such a large family if they didn''t stand out for each other in times of need? She cursed them and spat at their doorsteps as she left. If they were to be like that, she was better off without them, she told herself. If the situation was reversed, she wouldn''t help them either. She had not talked to any of them ever since.


    "Would it not be easier for everyone if they just helped each other out?" He asked.


    "When their life are in danger, they do help each other but once the danger is gone, they all revert back to their greedy selves." She answered.


    After all, was she not just the same? When he had killed those guys in front of her, she had done her utmost to help him out but not even an hour after, when everything had been resolved, she was back to her old self, thinking of ways to get her hands on his money.


    There were indeed people that helped each other out often. The death-seekers for example all tried their best to help each other out because they knew no one else would care if one got into trouble. When danger arose, they all charged together to save the one in need because they knew that their turn would come eventually and they needed the ones they saved to return the favor.


    Unfortunately for her, such camaraderie did not apply to the dead. The dead could not help them, and Galana couldn''t either. They would not dare go against a noble for a single girl that wasn''t one of their own.


    Some would have done it anyway, like Palonia, but those were too precious for her to bring down with her. Sure they would pay some of the debt but who knew what would befall them afterwards. She didn''t want anything to happen to them and also, she owned an unfair share of debt already, she didn''t want to owe anything to anyone anymore, no favors, no money, nothing.


    Her grandmother had called her a stubborn idiot for that. "What kind of double standard is that! You threw your own aunts and cousins aside when they refused to help you but you won''t even try to ask your friends for help because you don''t want to put them in trouble? A stubborn idiot is what you are."


    Her grandmother may not understand but it made perfect sense to her. She believed a family was there to share everything, wealth and debt alike. The troubles of one was the trouble of everyone. Friends were different, they helped out only because they trusted you would do the same for them. Galana did not have the power to do so, she was just a burden.


    She could read, write and speak in two languages but had no useful skills at all. Once she ran out of books what would she do? She didn''t want to live off of her friends like a parasite. She would never do that. It would be like owing her entire life to them, just the thought of it was enough to throw her into the depths of despair.


    She did not like to think of those things. They were always there at the back of her mind but she usually managed to ignore them by filling her time and head with work. Now that she had spoken about them out loud, those things all came back to the forefront of her mind and piled up with the rest of her bad day. Fortunately, the gloomy mood was driven away by the soothing sight of her home.


    It was her safe haven, she always thought it was surprising how the mere sight of one''s home could bring such peace of mind in even the worse of situations. It gave off the impression that everything would be fine and she relied on that impression to find the strength necessary to keep on struggling, even if she knew it was not the truth, only a sweet lie.


    As they approached, Emp asked her about the sign.


    "What is the name of the store, and why is it covered in dirt?"


    "It''s Whisryba''s bookstore and ruin seekers. I wanted to wash it but I can''t reach and I don''t have any ladder."


    When every coin counted, there was no way she would waste them on a ladder just because the sign had some mud on it.


    "Do you want to climb on my shoulders to do it?"


    "Absolutely not!"


    Why was he always asking the most outrageous things as if they were normal?


    She unlocked the way with the key she kept around her neck and placed her shoulder against the door to open it. Like always, it was hard to move and it made an annoying noise as it did.


    Inside, the familiar smell welcomed her as she moved to the nearest candle. She couldn''t make him wait for too long because he was in a hurry so she quickly went around the room lighting the candles for him to see. When she was alone, she usually only lit one or two to conserve the candles lifespan.


    She also disliked to have them all burning at the same time because if a fire spread here, her life would be over. This was her sanctuary, her lifeline and also the only things she had left of her parents. She always took great care of every single thing contained within these walls because none of them could be replaced.


    She would have loved to posses some magic light to brighten the room without any risk of fire but even without the debt, she would never get enough money to buy one.


    "I like how clean this is." Said the future general while looking around. "But, is it not a bit, empty?"


    "It is. I''ve had to sell many but I''m having a hard time filling them back up."


    When she first started taking care of the business while her parents were gone, everything went relatively well. It took almost a year before the owners of the other two bookstores in town noticed the opportunity.


    They believed her parents would not come back and somehow knew the debt that would soon be inflicted upon her. They took the opportunity to get rid of a weakened competitor. They intercepted any deliveries and every sellers that were meant for her and offered much more for the books than she ever could. Unable to compete, she stopped receiving new products altogether. She had to resort on more unappealing alternatives.


    "Many of the books here belonged to my parents, I didn''t want to sell them but I ran out of choices."


    She cannibalized the upstairs shelves belonging to her parents and herself, slowly replacing the ones she sold by her own collection. She really did not want to do it, every time one of her books left the store, it felt like she was stabbed. She had tried many alternatives but none seemed to work.


    First, she gave people the option to consult the book for a day, on site, in exchange for a small fee but it did not work out. It seemed that most people preferred by far to pay the complete price of a book to add it to their own collection than to just browse it once and have to pay again later if they needed to again.


    She also tried to make her own copies, it took a lot of time and a lot of paper but the end result was not so bad. It seemed like a really good idea but many problems arose from it.


    First, most of her clients were rich merchants, knights and low nobles, each book they owned would add to their prestige and they wanted to expose it in front of everyone. Buying a copy made from the unknown owner of a small bookstore wasn''t as impressive as a handmade copy from the old scribes of B¨ºt¨¦clair or any other renowned scribes. By buying such a copy, they also ran the risk of it having some small differences in the text or mistakes which would damage their reputation or work if the error happened to be major.


    Then, she was really bad at illumination and utterly unable to copy pictures and drawings necessary to some tomes like bestiaries, works of geography or botany. Finally, the cost of the paper, ink and cover were high, if she was unable to sell one, the losses were huge and the time spent wasted.


    In the end, she could only watch heartbroken as her precious books were sold one by one to the nobles she hated so much, slowly chipping away at her potential income.


    Still, she had calculated many times over and though that she would barely be able to pay the debt if she managed to sell a couple of the books here for more than their value. In the end, the store would be entirely empty but she would be free. There was still hope.


    After she finished lighting every candles, she went to the table on which was her writing supplies and picked up the list her grandmother had made for her.


    Right from the get go, the list contained a book she had sold long ago. Her grandmother helped as best she could but she had not come to the store for a long time now, she had no idea of the current state of the bookstore.


    "So, she said to give you a Bilingual dictionary but I sold mine long ago so I will have to skip that one. Don''t worry, I think I can find something to replace it somehow. The rest should be fine."


    She went around the room and collected four books. The regional monster encyclopedia of her father, her own history book of the empire and her two last copies of Woes and heroes of our woods. She almost knew the last one by heart and no one ever bought it so it was a good thing to be able to get rid of it.


    She then proceeded to explain to Emp a roundabout way to learn parts of the common tongue. She wasn''t convinced he was smart enough to do it properly but there was nothing more she could do.


    "I understand, that should be fine. But, would it not be easier if it was all in the same book?"


    Was he not listening at all to what she said? Considering it was him, it was more likely that he had no idea what a dictionary was.


    "That is what the dictionary was for. It''s a book that goes through each words one by one with their equivalent in the other language. I used it a lot to learn the noble tongue, it is one of the most useful tools you could have and I wish I still had one myself." She explained.


    There were so many other books she wished she still possessed and so many more she had never seen. For example, her mother had a book about magic but since she always brought it with her on her adventures, it was lost with her. There was also this book about letters she always wanted.


    "I once heard there is also a book comparing the letters of every languages, It must not be useful at all but it must be impressive to look at. Truly a magnificent work of art."


    Why was she even telling him this? He probably didn''t care at all. With someone like him, letters would never be as interesting as the weapons in Tiberius''s shop. Unsurprisingly, he swiftly changed the subject.


    "I also have an interesting book I would like to show you. It was Sage that gave it to me."


    "What kind of book?"


    She was a little curious, with him, it would either be extraordinary or devoid of any value.


    He put his hand inside the bag and drew an enormous book out of it. The thing was old, no, ancient, and even if it seemed time-worn, it''s majesty was undeniable. He put it down on the table with the other books as he talked.


    "This is the book of answers. I can ask it anything and it always give me the answer. For example: What is the worth of the four books I plan to buy?"


    Would it really work? Was it that simple? Emp flipped the book open and on the page he landed on, a short sentence was written. It was the answer, and it was exact, way too exact. She wanted to sell him those books for much more! Everyone overcharged him things all day and the one time he got out a book telling him the worth of what he was purchasing, it was against her!


    If she had not known by now that he wasn''t the sort of person to do that, she would have sworn it was payback for all the mistakes she made up until now. She couldn''t even argue against the book since they both knew it was the right answer. Barely any profit would be made today again, and Emp was such an easy target too. Was it divine retribution for having stopped the tailor for doing the same? Was that other shop owner not favored enough already that she had to be avenged?


    "Five gold coins and thirty four silver coins, is this correct?"


    She could only nod dejectedly. Still, she had to admit that once again, he pulled out something amazing out of nowhere. If she had such an incredible book as he had, she was convinced she could become rich in no time. He wouldn''t happen to be selling that thing for around five gold coins would he?


    Maybe he pitied her a little because he paid six crowns instead of five. She did not want to receive charity from him, she hated that kind of thing but at this point, she couldn''t complain that much about it, after all, she had intended to have him pay twenty for the books.


    She watched listlessly has another part of her legacy disappeared into the bag of someone for a couple of coins. If there was anything positive at all in this, it was that at least, she hadn''t sold at a loss.


    "If you want, I could send them back to you once I am done with them."


    "Even if you really did, I wouldn''t have the money to buy them back at that point."


    She had to keep everything she did not spend on absolute necessity to pay the debt, there was no way she would ever be able to buy those back.


    "Who is talking about selling? I can just send them back as gifts can I not?"


    "Did we not talk about gifts many times before? You should not give things to peoples you don''t know."


    "But I know you more than anyone aside from Chinui now. Can I not just say we are friends?"


    Did he really think of her as a friend? After all that happened today? She wasted his time, insulted him, tried to swindle him, she had even wished for his death! No one sane would consider her a friend after that.


    "You really are an idiot. Get out now so I can douse the candles and close the shop."


    She just wanted the day to end already. She wanted to go to bed, bury herself in the covers and forget all about that day. That he believed her to be a friend or not didn''t really matter in the end, once past the gate, he would forget she existed and she would never see him again. As for if he knew more about her than the rest of the people he met until now, she found it hardly believable. There was no way he knew more about someone he just met today than anyone else, it would mean he never met anyone and that seemed impossible.


    Galana closed up her shop, locked it and started to walk towards the north gate.


    ***


    Many hardship stems from greed but not always the greed from the suffering man himself.


    There was once such a man who worked hard every day of his life from the security of his village. He labored and spent his sweat on arduous tasks in the hope of filling the bellies of his family. He had no descendants of his own but many brothers who needed to be taken care of.


    Thus, one day, when money ran low and hunger stood high, the man decided it was time to change his destiny. Being strong like a bull, he felt that the creatures of the woods would not be his match if only he possessed a weapon to slay them.


    He set off to the weapon smith and after some arguing, they came to a deal. "Lend me a sword and I promise, in a month, I will come back to pay for it." With the man''s hardworking reputation, the smith was swayed to agree.


    Armed with his newly acquired sword, he went to hunt in the woods. However, diligence and hard work are rarely victorious when spitted against luck. Despite his best efforts, he did not manage to amass enough money to repay the smith.


    Unwilling to break his promise, he first went to borrow money from a friend. He paid back the smith but failed to repay his friend so he borrowed money from his aunt to pay him back. Then he borrowed money from his neighbor to pay her back. Every time, the money he was borrowing was a little more than the last. Finally, with no one else to turn to, he went to see the merchant. Having sold all his catch to him up until now, he was confident the man would help him.


    Said merchant however wasn''t as easily convinced as the rest. "I am willing to help and lend you the money you need but in exchange, you will give me back twice the amount I lent you in less than two months or else I will take the sword as payment."


    The man agreed and paid back his neighbor. By now he had more confidence in his ability and knew the lay of the land. He worked harder than ever to sustain both his family and the merchant. He met with more experienced hunters and with his newfound group of friends, brought back many a good catch. Many times his life was saved by one of them and of course, he promised he would do the same for them.


    The merchant, seeing all those resources fall into his lap at a speed greater than he ever saw before was taken by greed. The more the man brought and the less the merchant was willing to pay for them, as long as the man was indebted, he would continue to amass a fortune for him. Blaming it on market saturation, the day of the payment approached and the man was far from having enough money to pay back.


    With an understanding air, the merchant told him that he would extend the allowed time of repayment if he was willing to increase the total amount he owed to him. After telling him he would think about it, the man left to sulk alone in his room.


    It was that night he received the visit of a shadow knocking on his window. The lizard-like creature on the other side was far from human but spoke with fluidity and reason. The thing fed on debts, it pretended, and was very pleased with how the man had acted up until now. The thing was willing to help him out just this once by giving him one of its eggs. Its value would be more than enough to pay back his debt but in exchange, he would need to pay back with thrice the amount.


    At first, the man refused, but the creature was convincing. "I am one of debt not greed, what I want is for you to pay back. Having you fail would serve me no purpose. Thus, I am willing to give you ten years to get my investment back, once those ten years are over, I will come back and collect this delicious debt."


    The man mulled over the question for the entire night but in the end, chose to accept. If he didn''t want to be indebted for the rest of his life, he had no alternatives.


    As promised, the creature left him with an egg and its value left the merchant speechless. For the egg, he gave the man enough money to live the rest of his life without work. For the egg, forgetting the debt was more than worth it.


    With the money, the life of the man improved dramatically. Not only did his family did not go hungry anymore but he also found a loving wife. His hunting improved once more and in five years, he had enough to pay back the creature. He kept it locked away and hung up his equipment for good, giving up on hunting entirely for the sake of a tranquil life with his wife and newborn child.


    The other hunters came to seek him out, after all, he was now a real boon to have when braving the woods. They asked for his help in their hunts many times but he declined every single request. "What about your promise to help us?" Asked the hunters. "I am a hunter no more." Answered the man. "I have kids I must love and protect, there is no need for me to go risk my life in the woods with you. If it was you all, you would do the same."


    Dejected, the hunters went alone and life moved on. At the end of the ten years, the man had three sons of seven, five and three, his wife still loved him and even excluding what he kept for the creature, he would never be left wanting for money.


    When the lizard came knocking on his window, the man was ready and confident. "In a week, the time will be up and the debt will be mine." Said the creature. "Are you ready to pay?" The man led him to the treasure he had collected for it, to show the creature that indeed, he had all that was needed but the lizard, was of another mind.


    "This is an impressive amount of money, but money was not what was lent to you. What I gave you was an egg made of flesh not metal. It was instead my young I had given to you and so it is your young I am here to collect."


    "I thought you fed on debts!" Exclaimed the man. "What are you to do with my three sons?"


    "It is indeed debts that feeds me and what a greater debt than to owe three lives and souls born from your very own flesh? In a week from now I will be back to take your three first born, are you ready to pay?"


    "What if I refuse to pay?" Threatened the man. "I will take them anyway for it is true you owe them to me, I will slay you if I have to but your children are mine." On this, the creature vanished and left the man alone with his anxious mind.


    If he wanted his children to be safe, he would need to defeat the creature but never would he be able to vanquish it alone, he knew. And so, he went to his hunting friends to ask for help for they were used to such things but, none wanted to assist him in his time of need. He promised them all the money he had kept for the lizard but none were swayed.


    "What value has your promise? You promised us before but never delivered. You are a hunter no more. You gained kids you love and so you must protect them yourself. There is no need for us to go risk our lives with you for uncertain coins and feeble friendship. If it was you in our place, we both know you would do the same."


    The man, grasping at the last straws called for his brothers now living by themselves. Feeling indebted to him for all his help and care over the years, the brothers took swords and axes and gathered in the man''s house to face the creature together. He sent his wife away to her parents house and told her it would be all over by the next morning.


    The night came and the lizard followed, slipping inside without knocking on the window like its usual. "Are you ready to pay?" Asked the lizard filling the whole room. "My sons are asleep in the room behind me, if you can kill us all, they are yours."


    The lizard agreed to the challenge and a fight ensued. The brothers, having led an easy life under the protection of their eldest were no match for the creature and soon, only the man stood alive to face it. Despite his best intentions he had failed and brought down his whole family with him.


    "Their debts too were impressive." Said the creature. "They all owed their lives to you and they were succulent. In the end, your brothers were better debtors than you for they understood the value of what they owed well. If you were the same as them, the hunters would be standing by your side instead, but now you are alone and your sprouts are mine."


    The lizard quieted the man for good and left the village with the three children, never to be seen again. Be careful of what you owe and to who lest you be buried too.


    -- The debt, Woes and heroes of our woods. (1)


    (1) I included this after I received a comment about wanting more of those. I can''t promise they will be often presented to you all but I can say that I do love to write those and explain customs and beliefs with them. I will present one whenever I have the time and it is relevant to the chapter. I already have at least two other I had already planned but I didn''t want them to appear before Emp got the book. Is this one too grim? I always felt that stories like the one about crying wolf were great. They always end up badly but are very valuable to hear.

 26 Her story: Emp

    While they were walking towards the gate in silence, Emp came to a sudden realisation. He could just use the book of answer to know why she hated nobles. He didn''t need her to tell him directly. Why did he not think of this earlier? Good thing all those books reminded him of its existence.


    He got the book out in the middle of the street and Galana asked him what he was doing, perplex.


    "I was about to ask the book why you hate nobles."


    "Is that not obvious by now why hate nobles? Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"


    "I do, I really want to know and I really want to tell my own story."


    "Since you are going to pry into my life anyway, why not tell me your crazy story first, you promised to do it after all and you seemed to really want to do it."


    "Then you will tell me yours?"


    "Sure, if you promise to not look for anything else about my past in that book then I will."


    Emp chose to agree, hearing the story from her should be much better than reading it from the book. Who knew what nonsense the book would give as an answer.


    Fulfilling his end of the deal, he told her how he met Chinui and why he had his name, he told her about his four creators and the gifts they gave him but not the quest. The quest was too important to tell it to anyone else. At least he understood that now. Saying it aloud would bring a lot of trouble so it was better if he just kept it for himself. However, he answered every question Galana asked him and by the end, Galana had made a conclusion slightly off the mark.


    "Then, you''re just a homeless kid who lied about his name."


    "No, I never said Chinui was my father. Your grandmother just assumed it was so because I spoke about him and had his name. I never intended to lie, it just happened."


    "But how did you manage to change the name on your hunting card, that''s impossible."


    "I did not, it changed on its own."


    "What was it before?"


    "Just Emperor."


    "Emperor? Are you kidding me?" This seemed to be the straw that broke the camel''s back. (1) This was the most inconceivable story she ever heard. "If I got all of that right, you were born out of nothing because four gods willed it. Then, you met the great general by coincidence and he told you to enroll into that school pretending to be his son because of unknown reasons. None of that makes sense!"


    "It does not but it is what happened anyway. I do have both the treasures my creators bestowed upon me and the name of Chinui to prove it."


    "I guess so, and it explain why you are so clueless."


    "So you believe me?"


    "No, not at all. I''m just trying to understand what you would gain from such an insane story. I can''t see the goal behind all that nonsense."


    She didn''t believe him but at least now he felt much better. The lie was gone and it felt great.


    "Even if you do not, I am happy I shared it with you, now it is your turn to tell me yours."


    "Fine then, I will tell you. But only because you leave me no choice!" She said with a loud voice.


    She proceeded to tell him what had happened to herself with a volume barely above that of a whisper. It was like the words themselves did not wish to be heard.


    "My parents are... they were death seekers, ruin seekers mostly. They searched clues in old books for lost places that could still contain something valuable and went around to explore ruins and scavenge old battlefields."


    Emp wondered what ruins looked like. Were they just like a normal building but older?


    "My mom knew how to cast some water spells and how to use a bow. My dad liked to use a great shield and a short sword, he always said that as long as he could keep mom safe, he would win every time. One day, they found traces of a place called Neifner but I wish they had not. Since that town was destroyed mysteriously, no one dared go near it for a long time and then they forgot it was ever there. My parents thought the monster that had probably destroyed it had also probably died long ago and the bounty should be plentiful, if they found it, our family would prosper."


    So far, her story had nothing to do with nobles. How did the exploration of her parents end up with her hating the nobles? He did not ask out loud though and let her continue at her own pace.


    "My parents didn''t dare go so far out alone, it was way too dangerous, they needed more people. They asked other death seekers but since the trip would be long and the reward uncertain, they would not be able to find help without a guarantee. They needed to promise them money, the kind they did not have. At that point, either they gave up, went alone or borrowed money. They were so sure a great treasure was within their reach, they chose to borrow money."


    Since she was wearing a debt iron, he could already guess that something went horribly wrong.


    "We went around asking people we knew to lend us money, then we went to the city lords and the nobles until we found someone willing to finance this expedition. We did find someone in the end. Like the rest, he thought the risk he would never see his money again was high but, he also had a brain made out of mush and thought it would impress me if he paid anyway."


    Emp did not really understand what she meant exactly and Galana must have seen it on his face since she decided to explain in a little more details.


    "I don''t know what was going on in his head, all I understood is that he was smitten with me. He decided to show off with all his money but he himself was weak, and ugly, and not very smart at all. All around, he was horrible, even worse than you."


    Emp wondered how he had ended up as her template for terrible persons. Had he become some sort of scale to judge who was worse than others in her eyes?


    "I wasn''t impressed, disgusted even, so I hmm.... I did not answer to his feelings as politely as I should have."


    Emp could guess how bad her answer probably was. She was already like that with him and still, she was making efforts to stay polite.


    "He got angry at me and said I would definitely regret this but still lent the money to my parents with a condition added. Since it was his money after all, he would have the final say on who my parents hired for this. They agreed and after a month of preparations, they left with their team and supplies."


    He just let it go like that? This didn''t seem to fit how Galana described nobles at all, he must have a really strong self control and be really forgiving. With what they had told Emp before, he should have been extremely upset if he was insulted like that in front of everyone.


    "At first, everything was normal, I took care of the bookstore and the days went by without anything happening. Until at one point, everyone seemed to notice that nothing had been happening for far too long. Every passing day made it more obvious that my parents were not coming back.


    After a little more than a year, that perverted toad came to request his money, he had that huge disgusting smile, he knew full well I could not pay. He was followed by some men I knew, they were the guys we had hired as escort. Even if he did not say it out loud, I knew then, my parents were dead. My guess is that those guys waited for my parents to find the ruins, killed them and took everything for themselves and that demon pig.


    Not only had he not lost anything, he had gained the treasure and still came to me requesting the money we had borrowed. There was nothing I could do against him, that''s how I ended up with that debt iron. The only reason he didn''t finish me off then is because the law forces him to wait for a while after he put the debt iron on someone''s wrist."


    Emp didn''t know what to say. What a sad and unfair story. What could he possibly answer to such a tale? That man was clearly in the wrong, was this not some sort of crime? Why did no one do anything about it? Thinking about it, it was probably similar to what had happened earlier that day. If the guards were to go there, between Galana and a noble, the words of the noble were more credible, also, the guys who came back would probably deny ever going there, it would be everyone against Galana. The guards would undoubtedly think she was just trying to get herself out of a debt.


    He could only stare at her in silence, finding nothing to say. Her face was distorted by rage and a few tears of anger glided on her face while she talked.


    "That''s why I despise nobles. They are all like that. They steal and lie and somehow manage to put the blame on some innocent people. Not only do they not help you when you are in trouble but they kick you while you are down. We went there to get help but all we got was ruin and misery.


    They take and take but never give anything back but pain. I''m sure the other nobles know as well what happened to me or many others but not one lifted a finger to correct the wrongs of their peers. I''m sure they are all laughing together about it all. I hate them so much I wish everyday that I would be able to rip their heads off with my bare hands!" She said through her teeth, ripping off an imaginary head in front of her.


    She had the most hateful glare Emp had ever seen but, he had not seen many hateful glare in his life before so he wasn''t sure if this was impressive or not.


    "They can''t all be like that." Objected Emp. "Just today, I gave you food and you got angry at me for it. Is it possible that it was just that one?"


    "Were you not the one insisting you aren''t a noble? You''re just an idiot who doesn''t understand how the world works, that has nothing to do with what we are talking about."


    Maybe he wasn''t a real noble for now but, one day he would be an emperor, he would be a noble too, the highest of them all. Still, he couldn''t tell her that.


    "But you said you did not believe me, plus, if what I said is true, it means that Chinui, who is also a noble, was generous enough to give me a lot of gold and even his name even though we knew each other for less than a year."


    "I learned it today, the Muraciers are people I can''t understand, almost nothing you say or do makes sense. Either they are like the rest of the nobles but I am so small a pawn I can''t even see why you are acting like this with me or, they really are unlike the rest of the nobles but if this was the case, why aren''t they doing anything?"


    Emp was taken aback once more by her answer.


    "That is unfair, I cannot fix something I do not know about. Just tell me the name and I will go there myself to pay your debt."


    She seemed to think about it for a moment but she ended up refusing while shaking her head.


    "I can''t let you do that, I would be indebted to you then, that''s not much better is it?"


    Emp disagreed, it was much better to be indebted to him because he didn''t care at all about the money and did not intend to do bad things. Also, he never intended to ask the money back afterwards.


    "I could just ask the book who it is."


    "You can''t, you promised you wouldn''t ask anything more from the book." She denied with a wry smile.


    He had not thought of that at all! What was the best way to help then? Why was she making it so hard? Emp thought the bast way to do like Love had told him was to help those he came across but if they were all as difficult to assist as Galana was, he would never be able to do it. He really wanted to ask Love how to best help people now, it was all so confusing.


    While he was thinking about this, the city gate came into view, he was almost out of time.


    "Then at least tell me how much money he is asking for."


    "Not happening." She said as she crossed her arms.


    She had forgotten something important though.


    "Fifteen red dragons! That''s a lot."


    "How!" She complained.


    "It''s written on the debt iron, it''s easy to read when your arms are crossed."


    Annoyingly, the name that was engraved into it wasn''t in the right angle for him to see. She uncrossed her arms and hid them behind her back in a hurry. He lost his chance to know who was giving her a hard time.


    "That''s cheating!" She said angrily.


    Emp just smiled and put his hand in the bag to look for the money. Even if he didn''t know the name, he could just give her the money she needed.


    "Don''t you dare get money out of that bag. I don''t want it."


    "Why? Won''t it be much better when there isn''t that threat on you all the time." He asked, really confused.


    "Sure but I still don''t want your money, even if you do get it out of that bag, I will never take it."


    "Why are you so stubborn on this, can you not just let me help?" Emp said in a complaining tone.


    "Because you''re a noble... and a stranger... And also, you said it earlier, I have no right to complain if I don''t do anything to get out of trouble myself. I do not need your help and I do not want your help."


    Now she was using his own words against him. If he had known this would happen, he would never have said it in the first place. Now the words he had used to force her to accept his help were stopping him from helping again. That was very frustrating. He tried something else.


    "How Am I to pay you if I cannot get money out of the bag?"


    "You will get only three silver scepters out of it, no more or I am not taking anything."


    That was so little compared to what she owed! That was depressing, he would have to find some other way to help latter.


    "Then before I leave, could you answer one last unrelated question?"


    "What?"


    "What do you think would make for a good emperor? What kind of person or abilities does a good emperor need?" This truly was unrelated but, i really wished to know her thoughts on this. Maybe if he asked enough people, he would come up with a better picture of what he needed to be.


    "Where does that question even come from?"


    "I just want to know what you think, I told you it was unrelated. This is the last thing I need from you before I leave this town."


    She thought for a while but then, seemed to realise something and instead of answering his question asked him her own.


    "Wait, do you really intend on leaving the city alone? Should you not wait for a caravan instead? It''s dangerous to go alone." (2)


    Emp had seen caravans before, they were really slow and he didn''t want to wait.


    "They''re too slow, it''s faster for me to go alone."


    "Then at least take a horse! Don''t tell me you don''t want to waste money for one."


    "I don''t know how to ride."


    Also, the horse was a liability. If he wanted to hide well at night, he would have to get rid of the horse anyway or it would reveal his own position. It was safer it the horse wasn''t there.


    "What a useless noble! Idiot! What are you going to do if you come across a timestop sloth?" She said with a hint of concern in her voice.


    "I have no idea what that is." Answered Emp.


    Used to him not knowing, she just answered plainly.


    "That''s a thing that looks just like a sloth but it''s not. Once it looks at someone, he becomes unable to move until the sloth breaks eye contact. That is why it''s called a timestop sloth. Once it got something frozen, it slowly moves to it and eats it alive."


    That sounded terrible.


    "Is there a way to get away from it?"


    "No, but the sloth can only target one thing at a time so as long as you are at least two, the sloth cannot do anything to you. Aside from its time-stop ability, it is super weak. At least, if you were on a horse, if you were paralyzed, the horse could still move forward and bring you out of danger but if you come across one alone, you are dead."


    As long as you were two there was no problem? Well then he wouldn''t be in any trouble, he was always two anyway.


    "Then I will be all right if I just do this." He said as he summoned his second self.


    Of course Galana was shocked.


    "That''s amazing! Wait, why did you not do that in the alley?"


    "I forgot." He answered honestly.


    "You are terrible, I hate you!" She said angrily. "Just give me my silver and leave."


    "What about my question?"


    "I think a good emperor would be someone who can control the other nobles since they represent him. Someone who could stop them from doing whatever they please but I don''t think such a thing exist."


    "I will remember." Emp said as he gave her the money. "Good bye and good luck, I will send you your books back when I''m done with them."


    "Don''t do that!" Said Galana but Emp ignored her.


    Afterward, he recalled the other Emp and walked towards the gate. He only had made a couple of steps when she called him again.


    "Hey! Idiot!"


    He looked back to her thinking she was just going to say goodbye but instead, she said "Stop being so dumb." with a pout.


    What kind of goodbye was this? Emp, as confused as ever, left the city of Red-water behind him.


    (1) What kind of weird expression is this! In french we say that it was the drop that made the vase spill, that makes much more sense. I should probably work on my own version of this.


    (2) Old man in the cave? What are you doing here! Don''t tell us you have a sword for Emp too.

 27 His story: Galana

    They were advancing in silence towards the gate when suddenly, a mischievous smile crept up his face. What was he thinking about now? She expected him to say something crazy as usual but instead, he got his treasured book out of his bag again, right here in the middle of the road.


    "What are you doing?" She asked, afraid he was about to do something troublesome.


    "I was about to ask the book why you hate nobles."


    "Is that not obvious by now why hate nobles? Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"


    She did not want to talk about it and it seemed obvious to her that if someone had a huge debt and hated noble, the two were probably linked. Why did he feel the need to peek into other people''s lives like that? Was it some sort of depraved hobby? She needed to find a way to stop him from prying any further into it.


    "I do, I really want to know and I really want to tell my own story." He said.


    That was right, he wanted to tell his own but he only could if she told him hers. Knowing that, she might be able trick him into forgetting all about it.


    "Since you are going to pry into my life anyway, why not tell me your crazy story first, you promised to do it after all and you seemed to really want to do it."


    "Then, will you tell me yours?"


    "Sure, if you promise to not look for anything else about my past in that book then I will."


    That way she would be able to tell him however little she wanted and because of his new promise, he would be unable to pry anymore. Since he had told his own first, he would not even have a reason to complain. This was perfect.


    He proceeded to weave her an impossible story in which the gods created him and dropped him in the woods near where the great general lived. He had five gifts but only one blessing because his four parents could not give him blessings if he did not complete their trials. He had the name of the great general because he had lent it to him in order to accomplish a task given by the gods. All of it was really nonsensical. So in the end, was he just an orphan kid left in the woods to die?


    "Then, you''re just a homeless kid who lied about his name."


    "No, I never said Chinui was my father. Your grandmother just assumed it was so because I spoke about him and had his name. I never intended to lie, it just happened."


    So it was just some kind of misunderstanding? He was not a noble and never pretended to be, supposedly. But, everyone believed it anyway since his card said so.


    "But how did you manage to change the name on your hunting card, that''s impossible."


    If he really was some random homeless kid than his card should not display Muracier as his name. But then, if he was a Muracier, why was he so convinced he wasn''t? There was clearly something wrong with his story but the guy seemed to believe wholeheartedly that it was the truth. Either way, no one could change what was written on the card. This was common knowledge, it had never been otherwise.


    "I did not, it changed on its own."


    "What was it before?"


    Whatever it was instead of Muracier before had to be his real name. if he could not answer, then it was Muracier from the start.


    "Just Emperor."


    "Emperor? Are you kidding me?"


    What kind of idiotic name was that? Who decided to name him like so? The great general? At least, hiding it behind a nickname made sense if this was truly his name. Since he was dead set on saying nonsense about it, she left the matter of his name aside to go back to the rest of his story.


    "If I got all of that right, you were born out of nothing because four gods willed it. Then, you met the great general by coincidence and he told you to enroll into that school pretending to be his son because of unknown reasons. None of that makes sense!"


    "It does not but it is what happened anyway. I do have both the treasures my creators bestowed upon me and the name of Chinui to prove it."


    "I guess so, and it explain why you are so clueless."


    He had no idea how anything worked, he was carrying priceless treasures everywhere, knew about a state secret and had the great general''s name. Maybe it was all true after all.


    "So you believe me?"


    "No, not at all, I''m just trying to understand what you would gain from such an insane story. I can''t see the goal behind all that nonsense."


    She wasn''t about to tell him she believed such an insane story, even if she couldn''t see any other possibility aside from it being a giant lie. The funny thing was that the Muraciers never lied but the one in front of her was saying that he wasn''t one despite his card saying otherwise. What sort of messy affair was he the center of?


    "Even if you do not, I am happy I shared it with you, now it is your turn to tell me yours."


    "Fine then, I will tell you but only because you leave me no choice."


    She had wanted to tell him as little as possible but, in the end, she decided to tell him the truth. Just, not all of it. She had not been fair with him until now, it would not hurt her to let him know part of her problems, right?


    She told him about her parents, their goal, the loan and how they disappeared. Emp Listened carefully, seemingly with a genuine interest.


    The more she spoke about it, the more her anger rose back above the rest of her feelings. She was sad and angry in equal measure but, it was much easier to express rage for her than grief.


    She was angry at so many different people. She hated Balpoisson for his devious scheme, she hated the adventurers who followed him, she hated the rest for not helping her parents when they could, she hated her parents for just throwing themselves into that trap, she hated the other bookstores owner for trying to bury her only way out, she hated the rest of her family for their indifference and she hated all the nobles for their filthy souls.


    Emp seemed saddened by her tale but she felt a little better for having told all this to someone for once. She emptied her heart in front of him, proclaiming her hate of nobles loud and clear, right in front of one of them. Threatening to kill them all herself even though she knew that if they were ever in her grasps, she wouldn''t be able to actually do it. Maybe just strangling them wouldn''t be so disgusting to look at afterward?


    "They can''t all be like that. Just today, I gave you food and you got angry at me for it. Is it possible that it was just that one?"


    "Were you not the one insisting you aren''t a noble? You''re just an idiot who doesn''t understand how the world works, that has nothing to do what we are talking about."


    "But you said you did not believe me, plus, if what I said is true, it means that Chinui, who is also a noble, was generous enough to give me a lot of gold and even his name even though we knew each other for less than a year."


    That was true but, it was only so because the great general was a Muracier as well.


    "I learned it today, the Muraciers are people I can''t understand, almost nothing you say or do makes sense. Either they are like the rest of the nobles but I am so small a pawn I can''t even see why you are acting like this with me or, they really are unlike the rest of the nobles but if this was the case, why aren''t they doing anything?"


    Muraciers where praised as honest and lawful individuals, ready to do anything for the protection of the empire but they never did a thing against the other nobles eating the empire and it''s people from the inside.


    "That is unfair." Claimed the idiot. "I cannot fix something I do not know about. Just tell me the name and I will go there myself to pay your debt."


    She had no doubt he would actually do it. She was really tempted to accept his proposal. If she went there with him right now, she would be free from it all, she would be saved. But there was something that was bothering her about this. Was it because of what he had said in the store earlier? Maybe she was seeing him just a tiny bit as a friend. She couldn''t possibly have him pay that for her, she could do it on her own, she ''would'' do it on her own. But, she couldn''t possibly tell him that. Also,


    "I can''t let you do that, I would be indebted to you then, that''s not much better is it?"


    "I could just ask the book who it is."


    "You can''t, you promised you wouldn''t ask anything more from the book."


    She had made him promise that for this very reason after all. No, it was just because she didn''t want him to pry, this was just a fortunate side effect. Not really fortunate but whatever.


    "Then at least tell me how much money he is asking for." He asked pitifully.


    "Not happening."


    If she said it aloud, he would no doubt insist on giving her the money right now and it would make everything harder.


    "Fifteen red dragons! That''s a lot." He exclaimed in surprise.


    "How!"


    How did he know! He didn''t even open the book! Had she thought about it out loud again?


    "It''s written on the debt iron, it''s easy to read when your arms are crossed."


    She hadn''t even noticed her arms were crossed. She threw them at her back to stop him from seeing the name as well and shouted angrily at him.


    "That''s cheating!"


    Devious idiot homeless bum! And now he was really about to give her that damn money, she had to stop him.


    "Don''t you dare get money out of that bag. I don''t want it."


    She wanted it so bad! For the love of all gods, he better not tempt her like that or she would snap.


    "Why? Won''t it be much better when there isn''t that threat on you all the time?"


    "Sure but I still don''t want your money. Even if you do get it out of that bag, I will never take it."


    If he did, she would definitely not be able to resist anymore and take it. She really didn''t want to though. She was her own self, she didn''t need the help of someone to stand up, she wanted to look at her friends as equals, not look up to them as some sort of savior. Her debt was her own and paying one with another was utterly retarded.


    "Why are you so stubborn on this, can you not just let me help?" He said, exasperated.


    "Because you''re a noble..." And a friend. "And a stranger..." She needed a better excuse than that. What could she ever say to make such an idiot give up? Wait, what was it he said earlier?


    "And also, you said it earlier, I have no right to complain if I don''t do anything to get out of trouble myself. I do not need your help and I do not want your help."


    "How am I to pay you if I cannot get money out of the bag?" He tried to counter


    "You will get only three silver scepters out of it, no more or I am not taking anything."


    That was already many times more than she should ask for just walking around with him for a day. He seemed displeased by the amount but still did as she had asked him.


    "Then before I leave, could you answer one last unrelated question?" He said to change the subject.


    "What?" What kind of nonsense would he spout again.


    "What do you think would make for a good emperor? What kind of person or abilities does a good emperor need?"


    "Where does that question even come from?"


    That was more than unexpected, there was more chances of being struck by lightning than thinking about such a thing in those circumstances.


    "I just want to know what you think, I told you it was unrelated. This is the last thing I need from you before I leave this town."


    What kind of answer was he even seeking? What was the point to this question? What did he need her answer for? How would she know what kind of guy makes a good emperor? Still, she had to find something good to answer since afterward he would pass the gates. This would maybe be the last thing she would ever tell him. Then, suddenly it hit her. She had not thought of it before but, was he really going to go out there alone, and on foot at that?


    "Wait, do you really intend on leaving the city alone? Should you not wait for a caravan instead? It''s dangerous to go alone."


    A caravan was much safer, they were dozens to defend each other after all.


    "They''re too slow, it''s faster for me to go alone."


    Too slow! Who cares about being slow! She was talking about his life here, this idiot was really terrible.


    "Then at least take a horse! Don''t tell me you don''t want to waste money for one."


    He had plenty of it after all, he had paid ridiculous amounts for all sorts of crazy things since this morning. There was no way he would refuse to buy a horse now right?


    "I don''t know how to ride."


    What kind of half-assed noble didn''t know how to ride a fucking horse! Did he not understand the dangers he would be in outside of the walls? There were so many death seekers that went out alone and never came back, mostly because of the timestop sloths living in the region near the low woods.


    "What a useless noble! Idiot! What are you going to do if you come across a timestop sloth?"


    "I have no idea what that is."


    She felt exasperated but took the time to explain it very carefully to him to make him understand he couldn''t possibly go out there alone.


    "That''s a thing that looks just like a sloth but it''s not. Once it looks at someone, he becomes unable to move until the sloth breaks eye contact. That is why it''s called a timestop sloth. Once it got something frozen, it slowly moves to it and eats it alive."


    "Is there a way to get away from it?" He asked a little anxious.


    Good, he was starting to see reason.


    "No, but the sloth can only target one thing at a time so as long as you are at least two, the sloth cannot do anything to you. Aside from its time-stop ability, it is super weak. At least, if you were on a horse, if you were paralyzed, the horse could still move forward and bring you out of danger but if you come across one alone, you are dead."


    He really had to understand that he needed at least one other living being with him.


    Maybe if the debt iron had not stopped her from walking out of town, she would have joined him. She never had the occasion to go on one of her parents adventures after all, she really wanted to see what it was really like outside, out of reach from the nobles.


    "Then I will be all right if I just do this." He said as a twin of him appeared at his side out of thin air.


    "That''s amazing!"


    What kind of trick was that! Was it some sort of extremely advanced martial art? Or some strange magic power gained from one of the insane treasures he seemed to have plenty of. Whatever it was and anyway she sliced it, it was impressive. There was no way that dumb sloth would get him as long as the twin was out before it saw him. in fact, it would give him an overwhelming advantage in any fights...


    "Wait, why did you not do that in the alley?"


    "I forgot." He said as if it didn''t matter at all.


    "You are terrible, I hate you." She couldn''t believe him, what a nonsensical guy. He was so discouraging, she couldn''t wait for him to be gone.


    "Just give me my silver and leave."


    "What about my question?"


    She just told him whatever came to her mind, eager to have him leave.


    "I think a good emperor would be someone who can control the other nobles since they represent him. Someone who could stop them from doing whatever they please but I don''t think such a thing exist."


    "I will remember." He said as he handed her the money. She took care to keep the name etched on the bracelet away from his eyes while picking up the coins.


    "Good bye and good luck, I will send you your books back when I''m done with them."


    "Don''t do that!" She screamed at his back.


    What an insufferable idiot! She wanted to throw him ten thousand kicks but still, she did not want him to die. If he did, she would regret not taking his money for the rest of her life.


    "Hey! Idiot!" She screamed back at him.


    He turned towards her with a puzzled look.


    Don''t die, she wanted to say.


    "Stop being so dumb." She said instead.


    He definitely thought her parting words were odd but instead of answering back, he just left through the gate. She looked at him walking for a moment before she took a deep breath and turned back towards home. After all that, she wanted nothing more than a full day of sleep.

 28 Forested road and Starfall hills

    Emp left the town of Red-water and went north towards Starfall village. He walked swiftly and managed to get out of the wide range of fields before night hit and forced him to stop.


    The next morning, without going down the tree he was hiding in, he had to waste a lot of time to manage to put on his armor correctly. It was the first time he was putting it on outside of when the shop owner helped him try it out. There were so many different bits, clasps and belts attached to it, he felt surprised he was able to remember where each of them were supposed to go.


    He shook his arms and legs to make sure everything was solidly kept in place and jumped down the tree. There was a bunch of clanking noises but not even his helmet fell off. Satisfied with his own work, he summoned the other him and took the road again.


    It was the first time he was really travelling with the other him. It felt really odd feeling there was another person beside him while knowing that it was actually himself. Also, he often had the urge to speak to the second him before realising that since he was him, he had the same mind and thus, the same thoughts and ideas. There was simply nothing to talk about.


    Instead, he observed the surroundings like he usually did. The trees here were taller and thicker than in the mountain and almost none of them had needles instead of leaves. The ground wasn''t as swampy as it was before he had reached the area around the lake, the sun was out but clouded by a cover of leaves and the fog did not reach here. There was not much to look at. No flowers, no strange bushes, no mushrooms, no carved faces on rocks, nothing. The good thing was that there were a lot of birds around, he could not see them but they loudly claiming their existence. At least it gave him something to listen to.


    Was he uninterested because this was too similar to the surroundings of Chinui''s house? He had seen some strange new sights every day since he had left after all, this one may just have been too ordinary compared to what he already knew. Or maybe it was really just an uninteresting forest? He wasn''t sure of which was the truth.


    After half a day of peaceful travelling, he came across something new. In the underbrush on the side of the road two small creatures where crawling around.


    At first, Emp thought they were big insects because of how they looked and crawled but they both had small, furry and chubby legs. They were not turtles either even if they had what looked like a shell. They were too long and said shell was separated into many articulate parts.


    That shell covered their whole back up to their small tail and extended on their sides like a box. They had a big hairy nose and small rounded teeth they used to nibble at the grass and the low leaves. They were shorter than his leg and walked so low on the ground that even if one got on top of the other, they would still not reach his knee. They were not threatening at all.


    They were just shuffling their bodies along the underbrush, eating the green they could reach, the small insects that got in their way and sometimes even tiny rocks. Often, one of them would climb on top of the other to reach something a little too high for him. Emp felt they were very interesting to look at, endearing even.


    Was this part of why Galana told him to go together with at least one other person? It sure looked nice to go around with a friend like that, helping each other out to reach their meal and trotting along together. Maybe he should find some sort of friend that wasn''t himself. That way he would be able to talk about things while he walked.


    How did one make a friend? He had thought before it was as simple as knowing someone but Galana seemed to think this was wrong. Did it require a lot of efforts or time? If it needed time, it would have to wait for after he reached the school because he did not want to miss his chance.


    After a while, He resumed his travel, leaving the two small creatures behind. Maybe that whole forest wasn''t so boring after all, he liked to see new things.


    That day, he stopped walking early to have some time trying to figure out how that other language worked. He had a hard time figuring out which way was the most effective to learn it. He tried reading the book of stories in both languages in turn, then both at the same time using his second self and then only the one in the poor tongue, stopping at every word to ask the book of answer what they meant.


    His conclusion was that it was really hard however he went at it. He closed all the books for the night since the darkness forced him to stop anyway and decided to continue doing his best in the following days.


    On the second day since he left town, he managed to put on the armor a little faster but the clouds came back to threaten him with their bellies full of water.


    He hoped it would not rain, it wasn''t that annoying on the moment it happened but it was much harder to find a good sleeping spot when everything was wet and slippery. That, he had already learned the last time it rained.


    That day, in the afternoon, it did not rain, but he met another twin headed beetle. The book had been right, they truly were common.


    This time, he was ready to fight it. He had an armor and many weapons to choose from. He felt that if this thing was truly as weak as what the book of answer made it out to be, he would have no problems defeating it.


    The beetle sized him up from a distance, rising and lowering its twin-heads in discord. It seemed more hesitant to attack him than his two previous experiences with them, was it because of the armor he wore? Was the bug smart enough to understand that the armor meant his opponent might be too hard to deal with?


    Apparently not, it made a bunch of excited clicks with his two pairs of mandibles and charge towards Emp. He decided to get his new hammer out of the bag. His plan was simple, once the beetle was in range, he would smash the hammer on top of one of its heads. Which one should he hit though? He thought while the beetle was approaching as quickly as it could. The two heads were exactly identical with one another, it did not matter which one he hit. This was exactly why it was so hard to choose.


    Should he just smash the first one to reach or choose one and stick to it? He wondered while raising his weapon. If he tried to hit the first one coming and they came at the same time what would he do? He felt more and more distressed as the monster got nearer. In the end, as the twin heads were plunging to his sides, he chose the right and brought the hammer down on it.


    The head could not stand its weight and after a sick squelching crunch, it was splattered across the ground and his boots. What a displeasing sound, Emp thought. The rest of the beetle''s body shook twice, the second head screeched, was taken by spasms and then, stopped moving altogether. It had died. It ended up much easier than he thought it would be, it didn''t even scratch him.


    He raised the hammer back up from the ground and watched disgusting bits fall off of it. Looking at it, he had changed his mind about the rain, he hoped it would come soon so he could wash his hammer. Thinking about it, he had also forgotten to wash off the blood from the sword and the spear.


    He had no idea what to do with it for now so he just smeared what was sticking to the hammer on the nearby shrubberies and put it back in the bag.


    He turned back towards the bug and looking at it closely, he did not feel as upset as he had felt when he had fought the bearded men. That beetle he could understand easily, it just wanted to eat him. It was simple, either he killed the bug or the beetle ate him. This was what he had to do and it made sense to him. Was it really because of that that he didn''t feel too upset or was it because it did not have a human face? Anyway he took it, he was happy the hammer could do the job. It wasn''t that satisfying since it had been so easy but victory still felt great.


    Now, what did the book say again about the valuable parts of that beetle, what was he supposed to take? Since it was dead, could he just push it whole into the bag and think about it later? It would not dirty the rest of his things right? He walked to it and placed the bag against it to bring the bug inside. Unsurprisingly, it worked. Those treasure the god gave were so useful.


    Wait, thinking about treasures, he could have just summoned the other him to hit the two heads at once instead of hesitating like that until the very last second! Why did he always forget to bring him out when he actually needed him?


    He summoned him to walk for the rest of the day, just in case, but nothing else happened, not even the rain.


    The day after, he arrived at Starfall village, he chose to enter alone because he did not know how to answer people if they asked him why there was two of him. Well, maybe he could have answered but, not in that language.


    Here no one spoke a word of the noble tongue. He tried his best to answer their greetings but wasn''t sure if he said the right things at all. Also, he had forgotten to remove the armor before going in so everyone he walked past stared at him with a mix of fear, confusion and suspicion.


    Starfall really was a small village. Aside from some small houses lost in the few surrounding fields, all the buildings of the village stood on the sides of the same road. There were no streets, only a straight line from one entrance to the other. In the center of it all, there was some sort of small stone keep protected by guards on one side and a large wooden barn filled with large blocks of cut stone on the other. The stones where raised by a strange mechanism one by one and lowered on carts while dozens of children ran around and over all the stones that had yet to be moved.


    Emp found it funny that there were more children here than the number of adults he had seen since the village came into his view. The swarm of kids saw him from the building and all screamed together before they hid behind the stacks of stones. Emp Chuckled and moved along.


    Not much further, a large group of serious looking men wielding weapons where sat around a couple of tables in what Emp assumed to be a inn. He felt like they were probably there to escort the stone to Red-water so he did not bother them and moved on again.


    This place was simple and peaceful, it did not seem like those who lived here saw much action. This was probably a good thing. What Emp was curious about was why. Why was this the case and how were they safe without walls and only a few guards to protect them. Maybe all the inhabitants of this place where secretly super strong? Or maybe there was just not that many monsters around here but then, why not make the town bigger? If it was safe here, more people should come no?


    Unable to find answers to his questions since he could not ask them to anyone, he refilled his water using the well and he left the village.


    In the following days, he met with trouble many times. It seemed that the area wasn''t as safe as it seemed.


    When the landscape started to show taller hills and snakier roads, he happened upon some sort of wolf covered in spines. It had the shape of a wolf, the size of a wolf and the growl of a wolf but instead of fur, it had the spines of a porcupine. The beast was hurt, it was limping.


    Emp was unsure of what to do with it. The thing was growling at him but clearly in no shape to attack him, it probably just wanted him to go away. The problem was that it was standing at the side of the road and Emp would have to pass it in order to continue. Could he just make a long step to dodge it? It did not seem able to run after him right now.


    On the other hand, he could also just kill it now to stop it from harming someone else at a later date. It would be one less beast to worry about. He had no idea what it was able to do though, what if it was surprisingly strong? Should he ask the book?


    He finally chose to just space walk past it, after he got to the other side, he kept an eye behind him to be sure it would not follow him and felt relieved only after a bend in the road hid it from him.


    The day after, it rained for a long time and Emp remembered to wash his weapons. It went as well as it could with the spear and the hammer but since the sword was burning, the raindrops weren''t that useful. He would need to find some river or the likes to wash away the coat of burn blood on it.


    That same day, we was walking between two hills with sides covered in rocks instead of trees when he heard some laughter. It wasn''t a warm friendly laugh nor a sinister laugh. It was more like some sort of shrill sounding cackle. The sound came from the right but when he looked at that hill, it came from the left instead. Soon, cackling could be heard from everywhere around him, mixing with the sound of the rain into a constant noise.


    Then, Emp saw what was making that noise. It was some sort of mix between a rodent and a chicken. It had a beak lined with sharp fangs, a creepy rodent head crowned with feathers, a flabby red neck like that of a chicken, the body of a rat or a squirrel if you believed its tail and its front paws ended into the claws of a bird. It should not have been scary at all considering it was merely the size of his palm, but, it wasn''t alone. From between the rocks and cracks of the hills came forth hundreds of those tiny creatures.


    They swarmed the place, covering every inch of the hills with their impossible numbers and rushed towards him from both sides of the road. They instantly drowned the sound of the rain with their manic cackling and the frantic scratching of their small claws on the rocks.


    There was no way he could win against so many! Once more, he was forced to run. They should have been much faster than him but with the help of the space walk, he managed to keep some distance between them and him. He had no clue on how to escape them though, he couldn''t gain any ground on them. How were people dealing with those things? Magic?


    He tried space walking on top of the rocks, then up the hills and down again but those pesky things were so quick and agile they could follow easily. He ran for a long time with their insane giggling drilling into his head while the rain intensified into drops so large they felt like small rocks.


    He was finally saved when lightning struck nearby. It didn''t hit any of them but the thunder was so loud it send them all scurrying away in fear. Even after all that running, none of them felt that Emp was worth braving the lightning it seemed. Emp almost gave them a laugh of his own because of how dumbstruck he felt about this nonsensical conclusion.


    Now that he was out of danger, he wanted really badly to lie down and take his time to regain his breath but, like the swarm, he needed to find shelter from the storm first. He ended up drenched but safe bellow a huge tilted boulder and slept badly that night, afraid the swarm would come back and disturbed by the water.


    Then, the day after, he found a lone ordinary straight sword laying in the middle of the road. There were no sign of whoever it belonged to, no prints on the ground, no clothes, no blood, nothing but the sword. He stored it in his bag in case he found who the sword belonged to and moved on.


    This also made him wonder why he had not seen anyone since he left Starfall. It should have been an important road between the kingdom of Artefine and Windblow. Why was it so empty, where were everyone? Before he had reached Starfall, he had crossed other travelers regularly but right now, the path seemed oddly empty. Did something bad happen to the rest of the travelers or were there just none to begin with? The answer to those new questions did not present themselves to him as it usually went with his questioning and the road remained peaceful.


    The hills had seemed particularly tall and jagged that day but after the crossroad he passed in the afternoon, they started to soften again. The density of trees increased as well and by the time he stopped for the day, he was back in the usual forest.


    In the three following day, he had three more ridiculous fights. The first one happened when a small rock suddenly smashed against the back of his head. It made a sharp ding against his helmet but he was uninjured.


    He turned around to see that it was apparently a monkey hidden in the branches of a tree that was the culprit. He had no idea that monkeys lived nearby, he had never seen one before. Of course, it would have been much interesting for him if the monkey wasn''t throwing rocks at him.


    He picked up the projectile and threw it back at it. He missed but the animal gave up anyway and escaped by jumping further into the trees.


    The next day, he met with an entire pack of those strange spiked wolves. He wasn''t really paying attention because he was trying to remember the words of the common language he had learned until then so he did not notice them following him before they attacked. One of them bit his leg but failed to pierce his armor and another one was ready to jump at him to make him fall over.


    Suprised by the sudden danger, he thought it would be a arduous fight against so many of them. He got his shield and Flame out of his bag and summoned his copy but when they saw all that, the wolves decided it was too risky to fight him, gave up and ran back into the woods. He only managed to slash off a fistful of long needles from the back of the one that was biting down at his leg before it disappeared in the wild. Because they were interesting to look at, he kept the needles in his bag and left again.


    Then, the next day, he came across the first human he had seen since the last village. That one was a woman, tall, blond, muscled, wearing a tunic and armed with a longbow pointed at him with an arrow ready to fire. She called out to him from a distance with a menacing tone.


    Emp, unable to understand what she meant decided to react the same way he had done with the wolves. He got his weapon and shield out, summoned the other him and waited for her reaction. She made an angry shout and shot her arrow. It passed just beside his shield and hit him in the shoulder.


    The arrow bounced off of his shoulder plate without harm but it''s power still almost threw him to the ground. Noticing her arrow could not pierce his armor easily, she spat on the ground and ran expertly into the woods on the left.


    He stared puzzled at the wood for a while before moving again, curious of what this was about. He did not understand what she had wanted from him. He also could not understand why every creatures around here gave up so easily against him. Aside from the swarm of course who ran after him for a long time.


    Emp had thought he was a perfect prey for mostly anything in these woods but apparently, even if he was weak, the armor and magic sword were enough to scare them all away. The armor in particular was really useful, thanks to it, he had not been pierced by an arrow, not bitten by a wolf, nor knocked out by a monkey.


    After he had met with the woodland horror, he had thought that the trip to the school would be really hard but now, he felt that he had probably been worried over nothing.


    If he did not encounter anything too dangerous, he would probably be fine.


    ***


    Forest spiked wolves are a common breed of wolves situated rather low in the food chain of our empire. They are not much smarter than ordinary wolves nor are they stronger. Like their furred cousins, they tend to hunt in packs and are unafraid of creatures larger than them as long as they show some weakness.


    Their fangs and claws can easily bring down a deer but unfortunately for them, there are things far more dangerous than them roaming in our forests.


    Unable to take down those more powerful animals, they would have ended up as prey instead. They had to adapt and so, in order to protect themselves grew a coat of spines or quills like that of a porcupine.


    Some believe that the spiked wolves can launch those quills as a form of attack but after a considerable amount of observation we can now safely assume that this is untrue. Those quills have for only purpose the protection of the wolf and are used to deter larger predators from consuming them.


    Since eating such a wolf would result in a very uncomfortable and possibly deadly experience, most of the larger predators living here tends to ignore them. There is however one creature that still prey on them, the rumbling Windbow lizard. Their skin is so though that the spines are simply too weak to harm it. Upon catching a spiked wolf, the lizard will kill it by only using its claws and proceed to rip off every single quill before consuming it.


    Aside from those characteristics, the forest spiked wolves are just like any other wolves and should be treated as such. They will flee from fights they cannot win, stay away from fire and steal corpses if you leave them the chance to do so.


    Baron Freigis Sorenthal was able to raise and train an entire pack of them as hunting dogs but refused to disclose how he accomplished such a feat. Although this proves that domestication is indeed possible, I would advise against it as not only do they not have any offensive advantage but their telltale characteristic makes them hard to handle.


    I would even go as far as to say that an affectionate spiked wolf might be more dangerous than a wild one if they would ever wish to be petted.


    -- Common Steelwood Bestiary entry on the Forest spiked Wolf.


    ***


    Many creatures living in our lands are considered more like a natural disaster than a living thing and the cackling swarm is one of them. No one knows where or when they appeared first but one things is for certain, the world became a worse place because of them.


    Due to the individuals composing such a swarm never being seen alone, very few people know of their name and instead refer to the entire group as the cackling swarm and the individuals as cacklers. Their true name is Eclucrey but cackler is indeed a fitting name for the creature.


    It is said that those diminutive critters, no larger than a human palm, are able to chew through anything and aren''t afraid of anything either. They move as a large swarm often containing more than two thousands individuals and consume all fauna they encounter.


    Unlike most rodents, because they are indeed rodents despite the avian traits they also posses, they have a terrible sense of smell and rely instead on their very sensitive hearing to find prey. Almost nothing can escape their senses, even a squirrel running up a tree will get their attention.


    Once the swarm finds a living being, nothing can stop it from devouring it entirely, including the bones. They first start by signalling their swarm with their signature cackling. Once the first chittering laughter is heard, it is already too late to escape, the swarm is upon you. Even hiding will be of no use since they will hear you breath even through their obnoxious ruckus.


    They have been known to devour entire villages and even some small town that were unprepared to their threat. Only by burning the fields in their way or gaining the help of powerful mages would a town hope to survive the disaster known as the cackling swarm.


    They do have a natural enemy however, the thunderchew, known for slamming its teeth so hard against each others that it makes the sound of thunder even from kilometers away. A sound so powerful in fact that individuals part of the cackling swarm that find themselves too close to a thunderchew as it does this, all die instantly from the sound alone.


    It is commonly believed that to hear things so well, they possess a way to amplify the sounds they hear on top of their hearing already being very acute. This same mechanism would be responsible for their reaction to the thunderchew, making them amplify this sound into something so powerful that it could shatter their feeble minds instantly.


    Many tried to reproduce such an effect to ward off cackling swarms but no one succeeded as of yet, nothing can compare to the loudness and power of a thunderchew.


    As for their own cackling, many believe it to be some sort of way to communicate with each other while many more believe that it is only a demented laughter they express as they overwhelm their prey. No one knows which is the truth but the latter will probably be the one you believe the most if you ever come across a cackling swarm.


    -- Common Steelwood Bestiary entry on the Cackling swarm. (1)


    (1) I think those bestiary entries are better than what I did before with the book of answers. Let me know if you believe otherwise.

 29 Low-woods

    The thickly forested hills changed quickly as Emp approached the edge of the low woods. Gradually, the trees leaned more and more in the direction he came from until they became so bent that it was clear he had now entered the low-woods.


    Even the tallest of trees here only reached his head and not a single leaf peaked above the branches making the top layer of the strange place. Every tree grew twisted and tightly packed against each other like scales on a fish. Every last one of them were bent in the same direction and none dared grow higher than the rest.


    The trees themselves were quite interesting, none had the dark and coarse bark he was used to, instead, they were all pale, smooth and soft looking. He touched one to feel it and discovered that they were really as sturdy and hard as ordinary wood.


    Each of them grew in the same way. They sprouted from the ground, made a sharp turn to the south-west and grew a thick layer of protective limbs above the precious leaves, wrapping them towards the ground like a cocoon.


    Emp had no way to be sure of this but he felt that it was all because of the wind. As he was standing in the middle of the well used road, he had to put his left arm up to his face to protect his eyes from the strong gust coming his way. The more he had closed in on the low wood, the stronger that wind had become.


    It was likely that the wind was the lord of this place, forcing the trees to bend in front of his unabating power. Any leaves sprouting out of the protective layer of branches would have been plucked out by it.


    For a living person like Emp, the wind wasn''t a huge problem, his clothes waved and slapped against his skin but that was it. He would have to progress slowly as the wind was against him and his eyes would suffer the dust carried by it but the wind alone could not beat him.


    For the trees, on the other hand, it was completely different. They were growing there and could not leave. They had to grow protecting what could be secured and abandon all hopes of fighting against something they could never beat. They relied on their neighbors to protect their weak exposed trunk and in exchange, protected the trunk of the next tree ahead, chained together in their unending struggle to survive the attacks of the very air they lived in.


    It was both an impressing and saddening sight to behold. Emp felt amazed by the resilience of those pale trees, they were surely inhabited by the spirits of stalwart soldiers from a time long past, unbreaking in the face of adversity. But, if a hero were to stand tall and rise against the oppression of his lord the wind, he would end up snapped in half by its superior power. In the end, the best of them all would be the only one to fall as the weaker ones would live quietly prostrating themselves in the face of the wind.


    Emp was reminded once again of his creators as he witnessed this. If they had created him in the green dragon empire, he would probably have ended up sharing the fate of the snapped trees. He was not strong enough to withstand the unstoppable wind that was the emperor Landeater. He had to find the strength to stand unblinkingly in front of the wind before he challenged his opponent.


    But here, these far off goals did not really matter. The lord of the low-woods, although powerful, was just wind and Emp wasn''t scared of it. Bracing himself against it, he moved forward and made his way across the low-woods.


    The wind forced the branches to clash against each other producing a ceaseless clattering while an endless amount of dust assaulted his face. Even so, it did not bother him that much, his arm protected his eyes well enough, it also blocked most of his field of vision but he did not need to see where he was going, the road was a straight line across the woods.


    He was proved wrong moments later when something bit down on his raised arm. The grip of its jaw was powerful but its fangs not sharp enough to break through his bracer. Because of the wind and dust, he was unable to see what was assaulting him aside from it two long fangs spewing venom harmlessly on top of the large scale protecting his forearm. If the thing was smart enough, it would soon twist its head to align its fangs to the back of his arm where only leather and mail protected him, at that point, the venom would not be so harmless anymore.


    This was what he thought afterward but when the jaw closed on his arm, he reacted with panic and got a sword out of the bag as quickly as he could to hack at his aggressor. The sword bit down in the neck of the thing but it did not feel right. The creature released him and instantly drew back in a chorus of hisses.


    Emp looked at his hand and saw that he had retrieved the ordinary sword by mistake in his panic. He was about to throw it back in the bag to pick up a more useful one instead when something wrapped around his arm. It was scaly, brown and green and ended with the head of a snake. It was a snake, an ordinary snake.


    Was that the thing that attacked him? It was just an ordinary snake about as large as his arm, why was it attacking him out of nowhere? Had he stepped too close to its den somehow? A second one wrapped around his leg as fast as lightning and then a third joined them. What was happening? Where did they all come from?


    Emp decided to face the wind to see what was happening, removing his arm and narrowing his eyes to look through the dust. From the sea of crouched trees emerged a great mass of scale that was not a snake at all. It had a large blob of a belly, sinking between the trees that were unable to support its massive weight. From this belly sprouted a great amount of what Emp had thought to be snakes. They had all the characteristics of snakes except that they were all linked at the base by this bloated belly they shared.


    Panic seized him as the vast amount of snake heads surrounded him to seal his movements. He hacked with the ordinary sword but with his arm restrained, he only managed to chip the scaled skin of the creature. With their number and strength, they quickly managed to lift him off the ground. Slowly coiling around him, crushing him with the intent of turning him into a human sized sausage to feast on. In no time at all, they had moved him out of the road and above the trees.


    While he was unable to protect himself, he remembered that there was still a second him to help. He summoned him and watched him fall from the air and break through the layer of branches and leaves. He had been summoned at his side, up in the air, now above the trees where he was held. He had not thought about this.


    Shortly after, another snake head dashed after him bellow the tree line but this Emp knew what was coming and managed to get Flame out of the bag in time to sever the approaching head from its body. A new chorus of hisses were heard as the headless snake was retracted to the main body of the creature.


    The original Emp could only watch helplessly at this point. He could barely move his fingers and had been forced to release the useless sword already by the many snakes coiled around him. He saw the other him climb through the thick web of branches and stand on one of the trees to face the snake monster.


    He had picked up the shield as well and used it to deflect both the wind and the next snake. A third tried to bite his ankle but before its fangs could find their way around the armor, it''s head was lopped off as well.


    The snake monster felt that the second Emp was many time more threatening than the one it had already in its grasp and shot all it''s unoccupied heads at him, except one. The last one reached out towards the feet of the original Emp and opened its maw wide, putting his immobilized limbs into its mouth.


    Emp did not want to be eaten alive and felt extremely scared but, there was absolutely nothing he could do. Every time he tried to move, the snakes just squeezed harder until he could just barely breathe anymore.


    Meanwhile, the other him was doing as best as he could but was at a clear disadvantage. He could not move around because of the uneven terrain while the snakes could come flying from any angle like tentacles. He cut down two more heads before two others got a hold of his legs. He blocked a third one trying to bite him with his shield as he was brought down by the snakes pulling at his legs. The shield was lost in the exchange, stalling the biting head while he got the second sword, Ray, from the bag.


    He chopped off both of the snakes around his legs and warded off the rest with erratic movements of the swords. With the number of snake heads around him rising, he lost the ability to attack them and was forced to just ward them off. He had no time to get back up so he was just a laying there on the tree limbs swinging his swords at the darting snakes.


    When the one devouring the first Emp reached his knees, many of those coiling around him felt they were not needed to keep him there and joined up with the others assaulting the second. The remaining ones where more than enough to keep Emp in place while he was swallowed whole but, not enough to keep him from moving just a bit in the moments just following the removal of their companions.


    Emp''s gave all his efforts to slide his arm until his hand touched the outside of his bag, with just a little focus, he felt the space in it just like when he was trying to find the anchor for the first time. If he was able to put something inside the bag just by touching, surely he should be able to get something out in the same way. This was the only thing he could attempt at this point but his choices on what to remove were limited. There were only the spear, the bow and the two hammers left in there and none of those could be used while he was bound by the creature.


    His mind raced, trying to come up with something and in the end, he chose to rely on the hammer. Hoping it would work like he thought, he used his mental hand to get the two hammers out of the bag simultaneously. The moment they got out of the bag, their ridiculous and irresistible weights combined pushed Emp and the snakes towards the ground.


    Since he was held in the air above the rest to keep the second Emp from reaching and rescuing him, his sudden fall brought him through the swarm of snakes and crushed the spines of a good dozen of them in a loud thud. The huge belly of the monster rumbled in pain and surprise as the rest of the snake head hissed and trashed in disarray.


    This gave just enough time for the second Emp to climb back on his feet and start advancing towards his original. Two more snake heads were swiftly lopped off as he progressed in his rescue. By now, more than half of the snake heads had died or at least, been incapacitated by the hammers. Those crushed seemed to be unable to act properly after Emp and his hammers fell on them, even though their heads were intact.


    The second Emp was able to completely ignore them and through the rain of snakes, managed to reach the spot were the first had fell through snakes and trees and hit the ground bellow. He could not reach him from up in the trees but the snakes restraining him extended from the hole all the way to the main body. He targeted them in between the attacks of the remaining heads and severed those still restraining his true self.


    The death of those holding him in place made the coils around the first Emp loosen as the one eating him reached his waist. While the other Emp fended off another snake attack, the original grabbed the long spines of the wolf from the bag and instantly after freeing his arms, drove them into the eyes of the one eating him. The other snakes hissed in pain again but this one did not give up on his meal. what an annoying fellow.


    His legs were completely inside of it now and he was unable to move them at all. He couldn''t smash it''s head with the thunder-chew hammer because his own body was still inside it. The only things he had left were the spear and the useless bow.


    Of course, he chose the spear. He gripped it near it''s deadly tip and drove it into the impossibly distended head of the snake. The blade pierced into its forehead and into its soft skull, stopping it at last. He was still in trouble though since despite the fact that this one snake had stopped trying to eat him, he was still halfway stuck inside of it.


    Meanwhile, over the trees, the other him and the creature where locked in a stalemate. The monster could not defeat Emp and had to use all its remaining heads to stop him from getting any closer. The logical answer would have been to flee but it had no legs. If it removed some heads from its defense and used them to move instead, the rest would not be enough to fend off Emp. On the other side, the second Emp could not leave either because the first one was still stuck bellow. He couldn''t help him to free himself either because it would leave him open to an attack from the other snakes. They were stuck in a staring contest, waiting to see who would dare move first.


    Bellow, Emp had tried to remove himself from the gaping mouth of the snake but trying to move back out of it proved to be harder than getting in. Trying to escape scraped the poisonous fangs on him and threatened to drag them outward until they would be open enough to harm him. After all, that mouth was an extremely tight fit and the fangs would have to be dragged over all the length of his legs. He did not know yet what sort of poison they spewed but he wasn''t willing to risk discovering it. He had been lucky with his armor until now but there was no point in tempting fate further. He needed to somehow cut the snake open or remove the fangs safely.


    There was nothing he could use to do either of those things though. Before this moment, he had never thought he would need more than two swords, maybe he should buy a dozen more blades once he reached the next town. This would not fix his present situation but at least, the next time something like this happened, he would have some sort of backup. He searched around him for anything useful when his eyes fell over the ordinary sword, half buried in the heap of squashed snakes. He thought it had fell on the road but apparently not since it was just there.


    He extended his arm but did not quite reach it. Unable to grab it from where he was, he had to carefully crawl to it. The seemingly dead snake chomping on his legs offered no resistance as he progressed to the sword. He yanked it from bellow the pile and slid it in between his body and the snake''s mouth. Afterward, it was just a question of time before he would be able to cut the snake open and free himself.


    Time was short though as the second Emp tired quickly in the face of the unceasing assault targeting him. His own movement were quick enough to stop the snakes from reaching him but not enough to cause anymore harm to the creature that was now more than careful in dealing with him. The many heads where dancing in the air around him, darting in and out in turns, dodging the waving swords ever more easily as time passed.


    Emp finally managed to extirpate himself from the snake''s jaw and climbed over the trees with his spear to go help the other him. He had been crushed a little but aside from the foul smell coming from his bottom half, he was mostly well. he had left the two hammers behind to hold down the possibly still alive snakes and put the straight sword back into the bag since it wasn''t that effective against the creature in the first place. Besides, he had a perfect use for the spear.


    While all the heads were still distracted by his copy, he managed to close in on the main body of the creature undetected and plunged the spear into it using all his strength and weight. The steel tip buried itself deeply into the creature, piercing it''s sturdy skin and its stomach.


    This seemed more painful to it than the loss of its many heads and its reaction was excessive. The thing jolted and trashed all of its heads about, ramming them into the two Emps without caring about injuring his own limbs. They all hissed in pain but were interrupted and dazed when they bumped onto the armors of their foes. The two Emps were sent tumbling backwards but they both managed to keep a hold on their weapons. This meant that the spear got forcefully ripped out of the creature and from the jagged hole, a torrent of gastric fluids and blood was spewed out, seeping through the trees like a waterfall.


    The stench of that fluid was unbearable, it was ten times worse than the one covering the pants of Emp. Good thing the hit they received threw them out of its range, they would not have to smell it on themselves later. As it''s stomach was emptied, its distended belly deflated to the point its skin became all flabby. The creature was not dead yet but with a large hole in its stomach, it would probably not be able to survive for long.


    In its current state, it was much less scary than it had first been. Only about seven snake heads remained intact and its main body had substantially shrunk due to the loss of fluids. Emp was certain that, if he wished to, he could just walk away now and be done with the creature.


    But, Emp did not want to wait for it to starve and did not want to leave without anything to show for this hard fight. After all, that thing had really scared him and nearly hate him whole, he couldn''t just let it be like that!


    While the snake heads were still trashing in pain, he exchanged his spear for the two swords of his copy. The job of the tired copy would be to spear the monster again while the original, still full of energy would fend off the heads. Since they were both the same man, there was no confusion in the plan and no necessity to say it aloud, they were both sure, they had the same idea.


    They moved towards the beast with unsteady steps due to the terrain and it reacted with rage. Throwing all caution to the wind still raging around them, it brought down all its heads at once on the two Emps, hoping to bite them to death even if it cost him all of its remaining heads. There was no way he would be able to hack them all. Now would have been a good time to have a shield but it wasn''t his only way to dodge the attack.


    He used the ability space gave him and stepped behind the incoming heads, arriving instantly beside its main body. The other him had done the same from the other side and three weapons were driven into the already wounded beast, ripping its sides apart viciously.


    The blades made two long gaping wound on its side, tearing its stomach apart completely while the spear was driven in from the top of it where the snakes all merged into it. The monster did not struggle a final time and just collapsed in silence, dead. All the remaining snakes fell from the sky and ceased to move as well. The snake monster was slain and the only immediate reward he got was the stench pushed at his face by the strong wind.


    Even it that victory smelled terrible, it felt much better than for the bug. It was with a giant smile that he went around picking up all the bits of equipment he had lost and the many parts of the creature that had been cut off, nothing was left behind. He was really glad now that he had the beetle before, now he was sure that this horrible smell would not soak everything else in the bag. Then, he recalled his copy and he suddenly felt his arm''s muscles burning, his copy had really exhausted himself. He found shelter from the wind in between the trees and relaxed there for a long while, letting the fatigue and stress slowly disappear.


    That thing''s main body had been twice as tall as him but once it was emptied, he felt that it had not been that big in the end. It was just bloated. Still, those snakes were scary, how was it possible for a thing only as big as his arm to expend itself enough to eat him whole? What a disturbing creature.


    After he had regained some strength, he went against the wind once more and resumed his advance. He still had no idea when exactly he was supposed to get to the school, he couldn''t just stop walking because he got scarred of a creature. Anyway, that thing was dead and the only thing remaining of it at this moment was its smell sticking to his leg.


    Luckily for him, nothing else happened in the two days it took him to go through the low-woods. That wind was impressive, it could blow so strongly for such a long distance. Normal wind should not be so constant or so strong on such a long distance. He wondered what was the cause for this, maybe he would find out at the other end of the woods.


    In the meantime, he had some trouble falling asleep the night he stayed there. The wind was too strong and too noisy, even hidden behind the trees, it did its best trying to keep him awake. Good thing that Emp slept really hard, once sleep got him, even when the warm wind threw leaves and small rocks at his face, he did not wake up.


    ***


    The Gluttonek is a creature often confused for an hydra by the less knowledgeable members of our society. (1) It is essentially a belly with thirty venomous snakes sprouting out of it. The gluttonek is a creature that can and will eat almost anything as long as it gets within its reach.


    It''s hunting strategy is quite simple. It lies in wait until a prey gets near it and then bites it to inject its venom. Said venom can paralyze its victim in less than a minute as long as it is equivalent in size or smaller than a typical human. On anything larger, the venom is more likely to daze and numb than to paralyze. If it can be harvested, it is prized by slavers and physicians alike for its effectiveness and lack of undesirable side effects. Once injected, the venom stays effective for around an hour but the final result can be affected by the size of the victim and the age of the gluttonek.


    The gluttonek, due to its ineffective way of movement on which I will come back later, does not wait for its prey to feel the effect of the venom before it strikes again for fear he would have to pursue it.


    Each of its snake-like appendage are around five meters in length, at the end of each, an ordinary snake head. They all posses a pair of eyes and everything else you would expect from the head of a snake except for a brain, more on that later.


    Like the snakes they look to be, each of its thirty appendage tries to coil around its intended target aside from one who will start to eat the prey whole. A normal snake can eat things many times larger than them and the multiple heads of a gluttonek are many times more stretchable than that. There were a few accounts of people reporting to have seen such a creature able to eat a horse whole and I would be inclined to believe them.


    The gluttonek almost never retreat from a fight. It is believed to be mostly due to the same reason they hastily engage their prey.


    This leads us to the way they move their giant belly and the differences between them and hydras. First of all, an hydra does not possess that many heads but more importantly, the heads of a gluttonek do not regrow. If ever a head is lost, it will stay that way just like you would expect from any other animal.


    The second, most obvious, difference, is that a gluttonek does not possess any legs or respectable tail. The only way for it to move itself is to use its long snake-like appendages to drag or often, push itself elsewhere. This should be a disastrous flaw and it is a fact that such creatures barely ever move from their hunting spot but, they mostly seem unfazed by such disability.


    Speaking of disability, its thirty heads can be an impressive sight to behold for those encountering it but their coordination is poor. The creature only possesses one brain located above it''s stomach at the juncture between it and the snakes. Despite its brain being as large as a melon worthy of contests, the gluttonek seems to be unable to control all of its thirty appendages effectively at the same time. The more of them it uses at the same time, the slower and clumsier they all get.


    The best ways to fight a gluttonek are to either engage it from a distance or to overwhelm it with enough warriors to confuse it.


    As an ending note, it has been reported to me that its brain is considered a delicacy in the bear tribe north of our empire. I interrogated a cursed-blood slave from said bear tribe and he answered that indeed, the brain of the gluttonek was used as part of a soup said to increase coordination and presented as a reward for the best hunters. When interrogated upon how to cook such a soup, he declared that he did not know since only the shaman and its many attendants knew of its secrets. A shame really.


    -- Common Steelwood Bestiary entry on the Gluttonek.


    (1) I will acknowledge here the existence of mythical creatures like hydras and dragons in at least the legends of the land. The reason for their existence is simply that the rest of those damn creatures are easier to explain when you compare them to something people already know. I do not plan to use them much if at all in those stories though.

 30 Howling hill

    At the end of the low-woods, a hedge of jagged hills stood tall and enclosed the strange forest. There would be no way for the road to pass through here if not for the howling hill. As he got closer, Emp could clearly hear why it was called this way.


    The hills here where not only treacherously shaped, they were also full of holes. The wind came from who knows where and went through those fissures and openings at high speed giving the impression that the hills where howling. Emp was impressed but also, the closer he got, the more he found it annoying. If they howled only once in a while it would not have been that bad but the screams where as constant as the wind. Chinui had been right once again, it was impossible to miss that hill.


    Even more annoying was the fact that the was not only one such howl but hundreds, all screaming at a different pitch and strength. The air, after going through the hills was blasted back out of those holes, wailing and shot through the whole length of the low-woods. Emp felt quite glad that the sound did not follow the air all the way to the other side of the woods.


    While all the hills around here were screaming, only one of them was called the howling hill. It was a hill with a particularly large hole on its side, so large in fact that the road led straight in it. The howling hill wasn''t on the side of the road, it was the road itself.


    Stepping inside, one could see it was almost hollow. Aside from the main tunnel, there were holes everywhere, reminding one of a giant ants nest. The tunnel had not been dug, it was there from the start, it seemed that the ones charged of the road had only smoothed out it''s floor to make travel through it easier. With time and so many travelers, the ground here had become really pleasing to walk on.


    Here, the howls were even louder and came from all around and even bellow but Emp knew he would not be there for long so he just had to bare with it. The path led deep into the hill, often bordered by large crevices of unknown depth. If not for the few glowing crystals embedded in the rocky road to show the way, he would probably have fell into some hole by accident. The road twisted and turned on itself to the point that it passed above earlier section of itself at two different places. He could see it by the glow coming from the chasms on either side of it.


    This place would have been perfect for an ambush but it seemed he wasn''t the only one annoyed by the wind and screams of this place as nothing happened at all to him for the whole time he was there.


    At some point, he arrived at a crossroad with a signpost he was unable to read but still easily found the way to Dark-glint by asking the book of answers. Knowing he was almost at Dark-glint already made him very happy since Chinui had told him that once there, he would be almost done with all that walking. He could not wait to rest his hard working feet.


    As he progressed through the hill, he stopped in a place that overlooked most of this hollow place. He turned his back against the rough wall and looked over the cliff at the pathway of light snaking its way through the darkness and the maze of tunnels. That sight was splendid too. From there, after having walked through most of it all, he could clearly see that this place was much larger than he had thought when he stepped foot in it earlier.


    In between the paths of light, large blobs of darkness hid the beauty of this place from his eyes. He knew that even in those spots were almost no light reached, the tunnels would continue on and on. If one was to step out of the path of light to explore on his own, there was no telling where he would end up. With all the fissures and chasms here, Emp felt that the tunnels did not limit themselves to this large hill but rather continued on bellow for a while longer.


    The path had been made carefully by those who came before and considering all its twists and turns, the task must have been tremendous. Here, no torch could ever survive the power of the wind, explorers would have to rely on magic or be at ease in the dark to progress.


    If a traveler ignored the path carefully made for them in the past, a terrible fate could await them. Unlike the water in the river, humans could make the choice to leave the road assigned to them but was that choice always wise?


    The paths here were limitless but only two led outside, if not for the lights, how would anyone know which was the right way? The path he was following to the school had been lighted for him by Chinui but afterward, there was no more lights to tell him the way, what would he do then? Would he end up wandering in the dark forever? Maybe the howls were just the spirits of all the lost screaming their despair, or maybe, and more simply, the hill just found that being riddled with holes was painful.


    This was worrying him but the only thing he could do for now was continue to follow the path laid out for him. He could only hope that at the end of it, the way to go would still be as clear as this one. He left the dark sight behind and moved towards the exit.


    Near the end of the cave-like tunnel, the wind became noticeably weaker and by the time he reached the outside world, he could enjoy the lack of wind for the first time in days. One would usually wish for the wind to pick up on hot days but, he had endured enough of it for the months to come.


    The sound also became weaker but could still be clearly heard from this side of the hill, it would no doubt follow him until he left the vicinity of this place.


    On this side, there were still rocky hills all around but the road ignored them all and smoothly cut towards the south. After that, Emp did not encounter any more problems on his way to Dark-glint.


    A day and a half after he passed the howling hill, the terrain started becoming smoother again and a normal forest took over the landscape once again. In a few days at most he would be in the next village.


    Thinking about Dark-glint, was it not the place where the blacksmith''s sister lived? He should probably go see her to thank her about his equipment. He did not have it for a month yet and the armor alone saved him many times already.


    Since Dark-glint village wasn''t such a big place, according to the book of answers, it should not be that hard to find her.


    Still according to the book, the village was there mostly because the road was there. It had been built around a bridge often broken down by the surrounding wildlife and since this road was an important channel between Windbow and Artefine, they could not let this matter alone. Thus, they had cleared part of the woods around the bridge and built a military outpost there. The rest of the village had slowly been built around the promise of safety that presented such an outpost. Nowadays, it was mostly a village of farmers and loggers.


    Emp, after yet another day of walking, was looking for a good place to rest since the night was already there and he had not reached the village still. He had refused to stop before because he thought he was really close but now that it was dark, he regretted his decision, he would definitely not reach the village that day.


    As he was looking for a good tree, he heard a large amount of steps coming from further down the road. Was it a caravan, this late in the evening? They should have stopped for the night long before the sky darkened. Still, he was happy to meet a new traveler after all this time. He had seen no one on the road between Starfall and Dark-glint which made him feel lonely. He wondered who they would turn out to be.


    Then, he understood that the pace of the steps was wrong, because of the dark, he could not see them yet but he was convinced they were running rather than walking. Where they in trouble?


    Just to be safe, Emp got away from the road. He would only come out if he judged it was safe to do so. After all, those running sound could be anything from fleeing farmers to raiding cursed-bloods. He summoned the second him, got the thunder-chew hammer in his hands and awaited the runners. His copy took the shield but did not get either of the blades out yet since both could produce light and reveal their hiding spot.


    Moments later, the noise revealed itself to be a group of around ten people consisting mostly of children running away from an equivalent group of creatures.


    The creature were so pale that they were quite easy to spot in the dark. They had the shape of a lean furless feline and were as big as a guard dog. They all seemed quite thin and their ribs were showing through their sickly skin. Most of their throat seemed about to fall off. From afar, it looked like it was full of blood dripping gashes. Emp would have thought they were badly wounded if not for the fact that they were all like that. They had a flimsy tail almost as long as an arm, thin and short fangs sprouting from their paws, short pointed hears and a disgusting jaw with flabby lips dripping with both saliva and what looked like blood.


    The humans were running away from them and were surprisingly able to keep some distance with them. It was not because they were really fast but rather because the cats were slow. Emp did not know if the cats really were slow or just taking their time but either way, they would not catch up soon.


    The fleeing group was made up of one women in a long dress carrying a baby, one man armed with a sword leading the escape, one man keeping an eye on their pursuers from the back and a bunch of kids of heights ranging from very small to as big as Emp.


    One of those kids, a girl a head shorter than Emp bumped her foot against something in the dark and fell arms first on the road. The man keeping the back picked her up almost immediately and sent her off running again with a short hurried sentence. They had such a large advance over the cats that Emp thought it would not matter at all but he was mistaken.


    Three of the cats stopped following them, arced their back and raised their heads high. Their throat bulged like a frog and started smoking a little before they spit out a huge glob of liquid with a sharp jerk of their jaws.


    The three globs of what he assumed was spit flew all the way to the man and the girl. Two splashed on the ground meaninglessly but the third one hit the man in the lower back. He first reacted by jumping in fright but then, immediately started yelling in pain. He let go of his sword and desperately tried to remove his tunic. Smoke rose from it as if it was burning and by the time the man managed to tear apart his clothes, it was far too late, he collapsed with a large smoking hole in his back.


    The children started screaming in fear from the scene while Emp frowned in surprise. That was some scary spit! They killed that man so easily, no wonder they were not in a hurry. They could just keep their distance and kill their prey anyway. That attack was strong enough to eat everything it touched, from the clothes to the bones.


    Emp was in front of a dilemma, should he go help them or not? Of course, he did want to help them but the real question was, would he be able to or would he just throw his life away? Chinui told him to not get in trouble if he could help it but would he think the same in this situation? Emp had no idea if his armor could withstand one of their attacks and more importantly, there were ten of them. If he was to reveal himself and attack those cats, would they not just keep their distance and spit on him until he stopped moving?


    He wished to help them but had a really hard time figuring out which was worst between doing nothing and risking them all to die or dying himself and losing the bet of his creators. In the end, he felt like the situation in front of him was just like what he had talked about with Galana. He couldn''t ignore their problems if they happened right in front of him. He had to do something.


    ***


    There are many paths between Windbow and Artefine but none are as used as the one going through the howling hill. This is mostly due to its relative safety compared to its southern alternatives.


    A well armed and protected caravan can easily take a shorter route south of the low-woods but it is widely known that the path going through it is many times safer despite being a lot more time consuming.


    The reason for its relative safety is the wind that blows from the howling hill and into the low woods. The winds are so strong that most critters and birds stay away from its whole wide expense. The lack of said critters cut off a huge part of the food chain in the region. The predators eating the smaller animals dodged the area as well for its lack of food and by consequence, their own predator stopped showing up too. Even the larger grazing animals dislike the place because of its treacherous footings and lackluster herbal density.


    Going through the low woods can take up to a whole week but getting attacked during that week is as likely as catching the eye of the imperial princess. Only a few creature, able to survive for long stretches of time without food and undisturbed by the strength of the wind would dare linger in those woods. The few that can fit this description are either no match for a caravan or a truly unpredictable calamity.


    The only downside to this path is also its greatest mystery, the howling hill itself. An impressive wall of hollowed out stone spanning over 15 kilometers in length, perpetually blasting hot wind from its many openings in soul frightening screams.


    The path goes through it and since the empire invested into embedding light stones into the path, the risks incurred while crossing are minimal. The path being barely large enough to let a cart through, it is customary to send a scout ahead to the other side and confirm that no other caravan started crossing before engaging yourself in the path.


    Before the lights were installed, many lost their way into the perceptibly endless tunnels of the howling hills but, now, only the blind or foolish could lose their lives in those caves.


    The wind there is equal in strength to the smell of a kerradon. It''s so powerful it makes your head hurt unless you are used to it and it''s disturbing noise.


    No one can explain where that air current comes from, many curious scholars and adventurers delved into the depths of the hills but none found the answers they were looking for. Their expeditions however, let us learn a lot of things about the hills.


    First and foremost, there are no living beings in the maze of tunnels coursing through and bellow the hills, at least in the charted ones. Secondly, the caves are rooted far deeper than we first thought.


    The man who went the deepest was sir Clive Veglan and his expedition. They set off from the southern howling entrance on the day following the first moon of summer and made their way downward. Sir Veglan was the only one who came back after months of exploration, his account on the subject, dreadful.


    What he retold was incoherent at best but here is a general idea of what was conveyed through his ramblings. First, let''s get the obvious out of the way. Sir Veglan, as expected, never managed to reach the end of the tunnels. He said that the chasms and winding passages went on and on, ever deeper into the earth.


    His men and himself walked and walked but nothing was to be found here except the maddening howls unceasingly assaulting their minds. He said that they were about to turn back because of how low their provisions were running when they finally found something. Down in the depths of this world, they found a crystal, dimly glowing in the absolute darkness, as tall and wide as a fortress. Around it, hundreds of humanoid creatures worshiping the stone in the silence imposed by the deafening wind.


    When asked to describe the things they saw, he said that they were four armed creatures resembling huge insects. He would describe them as ant-like but noted that some of them had mantis arms or wings unfitting of classical ants. Long after he left the howling hills, he still had nightmares about their strange appearance and by his words: their unnerving and disquieting faces, almost like a wooden doll with sharpened teeth, their intricate forehead ridges and many eyes.


    When they met, both group stared at the other, the creatures, he recalled, as confused as they were themselves from their presence. The next part of his story is rather hard to understand and harder to put into words but one thing is for certain. A battle ensued and his expedition was defeated. Sir Veglan alone managed to escape and find his way back to the surface world.


    Many questions still remain, and many including myself do not believe his story to be true. There are too many incoherence to be found in his tale. How could we ignore the existence of those ant-people until now? How would they survive so far bellow? Most of all, why would sir Veglan be the only one to escape? It is rude to speak hill of our ancestors but Veglan was not the fastest not the strongest, how he would manage to escape the gruesome fate of his whole party his a baffling mystery.


    It is a more commonly accepted belief that the howls, with time, rendered them insane. Either they all killed each other in a frenzied state or Veglan left them all to die down there as he made his way back alone, after all, if we can give him one irrefutable quality, it would be his uncanny ability to never lose his way. With so few supplies left, who knows if he decided there would not be enough for them all?


    The ant people should be no more than tale weaved by the feverish mind of Veglan and what delves or not in the depths of the howling hill remains a mystery just like where its winds come from.


    -- Geography of the Steelwood empire, about the howling hill.


    ()I''m sorry this chapter is short (3,300 including the end bit) but there is nowhere to cut it after that point. The next couple ones are longer.


    ()If you were to consider the trip to reach the school as a story arc, we would be reaching the climax fight. Such a fight is usually easy to see coming but this one wasn''t because I never thought it would take so long to reach the damn school. At least you know how those creatures are called, we talked about them twice before.

 31 A dark glint in the nigh

    Having made his resolve, he decided to launch a surprise attack when the cats would pass in front of him. He readied his hammer and the second Emp, having thought of the same thing, prepared his hand to get a sword out once the time would come.


    With no one unfortunate enough to trip again, the humans ran past them and shortly after, the cats followed. With them too busy following their prey, they did not see the unmoving Emp on the roadside. When they were about to pass them, the two Emps jumped out of the bushes and ran straight at them.


    Hearing the foliage, the cats turned to look and the copy got the sword named Ray out at the same time. The unlucky cats got instantly blinded by the brightness of the sword which slowed down their reaction to the ambush. Emp reached the first cat and hit it in the head with an horizontal swipe of the hammer. There was a thud and the monster was batted away like a straw doll.


    The first impression of Emp in that exchange was that the cats were weak. They had no weight in them and seeing as the one he hit didn''t move again, they were also brittle.


    The second Emp had a similar experience with the first cat he reached and the magic blade easily cut through the creature, sending it''s blood flying. Everywhere the blood fell, be it the road or other cats, it started sizzling and smoking. Seeing the reaction of the cats who got splashed by that blood, it was painful. It would be best to not touch it.


    Ray was now covered in said blood but did not seem that affected aside from dimming the light it emitted a little and changing its hue into something darker.


    Now that he was close to them and had some light to help him, he could see the monster clearly. Emp had not seen many cat in his life, at most he had seen two or three roaming in the streets of Red-water, but those in front of him were the ugliest cats he had ever seen and he was almost sure of this, the ugliest he would ever see afterward. They had no redeeming traits whatsoever.


    Emp did not think he would feel bad at all if they all died and disappeared from the world, this was how ugly they were. More importantly, what was dripping from the drooping pieces of meat he assumed to be their lips and from their fuming throats was indeed their own blood. It was such a powerful substance it ate at their own flesh from the inside.


    While he was thinking that, the kids screamed once more, this time of astonishment when they saw the two Emps rushing at the cats. The man leading them looked behind to see what was happening in time to witness the two kill another pair of cats. He yelled something at the pair before he pushed the kids further onward. It was best to gain more ground while their two helpers gained them some time.this was probably what he was thinking.


    By the time the two Emps had killed that second pair, the bestial cats had long managed to adjust to the powerful light shining in front of them and assaulted the pesky duo that had interrupted their hunt and killed almost half of their gang.


    The six remaining wrinkled creature all launched a spit attack at the same time. Thanks to the light provided by the sword, it was easy for Emp to tell when they were about to spit and since their aim wasn''t the best, Emp was confident he would be able to dodge them all with the space walk. He went left and right to dodge the incoming attack and the globs of blood were harmlessly thrown into the woods.


    His weapons were raised once more and two more felines died. The remaining creatures tried to back off to spit at them from a safer distance and did so surprisingly quickly compared to their earlier pursuit but, Emp was faster. The whole battle ended up to be much more easy than he had anticipated and the remaining four were swiftly eliminated. The only hard part was to make sure not to crush them with the hammer as the resulting mess would probably splatter him with that dangerous blood.


    Emp was about to collect the corpses like he usually did but was interrupted by the man. He asked the children to stay near the woman with serious gestures and ran back to Emp from where he had fled.


    The man seemed to have the muscles of someone who worked hard and was taller than Emp. He had a head of light brown hair and dark brown eyes that expressed his nervousness.


    When he got close to Emp he talked to him as fast as he could which was way too fast for the poor Emp who was barely able to read some common words of his language. All the while he was making desperate gestures towards the road ahead, the cats and the kids behind him.


    Emp understood he was in a hurry and trying to tell him what was happening but with only the gestures, he couldn''t catch on to the whole story.


    "Slow down please, I do not understand what you are saying." Said Emp after removing his helmet.


    Seeing the expression of Emp, the man quickly understood that the two warriors in armor in front of him did not get what he was saying at all. Still, he seemed determined to get something out of them as he tried once again with more eloquent gestures and a slower speech. Of the whole explanation, Emp understood two words, attack and village.


    From the gestures, he guessed that the guy was saying the cats attacked the village. Was there still more cats around?


    Emp placed the hammer on the ground at his side and pointed the cats around him. He then made a ten with his raised fingers and pointed at the road behind him like a question. By some miracle the man understood what he meant and started flashing his hands open over and over again. Emp quickly lost the count but understood that there was many times more left in Dark-glint than here.


    He still did not know what the man wanted from him but he knew what he himself wanted to do. He put his helmet back on, gripped the thunder-chew hammer and rushed towards the town with his copy. Now that he had already decided to help and concluded that the cats weren''t that dangerous for him, there was no way he would turn back or wait for it to end.


    The man yelled something at their back but since Emp could not understand and did not want to waste time, he did not turn back to look. Whether he was trying to stop him or cheering him on, he had no idea. He wasn''t sure he would be able to help but he at least wanted to try.


    The dark glint of the red tinted light emanating from his blade blade led his way to the village, it was just a little further like he had first thought. He quickly started hearing yells, screams and all sorts of strange noises like things breaking, hisses, meows and things scratching on dirt and gravel.


    Next, it was the smell that struck him, a smell like burnt meat and iron. Then, the trees parted to reveal the small sized fields around the wooden walls of the village. The gates on this side were wide open and no one was there to stand guard. Inside, the glow of many torches was visible.


    He ran through the field and stepped inside the village. Everything was well lit by torches placed in a hurry, the houses were ordinary and made out of wood like those he usually saw until now. There was no one in sight, all doors were barred and none dared step outside. Although no human stood outside, there were still some cats. Only less than ten walked lazily around the gate but with no one there to stop them, they could do whatever they pleased. They were strolling around the houses, scratching at door trying to find their way in. The most clever one had even started spitting at one of the doors to melt it open. Screams came from inside when holes started appearing in the door.


    Where were the guards? The answer wasn''t obvious at a glance and Emp did not have the time to search for it, he had to chase the cats away first. He did not waste any time and ran straight at them. He took the houses on the right while his copy went for the left.


    The cats heard them running despite the loud clamor of the surroundings and this time, they had much more space to launch their deadly attacks. The nearest one to Emp was the one who had started melting the door. He suddenly thought that the people inside were very lucky that it did not start burning, this blood was like liquid fire. The cat did not care about his silly thought and its throat swelled with blood as it readied itself to spit.


    Emp was prepared to dodge but he didn''t need to. Just when the cat started to move its head to spit, the door at its side opened violently and slammed against its head. The unexpected attack messed up its attack and it just barfed a mouthful of blood on the road in front of it instead of spitting it at Emp.


    By the time it looked up again, Emp was right in front of it and slammed his hammer with ten times the power of the door that had just stunned it. The creature spun in the air and rolled for a couple of meters before stopping, dead.


    Emp shot a look behind the door and saw a woman who gave him a thankful nod of approval. He smiled in his helmet, nodded once as well and ran to the next monster. Even while afraid, she knew when a good opportunity presented itself.


    The next cat proved to be harder to defeat because of the lack of support. In the time it took Emp to reach it, it shot two globs of blood at him, one completely missed him and the other he sidestepped. Then, when he arrived, he thought this encounter was over but the cat surprised him by jumping straight at him with all its claws out. Because of the previous cats, he had thought that they would rather retreat than fight in close quarter but not this one.


    Since its weight was almost nil for its size, the impact barely forced him to take a step back. Also, since its claws were weak, they slid harmlessly on his armor as well but, its drool was another story entirely. When the cat impacted him, some droplets of blood flew out of its mouth and peppered his chest plate. Emp knocked the fiend away with the haft of his hammer before swiping at it with the other end of the weapon. The cat was dead but his precious armor was badly damaged as well.


    Thanks to the high quality of the giant scales covering his chest and the minuscule amount of blood dropped on it, it did not manage to melt through its entirety but still riddled it with holes reaching its inner layers. He had to be much more careful from here on, even a simple collision could spell his death.


    For the next cat, he was prepared and didn''t let it jump on him. Like that, he cleared the village entrance he went around the rest of it, killing monstrous cats throughout the streets. A few houses had their door melted open but since he couldn''t see any corpses inside, he felt that those living there either escaped or weren''t home to begin with.


    Running around the small streets of Dark-glint, Emp came across some more villagers doing their best to get rid of the monsters. A group of three kids jumped out from behind the corner of a house and drove kitchen knives into the neck of one of the cats before running away once again without their melting weapons.


    A man stood against the doorframe of a house with a dead cat at his only remaining feet and a second one slowly moving towards him. Emp number two came and cut off the head of the cat. The man expressed his thanks and fell backward into his house, unconscious from exhaustion or dead, Emp did not know.


    There were many cats around but overall, not many villagers died because of their slow paced prowling. Once past the bridge occupying the center of the village though, the scene was completely different.


    There were a lot of armed men guarding this only pathway across the river to stop the cats from attacking Emp''s side of the village but since the river was calm, many of the creature just swam to the other side.


    Hunters armed with bow and arrows were lining the side of it, shooting at them as they were getting across. They were really effective and killed a substantial amount both in the river and on the other side of it. But Emp could see that a few of them had died from a projectile that came from the other side as retaliation or by the rare cat that managed to get across.


    While the men tried to hold the bridge and the hunters guarded as much of the river as they possibly could, the true soldiers were marching around the streets of the east side, killing monsters left and right with efficiency. In fact, the only reason the villagers were able to hold the bridge was that the guards intercepted most of the enemy before they reached the river.


    Even with their armor, They should not have been able to resist the attacks of the cats but, the blood projected their way all bounced off harmlessly. It probably had to do with the man strangely clothed in the middle of their formation.


    He had a giant burning red mushroom in his left hand. His right was extended palm first in front of him and every time a cat spat their way, he would turn his entire arm its way to repel the attack, reciting things the whole time. The mushroom was already half burnt and Emp guessed that once it would be entirely consumed, the spell of the middle man would be over. Then, the soldiers would be in the same bad position as the villagers guarding the bridge.


    Emp should also have been in a terrible situation like every melee fighter here but, the blessing of space was truly perfect for this fight. Whoever received an attack here would be instantly defeated. It did not matter if you were experienced in fighting monster, a proud soldier or just a farmer, one hit was enough to put you down.


    So, of course, the only solution was to not get hit but, to defend the bridge meant that no one was allowed to move or the cats would break through. The bridge was the worst possible place to be but also, the only reasonable place to be if you knew your family was hidden just on the other side of it.


    Then, there were the guards who were holding on because of the magic. If the spell was cut, their armor and organized formation would make it difficult for them to dodge.


    Emp however, was fighting alone and had the blessing to help him dodge easily and get to the cats more quickly. With his lack of experience and overall strength, he would have been a burden in almost any other kind of battle. Here though, the army of creature swarming the village were a perfect match for him or rather, his few good points were a perfect counter to them.


    Compared to the east side, the west side of the river only had a few cats because of the good job of the defenders but even a few could cause enormous damage. It took Emp a while to beat up every single one of those that had spread in the village''s west side but if he had not done it, he felt that many would have died.


    When he finally ran out of cats to bat away with his hammer, he went to the river side to help killing those that were crossing the river. after so much practice with Space blessing, he almost got confused as to why the cats took so long to cross that single-step wide river. It wasn''t in fact a single-step wide river or there would be no need to build a bridge over it, it was just his perception of it that was warped.


    The village, even if it was bigger than Starfall, was still just a village and thus, did not have such a large section of the river inside its walls. The two Emps with their unnatural speed where more than enough to stop any more of those cats from climbing out of their side of the river.


    The fight on the riverside was easy, the cats all came one at a time since most of them were getting shot down by the hunters. The real battle was happening on the other side but Emp knew it would be a bad idea to go into the heart of that swarm alone. He could deal with a small group of those monsters alone but of course, with too many of them, the consequences could be terrible.


    At least the hunters seemed glad of his arrival. Every time they would miss one, Emp would come to beat it back down into the river. In front of so many creature, it wasn''t that much but at least, it was something less they had to worry about.


    On the other side of the river, the spell protecting the soldiers ran out. The moment the mushroom started burning the fingers of the man holding it, he threw it down at his feet and the surrounding soldiers started dying. The man searched in one of his dozens of pockets as quickly as he could while the screams of pain of the soldiers around him spread through the battlefield. It only took him a moment to cast his spell anew but in the mist of this mess, that moment took the life of more than ten of his comrades.


    Emp believed he had indeed made the right choice about not crossing the river. The soldiers fixed their formation under the renewed protection of the magic shield and pressed on towards were the highest amount of creature prowled, intent on putting an end to this battle.


    With the soldiers further away from them, the pressure on the bridge increased. The villagers stood their ground anyway. Around them, mountains of shields were piled up. They would block an attack, look at the shield they were holding melt down in their hands and pick another one. Meanwhile, the most confident of them would charge at the incoming enemy and kill as many as they could before retreating back to the bridge or die trying.


    Their biggest problem was that the cats were either lazy or very clever. They stood at a distance and destroyed shield after shield, never even attempting to step on the bridge. Emp was astounded that the bridge itself hadn''t melted yet under the amount of blood that had been thrown its way. The villagers were doing an incredible job at keeping it safe, even at their own expense.


    With this many attacks, injuries were bound to happen. Sometimes because they failed to intercept the attack with their shield, sometimes because they failed to get another shield in time. When one of them fell screaming, a group of women standing nearby would pick the defender up and drag him on the safe side with the other wounded. Slowly but surely, the number of defenders was dwindling while the amount of injured and dead was swelling. They could only hope that the soldiers would rout the cats in time before they were overwhelmed.


    Emp did not watch how the bridge held as he focused on his own task, as long as he did this, at least the west side of the village would be kept safe. A cat climbed out of the river near one of the hunters and prepared itself to attack him. Emp got to it in time and drove down the hammer on its back. With the crunch of its ribs collapsing, the cat vomited a large amount of blood and died.


    Satisfied, Emp started searching for his next target when a hand clasped around his shoulder. He looked behind him to see the archer he had just helped. He told him something and pointed at the bridge.


    Emp looked that way again and saw that there wasn''t a lot of defenders left. Only a handful of men and a tall woman holding a sword even longer than herself where still holding on. The hunter at his side said something else but Emp did not need to understand his words to figure out what he wanted. The bridge needed more people.


    He looked towards his destination and made a long step towards it, finding himself standing beside the tall woman. She was about the same height as Chinui but it was enough to let her tower above most of the remaining farmers around her. She seemed strong but not quite as strong as the wife of Tiberius. She was dressed with an impressive smooth charcoal colored armor and her short hair did not leave the border of her helmet.


    Aside from that, he could not see anything else about her but he guessed that with the length of her sword, she could kill many cats in a single swing. She had probably done so too if you were to believe all the cat corpses cleaved in half further on the road. She was probably one of those who charged out of the bridge the most to gain time for the rest.


    When the other Emp saw the original step on the bridge, he did the same from his side and found himself standing with her as well. There was a giant hole in the upper part of his shield, Emp would have to buy a new one but at least, he didn''t seem injured.


    The other defenders jumped in surprise when the two Emps arrived right in front of them but not the woman. With the both of them appearing at her side out of nowhere, she still managed to react calmly and asked them something that they, of course, could not understand.


    "I am sorry, I do not get it."


    She laughed and said something else ending with ''noble'' before focusing once more on what was happening. A projectile landed on the half melted shield of his copy and he didn''t have any choice left but to discard it like the villagers often did. Because of the situation they were in, Emp chose to exchange his hammer for the sword Flame and picked up a random shield from the pile like his copy. The hammer would not be useful here on the bridge.


    The woman eyed their two swords and spoke again. She knocked on their breastplates and pointed them the left and right side of the bridge where cats were gathering. Then, she knocked on her own and pointed directly in front were the most of them were.


    It was enough for the two Emps to understand, they pointed their swords towards their respective sides and prepared themselves to lunge forward as an answer. Why was he listening to her, he had no idea. There were possibly way too many cats to win but still, he wanted to help.


    She took a stance as well and after a sudden shout, she ran forward. Emp felt she was a good example of what Chinui had told him to do when he had met him. She led by example and wasn''t afraid to rush into the largest amount of enemy possible. The two Emps did the same and stepped into their own groups of cats well before she reached hers.


    Because they were suddenly so close to them, most of the monsters around him opted to use their claws instead of their spit. Emp stepped left as he slashed right towards one of them, then stepped right and bashed his shield in the face of a cat jumping from straight in front of him.


    Very quickly, he felt like he was once again battling the snakes, there were just too many. He was so busy keeping track of all the cats around him that he had almost no time to slash in return. Most of the cats that died were killed by the close range spit of their brethren instead of him.


    Emp did not know many sword tricks. More precisely, he did not know any on how to keep so many cats at bay. At least, he was very good at slashing things on his right side since Chinui had scolded him so many time in order to fix how he stood and did that one motion.


    Most of the fight could be shortened into step left, slash, turn and repeat. In between those, there were only dodges and desperate blocking with the shield.


    Even though he wasn''t that effective against such a large number of creatures, at least he was able to keep them busy. With the two Emps and the woman blocking the cats further away from the bridge, the few defenders still standing were able to take a breather. Some even cheered them on, raising their fists and swords towards the two dancing spots of light protecting them.


    The fight on the other side of the bridge had been easy and not very tiring for him, he just needed to walk from one place to the other like he did everyday and hit once with his weapon to end it. Here though, it was something else entirely. Sweat was dripping all over his face, both from the stress of being alone in the middle of more than twenty of those dangerous cats and the effort he had to make to dodge them all at every moment. Soon, he felt like his lungs were burning under the acrid smell of their sizzling blood.


    Once, he made a step backward to dodge an attack and his foot landed into pool of their blood with a loud hiss. He removed it from there fast but he was pretty sure by the way his boot felt from then on that there was barely anything left of the sole. Now, he regretted not having bought a new pair of them while he was in town.


    His copy was in a similar position, barely keeping up with the cats, but the woman was faring much better. Every time she swung her disproportionate sword, Emp could hear the air split and see an entire group of cats torn apart. That sword, combined with her incredible strength, was able to easily cut through them all in a single swing. She was just walking forward, cutting down groups after groups of cats, completely ignoring their blood as it landed on her armor. Against them, she was invincible.


    Emp was far from being as strong as her and hoped he wouldn''t have to keep this up for much longer. He was almost out of breath and his equipment was starting to feel really heavy. If this continued for longer, it would feel as if he had used the great overburdening hammer. At least, when he managed to hit them, the swords easily passed through their thin skin and brittle bones.


    The battle went on and on but the soldiers weren''t coming back and the woman wasn''t backing out either so he had no choice but to keep his ground. He ended up having to give up on any counterattack entirely, only focusing on defense.


    Finally, when he thought he had no other choice but to leave and go back to the bridge before he collapsed of exhaustion, a powerful screeching howl echoed in the village. The cats all around the village raised their ugly heads, stopped whatever they were doing and ran. The cats suddenly decided to give up and they fled the village in droves.


    Many parts of the wall had been melted and broken down by their attacks and the cats used all those openings as escape routes. They left using the gate, the fallen walls or even by jumping from a roof and over the few sections of the wall that were still standing. They did not forget to bring back as many corpses as they could with them. Carrying their spoils of war with them, back into the woods.


    Loud cheers erupted from all over the safe half of the village as the news of the victory spread. The fight was finally over. Emp just wanted to lie down right where he stood but he feared he would land in some more of that acid blood.


    He first searched for a clear spot, recalled his copy and collapsed in the middle of the road. The combined fatigue of the two was unbearable. He could not move at all anymore. Every part of his body felt swollen and burnt.


    ***


    The blood-spitters are a race of ugly felidae. They are fur-less and usually so thin they seem starved. To go straight to the point, the only thing that makes them different from any other feline aside from their unusual ugliness is their blood.


    Every blood-spitters have a highly acidic blood running through their veins. That blood is powerful enough to melt through wood, stone and even steel. Because of it, they are ignored by most predators and even death seekers try to avoid them to keep their swords whole.


    Not only this, it is widely known that the blood-spitters, fitting with their name, use that blood as a weapon to attack preys from a distance. They would be feared everywhere if not for a massive problem. They themselves aren''t resistant to this corrosive blood. Their veins and heart can contain it with the help of constant regeneration focused on them but, when the blood leaves those veins, the chances of them dying from it is high.


    To attack with it, a blood-spitter must fill a special muscular pouch kept in its throat with their own blood and with a powerful contraction of its throat muscles, expel it to its target. This could be devastating but many points make it less useful of a mechanism than it would seem. First, such an attack isn''t precise and misses happen often at long distances. Second, the amount of blood required for such an attack is quite substantial and a blood-spitter relying too much on it could faint from anemia. Finally, the muscle pouch used to hold and accumulate the blood necessary, isn''t resistant enough to its effect and like its mouth, gets badly damaged by such an attack. This is why almost all blood-spitters look like their throat and mouths are melting away, they actually are.


    The more a blood-spitter use it''s acid as a mean of attack, the more it weakens and hurts itself, giving them the title of shortest lived feline of all the lands on top of their already impressive title of most ugly feline of all the lands.


    Their fur and skin, nay, every part of their body are always degenerating and sacrificing their energy to their veins and heart in order to keep the beast alive and protect it against its own blood. This explain why all of them looks diseased and on the brink of death.


    Those creatures do not often hunt like most of the other felidae, instead, they are more of a scavenger, stealing the food of other creatures unwilling to pick a fight with them. The blood-spitters are a solitary creature but unlike most species, its individuals do not keep a clear territory to themselves. This is explained by their short lifespan, they are always on the lookout for a potential mate and can reproduce at an incredible pace.


    With all their problems, they would be nothing more than a curiosity in our forest if not for an extremely rare existence among them. Sometimes, around once in fifty thousand birth, an individual is born with an immunity to its own acidic blood. We call them the kings and queens of the blood-spitters, sizzle leaders (1). When observing one, we can witness the true form of their specie. Lean and tall with a powerful musculature and a snow white mane of silky fur. A sharply chiseled head with a cunning look and proud demeanor. It''s lifespan is more than three times that of its usual kin, truly the perfected form of their race.


    When one is born, every other blood-spitters naturally gather around it and follow its command, forming a sizzle. Because of their rarity and power, not much is known as to why such a sizzle comes into existence. Are they gathering for a chance to mate with the true blood-spitter? Are they naturally inclined toward serving the king or queen of their race? Do they feel that its existence will bring bountiful nourishment for them all or do they simply recognize that the sizzle leader is more intelligent than them and the only thing to do is kneel in front of it?


    Whatever the case, a sizzle leader, with its superior size, speed and threat, leads the rest of its race into large scale hunts and attacks that would never happen without them. They target villages, herds of keradons and deer, whatever enters its massive territory.


    The only way to really stop a sizzle is to kill its leader, the second it dies, the rest knows and disperses back into their usual solitary ways.


    When forced to face a blood-spitter some things are best to keep in mind. It is more than recommended to engage them from a distance with weapons or ammunition you do not fear losing to its acid. Like always, magic would be a valuable help but a bow and arrow can kill one in a single hit if your aim is true. Anything short of an armor reinforced with magic will be useless against its acid and their attacks should be avoided at all cost instead. Alternatively, with their weakened state, making them spit enough blood would knock them out, even just running for long enough would tire them after a while and they should quickly give up on their pursuit.


    I heard their blood have some uses if you have something to contain it with but honestly, I would be afraid to lose my fingers in the endeavor so you, dear reader, and I, should leave such scavenging feat to professionals instead.


    -- Common Steelwood Bestiary entry on the Blood-spitter. (2)


    (1) A group of blood-spitter is a sizzle. Don''t look at me like that, I wasn''t the one who decided to give all animal groups a unique name for the English language. A group of jaguars is a shadow apparently and a group of leopards is a leap. A sizzle isn''t that bad of a name considering the others.


    (2) I like blood-spitters, even though they are so badly design in an evolutionary standpoint.


    Speaking of standpoint, any authors would say that I should have cut the chapter at the charge from the bridge as a cliffhanger but, I did not want/need to stretch that fight further.


    The only real disappointment is that Emp wasn''t the one who killed the sizzle leader but to be honest, I think he would have died if he had fought it.

 32 Marcellia

    While he was lying there motionless, people ran out of their houses and embraced members of their family. Everyone was going around thanking and congratulating others while some cried for the loss of someone they knew.


    The injured were in an horrible condition and Emp knew that the damage done by that blood was much worse than the gash he had previously received. Without a mage, Emp wasn''t sure they would be all right. Many were already dying.


    The guards came back under the thankful cheers of the small crowd and helped however they could with the injured and the dead. Ten minutes later, the people were still trying to reorganize everything while Emp still had not moved an inch from where he had collapsed.


    At some point, the huge figure of the armored woman appeared looming in his field of view and said something as she nudged him with her foot. He answered by simply raising half of his arm and letting fall back down on the road, completely out of strength.


    "I cannot stand, I feel like, I am burning."


    The woman put a knee down at his side and touched his armor where the blood passed through it earlier.


    "The acid?" She said with worry and a funny accent.


    Emp was glad she spoke in the noble tongue or we would not have understood what she meant at all. She was probably bad at it though considering the accent and the fact it was the first time she spoke it in front of him.


    "No, not the blood, my muscles, are burning, I mean, I am just tired." He said between large breaths.


    The woman laughed and slapped his chest twice as she sat at his side, looking towards the rest of the villagers.


    After a while longer, Emp managed to sit back up and removed his helmet to escape the heat that had built up inside it. Seeing him remove his helmet made her remember her own.


    She removed it as well to reveal her face. Blue eyes and golden hair, very common traits in the people Emp saw until now. Her facial structure was unexpectedly soft and caring for someone running around with a giant sword and her skin a little tanned by the sun.


    He was the first to speak.


    "I saw a group of kids on the road earlier. Did they make it back safe?"


    "How many?"


    "Around ten, running from the village towards the howling hill."


    She frowned and called out to someone nearby. After a quick talk, he nodded, gathered two more guys with him and jogged towards the west gate. After, she brought her attention back to him, it was her turn to ask a question.


    "Where is your brother?"


    "I do not have any brothers." Answered Emp confused.


    "The one who wielded Ray."


    Understanding flashed across his face. She meant his copy. How should he answer that? He was tempted to say there was no one else since it was also him that she saw with himself but it would seem to her as if he was saying nonsense. Instead, he chose to get Ray from his bag and placed it on his knees. She seemed a little confused but asked for the other one.


    "Then, the one who wielded Flame."


    How did she even know the name of those two swords? In any case, he had to answer her and so, he got Flame and placed it on the ground in front of himself. Now, both of the magic swords were out and there were no clear explanation on how it was possible. She had no idea how to react, unable to decide if this was some sort of trick, if he was making fun of her or if it was some sort of miraculous ability. She exclaimed her thoughts in her language and Emp answered as best he could.


    "Both are me." He presented her his card, this time making sure Muracier would not be shown and pointed at his blessing. "Space''s treasure lets me make a copy of myself. The two person you saw were both me."


    She made a huge grin and laughed heartily again. She was the person who laughed the most Emperor ever saw.


    "Pretty good kid, Emp. My name is Marcellia Gladius." She said as she presented her hand for a shake.


    The name was familiar, he had heard it recently. It explained why she knew the name of the swords. Emp took her hand and answered. Her grip was almost crushing, good thing he still wore his gauntlets.


    "The sister of Tiberius? Your armor saved me many times already." He said while knocking on it. "I really wanted to thank you for making it."


    "Ya bought it at my brother''s shop? With the pair of swords and the hammer?" (1)


    "Yes." He said With a big smile. "I love them. The swords both cut really well and Flame can scare most smaller monsters. The hammer too, it''s just the right weight for me."


    He had many things to ask her about them like if she could fix the armor now that there were holes in it but it could wait for later as she seemed to have much more to ask him.


    "I am happy they served to help the village in the end. Did ya come all the way here just to thank me?"


    "No, I was going to B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "Alone?"


    "Yes."


    She seemed to find it strange but it was true that Galana was opposed to it as well so it must have been common sense to not walk alone. She searched for the right words a moment before she voiced her next question.


    "And where are your parents kid?"


    Why such a hard question to answer so suddenly? What was he to answer? The most simple truth was probably the best, no?


    "I do not know."


    She seemed saddened by his answer but it was the truth after all, he had no idea where their trials, and by consequence them, were. She placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him but he didn''t feel sad at all, maybe he should say something to help her understand.


    "I do not really know them so it does not matter."


    That seemed to be even sadder for her. Why was it so? He just meant to say that he only met them once before they sent him on his quest. Did she really understand this language? What was he supposed to say? He did not get enough time to find because she asked something else.


    "Why were ya going to B¨ºt¨¦clair alone?"


    Another hard question! He couldn''t tell her it was because Chinui asked him to enter the school over there. He did not want everyone to panic because he was a noble again.


    "I was going there to learn things."


    "Learn what?"


    "Anything at all, everything."


    Sage wanted him to know everything but his current self was just the opposite of knowledgeable. If he wanted to learn everything, he had to start with something, whatever that something was. Excluding knowledge about clothing of course, that, he would pass over if he could.


    "Does it matter what it is ya learn?"


    "No."


    She tried to keep a smile from creeping up on her face but Emp saw it, there was no way to hide it. He had not seen that kind of smile often in his life yet but he knew what it meant. What sort of mischief was Marcellia planning on doing?


    "You said ya like my work right?"


    "Yes, I love the things you made."


    "And you''re pretty strong for someone you age."


    What did she mean someone his age? He hoped he was indeed stronger than a one year old baby. Where was she going with this?


    "You are much stronger than me, I saw you cleave through all those cats at once, it was impressive." He denied.


    "That was just because of my self-magic, there is no way anyone is strong enough to cleave through them all with a single swing." She answered laughing.


    That was an impressive feat none the less. He wondered if he would be taught some of those magic in the school.


    "I will be straightforward." She continued. "I am looking for an apprentice. I haven''t found anyone fitting in Dark-glint yet. Instead of going to B¨ºt¨¦clair, why not stay here and learn my craft."


    He had not expected such a suggestion at all. He was very surprised and curious to hear it. This was an exciting proposition but Emp wasn''t sure on how to answer her. He was very interested, if she taught him, would he be able to make weapons as good as Flame and Ray by himself? It would be a great knowledge to have. Even Galana said that she was one of the best, learning from her would surely be worthwhile.


    But, he really needed to go to that school, Chinui had made a lot of efforts to help him do so after all and he would learn many more things there. Emp did not think that this one knowledge was worth more than the many more from the school. Why did she think he would make a good apprentice anyway? He knew nothing at all about that sort of thing. He knew the basics on how to use a sword but nothing on how to make one. He decided to ask her directly.


    "How do you know I am fitting? You do not know me at all."


    "I know the most important, ya''re someone who ran into a fight ya had no business or interest in. Ya provided more than your part and when I told ya to jump in the middle of them all, ya did. Even though ya could not win and even though ya didn''t know anyone here, ya risked your life for them. Someone like ya cannot be a bad person. More importantly, ya know how to fight and how to survive alone, my knowledge and my time should not be wasted upon ya. Trust me, finding an apprentice is like finding the best material to craft something, ya just know when ya find the right one."


    She may have been right but he really could not accept. It must have shown on his face because she decided to back off for now.


    "Ya''re not going to go tonight right? Take your time to think about it. Decisions made after a good night of sleep are always better. In the meantime, why not come back with me to meet the others, I''m sure there are many who would like to see ya."


    Emp agreed even though he could not understand anyone aside from her. Even she, had a way of saying things so bizarrely that he had to focus on every single words she said in order to figure out what they were instead of what he had first heard.


    After that, she led him across the bridge and like the cats he had just battled, the villagers swarmed him. After five handshake, he understood that they were all there to thank him for his help. Some were many times more excited of doing so than others, more so after a few words from Marcellia.


    He also recognized some of them like the woman who used a door to hit one of the monsters. She came wrapped around the arm of one of the hunters he had helped, with five small kids in tow. That hunter was beaming of happiness. He went straight to Emp and took his arm with both hands to shake it strongly as he talked vividly. In the end, Marcellia had to intervene to help Emp since he did not understand what the man wanted to tell him. After a short chat and another round of grateful handshaking, she told Emp.


    "In summary, he just wanted to thank ya for saving his wife and kids."


    Emp almost found it unbelievable. After all, he had only killed the few cats that managed to go around the hunters. Also, with the way his wife reacted, he was pretty sure she would have been able to kill that cat without his help anyway. He had only been faster.


    "He would like to give ya something to repay ya but he doesn''t know what yet, he doesn''t have much money."


    Emp nodded and answered something to escape this.


    "I do not need money but if he could find me a new pair of boots I would greatly appreciate it."


    He raised his feet in the air to show the sole of his boot to them. He could see through it in some places because of how much it had melted.


    "I stepped into some of the blood and I think travelling with those will be hard now."


    Marcellia Laughed and repeated it to the man who laughed as well with his wife.


    "He says sure, a pair of boots for the safety of his family is quite cheap, Jenna will even fix that pair for ya if you lend it to her."


    Why not? Though Emp. That was a great idea, now he would have two pairs! He removed his boot and happily gave it to them. The man, his wife and Marcellia almost collapsed of laughter. Emp did not understand what was this funny.


    While this was all happening, a large fire was lit in the middle of the city square to provide some more light for the villagers. Either they wanted to grieve or feast, none of them had any intention to go back to sleep anytime soon. There was way too much to do.


    The wounded were nursed by their relatives, the corpses of the cats and the villagers were moved into two separate places by the soldiers and people cheered those that fought for them while many started cooking food for the group. Over there, near the fire, the group of three boys that had killed one of the cats with knives where boasting about their achievement and showing their hunting card to however passed nearby.


    Emp was led through all this by Marcellia who tried her best to give him the names of everyone they came across. Sometimes, she would call out to someone and present them to him. It did not take long for him to feel overwhelmed, after all, he had never met so many people all at once. It wasn''t the same feeling as the crowds of strangers in Red-water at all. He was sure that if they continued like that, he would have heard the name of everyone living here before the end of the night.


    There were much too many names and Emp was afraid he would forget some of them, if not most. Unfazed by his discomfort, she called on to another man. This one was a soldiers, he was as tall as her and still wearing his armor. On top of his rectangular face, he had a half bald head with only a ring of hair to cover it. He looked like quite the serious man but after talking to Marcellia for a moment his eyes flashed of excitement and the corner of his mouth slightly rose when he looked towards Emp. Was he also about to cause some mischief in a fit of laughter? What was it with the people living here?


    The man went to see him and shook his hand as well before he started asking him all sorts of things Marcellia had to help him translate. Apparently, not only was he the commanding officer of the soldiers garrisoned here but he was also the village head. By the look of things, he seemed well appreciated by the people living in Dark-glint.


    He was quite the friendly man and tried to discuss all sorts of things with Emp who had a hard time keeping up with the more than ordinary translation of Marcellia. He dearly regretted now that Galana wasn''t around to tell him clearly what was happening.


    He talked about food, the good-natured character of the people living here, the craftsmanship of the houses, the history of the village and all kinds of other things. He also tried to praise Marcellia but she quickly put a stop to it with a crease of her brows and a couple of words.


    Most of the discussion proceeded in the same way, the head would talk about something for a while before waiting for Emp''s reactions in turn. Emp understood he was looking for a particular answer to his many subjects of discussion but Emp had no idea of what to answer to almost everything he said. For example, when the village head said that the water of the river here was particularly refreshing, what was Emp supposed to answer? He had nothing to say about that, he had not touched that river and only knew two other beside that one, how was he to compare? In the end, he could only nod to most of what the head said.


    At some point, he was saved from that one sided discussion by the arrival of the group he had met on the road. Apparently, those kids did not all belong to the woman holding a baby because many adults idling around took some of those kids in their arms when they arrived. The man that was leading the group earlier talked to the rest and pointed at Emp a few times. The other men all started laughing and before Emp could escape, he was trapped into another round of thanks.


    Unable to place a word through all those villagers, the head was forced to retreat and exchanged a few more words with Marcellia while Emp received friendly taps in the back and many handshakes.


    The moment he thought it was over, he was swarmed once more, this time by the returned kids. Some of them only reached his waist but a few were barely shorter than him. Did that mean that the age of his own body was similar to theirs or was it merely a coincidence?


    They all started talking at once, the boys much more loudly than the girls and most of them with exaggerated gestures. Emp understood they were sharing their happiness and excitement with him but had absolutely no idea on how to react. What were they expecting him to do? It was the first time Emp ever interacted with young people. He could only smile and hope that Marcellia would come back to save him or at least tell him what was happening exactly.


    Upon her return, she placed her hand on his shoulder and talked a little to the kids. Emp did not know what she said but most of them reacted with some variation of "Hooooo!" or "Heyy?". He almost laughed at their reactions but managed to keep it in. Then, Marcellia explained some bits of what they wanted to him.


    "Mostly, they are curious about what ya did with the weapons ya had earlier and they want ya to show them the trick ya use to make a second ya."


    Emp had hoped it would not be anything too complicated but this was really easy. Relieved, he started by trying to summon the second him but nothing happened. He frowned and looked around, confused as to why it did not work. It took him only a short moment to understand that it did in fact work but that he had forgotten to touch him before recalling him. Since he never really separated from it, he had completely forgot that it would stay where it was unsummoned if he was not at its contact.


    The other Emp came running from the bridge and when he got at his side, he touched his arm and made him disappear once again. The entire crowd of kids that had seemingly got more numerous since earlier was in awe. To satisfy their curiosity completely, Emp took the hammer from his bag under another wave of surprised exclamation and the second Emp appeared back again with the same hammer now in his hands as well.


    The crowd seemed impressed by both the second Emp and the bag which made Emp happy, he had managed to live up to their expectations.


    One of the boys seemed to want to hold the hammer so the second Emp placed his own on the ground in front of them, with the handle pointing skyward.


    After having received the approval of Emp and some hesitation, he tried to raise it but even by puffing his cheeks and turning his whole face red with the effort, he could not move it. The rest of the kids laughed with Marcellia who told them something before the rest of the kids tried to lift it in the air as well. In the end, with three of them holding it, they managed to get it in the air but afraid that they would drop in on someone''s toes, Marcellia got them to put it back down.


    Afterwards, the smell of roasted meat filled the air and overwhelmed the metallic smell that had held dominion over the village. Food was cooked and drinks were served to fill the bellies of the people who had survived the attack of the beasts.


    Tables were hastily brought out of nearby houses and everyone took place around them. Of course, Emp was invited as well and was forcefully sat in between Marcellia and the half bald head of the village. With them, at their table, were also the guy Emp assumed to be a mage, one of the hunters and his wife, a burly guy also accompanied by his wife and many soldiers.


    Everyone seemed friendly except for the mage who completely ignored everyone here aside from the head and some women. They all talked to each other seriously and Marcellia told him that they were still trying to organize the aftermath of this fight. They had corpses to dismantle, friends to bury, others to heal and a lot to repair or even rebuild from the ground up. The villagers were acting cheerfully but this had truly been a terrible blow for this small settlement.


    There was a lot of meat in front of everyone but none of it came from the cats, Marcellia told him that they had to be drained from their blood first because it would be too dangerous to cook otherwise. It was at this occasion that Emp finally learned that those creatures were blood-spitters. It was the heart of one of those things that had fixed the cut on his arm, they truly had a fitting name.


    Since Emp had not eaten yet that evening, he was quite glad they offered him some food. They also brought him a pint but it was only after he drank a mouthful of it that he realised it wasn''t water. He choked on the unknown liquid burning its way along his throat and his surroundings laughed a lot. What was that? Was it poison?


    "Have ya never drunk cider before?" Asked Marcellia with a big smile. "You should drink more, this one is pretty good." She said emptying her own large mug.


    Should he really drink more of that? Was it even sensible to drink something that felt like it was burning you from the inside out? Since everyone else was doing it, it could not be that bad right? He took another, much smaller sip from his mug.


    After half a mug and a large steak, he felt that this was a fun place to be at. Everyone seemed to be interesting and he was still very tempted to learn about crafting and smiting from Marcellia. An idea suddenly came to his mind and he shared it with her.


    "I could summon the other me and have one of us stay here while the other goes to B¨ºt¨¦clair like I am supposed to. That way I can do both."


    After all, if not for this kind of thing, what was the purpose of this ability. Why choose to learn one or the other where he could get both? She grinned but still asked to be sure.


    "But would the one staying be the true ya or the other one?"


    "That is not how this works, both are the true me. Everything one learns the other knows and if either dies, the other does as well. There are no differences between us both."


    "Then, does this mean ya would accept to be my apprentice?"


    "Yes, but only if you help me learn that language too."


    "I will even teach ya self magic if ya want!"


    Marcelia smiled in triumph and clapped in her hands once before she shouted something at the village head on the other side of him. The man seemed really pleased as well. After that, they brought him more meat and more cider. The people sang and some even danced under the cheers or laughter of the rest.


    He felt like he had a lot of fun but when he woke up the next morning, he had no idea where he was and didn''t feel that well anymore. He could not remember how he had ended up here and he was missing both of his boots.


    ***


    When warring in a forested area, you would typically avoid using archers as the dense trees would block most of the arrows for the enemy. Of course, the same is true in our Steelwood empire. An archer is only effective if he can both see his target and hit it from a distance.


    Even with that being the case though, any stranger and foreign visitors would notice quickly the importance of archery in the empire. Our armies have a widespread reputation of containing a very large portion of archers, almost half of our total troops. It would have never turned out like this if not for the very forest that would hinder any other armed force from wielding bows. I am sure you know already for having heard it a million times before, it is because the ancestors are watching over us.


    Steel and stones aren''t living and contain no souls but our wood does. It houses our ancestors and through our bows help protect us from arm. Anyone born in the vast forests of the Steelwood empire wielding a bow made from that same wood can become a talented archer almost immediately. The arrows just fly true, through trunks, branches and leaves they seek their target like a bloodhound. It is already impressive but our soldiers aren''t just anyone, they are extensively trained to use their bow to such an extent that it is said that as long as they can see their target, they will never miss.


    A company of archer host around six hundred and twenty five individual or five thickets of soldiers, led by a captain designated from high ranked nobles. It is a great honor to lead a company of archer and many captains over the years wormed their way into this position without knowing how to draw a bowstring at all. Most of the time though, they are named for their tactical knowledge or quick wits.


    Only a single legion composed fully of archers has ever been recorded in our history, about seven hundred years ago, and was swiftly disbanded at the demand of the great general of the time. I believe this decision to be the right one. Even with their might, there should never be a group of five thousand archer without any fighter to protect them, this would be plain madness.


    Yes, our archers are superior to any other, as long as they both tread the grounds of our forests and can see their target. The moment they leave our forest, for the hills, plains or deserts in the east, they seem to lose all ability they had, or at least, the support of their bow. The souls of our ancestors cannot reach outside our forests. Through testing, it was revealed that as long as the forest stays in your field of vision, or what would be in your field of vision if not for obstacles like walls or a big hill, the ancestors will assist you.


    In an offensive war, almost all our forces becomes crippled which is why the Steelwood empire can only remember a few instances of this kind of conflict. Such a war isn''t worth it considering our neighbors. In reverse, while defending our homes, we are undefeatable in a large part due to our archers. Any approaching army would be drowned in a rain of arrows they can''t escape with no real way to retaliate or even protect themselves but to use magic. By the time the two armies engage in melee, their numbers and moral are so low that our great general Muracier can easily sweep through them with is troops.


    In no way am I claiming that the great general isn''t as important or strong as people think he is. Absolute superiority in a field does not diminish the strategic value of our general and I believe that any of the great general we had over the long history of our empire would be able to grasp victory despite a lack of archers. In fact, by now our enemies should know very well what awaits them when they come knocking on our borders, who knows how many time the great general thwarted a devious tactic to get rid of our archers?


    In conclusion, I would say that archery is a skill everyone should practice in our empire. If the army can''t save you and your life is on the line, a bow might be much more trustworthy than a sword. Crafting the bow yourself is also strongly advised as the connection between you and the ancestors will be greater according to court mages. As long as you do not leave our territory, may your arrows fly true and protect what matters to you.


    -- Historical musing, Archery of Steelwood.


    (1) Marcellia speaks very badly in the noble language but I thought I didn''t need to make it hard for the readers as well. You can imagine the weird chopped up sentences in a strange accent in your own heads.

 33 Leave and stay

    Emp did not remember when he fell asleep, where he was, why he was missing his boots or why he felt so bad.


    Apparently, he had slept in his armor and now he was hurting everywhere. He also had a headache and his stomach was upset. He sat up and almost rubbed his eyes with his gauntlets because he was too sleepy to figure out that since he was wearing the armor, he would also be wearing the gauntlets.


    Should he remove his armor now? This seemed like a waste of time since he would have to put it back on right after for his travel. He chose to keep it and looked around himself.


    He was in a room with a bed on which he sat, a closed window and a closed door leading to somewhere unknown. It was small and empty, Emp wondered how he had ended up here.


    He got out of the bed, walked to the door and opened it to look at what was hidden behind it. The next room was much larger, it had a table, some chairs, a fireplace, a couple of storage chests, some shelves and a woman sat on one of the chairs. Emp remembered her, it was Marcellia, she was wearing loose leather pants and a thick leather vest over a tunic instead of the armor.


    When she saw him, she smiled, waved at him and pushed a chair with her feet to tell him to sit down. Emp stumbled his way to it and left his whole weight in its care. Marcellia gave him a wry smile.


    "Ya aren''t used to drinking are ya? I shouldn''t have given you that fifth pint."


    "I drank more than one?" Emp really could not remember the four others.


    Marcelia chuckled.


    "My poor thing, ya look so bad, here, take some water."


    She gave him a new mug but he only took a small sip because he felt it would jump back out of him if he drank any more.


    "Where is this?" He asked.


    "My house." She said. "The forge is just outside. After you fell asleep on the table last night, I dragged you to my guest room."


    Emp nodded and took another sip. He remembered the meat, the feast and the fun.


    "Where are my boot?"


    "Ya left them to Jenna so she could fix it."


    "Who is Jenna?"


    Marcellia laughed some more.


    "Drink more water and take your time, ya just got drunk, everything will come back to ya in a minute."


    Emp half closed his eyes and slowly drank the mug, sip by sip. This is what alcohol did? Why were people drinking this? Did they love to feel terrible? This reminded him that everyone thought that the Muraciers did not drink alcohol. He had no idea if this was true or not but at this moment, he felt it was an agreeable decision.


    "Do ya remember what ya told me last night?" She asked him once it seemed like he felt a little bit better.


    "I remember agreeing to be your apprentice." He said feeling like this was what she was probably talking about. "But I would like to add another condition."


    "I already agreed about helping ya learn the language." She said, thinking he had forgotten.


    "I remember that. I was about to say, I will not drink any more cider."


    She almost laughed again and reassured him with a dismissive gesture.


    "Bah! Don''t ya worry about it, ya''ll get used to it."


    Emp couldn''t help but feel like that answer was untrustworthy.


    "Are ya ready for breakfast now?"


    "I think I will skip it."


    He didn''t feel well enough to eat anything. Marcellia seemed to understand what he meant as she moved on to the next thing immediately.


    "Then, let''s start, the village will be busy for a couple of days, they will need my help a lot and ya," she said pointing at him. "will help me do it all since ya''re now my apprentice. I won''t go easy on ya, I''ll beat the answers into your head if I have to but ya will learn."


    She could not be as bad as Chinui could she? In any case, he wasn''t afraid and couldn''t wait to learn it all. There was still something he needed to do beforehand though.


    "Wait, one of me need to go to B¨ºt¨¦clair, I need a pair of boots."


    "I already got the pair Paul promised ya, They''re over there by the front door."


    Emp looked behind him and saw that there was indeed a pair of boots fitting him over there.


    "How did he know they would fit me?"


    "He had your other boots already."


    That was right, that made sense. Emp got up from the chair, fought the dizziness for a short moment and went over to the boots. He leaned on the wall to pick them up and almost fell over head first. Marcellia laughed once more at his misery.


    "Maybe you''re right, that drink really seems to disagree with ya."


    Emp put on the boots and summoned the second him before he explained it to Marcellia.


    "So that me will stay with you, as long as I do not touch him, even if I make him disappear, he will reappear where he was instead of with me."


    "Really? Show me."


    Emp touched the other him, made him disappear, walked slowly to the other side of the room, made him reappear at his side, went back to the door and made him disappear and reappear again from over there. This was the best he could do to prove it.


    "I will believe ya for now but if ya lied to me and that one disappear for too long, I will go all the way to the city and beat ya for lying to your master."


    Emp didn''t mind since he wasn''t lying.


    "Then I will go now, I do not want to be late."


    He wondered if he needed to say goodbye since he would be there with her at the same time he was gone. In the end, he chose not to and opened the door.


    "Farewell then." Said Marcellia.


    As Emp exited the room, he heard the other him say what he was thinking.


    "I do not think you really need to tell me farewell since I am staying as well."


    "That''s going to be confusing." She said.


    Emp left the town of Dark-glint from the east gate, opposite to the one he had entered from and resumed his journey.


    Hours after he left, he felt much better and his walking speed improved. He saw some more cats from a distance but aside from looking at him as he passed by, they completely ignored him and napped in the trees.


    After that, the rest of his journey to B¨ºt¨¦clair took him another ten days in which nothing happened to him at all. This part of the travel could not have been any better. It rained a couple of times but that was it.


    He also passed through some sort of swamp housing another village he didn''t know the name of. He didn''t stop in it and continued to walk eastward instead.


    He also took the habit of recalling his double every night before he went to sleep to share their respective experiences. Marcellia''s side was many times more lively than the side of his walking self.


    From the moment he left, Marcellia did not waste any time before putting Emp to work. For the entire first week, all he did was carry things around for people. Bring over wood and lumber for the walls and houses, help to move and bury the corpses into the woods, remove all the dead blood-spitters from inside the village and all those kinds of thing.


    Some tasks assigned to him were much harder than others. Moving things around in large quantities should have been very easy for him due to the bag but he had been forbidden to use it. The first time they asked him to get some wood from the lumber mill, he brought back everything so he wouldn''t have to go multiple times over. Everyone had been pleased by this, everyone but Marcellia.


    She hit the back of his head and told him to use his arms instead, it was good for training his body. He told her about the overburdening hammer but she would have none of it. More training was better than less, she would say, don''t he dare cheat his way through his tasks.


    After that first great haul, he had to move everything like any normal person would do. To him, it was unusual and it took longer than it should but it wasn''t that hard, at least, not as hard as when they asked him to help with the dead.


    Since he had brought almost all the building material by himself already and had no idea on how to help out the actual construction of the walls or how to repair the damaged houses, they sent him over to help plant the dead.


    In larger towns and cities, they had professional gravediggers for this but in small villages, there was simply not enough death to warrant the need of such a profession. The dead usually all came in waves like this one and everyone with free time had to help.


    With those that didn''t survive their injuries, they ended up with thirty three dead and five missing. For each one, they had to dig a grave in the woods. First they had to choose a place where there was enough space to grow a tree, then they had to remove anything in the way including old stumps and rocks before digging the actual grave. Emp dug six of them by himself with a shovel Marcellia entrusted to him.


    Because of the huge amount of roots, rocks and random obstacles in the way, it took him a lot of effort and time for each of them. This was many times more difficult and tiring than just moving supplies through the small village but it still wasn''t the hardest part.


    The hardest part was to watch the family of the dead one bring his or her corpse to the grave he had dug. He had to watch them cry as they placed it in the hole and entrusted either a seedling or a very small sapling to it. Then, he had to fill back the hole while being carefully watched by the grieving family. A tree would grow from their corpses and absorb their soul. One day, the dead would watch over their relatives from the forest but for now, they were well and truly dead.


    Emp thought it wasn''t that bad since their spirit would live on in the tree. It was like giving them a second life, the five missing had a much more terrible fate awaiting them. Unable to find a host tree, would they come back as angry ghosts to haunt them? The safekeeping of the spirits he buried however, did not seem to stop the families from crying and feel sadness.


    It was many times harder for Emp to feel all this sadness around him than to actually bury the corpse. Emp didn''t like to see other people cry, it just didn''t seem right. He couldn''t help but cry as well even though he didn''t think it was sad and even though he didn''t know either the dead or the living.


    When he told her he felt bad when he saw other people cry, Marcellia told him it was because of empathy. Emp wasn''t sure who exactly was Empathy but he would really have liked her to stop whatever she, or he, was doing to him.


    A few of the dead villagers had no family, or at least none in the village. In those cases, the village head had to lower the corpse in the grave and entrust the seedling to it himself. Families usually stayed a while after he finished putting back all the dirt over the dead but not the village head, he had many more things to do. He didn''t cry as much too so it was easier on Emp.


    Fortunately, his first week wasn''t just hard work and sadness. A lot of interesting things also happened to him. First, he saw when the guards brought back what they told him was the leader of the blood-spitter. It was three times as large as an ordinary one and was far less ugly. It was just lean instead of skeletal, its face and neck hadn''t half melted under the effect of its acid blood, its skin had a much more healthy tone and a large patch of long and delicate white fur grew on its back.


    It was it that had led the blood-spitters into the village and kept them all together in a cohesive group. The moment the guards had killed it was the moment the rest of the felines ran away. They would then scatter and return to living alone until a new leader was born to unite them into a new sizzle.


    In the meantime, the village was safe, at least from them. The soldiers would have that leader dismantled for its materials and sold to the next caravan coming through. Emp wished he had killed it himself. The reason was because the village head used the hunting cards of everyone to determine how many dead cats belonged to everyone. Most villagers didn''t have many use for those corpses so they usually ended up giving them back to the soldiers in exchange for a small bit of money.


    Since he had not killed that leader, all he had was a bunch of scrawny disgusting cats. After he asked the book about them, he learned that aside from their heart and blood, nothing in them had any value. Of course, the entire corpse had its uses, bones and skin included but, they weren''t anything special so it wasn''t worth it to go out of his way to keep them for future crafting endeavors. Their meat could be eaten but there was almost none of it, they were all just skin and bones. He didn''t really need the money either but there was really nothing he could do with sixty dead blood-spitters so he just left them to village head.


    Then, because he went around the village so much to help out, he had many occasion to learn the names of everyone but since he didn''t really understand them, he just knew their name instead of the people themselves. It was a really strange feeling, by the time Emp got to B¨ºt¨¦clair, he recognized almost all of their names but none of their faces.


    To really know them, he had to be able to communicate with them and in order to do that, he had to learn their language. His days were spent trying to decipher what was told to him as he helped out and then going around Marcellia''s house and forge to do all the small task she asked of him. She would tell him to fetch a tool or another, to go draw water from the stream, go fetch some wood for the fire or even just to cook something for supper. Because of all the work that needed to be done around the village and all the equipment that needed fixing after the battle, she was extremely busy and so, he was treated like a servant.


    Emp didn''t mind it. Chinui did the same and he, had plenty of time to spare to do all those things. Poor Marcellia was just swamped in work. She still found the time to help him out with his language problems though. When she had nothing to make him do, she would just talk to him and answer his many questions on the subject. Of course, he could have used the book instead for most of them but he felt it was many times more pleasant to ask a real person instead.


    Every day, by the time the sun set, he was exhausted and after a quick use of the overburdening hammer, he would collapse in the guestroom bed before getting summoned back to share his tiredness and experience with the other him.


    Like that, Emp reached a place one evening where he could see, in the distance, the shinning city of B¨ºt¨¦clair like a beacon in the night. The next morning, he would have reached his destination. It had been just over a month since he had left Chinui. He had said it would take him around forty days of travel and he had been incredibly accurate. (1)


    The city was so bright with all its hundreds of small lights that it easily overwhelmed the stars. Thinking about the stars, he had never asked the book again about how many there were. Curious, he got it out of the bag and placed it on his knees.


    Looking at the night sky, he asked the book. "How many stars are in the sky right now?"


    This time for sure, the answer would be an incredible number. he opened the book and was both surprised and disappointed to see an empty page. This meant that he already knew the answer. Even if the book said he already knew the answer, he had no idea what it could be. When could he possibly have learned the answer to that?


    After a lot of thinking, he came up with a couple of reasons that could possibly explain that answer. The first was that maybe the book thought he knew since he did see the stars after all. Even if he didn''t know the precise number in his head, he could still clearly picture them all, he just had to count them.


    Another possible reason could be that someone in dark-glint told him in the common tongue for a reason unknown to him. Even if he did not understand the words, maybe the book decided that he knew anyway.


    Both of these possibilities were annoying if true but a third one was even more frustrating. Maybe he really did know the answer but he just couldn''t remember it. Maybe it was part of the knowledge that was gifted him at his creation or maybe he asked the book once and he forgot it immediately because of an underwhelming answer.


    Maybe it was worth a shot to ask the book about this?


    "Is one of the three possibilities I came up with true and if yes, which one."


    He wasn''t convinced it would work, but he tried anyway. He flipped the pages to somewhere else and the book gave an answer. ''Yes, the third one.''


    Emp let out a small sigh and pushed the book back into the bag. At least now he knew that he really knew. Like the first time he asked, he felt that the answer wasn''t that important anyway so he decided to sleep instead of racking his brain about it. After all, he didn''t know what to expect in B¨ºt¨¦clair and he couldn''t wait to find out.


    ***


    Praised be the woods for they sustain us.


    Praised be the woods for they house our dead.


    Praised be the woods for it will be your last home too.


    Praised be the woods for they can take back what they gave.


    The woods claim a lot,


    they take our dead,


    they take our braves,


    they take our husbands,


    they take our young,


    they take our hopes and our dreams,


    they take our fear and pain.


    But our woods are magnificent and give just as much.


    They give us life,


    they give us courage,


    they give us love,


    they give us care,


    they give us hopes and dreams,


    they give us fear and pain.


    When a life is born in our woods, it is under the gaze of our protectors.


    When we give our dead to the woods, their souls live on, a new protectors.


    When we marry, it is with the support and approval of our ancestors.


    When darkness tarry and the trees take one of us, their bodies feed our ancestors.


    Some is lost and some is gained.


    Do not fear the roots and decay,


    for a sacrifice is never in vain.


    For every life that we pay,


    ten more sons and daughters it sustain.


    For protection and food our blood is paid.


    An ancient covenant the trees uphold.


    They house our dead, watchers from yonder.


    They look from overhead, benevolent and old.


    Are they sentient or only wood and mold?


    We take their flesh to build. We are their blood and sprouts.


    From bellow they sleep, from above they see.


    So entrust yourself, entrust your dead.


    They see and ear, ancestors and benefactors of every one.


    You know their noble aim, they are your protector trees.


    Reborn form soil and wood, do not cry when life goes out.


    They know and feel, you are their own from sand to sea.


    Rejoice for the cycle goes, monsters can kill but calm your head.


    Rejoice for you are safe, rejoice for one day, you too will be one.


    Your children will proudly claim, you are their protector tree.


    You too one day will protect from your wooden grave.


    You too one day will see, will feed, will take our braves.


    -- Protector Trees, Woes and heroes of our woods.


    (1) Chinui said 40 days but after Emp gained the blessing of Space, he should have traveled a lot quicker. The huge time it took him to get there is mainly because of his tendency to stop in random places and be lazy for hours on end and because he sleeps way too much. Conclusion, without that blessing it would have taken him around three months to get there. He just doesn''t realize it.

 34 Fly and sing

    A girl was dejectedly sat in a small cell. She could not lean against the wall because her back hurt too much for it. She was clad in brand new green-colored clothes like the others locked up with her. They were all slaves.


    She had never accepted her fate but after all her struggles, she was as far from home as she had ever been.


    Her name was Celtine Estelli, she was supposed to be the next wind caller of the wing tribe. It was a position of great honor, comparable to the kings of the man tribes. The wind caller would sing for the skies to bring upon the tribe guidance and prosperity. Only the best voice could be recognized by the sky and be able to lead the tribe. Her parents had been so proud of her.


    Like the name of the tribe would suggest, everyone had wings, long and powerful. When furled on her back, her own would reach the tip of her fingers if she stretched them above her head and the lowest feathers would tickle her heels. When open, their combined length spanned over three times her own height.


    Like the rest of her tribe, her wings had the color of a mix between her hair and her skin. Her milky-white skin tinted her feathers pure white while her red hair gave the tips of her wings a fiery row of red feathers fading into pink. it was very unusual as most of the others had more earthy colors to them. This was why they had taken it as a sign she would be the next wind caller.


    Every day, like it was usual for members of the wing tribe, she went flying around the territory surrounding their home. They had legs like most of the other tribes but mostly never used them. It was much more fulfilling to move with the wind and legs were too weak to give them speed.


    Fly and sing, that was what she did, that was who she was.


    She would circle around the woods, find a good place to rest her wings and practice her singing. There were many songs to remember but more importantly, she was not allowed to make a mistake. If a note was wrong, the message she sent the sky would be wrong as well, if the rhythm was wrong, she could fail to be heard entirely and if the tone was wrong, her intentions could be misinterpreted. The tribe would one day rely on her, she could not disappoint them.


    To reach perfection, she sang every day, every time she was alone. Her life was filled by only two things, the flying she loved to do and the singing she loved just as much.


    Then, one morning, she was flying above the trees like usual when a sudden powerful pain shot through her left wing. She screamed and looked over her shoulder to see. There was something stuck in it and she had a hard time moving. Then, a second spike of pain passed through the same wing and she lost her balance. Desperately flapping her right wing, she managed to slow down her fall and landed painfully on her knees at the only place she could find, in a small clearing.


    Hissing through her teeth, she slowly moved her wing forward to have a better look. There were now two smooth and straight sticks poking out of her flesh, dyeing her feathers with blood. How did this happen? She reached her hand to remove them but before she could, she heard rustles around her and a large group of people from the man tribe appeared.


    All of them were women, they wore beast leather and scale armor and most of them had crossbows. She understood then what had happened to her, she had been shot. Why though?


    "Drats, I thought we had hit gold when I saw those huge wings but it''s just a girl from those bird guys." Said one with braided blond hair.


    "Even though they are weak, this one is pretty cute. I''m sure that if we bring her back we could get some money out of her as a slave." Proposed another one.


    Back then, Celtine did not know the full extent of the man tribe cruelty.


    "Please, let me go." She asked through her tears.


    "No can do, we caught you we own you!" Said one of them.


    "Are we really going to bring her back with us? We never dealt in slaves before." Said another.


    "I guess it''s kinda the same as usual, except we need to keep the target alive."


    "Look, the poor thing is crying. I don''t like it, we should just stick with the usual."


    "Why not, it''s not even human. It''s a cursed-blood, that''s no better than a beast."


    "You''re just angry at them because your hubby died in the thundering pass."


    "But she is right though, if that girl-thing can earn us some silvers, we should just bring her."


    The twenty women argued for a good while with each other, completely ignoring her own will. In the end, they decided to take her even though she asked to be released, they brought her with them even though she said she didn''t want to go and made her walk even though she said it was painful.


    She wasn''t used to walking so her balance was bad and her wing could not close properly because of her wound so she got tangled up in branches along the way many time. Every time she did, she let out a pained noise but the women just ignored her and pushed at her back to force her to move.


    They were no better than beasts. If they were not to let her go, she needed to escape instead. She couldn''t stay with them after all, she had a duty to uphold. But how? If at least her wings worked properly, she would have a better chance. Right now, there were too many of them for her wounded self. She decided to wait for a better chance.


    They brought her to a place where some more women were waiting around a bunch of tents and two cart. The vehicles were large and unwieldy, the first was almost empty and the second was filled with corpses of beasts and creatures, or at least, bits of them.


    Once there, yet another women was tasked to fix her wing. She wore gray robes covered with pockets. Celtine was made to sit on the side of the cart while that new girl was checking her wing.


    "We will heal your wound now but if you dare try to escape, I will cut them off instead." Said one of the tall girl that had brought her here from the side.


    She let them heal her wing without a fuss but she would definitely try to escape once her wings were good. She had to go back home or the tribe would worry.


    The other girl painfully removed the two bolts and applied some brown paste on them. She then turned towards the other and asked.


    "Do I waste some magic on her or not?"


    "Will her wings go back to normal if you don''t?"


    "Should be, the bolts just went through muscles, it will fix itself after a while."


    "Then don''t, I don''t want her to cost us more than she will bring back."


    Then, they forced her to climb in the cart filled with half dismantled beast and had her watched by two women while the rest finished dismantling their camp. They had caught enough in that hunting trip and with a prisoner to watch, it was best to go back right away.


    She had to wait all day, sat in the death-smelling cart. She was scared but needed to wait, attempting an escape now was foolish. She suppressed her fear and withstood the curious gaze of the women until night came and they all slept. All except a few guards of course.


    This would probably be her best opportunity to leave. her wing still hurt a lot but she felt that with a little bit of effort, she would probably manage to flee far enough to lose those from the men tribe. Even if her wings were white, once she was far away, in the dark, they would not be able to keep up with her. Finally, she had a big advantage. Even thought she was not yet the wind caller of the tribe, her songs held power, the winds would help her escape.


    Once the night was deep and no one was looking. She rose from the spot she pretended to sleep at and extended her wings silently. With a flap and a small jump, she reached two feet above the ground and with more efforts from her wings, she slowly rose above the tents.


    "Hey! The bird is escaping!" Called the first guard who noticed her. "Come back here!"


    Of course, she ignored such a silly order. Now that her escape was underway there was no way she was landing her feet on the ground again. Instead, she plucked one of her own feather and offered it to the sky. She started singing "Protection of the wind". There was no point in staying silent anymore since they knew already what she was doing. Her clear voice traveled in the air, and with it, the wind swirled around her.


    A bolt flew at her but the wind blew it away and it fell harmlessly on the ground. "What?" the guard exclaimed while a few of her companions got out of their tents. She was steadily rising by flying circles in the small clearing. Now, Celtine was almost up to tree tops, she plucked another feather and switched her song to "Call of the storm" to disturb them. She knew of more powerful songs but she was afraid of missing a note because of the state her mind was in. She was scarred of failing her escape, her heart was beating fast and sweat was freezing her face in the wind.


    Her call stirred the winds, its speed increased, its violence doubled.


    "It''s a fucking storm witch!" Screamed someone bellow.


    The women all scrambled out of their tents, sometimes not in time before they collapsed under the wind. Her own voice rose with the power of the wind rescuing her and while her wings brought her ever higher, she swiped her feeble hands at those far below her.


    From her swipe, a giant gust crashed towards the humans and threw them around mercilessly. Only a few managed to stay on their feet, the rest were thrown at nearby trees or sent rolling around the campsite.


    With this, she was convinced she had made it. Now higher than the trees, she just had to glide away to escape them. She was just about to do so when her left wing started to feel oddly heavy. What was wrong with it now? It felt like it was going downward on its own. Her right wing had to struggle to keep up and the pain she felt this morning came back to haunt her.


    Desperate, she sacrificed a third feather and changed her song once more, she sang the most simple of all the songs she knew, "upward". It was more of a practice song to learn as a base for more complex melodies than a true chant but the effects of it were just what she needed. As her voice and pitch grew stronger and higher, the winds pushed her from bellow and kept her afloat despite her wrong wing.


    Unfortunately, it took her too long, Since she had changed song, the storm had ended and by the time she managed to stabilize herself, new bolts stabbed into her wings, both the left and right. Her pained scream put an end to her song and it took all her focus to not break her neck in the fall that ensued.


    She fell back down into the camp with disorderly flaps of her wounded wings and collapsed face first into the mud. She had failed, her heart was about to explode but she did not give up, she needed another song. The strongest she could muster, "Gouge the earth". She used her arms to painstakingly rise above the mud and tried to spit out the dirt invading her mouth in a fit of coughing. She had never tasted dirt before and it wasn''t to her liking.


    Before she could restore her voice, one of her arms was kicked away from under her with a ''Na ha'' and she fell once more into the mud. She flapped her wings to move the attacker away but it just got tangled instead. After a quick struggle, the knees of someone landed on her back bellow her wings and on her neck to stop her from rising her head.


    "No more song for you girl." Came the voice between her wings.


    Celtine could not see but she felt like her wing was stuck in between the arms of the girl and her thighs.


    "Your voice and songs sounds pretty I admit but I can''t let you do it again, sorry."


    She didn''t sound sorry at all. Why would they not just let her go? She tried to hit her with her heel but did not reach.


    "Good thing we had a convenient spell ready or you would have managed to escape."


    More hands wrapped themselves around her wings and arms as she struggled to breathe through the mud. Finally, she managed to turn her head to the side and after a week breath, she saw her wing. Parts of it were covered by a layer of rock. The paste they had used as medicine had been turned to stone. This was the reason her escape failed. "Why?" she croaked through her crushed throat. Why must it be like so?


    "What do you mean why? You belong to us, was I not clear enough before. You''re just a cursed-blood you don''t have the right to judge. Speaking of judging, it''s time for your punishment. I told you I would cut them off if you tried to escape."


    She wouldn''t really do that would she? That would be like killing her. No one could possibly be that cruel.


    "Wait, are you really going to do it?" Asked another girl. "I thought that was just to scare her."


    "Well she clearly wasn''t scarred enough now was she?"


    "Could we not just tie her up with something instead? I mean, wouldn''t it be like cutting off her arms?"


    "Those aren''t arms, they''re wings. She already have two perfectly workings arms right there, why the fuck would she need wings as a slave anyway?"


    Her wings tensed up from the way the talk went.


    "I don''t know, for scouting maybe?"


    "You would trust that with scouting, she would just flee at the first occasion."


    "I''m not a slaver, I don''t know, maybe they have some sort of trick."


    "Also," Intervened the spell caster. "If we do that, it''s gonna cost us a lot of money to keep her from bleeding out. Those two limbs make up for more than half her body after all. I''m not an expert in cursed-bloods but there are probably some huge veins going through there like in a leg or an arm."


    "Maybe you''re right..." Grumbled the first one to the relief of Celtine.


    At that moment, another girl arrived running to them from further in the camp.


    "Hey guys, I hum... I don''t know how to say this... I just... Noey''s dead... She hit her head on a rock because of the wind and she''s not breathing anymore. I think she bled out while we were busy."


    Everyone fell silent.


    It was her fault if that girl Noey was dead, wasn''t it? But she didn''t mean for it to happen, she just wanted to leave. Sadness filled the air until one''s anger broke the silence.


    "Fucking witch, you''re paying for Noey that''s for damn sure. I''m cutting them off."


    She moved her legs to adjust her position on top of Celtine, letting her breath more easily, and unsheathed a large knife. Dread filled her mind and she blurted out apologies as best as she could.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to!"


    The knife kept moving.


    "I really am sorry, please! I promise, I won''t do it again!!"


    The knife kept going. Celtine was more screaming than apologizing at that point, only fear remained in her head.


    "No don''t! Anything else, not my wings!! Take my arms! Take my arms instead, not my wings!! You can''t!"


    The others, unable to watch that, let go of their grip on her and all either walked further away or averted their eyes.


    All her limbs started flailing about to escape. It did not matter if it hurt badly when she moved, it didn''t matter if her nails were to fall off as she tried to scratch at the women on her back, she had to save her wings! Her fist punched the mud and her fingers clawed at the woman''s coat. Her legs beating the ground relentlessly and her caught wing desperately struggling to escape or push back the woman. All the while she pleaded and screamed more and more incoherently.


    "Nononono. I, please, you, no, stop, don''t, my wings, monster! DEMON!! STOARGHHHH!"


    The knife plunged at the base of her wing, ripping through muscles all the way to the bone. All the air in her lungs was expelled at once in a ghastly screech. Blood flowed out of the wound like a river and drenched her back and the pants of the woman.


    "Where''s the articulation in that thing?" Asked the woman, frustrated.


    Celtine could not register her words, her mind was filled with nothing but pain and fear. There was no more begging coming out of her, only formless wails of agony. The knife was rummaging through the delicate flesh of her back, sending jolts after jolts of pain to torment her mind.


    Unable to find the juncture with the tip of her knife, she decided to saw through the bone instead. All the muscles in her body tensed up at once and Celtine fainted halfway through another gargled screech.


    The sweet relief of unconsciousness did not last long though as she was awoken by the same pain repeated for her other wing. The first thought she had was a powerful and simple ''no'' that bloated her mind until it burst into incoherent, overwhelming agony once more. Her mouth opened again to scream but instead, she emptied her stomach in the mud nestling her head and passed out again.


    She woke up into the corpse cart. She had not opened her eyes yet to see it but she could smell it easily. It was not the first thing that crossed her mind though. The first thing was an incoherent jumble of the tree words: painful, no and wrong.


    First of all, she was lying on her side, her back was screaming pain incessantly at her mind and her arms were bound behind her back. It was probably to stop her from removing the gag they had shoved in her mouth. She had no idea what it was but it tasted horrible.


    She tried to adjust her position by moving her wings\Wrong, this was wrong, it felt wrong, something wasn''t as it should. Wrong, wrong, wrong! She started to panic, that pain, it couldn''t possibly be true could it? She shivered and was instantly covered in sweat. She could not feel her feathers brushing against her skin... The simplest of thing, where was their warmth? This was what was wrong, it felt so impossibly wrong, it couldn''t be true. She didn''t dare open her eyes, she was deathly afraid of looking at her wings, she couldn''t. But she had to!


    Her chest rose and fell in rhythm with her running heart. She could still feel them, she could feel the pain running throughout their impressive span. They had to be there, they had too! They were just bound somehow. That was why they were hurting, they were stuck somewhere, maybe one of those demons was sat on them. This had to be it.


    She took a long and deep breath made of dozens of panicked hiccups, and opened her eyes. The sun was blinding, she moved her wings to shield her eyes\ Wrong! Painful. Horribly painful. She looked behind her by twisting her neck and instantly closed them again. She had not seen them. Tears escaped her eyes. This wasn''t possible, this had to be a nightmare. Maybe she had seen wrong, she hadn''t looked hard enough, after all, she had closed her eyes instantly. She could feel them, feel them like her legs, they had to be there!


    She gulped and forced her eyes to open again. They weren''t there. They weren''t there! There was nothing! She moved them, she could feel them, their pain, they felt like they were there, why were they not! She was swept by a torrent of sorrow and sobbing.


    She struggled to get on her belly and moved her arms as best she could within her bonds to feel her back. They weren''t there, where were they? What had they done to her wings! She could not feel them, they weren''t there. Why! What had they done? She screamed of horror but through the gag, it only came out as a moan.


    "She woke up, what do we do?"


    "Nothing. Let her wail. What do you expect us to do anyway."


    Celtine buried her face deep in the disgusting corpses of equally disgusting creatures to escape her reality. However disgusting they were, they would never be half as revolting as the demon that had taken her wings. Some pointy bits of the remains poked at her eyes from bellow but she didn''t care at all. All she cared about were her wings. Without them, she was just as dead as the dismantled carcasses she lied upon.


    Fly and sing, fly and sing, that was what she did, all the time every day. Fly and sing, that was who she was.


    Without her wings, what was she to do? She couldn''t go back home, couldn''t flee, couldn''t move. How did those crawlies even live without flight? Without wings, she couldn''t be the wind caller, who would follow a wingless wind caller? What feathers would she even entrust to the sky when she wanted to be heard? She screamed and screamed, but every last one of them devolved into pained sobs.


    Who would love the wingless her? She had the prettiest of feathers but with them gone, she had nothing left. Why did they not take her legs instead, or her arms, or even both? As long as she had her wings, the tribe would help with the small things, she wouldn''t be that much of a burden. But, without them, she was nothing. It was just the same as killing her!


    Why not kill her then? Why must she suffer like so? What had she done to the sky to be so punished? Her wings were so painful, why must they be so painful if they weren''t there? Just make it stop. Please, end it, someone kill her.


    After an hour more of incoherent thoughts and tears, she wished nothing more than for someone to knock her out. Anything to escape this painful nightmare. Sadly relief never came.


    At some point in her endless wails, they dragged her out of the cart. They tried to make her stand up but she didn''t put any strength in her legs, she didn''t even make the effort of opening her eyes again. Grabbing her by her armpits, they dragged her some distance away from the cart and sat her down somewhere. They untied her arms, undid her gag and placed her hands around something round and warm they left on her knees.


    "Here''s your food, you should eat it."


    What for? She thought. This would just prolong her torment. What was the point? She did not even feel hungry, she just felt pain.


    "If she doesn''t want it than too bad for her, just let someone else have it."


    Her eyes opened in a flash, she turned her head to look at the source of the voice. She knew that voice, she was the one who took her wings. She glared at her, her whole soul was burning with hatred.


    "Even if you look at me like that, you''re not scary at all with all the snot dripping down your face."


    It wasn''t said in a mocking tone, nor in a condescending one, not even hatefully, she was just stating a fact. Celtine used her wings to wipe her face clean. Wrong! Wrong, wrong, WRONG! She had no wings and it was all her fault! The bowl she held flew out of her hand and right at the woman''s face. Celtine went right after it, darting from her seat like a bolt. Her fangs were made to pierce the skin of hard shelled fruits, surely they were strong enough to rip her soft throat open.


    Alas, she did not reach her. Without her wings, she did not have any sort of grasp over her own balance and just fell flat on her face midway between their seats. All her will escaped her with her fall and she started crying once more from the grassy ground. She didn''t even attempt to get back up.


    She did not know if her bowl had hit its intended target or even what was in it. All she knew is that it was pointless.


    Many pair of feet gathered around her while she cried. "My wings." she whined in between sobs. "Give me back my wings."


    "Even if we did, there''s no way we can place them back where they were." One of them said.


    "It''s already a miracle I was able to keep you alive." Said the voice of the magician.


    This was not a miracle, they were the ones to blame for this to begin with. This was just torture. The demon rose from her seat and crouched next to her head. She knew it was her even without raising her head.


    "Look, I know this isn''t really helping, even less since it''s me but, at least you still have all the main bits. You still have your arms and legs, you can have a normal life still. You could even pass as human now, isn''t that a good thing?" (1)


    "But they hurt!" She complained. "My wings hurt."


    "What does she mean her wings hurt?" Asked someone on the left. "Does she mean the stumps? Did you mess up your heal somehow?"


    "No, the wound is fine. I think she''s feeling a phantom limb."


    "What is that?" Asked another.


    "Sometimes, when someone lose a limb, they continue to feel them as if they were there."


    "Ho yeah, I know a guy who spend all his time in a pub. He says that sometimes, the sole of his foot itches even though he lost it thirty years ago."


    "Why are you even familiar with a one legged guy that''s twice your age?"


    "More importantly, how is this even possible and how do you fix this, she''s been crying since she woke up."


    "My master said that most mages think it''s because the soul refuses to retract into what is left of the body and part of it stays were the limb should be. Since it''s not supposed to be outside of your flesh, it mostly just feels pain. I don''t know of any way to fix this, no one does. Either it''s going to fix itself or it won''t, there is nothing I can do to fix a wound that isn''t even there."


    "That''s horrible. Tacey, you may have sentenced her to a life of pain."


    "Wow, thanks guys, you really know how to lift the mood." Said the demon, Tacey. "You know what, I''m not hungry anymore either."


    Just like that, she left the vicinity.


    "Come on, I didn''t mean it like that! I meant to pity her not judge you."


    Celtine continued to cry for days after that. They would put her gag on and off to give her food but it took her three days before she touched any of it. She did not want to eat it but she didn''t have the strength to ignore her hunger any longer. She didn''t really know what she wanted.


    She wanted for the pain to stop and she wanted her wings back but the second was impossible she knew and the first could possibly only be solved by death. She didn''t mind dying but since somehow she wasn''t able to stop herself from eating, maybe there was a reason for her to be still alive.


    None of the things she planned to do in her life were possible anymore but, she could still sing. Sing and fly, sing and fly, that was what she did, that was who she was. If she could control the pain in both her wings and her heart, she would be able to sing again. She would not be able to sing for the sky again but she could sing for herself. Yes, just singing, that was all she needed. She would sing the pain away, sing to make her heart fly free. The dead could not sing so she needed to live.


    In their long trip back to the man tribes, after she found the will to live, she tried to stand up many times when they were bringing her out of the cart but she just couldn''t. She was always falling forward, how did the no wings even do it? The human women thought she was acting dumb at first but after days of struggle without any improvement, they changed their minds.


    She also continued to cry a lot, it was the only thing to do. The pain in her wings was stopping her from sleeping unless she tired herself out and since she was bound and stuck in a cart of corpses, the only way to tire herself was to cry. She could have tried to sing as well but they would not remove her gag for anything else than to let her eat or drink. They did not seem to know that without her feathers, she could not call on the winds and they were scared she would take revenge on them.


    She really did want to take revenge on them, more accurately, revenge on Tacey. She wanted to call lightning on her but she couldn''t, she wanted to rip her apart with her fangs and nails but was too weak to do so. There was nothing she could do against her.


    "You know, about Tacey." The driver of her cart told her one day. "I don''t think it will make you feel any better but she feels really bad about what she did to you, we can all see it."


    "Why are you even telling her that?" Asked the girl sitting beside the driver. "We fucked up her whole life and we''re about to sell her off to some merchant. She not going to forgive us. Why waste our words on that cursed-blood."


    "I just feel like at least she should know why it all ended up like that. Even if not for her, I feel like this is going to haunt me forever if I don''t say it."


    "Fine then, whatever."


    Celtine listened to her words in silence


    "So, Tacey. She can be a little aggressive sometimes but usually, she can be reasoned with. She had to become a death seeker after her husband got killed in a battle against other cursed-bloods, she had a daughter to take care of after all.


    She joined out team and everything went well until now. since there was no one to take care of her daughter, she always brought her with us while we went hunting. That girl was some kind of charm to us you see, we all raised her together. She was really good with a crossbow as well, Noey''s the one who hit you with a bolt first that day."


    Noey was a name she recognized. She was the one who died. If she was the one who hit her first, then she was the girl with the braided hair, and, she was the daughter of the demon.


    "I don''t know if you remember that but she died when you tried to escape. You said you didn''t mean to and I believe it. it was just a stupid accident, everyone knows this. I know it, you know it, the other girls all know it too, even Tacey knew. Aside from her, the worst we had from your wind was some scratches. It''s just bad luck really, it just happens sometimes.


    But Tacey, she couldn''t take it, for the cursed-bloods to take both her husband and daughter she treasured, right in front of her nose at that. I think she just snapped. At first, the plan was just to scare you senseless, we never thought that you were a witch and that Noey would die. Since we were talking about cutting off your wings, even if we never really meant it before... I don''t know, maybe it made sense for her. I don''t know for the others but I couldn''t watch so I left.


    I wanted to stop her too but, what was I gonna say? Don''t cut the wings, she is more valuable with them? What kind of mother would listen to that with the killer of their child right at their mercy? I would like to say I would be able to hold off but I really don''t know.


    Now it''s done, there is nothing more we can do. We can''t bring Noey back and we can''t bring your wings back either. All we can do now is try to make some coins out of this mess and try to forget it all. It''s not any kind of excuse but, at least now you know."


    "There, do you feel better now?" Asked the other girl.


    "Yeah, thanks."


    The driver was right, Celtine could not forgive them. None of this would have happened if Noey hadn''t shot her in the first place. The pair had destroyed her, she would never forgive them.


    (1: She seems ridiculously insensitive but, it''s just that for a normal human being, if they were to grow wings all of a sudden and someone asked them if they would rather lose the wings or the arms, I''m sure they would all agree that losing the wings is better since they were living perfectly fine without them. One would even say that they are unwieldy and in the way.)

 35 Little silence

    After an unknown amount of days, they reached some sort of town and brought her to a slave merchant. It was the first time she ever saw the inside of a man tribe but she wasn''t in any mood to admire it.


    The merchant got angry at her captors right from the get go. That woman was full of fat and older than most of the huntress that caught her.


    "What the fuck do you expect me to do with a wingless bird?"


    "I don''t know, I''m sure you can find something to do with her."


    After days of practice, Celtine had managed to stand shakily by herself and was doing so in front of the big woman detailing her with her eyes.


    "She can barely stand by herself! You bunch of idiots, the center of gravity of those birds is at the juncture between their wings and the rest of their body. If you remove those things, they just fall forward, look."


    She gave a small push to the back of Celtine''s head. She tried her best to not fall by swinging her hands, freed for the occasion, but failed and collapsed forward.


    "Not only that." Followed the slaver. "Those from that tribe are really weak. She won''t be able to do any sort of manual labor."


    "Come on, a bit of training can fix that no?" Asked one of the huntress.


    The fat laughed in derision.


    "You really don''t know a thing about them. It''s not because they have weak muscles, it''s because their very bones are weak. Those things are almost empty. I''m sure any of you could take her arm between their hands and snap it in half. You dragged her up to here, haven''t you noticed how light she was? Even if she was to become strong enough to be useful, her bones would snap under any kind of meaningful pressure."


    "But she is a storm witch, that has to count for something! She even killed one of us."


    "Is that why you gagged her? That just makes it even worse. They can''t do manual labor for shit but they do have a good voice, they make for popular bards or songstress but think for a second. Who would pay to have someone sing for them knowing they could kill them with just their voice. That would be utterly insane. Not only that but if I do sell her for that, I could be held accountable for the resulting catastrophe.


    Aside from that, she is pretty despite her weird eyes and her long teeth, she could be a good bed slave but wait, she is a cursed-blood! Most would never touch her and those that are into that kind of thing will complain about the missing parts! Really, without her wings, she''s no better than trash."


    Celtine already knew that without her wings she was just a burden but it still hurt to hear it. Some new tears dripped on the slave dealer''s floor.


    "Then what? You aren''t gonna buy her?"


    "At best, I could offer you two and a half silver coins for her."


    "That''s so low!"


    "But truly, I don''t even know if she is worth that, the only thing going for her is her looks and there are more than enough women going around already for anyone to pick a slave just by its looks. Then, I will have to teach her something useful but if she doesn''t want to learn, I will lose whatever I am investing here."


    "How much did it cost us to keep her alive?" Asked one of the girls to their spell caster.


    "Around five crowns..."


    They all fell silent. Pointless, this whole thing had been utterly pointless.


    "Even if you say that, I''m not willing to go any higher." Said the fat one.


    "Fine, just take her." Said Tacey, the demon, gloomily. "Don''t worry about those five crowns, I''ll take responsibility for them. It''s my fault after all."


    They received their coins and left her there with the slave dealer. She got locked up in a cell for a few days before the fat women decided it wasn''t worth it to risk losing on her so she ended up in a group deal for another slaver. Then, that one sold her off to another one and then, another one.


    She spent half a year dragged from one place to the next, being passed around by slavers who didn''t know what to do with her. The whole time, they kept her gagged to keep her from singing. Her life had no point, she was moved here and there, locked up in cells after cells with nothing to do to pass the time. All she could do was to hope that at some point, they would free her mouth and let her sing again. If they had asked her, she would have told them that the wind would not listen to her anymore but they did not dare let her open her mouth. Every time she tried to say something between bites of her meals, they would rush forward to snap her mouth shut in fear.


    Some were so scared they placed two huge guards around her when it was time to eat. They would hold her still as they fed her themselves, afraid she would utter a word.


    And so, she waited alone in sadness and waited some more. At one point, she found herself in the stock of a strange guy with a rat-like face. He brought her to a room with nothing but a chair with straps. Two other men tied her to the chair with the straps and left with the slaver, leaving her alone in the room.


    It wasn''t the first time she was left alone in a room but it was the first time they bound her to a chair. Her back was very painful, it was touching the chair, it hurt. She couldn''t move because of the straps, she couldn''t get away from the pain. Even now, she still felt pain in her wings most of the time, even though she knew they weren''t there. The pain she was experiencing right now was different however. This pain was real, it was the two bits of sawed off bones, digging in her flesh from behind.


    Ever since the day she lost her wings, she had not been able place her back against anything at all. Only the ragged clothes they gave her did not bring her intense pain. Sitting in that chair was simply a torture. She wanted nothing more at this moment than for them to come back.


    After having complained and moaned through her gag for a while. The door opened once more to let in the rat faced slaver and a mage wearing the usual clothes full of pockets and hanging bits.


    "That is the one." The slaver told the mage as they entered the room.


    "Alright, let''s start then." He looked at her with a smile and fetched a long white thread from one of his many pockets. "Don''t worry, It will not take any time and it won''t hurt a bit."


    Holding the thread in both hands, he approached until he was only a step away from her and reached around her neck to tie the thread. ''What is he doing?'' She wondered. He tied it in a knot she couldn''t see and turned it so the remaining thread would hang in front of her. Was it one of their strange customs?


    Then, he grabbed into another of his pockets and fetched two very tiny beaks. He tied each of them to one end of the thread as he told her what it was.


    "Those are cackler beaks."


    She had no idea what a cackler was but seeing the reaction of the other man, it wasn''t something pleasant. Her back was still hurting very much but she was way too puzzled about what he was doing to waste energy on some pointless struggle.


    The mage firmly gripped one end of the thread in each of his fist and crouched in front of her to be at her eye level. Then, he started talking quickly but most of what he said was nonsense. She could tell it was a different language than the one the rest of the man tribes usually used but it made no difference to her.


    All languages were from the wind, as long as the words were said out loud, she could understand them. The words themselves didn''t matter, she could hear their meaning drifting in the air. Those though, made no sense.


    They meant nothing at all, it was all just a jumble of concepts lacking contexts. all she remembered from his rapid speech was that he asked for the thread to seal the truth, whatever that meant.


    Then, at the end of his speech, he suddenly yanked at both ends of the white thread with all his strength. Her eyes went wide when she thought he would strangle her with it but instead, he raised his hands and dangled the knot in front of her eyes. The thread had been cleanly cut, just after the knot, it was now just two small length of thread tied together. Did it snap? Then, it meant the rest of it was still around her neck, why didn''t she feel it?


    The mage smiled and said "All done. Now, let''s see if it worked."


    He put the remains of the thread and the beaks in an upper pocket of his clothes and untied her gag to her great confusion and the apprehension of the slaver.


    "Alright, can you tell me if you are hurting anywhere?"


    Of course, her back was hurting so she went ahead and said it.


    ''Could you please untie me, my back hurts.'' Wrong, something felt horribly wrong, what was it? Her voice, no words came out. She couldn''t hear her own voice. She felt the blood drain off her face and her hair stood on end. What had he done!


    He smiled "Good, the first test is a success. Now, if you can tell me just the one word ''please'', I am willing to release you from slavery. Go on give it your best."


    She didn''t try to say please at all, she just screamed with all her strength. ''What did you do? Please not my voice! What is happening?'' But not even wind passed her lips. It was impossible, how did this happen, how did he steal her voice? Her head spun from the emotion. She struggled in the chair as she felt like her mind would collapse.


    "It''s a great success." Declared the mage.


    "Yes, thank you for your services." Replied the slave trader.


    "I have no idea who created that spell but it''s one hell of a nasty curse, it doesn''t even leave a mark. Whoever made it is a genius."


    "I feel relieved about that, if I had hired a surgeon to help me instead, the scar would probably have lowered her price even more."


    "Of course, a cute thing like her would be really sad to look at with a long scar across her neck."


    The two men followed their conversation as they left both the room and Celtine still bound in the chair. She fought against the bindings until she bled and screamed until she was so breathless she blacked out but no sounds ever left the confines of agonizing heart.


    They had taken it away and she had not even resisted, it had never even crossed her mind. She had lost her treasured voice to a man she saw for a single minute in her entire life and a piece of white thread.


    Fly and sing, fly and sing, that was what she did, that was her life. Fly and sing, that was who she was. Now, with no wings to fly and no voice to sing, what remained of her? What was she now?


    After she had spent every bit of energy and emotion she had in her, she collapsed in the chair and moved no more. Workers came back later to bring her back to her cell. They untied her and dragged her in the corridors, she made no attempt to hold herself up, letting her feet scrape the stone floors.


    They pushed her in the cell and she made no effort to cushion her fall. She collapsed on the cold floor and hurt her head but made no sound, not because she couldn''t but because she had none left to make. This time, she truly had nothing left, nothing to look forward to but pain and misery. She closed her reddened eyes and decided that whatever was to happen to her from then on, she would not move at all. With some luck they would just end her and her torments. As long as she closed her eyes, she could still sing in her head with her mind''s voice.


    What would her parents say if they were to see her now, like this? They would surely weep. She didn''t want them to see her wingless, voiceless self. It would be too difficult to look at her, painful. It would be best if they never knew. She knew that they had probably been desperately looking for her but she wondered if, after half a year had passed, they were still holding hope that she would be brought back alive to them. She hoped not, she didn''t want them to be disappointed again.


    ***


    The rat-faced slaver decided that, now that she had no voice, he could train her to do useful things and gain some money from her sale. He quickly found her unwillingness to cooperate. She would not eat, she would not drink, she would not stand up or resist him whatever he tried to do to get a reaction out of her.


    Once, he forcefully opened her eyelids with his fingers to have a look. Her eyes weren''t dead but she just looked at him like you would a frog standing on the roadside, like an utterly inconsequential creature. Whatever he said, his words did not seem to reach her.


    He could not understand why she was doing this to him. He did of course remove her voice but it was for her own good. With it, she had no future. No one would buy her with such a risk attached to her and the slavers couldn''t keep her around forever either. Eventually, they would have to part with her, one way or another. Unlike the other slavers she had had belonged to, he had been willing to take a risk and invest in her.


    There was a lot of things she couldn''t do but he had seen some potential in her. She could not do hard labor but, she was young and pleasing to the eye. If he could only teach her how to stand up properly and dress her up nicely, she would make for a good assistant for a mage or a noble. Provided of course that she learned the letters. After all, who did not want to be assisted by an exotic beauty? Since she was a cursed-blood, wives and lovers wouldn''t be all that annoyed either by the charm of the servant.


    Not only that, but he was almost never wrong on the quality of the people around him. When looking at someone, he instinctually (1) knew who was talented and who wasn''t, who would go far and who was destined to end as a sacrificial pawn. He knew she could do great, she had it in her, she just needed a little help.


    First, he had trained her for weeks to stand up. If she couldn''t stand and walk, there was no hope and no point in investing. Thankfully, she did manage to keep herself straight after a while. From there, he was quite convinced he could make a lot of profit from her. He had acquired her for half a silver but with some training in manners and knowledge of letters, he would be able to sell her back for gold.


    This was where his plans took a turn for the worse. Aside from her back wound which she possessed before he had acquired her, there was not a scar of even a scratch on her. He had been very careful with this fragile item, he even made sure many times that the removal of her voice would not affect her condition and wouldn''t leave a mark. Still, when he saw her afterwards, it was like her soul had left her body.


    After many attempts to communicate with her, he went to the mage who had placed the curse for him and brought him back to her. He complained that he had done something wrong as she went from perfectly fine to lifeless in less than a day but the mage denied all responsibility. He even failed to provide any input on how to restore her vigor.


    He had already spent a lot for that curse, he was very unwilling to give up on her potential profit now. Instead of giving up and cutting off his losses, he chose to invest more in her. He was a great slaver of B¨ºt¨¦clair after all, he was surrounded by talents of all sorts, surely, someone would have some trick for him to use.


    ***


    After the loss of her voice, the rat faced merchant did a lot of strange things she didn''t pay any attention too. He tried to talk to her for hours on end but she just sang over all his words. He tried to shout and he tried to whisper, he tried slaps and caress, food with divine smells and beautiful dresses but none managed to make her even open her eyes.


    She did not care what he did, it had nothing to do with herself. Then, when she thought he had given up, he came back with someone in tow. It was a physician. After an examination he concluded that her body was alright, it was her mind that wasn''t so he could not fix it. But her mind was alright, it was the world instead that wasn''t and she had no reason to stay in it.


    Then, The rat-faced slaver brought a new person. That one tried to interest her in a street magic trick but failed so he was brought out. Then, the slave trader brought another and another, each more strange than the last. He brought a snake charmer, a painter, a poet, a dancer, nothing would do. Even the hypnotist failed since she refused to open her eyes.


    She was parched and hungry enough to feel painful from all over her body but she had enough, she did not want to stay alive any longer. The Slaver had no choice but to force her to eat and drink. It was not that hard either since she didn''t resist, she just let him do what he pleased with her body. It was a prison to her soul after all, she didn''t care what happened to it.


    After two weeks of being brought strange people every day, she could not help but wonder why wasn''t the slaver giving up? Whatever it was he wanted she would not give it to him, why wasn''t he throwing her away already? Instead he tried ever stranger things.


    One day, he brought in yet another mage. She was dragged to a table, laid on her stomach on top of it and made to drink some foul liquid.


    "Do not worry slaver, that''s just some glutonek venom, standard procedure. She just won''t be able to move for a while as a carve the seal."


    "I know all that, it''s not what I worry about, she was already unmoving before. What I''m worried about is if it will work or not."


    The mage did not answer and used a small knife to carve something on her back, over her heart. It was painful and very close to where her wings once were which made it even harder to ignore. She screamed silently of pain and opened her eyes to look but found herself starring at an empty wall. What were they doing with her back?


    "Here, it''s done." Said the mage after having butchered her back for almost an hour and having chanted the most complicated and senseless thing she ever heard. "Just let a drop of your blood touch the seal to finish, I''m sure you know how this all works by now."


    "Of course I know." Said the slaver. She felt a droplet of liquid fall on her back but didn''t feel anything special aside from that.


    "Are you sure it was a good idea to spend all that on this one slave? From what you told me, I don''t think it will fix your problem." Said the mage.


    "Whatever, in the end, it''s just a bit of money. If it really doesn''t work I''ll sell her off cheap somewhere and put my effort into a slave that is at least trying to get a better life."


    That was great, that meant it was almost over, all she had to do was fail at whatever he would have her do next.


    Much later, in her cell, the slaver came to talk to her again. He opened her eyelids with his fingers again to tell her what he wanted while looking at her in the eyes.


    "I know you understand what I am saying. You just refuse to listen. I want to make you fit to serve a noble, don''t you understand this is the highest in society a cursed-blood could ever reach? You would be well fed, dressed and never left cold or roofless for the rest of your life. You are wasting the chance I am giving you. I do not understand what it is you are trying to do, I do not understand why you remain motionless. Can''t you see I am doing my best to help you?"


    He took her voice, that was far from helping her, that was the opposite. She didn''t care about the man-tribes leaders, and she didn''t care being above or below other slaves. Whatever happened from now on, her life couldn''t possibly get any worse and no matter what she did, it would never get any better either without her voice or wings.


    "I don''t understand you, if your life is so terrible, why aren''t working hard to make it better? Because I know that you can and that you have it in you to do great things, I chose to go all in with you. Nobles would never invest in a personal slave that could betray them so I went forward and had a seal engraved onto your back. That seal will kill you if your master dies and pain you if the master will it or you disobey an order. It''s true that some use it as some sort of torture device but it is mostly used to ensure loyalty. Right now, I am your master."


    That meant that if she could kill him now, she would die as well. Could she do it this time? He was just beside her, if she jumped on him now, maybe even the weak her would be able to kill him. He got up before she could figure out how to do such a thing and placed his back against the nearby wall.


    "I will give you one more chance. I will give you a set of orders you will have to follow. If you do, I will once again try my best to better you. If you do not follow them though, I will have no other choice than to sell you off to whoever wants to buy you cheap. First of all, get up."


    Celtine got up from the ground with great difficulty. Of course her goal wasn''t really to obey him but to reach and chomp on his throat instead but the slaver did not see it that way.


    "I knew it! I know you will go far. Now, make a few steps forward." He said excitedly.


    She made one, than two steps towards him, because she had eaten so little recently, her strength was feeble. Two steps were not enough to reach him so she made another and another. With the way she looked, The slaver started to realize that something was wrong.


    "Okay, that''s enough, stop now."


    She didn''t and got closer to him, she started to feel pain in her heart. She ignored it and kept moving forward.


    "I said stop, it''s an order! what are you even trying to do?"


    The pain became sharp but instead of stopping, she lunged forward and dug her fangs into his neck, taking him by surprise. That was it, she was doing it! The guy screamed and she tasted his blood in her mouth. Then, a pain as powerful as the one that took her wings exploded across her body. The sensation coming from her heart was so intense, she was unable to resist it and fainted with her teeth still planted in his neck.


    The rest of her story was simple. Since she woke up, it meant she had failed. Afterwards, the slaver managed to sell her to a man who said he needed a lot of seal-branded slaves.


    After a long ceremony to transfer the rights over her life, she was moved once more to a new place and confined in the room she now sat in, with many other slaves, all dressed in green and all seal-branded. They did not seem as miserable as her but she did not really care.


    Some were talking to each other about what would happen to them from now on. They knew what was about to happen and seemed hopeful about their future. She on the other hand just wondered how hard it would be to kill her next master, or at the very least, have him kill her.


    What was better between doing nothing until her torments ended or putting an end to it herself, she wasn''t sure. She closed her eyes and sang in her head again, until it was over, this was all she could do, this was what was left of her.


    ***


    This book was written with the intent of informing our citizens and visitors from far away about what you could expect to see in our vast forests. With this duty in mind, the imperial comity of information and education and myself decided to add an entry about the gods in this bestiary.


    The gods are of course not creatures nor some kind of animal but for both your own safety and the prosperity of the empire as a whole, it is important to both know them and how to act in their presence. Your chances of ever meeting one are rather slim to say the least but if you ever do, you will be glad to have read this entry.


    First of all, what are the gods? Clearly, their existence is far superior to our own. The gods created all life in this world, from the trees and grass to the monsters and animals including unnameables of chaos and the human race itself. They made us all and are far above us but they aren''t ruling us.


    In his famous encounter with the god Gluttony, hero Alphonso Gillano asked him why were they not ruling over mankind and giving out those trials instead. Because of how long ago this was and how far away from us this encounter took place, the current translation might be off but here are the words Gluttony answered: "It would be pointless to rule over cattle. Don''t worry, I''m not eating humans anymore, the immortal told me to stop because it was interfering with the test."


    Gluttony would not answer any more inquiries but many points in his answer ignited the hearts of scholars for generations. Who is the immortal? It seemed to be a title instead of a name like the gods usually use. Who would be able to force gluttony itself to stop eating? What was the test he referred to? Who or what was being tested and for what purpose? We still do not know to this day.


    Many others having heard of this legendary encounter asked their own questions to gods they met to the peril of their lives. Answers varied greatly between gods from polite to outright insulting but they all agreed on one point; the humans are too low for them to even bother ruling us, it would be a waste of their time.


    As for the immortal, throughout all history, it was only mentioned a second time, in our very own empire by the goddess Life. She was asked by Great-mother Marta the following: "Some gods look like humans, some look like cursed-bloods and some even look like monsters, what makes a god a god." The answer was: "We aren''t gods by our own standards, it is just you mortals who keep calling us that. If there is one thing qualified to be called a god in this universe, it will be the immortal." Since then, it has been surmised that the immortal is the god of the gods. That entity has never been seen and has no trial ground but it does exist.


    All that knowledge is indeed interesting but far from useful so I will refrain from writing further on this and go back to the topic at hand, how to survive an encounter with a god. Finding a god will either be the best thing to happen in your life or the worse.


    First of all, as you should know from the many stories circulating in the empire including the famous "Words of truth" and "The death seer watch", you should never, ever, in any circumstances, disrespect a god. If one insults you, nod in agreement, if you are asked something, answer politely, never lie to one and do whatever is asked of you. They could will the empire out of existence easily and by the morrow, no trace of Steelwood would be found. Keep your head cool, remember who you are facing and stay humble. Boasting in front of one would end just as badly as insulting one.


    The second important rule is to be very careful about what you ask of them. Gods aren''t evil but are also far from benevolent, they have a strong tendency to twist your words into whatever they find most entertaining and it is a known fact that gods have some strange interpretation of the word ''entertainment''. Asking for something from them is risky at best but people still do it incessantly, thinking that they would be able to outsmart a god. Trust me, this will not happen, they perfectly know what you mean and want and if they ever feel like you are trying to trick them into doing something, you will regret it for the rest of your miserable life. The best would be to never ask anything from them at all. Do the trial, accept your gifts with dignity and leave, never ask for more.


    The third rule is, even if you are not in the presence of a god, never speak ill of them, they will know, it is inevitable. If you insult one, even by accident, you can only hope that they will be merciful and you can be sure that they will only be if they believe leaving you alone will be more entertaining than punishing you.


    Following those three rules, you should be able to survive the gods, supposing you also survive their trial of course.


    Which gods reside in our empire exactly is unsure but some are well known and highly believed to be inside our borders due to the amount of corresponding holders of their blessings seen over the years. The list is as follow: Death, Forest, Life, Love and Truth. Two of them, Life and Love have temples in our imperial capital and royal capitals around Steelwood. As stated in the second rule, I would be cautious of what I ask those two when praying in their temples. Some are relatively safe like praying for good harvest or the safety of your lover but more desperate prayers like saying you would do anything to find love is asking for a disaster to happen.


    One would wonder what is the use of such temples if they can hear you from anywhere but the truth is as simple as one would expect. The gods love to be adored and and see in a good light the amount of efforts put into building those temples. They are known to be more receptive to those frequenting the temples than those that aren''t. As for why this is the case, why they would listen to the wants of inferior creature not even worthy to be ruled over, the scholars are still in the dark.


    -- Common Steelwood Bestiary entry on the Gods.


    (1) I indeed mean instinctually here, not instinctively. Those are two very similar yet different things.

 36 Steelwood imperial school

    This was the day Emperor reached the city of B¨ºt¨¦clair. The roads around it were really well maintained and a huge expense of forest had been cut down around it to let the capital of Artefine breathe. Since the kingdom of Artefine was the most important border of the empire, it was the most defended and a large part of the military was stationed here.


    B¨ºt¨¦clair was the second largest city in the empire and as such, one of the best defended. The first wall was just at the border of the woods. It was a four meters high palisade surrounded by watch towers on one side and a river-like moat on the other. Around each of its gates, massive buildings housed the guards that were tasked on defending it.


    Since Emp had forgot to remove his armor, the guards at the gate made a fuss but when he removed his helmet and gave them a smile, they let him through.


    Behind that wall, there was a great amount of fields crisscrossed by small water channel feeding into the outside moat. Now that the forest was gone, Emp could see clearly the whole city. It was enormous, so much bigger than Red-water.


    It was like someone had taken all the shapes and colors known to mankind and merged them together in one place. Artefine was the only place to enter the Steelwood empire reliably from and B¨ºt¨¦clair being its capital, you could find people and ideas from all over the the surrounding nations in this place. Of course, even if Emp was about to see it all from up close, he would have no idea of what was from here and what came from somewhere else.


    There were buildings of all size and towers sprouting everywhere from the city''s silhouette. From afar, it looked like some sort of weirdly shaped mountain though it wasn''t because it was built on a hill nor was it because there were more towers in the center of the town. It was just that there were so many of said towers that even if they were about equally spread everywhere, when you looked at the city from outside of it, it gave the illusion that they were all focused in the middle of it.


    As he got closer to the city, he found out that it had no outside walls, or rather, that the city spilled out of its outside walls. All around the short stone wall, even shorter houses of both wood and stone had been built to cover as far as the entire width of Dark-Glint. Those houses were encroaching on the fields and pushing them further from the city every time an new one was built.


    The closer Emp got to the gate, the more lively it got. There were a ton of guards but they didn''t stop anyone from moving into and out of the city, they didn''t even look at the hunting cards of the people. It didn''t seem that strange since most people coming through lived just outside the gate.


    On either side of the gate, a tall statue representing some sort of lean, furless creature with a grin of triangle teeth spanning its whole face and ram-like horns ending in a two meters high upward spike, was embedded in the wall. They both guarded the gate with their eyes but welcomed visitors with their open skeletal hands.


    Emp thought they were really well sculpted, he wondered if all the other gates had the same statues as well. Of course, it was easy to tell they were statues and no one would believe them to be real even in the dead of night but, they were certainly not cheaply made either.


    Emp passed the gate and arrived right in the middle of a marketplace. For now, he had nothing to buy so he weaved himself through the crowd and moved into a real street.


    The atmosphere here was different than what he had experienced in Red-water. Where in Red-water everyone walked and talked happily, here they ran and screamed in a whole range of emotions. There were busy people in a hurry to get somewhere and others standing by the roadside doing nothing but gazing at the passerby. It seemed chaotic to him.


    Emp didn''t really like it, he felt smothered by the large amount of people present. The noise was obnoxious as well, he almost felt like back at the howling hill, the only difference being that there was less people there than in B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    Not only were they numerous and loud but they also wore all sorts of nonsensical things. Did Luck perhaps come here to give some of his clothes to everyone? There were clothes with all sorts of metal bits dangling from everywhere, clothes with only one sleeve and others that wrapped around the head of the wearer, long scarves and clothes with holes cut into them. There were even clothes made entirely out of leather straps.


    The hairs and hats of everyone were just as extravagant, some in particular, he would have never believed possible if he had not seen it with his own eyes. After all, hairs were supposed to flow towards the ground, not toward the sky.


    He felt regretful that he had not bought more clothes in Red-water. What kind of things would he end up wearing if he bought here? The good thing was that no one thought he looked strange with his armor on, they were all wearing much worse.


    If they all wore those strange things though, maybe the clothes he thought were normal were the weird ones instead? Maybe normal changed depending on where you were?


    In any case, he had more pressing matters to think about than figuring out the clothes everyone wore or why there were so many towers built in this city. The real problem was that just like when he entered Red-water, he had no idea where he was going and no one around seemed to talk the same language as him.


    A had learnt a few words of their own language but he didn''t feel confident enough to try to match them into something coherent. Chinui hadn''t told him were the school would be so he couldn''t just walk there. Since he didn''t know where he was going he could only walk forward and follow the road until he found something like the merchant guild in Red-water.


    But, just walking forward was much harder than it seemed. Why was everyone moving so slowly? Even though many were running and there was a lot of pushing and shoving, everyone seemed to barely make any progress at all. They were all walking at a normal pace but somehow, the distance they traveled was far less than it should and this stopped Emp from moving through the streets as fast as he wanted. They all seemed to think it was perfectly normal as well.


    Emp chose to give up on understanding why this was so for now and took the time to admire his surroundings instead. Later, he wanted to go around the city to see all it had to offer but since he really wanted to clear the school problem from his mind first, this was the best he could do. Houses and shops he passed weren''t that extraordinary to look at but the towers looming over them were quite impressive.


    There were all kinds of them, a tower with a waterfall, a tower with each of its layers being a different garden, a tower with a flaming top, dozens of bell towers, towers linked by bridges, short an stumpy towers, towers that got narrower the higher they went and more still. He wondered what their purpose were. Could they not just build their things closer to the ground? What was the point of having all those things so high up? In any case, they were quite interesting to look at while he was slowly moving through the stone-tiled streets of the city.


    Eventually, after a lot of walking, he came across another gate. This one was many times more impressive than the last one he went through by its size and craftsmanship. Both of its sides were chiseled in order to look like giant thunderbolts and on them, many small streams of glowing golden water were giving it life.


    In front of it, there was a long line of people waiting to get across. Here, the guards had to check every cart, carriage and pedestrians wanting to get to the other side. What was beyond the gate must have been important. Maybe the guards watching the place would be able to tell him where he needed to go.


    He walked at the end of the line and waited his turn patiently. Because of the length of the line and the time it took for the guards to go through each of them, Emp started to feel like there probably was a better idea than this to find his way. But, since he had already waited all that time and since he was almost there, it would have been a waste to leave the line now.


    When his turn came, one of the guard with an unfriendly look to him spoke in the common language.


    "Is there anyone here that can speak the noble language? I do not speak the common." Emp answered.


    The man seemed even more displeased than before. He snorted and called another guard from behind him.


    "What''s going on here?" Asked the newcomer.


    "Hi, my name is Emp and I am looking for the school. I do not know where it is and I would like it if you told me where I can find it please."


    "By the school, you mean the place where all the small nobles gather? What is your business there?"


    "I am here to attend as a student."


    "Really? You wouldn''t mind then if a couple of guards here were to accompany you to their gate right? I will assign a couple to escort you through the upper city to the school alright?" This was said like it was some sort of threat but Emp could only see good points to this proposition.


    "That is great, that way there is no chance of me getting lost. If at least one of them spoke the noble tongue that would be even better."


    "I''ll see what I can do, stay here." The man seemed taken aback by his answer but went through with it anyway. He came back right away with five men and told Emp that if he was wasting their time, he would get in trouble. Emp didn''t want to waste any time either, he wanted to get there quickly so he agreed with the man.


    The five guards surrounding Emp led him through the streets of what was apparently Upper-B¨ºt¨¦clair, even though it wasn''t any higher than the rest of it. Even if he didn''t understand the name, he could see the difference between the two parts of the city. Both halves were clearly the same city and they both felt the same but they also seemed completely different from each other.


    First of all, none of the houses and shops here shared their walls with their neighbors. They all stood on their own in the middle of their own plot of land, all neatly separated by fences of iron and low walls of stone.


    The sizes of both the houses and their lands varied greatly, some were just disproportionate. One of them was such a large construction that Emp felt there was probably enough rooms in it to accommodate the whole town of Starfall. Another one had so much space around it that a small private forest was grown in it.


    Then, there were the people themselves. Most of the passerby here wore the same kind of nonsensical clothes that he had seen before but the quality of their components were clearly greater. Their fabrics seemed smoother, their accessories shinier and their jewels more expensive.


    The last difference he could easily see was that there were way less people crowding the streets on this side of the wall. This seemed more like what he had seen in Red-water, if of course he disregarded the strange clothes. Maybe it was because most of the people were stopped from entering by the guards?


    Thinking of the guards, they didn''t say a single thing for the whole trip and just kept an eye on him. Maybe that was the reason they were so slow, they didn''t want to lose him by walking too fast.


    He was eventually brought to one of the largest plots of land he had seen until now. From outside the iron entrance gate, he could not have guessed how massive it was but luckily, they obviously had to pass it in order to get inside. Behind the mortared fieldstone wall was spread a huge field of sand and dirt on one side and a luxurious flower garden completed by fountains and benches on the other. Both of those halves of the school yard stretched to the sides of the building and went beyond it.


    The building itself was akin to a castle or a palace, both in size and impressive pressure. It''s walls where of smooth light grey stones and rose into an array of buildings all connected to each other by either their proximity or bridges arching over the yard to form one large and mighty structure. All of it was crowned by a whole lot of towers, seemingly necessary to cram even more rooms into the space available to this castle. Beside the towers, there were also tens of chimneys sprouting from everywhere in the roof. Many of them were smoking lazily.


    A group of girls were talking in the sea of flowers and giggling under the protective shade of a tree but Emp and the guards ignored them and went straight to the main door of the school. Emp had assumed it was the school up until now since it was where the guards had led him and by the letters above the door, it was indeed the case. "Steelwood imperial school" could be read in large golden letters neatly nailed to a board held there.


    One of the guards pushed the door open and their whole group entered the place.


    The inside was spacious and filled with portraits and statues placed there in order to entertain guests. At the end of the brightly lit hall stood a long desk behind which sat a woman. She was dressed in a green sleeveless dress revealing a lot of cleavage and her blond hair where tied with an hair pin in order to form an impressive wave around her head.


    "Welcome to the Steelwood imperial school!" Said the woman with a lively smile. "What can I do for you gentlemen today?"


    Since he was now into the school, Emp felt it was the time to use Chinui''s name. He just had to present himself and ask to see the ancient to deliver the letter.


    "Good afternoon." Answered Emp as he opened up his hunting card to show her. "My name is Emp Muracier, I am here to study. I have the money on me and also, a letter for the ancient written by Chinui that I need to deliver."


    Once he had said all this, he felt really happy. It had taken him a long time but finally, the task Chinui had given him was almost over. That feeling of accomplishment really was good. While he was saying all that, he heard a bunch of clanking sounds behind him. The armors of the guards were probably the reason.


    "A Muracier in our school? Ho my, what an honor. And a blessing holder too at such a young age." She answered with a beaming smile. She did not doubt what he said at all since the card was proof enough. "Would you like me to bring the letter to him or would you like to meet him yourself?"


    "I would like to give him the letter myself if possible."


    Chinui had told him to not break the seal after all. If he gave the letter to someone else, he couldn''t make sure it would stay sealed.


    "Certainly." She complied. "I will call for someone to bring you there, the registration will be done afterwards if you do not mind."


    "Yes, thank you."


    The woman picked up a bell on her desk and rang it twice. Almost immediately after, another girl wearing a different kind of green dress came from a small door at the side.


    "You called?"


    "Yes, you are to bring sir Muracier to the office of the principal, sir Duke Jasay. He brings a letter from the great general Chinui with him."


    As she said this, she gave her a set of keys and a smile.


    "No problem madam. Sir, if you would please allow me to guide you." She said with a bow.


    Emp accepted and before he left with her, did not forget to thank the guards for their assistance. Without them, he would have probably lost himself twice before he reached the place. They were all standing stiffly by the reception desk, almost frozen in place. He wondered what had happened to those poor guys.


    The girl led him through a series of corridors and ascending stairs until they reached a door that looked like any other door. The girl stopped in front of it and knocked.


    "Who''s the what''s it?" Came a voice from the inside. Emp had no idea what that could possibly mean.


    "Sir duke, a Muracier is here to see you." She called through the door.


    "Muracier you say? Which one?"


    She looked towards him and he told her his name.


    "His name is Emp, my lord."


    "I dun have no relocation of such a name."


    "Did you perhaps mean recollection my lord?" The girl asked slightly confused and slightly disheartened.


    "Aye, this be what I mean. Tell him I be busy and to come back in another moon."


    "But sir, he is right here with me and he has a letter from the great general Muracier with him."


    "An envoy from ma good friend? Why did you not spout it out sooner then? Have him in right this instant!"


    The girl made a small sigh followed by a wry smile and opened the door for Emp.


    "I''ll stay here for a while in case you need me to go back to the entrance."


    "Thank you." Emp told her as he entered.


    The gate closed behind him and left him in the room with the ancient. The room had its walls covered in mounted heads of all sorts of creatures. Short legged tables where sprawled about haphazardly with empty or half consumed bottles of expensive alcohol and a beautifully crafted curved desk ruled from the center of the room. Said room was lit by a window in the back, candles on the desk and a fireplace on one side. Many chairs with no lack of cushioning were placed throughout the room, around both the desk and the fireplace but none seemed half as comfortable as the one in which the duke sat.


    The man himself was a bald old man who looked like he had shrunk under his clothes. In his hand, he held a glass filled with a liquid undoubtedly taken from one of the twenty bottles laying on his desk. It was the first time Emp saw glass used to make a cup, or a bottle for that mater. He had only seen glass in the windows of rich merchants and on the houses he had seen in the Upper-B¨ºt¨¦clair before. he would have never thought that it could be used to make a thing as small as a cup.


    Despite the evident quantity of those bottles he had drunk, he held the glass with a firm and steady hand and his eyes did not leave any traces of drunkenness to be seen. Marcellia had told Emp one could get used to alcohol but he had not believed it truly until this moment.


    Aside from the bottles, on his desk, there were also a bunch of parchments and a quill that did not seem to have been used a lot. He was clearly more busy drinking and sleeping in the armchair than he was working.


    In this occasion though, the old man did not waste any time.


    "Gimme the letta lad." He said by extending his empty hand.


    Emp removed the letter from his bag and walked through the liquor smelling room to reach his desk and place the letter in his eager hand. He seemed really impatient to see what Chinui was saying in that letter. Once in his grasp, he verified the seal and the stamp before he opened it with a laugh. (1)


    "I haven''t spoken to him in a while. I wonder what shenanigans he''s been up ta. Why did he write it so smoll? I can hardly see aye. I be too old for fairy sized lettas."


    It took him a while to read through everything and he laughed throughout it all. The only breaks he took were to drink some more from his glass. In the end, he folded back the letter, replaced it in the envelope and put it in a drawer in his desk. Then, he emptied his glass, filled it again and landed is gaze on Emp, examining him in details.


    "So, ye be the general''s secret son. You do look like em a lot. That is great!"


    A secret son? What did Chinui write in that letter? A thought floated through his mind that maybe Galana had been right and Chinui had some sort of plan he didn''t tell him about.


    He was not bothered too long by that thought. He chose to believe that if Chinui had indeed some secret plans, they would not go against his own wishes or his well being.


    The old man continued with a laugh.


    "Hehehehe. This be real great! Maybe it''ll get meself sometin to do. Ye see, me sprouts said I was too old to roam battles so they made me ancient and placed me here."


    He rose from his chair but seemed to get smaller instead and went to look through the window as he continued his story.


    "At first, I believed it was a great honnor bestowed on me but then, I realized they juss wanted to get me away from their affairs since I be dyin not. Hehehe. Pushin me aside are they? I served under three different great generals, they be right believin this be a borin job compared to me old one. I be sure they never did expect me to find a fourth Muracier to serve, a second ta raise. Hehehe! I be makin you da best general yet! I have a whole school ta help. Now this be a good reason ta work!"


    "So, this means I can join the school?"


    "Aye, of course. Where should I start, ye have a lot ta know. He says in ta letta that ye be weak in social matters but with me great strategy this be not a problem."


    Emp wondered what kind of strategy he meant. He understood he had a lot to learn but he hoped the process would not be too complicated.


    "The classes will start in a month, we have a lot of special guests this time round. Ta make it easy on everyone, I allowed them to hide their names if they so wished this time. A lot of girls and lads will hide theirs if they are too low or too high a noble ta evade attention. I will ask ye ta do the same."


    "Why?" The only purpose of getting the name of Muracier was for that school, would it not be pointless if he hid it now?


    "Ye know what happened right? How''s the younger brotha doin?"


    "About why Chinui left? Chijou''s tree had grown tall over his resting place but it started losing some leaves recently." He wasn''t sure what he really wanted to know so this was the best he could come up with.


    "Poor lad, at least I know the general his doin well with ye here. The others aren''t allowed ta know. Those that don know what happened then should not learn now and those that do know should not believe the general is back yet. By the way, when is he comin back?"


    "He said he would not unless it was not Billow sitting on the throne."


    "He said the same in the letta but ye see, ye shouldn''t say that aloud eva again. Ye''ll get in big trouble if someone hear that."


    But he was the one who asked! Complained Emp in his head.


    "So, don''talk about the general or yer relation ta him with anyone but yer own servants and everyone will live betta for now."


    Emp still was unsure of what he meant with this whole thing but he understood he was asked to not talk about either Chinui or the Muraciers. He wasn''t even really asked to lie since the lie was instead that he was a Muracier. Even then, not saying something to someone who had no business knowing wasn''t a lie was it? Galana at least seemed to think so. Complying with his request was easy so he had no reason to refuse.


    "Alright, I won''t talk about it anymore."


    "Great, now then, did ye have yer first blood yet? Show me yer card."


    Emp did and the old man got closer to look at his hunting table. He even hid the name of Muracier again to respect his previous request.


    "Hehehe, as expected of his son, ye got a lot of success already, did ye have a grudge against blood-spitters or somethin? A gluttonek and even a woodland horror! Ye have a bloody blessin too. Even without yer name, ye be well worth recruitin in this school o''mine. Ye''ll be a legend across the school the moment someone sees your card. They be thinkin ye be a legendary warrior in the future, they be thinkin ye be a hunter lookin to be a knight. This be perfect, this be explainin yer bad social skills and weird way of speech."


    Emp thought he really wasn''t the one with a weird speech here but did not say it aloud.


    "As long as they be thinkin that, not one will see the truth. I be fixin it all fer ye, don''t worry a bit, I be the one fillin the papers of yer admission."


    "What about the gold?"


    "Ye can just leave it here." He said pointing at his desk before he called for the girl waiting outside.


    "Lass, come here!"


    Emp got the bag Chinui gave him when he left and placed it on the desk while the girl opened the door again.


    "Do you require my help my lord?"


    "Aye, forget the lad ever came here, forget his name and tell the lass at the gate to do the same. Before ye do though, I have sometin else for ye to accompany."


    "Did you perhaps mean accomplish my lord?" The girl asked slightly confused and slightly disheartened, again.


    "Aye, this be what I mean. You bring the lad to one of the students rooms that is still free and have two slaves send there to serve him, sealed ones. The lad is now a student here."


    Slaves? They would give him slaves? What did he mean by a sealed one?


    "Certainly sir, it will be done as you wish. Do you have any other requests?"


    "Na, this be all. Lad, I would''ve offered ye a drink but... I really be busy now." He said as he looked dejectedly at the piles of papers he had not attended to in a while.


    Anyway, Emp doubted there was enough left in any of the bottles to give him some.


    "I understand, I do not like drinks much anyway."


    "Hehehe, just like him alright. See ye later lad."


    Emp then took his leave with the girl and left the old man alone to his work.


    "There must''ve been some good news in the letter you brought. I haven''t seen him this lively in years." Said the girl shortly after closing the door.


    Since Emp had no idea of what was in that letter, he didn''t know what to tell her but she didn''t seem to mind.


    "It''s all right, as long as the ancient is back. I do not really care what was said in there, anyway, I was just asked to forget it all. Come, I will lead you to what will be your room for the next couple of years."


    Years seemed like a really long time for Emp who had not lived for an entire one yet. He had a hard time to picture such a long time in his head. Would he really stay there for so long? Learning things couldn''t be that long right? What was he supposed to do with all this time? As he followed her once more through the maze of corridors, stairs and doors, he decided to ask her about the school.


    "I know almost nothing about the school. I know that I am here to learn things and that the ancient has some strange way of speaking but that is all."


    "Really? Maybe I can help you a little then, what would you like to know first?"


    "Since it came up just before, what did he mean when he said to bring me two slaves?"


    "Yes of course. There are a lot of nobles coming here to study. Some are much smaller than other and many don''t know how to wash clothes or cook by themselves. To be fair for everyone and stop some from bringing an army of servants in the school, we give out two slave to each students upon their arrival. Those slaves will serve them through their stay here and the students can keep them afterwards. They do not need to fear sharing any of their secrets to them either since all the slaves we provide are harboring a seal."


    So the seal was some sort of guaranty? But what if one did not want anything to do with slaves? Emp himself didn''t really care since he had never really met one before but did everyone agree to such a thing this easily?


    "What happens when someone does not want those slaves?"


    "Well, you could sell them back in town, they are yours after all, they are included in the entry fee."


    "I see." That made sense. "Then, how about the time? How long does it take to study? What are we even studying?"


    "Aya, sir really doesn''t know much about the Steelwood imperial school. Every five years, the school opens its gates for new students. As long as they have potential, are young enough to enter and posses the money required to get in, they are admitted here.


    Then, the specialized teachers will do their very best to develop the potential and talent of everyone who registered here, be it magic, science, fencing archery or anything, the staff will do its best. Some classes are common to all, mostly the basics of every subjects and social behavior classes to ensure the good development of the students and to explore in which area they have talents.


    Then, Students are able to choose which classes they want to attend to. The students are able to leave the moment they have learned all that we could teach them but if they struggle, they can stay for a maximum of ten years. Usually, everyone is gone by the time the doors open again for a new group."


    That was a whole lot of information. Emp felt that his questions had been mostly answered by now. It was a good thing too because they reached the place she was leading him to.


    "Here we are, this is your room. Esther must have known I would end up bringing you here because she gave me the keys before we left the entrance hall."


    She pushed the key into the solid lock and opened the door for him.


    "That is big! Are you sure this is not a mistake?"


    "It is not, all the students room are the same. Then again, if you don''t like it, there is nothing stopping you from changing it however you please, you will live here for a long time after all. Would you like me to show you around before I go get you some servants?"


    "Yes please." The room could hardly be called that, if she did not show him around once, it would take him forever to figure things out.


    Emp understood now why the school was so enormous. If every students lived in one of those, he did not have a hard time guessing that most of the main building consisted of those rooms.


    The thing was much bigger than Chinui''s house. Maybe he should stop using it as comparison since everywhere he went was larger than it. The room, wasn''t in fact a single room. It was instead a living room, a bedroom, a secondary room, the room for the two slaves and even a balcony. The floors of them all were made of cold stones covered in smooth wood. It had plaster walls and ceiling that gave it a smooth feeling.


    The living room was the first from the door, It had a table, chairs, a large fireplace to hold a cauldron, an empty bookcase and many shelves. All the furniture in the room looked elegant by Emp''s idea of what elegant was and a good supply of firewood awaited near the fireplace, ready to be used at anytime.


    From there, you could go to any of the three other rooms. The secondary room was just a six meters long empty room, ready to be used in any way Emp would desire and the slaves room was a small room with two ordinary beds, a window and some drawers.


    The last room was what would be his bedroom and contained his worst nightmare. There was a bed the size of three other beds combined in this room. From just a single glance, Emp knew it would be the most comfortable thing he would ever touch. If he was to sleep in it, he feared he would never wake up again.


    Aside from it, there was a second smaller fireplace, drawers and dressers, a bedside table, a small desk in a corner, the access to the balcony and a large tub that could be filled with water.


    While she was showing him around, she explained how things worked in the school on the subject of daily necessities. Firewood would be brought every day to his door and an allowance for food and clothes would be distributed to all students or their servants by the lady in the entrance hall. The school would not provide for the two slave they gave out and their expenses would have to be taken from either the allowance or the personal money of the students. Finally, the water would have to be taken from the well outside and would not be brought over.


    The rooms themselves could be furnished, dressed, used and filled however the student wished and everything in the rooms belonged to him as their cost were covered by the admission fee. The slaves would be part of his personal belongings as well and could be used or disposed of in any way he wished as long as it did not cause their deaths.


    If he needed something from outside the school, he had the right to go get it himself, send one of his slaves or ask the lady in the entrance hall for what he requested. Be it an expert or a specific item, the school would look for it to ease his work and stay.


    With all of this said and everything checked, the girl gave him the keys.


    "Here, they are yours now. There is five of them, each are the same and each can open your door, do with them as you wish. The bedroom door can be barred from the inside as well as locked. Now, if you would please wait here for a moment, I will go get the slaves and the school servants head for the transfer ceremony. I will be back shortly."


    Emp waved her goodbye and wandered in the room for a while. He still had a hard time believing this all belonged to him now. He ran his fingers along the surfaces of the furniture and finally sat down in an armed chair that felt impressively soft. He was so used to sitting on hard wood, the ground or any other hard surface that such a chair was quite the experience.


    It must have been pleasant to just sit there by the fire on a cold evening. Although there weren''t many cold evening in the Steelwood empire, some nights became really cold in the winter. Even in winter, he had heard, the days never lost enough warmth to force those living here to wear furs, unless they lived in the mountains.


    He relaxed in the chair while he waited for her return. He was glad to be finally there.


    (1)I would call it a gremlin laugh but gremlins aren''t a thing here so it''s just a laugh.

 37 Meeting with the slaves

    Emp casually ate an apple while he waited for the servant to come back and not long after he finished it, she knocked on his door.


    "Sir, this servant is back to guide you to the ritual room."


    Was she not supposed to bring him the slaves?


    He left the chair and opened the door of the room to join her in the corridor.


    "I thought you were going to get them?"


    "I did, but transferring the slaves to you is not an easy task and it cannot be done here."


    "I see."


    He understood that it was a bit more complicated than he had thought but wasn''t really annoyed by it so he just obediently followed her. The girl had to remind him to lock the door before they left, he never had to lock a door behind him before so it had completely escaped his mind. It was yet another thing he would have to remember from now on. Marcellia had asked him to remember a lot already, just one more thing couldn''t be that hard.


    Aside from that, right now, he had to make an effort to remember the path they were taking to go there. He would need to return to his room later after all, getting lost on the way wouldn''t be all that great. The girl guiding him told him a plate with his name would soon be hung beside his door to ease the life of everyone but for now, he would have to remember which door was his own by himself.


    He was swiftly led to a room underground in which a huge circle of runes were carved on the floor. If this was what was needed for the slaves to be transferred to him, he could see why they wouldn''t do it in his own room. The place was well lit by torches and three more people waited in the room when they arrived. There was one man standing straight wearing a black and green suit, a blonde girl in a simple green dress standing a bit further and a pale, red haired girl sitting beside the other one with her eyes closed. The blonde girl looked anxious when she saw him enter while the red haired one did not react at all.


    The man introduced himself first when Emp arrived.


    "Welcome, sir must be the new student, correct?"


    "Yes" Emp answered simply.


    "I am the head of the servants and also, as it so happens, the only one able to perform the slave transfer in this school. Does sir have any experience in slave transfer?"


    "None, in fact, I have no experience with slaves at all, sealed or otherwise."


    "I see, would sir like me to explain what he needs to know?"


    "Yes please."


    Emp gave him a relieved smile and the man nodded.


    "Alright then, where should I start?"


    From there, he proceeded to explain a lot of things, some of which Emp had already heard earlier like how he needed to take care of their needs as the school wouldn''t. The most interesting came when he was talking about the seal and what it did. To explain it properly, he had the blond girl turn around to reveal her back and the seal carved into it. Somehow, the seal itself looked like a dog ruling over an army of ants. The man explained.


    "Once a master is given, the seal takes a shape that represents said master so that anyone seeing it will be able to identify the master easily. This is my symbol, once the ritual is done, it will be yours instead."


    Emp wondered what his own symbol would look like.


    "The seal makes many things possible and many more impossible. With ensuring the loyalty of the slave as primary purpose, the seal as many functions to help achieve such a thing. First of all, if the master were to die, the sealed slaves would immediately follow."


    "That sounds terrible, why would such a thing exist?" Emp couldn''t help but ask.


    "This is to prevent any thoughts of betrayal, as any hardship befalling the master would hurt them as well. If it can reassure you, the laws of the Steelwood empire only permits the engraving of the seal on born slaves, criminal slaves and cursed-blood slaves, those that would have no hopes of ever leaving slavery anyway."


    Were people really that afraid of being betrayed? What was the purpose of betrayal anyway? Emp didn''t get it. Maybe it was one of those things that was better if you were more prepared then not enough? The man followed.


    "The seal also prevent the slave from revealing any personal information on its master without his express consent. The words would never leave their mouths despite their best efforts. This works for any information that isn''t displayed on the hunting card. Not only is this great for their master secrecy but also really helpful to themselves as this makes them a useless target. It is pointless to torture someone for information if it is physically impossible for them to answer so they are often completely ignored by the foes of their masters."


    Emp could conceive how such a thing could be useful. If you had a lot of secrets, you wouldn''t want anyone near you while you worked unless you could be sure they would never say a word of what they saw. On the other hand, he wondered what kind of work needed such secrecy.


    "Then," The man moved on. "the seal gives the master the ability to inflict pain upon his slaves. The pain can be as little or as much as you want but will never cause any real injuries to the slave. It only makes them feel pain as a form of punishment or as an incentive to comply to an order. This pain does not require contact to be activated, only a thought from the master."


    This didn''t seem like a pleasant thing to do. The only pain he inflicted on someone else before was to kill them. It had felt really strange but at least, he thought that they must have not been pained for long since they died so quick.


    He didn''t wish to make others feel pain but on the other hand, maybe sometimes it was a necessary thing, like when the healing mage had inflicted pain upon him to heal his wound. The pain was a necessary part of the process of healing.


    "Lastly, the seal has one last benefit, by focusing on it a little, a slave can use it to sense the general whereabouts of their master. They can be left anywhere and they will always find their way back to the master."


    That was a really useful ability. the only disappointing part was that it didn''t work the other way around. The man moved on from sealed slaves in general to the two girls in front of them.


    "As for the two of them, they were picked at random in our remaining slaves. You got unlucky this time but to be fair for everyone, we cannot change them for anyone. Sir will have to forgive us."


    "Why am I unlucky?" Asked Emp confused. Sealed slaves seemed like something really amazing, why would it be unfortunate for him.


    "Well..." The man said with slowly, trying to find a good way to put it.


    "The first one has nothing wrong with her. Through her documents we know she was a born slave and was in the service of a merchant before she was sold to us. She is obedient and has every skill set required to take care of an estate. She can cook, clean, sew, knows her letters and numbers and even has some skill in management. Her only negatives are that she is a woman so she won''t be able to do the more physical labors and she can be a little loud. Those don''t matter much here in the school though so she is quite a fine slave."


    The blonde girl showed a small smile from the praise but kept quiet to not disturb them.


    "This one on the other hand, she is a cursed-blood."


    Emp was quite surprised by this. He thought cursed-blood didn''t look like humans but the girl really seemed like a normal one, aside from her red hair that was unusual in this sea of blond people. The other slave was also surprised and almost made a step away from the red-haired girl.


    "She is one from the bird tribe but she lost her wings, she is also mute and rebellious. Even with the seal, she refuses to listen to any orders and attacked her last master. Being one from the bird tribe, she is really weak and has no useful skills at all. Our only criteria for buying students slaves is for them to be sealed so we often get a few unusefull slaves but this one might be the worst we''ve ever had. The slaver swore she had some potential but I wouldn''t put too much faith in his words."


    This really seemed like a troublesome girl, even the other slave seemed unsure on how to react. On the other hand, he was really curious. He had never met a cursed-blood before, it was a great opportunity to learn about them. Anyway, it wasn''t like he had a lot of work for them to do.


    "It''s alright, I lived fine on my own before, even if I did not receive any slave I would have been fine."


    "Thank you for your understanding sir. Are you ready to proceed to the ceremony?"


    "Yes, I am, What do I need to do?"


    The man started explaining that the circle of runes in which they stood had for only purpose to transfer salve ownership. It was a huge magical array that had been tuned specifically to match the head of the servants. It was all very complicated but the reason it was so specific and complicated was very simple. If it had been easy to transfer a sealed slave, the seal would have been pointless.


    In order to prevent the theft or betrayal of sealed slaves, a set of very specific instructions and conditions had to be followed before one could claim the ownership of a seal.


    First, the old master, the slave and the new one all had to be present.


    Second, both masters had to be willing to do the transfer, having one unconscious would not do. The magic circle had to be engraved in order to match the soul of the original owner, only him could set up the finishing touches of such an array.


    Then, a ceremony had to be performed in which one familiar in sealing magic had to chant the transferal spell and all three persons involved had to drip their blood on the magic array.


    Finally, the blood of the previous master had to be replaced on the seal by the blood of the new one. If everything went as it should, the seal would change to reflect the new master.


    Emp and the man had to go through all that twice and the ceremony itself wasn''t something Emp could have called short. The part where he had to drip some of his blood was the worst, not because he was afraid of getting hurt but instead, because he kept wondering if there was a better way to spill some of his blood than to just stab a knife into his finger.


    The first ceremony was used on the seemingly depressed redhead. After it was done, the seal on her back changed to look like a crenelated hammer in a crowned book. All the others went closer to look at the seal with curiosity. The crown was probably because he was supposed to become emperor but he had no idea on how to interpret the rest.


    "The crenelations are often a symbol of protection like the shield as they remind one of a wall. Books are often the symbol of knowledge and hammers are usually linked to artisans. The crown of course symbolize ruling over things although the combination of those four seems a bit odd. That is just their usual meaning and usage in traditional family crests though, it might not apply to your seal. Mine, for example, is a dog ruling over ants, it has nothing to do with usual crests." The man explained.


    It didn''t really help Emp understand why he was represented in such a strange way but, he still had learned something new so he was happy.


    Next, they did it all over again for the blond slave and the same seal was formed on her back. The man nodded in satisfaction and got a small stack of parchment paper from the inner pocket of his suit.


    "Those are all their information as well as the ownership documents. They are now yours as well." He said as he placed them in his hand. "Sir is now free to do as he please with them. The classes will only start in a month, in the meantime, nothing is required from sir by this establishment. Sir may spend his time as he wishes. May sir have a wonderful evening, if sir would excuse me now, I have to go back to my other duties."


    "Oh, yes, good evening to you as well. Thank you for your help."


    "It was my pleasure to be of use."


    And with that, he bowed once and left, leaving Emp alone with the two slaves. Thinking about this, were was the other girl gone? She must have left during the overlong ceremony. It was fortunate he thought about paying attention to the way here beforehand. He shoved all the papers in his bag and turned towards the two slaves.


    Now that there wasn''t anyone to tell him what to do, he felt a little lost. Aside from the very first day he had been created, it was the first time there wasn''t a clear objective for him to go towards. It was also the very first time he was in charge of anyone.


    He was free to do whatever he wanted but he didn''t know what it was he wanted exactly. It would probably be better to go back to his room first. He just had to tell them to follow him he thought. But, how should he start a conversation with them? What was even their names and how should he address them?


    He should probably start by asking that, but then, he would have to give his own name to them as well. This brought another question to his head, how much should he tell them about himself? Until now, he had really met only three people, Chinui, Galana and Marcellia. For each one, he had done something different.


    To Chinui he had told everything. It taught him that his story was strange and some of it could put him in trouble but he still had told most of it to Galana and she did not believe him. Then, he said almost nothing to Marcellia but it didn''t feel all that great to keep secrets.


    For Galana, he didn''t really mind if she didn''t believe him but those two would spend most of their time with him from now on. If they were to believe he was insane, it would be really unpleasant. Since they were to be his servants rather than his friends, they had no need to know anything.


    On the other hand, the whole point of them being sealed was in order to be sure that they would never betray their master and his secrets. It felt like a waste to leave them in the dark.


    He also had no idea on how to speak to a servant, would it not be easier to just address them as he would normally for anyone else? In any case, he had to say something now because the poor blonde girl was about to collapse of nervousness from how long it took him to say anything. Would he be that anxious as well if he was given just like that to some person he didn''t know? Probably, it must be a distressing situation, maybe not all that different from being created and left in the middle of nowhere with no real objective or direction to go towards. He could somewhat understand her plight.


    "Do not worry, I was just lost in thoughts. I was wondering how much to tell you about me."


    "Master can tell me anything he wishes, his secrets would be safe with me even without the seal." She answered quickly.


    "Maybe later but first, what is your name?"


    "My name? It''s Harriett Sklavsang but master can call me however master like."


    "Harriett then, and what is her name?" Emp asked pointing at the other girl.


    "No one knows, I don''t think that the man who sold her to the school knew either."


    Emp nodded in understanding and got the book of answer from his bag. Even if they didn''t know, the book would, there was no point to complain about it.


    "What is her name?" He asked the book. Harriett seemed intrigued about what he was doing but kept silent while he read the answer.


    "Celtine Estelli, this is your name correct?"


    The until now lifeless red-haired girl raised her head and eyes to him. She was clearly wondering how he guessed her name. Harriett seemed impressed as well.


    "It really seems to be the case! Master, may I ask how you did it?"


    "It is because of the book of answers." He said while showing them the book. "Whatever question I ask it, it always know the answer."


    If it was willing to give it to him though, that seemed to be a completely different matter.


    "That''s impressive master. Can it really answer anything? Could it even tell you the locations of the gods trial grounds?"


    Emp had never thought about it before but the book could probably do it. He would have to be really precise with his question though or the book might just answer with something unusefull like ''somewhere'' or ''on the continent''.


    "I am sure it can, if it exist or if it is possible to do, I am pretty sure the book knows the answer, it was given to me by the god Sage himself after all."


    "Does master mean to say that he already completed a trial?" Asked the slave excitedly. Her eyes sparkling with admiration.


    "I did but that is not what I meant. Let us talk inside my room instead. Would the both of you please follow me?"


    "Of course I will, master." Answered Harriett obediently. "But I don''t know if she can even stand on her own." She said talking about Celtine.


    The girl in question got up from the ground with difficulty and staggered towards them. She seemed to have a really hard time doing so.


    "Wow, she is stronger than I thought." Praised Harriett


    Not only did she seem unused to walking, she also seemed feeble. It made for something really hard to watch without letting out a sigh. Let''s not even talk about the stairs they would have to scale, the simple corridors seemed like they would be a desperate fight for her. If he let her go on like that, it would take forever to get back to his room. Of course, Emp had nothing to do and did not really mind if it took a long time to go back but he felt the girl was pitiful and there was no point in letting her go around like this.


    It would be best to just pick her up. Storing the book, he got closer to her in a single step and half kneeled just in front of her. She seemed wary of his action but extended his arm to her anyway.


    "Here, use my arm and my knee as holds to get on my shoulders, it will be easier that way."


    Celtine didn''t know how to react to such a demand and a surprised Harriett complained.


    "But master, you can''t do that, she is just a slave, and a cursed-blood. What will people think if they see you with her on your shoulders? You should have me help her instead."


    It was true that Emp would not like to look crazy or strange, he had a lot of clothing problems before because of that. He had no doubt that it would be harder to do all that was asked of him if he was labeled as strange but, the city of B¨ºt¨¦clair had already taught him a very valuable lesson. To him, everyone in the streets were dressed extremely strangely but it seemed fine to them all. They were completely unfazed by the clothes they all wore or even by his armor which earned him the weariness of those living in Starfall.


    What was weird for someone wasn''t necessarily seen in the same light by the rest. Whatever he did, it was bound to be thought as strange by some like how Galana had proven to him many times and normal for others like he had seen in this city. If whatever he did would be seen as inappropriate by at least one and thought normal for at least one other, why hesitate at all? In the end, if he always did what he thought was right, he could just say that those disagreeing were the strange ones. Was it not part of what an emperor did, to decide what was right and what was wrong?


    "None of that matters, I am just helping a girl in trouble. Also, you are not that strong either, it is way easier if I do it myself."


    Thinking about it, he should probably apply the same rule to what he was to tell them later. It was pointless to hide them truths about him for fear they would think of him as insane. In the end, he still had to live with those truths and those girls. Would it not be easier on them if they knew what he was going after?


    Harriett did not protest anymore after that but Celtine hesitated for a while. Emp had no way of asking her why she was hesitant so he could only urge her on.


    "Why are you hesitant? Just climb on, no need to torture yourself with this. I do not know anyone of your kind yet so I do not feel anything good or bad towards you if that is what you are afraid of."


    She looked into his eyes some more and finally did what he had asked her to do. Using his knee as footing and holding hishead with both of her hands, she managed to get her leg around his neck and sit herself on his shoulders.


    "Just old on to my forehead to steady yourself."


    If he hadn''t been able to see her legs around his head, he would never even have known she was there because of how light she was. Maybe Harriett could have helped her in the end.


    Because of the armor he was still wearing, it mustn''t have been comfortable to sit there. Especially the row of fangs around his neck must have been painfully annoying. After she adjusted her dress to be more comfortable, she entwined her fingers over his forehead and he took hold of her ankles as got himself back up.


    With how small they both were, they wouldn''t have any problems going through doorways so they shouldn''t come across any problem on their way there.


    "It''s a good thing we... Maybe I shouldn''t say this out loud." Said Harriett in bewilderment. "It''s not my place to complain but... Maybe master should have carried her in your arms instead."


    "I was scared of hitting her head in a doorframe. Also, you saw her back too, She would have been hard to hold without hurting her I think. This is way easier."


    "Of course master, if you say so."


    "Let us go back to our room then."


    After that, Emp went back to his room without a problem and without coming across anyone.


    Once there, he sat both of the girls on chairs and proceeded to tell them everything he could think of about himself. He also remembered the ring of allegiance he possessed while talking about the treasures he received.


    He had never tested it before, he had made one copy but didn''t give it to anyone. He felt that the two girls who couldn''t betray him would be perfect to test them out. He would then know how it worked and would be sure the information he received from it would be accurate.


    He made two new copies of it and gave one to each girl.


    "Put them on, those are magic ring. They will change in appearance depending on what I think of you, this was the gift from Love."


    He decided to not tell them about the information gathering part though. After all, the goal was to test the rings. If they knew they risked to foil the test.


    "Can we really have such a thing master? Is it not wasted on us?"


    "Not at all, I can make as many as I want. Just take them, I want to know how they will look, I am curious."


    Harriett accepted the ring and put it on under the curious gaze of the other two. From a plain iron ring, it turned into a simple wooden ring as soon as it was settled on her finger.


    "I see, since I just met you, it turned into a simple wooden ring, I wonder how it will change in the future."


    Seeing that nothing happened to her partner, Celtine put on her own ring as well and it also turned into a wooden ring, but her own seemed to have a gash in it. It curiously looked like a wound, almost bleeding sap.


    "Hers is different." Observed Harriett.


    "I am not sure why. Since it should reflect what I think of you, I think it may have to do with how weak and wounded she looks to me." Theorized Emp. "This is interesting."


    After that and his story were over, he found himself very hungry and decided to cook some of his remaining fish. He barely had the time to get the ingredients out of the bag when Harriett interrupted him in order to cook in his stead.


    Since she really wanted to do it, he left her to it and sat back down. Celtine of course didn''t make for a good conversation partner but Harriett still had some questions about his story so it ended up fine.


    Nothing that special happened afterwards. Surprisingly, Harriett readily believed him and his story. She even seemed really impressed by it. Celtine didn''t seem to be listening all that well and in the end, didn''t seem to care if the story was true or false.


    He had talked for a long time and he was getting pretty tired so he decided to wait for the next day to ask them about themselves.


    He told them both goodnight, went to his bedroom, lifted the hammer like usual and went to bed after having recalled his other self. Nestled under the covers, he watched and fiddled with his own ring to figure out how it worked.


    He found out that if he thought about either of the two girls, the clouds drifting into the ring would gather to form her face. The golden threads on the surface of the ruby ring would twist by themselves and forms words: Harriett Sklavsang, alive or Celtine Estelli, alive. The words were small and should have been hard to read but when he was looking for them, they seemed to jump out by themselves and were instead really easy to observe.


    Even if Celtine''s ring was different, it didn''t give any more information than the other. He should have given one to Chinui as well, maybe he would have seen more information than just if he was alive or not. If he wanted to test the functions of the ring any further, he would have to improve his relationship with them.


    He would think about that later, for now, he couldn''t resist the call of sleep empowered to unbelievable levels by the bed. The last thing he thought was that he forgot to tell the girls to wake him up.

 38 Wisdom of a senior slave

    Celtine had once again lived a strange day. It all started like usual, with nothing to do in a cell with a bunch of other slaves but it all changed when the so called master came in.


    "We got a new student, who''s next on the list?"


    A nearby attendant looked at a list on a paper and answered.


    "A girl called Harriett and the mute bird."


    "Alright, bring them to the transfer room and find me their papers."


    "Right away boss."


    After that, she was dragged in a large room with another human girl. That one walked though, instead of being dragged. She seemed fidgety, maybe she knew what was coming up. Celtine had not paid attention because she didn''t care much so she had no idea what they were brought her for.


    Sometime later, a new pair of humans came in. One was a girl in a green dress that could have been mistaken for another slave if not for the fact that her clothes had an apparent better quality to them than those given to the slaves. The other was a small man dressed like a wolf or bear tribe chieftain. He didn''t quite know why he was here either so the master man had to explain in details what was happening.


    It turned out that the small chieftain would be the new master, not that it mattered at all to her. The other slave and her got transferred to him with the same long ritual she had already experienced and the old master guy left the room. She closed her eyes again, this wasn''t of any interest. What song should she practice now?


    The new one ignored her mental song and started by asking the name of the other girl.


    "My name? It''s Harriett Sklavsang but master can call me however master like."


    It seemed a strange for an answer but whatever.


    "Harriett then, and what is her name?" He asked, presumably talking about her.


    "No one knows, I don''t think that the man who sold her to the school knew either."


    Of course he didn''t know, no one even asked her for it from the moment the hunters had caught her all the way to now. They just called her stupid things like bird girl or the mute one.


    "What is her name?" He asked again after a short moment.


    The sound of paper scratching against more paper was then heard. What was he doing?


    "Celtine Estelli, this is your name correct?" He said just after.


    Her eyes shot open and flew up to him. How did he do it? No one said those words aloud to her for months, her name. She felt her heart beat once more after so long, interrupting her song. She was curious, how did he know? Had her tribe met him before?


    "It really seems to be the case! Master, may I ask how you did it?" The girl said, putting in sounds what her own mind screamed.


    "It is because of the book of answers." He said while showing them the book in his hands. "Whatever question I ask it, it always know the answer."


    The book? Was there really such a thing?


    "That''s impressive master. Can it really answer anything? Could it even tell you the locations of the gods trial grounds?"


    "I am sure it can, if it exist or if it is possible to do, I am pretty sure the book knows the answer, it was given to me by the god Sage himself after all."


    A god had given him the book, a book able to answer any and all questions. Her mind focused on the book, more precisely, on a question that filled her head like nothing did since she lost her wings. Could the book tell her how to regain her voice, how to regain her wings?


    The gears of her sleeping brain started working again after a long time of silence, activated again by the powerful tailwind that was hope. Maybe there was a way for her to fly again, to sing again. Things she heard but did not listen to started to place themselves in her head like how threads formed a gown.


    The hunter''s mage had said that she couldn''t fix her wings, not that it was impossible. Her voice was sealed with a curse, if it could be made, it could be unmade too. The slaver had told her: "I don''t understand you, if your life is so terrible, why aren''t working hard to make it better? Because I know that you can and that you have it in you to do great things." She hated him for taking her voice but he was right, why wasn''t she working hard to make it better? The hunters had said it too, she still had her arms and legs, she was crippled not dead.


    All she needed to do was snatch the book. Snatch the book and find a way to communicate with it despite her lack of voice. If she did, maybe she would find a way forward.


    While she was thinking that, their talk moved on and they were ready to leave.


    "Of course I will, master. But I don''t know if she can even stand on her own."


    Could she? She had learned how to already but she was bad at it and out of strength. Even if it was hard, she needed to do it, she needed to go after the book. She tried her best and managed to not only get up but make a few steps forward without falling. She could do it but she really hoped they weren''t going far or she would collapse way before they got there.


    "Wow, she is stronger than I thought." Said the girl but the man seemed to think that it wasn''t that impressive. It was really the best she could do though!


    If she had known, she would have eaten what food was given to her instead of ignoring it. Maybe her legs would have been stronger then.


    The man held the book above a bag around half of its size and made it disappear inside somehow. Her objective had left her sight but, she still knew where it was. She would eventually find a way to get it, she had to believe this. Meanwhile, the man somehow closed the gap between them in an instant and put a knee in the ground right in front of her. What kind of treachery was he trying to pull off?


    "Here, use my arm and my knee as holds to get on my shoulders, it will be easier that way."


    What was he saying? He wanted her to get on top of him to walk? Did he think of himself as a horse?


    "But master, you can''t do that, she is just a slave, and a cursed-blood. What will people think if they see you with her on your shoulders? You should have me help her instead."


    Maybe she didn''t trust her because she once had wings but herself didn''t trust them because every human she met until now had made her life worse and worse. If she got on his shoulders, she would be at his mercy. If he had not wore an armor, at least, she could have targeted his neck. Last time she did something of the sort, it didn''t work out but it was still better than nothing.


    "None of that matters."He answered the girl. "I am just helping a girl in trouble. Also, you are not that strong either, it is way easier if I do it myself."


    She really wanted the book but she couldn''t bring herself to trust him. She was stuck standing there, unable to decide on which possibility could be worse. between being left there and losing sight of the book or leaving herself at his mercy.


    "Why are you hesitant? Just climb on, no need to torture yourself with this. I do not know anyone of your kind yet so I do not feel anything good or bad towards you if that is what you are afraid of."


    She looked deeply into his eyes to sense if it was really the truth. Listening to the wind, the words didn''t matter, only their meaning. Even if he spoke in the human language, she could feel his intentions, there were no lies, he thought nothing of her or the wing tribe.


    The huntress hated her before they even met but that man had no such emotion. Leaving herself to him should not be dangerous, even if it turned out bad, her situation couldn''t get any worse. She chose to do it. She climbed above his head with her legs shaking of weakness and wrapped her thighs around his neck.


    "Just old on to my forehead to steady yourself."


    She had to roll up her dress because it got stuck everywhere, this wasn''t really the best piece of clothing for that kind of thing. She held his head as solidly as she could and shivered when she felt his gauntlets clasp around her ankles. At least there was no way she would fall.


    When she saw the length they had to travel to reach his place, she became really glad he was carrying her. The stairs in particular might as well be a wall for her.


    The man walked really fast, or rather, his steps reached unnaturally far, forcing the other slave to almost run to keep up. In no time at all, they arrived at his door. He released her ankles to unlock the door and led them inside. once he got to a set of chairs, he gripped her by the waist which scared her but he just lifted her off of his shoulder and sat her in one of the chairs. He then told the other girl to take a seat as well, and placed himself in another chair he turned to face them.


    "I will tell you both about me because it will make everything easier I think."


    He told them his name was Emperor and celtine thought it was strange until he told them he was created by the gods themselves and showed them his hunting card.


    Of course, she knew of the gods, one of them was even called Wind, she knew, even though he wasn''t the wind she followed. The gods were above the laws of this world, they did whatever they pleased and lived forever. They would easily be the true rulers of the world if not for the well known fact that they didn''t care at all about any of this. This was also the reason why the wing tribe sang to the element of wind instead of the god Wind, the god would not answer however much you sang for him.


    Having been created by the gods and wearing four of their treasures, five including the one he got in a trial afterwards, he was already like a living legend. It was impressive but Celtine only thought and cared about the book until later when she found herself alone with the other girl in their common room.


    Between the talk and the time she went to bed, she had a taste of the girls cooked fish. Celtine never ate fish before, she found it tasty. The girl had talent in cooking but she could only complaint of the lack of ingredients at her disposition. The cupboards were all empty and the man apparently never bothered to buy anything to add unto or with his fish. He found some vegetables and fruits, mostly apples for some reason and the poor girl had to somehow make do with those. Celtine thought that the best part of the meal was the fresh apple but it was because of her own preferences rather than a lack of talent or efforts form the girl in her preparation of the fish.


    Later, Celtine was lying on her side in what was now her bed, she didn''t have a proper bed in so long but her wound stopped her from lying down properly. Anyway, this was no time to sleep, there was more important things to do.


    She was wondering if she should wait for everyone to sleep and try to snatch the book when she heard the voice of the other girl.


    "Hey, Celtine was it? I''d like to talk to you a bit, would you please listen to what I have to say?"


    She opened her eyes again to look at the other girl. Maybe she should have paid attention to her name when she said it before. But then again, she couldn''t speak so no one would notice she hadn''t paid any attention to it. Anyway, listening to her didn''t require any effort so why not, maybe she would learn something useful. The girl came to sit at her side and talked in a low voice to not disturb their master.


    "You seemed really interested by that book of answers."


    Celtine frowned as an answer. What was her intention, had she already been caught before even trying? The girl followed.


    "I do not know what you want to ask to it but it must be really important to you. With the way you looked at it, I can feel that you are probably following us willingly only because of it but I would like to make you understand something. Even if you get that book, you won''t be able to do anything with it. I''m not even talking about your voice, I''m just saying that in case you didn''t know, godly treasures can''t be used by anyone aside from their true owner, in our case, master Emperor Muracier."


    Was this a true thing? Was she saying the truth? There was no way she would believe a human just like that.


    "Don''t get angry at me, it''s just the truth whether you like it or not but, there is an easier way to do this than going against the seal and our master. That''s what I wanted to talk about. Listen until the end before you chose on what you will do. You are very lucky the master hasn''t noticed what you were after yet, you still have a choice. Or maybe he already knows and he is just giving you a chance? In any case, you have to understand the situation we are in."


    She had been made into a slave. Of course she knew, that didn''t mean she had to submit and let them do just anything. They could hurt her but she wasn''t afraid of pain anymore, she had to live with it. Just free her or let her die, why did they have to torture her like that?


    "With the way you act, it is obvious you haven''t been a slave for all your life like me."


    What did it mean? Did she want to be pitied? Why should she pity humans and their strange cruel customs?


    "Before that, I was a slave to a merchant who happened to also be my father. He had only one wife but a lot of energy so he sometimes fooled around with some of his slaves, including my mother."


    That man made his own daughter into a slave? Did human insanity know no bound?


    "At the very least, he was a kind man and never mistreated his slaves. I was sealed like his other kids because of his wife who felt threatened by the amount of slave child he had compared to his legitimate kids. She wanted to be sure us kids would not betray our half siblings to take their place, their inheritance."


    It was a hard concept to grasp for Celtine because the only position that mattered in her tribe was the duty of being the wind caller and the position had nothing to do with the bloodline. She could only imagine that kind of woman as a human. Giving a hard time to the children of her mate wasn''t something anyone from her tribe would do.


    "So I was born a slave and sealed right away, I lived my whole life following commands but being an obedient slave doesn''t mean I don''t have my own wishes and desires."


    Good for her then, what did it have to do with her? None of the humans she met until now cared about her own wish and desires when they ruined her life. Why should she do it for someone else then?


    "As I grew up, I came to think that if I was to live my whole life in the service of someone, it should at least be someone powerful, someone worthy. After all, the personal slave of a king is treated much better than even minor nobles. If my father was to be the richest man alive, I would live in luxury as well despite being a slave."


    That did make sense somehow, If you don''t have the choice but to serve, might as well serve the winning side. The only things Celtine served was her own tribe and the wind but she could understand the point of the girl.


    "I gave it my all, working hard every day of my life and learned everything I could to make the life of my father easier and more profitable. I rose to become the head of all the other slaves and my words came to hold power even over the free employees. They all knew my words were like the words of my father and what I said was for the profit of all. I held respect and power."


    It was just like how Celtine sang all day, every day, to be able to perform her task perfectly when the time came for her to fulfill her duty to the tribe. That girl, by the sound of it, made as much efforts as she could to get herself out of her fate.


    Thinking about it, both of their destinies had been decided right at their birth. It was decided since they were born where they would go and what they would do and both worked hard with it in mind. One fully embracing it and the other going against it head on. They were both the same but opposite.


    "This scared the wife of my father. With all my efforts, I had become a better daughter than her own children, she became scarred father would free me from the seal and make me the heir in his growing age. After many arguments, she convinced him to sell me and that is how I found myself here. At least, father made sure to sell me directly to the school to be sure I would end up with at least a decent master."


    All this effort to been sent back all the way to the starting point, what bad luck. At least she still had her voice and hadn''t been maimed. She didn''t have any trace of anger, resentment or pain floating on her face. It''s like she had expected it to happen since long ago. Maybe she knew her father would yield to his despotic wife from the very start.


    "In my life, I saw a lot of different masters, coming and going from my father''s business." She said, completely changing the subject. "Maybe you''ve only seen horrible people up until now and that is why you look at us like that but there are both good and bad ones, we are too many to all be the same."


    At least part of it was true, all she had seen was bottomless cruelty and insanity. After months of captivity, she was pretty much convinced that all humans were like that and her own story only did reinforce that impression. As for the possibility of there being good ones too, she wasn''t that convinced. It should make sense, after all, even her own tribe had seen some terrible individuals, all tribes did. With how the humans reacted to their presence, they probably only ever met with those the tribes banished. Maybe her kin all had similar experiences with humans and there were indeed some good ones strewn into the majority of malevolence.


    "I was very lucky until now, I had a good master in the form of my father but not all were as good as him. Some simply threat their slaves like employees, other like inferiors beings, some like tools and other like mud. I saw some hit their slaves for no reason, force them to walk around naked or cut off a finger for a fallen vase."


    She did not have a hard time believing this, she had lost a lot to them already. She would have preferred a finger or an arm to her wings.


    "I knew of a man who had a hundred slave girl he kept pregnant in a prison-like building at all times and lived on selling his kids to slavers. In reverse, I knew of a woman who wed her slave out of love."


    Both of those sounded insane. The first for its sheer madness and the second because she could hardly believe one of them feeling love.


    "You know you don''t want to be the slave of a woman when all her slaves always show up full of whip lashes and bruises." She continued. "The best you can hope as a born slave is to end up with a good master. This time we hit it big I tell you. Our new master is a heaven sent gift, figuratively and literally."


    Was she finally getting to the main point? She wanted to talk about the guy who now held power over their two lives. How was he a gift? Weren''t they supposed to be the gifts in reverse?


    "This is what I want to make you understand. The first thing master asked for was our names, do you realize what this means? There is no need to know the names of tools but for him, it was so important to know that he used a gift from the gods to learn yours. Not only that, he couldn''t bear to see you suffer so he carried you himself. Do you understand how low the chances of finding someone who would do such a thing are?"


    Celtine was angry and disgusted at humans but she wasn''t completely blind. Once pointed those things so clearly, she could understand where the girl was going, she was saying that this man was one of the rumored good guys she had spoken off before. Maybe she was right too, how could she know?


    What she said made perfect sense after all, Celtine would never give a name to her clothes even if she liked them. The proof of that was that no one had asked for her name before because they indeed din''t care at all for the name of a tool. He on the other hand, did care and had even given her a ring. Her eyes wandered to it losing herself in its bleeding gash once more. This was what he saw her as, a hurt girl. He had even said it himself earlier when picking her up, I''m just helping a girl in trouble. Not a bird, not a slave, not a cursed-blood, a girl. The other slave confirmed what she was thinking in her next sentence.


    "If you had observed him carefully you could have felt it too, the master is a good man. Not only will he take care of us but he will also rise high. With the backing of the gods, and the name of Emperor, he very well might succeed in his mission and rise above everyone else."


    This man could be the next chieftain of every human tribes in the lands, all would have to obey, slave or not.


    "We would be serving the most powerful man in the world. This is what I dreamed for, all our wants and desires fulfilled, our wishes made true."


    Weren''t they just slaves, how would their desires be fulfilled? Her skeptical look came across to the other girl as she explained her point better.


    "With that kind of man, we aren''t just slaves, not only are we his first and oldest companions, we can make ourselves into friends or even lovers. He would do all we could ask from him, not because he would be forced to but merely because of appreciation, friendship and love."


    This made sense, if to him the seal didn''t mean much, just like the girl had managed to rise above the free men around her father, they could make themselves more than just valuable helpers to him. This time, there were no jealous wife to expel them, they were the very first at his side like the girl had said, they had a huge advantage.


    "Instead of doing something you would immediately regret, you could just have him ask what you want to the book in your stead, could you not?"


    Indeed no need to steal it if she could just ask him for it instead, not only would she dodge the pain but the answer would be much easier to obtain even if what she said about the owner limitation of the artifact was false.


    "Think about it, with how kind the master is, he would surely do it for you. Instead of going against him, you should follow him, befriend him. He will help you then, not only will he ask his book, I am sure he will help you make what you want true."


    That was a part she hadn''t even thought about herself. Just asking the book would instantly give her wings back to her, she would probably need to do something really hard and complicated. With her own strength and talent, there was no way she could ever do it herself. Him though, had the potential to do it.


    "Contrary to most people, he doesn''t think anything of cursed-bloods because of how he came to be. Don''t you think it would be a great opportunity? You may be in the position to hold influence over what might one day be the most powerful man on the continent. You could have such a man side with you and your people instead of against you."


    This was also a good point, with a backing as powerful as the emperor of mankind, who would dare hunt her wing tribe?


    "That is all I wanted to say. Don''t think that I told you all this for your sake, I am helping myself instead by stopping you from doing something that could hinder us both. The first impression is very important, like how you will act from now on will probably decide how he views the rest of your people, your actions could bury us both."


    She did understand the importance of first impression. Her previous encounters with humans had almost blinded her to this better path. At this point, Celtine had no idea if the girl was good or bad, she only felt that her idea made sense. It would be really easy to know what he thought about them too since the ring was supposed to change to reflect his view of them. If he was truly a good man, it was an even better thing, it was always worth it to sing along with good people, the more friends you had, the easier the flight was as her mother often said.


    "Learn the wisdom of another slave, make yourself useful and earn his favor. Follow my plan and we will live like queens someday."


    With that, she got back up and walked back to her own small bed. Celtine had no desire to live like a queen, she just wanted to get back what she had lost and if she did, go back home to her parents and kin. Before the girl buried herself under her own sheets, she turned around one last time.


    "Oh, one last thing, this might also be important. With how huge of a secret he told us earlier, there is no way he will let us go, he has no intention of selling us to anyone else after. It would be way to dangerous for him then if his origin and quest were to be revealed. There is no way he will let us go, at least not alive."


    Those were some ominous closing words but they weren''t necessarily true. There were two more possible outcomes. If he was a truly good man, he would put trust in his friends and let her go home. The other important things was that, once he did become the leader of that green dragon empire, his quest would be complete and his secret worthless, then, there would be no reason to keep them from saying anything.


    The two girls lied down once more to sleep.


    "We should make sure to wake up before the master and be ready to serve immediately when he wakes. Let''s turn these rings into diamonds." The girl mumbled from over there.


    She fixed her gaze at the ring once again, a mirror of her wounded back and bleeding heart. She knew what she needed to do now, she needed to do her best, help him however little she could and find a reliable way to communicate without her voice. If she wanted to request his help, she needed a way to ask for it after all. Loosing herself in the ring, she fell soundly asleep.

 39 What to do

    The next morning, Celtine was woken up by the quiet calls of her slave partner. (1)


    "Hey, Celtine. Celtine! Get up and dress up, we need to go wait for him in the living room."


    In the darkness before morning, the girls put their green dresses back on and slipped out of their room and into the main room to await morning and the master. They had no idea what kind of preferences he had and didn''t know any of his habits so they could only prepare early and await him dutifully. From what the other girl was explaining, they should prepare breakfast too and whatever he needed to start a good morning but they had nothing to work with because the master had left everything in his bottomless bag. They only had to show that they had the intent of doing it.


    The only thing the girl prepared was that she went out of the ''house'' to go get some water for everyone. By the time she found the well and came back, the sun had risen. Then, the waiting game started. They had no idea the master would sleep so long. No noise could be heard in his small domain, even many hours after the sun had risen. The two girls were getting very hungry but they couldn''t eat before him and even if they could, there was nothing to eat. After so long that even the spirited girl could no longer stand at the ready in front of his bedroom door, she made a suggestion to Celtine.


    "Do you think he is alright? Should we go in and take a look? Do you think he is even inside?"


    She could only shrug to the questions, unable to voice an answer. Then, they waited some more until Celtine got annoyed of waiting and decided to go in herself. The other followed her in, both because she agreed to her decision and because she fueled by her screaming stomach, it was already past midday after all.


    Inside, they found that the master was indeed still there, sleeping soundly in his huge bed.


    "Master?" The girl called meekly from the door.


    Since there was no reaction, Celtine walked up to his side and looked at his sleeping face from up close. He seemed so happy and peaceful at this moment.


    "Wait, Celtine, what are you doing?" The girl called in a whisper from the doorway.


    She ignored her and raised a hand slowly up to his face. Then, under the nervous gaze of the other girl, she poked his cheek. No reaction. She then tried to place her palm on his face and nudge it but nothing happened. Since it had no effects, she removed her hand and placed it on his shoulder instead. The other closed her eyes afraid that something would happen, even though the whole point was to wake him up.


    She tried to shake him stronger but he still didn''t react. Was he really just asleep? She shot a look behind her to ask for advice but the other had no clue on what to do either. With someone so soundly asleep, what was better between letting him sleep more or waking him up? Maybe he was really tired after all, they didn''t know.


    Celtine gripped the sheets and removed with a wide and sudden movement to wake him but it failed again. Instead of waking him up, she just revealed a half naked master. That was when both of the girls noticed something abnormal, on his leg, there was some sort of plant.


    "What is that?" Asked the other a little louder.


    Celtine looked closer and found that it was actually growing into his leg! Was he about to die eaten by a plant? Was it a curse or a sickness? She would have screamed of fright if not for the fact she was mute. Instead, she just fell backward in a panic and the other had to rush in to stop her from collapsing on the floor. As she did, she saw what was happening to his leg and screamed of surprise and repulsion. In the end, she fell with Celtine and they both hit the wooden floor with their butt.


    It was that scream that finally managed to wake up the master.


    ***


    Emp woke up when he heard a scream. He opened his eyes in surprise to discover the two girls sat on the floor near him with their gaze locked onto his leg. He felt really happy that they woke him up but, what were they doing? What were they afraid of?


    "What is happening? Is there something behind me?"


    "Your leg! What is happening to your leg?"


    Did they mean the flowers? Was that what had scared them? He looked at his leg to be sure but there were nothing more than that to look at there.


    "That''s just because of a healing spell. The healer said the flowers will fall on their own when my leg is cured. There is nothing to be scared of."


    They both seemed really relieved.


    "That was so scary! I though a curse was eating master''s leg and that was why master wasn''t waking up!"


    "No, I just sleep very hard. I wanted to tell you to wake me up in the morning but I forgot. Did I sleep too much?"


    "It''s already past midday."


    He had done it again. He had lost most of the day to that bed. This needed to not happen again.


    "Next time, you should wake me up before that, I don''t want to lose so much time to that bed."


    Celtine got back up with an upset look while Harriett answered.


    "When should we wake master then?"


    "With the sun if possible, the more time we have in a day, the better."


    "Alright then master, I will remember."


    "Great, do not be afraid to throw me on the floor, slap me or whatever it takes to wake me or I will stay asleep."


    Harriett wasn''t sure on how to answer that so Emp just continued.


    "Also, why does Celtine look so upset?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe she is angry at how master scared us?"


    "I did not do it on purpose though, I was sleeping... Anyway, we should find a reliable way to talk to you, it is going to be hard to understand you otherwise." He said to Celtine.


    "What does master have in mind for her?"


    "Do you know how to write and read?"


    Celtine shook her head.


    "If you did, I could get you paper and quill to express your thoughts. Would you like to learn?"


    Celtine thought about it for a moment before she nodded. Emp did not know this but she felt really frustrated that she had previously refused to learn at this moment. If she had learned it before like the slavers wanted, she would already be able to somewhat communicate her wish to him.


    "There will probably be classes about letters once the school start. Since I already know how to read and write the noble tongue, I will ask for them to teach you instead of me."


    Celtine nodded again and Emp finally got up from his bed.


    After that, he got Harriett to prepare some sort of breakfast for them while he was dressing up and training with the hammer. Celtine stayed in the room with him and stared the whole time he did that. He felt that was kind of strange but he had nothing else to make her do.


    After they ate, Emp was sat at the table and wondered what they should all do when Harriett asked him exactly that.


    "What was master planning to do today?"


    "I am not sure yet. I feel like there is a lot I should be doing but at the same time, I cannot think of anything."


    "Then, if I may master, I would like to suggest that we talk about supplies."


    "Supplies?"


    "Yes, the cupboards and the pantry are empty so there is nothing for me to cook properly. There is no broom either and the only place suitable to wash clothes seems to be master''s bathtub. Not only that, I am sure we will come across many more inconveniences as the days go."


    "I see, since it is already this late, let us go shopping in town tomorrow and just make a thorough list this afternoon."


    "Why not go straight away?" Asked Harriett, confused.


    "Last time I slept so late and went to explore a town anyway, my day became really strange."


    That day he had passed in Red-water was a bit too filled for his taste. He liked to takes things more slowly or rather, he liked to be done with things quickly and enjoyed the empty moments in between. He also knew that he needed some clothes for the school and he really did not want to go find some.


    "If I really have to go in town, I would rather know exactly what I need."


    His problem was that to make a list, he needed to write it on something. If there weren''t too many things, he could just remember them but he was afraid of forgetting something and be forced to go back again. Since they said he could go to the front desk if he needed anything, maybe he could just ask the woman there for what he needed.


    But then, he would leave those two girls here alone with nothing to do. That didn''t seem right to him. He could bring them instead but he would have to carry Celtine again. Instead, could he just ask Harriett to go in his stead? The thought made him smile, he had found something that he could make his slave do. Then, it wasn''t entirely useless to have them around, if you didn''t think about the fact that he wouldn''t have needed to do any of this if they had not been there. They could wake him up too, that was good.


    "Harriett, could you go to the front desk of the school and ask for writing supplies?"


    "Of course master, leave it to me." She said with a smile.


    He had no idea how much it would cost so he fetched a gold crown from his bag.


    "Then here, take that gold coin to buy them and bring me back what remains."


    "Yes, of course."


    Then, just before she left, he thought of something else.


    "While you are there, could you ask her if I will need something else for any of the classes?"


    "Understood master, writing supplies and information on required equipment and items. I will be back shortly."


    As she left his room in high spirit, he wondered if she would get lost in the corridors. He hoped not because he had no idea on how to find her again if it happened.


    Wait, that was right, he wouldn''t need to go find her because she would be able to use the seal to find her way back. How useful.


    And so, he was left alone with Celtine. He had no idea what to tell her and she couldn''t even really hold a conversation. What should he do then? He couldn''t leave and had nothing to say so they ended up just staring at each other for a while.


    After a good moment of that, and a long time more of his mind drifting to other irrelevant thoughts, he was still the first to break the stare when he found something he could do.


    He got Galana''s books out and started studying that other language. It took no time at all for the curious Celtine to find herself at his side and looking at the writings. Emp told her what he was doing and continued his work as he explained and read out loud in case she could get something out of it as well, pointing out the words he was looking at and telling her their meaning, or at least what he believed was their meaning. She looked so hard into the book that Emp feared she would make holes in it just with her gaze.


    At some point latter, Harriett came back with a pile of parchment paper, an inkwell and a quill, all stuffed between her arms.


    "I''m sorry it took so long master, I couldn''t find the main entrance." She said.


    "Do not worry, we used the time you were gone to study language a bit."


    "I am glad master isn''t disappointed in me. What should I do with those, master?"


    "Just bring them here." Emp said as he moved the books out of the way.


    Celtine''s gaze continued to follow the books while Harriett placed the things she had brought back neatly in front of him. She had brought a lot of paper, the stack was almost the width of two fingers. The remaining silver coins were dropped on the table nearby and he ignored them to focus on the future list. After dipping the quill the ink and scribbling a bit at the top of the page to test it out, he was ready to write down the list.


    "Alright, first of all, what did she say about the classes?"


    "She explained that the school would provide a spare of anything master does not have that would be required for a class but also said that master could bring is own. Many other students usually do the later because they don''t like to borrow the old things of the school. Would master prefer to buy his own too or would he prefer to not spend money on those?"


    "I will buy them anyway, I have a lot of money to spare. Also, could you stop addressing me at the third person. It feels strange."


    The first time she called him master he didn''t really mind it but now that he had noticed, he was finding it increasingly harder to ignore.


    "I will try to remember master but it might be difficult for me as I spoke like that my whole life. Please, be lenient on me."


    Emp thought the way she addressed him was strange but he didn''t want to make things difficult for her either so he gave up for now.


    "Fine then, just try your best. What did she say I would need?"


    "She said you would need a sword and shield for fencing, a bow for archery, riding boots and breeches, boots suitable for training and combat, formal footwear of any kind, enough paper and ink to take notes, a ball suit, training clothes and finally, each specific class may require you to buy more things at a later date whenever it will be needed."


    "What do I need a ball suit for?"


    "The dancing lessons of course."


    Was this really a thing he needed to learn? He wrote that down anyway with the rest of the things he was missing. He then wrote down the cooking supplies, spices, broom, another tub, and clothes for the two girls.


    "Why clothes for us?" Wondered Harriett aloud.


    "You only have one dress each, you need some spares."


    "If master is to buy us clothes, would he consider getting some pants for Celtine."


    "Does she prefer trousers from dresses?"


    "I don''t know, I just figured it would be more decent if master was to ever carry her like that again."


    That made a lot of sense. He hadn''t thought about it when he did it first, he should do that. He wrote trousers on the list.


    "Then, what else?"


    They continued to fill up his paper with a whole bunch of small things and daily necessities. He never realized one needed so many things to keep a house working. Lamps, soap, more sheets, enough food for three and the things necessary to cook it, carpets and a bunch of things he would never had thought of were added to the list by Harriett.


    After that whole long list was made, Emp made a second, shorter one of the things that didn''t require his input to be bought. For example, he really needed to be there to buy his clothes but his presence wasn''t required for candles or pots. Once the second list was done, he gave it to Harriett and had her make a second trip to the front desk to deliver it to the receptionist. Meanwhile, he took some more time to study words and when Harriett came back, he was ready to talk about the next thing.


    "I am curious, would you both be willing to show me your hunting cards?"


    "Of course master." Answered Harriett without hesitation.


    She showed it to him but there wasn''t really a lot to see there. Her name, the title of second slave of Emperor Muracier and no kills of any sort. Celtine''s card was much more interesting. On hers, her name, the title of first slave of Emperor Muracier but also the title of Wind caller and a human kill.


    "What is a wind caller?" He asked curious.


    Harriett shrugged and Celtine could not say.


    "Is it worth it for me to ask the book about it?"


    The red haired girl shook her head in some sort of pitiful denial.


    "Alright then, I won''t ask further."


    He didn''t want to upset her and believed her when she said it wasn''t worth it. She had no reason to lie.


    Then, what should they do now? They still had some hours of daylight to kill but he was out of ideas already. If he had woken up earlier, he could still have went to explore the town or the school but now it was a bit late. Not enough time to do something worthwhile but too much to just end the day there. He decided to ask them for ideas.


    "What should we do for the rest of the day then?"


    "What does master usually do?"


    "Usually, I used all my time by either doing whatever Chinui told me or walking toward this school, it is the first time I have free time since I was born. You, what is it you do with your time?"


    "I mostly just did as many shores as I could and anything that my previous master asked me to, but here, there is no cleaning or washing of any sorts to do yet."


    "Mhn.... What did you do Celtine to pass time?"


    She opened her mouth wide and raised her head but Emp didn''t understand at all what she meant.


    "Sorry, I don''t get it."


    She made a silent sigh and they all went back to staring at nothing. There really wasn''t much to do...


    "Maybe we should add playing cards or a chessboard on the list." Proposed Harriett.


    Emp agreed, this sounded like a great idea but for now, there was nothing worth doing. (2)


    ***


    Meanwhile, the other Emp was busy behind the forge with Marcellia. She was trying to teach him how to make charcoal for the forge but had two big problems. First, she couldn''t find the words she was looking for and second, there was a large crowd of young people gathered there to see the new face, Emp. There were around fifteen of them of various height and age.


    They were all there to talk to him or more precisely, to help him out a bit in learning the local language and laugh at his obvious mistakes. In that group was Calla Champom, the girl who had tripped, and one of her many brothers Gilbert who, from what Emp understood, was complaining about wanting to be Marcy''s apprentice too. He did not understand what Marcellia answered to him but he guessed it wasn''t an answer to his licking by the face he made and the loud laughter of the rest. He did not give up though and stayed all afternoon with the rest of the kids.


    The three knife boys were here as well, they were called Wilbert, Cuthberht and Jurgen, two brothers and their friend. All three were into the smallest and youngest of the boys present but they were also the only men in the group considered adults to the great annoyance of the other boys.


    The rest of the names he couldn''t remember. There were just too many for him to remember them all. He was pretty sure one of them was called Winter but he didn''t know which one. And those fifteens weren''t even the only kids in the village, there were many more of them. Calla and Gilbert alone had three more brothers and five more sisters.


    Marcellia, in poor coordination with her helpers was trying to teach Emp some new words while the wood they had prepared was burning into charcoal. Emp was doing his very best but a language wasn''t something you could learn in a week. (3) He was about to ask some more questions on what they were explaining to him when he heard a loud ruckus coming from the main street.


    "What is that noise?"


    "Horses, a lot of ''em too." Answered Marcellia.


    Curious, the whole group moved closer to the side of the house to look at street where they saw a large group of knights on horseback moving at a descent speed through the village. Emp did not have enough time to count them but there seemed to be around a hundred of them escorting a single carriage. No one could see what was inside because of the closed doors and blinds but a duo of mages with large hats were sat cross-legged on top of it dressed in their signature clothes full of pockets.


    "Must be someone important in there." Commented the smith as they were passing in front of them.


    On each and every shield, the colors of the Steelwood empire were shown and their shining armors were of obvious high quality steel. They probably all came from the imperial capital in Grandbois. Whoever it was, the person inside needed an escort of a hundred elite knights and two mages, Marcellia could only be right.


    "Where do you think they are going?" Asked Emp to her When the rest looked at the show wide eyed.


    "I would guess they''re either going out of the empire or they''re going to B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    That made sense, Emp didn''t know of any other big cities in Artefine aside from its capital, if they were going through Dark-glint, they were probably going there.


    The others all talked excitedly about what they were seeing but Emp was left out of it because of the usual language barrier.


    "Let''s go back my boy, there''s nothing for us here." Said Marcy as she turned back towards her equipment.


    Emp thought she was exaggerating when she said there was nothing for them. It was really interesting to look at, especially their armors had a design completely different than those Marcellia made. One was smooth and coldly intimidating while the other was practical but oddly frightening. With their polished steel engraved with runes and peppered with various talismans, those were probably the armors the nobles thought about when they bought equipment. They were nothing like those Marcellia made from scavenged parts and sudden inspiration.


    Emp thought that both had their advantages. He had no doubt that the armors made by his teacher were better but in the end, with many magic infused in them, those simple and stylish plates made a better choice for the noble knights. Even more since they were all similarly awe inspiring. If they had wore things looking like the armor Emp had bought before, they would have looked like a savage war band or bandits instead of noble knights.


    Marcellia did know how to engrave some runes but it had many problems. Since he had just started his apprenticeship, he wasn''t ready to learn what it was all about but he had learned a bit from asking about the armor she wore during the blood-spitter attack.


    Engraving runes was hard and precise, the material you engraved things upon mattered a lot too as some things were easier to carve then others. For example, the scales she used as the main component of his armor weren''t suitable to house runes, they would all split and crack instead of being carved properly.


    He was really interested in the new design and it''s crafting method but still followed his master back behind the house. Anyway, he didn''t need to see to ask about them.


    "What were all those talismans hanging from their armors?" He asked.


    "Talismans?" She didn''t know that word it seemed.


    "The things in wood wrapped around them." He explained with gestures.


    "Ho, ya didn''t know about those? Almost every warrior have some, at least those that are wedded. They say that if a wife or husband write a plea for protection to the ancestors on some piece of wood or specially prepared paper and hang them from their lovers armor, the ancestors will protect them. Some guys have so many wives there are pieces of wood hanging from all over their chest plates, shoulders and helmets."


    "Does it really work?"


    "Who knows? I have never seen an ancestor throw himself in front of an arrow but many soldiers come back alive claiming they were saved by the trinkets their wives made them."


    "I see."


    The more he learned about the ancestors, the more impressive they felt.


    "Now ya better focus on your study or tomorrow I''ll wake ya up by setting fire to your bed."


    Maybe setting fire to his bed was a bit extreme but he was quite glad she was waking him up in the morning or he would probably lose half a day like in Red-water.


    It didn''t take her more than a day to pick up on his habit of sleeping too much and started waking him up by throwing him off the bed every morning. The fall usually woke him up and when it didn''t, she would just drag him by the foot towards their workplace until he woke up. She told him that she knew someone who had the same problem before so she was used to it.


    He focused back on his task like she asked and the rest of the group came back shortly after the knights had left. The rest of that day continued in the same way until he went to sleep and got recalled. Then, he discovered how his other self had lost his whole day to sleep and a mix of small talk and study. What a terrible news. In the end, the only thing they did was to study some more and lift the hammer over and over. What a strange day.


    (1) I said it was the last chapter about Celtine, not that I would never again dwell in her head.


    (2) I wasn''t able to work out a place to describe either of the two slaves physical appearance in a fluid way so I didn''t. Maybe I will in the future. In the meantime, know that Celtine has her red hair braided at the top and loose at the bottom, she has some freckles, eyes of a weird mix of red and purple, milky white skin and the rest you pretty much know. Harriett has more meat on her bones, has blue eyes, copper blonde hair cut at shoulder length and held on the right side of her face, her skin is of a caramel beige and she is tall compared to Emp, mostly because of her long legs.


    (3) Emp will know soon and we will get some true scenes and stories from the village but meanwhile, It is very hard to use two languages at the same time and have them both represented as English so I am not even going to try. I''m sure you can all easily picture it in your head, how the kids just point out stuff saying "That''s a tree. Tree. T-r-e-e" as if Emp was two years old.

 40 The mouse

    The following day, Emp was awakened by a sharp pain in his forearm. After a yelp of pain and opening up his eyes, he saw that it was Celtine that was biting into it with her small but sharp fangs. She released him the moment he opened his eyes. What was happening?


    "I asked you to wake me up not bite me." He said, confused.


    "Well," Harriett intervened. "She did push master out of the bed without you giving any reaction. I guess this is my fault, I''m deeply sorry master, she was about to slap you awake but I told her not to do it."


    Looking around, he could see that he was really lying on the floor right now.


    "Is that so? I am sorry to be so troublesome to wake."


    "Don''t be sorry master, it is our fault for not finding a better way to wake you, we will do better tomorrow."


    Of course, he believed she would try to wake him up without biting the next time but, for some reason, Celtine seemed really happy about what she had done and was showing him a proud grin he did not understand.


    After his daily morning routine and breakfast were done, they were ready to get to the main point of the day.


    "Today, we go buy the things we are missing like we planned. We will have to walk a lot so it would probably be for the best if I carried Celtine like the other day."


    "But master..." Immediately complained Harriett


    "I cannot just leave her here alone, that would be unfair. She will quickly get better and be able to walk alone I am sure but, in the mean time, there are not that many alternative ways to do this. I do not see why carrying her could be seen so badly."


    "There are many reasons master. Do you want me to explain?"


    "Please do." At least he should listen to see if there was anything he didn''t think of.


    "Well, firstly, as master''s slave, she shouldn''t be using master as some sort of mount, this will seem degrading for master. Buying ten slaves to carry an armchair on which you sat would be less strange than this. Secondly, it''s indecent with just the dress like we discussed yesterday. Finally, she is a cursed-blood. Master may not mind but many would feel insulted with seeing one be treated so well. In Artefine more than in the other kingdoms of the empire, we fought against them a lot, there are many who lost family members to them. Carrying her on your shoulders could be seen as a way to glorify her and bring trouble to master."


    Why was this so troublesome? She herself wasn''t the culprit behind all those things. She had indeed one human kill but he himself had two, by that logic, was he not twice the monster she was? He couldn''t know who was in the wrong in the feud between the cursed-bloods and the humans and couldn''t change anything about it anyway but, that didn''t mean he had to listen to all their nonsense. Until Celtine was proven guilty of some sort of hideous crime, he would treat her like normal. She did bite him earlier with a huge grin but, it was just to wake him up, wasn''t it? Anyway, she was sealed so there wasn''t a lot anyone had to fear from her.


    "I don''t mind what they think I''ll be kind to whoever I want. If they get angry at that then they should find someone else to be kind for them too instead of annoying me. If they say something valuable I will listen but until then, Celtine is mine and I bring her were I want. for the dress part, I will just lend her a spare pair of trousers for today while we are out buying some."


    "I can only comply to your wish master." Said Harriett with a bow, defeated. She didn''t seem upset at all about his decision, maybe she knew it would end up like this from the start?


    In no time at all, they were all ready to go and Celtine was sat on his shoulders once more. The girl on his shoulder seemed much more comfortable this time around, probably because he wasn''t wearing his armor. They left the room and guided by Harriett, reached the entrance hall without difficulty.


    "Good morning!" Said the receptionist when they arrived. "Are you going out today?"


    "Yes, I need to go buy a couple of things." Emp answered as he waved the list.


    "I seem to remember you are not from B¨ºt¨¦clair. Do you require my help in finding the best places for your needs?"


    He gladly accepted and the woman, after taking a quick look at the list, told him about the shops with the best reputations around. She didn''t pay any attention to the girl on his shoulders and wished him good day as he left.


    Once outside of the school''s premises, they set off to look for all they needed. At least he knew where to look thanks to the receptionist, if she had not been there, he could have wandered in the streets for a long time without finding what he needed. The other good thing was that in this part of the city, mostly everyone spoke the noble language so he wouldn''t have trouble like last time getting himself understood.


    "Master, what is our budget for today?" Asked Harriett, breaking his line of thoughts.


    "I have some crystal plates on me. don''t worry too much about money."


    "Master, that''s a lot of money! The gods are really generous with you master."


    "They didn''t give me that money, I earned it by selling the head of a woodland horror."


    "That''s even more impressive!" She exclaimed with an apparent admiration.


    It wasn''t that impressive once you knew the full story of how it pretty much defeated itself. He chose to keep this part of the story to himself for now. Instead, he focused on the incoming shop and the task he dreaded so much, he was about to go buy clothes. Since it was the worst part of it all, he had decided to start with it to get it out of the way.


    Like last time, the shopkeeper, the tallest person he had ever seen, measured every part of his body and talked a while to know what he wanted exactly. She showed him examples of things she was talking about and with some help from Harriett, they managed to get through this ordeal. The woman working here promised him ten sets of clothes, delivered to him at the school one by one as they were finished. With this, he would have clothes for every occasions. Not only that but Harriett herself was a decent seamstress and promised to take care of his clothes for him. She even told him she would change his belt buckle when she had some free time later. This was an unexpectedly good thing.


    Then, since they were here already, he asked the lady to make some clothes for the two girls as well. Since they already talked about it the day before, Harriett didn''t complain about it being a waste of money like Emp expected her to and a second round of clothes designing was started. This time though, since it wasn''t for him, he was able to mostly stay out of all that talk. He was made to give his opinion on many things by Harriett but overall, he managed to keep quiet.


    The clothes for Celtine were much harder to deal with because of her many problems. Revealing her back and the wound on it was troublesome and somewhat displeasing for the onlookers according to the woman so they should cover it. But, if they dressed her too much, Celtine felt pain from the very same scar. The delicate balance was hard to adjust for the poor woman. What''s more, she needed to add breeches or trousers to most of the outfits because of how she was carried and this was pretty unusual for this woman living in the city. It seemed really troublesome for her to design that kind of thing, mixing dresses and pants together. Finally, getting answers out of Celtine was almost just as hard because the only helpful things she could do were point at things, nod or shake her head.


    The whole thing, with the three of them combined, cost him a lot of time and money and the woman working there seemed really surprised that not only did he have enough to pay but also, that he was willing to put down this many coin for two slaves. Emp understood that the clothes he was here to buy weren''t supposed to be worn by just anybody, the proof was the price itself but he thought it wouldn''t be fair to only buy some for himself. Anyway, he had a lot of both time and money.


    Harriett seemed really happy to be getting those clothes so it made him smile as well. As long as everyone was happy, it was worth it. On the other hand, Celtine seemed to be more like himself and didn''t really care much about those clothes. This was all right too, he just needed to find out what kind of things she liked. Or maybe she reserved her judgement on those clothes until after they were ready?


    To conclude this whole encounter, Harriett haggled with the woman to lower the price and since they were buying a large amount of them, it worked out well and Emp saved the price of two entire sets thank to her efforts.


    After that, they went around the marketplace buying many random things figuring on the list. Many things he bought he had no idea what they were for and many more he needed the help of Harriett to figure out what was good or wrong. For example, he had no idea how to recognize a good tea set and he didn''t know either why he needed one.


    "Even if master doesn''t drink any tea normally, if master receive visitors they will expect to be served some. It is customary to talk with a drink, if master doesn''t serve any, master will be seen as a bad host." Harriett explained.


    And so, Emp relied heavily on her for most of the purchase he did that day. He was about to step foot into a world of complicated social rules he did not understand, from what he had gathered until now, he felt that nobles were very complicated. He expected himself to make many mistakes in the future but, with Harriett there, he hoped she would save him from at least some of the most obvious ones like for the tea.


    As they walked around, Emp would say what was next on the list out loud and Celtine would point the right direction from atop his shoulders. She seemed happy to be of some use. From her elevated position, she could easily spot a lot of things from over the crowd.


    Going around the marketplace with them was a fun experience. Emp saw a lot of strange things like a bored looking guy with a snake wrapped around his arm selling small boxes containing what he said were magic quills that never ran out of ink. They were completely black and covered in very complicated carvings and even had a small hole at the end of it to let someone tie it to a string. Emp decided to buy one, even if it turned out that they weren''t magic, they were still very impressive to look at.


    Just as he was buying it, an idea crossed his mind. He decided that if that quill really worked, he would gift it to Celtine once she learned how to write. That way, she would be able to write at anytime and anywhere. There could not be a more convenient tool for her.


    They bought a lot of things like a comb, soap, a small silver mirror, buckets, spices, a chess board with pieces made out of stone, a new chair for him because the other one wasn''t a match for his status according to Harriett and so much more he would never have been able to carry them all without his bottomless bag.


    All the while, they caught the gaze of many people and merchants. They would make a small smile seeing him carry Celtine around on his shoulder until some saw that she was a cursed-blood at which point their smile would more often than not turn into a frown. Emp didn''t care much but sometimes, when the looks became too heavy or hateful, her fingers would tighten around his forehead. Was she afraid, angry or both? It was hard to tell from bellow her. How did they even notice she was a cursed-blood? Was it her red hair, her strangely pigmented eyes or the small bumps on her back?


    Even then, no one disturbed them and they managed to finish their business there without trouble. But, even though they were done with the general market, their shopping wasn''t over. They had to stop at many more large shops like an armorer where Emp bought five new shields.


    He also went to a weapon smith were he bought ten ordinary straight swords as spare, a good long sword and a rapier just in case it was one of those two things that the fencing class meant by sword. Things didn''t go as smoothly in that shop as for his other purchases though. Not because of the shop keeper but instead, because of another customer.


    It all began while Emp had just finished selecting a long sword. He had chosen a heavy thing with a large blade and some runes to make it sturdier. It might not have been the most cutting edge in the shop but it would be more than enough for training purposes as he wouldn''t need to be afraid of breaking it. He then started looking around the rapiers and while listening to Harriett''s opinion on which had the best and most artistic guard design, the entrance bell sounded again and a tall man stepped into the shop. Almost immediately after, he talked less than politely.


    "I didn''t realize you let low lives and filthy cursed blood inside here. Will you throw them out for me or should I go somewhere else?" (1)


    Emp turned around to see who it was that talked like that. He wore black britches and a dark blue coat giving him a really square and straight build. He had lean and mean looking eyebrows, grey colored eyes and a sneer on his well shaved face.


    "Sir please, do not be unreasonable, this man here bought me eleven swords already, he has all the rights to be here. If this really bothers you, you could come back at another time?" The merchant said as an answer.


    "Do you really think this boorishly dressed and mannered boy will spend as much as me on a blade?" Questioned the man Confidently.


    How was he boorish? Wasn''t that man the insulting one here? The shop keeper was about to defend Emp again but he chose to leave instead to not make things difficult for anyone.


    "Here, I will take that one and then I will leave."


    None of the rapiers here caught his eyes but this one was the best of those sold here in both sharpness and light weight. The design of its guard didn''t represent anything in particular but a spell was engraved in it to make it sturdier just like the long sword he had bought earlier.


    Emp took the money to pay out of his bag. The shop keep seemed both relieved and displeased by this turn of event but chose to keep his mouth shut. The other man though, wasn''t done and interrupted them once again.


    "Wait, it is that sword I desire."


    Emp frowned and looked his way again. There was no way he really wanted that sword, he didn''t even know anything about it.


    "I thought you wanted us to leave, why are you delaying us now?"


    "Indeed I want you lot to leave but I also require that sword."


    "You are clearly lying, I do not understand you, why are you doing this?" Asked Emp, both confused and annoyed at that illogical man.


    "I fear you do not understand the situation you are in. Not only are you, some lowly servant or rather a mutt, befriending our enemies, the cursed-bloods, in front of me, of all people, but you are also being disrespectful and calling me a liar."


    "Celtine isn''t your enemy she is my slave. I am the servant of no one and you do not seem to deserve my respect."


    He had lied and called him a mutt even though they had never met each other before. Emp didn''t feel like it was worth it to be friendly with him.


    "You slug! Don''t you know who I am? I am Baron Josephal the mouse, captain in the Artefine royal army!"


    "I fail to see how this is relevant in anyway. Also, neither baron nor captain are that high of a rank. They both are only one step above a knight and even then, you aren''t in the imperial army but the royal army instead."


    "You dare! Some shit muncher you are! If I ever see you again, you will feel the consequences of your acts!"


    On this, he left as if he had given up. What was that all about? Why did he not try to make him regret now? Why give up halfway? That did not make any sense. He felt like that time a girl shot an arrow at him in the woods. What a strange conclusion.


    "Master, why didn''t you tell him who master was as well?" Asked Harriett from his side.


    "What for? He did not ask."


    "If you had told him, he would have apologized, after all, you are ranked much higher than him on the social ladder."


    "Maybe. Anyway, he already left." He was annoyed at being called names but since he had given up and ran, he chose to let the matter go as well.


    "You didn''t seem impressed at all, by what he told you, forgive my curiosity but are you sure you will be fine?" Asked the merchant with a bit of worry.


    "Of course master will be fine, he is the son of the great general Muracier after all." Answered Harriett for him.


    The merchant suddenly seemed really glad he had taken the side of Emp at the start. It irked him that this wasn''t exactly the truth but since Chinui was allowing it, he chose to leave it like that. This brought back the question of the letter to his mind, what was written in it for the duke to call him the secret son of Chinui? He really needed to find out later.


    This small event also served to teach him something new. The seals on the slave prevented them from talking about things that didn''t figure on the hunting card but it seemed they were able to talk about those that were hidden on it. If he didn''t want Harriett to talk about the Muraciers, he had to ask her.


    Emp bought the rapier and left for the next thing on his list.


    After that event, he went to see a shoemaker as well and left with riding boots and shinning ball shoes for him and some sturdy footwear for the two girls. He also came across a bookstore and bought a dictionary and finally, they bought a painting to hang in the main room to liven it up a bit. It was a large thing picturing the side of a forest where ancestors where gathering around a small home.


    When they finally finished, the day was already well advanced and Harriett who worked the most was dead tired even though she looked really satisfied of her work. Emp could understand that well, it was always pleasant to achieve your goals like beating a monster on the road but after that, a break was necessary. Even Celtine was tired of being sat up there all day, she probably couldn''t wait to stretch her legs again.


    It was then that, to their greatest of surprise, they came across the strange man once again. They stood at a distance of around five meters, facing each other. He was just as surprised as them to meet on a random street like that.


    "You again! Why are you following me?" He snapped angrily.


    "We are not" Answered Emp simply.


    "What are you doing here then?"


    "It is the middle of the street, we are only going that way." He said pointing behind the man.


    "It''s an obvious lie, there is no way we would meet again so soon if you weren''t following me! Anyway, now it''s too late, I told you before that the next time we would meet you would feel the consequences of your acts. Now I have no choice but to go through with it."


    Emp had really thought those were just meaningless parting words though. What was wrong with that man? In any case, Emp wasn''t scarred of someone who called himself a mouse. Mice weren''t scary at all, if you were to take a name for yourself, you should go with something impressive like a wolf instead.


    "Can you not just ignore us so we can all go home? The girls are tired."


    "I don''t care if those two slaves are tired! You should have thought about it before you insulted me!"


    "I did not though, you were the one calling me names."


    "Shut up stupid brat! I don''t know who sent you three to mock me but I will have you apologise!"


    A small crowd of onlookers were slowly gathering on the roadside, curious to see what would happen next, even some carriages had stopped further on the road.


    "Not only will you apologise but you will also put that cursed-blood down to receive a good beating, only then will I let you leave."


    Emp frowned again. What was that man even trying to accomplish? The fingers on his forehead tightened. Was she scared?


    "No." He answered calmly.


    There was no way Emp would follow those instruction.


    "Are you really looking forward to get beaten up in front of all those people? Do you think I won''t dare beat a stupid kid and two girls?"


    "I just think I have no reason to apologise to you and Celtine did nothing wrong so I can''t let you beat her either."


    "Her mere existence is wrong!" The man claimed.


    "That girl is mute, wingless and sealed, I do not get what she could possibly do to you." Emp asked again.


    "She is as guilty as the rest! Every single one of those trice damned cursed-blood should be eradicated."


    "This is not an argument, this is just a meaningless opinion. I won''t do it."


    The man started fuming of anger.


    "Did I not tell you who I am? I am Baron Josephal the mouse, cavalry captain in the Artefine royal army. "


    "You did, then I told you that this title was meaningless."


    "You rat!"


    "Are you not the one who is a mouse?"


    "Rats and mice are completely different! Mice are cute!"


    Not only him but Harriett too made a disbelieving face. He had no idea on what to answer to that unexpected shout. The puzzlement spread through the crowd but the man ignored it.


    "I wish I had my spear on me but my fists will do for a small guy like you!" He said as he rolled up his sleeves.


    "So you wish to fight me? Would you not like to know who I am first?" Asked Emp. After all, even if that man was strange, presentations were important. Maybe he would change is mind like Harriett said if he told him his name.


    "I don''t want to hear it! I don''t care for the name of an insulting peasant of a buffoon. I will beat you up so badly that the girl hiding behind you will have to drag you back home in a hand cart."


    How did it even come to this? Why was he so mad?


    "Master, should I call the guards?" Proposed Harriett.


    What a great idea, perhaps then he would be freed from this nonsensical situation.


    "Yes, please do."


    Harriett turned around to flee but her way was quickly blocked by the onlookers, intent of stopping her.


    "Don''t ruin our fun lass, we want to see how it will turn up." Many voices were heard but this was essentially what they all meant. "This will be over in a minute anyway." They didn''t even seem particularly hostile, what a troublesome bunch. They seemed to just be starved for entertainment. Maybe they should all make a trip in the forest, the hunters of Dark-glint never seemed to have the same problem after all.


    Meanwhile, Baron Josephal put on some leather gloves and Emp asked Celtine if she wanted to stay up there or get back down for now. As an answer, his head and neck got squeezed harder by her thighs and hands so he understood she wanted to stay there. Since she was weighting essentially nothing, it did not bother him but she still needed to be careful.


    "I will not be able to hold you once it starts, if you do not hold on properly, you will fall so be careful."


    While Harriett was still anxiously trying to find a gap in the crowd the baron finished his preparations.


    "Do you know what mice are known for?" He asked as he took some sort of low to the ground stance.


    "Stealing grain?"


    "They are fast!" Denied the man angrily as he made a sudden dash forward.


    He was indeed fast and almost instantly arrived in front of Emp as he split the air. Emp had never seen someone so fast and barely managed to step aside as the wind screamed around the punch aimed at where his head had been. How was he so fast?


    "How are you so fast!" Exclaimed the man as if to mirror the thoughts of Emp.


    He had not expected Emp to dodge that and so, had not prepared any follow up attacks. Unfortunately, the emergency dodge of Emp combined with his inexperience didn''t let him retaliate in time either. Instead, he stepped back to put a minimal distance between them and got the thunder-chew hammer in his hands.


    "What is this?"


    "A hammer made from the tooth of a thunder-chew."


    "No, I mean... Whatever, you''ll get beaten anyway."


    He punched his way again but this time, he expected the dodge Emp made and followed him through his back step. Thinking he would get hit in the face by the punch, Emp decided to swing his hammer to make a hit as well. Surprisingly, the baron, who was a good two heads taller than him managed to crouch bellow the swing and Emp got hit in the stomach by his fist. The hammer hit the pavement in a loud bang and Emp lost his breath from the punch and was bent forward by the shock.


    The crowd erupted in loud cheers while a second punch came in right away. Emp managed to put the hammer''s haft in the way and the man made a pained grimace following the thud his knuckles made on it, making the crowd laugh through their cheers.


    Holding his stomach with one hand, Emp tried to kick him away since he was so close but the man was too quick and managed to grab his leg instead. This was really bad, how was he supposed to deal with that? Luckily, before the man could make him fall, a small hand came out of nowhere and slapped him across the face in a very audible way.


    Gasps were heard all around and silence fell on the crowd, stunned by the surprising action of Celtine. Emp gained just enough time to swing the hammer once more and the baron was forced to jump backward to dodge, releasing his leg.


    "Just you wait, you will pay for that!" He yelled as he rubbed his cheek.


    Celtine wasn''t that strong, or rather, she was really weak, but, she had used her whole arm for that slap and the angle had been perfect. Even though it wasn''t that hurtful, it must have been quite shocking for the man.


    Emp wondered how he could possibly defeat that crazed man while trying to gulp back some air into his lungs, he was way too quick. His own space steps let him cover large distances in moments but could not beat the raw speed of someone in melee combat. The trick of the kick was an obvious failure so what did he have left? Was the only way to defeat him to take him by surprise?


    "Master, I believe in you!" Threw Harriett as desperate encouragement since she was denied to leave.


    The man ignored her and moved in once more for a punch. Emp put down all his strength into a downward swing of his hammer in an attempt to either hit him or block his path. Of course, the baron easily dodged from the side while the pavement cracked under the strength of the hammer. "Wow" The crowd yelled, impressed by the strength behind that hammer swing. The mouse immediately closed in from the side to deliver a punch towards Emp or possibly Celtine, he couldn''t see. He tried to turn his head to see him but Celtine''s leg was in the way.


    He got punched in the side and released the hammer from the impact, encouraging him to make a second one,but Emp turned on himself while swinging the sword Ray he had immediately swapped the hammer for. Not expecting a sword to suddenly appear in his hand, the baron didn''t manage to react in time despite his speed and his blue coat was cut open.


    A new round of gasps exploded from the crowd and a long but shallow cut appeared on his chest. This wasn''t as good of a result as Emp had hoped but he did manage to hit him once.


    Before the man could do anything, Emp followed him and slashed again. The baron pivoted his upper body to dodge the sword, caught the hand of Emp and twisted it to force him to release the sword. Emp groaned in pain and let go of the sword but stomped on the guy''s foot making him groan as well.


    The mouse counterattacked with an uppercut but Emp managed to get one of the shields he had bought in his hand before it connected and the man crushed his own hand into the steel reinforced shield. As long as he had the bag, there were many surprises he could give.


    Once again, the observers reacted with applause at how the baron hurt himself. It seemed that they weren''t on anyone''s side, they just enjoyed the unexpected performance. All those nobles must have been really bored. He just wished they chose someone else to look at.


    Emp took advantage of his moment of pain and surprise to grip the baron''s hand that was twisting his own and dragged the mouse towards him while bashing his shield forward. Someone of his height and build should not have been that strong so the baron, having underestimated his opponent received the shield straight on the nose and blanked out for an instant.


    "Yeah! What a hit!" Screamed someone from the side.


    Emp did not let go of either this opportunity or the hand of the baron and hit him in the face trice more in quick succession before his opponent finally regained enough of his sense to try to back away.


    He discovered to his dismay that the grip of Emp was like a steel shackle and would not be escaped this easily. He was much faster than Emp but now that he was held by his opponent, his movements were greatly limited.


    Unable to free himself from Emp''s grip, he blocked the next hit with his remaining forearm and kicked Emp in the shin with the heel of his foot.


    Emp felt it was surprisingly painful and his leg was kicked from under him. Having lost the support of one of his legs, Emp almost fell backward but used the hand of the man as support to stop himself from falling.


    The man used the gap in Emp''s attacks to push the shield aside and punched him on the forehead, smashing Celtine''s fingers between his fists and Emp''s skull. His head still felt a strong shock through the fingers and was pushed back into her stomach.


    Emp couldn''t see the reaction of the girl of course but judging from the wince and grimaces the crowd showed, it must have hurt a lot.


    Then, a second punch painfully dug into his cheek snapping his teeth against each other and a third hit Celtine''s leg when Emp desperately tried to dodge it. It was his turn now to be stunned, the pain spreading from his face blurred his mind and he could barely understand what was happening to him. Miraculously, the fourth punch, he caught with the hand that previously held on to the shield by reflex. He was now holding both of the baron''s arms.


    "What a surprising development." Commented a large bellied man seeing the baron trapped.


    Obviously, A guy so much taller than him should have been stronger as well but this wasn''t the case. It seemed he was only fast and whatever he did and tried, he couldn''t fight off Emp''s grip. This is what the crowd, just like the baron, could not understand. How could they know how much Emp trained with the overburdening hammer?


    With Emp firmly holding onto him, the fight could only go two way. It could have become a wrestling match but Emp was so much stronger than him that he could just stop any of his movements easily. Instead, the fight devolved into a duel of kicks with no dodging allowed. Every time the baron was about to land a kick, he would extend his arms to widen the distance between them and limit its strength but every time Emp was about to do the same, he would bring the baron up close to maximize the power of his own attacks.


    Emp had been insulted, attacked and the mouse even hurt Celtine that was under his protection. He was determined to beat him up now. When they began, he didn''t care that much but now, he felt invested. He chained kicks after kicks, quickly wearing down the baron under the stupefied gaze of the crowd and the loud cheers of Harriett.


    "Yeah master! Beat him up! Make him regret his words! Knock him out! Have him pay for Celtine!"


    After a particularly strong kick in the stomach, the Baron collapsed forward and Emp threw his knee at his face, knocking him out in the process and further bloodying his face after the shield bash he had already endured.


    Harriett raised her arms in the air and jumped repeatedly in the excitement of the victory while a large part of the crowd clapped at this unexpected conclusion, they obviously didn''t care for that mouse baron.


    Once Emp was sure that Josephal wouldn''t get back up immediately, he released his hands and let him collapse on the road. He didn''t give him any attention and instead focussed on Celtine.


    "Celtine, he hit you twice, are you all right?"


    Of course, he got no answer so he gave a light tap on her right leg while asking further.


    "Move this leg for yes and the other for no."


    Her right leg rose to answer yes.


    "Should we go see a healer?"


    Celtine didn''t answer immediately but Harriett came back to their side to give her opinion.


    "Master is right, people of her race have brittle bones, we should see a physician in case that man broke one of the small ones in her fingers. I would also like to congratulate master on his victory. What an impressive display of strength, the crowd must be in awe." She said with energy.


    "Thank you Harriett. Let''s go back home, there is probably someone who can take a look back at school."


    "What about the baron?"


    "He is still alive no? Let''s just leave him there. I''m sure he will wake up eventually."


    "All right master, if you say so."


    They left the man there and no one tried to stop them from leaving anymore. Many hesitated on whether to call the guard or not because Emp didn''t look like a noble at all but thinking about it, they felt he probably wasn''t a simple commoner. He had two branded slaves, the strength to beat a captain, tried to present himself and didn''t seem stressed about the situation at all, meaning he wasn''t scared of the guards coming. Calling them would be pointless if they would side for the boy anyway, it would just waste everyone''s time.


    It seemed that everyone else believed it was the baron''s problem if he got beat up, they had no reason to call the guards for him. The only thing they did was move him to the side of the road so that he wouldn''t be in the way.


    With all of those things finally done, they went back to school and the receptionist welcomed them in the hall. When she saw them, she worried about the bruise on Emp''s face.


    "My, what happened to you while you were out?"


    "A guy calling himself a mouse attacked us for no reason. Is there a healer in the school?"


    "There are some, of course, in case an accident happens to one of the students, I''ll call someone to show you the way there."


    "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome, also, here are the things you asked for yesterday."


    She placed all the supplies they asked for on the desk and Emp pocketed them all before he was led to the office of the healers. Apparently, there was an entire team of specialists of all kind employed here to swiftly answer any and all problems.


    They checked on both him and Celtine and concluded that everything was mostly fine. A bone in her index finger had cracked but not completely broke or moved so they gave her an onion smelling drink and tied up her finger to stop it from moving anymore. They said to come back in a week to see if it was back to normal and Emp didn''t need to pay anything since it was all free for students.


    After Celtine drank the potion with a reluctant face, they all went back to their room. It took them all of what remained of the day to store everything they had bought in the rooms. Before he left to sleep, he apologized to Celtine.


    "Celtine, That was a great slap, I would have lost if you had not been there, thank you. I am sorry you got hit because of me."


    Celtine gave him a smile and Harriett intervened.


    "What is master even saying? If you had not been there, she would have been hit a lot more."


    Emp knew this was the truth but still felt like if he had not moved for that third punch, she would not have been hit in the leg. She had a hard enough time walking already without her leg hurting, after all, he knew what a hurt leg felt like. He changed the subject and thanked Harriett as well.


    "Thank you as well, you did a great job today. I don''t know what I would have done for all that list without you."


    "It is my pleasure to be of use master." She said with a beaming smile.


    She would have loved to be of assistance in that fight as well,by bringing back the guards for example but she she saw her master win instead, she wasn''t upset.


    With that, he said goodbye and went to sleep.


    (1) I didn''t realize there would be so much racism when I first started writing this story. It isn''t supposed to be the main focus of the story but it''s an easy point to start conflict over. Once Emp get''s a mind of his own instead of always following what others says, I promise to have better plot points than "it''s a filthy cursed-blood."


    () Also, EU article 13 sucks! Do something Europeans, stop this madness!

 41 The idle month

    The rest of the month before the start of the classes flew by surprisingly swiftly. He had been afraid of not finding anything to fill his days but this had not been the case.


    Every day he would be awakened more or less violently by the girls. Then, he would train for a while, lift the hammer, swing his sword and even go outside sometimes to practice his archery. After some days had passed, he noticed that he was leaving small dents on the floor of his room when he practiced with the hammer so he moved his training outside for this as well.


    During that month, the flowers growing in Emp''s leg started withering. The condition of Celtine greatly improved as well, her hand completely healed and both vigor and color came back to her as she devoured the meals prepared by Harriett. She made a lot of surprisingly good food Emp would never have expected to be possible.


    He was used to simple things like placing a fish above the fire and waiting for it to be ready but his slave was much more knowledgeable in that field. Every day the tastes would be completely different than the last. When part of the food remained, she would use it in another recipe instead of reheating it later like he would have done.


    For the sake of the meals, she would often go down to speak to the receptionist, Esther, as Emp learned she was named. She would go there with money borrowed from Emp and ask for missing ingredients or even go to the market by herself to find something cheap and seasonal. She understood well that even if Emp had a lot of money for now, he probably wouldn''t gain anymore until he left this school.


    While Harriett was busy cooking and cleaning she tried to teach Celtine her skills and help her walk properly. Emp also tried to help her practice walking around their rooms but honestly, it was easier to just carry her around. She was weighting nothing to him, it was simply faster and more practical to have her on his shoulder than to let her walk around.


    He had no idea how she felt about being carried like that all the time but he kept doing it because he enjoyed the company. When he trained inside, he would leave her with Harriett but every time he went outside in the training yard, he would bring her along. When he wasn''t training, he was more often than not trying to decipher the common language with Celtine peeking at the books content from the side.


    Then, in the evening, they would all play card games together. Harriett had to teach them each one because she was the only one who knew how to play but after many games, they got the hang of it. They would then relax a bit on the balcony before going to bed.


    One day, after being woken up particularly strongly by Celtine who had lost way too many games the previous day, he decided to go practice in the archery range. He had practiced a bit since he arrived at the school but he still couldn''t hit the target. He knew that archery was an important skill in the Steelwood empire so he felt that he needed to at least be able to get an arrow into the target if he didn''t want to look out of place.


    He left with Celtine on his shoulders after their dinner, with his bow and a bunch of arrows in hand. As he approached the entrance hall, he saw a girl speaking loudly and angrily to Esther.


    "Just tell me where that stupid Nicolas is hiding!"


    "Miss Heida, I cannot tell you where sir''s Bluepeak''s room is as long as he doesn''t ask me to tell you himself, this is part of the school rules."


    The girl was blond and thin, she wore a frilly dress of green and gold and a pair of sharp, angry eyebrows. She refused to give up in front of Esther''s denial.


    "Then have him come here! Who does he think he is to not only fail to greet me upon my arrival but also ignore me? This is scandalous! Treason even!"


    "Please my lady, stay calm. Maybe he simply did not know you were coming."


    Since this whole thing had nothing to do with him at all and he didn''t want to be dragged into it, Emp passed them silently and went outside.


    "How could he not! Not only this but why is he still wasting his time here instead of doing the work he was assigned to!" Emp heard as he left.


    That small girl was really angry at this Bluepeak guy, he wondered what he could possibly have done as he circled the building. Maybe she had paid him for something he didn''t deliver? Celtine seemed to not care at all for that girl and just dangled her feet lazily.


    They passed a couple rows of trees and found themselves in a large empty area covered in grass. At the end of it, targets and practice dummy stood in wait.


    Emp lowered Celtine in the shade of the trees they just passed before he readied his bow. This was the problem he had about carrying the girl around, It was hard to make wide movements with his arms when she was there and he couldn''t turn his head at all. In order to practice his archery seriously, he needed to put her down. Even though he had brought her all the way here to have some company, he could only leave her there with a book to pass the time. He wasn''t sure on how much she could learn alone with a book like that but she seemed really serious about it so he gave it to her every time he trained outside.


    After Celtine had opened the book with a focused frown, he stepped into the field and moved to the center of it. He believed most people would stand at one end of the field and shoot at the targets on the other but he couldn''t do it. Even standing at half the distance, he still could not hit even the biggest of targets. At least, there was no one else there to witness his abysmal ability with a bow.


    He took position, readied an arrow, drew the string and shot it at one of the target. The arrow flew above it and buried itself in the grass far behind it. He had missed again, that was expected. He drew another one and missed again, then he fired another one and missed again. Like that, he shot twenty in a row and every single arrow failed to hit the target.


    That wasn''t surprising, he wasn''t even annoyed by the failure. He just walked up to the targets, picked up all his arrows and started over. He repeated that whole process two more times. The arrows would go astray every single time. He couldn''t figure out why they refused to go where he wanted them to. Would they be more obedient if he asked them politely? He took the last arrow one more time and did just that before shooting at the target again. It didn''t work, those arrows weren''t kind at all.


    He lowered his bow wondering how he would hit the target or if he would ever manage to do it at all. He seemed to be making no progress.


    "Don''t worry about that, this always happens." Came a voice from behind him.


    He turned his head to discover a tall man with a longbow strapped on his back. He had a head of brownish blond hair and dark yet amicable eyes. He stood on the path to the archery range near where he had left Celtine, with his hands in his pockets.


    "We''re too far from the forest here in the middle of the city, the ancestors aren''t helping. I''m sure that some of the new students will get confused as for why their arrows can''t hit the targets anymore when the first archery class happens. It''s normal to miss your mark at first."


    Emp wondered is he should tell him that he never managed to hit anything even back when he was in the forest but chose not to in the end. Seeing as Emp didn''t answer, he said a few more words.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to disturb you. My name is Ivar Longhorn, I''m a student."


    "I am Emp, I''m a new student. You''re not bothering me at all, I just did not know what to answer."


    The guy got closer and extended his hand for a shake which Emp accepted.


    "I see, well, nice to meet you. It''s always fun to meet someone interested in archery."


    "I am not that interested though, I would just like to be able to at least hit the large target, even if not in the middle."


    The young man didn''t seem to take it badly at all.


    "That''s still more than most, you wouldn''t believe how many people think it''s pointless to learn how to use a bow properly if the ancestors are going to help the arrow reach its target anyway. You at least try to do better."


    Was this why the archery range was always empty? No one bothered to practice archery? What was that help the ancestors provided them that made practice pointless and why was he not receiving it? By the way he said it, it seemed like common knowledge so he chose to keep his question about it to himself for now.


    "I am trying but I am also failing. I never hit the target once."


    "Would you like me to help?"


    "If you are good with a bow than yes, I would be thankful for your help."


    "I won''t pretend to be some sort of genius with a bow but at least, I''m better than those who only rely on the ancestors."


    Ivar then proceeded to show him a lot of things and tried his best to help Emp. He talked about distances and the curve of the arrow''s trajectory. He talked about how to hold the bow properly and explained things about angles and deviation. He spoke of the weight of the arrows, the wood used for the bow and the strength of the string. He even provided many examples with his own bow and arrows, showing what happened to the arrow if he did this or that. Emp was fascinated, this man was really good with a bow, all his arrows hit the intended target, every time close to or right in the middle. That guy knew well what he was talking about.


    "Here, your turn now, pick a target and try to remember what I told you." He said to Emp after a while.


    Emp picked one of the arrows he had fetched back earlier and focused his attention on the target dummy he had tried to reach since the beginning. He took into account everything Ivar had told him and shot the arrow after a deep breath. It flew in a straight line and hit right in the middle of a huge painted target.


    "See! I knew you would be able to do it! And it''s right in the middle too!" Exclaimed Ivar as he hit Emp''s back in congratulation.


    "But that was not the one I was aiming at, I was aiming at the dummy on the left not the painted target." Emp confessed.


    "..."


    The smile of Ivar froze, unsure on whether to laugh or cry. Emp had failed again. From behind them, Celtine made a smile as if she was laughing.


    "Well." Ivar said with sympathy. "At least you hit something this time... Maybe if you do the exact same but shoot at the other target next to the dummy, you''ll hit the right one instead?"


    Emp tried to do what he was told but the arrow flew between the target and the dummy, missing both. That was disappointing. Ivar made a defeated shrug.


    "At least you have the right angle, neither of them flew over or bellow the target, I''ll call that an improvement."


    This was true, Emp felt better after he heard that. He did not hit the target today but had made some progress.


    "I have trained enough for today, I think I will go back to my room now. Thank you for your help Ivar."


    "It would have been more rewarding to receive your thanks if you had actually managed to hit the target at the end but I''ll accept them anyway. Maybe we''ll see each other again when the classes start again, we may even end up in the same group. Until then, have some pleasant days."


    "You too, have some pleasant days."


    Emp picked up his arrows, placed Celtine back on his shoulder and left with the sounds of arrows hitting their targets at his back. Maybe next time he would be able to do it.


    Back in the entrance hall, the angry girl wasn''t there anymore.


    "Good afternoon sir Emp." Said Esther.


    "Good afternoon Esther." Answered Emp. "The angry girl left?"


    She answered with a half smile.


    "For now but we''ll both see her plenty more since she is now a student here as well. To hide nothing from you, she will be in your group."


    "By group you mean those that will study and go to classes together right?"


    "Yes, there is too many of you to have you all in the same room so the ancient divided you into more manageable groups."


    "And that girl will be with us, what about a man named Ivar Longhorn?"


    "Yes, that one too is in your group. Do you perhaps know him?"


    "I met him earlier, he helped me with my archery practice."


    "That sure sounds like him. He came here to study in the last batch of students, five years ago. Aside from the bow, he doesn''t seem interested in much else. The teachers have no complains about him though and he seemed to be doing fairly well, I''m not sure why he is still here."


    Emp thanked her for the information and went back to his room where the warm smell of vegetable broth welcomed him.


    Later that evening, he asked Harriett about the things Ivar had told him and got to understand about the help of the ancestors. This meant that everyone else was good with a bow as long as they stood in the woods but why not him? Harriett said everyone born in the empire received this help but if so, how come even in Chinui''s abode, he was unable to hit the target? Was it because he wasn''t truly born? He had been created instead, did that not count? This seemed like the most logical explanation for now.


    This also meant that everyone would be better than him in archery, as long as they were in the woods, and probably everywhere else too seeing how bad he was at it anyway.


    Aside from that encounter in the archery range, nothing much happened. A few batch of clothes were delivered to him and thankfully, none of them were too strange or extravagant. The store owner came to deliver them herself and even stayed a while to make some last minute adjustments, what a diligent woman.


    Harriett got a classic long sleeved dress of green and purple with just a bit of frills at its extremities. Celtine got a long dress open in the front with a pair of matching light breeches. If Harriett''s dress was of a classic beauty, Celtine''s had a more delicate charm, the whole thing seemed light, or even weightless. The colors were the same but because of its form, when she was sat on his shoulders, her dress gave the impression it was some sort of cape he wore himself instead.


    His own clothes were comfortable, long and supple to let him move and seemed both casual and elegant. He liked them. They were mostly purple as well and he found it funny that all their clothes matched. The only difference was that there were no traces of green on his own to not confuse him with a servant of the school by accident. He had a new belt that wasn''t too big for him anymore and a new pair of lustrious boots.


    Speaking of the belt, Harriett had managed to change his old buckle for the one he had bought in Red-water so now he had two belts.


    His only complain about the new clothes was that there were too many pieces to them and he had to request the help of Harriett to fit them all on him. It was way more complicated than donning his armor. There were laces and buttons everywhere, around four layers of shirts and even a necktie. Harriett seemed particularly pleased with the necktie. She smiled every time she had to tie it up for him but Emp just felt it was annoying to have something around his neck.


    As long as she was there, he wouldn''t have trouble putting them all on but was it not a bit exaggerated? This was only the normal set too, some of the clothes he received after were much worse like his ball set.


    Finally, aside from the clothes and his training, he made a bit of progress in his learning of the common language. It was mostly thanks to the efforts of the second him in Dark-glint. Much more interestingly, the rings of allegiance changed a bit. The two wooden rings he had given the girls now had some carvings added onto them and Harriett''s had some little stones encased in it. Not precious stones, just some sort of heavily pigmented, grainy stone.


    Now, when asking the ring for information, it would tell him that they were safe and healthy as well as alive instead of just telling him they were alive. Emp guessed it meant that if they faced some danger, the ring would tell him instead of just telling him they were dead after the fact. That information still wasn''t anything complicated but it was extremely useful if he wasn''t too far away because it would let him intervene in time before it was too late.


    The two girls had widely differing reactions about the changes on the ring. While he often saw Harriett widely grinning at her ring, Celtine seemed bothered by hers. She would be acting normally until she caught a glimpse of it while playing cards for example. Then, she would make a pained face and hide it somewhere out of her sight. Emp had no clue why she disliked it but he needed her to keep wearing it for his experiment so he didn''t say a thing about it.


    ***


    At the end of the month, when he received a message telling him to go in the great hall for the entrance ceremony speech, he was more than ready to start his studies for good. he was eager to learn new things.


    He put on his good clothes with the help of Harriett who he didn''t fail to thank and went towards the great hall with the two girls. The servant that came to tell him about the speech had said that he could bring the two of them so he decided to do it, maybe they would understand something he didn''t.


    "Is master really going to bring Celtine like that? This slave understand that master isn''t bothered by the thought of others but some of those people will see and interact with master every day for years to come. Is master really fine with this being their first impression of master?" Asked a fidgeting Harriett from his right side.


    "Again? Have we not talked about this just yesterday? Why are you so stressed about this?"


    "We have but I still do not understand. My only wish is for my master to succeed and this slaves feels that this will hamper master''s future endeavors. I do like Celtine and I believe it is really kind of master to propose himself as her legs but I fear the rest might not be as comprehensive as master is."


    "The duke Jasay told me when I first got into this school that I should not talk about the Muraciers and it would be better if the rest thought I was a commoner, which is actually the case. Seeing your agitated state and what I already learned about nobles, there is no way one of them would do such a thing, this is perfect. As a proof, it already worked on the mouse guy."


    Emp had already forgot his name. Thinking about him, he didn''t hear from him again. No guards came to ask him what had happened and neither him nor Harriett saw him again outside the school. He wondered if the man was alright.


    "But, isn''t master worried it will end up like that time?"


    He understood what she meant, it was about Celtine being a cursed-blood again. People around here really did not like cursed-bloods.


    "I do not know any other cursed-blood, I do not understand well why they feel so bothered by them either because I am lacking in both knowledge ans experience. All I know is that Celtine is harmless, look at her, I do not believe anyone should feel anger about her."


    "Even if master doesn''t believe it, they will anyway. Please pardon my words but, I do not understand why master is so insistent on this. Celtine, would you be bothered if master was to put you back on the ground before entering the great hall?"


    A small tap of her left foot let them know she wouldn''t be bothered. She did not seem to mind but Emp did. What Harriett really wanted to hear from him was why he refused to drop her off but he wasn''t sure he knew himself. In the end, since he couldn''t find the answer and since it would be easier on everyone, he reluctantly agreed to let her down.


    "Fine then, since you both insist, I will do as you say and place her back down before we come across anyone."


    Harriett nodded, quite visibly reassured. Emp was happy she felt better but he himself now felt odd.


    After they took the last flight of stairs, he put Celtine back down and they slowly walked towards the great hall, with her walking with a bit of help from Harriett.


    As they approached, they joined up with many more students and their slave on their way to hear the speech. Everyone including Emp''s group came from a myriad of side corridors and all joining up into the main path leading the great hall. Some of those they crossed shot strange looks at Celtine and Harriett but no one said a thing. They probably wondered why one of his slaves needed help walking.


    Once they entered the hall, they witnessed hundreds of people standing around awaiting for the speech to begin. Emp had not expected that there would be so many students. Even considering that close to two thirds of them were slaves of students, there were still more than a hundred of them and Emp wasn''t the last to get into the hall.


    Some were standing alone or with their slaves, some chatted in small groups and some went around presenting themselves to the others. Emp wondered what was their intentions, there were too many people here to know everyone, why were they anxious to meet them all. He steered himself away from the rest like most of those here and chose an empty corner to wait for the speech in peace.


    A high stage had been placed at the end of the hall to let everyone see clearly the person who would do the speech. The room itself had been emptied of all furniture and statues to make room for the crowd of students. Since the room wasn''t against the outside wall, there were no windows, they had all been replaced by giant portraits of people Emp didn''t know about. The room was lit by a great amount of crystal globes shining more powerfully than a torch, they were all hanging from the ceiling at short intervals and lining the walls.


    Because there were so many people here, Emp couldn''t figure out who were students and who were slaves. Of course, some were obviously slaves by the way they were dressed, that at least, he had caught on, but many had found more dignified clothes for their attendants like he had done himself, blurring the line somewhat in such a large crowd.


    With the time the other him had spent in the village, he was starting to understand how the growing up thing worked. He could somewhat guess the ages of those present here and was surprised to see the wide range of it. There were small people of about ten years old up to people who looked to be almost twenty. Emp wasn''t the shortest here but he definitely wasn''t the tallest. He now understood that growing taller wasn''t a thing that happened in a matter of weeks but because of that, he was still unsure if he would indeed grow or not. next time he met with a god, he would ask why he was only this tall for sure.


    More and more people flooded the hall until it was half filled before no one else came in. A mildly long time passed after that before the old principal came in and walked up to the stage. He seemed in a really good mood as he climbed the steps with a bouncy gait. He took the central spot and started his speech right away.


    "Aye young lads and missus, keep it down fer me will ya?" He professed loudly.


    Since it was mostly calm already as most of the future students kept to themselves, he had no problem to quiet the crowd.


    "Good. Fer those that was here last time too, you know I''m bad at speeches and I don''t be one to like them. Ma name be Jorman Jazay, Duke of the eastern grove of Artefine. I be the Principal of this here school. I will be short with my words.


    If you made it here, it means that the empire be puttin high hopes on ya. You all be already worthy to become great, this place is only here ta make ya all bloom and help ya spread your branches across the land. I be havin good feelings on this here group of younguns and I be needin ye all ta stay focussed on the task of learnin.


    Because of what I be seeing here since I came to be the head of this place, I decided to shuffle things up a bit. As some of you might know already I be allowin you all to hide yer names. Nobody be knowing if you are higher or lower than themselves on the social larder."


    There was some confusion and whispers spread across the crowd but Emp had a hard time guessing if it was because of the announcement itself or because he said larder instead of ladder. He would probably have been confused as well if he had not met him once before. The Duke didn''t care about the commotion and followed it up.


    "Aye, you all be hearing right. Ya can tell yer names to whomever ya please but you don''t have ta. This be meanin that ya all better be respectful to everyone equally if you don''t want to be in fer a nasty surprise after yer all released from here.


    I don''t be caring for the rest, miss Wren Esther here be namin people and assigning them to their group. Listen well, study hard and may all of you become huge trunks holding up tha leaves of our great empire. This be all, welcome to the Steelwood imperial school."


    The students awkwardly clapped for his strange speech and miss Esther took his place while he stepped down and walked out of the Hall without a look back.


    Armed with a huge list on a parchment, the receptionist started naming up people one by one. As they were named, they were each sent to a corner to join one of the groups. She took care to never speak the family names before she got the consent of those she named but sometimes, she let out a title when it was gained out of their own talent. For example, Brenia scragling hunter who ended up in the group C. Another example was Emp himself.


    "Emp Space blessed, group C." Esther said with a smile.


    Every time a titled name would be called, the crowd would cheer and whisper, they were particularly loud for him. No one knew who he was but like the Duke had said when he met him, a god''s blessing made quite an impression.


    The crowd all looked in every direction searching for the one who was just called and Emp had no choice but to move up to the group C under all their gazes. He had never felt so many eyes on him at once, it was a bit intimidating. He walked up to Brenia and the rest of his group and waited in silence for the rest of the students to be assigned a group.


    In that group, there was also the angry girl he had crossed the other day and soon after, Ivar joined them as well like Esther had told him before.


    "We really ended up in the same group." He said as he joined him. "I never expected you to be the holder of a blessing though. Usually, there are some with famous names that get surrounded right away but since all the names are hidden this time they''ll probably all target you instead. You''re gonna get swarmed by people the moment this thing ends you know."


    That would be horrible, would he have to fight his way out of here?


    "What should I do then? I don''t really want to fight them all."


    "Oy, who said anything about fighting? I just meant that they will all want to talk to you." Ivar told him with an incredulous look.


    If they all came to talk to him at once, would it not be like that time in the village? But here, there would be ten times the amount of people. This sounded just as terrible to him. He would be here forever. What would they even want to tell him? Would it all be about Space? he didn''t know that much about the god, what would he answer?


    Seeing that his face wasn''t getting any better, Ivar tried to help him out a bit.


    "Yeah, seeing your face and how little you talk, I guess this would indeed be some sort of fight for you. Just ignore them if you don''t want to talk. Only this group here really matters since the rest you will barely ever see. Just be yourself, is what they say but don''t do anything extreme if you don''t want to be known by everyone for the rest of your time here."


    Emp nodded at his advice while the angry girl was scolding someone in a low voice not too far behind them.


    "I tell you I''m sorry." Was saying the man. "I truly haven''t found anything yet, I''m not just wasting my time!"


    Emp was curious about what they were talking about but focused on the end of the students distribution instead. Many more joined the small group, the last person being a short girl named Mable. She came up to the rest and hugged another older girl she must''ve known from the group, making the total number of student in group C twenty-four.


    "This is all for the group selection." Declared Esther as she folded the parchment. "All of you have been placed in the groups by the principal himself so if you have any complaints about the group you ended up in, you will have to address them to the duke himself. You are all free for now, make sure to send someone to the front desk to receive the schedule of your study group so you won''t miss anything. As a final note, yes, even the returnee have to go to the basic classes again at least once. Thank you all for your attention and in the name of this whole school, I wish you a good day and a marvelous stay."


    With this, she bowed deeply to the students once and left the stage. Right after, everyone started interacting with the rest of their groups to learn a bit about them. A large amount of gazes gathered on Emp like Ivar had predicted but one of them was way more hostile than the rest.

 42 Greetings

    After Esther had left the great hall, everyone started staring at those around them and those that had caught their attention. Emp wasn''t looking at anyone outside of group C, mostly because he didn''t pay attention to anyone that had been called to other groups. Someone else could have had a blessing he would not have noticed.


    In reverse, many where looking his way but at least, for now, they weren''t all over him like Ivar had said. Were they like a pack of wolf, all waiting for someone to be the first to attack? He chose to ignore the outside stares and focus on his own group. Twenty-three other person were already more than enough for him.


    It was one of them that had an unusually hostile stare. It was a guy Esther had named Kenneth, he went straight at him. Brown hair, a bit tall, big eyes, he seemed elegant in his clothes but he didn''t look really friendly. He had a menacing frown on his face and seemed a bit angry about something.


    "Hey, blessed guy, what up with your slave? Why is she limping? Are you beating her? Someone who beat up girls doesn''t deserve a blessing." He said with an angry tone, pointing at Celtine.


    Emp was surprised to hear that and all discussions that had already started around the group stopped at once. No one could believe what they had just heard. Was anyone crazy enough to say that? It wasn''t the first time some man came at him out of nowhere nor was it because of Celtine for the first time but it was unexpected that he wanted to take her defense. If he had expected the opposite a bit, he didn''t believe some noble he had never met would go to Celtine''s rescue. Before Emp could even understand what he meant clearly, Harriett came to his defense.


    "Master would never do such a thing! She was always like that!"


    "Any sealed slave would say that, stay out of it. I want to know what this guy has to say for himself." He said, still focused on Emp.


    He did have a point, since she was a sealed slave, there was no way she would badmouth her master, her words had no value in this situation. Harriett bit her lip out of annoyance but had nothing more to say. Emp tried to tell him what was happening instead, hoping to calm him. He didn''t know Why he was upset at him but he should at least tell him why she had a hard time walking.


    "Celtine is a cursed-blood that-"


    "So because she isn''t human you can just beat her whenever you please?" Interrupted the guy with a threatening gesture.


    Emp thought Kenneth was about to punch him.


    "Cut it out, cursed-bloods deserve it anyway!" Called out a girl with a long braid.


    The guy turned toward her and started arguing violently with her. Neither of them wanted to back down and soon, almost everyone in the hall was looking their way. Emp believed he should probably have started his sentence with something else. If he had known this would happen, he would have said something different. Ivar and two other men tried to break up their argument but they were now far too heated to stop with just that.


    "I don''t care that she''s a cursed-blood or not! I''m just saying that beating the weak is disgusting!" He berated following a string of horse-related curses.


    What should he do now? This whole situation was partly because of him as well. After all, if he had just held her on his shoulders like he usually did, this wouldn''t have happened. He had acted this way as to not upset the people here but still managed to start a big argument. Was there no way to please everyone?


    Emp thought it was saddening that every path he chose here would have ended up like this or worse. In that case, was it not alright for him to do whatever he wanted from the beginning? Like what was normal or not for people, when nothing he did could please everyone, he felt like the choice he liked best should be the one he chose. He did agree that Harriett and Celtine might have been right in their intentions but at this point, it was irrelevant.


    He stepped in front of Celtine and asked her to turn around with his finger.


    "Master, are you really doing this?" Asked a defeated Harriett.


    "At this point, it''s probably the only way to stop them."


    Harriett let out a sigh and released her hold on Celtine to let her turn her back to Emp. She turned, raised her arms in the air and Emp picked her up to place her back on his shoulder. (1)


    Someone somewhere gasped exaggeratedly and the braid girl that was facing his way goggled her eyes and froze. Seeing her, the rest of the group C, including Kenneth understood that something was going on and turned toward Emp as well. In the space of a breath, everyone in the hall had froze in place, their gaze locked on Celtine on her perch. Only Ivar that had seen it once before in the archery range managed to react by hiding his face with a hand in embarrassment. Or did he just slap his forehead dejectedly?


    This was something no one here would ever do. To place a slave above one''s head was akin to declaring it was more important than themselves. This was unacceptable for either the nobles or those brave and strong enough to get here by their own means. They could treat them well but would never lower themselves for their servants and tools.


    Emp ignored the gaze of everyone and the stressed grasp of Celtine on his forehead and made a long step to the man that had started it all. The silence was so heavy that even if Emp spoke softly, the whole hall heard him clearly.


    "Because of her condition, she has trouble walking. The truth is that it pains me to look at her in that state."


    He was just noticing now but this was indeed the case, this was why he didn''t want to put her back down. This was the feeling he could not explain, it was painful for himself to see her walk alone. Was this another trick of Sympathy? He really needed to find out who that was and what she or he had against him.


    "Instead, I carry her around like that but the two of them convinced me to put her down for the speech because they didn''t want me to upset anyone. I entirely agree with what you said, hitting someone like her would be lowly and if someone does, I will retaliate in her stead. I should have listened to myself from the start and entered like that, this misunderstanding is all my fault."


    Everything stayed silently still, no one ushered a word and no one knew how to react. This was the kind of thing you may never see in a lifetime, no one was prepared to this kind of scene. Emp too didn''t know what to do now, Kenneth had his mouth hanging open in front of him and couldn''t find any answer to Emp''s speech. What was he to do now? Was he supposed to wait for him to say something? Or maybe he should just go back to his own room now? Were they expecting him to say something else?


    "I..."


    Kenneth blinked and realised that everyone was looking their way. There was only one thing he felt he could do. He hung his head low and apologised.


    "I''m sorry, I was rude with you and I deeply misjudged you. I jumped to conclusion without knowing either you or her. My misbehavior put you in an undesirable situation. May you accept my deepest apology, I will make it up to you somehow."


    Kenneth felt like his stupid hot-blooded action and words had ruined the reputation of someone who turned out to be knightly. he wished he could turn into a tree right now and disappear into a forest. The principal had just warned them about this kind of thing too.


    Emp didn''t think that way. He thought his apology was a bit bothersome. No one ever apologised to him before aside from Galana''s grandma. How should he react? Could they not just forget this ever happened like last time?


    "There is no need to apologize. This was just a misunderstanding and now you know you were wrong. All you wanted to do was to defend her right? Does it not mean we were on the same side from the start?"


    Emp extended his right hand in a way that would let him see it even thought his head was lowered.


    "Let us forget about this, my name is Emp, I am happy to meet someone who thinks like me."


    Kenneth hesitated for a moment, unsure if things would be all right with just that but in the end, he still clasped it in his own. He was conscious that doing so would place him as a weirdo in the eyes of the rest but at that point, what else could he do? Refusing the handshake would be just as bad. But even considering that, he felt it was nowhere close to being an appropriate compensation for the shame Emp was enduring.


    "I''m Kenneth, are you really fine with this?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "Right." He said, a bit relieved. "I''m sorry to have brought all this attention to you as well girl. It wasn''t my goal to gather all eyes on you."


    With this, the quarrel was over. He had no idea what sort of face Celtine was making but hearing Kenneth apology, it must have been pitiful.


    "Now that this is all fine and well, you can put her back down." Interrupted Ivar.


    "I do not think there is any point in doing that now. Even if I put her back down now, there is nowhere to hide from their stares. Anyway, I will need to pick her back up to leave at some point."


    Ivar knew this was true so he could only hang his shoulders in resignation. Someone else believed there was still a way out of this mess though.


    "My master has a god''s blessing and can even kill a woodland horror! How many of you can boast the same achievements? How master treats his slaves is his business and his alone! This got nothing to do with any of you so stop staring, not only is this unworthy of you all but it''s just as shameful! You should show at least a minimum of respect."


    Emp had no idea if what she was saying so loudly would have a positive or negative effect but since he had nothing else in mind, he let Harriett talk as she pleased. He was just glad she had the clarity of mind to not point her finger at them all. He remembered Chinui told him it was a bad thing to do.


    Her words did seem to have some effects as many people still frozen in shock averted their eyes in embarrassment. Soon, most people returned to what they were doing beforehand and started talking awkwardly to each other, unable to completely ignore what was happening in the group C''s corner. At least now Emp was certain, he would not be swarmed by people wanting to meet him. That was a good thing.


    "Thank you Harriett." Emp said, both as a praise and as a way to calm her down a bit. "Maybe we should go back to our room for now."


    Since the speech was done, and the groups were decided, he didn''t have any real reason to stay anyway.


    "Master can''t!" Exclaimed Harriett. "If master go now they''ll think you are fleeing."


    "Is this a bad thing? I don''t really mind."


    "No, she is right." Intervened Kenneth with Ivar nodding at his side. "Leaving would mark you as weak, you have to stay and endure."


    Emp didn''t really get what exactly he was enduring so he accepted to stay. If he didn''t have any reason to stay, he didn''t have any to leave either. What could possibly happen to him anyway? He was about to ask them what to do in the meantime when someone came forward to talk.


    "We shouldn''t leave the mood like that or we''ll have a miserable time. The man is a bit weird I admit but he isn''t insulting, let''s give him a chance and let''s all get along."


    The one that spoke was a girl, the one who had received the younger one with a hug to be precise.


    "I agree, let''s not make this into a rift between us all at our first encounter. There is no value in making enemies with those that could have been friends just because of a small difference in views." A boy smaller than Emp agreed.


    "Well I disagree." Said the girl that was arguing with Kenneth earlier. "His behavior will disgrace us all. We should distance ourselves from him."


    "You didn''t care when you thought he was beating his slaves but you can''t accept his kindness? What sort of standards are you working with girl?" Asked the very same Kenneth, genuinely confused.


    "Beating a slave is only natural, more so if it''s a cursed-blood. This though, this is unsightly. Don''t take a beast on your shoulders, that''s just gross."


    "Is this really the time and place to start this sort of argument? Sure I wouldn''t put one above me but aside from that, I''m mostly indifferent to cursed-blood. Down in Dugo, they''re invaluable for the fishing industry." A boy wearing grey and steel blue clothes complained


    "I think this whole argument is pointless. As long as the sages haven''t found a proof of the cursed-blood ancestry, it is pointless to argue over if they are monsters or not." Said a girl with short hairs and an overlong dress.


    "I saw a girl carrying a ferret on her shoulders a couple of years ago, no one complained. Isn''t that the same thing?" Said an older boy.


    He was large and gruff, he may very well have been the strongest in group C.


    "It isn''t Oran, the ferret can''t talk." Said a guy holding a girl in his arms lovingly.


    He had his hair cleanly swept on his left side and seemed whole dedicated into reassuring the nervous girl that was with him.


    "Celtine can''t talk either, she is mute." Clarified Emp.


    "See, the exact same thing!" Exclaimed the Oran guy. "It''s like a huge ornament. She''s pretty too so I''d say it''s a great idea. Have her wear more jewels and no one will care." He proposed.


    Emp thought it might be a good idea but Ivar opposed it instead.


    "Oran, if he does that the rest will complain even more because he is giving jewels to a cursed-blood."


    "I thought you nobles considered slaves like objects, wouldn''t you want your things to be the prettiest possible?" Asked Brenia, speaking for the first time. "Honestly, I don''t really see the use of a slave who can''t talk or walk aside from serving as decoration."


    She was the only one wearing an armor inside, she had her arms crossed and her dirt-blond hair tied neatly and tightly close to her scalp.


    "I guess there is that too." Said another girl with a large smile of white teeth, placing herself right in front of Emp. "In that case, you could use her as a piece of art to expose your wealth. Let me introduce myself, my name is Juniper Glassart and I deal in glasswork of the highest quality. Would you perhaps be interested in buying glass jewelry to enhance her beauty?"


    Emp was taken off-guard by the unexpected question. Was this a good idea? Was jewelry made of glass even a real thing? Was this kind of thing pretty and how much did it cost? All those questions were swept away by the flow of the rapid discussion going on around him.


    "You''re really trying to sell him stuff before the classes even begin? You don''t even know if he has any money. Merchants are scary." Said another boy who hadn''t talked yet.


    "Also, I''d like to go back on the cursed-blood topic." Said the braided girl, still displeased.


    "I disagree, I''d like us all to forget about this annoying thing and move on. Let''s all take a short moment to introduce ourselves and meet each other, we have many to go through anyway." The hug-girl tried to reroute the conversation once more.


    "Yes, please let us do that and escape this mess already. Start with yourself and lead by example." Asked Ivar.


    "Right, then, my name is Aglaya Pierail, I could have gone to school last time it opened but I was waiting for my cute friend Mable to join as well." She said as she hugged the other small girl again.


    This time, she was taken by surprise and could only flail her arms around while trying to escape the embarrassing display of affection.


    "I like cats, pastries and needlework." She finished.


    "I''m Mable." Said the girl struggling to get free. "I wanted to stay home but my father forced me to come here."


    "You''ll see, we are going to have a lot of fun." Said Aglaya with conviction before searching for the next to present himself.


    "I''m Brenia Harmaton, I earned the money to get here by myself. I''m here to learn magic and more efficient battle techniques." Said the scragling hunter with pride.


    The next one to speak was the young boy who agreed with Aglaya earlier.


    "My name is Norval Windslow, son of the duke Windslow."


    He stopped it there so the next one had to step up to break the silence.


    "Nicolas Bluepeak, It''s my second turn. I''d like to point out that-"


    "Shut up Nicolas, nobody cares." Interrupted the angry girl.


    It seemed she still wasn''t done being angry at him.


    "I''m Heida, I''m here because Nicolas here doesn''t seem to be taking his job seriously."


    "But I was just about to-"


    "Shut up!"


    Emp, like the rest seemed to think it was a strange thing to watch. A grown man was obeying a small angry girl as if it was natural but no one dared intervene or continue. No one except Oran who didn''t seem to notice the awkwardness.


    "I''m Oran Glavan I come from the west of the kingdom of Dugo. I was here last time as well. I wanted to leave but the teachers wouldn''t let me."


    "That''s because he is too dumb to learn anything and the teachers don''t want to let this disgrace tarnish their reputation." Whispered Ivar to Emp.


    Emp had no idea if this was true or not but he would see soon for sure.


    "Since we''re going through the returnees, Let me present myself. I am Frits Thornwatch, my family is tasked with watching the Thornwoods borders north of Grandbois." Said the man holding a girl in his arms. "I could have left long ago but I stayed here because I wanted to help out my cute fiance. Rica''s a bit shy so don''t press her too much please."


    Said Rica hid her face in Frits arms to hide her embarrassment and didn''t say a word. The next one to speak was a girl overly dressed for the occasion.


    "I''m Gytha, I could have joined five years ago but I was busy. I''m actually from here so if you need something in town, I''ll be glad to show you around." She said with a nervous smile.


    The fact she came from here was more than enough for Emp to explain why she was dressed in a cyan height-layered ballooning dress.


    "Good, maybe with you here we''ll get an explanation as to why everyone in town is dressed like a street jester." Commented Juniper, thinking something similar to Emp.


    "That''s mean, you should introduce yourself instead." Said Aglaya.


    "But I already did. Juniper Glassart, my family works in the business of glass like my name would suggest. Unless you want to buy some, there is nothing else to talk about."


    "Who''s next then?"


    "I''m Cyril Lowfield." A boy took the opportunity to say. "I come from the north of Artefine, I aim to become a knight."


    He was tall despite his apparent youth, a kin warmed by the sun surprisingly muscled arms for his age.


    "A noble endeavor! I as well want to become a grand hero. My name is Odilon, remember it well for it will one day be praised across the empire." Another said with a wide gesture.


    He was stocky and his hair was so short Emp was unsure if he had any at all.


    "How boastful." Commented Heida with contempt.


    "I somehow feel like Kenneth here is already doing a better job at that than you. You didn''t move at all throughout the whole thing earlier." Added Ivar.


    "That is because I knew from the start that there was no one that needed saving. It was obvious that the girl was more afraid of Kenneth then her master, it wouldn''t have been so if he was beating her, hence, she didn''t need help."


    The rest looked at him skeptically and after a small cough, the boy who had talked about the fishing industry presented himself as well.


    "I am Nereus Forewhale. My family rule over Nose island in the seas just south of the coasts of the kingdom of Dugo."


    "Nose island? What kind of name is that?" Asked Mable curiously, finally free from her friend.


    "The island looks like a giant nose poking out of the ocean from afar."


    "Really? That is a strange thing. Why does it look like a nose?"


    "We don''t know, it just does. It''s impossible to not see it when we look at it."


    "So you are some sort of ruler right? That is great. I won''t be getting anything myself so my mom told me to find a husband here. My name is Josseline. Say, How many wives do you have already mister Forewhale?" That girl said leaning towards him.


    She was probably not older than the rest but she seemed to have the curves of a grown lady.


    Nereus was a bit taken aback and didn''t know how to get rid of her so the argumentative girl had to step in to push Josseline away.


    "Josseline, that''s not a decent way to find a husband, you''re just making yourself look like an idiot."


    "You''re one to talk, you only complained since you came here, you haven''t even told us your name. You''re basically just a pot."


    "What does that even mean?"


    "Isn''t that what people say?"


    "I''m sure it''s not something people say, and my name is Gervaise."


    "Alright, let''s not start arguing again or we''ll be here forever. My name''s Ivar Longhorn. I''m the last returnee."


    "Yeah Ivar, why are you even here?" Asked Oran. "I thought the teachers told you you could leave like two years ago."


    "Why I''m here doesn''t concern any of you here, you don''t have to know."


    "Fine then, who''s left?" Asked Aglaya.


    "Me, those two small guys, the slave lover and those two girls." One of the last remaining guys said. "By the way, I''m Oliver Firgelo. I just want to perfect the use of the spear so don''t disturb my training. You, the guy that looks bored, who are you?"


    Oliver was a tall and lean guy, did he like the spear because he looked like one himself? His nose was super long as well. The guy he pointed on the other hand, was the opposite. It was a short scrawny guy who looked bored and gloomy.


    "I''m George Hectarow. I don''t want to be here and I don''t want to talk to you all so leave me alone. In fact, I''m going back to my room." The small guy said grumpily before he took the direction of the door without looking at anyone in the eyes.


    "Won''t you at least stay for the last few?" Asked Aglaya, a bit disappointed.


    "No."


    Once he was gone, Ivar stated out loud what everyone else was thinking.


    "What was the point of waiting for his turn before leaving if he didn''t want to talk to any of us?"


    "Maybe he wanted to be sure we knew he didn''t want to talk before he left?" Proposed Emp.


    "That seems pointless, we would have understood if he just left when we started." Said Juniper.


    "Maybe he is a bit slow and didn''t think about it?" Said Oran.


    Since this was going nowhere, Aglaya got things back on track once more.


    "Then, how about you two girls?"


    "I''m Penny" Said the serious looking girl with the short hair. "I would prefer to not be disturbed either because I''d like to focus on my studies. I thank you for your understanding in advance."


    She made a small bow of her head to signify it was all she had to say and looked towards the last girl.


    "Me, I''m Vanessa Hasting but everyone calls me Nessa. I like tea parties and dancing. I don''t know what else to say about myself really..."


    "Then, there''s only the shy guy left over there and Emp to introduce?" Asked Ivar.


    "What about me?" Said Kenneth "I haven''t introduced myself."


    "I feel like we pretty much know what you''re all about by now. You created quite the show already." Said Brenia.


    Kenneth looked a bit dejected and Emp felt a bit confused.


    "What about me then, you all know my name already, you know I have a blessing and even that I killed a woodland horror, what else would you like to know?"


    "Any interesting bit would do. Where do you come from, are you noble or more like Brenia and I who got the money on our own?" Asked Juniper.


    "I would rather not answer those."


    Emp knew he was no good at lying and he had been told to not speak about the Muraciers, he didn''t know what to tell them.


    "It''s all right, you don''t have to if you don''t want to. Then, what about you?" Asked Aglaya to the last small guy.


    "Me? I, I, I am Zoran. Zo, Zoran Glowstorm. My dad asked me to study here because he was afraid I was too afraid of too many things." (2)


    Oliver almost laughed but Ivar hit him with his elbow to stop him. With that, the presentations ended without too much problems. They stayed a while more to talk with each other for a bit and exchange stories


    Emp told them how the woodland horror had died which made a group of girl laugh and Brenia told them how she had gained the title of scragling hunter. To summarize it, it was the only thing worth hunting nearby where she lived and also the only thing that she could kill without trouble. The rest was too dangerous for the current her. She had not finished growing after all and some things hiding in the north of the kingdom of Windbow could easily dismember a group of grown men.


    Nereus told them how great sea fishing was and about how big some of the creatures living bellow it where. Odilon boasted some more about his future achievements before Juniper steered the conversation towards glass and somehow, they all ended up talking about tea while Josseline was trying to convince Oliver that some things were much more interesting than the spear in life.


    Overall, Emp had fun listening to all their strange conversations and managed to get back to his room some time later thinking that those twenty three people were all interesting. He felt that meeting them all on their own would already be worth his time. But, seeing all of them at the same place at once was overwhelmingly chaotic, in a good way.


    He felt like many people of this group would be easy to approach and talk to but some others would be a lot of trouble, like Gervaise or the angry Heida. Since it was the Duke Jasay that had made the groups, he wondered if he had a specific reason to place him with those people or if he just placed them all at random.


    "It went a bit better than I expected master. Even Celtine seems pleased."


    Emp let her get back down from his shoulder as he answered Harriett.


    "It was fun, they seem interesting. Most of them didn''t seem that bothered by me carrying Celtine."


    The girl in question was now in a good mood and sat back on a nearby chair to listen to what would follow.


    "Maybe it''s because they are young that they do not have the same mindset as the older nobles or maybe because they do not think of master as a true noble. Either way, it seems I was overly concerned over this. I apologise for my mistake."


    "It is fine, you were also right, It caused quite the commotion. from now though, I think I will continue carrying Celtine. Unless she really does not want me to, I think it will be easier for everyone that way and I just feel it is better."


    "Yes, I won''t bring it up again." Consented Harriett.


    Celtine just smiled in agreement. The next day, the first classes would start.


    (1) You wouldn''t believe how long I pondered on if she should climb up like the first time or Emp should just pick her up like a small kid. She weight nothing after all, it''s easy to do. What is the weirdest to look at, her climbing up or him raising her up? In the end I picked one at random.


    (2) I already have enough of his stutters, just know he does it. It''s annoying to read like that anyway. I''ll put some in his speech but I''ll keep it on the low end.

 43 Language class

    Soon after the day of the speech, Emp found himself in a large classroom like the schedule had asked him to. He had come with Celtine and left Harriett to do the laundry. He would have left Celtine as well but their first class was about letters it seemed and he wanted her to learn as quickly as possible.


    Around him, all of those he had met the other day gathered to meet the person who would teach them letters and of course learn.


    From what Esther said and the schedule, it seemed like they would have many teachers for the many things they had to learn. The disappointing part for Emp was that everyone needed to know their numbers and letters before they were thought anything else and since he already knew about those things, he would have nothing to do.


    According to the paper, the name of the teacher was Glenda and she took care of both of those basic subjects so they would see her often for a while.


    "Does anyone know what kind of person is the teacher?" Asked Mable, stuck in the arms of Aglaya again. (1)


    Mable had a different hairstyle than on the speech day but it was just as complicated looking as the first one. Emp had thought that she had done something special for the speech but it was apparently not the case. Maybe she just didn''t know what to do with all that hair, without all those pins and clips, it would probably snake on the floor behind her. Emp knew of only two other persons with hairs that long, Love, for whom it wasn''t a problem since they just hovered over the ground and Celtine who had no way to tell him why her hair were so long or if she wanted them cut a bit.


    While Emp was lost in thoughts, Ivar answered her question.


    "All those that stayed from last time do. She is a lady of over forty. She is strict and a bit of a complainer but she isn''t that bad."


    The others had mixed reactions towards her description but the conclusion remained the same.


    "Don''t bother her and she won''t bother you."


    Emp nodded like the rest and soon after, the teacher arrived. She walker to the front of the room and asked everyone to sit down.


    All around the group C, there were unassigned tables and chairs so they all sat wherever they found a place. Emp found himself sat between George who didn''t want to be here and Penny who wore overly heavy clothes and a serious look. Celtine stood behind him in silence so as to not disturb the others like some other slaves that had been brought along.


    "Alright group C, welcome. I see some familiar faces but I''m going to introduce myself anyway. You can call me miss Glenda, I will be in charge of teaching you all the letters and numbers used in our empire. I would like you all to be sat down and ready to start when I come here in the future. I will accept no fooling around and no disturbance, I see you Frits over there, get away from that poor miss. See? That''s what I call a disturbance. What are you doing here anyway?" (2)


    "Well, they told us all to get here."


    "I don''t care, all the old faces, everyone who knows all their letters and numbers already, get out, I''m done with you." The teacher said flatly.


    "But, I''d like to be-"


    "Yes, I can see you''d like to be with the young lass but this isn''t the place for this, you will just be in the way of my teaching so get out."


    Dejected, Frits left with the rest of the older students, leaving a panicked Rica who didn''t know what to do alone. She looked like she was about to cry but the teacher ignored it and moved on.


    "So, how many are left? Two, five, seven, ten... nineteen? How come so many of you don''t know your letters? Here, by raised hands, who knows their numbers?"


    Almost everyone raised a hand, Only Cyril Lowfield and the stuttering Zoran didn''t.


    "Alright, could you please go to that corner over there so I can see more easily who needs what kind of teaching?"


    The two boys nodded and went to stand in one of the corner of the room.


    "Again, by raised hands, this also goes for you two, who knows their letters in the common tongue?"


    Fewer hands were raised this time, the two boys still didn''t but with them, there was Brenia, Rica, George, Norval Windslow, Gervaise and of course, Emp himself.


    "Those that didn''t raise their hands, please go into that corner."


    Emp stood up with the others and grouped with them over there.


    "Finally, those that know how to write and read in the noble tongue raise their hands."


    This time, only Emp rose his hand to the confusion of the teacher and most of the class.


    "Wait, did you somehow misunderstand one of the questions or do you really not know the common writing while still understanding the noble ones?"


    "It is true" Answered Emp "I cannot read or write in the common tongue and I cannot speak it either, I do not understand it. You could say I was raised with only the noble one."


    "That is fairly strange but everything is possible in this world." The teacher said with furrowed brows. "Go to that other corner then, I''ll give you a test later to see if you speak the truth or if you''re just shamelessly propping yourself up."


    Emp did as he was told and Glenda swiftly rearranged the seats of everyone to her own convenience. He ended up last in a row with Norval as neighbor.


    "From here on, When you come here, you will all sit where you are currently to make it easier for me, all right? Now, a final thing before we truly start. Of those that brought their slaves with them, how many did so hoping I would teach them as well?"


    Around six hand rose including Emp. Since this was more work for her, she asked them why one by one and if the reason wasn''t convincing, she refused to teach them. Emp had one of the most convincing.


    "She is mute and cannot do heavy physical labor. If she does not learn, she will not be that useful. If she did, she could at least be a good secretary I feel."


    "I see, you got the bad draw on slaves this year, fine, I will try to teach her but like I said to the others, I won''t spend extra time on her and won''t wait for her if the rest is ready to move on. She can take a seat."


    Celtine smiled in thanks and sat beside Emp at the very end of the row. The lessons started immediately after.


    The test the teacher prepared for him was a simple thing. There were around ten general questions written on a parchment and all he had to do was write an answer for each. It was easy but enough to prove he did understand that language well. He was praised by many at that moment because they all felt that the noble tongue was much harder to learn than the common one but from Emp''s point of view, if they had all learned it first, they would think the opposite. Maybe all languages where hard to learn?


    For weeks after, Emp spent most of his time in that room with the group C. The new students were always there but even the older ones came often to see the rest and discuss before and after the classes. Ivar said it was because they wanted to deepen their bonds with everyone but Frits clearly only came for Rica.


    At some point he noticed that a small group of girls had formed itself. Mable, Aglaya, Gytha and Nessa were always together. They tried to include Rica as well but she seemed to be really afraid of hanging out with anyone but Frits and always disappeared as soon as the teacher released them all. Juniper sometimes spent some time with them but she seemed more interested in trying to sell glass to the teacher than talking about songs they had heard.


    "Miss Glenda, you are a very knowledgeable person." She would say. "You must be really respected around here. A woman like you must live in some magnificent estate."


    "That is true but why does this interest you?"


    "I was wondering what sort of window you had."


    "Windows?"


    "Yes, you see, someone of your talent must have the finest of glass windows instead of those boorish panes."


    "What do you have against wooden panes?"


    "Don''t tell me miss that you do have those! What a tragedy for someone of your stature but don''t worry, I can help you have them all changed to glass ones easily. Since you are my teacher, I will even make you a friendly price! How about it?"


    "I did not see that coming." The teacher said, incredulous.


    "You seem hesitant for now but trust me, glass have many advantages. I''ll show you, I always have some samples with me. I am confident that you will be impressed by their quality."


    "I can''t believe she''s actually doing it to the teacher too." Said Kenneth to Emp while this was happening.


    For a reason Emp didn''t know, many of the boys seemed to gather around his desk like the girls gathered around Aglaya. Maybe it was because his desk was conveniently placed? Around him were Kenneth, Odilon and Zoran who seemed to have been dragged there by Kenneth. Aside from George, the other guys seemed to come and go often as well.


    "What do you mean by too? Did she try to sell glass to other people."


    "Yeah, she didn''t just do it to you the other day, she tried it on the girls in class as well. She wanted to sell them teacups made out of glass."


    "I wonder if this is even possible." Said Odilon


    "Probably, I saw regular cups made out of glass in the duke''s office last month. Maybe I''ll buy her some, I wonder how it feels." Emp answered.


    "Maybe you shouldn''t, it''s likely to cost you an arm for something you don''t need. Buy them in silver like everyone else instead. Also, what were you doing in his office?"


    "I was delivering a letter. He had all these glass bottle and cups everywhere."


    "I don''t care about what the bottle is made out of as long as the booze in it is good." Said Oliver from a table further behind.


    While they were talking about that, the teachers face got worse and worse and in the end the group decided to send someone to distract Juniper a while before she angered Glenda. They selected Emp for the job because no one wanted to do it aside from him who didn''t mind either way.


    He ended up promising her to buy a cup and some glass jewels he had no idea what he would do with. He felt it was a huge waste of money, but since he had so much of it, it didn''t bother him too much. Still, he would try harder to not be the selected person next time.


    Besides that, he got into a fight again, this time with some other students. Everyone was coming back from the class and Emp had just left the rest of the group to go to his room when he came across half a dozen people he didn''t know.


    There were both boys and girls in their group but they all came to a sudden stop when they saw him with Celtine on his shoulders like usual.


    "Hey you, you should really put that thing down. That''s disgusting."


    "She takes her baths properly though."


    Celtine didn''t seem to appreciate his defense because she hit the top of his head with her fist.


    "She is a cursed-blood moron! No amount of scrubbing will wash away her beastly nature."


    So it was about that again. It seemed that since he had met her, every single problem he had were because of that.


    "Hey don''t call him names!" Intervened a girl from behind him.


    Deep blue eyes, extremely long sunshine-blond hair held above her shoulders by an array of ornaments, fair skin, smaller than Emp and refined facial features, it was Mable, qualified as cute by Aglaya. She stood there angrily pointing her finger at the guy who talked. Her two servants nervously tried to stop her from her sides but she was deaf to them.


    Celtine seemed just as surprised to see her there as Emp was. Neither knew if this was a good thing or a bad thing for her to be there. At least, she didn''t scare Celtine like Brenia did. Emp didn''t know why but despite the fact that Brenia was acting quite friendly towards everyone, Celtine seemed frightened every time she got close to her. Even those that clearly disliked her like Gervaise did not scare Celtine. In any case, now wasn''t the time to think about this.


    "It''s impolite to point at someone girl!" One of the unknown students said.


    "You were the one to be impolite first!"


    "Just mind your own business!" The guy snapped angrily.


    "Speaking of minding your own business, what does the way I carry her around have anything to do with you all? Just be on your way and let me through."


    After all, if there was no way for them to agree, might as well go their separate way. Hearing that, the other side made some grimaces but still decided to comply since they could not find any arguments against that.


    As they were leaving with some disdainful comment. Mable called at them from behind.


    "Yeah, run away! There is no way you can win against Emp anyway! You bunch of mean hearted frogs."


    Her two girl servants turned pale when they heard what their master was saying.


    "What!"


    The whole other group turned back and went straight at them. Afterwards, nothing Emp said could stop or appease them so after getting yelled at for a while, he lost his patience and decided to beat them. He told Celtine what he was going to do right in front of them and asked her if she wanted to get down. Like last time, she refused.


    Those guys got even more angry at him saying he would beat them all and decided to be the first to attack. Since no one here had any weapons, the fight ended up being really short. None of them matched the speed of the mouse nor his resistance and it only took a couple of punch and kicks to defeat them all. One got knocked out with a bleeding nose while the others just got a bunch of bruises before they all decided to run away carrying the unconscious guy.


    Emp, like Celtine, ended up unharmed, mostly because the other side didn''t know how to act together and got in the way of each other more than anything else. He did have to block a couple of punches with his forearms but it wasn''t nearly as painful as the wounds he had received before.


    While they ran, the hearty laugh of Mable followed them as if to shame them some more.


    "See, I knew it would end up like that. There was no way they could defeat you." She said with a big smile after they were gone.


    On either side of her, the two servant girls were completely speechless.


    "How did you know?" Asked Emp, confused. He didn''t remember ever fighting in front of the class.


    "My room is that way." She said pointing in the same direction Emp was going. "I would have liked to see the gardens from it but instead, the balcony overlook the training field. I saw you practice with a huge hammer the other day. Every time you swung it and hit the ground, dirt would fly everywhere."


    As she was explaining this, she imitated it all with wide gestures of her arms.


    "You are scary strong, you must have some strength magic you can cast on yourself. I''d say you are probably on the level of a trained soldier already and we haven''t even started any of the training classes yet. I would have been really surprised if any of them could match that strength."


    Her explanation made sense, she had lived longer than him in this world even if she appeared smaller, it was easier for her to guess the strength of other peoples. If she had seen him train with the thunder-chew hammer, she would know at least part of his strength. It also explained what she was doing there, if her room was the same way as his own, then she was just going back to it when she found them. But, there was something that didn''t make sense.


    "If your room is that way, how come I never met you on the way back from the class before?"


    "It takes me a really long time to get rid of Aglaya." She said with a helpless look on her face. "You, don''t laugh at the misery of others!" She said pointing at Celtine.


    It must have been quite the face Celtine made seeing how depressed Mable became.


    "I apologize on her behalf, I would also feel quite helpless if I was always imprisoned into those hugs."


    Mable made several nods of approval while Emp followed up.


    "You Mable, you sided for me earlier, does that mean you do not hate cursed-bloods or does it just mean that you knew I would win?"


    She thought about her answer for a bit while tapping her lips with her finger before she told him how she felt.


    "Aglaya and me do not really mind cursed-bloods. There aren''t that many to begin with in Thronewoods." Thronewoods was the capital of the empire and the kingdom of Grandbois from where the two were from. "I think many of them are scary and dangerous but this one isn''t. Instead, I thought what you said about protecting her at the entrance ceremony was very gallant. If someone like you says something like that about someone, that person can''t be bad, even if she''s not really human."


    After that, they walked a bit together until their path changed from each other and Emp went back to his room. Maybe he should consider those girls as friends as well. They were taking his side after all. Still, the last part of her answer reminded him of what Chinui had taught him about cursed-bloods.


    When Chinui talked about them before, he had explained how sages and mages couldn''t figure out what they were exactly, what set them apart from beasts if anything did. That time, Emp decided to not think about it because he wanted to see one for himself before he made his own mind about it.


    Now that he had met one, and had spent weeks with her, he still could only see a girl. Maybe it was time to ask for the book of answer''s help? That night, under the starlight, he asked the book.


    "What are cursed-bloods exactly?"


    <The human method of classification is inaccurate. Some are humans sub-species with high concentrations of magu trapped in their bodies and others are something else entirely, an original creation of the gods or a specie born from genetic manipulation.>


    There were so many things he didn''t understand in that answer! What were those words?


    "What is magu."


    <Even the gods don''t know.> (3)


    What a useful answer...


    "Then, what is genetic manipulation."


    <It is the act of directly manipulating the genes of an organism with the goal of achieving some desired changes in the target or its descendants.> (4)


    Emp felt that if he was to continue asking things about that, he would come across more and more things he did not understand. If he did, he would likely be up all night trying to figure out what the book was explaining to him. Since it wasn''t really what he was after anyway, he chose to brush over the subject and go back to what he was trying to figure out. What he could understand was that some were more human than what the rest thought since the book classified part of them as a human sub-specie.


    "How am I to know which are human sub-species and which are not?"


    <Three solutions.


    First solution: unachievable due to a lack of required technology.


    Second solution: check crossbreeding compatibility. Possible crossbreed between species means a close link between the two.


    Third solution: Ask a god.>


    If the possibility of having a child with something not human meant that it was a human sub-specie, it meant that many creatures classified as monsters were some sort of humans as well. He could hardly accept that answer, he doubted anyone else would be willing to even consider this answer as truth.


    But the book would not lie would it? However much he disliked the answer, it was still the truth. How very troublesome, what a pain. Maybe he shouldn''t have asked. It wasn''t a problem for him anyway was it?


    Whether they were human or not didn''t matter much as long as he was able to know if they were friendly or not. He had wanted to know what they were and maybe find a way to help everyone a bit but it was much too complicated for him, at least for now. It was best to give up until another day and focus on learning the common language instead.


    Only one question really mattered for now.


    "What is Celtine exactly?"


    <Descendant of a race of half-ornaks, half-humans created in an attempt to save the dying ornak race. Experiment ended in failure, they are now classified as a human sub-specie.> (5)


    So now he knew for sure that Celtine was at least part human, that was relieving.


    ***


    It took the whole group a long while to learn the basics they would need for the rest of the classes that would come after. Of course, most were still not perfect at neither of the two languages but as long as they could read fluently, they would not have a problem with the rest of the classes. They would continue to come here as long as Glenda didn''t decide they were done but now, they would have to go to other classes as well.


    Those that didn''t come from the nobility, like Cyril Lowfield and Brenia had an especially hard time learning how to write. Brenia in particular often complained loudly about how boring this all was and how much she wanted to go outside to do something more thrilling. The rest didn''t fare too badly.


    Emp felt it was probably because they often saw writings. Even if they didn''t know how to write, they were already used to seeing them and could recognize at least some letters or words where the others couldn''t.


    Emp himself didn''t do too bad. With the help of the teacher on one side and Marcelia on the other, his comprehension of the common language got much better. He even started to understand a bit what everyone meant when they said he spoke strangely. Because he was hearing them so often, it was easy to notice the difference after a time.


    The others also often pointed out when he didn''t use contractions.


    "Why do you people say can''t? Do we not have a word for that already in the form of cannot?"


    "I don''t know how to answer that."


    "More importantly, you did it again. You said do we not instead of don''t we."


    "I do not understand why this is a thing."


    "It''s because it''s faster and easier to say, normally you don''t use the full thing unless you are speaking to someone far above you."


    "Above as in higher or in a more figurative sense like in a hierarchy."


    "The second one, why would you use a different speech for someone standing higher than you?"


    "That is why I asked."


    "You did it again..."


    "I am sorry, I cannot help it."


    Mable a few tables further burst in laughter hearing that, a loud screaming laughter that made the whole room turn her way. She was unable to stop and just did her best to hide her face behind her hands.


    "Oh my, you definitely need more sleep Mable." Said Aglaya


    "I''m sorry, I can''t." She barely managed to say with tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks.


    "You mean to say that you cannot." Said Nessa with a huge grin.


    After that, most of the room was laughing. Even Emp was smiling seeing everyone laugh.


    Celtine too managed to learn how to write and read, she gave it her all and made it quickly. She learned the common language faster than Emp and was the first to gain the approval of the teacher on her understanding of the noble language.


    "This girl has a gift in languages, she is the best student I ever had. I feel a bit upset that she is just a cursed-blood slave but at least we still have Penny and Norval who are pretty close behind. You did an excellent job, you pass."


    Celtine was really happy to get told her learning was over. She had worked really hard to get this approval. Even Emp that had nothing else to do than to learn could not match her focus. She busied every single moment of her free time to better her understanding of the two languages.


    That day, after they got back into their room, Emp gave her the magic quill like he had decided when he had first bought it. After the supper expertly cooked by Harriett, he presented Celtine the quill as well as a small stack of papers and a wooden tablet to write on. He had prepared it in Dark-glint beforehand by piercing an end of it to pass a long string through. Like this, she would be able to carry it around her neck.


    "Celtine, I wanted to reward your efforts into learning all that so I decided to give you the magic quill we bought that first time we went shopping all together. With it, the thin board and the parchment, you''ll be able to write anywhere."


    He pushed those three things to her and she accepted them with a giant smile. <Thank you master!> She wrote on one of the parchment before sending it back to him. Emp was really happy she liked it. Thinking it would be unfair to not reward Harriett as well for her hard work, he turned towards her while Celtine was quickly scratching something on a new sheet.


    "Harriett, you too did an excellent job. You have been doing everything by yourself since I became your master. Without you, nothing would ever get cleaned and I would eat apples and fish every day. You also deserve to be rewarded, what would you like?"


    Harriett seemed surprised by his question. She was just finishing cleaning up the table and the tableware. She wiped her hands on her large apron and got closer to answer him properly.


    "Master would like to know what I would like? I have not thought of this before. It''s unusual for us slaves to receive something from our masters unless it is something we really need like in her case." She said pointing at Celtine, still writing down something.


    Emp wondered what she was writing exactly but kept pushing Harriett for an answer.


    "But I still want to give you something, tell me, What would make you happy? As long as it is reasonable, I will do my best to find it for you."


    "If master insist, in that case, I would like for master to..."


    Her eyes drifted on her ring and she lost herself in her own thoughts for a short moment. Emp had noticed before that when she was thinking hard, she tended to spin the ring around her finger by using her thumb, which she was doing right now. He did not interrupt her and awaited her answer.


    "I would like for master to give me an earring. I had one before, given by my father but I had to give it back when I was sold. Is it too much to ask?"


    She had never talked about her father before. Thinking about it, He really had forgot to ask them both their stories. Celtine would not have been able to tell him anything but at least Harriett should have had something to say. He needed to ask her later.


    "No, it is not at all too much to ask. I can certainly do that for you but I do not know a lot about jewelry so it may not be to your liking."


    Thinking about this, maybe he should just gift her earrings made of glass since he would probably receive some soon from Juniper.


    "Anything will do master, the last wasn''t anything special either. It''s just that I wore it for so long before that it feels lonely without it."


    Emp did not understand what she felt but could easily see that it was an important thing to her by the way her eyes dodged his own.


    "I will do my best and bring some to you soon."


    "I offer my gratitude to master for this." She said with a deep bow.


    Emp smiled to her before he felt a small tug on his clothes. Looking at the source, he found Celtine handing him a paper with a lot of text written on it. He wondered what it was she wanted to tell him and took the parchment to take a better look at it.


    < Master,> The paper read. <Harriett said that you were a good man when we first met and I believe her. You took great care of me since we met, you let me rest and helped me as best as you could. I am sorry to not be that useful to you and deeply thankful for everything you did. I thought humans were all malevolent but that was not the case. You took my defense many times already and I like it when you carry me. You sometimes walk so fast it feels like I''m flying again.>


    Emperor smiled while reading that part. He was very happy she felt he was doing a good job. Making a friend happy was very pleasant. He continued reading.


    <I have two request for you master.


    Please, let me help you somehow. I know that I am weak, I know I have no balance and I know I have no voice but please, I feel guilty receiving all those favors from you even though I have nothing to give back. I would like to help like Harriett. When I try to help her, I feel like I am in the way more than I am helping.>


    He did not know Celtine felt that way. It wasn''t his intention to make her feel bad. What should he have her do then? What was she able to do? He was fine with giving her work of course but he didn''t want her to suffer for no reason if Harriett could do it easily. He needed to think about it more. He finished reading the message for now, He would think about it more afterwards.


    <The other is much more important to me, and much harder to ask. Please master, would you show me your great kindness again and help me regain what I lost? Would you generously help me regain my wings, regain my voice? Would you please ask your magic book? Please, please, please, I will do anything in exchange.> (6)


    Emp looked at her over the paper. She had a pleading look of overwhelming anxiousness written all over her face. She seemed really scarred he would say no, but he had no reason not to.


    "I didn''t even know you once had a voice before I read this. Sure, I will help you if I can. healing you can only be a good thing for us three. But, asking the book of answer isn''t that easy, you need to be precise with your question or it will answer something crazy." Emp explained as he got the book out.


    Relief and pure joy spread across her face as she heard his answer.


    It really was working like Harriett had said! She had the urge to hug him but, not wanting to disturb him while he was helping her, she hugged Harriett instead.


    "This one is curious." Said Harriett from her arms "What did she say? What are we helping with."


    "We are looking for a way to restore her wings and her voice. What would be the best way to ask the book?"


    She nodded smilingly in understanding. Passing an arm around Celtine, she answered her master with a question of her own.


    "Couldn''t master just ask the book directly?"


    "I want to but I am not sure of the wording. I guess I could just try with the most simple question and go from there. What is the best way for Celtine to regain her wings."


    "Who''s Noey?" It wasn''t really what he was asking for, he decided to try something else.


    From the side, Celtine shivered, the name must not be one she wanted to hear but anyway, it wasn''t related to what he was asking.


    "How does one regrow a lost limb?"


    <Highly advanced and demanding magic or with the help of a god.>


    That wasn''t promising at all, he thought while reading it aloud for the other two.


    "I see what master means now, it is hard to get a useful answer out of it."


    "How about the voice then? How can we give Celtine''s voice back to her?"


    He read that answer aloud for them as well.


    <The curse afflicting her was made by a god to silence the curse of truth. There is no way known to mankind for reversing it but some gods would be able to undo it.>


    Celtine seemed devastated by those answer and tears dripped from her eyes but Emp was quick to cheer her up.


    "That isn''t too bad, both can be resolved in the same way just by meeting a god. I only lived for a year and already met five, finding one more shouldn''t be that hard. It just means that you will have to be a bit more patient. At the very worse, my four creators will come to congratulate me when I''m done with their quest so we will at least see them then."


    That would take a lot of time of course but there was no telling he wouldn''t find another trial ground in the meantime, even more likely if he could somehow trick the book into telling him where they were. Celtine understood what he meant and dried her tears. She just had to wait and live, she would regain all that she missed at some point for sure.


    She freed herself from Harriett and wrote another thing on a paper. It read: <What would you like in exchange of your help master?>


    "I am not sure, maybe you could smile more often. I do not feel like I did anything that would need to be rewarded, at least not yet. In any case, helping you is like helping myself since you are my slave, is it not?"


    "You heard master, do your best for him and he will do his best for you." Harriett said.


    Celtine nodded with determination even though Emp felt it wasn''t exactly what he was saying. He had just wanted to tell her he didn''t need anything in exchange but it somehow ended up like that. Maybe people really didn''t like to be helped just like that, like Galana had said. For him, it seemed like a pretty simple and normal thing to do but for her, it was clearly very important. Even if he felt like it was easy to help for free, maybe it was so valuable to her that she couldn''t help but want to give something in return. Maybe words of thanks weren''t enough.


    After that, he had them both sit down and tell him their stories. Harriett went first while Celtine was writing her own answer. She talked about her mother and about her father who had also been her master, she told him what she used to do as work and how she had been driven away by the wife of her father, she didn''t dare hide anything from her master.


    It was true Emp had completely forgotten to ask them until now but he was still very interested to learn more about them. By now, he had spent as much time with them as he had with Chinui, they were both precious to him. Soon, he would have spent more time with them and Marcelia than any other person in his life. He felt attached to them. (7)


    After her story was over, he understood a bit more about her but a question remained that he had to voice.


    "Your father, Why did he not marry your mother as well if he liked her. He had only one wife after all."


    She sent him a shocked look and said some incoherent things in a fluster before she managed to give a normal answer. Had he said something strange again?


    "His wife would never have let him do that."


    "Did I ask something weird."


    "Of course not master, I just, I mean, very few people would do that."


    Was it a bit like walking around with Celtine on his shoulder? Everyone would send strange stares then.


    "I see, I still do not understand this wedding thing."


    "It''s alright master, you still have plenty of time to do so. I''m sure proposals will rain upon you at some point." Harriett said, averting her eyes.


    Then, it was Celtine''s turn. In her writing, she retold how she was supposed to become the next leader of her tribe and how she was ambushed. The loss of her wings, her time being sold again and again until she lost her voice and found her way here were written in a concise way without much detail but one did not need many details to understand how she had ended up here.


    "You had it hard." Said Harriet. "You were all the way at the top and then you were thrown all the way down. In your place, I would''ve felt depressed as well."


    <You too were forced to start over.>


    "But I wasn''t at the very top, I was only a step above the lowest. Still, we were more alike than I first thought, our stories are a bit similar."


    <But you weren''t maimed.>


    "Yeah but I can''t cast spells and I am essentially harmless. To be honest, the first couple of days we were here, I was afraid you would attack me in my sleep because you were a cursed-blood. I don''t think so anymore though, now I just think you are adorable. My mother was a songstress too you know? I can''t wait for you to regain your voice and hear you sing. You are not mad at me for being afraid of you, are you?"


    <No, I''m not mad at all.>


    Emp didn''t know what to think about her story. Or more accurately, he knew it was sad, horrible even, but he didn''t know how to react to it. Those were things that had already been done and the only thing he could do about it was to try and fix her wounds.


    He felt it was sad but also, there was nothing to be sad about since everything would be eventually repaired. He could feel her pain and sadness but he had a hard time sharing it. In summary, he did feel bad that she felt bad but since he had never lost something himself, he couldn''t wrap his head around why it was so painful for her.


    He did think however, that what she had written, like the story Harriett told, was valuable to him to learn more about how the world worked around him. What Celtine had written was almost a small book by itself.


    Speaking of books, he was pretty much done with Galana''s books, he still wasn''t the most fluent person in the common tongue but those books could not help him much anymore. He decided to send them back to her like he had said he would.


    He asked around how to send something all the way to red-water and Esther the receptionist told him that he just had to leave everything to her and she would take care of it. All she needed was to know where and to who it was supposed to go. That was very convenient. With his thanks, he gave her the stack of books as well as a letter he had written just for Galana, with enough money included to pay in advance for a return letter in case she wanted to tell him something. With how money was such a problem for her, he didn''t want to burden her with something as small as a letter. It read like this:


    <Dear friend Galana,>


    Nessa had told him that a letter should always start with dear.


    <I managed to reach the school in one piece. I was attacked by a glutonek and some blood-spitters on the way but I was left mostly unarmed.


    I do not want to bother you with everything that happened to me since I got here so I will not talk to you about all the nobles I met and the two branded slaves they gave me when I arrived, Celtine and Harriett. Still, a lot of them are friendly, it seems that not all nobles are as treacherous as the ones you know.


    As you can see with this letter, I sent you back your books, I should be fine without them now. I still can barely understand what people are saying in common but at least I can read and write it just fine.


    If I find any other books that are worthwhile, I may send them to you as well.


    I hope you are doing fine and that your shop is working well.


    Until some other time,


    Emp.


    P.S. I already paid enough for you to send a letter in return if you want but not enough for the books so you will have to pay yourself if you really do not want them.>


    That was everything that happened to Emp in his time with the language class.


    ***


    (1) Mable, no her name isn''t misspelled. I understand it is usually written as Mabel but trust me, You will figure out one day why I spell it like that. If I write it as Mabel, it is a typo, please point it out and I will fix it, thank you.


    (2) Glenda is usually used as a witch''s name. Ours here isn''t a witch. It is a real name, some people in real life are indeed named Glenda and have no magic powers.


    (3) Of course, Magu is about magic, I may explain it a bit more when we reach the magic classes.


    (4) It may seem like I''m foreshadowing High tech shit but I''m not, the book is just too knowledgeable for its own good. Gods don''t need technology to tweak genetics. (although they could use it, it just has nothing to do with our current story, maybe another time.)


    (5) Ornaks are long dead, it doesn''t matter what they are or look like, don''t even try to extract the info out of me.


    (6) We aren''t in some kind of anime here so he will not ask: "Anything?" first thing after hearing that.


    (7) Not in a romantic way, Emp doesn''t get that kind of thing, not yet. What he feels is more like how you grow attached to a dog. Even then, it''s in an unconscious way, he would never be able to put those feelings into words, just like how he doesn''t understand what empathy and sympathy are.


    (8) To be clear, I will still come take a look to make sure everything is going as planned and check out comments but I don''t intend on writing between the 22 and Jan 2 next year. There are too many family things and too many games I''ve had for years and still haven''t even tried.

 44 Huntress leather armor

    While the school Emp passed his time training, lazing around and learning about languages the Emp remaining in the village had his own adventures.


    After the passage of the knights protecting the carriage, many other people started passing through the village again. Apparently, some sort of natural catastrophe had happened on the road between Dark-glint and Starfall and had stopped merchant and travelers alike from passing between the kingdom of Windbow and the kingdom of Artefine. From what the travelers told the villagers, Starfall had almost been destroyed and survived only because the knight''s group happened to pass by at the right time.


    This meant that every settlement on the main trade route between the two kingdom were in a bad shape. Since he had lost many soldiers to the blood-spitter''s attack, the village had to request reinforcement from the capital. They decided to send one of the remaining soldiers as messenger and had him accompany a caravan of merchants to B¨ºt¨¦clair. He had for mission to request reinforcement to be sent to the village and to put an announcement asking for more hunters or workers.


    Such notices were common practice according to Marcellia. It wasn''t rare to see people leaving their villages or the cities they grew in to find a place for themselves in the world. Sometimes, they couldn''t bear to stay close to a tragedy they had lived through, sometimes, a girl couldn''t find love and wandered off to find a husband, sometimes, it was just to find a sense of accomplishment. In those times, they would gather in inns and taverns in large cities and look at notices and announcements posted on large boards like those the death-seekers used. There would always be someone knowing how to read standing nearby, ready to read the notes aloud for those willing to pay a small fee.


    Notes like that usually spoke about the conditions in the village, if there were walls or not, the fields, soldiers, what kind of people were lacking and any other important information. In their case, the village had lost many men in the defense of the village, mostly hunters and this would be what they requested but anyone else was welcome to join. After all, when every village was always lacking in workers, it would be insane to turn someone away just because they were not proficient in the job you requested.


    People took a look at all those notices and went somewhere they thought would be a good living place for themselves, if it wasn''t to their liking, they could always start over again. Like that, some new blood was injected in settlements around the empire and villages rarely were erased from the map, more so when they were situated on a big road like Dark-glint was.


    To go back to those passing through the village, they were mostly merchants carrying goods from one kingdom to another. They would stop a short while in Dark-glint to buy some and sell some before they left for the next town. Sometimes, they brought new villagers with them and Bor, the village head would do his best to help them settle themselves down in this place.


    Emp also saw the group of knights coming back ridding on their big horses toward the howling hills. It seemed like they were done with whatever they went to Artefine for and were now going back home. They had not been away for long so Emp felt really curious about what they were doing but when he asked the book of answers for it, he only got a vague answer.


    <They were escorting a group to their destination.>


    Damned book, never helping out. Since he didn''t really need it, he left the question be for now but this wasn''t the only interesting visitor they got. There were a whole bunch of men and women wearing all kinds of arms and armors that came to hunt. All of them were Death-seekers and most of them were turned away by Bor.


    "What is the difference between a hunter and a death-seeker?" Emp once asked Marcellia. "Didn''t we just send someone to request them to come help? Why are we turning them all away?"


    At the time, his teacher was hammering a large knife into shape. She wiped her forehead with her sleeve to remove the sweat from it and turned her head toward the spot were he usually sat to observe her work.


    She had not let him try forging anything yet, she insisted that he sat close by to watch carefully instead. She wanted him to imprint all the details in his head before trying to teach him involving metals and precious materials. She didn''t have an infinite amount of them to have him practice after all.


    She furrowed her brows at him and pointed with her large hammer.


    "Are ya paying attention at least? How is that at all related to what we are currently working on?"


    "Sorry, I was just curious. Plus, you are just stretching the steel right now, I already saw you do it many times."


    "It''s not because ya already saw that ya can slack off. My boy, what a bad apprentice ya make."


    She wasn''t disappointed in him, she was just a bit angry to be interrupted for something unrelated to what she was trying to teach him. After he apologized profusely and promised to pay better attention from now on, she accepted to answer his question.


    "There are many differences between the two. First of all, hunters go out in the woods looking for food while the death-seekers search for materials, treasure and glory. Sure they can hunt something edible but they will not only go for that, they will attack anything at all. That''s great and all but the village can''t pay for all the crap they bring back from their trips. What''s more, they go kill creatures upon creatures but come back with barely any meat because they were gone so long most of it spoil before it can be treated. Finally, the death-seekers can''t stay in place, they are always moving from place to place as long as they live. What we need is someone reliable to feed the village, not some vagabond who will be gone in a couple of months. Bor will only let them in if they say they aren''t planning on having us buy all the things they bring back."


    Her answer satisfied his curiosity for now and he didn''t think more about hunters and death-seekers until another tragedy occurred. As Emp understood it, it was an all too common occurrence, one of the hunters didn''t come back.


    Hunting was a very common job across the empire because the impressive amount of forest covering it was detrimental to farming and animal husbandry. There wasn''t enough secured space to grow a satisfying amount of fields and very few were willing to spend this valued space on crops to feed animals or simple grass to let them wander. Just making sure they wouldn''t get eaten was a real problem.


    That being the case, The empire as a whole imported large quantities of goods normally obtained from domesticated animals, like wool, cheese and, mostly in Artefine, milk.


    Another effect of the lack of fields was the large amount of hunters that became the base of the empire instead of farmers. On the lake and the coastline, fishermen were more prominent but in Dark-glint, the main diet of the villagers was made of meat collected from the woods and a minimal amount of greenery taken from personal gardens.


    Likewise, the amount of flax grown was minimal and most of the clothing the villager used was made with linen or large bundles of unprocessed flax traded from traveling merchants for skins taken from the forest.


    Contrary to larger cities surrounded by fields and armies to protect them, simple bread was a luxury good here. To sustain the village, a fair amount of hunting was needed and the endless forest surrounding them never seemed to run out of prey to deliver. Of course, it was never running out of predators either.


    Sometimes, someone would go hunting, alone or with a large group, and never come back. Groups usually tried to bring back the corpses but in some cases, it was lost to the wilderness. This was one such case.


    One of the hunters went off one morning and didn''t come back for the night. He had went alone because the rest of his usual group died in the attack. Two days later, Marcellia and Emp were looking towards the village center where his wife was going to every other hunter around to ask if they had news of him. Marcellia had a pained look on her face as she spoke to Emp, still turned towards the wife.


    "We''re making hunting equipment today my boy." She said in common.


    "I thought you wanted to make another batch of nails today." He answered in the noble tongue


    As the only smith in the village, she was often tasked with making everyday tools, pots, nails, and that sort of things.


    "Look at her, we all know Dean isn''t coming back, I know that feel. She will have to do something soon if she wants her kids to live. Vale will come here in less than a week for equipment to go hunt herself, by then, we have to have something to give her."


    "Do we not have some spare equipment?"


    "Na, we used them all to replace the broken ones in the attack."


    "Right, then what are we working on exactly?"


    "Ya, ya''ll be doing leather all day my boy. I still have a lot of cured leather to process and skin to prepare and ya''ll be the one doing it all while I work on a hunting knife."


    Emp made a disappointed face as he was pushed towards the back. He disliked tanning leather, it was dull, repetitive and the smell was terrible. Still, since he was asked, he had no choice but to do it.


    In big towns, all the tanning process was done by a tanner but here in the village, it had to be done by the one that needed it. Most of the time it was Marcellia and she had Emp do it in her stead.


    Maybe he would be rewarded afterward by seeing how she processed the leather into something useful.


    Vale would need an armor to protect her, but anything too heavy would hinder her instead. It was best to make her a leather armor to start as anything able to bite through it would probably kill her whether she wore armor or not. Since it was Marcellia, even simple leather would no doubt become greatly useful.


    They first went to the storage and Marcellia pondered out loud what would be best to use as material.


    "What should we use... not this one, it doesn''t fit her, this one I need for later, this one will end up too stiff for what we need... (1) What is it going to look like at the end? Remember this my boy, this is always the first thing ya need to ask yourself when ya start something, ya can''t just go haphazardly or ya''ll end up with something that wasn''t worth it. Ya have to think about it first and picture the end result in your head. Here, let''s take this, that one and this one too."


    Emp was surprised by what she chose. One of the two she had selected was a skin from an unnameable creature that had been sent to her by her brother.


    "Was this one not really expensive? Is it okay to use it just for a leather armor?"


    "It''s not about what ya use it for my boy, it''s about for who ya use it for." She declared proudly.


    That seemed very reasonable, Vale had five kids to feed after all, she needed to stay healthy for them. But, wasn''t the thing happening outside now often seen?


    "If that was really the case, wouldn''t everyone in the village wear some incredible armor too?"


    Marcelia''s face scrunched up a bit.


    "So ya saw right through me heh? Fine, would ya be more inclined to believe me if I told ya I was suddenly inspired?"


    "That seems more like you yes."


    He didn''t understand the common tongue very well yet but he had heard many times already by many different people how she became when an idea struck her.


    "What does that mean? I have a heart too ya know! It''s just that if I was to cry about every widow, it wouldn''t be long before I ran out of things to sell. Now listen, that one ya''ll just put it up to dry, that one you will harden and the last one, we need for the fur so don''t damage it, keep it clean on that side got it?"


    Emp thought it was both impressive and strange how she was willing to let him take care of that one of a kind skin but not willing to let him hammer a piece of iron. Still, she trusted him and he was pretty sure he would be able to do it just fine.


    "Yes, leave it to me."


    She left Emp alone with his work, only coming back to see how the job was progressing twice throughout the afternoon. The large band of kids came as well to see him but when they saw what he was doing, they all ran elsewhere, not willing to endure the smell.


    Aside from the armor, Emp wondered what would Vale need exactly for tools. She would no doubt need a bow but there where bowyers in every village so Marcellia wouldn''t be the one doing it. Maybe they would need some arrowhead though.


    Many only used simple sharpened wood as the heads of their arrows because the cost was much lower than iron, steel was rarely used by others than knights. He guessed Vale would use the same wooden heads as the rest of the village''s hunters.


    Many hunters equipped themselves like death seekers with swords, shields and anything else they were comfortable using, just in case they ended up becoming prey themselves. For someone like Vale who would just be starting out, a knife would be enough, she wouldn''t dare go too far from the town and most likely, she would join larger groups to be safer. Not doing so would be reckless and pointlessly dangerous.


    In that case, was this really it? A knife and some armor? He was so used to buying a large quantity of random things when going shopping that he felt those two things were a bit lacking. If it had been him, he would have brought along a dozen types of weapon but he guessed that without a bottomless bag, it would be hard to carry it all. She needed to bring back the catch too after all.


    Thinking about this, he finished his work and left it to dry.


    Days later, once the leather was ready to be worked on, Marcellia entered the workshop with Emp and closed the doors to the kids.


    "Come on Marcy! We want to see too!"


    "That''s unfair, I want to be thought too!"


    "At least let Emp out so we can play!"


    "Stop yelling out there or I''ll go kick all your butts! I''ll be working on something now so don''t disturb." Said Marcellia through the door.


    There were a lot of disappointment heard on the other side but they ended up giving up and went away. Now that Emp understood what they were saying most of the time, he had started to think they were a lot of fun as well.


    The guys back in school were almost all very serious, they had a goal and worked hard to achieve it. Here though, even being around the same ages, they were more trying to run away from work. Any and all excuses were good to slip away from the shores they were given and play around.


    Most of them would end up being hunters anyway so they didn''t have that many things to learn. Once they knew, the only thing left for them was to actually do it but for that, they would need Marcellia''s equipment and they wouldn''t get any until they defeated something. Emp was still unsure on whether they were scared of trying, waiting for a good opportunity or just lazy.


    Whatever was truly the case, he was happy to see them often. it was funnier to do the shores Marcellia gave him while listening to all those people around him.


    Now though, things were different. It had not happened yet since he arrived in the village but he had heard many people talk about it. When Marcellia had an idea, she didn''t like to get distracted. She locked herself in the workshop or glared at anyone coming close to the smithy when she worked outside. No one was allowed to disturb her.


    Now though, she had dragged Emp with her. He needed to at least see if he wanted to learn so she had no choice but to bring him in.


    "Sit there and watch carefully. Do not get in the way, do not ask questions and don''t touch anything unless I ask you to. I will tell you all you need to know."


    Emp sat on the bench like he was told and let his eyes wander around the room. The main metalworking station was outside where the huge furnace was but it was often too hot there to work on things and too dangerous to cause a fire. Because of that, when all the smelting and hammering was done, they would usually go into the workshop to finish.


    There were all sorts of tools hanging from the walls here. She was a smith, yes, but not only a smith. She knew a wide range of skills and techniques to let her build almost any sort of equipment and here, she had all the tools she needed to do just that.


    She had prepared a lot of small metal bits in advance, like rivets and eyelets and had placed them all in nearby pots with random bits of creatures collected over the years. She really had a lot of those, spines, bones, scales, feathers in bulk, teeth and fangs of all sizes and a bunch of other unrecognizable things. Everything was placed close by in case she needed them.


    The room was very well lit by close to a dozen lamps hanging and strewn all over the working table. If she was to work in between so many lamps, it would have been easier to work outside, or at least close to a window, but she really didn''t like to be disturbed. Emp had also heard that when she was like that, she would sometimes stay there an entire day and night before noticing she had been there a while so the lamps were quite useful in those cases.


    By the times his eyes had scanned the room once, she had already started working. The only way to describe her work was focused. Her eyes would never leave her project and everything seemed to find its place as if it had been made to be there from the very beginning. From a large roll of dark grey leather and a smaller roll of white fur, it quickly became a complex work of art expending itself across the whole workshop.


    One had to know that her working table was more than large, if it had been a dining table, at least fourteen persons could have been sat around it. Currently, what would become an armor was taking every bit of space on it.


    She would cut pieces and remove excess material, hammer in pieces of metal, stitch other parts together and so on. All throughout the process, she would make small comments explaining why she was doing this instead of that, why use that part instead of this one and how to achieve the best quality and result. It was the first time Emp was seeing something like this so he was listening very carefully to everything that was said and done.


    At some point, he thought she was done when he saw that it finally looked like something a hunter would wear but he was far from the truth. She was only beginning. She transformed the jacket she had made, added arms to it, then gloves, then another layer of shoulder armor, fur to keep the neck warm, padding, fixations, an integrated dagger sheath and even another layer covering the part where the armor was getting tied all together and then even more.


    It took so long that in the middle of it, he suddenly vanished because the other him had recalled him. He came back almost immediately but still lost half a sentence of what she said because she hadn''t even noticed he was gone.


    After a lot of work and time, she finally hung up her tools. They were done. Both of them were starved and very tired but the armor was complete. It now looked really similar to Emp''s usual armor, except that this one seemed a bit darker and less heavy.


    Emp found it was really interesting but also, at that point, he wished nothing more than to go to bed.


    "Hey, my boy, don''t fall asleep yet, I need ya to go get Vale."


    Could it not wait until after they had some sleep and a full belly? She opened the door of the workshop to let the daylight inside, a light from a different day than the one they started working. She asked him a second time while pointing outside.


    "Go on, I want to go sleep too. Ya better not waste my time."


    Emp had no choice but to obey. He groaned as an answer and moved into the village in search of Vale. The sun was high already, it must have been close to midday, no wonder he felt starved. He needed to hurry up and be done with this to earn his break faster. On his way to where Vale lived, he managed to see the mage from far enough to hide behind a house without being spotted. The magician Sophus was annoying, Emp didn''t like him at all.


    This was a rare occurrence, there were not many people Emp could say with confidence that he didn''t like. There was the mouse who was disheartening to think about, Heida who was constantly angry to the point Emp just wanted her to go away and Sophus who was some sort of combination between the other two.


    He always looked at everyone like they were trash, demanded things of everyone like it was natural, insulted people he came upon for no good reason, was unreasonable on everything and with everyone and in general, he didn''t like Emp. Why Sophus disliked Emp was a mystery to him, all he knew is that it all started at the feast just after the blood-spitters attacked.


    He had talked about it with Marcellia once but she just told him to ignore him.


    "I don''t know Why he doesn''t like ya either but he doesn''t like anyone anyway so it doesn''t matter. Don''t ya go pick a fight with him my boy. Ya''ll loose and even if ya were to win, we need him to defend the village so we can''t throw him out. Magicians willing to stay in a small village like here are hard to find."


    So he did like Marcellia said and tried his best to stay away from him.


    If he had crossed the path of Sophus on his way, he was certain he would have had to listen to a long ramble about how undeserving he was to be in the presence of the great magician that he was and that Marcy should just kick him out for his worthlessness.


    Luckily, he just passed him without seeing him and Emp managed to reach Vale''s door without trouble. he knocked on it a couple of time and she called from inside to say she was coming. After a short moment, she opened the door to him and greeted him.


    "Oh, it''s the new guy... Emp. What can I do for you young man?"


    Emp understood the common language now but still had a hard time speaking it because he always had to search for the right word in his head. That was why he usually answered Marcellia in the noble tongue. He had some difficulty to relay what he wanted to Vale.


    "Marcellia, ask, to see... uuhm, you."


    "Marcy wants to see me? When?"


    "Now, waiting in workshop."


    "Alright then, I wanted to talk to her too. I wonder what she needs me for. Wait for me a second will you?"


    She went back inside to tell her kids she was going and joined Emp on his way back to the workshop. They didn''t talk on the way, mostly because it was too taxing on the tired Emp.


    "Marcy?" She called when they got to the workshop. "You wanted something from me?"


    "Vale, yeah, I was waiting for ya to come see me but ya took so long my apprentice and I managed to fill out your order before you even made it."


    "What order, what are we talking about?"


    "Here look, we made that armor for ya." She said proudly as she dragged Vale to the armor.


    When Vale saw it, she was very impressed. She talked about it to Marcellia for a bit, saying how amazing looking it was and listening to what the smith had made into it.


    "I was just about to ask you for a bit of equipment too. I didn''t expect you to do something specifically for me beforehand. I simply love it."


    "Glad ya do, I''m sure it will fit ya well."


    Vale''s fingers slid across the leather of the armor once before turning a serious gaze towards Marcellia.


    "So, does that mean you approve of me joining the hunters?"


    Why would she need the approval of his teacher wondered Emp while trying to keep his eyes open despite his tiredness.


    "Well, yes, he taught ya well after all. What else would ya do instead of going hunting?"


    "I don''t know, the village got a bit unsafe recently with the attack and all. Maybe it would be best if I left to a big town instead. For the kids."


    "To do what?"


    At that point, Emp was just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, barely able to hear what they were saying.


    "I''m sure I could find something else. Something less dangerous."


    "Being a hunter is no easy job, ya''re right. They are risking their lives to feed everyone, you know that well. Ya need resolve to do it. It''s not for the soft hearted. But I don''t think ya are that sort of weak, I think ya would do a great hunter. In the end, ya must do what ya think is for the best but if I was ya, I would go for huntress."


    "Thank you. I think I should at least try, if not, I would feel like Dean tried his best to teach me things for nothing. I would have never planned on asking you for some equipment too if I didn''t intend on trying. I''ll do my best, how much do I owe you?"


    "No need for money, just take it as a gift."


    "Marcy." She said on a complaining tone. "I can''t accept that. Come on, tell me, what is it worth?"


    "I went way overboard with this, there is no way ya can pay. Seriously, just take it, don''t worry about the money."


    Marcellia seemed to be in a similar situation than what he had found himself in with Galana. She didn''t seem to fare any better than him at that time.


    "I can''t Marcy!"


    "But look." Insisted Marcellia. "I made it just for ya, I won''t ever be able to sell that to the regulars. My bro won''t be able to sell it either. I won''t make money out of this any way ya slice it."


    "Marcy..."


    If they continued like that, they would be here all afternoon thought Emp. He couldn''t let that happen, he needed this to be over.


    "How about I pay then." He intervened, keeping his eyes closed.


    "Why would ya do that?"


    "You really want to give her but she can''t pay." He explained. "The only way we''re going to resolve this is if someone else pay for it and I really want to eat and go sleep now. This is taking too long and I want to go."


    Marcellia laughed heartily at his nonsensical reason.


    "Yeah? How are ya going to pay my boy?"


    "What is he saying?" Asked Vale since he had spoken in noble.


    "He said he would pay for it."


    "Whatever is the price of that, I have enough, trust me." (2)


    To prove it he just got a crystal plate out of his bag while yawning. Vale''s eyes almost fell off from the surprise while Marcellia scolded him with a slap on the forehead.


    "Don''t wave that kind of money in the open out of nowhere! You''re going to get yourself in trouble! Still, I knew you had some money because of the equipment you bought from my brother but I didn''t think you had that much left."


    "I told you I got a lot for the woodland horror. So, how much is it?"


    "Fine then, I haven''t calculated how much it''s worth yet, give me a bit of time. Just so ya know, now that I know you have that kind of money, ya can be damn sure I will make ya pay the exact value. Ya''re not getting any kind of discount my boy. Yar taxes as well, I''m not payin for those."


    "That''s fine, as long as we get to eat already."


    "Both of you are crazy." Commented Vale.


    "So, ya taking it or what? My boy here is paying so there''s no reason not to, I''m not loosing anything."


    "Yes, I guess you won''t take no for an answer anyway. Thank you, the both of you. How can I repay you?"


    "We made this because you have kids to take care of so don''t die, they need you." Answered Emp sluggishly in common.


    "He''s right, that would be a huge waste of both the materials and his money so take care of yarself. As long as you live, we''ll be fine. maybe bring us some good meat sometime."


    "Sure, I''ll bring back so much of it you''ll burst from overeating."


    "Haha! That''s the spirit!"


    "Can I go now? I feel like I will fall asleep at the table."


    "By the ancestors Emp, why are ya so rude today? Fine, ya can go now. We''ll need to toughen ya up against fatigue."


    With that, Emp went to find himself something to eat and fell asleep with his face into his plate. The kids all came back and tried to move him but all their attempts failed and he only woke up the next day.


    ***


    (1) Before someone attacks me on this, I do understand that an armor made of leather must be hard and stiff or it''s pointless. She is not referring to the whole thing here but only part of it. In the end, the armor ends up being a mix of rawhide, fur and leather with the largest part being rawhide as it keeps it''s effectiveness longer.


    (2) Trust him, he''s an engineer.


    () As a last side note, I''d like to point out that from what I heard, padded armor was much more common than leather and rawhide because of the availability of material. I''d say both should be about equivalent in terms of protection if made properly. Here, In the Steelwood empire, the lack of linen and the high amount of hunters is a big factor as to why leather is more common but I would wager elsewhere on the continent, quilted armor or gambeson is vastly more used and common.

 45 The right way to conduct oneself

    Emp was sat in the language classroom like usual. The rest of the classes would start tomorrow so this was the last day they would only have language class. Glenda announced that the class was over and relief washed over many of the students. Brenia in particular jumped off her seat and exclaimed loudly.


    "Yes! Finally, it''s over! We''re gonna have some real lessons!"


    She stretched her back with a huge smile, completely ignoring the disapproving glare of the teacher.


    "We are starting with the moral class tomorrow morning." Stated Penny in her usual monotone attitude.


    "What?"


    Brenia''s smile instantly vanished as she collapsed on her desk.


    "Ha come on... Can''t we just learn something useful already? I came here to learn more combat techniques to kill things easier, moral class sounds useless."


    "Why are you so obsessed with killing?" Asked Josseline.


    "What?" Retorted Brenia with her face squashed on the table. "Would you rather kiss monsters to death?"


    "That would also be killing, I''d rather leave all those things to others. All that blood must surely be gross and dirty."


    "Then what happens if you encounter one by bad luck."


    "Huuu... Leave it to my husband?"


    "You don''t have one." Pointed out Gervaise.


    "It can''t be that hard to find one, mother says I''m very pretty."


    "All mothers say that, you are ordinary at best."


    "Ha, look who''s talking!" Called Juniper from the further.


    Gervaise instantly got angry and started arguing with her and Heida who had joined in on the argument for some reason. Meanwhile, Josseline appealed to the guys in class.


    "Alright boys, who''s willing to marry me?"


    Every guy turned their head away. Emp wouldn''t have reacted because he didn''t even think it concerned him at all but Celtine came to his rescued and forcefully turned his head away just in time. Every other girl just looked downward and released a sigh at this tragic scene.


    "Mhu, you guys are no fun at all. I won''t give up! One of you guys will be mine before we all leave this school!"


    She stormed out of the room and a few moments later, Odilon talked as if none of that ever happened.


    "Brenia is right, why does the moral class even exist? Can''t we get some combat training classes already?"


    "I heard it''s a new class." Shared Gytha to be helpful. "It was added just this year. From what I heard, the ancient suddenly decided we needed that and asked the teacher of etiquette to expend her lessons subject to morals and customs as well."


    "But those things are pretty basic no? Who would need that?"


    "Maybe a sheltered high noble who doesn''t know about the world properly." Proposed Aglaya.


    "Or maybe just someone who doesn''t even know that eating in the middle of class is disrespectful."


    Many heads turned towards Emp. He had just felt a bit hungry, how was he supposed to know that it would upset the teacher who would have them all write a long text as punishment.


    They were right though, it was probably because of him that this class even existed, although not for that reason. With that said, there was no way he would admit that the ancient had added this whole class just because Chinui told him he was bad with those kinds of things. He kept his mouth shut and pretended he was unrelated to all this.


    The talks about what kind of subjects would be addressed continued on for a while before the rest of the group separated for the night. In the end, they had no idea what this would all be about. At least, the more physical group left a bit less dispirited thanks to the fact that the afternoon class would be the first general combat class.


    The next day, the group found its way to the moral class along with the rest of the older guys who were allowed to be present once more.


    Emp had brought both Celtine and Harriett with him. If before he brought Celtine along just so she could learn to write, now he brought her simply because she had said she liked to be carried like that. As for Harriett, he felt that it wasn''t right for Harriett to stay alone in their room all day. There couldn''t be that many chores to do, could there? It was much more fun for the three of them if he brought her along once in a while.


    They all gathered in the room and Josseline, before the teacher showed up, walked straight up to the returned guys wearing a short sleeved top leaving her midsection bare and a short skirt.


    "Hey guys, I''m giving out free kisses today! Would anybody like some?"


    All the older guys froze in front of this unexpectedly direct approach while most girls hid behind their arms in embarrassment. Since the guys were shooting puzzled looks at the rest of the group, Emp tugged a bit on Celtines clothes.


    "Hey, Celtine, can you help them?" He whispered.


    He had no clue how to do such a thing but he asked anyway in case she had an idea. He could have asked Harriett as well but she seemed just as confused by the scene as the boys, she wasn''t there the previous day after all.


    "So? Who wants some?" She insisted while Celtine quickly scratched a few large words on her clipboard.


    She raised her message from his shoulder and turned it toward the guys.


    <It''s a trap.> Is what was written on it.


    The look on Ivar''s face was saying it all, "That''s not helping in any way. What''s going on?" Emp agreed but at least Celtine tried her best, he could only shrug in answer.


    "It''s a trap?" Asked Oran out loud.


    Ivar face-palmed again at Oran''s idiocy. With how often he face-palmed, Emp was starting to fear the shape of his hand would be permanently imprinted on his face soon.


    "What do you mean is it a trap? Why would I try to trap my friends? I''m just asking you if you want a kiss Oran."


    She leaned herself onto Oran by putting a hand on his chest.


    "You know, you''re a pretty beefy guy, I''m sure there are many girls aiming to be your wife."


    "Hmm... I don''t know?"


    Sweat formed on his forehead as his eyes darted to his left and right at the other guys, hoping someone would tell him what was going on or what he was supposed to do. Mable stretched herself up to her friend''s ear from the side and asked in a low voice.


    "Laya, this is getting weird, do something."


    "I don''t know what to do though."


    All seemed to lost for Oran, or won maybe, Emp wasn''t sure, when a loud creaking voice came from behind them all.


    "Young miss! What are you trying to do here? You are a dignified noble lady not some lowly Hero fisher!"


    Every heads turned towards the old woman that had just appeared in the doorway. She must have been over sixty, with all her hair grey and her wrinkled face. She stood absolutely straight and wore a large bell shaped dress of a dark-red tint. Her eyebrows were fine and pointed like an arrowhead, helping her cold blue gaze pierce through the soul of everyone present. Either she was angry or she was naturally like that, either weren''t a good thing for them, or Josseline in particular. In her hand, she held a long and sharp cane ending in a ball at the top. She clearly didn''t need it to walk but used it to point straight at Josseline.


    "Everything in your approach is wrong! Do you even know if that man is worth your courting? Your clothing choice is truly distasteful and your posture undignified. Straighten your back and go sit over there right this instant young miss!"


    Compelled by eyes cold enough to freeze a forge furnace. Josseline became as straight as a stick, flew the designated chair in fear and sat down with her hand on her knees.


    "I am not done with you, I''ll go back to you in an instant."


    The old lady turned her gaze to the rest of them and then locked on to Emp. He shivered and instantly guessed what she was about to say. He swiftly gripped the waist of Celtine and put her back down at Harriett''s side to escape a scolding. Sure he liked to have her on his shoulders but he also liked to not be scolded.


    "I am not done with you either young man." She said anyway.


    It seemed he would still get scolded anyway.


    <sorry> Celtine wrote to him.


    He wanted to tell her it wasn''t really her fault but he felt that talking right now would probably be a bad idea.


    "Why is everyone still standing? Am I looking at a bunch of boorish death seekers or young nobles? Everybody stop dawdling and take a seat. Boys on the left and girls on the right."


    Everybody took a seat were they could and what Emp assumed to be the teacher stepped in front of the room. Only the slaves remained standing behind their masters. Once again, Rica seemed distraught to be separated from her lover and the best they could do was sit on either side of the central alley. The teacher cleared her throat with a wispy cough and proceeded to introduce herself.


    "I am countess Giselle Blackbull. I was tasked with the arduous challenge of remaking you into proud and elegant members of our society. My classes, more than those of anyone else, will be the ones you either appreciate the most or the ones you dread the most. I am very conscious of this but I will drill manners into your young heads however much you dislike my teachings or myself.


    The simple truth is that unlike most of the practical skill classes given by this old establishment, mine is the only one you can''t escape. Having no talent in riding, magic or archery can be compensated by other skills but there is no excuse to the bad image you could give yourself, your family or our nation. I will not tolerate any rudeness in this room and punishments will be dealt to those who think that bad demeanor could be overlooked. I will keep you here for as long as it takes for me to make sure that wherever you end up in the future, you will not shame my teachings or this school. Did I make myself understood?"


    After everyone agreed, she followed up.


    "This old lady may seem intimidating to you but I have lived for a long time. My patience for tomfooleries was exhausted many years ago. Threat me with respect and the same will be delivered to you."


    She took a short breath to let her words sink in before following up.


    "Now then, on to the main subjects. You may have noticed that there are many classes which I am in charge of in your schedules. You might as well forget all their names, for me, they can all be classified as ''how to exhibit a decent behavior''. As such, the contents of the classes will be subject to changes and any morals, etiquette, or any other under my rule, might be replaced by what I believe you need the most at the moment. Today, it seems I need to focus on four things, you, you, how to greet someone of a higher rank than you and how to sit properly."


    She finished by pointing Emp, Josseline and then the rest of the class. Before she could explain what she meant, Heida rose from her seat and pointed her finger straight at the old teacher.


    "Are you insinuating that you are higher ranked than me? You''re just a countess!"


    From what Emp understood counts were quite highly ranked, just bellow dukes and those were usually close family to royalty. Did that mean that Heida was at least a duchess?


    "Young miss, first off all, pointing your finger at someone is very inappropriate. Secondly, while in my class, none of your ranks matter. In this small room, I am the teacher, the highest authority. This school exist by the will of the emperor and my task is to guide you. Whoever you might be outside of those wall have no value here. Threatening me with the titles of your parents, be they royals or lowly peasants will have no effect on me. An old lady like me does not fear death, even less so if the treat comes from the mouth of an unmannered youngling."


    Heida made a growl and a pout but still sat back down in frustration instead of braving her piercing gaze any longer.


    "Now that this is settled, it''s time to correct your behavior young poorly dressed lady. What might be your name?"


    "Uhm, Josseline." She hesitated a bit before answering but still complied since it was obvious who the teacher was talking about.


    The old Giselle looked at some papers on her desk and talked again after she found what she was looking for.


    "You are not on the list of people with whom I might have trouble with. What could possibly have compelled you to dress in such a way and try to seduce young Mr. Glavan here?"


    "Why not? He seems strong enough."


    "Is this really the only reason?"


    "Yes...?"


    "It''s because she said she didn''t have to fight anything if her husband was reliable." Intervened Brenia. "Then we pointed out that she didn''t have a husband."


    "I see..." Said Giselle. "You were overeager to fix your problem and thought that any of the boys here would do since they are in this establishment after all. Isn''t that right?"


    Josseline made a small nod.


    "Mother told me to find myself a husband while here."


    "But your methods are wrong and unfit of a lady. What is more, many of the ladies here won''t have your freedom of choice yet you are wasting it. Instead of making a clearheaded decision you just went fishing and tried to reel in whatever was biting. I do not mean to speak badly of Oran Glavan but do you know anything about him?"


    Josseline shook her head in disappointment.


    "Do you know anything about any of the boys present here?"


    She shook her head again.


    "Haste will only lead you to regret, you have a lot to learn on the subject it seems. First of all, never invest your time or feelings in someone who hasn''t got his first kill yet! It is something everyone says but so many still fall for that trap just because the boy who took their heart seems promising. I am speaking from experience.


    My first fiance was chosen by my parents, he was tall and muscled, confident and proud, my young self instantly fell for him. He went on a hunt to gain his first kill two years after we had met. Turns out he didn''t know how to use a sword properly, the blade got stuck between the scales of a rock shredder and he died despite the intervention of his escort.


    I was heartbroken and so much of my youth had been wasted on a relationship that went nowhere. We do not stay young forever, the more you wait to find a husband, the harder it gets, yet, if you are too hasty, you end up losing even more of your time or worse, you end up making a wrong choice you will regret for a long time to come. Not many noble ladies have the power of choice so do not waste it, you need to take your time and pick the best one for yourself, raw strength is not the only quality you need to be looking for."


    "I thought every girl could choose who they wanted, is it reversed for noble and the guys choose instead?" Asked Cyril.


    Emp didn''t understand either and was glad someone asked instead of him.


    "What might be your name young lad?"


    "Cyril Lowfield madam."


    She looked again at her papers and nodded in comprehension.


    "I see you are a lowborn with potential, you are on my list."


    Cyril was the son of a farmer from the north of the kingdom and his whole village came together to pay the entrance fee for him. It was obvious he wouldn''t know about a lot of the customs of nobles.


    "You are correct Mr. Lowfield, ordinary girls all have the power to choose whomever they want. They can present themselves to absolutely anyone from a prince all the way down to a simple slave. All the chosen man as to do is answer yes or no but most nobles don''t work like that.


    When a girl is grown enough, the whole house will come together and decide which other noble houses they would need to strengthen their bonds with. Having relatives across the land can be the deciding factors in both arguments and wars. For a noble lady, a marriage isn''t only for her sake but for the sake of her whole family instead.


    Sometimes, the young lady gets to choose between many young man carefully selected, sometimes, she gets no choice at all and rarely, you get someone like Josseline here who escapes that fate. Did this help your understanding for now?"


    He nodded and the old teacher entered the closing part of her speech to Josseline.


    "Listen, from now on, you will wear descent clothing when coming here, I won''t accept any fad going through the streets of this city. I hope you will listen well to my teachings and learn how to court a man properly as well as choose one with more insight. Just by curiosity, how many girls of noble descent here were told they would get to choose on their own?"


    A few hands raised, Mable, Gytha, Heida and Josseline of course. This wasn''t many at all, not even half of the girls. The rest were either not nobles, like Brenia or didn''t get to choose, like Aglaya apparently. This was surprising to Emp. By the way Chinui had explained it, he felt like it should have been the opposite and more were able to choose than not. Maybe it was just another thing the Muraciers didn''t do like the rest.


    "And of the four of you, how many expect to actually get to choose?"


    Mable and Gytha lowered their hands dejectedly. Heida smiled in triumph as if her raised hand put her above the rest but Josseline seemed to be embarrassed instead to be such a special case.


    "You see now how rare it is to choose for ourselves? I urge you to not waste this opportunity, doing so would gain you the scorn of every woman present here."


    The girl lowered her head in shame.


    "As for the two who lowered their hands, do not be so sad, this old lady as lived for a long time and know many a trick to steer everything towards the path, and the man, you want. I will be teaching you all of this too."


    Now that the topic was closed and some hope returned to the girls, the teacher turned towards her next victim, Emp.


    "You are Emp, am I correct?"


    "Yes." How did she know?


    "You are on my list, in fact, the duke Jasay personally came to tell me that you might as well have been raised by a pack of wolves."


    Many had a hard time to keep in their laughter, Aglaya even had to block Mable''s mouth to stop her from bursting.


    "You are at the very top of my list, you are the one I expect the most trouble from."


    Emp did not think he was that troublesome though.


    "When I came in, you had that girl on your shoulders, I would have scolded you for that but you swiftly put her down."


    He had done the right thing, he would dodge a scolding.


    "That is even worse, this means you knew this was bad manners but you did it anyway!"


    Oh...


    "It might be fine for a children''s game but even a married couple would not walk around like that in public! What is wrong with your head young man?"


    "I just don''t like to have her walk."


    She frowned more deeply waiting for a better explanation.


    "The girl is a winged cursed-blood that lost her wings." Intervened Kenneth "She can''t walk properly on her own."


    "How about a cane then instead of carrying her around like a hoodlum?" She said while waving her own in front of his eyes.


    Emp imagined Celtine with a cane and almost immediately shook his head.


    "How would she speak then?" That and also it looked ridiculous in his head.


    "What does that have to do with speaking?"


    "She is mute as well, if she had a cane in her hands, she wouldn''t be able to write properly."


    Celtine presented her quill and tablet to the teacher and she gave him an appalled look.


    "From just this I can already guess your answer but, she is a slave right? If I was to tell you to get rid of the useless one to buy a more practical one, you would vehemently disagree."


    Celtine hid herself behind Emp to escape her while he answered.


    "Yes, I think I would."


    "I can already tell, you will be the one to drive me insane. I have a lot to say about why what you are doing is inappropriate but I will keep it for after class because I have more things to teach today and I doubt anyone here would do the same as you."


    After that, they had a long morning dedicated on how to sit properly and an introduction to greetings. The others were dismissed for the noon break but Emp was forced to stay in order to learn exactly why carrying Celtine the way he did was wrong. He would have never thought the reasons could be so numerous. He was very glad Celtine was here to write down everything Giselle had said since the start of the class. Remembering it all would be easy.


    "So, in light of all this, what will you do from now on?" Asked the inquisitive teacher.


    "You told me many reasons as to why I should not carry her on my shoulder but you did not bring any alternatives. As long as I haven''t found a way to restore her wings, carrying her on my shoulder remains the best way on a practical standpoint."


    The teacher, Emp and his two slaves all looked blankly at each other for a moment before Giselle grabbed her forehead with her hand and released a long sight while massaging it.


    "I see now why the ancient said that with a big smile. You are a Muracier aren''t you?"


    Emp tried to remain calm despite his surprise because of what the duke had asked of him but his two slaves pretty much sold him out with their overly surprised expressions.


    "There is no way you would be able to speak the noble tongue this fluently if not. No other house would answer all this scolding about social standards by denying it because of something as trivial as practicality. From which one are you then? One of the two brothers, Graube or a lesser branch?"


    "The ancient told me not to talk about the Muraciers." Answered Emp hesitantly.


    The answer seemed to displease the old lady who groaned and gripped her face with both hands as if to escape from his answer.


    "One of the two brothers then, probably the great general himself. I should have known from the start with how much alike you three all look."


    Emp was Impressed, even though this wasn''t really the truth because he had been created by gods, Chinui was the closest thing he would get from a human parent and also who everyone else believed was his father. She was really good at guessing. He was also feeling nervous about the fact that the secret had been exposed so soon, the ancient would probably get very angry.


    Aside from that, it wasn''t the first time someone told him he looked like them or acted like them. Was he that similar? He had not felt this way at all in the time he spent with Chinui. She continued to talk with her eyes closed and her fingers rubbing her temples.


    "Look, if you wanted to keep it secret, your answer was the worst possible one. If someone orders you to not reveal your identity, it can only mean that you have either the highest or the lowest spot. If you were from a far off branch, the ancient wouldn''t be acting that way, this can only mean you are the heir. You will have to come up with a better answer than that next time, rather, I will have to teach you a better answer won''t I? It''s going to be the same all over again.


    I still remember the headaches those two gave me when they were students here. I had to give them both private classes all the time because they refused to listen to anything I had to say. When I finally managed to carve manners into their brains and get them out of my sight I was so glad I wouldn''t have to hear them say all the time that what I was teaching was useless on a battlefield."


    Emp thought it was funny because not only did it sound like Chinui, it also sounded exactly like what Brenia was complaining about the previous day. He tried to comfort her a bit with words. He really did need her help, even though they were in disagreement over Celtine.


    "Your teachings may not be useful on a battlefield but they are in every other situations correct? In that case, I am very willing to listen. He only thought me how to fight and survive alone so there is much I do not know. If you would please help me learn everything, I would be thankful."


    "You say that but you were unwilling to listen just moments ago."


    "Yes, I did disagree but it does not mean I did not listen, Celtine wrote down everything you said as well. Believe me, aside from carrying Celtine like I do, I will try to behave to the best of my knowledge."


    "Well, I have no choice but to teach you so I will. We''ll see if you can keep to your words. In the meantime, I believe I have a word to say to the ancient."


    After that, she told him he could leave for now and once outside of the room, he let Celtine climb back on his shoulders.


    "Master, you told her it''s more practical to carry Celtine like that but master also told the others that it pained you to look at her walk." Harriett said as they were walking.


    Emp waited for her to continue but she didn''t. Since it annoyed him to not know what she meant to say exactly, he was forced to ask.


    "Yes both are true, is there a follow up to that sentence?"


    "I was just wandering if maybe there was another reason. I have been trying my best to find out what you enjoy and what you dislike since I became yours. I''ve been having a hard time finding anything, master just goes along with whatever I cook and never tells if it was better this time or last time, you never make any comments on clothes or colors or the furniture I helped master choose, it''s like anything would do for master."


    Was this the truth? Emp started pondering about it. Things he liked and disliked. There were some obvious things he understood like how he didn''t like feeling pain or liked to win a fight but he had a hard time figuring out if he really liked or disliked anything else. Sure, sometimes he could tell when he didn''t dislike something but did it mean he liked it or just that he didn''t dislike it?


    "How do you know if you like or dislike something?"


    "Master, what sort of question is that?"


    Harriett was taken aback by his question. It was clearly showing on her face that she didn''t understand what he meant. He still thought that his question was pretty clear though.


    "I can see when other people like or dislike things by their smile and frown but how do I know for myself?"


    "Isn''t it supposed to be easier? I am very sorry master, I do not understand what you are having a hard time about. How can we even explain that kind of thing. If it pains you to see Celtine walk for example, should it not be obvious that you dislike it? How would you explain something you like Celtine?"


    Celtine wrote to them <When it warms your heart or you want it to happen often I think.>


    It must have shown on his face that he had a hard time understanding because Harriett did her best to clarify it for him a bit.


    "Master, do you sometimes think you would want to eat more of something, or see someone again soon? Something you look forward to."


    As they went back to his room to change into something appropriate for the training field, they talked more about this and Emp, after much thinking and remembering, managed to understand a bit of what they meant. He still was unsure if this was the right way to go about it but he had managed to make a small list based on their explanation.


    He disliked to eat fish, strange clothes, clothing stores, not understanding something, sleeping for too long and seeing other people hurt. He liked to see others smile, to complete tasks, look at new landscapes and possibly a thick stew with a lot of meat and turnips.


    That seemed like an odd mix, there was probably something wrong with his understanding.


    "Maybe master just appreciate human contact." Harriett offered as an answer.


    How was he to know for sure? Maybe he did like and disliked more things but he didn''t notice.


    They had been immersed in that discussion for so long that when he left with Celtine for the next class, he had forgotten what they were talking about in the first place. Harriett stayed behind to do some shores and the subject was buried.

 46 The strongest student and self magic

    Emp lacked the time to eat between the two classes but still managed to join up with the rest before the first combat class started.


    Everyone else got to the training field long before him and everyone wore appropriate clothes for the occasion. They had all been warned beforehand to bring out all the equipment they possessed for the combat class, both armors and weapons.


    Most of them wore light armor, some had no armor at all like Cyril and a rare few wore expensive looking armors, like Frits who wore the bulky and thorny armor associated with his family name and Norval who wore a dazzling suit of small rune-engraved steel plates.


    On this rare occasion, Rica wasn''t hiding in Frits arms since all the pointy bits of his armor where preventing her from doing so. Instead, she was hanging out shyly with most of the girls who stood in the grass. Aside from Brenia, most of them didn''t have armors. Gytha had a leather suit lined with thick fur and Heida had a shirt of jeweled scale armor but that was it. The rest came in appropriate clothing and had their servants carry their fencing swords and bows for them.


    Since Emp was wearing his own armor, his face was hidden behind his helmet but the rest easily recognized him because of Celtine on his shoulders. When he got close to the group the rest welcomed him like usual.


    "Hey, Emp! So the old miss Blackbull finally let you go? I was wondering if you would show up for this class." Said Kenneth with a smile.


    He was wearing a simple breastplate and arm-guards like most of the other.


    "I did not have the time to eat dinner though." Answered Emp, a bit disappointed.


    "You forgot your weapon too." Said Ivar. "You''re going to get yourself in trouble again."


    "I did not forget my weapons, I just keep them in the bag."


    "Yeah, what''s up with that ugly thing, you always carry it around."


    "It''s a bottomless bag."


    "Oh, how unexpected of you to posses such a tool!" Odilon butted in.


    While they were talking about the bag, the group of girls started a discussion of their own, prompted by the innocent question of Nessa.


    "I wonder how strong everyone is. Who do you think is strongest in our group? Brenia?"


    "Maybe." Said Aglaya. "She is a renowned hunter after all but I believe some of the older boys may be stronger, they were here for five years already."


    "I think Oran is a sure bet." Said Josseline, as if to justify her actions of that morning.


    "I''d go with Frits instead, that guy has Rica as a fiance, that means he got a kill already right? He seems confident in his armor." (1) Analysed Juniper, with Rica nodding her ascent with both her hands held together close to her heart.


    Gytha had a different opinion as well.


    "I would say sir Longhorn. He doesn''t seem that strong at first but every other boys seems to follow him readily, he must have some hidden strength."


    "But being the apparent center of a group doesn''t mean he controls it, maybe Ivar just has a talent to keep people together. Who do you think is strongest Mable?" Asked Aglaya as she brought her friend into her embrace once more.


    Mable struggled a bit to free herself and tried to put up a dignified front for the others before she answered.


    "I don''t know for the strength of the rest but I would say Emp has a pretty good chance himself."


    "That''s true, he doesn''t talk that much but he does have a blessing and at least one kill under his belt." Nodded Aglaya.


    "But his armor is a bit... barbaric. If I didn''t know who was under, I would think he was a beast instead." Frowned Nessa.


    "A beast that carries a beast, how fitting." Sneered Gervaise, joining in from the side.


    "He told us his kill was entirely because he was lucky as well, did he not? His armor may be scary but its got nothing to do with his power. He only needs money for that and believe me, a woodland horror is worth a lot." Observed Juniper.


    "I won''t change my mind." Said Mable while crossing her arms.


    "Sure, I think he may have a chance but why are you so certain?" Inquired her friend.


    "I saw something amazing the other day, those two were there too." She said, pointing at her two servants standing behind her.


    They both nodded energetically while she followed her sentence.


    "I don''t know if he is the best warrior or not, but in terms of strength alone, I believe he can squish everyone else here."


    "Squish?" Aglaya repeated before laughing out loud.


    Mable laughed in a good mood as well. The girls continued to talk merrily about who they thought would be the strongest but they weren''t the only ones to wonder about that. The current group C could be divided in three, those who genuinely wanted to train, Emp was in that group, those who didn''t want to be there, Penny, George and Rica were among those, and finally, those who wanted to know how strong their fellow students were already, either to compare with themselves or just by curiosity. The third group was the most numerous.


    "Do you guys know how the class will go? I can''t wait to show you all how amazing I am." Asked Odilon.


    "The trainer is called Winfred." Answered Ivar, ignoring his boastful remark. "Last time, he started by evaluating the physical abilities of everyone, I guess he will do the same again."


    "How does it work?" Asked Brenia, suddenly in the middle of the group of boys. Emp hadn''t noticed yet but apparently, she came armed with a large axe. "Will he have us all fight against each other?"


    "No, not for now at least. He will start by-"


    "Hi people, I am Winfred the master of arms here, everyone pay attention!"


    A large muscled guy showed up and clasped his hands loudly to gather the attention of everyone, cutting short Ivar''s explanation. Emp wondered why every teacher had to show up by interrupting something. They were so good at it too, they had to be doing it on purpose.


    He wore an armor that obviously belonged to a knight but not the helmet that usually went with it. Instead, he wore around his head a band of green cloth to keep sweat out of his eyes. He had a large shin, a similarly wide mouth and a loud booming voice to go with it.


    "Let''s go straight to the point, my job is to make sure that all of you are physically healthy, that all of you get stronger and to teach you how to survive in a combat situation, either against a beast or a human.


    I can already see that some of you are way more enthusiastic about this than others. I know many of you girls will say this class is pointless, especially for noble daughters, there are always knights and soldiers protecting them, what is the point of learning to fight for themselves? I often hear them ask. The answer is obvious, sometimes, things don''t go your way. You may find yourself alone in a dangerous situation at some point in your life and at that moment, you will be glad I was there to force you to improve yourselves."


    Winfred talked fast but clearly, he was obviously eager to get to the meat of things. He didn''t even leave them some time to understand what he had said before he clapped powerfully again.


    "Alright then, today, I want you all to show me what you''re made of. I will have you all do some exercises one by one to test your limits, show me your best and from it, I will prepare a suitable training for each one of you. Oran, you first since I already know you, show them how it''s done."


    After that, he had them all do a long series of different exercises to test their speed, agility and strength. He had brought many weights with him, fully used the long training field to have them run around, had them stretch and test their flexibility, had them show him their weapons and armors, the techniques they knew and anything else that would help him understand their strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the whole afternoon, he made a lot of comment to everybody.


    "Small girl, you run fast and you are super flexible but you have no stamina at all, we''ll work on that." He said to Mable


    "You, I get that you are here for magic and aren''t interested in my class but how do you expect to carry all those weird spell materials around if you can''t even lift those small weights?" He told Penny


    "You are a complete mess, you have no leg muscles, no stamina, and can''t even bend forward properly." He complained to Odilon.


    "Frits, you are as slow as ever, I told you this many times already but wearing that bulky armor doesn''t make it alright to run at the pace of a slug, what are you going to do if you come across something your armor can''t defend against? Even plate armors don''t slow people down significantly, what is that thing even made of?" (2)


    "You, young miss, you are amazing, one can tell you trained a lot already, what is your name?"


    "Brenia." She answered him casually.


    "Brenia, you seem well rounded and your strength is higher than the rest of the girls. If you were any of those noble girls, I would give you a pass but I can tell you are aiming for more. It''s still lacking if you want to be a true warrior. Your technique is also poor, in fact, you have none, and your coordination isn''t the greatest, we will work on those."


    She wasn''t angry to hear that at all, instead, she was eager to start.


    Then came the turn of Emp, of course, he had a lot to say about him.


    "You, where is your weapon and by the ancestors, why are you carrying your servant on your shoulders?"


    "Well, I always carry her like that. For the weapon, I didn''t know which one to bring so I brought them all." Emp started to get every weapon out of the bag as he named them, dropping them on the ground in front of him one by one.


    "I have that spear, a bow, those swords, a bunch of shields, this magic long sword, this magic rapier, Flame and Ray and the thunder-chew hammer."


    The hammer made a loud thud as it crushed the grass underneath it.


    "What in the sands? You''re like a walking armory!" Exclaimed Juniper.


    "Hey hey Emp, my friend, I see you got four magic swords, would you like to share one with me?"


    Odilon started to move forward but Kenneth stopped him with a choke hold. Mable laughed at the confused reaction the rest of the girls showed. She herself didn''t know Emp had all those weapons on him but since she had declared he would be the strongest, this worked in her favor. There was still something she wondered though.


    "Didn''t you have a big black one too?"


    "Yeah, I do but it''s too heavy, I can''t use it as a weapon." Answered Emp honestly as he got the Great overburdening hammer out of his bag.


    The large black and red hammer fell downward the moment it appeared out of the bag and sank in the dirt below the grass, displacing the ground to accommodate it''s ridiculous weight. Rica made a step backward in front of its weight while almost everyone else looked at it in amazement. Mable laughed loudly and pointed at it.


    "See? I''m sure that thing can squish anyone."


    "By the green sea and it''s ancestors, what kind of weapon is that?" Asked Cyril in an impressed voice.


    "It''s the one I used to kill the woodland horror."


    "It doesn''t matter. If you can''t use it, it''s pointless to get it out." Said the teacher before asking him to store it away.


    He then asked further about Celtine and ended up telling him to keep her on his shoulder for the tests.


    "She is always up there right? In that case, if you were to take a walk in the woods, it is likely she would be there as well if you fell in an ambush. Fights often starts when you don''t expect them and I doubt you would have the time to get her down if you were in danger. Unless you are willing to sacrifice her at the first sign of trouble, I suggest training with her there. It will get you both used to it."


    Emp agreed, if he didn''t practice with her and he was stuck again in a fight with her on his shoulders, it would hinder the movements of his arms and his head. Maybe the teacher would have some counsels to offer him and even if not, he was bound to find some tricks of his own with enough practice.


    Winfred proceeded to check how Emp wielded each of the weapons using a dummy and came to the conclusion Chinui had predicted long before.


    "You know the basic imperial swords stance, that''s good, you are also well versed in the basic movements but don''t know any of the advanced. You don''t have the best form but you are far from the worst of the new students."


    Emp was truly eager to learn some new moves. This was a thing he understood easily, unlike how the other people thought, the movements were easy to comprehend and replicate. He wondered if the teacher had a hammer technique to teach. He probably should, he was a master of arms after all, he should have mastered the use of all arms no?


    While the teacher was examining the techniques of some other students, Brenia came to him and his mountain of weapons. Celtine recoiled like often when Brenia got close but she didn''t mind it and examined his hammer from closer.


    "So this came from a thunder-chew? It''s really big. Because of the tooth it''s way larger than a normal war hammer."


    "It is really heavy as well."


    She extended her hand towards the handle and looked towards him.


    "Can I?"


    "Sure."


    Emp didn''t see how it could ever bother him so he let her try to wield it.


    "Ohhh, It really is heavy." She commented as she lifted it from the ground with great difficulty. "You''re stronger than I thought, I would never be able to use that in a fight. Can you imagine the jaw strength of the thunder-chew itself, raising a hundred of those to open its mouth?"


    "That''s true, I didn''t think of that before." Their strength must have been ridiculous. "I wonder what they look like, how does one fight that kind of beast?" Emp pondered out loud.


    "I didn''t see any either but I heard one once. Back in the village I grew up in, we heard one smack its teeth together once. The sound was so loud every baby started to cry and part of the nearby hill broke apart and rolled down into the forest."


    The sound alone broke part of a hill? Emp had heard before that the sound was powerful but he didn''t expect it to be that strong.


    "I wonder how they killed one in the first place. If it can break down a hill just by closing its mouth, how does one get close enough to attack it?"


    "I have no idea." She answered while giving him back the hammer. "But I hope that I get to learn something here and become strong enough to defeat one, that would be great."


    She seemed to have big hopes for her future. Emp wondered why she wanted to become strong so much.


    "They use magic to silence it." Penny chimed in. "There is no way anyone would survive that otherwise. Your eardrums would burst and your internal organs would liquefy from the sound blast alone. it must have been some mage that used a spell to silence it from a safer distance before they fought."


    Penny couldn''t be any more uninterested by the combat class but she seemed to like the current subject of conversation.


    "A true warrior wouldn''t need any fancy magic to triumph." Denied Brenia.


    "If you want to die than yes, you don''t need someone who wields real powers."


    "Real power? How about my axe into their heads for a real power?"


    "I believe you are both wrong." Tried to mediate Emp before either of the girls could go any further. "I have not seen that many fights but I did see guardsmen take on an entire sizzle of blood-spitters. They had a mage to protect them from the acid, without him, they would have all died but the mage alone would not have survived either. I believe you need to use everything you have at your disposal to win, you need to be flexible in your tactics."


    Chinui told him something like that once so he believed it would help out. The two girls both glared at him. Was it not a great advice?


    "I refuse to believe a true mage could have died to the likes of a blood-spitter nor that there is something that magic couldn''t do."


    "I also think you''re talking out of your ass, if those soldiers had been properly trained, they would have dispatched those cats easily, there was no need for the likes of a mage to intervene."


    Since he did not understand why they were both angry, he just gave up.


    "Since neither of you are going to change your mind, I feel like it would be pointless to talk about this further. I will go prepare for the next test instead."


    The other two surprisingly agreed to disagree and the class continued.


    Following that, Emp outperformed everyone else in the speed test. Because of the blessing he had, he could move great distance without making any real efforts. His true movement speed was not the greatest but when it came to evaluate the time it took him to move from a point to another, he was faster than anyone. Even the teacher was at a loss and said that at this point, he was moving faster than a horse ever could.


    Heida complained it was cheating but the teacher denied it saying a blessing wasn''t technically magic and couldn''t be turned off. From what he described, very few were able to subdue their own blessings and not use them because it became so deeply ingrained in them that they couldn''t comprehend what was normal for the rest of the world.


    Emp could easily understand that, even knowing it was because of what Space gave him, he had a hard time understanding why it took so much time for everyone to move those small distances. They all made runs of a hundred steps even though it was clearly a gap of a mere few steps. Even by walking he could reach the other end of the field before those running.


    What was even more confusing to him was Celtine''s perception of his movements. She described it as flying at full speed but without the wind slamming against her face. He felt like he was moving normally whilst she felt like they were going really fast.


    As for the raw strength, Emp was far from the strongest. Everyone in the older group knew a strength reinforcement self-magic and thus, managed to lift a lot more than him. The only exception was Frits who couldn''t exert that much strength because the armor he wore was already ridiculously heavy and combined with heavy weights, stopped him from doing anything.


    After all the older boys, Emp was strongest by being just a bit weaker than them, followed by Brenia who didn''t use any magic and than the ten years old Norval who knew some self-magic like the older boys. The weakest were Mable who was too small, Penny who was just weak and then Zoran Glowstorm who was even smaller than Mable but somewhat stronger.


    While doing the strength tests, Emp learned something new. Apparently, he knew some self-magic too. The teacher said that, with the thickness of his arms, the self-magic Emp used must have been quite powerful. He answered that he wasn''t using any and after talking a bit with Winfred, he managed to understand what was happening.


    As he had learned from Chinui, self-magic was a type of magic that used the strength of the caster himself as energy to fuel the magic. With it, you could become a lot stronger or faster for a while but afterwards, you would have to pay the price. The exact effects and compensations varied greatly depending on the technique and the one using it but it was always the same principle.


    Here, in the school, Winfred taught all of his students official Steelwood imperial self-magics on strength, speed, visual acuity and voice amplification. If the students knew one or more of their own, they were free to practice in their use as well, many nobles came in knowing a magic passed down in their family like Norval.


    In the case of the magic Winfred taught, the strength of the user would be increased by half their original strength at the cost of burning twice as much energy for as long as it was in use. It wasn''t the best technique there was but it was much better than nothing for those who didn''t know any strength related self-magic. The mouse for example, would certainly have won his fight against him if he had known that basic self-magic.


    As for what Emp understood, his overburdening hammer was apparently a form of very advanced self-magic. At every use, the hammer would raise his strength by a bit permanently at the cost of depleting his energy completely, causing hunger and tiring the body. The hammer was doing all the work but it was still a form of self-magic since the price was still paid by himself. This meant that the strength he always used wasn''t his real strength at all but an augmented one instead and that if he truly trained his muscles, the effects may be many times stronger.


    He wished Strength had told him this from the beginning but thinking about it, a man like him was probably training all day long anyway. He may have felt it was natural to train as well as use the hammer and it didn''t cross his mind to tell him. Maybe his other treasures had their own secrets as well.


    Of course, even after he understood all this, he kept it all to himself. If he was to tell everyone he knew a powerful strength self-magic that required no training in its use at all, everyone would turn blue from envy. Maybe nothing would happen and he worried over nothing but he felt it wouldn''t be kind of him to tell everyone such an easy way existed if he was the only one that could use it.


    As for the tests, he had to explain to Winfred that he couldn''t turn it off as it was a permanent effect making him by default the strongest in the group if no one used magic. This also made Mable partially right because he was indeed, in a way, the strongest in the class. The rest wouldn''t accept this as her victory though.


    It took almost the whole afternoon for Winfred to test everyone in every possible way. In the end, since no one was made to fight against the others or the teacher, it was really hard for the interested students to determine who was the best. Many had the question hanging from their lips as they listened to the last things the teacher had to say.


    "Next time, we''ll all start training for good. I will better your bodies and have you all shaped up like statues. I''ll have a training plan for each of you and I will organize spars between you all and sometimes myself in order to train your battle senses. Someone needs to remind me to tell you all what is the best way to win a fight next time."


    "Can''t you just tell us now?" Asked Brenia, a bit confused.


    "No, I feel like it will start a debate and I''m done with you all for today." He said flatly.


    "But teacher! Who''s/"


    "Call me Winfred."


    "Uh... Winfred, who''s the strongest of us all? We''re all curious." Asked Odilon.


    "Not you, that''s for sure. let''s see, the strongest... In theory it would be Frits I think."


    Rica made a beaming smile hearing the teacher but he went back on his words immediately.


    "It''d be him but with that armor he refuses to take off, he would die in any situation in which he would need to retreat. Not only that but he can''t dodge, if someone throw out a spell like a ball of fire at him, he''s going to cook inside unable to escape, the smoke alone can probably kill him."


    Rica made a sad face and the teacher followed.


    "If we are referring to the survival rate of a fight instead of the raw ability, than Ivar has a better chance, but he knows my first lesson so well, I feel like his chances would diminish greatly without a proper path to retreat. It''s definitely not Oran either, he has the highest physical strength of you all but he can''t read the flow of a battle properly, he''d die in a surprise attack before the fight even began or even to a stray arrow.


    I believe with what I saw today that Nicolas Bluepeak is the better out of you all. He might not win a duel against any of the other three but on a battlefield, he would be well rounded enough to survive the others. I''d take ten Nicolas over a hundred Frits or a thousand Ivar."


    Nicolas seemed happy to hear that but Heida couldn''t help but bring him back down.


    "Don''t smile like that, he''s saying you''re average and that''s why you win. Winning because the others have huge flaws doesn''t make you best, it just makes you not worse."


    Emp did not know the qualities of Heida yet but if one things was sure it''s that she had a real talent to make Nicolas miserable, if anyone could call that a talent.


    "But what about Emp then?" Asked Mable, intent on winning her meaningless wager.


    "As he is now, he is carrying unnecessary burdens and he doesn''t have true techniques. His speed would probably let him survive almost any fight as long as he knows when to retreat but I don''t know him enough to be sure. As for a battlefield, the girl on his shoulder just makes him a giant target, I''d hope he would drop her before a planned battle but like before, I do not know him. I believe he could win against many untrained people at once but in a fight on equal terms with any of the other four, he would lose. Well, maybe not against Ivar, it might be pretty even."


    Mable made a disappointed pout and someone whispered in the back.


    "Did anyone vote for Nicolas? Who won the cake then?"


    Had they really bet a cake on who was strongest? No one seemed to have voted for the poor Nicolas and so the cake remained un-won and uneaten.


    Afterwards, Winfred wished them all goodnight and everyone went back to their rooms. The morning had been pretty tiring for him but the afternoon just flew by as if nothing happened at all. Emp sat at his table and ate the meal prepared by Harriett while he thought of the next day. The next class was to be an introduction to magic, Emp wondered what it would be like. Up until now, he knew what to expect but magic he had no idea what it would be like.


    He wasn''t nervous though, this was just another thing he needed to learn. It supposedly was much harder than the rest to learn but since he had to do it, it was pointless to worry about if he could or could not do it. However difficult it would be, he would still do his best and eventually learn it all like Sage had asked of him.


    ***


    On Self-magic,


    many things are important to know in order to understand both its value and its problems. First of all, it is true that humanity would benefit greatly if everyone knew how to use self-magic. It is already the most widespread form of magic in the world and many efforts have been deployed in the past to bring it to as many people as possible.


    The reason as to why not every citizen of the empire knows how to use it is simply the lack of time and talent. Like any skills and disciplines, self-magic is honed with time and require a lot of training and efforts to simply be able to cast its simplest of forms.


    In order to use descent self-magic, a person needs to devote a long time to it and that is often impossible with those living in villages or stuck doing laborious works to earn a living.


    The other detrimental point of self-magic is that just like any other form of magic, its misuse could result in deadly consequences for the user. Most of those who would not need such magic on a day to day basis choose to ignore its benefits for the fear of said consequences.


    To understand how its misuse could be so tragic, one needs to understand its workings.


    Like any other form of magic, self-magic isn''t free, it comes at a cost. Where traditional magicians sacrifice components and ingredients to make a spell work, self-magic requires the sacrifice of a part of the caster or his energy. The spells most spread across the Steelwood empire barely require the user to spend more energy than they would have but some are far more costly and even those smaller tricks can end up deadly if one does not understand the price they have to pay clearly.


    Before delving into complex self-magic, let''s take a deeper look into the simple and often overlooked price to pay for the simple imperial strength augmenting self-magic or SISA.


    A good user who knows how to pace himself and regulate the magic properly will have to spend twice the energy they would for as long as the spell is active. Lifting a rock would tax your body as if you had lifted two in succession. In exchange, the maximum power you can output would be one and half time as big as you would be able to normally. This seems like a fair deal at first glance, one would think that eating a bigger supper afterwards would make up for the energy lost but would it really?


    The human body works on a very fragile balance that have left scholars across the world perplexed for centuries. Messing with this balance is far more dangerous than one would think.


    In our case, many things you do unconsciously takes up small amounts of energy. Walking, breathing, even your beating heart must take its energy somewhere and as long as the spell is in effect, all of those are using twice as much as well. Using such power for a small amount of time is fine but using it for hours on end could very well kill you.


    Supposing that one would be using the spell because they actually need it for something, we can assume they are doing some form of hard work, or even battling, the situation can quickly worsen. The human body uses the food you eat to fuel you but after a while of consuming it at double the rate, it starts to consume itself to sustain the effort. It will first melt the fat and when all of it is gone, it will melt your very flesh to turn it into power. The worst part is that the user won''t feel any more tired than they normally would. By the time they feel their muscles burning, it is often too late to escape long lasting damage.


    Yes, such a thing would normally take days of starvation to occur but ten hours of battling under the effect of the spell will take its toll whether you notice it or not.


    Rarely does one die from such a thing but there are many ways to kill oneself using self-magic. There were more than one account of someone who crushed himself to death with an object far too heavy for them because they lost the focus required to hold the spell up at a critical moment.


    More often than the last two, a fool tries to combine multiple self-magic at once because he has the focus and talent to hold them all up at once. If spending double the energy is already taxing, spending the double of that is very ill advised and holding a third one for a total of eight times the consumption of energy will deal tremendous damage to yourself unless you are as fat as a bear.


    As for the less common self-magic spells, there are as many as there are trees in the forest with effects ranging from extending one''s lifespan to hardening their skins to resist the claws of smaller beasts or withstand the heat of a steel furnace. The costs to pay too vary wildly from almost forgettable things to outrageous, some being outright banned across the empire.


    If the cost of hardening the skin is the loss of a few layers of it and extending your lifespan requires the sacrifice of a limb in exchange of a few years, some things are far worse than apparent physical losses.


    As prime example, there was once a spell that would let you live through death blows for a small time in exchange for a part of your soul. Very few ever used it to survive a fatal blow. Either you did to take down as many foes with you as possible or to seek a healer in that small window of grace but as you would expect, afterwards, they were never the same again.


    The way to cast such a spell was erased from any and all books on the matter after the emperor Peublier Grandbois lost the love he had for his first wife and three sons as the price of surviving the jaws of a great-fanged mudbeast.


    A soul cannot be mended, if part of it is lost, it is gone for good. Who knows what effect a broken soul will have on your current life, or the next?


    Some debated that even if the price is so high, the choice of using it or not should have been left to the individuals but in the face of the possibility of crippling the forest and its people forever, the emperor made the decision.


    "The citizens may have the right to destroy themselves if they wish but I now know from experience. Every future versions of me, be it if I am reborn as a protector, a puny rabbit or a proud warrior, will despair and loath the current me for what I did because I can feel, I know! Part of me is missing, for now and for the rest of eternity. You do not seem to truly understand the extent of what I lost. I know I did love them once but I now fail to see why. I understand that I should be loving them but I can''t. It is not merely my love for them that was lost but rather the part of me that made it so I loved them, don''t you understand? Moments or even years more spent in this life will never be worth the sacrifice made and if one thing only can be retained from my rule it should be this, never cede your soul for anything, never give away what makes yourself you. I would rather destroy all mentions of this spell than running the risk of someone making the same mistake as I ever again."


    ---Magics of the empire, on the dangers of Self-magic.


    ***


    (1) Fiance. Did you know that the word is the exact same in French? It means the same as well, the only difference is that it takes an accent: "fianc¨¦". I''m pretty sure it''s just a French word you all decided to use, more so since half of you all write it with the accent. The pronunciation is almost the same as well. In English, I believe, it sounds like fi-han-c¨¦ with an emphasis on the N. In French, it''s fian-c¨¦ with no emphasis on the N. Does it matter? Not at all, I just felt like talking a bit.


    (2) By that, Winfred and me just mean to say that someone wearing armor shouldn''t be slowed down by it or have his movement limited in any significant way by it or no one would ever wear them for war. If the armor is more annoying and clunky than helpful, it''s not worth it.

 47 Cake and magic

    Today was the day Emp was supposed to learn more about magic. All he knew about it was what Chinui had taught him before which wasn''t anything clear. More like an overview of what it was than a lesson on magic itself. He was curious as to what magic was really like.


    That morning, he was woken up by Celtine hitting him on the head with her writing board.


    "Good morning Celtine" He said once he was fully awakened. "What are we doing today?"


    He had recently taken the habit of letting Celtine Remember what he had to do in his stead, partly because it was hard to remember all he had to do while living two lives at once and partly because he had not yet found anything practical for her to do.


    Most of Emp''s problems were about things he didn''t know, like how to act with other people for example. For those things, Celtine was often just as useless as he was since her tribe, as she called it, seemed to work completely differently than how people comported themselves here. Aside from that, Harriett didn''t seem to need any sort of help at all. It was obvious by the way she moved and stormed through her tasks that she had mastered her work long ago. Celtine, with her difficulty to walk, was more of a nuisance than anything. She had been thought how to do everything properly by now and was better at all the cleaning and cooking than Emp but her slow speed was exasperating for her colleague.


    With all of that said, the only use he had found her for now was to remember things in his stead and take notes for him like she did the previous day in the moral class. She took that task very seriously and was a very fast writer. They had only just started and she had already accumulated a good stack of notes for him.


    <You have to attend the introduction to magic class this morning and this afternoon, while the others have another language class, you have been requested for a private lesson with Giselle.>


    "The morals teacher? Already?"


    <Yes, a servant came by earlier to transmit the message. Also, you haven''t taken care of Harriett''s earrings yet.>


    That was right, he still had not found the time to take care of that yet. He put the thought of the private lesson aside and asked for Celtine''s counsels.


    "Should I just ask Juniper for some more? She is already getting some jewelry for you after all."


    <You should not.> She wrote with a very serious expression.


    "Why not? Do either of you dislike glass?"


    <That is not it.> She wrote really quickly. <Harriett knows about the deal you previously made with miss Juniper. If you just get more of the same it will make it look like you don''t really care about her. You do care about her right?>


    "Of course I care about Harriett."


    Emp had no idea such a thing could be true. He just thought that any would do since she had said so herself. Celtine made a resolute nod once in her strange serious way and wrote some more.


    <You need to present her with something that reflects just how much you care for her. It will be a much more impressive present if you take more time for it, even if it ends up cheaper than what miss Juniper could sell you.>


    "Don''t people like more expensive things?" Emp was confused, what was the point of all those extremely expensive things if the normal ones were just as good?


    Celtine shook her head before answering.


    <You have to match the gift with her. Do not gift a bone necklace to a flower person my mother often says. You have to know what she likes or what she is and gift her something matching or the gift is meaningless. It''s just like how the feather you gave me is way more precious than anything else you could have bought me because it is a way to give me a temporary voice.>


    This made sense, if he was brought to a clothing store as a reward he wouldn''t be that happy, but then, how was he to find the best earring for her? Things had suddenly gotten much more complicated than he had first thought.


    He thought about it really hard and came to the very simple conclusion that he didn''t know anything about her. He had lived with her for months now and still didn''t know a thing about her. He knew she liked the color magenta and sponge cakes but that wasn''t helpful. The only reason he knew about the sponge cake at all was because she looked intently at one through the window of a bakery the last time they went shopping.


    He should have known more about her by now, was this normal? He now understood better what Harriett meant when she complained about not knowing his tastes, this was irritating. He had to do something to correct this situation and learn more about the two girls, no, everyone around him. But how?


    "Do you know what she likes?"


    He chose to ask Celtine directly only to be answered by a shrug. It was true after all that she spent most of her own time with him and that not long ago, she only worked on her writing in her free time. How troublesome.


    Then, there was only one thing he could do, ask Harriett herself exactly what she wanted. Before he had the time to exit the bedroom to do so, Celtine threw herself in the way. She had guessed what he was about to do and quickly wrote him something in order to stop him.


    <You can''t just ask her!>


    "Why not? This seems like the easiest way to get an answer."


    <If you do it like that, you will just write down everything she answers you in a mental list like you do for everything the teachers tell you. You will not know her then, you just know the list, you would fail at truly understanding her.>


    Celtine seemed to know a lot more about this subject than himself, she seemed adamant on it as well. He decided to hear her counsel and sat back down on the bed to hear her out. He tapped his left side to signal her to sit down as well and asked her what he should do instead.


    "How do I do it then?"


    She took the time to sit properly to have a more comfortable writing position and wrote down what she believed he should do.


    <You are like the wind, things happen around you but nothing ever touch you. You just flow through and around it all, oblivious to anything including yourself. Focused only on the way you are going. You just need to stop for a moment and truly open your eyes and ears to the things happening around you, listen with your heart.>


    He was used to stop walking to admire things but.


    "Is this even possible?"


    Emp could see things when they were obvious but understanding everything about someone from just that seemed out of his reach by the length of a mountain. What''s more, hearts couldn''t listen, they didn''t have ears of their own, or at least, he believed they didn''t.


    <I know you can because you can feel compassion. You have a lot of empathy, share in their feelings and then you will understand who they are. All you have to do is talk with her like you usually do but instead of hearing her words, you need to focus on the meaning behind them. Words themselves have no power, they change with who you are speaking to, only the meaning they hide matters.>


    Emp would have never expected her to be so knowledgeable in that kind of thing. Was it a bit like how Chinui could tell when someone was lying? Her advice was worth a try. He didn''t know how exactly he was supposed to hear the meaning behind the words but he supposed that like with anything else, he only had to practice.


    "Alright, from now on, I will tell you what I think about what others tell me and you will have to tell me If I am right or wrong to help me figure out how it''s done."


    <I will gladly help.>


    She made a giant smile as she showed him her answer. That was easy to understand, she was happy to help.


    "Thank you for your advice let us go get breakfast."


    When he did something good, Marcy rewarded him with a slap in the back but he felt like this reward wasn''t very appropriate for his wounded slave. Instead, he just rose from the bed and put on proper clothes while Celtine left for the kitchen at her usual slow pace.


    While eating his breakfast, he wanted to try and learn something about Harriett but couldn''t find anything to tell her aside that he liked the breakfast she made. There were just no conversation subject that came to his mind outside of what he actually wanted to know.


    "I am very happy master liked the breakfast I made." She answered with a smile and a small curtsy.


    He knew she would appreciate him saying that already since she had complained about that very thing just the other day. That wasn''t the right way to go, maybe he would find something to talk about later, she just had to be there.


    "I would like you to come to the private lesson with me and Celtine this afternoon."


    There, he would surely be able to find something, if he had not thought about anything else beforehand.


    "Very well, if master wishes for it I will make sure to be ready by then."


    Afterwards, he left with Celtine on his shoulders for the magic class. On his way, he asked her what to talk about in case she had another idea.


    "To listen to the meaning behind her words, I have to make her talk. What should I have her talk about? How do people choose topics of conversation?"


    Usually, it was always other people that started conversations with him, unless he wanted something specific, he wouldn''t know what to say.


    She dangled the board in front of his eyes to let him see the answer.


    <Normally, you would just talk about something that interests you or that you know will interest the other person. I like to talk about songs for example.>


    Ah... so they were back again to what he liked and what he didn''t like. This whole thing was becoming more challenging by the second. Soon, he feared he would consider it as arduous as his fight with the gluttonek. Thinking about it, he still had not dismantled the snake creature, he should probably do that soon.


    <You could also just talk about what crosses your mind at the moment. It doesn''t have to be a good subject, as long as you start something, the conversation should naturally evolve on its own.>


    Thinking about what she said, it was true that often, when he talked with people, conversation often took some strange turns.


    "I will try that next time." He agreed.


    Shortly after, he came across Mable in a corridor, or rather, caught up with her in an instant because of his impossible strides. She was accompanied by her two servants like usual, wore a pale blue dress and her hair were tied in a way as complex as always. She heard him approach and waved her hand at him with a smile. It wasn''t often they came across each other in a corridor, even though they went the same way.


    "Good morning Emp."


    Wasn''t this the perfect chance to practice what Celtine just told him? He decided to try. He joined up with her group and raised his hand as well.


    "Hi Mable, good morning to you as well. Do you feel sad about not winning that cake?"


    "No, not really. I would have been more disappointed if it had been a strawberry cake."


    "What kind of cake was it then?" He asked, a bit curious.


    "Apple cake."


    "Do you not like apples?"


    "I do, but I like strawberries way more."


    "I see."


    "I would have been super angry at you if it had been strawberries."


    Why angry at him specifically? He didn''t really have anything to do with this. Did she like that flavor that much?


    "I will do my best so that next time you win the strawberries cake." He answered just to not contradict her.


    "You better be! Every last one of those cakes should be mine."


    "Are they your favorites?"


    "They are, there is nothing better than strawberries flavored cake."


    "Why are they your favorites?"


    "I don''t know, do I need a reason to like strawberries?"


    "Do you not?" Emp felt like there should be a reason for it. having no explanation for it felt empty.


    Thinking about it, why did he like to stop and watch the landscape? He couldn''t pinpoint the reason. After the awkward pause it took him to think about it he decided to ask her.


    "What makes it better than an apple cake?"


    "Everything! The taste, the texture, the strawberries themselves! You just can''t compare it to an apple cake!" She explained with a puff.


    Were tastes really just like that? This couldn''t possibly be true could it? If it was so superior to the apple cake, no one would eat those. Since the applecake was most definitely the favorite cake of someone else, there couldn''t be such a wide gap between the two. He started to think about what made it''s texture better but was immediately brought back to the talk by the small fist of Celtine and Mable''s question.


    "What''s yours?"


    "My what?"


    "Your favorite cake of course!"


    "I never ate a cake before."


    Cake weren''t that common, you could only find them in big cities and they cost a lot because of all the ingredients that were hard to acquire. He could have paid for one of course but there was no real reason to do it.


    "What!!"


    Mable stopped dead in her track and turned around to grip the front of his clothes.


    "That can''t be! This is a tragedy! How come you never ate cake before?" She yelled in astonishment.


    "I do not know, there just never was the right occasion I suppose."


    Why was she reacting so strongly?


    "That''s it then! I cannot let this injustice be! I will prepare a cake party, I mean, a tea party that just so happens to have many different cakes and I will invite you to taste them all!"


    Emp had no idea how to answer that but she seemed really excited about it.


    "If you do invite me, I guess I will have to come." He stated in a neutral way.


    "Of course you will, and then I will get to eat all the cake I want! I mean, you will get to taste all kinds of cakes! If you do that, I will forgive you for not being the best in the class."


    What did this have to do with being the best in the class?


    "I thought you did not mind not winning the cake."


    "I said ''not really'', not ''not at all''. Listen, I need you to get stronger than the others and win me that cake."


    "I thought you said you did not like apple cake? Besides, can''t you just vote for Nicolas next time to win?"


    "No and no! You don''t get it at all, it''s like you aren''t listening to what I''m saying! I said I like strawberry best not that I don''t like apple cake. Also, we don''t know what kind of cake it will be next time. And also also, I can''t vote for Nicolas now, I already said you were the strongest, I''m committed now, I need you to win because if I change now I will look like someone who just sides for whoever is currently the biggest tree and no one will take me seriously anymore. (1) So I need you to eat a cake."


    After that, she spun around and started walking again with her arms crossed. Emp wondered if she meant to say that she needed him so she could eat some cake or if she meant that she needed him to eat a cake himself. He followed behind her and confirmed he would do his best once more. More because he had promised Strength than for the cake.


    "I will do all I can to become the strongest."


    "Great! Although you kinda where the strongest already. I still don''t get how you can lift that thing. Say, did you ever use that hammer on someone? Did it make squish?"


    "No, I only used it on monsters. It made a sound more like the thud it does when it falls unto grass or a wet scrunch when the bones broke."


    "Ew, I think I didn''t want to know, I changed my mind." She said but still laughed loudly afterwards.


    Soon after that, they reached the place where the magic lesson would take place. It was a similar room to the others he had seen before but this one had a lot more space in it. All the tables were extremely wide and were all made of stone along with the benches. The room itself was made like a set of giant steps going downwards before going back up to form a stage at the bottom.


    Mable ran up to her friend and got pulled into a hug before she could even place a word. While she struggled to get free like usual, Emp found a place to sit down with the guys


    "Mable!" Aglaya said to the girl prisoner of her arms. "You were late, I was getting scared something might have happened to you."


    "The class hasn''t started yet, I''m not late at all." She denied. "I was talking with Emp on the way."


    "Hoho, so that''s why." She said with a corner of her mouth raising.


    "It is, listen, that guy never ate cake before! We have to fix this!"


    "Is that true?" She asked skeptical.


    "It is." He answered from further in the room. "I have never tasted a cake before."


    "See? And so, I decided to organise a party. A party with all kinds of cakes to let him taste them."


    Aglaya made a knowing smile.


    "Isn''t it just because you want an excuse to eat cake? You little rascal."


    "It is! I mean, no, not at all!"


    There was a bit of silence where the other girls were trying to stifle their urge to laugh before Mable decided to go through with her idea anyway.


    "There will be cake and tea and I will invite everyone. You don''t have to come if you don''t want cake Aglaya, I will understand and eat your part. I don''t need you to organise a party."


    "Aw, I didn''t mean it like that. Of course I will help."


    "Great, then who''s coming?"


    They all exchanged glances and words for a bit and an invitation list was swiftly made. At the surprise of Emp, no boys other than him were coming. It seemed like Zoran wanted to accept but the other guys prevented it by surrounding him like a heard of keradon protecting their young. They all kept throwing gaze of pity at Emp, was there, again, something he didn''t understand in this thing?


    As for the girls, there would apparently be Aglaya, Gytha and Nessa who were pretty much with Mable all the time anyway, Josseline, Juniper, Gervaise and Heida.


    In total it wasn''t even half of the group. Emp was wondering if no one liked cake as Kenneth put a hand on his shoulder freed of Celtine who now sat at his side and said with an apologetic tone.


    "If you survive this, we''ll do a proper feast to make you feel better."


    What was happening?


    On this, the teacher showed up. It was an old man with a short white beard to go with his neatly arranged white hair. He stood straight up in a dignified way and wore wide green mage clothes with obviously filled pockets covering almost every inch of it. He also wore a large shoulder bag, a thick cloak and a bunch of weird objects dangling from his belt. He was obviously not as old as the ancient or Countess Blackbull but wasn''t that far off either.


    "You kids can all sit down wherever you please if you haven''t already." He said casually as he walked down the steps towards the stage.


    Celtine shivered at his side when she saw him and shrunk herself to be as hidden behind Emp as possible.


    "What is it?" Emp asked her while everyone sat down with Penny in the very first row.


    <I don''t like human magicians.> She scratched on a paper.


    Emp guessed that made sense, most of the bad things that happened in her life were due to mages. But, mages couldn''t be all bad, he wondered what kind of person that one was. Should he try to reassure her a bit?


    "You do not have to worry so much, you have nothing left to lose aside from either of our lives."


    That didn''t seem to help her mood at all and just caused her to hide further behind him. He just meant to say that there was nothing he could do to hurt her though.


    The teacher stopped in front of the class, stood in the middle of a bunch of engravings Emp hadn''t noticed earlier on the floor and presented himself casually to the group.


    "Hi, my name is Heinrich, I''m an imperial mage from the elder circle of Thronewoods. (2) I have to teach you all as much as possible about magic and we only have a few years to do it so let''s start immediately. First of all, aside from the faces I know of course, I''d like to know who in this room knows some magic already. Aside from self magic I mean."


    There was no answer, apparently, no one knew any magic, not even Penny. Since no one raised a hand, Heinrich followed his speech.


    "That isn''t unusual, most of the time, parents won''t bother hiring a mage to teach their kids if they intend on sending them to this school, it is far too expensive for an uncertain result after all.


    Here is how we will proceed then, I will tell you all the basic on how magic works and afterwards, I will test you one by one to know if you have an affinity for a type of magic.


    The older students are free to study on their own for now, practice like usual while I teach the basics to the new arrivals. First of all, is there anyone here that doesn''t know the difference between the three types of magic?"


    Once more, no one raised their hands. Even Emp had been taught that by Chinui, someone knowing less than him would have been surprising.


    "Then can someone tell me what is the difference?"


    Penny immediately raised her hand and the teacher designated her to answer.


    "Self-magic is a type of magic that let the user change his own self while mind magic change the world around the user. Soul magic let the world change the user or the user change the world using himself rather than the world''s energies like mind magic would do."


    She seemed confident in her answer and it was indeed very similar to what Chinui had told him. The teacher partially agreed.


    "This is indeed a correct answer but not a full one. The difference is all in the magu. Does anyone in the new students know what the magu is?"


    Emp had heard this word before when he asked the book about the cursed blood but he had no idea what it was. Once again Penny was the one to answer.


    "The magu is a type of energy, no one knows where it came from but it is infused in everything living or otherwise." (3)


    "Once more, a good but incomplete answer, you are a very knowledgeable young miss. I love enthusiastic students like you."


    She did seem enthusiastic, it was the first time Emp saw her like that since he had met her. She had a brilliant smile and an eager look. He could easily tell, she liked the subject. If only it was always that easy to understand.


    "The magu is something that is indeed a type of energy in its natural state but can take many other form as well. Magu has always been here just like air, we do not know where neither came from but life wouldn''t exist if one of those two went missing. It resides in all things and outside of them too, there is some magu even in the air you breathe.


    Magu isn''t a living thing, it doesn''t have a will of its own but has a strong reaction to voices and thoughts. This brings us back to the three types of magic.


    First of all, the self-magic. The magu residing inside of you all isn''t a foreign substance invading your body, it is part of you from the moment you are born. Using your focused thoughts and sometimes voice, you can force your own magu to reshape or strengthen part of yourself. The problem is, magu cannot be both a substance and a form of energy at the same time, when giving shape to your desires, it needs to borrow power from elsewhere to fuel itself and this is why using self-magic is draining for your body and mind.


    People are born with a varying quantity of magu inside of them, the vast majority of the time, a minimal amount. That quantity is very hard to modify since its existence is linked to your very being not unlike your soul. Cursed-bloods are different from humans as they are always born with a vast amount of internal magu. It is often from it that they gain the extraordinary abilities proper to their individual races.


    Like this, Vaelians are born with so much magu that they can swim in the air as if it was water and Fwans have eyes almost entirely made of solid magu, letting them see what no one else can. There is almost always a direct correlation between how strong a race or a monster is and how much magu is contained within its form."


    Emp was most interested by that last part since this was were the book of answer disagreed with everyone else. The teacher claimed that Cursed-blood and monsters were born with a larger amount of magu in them while the book was saying that they were cursed-bloods ''because'' they were born with too much magu. They were completely opposed while still resulting in the same thing. He wondered if there was a way to prove one of the two things while the teacher continued.


    "Self magic is rather easy to use since the magu that is part of yourself is already attuned to you. It is easy to have yourself obey, it is only a question of self discipline. But, interacting with the magu outside is another kind of problem entirely.


    This is what I have been tasked to teach you, starting today with a basic explanation on what magu is and how it is used. To cast a spell, very simply put, you have to convince the magu to obey your command. Knowing it is very reactive to sound and thoughts, it was found early in human history that the best way to impose our will on it would be this but it is far more complex than that.


    Many barriers are set in the way of those who would like to control the blood of the world."


    Emp was paying careful attention to what he was saying just like he always did but not everyone were the same as him. Celtine, still carefully hidden behind him, was furiously writing down what he was saying while Penny was only noting down a few words but most of the others weren''t so diligent. The older boys were all absorbed in heavy looking old books and the newer students were listening to various degrees with Brenia being the worst, she seemed to have fallen asleep on her desk. It was her servants instead that paid attention and tried their best to write down what they thought Brenia might need later. The teacher didn''t mind at all and plowed through regardless of if they paid any attention or not.


    "First of all, you need to understand that magu isn''t the same everywhere. The magu inside you isn''t the same as the magu of your mother like the magu floating in the air isn''t the same as the one sleeping in the rock or dancing in the fire. To have it do the thing you want it to do, you need to speak to the correct variant of it. Even more frustrating, like every human is different, every rock and blade of grass has its own history and so does their magu. Yes, your request must be directed at a specific type of it but if you are too specific and get something wrong, you could fail to reach your intended target.


    This is why humans have divided magic in many categories long ago. Someone talented in having fire obey his will might not be able to move water well at all. This is not a question of talent nor is it a question of potential. Talent in magic can''t be tested and changes throughout one''s life. As for the potential, yes you might be closer to a type of magu but even having no affinity for any known magic at all, one can still become a powerful mage with enough studies.


    The reason why mages almost always specialize themselves in a certain type of magic is because the ways to use it is always entirely different than for any other type even if it works the same. I would compare it to trying to speak to people coming from across the whole world. Yes, we all use words but the words are different for each of them. Your speech might not be understood by all of them if by any at all."


    That was a way of saying it that Emp could relate to.


    "Casting a spell designed to lift a rock into the air is worlds apart from covering yourself in a cloak of flames. Not only that but even understanding that, a new wall arises in front of a mage, the language used. Those who have heard a mage cast a spell before will understand what I mean, you never hear a mage chant a spell in our everyday tongue do you? Magu only answers to a very limited set of languages. We do not understand why that is but it only answers to the language of creation, the language of the elements and the ancient forgotten common that was taught to the human race by the gods.


    The last one is the one almost every mage uses because words of the elements are very hard to form with a human tongue and the words of the creation are both too powerful, almost impossible to discover and infinitely hard to understand for a human mind. I will come back to the ancient forgotten and it''s intricacies another day because for now, there are still more walls a mage must circumvent in order to make magic work.


    Now that you have the language and the proper way to express yourself to your target. There are still a few problems. You still need to control the direction, pay the cost and control your mind. Here are the steps for a successful casting of a spell.


    First, you must know what you are doing of course. Then, picture the intended effect in your mind, this is more important than any non-spellcaster would think, if your mind wanders away, so will your magic. As I said already, magu is strongly influenced by thoughts.


    Then, prepare the offering. It should be obvious for most of you but magic always has a cost. The cost has no value aside from the one humans have attributed to it. Magu doesn''t work like us, it doesn''t care if the vase you are offering is a million times more expensive than the other one. Although not concerned by the cost, whether it be small or ridiculously expensive, it is always very specific to the task and the kind of magu you are talking to. As an example, I have here a small piece of coal."


    The teacher put a hand in one of his front pockets and got a small piece of coal out of it. He presented it to the class, held at the tip of his fingers.


    "This came from the earth, its only purpose is to be burnt. When ignited, it can burn for a long time and the heat produced is astounding, there is a reason why it is used to make steel. This piece of coal is a good offering if you want to cast a fire spell but not for any and all kind of fire spell. I could cast any spell related to fire with it but the magu contained within would change how the spell would happen. Yes, throwing a ball a fire using this would work but it would be slow and unwieldy, a spoonful of oil is better for that. Instead, making a cloak of fire would be much more efficient with this, because of the coal, it will burn for a long time without too much focus.


    More often than not, this price to pay will be consumed as fuel by the spell and rarely, it will be the conduit through which the spell will act. Sometimes, more than one of those sacrifices must be spent on a single spell, the more complex the thing you want to do is, the more you have to pay to achieve the desired effect.


    Once the ingredients are prepared, you need to guide the magu from two or more different points. You need to guide the magu you want to act towards your target, sent the magu in the offering to assist and sometimes, make sure that the target''s magu won''t interfere too badly with your intent. For example, throwing a ball of fire is relatively easy. You need to call the fire to your hand, let it consume the offering and then throw it at your target. Depending on the spell, it can get much more complicated than that, from a simple gripping and throwing motion, you end up having to draw complex imagery with your hands all the while chanting the phrases which will trigger the magu into following your guiding gestures.


    If you did everything correctly, said the right words with the right gestures, paid the right cost and your mind stayed focused the whole time than the spell should work as intended."


    This seemed rather complicated. If it was so hard, how could a magician remember all those things at once? If they had all those pockets, it probably meant they had offerings in all of them and knew spells for each. How were they doing it?


    "Now, it is true that the best of mages can and will find shortcuts through it all using their deep understanding but such a thing may take you decades to achieve. Except!" He said vehemently as he pointed the ground bellow him, the giant circle of runes.


    "Runes. This is where every mages starts unless they are gifted in spellcasting. The runes don''t do anything on themselves, they are just writings in the forgotten language. The point of them is that with the proper additional cost, you can omit the gestures and imbue the spell directly into them. Once the spell is inside, the magu follow the lines and keep doing what you tasked it with without having you to keep it in mind all the time. Depending on how the person made the runes was thinking and how he wrote it all, the effect can stay for a very long time, activate or deactivate themselves with a word and many more complex things.


    Almost everything is possible with magic but all of them are full of risks and with this , I will ask you with all the seriousness in the world to never attempt to cast magic without my presence until I tell you that you are ready to do so.


    Even grand masters can make mistakes and none of you should look down on the power contained in the magu that surrounds you."


    Emp had a hard time believing in the power of something he couldn''t see. Still, he could understand that it wasn''t because he couldn''t see it that it wasn''t there, like his very own parents who were probably watching him somehow or the meaning behind the words of others. The teacher came up with a story to illustrate what he meant.


    "There was once a renowned mage specialized in lightning magic. He painted runes all over his body in an attempt to bypass the long casting time of his favorite spell. After he was done, he discovered that every time he closed his eyes or even blinked, arcs of lightning would shoot out of his eyelids and jump at anything standing in front of him. Unable to live like that, he finally chose to erase part of the runes by ripping off some skin on his arm and in an explosion of light and thunder, he was blown to bits.


    This is an extreme example but anything could happen if any part of a spell is wrong. There is two lessons to remember from his fate. First, never write runes on your own body, ever. Second, no one should ever attempt to make anything new unless they have an extremely deep understanding of what they are doing. You must absolutely follow the paths already there because it is surrounded by miles-wide lakes made of the blood of mages of the olden days who experimented new things so that you could safely walk the safest path.


    Now, this is all I wanted you to understand for today. I still have to go through each of you one by one to know if you have an affinity for any type of magic."


    Already? Emp felt like he had not learned a lot. At least, nothing practical.


    "But what about soul magic?" Asked Penny curiously.


    "Sadly, I do not know how it works. Only a handful of people know how and none resides in our empire. It was guessed by many savant mages that the soul mages most probably use their own internal magu as fuel for their spells but no one who''s not in on the secret found a way to survive the loss of their internal magu as of yet."


    She nodded in understanding, seemingly not too disappointed. She probably didn''t expect a good answer to begin with.


    Afterwards, The teacher had everyone go out of the room and come back in one at a time to be tested. He didn''t want the rest of the class to know the affinities of the others because it often resulted in teasing even thought it didn''t mean anything in terms of potential or talent. If they wanted to tell the result to the others, he didn''t mind at all but the test itself still had to be made privately.


    The lecture had been quite short for a whole class but apparently, the testing of magu affinity took a lot of time for each students and they all had to wait for a long time for their turn.


    His own turn came just after George''s turn. He just called his name and pointed the door as he left. Like usual, George was very talkative. Emp went back in with a nervous Celtine and walked all the way down to the circle of engraved runes.


    The circle was very interesting to look at for Emp, none of it seemed symmetrical, not even its overall shape was perfectly round, it was more like an oval. All of it had been dug out of the stone floor, carved unto it''s surface to form the magic runes he didn''t understand. He wondered if they were the same kind of runes Marcy would use on her armors.


    Celtine stopped anxiously just below the stage while Emp joined up with the mage.


    "You, if I am correct, are Emp." He said with a gesture inviting him to step in the center of the circle.


    "Yes, you are correct."


    "Emp Muracier, son of Chinui Muracier."


    Emp was very surprised he knew but the mage disregarded his surprise and just continued to say what he wanted as he prepared a new set of component for him. It was an array of differently colored powders spread in a large amount of clay pots. Around him on the circle, he could still see some leftover powder from the previous students.


    "Your father had an affinity with dark magu and his brother with light magu. Sadly, neither had any talent in magic. They only managed to remember the most basics of spells. I wonder if you inherited your father''s affinity."


    Emp had doubts about that. If he inherited any affinity at all, it would probably be from his four creators.


    "Does it happen often?" He still asked, putting aside the matter of how he knew is name for now.


    "Yes, very often. Kids are often similar to their parents in their personality. Once the spell is cast, powder will float out of those jars and hover around you, the color corresponds to the type of magu they represent. Novices often makes the mistake of linking the colors with an element that doesn''t exist. Magu is never from an element itself, it just lives inside of it, only it''s preferences change.


    Still, we separate them in types according to those preferences. Of course, I cannot test you for every single type of magu that exists, only the most commons. The result are usually matching with the personality of the one tested we found out. Calm as water, lively as the wind, fiery... as a fire? I can''t remember how it goes. Anyway, it doesn''t matter."


    When he finished speaking, there were a total of twelve jars surrounding Emp, neatly placed in their own small circles.


    "Alright, do you have any questions?"


    "Do I have to do something?"


    "Not at all, let the magic do its work and enjoy the show. Try not to breath in too much powder."


    Emp nodded in understanding and waited for the spell to take effect. With practiced movements, Heinrich called forth the magu and with wide gestures of his arms, threw the powder into the air. He didn''t even have to touch any of the jars, all the powder just flew out on its own to follow his gestures and blinded everyone present under the cloud it made. Emp had to close his eyes and stop breathing in order to not choke in it. Aside from that, he did not feel any wind despite how it seemed to have carried the dust towards him and the dust itself wasn''t annoying in the least and didn''t slam into him despite its speed.


    Shortly after, most of it fell back down lifelessly to the ground and his shoulders, letting Emp open his eyes again. Some of it was swirling around Emp, orbiting around his body at seemingly random angles. There were three streams of powder, there was streak of white powder zigzagging around him, a full circle of brown powder turning around his waist lazily and some deep blue flowing around his shoulders gently.


    "What an unexpected result." Commented the mage as he looked at the powders. "Look, not only do you have three strong affinity but if you look closely around you, you''ll see that many other colors don''t know what to do with you. It is as if they want to get closer but are rebuked somehow and are now just floating above ground on their own, unwilling to go back but unable to go forward either. This is the first time I see this."


    Emp found it was true, he had been so focused on the most obvious that he had not noticed the powder still hanging in the air around him. It was like part of the original cloud refused to just fall like it should. In it, red and green made the bulk of it but there was also some pink, teal yellow and silver.


    Heinrich fixed his gaze on the cloud of smoke for a while


    "Disregarding that strange phenomenon, you seem to have an affinity for earth, water and light. Earth is common among the Muraciers as is metal but somehow, you didn''t inherit the dark of your father. Maybe your mother had too strong of a light element?"


    The powder all started to fall back down and the streams around him quickly fell apart while the mage finished his sentence.


    "I don''t know what affinity my mother possessed." Emp answered.


    How was he supposed to know the magu affinity of Love herself. Maybe there was an elemental love? Was it the pink powder?


    The mage shrugged and fetched many books from the bag he wore. Apparently, it was some sort of magic bag because there was no way that many books could fit in it. He chose six different books he then placed in Emp''s hands. He then pointed each of them one by one and told him what they were.


    A book of basics he gave to everyone, a book about earth magic, a book about water magic, about light, about green or plant magic and finally one about fire magic.


    "Plant and fire were the most prominent in the cloud so it might get useful for you later." He explained. "I will go through the book of basics with you and the others soon. The other books we will study in time as well. You can read any or all of them but I will remind you to not attempt anything written in them on your own. Did I make myself clear?"


    "Yes." Agreed Emp simply.


    "Good." He said with a smile and a light tap on his shoulder. "Aside from that, those books are yours now, I would suggest writing down your name in them, some take a lot of value when they belonged to someone well known or someone who went on to become a master in spellcraft."


    "Why does it become more valuable?" Asked Emp, puzzled.


    "Some can get very excited owning a book that a well known figure used to learn with. It''s as simple as that. Aside from all that, if you want books on any other types of magic, you will have to buy them on your own. I warn you, that kind of book is worth a lot."


    Emp nodded in ascent and The teacher sent him out to call for the next student.


    "We are done for the day young man but before you leave, let me remind you that those affinities are indicative of nothing, it''s only to make it easier for me to find out what you will be able to learn more easily, were to start if you will. How far you go in the endless pursuit of magic will be entirely up to you, the time and the efforts you put into it."


    Well, that had been interesting. He put all those new books into his bag and left with Celtine. Once outside of the class, he told Mable it was her turn and left towards his own room.


    He felt like he had learned a lot but also, that he had learned nothing useful. He wished to open one of those books right now to see what kind of things were in there but he did not have the time.


    There was food to be had and then, a private class. He still needed to go over the discussions he had earlier with Celtine to see what he was supposed to understand in them. A long day still awaited him.


    Also, he had forgot about how he knew is name. He probably should tell madam Blackbull this afternoon before anything too strange happened.


    ***


    (1) There are many expression about the biggest tree in the Steelwood empire. Whoever is the biggest tree is the one in the limelight. Here, siding for the biggest tree is a saying meaning you have no opinion of your own and you are just siding for the obvious winner. There are many others like hiding behind the biggest tree.


    (2) The circle will probably change, I don''t mean it like a mage circle at all, I just mean it like a group but the elder group sounds dumb. I don''t even mean elder as older than the rest, I just mean elder as in they have way more experience in this than the others. Name will change in the future, I just don''t know yet what it will be.


    (3) Here it is, magic is all about Midi-chlorian like in starwars. XD It''s not, it was a joke because of the way she said that.


    (4) 8 thousand words that chapter! Damn, it wasn''t my intention to dump all that info on magic in one go but it happened anyway. I just made exposition the chapter again! I feel so bad, I need a large poutine.

 48 Eating cake is a serious affair

    As Emp was on his way back from the first magic class, he decided to talk with Celtine. He wanted to know her opinion about what Mable had told him.


    "How did I do with Mable earlier?"


    <Badly. She was right, you weren''t listening at all.> The dangling board holding her writings said.


    "I was though..."


    Emp was a bit dispirited that his best effort went in vain.


    <She had to explain it all to you a second time.>


    "How was I supposed to understand all that?"


    <I don''t know how to explain it to you, I did easily. The hardest part was to understand why she wanted you to get stronger.>


    "Isn''t it just to get more cake?"


    <Obviously not. Although she does have a fascination on cakes, she seemed to want something else. I don''t know what it was though because I don''t know how the human tribes work.>


    "I don''t either. Also, it''s an empire not a tribe."


    <Is there a difference?>


    "I am sure there are many. I just don''t know what your tribe is like."


    They talked about the differences of the two while he was walking but he reached his room before they could get deep into the subject. He unlocked the door and Harriett greeted them inside as if she had been waiting at the door all along.


    "Welcome back master! Welcome back Celtine. You weren''t gone for long. May I ask how it went?"


    She was just as friendly as usual, it always made Emp smile a little.


    "I think it went well. The class was short because he had to test us all on our magic affinities."


    Celtine wrote a complement to his answer and showed it to Harriett. Since the board was turned the wrong way, Emp couldn''t see what was written. With Harriett''s answer, it was nonetheless easy to guess.


    "As expected of master, so many magic affinities! You must be the person who has the most of them in the whole school!" She said just before a barely audible laugh of pride she hid behind her hand.


    No wonder the teacher was testing them one by one if even Harriett was reacting like that.


    "Let''s not talk about it too much to others. We don''t know how they fared yet."


    "Understood master." She answered seriously.


    Celtine ripped away the paper where she had just written the result and she gave it to Harriett who disposed of it in the fireplace.


    "Why burn it?"


    <It wouldn''t do to let your secrets be revealed because I carelessly left them written on papers laying around. Better to burn it immediately.> The board answered.


    How diligent, It was great how both of the girls thought about those things and did their best to go along with his wishes.


    "Thank you for your concern, both of you."


    He placed Celtine on her chair as she was writing something again.


    <More importantly,> She wrote to Harriett, <Master Emp got invited to both a tea party and a feast.>


    "Master did?"


    Harriett seemed nervous about it but kept silent, she was hesitant to voice her concerns. Emp decided to leave the two at that for now and go train instead while he waited for dinner. It was true he was a bit curious about why she seemed so nervous but it was probably just because she expected him to do something the others would consider crazy again. It was for the best to let her think about it for a while or he would lose all the time he had to train on more of the morals lessons he would get in the afternoon anyway.


    He went into the small empty room and did a bunch of exercises he almost never did. His current goal was to train without the hammer to see if there would be an improvement. With that being the case, he didn''t have anything to train with for now and just did as many push-ups and sit-ups as he could.


    When He came back later to eat, the both of them had a grave air to them.


    "Huh... What happened while I was gone?"


    Maybe they had received some message while he was in the other room?


    Harriett took a deep breath before she answered.


    "Celtine and me talked about how to help master through the tea party and we came to the conclusion that we can''t, we are sorry master."


    Was it really just that?


    "Is that tea party that special? We are just gathering to eat some cake are we not?"


    "Master does not understand, tea parties are something only noble women do, neither of us knows what will happen there. I heard those are verbal battlefields, I fear master will be thoroughly defeated."


    A verbal battlefield? No one would die though, how could it be compared to a battlefield? In any case, it seemed to distress them.


    "Should I just go tell her I won''t go?"


    "Master shouldn''t, if my understanding is correct, that party is happening because of master. If you do not go, you will deny the party''s existence itself."


    "Then, since I have to go and there is nothing you can do to help, why are you both so upset?"


    "I don''t understand the meaning behind master''s words."


    Wait, she said she didn''t understand the meaning behind his words? Could he do that as well? Could they really just ask for the answer like that? That would be really helpful! What a great information he just got! Smiling at what he had learned, he told her what he meant.


    "Since there is nothing you can do to stop it or help me, it will happen no matter what. There is no reason to fret over something that will not change."


    "But I just can''t stop worrying for master. Not being able to do anything is the very reason why I worry."


    How to reassure her then? He thought about it for a moment and came up with another approach as he sat at the table for dinner.


    "They already know I am bad with words, everyone does. There is no glory in defeating me with them, nothing to be gained. Even if I lose, I do not believe my life will be changed over some words exchanged over slices of cake. What sort of consequences are you expecting?"


    "Maybe master is right." Conceded Harriett. "Maybe I am making a fuss over nothing again, like for the entrance ceremony. Please, excuse my conduct."


    She seemed to regain a lot of her composure and bowed in apology. Neither of them seemed to be really over it yet but he expected them to calm down once they had some time to think about it and relax. They didn''t speak a word of it anymore, ate the dinner Harriett prepared and made their way to Giselle Blackbull''s office.


    Emp didn''t forget to drop Celtine off of his shoulders before he knocked on her door.


    "If it is you Emp, you may come in." The teacher answered almost immediately.


    Emp pushed the door open and slipped inside, leaving Harriett to close it behind the three of them. Giselle''s office was neatly arranged and proper, there were only a few paintings on the walls but they were carefully placed and very impressive to look at. On the left wall, there was a large window hidden behind thick curtains she had closed to stop the wind from disturbing the papers on her dark wooden desk. Emp wondered what sort of wood this was while she welcomed him.


    "Good afternoon mister Muracier. I am pleasantly surprised that you know about knocking on doors before entering."


    That was a knowledge he had been born with, he remembered doing it on Chinui''s door the very first day. Thinking about this, why wasn''t he born with all the related knowledge? He added it to the list of the questions he wanted to ask his creators the next time he met them.


    "Good afternoon to you as well madam Blackbull. Hum... Before we start, Heinrich the magic teacher knew who I was, is this normal?"


    "It is, the ancient told him. He was asked to be very careful and not let you get injured with magic, more than other students. Not only in his class but outside of it as well. After all, the future cannot be predicted and we never know when someone will decide to target our students for leverage against someone. Every generation, there are a few students like that who the mage is tasked to protect."


    That seemed unfair for the others but there was nothing Emp could really do about it. At least now he knew this wasn''t strange.


    She swiftly had him sit down on a chair facing her and told him what he was there for. Between them, a long trail of steam rose lazily from an ornate and flowery teapot she kept near a set of cups on her desk.


    "So, unlike Heinrich, no one is supposed to learn about your identity. Sadly, as I told you the last time we met, you are doing a very poor job at hiding it. Today, you aren''t getting out of this room before you learn how to keep that secret properly."


    He knew then that it would be a long afternoon. The teacher spent an extended period of time explaining to him how and why he needed to learn to lie. When Galana told him every noble lied, he never expected to one day be lectured for hours on the subject.


    "You need to keep the secrets of your family for the good ans safety of it." She would say, "Information is a powerful weapon, keep it to yourself and keep it away from your enemies."


    She presented him a list of information he should never disclose, a second list of things he could say to close allies and then proceeded to tell him that there were no such thing as a close ally. Anyone could betray him at any moment. But then what was the point of the second list?


    She seemed to have a very bleak overview of the world. Everyone was on their own side she would say, they were always looking for an opportunity to gain more than what they had. The higher up you are, the more chances you have of being targeted. The less those around you know about you, the less likely you are to get betrayed because they won''t have anything on you.


    "But that is impossible, I am sure they must have at least one friend they can trust. What about their families?"


    "I won''t speak for your own family but it does happen sometimes that family members betray each other if the prize is big enough. As for friends, there is no way I will answer you with a yes as you are now, you would never be able to make the difference. For now you must assume that anyone could betray you, including me. It will be easier to keep your secrets for now if you see everyone else as a threat."


    That didn''t seem like a good thing to him. Not only that but he really didn''t like to lie. He told her so and she released a long sigh of exasperation.


    "Of course, the Muraciers can''t betray their words and will never lie. I had forgotten because of how senselessly ridiculous it was. That just makes it all even harder for us both. I never understood your family''s obsession with keeping your words."


    "Is it not a good thing instead? It must be much easier to make allies if they know I will not go back on my words."


    "In this particular case, not at all since they aren''t supposed to know you are a Muracier. All of this is exasperating!"


    She poured some tea in her own cup and took a sip of it to appease her frustration.


    "How am I supposed to help you keep your secret if you won''t even make the effort to lie convincingly?"


    It wasn''t his intention to go against her every words though. He just couldn''t agree with what she was saying.


    "Is there no other way to hide it than lie? I am not even sure of the reason I am hiding that name in the first place."


    "Well, there are many things you do not know including who the other students really are. You have no idea why more than half of your own group is in this school am I not correct?"


    "Is it not to study?" Tried Emp.


    What would they be doing in the school if not to study?


    "Of course but why here? Private tutors exists everywhere, they could study at home. Yes, the imperial school is good, excellent even but is it really worth the large fee and the long travel away from your home? For some it is but very rarely is it for the learning opportunity alone. Do you even know why you are here yourself?"


    "Because Chinui told me to come."


    He had said he couldn''t teach him everything he had to learn.


    "That is quite the simplistic answer you have here. I will not pry further into it. Speaking of prying, this is a great way to hide the truth. Tell everyone what they want to hear in the most simple way you can."


    "The most simple way I can?"


    "Yes, we all know that the reason as to why you are here is linked to the reason why the great general Muracier hasn''t made a public appearance in such a long time but instead of truly telling me what I wanted to hear, you just said that he told you to come. This is not what I wanted to know but it would be improper of me to dig further into it so I had to give up. Do the same when people ask about you. Tell them something they should already know and could make up an answer without telling the whole thing."


    He wasn''t completely sure of how to do that but she had him practice it for a while after that. Asking questions upon question while expecting him to answer them all correctly.


    The hardest to answer were those like: What is the name of your father? First of all, how was he to answer without really answering and second of all, which one?


    He was sure she meant Chinui but like every time this kind of thing came up, it was confusing to answer. Even if she told him that his father''s name wasn''t really what they were after here, he had a hard time coming up with an answer.


    The afternoon, even thought it was a bit draining, wasn''t that terrible until later when she asked for the cooperation of the two slaves, it was only then that things got really tiring.


    "You two as well, you have a responsibility towards your master. You need to tell me if he does something strange so that I will be able to correct it. This is for his own good, and yours by extension."


    The two girls looked at each other and came to the same conclusion while the teacher sipped another gulp of tea. Harriett spoke for them both, sentencing her master to hours more of mental suffering.


    "Master was invited to two different social events today, a tea party and a feast."


    Giselle almost dropped her small cup and made a very annoyed noise.


    "And of course, you accepted to go to both did you?" She complained as she leaned back onto her cushioned chair.


    "Well yes, I said I had never eaten cake before and they decided to throw a party to have me taste some."


    "I see, so you were trapped into accepting, with you being the main guest, you can''t chose to not go now. When is it?"


    "I do not know. She haven''t sent invitations yet."


    The teacher seemed a bit relieved.


    "Perfect, then it means we still have some time to prepare you, who is the one hosting it, who is the organizer of it?"


    "Mable." He answered.


    "And of course, it had to be the small miss Mable! Are you torturing me on purpose?"


    "What''s wrong?" Asked Emp, genuinely confused like the two girls.


    "She''s the second worst at this after you, there is no telling what she will do. Could it not have been someone more sensible instead? Anything could happen there."


    He didn''t know Mable was almost as bad as him, how did that sort of awkwardness happen? He had the excuse of not having been raised at all but Mable had parents didn''t she? He couldn''t imagine that she could be nearly as terrible as himself. Just this morning, he had been told he wasn''t listening properly by that same Mable.


    "She cannot be that bad. She seems much less awkward than me."


    "Let me explain it this way. You do not know the rules at all but at least you think for a long time before doing something. She, on the other hand, knows all the rules but ignore them whenever she pleases. She always acts without thinking and does what she wants."


    Emp had never noticed that. Even thinking back, he couldn''t see it that way. Then again, he had been criticized for not paying attention more than twice today.


    "Can you help master?" Asked Harriett in a pleading tone.


    After another sigh and a refill of tea, the teacher agreed to help.


    "This is a serious affair. Young man, I hope you had nothing else to do today because now, not only do I have to prepare you for the questions, I also need to teach you how to behave at a tea party and how to address noble ladies properly before this event takes place. We will be here for a while."


    From then on, to the questions and answers were added many things he was expected to remember. How to sit properly, how to drink tea properly, how to address the others once again, what to not ask from them, table manners, who should eat the last slice of cake, who should eat the first and so on and so on.


    By the time he was finally released, it was dark outside and the old teacher told him to stay after class the next day to continue.


    Not only was he dead tired but he had not managed to complete his main objective which was to find something to ask Harriett. Everybody was so focused on that tea party that he had found no time at all to find a subject of conversation.


    "I would have never thought there were so many things to keep in mind just to go eat cake and drink tea."


    "I knew this would be hard, I hope master will be fine." Told him Harriett.


    "I will, I am not scared of food and tea."


    Unless the food had the head of a living snake of course, then, it would be much more disturbing. Leaving that thought aside, he needed to have her talk some more to find a clue on what to buy.


    "What do you think the girls will talk about at that party?"


    "I don''t know master, I do not know them enough to guess. But, when I worked for my father, I overheard many noble woman talk. They mostly bragged about the jewelry their husband bought them but none of the girls here are wedded."


    It was a very convenient line of discussion for him. He tried to push into it further.


    "Is jewelry such a common topic?"


    "It was, many noble woman do not work, or not much at least. That being the case, they often have no stories to tell and have to rely on what their husbands did, what he brought them or some piece of art they saw."


    "I see, but why jewelry in particular, there must be other more interesting things to talk about no?"


    "Jewelry is an easy topic because they like to argue over which has the most valuable set. Paintings are another good one because the value of a painting changes depending on who looks at it and so they can debate for a long time on this."


    But hadn''t Celtine said that their value was irrelevant? Was it because they liked their value more than the jewels themselves? Or maybe humans didn''t think in the same way as the cursed-bloods?


    "You said you had an earring before, was it as extravagant as those the nobles were wearing?"


    Harriett giggled a bit and answered with a smile.


    "No, mine was just a simple silver ring while those noble woman wore finely cut stones, often dangling from pretty golden chains. It would never compare."


    Emp thought about a stone he could find on the roadside for a second before he understood she was talking about precious stones. That would have been embarrassing to say out loud.


    "I never saw a gem from up close before. I saw some inlaid in jewelry from afar but I never got within arm''s reach of one."


    "Is master talking seriously? Master''s arm''s reach is very long. Even when it looks like you can''t reach something on the table back home, you can do it anyway." She said in admiration.


    Emp wasn''t sure, he didn''t have a clear picture in his head of how far he could reach. In any case, he was convinced that this subject wouldn''t bring him closer to the answer he was looking for so he tried to turn the it into something else.


    He talked about the place where he got the blessing instead and how beautiful the view was from the top of that cliff. Their conversation continued for a while but when he found himself in his bed, he had learned nothing new.


    In the morning of the next day, the group had a horse riding lesson.


    He discovered that Kenneth was a very talented rider, it seemed as if he had rode horses since he was a toddler. Nereus even joked that he probably learned that before he learned how to walk, just like he learned how to yell at people before he learned how to present himself properly which made the others laugh a lot.


    Like every other subject they received lessons about, there were various degrees of talent in the class and Emp wasn''t one of the best at this. He had no trouble getting on top of the animal but he found it very uncomfortable.


    The others had a lot of fun when they saw that Celtine was much better than him at this.


    "She is used to riding after all." The others claimed.


    This was true, he felt that comparing himself to a horse was appropriate in those circumstances.


    "I am probably the best horse of the school too." He declared, making everyone laugh again.


    Hadley, the teacher in horse handling must have been pretty exasperated that everyone laughed throughout the whole lesson. He was just trying to teach them useful things after all.


    Emp did listen to what he explained but it would probably end up being more useful to Celtine than him. He was clumsy on horseback and had a hard time adjusting to the movements of the animal.


    At the very least, when he rode the horse, he thought about putting Celtine on the horse with him rather than leaving her on his shoulder before she fell off of them both. She seemed much more comfortable on it than him. She seemed to enjoy herself and sat comfortably while he struggled to control the horse. It was easy to see since he had to reach around Celtine to do so.


    <The horse is more comfortable to sit on then you.>


    When he saw the mischievous look on her face as she presented the message, he couldn''t help but laugh.


    Much more importantly for everyone one else but him, he was told by Mable that the party would be held in her room on the next day. He could already picture in his head the face that madam Blackbull would do when she later heard about it.


    He didn''t have to wait long for it since the afternoon class was a moral one. Those lessons, he felt, were terribly long. Not just because he had been forced to stay after them twice in a row too. The teacher talked about a lot of things, he would have never expected that there were so many things to talk about just on how to behave with other peoples. Not only that but from what he understood, she would also have to teach them about the relationships between the big noble houses of the empire. This would take a while too and since Emp wasn''t planning on interacting much with them all, it already sounded like a waste of time.


    In this particular lesson, she was mostly trying to focus their attentions on the individual goals of everyone. She was essentially saying that everyone had an objective and that knowing that objective was very useful in a lot of different ways.


    While she urged them all to learn about the objectives of their companions, Emp wondered what would happen if anyone found what is main objective was. The chances of that happening were very low, who could guess he needed to replace an emperor on the other side of the continent?


    After the class, he was forced to stay there once more and just like he had pictured it in his mind earlier, she made quite the face when she learned when this party would be held. It reminded him of Galana''s grandma when she had heard her gran-daughter talk to him.


    She exhaled all the air she had from her nose, took a deep breath again and emptied a whole cup of tea.


    While she was explaining a whole lot of things to him he wondered if she could help him with tastes and preferences. It was just as strange and convoluted as the rest for him. Asking about it was surely worth the try. She was there to teach him after all.


    Her answer was a bit unexpected. After she complained as to why she had to explain even that, she tried to dig out of him the thing he didn''t understand about tastes.


    "You don''t have to like everything you appreciate in equal measure." She told him after a while. "I cannot picture someone who would have no likes and dislikes at all. What I think is more likely is that you like too many things and you seem to be trying to sort them all into categories. Tastes have nothing to do with logic and this is what you are trying to use to understand yourself. This is all about feelings, you do not need a reason behind any of them, they just happen."


    Did they?


    "I am sure that if you really think about it, not of the reasons to what led to any of the memories but of the memories themselves, you will figure out what was good and what was bad. Considering it is you, it may all seem good but like I said, they don''t have to be equal, some memories will stand out more and feel more ''good'' than some other. I cannot tell you what makes something feel more likable than another because I don''t know, no one does, it just comes naturally. Not everything has to be thought about like on a battlefield."


    That may have been the most valuable thing she told him of the whole afternoon.


    Later that night, he was sat on his bed and thought about it deeply. Mable liked strawberry better but could not explain why, Celtine liked to sit on his shoulder because it felt a bit like flying but could not explain why she liked flying clearly. Even if she did, liking the sensation of the wind as an explanation just added the question of why she did like that. The teacher had to be right, there was no need for a reason to love something.


    He couldn''t explain why he would stop in the middle of the road or a river to gaze at the landscape, he just did. Now he understood it was really because he liked it as he had assumed earlier but he could still not pinpoint the feeling hiding in it. The same could be applied to when he could see other people being happy like this morning. Seeing happiness made him feel the same way.


    Dislike was much easier, that feeling was easy to identify now that he passed through his memories. The tailor''s shop in Red-water, his encounter with the mouse, when people frowned at Celtine and when he had to bury corpses.


    Was he about to understand it all or was the very act of trying to understand it making it impossible?


    Thinking that he was doing all of this just to buy an earring for Harriett was chilling for him. If such a simple sounding thing was so hard, just how much work would he have to do before he became an emperor? Weren''t those tasks worlds apart in terms of difficulty?


    Maybe he should just ask the book about which earring he should buy? But then Celtine would tell him that was wrong, she wanted him to figure it out on his own. Would it be cheating as well if he asked the book how to figure it out? Probably, and its answer would be dubious at best.


    He could still ask the other girls about this, that would make something to talk about that was unrelated to his secrets.


    Finally, the day of the tea party came. They had an archery lesson where most failed to hit the target just like Ivar had said they would. Emp tried shooting his bow with Celtine sat on his shoulder but her legs were really in the way and made everything a lot harder for him. It was impossible in fact, if he released the string with her there, it would snap at her leg, hurting her and sending the arrow astray. He wouldn''t have minded the last part though because he would have missed anyway.


    He didn''t like archery, that was the thing he grasped from that class.It felt like he was wasting his time, he would rather have trained in something else instead. Something like the training he experienced in the afternoon for example.


    They had their second combat class with Winfred who had them all train hard until everyone was covered in sweat and out of breath.


    "You have to work hard to improve! There is no progress without effort!" He would say.


    "But when will we fight?" Complained Brenia.


    "Once you have the strength and stamina to do it! Now train harder! If you can still complain then it means you aren''t doing your best yet!"


    What they were doing here reminded him a lot of how he felt once he had finished fighting the blood-spitters. By the end, he had a hard time moving a muscle and the only thing that kept him from laying down in the dirt was the girl on his shoulders.


    Sometimes, she would wipe his forehead with a piece of cloth to keep the sweat out of his eyes and sometimes, she would cheer him on with a few scratched words or a tap of her small hand.


    At the end, after Mable reminded him to come later to her room with the others, Kenneth came to him and told him to join up with the other guys in the entrance hall once he was free from the girls.


    Since Emp had already accepted the invitation to one party, he had no reason to refuse a second one. He told Kenneth he would come and went back to his room to prepare himself.


    Emp didn''t really know what to expect about those two events but he still believed that things could not be as stressful as everyone made it out to be. If they were, no one would want to participate.


    When the time of the cake party drew near, Harriett wished them good luck and he walked down the corridors with Celtine on his shoulders until he reached Mable''s door. Since all the doors were labelled and not only had he been told were it was but it was also located near his own, he had no trouble at all to find the place.


    He knocked at the door and one of her two servants opened for him and led him inside the main room. The place was completely unlike his own. The size of the room was exactly the same but everything in it was different. It gave the strange feeling that someone had changed the layout and content of his own room even though he knew this one was Mable''s.


    Comparing the two places, his own felt really empty. He now understood better what Harriett meant when she told him he needed more furniture in the room. He had felt like he had all he needed before so he missed her point and just let her add some small things as she felt but now that he had an example, it was much clearer.


    Mable must have disliked the stone walls because she covered them all in colorful draperies and lined them with short tables that were used to hold vases and pots of flowers. Her floor was covered in a fluffy rug and cushions of all kinds were piled up in a corner.


    In the center of the room, the table had been set for nine person. It was a really long table with an oval shape and was separated from the kitchen half of the room by more draperies hanging from the ceiling. On that table, many different cakes were laid out on silver plates and cups had been placed near the many comfortable-looking chairs.


    Mable, Aglaya and Nessa were already sat around the table, awaiting the other guests. Mable in particular rattled her fingers on the table and seemed really impatient in contrast to Aglaya who acted in such a dignified way and Nessa who just happily enjoyed the tea in big gulps. All three wore long dresses in their usual style.


    "Ha! Emp, finally. How come your room is so close but it takes you so long to come here?"


    "Mable, don''t spout nonsense." Corrected Aglaya. "He''s the first one to get here, you''ll make him feel bad for no reason."


    "Muh, sorry. I just want to eat cake already."


    Aglaya giggled at her answer and signaled Emp to sit down next to her. Emp accepted Mable''s apology and lowered Celtine back on the ground before he sat. Sitting at the table with her on his shoulders would have been inappropriate so she had to stand behind his chair instead. After Celtine had steadied herself by putting a hand on the chair''s back, he greeted the three girls like he had been taught and sat with them.


    "Emp." Aglaya declared once he was sat and all three welcomed him. "Since you''re the only one here for now, how about you tell us something about you."


    Already? They didn''t waste time before going into the dreaded subject.


    "That is true, I''m curious." Added Nessa. "You never speak at all. You seem to get along with everyone but no one knows anything about you."


    "What do you want to know then?"


    "Anything really, what would be interesting? I feel like asking you about your goal since the teacher asked us to think about it but at the same time, I think maybe we should wait for the rest to be here first?"


    "Then, tell us, do you have a wife or not?" Nessa asked bluntly.


    The other two looked at her in shock and she had to defend herself as she signaled a servant for a refill of tea.


    "What? I''m just curious. From what I heard, aside from Frits, he''s one of the only other two in our group who could actually be married already. I figured it was best to ask before Josseline showed up."


    "Really? Who''s the other one? Ivar?" Asked Mable.


    "No, Cyril. He killed a clawed purple-cap when he was ten."


    "Wow, no wonder his village decided to send him here."


    Emp had no idea what was a clawed purple-cap but by their surprised reaction it was impressive. After they were done talking about his talent, they sent their attention back to Emp and awaited his answer.


    "No, I do not have a wife nor any bride-to-be." He answered directly.


    "Ho, I guess that was to be expected." Commented Aglaya. "After all, you still seem young and your only victory was by luck. Thinking about it, how old are you?"


    That was a question Emp thought about for a long time. Guessing from the appearance and height of those he met both here and in the village, he had estimated his own physical age.


    "I am twelve." Either it was that or he was really short, he hoped it was the first case. "Also, It was not my only kill, I beat a gluttonek and a lot of blood-spitters too."


    "Really? Show us." Demanded Mable, way more interested in that than his age or relationships.


    He showed them his hunting card and while they were gazing at the long list of victories he had, he tasted the tea Mable''s servants gave him. It wasn''t a strong one, very soft and somewhat fruity. Of course, he remembered to keep the important information hidden.


    "So many! There are even peoples there!" The small cake lover exclaimed.


    "That''s much more impressive than I thought." Conceded Aglaya, impressed. "You must be the most successful warrior of the group aside from Brenia."


    "But Brenia only got scraglings. He doesn''t have as many but his own are much more impressive." Stated Nessa.


    The other two nodded their approval.


    "Hey, hey Emp, tell us how you beat those guys while we wait for the others."


    Aglaya and Nessa didn''t seem that into it but after Mable added a long please to her question, he decided to retell how the fight in the alley went for her.

 49 Objective, cake

    As Emp was narrating the story of his encounter, Gytha and Josseline showed up and they both sat on Nessa''s side of the table. In fact, Aglaya insisted for Josseline to not be sat beside Emp.


    Shortly after, while Gytha timidly told them about a fight she had once witnessed herself to follow up his story, the rest of the girls showed up. In the end, it was Juniper that sat beside him, followed by Gervaise.


    Heida was the last one to arrive and by then, everyone was starting to get a bit impatient. She defended herself by saying that it was only proper for the most important guest to show up last. No one seemed to truly agree with her statement but they all let it go in order to start tasting the cakes sooner.


    Even with all the guests present, the table still seemed large enough to sit twice as many person, and all of it was filled with all kinds of cakes.


    "The face the baker made when I asked for all those cakes the other day was so funny." Mable said with a giggle while her two servants started cutting pieces in the cakes.


    "Mable, you''re the one who invited us all so you have to open the festivities." Reminded her Aglaya with a kind whisper.


    "Oh, that''s right! We are here today to eat some cakes and taste all of them because Emp here never ate any before. As you all know, cake is a serious affair, I couldn''t leave it this way. So let''s all have fun and let''s start with this one! Was it alright?"


    "That was great! You''re so cute."


    Aglaya grabbed her small friend and locked her in an unbreakable hug. While Mable was uttering hushed complaints, her two servants served the first slices of cake.


    For a while after that, the discussion was about nothing but cakes. They would all eat a small piece of the same cake and everyone would give their opinions on it.The arguments between the girls were animated and when the favorite cakes of someone was discussed, it became particularly chaotic.


    Emp in particular was made to say if he liked it better or less than the previous ones every time by Mable. He found it was the hardest thing he had to do since he last went to the tailor.


    Emp had a very hard time with all of this. He could taste the differences between the cakes but he couldn''t say which ones were better than the others. The girls were pestering him about the texture and the flavors, trying to figure out if he thought it was too sweet or not enough, even asking about their appearances.


    He would have liked to have some time to think about this further but not only was he pushed to keep tasting some different ones, he couldn''t help but think about what the others told him about taste. If they were correct, he would just know which one he thought was the best without thinking too much about it. But there were so many.


    There was the famous Strawberry cake, a cheesecake, a fruitcake, an applecake, a meringue cake with berries, a simple sponge cake and a good dozen of differently flavored and topped cake made in similar fashions. Some were srcunchy, others hard like bread and a few so soft it felt like melting, some had honey, some had cream and other thick syrup or jam, all of them were unique. There were even two different kinds of spit cakes. (1)


    After many a round, Emp came to the conclusion that he liked those who tasted more like fruits rather than those that were sweet just for the sake of being sweet. Aside from that, he had no idea. He had to ask for Celtine''s opinion a few times because alone, he sometimes couldn''t tell the difference between them. Maybe he had just eaten to many already?


    In any case, his action had upset Gervaise.


    "Don''t feed the cake to your cursed-blood! That''s crazy! And you''re using the same spoon too, ew."


    "This must be a boys thing. My father often gives the leftovers in his plate to the dogs under the table." Added Heida with a frown.


    "True." The first agreed.


    The fact they compared Celtine to a dog got him a bit upset but this wasn''t unexpected from those two and he didn''t know how to answer to that so he kept his mouth shut and gave her a taste anyway when he felt like it. Celtine seemed to like the cakes, and made a smile as sweet as the deserts themselves when he continued to give her some despite the two complainers. Aglaya seemed to disapprove too but it was more similar to the disapproval the moral teacher would exhibit than the disgust of the other two.


    After some rounds of this, the girls started giving up one by one, unable to eat more even if they wanted to. Mable, contrary to them, was one of those who didn''t stop, in fact, it seemed like she could go on forever and eat them all by herself. The only other person who tasted every single cake was Emp because Mable wouldn''t have it any other way.


    Once most of the girls had gotten tired of tasting cakes, they focused on their tea instead and the talks drifted to many other subjects. Emp paid attention to what they were saying but didn''t really participate unless they asked for his opinion because he was too often solicited by Mable, trying to go through the long list of cakes.


    "Like I was saying to Emp before the rest of you showed up, I think this is a great time to learn more about each others." Aglaya said while nibbling at some carrot cake.


    "Don''t we know each others well yet? We''ve talked for months already." Juniper argued.


    "We went through this at the entrance ceremony already." Complained Gervaise.


    "What is it with you and wanting to know people anyway?" Asked Heida


    "I just don''t like to not know." Aglaya answered


    "Not know what? What are you afraid of?"


    "You''re thinking too far into this, she just want to do as the teacher asked us yesterday." Nessa soothed the situation.


    "I don''t get why we need to know the objectives of the others though." Josseline said.


    "Maybe it''s not that useful for you since you are only here to find a husband but I am sure that some of us have things they want to do that are much more complicated than that. Just by knowing what they are all after, you can get a better idea of who could help and who will be in the way. That being said, I don''t care either, I just want the business to expend." Explained Juniper.


    "Since we''re talking about this, you''re not planning on expending your business into food and grain are you?" Heida asked Juniper.


    "No why?" She had confusion written all over her face.


    "It''s because you come from Greenpeaks isn''t it?" Tried to answer Gytha before Heida could.


    "Yes, Nicolas was supposed to find something to help while he was here but he hasn''t found anything in five years so they sent me instead to make sure he was taking it seriously."


    But wasn''t Nicolas the son of a duke? Who was she then to be sent to supervise him? Emp chose to keep his question for himself. Not only was this unrelated to him but also, he had no way to help them.


    "But is the harvest really that bad over there?" Asked Aglaya, concerned.


    "It is bad but that isn''t the real problem, if it was just bad, there would be no need to send Nicolas and me so far from home. The true problem is that it keeps getting worse and worse every year. Now it''s so bad that people are leaving their villages and moving to Grandbois."


    "I thought people didn''t rely on farming too much anyway, why are they leaving?" Asked Emp.


    He was truly curious, after all, from what he had seen and learned until then, it shouldn''t have that much of an effect.


    "Greenpeaks isn''t the same as the rest of Steelwood. We have a whole lot of mountains and then, a wide band of fertile land between them and the sea. Or at least, it should be fertile. There aren''t that many trees there and we harvest most of the grain traded in the empire. I''m about sure that they used ours to make those cakes."


    "And so, while your people are starving, you''re filling your belly with cake." Criticised Gervaise.


    "Don''t you say I''m not trying! It''s because of this stupid Nicolas who won''t do nothing right! Why do you think I''m asking about Juniper?" She yelled before angrily taking a bite of cake with blueberry syrup on top.


    "To answer your question properly, I have no interest in the food business, Glass is more than enough for me. Even if I inherit the whole company, and decide to branch out, it''s going to be into something that doesn''t spoil so quickly, like gemstones maybe. Before you all ask, I''m not a noble that has a weird secret agenda, I just want the family business to go well. I don''t care about your goals as long as you buy your glass from me."


    That at least had the merit of being clear. Gytha seemed to find that answer depressing even if it had nothing to do with her. But, the girls didn''t notice and jumped on another topic when they got the chance. A subject they were way more curious about.


    "Speaking of secret agenda, Emp never told us why he is here." Nessa chimed in, looking at him over her tea cup. Thinking about it, how many had she drank already? She kept refilling it.


    "Yes, we don''t even know if you are a noble or not." Said Aglaya more directly.


    The other waited for his answer while Mable had her servant slice her a large piece of the Strawberry cake. He felt that there would probably be nothing remaining of it by the time night fell. He forced himself to ignore the cake and think about what they asked.


    Emp didn''t like that kind of question, they were too hard to answer. What did they want to hear him say exactly? They were talking about goals so he should keep to the topic. What would Ms Blackbull tell him to answer? Something as simple as possible.


    "Being a noble or not doesn''t have anything to do with my goal. My aim for now is to become to strongest."


    That was entirely true, he was happy of his answer. As he finished saying it, Mable choked on her small bite of cake. Both of her servants panicked and rushed up to her with a pitcher of water and worried words. They were sealed slaves after all, if she died from choking on a bit of cake, they would follow her bellow the roots of the forest.


    Aglaya, was just as concerned as them and devoted herself to help her small friend. The panic on her face didn''t stay for long because Mable managed to regain her breath swiftly. She pointed his way with her spoon and yelled at him.


    "Don''t say it like that! I almost *cough*, I almost choked on my cake!"


    She did choke on the cake, not almost.


    "What do I have to do with that?" Asked Emp just as confused as everyone else.


    "I told you to become the strongest in the group to get me some cake! Don''t make it a life goal!"


    A surprised gasp ran across the room.


    "Oh, I see how it is." Aglaya said while throwing a mischievous look towards him.


    This had nothing to do with Mable though.


    "I had that goal long before you asked me to." He had to clarify. "Also, I meant the strongest of everyone, not just the group."


    The girls looked at each others, trying to figure out what was the truth, they didn''t seem to believe him at all. Was it because becoming the strongest out of everyone was such a strange and abstract goal that it didn''t seem possible? He didn''t really mind if they thought he was just doing as Mable asked but at least he had wanted them to know the truth.


    Since they were already talking about him, maybe now was a good time to ask about his other problem too?


    "I also need to buy earrings Harriett, my other slave. I wanted to reward her for her good work, I would like to ask for your help on what to get her."


    Most seemed stunned by the sudden change of subject but not Juniper.


    "Do you want some more marbled glass for it?"


    "Isn''t he already buying a lot of those from you already?" Asked Nessa.


    "Yeah but he just said he needs more."


    "I feel like it wouldn''t be right to just buy more of the same for her." Josseline was thinking the same as Celtine.


    "I agree that it would usually be the case but she''s just his slave, he''s not going to go out of his way to reward her is he?"


    "I think he would, we are talking about Emp after all, it would be very much like him." Said Gytha.


    "True." Simply approved Aglaya.


    The talk quickly became very animated as they tried to figure out what Harriett would like. They didn''t really know her and worse, he couldn''t answer any of their questions about her so the discussion turned very chaotic.


    The eight girls couldn''t agree on anything at all. Some said he needed to match it with her eyes, others with her clothes, Gervaise was adamant that it only needed to please him since her and the earring really belonged to him in the end.


    They suggested various materials from gold to copper and even seashells. Mable said Big earrings were better while Aglaya said the smaller ones were cuter.


    That long talk only ended when the guests started complaining about being tired. After all, they had done exercises all day before stuffing themselves full of cake, it was normal for them to feel sleepy. They gave up on trying to argue what was the best earring for his slave and started thinking about putting an end to this small party.


    This whole thing had not been the most helpful to him but at least now he knew that truly, it needed to match with herself because everyone had a different taste. It was more than likely that Harriett would disagree with what the other girls thought. He should have asked how to understand people better instead.


    "It''s a shame we didn''t have the time to ask about your own goal Aglaya." Said Heida. "I guess we''ll have to find out next time."


    "Yes, there will be many more occasions for that I guess. As long as Nessa is there to take care of the tea I am ready anytime."


    "It was you Nessa that made the tea? It was really good, It went well with the cakes, thank you." Praised Josseline.


    "I appreciate the compliment, tea is very important for me after all." Nessa answered with a large smile.


    As everyone was getting up to leave. Mable jumped on top of her chair and recalled everyone.


    "Wait! We still don''t know. Emp, we called you here to taste all those cakes. You still haven''t told us which one you like the best."


    "Honestly, I do not care at all which cake he likes best." Said Heida. "Thank you Mable for the invitation, the tea and the cakes but I really must go now, I will see you all tomorrow I guess."


    With that, she left with a simple wave of her hand and was swiftly followed by Gervaise who said she had a great time. Even after all that and the time those two gained him, Emp was still undecided about the cakes.


    "So which is it?" Mable urged him.


    "I am not sure..."


    "What do you mean you are not sure?"


    "I cannot decide which one I like best. There are too many."


    "What!"


    "Can you at least tell us if you found any of those cakes good?" Asked Aglaya.


    "I like the soft ones that have a more fruity taste. I also liked those with maple syrup."


    "How about this one then?" Mable pointed at a cake that was already half eaten.


    It was made with two layers of sponge cake with berry and jam in the middle and a maple flavored icing on top. The combination of the two taste was strange as the berries would stand out more at first before leaving their place to the maple.


    "I do like that one but I am not sure if it is my favorite or not."


    "What is it that makes you hesitate?" Asked Mable.


    "I do not know, I am not sure."


    Celtine scribbled an apology for him since the group of girls were struggling to understand him.


    < I apologize for master''s answer. Master has been struggling with tastes for a long time. >


    "I don''t understand what your slave means." Said Nessa, puzzled.


    "I do not know how to explain it." Answered Emp.


    < Master seems unable to understand his own feelings. Cake related or otherwise.>


    The girls laughed after they read the message.


    "Well, he does seem like that." Juniper agreed before drinking the last remaining tea in her cup.


    "Fine then, but once you decide which cake you love most, you have to tell me. Then, I will explain to you exactly why you are wrong and strawberry cake is the best." Mable grumbled.


    Emp agreed to tell her once he was decided. After that, everyone said their goodbyes and Emp asked if he could keep one of the sponge cakes since he knew Harriett loved them too. Mable agreed and the other guests, thinking it was a great idea also asked to leave with their favorite cake. Mable wasn''t bothered by it at all, she had so many of them after all, she didn''t mind if they left with a bunch of cakes as long as no one took, as one would expect, those with a strawberry flavor.


    He left in a good mood, happy that it had been far from being as bad as everyone else told him it would be. He was about to tell so to Celtine when he heard someone behind him.


    "Wait, Emp, I have one last question for you."


    He turned around to face Aglaya who had a very difficult time trying to keep up with him. He let her take back her breath before he answered politely.


    "Sure, I do not mind answering another question. What do you want to know?"


    "You dodged the hunting card trick, the goal and the ancestry question. I understand you don''t want people to know your full name but could you at least tell me if your family name is well known in at least one of the five kingdoms? Surely this isn''t too much to ask for is it?"


    Emp took his time to think about it. He couldn''t see how this question could be used for anything. Why was it so important for her to know? He didn''t mind answering but he was afraid that madam Blackbull would yell at him again.


    While he was racking his brain about it, Aglaya Pierail continuously stared into his eyes. He felt like if she could have extracted the answer out of him through them, she would have done so.


    In the end, he chose to be honest. There was no real risk in answering. Having a well known name could mean anything. It could be a successful merchant like Glassart, a well known knight family, a noble, a praised hero or even just a death seeker''s name.


    "Yes, that name is well known. Why is this important?"


    "I really don''t like to not know." She answered simply but seriously. "Good night Emp, your way of changing the subject to dodge our questions was really clever but I won''t forget."


    She gave him the face of someone happy to be in on some very interesting secret and left again with her own cake.


    "I do not understand what you mean but good night to you as well." He threw at her before she disappeared at the end of the corridor.


    Emp stared at the empty corridor for a while, he was rather perplexed by her actions and words.


    "I heard her answer but I still don''t understand what she wanted." He said to Celtine.


    <She did the same thing you did and gave the most simple answer. I don''t know what she wanted either. The only thing I am sure of is that she didn''t mean you ill. Her words had no hidden malice.>


    "I guess this is fine then."


    Emp turned around an resumed what he was doing before. He did not know what her intentions were but since Celtine said it was fine, there was no reason to worry. Though even then, her question was much too strange to lead to anything. He couldn''t understand why she was in such a hurry to have it answered. She must have had some sort of reason, what did she hope to get from it?


    He thought about it on the whole way to his room but still couldn''t find an answer. The question flew out of his mind the moment he opened the door and saw the anguishing Harriett waiting for their return.


    He was so used to hear her welcome them back that even if she tried to hide her emotions, he could tell the difference. She was on edge, she was afraid of what might have happened there.


    "Welcome back Master, Welcome Back Celtine. How did it go?"


    He answered her worries as clearly as possible.


    "It went well, you were all scared over nothing. Here, I brought back some cake, could you put it down on the table?"


    "Yes of course master." She said with relief.


    "I still have to go join the others now so I will not stay."


    <Master Emp, I feel tired, can I stay here?>


    "Yes of course." Emp would not force Celtine to come if she was tired. He didn''t think he would be in need of her anyway so he didn''t mind leaving her home.


    He put her back down on the ground and waved them both goodbye once again.


    "I do not know when I will be back home, you do not have to wait for me to go to bed if you are tired. Wait for me before you eat the cake though, I would like to eat it together."


    "Yes of course master, I would never dare touch master''s cake on my own. May master have a good evening." Answered Harriett in her typical way.


    On this, Emp left the room again for the entrance hall. The moment he closed the door, he heard Harriett ask about more details from Celtine. She knew there had been no major catastrophe but she was still curious of what had transpired in Mabel''s room. The thought of Harriett worrying for him made him smile as he started walking.


    ***


    Just after master Emp shut the door, Harriett turned towards Celtine and asked for a detailed recap of the evening up until now.


    Celtine went through this kind of thing often. Since Harriett wasn''t often there with them and Emp was so untalkative, it was up to Celtine to keep Harriett in the know. She didn''t mind the task, she enjoyed talking about Emp with the other slave.


    Harriett went into the other room and came back with a stack of papers for her friend to use. Celtine did her best to fill in her accomplice on everything in details, painting sheets upon sheets in black. While she was doing it, Harriett read it all as it was put down and asked questions upon questions. It took her a long time to write everything down and like usual, when they were done, most of the papers they used ended up in the fireplace.


    She went through the whole day in order, not forgetting anything related to their master. It was only when Harriett knew everything that the real discussion started.


    "Master simply said it went well but a lot happened! We have to watch out for Aglaya."


    Celtine understood what she meant, Aglaya clearly knew something they didn''t.


    "She knows that there is something going on with master. I don''t think she will figure it out with just that but her question was very clever. With how adamant master is on keeping his name a secret, there is no way he would be only an ordinary noble. There can only be two reasons to hide your name. Either It is very well known and you don''t want to be disturbed or it has no value and you don''t want the scorn of the others. Even if it is well known, most would have everyone know who they are, like that girl Juniper. Just by asking if his family name was known, she was able to cross out so many possibilities on who master could be. That''s scary."


    It was indeed scary, the human tribes were savage. Even then though, for Celtine, Brenia was way more scary because of how similar her attitude was to the huntresses that caught her in the first place. Every time she saw her she was reminded of how she lost her wings.


    At least, she wasn''t scared of everyone anymore. She was grateful that her savior brought her along to his lessons with the old woman. She learned a lot about the behavior of the humans already. They acted like each of them were their own tribe and there wasn''t enough resources for them all. They were always on the lookout for who might be a threat.


    At least that, she could understand, if something were to happen to Emp, Celtine would lose everything. She would keep an eye out for what Aglaya knew exactly but she wasn''t that dangerous for now.


    <I will keep an eye out but I don''t think she is going to do anything against master. There was nothing hidden in her words.>


    "What is she poking around for then?"


    <I think she is doing like us, she had no special interest in our master until he accepted Mable''s invitation.>


    "So you think this is about the other girl."


    <I do, but we know nothing on either so I can''t be sure.>


    From what Celtine had observed up until now, the girl Mable didn''t seem fit to live with the man-tribes. She was too open and carefree to see its evil like Celtine who had lived them or the old woman who knew all of its ins and outs.


    She thought it was likely that Aglaya did her best to keep her small friend safe. A man with such an abnormal power for his size must be a stressful unknown to have around.


    The old lady was right, knowing the goal of the others was important. As long as they didn''t know for sure what she was after, they wouldn''t be able to stop worrying about it. Likewise, as long as the girl didn''t know what their master was really after she would keep digging for an answer.


    On that topic, what Emp had answered them didn''t help at all! Now they all thought that he liked the small Mable! Celtine had tried to deny it by telling them how he didn''t have any strong desires but she doubted it worked as well as she hoped.


    This was the most frustrating thing about her master. How could he not have any desires?


    That was it! He had no desires!


    It had taken her a long time to find the words for it but now that it flashed in her head, she understood what was wrong with him much better. This was why talks about likes, dislikes and emotions were so hard to get across to him.


    Her master had no desire of his own. He had been given a task and did whatever he had to do to get it done. This was why he just went along with what others told him to do, he wasn''t driven by anything so he had no reason to go against anyone''s wish. Nothing he did was ever for himself.


    When asked for something, he would ask himself if this went against his task and if not, he just did it without consideration for his own happiness. When something good happened or he ate something he liked, he did feel something about it but not the desire to have it happen again.


    When asked about the cakes for example, he did remember liking this or that about them but did not feel like eating more of any of them hence, he wasn''t able to tell which one he liked better. If he continued on like that, he would never truly be happy. This was a saddening perspective.


    She truly wished to help him, but how? This wasn''t just something that could be explained to him. Even if it could be done, her and Harriett were both entirely driven by their own desires, they were the exact opposite of him. Both of them would do anything to have their wishes granted while he would just sit and watch life fly by him.


    She had grown very attached to her kind master over the short time she had spent with him and really wanted to make him happy. After all, he had promised to grant her wish, the least she could do was to help the best human she knew. No, it was wrong to say it like that. At first yes, this was her only intention, to repay his kindness but now, she felt something more. She liked what he was, the kind and caring master, now that she knew him, she didn''t want to lose him.


    Celtine knew how it felt to lose something you dearly loved. She had experienced it firsthand, twice. When something you loved wasn''t there, you would normally have the desire for it to come back, her master didn''t seem to have this sort of desire either. If he was to lose something, he would probably be a bit upset, ask the book for a solution and if he could do something about it, plan to eventually do it. If not, he would stop being bothered about it altogether. She believed that if she was to disappear, her dear master would not be saddened for long.


    The proof of this lied in the rings he gave them. She had noticed that whenever Harriett or her weren''t with him, the rings would become slightly more dull over time. When they were there, the rings would be embellished, he loved for them to be there, but when they weren''t he did not have the desire for them to be there again and so the ring faded.


    He had no longing for the past and couldn''t picture himself in the future either, for him there was only the present, devoid of desires.


    She had to find a way to bring him happiness. She was starting to think that the plan Harriett and her hatched about the earrings wouldn''t be enough to help him figure things out. They would need to think of something else.


    At the very least, while he was like that, there was no risk that anyone would steal him from them, their feelings would just fly through him without touching him, just like a leaf through the wind.


    She discussed this and other Emp-related things with Harriett for the whole time their master was away.


    In particular, Harriett almost fainted when she told her about the spoon sharing. She herself still couldn''t believe he had done so. Just thinking about it still made her smile.


    ***


    (1) In case you don''t know, spit cakes aren''t made out of spit. It''s a cake made like a spit roast. We are talking about a spit to cook things over a fire here.

 50 Lucky tavern, drunk friends.

    Emp took barely any time to reach the entrance hall were the others were waiting. Or at least, they should have been there but the hall was empty except for Wren Esther, the usual receptionist.


    "Good evening mister Emp." She told him in her usual polite way.


    "Hi, good evening. Have you seen the others?"


    "Yes indeed, they left a message for you. They said you were taking too long and will be waiting for you at the ''Three hulking trees'' tavern."


    "The tavern? Where is it?"


    "It is just down the road to the left. It is decently large and the sign represent three huge ominous trees, you can''t miss it."


    "Thank you Esther."


    "It''s always a pleasure to help." She smiled.


    Knowing where everyone went, Emp left the school and walked down the street to the tavern. Emp had never been to a tavern before. He wondered what it was like inside. He also wondered why they decided to go there, he had thought that they would just go to the room of one of them and eat something but instead they chose to leave the school.


    The place he found himself in front of soon after was a large building low to the ground. It was solidly built of stone and plaster walls. It did not seem out of place compared to all the other constructions designed to appeal to the nobles living close by. Clearly the person owning the building took great care of it as it was in fine condition. Warmth as well as laughter were radiating from it, inviting everyone inside.


    Emp pushed the door and stepped inside to discover the strange scene taking place there. He now knew why they chose to come here. There was way too many of them to fit in one of their rooms. Almost all of the boys in Emp''s group were here and Brenia had joined them too. Only George wasn''t here. Adding to the twelve students, there were a lot of other customers as well making for a very animated place.


    From what Emp understood of what he was looking at, the group had started the evening around a set of gathered tables that were close together. Now though, they had scattered across the room. Many still remained at the tables but some had drifted to the bar or at some kind of game table.


    The strangest thing he could see was Zoran who was laying under one of their tables. How did he end up there and why did no one seem to care?


    It didn''t take them long to notice his arrival and Kenneth called out to him almost immediately.


    "Hey Emp the survivor is here! Come on, come here and sit down with us."


    The first thing that happened after he joined up with them all was that Ivar asked him how it went at the tea and cake party.


    "I bet they talked about jewelry the whole time!" Nereus said. "Girls are like that after all!"


    The rest laughed until Brenia slapped her mug onto his forehead which made everyone laugh even harder. Still, he was right, the topic had been prompted by him though...


    "So, are you fine?"


    "I think so." Answered Emp, at least, he wasn''t hurt anywhere.


    The others nodded in approval. As long as he was fine, the rest didn''t bother about what had happened there but an important question remained for Emp. He still didn''t know what the best cake was. He decided to ask for their opinion on the matter.


    "Say, what kind of cake is the best? Which one do you like best?"


    "Not good, they fed him so much cake he can''t think of anything else." Worried Ivar.


    "Don''t give in to it yet, we''ll save you! Bring on all the salted meat you have, we''ll counteract the sweetness with the power of salt!" Claimed Norval.


    Emp had no idea what was happening.


    "Why salt?"


    "Everyone knows that saltiness is what makes a man manly!" Loudly stated Odilon.


    "True, it''s like the day of the sea-call." Said Nereus, still holding his forehead.


    "What''s that?" The others asked.


    Nereus stepped up and told them about it with passion.


    "Back home, you can''t climb on a ship headed to sea unless you can prove that you have the will to resist its call and the thirst. To prove it, you have to go through the ritual of the sea-call. The day before the ritual, you are forbidden to drink anything from midday up to the beginning of the ritual on the morrow. When the tide is at its lowest, the aspiring crewman must step into the waters of the sea until it''s up to his knees. Then, he drinks a full bowl of seawater and stands there. To be acknowledge as a worthy man, you must stand still until the water reaches up to your neck. You must not reject what you drank and you must resist the urge to drink more. Failing this proves that your will is weak and you will never be allowed on a sea faring ship. That''s why, a true man can take in the salt. I passed the sea-call two years ago, the thirst is unbelievable." (1)


    That was an interesting custom but what did it have to do with cakes?


    The group called for some more food to add on to what they already had. They just wanted to refill the table, prompting Emp to eat and drink with them. Emp was pretty full because of all the cake he had eaten already but to please them, he had a few bites of salted meat. As for the drink, he said he would go get some later because for now, he was way more curious about why Zoran was sprawled at his feet than he was thirsty. There was also the fact he didn''t really want alcohol like the rest but there was no reason to say it aloud.


    "Zoran? We had him drink a few big mugs with us. He threw up after just a few and then collapsed drunk. We shoved him under the table so that no one would step on him."


    What a strange but very possible scenario considering it was the meek Zoran.


    "Why didn''t you just bring him back to his room?" He asked.


    "We could have but no one wanted to leave and more importantly, no one knows where it is!" Kenneth answered followed by a fit of laughter.


    Emp had to admit, it was a pretty good reason.


    Everybody resumed eating and talking in a lively way, complaining about a class or telling everyone about a strange story they had once heard. Sat in a corner, Nicolas was half collapsed on the table and complained about Heida as he drank his beer.


    Since he was already on the subject, Emp decided to tell him what Heida had said about him.


    "Earlier at the tea party, Heida said that you weren''t taking your job seriously and were wasting time. She complained a lot about how you didn''t find a solution for the harvest in five years."


    "She did? Wea, she don get it at all. She don understand. We aren''t here to find no fancy solution! We''re here because the king didn''t want his princess of a daughter to starve with the rest! If neither king or duke can find anything, why, for all the forest, would their kids be able to do anything about it? She complains all day about how useless I am but they never intended for us to find anything in the first place! We''re just hiding here waiting it out. Like that, if the worse happens, at least the princess is safe over here is what they think and I end up stuck with that annoying little/"


    "Okay stop! You''re killing the mood!" Interrupted Brenia.


    After that, she climbed on the table with a chair, placed a foot on it and started a whole new story with her mug raised high. Emp was afraid she would step in some food but no one seemed to care aside from him, including the staff of the tavern.


    "Let me tell you about that one time I killed those three scraglings with their own club. That ought to change your mind!"


    She was also pretty red by that point and her story was a confused mess of contradictions that somehow all merged into an incomprehensible but very interesting tale that gathered the applause and laughter of even the other tables.


    "Brenia, you''re way more fun when you''re drunk!" Called Odilon who immediately got kicked in the face by the girl.


    "I''m not drunk at all!" She declared even though she clearly was. "A guy who was a death-seeker maybe thought me how to be not drunk once before he got, I had after... and so that''s it."


    ...What?


    "There is that one time I don''t remember getting drunk, I almost got stabbed by a spear thingy but then I wasn''t drunk and cleaved the little shit in half. After that I did not get drunk no more because I got the trick and I can kick just fine with a thumb up my nose."


    Emp didn''t get half of what she said but it probably wasn''t a good idea to contradict her now. Afterward, she declared that it was pretty fun to see everyone from up there and started a song that was probably made up on the spot. Most of the others joined in for the laughter though and it soon became an unrecognizable mess of words.


    Everyone was having a great time and Emp thought it was pretty funny too. As he only ate salted meat, he got very thirsty very quickly and so walked to the bar counter to see if he could find something to drink.


    The woman at the counter welcomed him with a warm smile. She wore some weird clothing fitting the style of the city which left only her left shoulder bare and her navel exposed. Not only that but the colors on her clothes were clashing against each other as if someone dipped them in many dye vats at random.


    Her hair were braided and tied into a knot behind her head but a strand was still falling in front of her face. She kept moving it aside, often disturbed by its presence. He couldn''t help but wonder why she wasn''t just pinning it with the rest once and for all.


    "Hi there kid, what can I serve you?"


    "Something to drink that is not alcohol."


    "You''re asking a lot from me!" She jested dramatically before going through kegs upon kegs until she found one that would do.


    She filled a mug with the liquid that looked strangely similar to what the rest drank and brought it back to him. She made the mug dance between her long and thin fingers before she dropped it on the counter in front of him without spilling a drop of it.


    Emp took it and tasted the thing, it was apparently apple juice. He smiled of relief.


    "Good how much?"


    "Just the few leaves... What''s up with you kid?"


    Emp got a few copper leaves from his bag and shot a puzzled look at the woman.


    "You don''t seem happy." She declared.


    "Do I not?"


    That was a strange thing to say. Was he not happy? Everyone was having fun, he was even smiling. The woman seemed to read right through his mind.


    "Everyone of your friends are having fun over there. I saw you smile and laugh at their antics too but there''s no joy behind it, it''s just an empty smile."


    "Really?"


    Was there even such a thing as an empty smile? He did not understand what she meant.


    "Yeah, here look."


    She crouched behind the bar and got a large silver plate from behind it. It was so thoroughly polished that they could see everything reflected in it, it was a mirror.


    "I keep it here because when the noble ladies come to the tavern they often need to powder themselves again at some point and then they complain about the lack of mirror. I hear face paints are all the rage in the lower quarters of Artefine too so when it get up here, I''ll be ready with this."


    She gave a light tap of affection to her huge mirror and plopped it on the counter in a way that would let Emp see himself. He had never seen such a large mirror before, it was bigger than his head! In it, he could see himself almost as clearly as in a still pond but everything behind him seemed rather blurry.


    It was the first time he was truly looking at himself without having to resort to the second him. The first thing he noticed was that the older generation was right, he looked a little bit like Chinui, except a lot younger. He probably never noticed before because he wasn''t looking for it.


    Putting that resemblance aside, he gazed intently at himself as he tried to figure out what the woman meant.


    "I worked here for a long time and I''ve seen a lot of different people come and go. They come to drink when they are happy, they come again when they are sad, when they are angry they fill themselves until they pass out, I''ve seen it all. Sometimes, there''s someone thinking he''s smart that pretends to be sad to get my sympathy and sometimes there are those who pretend to be happy so that they don''t ruin the mood. Like you though, I''ve not seen often. Look at your own smile then look at the one from the girl standing on the table."


    Emp did as he was told, he looked at his own face carefully before he turned around and looked at Brenia''s face carefully. Both faces were smiling but the woman was right, there was something different. The smile of Brenia was better.


    "Do you see?"


    He turned back to the mirror trying to find what was different. As he did, he saw his smile disappear under his focus. He saw that they weren''t the same but he couldn''t understand what was the difference.


    "I do not feel like I feel unhappy though. I do not understand why it is different."


    "The last person I saw that had that kind of smile had a huge burden cast on him. He knew what he had to do but it went against his wishes. He couldn''t let anyone know about his reluctance either so he hid it all behind a mask-like face."


    "Is that true? How did you know since he could not tell anyone."


    "I don''t! I''m just guessing. What is it that''s burdening you?"


    Emp didn''t feel burdened at all, everything he owned was stored in the bag rendering them weightless. Seeing his skeptical face, she tried another approach.


    "Let''s think about this the other way around, what is it you wish for?"


    "I need to be the strongest."


    "I can''t help but see that you said need instead of wish, try again." She said helpfully.


    Emp thought about what he wanted but only one thing came to his mind.


    "I wish to sleep.?"


    "Mhn... that one sounded more like a question. Here, sit down on that chair and close your eyes."


    Emp once again did as he was told.


    "Make your head empty now, don''t think about the party, don''t think about your duties or anyone else."


    Emp tried to do it but some things still remained in his head, thinking about nothing was hard. For example, the long bony fingers of the woman in front of him would not leave his mind.


    "Imagine this for me will you? Every task you had are now complete, all those things that seemed undoable are now gone, either achieved or rendered pointless by some twist of fate. You are free from all duty and nothing is asked of you anymore. You are well fed and well rested. Now that everything is done and behind you, you take a deep breath."


    The room quieted around him and slowly, silence was made over is mind while he built the image. Emp pictured himself sitting on a large stone throne. One by one, his creators came in and told him he had done well, he was now the strongest, he inspired respect into anyone and knew better than the rest. He never betrayed the expectations of others or had them do something he wouldn''t do himself and kept the nobles in check. He restored Celtines wings and voice too. Harriett made him lunch and he had just woken up from a long sleep. Sat atop his chair, he took a deep breath.


    "What is it that you want now?"


    Emp felt restless, there was nothing left to do. That was it, there was nothing else. That seemed a bit scary, empty, he was stuck in the lake now, motionless. If only there was something else to do.


    "No, there aren''t anything else to do, now you are the only one who can decide what you will do, what you desire."


    But he didn''t really need anything if it was all done.


    "It is not about need, it is about want."


    How troublesome, he couldn''t just sit there and do nothing all the time could he? It would surely get boring after a time. Then what?


    "Yes, exactly, then what? A girl? Kids? Money? Power? Taste your mother''s cooking one more time? It could be anything at all. You''re too young to have no dreams."


    Emp didn''t know. He couldn''t think of anything. What would he do if everything else was done? He could just go find another woodland horror to help out Greenpeaks kingdom.


    "That''s still not for yourself though, it should be done too. All of the things that aren''t about you are done already."


    Then no one needs any help. Isn''t that boring then?


    "I know, that''s why you need your own wish. You already helped everyone else, now it''s your turn, help yourself."


    Help himself? To do what?


    He yawned both in his head and in real life while he was thinking.


    That was too hard of a question. He couldn''t think of anything.


    "You mean to tell me that you traveled all this time already and you still haven''t found a single thing you''d want yet? That can''t be right, do you have too much love for others that you can''t enjoy things on your own?"


    Did he? That didn''t seem right either.


    "Then why do you want to help others so much? Is it just because you think they deserve it? But then, don''t you deserve something too? After all that work, don''t you want to be rewarded?"


    That was true, when someone did his job right, they were rewarded, just like how he wanted to reward Harriett for her hard work. What would be his own reward at the end, what would he ask for? He felt like his head was going in circles since a long time ago.


    It doesn''t have to be about logic, it''s about feelings.


    But straying from the designated path could lose you forever.


    But sometimes, if you go straight ahead you crash against a mountain and get torn apart or you walk into a pit of mud that will never release you.


    Water always follow the same path too, unless something is in the way then it goes around. On the way they meet more water that came from elsewhere.


    Than the path branches, some go right and others left, some end up in the lake. Doing nothing against its fate just like the trees of the low woods in front of their ruler. Does the water have a ruler as well? Who sits on the throne bellow the lake, who''s the still king? Will he become it at the end?


    Water has no choice but to flow.


    Emp wasn''t water though. Emp wasn''t a mindless cloud destroying itself on a peak. Emp wasn''t a tree looming over a river in admiration or cowering from the wind. Emp wasn''t even a traveler afraid to try another path. Emp was just Emp. If he wanted too, he could just get out of the foretold way and go elsewhere.


    The question was, did he want to? To go where? To do what? He just didn''t want to end up in the lake, it seemed too lonely.


    "If you just wanted to not be lonely, wouldn''t you be happier right now? With all your friends here?"


    Then is there something missing? What was it?


    "If I knew I wouldn''t be asking now would I?"


    It just comes from within him they all said, he should know about it, it was obvious. Why couldn''t he see it then?


    "Stop thinking about why you can''t, think about the thing itself."


    That made sense, what did he not have that he lacked, that he wanted.


    "Emp! Don''t sleep on us, we''re in the middle of a party here!" The voice of Nereus brought him back from his thoughts and the woman at the bar clicked her tongue.


    "You were almost there, that''s annoying."


    He opened his eyes to see that she had stored the mirror again. For how long had he been thinking like that?


    "So you still haven''t found your answer? I''m sorry I couldn''t help. I guess you could still try the temple of Love." She told him as an apology.


    "The temple of Love?"


    "Yeah, there is one here in high Artefine. Love and desires are often similar no? Maybe someone there could help."


    That was a great idea, maybe he would even be able to talk to Love herself. That would help many of his problems.


    "Thank you for your help." He told her. "Err, what is your name?"


    "Giving my name to clients is against the rules of this place so sorry! The people here just call me their lucky charm." She said with a laugh.


    Emp nodded and was about to go back with his mug when he thought about something else.


    "In your opinion." He asked. "What would make a good emperor?"


    "A good emperor is one who knows what he wants and makes his own path carefully because everyone will follow in his steps." She said with a wink.


    Emp went back to the others and watched all their nonsense for the rest of their party. It didn''t last that long afterward though since they had already been there for a while before he arrived and he apparently stayed at the bar for a really long time.


    Nereus told him all about how to fish with a spear while the group left the tavern merrily and went back to the school. Outside, the moon was high and the way was as brightly lit as a road at night could possibly be.


    On the way back, it was Emp who carried the unconscious Zoran because he was barely heavier than Celtine. It was easy for him to take him in his arms and bring him to the entrance all to the great amusement of everyone else.


    Since the rule forbid the receptionist from giving him the location of his room without Zoran approval, he just left him in the hall to be taken care of by the woman who replaced Esther at night.


    Shortly after, he was back in his room to discover that neither of the girls were asleep. They were both chatting over the table when he came back, lighted by a single candle.


    "Welcome back master!" Harriett exclaimed when he opened the door. "Did you have fun?"


    <Welcome back master.> Celtine showed him on a paper she had prepared in advance.


    They were always happy to see him.


    "I think so."


    Emp smiled at their happiness.


    ***


    This is the story of a man that once claimed he wasn''t afraid of death. He was a proud and heroic warrior using both steel and magic. Wielding an axe in his right and fire in his left, he would charge head on into hordes of monsters and go toe to toe with spawns of chaos crawling out of hell itself.


    Death seeker, they would call him, but every time he heard the name he would say nay, it is glory I seek. He was arrogant, full of himself and loved nothing more than to rub is victory on the nose of everyone he met and more importantly, those he defeated.


    He was once hunting for giant mountain-toppler when he found himself into the lair of Death itself. The story goes that once more, the man claimed he did not fear death.


    The god laughed at his confidence and answered that he was right indeed, there was no reason to fear the inevitable. In the end, death would claim all things whether he was afraid or not. The man had been lucky that the god was in a good mood.


    He went on to complete the trial Death placed upon him but instead of accepting his prize with dignity, he audaciously and foolishly mocked the trial and its creator.


    "If this is all you can do, I might live forever after all."


    From his words, dripping contempt, not unlike fat from meat cooking on a spit. Death was displeased. Still, he had won and he had no choice but to reward him with a gift. This, the man knew as shown on his conceited smile. But, that grin would not be undone by the one that crept up on Death''s face like darkness at dusk.


    From its hoard, an old pocket watch was fetched. Once golden in color, countless ages had darkened it like decay. The object was ancient yes but a true treasure, it''s craftsmanship far surpassing what could be accomplished in the empire.


    Death placed it upon the man''s palm to let him admire his prize. Only, it''s precision seemed to be out of order and the clock handles would not move from the third hour.


    The man complained it was broken but Death denied. What he had received was the death-seer watch and it was working as intended.


    The watch shows its owner how much time he has to live still. At birth, the clock handles would show twelve and start going clockwise. When the watch made a complete cycle and showed twelve again, it was time to die.


    The man looked at the watch again and was pleased to see that indeed it had not moved from three. He had plenty of time still.


    But the message Death wanted to convey flew far over his head. The handles weren''t in their initial position, one day he would die and nothing he would do could stop it.


    The man, now in possession of this artifact became truly fearless. When going into battle, he would glance at the watch once, see that his time had not come and push forward without a care. He would take on the greatest of foes and most arduous challenges, the handles did not move.


    One day, months after, he fought a particularly easy battle and left laughing in the face of his adversaries. Then, looking at the watch, he saw that the long handle had moved, a minute had passed!


    Why had it moved? Nothing had been different then usual. Maybe the ruffians he had corrected were easier to beat than he had thought but aside from the ease of his victory, it was a day like any other.


    Since only a minute had passed, he reveled in his victory to forget about it and soon, the concern left his mind.


    He fought and fought again, bringing victory with him wherever he went.


    Later, after a hunt he qualified of child''s play, two minutes had passed on his watch. Twice it had happened now. It must have been because of the simplistic scuffle and yawn inducing hunt. Only when fighting strong enemies did the watch not move.


    He fought harder, he defeated stronger foes. But, barely a week after the incident, the clock ticked again. Were they not strong enough?


    Time passed as he sought ever stronger foes. Any monstrosity he fought he did not fear, any danger he scoffed at, the watch would not lie, they would not be the end of him. Dispatching them was easy with his power and the ability gained along with the watch.


    His prowess and arrogance were now spread far and wide. All knew of his excessive boasting and grand achievements.


    Still, now that it had started moving, it seemed like it did not want to stop anymore. Turning ever faster as he vanquished all that came in his path. It was now five before five.


    Maybe he had misunderstood the watch. His eagerness seemed to only spur his demise forward.


    The man decided to stop his adventuring and calm himself for a while, maybe the watch would stop then. He spent his time going around taverns singing and performing his own exploits to crowds of drunkards and ladies alike.


    The handles did not stop. The watch kept ticking and his eyes kept drifting towards it. Every time hoping to see that the time had not changed, every time let down. It was now fifteen past seven.


    Whatever he tried, the handles would not stop. Everywhere he went, passerby caught him looking at his pocket watch. He had become obsessed with the sight of his lifespan ticking away from him in an ever speeding fashion.


    His achievements having been spread far and wide, challengers came seeking him from over the world. All wanted their mettle tested against the fearless man.


    One of them had to be stronger than him. One of them would be the end of him. They were the reason why the clock would not stop. If only he could get rid of them all without fighting them, surely his life would be brought back would it not?


    He turned down one and another but the clock only sped forward. It was now ten on the clock.


    The circumstances were extreme, an extreme solution had to be employed. Using the blessing of Death, he poisoned the town''s water and soon after, the challengers started dying with the rest of the townsfolk. In a week, from a budding city was only left an empty husk, a ghost town.


    He walked on the desolated main street, with decaying corpses on either side of him. His face looked grim. Eleven and a half reflected in his pupils.


    The green king from his mountain came. From afar, he wept at the desolation. From a distance, he solemnly vowed to avenge the destruction. From close by, he stared in anger at the sole survivor. Once revered hero, now broken murderer.


    "Fight me!" The king challenged him out of fury for what he had done. Fight me if a true hero you ever were.


    The man looked at the watch once more. One before twelve, one before death. "No." Was his answer. His loss was at hand he knew.


    The king''s ire would not be quelled with a simple refusal. With his sword raised high, he ordered for those accursed grounds to be cleansed. The culprit of this atrocity would be erased and buried with the result of his madness.


    The court mages stepped forth and powerful magic was called from the depths of the earth. The town was buried, swallowed by the mountains, its waters turned to steam and its poor inhabitants left with their murderer to prevent the unknown curse from spreading.


    It is said that Death came back later, moved a bit of ground and picked up a watch from the clutches of the cold hands of a champion, from the fingers of a fool.


    Trying to escape it can only result in a faster end. Was it the watch that caused his death or simply arrogance. In the end, Death comes to all but one should ignore it as much as possible for the ticking clock goes faster when you notice its advance.


    -- The death seer watch, Woes and heroes of our woods.


    ***


    (1) I should not have to point this out but please, don''t drink sea water.

 51 Gluttonek dismantling

    Fate of a hunter. Some time earlier.


    Dean felt it was a good time to hunt.


    Recently, he had to hold back from going too far on his hunting trips because of what had happened in the village.


    Because of the amount of blood-spitters that fled the night of the attack, there were many usually bountiful prey that dwindled. Those damned cats had hunted more than their share before running away.


    Then, because of the reconstruction efforts, he had to restrain the amount of time he spent hunting.


    Finally, with the many dead, it was hard to find partners to go hunt with.


    Since there were no timestop sloths living on this side of the hills, hunting alone was relatively safe as long as you knew what you were doing but taking down a larger prey was much harder.


    Knowing all this, Dean had been forced to rely on the small traps he had laid everywhere in the woods with his friends. Every day, he would make a trip to each of the traps in turn, hoping that some rabbit or fox would have gotten stuck in them. Because of the cats though, it had not been that successful.


    He still had some reserves back home for Vale and the kids but he knew that he would have to catch something eventually to preserve the happiness of the household. After all, clothes and tools didn''t pay themselves.


    Today was different, he knew, today was a good day to hunt. The instinct of a seasoned hunter told him so. A sort of feverishness drifted in the air of the forest, an excitement proper to the awakening of the beasts deeper in the forest.


    When that kind of atmosphere fell on the woods, small animals of all kinds moved from the deep reaches of the woods and came closer to its borders, closer to the hunters.


    They were driven away from their usual territories by their fear for larger beast. More often than not, that kind of air was caused by the aggressive mating season of some beast while at other times, a slumbering giant decided to move elsewhere. In any case, on that kind of day, the harvest was always high and very rarely did the monsters causing said air ever come out of the deep woods.


    Dean intended to profit highly of that day.


    "Be safe." Vale told him before he left.


    Like he did every time, he answered "Always."


    It was with a confident smile he left his home that day.


    Leaving the village, he waved at Marcy dragging her apprentice outside of her house. The Smith had it rough for a long time and the constant buzzing of Sophus around her was certainly not helping but since she had taken that boy in, she seemed much more cheerful than he ever saw her. Dean was glad the boy was here, if only for the smith''s mood. Maybe he would be able to convince her to discount some arrowheads for him later.


    He passed the village gates and went straight for his traps, travelling with a steady run to get there faster. The traps weren''t the main goal today, he had no reason to take his time to go there.


    As expected, none of them scored a catch. He merely clicked his tongue at the situation and prepared his bow instead for the true hunt.


    With his bow in hand and an arrow ready to be notched, he walked down the hunting paths, leaving the traps behind. He progressed carefully, listening to the sounds of the forest, searching for recent tracks and keeping an attentive eye to his surroundings.


    He started by rounding the paths he took often, then those he hadn''t used recently. Finally, he followed with the half tracks he almost never threaded, still, he could not find any traces, any signs of prey.


    Did they purposefully stay clear of his paths or were the woods hit even harder by the cats than what he had believed? He felt disappointed but the day wasn''t over yet, bringing something back home was still possible.


    Spurred on by his good feeling, he left the paths he usually took and walked in the overgrown woods.


    Outside of the paths he and the other hunters had made over the years, it was hard to move in the forest. Fallen trees and large snapped branches where in the way everywhere, foliage and long herbs grew up to his waist in house-sized patches, the terrain was uneven and often treacherous with holes and mud and moss covered everything it could, making every surface slippery.


    The sun was bright though and with its help, even the dense forest could be seen through, truly a perfect day to hunt.


    Stepping onto moss patches to erase the sound of his boots, he progressed slowly. Scanning every little movements he caught, he made sure that nothing but the wind and him was to be found in the vicinity.


    Small birds could be heard often chirping on their perches. There was nothing abnormal, in the forest, he knew, only him and a prey. He only had to find it. Would it be a deer, a boar maybe? He had not eaten boar meat in a long time. They were tricky to catch but oh so delicious and their skin was sturdy, Marcy offered good money for it.


    Dean was roaming towards the top of a small hill when he heard a noise further down bellow, on the other side of the hill. A smile bloomed on his face, there it was, the catch he was looking for.


    He made his way around the slope as quietly as humanly possible. Carefully shoving twigs and branches out of his way to close the distance with what he would soon discover to be a deer, a large one at that. Easier to kill than a boar, less dangerous too, but just as good a catch for him.


    Using the tree trunks as cover, he slowly got closer to it as he made his way downhill. He ended up on top of a huge rock jutting out of the slope. Like the rest, it was covered in moss but it was unlikely to cause him to fall from it. Even if he fell, he would only loose the deer, the thing wasn''t high enough to cause any severe injury to him unless he fell head first. He walked closer to its edge and readied his bow.


    The animal was munching on the lower leaves of a tree twenty meters ahead of Dean. There were many thing in the way between him and the deer but the ancestors would help him, he had no doubt he would hit it from where he was.


    He drew the string as far as it would go and after emptying his lungs, let the arrow loose.


    The deer heard the bow being fired and lowered itself as it prepared to jump away. Even by reacting instantly, it was still not fast enough and the arrow, after flying through a few dozen leaves stuck the deer in the side, just behind it''s shoulder.


    Dean cheered at the successful hit. The animal wailed and darted away in panic. He was sure he had pierced its lung, it wouldn''t be long until it fell. Dean only had to follow its trail of blood now.


    He stored the bow back on his shoulder and drew his long hunting knife. Not caring about the noise he made anymore, he returned to the rock''s base and found a way to climb down the stiff slope safely. Once down there, he waved his blade around to clear a path towards were the animal left.


    What a good catch, that was more than enough to make up for the slowness of... Something was wrong.


    He stopped dead in his track. The air fell still as if to mirror him and a chill ran across his back. An abnormal chill considering the sudden heat surrounding him.


    The first thing he heard was the sudden shrill that wet grass would make when thrown in a fire, then, a cracking noise behind him. It was a sound he had never heard, akin to a glass pane shattering slowly or a fissure running along a sheet of ice.


    Something was behind him he knew, the sounds came from too close to be from anywhere else. He licked his dry lips to try and calm himself, hoping it would not be something terrible. He turned his head towards the hill, towards the sound, towards something terrible.


    Bellow the large rock jutting out of the wall-like slope, there was a enormous hole he had not noticed. He could have sworn it hadn''t been there before and he would have been right, the noise he had heard was made from a huge stone disk, or maybe a wheel, half covered in moss, being rolled aside to reveal the passage.


    Looking at it more carefully, it wasn''t stone at all, it was too smooth for it to be stone, he just ignored what it really was. The door-like wheel crushed pebbles and branches as it moved aside to reveal the hole.


    A passage gently going downward. All of it, from ground to ceiling was made of the same strange material reflecting the sun in its dark brilliance. In the center of what he felt was probably some sort of den, a creature stood.


    It was unlike anything he had seen before in his life. It stood hunched forward but still reached twice his own height. The thing was bulky and muscled, with two legs he could have mistook for tree trunks because of their size and four arms that were almost as impressive.


    Its arms ended in human-like hands with large furred fingers. The creature used its two lower arms to stand, resting its weight on his knuckles like a monkey. Except it was no monkey.


    The thing had a jaw reminiscent of a bear but was held on an elongated head crowned by a pair of horns imitating the shell of a turtle. It''s fur was short and raw with the color of rust and the smell of charcoal. On its back two more limbs sprouted like tentacles from the fat and fur, connected to what seemed to be massive swelling between its two sets of shoulders.


    Liquid lazily dripped from its tentacles, accumulating at the ground to form more of that reflective material. It''s mussel flared and snorted like a bull as it fixated its purple eyes onto Dean.


    This was an unnameable of chaos. A one of a kind creature, unpredictable, unexpected and deadly. This he knew. When encountering something like that, there was only one sensible thing to do. Run.


    As the monster finished rolling its door aside, the hunter kicked the ground and ran through the woods. It had taken him a while to register what he was looking at but once he did, his entire being focused on survival, his whole mind was screaming at his legs to run faster.


    Behind him, no roar resonated through the forest, the creature merely groaned, as if it was bored.


    Dean dashed forward, letting leaves and branches slap him in the face in a bid to gain just a few seconds over the creature. The lumbering steps of the beast fell over the forest, flattening all in its path toward Dean.


    He did not even look back as he ran through bushes and jumped over fallen trees. An ominous hissing made itself heard shortly after he passed bellow a especially large branch and was swiftly followed by cracking sounds very close to him.


    By instinct, he ducked again and just above him flew a jet of black liquid, passing through the trees as a sword through half melted butter. The black blade snapped countless trees in half and thunder rang in the forest as the ancestors fell all around Dean. Everywhere the black liquid touched, either trees or ground melted and solidified again into that dark purplish matter.


    If it was hard to run through all this before, it was even harder now that the forest had collapsed on itself. Dean tried to resume his escape but the loud thumping of the creature steps was far too close to his liking now.


    He gulped as he thought of his imminent demise. He could only curse his bad luck, why was there such a thing so close to the village? Was it this thing that forced the animals to flee? Truly curse worthy. He wanted to scream his resentment at it but there were no words to be be found in his mind anymore.


    Jumping on a collapsed tree, he turned around to see the monster just behind him. Dean gnashed his teeth and without hesitation threw his knife at it.


    The blade flew right at its eye but at the last moment, the thing turned its head and the weapon bounced harmlessly on its horn.


    Dean jumped on a trunk further and got his bow from his back again. As fast as he could, he notched an arrow and shot it at the monster. He did not aim for its sturdy arms or wall-like torso, he shot above its shoulder and pierced through one of the two tentacles. The thing was unfazed by the attack.


    He screamed of frustration and stepped back only to trip on something and fall over another tree. The monster approached nonchalantly and looked over the trunk only to be greeted by a second arrow. That one surprised it and was driven up its fist-sized nostril.


    The monster shivered in pain and confusion before letting out a roar that shook Dean to the core. He crawled backward into the fallen tree line but to no avail.


    He had barely backed a few meters away when four large hands surrounded him and threw the trees away as if they were twigs. The purple eyes stared through him with a frenzied anger as it grabbed him and lifted him off the ground. Dean''s face was dragged up to an inch away from the monster''s face as it roared again.


    Deans stared at the arrow poking out of its bleeding nose, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. He had never been as afraid as this instant. He felt his bones getting crushed in the grip of the thing and he knew it was over. The fate of a hunter.


    "Vale," He thought. "even though I was careful."


    The monster gripped his right leg in one of its hands and pulled from both sides, tearing it away from him. Agonizing pain shot through him and for a single instant, he felt his heart beat more strongly in his skull than it did in his chest.


    His last thoughts were not for his wife or kids, in his mind, there was only pain left. He passed out moments before the creature crushed him into a paste on the mossy forest floor.


    ***


    In Dark-glint village, Emp was woken up by no one. Today, Marcellia told him they weren''t going to work so he got to sleep for a long time. Yesterday was the day the other him went to those two parties so today, he would go to the temple. Sadly, he wouldn''t learn about what happened there before he was recalled tonight.


    He sat up and put on some clothes in preparation for the day. He didn''t need to know what he liked and disliked, what where his hopes and what were his desires to have a normal day. The answers to those could wait to tomorrow.


    When he got out of his room, he found Marcellia was about to leave.


    "I''m going to a meeting with Bor and Sophus today." She reminded him. "What is it that ya said ya wanted to do today again?"


    Her meeting with the village chief and the mage had been planned many days in advance so they had talked about it a few times.


    "I plan on dismantling a creature I killed before."


    "Oh, I remember now. Don''t forget to get the other kids, this is good practice for everyone."


    "Sure." Emp told her as she left.


    He ate his breakfast alone and went outside to meet the others. They were easy to find because they had all heard about the fact that he had no work today. Everyone had gathered nearby and played with sticks while they waited for him to show up.


    "Hey Emp, you want a go against me? I''m pretty good at this!" Vesa asked him, posing in front of the newly defeated Cuthberth.


    Vesa was a dynamic boy that was a bit taller than Emp. He was eager to prove his worth but also knew that rushing while he wasn''t ready yet would lead to more harm than good. Marcy thought he would have a good chance in the future, Emp thought he gave off an honest feeling and was a friendly guy.


    He liked to play with sticks as if they were sword and won often against the other boys, giving him confidence. Emp hadn''t fought against him, partly because he didn''t want to hurt him and partly because he didn''t really have the time.


    Today wasn''t a good moment for it either.


    "No thanks, today I need to take care of the corpse of a gluttonek I killed. Would you like to help me?"


    "A gluttonek!"


    "What is that?" Asked Winter.


    She was the smallest of the group. Emp had heard that she was called that because her father came from another empire further north and saw a winter full of snow when he was small. He thought it was beautiful and wanted to give that name to one of his daughters.


    Winter was a bit like Calla, she was slow paced and clumsy but liked to smile and cheer on the others. She would usually just go along with what the others said and followed her friend Eda everywhere.


    "Isn''t it a big snake?" Asked Jurgen, the third knife boy.


    "You will all see if you come with me." Emp said. It was easier to show them after all.


    Everyone agreed easily and were immediately ready to leave.


    Only Manley''s father stopped them for a minute as they were leaving, just to make sure of where they were all going. Parents were always really careful about their kids.


    Emp believed neither Strength nor Sage would ever be worried about him. They probably only cared about the task they gave to him.


    "Your father''s always such a worrywart." Said Sylvia to Manley.


    "Isn''t that a great thing?" Asked Emp.


    "Yeah Emp gets it, we''re the same after all." Manley answered as he got up to him.


    Manley wasn''t the oldest but he was the tallest boy in the group and the only one with dark hair, a trait he didn''t share with his father.


    "You know what it''s like to not have parents like me." He told Emp. "He isn''t really my father but he was there for me when no one else was. He did his best to raise me even thought he didn''t have to and thought me everything he knew. He truly is a father to me. We may not have the same blood but if you ask me who my father is, I will answer by pointing at him every time."


    Was Emp really supposed to get it? Everyone somehow thought he was an orphan since he never spoke to anyone about his four creators. He wasn''t sure what to think of Manley story. He didn''t know Manley had been an orphan before. Could parents really be replaced just like that?


    His creators could not be compared to Manley''s father, they weren''t really there to help him, they were there to profit from him. Creators weren''t the same as parents he concluded, both made something but the motives were different. A creator made something for the satisfaction it brought them or profit, parents made and raised a child for the sake of the creation itself rather than their own.


    Maybe Emp truly was an orphan then, he didn''t have parents, only creators.


    While Emp was thinking about this, they made their way to the place where the dismantling was taking place. Because of the usually messy nature of the business, the processing of the creatures was never done just beside the houses. It was instead done outside the village walls a bit downriver to let it wash out the grime.


    The guards at the village gate stopped them to ask where they were going but when Emp told them they were just going to dismantle something, they were let through without a problem. It wasn''t that they were forbidden to leave but the guards wanted to make sure that the kids wouldn''t put themselves in danger. Knowing they weren''t going far enough to be out of sight and knowing that Emp was with them was enough to reassure them.


    The boys rushed forward to get there first while the girls walked at the back. Calla especially seemed reluctant to witness the scene. Since even Winter was going though, she couldn''t just stay out of it, she would end up alone with nothing to do.


    The dismantling spot was a wide area covered with a stone floor. The rule was to keep it clean by washing it with the water of the river once one was done using it. After they reached the spot, the rest felt lost briefly from the absence of the promised creature. Emp told them it was in his bag and to leave him some space to get it out.


    He moved towards the center of the cleared space and searched around his bag for his old kill. He called it to the center of the dismantling space and the memory of the stench it exuded came back to him instantly with the actual smell. The others had the same opinion about the smell.


    "Ewww. Why does it smell so bad?" Complained Eda.


    "It''s disgusting." Said Wilbert, another of the knife boys.


    "I had forgotten how bad it smelled." Observed Emp as he also removed the many severed heads from his bag.


    The corpse still spewed juices from its gaping wound and made a large puddle of it bellow its fat belly. Calla hid her eyes behind her hands to not see it. She really didn''t like that sort of scene.


    "So that''s a gluttonek? It looks ridiculous." Commented Jurgen.


    With its large deflating belly and overall squashed shape, it did look a bit ridiculous.


    "But that thing almost killed me." Answered Emp.


    "Tell us, how did you fight it?" Asked Chase.


    He was the second oldest boy here, only Calla''s brother, Gilbert, was older and only by a few month. Chase didn''t share the same desire as Gilbert to become Marcy''s apprentice. He liked the perspective of becoming a hunter better. He always fled from the chores his parents gave him to do but would always be there when someone had a hunting story to share.


    Emp answered his question in a way that was very like him. His whole story seemed more like a list of events than a tale, making it very odd to listen to for the others.


    "Finally, it died when I made that large cut in its belly. and planted the spear in through the top." He finished the story.


    "You are really bad at telling tales, but surprisingly, there is a lot to learn in it." Judged Chase.


    "Then are we taking it apart or what?" Called Gilbert.


    After that, almost everyone took knifes and tools to help Emp with his work. Using the large belly cut as a starting point, they slowly removed the scales and skin from its large body, cutting between it and the meat to free it. Emp knew that the creature''s venom would not kill but just to be safe, he had cut off all the heads first before they started.


    Calla, sat on a bench with a few of the girls kept her eyes tightly shut and winced at every noise the corpse made. She really didn''t like that kind of thing. Not only was she afraid of the blood and found the creature both scary and disgusting, she was also afraid someone would cut themselves with the knives.


    "Be careful." She would often remind them meekly from behind her fingers.


    Calla truly wasn''t suited to be in any work related to hunting or violence in general. Emp hoped for her that out of all ten Champom kids, she would be the one inheriting the orchard because he didn''t know what else she could do with how apprehensive and scared she was of everything.


    "We''re going to need a lot of baskets for that thing." Observed a girl named Galina.


    Her name was similar to Galana''s but her personality was far apart. This girl was of a calm and serious nature, and had a strong will too but, she loved to share her things with those around her and always saw the best outcome in everything. The baskets could have waited but she wanted to give an opportunity for Calla to escape.


    The girl gladly took it and walked back to the village with winter and willow in tow.


    While they were gone, their work progressed smoothly and soon, all the skin was removed and placed in a wet pile on the side. Because there were so many hunters in the village, most of the kids had a family member who was one and they all had to help with this kind of thing before. They were not experts but with how large the gluttonek was, Emp was glad they were there. They helped each other out and gave some tips to those around them but even while taking their time and teaching each others, it was progressing much faster than it would have if Emp had been alone.


    When the basket girls came back, they had started chopping off large pieces of the creature. All of the returning girls carried in front of them a bunch of baskets stacked into each other. Emp left the piece he was working on and went to get a basket to store the edible meat they could get. The girls placed them down in turn near the dismantling place to let everyone place the extracted things inside them.


    Calla was the last one to do so but as she got closer to the corpse, she slipped on something squishy and fell forward with a surprised scream. Emp thought it would be really bad if Calla of all people fell face first into the foul smelling liquid pooling bellow them. He quickly stepped at her side and caught her by wrapping an arm around her before she reached the ground.


    "Ha! Thanks Emp." She said, a bit pale from the fright.


    "You seem to always fall at the worst time, you should be more careful." Observed Emp. After all, she was the one who fell during the blood-spitters attack too.


    The others laughed at that.


    "He''s the new guy but he knows her well already!"


    "You''re so clumsy Calla, come sit back down with me!"


    Her cheeks reddened and she did just as she was told.


    The disaster averted, the work continued on with a good mood. Emp had a hard time opening all the small snake heads to find the poison glands since those things were so slippery and elastic but aside from that, everything went well. That stayed true until they opened up the belly of the beast properly.


    Most of the juice contained in its stomach had flowed out by now but not its contents. When Emp and the knife boys trio began to remove its internal organs, the stomach rolled out of the corpse and spilled its contents at their feet.


    There were a sudden burst of screams as everyone ran back to dodge the unexpected torrent of garbage that flowed out of it. In the belly of the beast, was the corpse of a man, half digested, with his skin falling off in large chunk and his face mostly melted away. Even with most of it missing, his visage still clearly expressed terror.


    The man wore no armor but had an empty scabbard that had fused with his hips. The sword was nowhere to be found in the rest of the refuses. There were also a bunch of bones and balls of fur but nothing there could make an impression as big as the man''s corpse.


    Once the understanding of what they were looking at truly sank in, there was another round of high pitched scream and poor Winter even threw up in tandem with another girl named Sylvia.


    Emp was surprised to see a corpse into his corpse but wasn''t disturbed more than that, it was just very ugly and unpleasing to look at. It was a bit sickening but not more than what he had already seen.


    "What happened?" Asked Calla anxiously.


    She had not seen anything, she was keeping her eyes closed since she came back.


    "Don''t look, there was a corpse in its stomach." Warned Vesa.


    The girl shivered and snapped her hand more tightly over her eyes.


    Soon, the gate guards showed up, alerted by the screams. The scene unfolding in front of them was self-explanatory, they understood without anyone telling them.


    "Is it Dean?" The guards asked.


    From their perspective, it would be logical as Vale''s husband was the last person to disappear. But, the timing was way off.


    "He cannot be, I killed that thing in the low-woods before I first came into town. Dean had not disappeared yet."


    "Then who is it?"


    "No one we know, it''s the only thing that matters." Answered the second guard with relief. "Go get some guys to have him buried."


    "Yes."


    The dismantling was delayed for a good while as the guards had to come pick that guy up and drag him to the forest. What made it an arduous task was that the corpse was very slimy and was easily breaking apart. An arm fell off as they were raising him up and the head almost detached itself when they tried to pick back up the arm.


    They had to be very careful while displacing it and moved to the tree line at the pace of a snail. After that, those that weren''t in the woods burying the corpse went back to the village and left the kids to their task.


    This wasn''t the first time something like that happened and it wouldn''t be the last. Even if that was the case, it was a shock for the dismantlers every time. A human corpse was not the same as that of a beast. The boys washed off all the gastric fluids from the stones to change their minds while the girls took care of the two who had emptied their stomachs from the sight.


    While they were cleaning up everything with the river''s water, Emp found out that the man had a purse filled with silver scepters. A true fortune by the standards of the villagers.


    "Are those really silver coins?" Asked Jurgen excitedly when he saw them.


    The others gathered around to take a look, curious to see them and envious of Emp''s luck. None of them were bothered by the fact they had belonged to the corpse they just found. Seeing this, Emp thought it would be great to reward them of their help with those coins. He counted them and found that there were enough for everyone. He didn''t need that money anyway, even after paying for Vale''s armor. He didn''t mind sharing the coins with the others who desired them.


    "I will give one to each of you once we are done." He said.


    The faces of everyone lighted up. They all seemed very happy but their reactions varied. There were some "Really!?", some "You don''t need to pay us." and even a "Yess!" accompanied by a fist pump from Wilbert. (1)


    "Really, I do not need that money and you are all helping me."


    "If you say so." Eda easily accepted even if she claimed he didn''t have to pay them.


    "Well I won''t mind at all!" Laughed Vesa


    "Maybe it''ll be enough to buy a small sword from Marcy!" The three knife boys plotted excitedly.


    Emp wasn''t convinced a silver coin would be enough but maybe their parents would help them out. After all, they had the right to carry weapons now.


    To do that though, they needed the coins and to get the coins, they needed to finish taking care of the gluttonek''s body.


    They all went back to work, lively and cheerful from the reward they were expecting. All thoughts of the dead man had vanished from their minds.


    It was Gilbert who did the best work. He was being extra careful to impress Marcy who would no doubt comment on their work afterward. Chase also contributed a lot to the task, with Willow sticking close to him and providing him another pair of hands, his work was swift and efficient.


    The monster''s meat was sliced in large chunks and placed into the baskets, it''s bones rinsed and stored into their own containers, all separated by size. The kids had never heard about the value of a gluttonek''s organs so they left them aside while they cleaned the rest. None knew if they were worth anything at all to anyone but Emp still stored them in his bag, just in case.


    The skin still needed to be taken care of properly but aside from that, they were mostly done and from the corpse, nothing but a large stain remained. With how many people there were to clean, that too disappeared fast.


    Since most of it had been its stomach, the final harvest of meat was smaller than what its size would have led to believe. They ended up with four full baskets of meat, one full of small bones taken from the tentacle snakes and a last basket half taken by larger bones of which the monster had not many.


    Most of the skin was in good condition and was the true treasure of the harvest. Yes, Emp also had a jar of poison that was very valuable to physicians and mages but the snake skin was very useful for a lot of different projects and more interesting to him.


    As promised, Emp gave a silver coin to everyone present.


    "Even me?" Asked Calla. She felt like she didn''t deserve it since she had stayed sat nearby the whole time, unable to even look at the gruesome task.


    "You were still there and almost fell in it because you went to get the baskets, take it." He insisted.


    After all, he said he would give one to everyone. Not giving one to Calla didn''t seem fair. She accepted it with a pretty smile and Emp placed the remaining coins into his bag.


    "There''s so much of it remaining too. I''m so jealous Emp gets to keep it all." Wined Cuthberht.


    "He was the one to kill it after all, it''s obvious he''s going to keep the money in its belly. If you''re not happy with that, you go kill one of your own." His brother Wilbert answered.


    "Well maybe I will, with the sword Marcy will make me."


    After that, they carried the baskets back to Marcy''s workshop. Emp carried the heaviest one, the one overflowing with still wet skin, by himself while the others carried the rest in groups of three or four.


    The basket of skin was far from being as heavy as the hammer he usually used so he had no problem moving it but the others had to take many breaks along the way.


    "You''re really strong, it''s impressive." Observed Calla.


    "I bet he could even lift a wooden beam by himself. There''s a reason he was picked as Marcellia''s apprentice after all." Added Eda.


    Eda was the oldest girl in the group, in fact, she was old enough to chose a husband. She was both the most responsible of the group and the least responsible. Every time someone was about to do something they would regret, she was the voice of reason that stopped them. But, instead of listening to her parents or learning a craft with her time, she spent it hanging out with the others. It was as if she didn''t want to think about her future.


    Still, Emp had no right to judge her on that since apparently, he couldn''t picture his own future either.


    "Hey, I''m strong too!" Claimed Calla''s brother, holding half a meat basket by himself.


    It was true that this was great from someone their age but Marcellia wasn''t going to change her mind about taking him as an apprentice because of that.


    When they arrived at the house, most of the afternoon was gone and Marcy was already back. She welcomed them all with a wave of her hand and checked into the baskets curiously.


    "That sure is a lot of meat, what was it that you were butchering?"


    "A gluttonek."


    "Really? I haven''t seen that in a long time. Is the skin usable?"


    "I damaged it a bit when I killed it but it seems fine."


    "Good, was everyone helpful?"


    "They were, everyone gave a hand, even Calla. Gilbert was very careful with the skin and Chase and Willow were very efficient."


    Marcellia nodded approvingly and Gilbert puffed his chest with pride. He wasn''t able to place a word on the moment though because the three knife boys pestered Marcy about the prices of swords. In the end, with the money they had, they couldn''t choose if it was better to buy a short sword for all three or a dagger each. They decided to think about it some more.


    They all went on to prepare the meat for preservation. Some of it would be salted and smoked while another part of it would be dried. Only a small amount of it was kept with only salted as it would probably be eaten my Emp and Marcy soon.


    Emp could have just stored it all back into his bag and it would have been fine but Marcy insisted that he had to do things properly.


    When everything was over, Gilbert asked if she would take him as an apprentice, she refused, and everyone went back home for today. Emp stood at the door to send them off and said good night to most of them.


    As they were all leaving, Emp saw Willow take Chase apart. She held the silver coin he had given her with both her hands and offered it to Chase.


    "You''ll soon get your first victory right? You''re going to need it more than me."


    Chase accepted the coin and gave her a warm hug, telling her something Emp couldn''t hear from where he stood. He heard Marcy come from behind him and look at the scene as well.


    "I was told a girl shouldn''t attach herself to a boy that had not won yet." He commented as he watched them go their separate way.


    "I was told the same." Marcy replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No one wants to lose something dear to them so they refrain from getting close to people who might not come back. I agree that loosing someone close to you is hard and should be avoided but this way isn''t always the best."


    "No?"


    Emp was curious and Marcellia expressed her thoughts further.


    "If I had known my lover wouldn''t come back, I would have spent some more meaningful time with him rather than waiting for all these traditions. I feel cheated of the time I should have had with him."


    Her fingers gripped his shoulder harder but it wasn''t painful so he didn''t say a thing and listened to her story.


    "I wish I had been more forward with my feelings when I had the chance. This is a question of perspective, would ya rather lose only a meaningless thing or spend the best moments of yar life with the one ya love before it''s too late?"


    Emp did not have the answer to that question. he didn''t even have a lover.


    "It''s the first time you speak about your lover. I didn''t even know you had one." He said instead.


    "I did have one but I lost him. I miss him a lot... Ya remind me of him a lot actually. If I had a son, he would probably look a bit like ya..."


    He heard her sniffle behind him and she released his shoulder to ruffle his hair instead. Like usual, she did it too strongly and shook his whole head instead.


    "Now come back in my boy, let''s eat a bit of that meat ya generously gave me."


    "But I didn''t though." He said as he closed the door to the setting sun and turned back inside.


    At that, she laughed, so much so in fact that a few tears rolled down her cheek.


    Emp smiled and his vision blurred. At first he thought he was tearing up as well without understanding why but the darkening of his world proved him wrong.


    He felt the earth shift under and around him, the room spun and his brain started to painfully pound against his skull. Emp lost his balance and fell forward, knocking his head on the floor while going down. Still, he did not really feel it.


    "Emp!" Marcy''s voice sounded like she was yelling from outside the village.


    He did not understand what was happening as his consciousness faded into darkness.


    ***


    (1) I don''t know if you remember the rules but you can probably feed a family of four with 10 coppers a week, you need a hundred copper for that silver. He is essentially giving them enough to live by themselves for forty weeks. All of that for a common job.

 52 Temple of love

    The day after the party, while one Emp was dismantling the gluttonek in the village, the other was walking down the streets of Artefine. He had kept in mind what the woman working at the bar suggested and decided to go to Love''s temple after the classes where over for the day.


    Nothing really special happened during those classes except about Zoran, Brenia and Mable.


    Zoran was really embarrassed about how he was carried back to school by him and apologised many times in a row to him. Truly, it didn''t matter at all to Emp and the constant apologies were much more annoying to deal with. He could understand that Zoran felt like being carried around in the arms of another guy was unsightly but why was he the one apologising? He wasn''t even conscious at that point.


    The other troublesome one was Brenia who failed to remember most of the things she did in the tavern. Everyone was acting way more friendly than usual with her, or at least, that was what she complained about to Emp in between classes.


    "That''s freaking me out, no one wants to tell me what I said. You''re the most honest here if we exclude Zoran who passed out right in the beginning so tell me. What the hell did I say?"


    "Most of it didn''t make any sense." Emp answered her. "You told us a story about scraglings then you told us you couldn''t get drunk and that you almost got stabbed once but you cut something in half with your axe instead."


    "What?"


    She seemed shocked by what she had said herself.


    "Or at least I think that was what you meant to say. Then you started singing while standing on top of the table."


    Her face paled at the mention of singing.


    "What did I sing?"


    "Something about jumping fences and chopping wood I think. It really made no sense at all."


    "I see..."


    She seemed really distraught about it.


    "Oh, you also said you could kick with a thumb up your nose."


    There was a short pause between that and her answer. She seemed defeated.


    "Thank you Emp for telling me."


    She left the subject at that and spent the rest of the day with her head slammed over her desk.


    Mable too didn''t seem well that day, and rested on her desk the whole time, complaining about stomach ache.


    "I had warned you to not eat so much cake." Pitied Aglaya as she rubbed the back of her friend.


    The conclusion of it all being that nothing of note happened until they were released for the day. Like that, he made his way out of the school.


    His two slaves were with him too, they had insisted to come when he told them were he intended to go. Like that, with Celtine on his shoulders and Harriett just behind him, he made his way to the temple.


    The place was occupying the center of a flower garden that must have been of the size of Dark-glint village. They had all sort of flowers planted here but all of them were in tints of red or pink.


    The temple itself had a pyramidal shape. The entrance was at ground''s height and was protected by a wide stone roof sculpted to look like open arms.


    Every stage of the pyramid had more flowers growing onto it all the way up to the very top where instead of flowers, a basin filled with crystalline water overlooked the sea of flowers. That water had many channels to flow downward from. They were supported by tall pillars each crowned by the sculpture of a heart holding the water channel in its crease. Like that, the water was send everywhere in the garden and bordered the white stone alley leading to the main entrance.


    In that garden, an army of girls wearing pure white dresses were tending to the flowers. There were no paths leading into the garden, unless you were one of the caretakers, you could only admire its beauty from the white stone road.


    It did not mean that the citizens couldn''t enjoy the flower sea though as not only was it impressive to look at even from the outside, there were many girls handing out flowers to the passerby and those seeking one for a lover.


    As Emp walked by them all, he understood from their discussions that if one gave a flower from Love''s garden to the one they liked, it would bring happiness to them both until it withered. It was a charm of sorts that the caretakers gave freely to everyone.


    He walked past the girls handing out flowers and stepped on the stone path, anyone could walk inside the temple. Neither of his slaves said anything about the garden but they both looked enraptured by its beauty. Maybe they''d like some souvenir?


    At the end of the path, there was no door, the roof said it all, the temple welcomed everyone with open arms, at any time. Love was meant for all.


    He stepped in between the two clear waterfalls flowing around the arms and discovered the inside of the temple. The place was luminous and warm, it felt peaceful and welcoming. In the center of the vast room, rows of small burners spread a sweet and gentle smell across the temple. Still more flowers were hung from the ceiling and a large amount of petals were covering the floor.


    Five large harps stood tall on a circular stage where more woman dressed in white played a music that seemed to be always changing, sometimes sounding happy and lighthearted while other times calm and sweet or passionate.


    Lining the walls on either side, yet more girls wearing white blindfolds were wielding large red feathers and writing on tiny pieces of paper. All these messages were then thrown into a large basin at the foot of the stage, filled with nothing else than those papers. A wide range of people walked around, going to the stairs in the back or walking up to the stage and basin.


    In front of it all, a tall woman sat with a leg crossing over the other. Her dress was overly long and flowed around her seat and spread in a large circle on the floor. She could have been described as bright, with shining hair and sparkling eyes, skin almost as white as her dress. She was sat on a large seat filled with red pillows and rested her elbows and her head on what appeared to be the large end of a hollow horn. The lower, thinner, part of the horn made the base of her seat before disappearing into the floor.


    She was the one welcoming visitors, giving a few well intentioned words to everyone who came in. (1)


    "Welcome to Love''s temple young man. Are you here for a prayer or a counselling?" She asked in a voice of velvet.


    Emp wasn''t sure himself, he came here to seek help for his problem, how was he to proceed?


    "What is the counselling about?" He decided to ask.


    "By giving us a gold coin, you will be granted the right to pick one of the papers in the pool. On each and every one of those, a message is written that will help you on any love related problems you may have."


    Could it be that good? How did they know which message to give to each person, how did they know if it would help or not and more importantly, weren''t they the ones writing each of these?


    "Are a few words written by someone that helpful?"


    "Child listen and look at our love counselors. It is said that true love is blind and so we gathered many a blind girl to write the message. They did not know how to write and cannot see the message entrusted to their pieces of paper but still, it is always clear. Those words come down to us from the divine Love herself to help us poor mortals with our troubled hearts. Sometimes, they are cryptic, yes, and sometimes they are outright wrong but never does a message ends in the wrong hands."


    So, that thing was a bit like the book of answers but even more inaccurate, highly priced and only relating to love problems. Maybe that would be fun but he would rather talk to his creator directly if he could.


    "Maybe later, for now, I would like to pray, how does it work?"


    The woman nodded in understanding and unfolded her arms to point towards two identical staircases leading upstairs.


    "Take either of the staircases beside the stage, the prayer room is the next floor. Once there, place your hands over your heart and silently tell the idol what lies in your heart. Do not say a word out loud, only the words in your heart matters."


    "I understand, thank you."


    He understood but if what she said was true, It may prove difficult to have himself heard. The whole reason for his presence was because he couldn''t read his own heart and desires after all.


    Emp stepped around her flowing dress and walked up the white steps to the second floor. The stairs lined the back wall but had to twist around the inside because of the shape of the structure, ending up hanging above the stage and the musicians.


    The next floor was clearly smaller than the first but just as serene. The music could still be feebly heard, adding some life to this otherwise silent room. The sun shined through wide openings in the walls, bringing it''s warmth and the scent of the flowers growing outside with it.


    The place was filled with people, both standing and kneeling, all turned towards a tall statue obviously representing his creator.


    "Master saw the true goddess right? Is the statue on point?" Asked Harriett in a voice low enough to not disturb the rest, curious.


    "Yes, she really looks like that."


    They clearly knew what she looked like since the representation was very lifelike. Still, Emp felt that stone could not bring justice to the true goddess, he had seen her after all, with her floating hair and the warmth of her eyes.


    At the statue side, two more girls stood straight, with their hands held over their hearts, leading the crowd by example.


    By respect, Emp got Celtine off from his shoulder and placed her on his side before he tried praying himself. Both Celtine and Harriett on his left and right knelt and took a praying posture as well. Emp chose to remain standing because it was easier to look at the statue over the rest of the crowd that way.


    With his hands over his heart, he fixed his gaze unto the face of the statue. This was the hard part, what was he supposed to say, or rather feel, to call her? Maybe he didn''t really need to call her. He just needed to find what he wanted, what he lacked. He could surely find it if he thought about it hard enough right?


    "Darling, you grew up a bit since last time we met. You feel more manly, I like it."


    Emp blinked as he recognized the voice and in the time he did, Love, the real one, was in front of him.


    Her skin pale as moonlight, covered by the same long red dress she wore last time. Her hair flowing freely around her, dancing above the heads of the praying crowd. Her black eyes shining purple from the love they poured unto him. The entire world around her seemed to fade, it''s colors washed out by her brilliance.


    "We can speak freely, I yanked you out of reality, that''s why everything looks washed out."


    That didn''t really make sense but no one seemed to notice her at all.


    "Harriett?" He called to test it out but she did not remove her eyes from the statue. Love was right.


    "See, no one will notice, tell your mother what is wrong darling, I''ll do my best to help."


    That was a very practical ability to have. happy to be able to ask her about it directly, he went straight to the point.


    "The others always ask me about my desires but I can''t think of anything I want. I do not understand love."


    Love made a worried frown and lowered her floating form closer to the ground and him. She was supposedly Love itself after all, him not understanding her was a problem.


    "Let me take a look in there." She said as she placed a hand on his chest and another over his forehead. Her fingers radiated warmth even through his clothes, heating up his brain and heart.


    "Is it an error from Sage when we made you? Some unexpected roadblock? Maybe it''s soul deterioration?"


    "What is soul deterioration?"


    "Don''t worry about that yet, it may not be it. I can see you understand what you lack, I can see you can feel the emotions emitted by those around you as well. Sage went a bit too far with your sense of logic but the problem doesn''t lie there. I think I see what is wrong."


    After that, she removed her hands and told him what the problem was. She held up her hand in front of his eyes and raised one finger at a time to express her short enumeration.


    "Humans are made of three things, a body, a mind and a soul. It isn''t that hard to create a new life for us but we needed you to be ready from the get go which is much harder."


    Emp had some difficulty picturing what could possibly be hard for a group of gods to accomplish but Love kindly explained everything.


    "We can make a body easily, once given life, it will naturally develop its own mind and its own soul. Our problem was that it takes way too much time to grow. Instead, we built your mind from the ground up too. The thing is, a newborn soul cannot sustain a grown body and a filled mind on its own. We would have made one but we don''t know how, only the immortal can make a soul out of nothing. We had to use the next best solution, we grafted a leftover soul from the forest into you."


    ...


    ...


    They did what?


    "We took what was left of the soul from some dead guy and glued it to your own soul. The old one should have decayed and left on its own as yours grew to take its place but apparently, it didn''t."


    "So I have two souls?"


    "That is not the most accurate way to put it but yes. The soul is what makes you yourself when connected with the right memories and knowledge stored in your mind. The old one isn''t working properly since the memories that should go with it are missing and the new one can''t drive it out and grow its own desires."


    That was way more complicated than he had thought. How was he supposed to fix it? Could he just leave it like that? It wasn''t really hindering him anyway.


    "You can''t leave it like that darling. First I want my cute son to feel the love across the world and second this situation could actually kill you."


    "What?"


    "The soul is like the body, it grows until it reaches its true size."


    She placed her palm upwards and in between the two of them, a transparent ball appeared. Emp wondered what she was doing as she filled it with light.


    "The body isn''t an indication of how large a space the soul has to grow. Even though a newborn soul can''t fill a grown body and mind doesn''t mean that the space you have to house a soul will grow with you. Look at that balloon, that is representing the space you have for a soul and the light inside represent your soul. See what happens as the soul grows?"


    The ball, or balloon, was swelling and expending, stretching itself to keep the large amount of light that was filling it. It stopped once it had become very large and bouncy.


    "Just one soul grows a lot over the life of someone, and like that, it fills up all the space it can. But you have two of those, double the quantity. Here is what happens."


    The balloon started swelling again and Emp quickly saw the strain applied on it. It couldn''t fit all the light in but it kept receiving more. It wasn''t long before a loud bang was heard, the balloon ruptured into a dozen pieces and the light scattered.


    "It won''t be that sudden but close. We have to fix yours before this happens." Concluded Love with a smile.


    The message was very clear. Then, what did they need to do to stop this from happening.


    "We have two choices. We can remove the old soul, since it was only there to support you while your form was stabilizing, there should be no real consequences. It''s not even supposed to be there in the first place. The other solution is to completely fuse the two souls into one. That one is harder to do and I don''t know what would happen when it''s done. It will fix the problem since the soul will stop itself from growing out of hand but it would be like accepting living with a parasite inside you. I don''t want you to chose this option."


    "If it is worse in every way, why are you giving me the choice?"


    "Choice is important in life darling, choices are what makes yourself you and not someone else. Speaking of which, most choices you do are driven by the soul. Since this whole thing is related to your own, it is natural that I let you choose. Plus, You need to know there is a second way in case the first fails."


    "Alright then, could you remove the old one please." Asked Emp.


    He had no reason to hesitate after all. The quicker this was over, the quicker he would understand what everyone was trying to tell him. Sadly, Love shook her head in denial.


    "I can but I won''t."


    "Why not?"


    "We told you already when we made you. We aren''t supposed to intervene. We can talk and I can tell you what to do but I won''t deal with your problems for you."


    But wasn''t that problem there because of them? Why did he have to take care of it if he had nothing to do with it?


    "Down frown like that darling. You''re my son, of course I care, I Love you. I''m even preparing a gift for you for when you''ll decide to show up in my trial room. Anyway, dealing with that soul shouldn''t be that hard, you need a fwan, a soul crystal from deep underground and a competent mage to overview the transfer process."


    Emp had heard of fwans before in a class but he didn''t know where to find one and had no idea of what was a soul crystal. How would he deal with all that?


    "Do not worry darling, you already have everything within your reach. I may not reach to you often but I do keep an eye on you. A man named Heinrich, dwelling in the place you call a school, he has everything you need."


    Heinrich the teacher of magic? That was more than convenient.


    "Yes, it is convenient indeed, if he had not been there, I would have had to do it myself because your case cannot wait, you need that thing removed today."


    The way she said it sounded like something horrible would happen if he didn''t take care of it right away but he didn''t feel bad at all right now.


    "Why must we hurry?"


    "You may not feel anything but there are no nerves leading to the soul or its boundaries. You haven''t noticed because of your state but you learned a lot and your soul grew a lot too since you were made. I suspect it grew so fast because of how you kept yourself split for so long. You had twice the emotional growth you should have had."


    That would be reasonable to think so. He had made a lot of friends in both the school and the village after all.


    "Next time I see Space he''ll get a few words from me I can tell you that. You''re lucky to have come here when you did."


    If he had not been to the tavern the day before, he would have never even have the idea of coming here, that was lucky indeed.


    "You are at a tipping point, the balloon is about to burst. Any more emotional stimulation could make the whole thing collapse."


    Knowing the situation was so dire was scary, did this mean that he could have just collapsed and died without even noticing why? Just dying like that without prior warning was very unsettling. At least for him.


    "My advice to you my son is to go straight to that mage and request the ablation of the support soul. Do not dawdle and do not stop on the way for anything else than the following."


    What was the thing that was so important he had to stop on his way? He wondered curiously.


    "You have to give two gold coins to the lady down there and get a paper for each of those two." The goddess told him pointing at his two slaves. "I have a message for them, this one in particular as a very cute wish, I like her." She said about Celtine. "Very unusual thing to ask."


    Was that really it? Could it not wait?


    "Love matters are the most important matters." She insisted. "Now go, stop wasting time here. And don''t peek at those, these messages are personal."


    "But I still had more questions, can you fix her wings? What about her voice?"


    "You do not have time for this and no, not here. You''ll have to get to a trial chamber for that."


    That was a bit disappointing, Celtine would sulk.


    "Id'' like you to come to mine but Life might be better for the retrieval of her wings."


    "What about her voice." Insisted Emp.


    "Go to Truth and stop wasting time!" She yelled in annoyance.


    The moment Love said her last word, she blinked out of existence and the room regained its colors and life. Emp looked around again and like he expected, no one had heard her yell.


    Knowing he shouldn''t linger, he crouched between the two girls and placed a hand on their shoulders.


    "I had my answer, we are leaving now." He said in a low voice to not disturb the others.


    Celtine nodded and climbed on his shoulder while Harriett questioned him about the result.


    "What did master learn?"


    He almost said he learned he was about to die. They didn''t need to know that, he didn''t want them to worry over something that would be fixed by the end of the day. Harriett was the kind of person to worry too much, she was always stressed about small things so telling her he could die was out of the question. He would end up loosing more time because of her.


    "I learned that we need to go see the teacher of magic."


    "What has the magic teacher to do with this?"


    "There is a problem with my soul." He answered her as he stepped onto the stairs.


    "What kind of problem? Is it serious? How does master know there is something wrong with his soul?"


    "No need to worry, it will be fixed before tomorrow. We just need to get to Heinrich. I will say everything once there."


    That answer didn''t seem to please her very much but having her make a fuss in the temple of Love didn''t seem like the fastest way to get what he needed.


    When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he went straight towards the tall lady.


    "Welcome back, did your prayer go well?" She told him when he arrived in front of her.


    Emp answered as he fetched two crowns from his bag.


    "It did, I would like two of those papers please, one for each of those two."


    "Why of course! Let the two missus throw the coins in the horn''s opening there and fetch a paper for themselves."


    She tapped her seat to get his attention to the horn. So in the end, It didn''t just look like a horn, it was one, and it was made to receive the coins.


    Emp nodded in understanding and placed a coin in the palm of each.


    "Master, is that really okay to spend a gold coin like this?" Asked Harriett a bit perplexed. She didn''t want to waste the money of her master.


    "It is, go on and give it a try." There was no way he was saying that Love herself told him to buy one for each right in front of the priestess.


    The two girls nodded with an excited smile and gave their coins to the temple. The two crowns rolled and spun inside the horn before sliding down further into it and disappearing form their view.


    Afterward, Harriett got a paper for herself in the vast pool and Emp let Celtine down to get one as well. It took her a long time to step forward, pick a paper and get back up because of her usual balance problems but she had greatly improved since he had met her. It was a good thing.


    Once they were done, Emp left the temple with them the same way he had entered.


    Leaving the flower garden behind him, Emp asked himself if he should recall the other him for now. Love told him that anything could make him break from now on so maybe it was safer to just bring him back for now. If he did though, Marcellia would complain a lot afterwards and also, he was probably busy with the dismantling right now. In the end, he chose to let the other him be. He didn''t think it would make any difference.


    Even though Love told him clearly that his life was in danger, he didn''t feel threatened at all. He couldn''t feel the tension like he had with the monsters he fought up until now. Everything just felt normal.


    He still wanted to do as she had asked him anyway. He walked as swiftly as he could without losing Harriett to his speed.


    As he moved back towards the school, he heard the girls unfold their messages to take a look at them. Both Celtine and the two messages they read were out of his sight. The only thing he saw was the perplexed face of Harriett and the legs of Celtine squeeze his head. He was really curious about what the messages said but since he had been specially told to not look, he did not ask them.


    Neither of them said a word about the messages either and they reached Wren''s desk in silence.


    "Welcome back!" Called the receptionist.


    "Hi, I need to see Heinrich right now. Could you tell me where to find him?"


    "Sure."


    Apparently, the rule about not handing out the rooms location didn''t apply to teachers. She gave him a rough explanation based on places he already knew and he left the entrance hall right away.


    "What do we need the teacher for exactly?" Asked Harriett on the way. "Is he knowledgeable about souls?"


    They were about halfway there, the sun was going down


    "I don''t know, Love just told me he had everything I needed. We need a..."


    Why did the hallway seem so dim suddenly? Did the sun set faster than he thought? He blinked once to adjust his vision and tried to finish his sentence.


    "... a fwan and a..."


    "Master?"


    There was something wrong, he felt like the world''s cohesion was collapsing around him. Everything started to spin and melt into darkness, he stumbled a few steps more. He was stricken by confusion, what was happening?


    Celtine was heavy, he fell against the soft wall. He would have slid along it and collapsed on the ceiling like that if Hariana had not been there to try and punch him.


    "Master!"


    What was the question again? Grass made out of shadow grew across his field of vision. He blinked again but nothing was there anymore when he opened his eyes back up. His fingers touched something hard, or were they his toes?


    He fell through the floor and deep into the bowels of the earth. He could not see but he felt everything pulsating in and around himself.


    "Hamster." A far away voice said.


    A hamster wasn''t what he needed though, was it? No, it was a fwan and a soul crystal. That was right, he needed to tell them.


    "...crys..."


    ***


    That same day, In Red-water city.


    Galana was at the market to buy the least amount of food with which she could live. She came across a temporary stall manned by two priestesses.


    "Miss, here!" One of them called.


    Galana wasn''t in the mood to waste time with some love priestesses. What''s more, she didn''t have any money.


    "No thanks, I don''t have a leaf."


    "But miss, its free today!"


    Free? Now that was a word she liked to hear. She stopped in her tracks to look at what they were ''selling''.


    "To celebrate the count Staedler''s son first marriage, the temple decided to send us here in Red-water to gift all those predictions to the crowds while they enjoy the festivities."


    Ha yes, the festivities... Galana did notice that the nobles were riled up about something. They would organize feasts upon feasts for a few weeks and laugh with each other while she struggled to find dinner.


    The Steadlers weren''t as bad as the fat Balpoisson but she''d rather eat dirt than cheer for them. She didn''t really want to take part in whatever the rest did to celebrate.


    There was also the obvious fact that she didn''t trust those predictions at all. Wasn''t it obvious that something written at random on a piece of paper wouldn''t be worth anything? She transcribed Important documents all the time and no one wanted to pay for it, why did people waste their hard earned money on those stupid predictions?


    "Can you read?" Asked the girl in white.


    "Of course I can read!" She almost said ''What do I look like?'' but held herself in time to escape the shame.


    "Then take a prediction from the basket! I''m sure that whatever troubles your heart, Love can show you the way. It''s usually a gold coin each so today is truly a special occasion!"


    Even for two copper leaves she wouldn''t have bought one of those but for free? Taking one couldn''t hurt her. Then she would be rid of the priestesses pestering too. She plunged her hand into the wicker basket and got a paper out of it. The two priestesses wished her a good evening and she left back to her store.


    There, she discovered a letter waiting for her.


    "Idiot!" Was later heard all the way across the street.


    That day, three persons Emp knew received a small piece of paper.


    The first read: Can the queen of spades also be a queen of heart? (2)


    The second read: From the union of sky and land was born the world.


    The last one simply said: Apologise.


    What does it even mean? Wondered Galana. Apologise to who? What for? I haven''t done anything, I shouldn''t be the one to apologise. They keep stealing from me, even today, and ''I'' have to apologise? What nonsense. (3)


    She scrunched the paper and threw it out the window.


    ***


    (1) The corrector tells me that intentioned isn''t a word. How would you phrase that kind of thing in English then? Let me know, I''m curious.


    (2) that message only works in English, in French, the spades cards are called pikes (pique) instead.


    (3) No, not apologise to Emp, that would be silly. She insulted someone way more dangerous.


    I thought Valentines day was on the 17 for some reason, now my valentines chapter is late. I hope you all had a good Valentines day.

 53 Soul spli

    Celtine knew something was wrong with her master before he collapsed. She knew by his breathing, it suddenly became erratic in the middle of his sentence.


    Harriett called out to him but he seemed unable to focus his mind. The master fell against the hard wall and almost collapsed on the spot. He was barely caught in time by Harriett who jumped forward to grab his arms as he fell.


    "Master!" She screamed in worry.


    The head of Emp felt burning in Celtine''s grasp and he finally lost all strength before falling over Harriett. She was unable to hold his whole weight properly and fell on her back with him and Celtine.


    Her knees bumped against the stone floor as Celtine was thrown off of his shoulders by the fall. She extended her hand in time to protect her face but still got bruised on the elbows. It was painful yes but she had no time to think about it, the situation was obviously very dire.


    "Master!" Harriett screamed even louder than before.


    She was panicking. This was not helping at all. Celtine had already lost many things before, she refused to lose something else, she needed to save her master.


    "Chass..." Her master whispered in the last moment of consciousness.


    This was the sound it made but she knew by the wind, it was not the one he intended. Crys was what he meant to say. Was it chrysalis, someone named Christopher or something else? While she spun the sound in her head, she removed herself from the collapsed form of Emp and started writing on a paper.


    She ripped it off her board and extended the paper toward Harriett.


    She didn''t see it, she was too busy worrying and shaking her master.


    Celtine had to hit her twice before she was noticed. When Harriett finally looked at her through her tears, she slapped the paper into her hand and vehemently pointed the corridor. It shouldn''t be hard to get to Heinrich, they were almost there after all. Celtine would have done it herself but she couldn''t move fast, going herself would lose them precious time she wasn''t sure they had.


    Harriett finally understood what Celtine wanted her to do and just made a hum to accept before she dashed away as fast as she could.


    Now she was left alone with her master, there was nothing she could do for him. Her wings started to hurt because of her stress. She moved them a bit... She endured the pain instead and placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. He was hot, burning. His heart was racing too, maybe as fast as when she had lost her wings. What was happening to him?


    Footsteps came rushing in the corridor but it was neither Heinrich or Harriett that came. The steps came from behind her and surprisingly, it was Ivar and Brenia that appeared. They came here because of the scream, they must have heard it from elsewhere and came to see who was causing the ruckus like that.


    "Emp?" Simply asked Ivar, confused.


    "What''s happening?" Cut Brenia, straight to the point like always.


    Brenia was scary, very scary. She could kill her master easily while he was in this state, the thought made her skip a heartbeat. Dangerous and untrustworthy, but she was strong too. Celtine needed her. She wrote a new message as speedily as she could.


    That was the best and most concise way she could write about the situation.


    "Got it." Brenia answered swiftly before moving towards Emp.


    "How can he have a problem with his soul?" Asked Ivar even more lost than before.


    "Stop asking dumb questions and help me drag him to that bloody mage."


    The female warrior picked Emp from under his arms and raised his front half while Ivar reacted to her call and got a hold of his leg.


    "Damn, that guy''s burning." Commented the huntress.


    "No time to lose then. We''ll carry him ahead." Ivar told Celtine before they started moving through the remaining corridors.


    Like that, Celtine was left alone. They were lucky those two came in when they did, the mage would have had to come all the way here otherwise, losing them more time. She got on her feet and started moving towards the residence of the mage using the walls to hold herself up.


    More people would probably show up but she didn''t have the time to wait for them, she needed to join up with her master and Harriett.


    The way should have been short but to her, it felt unending. She had not practiced walking as much as she should have. Riding on her masters shoulders was so much fun that she didn''t bother walking at all. She had just come to expect that he would carry her everywhere.


    Obviously, it was wrong of her to think that, she could see it now. Even if her master was a great person, he couldn''t let her tag along everywhere he went forever. Sometimes, he simply wouldn''t be able to, like at this moment.


    She needed to be better, for him and for herself. If he survived that was, if not, she would be dead too anyway. It was that thought that kept her mind stable. He wasn''t dead yet, if he was, she wouldn''t be able to worry about it. She had no reason to panic, he was fine right now, he would be fine later too and would not die.


    They didn''t even know what sort of problem he had. Since he was so calm before, it might not be that terrible. Maybe they were overreacting. Someone falling unconscious didn''t mean they would die. A lot of people fainted all the time and didn''t die.


    He would certainly wake up later and ask them why they were so worried, he had told them it would be fixed before the next day after all. Maybe the problem with his soul was very small and not dangerous at all.


    But, when had a soul problem ever been small? Her own couldn''t accept the fact her wings weren''t there and caused her endless pain. What sort of trouble was his own into? A problem of the soul couldn''t be easy to heal or else people would understand souls better. Maybe Emp would die after all.


    She shivered and almost made a misstep. She really didn''t want him to die. Then again, if he did, she would potentially not be able to notice it before she followed. Maybe it was better that way, not dying of course, but rather, not knowing. Even if she lived through, what would she do then? Find a god on her own? That was crazy, she would never make it, it was better to die then.


    Finally, she reached the door of the teacher''s room. Inside, hurried footsteps and loud voices made themselves heard. She turned the handle and pushed her way inside.


    Celtine really didn''t like human mages but if he was her only chance of saving him, she would not cower away from him. Just like she would not reject Brenia''s help, she couldn''t afford to let her own fears destroy her master. He was the best thing left in her life and his only hope at getting the rest of it back, no amount of fright would ever push her away from him.


    Opening the door, Ivar and Brenia turned their head to see who was coming in and when they saw it was her, they beckoned her to come closer. Brenia even offered her a hand. Her heart shook but she still took it, anything to go faster.


    Around her, the room was very different from those she had seen up to now. She had seen master''s room, she had seen Mable''s room and the personal office of the old woman but this one was nothing alike.


    Everything was so bright in here but so cold too. There were no candles or fire of any sorts burning, only floating ethereal lights, pale blue and white, were letting everyone see clearly inside. They hovered in the corners and sometimes floated too close to someone who just batted them away in annoyance. There was no warmth being emitted from them, cold as death but bright as daylight.


    Master Emp had been laid down on the tall desk occupying the center of the room. Mountains of shiny junk and books had been thrown down from it to make enough space for him.


    Like the old woman''s office, bookshelves stood in a row against the far wall but almost half of it housed strange objects instead of books. There was a large glowing blue mushroom growing in fifteen different layers in a jar, a large horn covered in runes she did not understand, a bunch of different powders and the list just went on.


    The bookshelves weren''t the only place full of weird objects, the ceiling was also used to hang a large amount of charms and small ingredients tied onto some dangling length of string. It was a bit like how Harriett insisted on dangling garlic on the mantel of the rooms fireplace except here it was everywhere and mostly made out of parts from hunted creatures. If the mage needed something, he only had to raise an arm to grab it. It must have been practical but the taller humans must have hated it.


    Currently, Harriett was worrying alone in a corner while the two students stood midway between the door and the desk. Celtine wondered why Harriett stood so far but then understood that she had probably been told by the mage to get out of his way. Speaking of the mage, he was nowhere to be found. She hoped he was behind one of the two doors leading further into his living space.


    Ivar expected her to ask so he told her all that happened while she was walking here.


    "The teacher got your list and then went over there to get the fwan. The other slave kept clinging to him and Emp so he told her to wait in the corner or he would kick her out. I can understand why she''s so fidgety though, it''s as much her life as his own."


    "At least we were nearby to help move him here. In don''t think a scrawny mage and a week girl could have moved him all the way here at a decent speed."


    <Thank you for your help.> Wrote Celtine.


    Brenia just snorted and Ivar felt the need to explain what he was doing there.


    "It''s nothing, I was coming back from practicing my archery when I heard her scream. There was no way I could just go back without knowing what was that scream for and who made it. At first, I thought it was Brenia when I saw her but after she almost punched me for it, we found you."


    There was a very short silence in which Ivar just fixed Brenia before he ended up asking what he wanted more bluntly.


    "What were you doing in that part of the school, isn''t your room the other way?"


    "Why does it matter?" Asked back Brenia, clearly uninterested.


    "I''m just wondering. The strong and beautiful Brenia meandering in the halls late in the evening, what could she be doing?" He said with a grin.


    "I will really punch you this time. No I do not have some secret relationship with someone on this side. I just felt like walking a bit."


    "Really?"


    She punched him in the shoulder prompting a groan of pain from him.


    "Told you I would do it. I was trying to figure out a way to restore the dignity I lost yesterday. Are you happy now?"


    "What lost dignity?" Complained Ivar while rubbing his shoulder. "Yesterday was great. Everyone had a lot of fun."


    Celtine felt that it must not have been that big of a deal. With the way Emp talked about it this morning, it didn''t seem to have made an impact on him or anyone else. She was probably fretting over nothing and overreacting to Ivar''s questions but she was glad they were there. their silly words were making the wait much easier for her. If they could free her mind from the present situation even if just for an instant, they were a welcome distraction.


    Their banter went on until one of the doors opened letting the mage back in with the fwan. Celtine had never seen one before, not because she came from the wing tribe but more because fwans were a very rare species to begin with.


    The fwan was tall and lanky, he had similar body proportions to a human except for his arms and head that were far longer than they should. His skin was pale, greyish and almost translucent, his strides slow and long and his head hairless. The fwan wore an ordinary green tunic over a dark shirt and pants with pockets opening from lower on his leg than they would on human pants.


    He only had four fingers and four toes, a nose that was flat and low on his face and more importantly, three pairs of eyes above one another.


    Only the lowest pair was opened right now. They looked perfectly ordinary as they scanned the room and everyone in it.


    "Alright Fonao, take a look at the soul of this one would you?" Asked the mage pointing at her master.


    "Right away."


    The fwan''s voice was monotone and rhythm-less. For a singing adept like her, his voice was very disturbing.


    Fonao stepped closer to her master Emp and closed his eyes. The next instant, he opened the top-most pair, those were not ordinary, they were pale and ominous, looking at them was like looking at a lightning strike. Those eyes locked on to her master and before long, the fwan spoke again.


    "The man as two souls. He is bloated, he will be dead in under an hour."


    Everyone was shocked by what the cursed-blood said. How could her master have two souls!


    "How is this even possible?" Ivar voiced for everyone present.


    "You two girls have to tell me now, what did he do? How did this happen?" Questioned Heinrich sternly.


    "We don''t know. All we know is on the paper already I swear!" Answered Harriett speedily.


    Celtine wrote a more precise answer but the teacher did not wait for it to start acting.


    "Fonao, check with both pairs, see if there is a way to fix it."


    The fwan opened his second pair of eyes without closing the third. Those were without pupils, full and stormy like the surface of a pond in a rainstorm. They examined her master from head to toe in conjunction with the third pair. They stopped a moment at his bag, then his ring, they darted on to his shoulder and finally started detailing every part of him.


    Celtine finished her note and gave it to Ivar to read aloud.


    "She says that her master had problems understanding himself and others so they went to the temple of Love. There, he declared he had a problem with his soul and said he needed to see you."


    "Who told him to come here?" The mage asked further, burying his gaze into her.


    "The seal forbids us." Answered Harriett for Celtine. No one had to know about Love.


    The mage grumbled and turned his attention back to his helper.


    "Did you find anything?"


    "The man has many extremely powerful magic items on him, one is embedded in his flesh, none are causing this situation. There are no exterior influence on him yet his limbs stretch to the horizon, unlikely to be the cause either. Both souls are trapped, one is foreign but partially fused to his own. The foreign soul is stormy and should be the cause of this present situation. Both are now in pain and struggling or fighting for a limited space. The removal of the foreign soul is the only way to save him but disturbing them now could damage the strained soul domain and disperse both."


    "So it''s like a tumor."


    "A tumor?" Asked Brenia again.


    "Yes, something attached to his soul that should not be there. Girl, what is the last thing on the paper you sent me? Is it important?"


    <I don''t know, it''s the last thing he whispered as he collapsed. It''s an incomplete word.>


    Heinrich the mage read her new message carefully and pondered on what to do for a while. In the end he release a sigh and turned towards a cupboard.


    "I guess it has to be it then, I don''t see another way. How did they even know I had that?"


    In one of the lower drawers, he collected a teal colored crystal a bit larger than his palm and placed it on the desk at Emp''s side. So it was crys for crystal?


    "This is a soul crystal, it was extracted in a very deep cave and is extremely rare. It''s called that because of its resonance with human souls. It''s speculated that it should be possible to expend the soul domain of someone using those and so I was using it to study a way to learn about soul magic. What we will attempt to do here is to gather the parasite soul and force it into this crystal, it will be its new home."


    "Wow wow! Wait a second. You''re planning on messing with the soul of our friend and place a chunk of it into a rock? Are your fancy magic tricks really safe? Is there not a more... normal, way to help?" Asked Brenia, clearly reluctant.


    At least there was a common point between her and Celtine, neither trusted mages.


    "No, there is no other way, you think fixing a soul is as easy as giving him medicine? No, nothing can touch a soul except for magu. Even if Fonao here can see it, he can''t interact with it and neither can I, unless I use magic to do it. If we do not attempt this, he will die on this table."


    <Do it then.>


    The fact that there was no way to do it without magic made it all the more stressful for her but like she had decided, she could not let her fears be in the way. Brenia too was uncomfortable but since no one else seemed against it, she could only stare at the mage preparing to cast his spell.


    "Have you ever done something like this before?" Asked Ivar, hoping to reassure the others a bit.


    His plan failed.


    "No, never. No one is mad enough to let someone cast magic on their soul so there were never any volunteers to try it and the laws of Steelwood forbids us to risk the lives of slaves unless it is to save the life of someone else."


    So he was going to attempt something he never tried before on her beloved master? Celtine felt chocked but Harriett flat out fainted from the revelation. She fell backward onto the wall and ended up half sat against it and half laying on the floor.


    At least she wasn''t pacing nervously in the corner anymore.


    "Are you serious!" Yelled Brenia after she went past the shock.


    "It''s even more dangerous than you think since I can''t see the souls. I will be casting the spell but Fonao will be the one to guide the magu for me since he is the only one who can see what we are doing. In any case, it remains his only chance so let me do it and whatever happens, do not interrupt us."


    "Once you start casting that spell, what happens if you get distracted?" Asked Ivar, ever practical.


    "At best, the spell fails and we need to start over with a fresh crystal I do not posses, at worse both souls are lost forever."


    If only one thing had to be said about Heinrich, it would be that he was honest, brutally so.


    "Then I will stand by the door and stop anyone from getting in."


    Brenia declared that in a very serious manner and left the room, she even dragged Harriett with her in case she woke up in the middle of it all. Maybe she really wanted to help, or maybe she really did not want to see what would happen.


    "I''ll move out of the way too then."


    Ivar tapped her shoulder twice in an effort to reassure her and left.


    Celtine now stood alone, observing Heinrich fetch items from across the room. He didn''t seem to be bothered at all by her presence and ignored her completely while he accomplished his task.


    The fwan took the opportunity to talk with her while the mage gathered what he needed.


    "Your wings are very pretty, red fading to pale pink. These colors are rare for your species are they not?"


    Celtine was a bit surprised and confused. How did he know what her wings looked like, they weren''t there. Even though they were hurting, she moved them a bit...


    She wrote him that she didn''t understand what he meant.


    Seemingly unable to see her words, he had to open back up his first pair of eye, closing the other two for now. His face revealed surprise when he did so, even if his words did not sound surprised at all.


    "I had not noticed they were there no more, my deepest apology. You must have cared for them a lot, your soul still extend to their shape perfectly despite the fact it barely reaches your legs. You have my condolences."


    His words reminded her of what the human magician said after they were gone, about the phantom pain. Did that mean she was right all along?


    "Alright, get ready to move Fonao, don''t hold back energy for this, if that boy dies we are in deep trouble."


    In total, he had gathered around fifty different things on the table around her master. Were they all necessary for this spell? She would have never thought human magic could ever need so many things to work, until now, the magician she met only used a few each time.


    "Is he important?" The fwan asked.


    "The favorite of the ancient. He''s going to kick us around until our deaths if something happens to him."


    "I see, I will not disappoint you master."


    The fwan rolled back his sleeves, revealing the slave seal on his left arm, a candle inside a skull. Was this supposed to represent the mage?


    Heinrich took a bell on the table and rang it once before reciting a string of unknown words. This was a spell, she knew, but it did not seem to be in any way related to souls. After his long string of words, he rang the bell once more before placing it on the ground and smashing it under his boot. Surprisingly, the bell getting crushed did not make a single sound.


    "Good, now no sounds coming from outside of this room will be heard. We can work in peace."


    After that, the real work started. There was nothing that Celtine could do but stand motionless, watch and listen, hoping that her master would be alright, that their magic would work. Until now, magic had always been used against her rather than for her and it had worked every single time. There was no reason for it to not work this time as well. At least that was what she hoped.


    First, the mage stripped him naked. Celtine hid her eyes out of shyness and opened them only later when the mage started casting his spell. Thankfully, they left him with his underwear.


    The words the mage chanted she didn''t understand but the meaning behind them was clear enough. The objective was to gather the soul, force it out of her master''s soul domain and into the crystal.


    Celtine did not know what a soul domain was but from their earlier words, she knew that if it was broken, her master''s soul would scatter and disappear. That would make him die, she didn''t need them to put it into words to understand.


    As the mage''s chanting progressed, each and every ingredients where used and either discarded or placed somewhere on top of her master. Liquids were poured down his throat and at some point, Heinrich even stabbed a large needle into his side. She almost rushed forward to stop him when she saw this but held herself back knowing it was the only hope her master had. Emp didn''t react to it.


    Twenty minutes passed before the mage placed the crystal on her masters navel and the second step of the operation began. The fwan finally started moving. He covered his hands in some kind of purple paste and moved them over her master, pushing and pulling something she could not see. It was like watching someone massage the air, it was very strange to look at.


    As time passed, the fwan moved faster and faster, always keeping the precision he expressed in the beginning but multiplying the speed of execution far past what a human could possibly accomplish. His hands always hovering around the crystal, gathering what seemed to be only air around it. Celtine guessed he was moving the soul around since only his third pair of eye was opened but unable to see it herself, she could not be sure.


    After a long long time of doing this, the fwan simply said "Cut" and removed the needle with a swift gesture. Emp shook heavily, scattering all the objects balanced on top of him all over the floor. The mage took hold of the crystal to stop it from falling over and put an end to his spell while the fwan finished doing his hand movements. Emp had a final powerful convulsion and almost at the same time, the fwan stopped moving and declared "Done" in his usual tone.


    Celtine was pretty nervous and eager to know how it went but did not move in case it wasn''t over yet. The mage took the crystal and placed it on a shelf nearby, it seemed to be exactly the same as before, or almost, maybe it was just a bit more brightly tinted then before? Celtine couldn''t tell.


    Heinrich then placed a hand on Emp''s forehead followed by his heart and made no comment at all. Since it was seemingly over and no one was speaking, Celtine wrote down the question that was torturing her.


    <Did it work?>


    The mage heard the scratching of her feather and moved his gaze to look at her and the message.


    "Well, you are alive aren''t you?"


    That was certainly true but it did not mean that her master was safe.


    "The true question is how well did it go?" He asked turning over to Fonao.


    Isn''t it the same thing?


    "I couldn''t remove the whole of the second soul, it was too well fused with the first. In order to not damage the first, I had to cut it off just over the link which means that a bit of the parasite soul remains. From what I see, it has started to dissolve itself into the first, his life should not be in danger but I do not know what impact the residual soul will have on the first."


    As if this was enough of an explanation, the mage turned back toward Celtine and told her how his physical condition was.


    "As for his body, the temperature is falling back and he is breathing normally."


    <Then he is fine?>


    "As far as I can tell yes. You can go get the others now if you want, we are done. He just need to rest for a bit."


    Celtine took a huge breath of relief and almost fell over from the news. She had not noticed how tensed her muscles where until now. Once it was confirmed he would be well and fine, all the tension disappeared and she had a hard time keeping herself straight.


    She first wrote that he was out of danger in preparation for the people outside and walked up to the door so that she could let everyone know. She turned the handle again and after the door started moving inward, all the sound from outside that was previously blocked now rushed in.


    "Ya would dare stop this ancient from goin in? Who da ya think ya are? Ya barely are a first year student, I was out kickin monsters and beastmen before ya were even born! This be my school not yers! If I say I''m goin in then it means I''m goin in!"


    "And I tell you the mage said to not have him disturbed! I''m not scared of an old man! Get away from that fucking door or I''ll wrestle you out of the way myself!" Yelled back Brenia.


    The door finished swinging open to reveal the ancient, the duke of the eastern grove, trying to shove Brenia out of his way. Behind him, about fifteen servants were desperately clinging to him in order to hold him back and Ivar was sprawled on his back further in the corridor. Harriett was back up as well now and shacking just at the door side. She was probably trying to figure out what she should do when Brenia would be defeated too.


    The second slave was the first to notice Celtine in the door and cried her name, everyone stopped their pointless fighting and looked her way.


    To answer the question she was sure they all had, she raised her board in front of her.


    <Master Emp is out of danger now, you can all come in if you want.>


    "Thank all the gods and the forest! I''m so glad!"


    Harriett felt so relieved, she shared her joy with Celtine with a big hug.


    Celtine didn''t like to receive hugs that much because more often than not, they would touch her wound and it would hurt but either way, she was fine with that specific one.


    Brenia and the school director stopped fighting each other and everyone walked in the mages room. Even poor Ivar was dragged in by the servants.


    Having heard what was happening outside since Celtine had opened the door, the mage berated the ancient about how him barging in could have killed the student. It wasn''t everyday that a teacher was seen scolding the director, or a student doing the same yet both had been witnessed on the same day.


    The duke Jazay apologised to both him and Brenia.


    "Yer a good women." He told her. "Ya stopped me from doin some foolish mistake. Ya know, I have a few grandsons who don''t have a wife yet, it''d be good to have a crazy one like ya in the familly."


    She just looked at him angrily and he gave up immediately.


    "Fine, I won''t say no more but if ya change your idea on it, I''ll fix up somethin."


    Thinking about Brenia, Maybe Celtine should have put back on her master''s clothes before she fetched everyone. Everyone staring at his half nude form was a bit awkward.


    Now, all they had to do was to wait for Emp to wake up. The hard part was over but a worrying question still remained. Would the Emp that would wake up be the same as the one that fell unconscious? Messing with the soul of someone was never a good idea to begin with.


    ***


    Later, in Dark-glint.


    "How can ya tell me there''s nothing wrong with him! A guy that can stay up working with me for thirty hours straight can''t fall down unconscious like that for no reason!"


    This was the voice of Marcelia.


    "He does have a fever but there is nothing wrong at all with his body Marcy. It was like that when you rushed in to get me and it''s still like that now. I can see this is bad but I just don''t know what he has." Answered the voice of the village''s healer.


    A chair got kicked away and the door to Marcy''s storeroom was slammed open. What were they arguing about?


    "If it''s not him than its the other one that''s in trouble."


    Where they talking about him?


    "What are you doing?" Asked a third voice, it was the village head.


    "I''m going there to get him."


    "Are you serious? Do you even know where he is?"


    "Somewhere in Artefine."


    "Marcy that''s ridiculous, you can''t just go in such a large city and walk around hoping to find a single kid just like that. He might even be dead by the time you get there."


    "I don''t care! I will not just sit here and watch him die. I can''t."


    He was fine though. Or at least, he felt like he was fine. He opened his eyes to look at the room. There were three people inside the kitchen with him. Emp was laid on the table while Marcelia was gathering a bunch of equipment and the other two were trying to convince her to stay. She was upset, she was crying while trying not to.


    "I get it, I know he''s not mine but..."


    Emp tried to figure out what had happened. He was talking with her about lovers. That was right, she said he reminded her of her own and that if she ever had a kid, he would have looked a bit like him. Then there was nothing, had he collapsed? Now the healer was here and Marcy was worrying for him. She cared a lot about him. He was glad for it, he was reminded of the things Manley told him about his adoptive father.


    Wasn''t his teacher kind of the same?


    "Teacher." He called.


    Everyone was startled and turned his way in shock.


    "Emp!"


    "If I had a real mother, I''d like her to be a bit like you."


    Marcy shoved the other two aside to get up to him, laughing from both happiness and relief.


    "You slag of an apprentice."


    She proceeded to punch him in the shoulder before grabbing him in a strong hug. She was so tall compared to him that it was a bit like getting hugged by a bear.


    "Don''t scare me like that again or I''ll... I''ll do something!"


    Receiving a bear hug from Marcy was pleasant. He did not know what had happened but as long as she was happy, it was fine. He did not know if he had said the right thing but it was definitely the only thing he wanted to say.


    ***


    Bestiary entry on the fwans


    The fwans are a race of cursed-blood that is usually found way further north than our empire reaches but because of their high value, many go out of their way to acquire one as a slave. Before I expend on the subject of their characteristic eyes, let us do a quick study of the rest of their being.


    Fwans are easily recognizable for their many eyes, their long arms and their translucent skin. In the dark, that skin looks mostly pale grey but if a bright light is shone on them, it is possible to look at their muscles quite clearly.


    Fwans can boast of an incredible lifespan, going up all the way to four hundred years in some cases. After many studies, it has been concluded that this long life is not entirely natural. Those cursed-blood are born with the strange ability of being able to slow down their own metabolism. This is the state in which they are most often seen in, so much so in fact that many thought at first that this was their natural state of being.


    While their metabolism is slowed they never take any swift or rash actions. To outsiders, they will seem as though they are very slow in every one of their movements. Their heartbeat slows down so much that it seems to have stopped and they will not willingly waste a single effort, every move is calculated to expend the least energy.


    What is most impressive is that they can reverse that state on the flip of a coin and from a snail they can become faster and more agile than many self-magic users. The perfect control they posses over their bodies make them naturally talented in many martial arts and extremely precise as surgeons or jeweler.


    That accelerated state would be superior in every way to their normal slow pace if not for the fact that using it reduces their lifespan and fwans value this above almost all else. When their life is threatened or they see immense value in a cause, only then will they unlock their physical potential. More than once a foolish warrior pushed over the line of a fwan before getting thoroughly beaten by him.


    The last noteworthy thing about fwans aside from their eyes is that they do not breath like us. They both inhale and exhale at the same time and they do so constantly. They can, in their accelerated state, increase the amount of air that goes in and out of them to prevent themselves from being out of breath with efforts but not the other way around. A fwan cannot hold his breath, it is extremely difficult for them to stop the air flow and this is their main weakness.


    After all, how does one beat something faster and stronger than them? Against the fwans, one simply needs to use gas or powders efficiently. The fwans will absorb both at a frightening pace. A well placed spell to conjure some poison gas and they are done for.


    Now, on to what most consider the main selling point of a fwan, the reason why they are so valued on the market by everyone, their eyes.


    A typical fwan is born with six eyes set in three rows of two. The bottom row is an ordinary pair of eye everyone else has. There is nothing particular about them. It is the most often used pair by the fwans.


    The second row is much more interesting, that one can see magu, or magic if you prefer. Using it, they can see enchantments on objects, spell affecting people, spells that are being cast and even identify what they will be and so on. The applications of this ability are many, easy identification of magic items and weapons, guarding a gate to prevent any magical intrusion, the detection of curses and magical poison on and near important figures and overall great assistants for mages.


    The topmost pair is the least understood aside from the mythical fourth pair. The third set of eyes can seemingly sense souls and the auras emitted by them. This one is extraordinary in its complexity but very few things can be made with them. In general, this pair is used as a lie detector, looking directly at the soul of their interlocutor, they can see lies, uncover secrets and identify the true emotions of everyone. There is virtually nothing one can hide from a fwan because however much you train your face to hide your motives, a fwan will see through. Many reported feeling unwell when enduring the gaze of this third pair of eyes. Whether this is a purely psychological effect or not is still unknown.


    All these eyes can be used together or independently but the fwans prefer to use each pair one at a time. From general understanding, using all three at the same time causes heavy headache on them. From individual testimony, looking with all of them at once also makes for a very distorted image of reality.


    As for the fourth pair of eyes, it has only been observed once in our history and this, not in our empire. According to the legend, the fourth could see through the flow of time and witness both past, future and present scenes from far far away. I would be tempted to believe this but no one knows if such a phenomenon will ever happen again.

 54 Waking up

    Emp felt confused. He wasn''t sure what was happening. He had lost track of what was going on at some point on his way to the teacher''s room.


    Right now, he was hurting all over. He felt like a million birds had pecked him all over before rolling him around for a good while. He also had no idea where he was or what time or day it was.


    Around him, there were a few voices talking. He knew all those voices but it took him a while to understand the words they used or who those voices belonged to. There was like a fog in his head, everything felt mixed up and turned around, it made him feel sick.


    He tried to rub his forehead with his hand but it was his leg that moved instead.


    "He moved!" Called... Harriett.


    "Is he about to wake up?" Ivar?


    That couldn''t be him... what?


    "He better get up soon because I want to go back already." Wasn''t that Brenia?


    What did he miss? Where was he?


    "You could go back now, no one is forcing you to stay." The magic teacher, he thought. Did he make it to his room?


    "That''s not what I meant. I''m saying I don''t want to wait tomorrow to know what happened to him. I''d have to go to sleep wondering if the guy is fine or not."


    Speaking of being fine, he wasn''t. He needed to ask the mage to remove the old soul quick! His body twitched as he tried to make it work. He felt strange, everything was fine a moment and all jumbled in his head the next. Every time he tried to move something, it was something else that reacted instead.


    It was a bit like opening a drawer you took a lot of time to arrange properly. You knew were everything should be and you usually took things in it without even looking. Now though, nothing was where it should be so he had to replace everything back to their rightful spots. He had no idea why it was like that, how it happened or how he figured out how to stretch himself back in the shape he should be in but he did anyway.


    The bag should be at his hips not his shoulder, the stake should be in his shoulder not in his hand, that was a leg not his head...


    "Master?"


    Seeing him twitch and wiggle like that, Harriett worried about him again. She worried way too much about all those little things. He was happy she cared about his well-being so much but being so stressed out about such a small thing couldn''t be good for her. She needed to trust in him a bit more.


    He opened his eyes, this time it worked as intended, and looked around. There were many more faces than there should have been. The ancient, Ivar, Brenia, Harriett, Celtine, a weird grey guy with too many eyes, the teacher he came to see and a bunch of unknown servants.


    He locked his eyes onto the teacher and went straight to the point, Love had told him to not dawdle after all.


    "Teacher, I have a problem, I need you to remove one of the two souls in me before tomorrow or else I might die."


    Relief spread across the room in large sigh and the teacher smiled. Wasn''t it the point where they should all panic like Harriett? Why was everyone so relieved instead? Maybe his words were wrong like the rest of his body and he said something else instead.


    "Are my words coming out properly or am I saying gibberish?"


    "Yer words''r fine, they already did what yer askin o''them."


    "Here look." The teacher pointed out to a teal colored crystal the size of mole.


    "We trapped the parasite soul in that soul crystal already. You should be fine now."


    Really? They already did? That probably explained why he felt so strange. Then, did that mean he was done for today and he could go to bed already?


    "If possible though, I''d like you to answer some questions just to make sure your own soul wasn''t disturbed."


    He was eager to go back to bed but making sure he was really out of trouble was much more important. He agreed immediately.


    "Sure, go ahead teacher."


    "Alright, first, do you recognize everyone here?"


    "No, I do not know the grey guy or the servants standing around."


    The mage nodded in satisfaction and asked the next question.


    "The name of your father?"


    The ancient glared at the mage.


    "I would rather not answer that." Emp told him.


    "Oh, that''s right, I forgot."


    He forgot? what would he do if he revealed the secret in front of Brenia and Ivar by accident?


    "Then, how do you feel about everyone here?"


    Emp made a frown, that was a hard thing to answer.


    "Let me think for a second."


    Just as he finished saying it, Celtine wrote a message for him speedily.


    <Do not think.>


    That was right, he had been told many time already. He was still unclear on how to do that. He looked towards the teacher. He was...


    "Too laid-back, I''m grateful you saved me but you should be more careful with the secrets of others. I almost died and you are acting casually like nothing happened at all, this is disturbing."


    The mage seemed surprised by his way of speaking but he had asked it. He turned to the next person, Ivar.


    "You are very kind, you don''t like it when people are bickering but I feel guilty that you think I like archery. That''s isn''t the case at all, I hate archery and I will probably never be good at it. I do not disrespect people that do like it but the ancestors seem to have something against me and at this point, it''s faster and easier to just step up and stab the enemy instead of shooting at them from afar."


    Brenia started laughing at the confused face of Ivar so he turned to her next.


    "You make no sense to me, I don''t understand you. You are odd. You claim you want to become really strong but you ignore half of what the teachers are telling you. What''s the point of even being here if you are going to waste most of it? I feel frustrated every time you complain about the magic classes. Why would you ignore that kind of thing if it can make you better and stronger too? I told you already, only using strength is idiotic if you have a way to use magic too. Use everything you have or stay home! You''ll die because you are too stubborn."


    Brenia seemed shocked at his outburst. Emp did not understand what was happening with him. Now that he had started talking, he felt more and more compelled to say things, things he didn''t even know he thought. He turned towards the ancient. He was even using contractions in his words somehow without thinking about it.


    "I don''t understand you either. I don''t get what you think I''m supposed to be doing or whatever you think I''m here for. I don''t like lying, I hate lying but I''m stuck with all your rules and forced to dodge random questions that don''t matter to me at all because of you. I even have to listen to the morals teacher more and more because of it. You''re just trouble even though I think you mean well."


    The old man didn''t offer any strong reaction to his words which Emp felt was a good thing. The next one around was Harriett. She had been dead silent like Celtine since he had started talking. Her eyes were red, she had probably cried a lot when he was sleeping.


    "Harriett, I''m very glad of all the things you do for me, I appreciate it deeply. But, you worry too much over everything, I would like it if you could just trust in me for a moment and believe that things will be fine. I should not have to tell you every time that a party won''t kill me, it should be obvious. I''m really starting to get angry about the earring thing too. I just want to make you smile and tell you how much I value your hard work but it''s so complicated! Just tell me what you think looks attractive or even better yet, come with me in town, we''ll look around and find something that you like together. I do not know how to understand other people, it''s too hard. If you want me to see something you have to tell me straight, stop dancing around the subject it''s just wasting my time."


    Harriett was shaken by the words of her master. It wasn''t like him at all! She didn''t know how to react.


    "I also care a lot about you Celtine. But, somehow, I don''t feel happy when I see you, I only feel sad. I like it when you are present and I like to carry you around but I feel sadness when looking at you. Things have been unfair to you so far, I wish I was there earlier to help. I''m angry, I think, about the things you lost. If I ever see those that took your wings I''ll crush them under my hammer..."


    Emp frowned at what he was saying, or rather, he was already frowning, he felt his face was warped in anger. What he was saying didn''t make sense either. It was pointless to beat them up, doing so wouldn''t give her back her wings. On Celtine''s face could be read surprise, joy and worry in equal measures.


    "Wait, I do not know why I said that. Killing them brings no advantage to us."


    There was a short silence in the room before Brenia spoke.


    "Isn''t he different than usual?"


    This was what everyone that knew him was thinking.


    "Yeah, he''s so reserved usually but now he''s being super blunt with everyone. Doesn''t that mean you damaged his soul?" Ivar questioned the mage.


    "I don''t know, like I said, I never did this kind of thing before, I didn''t know the man before and there aren''t many examples of damaged souls recorded in medical tomes and magic studies."


    "Was I really that different? I do not feel any different."


    "Yes, that''s the whole problems with souls, you don''t feel the differences because to you it will seem like it was always that way. You can notice changes that can prove to you that you were indeed different but you won''t be able to grasp how you were before or to what extent you changed. For example, you could look at a painting and remember having bought it because you liked it but not why you liked it or how it felt to like it."


    That sounded scary! You could become someone else entirely and not even notice it?


    "His face is more expressive too." Commented Ivar again. "I''ve never seen him make a face like that before."


    While they were talking, the face of the ancient was cramping up in vexation and anger. Emp could understand that. He had been entrusted with the only son of the great general of the empire and under his supervision, that son had his soul messed with and personality changed. He was probably wondering how to explain that to Chinui. Emp didn''t know what to tell him in order to calm him that wouldn''t reveal the secret to Ivar and Brenia. Thinking of them, why were they even there in the first place?


    Before he could ask, Celtine wrote him a message and presented it to them.


    <Maybe it''s just a sign it worked?>


    "How would it be so? He''s clearly different."


    Brenia disregarded the message but Emp understood immediately what she meant.


    "Maybe she is right, I just don''t know how to verify either possibility."


    "Why do you think she may be right?" Asked the mage, more curious than worried.


    "I was unable to find any desire I might have and couldn''t tell what I liked more or less in anything."


    <Master felt like he had no attachment to anything at all. There was nothing he wanted or did for himself, he was just doing what anyone asked of him.> Celtine added to his explanation.


    While Celtine did her best to understand, Harriett stayed frozen in place, was it all that shocking? He followed his explanation for now.


    "Then, yesterday at the tavern. The girl working there told me I might be able to find out why in the temple of Love. We went there and I was told I had two souls and it was because of them that my feelings weren''t working properly. I was coming here to have the old one removed and let the newest one grow into what it was supposed to be before they became too cramped and the pressure killed me."


    "You mean to tell us that this whole time I thought you were just odd but you had two souls all along and it was that that made you odd?" Brenia asked.


    Emp simply nodded. He wondered how many people he knew thought he was odd while the mage continued.


    "This seems plausible, the two different souls would clash and inhibit one another, forcing a neutral state on most of his emotions, trapping them all inside. It was the final emotional storm observed in the parasite soul that knocked him out after all. The two souls must have been pent up and bloated by all those unreleased emotions."


    "So he felt things but could not express them because of this whole two souls situation?" Ivar was clearly not following.


    "Yes, even if he felt extremely angry, the two souls would compete to determine how to express it and in the end, nothing would be decided forcing his mind to take the decision instead of his emotion. From an outside perspective, he would seem emotionless or indifferent. Likewise, he could have felt love without realising it because neither souls could come out on top to act on it. Projecting himself in the future becomes just as hard because desires are driven by tastes and feels, both bottled up by the stalemate inside his soul domain. Do you have an idea of how long you possessed two souls?"


    "How did you even have a second soul?" Questioned Brenia


    "I was born with it." He answered to the both of them.


    "That doesn''t make sense! How can one be born with two souls?"


    "I do not know how to answer you without lying so I just won''t. Instead, I''d like to know about how kicking could be harder with a thumb in your nose. You said that yesterday but it just doesn''t make sense. How is it even related, the position of your thumb shouldn''t affect your ability to kick at all."


    "I never said it was my own thumb." Brenia defended herself, taken aback by the unrelated question.


    "Whose thumb then? Why would someone go up to you and put one of his fingers into your nose?"


    "I don''t want to answer that!"


    "Then that''s it, now we both have a question the other won''t answer."


    There was another short silence.


    "The new master is scary." Commented Harriett aloud, finally breaking her silence.


    The morals teacher would freak out in front of the changes. He had just dodged a question and shot down any further conversation on the subject without even thinking about it or lying in any way.


    The mage coughed once to bring back the attention on the subject at hand and followed his previous explanation.


    "Since he was born with both, it is very likely that those emotions bottled up will resurface like a storm, eager to be expressed at last. He never felt any of them properly before so it''s safe to assume that he will have sudden bursts of emotions for a while and seemingly extreme behaviors while he learns to control his own desires and emotions. I would suggest notifying everyone he may get in contact with about this possibility before such an outburst upsets someone."


    "So yer sayin he''s not goin back to how he were? He won''t go back to normal?"


    The ancient question was the most important. They all wanted to know if they would get their old Emp back.


    "No, if the soul split was done correctly than he will be the exact same as before. Only, now, he will be able to express himself properly. Following what he himself was saying, this is the normal him. The him you knew was a sick version of him. Asking to get the old him back is like asking to bring him back to the brink of soul death. For now he needs rest and time to practice interacting with others anew but eventually, he should go back being like he was before, albeit a more sensitive version of that. Character traits and talents he exhibited in the past should not disappear, in theory."


    "So, if Zoran drinks too much again and fall over, you''d carry him around again?" Asked Ivar as a test.


    "Well, yes, of course, I will not leave him there."


    Ivar seemed satisfied with his answer even though it should have been obvious.


    "Then he''s fine?"


    "Like I said, I don''t know." The mage said, a bit annoyed to be asked the same question again.


    "At least his soul seems calm now." Commented the tall grey man.


    Emp started to feel like all this talk was going nowhere.


    "Since there is no way to know and even if it worked properly you''re saying I will need some time to rest and feel everything for myself, can I just go to back to my room now? I know you''re all doing your best to help me but I''m tired."


    "Yes, of course. I will just ask you to remain after our next class so that I can conduct further tests on you."


    "Hey hey, that one isn''t a test subject ye hear? He''s an important study."


    "You mean to say student." Clarified one of the servants standing behind him.


    "Aye, this be what I mean."


    "Anyway, since we are done, I''m going too. I''ll see you both tomorrow." Brenia said to Ivar and him before she left.


    The guy was alive, there was nothing to learn and they didn''t need her. It was best for her to leave then.


    After that, Ivar followed suit, only the ancient remained behind to talk to Emp. Before Emp left with the ancient though, he had something else to do.


    "Teacher, about the soul crystal." He asked.


    "Mhn?"


    "You said the soul you removed is kept inside that right?"


    "Yes, souls can''t be seen but it is indeed inside of that crystal."


    "Can I keep it then? I feel... Attached to it."


    He did not know whose soul it was but it had lived inside of him for his whole life. Yes it had been a short one up to now but he would have felt bad to just abandon it now. He wanted to keep it company, or at least bring it back to where his creators had took it in the first place. Everyone said it had been crippling and dangerous to him but it had still been part of who he was until now.


    Love, watching form elsewhere, was very happy of this result. This was the first thing he truly wanted, not for someone else, not because it was asked of him, just because he desired to keep it. She and Luck where satisfied with this result and laughed together.


    The mage agreed to his request with a small sigh.


    "Sure, this is more than extremely valuable to a scholar like me but I suppose it does belong to you after all. And since the stone was used to save your life, the school will compensate me as it should, isn''t that right my lord duke?"


    The mage ended his sentence by looking toward the ancient sharply, making him flinch.


    "Sure, of course, I''ll pay for tha crystal. No problem fer us."


    The mage nodded in a mix of satisfaction from the promise of money and dissatisfaction at the loss of a filled soul crystal.


    After that, Emp got off the table and wobbled a second before gripping the perch he just left. The two girls extended their hands to help him but he didn''t really need them. He stayed like that for a short moment while the dizziness subsided. Finally, he thanked him properly with a bow just like miss Blackbull thought him.


    "You have my deepest gratitude for giving me this but much more importantly, for saving me and my soul."


    "It is merely my job small master Muracier." He answered politely while Emp made a sour face from the name.


    "Don''t call me like that please." He then turned his attention to the grey man.


    "You helped me too yes?"


    "He did, Fonao here used his trait as a fwan to see your soul and drag the parasite one out, without him you would be dead."


    "Then you too have my deepest gratitude Fonao. I will not forget this." The fwan didn''t seem to offer any reaction to his thanks and merely gave a flat answer.


    "I am undeserving of your praise."


    Emp felt very confused by his answer but since everyone else seemed to accept it, he let go of it for now. He put Celtine back up on his shoulders and left the room with Harriett and the ancient.


    "Did yer father know about tha second soul?" He asked once they were outside.


    "No, even I didn''t before this afternoon."


    His creators put it there, how could Chinui have known?


    "This be a strange situation indeed. Were they tryin to enracinate the general son without bein detected?" (1)


    "You mean assassinate." The usual servant clarified.


    "Yes of course, ye all know what I be meanin! In any case, be careful. Send someone to get me immediately if anything else happens."


    Emp knew it wasn''t anything of the sort but he could hardly tell the old man that a god put a second soul in him to stabilize him for a while. He pointed Harrietts way.


    "Yes, I will send Harriett to you if anything happens in the future."


    "Aye, you bunch of wamen who be followin me, remember tha face of that one, you are to let her in if she comes."


    "Yes of course sir. Her visage is engraved in our memories." Said the closest servant.


    "Good, then have a sleep for now lad. Ye don''t be needin to go to class tomorrow. Take the time ye need to rejuvenate."


    "You mean to say recuperate."


    "Girl, this be enough for tonight." He said, displeased.


    "Understood master."


    She said that but she was smiling. Apparently, the old man wasn''t harsh with his servants. They seemed to like to tease him. Emp could easily imagine them all giggling at every mistakes he made.


    Emp left him to his mischievous cohort and went back towards his own room. The girl on his shoulder felt warm somehow. Was she holding on to him harder than usual?


    Neither of the girls had said much, so to speak, since he had woken up. He wondered what they were thinking about, how they felt. He hoped he had not upset them somehow. The moment they were all back in his room, he asked them the many things that were on his mind.


    He sat down with them at the table, around the cake. He looked closely at them, neither seemed to expect what would happen. They seemed nervous, not as much as when he first met them but similarly.


    "What do you want me to say?"


    "Master?"


    "I''m just asking what you want me to say. You both seem really nervous. Did I scare you? Did I upset you? What can I say to make it better?"


    "It''s not like that at all master!" Denied Harriett while shaking her hands in front of her. "When you collapsed, I was really afraid all three of us would die. I was panicking. After that, I was so relieved when they said you would be fine, I could not have been happier."


    "Then why do you seem so downhearted?"


    "I do not know how to express it properly master."


    Celtine was more to the point, she wrote down the answer he requested.


    <We are used to the old master. I wished you would soon understand your heart but now that it is happening, I, we, are scarred we might lose the kind master we love. We don''t know yet if you really are the same.>


    "So you are just nervous about if I really am the same Emp?"


    The two nodded. Emp could see, no, could feel their apprehension. He had never been in such a situation before so he could hardly relate. But, he understood how this might be scary for them. Emp really didn''t feel any different but that fact wouldn''t really reassure them.


    He pondered on what to do for a moment before getting up from his chair and walking up to them.


    "Master? Ah!"


    Both of the girls were surprised when he hugged them without warning. He had never done this before, making it even more surprising. They both tensed up at this unbelievable situation.


    Emp wasn''t sure but he believed that hugs were meant for that kind of situation. If even that could not calm them then, he really wouldn''t know what to do. He was even extra careful to not hurt Celtine.


    "I do not feel like I am different." He told them while keeping an arm around each. "Both Love and Heinrich told us that if this thing was done right, I would be the exact same aside from being better at handling emotions. I don''t know if it worked correctly or not but at least I know that you are both important to me, I told you so earlier didn''t I? Even if a change did occur somehow, it doesn''t have to be a bad change, it could be good too, we don''t know yet. I won''t say you two are worrying over nothing but don''t accept the worst outcome as the most likely so easily."


    As an answer, Celtine decided to hug him back. The tension was released and his shirt became wet with tears of relief. She had kept all her stress and fear inside for the whole evening since she had to make sure he would be fine but now that it was all over, she couldn''t help but let it all out. For once, she had not lost something.


    Harriett too gave him back the hug, although much more awkwardly than Celtine. A master shouldn''t hug his salves, even her own father never did. She didn''t know how to respond honestly while staying respectful to her important master. They stayed like that for a moment before Harriett spoke again.


    "I''m sorry master. I worry too much. Master is right, I do not deal well with problems. When something unplanned happens, I start to panic. I should be more like Celtine when something dangerous happens."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Celtine was a true hero today master. When master collapsed, I panicked and started wailing. I had lost all reason. It was Celtine how took care of everything. She wrote down what the teacher had to do and forced me to go get him. Then, she got mister Longhorn and miss Harmaton to carry you to the teachers room and watched over the whole process of the other soul removal while we waited outside. I am ashamed to say that I even fainted while master needed my help but Celtine stood up straight the whole time. Without her, I do not know what would have happened."


    "Really? I''ll have to thank you properly later then."


    The hug was finally released and Celtine sniffled before wiping her eyes with her forearm and writing down her answer.


    <No need master, knowing that you are fine is more than enough as a reward.>


    "But I want to reward you. I''ll think about it properly and find something you would appreciate. Also, let''s eat that cake now, I feel like we all deserved it after what happened today. Harriett, could you please cut us three equally big pieces of cake."


    "Yes of course master."


    After that, he asked about what happened while he was unconscious in detail. Celtine told him all about the spell and Harriett explained why Ivar and Brenia where there. She even had an explanation for the ancient.


    A servant came asking what was happening and Ivar told her, she proceeded to report it to the duke who rushed there immediately. Ivar got in his way and told him he could not enter but was shoved aside violently and was instantly defeated. It was Brenia who stalled him for the rest of the spell. If apparently the old man didn''t mind knocking out one of his students, he had his reserves against doing the same to a teenage girl.


    Emp needed to remember to thank them properly as well the next time they met. Who knew what could have happened if they had not been there to carry him or to stop the old man.


    As for the cake, it was a different experience than last time. Harriett was hesitant to eat part of her master''s cake but once she took a bite of it, she couldn''t resist and ate it all greedily but slowly to let the taste linger. Celtine just munched on her own piece happily.


    "I''m still not sure about which is the best cake but I''m glad I''m eating it with you two. I think it tastes better that way."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, I think there is too much maple syrup and it detracts from the fruits inside but somehow, I like it more than last time."


    <This is the clearest opinion I''ve seen you give yet.> Scribbled Celtine while keeping the spoon in her mouth.


    "Then it''s an improvement?"


    Harriett and Celtine both approved.


    "I think so."


    "How about you two then, what do you think about the cake?


    "I love it master. I had the chance to taste a cake only once before." Harriett told them. "The cook of my previous master failed the baking of the base so he couldn''t serve it to my father and his family. He did not waste any other ingredient on it but instead of letting it go to waste, it was us all who ate the burnt cake. There was not much flavor since it was just the base and it was overcooked but I always had a fond memory of it. This one taste much better and it''s softer too. I love it, I''m glad I could share it with you master."


    Celtine wrote her a small sentence and Harriett''s face became red instantly as she read it.


    "Don''t say that, you''re going to make my heart burst!" (2)


    Celtine laughed in silence and threw the message into the fire, stopping him from seeing it.


    Later, he recalled the other him and gained the memory of him getting hugged strongly by Marcy. She had been very upset too about his collapse. Now that he had both sides of the story, he guessed it was probably what she told him that pushed him over the limit. He''d have to tell her what had happened tomorrow to stop her from worrying too much.


    Like he had thought, she was much more motherly than his ''mother''. Love told him what was wrong but did nothing to help and even wasted his time by asking him to buy some paper. Marcy was ready to come all the way to Artefine hoping she could somehow help in any way. Maybe he should do something for her as well, what would she like?


    He had lived in her house for a long time now and he felt that he hadn''t paid enough attention to her until now. He only listened to her lessons, not herself. It was while thinking about her, his slaves and many more people that he fell asleep.


    The next day, he didn''t go to class. In fact, he felt well and fine but since the ancient had told him to take a break to rest, he stayed in his room instead, trying to figure out what the new him was like.


    The conclusion of this experimental day was underwhelming. He still didn''t feel any different. The girls assured him that conversations with him felt more fluid and that he seemed to pay more attention but he didn''t notice anything.


    ***


    (1) I know enracinate isn''t a word, its a weird merge from the french enracin¨¦ meaning "something that is taking root" and assassinate which is what he meant to say. Enracin¨¦ was chosen for the miss-used word because as you know, the dead of the empire take root.


    (2) I''m sure you are all curious of what the message said. She wrote: It''s even better eating it with master''s spoon. Did she write that just to have Harriett panic or was it her real thoughts? Who knows.

 55 New affinities

    When Emp went back to class the next day, things felt different. Alone with the two girls, everything was just like usual but with the others, he quickly noticed a change. That change was not in how everyone else acted nor how he reacted to those action but more in how he viewed them all.


    The best way to put it in words would be to say it was like he was standing on the other side of a window.


    Before, he had been looking at scenes from outside of a house. He watched everyone interact in the house and he would sometimes answers when he was talked to but he was still left outside.


    He was no longer satisfied with that, he now wanted to truly be a part of it all. He had now the impression that he had to, that he was, really stepping in the house to properly interact with everyone.


    Emp wasn''t sure yet if it was better than before or worse, maybe it was equivalent.


    That day, the first class happened to be about magic, with Heinrich as the teacher.


    He arrived early and met Penny. She was sat at her desk and reading the large book of basics on magic.


    She raised her eyes to see who was coming in before returning to her book without a word.


    Emp was unsure if she didn''t care that he was here or not or she simply didn''t want to talk. Usually, he would have just sat down somewhere and waited for the others to arrive but instead, today, he decided to greet her.


    "Hi Penny."


    "Hi."


    She hadn''t even turned her head to answer. Clearly, she didn''t want to talk.


    Maybe she was too absorbed by the book to care. She didn''t even bring up the story about his two souls. Wasn''t she interested? Thinking about that, what were her interests? Why was she so focused on the study of magic? Should he just ask her? He didn''t want to disturb her though. He could just ask the book of answers but it didn''t feel right.


    Instead of doing all that, he waited patiently for the other, with Celtine at his side.


    The next person to enter was Cyril. He walked in with a few large books in his hands as normal but when he saw Emp, he called out to him immediately.


    "Emp! You''re back! Are you better now?"


    Emp answered him that he was fine while the boy dropped his books on one of the desks.


    It was funny to see how relieved he seemed to finally put them down. Those books were overly large for him. The rest didn''t have the same problem usually since they had one or both of their servants to carry things for them.


    Cyril didn''t do the same, in fact, Emp never saw him with a slave, what had he done with them?


    "Why don''t you let one of your servants carry those for you"


    "Why would I? I can carry them by myself." He said while giving a light tap on the book pile.


    "That you can doesn''t mean you should, aren''t you just making things harder on yourself?"


    Cyril looked at him with half a frown.


    "Wow, Ivar was right, you''re different."


    "I''m not though. I was just curious, I remember asking that kind of question before too."


    "Yeah but before, you would have just accepted my first answer instead of telling me I am wrong."


    "I''m not saying you''re wrong, I''m saying you are not doing it as efficiently as you could and I wonder why."


    Cyril showed a bit of embarrassment as he answered.


    "I''m just not that comfortable having a slave doing things for me. Even worse, both are girls. I don''t want to make things hard for them."


    "But then, what are they doing? Where are they?"


    "They''re in my room and I have no idea what they''re doing."


    "You just left them there with nothing to do?"


    "Well, yeah."


    Emp was a bit lost on what to answer to that. It was true that he was doing almost the same with Harriett but he trusted that she knew better than him what had to be done. Asking her to do things would just be pointless.


    He assumed Cyril and his two slaves weren''t like that. Knowing him, he probably cooked his own food and cleaned up after himself leaving nothing to do for the two.


    "They must be bored."


    "What do you mean?"


    He didn''t understand what Emp meant, it wasn''t like they were forbidden to do anything. Surely they could busy themselves with some game.


    "Up until now, I always had someone tell me what to do." Emp voiced his thoughts aloud. "Go there and do that, go to that school and study this. Recently, I was asked what I would like after I was done with every task, I couldn''t think of anything. There was nothing I wanted to do. I just wanted for more things to be asked of me. If I was placed in a room with nothing at all to do, I would feel depressed, I think. I''d like to have some form of goal. I know people usually do have dreams of their own but can those two really do anything towards their own happiness if they are left in your room like that? They have no purpose like that. I''m sure Celtine and Harriett would feel sad if I didn''t let them do anything, They always want to help so much after all."


    Cyril sat down and took the time to think about what Emp had just said. He was thinking so deeply in fact that his eyes glazed over as he rested his chin in his hands.


    <That was a surprisingly good advice master.> Celtine wrote him from the side.


    "What do you mean good advice? I just told him I would be bored if it was me. I didn''t propose anything."


    Celtine didn''t have the time to write down a proper answer before Cyril made a low groan of defeat and slumped over his desk.


    "It''s like a prison! I threw them in a cell and just assumed they would be fine with it. I feel horrible now. I wanted to be kind but I denied any worth they might have had by stopping them from doing anything. It''s like I''m saying they''re worthless. Not only that but I didn''t sell them back because I was afraid someone else wouldn''t be as kind as I am with them so they''re just stuck in a cage with nothing of interest to do. I''m so duuuumb!"


    Emp was impressed that he felt so down about it. He had just said they might be bored, how did he come to a comparison with a prison?


    "It''s easy to fix though. You could give them something to do or just free them."


    "There''s no way I can free them, It would cost way too much for me. I looked into it already, did you know that it cost way more to free a sealed slave than placing the seal. It''s magnitudes above in terms of costs."


    "I did not, you thought me something."


    Cyril made a loud sigh that annoyed even Penny from the other end of the room. He scratched his brows and decided to take actions.


    "You are right, I should at least give them something to do."


    After that, he asked Emp about what he should have them do but he really had no clue. Even just for Celtine, he had no real task to give her so he just carried her around to take notes.


    While they were talking, people slowly started filling up the classroom. The first thing they did was almost always to ask how Emp was. He felt appreciative of their concern for him. That may not have been the right word but it was the only one he could come up with to describe how the worry of everyone affected him. Many seemed very happy to see he was well when they came in, even though he was only gone for a single day.


    A few seemed to not care at all like Heida or Gervaise but for the most part, they expressed their relief and curiosity to his condition. The amount of times he had to answer someone that he felt fine that morning was ridiculous.


    Everyone wanted to know how he came to have two souls but all he could answer was that he did know why, that it wasn''t an accident but he couldn''t tell anyone how it happened. They were all disappointed by his lackluster answer but really, there was nothing else he could say.


    When Ivar came in, Emp got up from his seat to thank him.


    "Celtine told me what you had done for me. I''m very thankful for your Help Ivar."


    "Of course I helped. That''s only natural, there''s no way I would have left a friend in trouble like that. Even though you don''t like archery."


    "Is it that important?" Emp asked. He knew Ivar really liked archery but he had no idea his own dislike for it would affect him this much. He felt a bit sorry.


    "Of course not, I''m kidding! If I was to throw aside everyone who doesn''t like real archery I''d end up alone pretty fast. Don''t make that face."


    Mable laughed from the side.


    "Look at your face! Before, when someone told you something you just looked plain confused but now, not only do you look confused, you''re showing more emotions than I ever seen on your face before."


    "Yeah, you look all turned around." Said Kenneth. "You have to keep it together man, don''t fall for the small tricks."


    "The current you would not resist the call of the sea." Added Nereus.


    "But that''s not really his fault now is it? Someone messed with his soul, give him a break from random teasing." Juniper pointed out.


    "That''s true, I still don''t get it though. You said that you had two souls all along? How does that even work? How was that affecting you?" Asked Aglaya.


    Emp agreed to once again explain as best as he could how his emotions and desires were inhibited by the clash between the two souls.


    "Or at least that is what I was told, I had not noticed anything. I would have never found out if everyone hadn''t started to point out to me that something wasn''t right with how I couldn''t choose anything for myself. Like how I couldn''t figure out which cake I liked best for example."


    "The mage said that since he had none of those emotions before, chances were he would have exaggerated reactions to everything for a while." Supplemented Ivar


    "What does that entail exactly?" Nessa asked.


    "Well, before, he couldn''t feel anger at all for example. Now though, if he does feel angry, it will be way more than it should. Because he doesn''t have a good understanding of his emotions yet, he may overreact to every little thing. That is why Heinrich asked us to tell everyone to not poke the bear. Who knows, maybe he will barely react but he could also turn aggressive or even violent. He needs time to get used to his new state."


    "Of course, you tell us that but the first thing you did when you met him again was to fool him."


    "Come on, it was just a small joke. We just have to be a bit careful."


    Emp wondered how bad it could possibly be. He remembered that he felt frustrated about the mouse, he wondered if the same was to happen now, would he react differently?


    "But now, surely you can tell me what was the best cake right?" Mable Asked, showing up right at his side.


    Should he tell her he was still undecided?


    "Is this really the first thing you want to ask him after what happened?" Told her Aglaya, incredulous.


    "Well, yeah? What else is there to ask?" She asked back with a clueless expression.


    Aglaya stifled a laugh for reasons Emp did not understand. Mable''s question made way more sense than Aglaya''s. In any case, he gave her his new honest opinion about the cake he had brought back and told her he still didn''t know to her great annoyance.


    "I guess we''ll have to eat more cake then." Said Nessa with a mischievous air.


    The girl brightened up right away when she heard the suggestion.


    "That''s right! Let''s do that!"


    This meant that he would have to go to another cake party at some point didn''t it?


    Shortly after, Brenia showed up too and Emp thanked her similarly.


    "Right, nothing to sweat over, I just carried you a bit."


    "Not only that, you held up the Ancient. They told me I could have died if you had not managed to stop him. I''d like to do something for you and Ivar too to show you how much it mattered."


    "You don''t need to, but there is something you could do if you insist." She answered after thinking about it.


    "What is it?"


    He really did want to return them the favor. Not like how Galana didn''t want to have any debt but more because he didn''t know how else to express how highly he felt about their help. Her answer surprised him.


    "Have a spar with me."


    "A spar? Right now?"


    They were in the middle of the classroom, this was no place to spar. How could it be considered a favor or a reward anyway.


    "Of course not! In a combat class soon I mean. I wanna know for myself how good or bad you really are. It would annoy me greatly if someone talking so big about my supposed flaws was so much weaker than me."


    What flaws? Was it about how she wasn''t using magic?


    "Alright, I can do that."


    He still thought that wasn''t worth saving his life but if that was what she wanted, he could do it easily.


    "Good."


    The right side of her mouth rose into a grin showing her teeth.


    "That all fine but now you got me really curious, what was the ancient doing there?" Asked Aglaya.


    "I sent him a message saying Emp was in trouble and he came rushing in." Explained Ivar.


    "Celtine told me he knocked Ivar out and Brenia was about to wrestle with him to stop him from getting in the room." Emp added.


    "But he was okay beating up two students to get to another one? Isn''t that strange? Is he in your family or something?" She insisted.


    "No, I had never even met the old man before getting to this school."


    What was she trying to have him say? Of course Emp knew why he was there but he couldn''t say it. Was she really just curious about the events or was she trying to figure out who he was again?


    "Isn''t it normal for the principal to panic a bit hearing one of the students may die from a problem with his soul?" Intervened Norval "If something big is happening, surely he must wish to know immediately."


    That explanation was accepted by most and shortly after, Heinrich came in to begin the class, cutting short Aglaya''s questioning.


    He had all the new students open up the book of basics and started explaining what they all needed to know in length. The students were far from being ready to cast the simplest of spells. There were a lot of rules to remember and a great amount of details to know and keep in mind. After all that, there would still be that spell casting language to learn which would also take a long time.


    Heinrich would not let anyone practice any form of magic before he was certain that they remembered everything perfectly.


    For most subjects and skills, it wasn''t necessary to have a perfect knowledge of it. Sometimes, you could make a mistake and learn from it. Magic wasn''t the same, mistakes could have a wide array of unpredictable effects that could cause grave injury or death to the user and the people around him. To pass to the next step in learning magic, you needed to be perfect, nothing less would be acceptable. This was for the security of everyone.


    This meant that some, even if they made efforts, would never receive the approval of the teacher and thus, never cast a spell.


    Some rare individual did learn magic by themselves outside of the school. Even without a proper mage to teach the basics, it was possible to learn. However, the truth was that self taught individuals died more often than not while trying to cast their first spell. The most common cause being dying from an explosion while trying to cast a fireball. The general populace just loved fireballs after all and often tried that kind of things first.


    The point was, the class was boring and nothing practical was done that day. Magic was more about studying and researching than it was about slinging spells at monsters.


    Emp was fine with that too, not all things needed to be spectacular to be of interest. Plus, knowing that paying attention to all this it would let him progress to more entertaining steps faster was a great stimulant.


    At the end of the class, Heinrich reminded Emp to stay for his experiment.


    "That will be all for today. You may all leave in peace now. Except for Emp of course, I need you to stay for the test."


    Two girls, prompted by his sentence, immediately asked two different things at the same time. Mable and Penny spoke up but it came out in a jumble of incoherent words and Heinrich had to have them repeat one at a time, starting with Penny.


    "I had some questions about the lesson today and I wondered if I could stay so that you could answer them."


    "Yes but after I''m done with Emp. You''ll have to wait in the hallway in the meantime. Mable?"


    "I just wanted to know what Emp''s test was about. I''m curious. Isn''t he already fine?"


    Many others nodded in approval, curiosity wasn''t something the classroom lacked.


    "He is, I only want to test his affinities again to see if anything changed because of the souls. Mhn, they all knew about your souls already right? I talked without thinking."


    He looked towards Emp with a questioning face. Didn''t he tell him just the other day to be more careful with other peoples secrets? Apparently, this wasn''t just a one time thing but a trait in him. At least this one wasn''t a real secret.


    "Teacher, did you just say affinities with an ''s''? Does this mean he had more than one?" Asked Aglaya.


    Emp was surprised by her comment and even more by the deep frown Celtine made in reaction. Why was Aglaya so focused on details relating to him and why was Celtine so nervous about it. The teacher on the other hand didn''t express much of a reaction.


    "How many he may or may not have had is irrelevant now since we have to check all over again."


    Everyone turned their heads towards him, taking the teachers answer as a confirmation. Emp felt pressured to answer.


    "I did have a few but most weren''t that high."


    "So they were like minor affinities?" Asked Kenneth.


    "I didn''t know there were such a thing as minor affinities." Commented Penny.


    "I didn''t either but it could be a possible explanation." Nodded the teacher, jumping back in the conversation. "This was a situation I had never witnessed before and thus, I am eager to look again and see if it was in any way related two him hosting two souls. On this, I would ask you all to leave the room."


    Everyone complied and went back out of the room, Brenia being the first to leave. Penny showed a frustrated pout as she left but did not complain and closed the door behind her as she was the last one to leave.


    Since Emp had already experienced this affinity test, he knew what to expect. He climbed up on the stage and stood in the magic formation while Heinrich prepared everything.


    Like last time, the spell was cast without difficulty but the result was wildly different.


    The white powder which was zigzagging all around him the first time around was now weakly floating in small patches while many of the strangely acting powders from before seemed to be more attracted to him.


    The blue and brown powders were now speeding around his head, with the teal spiraling around them both. The red powder was jumping about erratically in front of his chest while the green was snaking around his legs. There was still some pink, silver and yellow as well but they had not changed much since the last time and just lazily floated all around him. They just seemed to be more coherent now, less confused. They gave the impression they were waiting for something.


    "This is fascinating!"


    The teacher was almost jumping about in eagerness. He quickly threw a feather into a nearby ink-pot and started furiously taking notes.


    "Your light affinity seems to have collapsed. I theorize that it was the main affinity of the parasite soul. Now that it is mostly gone, the others that were held off by it came back to you. The wind overtook the plant affinity in terms of prominence and is now on par with your earth and water proficiency. Fire too is now more comfortable with you as well. This will cause an uproar through the community of scholars residing in the empire. I cannot wait to show them those findings."


    Emp thought it was good for his research but he wasn''t really here for that.


    "What about the other colors? What does it all mean for me?"


    "I am still not sure. We could guess it is linked to your emotions or rather, your previous lack of them, but it would be an unsatisfying theory. Like I said the first time, those emotions are often linked to a color and an element but in reality, everyone posses all of those. The most angry person you will ever meet may not have any affinity for fire at all. People love to guess the personality of others by their magical affinities but there must be more than just this that explains affinities. In short, they will probably all stick to you in the future as well once certain unknown conditions are met."


    "So all of them are affinities I truly posses?"


    "Yes but since we lack the knowledge about them, I am unsure when, if at all, they will awaken. Anyway, this would not stop you to learn spells from any of their types. It just means that you do not resonate with them as strongly. I explained all that already."


    Emp remembered clearly. The affinities didn''t really matter even if the students made a big deal of it.


    "I am gathering a lot of valuable information on souls and affinities because of you, I''m glad you had two souls."


    That had almost killed him but obviously, the teacher wasn''t thinking about that. He just meant that he was happy to learn more about those subjects that he was passionate about. At least, Emp hoped that was what he meant.


    Celtine tried to dust off all the powder that fell upon him before he picked her up and left the room. The mage did not wish him goodbye because he was too absorbed in his notes but Emp still thanked him and left. He guessed he would need some more books later in accordance to the colors of powder for which the teacher had not given him one yet but he had no need for them right now. Those books could wait another day.


    Outside of the room, two girls were talking as they waited for him to come out, Penny and Aglaya. Emp didn''t hear more than half a sentence so he didn''t know what he interrupted but Penny seemed relieved when he showed up. With how the other girl acted recently, he guessed she was probably trying to extract some secret out of her.


    "Are you done?" Penny asked immediately.


    "Yes, the teacher is taking some notes now but we are done. I think you can go in."


    "Thanks, see you later you two."


    Penny didn''t wait for any answer and darted into the room, leaving Emp to Aglaya. That girl seemed to be indifferent to which prey fell into her grasp as she smiled like usual towards him, right before asking more questions.


    "Hi Emp, did it turn out well?"


    "I think so."


    "Good, I''m glad you kept all those affinities."


    Celtine made a grimace that made Aglaya laugh.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t tell."


    Aglaya was a friend and Celtine assured him that she did not have any malicious intent but wasn''t this obsession for information getting strange?


    "Aglaya, why are you prying into everyone''s secrets like that?"


    Aglaya was taken aback by how blunt his question was.


    "Eh? Wha, did I not answer that already?"


    "You didn''t really. Also, if you keep doing that, sooner or later, the others will get annoyed."


    "And not you?"


    "I don''t think so but I can''t be sure because of this whole soul thing. As long as Celtine tells me you have no bad intentions behind your questions I will keep answering as best as I can."


    "That make my life easier."


    "Still though, you will annoy the others."


    "Not if I know when to stop. All I have to do is look at the changes in the mood. Speaking of changes, did your opinion on me or Mable change after your soul got cut?"


    Where was that question even coming from?


    "No, I did not change my mind on anyone since then. Although I do now think that I don''t really want to stay close to Heida or Gervaise. The more I think about them, the more annoyed I get."


    "I see, that''s great. Not about those two, I mean, about the group. I was asking for the cohesion of the group. It''s best to know who works well with who."


    That seemed like a strange reason but Emp just accepted it, he had his own strange question to ask.


    "I have a question too then, why are her hair so long?"


    "Huh?"


    He had never seen her that confused before. His question really came out of nowhere.


    "Mable, why are her hair so long?"


    "What sort of question is that?"


    She visibly couldn''t grasp where this came from or what was the point of that question.


    "I wondered why since I met her. Her hair is impressively long, maybe even abnormally so. I thought that maybe she had a reason, is it really just because she likes to have them this long? Really, I''m just curious."


    Aglaya seemed to struggle mentally with his answer. How could that question produce such an effect, was it this hard to answer? In the end, she chose to give it to him.


    "I don''t think it''s that big of a secret since Nessa and Gytha already know. So fine, I will tell you but you must promise to not tell anyone else."


    "Sure, I promise, but I don''t see how the length of her hair could be an important secret."


    "That''s because it''s not about her hair, it''s about scissors. Don''t laugh and don''t tell her I told you but... She is deathly afraid of scissors." (1)


    "Afraid of scissors?"


    That was an unexpected answer to say the least.


    "Yes, she starts crying when she sees those things. Since her parents would not have any other blades close to their daughter, her hair was never cut in her life."


    "They allowed scissors close to her but not razors or even a knife? Why is she even afraid of them?"


    "Well, it''s hard to cut hair with a knife, it gets messy and uneven, they refused to allow it. As for the reason why she cannot stand being close to them, I don''t know. When I met her, she was already afraid of them and this was a looong time ago. I''ll ask you again, don''t tell anyone and also, now that you know, don''t show her any scissors."


    "I will keep it in mind."


    "I would prefer you didn''t actually."


    What else could he possibly answer to that revelation? That was too strange for him to question any further. He could only agree to not show her the object of her fear.


    This meant that her hair was long not because she wanted it so but because she was unable to cut them. How long would they get in the future? Having to wash them in a few years would be so troublesome it would end up taking most of her days. Emp was very glad he wasn''t afraid of scissors.


    "What about you then? What are you afraid of? It would only be fair to tell me now wouldn''t it? I''ll tell her later, I''m sure she is going to laugh."


    That would have been fair to tell her yes, but Emp wasn''t really afraid of anything.


    "The woodland horror was very scary. I think I was never afraid of anything else after that. Even knowing that I could die from the two souls didn''t scare me as much. Maybe it was just because I was unable to feel fear at that point though so I don''t know."


    "The fearless boy who wants to be the strongest of all. That''s a bit boring isn''t it? I''d say you were boasting but from what I know about you and the thing that happened the other day, I don''t think it''s a lie."


    "It is not. I am sure there are some things I must fear but I do not know them yet. If I do discover them though, I will tell you just to be fair. The scissors were pretty surprising after all."


    "Right? Do you think it''s dumb?"


    "No, I just do not know the reason. It is unfair to say that something is dumb or bad or anything else without knowing."


    "That''s wise for someone of your height."


    "I was asked to become the wisest too."


    "By who? Why?"


    Maybe he shouldn''t have said that. Now he had to think of a good answer for that as well. Should he just remind her that he didn''t know yet why she was asking all those things? There must be a more satisfying answer to give.


    In the end, he didn''t have to answer anything since Penny reappeared at the door. She showed surprise at their presence.


    "You''re still here?"


    Aglaya answered with that strange predator grin again.


    "Yes of course, I wasn''t done with you after all."


    That was a bit intimidating but Emp was sure Penny would be fine.


    "I''ll be on my way then, I''ll see you both at the moral class."


    He left the pleading look of Penny behind him and escaped the questions of the girl.


    Later on that day, the moral and ethic class proceeded as normal. Mrs Blackbull went through the subject matter with efficiency and called an end to the students day, except for Emp.


    "We are done here for today young ones, you may all leave, except for Mr. Emp. You have another private lesson with me today."


    Emp had expected it but still felt a bit down from the news. Mable laughed at Emp''s misery but was swiftly thrown in the pit herself.


    "Miss Mable, don''t be so swift to mock your friend, you''ll have your own private lesson tomorrow."


    She made a defeated groan and this time, everyone else laughed.


    "I wasn''t mocking him though, I just thought the face he made was funny." She said in an attempt to save herself.


    "I also have to talk about the little party you organized a few days ago. I insist, you have to come."


    She groaned once more and everyone left the room, Aglaya and Nessa trying to cheer up their friend who was sentenced to more of this.


    For Emp, the next few hours were mostly as he expected. Countess Blackbull tried to figure how he had changed since the soul split if at all, she asked for a complete recap of the two parties he attended and criticized most of the things he did or said there.


    At least, many of those criticism weren''t directly on him alone but more about how others had acted out of line. For example, she was angry that he didn''t try to stop Brenia from standing on top of the table.


    When that kind of criticism appeared, he felt that it wasn''t really his fault. He tried to keep them all in mind anyway so that next time he would try something


    Aside from that, she mostly seemed to think that the small changes that had started to appear in him were good.


    "You made some impressive progress and managed to dodge some scary questions. Although some may misconstrue your intentions towards the small miss Mable for a while, I think overall, you did good. Now miss, was there something you wanted to add about your master or the recent events?"


    Celtine had thought about it long before the teacher asked the question it seemed since she already had a few sentences ready to answer.


    <Miss Aglaya is a bit scary. She has too many questions, she knows that master''s family name is well known and that the ancient has an interest in him. I think she may discover his identity sooner or later. I think this is about Mable but Harriett and me can''t be sure.>


    How was this related to Mable? Wasn''t she just too curious? Blackbull took a sip of tea and nodded after she finished reading.


    "You are perceptive. Miss Pierail is doing what she is meant to do but you are very right. She might find out about the Muraciers and it would be catastrophic for you. I would intervene and tell her to stop digging but honestly, doing this would only spur her further into her research. She is from the capital after all, uncovering the secrets of everyone is what they do best. Sadly, there is nothing much I can help you with on this, I would strongly advice you against answering any more of her questions, even if they seem inoffensive. As long as she believes you have some interest in Mable, she will try to dig anything and everything from your past, your heart and your mind. You have to either convince her you want nothing to do with her and her friends or that you present absolutely no threat for them without the shadow of a doubt."


    "How is this related to Mable?" Asked Emp, not following.


    "From how you retold the party, your answer concerning your goal could have been misinterpreted and Mable''s reaction was too exaggerated. Rumors sparked from less in the capital. Miss Pierail is smart enough to understand that there is no relationship between you and Mable but she can see a possibility of it happening, this is enough to spark her interest."


    Emp guessed she meant a loving relationship with how the talk went but it had never even crossed his mind before. Well, not many emotions crossed his mind before anyway. What was love anyway? He felt it wasn''t the first time he was asking himself this.


    "What do I do then?"


    "I don''t know, I don''t know what is the plan of the great general after all. You tell me, will it upset the nobles in the capital?"


    "I don''t think so?"


    If Chinui had a plan, he didn''t know about it either but as for himself, he had no reason to even go to the capital, he could not see how he could upset them.


    "Then continue to act like normal. It is plain to see that you are not a schemer. You do have things to hide but as long as miss Pierail gathers enough information to guarantee that you are on their side rather than against them, she should relax her search. I explained this the other day did I not? Uncover the secrets of everyone because who knows who will stand with you and who will turn their back on you. Anyone could be a threat, she followed those principles long before she came here and she will do her best to see through everyone."


    That wasn''t reassuring at all. He didn''t mean harm to anyone and didn''t really mind them knowing but who knew what the ancient would do if she found the truth? (2)


    ***


    (1) Yes, our Mable as a phobia of scissors specifically. Not blades or sharp objects; scissors.


    (2) This sounds a bit foreboding and seems to be a flag but it isn''t. The story will go somewhere else entirely. That sentence was just meant to reiterate that Emp really doesn''t care who knows his name or not. He''s only hiding because the ancient told him to do it. I didn''t know how else to say it so that sentence was spawned but I''m sure I''ll get criticized later on for missed opportunities and flags with no payoffs.


    I apologize in advance.


    Maybe she will find the truth and maybe the ancient will find out about what she learned. I''m not saying this will not happen, I''m saying the ancient won''t make a bunch of students disappear because Aglaya found something she shouldn''t have.

 56 A year of classes

    The life of Emp was pretty ordinary for a while after the problem with his soul was fixed. Time passed swiftly as his brain was crammed with knowledge. For the two Emps, things happened everyday so he would not say that there was a dull moment but there wasn''t anything really spectacular going on either. After a while, every day started blending together in a long learning experience.


    Of the many small things that happened, the duel with Brenia was done right away, or rather, it was postponed indefinitely. She was ready to fight him and give it her all but Winfred, the combat teacher, didn''t let them do it.


    "With how low your skills are, an accident is bound to happen. Learn some technique first, get to at least a decent level and then, I will let you two spar. If there was some deep grudges between you two I could accept it but for a friendly spar, you have to be good enough to not hurt the other badly."


    Because of that, they were disallowed to spar and competed in who would get better the fastest instead.


    Many of the boys were training hard but only a few managed to keep up with the speed of Brenia and Emp. Even if Emp wasn''t very competitive, this was directly related to one of his main objectives so he didn''t spare any efforts into improving himself. Having Brenia, Norval and Oliver improve so close to him was just making it more interesting.


    Brenia was doing her all to be able to beat him, Norval was just that good and improved freakishly fast with seemingly little efforts and Oliver said that only a perfectly trained body could perfectly wield a spear. These four, including Emp, were without a doubt the best in the new students of the group but it did not mean that the others made no improvements.


    Cyril for example might not have been naturally talented or trained in any way but he gave more efforts into learning than most. This led to clear improvements in almost every classes and despite his low birth, he wasn''t left behind in any subjects and took his time in school very seriously. He even grasped self-magic before Brenia.


    Since Emp had the hammer, he didn''t need to learn self-magic and focused on getting his base strength higher but the result of the others study was surprising. Using the self-magic, many of the other students got their own strength very close to Emp''s, Brenia even passed him when she finally managed to learn it.


    She borrowed the thunder-chew hammer and found it was very light for her magic-enhanced self. Of course, she couldn''t stay in this boosted mode all the time but while she was in it, she was a force to be reckoned with.


    Emp would have thought that Penny would have been good at self-magic but she wasn''t. She also didn''t nag at Brenia for having learned some magic. Apparently, both had the same opinion of self-magic, it wasn''t real magic. Emp didn''t see how this wasn''t magic since it clearly was and even figured in the name but, like the rest of the class, he didn''t confront them on this. For once, they were in agreement and that was much more important than knowing if it was or wasn''t magic in the end. Maybe it was because there wasn''t any fancy visual clue signifying the use of self-magic?


    Once the training of everyone was well underway and carefully calibrated for each of them, the amount of combat classes lowered to make space for fencing classes. Winfred expected them to keep up their training even when there was no classes and to improve accordingly. With the remaining combat classes in the schedule, he mostly made regular checkup to see their improvements and had many lessons on what to do in all kind of combat situation.


    Sometimes, the victor of a battle wasn''t decided by strategy or sword skill but by awareness of the surrounding and an understanding of your abilities and those of your opponents. He would talk in length about any and all possibilities, if this happens, it''s better to do this, if it rains then do that instead. Emp liked those classes, what he was saying was logical, it made sense to him, it was easy to remember.


    Swords technique too were easy to remember. Like when Chinui was the one to teach him, the moves he was thoughts just stuck with him easily.


    The fencing teacher, Sofenne Brandhaul, was a tall and slender man that was very strict and not friendly at all. Emp did not think he disliked or hated any of the students but he wasn''t afraid to yell at them when they made any mistakes or couldn''t do a movement fast enough. He would move the students like puppets to place them in the correct positions and have them chain between said positions until perfection or until they crumbled from getting yelled at too much.


    Emp, even after the lessons Chinui gave him, had thought that sword fighting was simple. You just had to swing the blade at your opponent and slice him, how hard could it be? Many girls and boys like Cyril thought the same but they were all proved wrong.


    Apparently, the opponent didn''t want to get cut and the more they knew about fencing, the harder it was to cut them. To fix that, you had to know more, you had to react faster, think faster and surprise him with moves he didn''t know or wasn''t prepared for. Instead of just swinging left and right, every movement of your whole body would change the outcome of a bout.


    To do well in fencing, you had to know how to move properly yes but you also had to recognize what the opponent was doing. You also had to be able to feint and recognize those of your opponent.


    Emp had no problem learning the moves but reading those of his opponent was much harder. His body could understand the techniques easily and he didn''t have to think about them, he just moved. When someone else did them though, he had trouble seeing how it would end before it actually did.


    He was getting better slowly but he wished it was just as easy as putting all his strength behind a hammer swing.


    Some had way more trouble than him, like Nessa who just couldn''t get it right. However much the teacher shouted at her, she was making no improvement. One day, she became so red from anger that when the teacher opened his mouth against her, she started to furiously yell at him, drowning his voice completely. For two unending minutes, she screamed her hate of this discipline and everything related at him while he stood there shaken at the volume of her voice. After that, the teacher stopped shouting at her for good.


    Since the fencing class wasn''t required for the girls, many chose to not show up at all. Mable showed up once, got scared by the teacher and never came back, Aglaya and Gytha disappeared with her. Zoran didn''t have the same fortune and was forced to attend to the class even though he hated being yelled at. He was made to cry a few times but did not gain the pity of Sofenne. Emp didn''t understand why Nessa came every time even though she hated the class as much as Zoran but he didn''t know how to ask her without making her angry, this seemed like a dangerous subject to brush.


    They also met or at least learned of the existence of many other teachers. There was a fat man named Sven who taught economy and geography, with an emphasis on how to use both to the advantage of a land owner or a lord. There was Gustave, who Emp didn''t meat directly yet but heard from Ivar that he was a strategy teacher, only a few student ever followed his classes.


    Then there was Cayley, a young and energetic woman whose job was to teach them survival tricks if they ever got stuck in the wild on their own. Emp had nothing to learn in many of her beginning classes because Chinui taught him all this already and he was used to many things like fishing and camping. Surprisingly, that class was one of Mable''s favorite, she laughed a lot in them, playing in the grass and watching everyone''s mistakes.


    There was also a bald man with the eyes of someone lacking sleep named Ninoslav. That one was the teacher of illusion magic and alchemy.


    "Heinrich is a great mage but not an expert in every field, I fill in for the few matters he is less knowledgeable about." He told the class one time he came across them in a corridor.


    They wouldn''t get any class with him soon since they had to go through all the basics with Heinrich first and his class was not required for anyone. Only a few followed his classes every cycle.


    As for the usual classes, Emp improved in many things. The most surprising progress he did was in archery, and it was all thanks to Celtine.


    At that point, he had went through many archery classes and the teacher Sieghard had basically gave up on him. Emp sent arrows upon arrows towards the targets but failed to hit them again and again. After all this time, he still couldn''t figure out why he couldn''t hit them.


    He was grumbling his annoyance at the arrows who refused to go where he wanted them to when Celtine showed him a message.


    <Master Emp, don''t you always say that those things far away are instead close? Are you not standing just in front of those targets?>


    Reading that message made him pause. Wasn''t she right? He looked around him and the other students sending arrows up ahead then he looked at the targets again. How was he not able to hit them? If he only raised his hand, he was almost sure he could touch them. The others suddenly looked ridiculous, shooting arrows at a target right in front of them.


    To prove to himself that the target was just a step ahead, he walked up to it. Everyone else got startled when he appeared in front of one of the target and stopped shooting for fear they would hit him by accident. He stepped back before anything dangerous happened.


    "What are you doing! Isn''t it obvious you shouldn''t step in front of the targets while people are shooting!"


    The teacher was pretty mad but Emp ignored him. Instead, he raised his bow and focused on the fact that the target was right by him. He released the arrow and saw it bury itself in the target, not in the center but still on it.


    Emp was beaming, everyone else was shocked. He threw down his bow and raised his arms in the air almost making Celtine fall off.


    "Yes! I did it! I hit it!"


    It was rare to see Emp this excited so the others were quick to share his joy. There were many congratulations and smiles thrown his way. Ivar came right up to him and urged him to do it again while he still had the feel of this hit in him.


    He picked back up the bow under the curious gaze of everyone and shot another arrow. Once again, he did not hit the center but like the previous arrow, he planted it in the target. The class erupted in cheers once more.


    "Thank you Celtine, you''re the best! I can''t believe I never thought of it!"


    Since it was the only thing he could reach, he hugged her legs to show her how thankful he was. It made her glass anklet clink against everything. He tried to look up at her face to see her reaction but he only managed to catch a glimpse of her smile before his actions almost made her fall backwards again. She held on to his head and laughed silently.


    That time, she was on his shoulders but it wasn''t happening as much anymore. She had decided to make real efforts to walk on her on and so, whenever Emp had the time to spare walking somewhere, he would let her walk at his side. Her improvement were minimal, Emp suspected that as long as she wouldn''t get her wings back, she wouldn''t walk in a normal way. She still did her best though and he praised her efforts.


    When she wasn''t walking or standing bravely, he would sit her back on his shoulders, he liked to know and feel her presence there.


    Juniper had finally delivered the glass jewelry she had promised and Celtine now carried around a variety of glass baubles on her person. She had been turned into a living publicity for Juniper''s company but neither Celtine or Emp really minded. The accessories weren''t in their way and Celtine found them pretty. Emp also noticed that strangers weren''t as annoyed by him carrying someone on his shoulder when that person wore pretty and colorful clothes and jewelry.


    The glass accessories themselves were varied, Emp didn''t know there was so many kind of jewelry and was even told this was just a few. They received them in tints of red and orange, a few marbled with green. There were bangles, earrings, bead necklaces and bracelets, some impressive hair ornaments and even a chain of beads that were pointed like smooth claws to be worn around the waist.


    Celtine''s favorites were the anklets, of which she often wore many at the same time, and the hair ornaments. Those were what most people were usually impressed about. They had cost a substantial amount of money but their design was very impressive. The one she preferred was a pair of comb linked together by three rows of small clear-blue beads of glass.


    The comb themselves were framed with polished wood but they were holding what Emp would describe as a small sculpture of glass representing a small wing. When worn, that pair of comb gave the impression that small wings were cradling her head like a crown, with the clear beads contrasting with her red hair and falling on her forehead.


    The least you could say was that it was very fitting of her, Juniper herself had requested this design specifically for Celtine. What she said was that a satisfied client had a much greater impact on potential customers. Indeed, Celtine would never go anywhere without that ornament, even though she had other hair ornaments equally impactful to look at. It was pretty obvious that she loved it. They may not have been precious stones but their look alone convinced a few girls from the class to request some to Juniper as well.


    With all that said, Celtine was far from selfish or possessive and shared all those glass jewels with Harriett whenever either of them had to go out of the room. Only the wings she kept for herself.


    Harriett too had a piece she did not share, the earring he bought for her.


    He had asked her to come with him buy some when the second soul was removed but in the end, he chose to go alone. What changed his mind was the very hair ornament that Celtine loved. The expression of surprised joy when she first laid eyes on it made him so happy as well, he wanted to see the same again on Harriett''s face.


    A few days after he received the glass jewels, he went in town alone to look for an earring. He did not tell the girls were he was going but they assumed he was going to train on the school grounds. This was perfect, it would make for an even better surprise.


    In town, he visited three different jewelers. Emp had never spent that much time to buy an item before, if you excluded the time he spent in the tailor shop. He looked at everything they had, big and small, expensive or not. Every time he looked at one, he tried to picture it on Harriett''s ear.


    He found that the large ones weren''t as pretty as the smaller pieces, at least not in the picture he was making in his head. Metals and stones would do but feathers and bones did not fit her at all. Harriett liked warm colors so he discarded all the pale and cold colored stones. Since she was blonde, silver would be easier to see then gold so despite the insistence of the jeweler saying gold was better, he settled for silver. After all, he was sure that if he bought something to Harriett, she would want to show it off everywhere.


    Would a long hanging one be better than a ring? They had all kinds of shapes, flowers, hearts, swords, suns, geometric or abstract shapes and even leaves. What was the best fit for her?


    Harriett wasn''t that found of animals like birds and dogs, she never had any stories about those. She thought flowers were pretty but she wasn''t passionate about those either. In fact, she didn''t seem passionate about anything except how properly the room was cleaned and how well the food was made. This was the hardest part to decide.


    After a long time of pondering he chose the one he felt would match her the best. It might not be the perfect choice but this was the best he could do. The pair was made by an upward pointing arrowhead as the earlobe pin, with a slim silver crescent moon hanging bellow and from it, a series of purple sapphires were chained and grew increasingly smaller to end in a fine point. The moon was engraved with a fine charm of luck in the form of a small tree growing a single leaf.


    Emp had learned it in the moral class, people believed that a tree with a single leaf meant good luck and fortune to the person who found it as even if left to the brink of death, the tree still managed to escape its fate and grow again. It would transmit it''s luck to others and save them from catastrophe. There was no real magic attached to the charm but who knew if it worked anyway?


    Emp bought those and on his way back, stopped at a library he came across. There, he asked the shop keeper what was popular. The man recommended a book of poetry to him which he bought. He had no real interest in poetry but the teacher Giselle told him to have at least one book ready for those visiting his room.


    If he was to invite someone in his room, Emp believed they would not have any time to read but he preferred to comply with what the teacher was saying. Just in case, he also bought four different other books. One, the seller insisted, was an original edition of a rare study on the Thornwoods, signed by both the imperial court mage who wrote it and the duke to whom it belonged until recently. He bought it for five red dragons or five hundred golden crowns.


    He didn''t need such a book but he believed it would interest Galana. She had sent back an answer to his letter, he received it weeks after the soul split.


    Her letter started with: < Idiot! Don''t send me books! It''s a waste, I don''t want them!>


    The rest was just her saying she was alright and answering to all the things he told her in his own. Of course, seeing her complain this much, he just felt like sending her even more books. Was this normal? He didn''t know. He just found funny to picture her angered face. Like that, he added his own name in the book and sent it with a new letter to Galana.


    <Look what I found.> He said before describing the book. <I bought it for five red dragons after I almost died from a problem with my soul. I''m fine now though and I thought you would love to see it. Either keep it for me or sell it if you need the money, I don''t mind.>


    The answer he received from that one was essentially; <Idiot! You are the worst! I told you not to do it!>


    The message made him laugh out loud and after that, he kept sending her more books every time he received an answer from her. She would not accept his money directly but she had no way of refusing the books unless she spent her own money to send them back. He felt it was a perfect plan to help her payback her debt.


    Going back to the earrings, he presented them to Harriett after supper. She was about to get up from her chair to clean the dishes but Emp stopped her.


    "Wait, I have something to show you."


    "What is it master?"


    She didn''t know what to expect since that kind of thing was never happening.


    He reached in his bag and got the small box with the earrings inside on the table. He pushed it to her side and told her to open it. He could hardly suppress his smile, already expecting her reaction. After all, he had done all this only to see her react to it.


    She reached for the lid of the box and pushed it open to reveal his gift. She gasped so hard when she saw them that she almost fell off her chair.


    "Master! Are they?" She could hardly contain herself.


    "They''re yours yes, I bought them for you."


    Harriett was overjoyed, Emp had never seen her this happy before. She squealed of excitement, hugged Celtine that was at her side, ran around the table to hug her master as well, spun on herself, put them on and spun again.


    "I love them master! They''re so pretty! Thank you! I love you, I''ll do my best to be worthy of wearing them."


    Emp felt like she was already worthy of wearing them, he had bought them just for that after all, but Harriett refused to hear him and claimed that she would be better than ever.


    After that, she wore them everywhere. He had heard once from Juniper that truly precious jewelry should not be worn outside of extremely noteworthy situations but Harriett liked them so much she would have slept with them on. She said that those were the proof of her master''s care and so she couldn''t remove them, she didn''t want to either.


    Emp was fine with it, he was happy with his choice, they fit her well and the memory of the moment he gifted them always brought a smile to his face.


    This prompted in him the desire to give more things to more people. He wanted to see that face again.


    He wished to give things to all of his friends, the problem was, he had too many of them. Were all of them really his friend? What was a friend exactly? Someone that wasn''t a stranger or an enemy? In that case, everyone in class was a friend, even Heida and Gervaise. He couldn''t find a good answer, he didn''t know enough about them, about himself or how friendship worked.


    One thing was for certain, the guys from the other groups weren''t friendly at all.


    Many of them got really upset after he beat a group of them in a corridor, that one time Mable showed up. Their resentment brewed and spread across the rest of their class. They wanted revenge on both him and Mable who laughed at them like they were trash.


    Every time someone of that group would encounter one of their own group, they would say things like "Tell the bird boy we''ll kick his ass.". From what Emp understood, they were convinced that after training for a while in the combat and fencing class, they''d be able to turn things around and beat him up.


    Emp wasn''t scared of them at all, he felt that with him training hard as well, there was no way they would all close the gap so easily. He was more worried for Mable. Apparently, the other group considered her the main instigator of this whole thing and felt they had been tricked by her. She was the one who had taunted them, insulted them and mocked them, using what they believed to be a strong simpleton as a shield. Because of that, the words coming from them were about how they hated her much more often than they were about Emp.


    Emp guessed that being so thoroughly defeated by such a small girl must have been very upsetting for them, even if she wasn''t the one who beat them personally.


    One day, twenty of them even came to the combat class of Emp''s group. They acted high and mighty, called for "the cocky midget" and told Mable they were there to challenge her champion. If they won, they would have her pay for their humiliating defeat. No one had any idea what they were talking about, including Mable. She was pretty angry for getting called a midget too.


    "What champion? Who are you?"


    "That guy!" They pointed towards Emp. "He beat up our classmates on your orders."


    "Eh?"


    Mable still didn''t recall any of them and didn''t understand what they meant. Most of the others were more confused than ever but a few girls, those that came to the cake party had a strange smile floating on their faces, as if they knew something the others didn''t.


    Emp ignored the other girls for now since he couldn''t do anything about what they believed and told Mable what was happening instead.


    "It''s about the guys I beat in the corridor before you bet a cake on me being the strongest in the class."


    Sudden realization flashed in her eyes.


    "Oh! Yes, I remember that, it was so funny! They were all so weak compared to you! I didn''t order you to beat them though?"


    The guys on the other side all turned red at being called weak while Emp told her why they were targeting her.


    "It''s because if you had not been there, they would all have left. You provoked them into attacking me."


    "It''s not my fault they''re dumb enough to fall for it. They deserved it anyway. What about you being a champion though?"


    "Isn''t he" Asked one of the guys in front.


    She was clearly about to say no when Aglaya interrupted her by whispering in her ear. She became flustered and fumbled to give an answer to the guy.


    "Uh? Eh!? Uhh... I mean, yes, he is my champion. You can''t get to me without beating him first!"


    What had Aglaya told her? Many snorts were heard from the other students behind them as they held in their laughter. Regaining a bit of her confidence, she followed up with a new taunt.


    "That''s right, I was just surprised you were able to recognize him after such a trashing. He didn''t even sweat as a defeated you all."


    One of them had an obviously shorter tamper than the others and stepped towards Mable in anger.


    "Oh you little/" He was interrupted by Emp.


    Even though he had no idea what Mable was doing, he wasn''t about to let the other boy do something to her so he stepped in front, playing the role of the champion, whatever that meant. When he did, everyone prepared for a fight but the teacher finally decided to step in.


    "Alright, enough. You guys aren''t ready for that fight. I will tell you the same I already said. No one is going to fight here until I say they are ready to spar. Half of you don''t even know basic self-magic yet. That guy will crush you. When I decide that both of your groups are ready to fight, only then will I let anyone do it and only with healers at the ready. In the meantime, you go back and train harder."


    The other group shot dark look at them but still left. They couldn''t go against the words of the teacher.


    Afterwards, he asked Mable why she said he was her champion and she told him that Aglaya said that they would try to take their revenge on her if she had no champion. She panicked and said they were right.


    "You don''t mind do you? You can beat them easy, piff paff and they''re all out!"


    Emp didn''t mind helping out Mable but now, he had another fight to deal with. Another reason to train hard. Aglaya had said the right thing but he still felt that something was off with her.


    Overtime, she continued to prod and pry at everyone''s past, with an emphasis on Emp. Like she had said, she knew how to stay in the acceptable limits of everyone and managed to not upset anyone in her unending quest for information.


    In all likelihood, she was the best student Blackbull ever had. Whatever was the subject of the lesson, she was able to absorb it instantly and put it in practice immediately at the expense of her classmates.


    The job of Giselle Blackbull was twofold. First, she had to make sure they would never embarrass themselves or their family and second, she was here to give them the tools to win conflicts without ever raising a weapon.


    Emp preferred to just beat whoever was attacking him, it was less complicated and faster. He did understand however that this wasn''t always the best answer. Aglaya was the opposite. It would never cross her mind to fight someone, she believed that all problems could be prevented, or at least resolved by social skills and schemes.


    Other subject matters had tests to see if they had progressed but Blackbull almost didn''t need to give any, Aglaya was a walking test. Any and all interactions with her would push the social skills of anyone to their limits. She was an example for the other girls and more importantly, once anyone passed through her investigation, she treated them like a good friend and never put herself above anyone.


    The only person she treated differently was Mable. Aglaya clearly favored her over anyone else and kept her close to herself at all times like how one would keep a small dog. Because of that, it wasn''t long before a rumor spread saying that Mable was a lower noble or even only a merchant''s daughter who Aglaya took a liking to. Not in a romantic way but more like how a princess would keet other pretty young nobles with her for company. She kept her name hidden to not shame her family as she was essentially leeching the wealth of the Pierail family.


    Maybe this was true, who knew? As long as Mable kept her name hidden, there was no way to know for sure. Maybe she was just a good friend with a similar noble rank after all.


    Speaking about names, miss Blackbull wanted to make sure that the class knew them all. Not the names of the students but the name of the important nobles of the empire. She dedicated en entire class for each kingdom of the empire, including the Muracier and the imperial family in the class on Grandbois.


    She wanted them to know the names of the lords of each city, the names of the royals and their heir, the factions of everyone, what they stood for, who they disliked and so on. Not only that, she even went as far as enlightening them on the politics of the sand wastes.


    The desert extending from the eastern border of the empire didn''t have anything of interest so people always referred to the nation as the sand wastes rather than its name. Apparently, it was lead by a slave. The position of ruler was so unappealing to them that they had to force it upon a slave who they appropriately called: the slave queen. Her job was mostly to make sure that international trade didn''t falter so Emp had no idea what made the position so bad. She was like an empress but really, she was just a slave, he couldn''t figure out how it worked, just like the rest of the class.


    Emp didn''t know either what they traded with if they had nothing but juniper said that at least her family bought huge amounts of sand from them.


    If it was that, then they had a lot of it to sell.


    "Of course not, that''s just ordinary sand, its worthless. You need a special type of fine sand to make proper glass. They''re the best at making the proper mix." She explained.


    It was Sven, the geography and economy teacher, who clarified later that what they sold was mostly knowledge and expertise. They had an impressive ratio of scholars living in their cities and they exchanged their know-how for anything and everything. They also had a wide array of artisan specialists who only required materials to make masterpieces after masterpieces.


    Going back to those classes about the noble families, they were in the hardest for Emp to understand. Why did he have to remember all those people he had nothing to do with? He understood that if you were a noble of the Steelwood empire you would need to know who was around you but he wasn''t really one of them.


    At least, he had Celtine there with him to remember all that in his stead.


    Throughout all those five classes, Aglaya kept looking his way. Emp guessed she was trying to figure out if he was a member of one of those families by examining how he reacted to each. He didn''t have much of a reaction to any of them though, even when the teacher spoke of the Muraciers, Emp just listened halfheartedly.


    "The current head of the Muracier house is Chinui, he has no recorded wife or children but has a brother named Chijou that could take his place if something happened to him. Their house always had a very close relationship with the Imperial family. The current emperor once said that the great general was his best friend and without him, he would never have met his wife. The current heir to the throne is his first son Dirch the sixth. His name Follows the age-old naming tradition of their house by replacing the first letter of the name of a tree, as is proper for the first son."


    She followed by telling them all about the current imperial policies. Emp could have fell asleep if not for the fact that he was a very good student and would never dare do such a thing, even if he didn''t think the subject was interesting.


    Because of his plain inexpressive face throughout it all, Aglaya didn''t gain any more information on him. She told him her thoughts a bit later.


    "I came up with the conclusion that I couldn''t find the truth about you without stepping over the line. I have all the pieces but one and I feel it''s the thing that would make sense out of all the other ones. It''s frustrating, it''s like looking at a portrait with a missing face."


    It was clear she was dissatisfied with the results.


    "Why are you giving up then?"


    "Well, even if I can''t find your name, you''re like an open book, it''s really easy to understand you, it''s almost comical. Not in a bad way, I meant in an endearing way, a bit like Mable. I do not want risking to upset you just because I am curious about who you really are. I feel like finding that name would be the only thing that would make you really angry aside from targeting either of your servants."


    Obviously, she was telling him all that directly just because everyone knew she was digging for information. Since it couldn''t be hidden, she felt it was best to come and tell him directly. She meant all of this to be some sort of apology for prying and a clear statement that she was done searching.


    Emp was really glad it was all over, at least until Celtine told him.


    <No bad intentions but she is hiding part of it.>


    What was he supposed to make of that?


    Like that, a whole year of school went by.


    Similarly, his life in the village had been calm that year, except for one event that shook his group of friends and himself greatly.

 57 New year

    In the Steelwood empire, the years start at the spring equinox. When the day is equal in length to the night, it is a perfect moment to balance out everything else in your life.


    People look back at what they did in the previous year, taking notes of their mistakes and pride in their achievements. People look forward to the next year and plan what they could do better.


    It is time to forgive and forget but also time to step up and do things right. Everyone comes together at dawn and only part at dusk, believing that the meeting of moon and sun, night and day, is significant and will improve their relationship with everyone.


    On the new year, people feast and dance, they drink and comfort each other.


    In big cities, the tradition is a bit different but in towns and villages across the empire, everyone takes up a bow and a single arrow. A wish is made upon the arrow and then shot as far as possible into the woods, often in a curve far above the trees.


    They believe that the wish imbued in the arrow will be transmitted to the ancestors as long as the arrow finds its way to them.


    In cities, you either have to leave and walk up to the edges of the forest which many do, forming crowds outside the city walls, or you have to be original. When you can''t get to the woods, the wish has to be written on a piece of paper and then kept in a jar warded by tree bark. More than a single wish can be held in a jar but if the bark is disturbed, none will be granted. Every wishes must come from different persons. The wishes are to be kept this way until the summer solstice when they will be burnt with the bark so that your wish may reach the sun with the smoke of the fire.


    Emp got to experience both version of this celebration.


    In the school, a huge party was made in the great hall. The tables were full of all kinds of food and were kept refilled at all times for the students and the teachers alike. Every group of students were present at the same time and mingled a bit but it seemed that most preferred to stay in the company of those they knew.


    The new year was a very special occasion so not only the students and their sealed slaves but the servants of the school feasted as well in the company of the teacher and even the ancient.


    It felt a bit like that time in the tavern, except here, Emp was having a great time like everyone else, well, almost. Some, like George, still seemed like he didn''t want to be there but he came anyway so he must have had some fun as well no?


    Laughter and songs rang through the hall from morning to night. Emp saw many amazing thing, most interesting of all, was Nessa''s drinking. Emp had seen her gulp down a lot of tea before but she surprisingly did the same with alcohol. She didn''t even seem affected by it at all. She drank just as much as the heaviest of drinkers but even after they ended up completely drunk, she just continued to discuss things normally with the girls and kept on drinking.


    Unlike last time, Brenia refused to drink more than a few cups but still ended up in an arm wrestling tournament. While torrents of claps and cheers acclaimed the participants, Zoran ended up falling asleep on the table, with his two servants trying to wake him up from his drunken stupor.


    Emp participated in the tournament but was defeated by Oran after a long and exhausting bout. He congratulated Oran who took a stance to show his bulging muscles to the crowd. Emp wasn''t sad to have lost but...


    "How could master be defeated like that!" Complained Harriett.


    Mable plunged in-between him and his two slaves and grabbed his arm to shake it with vigor.


    "Emp, you''re supposed to win so I get to eat cake! What are you doing!? You''re not respecting your promise at all!"


    "There was no way he would have won, Oran is almost twice his height and five years older." Gytha answered with a bit of disappointment.


    "It''s fine, I''ll train harder." Answered Emp calmly as he was pushed and pulled by his arm.


    "See, that''s how it''s done. A true champion keeps on improving himself, just like me. Follow my lead and we will reach the highest peaks!" Claimed Odilon.


    "You better not." Someone said, hidden in the group.


    Everyone laughed hard while Odilon tried to find out who mocked him again.


    Later, wishes were written down and placed in jars that every student brought back to their own room. In Emp''s the wishes of Celtine and Harriett laid with his own.


    It had taken him a really long time to figure out what to wish for, even with everyone around him raining suggestions upon him. This was the same as before, a goal was asked of him and he needed to think of something for himself. He had never managed to set a goal for himself before.


    In the end, what he wrote down was simple, he asked for a better understanding of his friends and what friendship meant, like this, maybe he would be able to see more radiant smiles.


    After the party ended at dusk, when the sun and moon where both just as high and low in the sky, many groups split up for smaller parties held by themselves. One of those parties was organised by Aglaya and most of the group followed to her room for a bit more fun.


    Her room gave a much calmer impression than Mable''s but it was hard to see a clear difference because Aglaya had everything removed from the main room to give space to the class. In here, it felt like the calm demeanor of Aglaya was soaking the place and seeping into their party, slowly mellowing it down to jovial conversation before everyone retired for the night.


    They mostly talked about the nearing day when Winfred, the combat teacher, would allow some to spar. Since no one had any real relationship with the other class, the consensus was that Emp needed to win at all cost, at least against them. Between the members of their own groups, opinions diverged like in the first class they had. They all wanted to prove themselves and doing so, pushed each other higher.


    They didn''t have some prize to give the winner. They just wanted the bragging rights.


    Aside from that recurring topic, they also talked a lot about the upcoming dance classes, taught by old miss Blackbull. Nessa was thrilled by it but most of the guys felt it was a chore they had to go through.


    Emp had asked the teacher why they needed that class and had been told that of course, he would be made into a laughingstock if he embarrassed himself in a ball. Dances were a good part of many traditions as well, not knowing the steps would gather the glares of many.


    Even for the new year party, many of the older students had dances throughout the day and most of the servants joined. Even though Nessa wanted to join them, Blackbull forbade them all in order to not embarrass themselves. It would have to wait next year.


    In Dark-glint village as well dances took place throughout the day but those were vastly different, like the rest of the festivities.


    Everything took place outside under the sun. It had rained quite a bit earlier that week so there was a lot of mud everywhere but no one was really bothered by it. Everyone brought out part of their reserves and shared with everyone in the center of the village.


    Whoever felt like playing music did so in turn and the villagers pushed each other into the dancing space everyone had cleared, splashing mud everywhere. There was no real pattern to those dances, they just moved like they pleased, having fun and sharing it with everyone else.


    Everyone wore their best clothes but weren''t afraid to dirty them with food, drinks, mud or whatever else might jump their way under the roaring laughter of the rest.


    The new year prompted a lot of unusual behavior in a lot of people as well. Vale for example took a bunch of things that reminded her of her disappeared husband and burned them in front of her house, cooking a pheasant she caught herself over it.


    "I couldn''t stand to see them all the time anymore." She told him when he asked about it. "I felt it was time to put it behind me, time to move forward. Now, do you want some of that pheasant or will you wait for Calla to bring you something?" She gave him that mischievous smile everyone always gave him whenever they talked about something he didn''t get.


    Emp took a bit of roasted pheasant. He would eat what Calla brought as well of course but Vale had promised to give them some of her catches when they made her the armor. It was only fair to fill his stomach with all he could get. Wasn''t it the main point of festivities? To eat until you felt bloated?


    About the food Calla was supposed to bring them. It all came from just after his soul was fixed. Many things had changed for his village-self since then.


    The morning after the events, he had told Marcy about how he previously had two souls, how her words made the precarious balance collapse and that now it was fixed and he only had one soul left.


    She listened to the story but seemed disappointed by the way he told her.


    "Ya mean to tell me all that but not how or why it happened or even how it was fixed? Ya know how I feel about secrets."


    She really hated secrets, Emp wasn''t sure why.


    "It''s not that I want to keep it secret, if you ask me about anything I will tell you. I don''t like to lie after all. It''s just that every time I told something about me to anyone, they always start acting strange. Remember that time I just said I didn''t know where were my parents and it made you ask me to become your apprentice? The rest of the things I kept to myself are far stranger. Just giving the rest of my name usually turn people crazy."


    He had seen it many times already, the duke, the people in Red-water, his own slaves.


    She gave him a pitying smile and hugged him again.


    "My boy, ya think I''ll treat you any different if ya tell me? Ya''re an idiot, I wouldn''t. I meant what I said yesterday, even more, I think not only my son would be a bit like ya if I had one, I would love him to be like ya."


    "Really? I think there are enough me already."


    Marcy laughed out loud.


    "Ya slag don''t play dumb. Do ya understand what I mean at least? How am I to say it in order for my words to reach that thick skull of yars? It''s like ya coated yar head in iron."


    "I''m sorry, I know I''m really bad at understanding things when they aren''t said directly."


    He hoped his new state would let him understand that kind of thing better sooner or later but in the mean time, Marcy was very blunt with him.


    "I want ya to be part of my family, is what I mean. Ya already are like one, ya live here after all."


    Emp wondered how many families one could possibly have. Could he get in trouble for it? He already had the Muraciers and his creators. He wasn''t really a Muracier though, he was just borrowing Chinui''s name for the school. It shouldn''t be a problem then right? But was it a good thing?


    "What is a family really? What''s its purpose? Why be part of one and why do you want me in yours?"


    She made a strangely sounding sigh before she answered.


    "Ya can be so annoying sometimes. I''m opening my heart to ya here and ya assault me with a bunch of crazy question. Ya''re so bad at this it''s incredible. It''s decided then, ya have no choice, ya are part of my family now. I''ll show ya what it''s all about! It''s only about love and trust."


    If she said it like that, there was no way he could refuse. He didn''t really want to refuse anyway, he was just curious behind the meaning of this all.


    He understood that a family was a group of people sharing their name and blood, except Manley who was adopted, but he couldn''t understand what was the goal of it. It was the same as when Chinui told him about wives. It wasn''t really about helping each other out, Galana had been rejected when she showed up to her family with her problems.


    Then maybe it really was all about love and trust, like when Marcy wanted to go all the way to Artefine to help him or when Heida''s father sent her away to school in order to protect her from the lack of food. Those were acts of love were they not? He still did not understand them very well. He hoped Marcellia would be able to help him with this.


    After that, the way Marcy treated him didn''t change at all, but, she seemed warmer, if that made sense. Emp wasn''t sure how to explain it, her smiles seemed more real, the way she addressed him and others seemed to be a bit softer than usual. She was less often angry and when she was, not as much as before. Her eyes were different too, but he didn''t understand in what way they were. He could see that her gaze wasn''t the same but not in what way it was different.


    Maybe it was just because he got better with the things she was trying to teach him, or maybe he just got used to it all, or maybe, the way his soul was changed affected how he saw her usual actions. In any case, he really liked the changes. There was like a shine about her.


    "She''s like an old sword recently polished." Bor said to describe her once.


    Emp could see what he meant, Marcy had him polish a lot of old stuff after all.


    "I''m very glad you didn''t die Emp. Not only for Marcy but you know, a less bitter Marcy is a better Marcy. Hahaha!"


    Emp too changed a bit. It became easier to understand the other kids of the village. Sometimes, Marcy was trying to teach him something and he would see the others outside, making him wish to join up with them.


    He was very interested by the teachings of Marcy but he also wanted to know what all the fun was about. He got closer to a lot of them over time. In particular, he became really close to the Champom family.


    With his soul in a better place, it didn''t take long before he got frustrated with his meals in the village. Harriett was a good cook and he ate a lot of different thing at school but in the village, it was either him or Marcy that made the food, it was almost always meat they got from one of the hunters and neither of them were good at preparing food.


    It always tasted the same, morning noon and evening, it was too repetitive and he couldn''t help but grumble about it to the others.


    "I don''t want to upset her but I can''t take anymore of those tasteless meals." He had told them.


    This is where Calla came in. The timid girl who tripped all the time. It turned out that she loved cooking a lot.


    "Hm... I... Maybe I could help. I mean, I could bring you something to eat if you want. Would you like it? Would that help? I like to cook."


    Emp thought it was a great idea.


    "I''m sure it would be much better than what we can do. I would really like it if you did sometimes."


    Calla had half her face hidden behind her hands because she was somehow afraid of what he would answer but when he spoke his interest, everyone saw her smile stretch behind her hands. After that, she couldn''t endure the eyes of everyone else and ran back home but the very next day, she brought dinner to Marcy and him.


    Even though she had five sisters and four brothers, she made it all herself and it was delicious. She didn''t just like cooking, she gave them the very best meal Emp had ever tasted. It was some sort of ragout with some bits of apple mixed in but it somehow only enhanced the taste of everything else instead of disturbing the balance of the herbal mix.


    Both him and Marcy praised her highly for it. She went back home with a spring in her steps, very proud of herself, hugging her empty pot on the way back.


    After that, she brought them food time and again, ever more often. After a while, Emp and Marcy just gave her all the food they had and let her do every meal for them. She was having a great time doing them and they loved those meals greatly, there was no reason for them to cook at all. Emp adored her food so much that it wasn''t long before he considered her more talented in cooking than Harriett.


    He did appreciate Harriett''s meals, however, they would never be a tasty as hers.


    Because of that, even at the new year celebration, Emp expected Calla Champom to bring some food for the festivities and he was eager to get a taste of it.


    While he waited for her and her family to show up, he had a tug of war against all the other boys. He stood at one end of a rope with everyone else gripping the other side and the goal was to see which side could pull the rope. They were ten on the other side but Emp won by himself anyway, pulling everyone towards him including Chase and Gilbert who fell in the muddy grass.


    The girls and a bunch of onlookers laughed at the demise of the entire group of kids.


    "How come Emp is so strong?!" Complained Cuthbert.


    "That''s crazy, there''s no way anyone can beat him!"


    If it had been before, Emp would have thought they were mad at him for winning but he now knew better. It was more of a funny complaint than an angry complaint. It had taken him months to understand that such a thing was actually possible.


    "Marcy! Emp''s too strong, what are you feeding him?" Exclaimed Bor after his roaring laughter was over.


    "Nothing at all, it''s all the small Calla. She''s the culprit."


    "Calla huh? I want some of it too then!" And he laughed again.


    When the Champom showed up later, everyone threw out remarks at her about her superhuman food.


    She was dressed in a light pink dress with flowers in her hair and a pretty smile to go with her plate of special new-year stuffed poultry.


    She gathered so much attention from that and the excellence of the food she brought, she got way to nervous and lost all the confidence she showed at her arrival. She ended up hiding behind her mother all day in an attempt to escape a swarm of newfound admirers.


    Fiona Champom was a bit amused by her behavior.


    "Everyone is praising you, why are you hiding? Go get yourself a dance, it''s the new year and you''re all dressed up."


    Calla turned red, shook her head and stayed hidden.


    Anyone else would have been pushed towards the dancing area anyway but Calla was likely to get so nervous she would trip or even faint right away so her understanding mother just kept her close and came to talk with Marcy and the others instead.


    Emp took the opportunity to thank Calla and tell her that her food was better than anything else that had been brought out for the new year. At least, he sincerely believed so. If he had not been certain she didn''t knew any magic, he would have believed she had cast some spell on it to make it all taste better.


    Her blush furiously worsened and she barely managed to mumble a thank you. He didn''t want to embarrass her so it was probably for the best if he stopped talking now.


    Calla was a bit like Zoran, both were always scarred of everything and both had a hard time asserting themselves. As long as you didn''t address them directly, they were fine with the company of others but they didn''t like gathering the attention.


    Emp was pretty sure the current Calla wanted nothing more than to disappear. Leaving her alone was probably for the best. She probably wanted to dance even less than him wanting to go to a tailor.


    She wasn''t the only one who didn''t want to dance. Marcy as well refused to go there and turned down Sophus the mage when he came to ask her.


    "No way, I told ya already, I''m not interested. I won''t dance with ya this year or the next either." She told him clearly and decisively.


    He obviously wanted to insist but the glare she gave him forced him to back off. As he left, he glared angrily at Emp again. Did he think he had anything to do with her rejection?


    "Why is that guy so mean to me all the time?" He asked Bor who was happily drinking nearby.


    "What? Sophus? He''s always been like that. I''m pretty sure he''s just jealous of the way you get treated by Marcy."


    "Jealous?"


    "Yeah, you see, he''s had an eye on Marcy for a long time but she always turns him down. Then, you show up out of nowhere and she takes you in immediately. I''m pretty sure she''s the only reason he''s in this village too. When he first came here, we made a deal with him that included a bunch of benefits in exchange for his protection. One of them stated he could have any one unmarried girl he wished. Of course Marcy was an exception. She isn''t really married but she was indeed fianc¨¦. Not only that, she''s well known around the whole kingdom for her craft, there''s no way we can force her to wed anyone. He agreed to the deal but never chose anyone, he kept going after Marcy instead."


    That explained a lot of things, Emp was glad Bor told him. Sophus didn''t care about Emp at all, he was just resentful towards all the attention Marcellia gave him. Emp was pretty sure that even if he wasn''t there, Marcy would still not give him more attention. However, he knew it was a bad idea to tell him this directly so he said nothing at all instead.


    Vesa too got turned down. Not by Marcy but by Calla. Like Emp, he started by praising her food which prompted the same blush but he didn''t stop there and proposed they went dancing with the others. Calla answered with a few nervous shakes of her head and made herself as small as possible on the bench. Her mother had to intervene.


    "Calla, at least give him a proper answer. You''re too old to hide behind me. Sorry Vale."


    "It''s okay, I should have known she wouldn''t want to."


    "Before I forget to tell you, good luck for your first hunt."


    "Thanks Mrs Champom. I''ll show you what I can do."


    "Do your best."


    Like Emp had thought, she didn''t want to dance. He could understand that, after all, he didn''t want to dance either. He was pretty certain he would be really bad at that. He was relieved that no one came to drag him onto the dance circle.


    But, he didn''t want to stay at the table all day either. Now that he was filled, he got up and left with Vesa towards the others partying further.


    He had become a good friend of Emp over time. He was a fun guy and he thought him a lot of games with the others here in the village.


    "Hey Emp." Vesa said with a serious gaze on the way.


    "What?"


    "I won''t give up."


    Since Emp had clearly no idea what he meant, he had to explain.


    "I''m not sure how Calla feels yet but I know she at least has an interest in you. I think she may like you, and her parents definitely do."


    "Really?"


    Emp had noticed nothing of the sorts.


    "Isn''t that obvious? You proved your strength the day you came in, you gave them two silver coins for almost nothing and being Marcy''s apprentice, you''re sure to have a valued and safe work. Which parents wouldn''t want their daughters to go after you."


    Emp was really bad with feelings but what he said seemed logical. Vale''s husband was a hunter and he just vanished one day, that kind of thing happened all the time. There was no way Marcy would disappear like that, between her and a hunter, the work of Marcy was the safest bet.


    Emp wasn''t really aiming to become a smith but it was easy to think that was what would happen from an outside perspective. On top of that, there was a lot of victories recorded on his hunting card already.


    "She was wishing me good luck earlier but what she really meant was ''come back when your hunting card isn''t as empty''. She wanted to get Calla close to you and that''s why she sat at Marcy''s table right away."


    "I think you''re seeing too much into nothing. There''s no special meaning in her choice of seat. Also, she does want you to succeed in your hunt."


    "I know but it doesn''t mean she''d agree with me and Calla. All I''m saying is that I won''t give up because I like her. What''s annoying is that I''m not even sure you understand what''s going on and you''re my friend too. I can''t hate you even if Calla likes you but I''ll do everything for Calla to chose me in the end. I can''t let her fall for you, I have to hunt something quick. I won''t go on the hunt tomorrow like Chase though, I''ll wait a bit more for practice."


    Vesa was right, Emp had no idea what real love felt like. Or maybe he did but he had not recognized it as such yet? How did one know they were in love? Was it just like how you identify the best cake?


    Not that it would be easier though since he still didn''t know which cake was the best even after two more parties about cake. He was pretty sure that at this point, they all thought he pretended to not know just so that Mable could make more cake parties. She really liked them after all, even though the teacher complained every time.


    "I think I''ve loved Calla since that time with the apple." The boy continued. "You''ll think it''s dumb but there was that one time when I fell and hit my knee on a small rock. It bled everywhere and I started crying and wailing, I was small back then. Calla came to see what was happening and started crying too when she saw my knee. She ran back to her house and brought me that small apple. it wasn''t even a good one, it was just an ordinary green apple, small and hard. She didn''t know what to do so she just gave me that apple hoping I would stop hurting if I had it. She''s always like that, she tries her best to help everyone because she can''t endure the pain of others. Most of the time, what she does is about food too, like how she brings you and Marcy some meals all the time because she knows how bad you two are at it. I think it''s cute, she''s so afraid of someone getting hurt that she worries all the time for everyone. I wish I could help her too."


    Emp could at least understand the part about wanting to help her too. It was true that he often felt like just thanking her wasn''t enough for all the meals she brought them. That didn''t mean he loved her did it? He was just grateful. This was complicated.


    He really felt that most of his troubles recently stemmed from love or the perception of the love of others. There was that rumour with him liking Mable and the opposite, the love between Chase and willow which had caused the events that led to his soul problems, Sophus''s unrequited love, Marcy''s lack of love and now Calla.


    He wondered what was the best way to deal with all this. He believed that being honest was the best thing to do but he had no idea what he felt himself and no understanding of what the others felt. Was it better to wait and see what everyone wanted or was it better to figure himself out first, somehow.


    While he was thinking about all that, they joined up with the others to play some games for the reminder of the day.


    The last thing everyone did that day was to go up to the border of the woods with their wishes in mind and bows in hand. Whenever someone was ready, they would draw their bow and shoot as far as possible into the forest. The further in it went, the higher were the chances of it becoming true after all.


    Emp too went towards the trees with the others. Marcy had helped him make a new bow just for this occasion. He could have used any old bow like the training one he usually used but Marcy insisted he had to do things right, like always.


    This meant that he had to make his own to have a better connection with the ancestors inhabiting it. Emp wasn''t convinced that the ancestors would listen to him since they never did before but he did like Marcellia said anyway.


    The main advantage of making his own bow with the help of a master crafter was that the tension ended up properly adjusted for him. If you can''t draw it then a bow is pointless but if it''s easy to draw, the arrow doesn''t have any power behind it.


    Ideally, one would want a bow which requires all of his strength to draw without snapping. With his abnormal strength, that was pretty much impossible to do with common wood but they still managed to make a decent weapon. Aside from him, only Marcy was able to pull the string because she knew how to use self-magic. (1)


    Because of that, he had his own bow to shoot his wish skyward but he had no idea what he should wish for. He watched the others from kids to elders come and go, satisfied with their wishes. His friends too, Willow didn''t shoot that far but Chase and Vesa had decent shots. While everyone had their turn, he thought about his own wish for a long time.


    Would it even work properly if the two versions of him both made a wish? Wasn''t it a bit like cheating? What did the other him ask for? He would probably end up asking the same, they were the same person after all.


    Should he just ask to be enlightened about family and love? That seemed like the most worthy wish to make. He did not want to disappoint Marcy after all. She wanted him to consider her as his mother and he wasn''t against it, it felt gratifying even. He just didn''t know... anything.


    He was about to draw his bow with that wish in mind when he caught a scene from the corner of his eye.


    Calla was there with her own small bow. She took a breath of resolve, drew her bow and let the arrow loose. It flew upwards for a bit but then caught onto the first tree in front of them and stopped dead in its track, falling back down right in front of them. That was bad luck.


    "Oh no!" Squealed all her friends while Calla gasped in shock.


    Calla did her best to not cry but she was a very emotive girl and it was obvious she found the result disappointing.


    Emp thought that Calla was a very kind girl, she deserved her wish to come true, whatever it was. He stepped up to the girls while her mother was trying to cheer her up.


    "You never know, it might come true anyway and if not, you still have next year, your wish isn''t lost at all."


    Her face was all scrunched up, from holding herself together. He felt very sad for her but he also had a great idea. He told her his thoughts.


    "I don''t know what your wish was but I hope it comes true. That''s my own wish."


    After that, he drew his bow with a loud creaking noise and shot far above the trees. His own arrow flew well beyond the point the arrow of anyone else reached. He may have been really bad at targeting things but just shooting far was easy.


    This was a much better use of a wish. The results were immediately obvious after all.


    She made one of the sweetest smiles he ever saw before she started crying for good because of the unexpected turnaround. Those were good tears, she wasn''t sad at all anymore.


    "Wow! The arrow flew so far we can''t even see!" The others praised.


    Calla sniffed and thanked him meekly.


    "I had to pay you back for all the good meals you made for us after all." He answered. "As long as you are happy, I get to eat amazing food. It''s pointless to wish for anything else isn''t it?"


    Wishing to understand things was pointless after all. Celtine and Even Love kept telling him it was all inside of him. He was sure it would come out on its own at some point. He just had to be patient.


    The relief and joy on her face was worth much more to him, that and the food of course.


    The new year was almost over now but the wishing arrow wasn''t the event that marked him the most in the village, it was instead the day that followed it.


    ***


    Few know about their existence but those that do usually fear them. In these next few pages, the characteristics of the lust devils will be exposed to all.


    The true name of their race is Venosectors but everyone calls them lust devils for obvious, or at least soon to be obvious reasons. But, to do justice to this creature, one must mention a great deal of other details before describing them directly.


    There are many tales in the folklore of many kingdoms on how a race or another takes young human girls to use for reproductive purposes. Those stories gain a lot of awareness, often leaving the opposite kind of stories in the dark. Rarely do you ever hear about the man who was caught by a spider woman or in the case of this article, how they were sacrificed to the lust devils.


    You could find lust devils everywhere but the only stable settlement of them known in our empire is on the border between the kingdom of Dugo and the sand wastes.


    Dugo was never known for its sprawling cities and the safety of its territory. The harsh reality is that our empire cannot protect every corner of itself and every villages. New settlements are made as often as they are forgotten. In Dugo, if it is not a coastal town, chances are, the army will never come to its help. It only gets worse the further east you go.


    Somewhere in the mountains, far east of the empire but not far enough to get close to the Vaelian territory, a village found itself isolated. For the purpose of keeping their privacy and traditions out of the curious eyes of the nation, I will withhold its name. They do belong to the empire but for hundreds of years now, they followed a different set of traditions, proper to that place only. One of those is to honor a pact they made long ago with the lust devils.


    On the eve of a new year, many young man of the village will be lined up in ceremonial clothes at the border of the village. Large scented pyres are to be lit behind them and loud ceremonial songs are to be sung, signaling the venosectors to come take their tribute. The creatures come and choose at most ten boys they bring back with them to their nest for reproduction purposes. Those boys will never be returned but in exchange, the venosectors protect the village from any and all threats.


    Most might think that the villagers should protect themselves, raise warriors and defend the village on their own but the lust devils are not a weak race. One of them can easily overpower a full squad of trained soldiers. Having an entire society of them to protect a single village is more than enough to ensure a perfect peace.


    In reverse, a minority might think that the chosen boys won at the game of life instead of getting sacrificed. "With a name like the lust devils, they must be one hell of a lay." I heard once before. Those thinking this are very wrong.


    The reason isn''t exactly the same as for the arachnes although the end result stays the same. Were an arachne would kill its mate and use the corpse of the poor man to shelter its eggs, a Venosector will do its best to keep their lovers alive for as long as possible.


    Despite their horrifying appearances, they are extremely loving of their mates and consider them important treasures. A man caught in their clutches will be treated like a king for the remainder of his life, a very short life.


    To properly understand the reason behind the short lifespan of their chosen mates, one has to understand what they look like and how it is they reproduce.


    A venosector usually has mostly human proportions, they are always born female, tall and strong. They stand on two legs, posses two arms and that''s about all the similarities with the human race they have.


    Their skin often range from black and deep purples to a reddish brown or a muddy color. Their long an powerfully muscled legs bend backwards and their arms have three articulations instead of one. They only have three toes, one being behind their heel. They do have five fingers like us, ending in short claws hard enough to dig into wood and stone alike, but their pinky is instead a second thumb mirroring the first.


    They do have breasts used just like a human woman would to fed their young but most of their torso is surrounded by some bone-like formation covering them like armor. part of it seems to be the base of some form of vestigial wings though it was never proved to be the case. They also have a long and slender prehensile tail ending in venomous barbs. The effects of this venom will be described later on but for now, three points remain to be described, the three explaining why they are forced to use said venom, their faces, the "curse" and their reproductive organs.


    The primary function and appearance of their reproductive organ is similar to that of a human except for the vivid colors it show in contrast to the rest of their body. A male would have no problem mating with them if not for the jaw-like fangs on either side of it. Indeed, in order to stop male specimen form escaping their clutches, nature gave them many a sharp fang to dig into the genitals of their mate, stopping them from moving away from them.


    When mating, a venosector will entirely cover it''s mate with its tall body, trapping them in a world made entirely of itself. The vision of the man will therefore be entirely filled with the visage of the creature.


    Their bald head is crowned with the same bone-like structure that covers their body. Their face posses no eyes as the bone structure covers the place where they should be. They do however posses a pair of large bat ears and a nose that is vaguely human above their mouth. Said mouth opens in a set of mandibles separated at the chin to reveal two long downward facing fangs and a thick tongue that can extend down to their chest.


    This kind of face alone could turn off any man but it gets worse. It is widely believed by scholars that they were once cursed to project an horrifying image. The truth is still unknown to this day but none ever withstood the sight of their faces without breaking down in fear. Whether it is a curse or by choice, whether it is a magic effect, a mental projection or a chemical reaction, the mere sight of a venosector can instill deep fear into anyone. The strongest of men could freeze in fright seeing one up close.


    Considering this, no man can ever get in the mood for them. Even if they could endure the pain and ignore their faces, they could not go over the aura of fear they project. Even while being extremely loving creatures and even if the man in front of them knows this fact, getting the deed done would be impossible without the venom held in their tail.


    Said venom has two function. First, it''s a powerful aphrodisiac, second, it increases the blood pressure and heartbeat of the victim. It is as powerful in combat as it is in bed and in a mere minute, their mate is ready to give them children. The real problem lies in its repeated use.


    Not only is it applied on someone already deathly frightened and with a heart likely beating at breakneck speed, it is frequently used on them. Over time, this usage almost always result in one or more internal organ failures. Most commonly, the heart is the first organ to give out, causing the death of their beloved and no small amount of grief on their part.


    The children conceived this way will always be a venosector and always a female. There is two records of hybrids of human-venosector being born throughout history but both were reported to be infertile. A real shame for both races considering the much more bearable characteristics of those specimen for a typical human male.


    Outside of their peculiar reproductive habits, the lust devils have many noteworthy traits that gave them the starring role in many a roadside horror story.


    First of all, their voice is very particular. With them having no eyes, they use a form of echolocation to move in their environment. They are releasing screams almost all the time however, the pitch is so high that it cannot be heard by humans without some help from magic.


    This method of understanding their environment seems impressive but it is indeed flawed. Mainly, they have trouble recognizing individuals either of their own race or humans unless they make their voice heard. It is impossible for them to determine who is who in a crowd in a timely manner.


    Their echolocation is also rather imprecise and someone or even a creature with the correct preparations could make himself invisible to them simply by hiding his presence under a wooden box for example.


    However, when they do find something worthy of hunting or an intruder, They will release a powerful blood freezing scream to alert the rest of their group.


    After this, using their supernatural agility, their arms with so many joints and their sharp claws, they will crawl and stalk their prey using any available surface. They will move through the high branches of the threes, crawl on the ceilings of caves and make their way on walls and cliffs alike. Using their high speed and mastery over the environment, they surround their target and corner it in the most uneven terrain they can before attacking from every angles at once.


    All of them will attempt to inject their venom in the target, overdosing it with the stimulant. In case of failure, they will use the overexcited and frightened state of their target to take the advantage in combat and quickly claw or bite the enemy to death, using their superior strength and speed efficiently.


    It has been observed that very few use their deadly fangs in combat, it seems that as an intelligent specie, they dislike to use their mouths on uncooked meat or things they do not plan to eat at all.


    They are also disadvantaged in combat against highly trained warriors, if they can survive the fear that is. If said warrior can dodge the toxic barb, they can easily use the fact that they are blind to mount an effective counter attack. The venosectors will have trouble sensing the fast movements.


    Despite their grim hunting method, they do have a stable society and they can easily learn and use human language, they do not however, make use of clothing. Not only does the cloth disturbs their senses but it is also obviously of no use when everyone else is blind as well. No one will see their nudity and no one would be able to see the clothes if they wore any.


    In the past, a few diplomatic envoys did accept to wear clothes in order to abide by human customs but they complained that it was itchy most of the time and removed them as soon as possible. It is commonly believed that the venosectors have a very sensitive skin but the purpose or reason for this characteristic remains unknown.


    Before this entry is concluded, I would like to inform everyone of the rumor on their city of flesh. According to rumors and legends, venosectors would be able to grow flesh in the color of dark clay and use it to shape dens, tunnels and entire settlements in the deep reaches of their territory.


    Such a thing takes a long time to mold and grow so only the most ancient of venosector''s places of living would be made this way. No one knows how or why this happens but we do have a few information on this flesh.


    It is said to be alive, pulsing with blood but without skin. it is warm to the touch and seems to be mostly muscle fiber and fat. the lust devils claimed they liked its warmth and are unable to understand the disgust of the other races towards this building material, possibly due to their inability to see it.


    The hybrids have been heard before, claiming that they too found it repulsive but that they got used to it over time. Reportedly, the sacrificed men are brought into the flesh tunnels and are made to mate with the entire colony until their deaths.


    -- Common Steelwood Bestiary entry on the lust devils.


    ***


    (1) My best guess about bow making for Emp would be to use a wood with a ridiculous compression value for the belly and line the back with something else entirely. You''d want a metal probably, with a high tension value that would match the compression value of the wood making the belly. This is only speculation of course since I''m not a bow expert, I don''t have a superhuman strength and I''m trying to make a bow for a fictional being that could easily snap a traditional wooden bow between his fingers. For all of those reason, I did not go into details about which wood was used or the length of the bow or anything. It''s just a good bow for him, probably horrible for everyone else. If he one days gets a magic bow, I''ll make it more fancy. and detailed.


    ()It doesn''t fit into the author thoughts but I drew a map of the Steelwood empire for your enjoyment. I can''t include pictures here so I placed it over on my *******. It''s not behind a paywall so feel free to take a look if you want to. It''s not the best but I think it does it''s job well.

 58 A dog, a thief or a wolf?

    Night was falling on the new year in Dark-glint village. Emp and Marcy were back in her home, discussing the events of the day a bit before putting an end to it.


    "I''m very proud of ya Emp. What ya did for Calla was great."


    "I felt like her wish deserved to come true because she''s always so kind."


    "Fiona had that huge smile too, ya made a whole lot of people happy that way."


    Emp did indeed notice that everyone knowing Calla seemed very happy for her. They all thought that she deserved her wish like him, he felt very good about it. Marcy continued on something else.


    "So, will you go see Chase off tomorrow?"


    "Yes, I want to wish him good luck like the others."


    It was a common thing for people to go for their first hunt on the first day of the year. They harnessed the power of the changing year for luck and started the year as a true man.


    Chase thought the same, he had practiced a lot and felt ready to try. Everyone else felt they would rather wait longer but Chase was one of the two oldest boys of the group and much better at handling sword and bow than Gilbert who shared his title of oldest. Everyone expected him to hunt tomorrow since months ago. Plus, the mother of Willow was getting very angry at him.


    The woman had caught on about what was going on between the two and berated the both of them about how they should wait for the first hunt before building a relationship.


    Emp remembered that moment because Willow had yelled at her mother as well.


    "I can''t help it if I love him! Why don''t you understand!"


    Chase was very embarrassed to have Willow scream her love for him in front of everyone but it had just made her mother more angry.


    "You''re too young to understand. I know you can''t help it but the harder you indulge in that feeling, the harder it will be to let go if something goes wrong!"


    They yelled at each other for a while but Emp understood something important from it. Love can''t be helped. Not Love his creator but the feeling instead. Feelings aren''t easy to control. Then, it should be obvious to him if he fell in love yes?


    His thoughts were interrupted by vigorous knocks on the door.


    "Who is it this late? Emp, go open."


    Emp rose from his seat and went to the door. Opening it revealed a tall blond woman with toned muscles. She wore a simple traveling tunic, a longbow hung across her chest and a large sack over her shoulder. At her side, a large brown dog with drooping ears and a tongue hanging out of its mouth moved up to Emp immediately after he opened the door, requesting some affection.


    At first the woman seemed amicable but it quickly changed to confusion when she saw who had opened the door.


    "Eh? Isn''t that Marcy''s house? Who are you kid?"


    Somehow, her face seemed familiar, even though she didn''t live in the village. Emp answered while rubbing the dogs head to satisfy it. That animal was almost as big as him.


    "I''m Emp, Marcy is inside. I feel like I know you somehow, have we met before?"


    "I doubt it kid. Let me in, I need to speak to her, I have stuff to sell."


    "She almost never buy anything though."


    "Who is it Emp?" Called Marcy.


    "A woman who says she wants to sell."


    "I''m not buying anything."


    That was exactly what he just said.


    "Marcy, it''s me! June! Tell the kid to let me through my bag is heavy!"


    "June? It''s been a while! Sure, Emp, close behind her."


    So she was a friend of Marcy?


    Emp let her in and she walked up to the kitchen, dropping her huge bag on the floor at her side.


    "Haaa... So good to finally drop it. You have no idea how far I had to travel with that. Happy new year by the way."


    Following her inside, the huge dog waged its tail and sniffed around the room. It went to get a welcome rub from Marcy as well, made four circles around Emp to sniff his boots and collapsed at its master side, instantly closing its eyes for a nap.


    "Good girl, she knows you don''t like to be bothered too much."


    "The whole house''s going to get greasy again. Ya should wash her more often.


    After closing the door Emp went back to the table and sat at Marcy''s side to take a better look at the visitor.


    June had thick brows and a warrior''s jaw with a pair of twin scars on her chin. She was clearly an adult but much younger than Marcy, maybe in her early twenties. Being that old, she had a lot more breast than most girls Emp knew but compared to most women in the village, they were nothing impressive. She crossed her long legs over the table and leaned back on the chair.


    "No worry, I''ll do that tomorrow. It''s great to be back, can I sleep here tonight?"


    "Sure, ya can sleep here in the kitchen, and happy new year to ya as well."


    "In the kitchen? What happened to my room?"


    "It was never yar room it was a spare room. I gave it to Emp."


    "You gave my room to that kid?" She shot a puzzled look his way.


    Obviously, she had no idea who he was or why he was there.


    "I told ya, it was never yar room. Ya only come here about once a year, keeping ya a room is a waste of space. I gave it to my apprentice instead. He''s also my son now."


    Emp didn''t object to that, he had no idea how any of this worked anyway. Maybe if he asked madam Blackbull she''d be able to explain in a way he could understand. Although, asking her about that might just make everything more complicated. Let''s not do that.


    "Ohhh. So that guy is the next Marcy? Might be a good idea to butter him up too. Say kid, heuum.. Emp, would you like to see this big sister boobs?" She said playfully.


    Emp didn''t get why he would want that but he somehow felt that accepting would be a terrible idea.


    "June, if you do that I will break the table on top of your head." Marcy said with a dark look.


    "Mwu, you''re no fun Marcy. I was just joking anyway, I''m not here to lay with a random kid, I''m here to sell a bunch of junk."


    "It''s crazy how you always call that junk but still expect me to buy it."


    "Well you know, the trash of some is the treasure of others and all that. Anything you don''t buy I''ll probably just throw away somewhere."


    "What are we buying here?" Asked Emp curious.


    "Why not just take a look?"


    June removed her legs from the table and used her foot to push the bag to their side of it. It made a bunch of clanking noises and scraped the floor along the way. It was full of metal.


    At Marcy''s behest, Emp opened the bag and started placing the things inside on the table. It was mostly weapons and bits of armor, damaged more often than not. Clearly Marcy had no use for all that unless it was for melting back into usable steel.


    "What do you think of it?" Marcy asked him, using the opportunity to teach him.


    "She is right, it''s just junk, the weapons are cheap and the armors are either broken or incomplete. We can only melt it all back to steel if we have to find a use out of it."


    June snorted in discontent but stayed silent while Marcy pointed something out to him.


    "Mostly yes but sometimes, there''s a gem hidden through all the random bits she brings back. The girl has no idea what is valuable and what isn''t so she brings it all to me hoping I will give good money for a piece or at least, buy the bulk of it for scraps. This one isn''t so bad."


    She picked up a long knife from the pile, or perhaps a short sword. It was a bit curved at the end, the blade wasn''t sharp and the grip was cracked.


    "It should be a good curved blade, it just needs a bit of care. It''s hard to see because of how dirty it is but there are some runes engraved into the blade. They continued down into the grip and pommel but it cracked through them see? That''s why it lost all its power. I don''t know what those runes were for but if we make a new hilt for it copying the original runes, we should be able to make it work again."


    Emp nodded in understanding. Even if it was broken now, it didn''t mean that you had to throw it aside, you could repair it and make it a good tool again.


    It made him think about Celtine. She wasn''t a tool but she was similarly damaged. All he needed to do to see her full potential was repair the damaged bits. He felt more motivated to do it now. All he saw before was the broken bit rather than what she could be. He needed to think about how it would be later rather than how it was now.


    Marcy decided to buy the whole bag and June gloated as she pocketed her new money. Marcy put everything aside and fetched some more beer to share with her old friend.


    "Were do you even find all that?" Asked her Emp.


    "I go up and down the howling hills path, from Dark-glint to Starfall. I pick up lost equipment, take care of the dead I find and sometimes get rid of a dangerous animal or another." She answered after a long gulp of what Marcy gave her.


    It was at the mention of Starfall that Emp finally remembered when he had seen her before.


    "That''s right, that''s where I saw you, just before the Low-woods, you shot me in the shoulder with your bow."


    The two women froze in the middle of their drinking.


    "Eh? That can''t be, I''m sure I''d remember if I shot a kid." She said, a bit confused and a bit flustered.


    Emp fetched his helmet in his bag to help her remember and placed it over his head.


    "Shit! I do remember that helmet!"


    "Wait, ya''re saying ya shot my apprentice?"


    "Yeah!/ Uh, I mean, it''s a misunderstanding. How was I supposed to know the guy under the freak armor was someone you knew? I was sure he was a cursed blood!"


    That freak armor was made by Marcy herself though. That comment didn''t appease her at all.


    "Couldn''t ya just have asked? What are ya, a highwayman?"


    "But I did! I saw a freak on the road that day so I prepared my bow and called for him to remove his helmet and tell me who he was but that idiot drew his weapon instead and then a second guy appeared out of nowhere. I panicked and shot him but my arrow just bounced off like a pea! I ran through the woods hoping the barbarian wouldn''t be able to follow me and kill me. I was so scared I stayed hidden for a good week afterward. I swear that''s what happened."


    "Is this the truth?" Marcy asked, turning toward Emp.


    "She came out of forest pointing an arrow at me and yelled something at me but she spoke in common so I have no idea what she meant. Since she had a weapon drawn, I did the same and she shot me. She did run away afterward so maybe it really was just a misunderstanding."


    "What do you mean you had no idea what I meant! Does the helmet makes you deaf?"


    "No, Emp didn''t speak the common back then, he learned it all since he came in Dark-glint. I''ll believe ya this time since I can see all that possibly happening. What about ya Emp?"


    "I''m not angry. I just thought it was a funny memory. I was so sure I knew her from somewhere."


    June visibly relaxed. Thinking back to that time, Emp wondered where that huge dog was back then.


    "So... we''re good?"


    "Yeah we are, but ya''ll have to pay me back with some good materials."


    "Aww, come on, really? But you know I hate hunting! That was almost a year ago and the guy himself isn''t angry at all about this."


    "That doesn''t count, Emp never gets angry at anything."


    The good mood returned and both Marcy and Emp listened to June''s strange stories for a while before everyone went to sleep.


    Marcy woke him up early the next day so he wouldn''t miss Chase. June left very early too, something about not wanting to get caught by Karp Champom, the eldest brother of Calla. She gave her goodbyes in good humor and left with her faithful dog following behind her.


    Apparently, Emp had learned through her stories, the dog was there to protect her from the timestop sloths. The big dog wasn''t the best guard dog there was but it was more than enough to protect her from the sloths.


    After she had left, Emp joined up with everyone near one of the village gates. Everyone from the younger generation was here with their parents and some onlookers, like Emp for example.


    One could insist Emp was also part of the younger generation but he had done more than enough to beat the test already, he was an adult by the empire standards.


    Bor, the village head and chief of the guards was standing near the gate and asked who wanted to take the challenge on the new year. Like most expected, only Chase stepped up.


    Of course, one didn''t have to wait for such an occasion to go out in the wild and kill something but the new year was special and everyone gave a better attention to those that tried at that moment. Plus, Bor was willing to lend a blade to whomever wanted to become a man.


    Chase had already his own bow, he had made it himself so it wasn''t against the laws, with the short sword Bor placed in his hands, he was as equipped as a boy raised in a village could possibly be for the challenge.


    All his friends including Emp wished him good luck and watched him walk into the forest. Willow was especially talkative and showered encouragements on him. Just as he left, his father gave him a last bit of advice and everyone cheered and applauded as he disappeared from view.


    At this time of the year, many creatures living in the woods had just reached adulthood as well and left their parents to live alone. It wasn''t yet mating season so there wasn''t a big chance of encountering a large group or particularly aggressive beasts. There was almost no chances of encountering a mother still protecting its young either. It was the perfect time to find a suitable opponent for the rite of passage.


    There should be plenty of weak creatures lurking about in the nearby woods. In theory, all chase had to do was find a weaker monster, put an arrow in its flank and then come back. In the past, new year hunts often took about half a day to complete, sometimes more and sometimes less.


    Most wouldn''t wait for him to come back, this was a day like any other for the villagers, there was work to be done. Only the younger people remained and wasted their time just outside of the wall while they waited for their friend to return.


    They played around until noon came. Bor walked up to them and asked if Chase had come back, they answered in the negative and he left with a worried face.


    A few hours later, Willow started to stare at the woods. When the sun got a bit low, Chase''s father came to ask them if they had seen him, he left with a grim look on his face. The others were getting worried.


    Everyone left to go eat something and came back to their original spot, discovering that Willow hadn''t moved at all. Like many adults in the village, Emp was starting to feel that Chase might not be coming back.


    While the others went up to Willow, either to try to cheer her up or reassure her, Emp got the book of answers out from his bag.


    "Is Chase alive?"


    <There is currently 35446 Chase alive in the world.>


    The book was as useful as always.


    "Is the Chase I know alive?"


    The page stayed empty. He knew the answer. Maybe the book felt that knowing that thirty-five thousands Chases were alive was enough of an answer? It didn''t help him at all though.


    He placed the book back into his bag and looked up to discover that Willow was now standing in front of the woods. Was she about to go in there? Emp walked up to the others.


    "Going there alone isn''t a good idea at all." Complained Eda "Bor and the others will gather a rescue team soon and go look for him."


    "But anything could happen by then! We, I have to go now!"


    "Emp, Willow wants to go get Chase herself." Calla explained right away when he got close.


    Hearing his name, Willow turned towards him and asked for his help.


    "Emp, you''ll help me right? Let''s go look for Chase."


    Emp frowned. He wasn''t against going searching for Chase but bringing Willow wasn''t a good idea.


    "I don''t think it''s a good idea to go there now either, it''s going to get dark soon."


    "See? Be reasonable and let the grownups take care of it." Insisted Eda


    "I''m gonna go whether you come with me or not!" Stubbornly yelled Willow before dashing towards the forest.


    That couldn''t be a good thing.


    The group didn''t know what to do. Everyone stared at Eda and Emp.


    "Emp." Pleaded Calla.


    She was right, he couldn''t let her go alone, it was way too dangerous.


    "I''ll go after her." He said.


    "If Emp goes than we go too." Wilbert said on behalf of the knife trio.


    Everyone else swiftly agreed.


    "That''s not a good idea, everyone should stay here."


    "Nah, there''s no way we''ll let you take all the risks by yourself." Said Manley.


    "And all the glory." Added Jurgen.


    Even the girls wanted to go along, they couldn''t let their friend wander in the woods alone and didn''t want to stay here by themselves. Only Eda decided to stay and stopped Winter from going too by grabbing the collar of her shirt.


    "Oh no you don''t, you''re way too small for that."


    "Aww come on, I want to take a look too."


    "No way, us two are going to go get someone who knows what he''s doing."


    As everyone else ran after Willow, Calla hesitated and finally decided to go after them too. It was less stressful for her to have everyone in front of her eyes than waiting back in the village.


    And so, eleven kids and Emp went looking for Chase in the woods. Leading them was a frantic Willow.


    Emp was following with his helmet, Ray and a shield, he didn''t have the time to put on his armor. Since everyone was relying on him as their main protector, he did his best to equip and organize everyone else. He hoped nothing would happen but not preparing just because of hope was foolish. It was exactly what Willow was doing too but she would not listen to him.


    Behind him, Calla, Izzy, Galina and Sylvia stayed close to each other. They came because of their curiosity and loyalty to their friend but they really were of little use here. Willow was the oldest of them all and she clearly wasn''t thinking straight. He would have given them some weapons but even Willow wasn''t able to hold one of the blades straight.


    He asked the girls to stay in the middle of them so that the boys would have the time to react if something happened and so that they wouldn''t get in the way if there was a fight.


    Manley, Wilbert, Cuthbert, and Jurgen watched the left side. The three knife boys now possessed a short sword each because of the silver coins they received and the help of their parents but Emp didn''t really trust their abilities. The three were the youngest boys here and had basically passed the test by all getting the jump on a single cat in the middle of a battle. Manley had no weapon but Emp lent him a sword, it was too heavy for him but Emp had nothing else. He hoped that with four of them there, they would be able to delay anything long enough for him to intervene.


    On the other side, Gilbert and Vesa were the ones watching.


    Gilbert was the oldest and had a decent strength, he held up the sword Emp passed him easily.


    Vesa could have tried the hunt this year, he was the best swordsman of the group, even though Emp felt his swordsmanship was horrible. The more he received fencing and combat classes the worse he felt about Vesa''s talent but he still placed Flame in his hands, there was no one better to use it.


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt they should not have come. Maybe he would have accepted to go look around for chase alone but bringing the others felt wrong, it made his heart pound. he had never felt this anxious before.


    "Are you all sure you want to come? I think you should all go back."


    "I think so too, we should all go back, it''s too scary." Added in Calla.


    "There''s no way we''re turning back now." Said her brother.


    "Don''t worry Calla, if anything happens, I''ll protect you." Added in Vesa to reassure her.


    Their words didn''t make either Calla or Emp feel better. He couldn''t stop to talk them out of it though because Willow would not stop walking forward.


    How did she expect to find Chase? A forest wasn''t a small thing like the village. They were in the Steelwood empire, the one they were in probably stretched all the way to the mountains down south, spanning the whole kingdom.


    At some point soon after, she started screaming out Chase''s name, the others followed her example to help. If he was alive, maybe he would hear and come to them.


    At first, they followed the hunting paths but since they were getting no answers, Willow got adventurous and took some unexpected turns.


    Emp only had to remind everyone to stay close a few times in order to not loose anyone. After that, It was Calla who did all the reminding because she was too scarred someone would leave her sight, she kept warning everyone.


    After a time, the forest got darker and darker until only Ray and Flame gave them an idea of what was around them. The other girls started to think they should all turn back like Calla because the forest in the dark was ten times scarier than the forest in the day. Even the knife trio became very nervous.


    Emp wanted to bring everyone back but it would mean leaving Willow alone, he couldn''t do that.


    "Chaaaase!" She screamed again, there were tears in her eyes.


    Emp kept his mouth shut and unconsciously put strength in his jaw, pressing his teeth against one another. He too wanted Chase to be alright but...


    By then, the calls of the others had quieted as well, only the voice of Willow rang in the dark, sometimes followed by a weak echo from one of the girls.


    Manley finally said what Emp thought since the very beginning.


    "We should go back, this is pointless."


    After so long of searching, he had evidently changed his mind when the darkness consumed their surroundings.


    "What do you mean pointless! He must still be alive somewhere, we have to find him!"


    Willow would not give up.


    "It''s too dark, we can''t see shit. It''s dangerous and the girls are scarred." He complained.


    "Yeah, uh, the girls are scared, not us though." Jurgen added.


    "Manley is right, there''s no way we''ll find him in the dark, we have to go back or everyone else in the village will worry." Vesa pressed her further.


    Emp was about to tell them he agreed too when he heard something crack. He wasn''t the only one who heard.


    "Wait, did you hear that?" Asked Gilbert.


    "Chase?" Asked Willow, hopeful.


    It was the rustle of leaves and a low growl that answered her.


    Willow backed off from the sound and hid behind Emp, joining up with the other girls. Her foolishness erased in the face of fear.


    Emp readied his shield as a pair of shimmering grey eyes revealed themselves. Crawling from the underbrush, a forest spiked wolf puffed up its quills to appear more intimidating.


    Emp had already fought those animals in the past, he thought it wasn''t that dangerous and they fled almost immediately. If it only had been the one in front of him, Emp would have killed it but there wasn''t only one.


    More growls closed in on them from all sides, revealing too many eyes they could barely see from the reflection of the lights they carried.


    The last pack of wolves Emp encountered didn''t want to fight two fully armored Emp with flaming swords but here was different. The forest was their home, their target had no armors and many seemed weak.


    As they closed in on the humans, fear spread through the group.


    "Wolves!"


    "I think they''re spiked wolves."


    "That''s worse."


    "Get close together and don''t leave the circle. We''re like them, full of spikes. As long as we don''t have any opening, they''ll have no other choice than to give up." Emp told them.


    If he had been alone, he would have stepped up and attacked the wolves but right now, he was afraid that if he moved too far from the group, the wolves would use the opportunity to attack the others.


    The wolves weren''t idiots either, they slowly came closer but did not ruthlessly attack. They waited for a weak point to reveal itself instead.


    The kids did as Emp said and stayed in a tight circle with their swords pointed outward. If a wolf came too close, they swung at it to force it back but no one moved from where they were aside from that.


    "I doesn''t work." Izzy whimpered.


    "If we stay like that it''s never gonna end, you have to do something Emp." Agreed Gilbert.


    A few wolves started snarling in an attempt to frighten them out of their formation and a few high pitched screams were heard from the girls. The boys were sweating profusely but kept silent except for Cuthbert who jumped fright at the first snarl.


    "I can try to move up and kill a few but the circle becomes weak if I do."


    "Do it!" Manley called.


    With his heart beating loudly, Emp used a space step to get right in front of one of the wolves and left a large gash in its face before stepping back to the circle. He would have preferred to kill it but he was too worried to take his time aiming.


    The wolf yelped and jumped back as Emp did the same two more times. He even manage to kill one of his target by opening the back of its neck.


    He could barely see them so targeting something else than their eyes before he stepped up was a bit risky. Only once he was close did the sword reveal them clearly and at that point, he had to take a swing whether he could reach something important or not.


    Emp was moving back and forth too quickly for them to surround him or attack the weak point left in the circle. Every time they were about to move up and attack the girls, Emp would step back, forcing the wolves to back off.


    The surrounding wolves were getting agitated and made weird mixes of barks and angry growls. They were angry at being unable to do anything while still getting cut.


    Emp killed a second one and the wolves jumped left and right. They got more aggressive too, moving up to the circle multiple times in an attempt to test its limits and find its weakness.


    "I think it''s working." Said Wilbert, hopeful.


    He even managed to poke the tip of a wolf''s nose with his short sword when it got too close.


    "I think we''ll be able to hold them like Emp said." Said Gilbert.


    "They''re angry now. Is everyone okay?" Asked Galina


    "We''re fine." Answered the others despite barely being able to keep the wolves away.


    Emp was starting to think they would be fine too. He had been afraid someone would get hurt but things were going well considering how many more wolves than them there was. No one had even gotten hurt.


    He stepped up again and the wolf he targeted ducked, barely escaping having its skull opened and only losing an ear to Emp''s sword instead.


    Then, just like that, Emp vanished.


    He had been recalled by the first Emp like every night before he went to bed in order to combine their memories.


    The wolves were enraged, the prey was weak and a hole was left in the formation. They saw red, they smelled a feast, the first in front of them, Calla and Willow.


    The pack pounced forward.


    ***


    (AT)Would you believe I''ve had this scene in mind since Emp got the ability to split? I was trying to build the characters in the village a bit more but I really had nothing to say prior to this event in relation to them. The best I could come up with was the dismantlement. I really needed this to happen for what comes next so I couldn''t delay it any further. I might not be as impactfull as I had hoped.

 59 Weeping Willow Chase-ing death

    Emp knew immediately that he had made a mistake. There was no way for him to know that this was a bad moment to recall the other him beforehand. That kind of thing had never happened before.


    The first Emp panicked and urgently sent the other him back. He spent hours afterward, pacing in the room anxiously, unable to sleep because he kept wondering if everyone was fine.


    He was gone from the forest for a mere instant but when he came back, everything was in chaos.


    The moment he had left, the wolves had jumped forward, targeting the weak girls at the front. Calla and Willow screamed of terror seeing the Wolves close in on them.


    None of them had the time to wonder where had Emp disappeared to.


    "Calla!" Vesa yelled, jumping in between them and the wolves.


    He swung Flame in front of him, the first wolf backed off but the second pressed forward just after the swing and bit down on his sword holding arm. The next came from the other side and planted its fangs into his shin.


    Vesa let out a scream of pain as the two wolves jerked their head in opposite direction, bringing him down to the ground under the terrified gaze of the others.


    Meanwhile, since there was only Gilbert left on one side, the wolves pushed their luck there too and the girls witnessing what was happening to Vesa tried to back further away from the wolves, pushing up against the three knife boys on the other side.


    Sylvia tangled her feet in some root sticking out of the ground and fell onto Cuthbert who stumbled forward out of the circle.


    The wolves immediately took the opportunity and rushed forward. Biting down on him and dragging him further away from the defensive circle. While he screamed of pain and terror.


    The other two knife boys of the trio tried to help him and moved up to him as they tried to drive back the wolves with their short swords. The wolves covered Cuthbert, exposing their quills toward the circle and making it extremely difficult for the other two boy to take a swing at them, a small mistake could result in their arms getting full of holes.


    With the three knife boys busy in that way trying to save Cuthbert, the circle completely collapsed, with only Manley and Gilbert still trying to protect the girls.


    No one had the luxury to try to come to Vesa''s rescue. He still managed to drive the sword into the belly of one of his aggressor and the light of the flaming sword was drowned under fur and quills, throwing everyone in the dark and killing the wolf. He did not manage to get it back out of it because of the reversed spikes getting stuck inside the animal. All he could do was try to protect his face with his arms as the wolves tried to finish him off.


    The smell of burnt flesh attacked their senses as the darkness blinded them.


    Emp reappeared, there were yells and madness everywhere. He had been gone for just a few seconds but the scene in front of him was worlds apart from what he had left it to.


    Emp was shocked, he was shocked and scared. He felt like his heart would jump out of his chest and run away by itself.


    He had fought before, he had almost died before and he had seen people die in battle before but those he saw die weren''t people he knew. What he currently saw in front of him was the terror of his friends, his friends getting hurt and mangled, his friends dying.


    This was a thousand time more frightening to him than the woodland horror, a million times more scary than a glutonek half eating him.


    Emp rushed to their help as shivers raised hairs all over him and his blood boiled.


    He didn''t know where to start, everything was a mess and everyone was in danger. There was no right choices, he needed to be everywhere at once but of course, this was impossible. He did not have the time to think about it either. Since Vesa was closest to him, he started by helping him.


    At that point, he was barely resisting the wolves anymore, his voice was weak and his skin full of claw marks and bite.


    Emp jumped at his side and slashed at the wolves. They refused to give up their prey, growled and bit down harder on Vesa. The wolves firmly believed their quills would protect them. But, since Emp sword was longer than the short swords of the knife boys trio, he could slash through rows of spikes, chopping them all off. The blade bit down into the back of one of the wolves which jumped backwards to escape the sudden pain.


    Emp immediately turned the other way and swiped the blade strongly across the back of the next wolf''s neck, almost decapitating it.


    The other wolves now understood he was a threat and left Vesa to gang up on Emp.


    This was a perfect situation for him, it was easier to attack them if he didn''t have to run around after them. They jumped towards him from left and right. The right wolf impaled itself into the sword he pointed its way as it jumped forward and he punched the left one with his shield as strongly as he could, knocking out the wolf in one hit.


    The next one went right for his throat while he had an arm extended on each side of him. But, the wolves were slow compared to the mouse and they were few compared to the blood-spitters. Emp moved the sword and the wolf stuck on it in the way of the other one and kicked them both away from him once the momentum of its charge was halted by the sudden wall of spike.


    The wolf with its back cut saw how its companions had been so easily dispatched and decided to retreat leaving only the kicked wolf close to Vesa. That one wasn''t crazy enough to move on its own so it backed off as well and moved towards the rest of the wolves assaulting the other friends of Emp.


    Since Vesa was mostly safe now, Emp made a step up to Cuthbert and freed him from the wolves pinning him down. He couldn''t make swings with as much strength as he wanted behind them because he was afraid he would hit one of the others. He had to use quick slashes and trusts to get rid of the wolves.


    The boys tried to tell him things over the screams, the growls and the barks but even if they yelled loud enough, Emp didn''t really hear them. He was too focused on his task now, he had a hard time following what was happening around the whole group already he didn''t have any energy left to listen to them or anyone else. Everything was just a blur of noise in the back of his head. He only registered them if they were menacing or urgently distressed.


    For example, just after he managed to clear enough space for Cuthbert to get back up on his feet, he heard Gilbert calling for help from the other side of the group.


    He left the boys to fend for themselves again and rushed to the other side to see a wolf biting down hard on his forearm. He had managed to protect that side alone for a long time already, it was impressive. If he had not been there, things would have been far worse for everyone. With his sword arm stuck in the jaws of a beast though, he couldn''t do much anymore and was about to fall, leaving all the girls exposed.


    Emp stepped closer and chopped off the wolf''s hind legs since it was the safest place to hit considering how tangled it currently was with Gilbert. The wolf released his arm because of the pain and fell on its side while Emp continued to step further forward to drive back the many other wolves.


    He made a few laps around the group, cutting at the wolves too close to his liking and killing two or three more. At that point, the pack decided the cost wasn''t worth the meal and ran.


    They still tried to drag Vesa with them though. They held one of his legs and one of his arms in their mouths and tried to bring him along. Emp stepped in the way and forced most to give up. The wolf with a cut on his back didn''t seem to want to let him go so Emp pierced through its side with Ray and forcefully moved its now dead body away from his friend.


    The wolves were forced to give up on Vesa as well and left having gained nothing but a bunch of losses. Only when the sound of their steps became far did Emp resumed using the rest of his head.


    The others were gasping for air, shaking and thanking the ancestors simply for still being alive. Gilbert''s arm was bleeding profusely and the wound gave the impression that some of the flesh would fall off.


    Cuthbert was much worse, he had scratches all over and his clothes had been ripped to shreds. He also had a bunch of nasty looking holes everywhere on him where he was bitten.


    The girls were unarmed, miraculously, because Vesa had stepped in the way. No one told him but it was easy to see looking at where he was laid and how he had disappeared.


    Vesa himself was looking really bad, he made no sound and no movements, Emp wasn''t sure he was still alive.


    "Puah, I''m so glad Emp was here. We''d all be dead if he wasn''t." Said Jurgen letting himself collapse against a three.


    No one spoke about how he disappeared in the middle of the fight. It wasn''t the first time something like this happened, they had all seen him vanish at least once before, sometimes in the middle of a conversation or about to bite down into a meal. They all knew the reason too, they had seen it the night he arrived in the village, they knew this Emp had no control of when he would disappear and reappear.


    Yes they were mad that he left them in such a critical moment but really, it wasn''t his fault and without him, they wouldn''t be able to complain at all. Plus, Emp looked pained enough already. He had no wounds himself but felt deeply for their own wounds. His arm was shacking while he looked at his friends.


    Emp crouched beside Vesa He didn''t know what to do with him.


    Calla was already crying, she was crying since it all started. Izzy and Galina were trying to stop her sobbing. He didn''t look her way because he felt that if he saw her crying face now, he would start crying too. He couldn''t though, they were not finished yet, he needed to see clearly at least until they got out of the woods.


    "Is he..." Asked Sylvia, anxious.


    "I don''t know. I''m not... I don''t know."


    "Let me look." Manfrey said. He moved Sylvia to the side and placed a hand on Vesa''s neck.


    "I think he''s still alive." He said, prompting hopeful gasps from the others. "I think I can feel the blood moving, isn''t that a pulse?"


    "We have to bring him back now then." Said Gilbert.


    He was holding the wound on his arm with his hand, the Blood still kept seeping through though.


    "Wait, we can''t! We haven''t found Chase yet!"


    Everyone frowned when they heard Willow.


    "No, we''re going back now, we''re done. I''ll carry Vesa." Emp told her flatly.


    "Emp, don''t do this to me! I''m sure we can still find Chase!"


    "Look at the others!" Snapped Emp. "They''re all hurt now because of us! It''s over."


    "But what about Chase." She complained again, her face full of tears.


    "But what about Vesa!" Emp screamed, pointing at him. "Look at him! He saved you! Help him now."


    Willow bit down on her lower lip and shook her head in reluctance.


    "I can''t. He doesn''t need me, it''s Calla he wanted to save. I need to help Chase. I told you earlier, if you don''t help me I will go alone."


    Emp did not understand. This was plainly crazy. The wolves had just left, they hadn''t stopped existing, they could get her easily if she left alone. They didn''t know what else waited in the dark or even if Chase was still alive. Opposite to that, Vesa was right there and he needed help.


    Maybe he could knock her out and bring her back too? He wasn''t sure how to knock her out without hurting her badly though, and, he couldn''t carry both her and Vesa at the same time.


    "Willow, think about it, it''s crazy. Come back with us and wait for the hunters instead." Galina said.


    "We shouldn''t have come at all." Said Cuthbert.


    The other two boys of the trio were holding him up because he was too hurt to stand properly. He was obviously regretting his choices.


    "Why are none of you understanding?"


    There wasn''t much he could do for her anymore.


    "They can''t go further and I need to make sure they get back safely. I really wish you wouldn''t go but since you won''t listen, at least, take that ring."


    Emp made a copy of the ring of allegiance and extended it towards Willow.


    "An iron ring?"


    She picked it up but didn''t understand what it meant.


    "It''s magic, as long as you wear it, I''ll know if you''re alive or dead so I''ll know if it is worth it to go back to look for you once everyone else is safe."


    "Really?"


    "Yes. It may tell me a few more things on you but I won''t know until you put it on. Just do it and do not remove it, as long as you are alive, me and the others will know and we will search for you."


    She gulped an slid it on her finger. The ring turned from iron to bronze and turned on itself to take a shape close to a ram horn.


    "Wooooo." Izzy and Wilbert exclaimed in admiration.


    "I still think you should come back with us but we don''t have the time to argue."


    Emp picked up the dying Vesa and hoisted him on his shoulder. He also picked up Flame that was still buried into a dead wolf and the sword he had lent to Gilbert since the injury on his arm now prevented him from using the blade efficiently. He also placed the closest corpses of the wolves into his bag to waste as few as possible but he didn''t have the time to go around collecting all of them.


    The group left with the slow pace of the injured and left Willow in the dark.


    "Please." Calla sobbed.


    Willow ignored her, turned her back on them and left in the opposite direction.


    "Chaaase!" They heard her call shortly after.


    "Do you think she will be fine?"


    Emp really hoped she would be fine but his head was saying she wouldn''t. Alone in the wood at night with no weapon was far from safe. He would have given her a weapon to help her but she couldn''t hold any of his blades and he had no knifes. Emp usually didn''t care about weight at all when buying a sword since he could lift them all easily. It had never crossed his mind before that he would need to give a small one to someone else at some point.


    "I hope."


    That was the only honest thing he could answer without scarring the others.


    The whole trip back was a true torture for everyone. Some were really hurt and kept hissing between their teeth, some were really scared.


    Emp was terrified that Vesa wouldn''t hold on until they reached the village and his back was soaked in blood in no time at all.


    Gilbert was bad at directions and was hoping they were walking the right way.


    Calla was worrying for Willow, Chase and Vesa, was afraid of the others wounds and could hardly look at them, she felt she could collapse at any moment if some blood dripped onto her clothes and could hardly see where she was going because of how much water was in her eyes.


    She wanted to help but couldn''t, she wanted to tell Vesa to get better but the words wouldn''t come out, she wanted to comfort him by holding his hand but there was too much blood and made her tremble instead, she wanted to thank him but he would not hear.


    Once he was better, she would make a huge meal for him, she would place all of her feelings in it and he would be quickly back to full health.


    She''d make one for Willow and Chase too once they were back to tell them how glad she was they were safe. Speaking with a plate of food was much easier than using words after all.


    The best she managed to do in the meantime was to move some hair away from his closed eyes and be careful to not trip again.


    Along the way, It was Manley that held Ray high above the group to light up the way. With everyone else in such a bad shape, he was the only one fit to fight anyway.


    After a while they saw many torchlight further ahead on the wood path. They were hunters and guardsmen, they saw their own light too.


    "I can see something over there! It''s glowing."


    "It''s us!" Called Emp and the others.


    "It''s the kids, we found them!"


    "Thank the ancestors."


    Shortly after, the two groups met on the path and relief was shown on most faces. Bor and Marcy were there too and they were quite angry even if they too felt relieved.


    "What were ya all thinking going in the woods so late!? Everyone back there is about to die in worry."


    "I''m sorry..."


    Emp didn''t know what else to tell her. She was right.


    "What happened to you all?" Asked Bor looking at the pitiful state of everyone.


    "We got attacked by spiked wolves." Gilbert said.


    "There were so many of them!" Jurgen added.


    "At first we were fine but then..." Wilbert started, unsure if he should finish or not.


    "I got called by the other me."


    "Emp vanished and the wolves pounced on us! Calla screamed and Vesa threw himself in the way." Explained Galina.


    "He''s not looking good, we should bring him back swiftly." One of the soldiers said.


    He was one of the new recruits sent from the city since the attack.


    "Right." Nodded Bor. "We''re going back. Gimmy that Emp."


    The leader of the village bent himself forward and picked up Vesa from Emps shoulder, signalling everyone else to turn back. For a brief instant when he grabbed the teen, he made a strange face but still placed the limp boy in his arms.


    "Wait, Bor, there''s one missing. My boy, where''s Willow?"


    "I''m sorry."


    He didn''t know how to answer to that either.


    "We couldn''t find Chase so she didn''t want to come back." Explained Sylvia.


    "Ya left her alone in the woods at night?"


    "It''s her fault, she''s too stubborn." Cuthbert answered.


    "She''s still fine though." Emp told her before she got even more angry.


    "How do ya know? Anything could have happened to her since ya left."


    "Because the ring says so."He had just checked it after Bor took over Vesa.


    "Yeah, Emp gave her a magic ring!" Said Izzy excitedly.


    "I can use it to tell if she''s fine and find out where she went."


    When looking at Willow''s name in the clouds of the ring, he could see that she was fine, scarred and sad but also some approximation of where she was in correlation to him.


    It had been a long time since he had no checked about Celtine or Harriett either, he should do so when all of this was over. Just to see what new things the ring could tell him about them.


    "Hmn, I still don''t approve but at least we''ll be able to find her."


    He understood this wasn''t the smartest solution but he didn''t know what else he could have done.


    "Should we split up and go look for the missing girl then?" Asked the soldier.


    "No... it''s too risky, we''ll bring everyone. Lets escort everyone back to the village and follow Emp''s magic ring afterwards. Where did you even get that thing?" Bor asked him after giving out his orders.


    "It was given to me when I was born." He answered simply.


    It didn''t take that long afterward to get back to the village. The soldiers had not progressed that far into the forest yet because it took them a while to organize a group to rescue everyone and since it was the middle of the night, they had to advance carefully in order to not miss the tracks Emp''s group had left.


    Once they got there, the parents all flew over to their kids. They were all so anxious about them, they felt so relieved to see them back. Many cried and pulled their family into a hug and many more thanked the ancestors for their safe return. A few kept their worried face though.


    "By the forest Cuthbert! What happened! Come here and let me look, we have to go see the healer." His mom said.


    Ogden and Fiona Champom had a similar reaction towards their son.


    "Your arm! We have to disinfect this properly and bandage that asap!"


    "That''s a huge bite mark Gilbert. Did you at least get it back for it?" His father asked while his mother dragged him away.


    "No, only Vesa managed to get one, sorry..."


    "At least you and your sister are alive. That''s the only thing that matter."


    "Vesa! Vesa!" His mother cried while the village healer examined his wounds.


    Emp hopped he''d be fine. Meanwhile, Willow''s mother had rushed up to Bor.


    "Willow!? Where is she?"


    "Still in the woods Winnie, we''re going back to get her." Bor told Willow''s mother.


    "Why isn''t she with them!"


    Emp checked the ring again, alive.


    Then, his attention was immediately brought back to Vesa.


    "NOO! That can''t be! Vesa!" The mother wailed in pain as she buried her face onto his chest. She collapsed in frantic sobs.


    He wasn''t fine.


    Emp dropped to the ground, wrapped his arms around his knee and closed his eyes by hiding his head between his limbs. Vesa wasn''t fine.


    That was painful, his eyes were burning. He wanted his bed, he wanted to disappear from here.


    "My boy." The serious voice of Marcy sounded close to his ear. "Ya can''t stop yet, there still one we have to get. There is still one missing so ya have to get back up. I know ya understand, it''s the same as with the cats. If ya stop in the middle of it it''ll get worse. Even if you hurt or your muscle burn, you have to move. Ya need to show us the way to Willow."


    Emp understood what she meant, he understood but it was hard.


    He took a deep breath that felt like his lungs were shaking he got back up with Marcellia pulling him on his feet. He saw Vesa''s mother again, crying.


    Marcy stepped in the way.


    "This way, show us how to go get her." She pointed towards the woods and Bor.


    He walked towards the trees and all the hunters and soldiers going back out there followed. Willow''s mother stuck with them.


    "I''m going to! It''s my daughter out there!"


    "Winnie, there''s no point in you coming, you''ll only slow everyone down."


    "I don''t care! She''s my only daughter, I can''t stay here doing nothing any longer or I''ll go crazy!"


    She was a lot like her daughter.


    Bor made an annoyed sigh and let her follow without a word. Instead, he turned towards Emp.


    "So, how does that thing work? How will it let us find her?"


    "It''s hard to explain. As long as she wears the ring I gave her, Mine should tell me as much as Willow is willing to give. The ring says she''s that way, far." He pointed towards the woods.


    "Are you really sure we can trust that ring?" Asked Willow''s mother.


    "I am."


    The ring was given to him by Love, it couldn''t malfunction.


    "Then let''s go, lead the way."


    Emp started walking in the direction the ring was pointing and everyone else followed closely behind. He had a hard time focusing his thoughts on something else than the death of Vesa but he didn''t need to work that hard in order to follow the ring''s instructions.


    The information the ring gave were far from precise. He could only know the general direction and the distance was told to him with words such as "far". They had to cut through patches of dense trees and walk outside of the paths and through moss and foliage to follow the ring.


    No one complained, all that mattered was that they found Willow as swiftly as possible.


    With his shirt soaked in blood, the weak wind was cold and Emp could smell nothing else than iron. He wasn''t that bothered by the smell, he passed his days in a forge after all.


    Not many spoke along the way, they were too absorbed by the task and what could lie in wait in the forest to talk. Bor still told him a few words as they went around yet again a huge tree.


    "I''m sorry for Vesa Emp, he was already dead when I took him from you. It just wasn''t the place to tell you all."


    He was still alive when Manley checked about an hour before. He died while Emp was carrying him, without a word or sound. Emp didn''t answer, he didn''t know what to answer. He checked the ring again instead, saw that she was still fine and pointed the new direction to the group.


    They walked and walked, the way lit by the shivering light of the dozens of torches the group brought with them. Winnie called the name of her daughter once but Bor told her to not do it again, the call was bound to gather unwanted attention as well.


    The word the ring used to describe the distance between them and willow changed over time from far down to near. The tension and expectations of the group rose until they reached a patch of blueberry bushes where the ring told Emp she was. He looked around but didn''t see her.


    "What is it my boy, why did ya stop?"


    "The ring says she is here."


    "Willow?" Called Winnie again, not as loudly as before.


    No voice or sound answered her call. Emp didn''t understand what was happening.


    While Winnie was desperately moving around the blueberries, Bor whispered into his ear.


    "Is it possible that she is dead and that we''re looking for her corpse?"


    "No, the ring would tell me if she was dead. I do not know what is happening." He answered.


    She was obviously not there though. After a quick search around the place, Winnie came back to angrily complain at him.


    "You said you were sure the ring could be trusted! What are we doing here then? Where is she!"


    If Emp had not be much smaller and younger than her, she would have probably hit him in the face out of anger and frenzying stress.


    "I do not know, I do not understand."


    Maybe none of this was really happening. Maybe it was all some sort of bad dream.


    Winnie shivered of anger while Marcy grabbed Emp by the shoulders and turned him towards her.


    "Emp, I know this is hard but ya have to think about it. Ya are smarter than this and yar the only one who knows about the ring here. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and think hard. What went wrong, why is the ring leading us to an empty place?"


    Emp did as he was told. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It still felt as if it was trembling. Why would the ring lead them in the middle of nowhere? He searched for all he knew about the ring and found the answer right away. The ring only tells the truth if the wearers tells the truth too. He was just too out of it before to think about it. Emp felt betrayed.


    "The ring cannot lie but the wearer can. All the information I gain from the ring depends on how the wearer of the other feels towards me. She does not want to be found, that is the only explanation I can find."


    "What do you mean she does not want to be found?" Bor asked.


    "She was out there looking for Chase, she know that if we get to her before she finds him, we''ll bring her back to the village without him. She doesn''t want that, her desire to remain out there looking for him went through my ring and it led us away from her instead."


    "So we went the wrong way this whole time?"


    "I don''t know at all were she is, I''m sorry, if she doesn''t want to be found, there is no way the ring or me can help. I don''t know if we are far or close, if we went the opposite way from where she is or just took a wrong path, all I know for sure is that she is still alive."


    The others looked grim and turned towards Bor.


    "What do we do then?"


    Bor took a deep breath too, trying to think of how to turn this mess around.


    "Are you sure this time, are you sure she is alive?"


    "I don''t see why she would lie to me about this as well. She as no reason to lie about her being alive or dead does she?"


    "I guess not. Then we go back on our steps and find the place where the wolves attacked you. From there, we should be able to find out where she went. We''re not going back until we either find her, her corpse or the ring tells us she''s dead."


    Like that, they walked back the way they came.


    They had lost so much time following Emp''s ring, he felt even worse now.


    They spent hours afterwards, combing through the woods, looking for her. Emp thought she should have been easy to find because she kept calling out to Chase but she had such a long head start on them that it didn''t really help.


    Emp managed to find back the place they had been attacked by the wolves easily, the remaining corpses were still there too. From there though, they had no idea where she went and taking a wrong turn could make them fall even further behind her.


    The group progressed at a crawling pace. Still, the hunters did a great job at following the tracks of a single girl in the middle of the dark night.


    Emp checked the ring often, just to make sure she was still there. One time, while he was looking at the ring, he saw her condition change from "fine" to "in danger".


    He stopped walking, fixated on the ring.


    "What is it my boy?"


    The danger level changed once more to "extreme danger" while the words "scarred and sad" turned to "horror and grief". A wail of terror sounded through the forest, dampened by the thick wall of trees. The directions from the ring changed too, now showing "near, on the right". Should he trust the ring now?


    "Willow!" Her mother cried in panic.


    Everyone in the group dashed towards were they thought the scream came in a wide array of directions. The true position of Willow was blurred by the dense forest, the darkness and the echoes. Emp too moved, following the direction the ring told him, he dashed through the trees, followed by Marcy, Bor and Winnie.


    He moved as fast as he could but there were so many things in the way that the space steps weren''t any faster than a regular run. Getting closer, he heard screeches, the sound of claws scraping against wood and rock. He also heard Willow more clearly than before.


    "No! Why? I hate you!" She was yelling at something. Her voice was broken and rough.


    "Willow! Hang on!" Called Bor "We''re almost there!"


    "Willow! I''m here!" Her mother called as well.


    Pushing through the foliage, they found the girl exactly where the ring told Emp. She had backed herself into a hole under the roots of a huge tree. She was doing her best to stay away from her assailant while still openly crying and wailing at what she was seeing.


    The thing that was attacking her was something Emp had seen many times before. A large pale-green bug with sharp mandibles and small pearly black eyes on top of viscous looking tentacles sprouting from its two heads.


    It was a twin-headed impaling beetle, trying to shove its two heads inside the hole to catch the girl. The only reason it had not managed to do so yet was because the two heads couldn''t agree on which should go get her.


    On the single sharp horn between the two head, a corpse was hanging. It was lacking both of its arms and his sides had been opened as the beetle had started eating it, the guts were spilling outside of the dead. The corpse had the face of Chase, his empty gaze looking directly forward at the cowering Willow.


    Bor and Marcy both reached the monster at the same time and each cut off one of its heads. The beetle didn''t even notice them before it died, collapsing in front of the hole were Willow was hiding.


    Emp just stood there, unable to understand what he was seeing.


    Chase had been killed by that weak beetle. It was hard to think otherwise as he looked at the scene. That monster could die in a single hit because its shell wasn''t resistant at all, it served as prey to mostly anything else living in the woods.


    Had he perhaps did like himself in the past and wondered for too long which head he should strike? Emp did not understand.


    Meanwhile, the beetle was moved aside and Winnie had pulled Willow in an embrace. They were both weeping on the shoulder of each other. Willow out of grief and Winnie out of relief.


    Bor called the others over, telling them Willow was safe and after a few minutes, everyone was there, looking at the two girls and the corpse of Chase.


    "He''s dead." Willow kept saying.


    "I told you it would be painful. I''m so angry right now, I can''t..."


    They removed the corpse of Chase from the horn and brought him back with them to the village. On the way, Willow kept crying and her mother kept using a mix of soothing words and scolding remarks, unable to decide on whether she was more sad for her or angry at what she did.


    Emp didn''t need to think of anything anymore, he just wanted to go to bed now. He walked back in silence with the others and once in the village, he had to watch as Bor gave the corpse of Chase to his parents and then listen to the healer''s report on everyone else.


    He told Bor about the injuries of each of his friends, Cuthbert wouldn''t be able to move from his bed for a week and Gilbert was forbidden to use his right arm for a full month. The worse was hearing about Vesa.


    Apparently, an artery had been punctured by a fang and none of them thought of bandaging any of his wounds at the time. They had been too shocked to think about that kind of thing, they just thought of bringing him back quickly. He bled out on Emp''s back.


    Emp could not be more disappointed and angry at himself than right now.


    The two Champom parents, Ogden and Fiona came to talk to him before Marcy and him went back home.


    "We wanted to thank you for protecting Gilbert and Calla."


    "It wasn''t me who protected Calla, it was Vesa."


    Emp wasn''t even there.


    "Without you they''d all be dead." Denied Ogden with a few pat on his shoulder.


    Emp didn''t feel that convinced.


    He went back home with Marcy and moved towards his room. She grabbed him by the arm and forced him to turn towards her.


    "Emp, my boy, listen. Ogden is right, Vesa didn''t die because of ya and the others would all have been lost if ya had not been there. Don''t resent yarself for this."


    Emp disagreed.


    "No, they would all have been fine. They came just because I followed Willow. I didn''t stop her and decided to follow her to keep her safe instead. If I had not been there, the others wouldn''t have come either."


    "Do ya really think they would have let her go alone if ya had not been there? We should all have known Willow would react like that and Eda told us ya were against anyone else following too. Ya have no reason to blame yourself for this. If ya had not been there, she would have asked Gilbert, Vesa or even Manley for help and the other three would have followed anyway. In the end, they would all have ended up at the same place, maybe without as many weapons. Even if ya disappeared in the middle, ya saved more than anyone could have hoped for."


    "Vesa died while I was carrying him and I did not even notice." He squeaked.


    Marcy hugged him and he started crying against her.


    "It''s okay to cry now. Let it all out. Remember the pain and learn from it. Look at the mistakes the others did and yar own, make sure they do not happen again. What could ya have done better, where did it go wrong? You cannot change what already happened but ya can make sure that the next time will end differently."


    After that, she let him cry for a long time and he fell asleep there.


    From then on, he never recalled the second him without receiving a written safety confirmation through the bottomless bag first. He also bought many more weapons, small and large, just in case he needed them. He was angry at how Vesa died too, he should have been saved. He would make sure no one he knew would die in such a way again.


    He kept the story of Willow in mind, rushing in without any preparation was clearly not the right thing to do. Maybe having no emotions was better after all.

 60 In case of death

    The next morning, school Emp walked in the kitchen before Celtine or Harriett came to wake him up. He had not slept at all and only just recalled the other him again to know how it ended.


    The girls were surprised to see him this early and immediately noticed his gloomy face. They had never seen him really sad before. The two walked up to him and stood close to his side.


    "Master, what is it? What happened?" Inquired Harriett in a compassionate manner.


    Emp told them that two of his friends died during the night. The two girls shared his pain and sadness and gave him a few comforting words.


    They suggested that he didn''t go to class that day. Everyone knew the pain of losing a friend so they would understand if he grieved for a day. He needed rest too, doubly so since he had not slept.


    After breakfast, they escorted him back to his bed and stayed with him all day. At first they stood at the side of his bed but it annoyed him so he had them both sit beside him on the bed. All three of them ended up shoulder to shoulder with a pillow between their backs and the stone wall.


    The two girls seemed rather nervous to be on top of his bed but they were the ones who told him to go back to it. Harriett even mumbled something about not being worthy of climbing into his bed.


    Now that they were both so close to himself, his attention got captured by their rings. He caught both of their hands and brought them just in front of him to take a closer look at them. Like he had thought last night in the woods, it had been a while since the last time he had done so.


    Neither resisted his movement and they happily showed off their respective rings. The changes in them were huge, both of them were very pretty now.


    Harriett''s ring was now a large band of intertwined gold and silver with a row of small magenta colored precious stones matching the one in her earring going all the way around it. The ring was large but not thick and many empty spaces were left in it giving the impression it was either a net or a kind of chain.


    Celtine''s ring had another style entirely. Hers was like a delicate string made out of a semi-transparent blood-red stone, flowing like a wisp of smoke around her finger. The back of the ring became a bit larger and seemed to expend into some sort of socket for something that wasn''t there. Emp felt it was probably like the wound on the wooden ring he first gave her. Despite its simpler design, Emp felt that out of the two ring, this one was more special than the other. He felt quite sad about the missing piece.


    At least now he understood that the missing piece was most probably about how her wings and voice were missing from the real Celtine. He ran the tip of his thumb along the missing piece of the ring as he spoke.


    "It took me a while to find the right way to ask the book but I finally found where I needed to go to get your wings and voice back."


    He had asked during the night, while he couldn''t sleep because he was too worried. He didn''t sound excited because of his current mood but Celtine still latched on to his words like the wolves on Vesa.


    "Love had told me that we needed Life for your wings and Truth for your voice. After asking the book, I found that Life is in the mountains in Greenpeaks and Truth is a bit south of Neifner."


    "Neifner? I never heard of that place, where is it?" Asked Harriett, curious.


    "It is far south of the howling hills, somewhere in the large uninhabited forests of Windbow. From what I heard, it''s an old ruin."


    That was the place Galana''s parents went to and never came back from.


    "Either place will be hard to find and difficult to reach. Life is further away but might be easier to get to than Truth. I think we should get your wings back first, but not now, only after we''re done with this school."


    Celtine nodded in understanding and Harriett approved.


    "Of course master, your studies are much more important."


    "That is not what I meant."


    He took a small moment to arrange his thoughts a bit before he spoke again.


    "I think Celtine''s wings are much more important than learning magic or learning who''s the lord of where and since when. You two are much more important than what I learn here, I think."


    "I know we are important for you master. I only have to look at the ring to know." Her fingers squeezed around his palm as a form of comfort while she spoke. "Every time I wake or go to sleep, whenever I see it, I know I did my job well and that you appreciated it, I know you care for me and I know my place here, at your side, is safe. I never have to worry about if I did enough or not or if I''m going to be replaced or thrown away. I only need to glance at it and all my fears are quelled."


    Celtine couldn''t write a word because he was holding her writing hand but she agreed by placing her other hand on his arm and nodding in affirmation.


    "I''m sure Celtine doesn''t mind waiting because she knows that you have not forgotten about her."


    Emp absorbed their trust with a deep breath. Calming himself further.


    "I''m glad you trust me so much but that''s not what I meant either. I would like to go there right away and give back to Celtine all that she lost but I am not confident in my ability to keep you both safe as we search for these places."


    "What does master mean? Master is excellent and strong. Master proved me wrong every time I worried up to now and master even told me to stop worrying entirely and just believe in him."


    Emp felt that wasn''t exactly what he had said but it was so long ago already that he couldn''t remember. He knew however that trusting that nothing bad would happen to him inside the school wasn''t at all the same as trusting that he would be able to protect everyone.


    "Chase didn''t come back from his first hunt yesterday." He chose to explain.


    "Willow was scared something might have happened to him and she asked me to help her find him. I agreed and I went with everyone in the woods. I should have done differently but I let everyone come with me instead. I just gave them a few weapons and hoped we would be fine. We ended up not being fine and Vesa died. There were just too many forest spiked wolfs for me to keep everyone safe."


    "It can''t be all master''s fault though. How could master have predicted his group would encounter a pack of wolves? If someone died it''s the fault of the wolves."


    Emp shook his head in denial.


    "I understand that but I should have known that by going in the forest, we would encounter its inhabitant. I should have known my friends wouldn''t be able to resist them on their own. I failed my friends last night. They were not prepared and relied on me. One of them died because I didn''t think properly."


    The girl at the tavern had warned him. As an emperor, he had to know what he was doing because everyone else would follow him. That night he had not known and everyone followed blindly, one of them died because he had not thought about things properly. If he couldn''t watch over a dozen of persons, how could he lead thousands?


    More about the point of helping Celtine, what if he committed another mistake and something happened to Harriett or Celtine? He lost a friend to a beetle and another to a bunch of wolves. He had not been alive for long but he had already seen far worse out there and read about many powerful foes in the bestiary Galana had sold to him.


    He may have been stronger than most people of his height but it did not mean he could use that strength efficiently enough to keep them safe. He needed more than just strength, if he had used his head, he would have known that he would disappear at some point, he would have known he needed another plan.


    "I need to better myself to make sure that whatever happens, I can guaranty the safety of you both. Even if I think I can escape any threats that come my way, this isn''t enough to make you two safe. What if we run into a woodland horror? I can run, sure, but I can''t carry you both out of the way with me. If I fight instead, the horror can just walk over you both and I won''t be able to do anything."


    Harriett gave him a sad smile and hugged him on her own accord. She almost never did that kind of thing, the last time was when he gave her the earring. The feeling wasn''t the same as back then, this one was more like the one Marcy just gave him.


    "I understand what master mean to say. May I share a personal story?"


    "Yes..."


    "When I worked for my father, I knew a slave girl named Kass. She was a friendly person but she was often lashed because her master was an horrible person. Her master was a good client of my father so she often came. We all had to watch Kass follow her around with that pained look on her face and none of us could do anything to help. The best we could do was share some good moments with her. One day she didn''t come with her master, we never saw her again. I don''t know for sure but I always assumed she was dead. She was my friend and even now, I keep wondering if I could have done something to help somehow. I couldn''t, I''m just a slave, we didn''t share our master and I wasn''t even there. It doesn''t stop me from feeling bad about her."


    Emp understood what she meant to tell him. It didn''t make him feel better but at least he wasn''t alone. Celtine too decided to share a story. She freed her hand from his own and quickly wrote her message. She started crying halfway through but still finished it.


    <One time, I was flying with one of my childhood friends. We kept close to the treetops because we liked to snatch the highest leaves. She was just beside me and the next moment she wasn''t. We had flown somewhere we shouldn''t have and a huge miretoad just snatched her from the sky with its tongue. I could have died too, the toad kept looking at me while it swallowed my friend whole. There was nothing I could do for her. No one in the tribe ever came close to that swamp region again, the whole tribe learned from our mistake and the miretoad didn''t eat anymore of us. The sky is vast and clear but not always as safe as it seems. That day she wasn''t lucky. I do not think of her often because it''s been so long but every time I do, I can''t help but see that toad again. It was so scary.>


    Celtine really had lost a lot over time. She kept being unlucky, was there anyone with a worse luck than her somewhere?


    "Thank you both for sharing. I still feel bad but somehow, those stories helped a bit. I''m sorry for your two friends, I''ll do my best..."


    He didn''t know how to put what he felt in words. He would try is best to make sure it didn''t happen again but that wasn''t really it either. He wanted to offer his help and keep as many people safe as possible but he also understood that he did not have an infinite reach and that even those closer to him could be the victim of a sudden accident. Like Chase for example.


    Celtine wrote him another message.


    <I am happy you wish our well being but, I am done loosing things. I will do all I can and all I have to do so that I do not loose anymore. You gave me more than I could hope for and I don''t plan on loosing it. If you feel you are not enough, remember that you are not alone. Harriett and me are here too, we will help.>


    "Celtine is right, she won''t stand by if something happens to master, just like with master''s soul. We do not wish to be burdens, we want to be part of master''s strength. We are there for you."


    That made a lot of sense to him. He couldn''t be everywhere all the time at once. Even with two him at once, he couldn''t be with Chinui in Dugo as well as in the school and Redwater and Dark-glint. Love knew this from the start and gave him the ring in order to find people he appreciated, people he trusted enough to give him their help in his tasks.


    He wasn''t able to protect all his friends in the wood but he should have imparted what he had learned in the school to them instead. Then, they would have been able to protect themselves even after he disappeared. Maybe even Chase would have fared better if he had told him about the combat classes. If Chase had lived, they wouldn''t have ventured in the woods and everyone would have been safe.


    Emp started to understand a bit better how Galana felt about the school. He couldn''t picture any of the guys from the school dying from a two headed beetle. They had money so they could get in the school and once out of it, gaining a single kill to reach adulthood should be easy. Meanwhile, the boys in the village had to learn from surviving hunters with some time to spare or parents who never stepped in the woods again after their first hunt.


    Her way of seeing this was partially right but partially wrong too. The school students learned a lot and they learned in safety but that safety gave them no real experience. Emp had seen people die, he had seen battles and walked the woods at night. The others had not, hearing about it in a well lit classroom surrounded by friends wasn''t the same as progressing through thick foliage surrounded by the constant threat of the unknown.


    Also, they were stuck here, far from their families and old friends. They were requested to learn everything and anything all day long, almost every day of the year while others played around and had fun. They were constantly reminded of how many people would rely on them in the future and the boys were expected to help the military in one way or another once they left the place. Some like Aglaya even lived with the fear that one of their so called friends would turn against them in the future for reasons Emp could still not understand.


    People ''hoped'' a villager would survive for his own sake while they ''expected'' the students to live for the sake of everyone else.


    Emp felt that neither was quite right but he didn''t know how to fix it. For now, he was just tired.


    "Will you two stay here with me for a moment?"


    "Of course master, anything you wish for."


    He knew he should sleep but it was so bright in the room, the sun was directly shining inside to remind him it was daytime. Despite this, having the two of them so close to him after all that happened was calming enough for him to fall asleep. He was so tired that it would have been hard to not sleep instead.


    ***


    He woke up later with a bunch of red hair covering his face. Those were Celtine''s hair, she was the only person he knew with red hair. He shoved them away from his eyes and looked around. It was still daytime, Celtine had apparently fallen asleep against his shoulder at some point but Harriett was gone.


    It was pretty rare for him to wake up on his own. He wondered if something happened that could have woke him up. He moved her arms out of his way and slid out of the bed to go in the main room, leaving Celtine to sleep where she was.


    Harriett was in the other room, she was folding clothes.


    "Hi master, you seem a bit better. I''m about to start preparing tonight''s meal. Does master wish to request anything from me?"


    "No, anything is fine. Did anything happen while I was asleep?"


    "No, at least nothing I took notice of master."


    Mhn, how strange.


    He sat down at the table and not too long after, Celtine came to join them.


    <Master was gone so it woke me up.> She wrote them.


    He spent the rest of the day not doing much in the main room. He just let the time flow by, thinking to himself, sharing words with the other two and looking at the city outside.


    The only thing that happened that day was late in the afternoon, when knocks were heard on his door. Harriett answered and they discovered it was one of Mabel''s servants that came to ask why he didn''t show up to class on her behalf.


    Out of everyone, Mable''s room was the closest to his own so it was logical that she was the one to ask first. The other girls were probably all in her room drinking tea and talking about his absence right now.


    Harriett looked his way and after he gave her a nod, she answered the slave girl.


    "Master received some terrible news and was grieving today. Master himself is well."


    The servant girl thanked Harriett for the information and ran off again.


    Because of this, the next day, many of the girls from the class gave him some words of compassion, even though they had no idea who died or how close he was to Emp.


    When Emp showed up to the moral class the next morning, he still felt tired and depressed but it did not turn away the guys or Mable. Contrary to the careful words of the other girls, Mable came straight to him and asked about more details. Was it a friend, was it family was it tragic or was it an old man who died of age? Was he close to them?


    Emp wasn''t annoyed by her questions. She just wanted to know how affected he was by that death. Emp had seen many people die before but this was the worse he ever felt about it. It made sense to him if Mable thought that not all deaths were equally painful. She wanted to know how he really felt about it.


    The teacher however felt that it was highly inappropriate to ask how close he was to the dead and the circumstances behind this loss in front of everyone.


    Emp believed that in reality, she was just scared it was a Muracier that died and tried to protect his secret from Mable but it had nothing to do with this at all. Mable was reprimanded about it but Emp assured them he did not mind the questions.


    "Two of my friends living in a nearby village died in their first hunt the day before yesterday. I knew them well and I feel I could have done better for them. One of the two even had a lover, I don''t know what she''ll do now..."


    The teacher seemed a bit relieved by his answer. Not because she was insensible of course but because it would have been way more complicated and disastrous for her if it had really been a Muracier that died.


    "The death of a good friend is always painful. However many you lose over time, it never becomes less painful. You and of course the families of the deceased have my sincere condolences."


    "Thank you madam Blackbull."


    "This is a saddening event but it is a subject of conversation that we should tackle today. It is as good of a moment as any to talk about how to deal with death. Today, we will consider successions, last wills and also, for the ladies here, what to do when your husband dies."


    "But madam, none of us aside from Rica have a husband yet." Complained Josseline.


    "It will still be valuable later on. Everyone eventually dies, even the husband you have yet to meet. Adding on to that, I once told you all I would help you steer prospective marriage in your favor. I will give some tips later, after I push all the boys out of the room."


    Everyone had to prepare for a long and grim sounding class because of the subject Emp had brought with him but like death, no one here could escape it.


    The first half of the class contained a lot of valuable information for any noble.


    She started by explaining which child of which wife inherited things from their father when he died. This was especially important for high nobles, kings and even the emperor himself.


    She presented many situation to them like for example, if a king had five wives and all of them gave him a son on the same day, which of the five would be the crown prince?


    In order for the Steelwood society to work without too much problem, assigning ranks between wives was frowned upon. Being the first married to a man did not make the woman into a first wife. Similarly, a wife with a higher political rank did not occupy a higher rank in a familial unit than another.


    These traditions were meant to prevent unfair treatments towards any wives of different births and different times of arrival, not by the husband but between the wives themselves.


    Each of them was meant to accept the others as equal and help each other out in times of sadness and tragedy.


    Since they were to all think of each other as true blood bound sisters, titles were shared across them all and none were more valuable than another in terms of law or politics. It had worked like that since long before the creation of the empire, everyone was used to it.


    Those were also the reason why daughters rarely inherited the noble titles directly. It was often given to the eldest son instead since if a daughter inherited a duchy, for example, and married a man who had already six other wives, all six would from now on be legally in possession of the duchy.


    Until there, this wasn''t too complicated but when they dived into the main subject of the class, the succession, things started to become more difficult to understand.


    Special situations and exceptions abounded and often bypassed the simple thumb rule saying that the firstborn should inherit land and title.


    If a woman inheriting a title and land wed into a lower ranking family and had a son, only her own son could inherit her title despite all her wedded sisters sharing the title on paper. In reverse, if she married into a higher ranking family, the will of the husband would judge which of his children should take the land and title of his wife.


    A written will was uncommon in the general population but was very important for nobles. That will almost always had the power to supplant the usual succession rules. Madam Blackbull insisted that all of them should be prepared to write a proper will and understand its power.


    "I do understand that it is hard for a young group such as yourselves to think about your own deaths but, such a thing often comes unannounced and could tear a previously united family into shreds of hatred if not properly discussed and written in front of a trusted witness."


    She hammered into them the importance of preparing for their own deaths for a long time before switching to the next topic, the death of others.


    Since most of it was referring to things she had just mentioned, this part was somewhat easier to follow. However, this second part of the class was mostly addressed to the girls so Emp and the other boys felt a bit out of place.


    Worse, since Emp had mentioned that Chase had a lover, Willow was used as an example for the class despite the fact that no one knew her or even just her name.


    Blackbull had not failed to notice that the dead had been on his first hunt and had a lover anyway, a thing she had urged the girls here to avoid many times. Since she had been in a similar situation before, she explained in detail what, in her opinion, would be the best course of action for Willow.


    It was the shocking loss of her husband-to-be that had made her into who she was today. Emp wondered if Willow would turn into a bitter old woman from the sadness too.


    He hoped not but at the same time, he understood that if he was Blackbull, he would probably be very angry to see others make the same mistake she did.


    Blackbull explained that in a case like Willow''s the most sensible thing to do would be to find a new partner, despite the pain. It would take a while to get over his death but she wasn''t married to him yet and she had her whole life in front of her still.


    Things would be entirely different if she was pregnant. The teacher used the hypothetical situation of the girl being pregnant to explain how much harder to deal with such a situation would be.


    Her main point of concern was that not all men would be willing to take in a girl if she came with a child that didn''t belong to him. That child would have to be raised by him and the hard work of that man would serve to pay for his needs. The difficulty of finding a husband for themselves would be much higher.


    If she failed, she would have to raise the child herself, without the support of any sister-wives. With a newborn to take care of, many kind of jobs would be undoable, further raising the hardship of the new mother.


    When a true husband died, the wives would band together to take care of all the kids and each contribute to the survival of their family, a luxury that an unwed lover wouldn''t have.


    Even when a man had a single wife, he would have a business to pass on to her in the event of his death. It was usual and expected of a husband to show the ropes of his work to both his wives and kids. A typical widow could then often boast of knowing the workings of her husband''s job but also her father''s.


    A boy dying on his first hunt had no work experience, no established job, no savings to leave behind.


    This really was a depressing class to attend to. When it was finally over, Blackbull got into a more hopeful subject but threw every guys out of the room first.


    "You will be fathers too one day, if you know the tricks, they will be pointless." The teacher said.


    Emp was pretty sure that those secret techniques to convince their parents that the girl''s choice was the best must not have been that hard to guess or identify. It would probably be obvious to see so it was pointless to hide them from them.


    On the other hand, maybe being released early and not having to listen to all of that was a good thing.


    Freed from this, he walked back to his room with Celtine who started a conversation with him.


    <I do not understand how humans are able to keep more than one lover.>


    Emp didn''t really know what she meant behind those words, he chose to ask how they did in her tribe instead.


    "Doesn''t your tribe do that as well?"


    <No, we take a single partner each and are loyal to him or her until the end. It''s too painful for the heart otherwise. Only if someone would remain alone and another is compassionate enough are we willing to share. I was told that the pain of seeing your lover in the arms of someone else is less than the pain of being alone. I was told that there was nothing more painful than being alone. They were wrong. Losing my wings must be worst.> (1)


    "I do not know either of those pain and I do not know the pain of losing wings."


    He did not know how else to answer her, he still had no idea what she meant to say.


    <I do not understand.> She followed.


    <Humans are cruel, selfish and greedy but they are willing to share their lovers, why? Us, in the wing tribe, share absolutely everything, pain, resources, burdens, labor and possessions but not our lovers. How come the humans can do it but not us? How do they live like this?>


    "I do not know. I do not know what it feels like or how I would react."


    <I know master doesn''t know, this is what worries me.>


    Emp pondered about it for some time but did not manage to come to any sort of constructive thoughts or conclusion about any of it. What did she even mean?


    He was much more concerned about how to keep those he knew safe and his thoughts drifted back in that direction soon enough.


    Later that day, he found a moment to speak with Aglaya. He still remembered what she had told him about fears and now knew what to answer her.


    "I know what I''m afraid of now."


    "Really? What is it?" She asked, curious.


    "I''m afraid I won''t be able to help those close to me when comes a time they really need me."


    "That''s not a fun fear to share at all... I understand what you mean and it''s a noble sounding fear but... Isn''t that true for everyone?"


    "Maybe, but at least for now, this is the only thing I truly fear."


    ***


    In the classroom


    "So, now that the boys are out of here, let''s talk about how to get the one you want."


    The girls leaned forward in anticipation. Even if they didn''t have any feelings for anyone yet, they were eager to hear about those tricks. Who didn''t have some fantasy of the perfect meeting at some point? If they repeated the scene and included the tricks of madam Blackbull, maybe they would one day come true.


    Most of the girls present here weren''t supposed to have the choice of who would be their husband, getting told by the teacher that she could help with that was very inspiring. Only Rica didn''t really care about the subject, she had already found love after all.


    "The main thing to remember is that there are only two types of fathers, those who are very proud of their daughter and want the best for them and those that want to gain some advantage using them. Sometimes, it''s a mix of both. Luckily for us, the solution is the same."


    "What do you mean?" Asked Josseline, she didn''t recognize her own father in either of the categories.


    "The first kind of father loves their daughters too much, they want to be sure they will be happy and more often than not, they feel that they know better than us who would make a good husband. They feel they can understand other men and their objectives better than a girl and often feel like they have to step in and choose for us to protect us from worthless seducers and unworthy men. Your father miss Josseline would be in this category, except that luckily for you, he felt you were the best to know what you wanted.


    The second type is the kind of man who wants more power or prestige. The kind of man who wants to make sure that the rest of his family''s life will be improved rather than just wanting the happiness of his daughter. I often heard things like: If I can preserve the peace of this place with just a single daughter than it''s worth it. I do not mean to say that they do not care about us, some of them do, I have no doubt but, rather than that, they place everything on a scale and conclude that the best course of action for everyone would be for them to chose in our stead. They would probably not throw their daughters in despair this way but, an unhappy marriage and a lifetime of prosperity for the whole family is better for them than a happy marriage in poverty. Do you understand what I mean now?"


    Most of the girls nodded. There wasn''t just one of them who heard before "I am choosing for your sake, you will see, I will find you the best!". They had good intentions but what the girls wanted was the choice.


    "You said the solution was the same for both but what is it?" Asked Vanessa.


    "It''s simple really." The old lady told them with a warm smile.


    "All you have to do is convince them that the one you want is an objectively better choice."


    The girls frowned and moaned, how were they supposed to do that? Brenia snorted and just leaned back against her chair. This was pointless to her as well, her father had no power over her, she would do what she pleased. She was only there because she found the reactions of these noble girls amusing.


    "How do we do that!" Complained Heida "My father won''t listen to anything I say."


    Many girls agreed.


    "That is another important thing, if you go to them directly to argue, they will feel like your judgement is clouded by that sweet feeling of love. As they say, hunger makes a man go crazy, love makes a nation go crazy. To convince them, you have to present them your chosen man without actually showing any emotion towards him, preferably, you shouldn''t be the one to introduce him to them either."


    "How does that work?" Asked the girls. "How do we present someone without presenting him?"


    "You have to first find out the strengths and good points of your chosen man. It should be easy if you have sentiments for him. Then, you need to create situations that would make those qualities shine in front of your father. For example, if the one you love is a great swordsman, how about holding a fencing tournament? If your father is looking for more soldiers to protect his land, how about making sure he learns of the troops your man commands? You have to show him that whatever points he want your future husband to have, the one you want has it and more."


    "What if the guy we love have nothing?" Asked Juniper.


    All her father was likely to want was to make sure it would bring him more money, Juniper did not have anyone in mind but it was unlikely anyone she found would bring in any worthwhile benefit to the merchant.


    "Then I would say you chose poorly but this isn''t often the case. Especially for very high ranking nobles, the list of suitable match in the head of your fathers might be extremely limited. They would not want their daughter to marry someone too below them in ranking, that would be unsightly and they would fear that he married you only to gain standing. A high noble girl might find the best man she could dream for but if his rank is too low than things become much harder."


    "What do we have to do then?" Mable said, a bit confused by all this.


    "At that point, it really depends on the value of the one you chose. Is he a peerless warrior? The best cook in the land? What can he bring to honor your family that no one else could?"


    "With the way Emp keeps getting stronger it will be easy for you. By the time he leaves this school, no one will be able to beat him." Vanessa told Mable.


    "Wha!? It''s got nothing to do with him! I was just asking! Don''t say that out loud, it''s embarrassing! He just our friend right Aglaya?" She cried out with her arms raised in the air in defense.


    "Is that the case?" Aglaya answered mischievously.


    "Yes... wait, you''re supposed to be on my side! Why are you teasing me, meanie! I don''t want to be married yet, marriage is no fun, I''m not done having fun."


    Blackbull shook her head at their nonsense and soon followed her lesson.


    ***


    "Hi, what a surprisingly delightful encounter. Did you enjoy the new year celebration of the school?"


    ...


    "Yes, indeed, it''s me, I met all of you that day. I must say, you seemed much more resplendent than any of them at the time and seeing you again fills me with joy."


    ...


    "Did my compliment bother you? I apologise, I did not mean to tarnish the beauty in front of me with my lowly words. I shall take my leave then."


    ...


    "Nh? Your forgiveness fills me with joy. In that case, would you be willing to let me hear your name?"


    ...


    "What an energetic sounding name, it is very fitting of your smile and countenance. I am still very busy for now but, if you are willing, I will show you my talents on our next chance meeting.


    I hope so as well, I assure you, you will be impressed"


    ***


    (1) I might have said something different about this in a previous chapter. I wanted to make sure I didn''t contradict myself but I had no prior notes on this and couldn''t find the reference I was looking for as I glanced at older chapters. If I did contradict myself, Let me know while it is still easy to change either of the two instances without breaking the whole story, thank you.

 61 Quest for the lost food

    In dark-glint village, the atmosphere had darkened once more.


    The day following the loss of Chase and Vesa, they were buried in the woods and trees were planted on them as per the tradition. This time, Emp wasn''t the one to dig the graves.


    While Celtine and Harriett were trying to make him sleep, the other him was watching two of his friends getting covered in dirt. The family of the two and a most of their friends were with him in this place.


    Cuthbert was missing because he was forbidden from getting out of his bed and Calla couldn''t bear to watch so she didn''t come either. In fact, she did not step a foot out of her room after the events.


    Willow had a similar reaction, she came for the burial but did not leave her home anymore afterward, partly because of her sadness and partly because her mother wouldn''t allow her to leave.


    The day was brightly lit by the sun but it still felt dark. The woods had taken two more from them yet again.


    Emp sat outside and lost himself in his thoughts for the whole day. He was thinking deeply about what Marcy had told him the previous day. How could he make sure this would not happen again? What went wrong, who made which mistake?


    The first one they committed that day was the most obvious, it was Willow''s mistake, she should not have ran in the woods. Aside from that, the more he thought about it, the more he found flaws in every actions they took.


    First of all, he should have plainly stopped her from going instead of following her for protection. With his strength, it would have been easy for him. Why had it not crossed his mind back then? Was it because she was a friend that going against her will didn''t seem reasonable until it became the only possible answer left?


    After that, everyone made the mistake of following them. Eda truly was the most responsible of them all, she even stopped Winter as well.


    Then, in the woods, they kept calling Chase, Bor said it himself, it wasn''t a smart idea, who knew what else would hear the call. If they had not exhausted their lungs calling his name, would the wolves still have found them?


    The next thing was that they were awfully under equipped. If he had taken the time to wear his armor at least, he could have been much more aggressive towards the wolves. If he had brought some light blades, the others could have defended themselves more easily. He understood that it was their fault for going in the woods without any sort of means to defend themselves but he was the only one in the group to have possessed both the right to carry weapons and the money to get a bunch of them.


    Then there was his own disappearance. He should have obviously thought about it, it was something that happened everyday. The problem had been that it was such a normal thing to him at that point that it had been a really long time since he last gave more than a single thought about calling himself back and away again. The entire process took a mere instant, all taken care of by a set of simple thoughts alone. He had been delayed a split second longer than usual because of the frightening situation but there would have been no consequences in any other situation. In a battle however, a single instant could change everything and it had indeed changed the fate of Vesa. From now on, he would be very careful about merging the two instances of himself.


    The last thing he learned out of this was about the ring. He had trusted the information the ring gave him because he felt Willow was a friend but in the end, her willful temperament led the whole rescue team astray. He had blindly believed the ring despite Love telling him to not do it.


    He needed to remember that the treasures given to him by the gods were extraordinary but not miraculous. The book didn''t answer his question, the anchor pulled him away at the worse moment and the ring was corrupted by Willow''s desperate wish.


    In the end, if the ancestors had not protected Willow under its roots, she would have died as well. If the ring had led them just a bit further, if it had distracted them just a minute longer, they would have been too late to rescue her. The treasures had flaws, flaws he could account for if only he kept them in mind and truly understood their limits and abilities. Willow had not been a treacherous liar or anything of the likes but the information still ended up wrong, the ring was not as simple as it had first seemed to him.


    He needed to know it and the other treasures better. He also needed to keep his mind sharp, he should have thought about it before or at least, understood what was wrong with the information sooner than he had done. The distraction could have killed Willow.


    Clouds slowly drifted before his eyes as he kept thinking about all those things. He only rose from his seat when his hunger became unbearable, far later into the day.


    He went back inside and met Marcy in the kitchen. She too had a strong appetite and it was more than time to eat. It was then that a realization hit them both at once. Calla didn''t come out of her room since yesterday, they had given all their food to her, they had no food.


    This was far from a bad situation compared to what had happened the previous day but to the current Emp, it felt as if the skies themselves had collapsed over his head. It was the smallest straw to ever break a camel''s back.


    Both of them collapsed lifelessly on the chairs and table.


    "What are we going to eat?"


    "Let me think about it for a bit my boy"


    A few minutes passed without any of them making any movements when Marcy suddenly hit the table with her fist.


    "Vale! She still owe us some food, let''s go there!"


    Emp nodded and the two wore their boots and walked up to Vale''s house. Traces of burnt memories still lingered on the path in front of her door. Marcellia knocked on the door and after a short time, Vale opened with a puzzled look on her face. Even in the village, receiving visitors this late wasn''t common at all.


    "Hi Vale." Marcy said with a raised hand. "It may sound a bit rude but could ya let us in for supper? The lass was too shocked to make food."


    The moment she finished her sentence, Vale burst out laughing.


    "I swear by the ancestors, you look so defeated from that! Sure, come in, I owe you."


    They both thanked her and stepped inside.


    Vale had two kids, a six years old boy and a five years old daughter.


    They were both crouched besides the fireplace, complaining about how slowly the meal was cooking. The two of them barely spared a glance and a pair of disinterested "Hi" to the visitors before going back to pestering their mother.


    The food Vale served everyone wasn''t an art piece like the meals Calla would make but it was filling and not bad at all. Everyone ate with appetite and the duo of visitors stayed for a while afterwards to chat.


    They had as good of a conversation as they could muster considering the recent events and bid her farewell with a filled stomach and a slightly better mood.


    The next day, Emp felt a lot better already, but not Willow or Calla.


    According to her brother Gilbert, Calla refused to set a foot out of her room. Her mother had to bring her all her food inside and she was the only one allowed to come in. With how frail Calla''s heart was, it wasn''t surprising at all but after almost a week of this Emp started to worry for her.


    Marcy felt similarly, except she was much more focused on the food aspect of the situation. After getting her meals made by Calla everyday for a long time, she couldn''t simply accept their miserable attempt at cooking as a true meal.


    "Emp, my boy, I can''t deal with this anymore. Ya have to go there and try to get her out of her room again."


    Emp was surprised to hear her ask this.


    "But, how am I to get her out of there if even her own mother can''t do it?"


    "I don''t know, how should I know? Ya''re her friend not me."


    "But/"


    "No more buts. Ya go there and you get her to make us some food. I won''t teach ya anything until she gets back out."


    That was a harsh punishment from her. Emp knew she did not spare any effort into teaching him her work and art. For her to put it on hold just for Calla''s meals showed how great they were.


    Emp had no choice but to comply, how hard could it be to get a single girl out of her room anyway? There was no way she would be able to stay in there forever. She would have to come out at some point.


    The next day, he walked up to the Champom house and knocked at their door. The house was similar to all the other houses in the village, it seemed solid and counted only a few rooms inside. Behind it, a large amount of apple trees grew and stretched into a forest of their own.


    For Ogden Champom, all the time he didn''t spend collecting apples, he would spend cutting down ordinary trees to plant more apples in their stead. His father had done the same and his own father before too. After generations of doing so, the orchard had become incredibly vast and encroached deep into the original forest.


    Now, there were much more than only a single family working on the maintenance and growth of the orchard. The whole village relied on it throughout the year.


    It was Fiona Champom that answered his knocks. She opened the door and greeted him with a smile.


    "Hi Emp, what are you here for?"


    She had asked what he came to do but she already knew that there could be only two possible reasons for him to be here. Either it was about Calla either it was about Gilbert and considering the state Calla was in, it was probably for her.


    "I''m here to see Calla." Emp confirmed her suspicions.


    "It''s a good thing for you to come here. I''ll show you to her room but don''t be saddened if she doesn''t want to talk or doesn''t let you in. Calla is a fragile flower."


    "I know, I will not bother her too much I promise."


    It wasn''t the first time that Emp came here but he had never walked in further than the main familial room. He had no idea of what any of the other rooms looked like.


    On the way, they passed Gilbert and they both greeted each other. He was a bit grumpy because with his dominant arm wrapped in bandages, there wasn''t much he could do to pass the time. Unable to work, practice his skills or even play with the others.


    "I don''t think you''ll get her out of there." He commented.


    Maybe he was right but Emp still had to try.


    They finally reached Calla''s door. She had a whole room to herself which was unusual in the village. In the past, when her siblings were younger, they shared a few rooms between them all but many of them had grown and gone away by now.


    She was the oldest girl remaining so she kept a room to herself while her two younger sisters shared one. All three of her remaining brothers shared a single room as well. The oldest, Karp, had left two years ago and had built himself a new house nearby.


    When the boys gained a wife, the family would make some space for them alone while they prepared to move on their own.


    With that all said, Calla had a room for herself. Emp had no idea if it was big or small and couldn''t guess what it looked like. All that he knew was that her door was closed and no sound came from inside.


    Fiona came close to the door and spoke to her daughter through it.


    "Calla, Emp is here to see you. Will you come out?"


    They waited for a moment but no answer came.


    Fiona let out a small sigh.


    "I''ll go back to my work, I''ll leave this to you."


    Emp nodded and Calla''s mother walked away.


    He closed in on the door while thinking about what he should say. Obviously, Emp wasn''t the best for this kind of thing but he had to try to get her out anyway.


    "Calla, It''s me."


    "..."


    "You are still sad about what happened. I understand. I learned recently that sharing that sadness is easier than keeping it for yourself."


    It was his two slaves and Marcy that showed him this. If not for them, he would still be dazed by the shock.


    "..."


    Still, no word came from her side.


    "Are you willing to share it with me?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I will stay here in case you change your mind."


    Marcy would no teach him anything anyway until she came out of her room so he had nothing better to do. He sat down just beside her door and rested his back against her wall.


    While he was there, he studied the basics of magic in his school book but always kept his attention towards the door.


    He stayed the whole day but no words came from inside. In the end, he left defeated.


    The next day, he came back and a similar situation repeated itself.


    "It''s me again. Master said she would not teach me until you came out of that room so I will stay here all day again. She misses your food a lot, to be honest, I miss it dearly too."


    "..."


    "I''ll wait for you here."


    The third day.


    "Calla, I cannot understand your sadness if you do not say anything. You know I am not that good with feelings and words in the first place."


    "..."


    "The others are all worried for you, we all want to help. Let us."


    "..."


    The fifth day.


    "We haven''t seen willow either since then."


    "..."


    "If it was you that talked to her, I am sure she would feel much better but... None of us are as kind and compassionate as you."


    "..."


    "She really loved Chase a lot didn''t she?"


    "..."


    "I can hardly understand how this would feel. Only based on what I felt myself, it must be an excruciating pain."


    "..."


    "Do you feel the same way too? Can I do anything at all to help?"


    "..."


    "I''ll be just by the door."


    When he came for the eight consecutive day, he had still not managed to get a word out of her. It was as if her souls had left her.


    The more time he spent waiting for her, the more worried for her he was. How was he supposed to make her react to anything? He really wished he could help in any way.


    In the end, he could only try to talk about what was most likely the source of her pain.


    "You know, Vesa told me about how you gave him an apple when you were both small. He told me you wanted to make him better with it."


    "..."


    "When he told me the story, I felt it was very like you to do this. Who else would do such a thing? Give an apple to heal a wound with all the hope in the world. I would not be surprised if I was told you are the kindest and meekest thing in this world."


    "..."


    "That is why I had to help you when your arrow didn''t go far. Out of everyone''s wish, yours must have been the most deserving to become real, even though I didn''t know what it was."


    "..."


    Emp hesitated a long time before he told the next bit of the story. He didn''t know if it would do good or hurt her further if he said it aloud. In the end, he chose to talk. Nothing else had gained any reaction from her until now so how could it be worse?


    "He felt the same thing. He admired you greatly and wanted to do all in his power to return the kindness you always show to others back on to you."


    "..."


    "No... Those aren''t the right words. He loved you."


    "..."


    "This is what he told me, he loved you since you gave him this apple. He wanted your happiness, maybe more than anything."


    "..."


    "He wondered how you felt but he did not ask because he did not want to do the same as Chase did."


    "..."


    "Was that right or wrong? I don''t know. I don''t know if knowing this will make you feel any better either. I just suddenly felt that since it was one of the things he thought about the most, at least you deserved to know."


    "..."


    "How did you feel about him? Are you still in there for the same reasons as Willow?"


    "..."


    "I''ll sit here for a while."


    The twelfth day.


    Emp was walking up to her door when he was questioned by Calla''s two small sisters, Zora and Fleur Champom. They were the youngest kids of the family so for once, Emp towered over someone like a giant.


    "Are you really going to wait at sis''s door all day again?"


    "Yes."


    "Even though she won''t come out?"


    "Yes, I won''t go away just because she is too sad to open her door for me."


    The two small girls seemed very impressed but Fleur immediately added something with a pout.


    "I wanted her to come too but she did not listen. I''m mad at her now."


    "Why are you mad?" Asked Emp, a bit puzzled.


    "She said she would show me how to cook something delish but she hasn''t come out of her room since the other day. Even though I banged and called her mean, she didn''t listen."


    Emp already had a hard time understanding the logic of normal people sometimes so understanding why the small girl was mad was even harder for him. He couldn''t see how someone that was too sad to do anything could somehow make someone else mad. The small girl must have really looked forward to cooking with her sister.


    "Don''t be mad at her, she''ll definitely cook with you again when she come out."


    "Really? Do you promise?"


    The eyes of the small girl sparkled like a million stars.


    "Calla really loves cooking. I don''t need to promise you, I''m very certain she will do it."


    "But when? How many sleeps before she comes out?"


    "I don''t know, I''m trying my best. Go play with your sister and be kind in the meantime. When she comes out, she will be happy to hear you didn''t cause any trouble."


    "How could we cause any trouble? Zora and me are the bestest girls in the house!"


    The two girls proudly showed their best behavior and rushed outside to play soon after.


    This short conversation gave him a smile before a thought appeared in his head. That thought had been prompted by the innocently cute anger of the small girl.


    He walked up to the door again, sat just beside it and spoke to the flower inside.


    "Calla, are you mad at me?"


    His voice did not sound the same as how he spoke the previous two weeks.


    "..."


    "I, I couldn''t save Vesa. I failed. I needed to protect everyone but, instead..."


    "..."


    "I''m sorry. I wasn''t there. Vesa saved you. I couldn''t help either of you."


    "..."


    "He stood in the way for you, and I didn''t make it back in time for him. Because of me, he wasn''t there to tell you how much he loved you himself and I had to do it for him."


    "..."


    "Vesa was my friend too. It is my fault, I know. I will be sorry forever. "


    The following silence covered them for a long long time.


    The words he used where true but still very painful to utter for himself. Even if he wanted to change that moment more than almost anything else, he could not. Being sorry for it was the only thing he could do with his power.


    Each day he had come up with some new words and waited for a reaction but now, he really didn''t know what else to say. If she truly was angry with him, nothing he would say would ever sway her. He could only wait for her to calm down. He took a deep and long breath to calm his mind before he spoke again.


    "I... Will go back home now."


    He had started to get back up when he heard sounds from the other side of the wall. A rustle, a few quick thump, the door was pushed wide open and Calla burst out of the room to instantly collapse on top of him.


    Emp was taken by surprise and fell back against the wall as he barely managed to keep her from bumping her head on the floor. He couldn''t be sure if she had know he was there and lunged on top of him or if she thought he had already left and tripped over him while he was getting back up.


    Either way, the result was that Calla was now crying in his arms. He sat back down slowly and held her in his arms as best he could to not let her fall. Was it him who had prompted that reaction? She tightly gripped the front of his shirt.


    "Don''t go." She said feebly.


    He spent almost two weeks sat at her door and she never opened but now that he told her he was leaving she rushed out. Like always, Emp didn''t understand why she reacted that way but if she wanted him to stay there, he could only do as she wished. After all, he had spent all this time just to know how she felt and how he could help.


    "If you don''t want me to leave then I won''t go anywhere."


    That was the truth, he could even easily sleep in this corridor, sat right there if she really didn''t want him to leave. He had slept in many worse places than that on the road. As long as she emptied her heart, he didn''t mind the long wait.


    For a while, she clung on to him with her eyes tightly shut as if trying to stop herself from cry anymore than she already did. He wasn''t sure what he was supposed to do, was she expecting him to do anything at all? He had received a hug from Marcy, Celtine and Harriett before but this wasn''t exactly the same. He was the one supposed to do the comforting now wasn''t he?


    With his arms holding her as closely to him as he dared, he apologized again.


    "I''m sorry Calla, it was all my fault, I''ll try to be better."


    She tried to say something to deny his words but she started crying after the second word and he understood nothing of what she said. It all sounded like a formless whining.


    "There is no way I can understand what you are saying if you cry at the same time. Calm down a bit, take your time, I''m not moving."


    She took some deep breaths but kept being shaken by powerful sobs. His shirt got all wet from her tears but he held her close to him anyway. He didn''t know what else to do. If Madam Blackbull learned about this, she would probably scold him for holding a girl like this but she was the one that hugged him so it was fine, wasn''t it?


    After a good while, she said something he didn''t expect at all, with a voice he could barely hear.


    "Your heartbeat is so calm. I can feel it."


    "Of course it''s calm, since everything is fine now. There is nothing scary here."


    There was another pause before she said what she was really thinking about.


    "It wasn''t your fault at all, it was all because of me."


    "Because of you? How could it be because of you?"


    Emp didn''t understand at all what she meant. She opened the eyes that she had until now kept closed and looked at him. She had to twist her neck backwards to look up towards him. She could have just sat properly but she apparently didn''t want to. her eyes were usually green, clear and gentle but today, they were reddened and blurred by the tears, pained.


    "My new year wish." She said.


    "Your wish?" What did it have anything to do with this?


    "Every year since the first time I ever made a wish," She explained guiltily. "I wish for the safety of my friends and family. Not this time. This time I was selfish instead. I wished to be a bit bolder, braver, enough to..."


    Her voice trailed off but she quickly found her words back. She said the rest with conviction, declaring herself guilty.


    "I wished to be bold instead of wishing for their safety and Vesa and Chase died right away! This is clearly my fault. If I had made the same wish as usual, everyone would be fine."


    The first thing that came to his mind hearing her story was that it was absurd.


    "Aren''t the ancestors already supposed to protect everyone? One of them even saved Willow by letting her hide under its roots. Whether you wished for the safety of everyone or not, they should have done their best to help anyway. This has nothing to do with your wish at all."


    "If I had wished the same thing I always do, everyone would be fine. If I had stayed in the village, Vesa would have been fine."


    "If you had stayed, maybe Vesa would have been fine but Willow would not have been and we would never have found Chase. None of this is your fault."


    "But/"


    "How could anyone ever think this has anything to do with you? Wishing something for yourself can''t be that bad. Not asking directly for the ancestors to protect everyone isn''t the same as wishing bad things on them. Aren''t you the only one wishing for everyone else safety every year? Why would you not have the right to ask for yourself once in a while? Everyone made mistakes that day, me more than most. There is no way I can agree that you are at fault here."


    "I told you to go! If I had not, none of this would have happened."


    Emp tried to reason further with her.


    "That''s not true at all, Chase would still have been lost and Willow would have left alone. That day, when we all made a wish, you must have thought about it for a long time. At that moment, you felt that being bolder was much more important than your usual wish, it must have been a strong desire. Now you regret because you feel that you exchanged the safety of everyone for yourself but that is not what happened at all."


    Calla looked into his eyes, searching why he was so convinced of that.


    "The only thing that was exchanged for your wish that day was my own wish."


    Her eyes went wide, as if she had not thought of that at all. It was exactly what had happened that day, he had sacrificed his wish for hers, not the safety of their friends.


    "I was about to wish to understand what it meant to have a family, what it really meant to feel love."


    Her eyes became even wider and her mouth opened in shock. She was far from expecting such a wish!


    "But I told you already," Emp followed. "That day when I saw your arrow hit the first tree, I felt that you deserved your wish much more than mine. I still think so and the others too. I remember clearly, everyone smiled when I did that, they all agreed that your wish was deserved, I had done the right thing. How could you say then that this wish caused the death of two of our friends?"


    "You... about... love..."


    "Mhn, I have a hard time understanding that kind of thing and before Marcy decided that I would be her son, I never really had a family."


    He did but in name only.


    "I wanted to understand all of that, that was my wish. But then, I felt that it could wait. Just being with Marcy, having all our friends close to me and being able to eat the food you made us, that was enough for me. I didn''t really need anything more, I think I said it that day. I feel like I will understand one day, whether I wished for it or not. Even now that I know what kind of wish you made, I still think I did the right thing."


    "..."


    Anyway, he was still not convinced that those wishes really held any sort of power.


    Calla''s grip on his shirt tightened and she closed her eyes again.


    "Don''t Blame yourself for this anymore. Even if Chase and Vesa knew all that you told me now, I am sure that neither would feel any bit of resentment towards you. They would both agree with me, this isn''t your fault at all. We all just want to see you smile and come out with us again."


    "It wasn''t your fault either Emp. I''m sure they think the same too."


    She pressed her face into his shirt again and didn''t move for a long time. After more than an hour, his butt started to feel numb but she was so much more peaceful than in the beginning that he didn''t want to disturb her too much.


    Later, her mother showed up silently at the end of the corridor and made a charming smile looking at the scene. She must have been really happy to see her out of her room again, even though she was sprawled on the floor.


    "Calla, your mom is there."


    That simple sentence from him jolted her like a bolt of lightning and she instantly sat up properly, jumping away from him in a panic.


    Fiona almost laughed but managed to refrain herself from embarrassing her further. Calla''s face took a deep red tint as she sat on her knees and dodged the eyes of her mother.


    "I''m glad you''re out of there. Do you feel better now?" Her mom said tenderly.


    "Mhn." She nodded as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.


    "Will you help me with supper then?"


    Calla nodded again and after giving him an almost whispered "thank you" she ran off to the kitchen.


    Since she was finally out of the room and he wasn''t really needed anymore, and got back up and walker towards Calla''s mother. The corner of her mouth rose a bit when she saw the two large circle of tears on his shirt and she thanked him properly as well.


    "Thank you for helping her. She felt so much guilt for no reason, nothing I said would cheer her up."


    "You knew?"


    If she had known why Calla was sad, why didn''t she tell him from the beginning?


    "Of course I knew, I''m her mother. Mother''s always know these kinds of things, just like how fathers know when their sons make trouble."


    Was this a special power awarded to mothers? Was this part of the things that made a family what it was? Did Marcy have the same power too?


    After that, he left the Champom family and went back to Marcy. When she saw him and his wet shirt, she knew immediately that he had finally succeeded.


    She praised his efforts and then he told her why Calla was sad, about how she blamed herself for what had happened and how he told her that this wasn''t her fault.


    "Isn''t that exactly the same thing I told ya the other day? We all clearly know it had nothing to do with her just like we all know it had nothing to do with ya. Yet, neither of you believed us."


    Her words followed him all the way into his bed as he reflected on them further. What she said was definitely true, she had told him it wasn''t his fault yet he still felt guilty. Calla''s mom told her the same yet she still felt guilty until he came to tell her himself. He felt much better now though. he felt as if he had been covered in mud for a long time and it was finally washed away.


    Marcy definitely had the "mother''s powers" Fiona told him about. Did she send him to Calla just to make him feel better? Was the food just a pretext?


    In any case, from the next day onward, they were once again able to taste the food of Calla Champom.


    The only thing Emp still didn''t know about this whole thing was how she had felt about Vesa. Now that she seemed better though, he didn''t want to bring it up again.

 62 First spell

    In the imperial school in B¨ºt¨¦clair, sometime after the new year, Emp was listening to a lesson about magic.


    This wasn''t like the usual and ordinary lesson he received until now, this was the very first specialized lesson he received.


    He had studied the basics hard and even used the time he spent in Willow''s house to absorb the words and knowledge of the book and now, Heinrich had deemed him ready for the next step.


    He was the fifth in class that managed to get himself out of the basics. The other four were Penny of course, Gytha, Zoran and Norval.


    Today, Emp had a book about earth elemental magic in his hands. With how many affinities he had, he could have chosen almost any books but wind, earth and water were the most prominent so it was best to pick one of those.


    Of the three, earth was the most enticing to his current mindset. It was renowned for its defensive abilities after all. He felt like learning this might be a faster and easier way to protect everyone.


    The book in his hands was heavy and counted a large amount of pages. It''s content was aimed at beginners so a good half of the book was dedicated on how to handle earth-related magu and what kind of ingredients, gestures and voice could be used to influence it.


    The second half of the book contained many simple spells and many more variations of them. All of them were related to earth and rocks in some way and all of them could be considered relatively safe.


    Even though he had perfectly memorized all the basics and he had high affinity for this element, Emp felt completely lost as he looked troughs its content.


    There were just too many variations and too many possibilities. Any small difference in the type or quantity of any components could change the spell completely. Looking at that one book, it was easy to understand why mages usually kept using the same spells they already knew rather than learning a wide array of them.


    The sheer amount of information contained in those pages was dizzying and those were only for the beginners, used to cast the most simple of all spells.


    Higher ranked spells must be exceedingly complicated, books including those must have been enormous and complex. Emp pitied the poor man who had to transcribe all this onto a new book. The task must have been tedious beyond belief.


    Maybe it explained why more advanced magic books were hard to find, they only made you a copy if you requested it specifically. Else, no one would want to harness the task of copying them.


    Emp tried to ignore most of the book and only paid attention to one very specific spell. It was the teacher that had chosen it for him, it was the most simple of them all and he had to learn it first.


    He was asked to memorize everything about it and once he felt confident about his knowledge, seek out the teacher to try using it.


    The spell itself was meant to ask a small amount of soil to keep its current shape. It was called ''solidify''. It seemed like a pointless thing to do but many other magic of the earth element used it as part of their own. Erecting a wall of dirt for example was pointless if it crumbled instantly.


    By perfecting the use of this spell, most of the other spells would become easier to learn in the future as a part of them would already be familiar to him.


    It would not be used in all of them but it was definitely worth the effort. As for those in which it wouldn''t be used, some weren''t even properly related to the earth. There were those sharing more than one element and those that seemed to be classified into earth just because of something mildly linked with it. For example, lifting and throwing a boulder across the plains like a catapult was a earth spell but aside from the boulder itself, it had nothing to do at all with this element.


    It took him about two classes worth of time to memorize everything perfectly. Then, he practiced saying the words composing the spell aloud for a long time. From what he understood, they meant nothing. It was just a jumble of sounds that supposedly made words but he couldn''t make out any of them. Celtine told him that when he was saying those words aloud, what she heard was "hold together solid."


    Emp guessed it was because she heard the meaning of the words rather than the words themselves. Her ability was interesting and the meaning of the words did make sense with what he wanted to accomplish but, knowing what they really meant didn''t really help him in any way.(1)


    The only thing he really got out of the information was that the sentence wasn''t built properly. When he asked the teacher about it, he was told that most of the simplest spell were like that. They were all as simple as possible to limit the possibilities of the meaning changing too much. Three words were almost as simple as it could go. Emp heard that the simplest fire spell was actually just the word ''burn''.


    The more complex and advanced spells used complete sentences with proper structure, often many of them too. Emp wondered if Celtine would be able to pick up the words like "the" too when she heard an advanced spell or if there wasn''t enough meaning behind that kind of word for her to understand it clearly.


    Her strange ability was truly interesting.


    In any case, now that he had properly learned everything there was to know about that simple three word spell, it was time to try it out, in the classroom, in front of everyone.


    Heinrich was standing in front of Emp''s desk, ready to test his ability. In one of his hands, he held an ordinary clay pot and in his other hand, he held an even more ordinary rock. The teacher quickly explained to him what he was meant to do.


    "This is a clay pot full of dirt. If I place it upside down and I remove it, the dirt should lose the shape of the pot and crumble on the desk. So, you will use this rock as a catalyst and cast the basic earth ''solidify'' spell on the dirt under the pot before I remove it. Once the pot is removed, your task will be to keep the dirt in its shape for as long as you can, provided of course that the spell is a success. Many spells of the earth element rely on the caster keeping part of his attention on them in order to sustain the effect. After all, the spell isn''t meant to fuse all that dirt together, you are only asking it to stay as it is."


    That seemed like an important point. It was meaningless to form anything with a earth spell if it was to crumble right away.


    "How do I maintain the spell?"


    "You need to keep your focus on it. The moment you stop thinking about it, the whole thing will cease to work. Proper mages can do many things at once and maintain many spells together but for a novice like you, being able to hold it for more than a breath would be very good already."


    "Is it that hard to do?" Emp was surprised to hear that such a basic thing was considered so hard.


    "No, it''s the opposite. Maintaining a spell is way too simple."


    Emp kept staring blankly, trying to understand what that was supposed to even mean.


    "Your attention needs to remain on it for it to keep working but, since it doesn''t really use your own power as fuel, the difficulty of actually doing it is about equal to breathing. You just start doing it and you forget about it."


    Emp couldn''t comment on that, not long ago, he still kept forgetting to breathe when anything unexpected happened.


    "The moment you forget, the spell fails. Most people''s mind start to wander after a moment and the thought of the spell drift away until it completely disappear. They might think of their next move in a fight or simply about what they would like to eat for dinner, in any case, such thoughts put an end to the spell almost every time. It takes a tremendous control over one own thoughts to be able to consciously think about something while simultaneously doing other things. Because of this, the majority of mages stick to spell without a need for active maintenance."


    Emp was a bit disappointed to hear all that. He had so many affinities, why did he have to chose to start with the one element requiring the hardest thing out of him. If he had known all that to begin with, he would have chosen something else.


    The teacher wasn''t in the least disturbed by the air of regret surrounding Emp and slammed the pot upside down on the stone desk. It made a sharp ceramic "Thuc" sound and not a piece of dirt escaped it. Following that, he extended the small grey rock towards Emp.


    "Take it and cast the spell once you are ready. If you fail, we''ll try again until you can do it."


    Emp nodded with a sigh and picked up the rock. He knew there were different types of rocks but he had no idea what this one was, it was just grey and ordinary. From what he understood, the spell could be improved if one used a "better" rock but since he knew nothing about rocks, he had no idea what made for a better rock.


    As he prepared for his first attempt at casting a spell, the other students pretended to continue on with their own tasks while they observed his try with great attention.


    Emp focused, did all the things the book said and said recited the incantation. The teacher didn''t remove the pot from the table and looked perfectly indifferent to his attempt.


    "You failed, your fingers aren''t positioned correctly, the dirt under the pot will be unaffected. Look, they are too far apart. Start over."


    A single sound of stifled laughter similar to a sneeze made itself heard from somewhere behind him. Emp turned around to look at Kenneth.


    "I mean, the way he said it... he didn''t even need to lift the pot to know, isn''t that funny?"


    "Emp, I won''t waste all my afternoon holding a clay pot, stop talking nonsense to your classmates and focus on the task. Give the spell a proper go. Remember to think about the expected outcome and this time, follow the instructions properly."


    Emp was a bit miffed to have been scolded for talking even though he had not opened his mouth at all but still turned back towards the pot.


    After four more tries, Emp felt something different. It wasn''t a tingling sensation or any physical reaction. It just felt right, the same kind of feeling he would sometimes get when doing tasks for Marcy. He knew this time, he had done it right, he tried to engrave this attempt in his memory. The mage found his performance suitable as well and lifted the pot. The dirt spilled all over the desk to Emp''s great disappointment.


    "You thought of something else and forgot to maintain the spell... Put back the dirt into that clay pot and try again. Do the exact same you just did but this time, don''t get distracted by your own success."


    How did he get distracted? He didn''t think of anything.


    Helped by Celtine, he slid the dirt over the desk surface and back into the pot. The mage took it back, flipped it and placed it back on the desk.


    The second attempt ended in the exact same way and the third as well.


    "Stop thinking about the pot when I remove it. Every time I do you think about me removing the pot instead of the spell and the dirt under the pot. Try again."


    Was he really doing that? How did Heinrich know?


    "These are amongst the most common mistakes made by beginners." He explained.


    Further attempts proved just as difficult. He really wanted to achieve it and he did listen to Heinrich but he just couldn''t do it. The novelty of the situation swiftly faded and everyone around him returned to their own things.


    After many attempts, the teacher concluded that he at least knew how to cast it properly and left Celtine in charge of lifting the pot for each attempts. If he managed to do it, the result would be obvious and so he didn''t need to be there. Instead of supervising Emp, he went back to help the others in their various studies.


    It took him two full classes, excluding the one he first tried, in order to see the dirt hold itself together for a split second before it crumbled.


    Thinking about nothing but this was ridiculously hard to do. Maybe he needed to know it better? Thinking about it as just the dirt under the pot was too hard. If he could know more about it, maybe he would be able to keep thinking about it longer?


    He held up a handful of dirt up to his eyes and looked at it seriously.


    Really, it had nothing special, it was brown and dry, it was almost sand at this point. It didn''t smell anything in particular and its texture wasn''t different than the dirt he would pick up on the road side. It was probably where the mage got it in the first place, on the path of the school courtyard.


    Cyril Lowfield came from a village right? He even had "field" in his name, maybe he knew a bit more about dirt?


    "Cyril, did you have fields in your village?"


    The teen turned around to look his way, a puzzled frown on his face.


    "We only had some small gardens, what is it you want exactly?"


    "I thought you would know a lot about dirt."


    "..."


    A uncomfortable silence spread across the room. Why was everyone staring? Heida and Gervaise snickered while Mable looked around with a air just as confused as his own. Clearly she didn''t understand either. Cyril had the worst reaction of them all.


    Cyril was a earnest man and a good friend but for some reason, he seemed to really badly take his question. His face turned green than red, he slapped his book against his desk and rose to his feet as he pointed angrily at him.


    "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked loudly.


    Emp felt dazed by his anger and couldn''t wrap his mind around the situation. Meanwhile, the teacher completely ignored them and just reminded Penny, who he was currently supervising, to keep her focus on her task. Heinrich was the kind of man who didn''t really care about what happened around him. Was it because he practiced a lot about holding spells together?


    Kenneth intervened before things could get worse.


    "Calm down Cyril. I did the same mistake at the entrance ceremony. We''re talking about Emp here, I''m sure there is an explanation."


    "Yeah, look at his face, he clearly doesn''t understand what he just did. It''s not like he his secretly an expert in underhanded insults." Added Aglaya.


    What underhanded insult? Emp couldn''t follow, he just asked if he knew about dirt.


    Cyril calmed down a bit and agreed. It was unlike him to get so worked up anyway.


    "Alright then, Emp, what did you mean."


    Emp felt stressed about what to answer. He didn''t understand what had caused this in the first place so he didn''t know how to avoid repeating the mistake. He decided to explain his thoughts fully.


    "I was practicing that earth spell but I can''t keep thinking about it. I felt that if I knew more about that dirt I might be able to focus on it longer. I couldn''t find anything about it just by looking so I felt that someone working closely with the earth might know more than me. The only persons I know that work with dirt are farmers and gardeners but I don''t know any. Then, I remembered that your name was Lowfield and that you came from a village. And wanted to ask for your help into understanding that dirt but if you have no fields there, it''s pointless."


    Everyone starred again, this time, more amused and dispirited than shocked. Cyril was making the face of someone who discovered that the letter he was waiting for would not arrive this week. (2)


    "What is happening? Why is everyone acting so weird?" Mable voiced her, and his, thoughts.


    He took a quick look to his left and saw that Celtine wasn''t clear on what was happening either. This meant that it wasn''t just some basic behavioral rule he didn''t understand but something that came from the humans, something Celtine was learning along with him.


    "It''s because the way he says it could be seen as him looking down on Cyril and comparing him to mud, or at least someone only good at playing in the dirt. If none of us knew Emp, his words would be seen as an attack against Cyril background. It would be a devastating blow if said in public, and a very disgraceful attack as well." Aglaya told her.


    "Heh?"


    "What he said could be very offensive when taken out of context." She explained again, more simply.


    "The funniest part is that he doesn''t get why it''s like that at all. Mable didn''t see it at all either but that''s because she can''t picture Emp saying that sort of thing at all."


    Well, Ivar was right, he didn''t get it at all. Even now that Aglaya explained, he didn''t understand why it was so offensive at all.


    "I''m sorry, even with all of that, I don''t understand how my question could be misconstrued like that."


    "Have you not listened to Blackbull''s class at all?"


    He did, but he couldn''t remember a class about this kind of thing. He turned to Celtine for help and she wrote him a short overview of the problem.


    < The man tribes make distinctions between ruling families and those that aren''t. He aims to reach a position of knight which is considered part of the nobility despite being born in a village. He is sensitive over the matter because he thinks that other nobles will look down on him because of his origin. Dirt is often compared to something lowly and worthless so asking for knowledge about it and implying he is an expert in it because of his birthplace is almost comparing him to the dirt itself or at least, that his place is with it. >


    "Huh, thank you Celtine for the explanation."


    That was a very precise way to explain what had happened to him.


    "I didn''t mean to imply anything, I was just wondering if you would be able to help with my problem. That dirt has been defeating me for days now. I apologize for the way I asked, I will ask miss Blackbull about it later."


    Cyril calmed down a lot and sat back down.


    "I understand, I forgive you, I may have overreacted. I was offended for nothing, I know you more than that."


    "I do not understand why you were offended though."


    "What?"


    "Didn''t we just go through that?" Asked Kenneth, stunned by how Emp was still confused about it.


    "I understand what you were offended about but not why you were offended about it." Emp said again to Cyril.


    He frowned again, trying to understand what Emp meant to tell him. He didn''t talk to Emp often because he took his time in class very seriously but the last time he had this kind of talk with him, it completely changed his view about the two slaves following him. He wanted to hear what Emp had to say.


    "Why should I not?"


    "There are two things I am not sure I understand about it. First, I do not understand why having more knowledge about something, even if it is only dirt, would be bad. I was told that all knowledge is good, the more you have the better you are. I do not think there is such a thing as a valueless knowledge."


    "Well, even if that''s the case, I don''t have that knowledge."


    "If you did, it would not have been a bad thing, at least I think. The other thing I don''t understand is about your village."


    "What about my village?"


    "I think I remember you saying you are doing all this to help them."


    "Yes, I am."


    "But, if you are offended when someone say that you are from there, why are you helping them?"


    There was silence once again in the room. No one seemed to really understand what Emp was trying to say.


    "Miss Penny, stop looking over there and examine the diagram seriously." Heinrich said from a bit further in the room.


    Emp asked some more in an attempt to understand his reaction.


    "Do you not love them?"


    "I do love them!" Reacted Cyril.


    "Are they not good people?"


    "They are!"


    "Then, should you not be proud of coming from there? If it is true that you come from there and those living there are good people that you love, why did you get angry when I said you came from there?"


    Cyril was stunned. His gaze grew distant and his eyes unfocused. The others raised their eyebrows. When did Emp start being like that? Did he suddenly turn into an old man?


    Emp waited for his answer with interest. He was wondering if perhaps someone could insult him without him noticing a thing if he didn''t know about this. Being insulted and not understanding it would be shameful no? Miss Blackbull would panic.


    After a long time of everyone watching his face, Cyril rose to his feet again and walked up to Emp. He made a resolute looking smile and extended his hand for a shake.


    "You are absolutely right Emp. Denying my birthplace would defeat the purpose of this whole thing. I felt that my birthplace was my weakness but it was my strength instead. They gave their all to allow me to come here, they are nothing to be ashamed about, they made me who I am. If they are dirt than I should be glad to be covered in it. However far I reach in the future, I will remember this. Noble may snicker in my back in the future and call me lowborn but I don''t mind. They would be the ones worthy of mockery to disregard the heart and benevolence that inhabit my village. Those they will call dirt will be thousands of times more worthy of respect than them. How do you call those that are bellow even dirt? They would not be worthy of my anger. I am the pride of my village and they are my pride. Thank you Emp for making me understand that."


    Emp shook his hand because he insisted but he had no idea how he came up with all that. He just wanted to understand why mentioning his birthplace could be seen as an insult. Cyril seemed very happy but in the end, Emp''s question fell into nothingness. He was glad to have helped but it had been entirely accidental, his question had not been answered and the dirt remained a mystery. He felt depressed and happy at the same time, what a strange feeling.


    After that, he continued to attempt to solidify the dirt under the pot. He gave all his efforts to stay focused but always ended up doing something wrong.


    "Are you sure that trick will help you beat me?" Asked him Brenia, a few days later, unimpressed.


    She wasn''t trying to mock him, she just felt that after all his talk about magic being useful, seeing him trying to harden a pile of dirt was a bit disappointing.


    Emp too was pretty convinced that hardening dirt wouldn''t help in fights any time soon. If he knew a better spell, and was able to cast it of course, it might have played a role in their approaching spar but he knew the current one was pointless for this.


    "No but I need to learn it anyway."


    He would have talked about the upcoming fights with her some more but doing so in the middle of the magic class wasn''t the time. More so since he needed to keep his mind solely focused on the dirt.


    Seing that he wasn''t up to talk, Brenia went back to idle at her desk and Emp resumed his attempts.


    After days of practice, he was getting pretty frustrated, he was always making a mistakes.


    He saw the dirt hold itself together, smiled, and the whole thing crumbled.


    His nose itched, he failed to hold the spell.


    He thought about what Harriett would make for dinner, he failed to hold the spell.


    Someone spoke in the classroom, the dirt crumbled.


    He couldn''t help but think about things happening around him. He didn''t know how to fix this problem. Was it really just about trying and trying until it worked?


    He did manage to keep it together once for a bit longer but that one time, Mable said "Look, Emp did it." And it all fell back down.


    Since he couldn''t do it for now, this whole thing would have to wait for after the spars. Winfred had spoken, they were now knowledgeable enough to spar relatively safely. The other group would come challenge them in a matter of days.


    Emp was much more confident about the spars than he was about the spell.


    ***


    "So, how did you feel about the display of my powers?"


    ...


    "I am glad to hear it, I am widely renowned for this after all."


    ...


    "This is true as well but this school might not be such a bad place after all. You never know what life has in reserve for you. Is something bothering you?"


    ...


    "Is that so? Well, if you change your mind or maybe if you just want to talk with a friend, I will be here."


    ***


    (1) It would be another matter entirely if he was advance enough in magic to build his own spells. Placing the right words in the right places makes up most of the work.


    (2) Emp doesn''t have many example of disappointed and annoyed faces.

 63 Hunters from the north

    "Because of all of these reasons, I believe that you are a bad influence on the youth of this village. If it was only depending on me, I would have thrown you out long ago."


    Emp had been caught by Sophus on his way to meet the others. Like always, he was very vocal about his distaste of him and his presence in the village.


    "I do not understand why you are always complaining about me. If this is really all about Marcy, wouldn''t it make more sense to be courteous with me rather than insulting?"


    Sophus just glared at him and left. He had been complaining for a while already, he must have ran out of things to say.


    Emp watched him walk away for a moment and turned back towards the open field were the others were passing time.


    In the village, things had mostly went back to normal.


    Calla was back outside with the group, the injured were almost recovered and even Willow had been released.


    It was Calla that had managed to convince her to go back out with them after Winnie decided she had been punished enough. Willow had been afraid of how the others would look at her since she was the main cause of this whole catastrophe.


    After a lot of convincing, she finally accepted to show up. The rest were mostly relieved that she was fine just like they were when Calla finally got out of her room.


    Gilbert still had a jaw shaped mark on his forearm and Emp wondered how bad the scar would be.


    Cuthbert had been made full of holes and bruises but now he was mostly fine. There were just a bunch of small bumps were the fangs had pierced his flesh.


    Since he didn''t want this to happen again, he had taken it upon himself to teach them all about some of the sword techniques he had learned. He would have liked to teach them about self magic too but he didn''t use that sort of thing himself so he had no idea how to teach it.


    At that moment, he was joining up with them to show the group some new tricks.


    He understood that he was not the best teacher and that only knowing a bit more about how to properly use a sword wouldn''t help that much in the grand scheme of things but he felt that it was at least a start.


    They weren''t that into it and only listened when they felt like it but at least now, they knew how to stand properly with a blade.


    When he reached them, he was greeted enthusiastically like usual. They waved at him and he approached them while they were watching over a group marching into the village.


    That group was made up of many women riding wagons or walking alongside them. They all wore light armor and most of them had crossbows. By their general shape and the way they talked, Emp was convinced they were warriors, or at least, a group of effective hunters.


    The teens were all grouped on the roadside. They were always curious to see people come and go from the village. They were very interested to see what brought all of those muscular women to their village. Usually, for groups like that, they were just passing through towards or from the howling hills.


    Emp was very curious too so he didn''t insist on practicing the sword and just joined the other observers instead. As he sat down on a tree stump besides Gilbert, he noticed that someone was missing.


    "Where''s Willow?"


    She had just recently been freed and she was off again?


    "Her mother said she was sick today." Eda explained. "I hope she''ll get better soon."


    Getting sick was no laughing matter. Even Calla wouldn''t risk coming close to comfort Willow if she was truly sick. Emp nodded in answer and moved on to the next subject.


    "So who are they?"


    "I don''t know, they just got here, Lars went to get Bor so we''ll know soon." Gilbert answered.


    "They look a bit scary." Complained Calla.


    "They aren''t too bad, they could have been dressed in heavy armor instead. They''re all in a good mood as well so I feel they''re more reassuring than scary." Manley answered.


    As Manley said, they were all well equipped but it could have been much worse. As for their expression, most of them seemed fine, only one looked way more gloomy than the rest.


    That gloomy one was one of the three women who went ahead of their group to meet with Bor.


    The one on the left was a short women who wore grey robes full of pockets, she was clearly a mage and held a hood over her head to protect herself from the wind.


    The middle one was the tallest, she wore a steel scale armor, a huge crossbow and a long and slender spear. She had removed her helm to meet Bor. Under it, short blond hair stuck to her scalp and steel grey eyes scanned Bor fearlessly.


    The one on the right was the unfriendly looking one. She was muscular, and fearsome, combined with the dark look in her brown eyes, she would scare away any and all children. She wore a layer of beast skin over her armor, a crossbow across her back over a shield and an axe at her hips. Her blonde hair was a strange mix of free flowing strands on the left and a long braid on the right.


    The one in the middle was probably the leader of the group because she spoke first to Bor when he met them.


    "Welcome to Dark-glint. I am Bor, commander of the Dark-glint garrison and village chief. You wished to see me?"


    "Yes, we are pleased to meet you commander Bor. We are a travelling group of huntresses, death-seekers in our spare times. My name is Connie, I''m the leader of the group, this is our earth mage and healer Jaska and this is my second in command Tacey. Forgive her mood, she''s been like that ever since her daughter died."


    The three made a small bow as their names were said and Bor extended a hand to greet them politely.


    "I can understand that, no one is safe from death. Our village too suffered recent catastrophic losses, both in the ranks of our soldiers and hunters and even some of our kids. No one here will blame miss Tacey for her grief."


    Connie nodded in appreciation and removed her hand from Bor''s.


    "Thank you, speaking about losses, we came here after we heard some rumors. They say that the woods around here aren''t as safe as they should and that the creatures that should live deeper south were pushed over here by something more dangerous. With your approval, we would like to go there and hunt that creature, bringing back peace to your village."


    Bor expressed difficulty on his face.


    "We would like the help for sure but I do not think we have enough to pay for the services of your whole band, even if we did, we would be unable to buy back the materials and meat you''d collect by helping us."


    The huntress''s leader moved her mouth to the side in some weirdly disappointed pout and started thinking with a hum. While she was doing that, their mage followed the conversation.


    "We''ve had some really bad luck lately. We don''t have much money left either. The thing going on here is the most likely to yield any profit at all. Do you perhaps have any idea on who would be willing to offer any reward at all in the village? Who do we talk to about materials?"


    "Mhn..." Bor thought about it for a second.


    It was obvious he knew who they had to talk to for that so he was probably thinking instead if it was worth it to tell them. In the end, Connie gave a final push in the direction she wanted.


    "Even if no one is willing to pay or buy the loot, We might still hunt the creature down. If it''s big enough to cause an exodus, we should be able to sell its corpse in B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    He nodded and turned his eyes towards the group of teens at the side.


    "Emp, come here."


    Since he was already close by, and had heard everything up to now, it was easy to guess what he wanted. He walked up to them as Bor introduced him.


    "Emp here is our blacksmith''s apprentice and also, the richest man in the village."


    Both the mage and the leader asked for more details with a mirrored expression of skeptically raised brows.


    "Man?" "Exactly how rich are we talking here?"


    Emp wasn''t that annoyed of the fact they didn''t believe Bor''s claim right away. He would probably have the same sort of reaction if he wasn''t the subject. He still wasn''t that tall and didn''t look like anything special, at least from his own point of view.


    "Yes, he looks small but he''s a good man with a long kill list. Honestly, if Dark-glint is going to pay you anything at all, most of the reward will come from his pocket. I suggest you talk to him and Marcy about it rather than me. If you manage to convince them of something, I''ll chip in as well. In any case, I''ll give your group the rights to go in there and search for the beast. I just ask that you do not hunt too many of the smaller critters."


    "Yeah yeah, we know how this works, people got to eat." Tacey said with a dismissive gesture of her hand.


    Bor nodded and turned to Emp again.


    "Would you please bring them to Marcy?"


    "Sure."


    "Who''s Marcy?" Asked Connie, just to be sure.


    "Marcy''s our blacksmith."


    "Alright then, lead the way kid, I mean, you, Emp. You guys, find a place to set up camp while we''re gone." She told the others as she stepped after Emp.


    He hadn''t really planned to waste all his free time leading a trio of huntresses around the village but it didn''t really bother him and he had a big interest in Jaska, their earth mage.


    Her features were hard to see because of her oversized clothes, for all he knew, she might have been a thin man instead of a woman. Her nose didn''t seem to have any sort of curve to it and looked more like a big triangle starting from her brows, even though it wasn''t that large. Her eyes were thin and bright brown and she had some rather prominent cheekbones.


    What he was interested about though was the fact that she was an earth mage and that he hadn''t found yet how to focus on his first earth spell. He decided to ask her about it after he started leading them towards the forge.


    "Miss Jaska, if I heard correctly, you''re an earth mage right?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "That''s great, maybe you can help me then."


    "Sure, help about what?"


    "I was studying magic and I''ve been stuck on the first earth spell I was thought for a long time now. How do you keep focusing on the dirt for a long time?"


    "You''ve been studying magic?" The woman wasn''t sure if he was speaking the truth or not. If he was though, she would find it really interesting.


    "Yes, look."


    He fetched the stone from his bag, stopped walking and cast the hardening spell on the road in front of them. The magic was activated without any noticeable effect and was almost immediately dissipated.


    "Was that supposed to do something?" Asked Tacey.


    "It was, and he actually did cast the spell flawlessly too!" Jaska didn''t share the skepticism of her friend and was very impressed instead.


    Tacey and Connie were surprised to hear burst of excitement coming from their mage. Jaska had not expected to find another earth mage here, even if he was just a novice. Since she was in front of one however, she was more than happy to give him a tip, and more if he asked.


    "You can cast it but you''re unable to keep it in effect right? That''s because you are mistaken on how you are to maintain it. It''s not about keeping your focus, it''s about dividing it."


    "I don''t get it." Told her Emp, looking forward to hearing more about this.


    "Look, watch this."


    She took a few step away from her two friends and did something that earned her the puzzled look of them both and the curious gaze of Emp.


    She raised a leg in the air in front of her, placed her right hand on her chest and her left on top of her head. Then, she started doing squats while taping the top of her head and having her other hand doing circles in front of herself. Not only that, all of those actions were happening at different rhythms and she still managed to speak normally through it all.


    "It''s true that many more scholarly mages can keep their focus on one or two spells at once but obviously, a battle mage like me can''t do it. If I don''t pay attention, anything could happen to me or my friends. Rather than focusing on it, you have to split your thoughts.


    I''m mostly thinking about what I''m telling you now but my leg is still bending, my hand is still doing circles and my head is still getting tapped. Doing that, I''d be able to keep three spells up at once instead of those three useless moves.


    The maintenance of the spell needs to be a reflex rather than a conscious thought. I''d suggest practicing doing something a bit like I''m doing now first. When you''re able to do that kind of stuff right, it will mean that your head is able to keep track of more than a single thing at once more efficiently than it could before. Then, you need to replace all those dumb moves by the actual spell you want to maintain. Did you get all that?"


    Emp had not expected that kind of advice. He was very impressed by the way she resolved the issue. Heinrich had told him it was a bit like how he could breathe without thinking about it but he had not thought it was literally what he meant for him to do.


    Emp thanked her with a small bow.


    "Thank you for your help, I would not have thought of that by myself."


    She gave him a proud smile.


    "No problem, I''m happy to help a fellow earth mage."


    "So, has your magic always been about all those dumb moves?" Tacey asked with a confused frown. Obviously, she had never seen her do this before.


    "Of course not! It''s about multi-threaded focus and deep understanding of the earth. The gimmicky moves are just a way to practice safely and efficiently."


    "Does it have to be those movements exactly or can it be anything else?" Emp asked.


    "Could be anything, as long as they don''t share the same patterns, if you swing your two arms clockwise in the same rhythm, it doesn''t help at all. My master for example could do so many more things at once it was crazy, he called himself a spell blade.


    He told me that he tied every movements a sword can make to a spell in his head and so he could maintain as many as he wished as long as he was focusing on his martial arts, that was crazy. I can''t even begin to understand how it worked, there''s no way he can keep all of those in his head at once. It would be so many split in his consciousness that just thinking about it gives me a headache."


    Her master must have been really impressive. He was about to ask more on him but the leader cut him off.


    "Can we talk while moving?"


    "Oh, yeah, sorry."


    Emp turned around and started walking towards Marcy''s house again. Connie kept the conversation going out of interest.


    "So you''re a earth mage, is this how you became a man?"


    "No way." Objected Jaska. "He can''t keep his focus and the spell he used is the basic of basics. He''s just a beginner, he wouldn''t be able to kill anything with it."


    Connie nodded in understanding.


    "Then, you killed something the old fashioned way?"


    "Yes." Emp nodded.


    "What was it? A beetle? A false leaf?" Tacey asked.


    She didn''t expect anything in particular. Asking for the first kill was a common conversation topic when meeting someone after all.


    "It was a woodland horror."


    Their three reaction were colored. Tacey sneered at what she thought was an attempt to joke around, Connie straight up laughed and Jaska snorted before shaking her head.


    "No seriously, what was it?" The mage followed.


    "I was not lying, it really was a woodland horror, look."


    Emp got his hunting card to appear and turned it towards them.


    Shock and surprise spread across their faces. Even with the proof in front of them, they didn''t want to believe it.


    "Are they smaller than what I thought?" Asked Tacey, trying to figure out how it could be possible.


    "No, I saw one once, close to the tribelands, north of the thundering pass. That thing was as tall as a tower, it walked through a village and erased it all effortlessly." Her boss answered.


    Looking at her face, it was clear she kept a strong feeling of fear towards it. Tacey gulped, further shaken by the reaction of Connie.


    "How?"


    "Mostly luck." Emp answered honestly. "Then I kept its head and sold it in an auction and that''s why I have so much money."


    None of the tree visitors found anything else to say and stayed both mute and shocked until they all reached Marcy''s house.


    Emp took a look in the forge, saw that she wasn''t there and walked up to the workshop on the side. If the door was closed, it meant she didn''t want to be disturbed but luckily, it was open. He knocked on the door frame as he walked in.


    "Marcy, there''s three death seekers here that want to talk to us."


    "I told ya to call me mom."


    She did, Emp just kept forgetting. It was very hard for him to remember because he was so used to calling her Marcy or Marcellia that it felt unnatural to call her anything else. Plus, everyone around them called her Marcy as well.


    This was also part of being part of a family she told him.


    "Sorry, Bor asked me to bring them here, they say they want to hunt the thing that''s scarring off everything else. Do you have the time to talk."


    "Sure, bring them in."


    He walked further inside the room and started gathering some benches to let everyone take a seat.


    "What''s up with them?" Marcy asked.


    Emp looked behind him while he was moving a bunch of tools out of his way and saw that the three were still dazed.


    "I told them about the woodland horror."


    She laughed out loud and gave them a beaming smile. The laugh seemed to have a strong effect on them and mostly woke them up.


    "It''s true that it should be a huge shock if they know how strong that thing really is. Have them sit down on-, oh, ya already got the benches? Great."


    She ruffled his hair and everyone sat down. Thinking about his hair, it was getting pretty long, he had to cut them soon. He''d ask Harriett to find him some scissors and cut them tomorrow morning.


    "Hi, I''m Connie, that''s my second in command Tacey and that''s our earth mage Jaska. Like he said, we''re here to hunt the unknown threat."


    "I sure would like to know that our guys are safe but what do you want from me exactly?"


    "Well, commander Bor said/"


    "Before that, can we go back on the woodland horror thing one last time?" Jaska interrupted Connie. "If you can kill that thing, how come you didn''t get rid of that other thing hiding over there already? Could it be more dangerous than we thought?"


    "What are you even doing in that small village? Aren''t you supposed to be rich?" Added in Tacey.


    "I told you already that it was mostly luck. I don''t think I''m all that strong and I didn''t really think of testing it out. I don''t even know what sort of thing it is."


    "I think ya might be a bit stronger than ya think my boy."


    Emp shrugged. There was no real way to objectively test his strength.


    "About the other question, I was passing through and Marcy asked me if I wanted to be her apprentice. She''s the best smith there is so there was no way I could say no."


    "Wait, Marcellia as in ''the'' Marcellia?" Connie''s eye became so round Emp felt afraid they would fall off her face.


    "Yeah, don''t think there''s many of me going around. And no, I don''t take orders, I''m not doing anything for you."


    The three woman were shocked once more. Insane news kept taking them by surprise since they entered the village. Connie in particular was very excited.


    "I can''t believe it! The Marcelia! I never thought I''d have the honor of meeting you in my life! Now I''m sure this trip was worth it, even if we don''t get anything."


    "I know you like her but, I''d rather be paid really." Tacey said with a blank look.


    "No, you don''t get it, it''s ''the'' Marcelia!"


    "Yes, I believe we got that the first few times you said it."


    Jaska too seemed to not understand what was going on with her boss.


    "Are ya alright? Ya heard me when I said I wouldn''t make ya any equipment right?"


    "Yes but, your skills are the stuff of legends! You became famous almost immediately after your first work and even the emperor praises you highly! I heard that people came from even the other side of the Tribesland to request your work.


    They say that whatever material one brings you, you can make a treasure out of it. You can work with materials that no one else would even dare look at!


    You made the spear that Twain Greathorn used to pierce the belly of the stone giant in Tallarch and you made the sword Sir Galagan used to win the grand imperial melee eight years ago. Even if you don''t make us anything, just meeting you is like a dream come true!"


    Everyone else was a bit taken aback by her great enthusiasm. She was now standing, barely containing herself from rushing up to Marcy. Emp found there was something very funny in seeing a tall and muscular woman act like a child.


    "I understand that ya are a fan of my work but isn''t that reaction a bit excessive?" Asked Marcy.


    "Yeah Connie, you''re not just embarrassing yourself, you''re going to embarrass all three of us, what''s wrong with you?" Tacey Told her as she tried to yank her back onto her seat.


    "Hmn, sorry, I just... Your creations are important to me, they changed my life, in a good way."


    "Well that''s great and all but we have business to talk with her. Keep your sad story for later." Tacey told her, finally achieving to bring her back down.


    "Fine." She said with a pout.


    There was a short silence while they all waited for the other group to talk and Marcy was the first to get annoyed by it.


    "What are you here for, not in the village, I mean, in my workshop."


    "Oh, uh yes, we were hoping we would be able to strike a deal with you and uhm, the young master Emp."


    Young master Emp? Had he forgotten to remove his family name form the hunting card when he showed it to them? he felt unease while Marcy asked almost the same thing he was thinking.


    "Young master?"


    "Yeah, he is your apprentice and... he''s your son, is he not?"


    Emp felt relief wash over him. It was just about her obsession to Marcy, it had nothing to do with the Muraciers.


    Marcy accepted the explanation with a groan even though she felt the title to be a bit excessive and let Emp give her a summary of what Bor had told them. She let him explain the whole thing before she spoke again.


    "So ya hope that I''ll buy whatever material you can get from the forest down there."


    "Yes, and we would have liked a reward for our efforts." Tacey Answered.


    "There'' s no way I can guaranty that I''ll buy what you bring back, we don''t even know what is there."


    "But if it is interesting, will you consider it?"


    "Hm, maybe. It''s been a while since I''ve had anything fancy to work with.


    Connie accepted that as a confirmation. If they found only weak creatures, it wouldn''t be worth selling anyway.


    "What about the reward then, how much are you willing to pay?"


    "Depend on if ya''re fit for the task and what''s hiding over there. I''m willing to give some money on account that the whole village will be able to breathe properly again but as long as I don''t know what we''re dealing with, it''s hard to put a price on it."


    "We have about thirty huntress and a mage, I believe we can take on almost anything, as long as it''s not an unnameable... or a woodland horror." She added the last bit after shooting a glance back towards Emp.


    Jaska chimed in to propose a deal that seemed fair to Emp.


    "We could establish a scale of danger appropriate to most things we could possibly find. As long as we defeat it and bring it back, the village could pay us for the corresponding amount we would agree on each possibility."


    "Seems reasonable." Nodded Marcy. "Bring me some sort of draft of it all later and I''ll negotiate with you. Before that though, let me take a look at yar hunting cards."


    The three agreed and the information appeared in front of them. Marcy and Emp looked through the list, they were very long. There were a lot of creatures he didn''t recognize in it and Tacey also a significant amount of cursed-bloods in hers, mostly from the wolf tribe.


    "Ya''ve been fairly successful before. This could work out."


    Connie repeated the whole thing just to be sure they were all on the same page.


    "So we have a deal? We''ll get a reward corresponding to the threat we encounter, you will buy the materials if they are of any interest to you and we have the permission of both you and the commander to go hunt the creature. We will be paid upon our return."


    "Yes but I''d like to ask one more thing of you."


    "Anything for the greatest smith of all time!"


    "I want you to take my boy with you on that hunt."


    Everyone expressed surprise, including Emp.


    "What? Why do you want me to go?"


    "I have a few reasons. First of all, you lost a bit of confidence since... the new year. I want you to go with them to see just how strong you are compared to a group of professional hunters. You don''t really need to fight, I just want you to take a look and see for yourself how strong or weak you really are."


    "Is it really that useful? I would rather stay here and learn something new."


    More importantly, he felt that the duels he would soon be involved in back at school would be a safer way to check all that.


    "It is useful. Plus, I need ya to force Sophus to shut-up."


    What did Sophus had to do with any of this?


    "Who''s Sophus?" Interrupted Connie.


    "The mage who lives in this town. He''s been very... loud about his dislike of Emp lately. It only got worse after the new year. If the return of the safety of our southern forest can be attributed to Emp, he will be forced to keep it down."


    "I do not really care about what he thinks though."


    "But ''I'' do. And it''s not just about what he thinks, it''s about what he makes the others think."


    Emp wasn''t really following. What did she mean by what he makes the others think? He had not noticed anything in particular. Marcy explained further.


    "It''s clear he want ya to go away. Those that really know ya know what kind of person ya are but ya''ve only been here a year. There are many who barely know ya. If the great mage protecting the village keeps telling everyone how he dislikes ya and how supposedly untrustworthy ya are, the others might change their minds about ya."


    "Can this really happen?"


    The rest of the village inhabitants had been kind to him up until now and he had been under the impression that they enjoyed his presence and the small bit of protection he could give like in the attack from the blood-spitters.


    "It can, Vesa''s mother is already on his side."


    "What?" He gasped.


    This came as a shock to him, Vesa was, had been, one of his closest friends in the village. He could hardly picture the friendly woman that was his mother side with the annoying mage.


    "I''d rather not repeat what I heard her say about ya. I want ya to do something so that the rest don''t just see ya as someone who made a mistake but someone who can still be useful."


    He nodded halfheartedly. Marcy turned back towards the three visitors.


    "Can ya do it?"


    "Uh, sure, I don''t see why not. His card says he can hold himself and from what I understand, he will be the one to pay most of our wage at the end. As long as he doesn''t get in our way, I''m more than willing to take the young master for a hunt."


    "Uhg. So Emp, are ya fine with this too?"


    "If you want me to, I guess."


    With that, the deal was mostly done. Connie wanted to talk some more about Marcy''s achievements but she was dragged out by Tacey and Jaska.


    They all came back the next morning with a list creature that could cause unrest in the forest and negotiated fair prices for them all. Emp wasn''t too concerned for the cost, even in the worst case scenario, the price wasn''t that high to pay for him, even if he was to pay for the reward and the materials alone.


    It took them most of the morning but once it was done, they didn''t waste their time to leave. Emp put on his armor as swiftly as he could and followed them back outside the house.


    "Emp, whatever happens, ya come back here with all your limbs attached. Ya get it?"


    "Yes, do not worry Mar-, mom."


    She made a growling noise because of what he called her and waved him goodbye. Emp understood what she meant, run if you have to. Don''t die in a stupid way is what she really meant.


    He followed the huntresses to their camp as they were all finishing packing their stuff. They couldn''t bring all their horse pulled wagons in the forest after all.


    From what he heard, they mostly hunted close to the plains of the tribelands where there was a lot of space between the trees. Here was different, they would need to walk. They were strong though and didn''t fear a bit of walk.


    "Emp? What are you doing with your armor on?"


    He was about to walk into their camp when he heard the voice of Gilbert behind him. He turned around to greet him and answer his question.


    "Hi Gilbert, Marcy told me to go hunt the thing with them."


    "You''re going on a hunt? Wow. Did you tell Calla?"


    "Uhhh no. Should I?"


    "Of course you should! What the fuck is wrong with you? How do you think my sis is gonna react if she brings you food and you aren''t there?"


    Emp hadn''t thought of that, it would be a waste to cook for three if there was only her and Marcy.


    "Right, where is she?"


    "Back home, in the kitchen, where else?"


    "Right, uh, boss Connie! I need to go see someone before we leave." He called at her back.


    "Sure, we''ll wait outside the gate, and don''t call me boss, just Connie''s fine."


    Emp nodded and his helm made a clanking noise. Then, he had to walk all the way back to the other side of the village to the Champom house.


    Instead of walking to the door, he decided it would be quicker to just see them through the kitchen window. We walked up to it and peeked inside. Calla was there with her two smaller sisters and her mother.


    The older two where cutting down apples and vegetable while the two small ones were doing all kinds of small tasks for them. Emp was happy that they got to cook with their sister in the end.


    Fleur was the first one to see him through the window and raised a sharp scream of surprise and fright. Her reaction spread through them all, making them jump and scream in turn before they even had the chance to see why she screamed. Emp raised his hands as a sign of peace and called out to them.


    "Hi, it''s me, Emp."


    "Big bro Emp! You scared me! That''s so mean!" Fleur yelled back at him.


    "Sorry sorry Fleur, I didn''t mean to."


    "He scarred you but you''re the one who scared us all Fleur. Why are you wearing that?" Asked him Fiona, after the surprise had passed.


    "I''m going out with the huntresses to hunt down whatever it is that''s scarring everything in the woods. Gilbert pointed out I should probably tell you all I was leaving for a bit."


    A frown of worry appeared on Calla''s face. That frown meant "why". He thought it was surprising how easy it was to tell. Was it because he knew her well? He saw her everyday after all.


    "That thing is in part responsible for Chase and Vesa, and probably Dean too, we have to get rid of it before someone else gets hurt. Also, Marcy said I needed to do it so that Sophus would shut-up. I don''t think we will be gone for too long, maybe a few days."


    "You think it''s going to be safe? How trustworthy are those huntresses?" Asked Fiona, in lieu of her daughter.


    "Enough to have Marcy ask them to let me follow. Even if it ends up too dangerous, she had me promise three times since yesterday that I would run if something went wrong"


    Fiona nodded, satisfied by his answer and Calla relaxed a bit too.


    "So... I''ll see you when I''m back, bye."


    He started to turn around but got called back by Calla.


    "Emp!"


    She ran up to the window and trusted an apple up to him. It was green and not that big but it looked fresh and tasty.


    "Thank you Calla. I''ll eat it later when I''ll get hungry on the way."


    He turned back and left.


    "Bye!" Called the two small Champom.


    "Don''t worry Calla, he''s too fast to get in trouble." The mother told her.


    That was exactly what he thought as well. As long as he wasn''t forced to stand, there weren''t that many things that could catch up to him.


    He caught up to the hunting group and left towards the forest with them, the rest of his friends threw good lucks and waves of their hands at him as they left.


    Emp didn''t feel that worried. This time, he wasn''t scarred that something bad would happen to one of his friends, it was much easier for him.


    The entire group of huntresses seemed to know what they were doing. they had trained a long time with their crossbows and knew well how to use their melee weapons.


    Apparently, they used crossbows because when they were hunting too far north of the empire, the protection of the ancestors made itself thin and bows became much less accurate.


    For them, the crossbow was more practical, it wasn''t that hard to target something with them, they could use the strength of their legs to reload them and it displayed way more power than they could have achieved with a bow. The only downside was that it took a long time to reload.


    The groups of women talked to each other with energy as they walked but the three leaders decided to converse with him instead. Either out of curiosity or just to be polite, he didn''t know.


    "So, you''re the apprentice of the legendary smith Marcellia, you any good in a forge?"


    "I think I can handle steel."


    Marcy had showed him how to do the more simple things related to steel and even let him try to do some basic objects with it. She had also told him about a bunch of different strange alloys she wanted to show him how to handle but, she did not have any close at hand. Some of them were very rare in the empire, or even nonexistent because the minerals they required couldn''t be found inside its borders.


    "And you can cast magic too, was it that mage Sophus who taught you?" Asked Jaska.


    "No."


    Not only he wouldn''t have done it, from what he understood, Sophus was mostly a fire mage.


    "But why is he trying to get you evicted? Does he think you''ll be a menace to his position?"


    "I don''t really know, I was told it''s because he loves Ma-, my mother, and he feels I''m in the way."


    "Pff, The guy has no chance!" Claimed Connie loudly. "After all, everyone knows she is supposed to marry the great general''s brother! How could a small village mage be worthy of her?"


    A shiver ran through him, the great general''s brother, Chijou!?


    Her lover was Chijou!

 64 Mables Champion

    Clumps of hair fell all over the floor as Harriett cut them off. Today was the day the other group came to their combat class to fight him. He felt that it was safer to have his hair cut beforehand so he had sent Harriett to find some scissors and asked her to help him cut everything off.


    It was the first time he had his hair cut, he was surprised to see how long they were once they fell from his head. He had not expected them to grow so much in only a single year. No wonder they kept getting in his way.


    Harriett was efficient and removed his excess hair with speed and precision. She would not stand for a single bit of his haircut being misplaced or wrongly trimmed. Emp let her do as she pleased, as long as they were short and not in his way, he didn''t really care about what the end result looked like.


    Snipping sounds were the only things heard aside from the song Harriett was humming as she performed her task. Celtine was standing nearby with a broom and collected all the fallen hair as they were freed from his head.


    While the girls were doing all the hard work, he was reading a letter the girl brought back with the scissors. It was a letter from Galana, she was the only one sending him some. Like usual, the first word of it was idiot.


    The time it took for the messages to reach each other, even if they always answered the same day they received them, they only sent a few over the year. All of hers started by calling him an idiot while all of his started by presenting some new books he found for her.


    In the one he was currently reading, she was mostly complaining about the prices of candles going up. she also complained about a guy who came in looking for a book, found it, browsed through it, pretended the information he was looking for wasn''t in the book and left without paying for either the book or the time he spent reading through it.


    <I told him he couldn''t just read through a book and leave without paying but he just laughed right in my face and left! I was so angry, I should have insisted on him paying upfront.>


    Emp wondered how she kept getting cheated out of her money like that. Was it really just that guy Balpoisson trying is best to make her miserable?


    Another snip and more hair fell behind him. Celtine brushed the broom past his leg.


    Emp didn''t understand Balpoisson. Even if he did his best, with all the books he was sending, when the time to collect the debt came, she would easily be able to pay back with the books. She didn''t even need to sell them, he could just walk in and claim all of them to pay the debt.


    He placed the letter back onto the table and the scissors clipped another handful of hair. He felt thirsty now, he was about to ask for Harriett to bring the water pitcher closer when they heard a long series of small knocks on the door.


    "Hi Emp, are you there?"


    That was Mable''s voice.


    "Miss Mable''s at the door, shall I go open for her?"


    "Yes, but leave the scissors here and make sure to tell her you are currently cutting my hairs."


    Emp had not forgotten what Aglaya told him about Mable''s phobia. It wouldn''t be fun at all if he scared her today.


    Harriett nodded and rushed to the door to greet Mable. Meanwhile, Celtine took the scissors and placed them in a close-by drawer. Harriett wasn''t done cutting his hair but he felt surprisingly lighter already. All that hair weighted a lot more than he thought.


    "Hi miss Mable, we were currently in the process of cutting master''s hair, you can come in if you want, we are almost done."


    Emp couldn''t see Mable from where he was but he heard the hesitation in her voice.


    "Oh... were you really? It wasn''t that important, I can come back later."


    "You don''t have to worry, I put them away for you. You really can come in if you want." Emp called from his seat.


    Mable peeked inside the room, scanned for the scissors and once she had made sure that there were none to be found, she stepped inside. She made a few big steps to get closer to him while she was talking.


    "Emp, I came here to make sure you were read/? Pfff, bwa? Gyahahahahahahahaha! What up with your head!?"


    The moment she paid attention to his head, she lost her train of thoughts and started laughing loudly. What was so funny?


    "My apology master, half done hair isn''t the most presentable state one can be. I should have warned you beforehand."


    "It''s fine, please, prepare a chair for her."


    Harriett bowed and pulled back one of the chairs for Mable to sit on. Meanwhile, her two servants walked in as well and closed the door behind them.


    She sat down with a big smile and talked joyfully.


    "You should keep your hair that way and go beat them up like that. It''d be so funny!"


    "I don''t think they would be able to see it under my helm."


    "Mwu, why are you even cutting them then?"


    "It''s more comfortable to fight with short hair. Do you want some water?"


    "Yeah."


    "Harriett, could you please fetch the pitcher and two cups."


    The servant didn''t waste any time and served them each a cup of water while Mable looked around the room. It was the first time she entered his room, thinking about it, it was the first time anyone walked in here.


    "It feels really empty, I can''t see you in that room. It''s all random stuff you don''t care about."


    Emp took one of the cups From Harriett and drank the whole thing before answering, he was really thirsty.


    "Thanks Harriett. Does it really matter if the room seems empty? I don''t know what else to do with it."


    "What''s up with those books over there? Did you place them here just because Blackbull told you to do it?"


    "I did."


    "But have you read them?"


    "No."


    "Then what''s the point? You can''t even use them as a conversation subject."


    Emp had not thought about that at all. Had he misinterpreted what Blackbull asked of him? He had thought he needed them so that visitors could read them but instead, they were there so he could talk to visitors about them. It made way more sense that way.


    "I should probably read them then, I had not thought of that."


    "Maybe you should present something you are interested in instead, like a sword or maybe your big hammer. You like weapons right?"


    Emp wasn''t sure if he really liked weapons or if he just knew a lot about them. Either way, it would make more sense to have that kind of things here than the books he had not read. Maybe he could place some sort of trophy from the things he had defeated? That could be interesting to show off or talk about. What about the soul stone? That was important for him as well. Thinking about it, his room in Marcy''s house was very empty too, he only had his bed there, he should probably do something about it.


    "You are right, I should place some more interesting things here. I''ll think about it."


    "Great, let me see once you''re done."


    She took a large gulp of water and then went back to the topic that brought her here.


    "I came here to make sure you were ready for today. I don''t want to get in trouble because you forgot something."


    "I think I''m ready. Once you leave, Harriett will finish cutting my hair and then I''ll put on my armor and I''ll be all set for the day."


    "Everyone trained a lot, do you think they''ll be much harder to beat than before?" She asked with a bit of worry.


    "Maybe but I trained a lot too so I should be fine."


    She took another sip of water and lowered her head.


    "I''m sorry to have brought you into this mess. I was having too much fun seeing you beat them all up, I didn''t think about the trouble I made for us both. It''s all my fault but it''s you who''s fixing all of it instead of me."


    "Isn''t it mostly because of what Aglaya told you?"


    "I think she''s preparing some funny trick or something, she''s been in a giggly mood lately, but even then, even if she had not said anything, I would still have been in trouble because of what I did before. She just pointed it out."


    "Maybe, if it is to help you or any of our friends, I won''t mind something like this at all. Even if she had not said anything, I would have stepped in the way, I''m sure the others would have moved too."


    She laughed from his answer and got up from the chair, placing the half full cup back on the table.


    "Great then, I won''t stay in your way any longer. Get ready and come down there to win me my cake!"


    She had quickly turned her mood around. Maybe it was hard for her to seem sad, she had instantly went back to laughter. Her two servants opened the door again to let her through and she waved back to him as she left.


    "See you later, don''t be late!"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be there."


    The door closed again and Emp took himself another cup of water, he was still very thirsty.


    "Should we worry about what Aglaya is planning on doing?" Asked Harriett.


    He placed the empty cup back on the table and answered her casually.


    "Why? She''s our friend, she said she gave up on the name too. Even if we were to worry about it, there is nothing we can do about it."


    He felt no apprehension at all to whatever she was planning. The two girls shot a look at each other, came to some sort of unvoiced understanding and Harriett bowed once more. Emp felt she bowed way too often.


    "Right, my apologies master, do you want me to resume my work on your haircut?"


    "Yes please, I want to go there as soon as possible."


    Celtine picked back up the scissors from the drawer and gave them back to Harriett to let her finish her work.


    Not too long after, he put on his armor and left his room for the training field. Celtine was on his shoulder again but since he knew he would fight people he didn''t really know today, he would drop her off as soon as he got there.


    Winfred had him train with her on his shoulder but it didn''t mean that if he could drop her off before a real fight he shouldn''t. The training was to prepare for the worst case scenario not make it into the normal situation.


    The bones of his armor clacked against each others as he walked. He often wore his whole armor for training and he wore it into many fights already so he was used to the way it moved. It was large and clunky but he wasn''t disturbed by it at all. He knew what it could do, he had a good idea, by knowledge and by experience, of how much each part could take before breaking down.


    Marcy had thought him a lot about armors and weapons made of monster parts. He had come to realize something really simple about them. He could wear those pieces of bones, skinand scales because their original owner died. This was obvious, it should also be obvious then that some things could break that armor. Something needed to do it in the first place to kill the creature.


    No armor made out of monster remains was unbreakable. The trick was to know what it could endure and what it could not. As of yet, Emp had not found anything that could break past it aside from the acidic spit of the blood-spittters. The holes were still there to prove its effectiveness.


    Him and Marcy had worked hard on the armor to fix the damage it had sustained but she did not possess any more parts of the creatures she used to make it. They were only able to patch the holes with bits of inferior materials. The best would have probably been to replace it entirely but even with a few holes in it, that armor was better than anything else she could make with what she currently had available to her.


    His armor should still be more than enough for a few spars with other students.


    It didn''t take him too long to reach the sparring field. The field had often been used by them before as a training place. It was a thirty meters long by fifteen meters wide area devoid of grass, plants or rocks. (1)


    There was only soft dirt from one end to the other. A bunch of benches forming stairs had been placed all around it to provide everyone a place to sit and watch the spars happening in the center.


    there would usually be three or four duels taking place at the same time in that space but since the whole thing had turned into an event featuring multiple groups, they would probably end up going one at a time.


    At the edge of the field, in the middle of its length, the teacher stood with a bunch of people Emp didn''t recognize. He guessed they were healers by the amount of medical tools and herbs they had brought with them.


    Usually, they wouldn''t have needed so many healers but Winfred didn''t trust the students for their first spars. That and the fact that the other class had an obvious grudge against this one.


    Their guys had lined up on one end of the fields while everyone else sat in the benches surrounding the field. Even in the benches, there was a clear cut between the different classes, none of the students wanted to sit with the other groups apparently.


    Emp walked up to the group C, his own, and removed Celtine from his shoulders. Even those who didn''t know him or had never seen him in armor could tell who he was just from how he walked in carrying the cursed-blood on his shoulders.


    Mable and Aglaya were sat on the second row of benches starting from the bottom. Mable wore a long colorful dress while Aglaya wore a layered long skirt under an elegant top. Clearly they had no intention of walking down to the training field today. When Emp placed Celtine on the ground They nudged their servants.


    "Go help her get up here."


    While the servants rushed to Celtines help, those sitting in the front row addressed Emp. They were mostly those who intended to fight themselves later on.


    "So, we''ll finally see by how much I lord over you all in terms of strength." Odilon said first.


    The others simply ignored him and spoke about something more realistic instead.


    "I was eager to see who would end up being the best today as well but I guess we will have to wait until Emp gets rid of all those guys from the other group." Norval said.


    He had no doubt about who would win between Emp and the other group. Apparently, that belief was shared by mostly everyone from group C.


    "How long do you think it will take you? I want to get down there and fight already." Brenia asked him.


    "I don''t know, last time was easy but there are more of them today."


    "You dare mock us again!"


    Emp turned his head around to see that one of them had walked up to group C without him noticing. He was a tall guy who wore a steel plate armor over mail and cloth. An arming sword was dangling from his left hip and he wore no helmet. His face had nothing that caught the eyes of Emp and he had blond hair like everyone else, he felt ordinary. Emp was more concerned about his choice of weapon.


    "Why are you carrying that kind of sword?"


    "What?"


    The poor guy had no idea what he was talking about. Seeing that the fun was starting, the spectators of the many groups present quieted and strained their ears to listen.


    "You are wearing a complete suit of armor, you should wield a heavy weapon but instead you carry a one handed sword. You do not even have a shield to go with it. Either you have no idea what you are doing or you are keeping the other hand for magic. Since you have nothing to carry spell components with you, I can only assume it is the first of the two. Hence my question, why are you carrying that kind of sword?"


    Many snorts were heard from group C and Mable simply burst out laughing. Cyril almost choked as he tried to stop himself from bursting too. He had often been on the receiving end of Emp''s clueless blunt questions, he was happy to not be the victim of it for once.


    "We''ll see who doesn''t know what he''s doing! Just you wait! And you girl, you''ll laugh a lot less once we''re through with him!"


    Somehow, his genuine question just made him more angry than before. Emp was pretty disappointed in his attitude.


    "No way, you''re too useless for that. Aren''t you the guy who got punched in the nose right at the start last time? You were instantly beaten."


    Mable had a better memory than him when it came to faces, he didn''t remember that guy at all. When they came to challenge her last time, she had no idea who they were but now that she knew when she had first met them, it seemed she could recognize them.


    Another round of stiffed laughter resounded through the seats across the whole field. The guy shook in anger while Aglaya whispered something in Mable''s ear.


    After listening to Aglaya, Mable tried to take on a more serious face and talked again to the young man.


    "Uh? Alright, I mean, you aren''t in a position to threaten me. Try to not be defeated too hard by my champion and then we''ll see if you are worth listening to. Emp is ready anytime. That''s it, good job... Wait, I wasn''t supposed to say the last part was I?"


    The guys in group C started coughing because of Mable''s blunder, it took all that they had to not laugh.


    "So cute!"


    Aglaya lunged towards Mable and caught her in a hug she couldn''t escape from.


    "Agh! Stop it Aglaya, not right now!"


    "Enough!" The young man complained angrily. "You''re clearly mocking us now. We''re challenging you so come here and fight!"


    He pointed Emp with his armored finger and left to their side of the field, stomping the ground in his path. Emp really didn''t understand what made him so angry. He could see the rest fuming from the other end of the field too.


    Emp looked back to his own group and everyone gave him some encouragement. Since he was acting as her champion, he should have waited for her to tell him to go but she was currently prisoner of her friend so he walked to the center of the field without waiting.


    On his way there, he placed his hand in the bag and removed the thunder-chew hammer from it. It didn''t feel as heavy as it did a year ago.


    The teacher walked to the center of the field, placing himself between the Emp and the rest. he made sure he had the attention of everyone and spoke in a voice loud enough to reach even the furthest benches.


    "I will repeat the rules one last time so listen carefully. First of all, this is a spar, not a duel, there will be no deaths here. Killing your opponent is not an option, its simply murder so be careful with them. Same kind of thing for permanent injuries. You can all use nonlethal magic but not bows, crossbows or any sharp ranged weapons. You are not allowed to switch weapons in the middle of a fight, this one is for you Emp. You are all allowed to use your own weapons and choose your own opponents, and sub rules. I will intervene if things go too far so be reasonable. If someone becomes unable to fight, forfeits or is in an obvious loss position such as having a blade to his throat, they will be declared defeated. Remember, the point of this whole thing is to help you learn and better your fighting style not to settle petty grudges. Are there any questions?"


    Silence answered his query.


    "Alright then, who will go against Emp first?"


    "I will." The guy from earlier said.


    He stepped up to the designated spot on his side of the field while Emp took place on his own. He seemed determined to win and still quite angry.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to all go at once?" Asked Brenia, loud enough so that everyone could hear it.


    Emp would be rather troubled if they all went at once but luckily for him, the young man just got angrier.


    "Shut up!"


    He drew his sword and prepared himself to go. Emp readied his hammer and waited for the signal of the teacher.


    He wondered how he should defeat the man. Should he just knock him over with a swing of the hammer? He was worried that he might be stronger than he seemed, if he was, he would need to hit harder. If he hit harder but the guy wasn''t able to block properly, he was worried he might injure him.


    "Go." The teacher said.


    He didn''t have the time to think about it anymore, the man charged toward him...


    Or maybe he did have the time to think about it, with how slowly he ran, it would take forever for him to reach Emp. This reminded him of that time he fought in Red-water. Maybe he should just step up to him and deliver a kick at him to see how he reacted? He would follow up with a true attack once he had a good idea on how he held up.


    Emp stepped right in front of the guy and saw his eyes go wide in surprise. Before he could understand what had happened and even less react to it, Emp brought the heel of his foot up to the guy''s stomach and gave it a hard kick.


    He felt a buzz rush through his leg and a loud clank was heard as the two armors collided. He just now realized that kicking into a steel plate wasn''t the smartest thing to do, his leg felt a bit numb.


    At least the results were satisfying, he dented the armor and the guy fell backward despite his previous forwards momentum. His legs flew over his head and his back smashed against the ground with the weight of his armor. The chock even sent his sword flying out of his hand.


    Emp had expected him to counter somehow or rush back up but apparently, his breath had been cut short and he was struggling to get it back. Worse, his sword flew so far away that there was no way for him to get it back before Emp attacked again.


    While Emp watched him fight against himself to bring back air to his lungs, he slowly came to the realization that he had just won that fight.


    The kick meant to test him had been the first and final blow. Emp was just as stunned as everyone else. Was that guy truly that weak? He looked towards the teacher to get some sort of advice on what to do but only got a declaration of his victory instead.


    "Emp wins that spar. Hortence, what Emp told you before was right, showing up with only a one handed weapon doesn''t make you bold it only makes you unprepared. Plus, you had nothing to protect your midsection because of your high stance. Stay on your guard until you reach the opponent or else you''re full of openings for someone faster like him. If he had struck with his war hammer instead he would have turned your armor inside out and you would have died. As for Emp, didn''t I just say to hold back? Don''t put so much strength in a simple kick. You''re not meant to win a spar with only a single move."


    "..."


    Should he say it? He feared that if he told the teacher that he was indeed holding back, he might anger the other side further.


    ...


    It didn''t really matter did it? They were already very angry after all.


    "But, I was holding back. I just wanted to probe his defense with the kick before attacking for real."


    Roaring laughter exploded on one side and undisguised anger on the other.


    "Screw it, he''s too cocky! Let''s all go at him together!" One of them yelled as he stepped forward.


    "No."


    Another one of them blocked his path forward with a hand. He seemed to be well respected by the rest because they all stopped to listen to his words.


    The armor of that one was lined with silver and gleamed under the sun. It was more gaudy than the protection worn by most of the others but one could see he was smarter than most as well by the fact he wore his helm.


    Or maybe it was unfair for those not wearing any helmets. After all, targeting the face of someone in a simple spar was a bit too much wasn''t it? It was really only there because of possibility of an accident happening.


    "If we all go together against a single man, even if we win, we will be disdained by everyone else. Our victory will be our shame. He''s just trying to anger us, have you not noticed the long delay between the teacher''s words and his comment? This is an obvious trap."


    Murmurs of ascent spread through the group of hostile students and the one that was about to rush forwards stepped back into the group with a nod.


    "Wa, boo! You''re all just scared of Emp, I mean, my champion. You don''t have to come up with fancy excuses if you want to give up."


    Mable''s taunt was received by a few grunts as the other side consulted each other on what to do next.


    "We don''t even know how strong he really is."


    "Should we just send in Noirantel right away?"


    "Nah, we should get a few of us to test him out in turns, we have to get him to fight with more than just a kick to know what he can do."


    "I agree, Jin isn''t that bad, we could send him first."


    "What, why me?"


    "Why not, you''re in the old group anyway right?"


    "Right then, who votes for Jin?"


    Everyone but the guy named Jin raised their hands.


    "I hate all of you, it''s all because you pick fights with people for no reason."


    While he was grumbling his answer, he stepped up to the sparring area. The healers had already removed his friend from there and so the area was ready to house a new fight.


    The new guy was wearing a long chain mail, a large kite shield and wielded a spear in his right hand. He was surprisingly brown haired and had the same kind of expression George showed all the time. The face that said "I really don''t want to be here".


    Emp backed into his starting area as well and the other expressed his readiness.


    "I''m ready when you are."


    "I''m ready."


    "Then go." Called the teacher.


    Emp wasn''t really afraid of his spear. This wasn''t the sort of weapon that was appropriate to use against the kind of armor he was wearing. In a real battle, the only realistic way for Jin to win would be to plunge the spear into a gap in his armor, the most likely place being the front opening of his helmet.


    However, in a small spar like this, his chances of winning were even smaller. Emp did not understand why they chose him to go first.


    "I won''t be taken down by the same speed trick you used against Hortence. Come at me."


    Did he not intend to move? How should he proceed then? Run up to him and smash the shield with the hammer? That seemed like a good start.


    Emp raised his hammer and space-stepped up to his opponent. Without wasting time, he swung his hammer in a sweeping motion. He expected it to impact his shield but he surprisingly only caught air with it, making it hiss in complaint.


    The man had bent himself backward to dodge the blow and the instant the hammer passed him, He sprung back up and trusted his spear towards emp.


    The attack punctured the space in between them with so much speed that the wind made a sound as if it was ripped apart. Jin was barely any slower than the mouse!


    There was a loud clank as the steel tip of the spear collided with his breastplate and was bounced off to the side. Both of them felt a chock so hard they were forced a step back each.


    "Hehe, I told you that trick wouldn''t work with me." He said with pride.


    Still, Emp could see sweat forming above his brows. He had obviously not expected his counter to produce no results at all.


    Whispers spread through group C.


    "How did he dodge Emp''s attack?"


    "How can anyone be that fast?"


    Emp on the other hand was more interested on how he was supposed to hit that guy. There was no way he could compete with that kind of speed. He was stuck in a difficult situation, he could easily lose this match.


    The spear could clearly not pierce his armor with the strength the other guy possessed but he only had to trust it at his face and stop before hitting it to be declared winner by the teacher. With his speed, Emp would be unable to block it in time.


    Emp did not feel it would take him a long time to figure it out. He needed to find a way to win before this happened.


    Emp stepped forward again and swung his hammer low to stop him from ducking under it again.


    Jin bashed his shield downward on the side of the hammer and drove it to the ground as he jumped over it. he was about to trust his spear again but Emp put more strength in his arms and swung the hammer upward from bellow Jin. Since he was balanced on it, the movement raised him in the air, made him loose his balance and almost had him fall over.


    It was only thanks to his great reflex and speed that he avoided the fall and ended up on his feet.


    He trusted his spear forwards once again and Emp dodged most of the blow with a backward step, only getting a small scratch on the armor. Two more attacks quickly followed and Emp continued to step back.


    "Stop going backward Emp!" Yelled Oliver. "His skill in the spear is weak, just rush him!"


    Emp disagreed, it wasn''t about his spear skill, it was all about his speed instead. It was pointless to rush forward if he could just move out of the way instantly.


    Now that he had started trusting his spear, he didn''t seem to want to let Emp escape. He kept attacking over and over with no time in between each trusts. His spear was like a blur and Emp could barely keep out of the way by moving backward all the time and placing the hammer in the way. If he kept doing that, he would end up hitting a wall at some point.


    His friends all seemed nervous about how the fight turned out. Mable was especially distressed and kept yelling that he needed to win. Celtine and Aglaya were close at her side trying to have her calm down by holding on to her.


    Jin''s seniority advantage in this school was obviously not just for show. He was fast, relentless and knew well how to corner an opponent. Dozens of loud metallic bangs were heard in rows as the steel point of the spear poked at his defenses again and again.


    His side was cheering while Emp was thinking about what to do. He couldn''t even strike back because the spear of Jin had the reach advantage over him.


    As he was thinking that, an opposing thought passed thought his mind. Why was he even thinking about reach, they were so close to each other anyway, he only had to raise his arm to touch him.


    His eyes unfocused, he stopped trying to block every spear strikes coming his way and just swung the hammer in retaliation. He put all the speed he could in the attack to make sure that he would not dodge this one. While his hammer was moving, Emp received five spear hits in the chest but ignored them entirely.


    From the viewpoint of everyone else present, his hammer should not have reached Jin, it was obviously too short. Still, it pushed back the air in a hiss and smashed against Jin''s shield. The sound it made was like a thunderclap and the man was sent flying backwards.


    All cheers and jeers were stopped at once by a wave of gasps as Jin spun five times in the air before crashing back into the dirt. Immediately after, wails of pain sounded through the yard as Jin clutched his shield bearing arm.


    Emp had won victory and Jin had won a broken arm.


    ***


    "To be perfectly honest with you, I already knew about the financial distress your family is experiencing."


    "..."


    "I did not mean to upset you, I assure you. A man in my position learns of a lot of things and your situation happened to let itself be known to me."


    "..."


    "I will do no such thing, I''m far from being this kind of man. You must believe me when I say this, none of this matters at all to me. You''re worth to me lies not in monetary wealth."


    "..."


    "Was this what was on your mind all this time? Your heart must feel much more peaceful now that you know I am not to be swayed by such trivial matters. Here, drink this, it will appease you further, I made it myself."


    ***


    (1) About the size of a basketball court.

 65 Hunting the unknown

    Emp had just learned something he should have known long ago already.


    The impact of learning that Marcy''s lost lover had been Chijou all along made him stop dead in his track.


    Just saying that he had not expected this was more than an understatement. He felt like his entire brain froze when the information registered.


    The huntress walking behind him bumped against him because of his sudden halt and the three leaders he was talking to turned back to look his way.


    "Don''t tell me, you didn''t know about that!" Connie exclaimed in shock. "She adopted you and you didn''t even know she was about to marry a Muracier?"


    Emp was still frozen but the subject seemed to interest the other two.


    "Wasn''t that old news? Aren''t they already married?"


    "Nono, rumor has it that Chijou Muracier wanted to give her a perfect wedding gift and went on a long hunt from which he didn''t come back yet. They say he just hasn''t found anything worthwhile yet."


    The rumor was wrong, Chijou was very dead.


    "It''s been a long time though no? No one heard anything about him since back then, isn''t he just dead?"


    Yes, he had died sixteen years ago. She had been waiting for him for sixteen years and no one told her what had happened. Even Chinui forgot her and ran off.


    "Of course not, there''s no way he can die, he''s a Muracier after all! Trying to kill one is like trying to punch down the wall of a fortress with your bare fists." Connie Claimed.


    What a strange turn of events. What should he do about this?


    "Oy, young master, we don''t have the time to daze off. Get it together and move it."


    Was this all why they called him young master too? They saw him as someone soon to be adopted in the Muracier household. It would not make a true noble out of him but maybe for them it was enough to warrant the title of young master.


    He forced his feet to move and started walking again. He felt stressed about what he had learned. Would this knowledge affect his relationship with Marcy?


    She had told him that whatever his name was didn''t matter to her and that she wouldn''t change the way she saw him because of it. Muracier however, wasn''t just any name to her. Would she be angry that no one came to tell her and lash out on him? Would she feel betrayed?


    She would probably feel horrible too from the news. Should he just not tell her? Would it be for the best?


    He made up all kinds of scenarios in his head on how what he had just learned could change what he currently had. He did not want things to change, he had said as much to Marcy already. This information though...


    He pictured a million new situations in which he didn''t decide to tell her now and she somehow discovered it later. It would be much worse then would it not?


    Somehow, that simple connection between Chijou and Marcy was far more disturbing to him than anything aside from the death of Vesa. Was he thinking too much of it? Maybe it would not matter at all. He had never been so anxious about simple words before in his life.


    He didn''t feel very good right now. Anxious was probably the best word to describe it indeed. He felt nothing about the creature they set out to hunt but was trembling from a simple fact everyone seemed to have known but him.


    He kept thinking about it and didn''t pay much attention to the small fights that broke out between the hunters and some common monsters on their way. He did however offer to pay for the corpses they didn''t want, as long as they had some edible meat on them. He stored many of them in his bag along the way.


    "Ahhh, those magic mags are amazing aren''t they? If we had a few, we wouldn''t have to drag all those carts around with us." Complained Tacey.


    "Not only that but that kind of bags keep the things inside fresh so the meat won''t spoil like ours do all the time." Added in Jaska.


    "Maybe if the pay''s good this time, we could all go to B¨ºt¨¦clair to see if we can find something similar." Proposed Connie.


    "As long as it''s not too expensive. How much did that one cost?" Tacey asked him.


    "Nothing, it was a gift."


    "Come on, that''s not the answer I wanted!"


    "I don''t know how much it''s worth exactly"


    "Fine."


    The whole group went back to casual talk and explored the woods in high spirit.


    The weather was good for a stroll in the woods. It was sunny, and the air was refreshed by a slow wind. Last time he traveled in that forest, it smelled like blood, or rather, he was soaked in blood and it was the only thing he could smell. This time around, it felt quite similar to the village. The scent of wood was strong and deeply mixed with what Emp would call a fresh "alive" scent. The smell you get from all plant life.


    It had been a long time since he had not walked through a forest like this. He was happy to see it. Last time had not been enjoyable at all so he had not realized how much he missed his calm travels among the ancestors.


    The only disappointing thing to him was how much noise a whole group of hunters could make. He would have preferred to enjoy the birds chirping and the noise of the wind through leaves and grass over the clanking of armor and small talk.


    They walked around relatively slowly. There was no way for them to know where the creature lurked so they could only explore the surroundings with care and hope to find some clues on its whereabouts. They didn''t even know yet in which direction it hid.


    With two long breaks for food and many skirmish with easily defeated creatures, they had not explored that far into the forest when night came. Hunters from the village could probably travel much further then them in a day since they knew the terrain well.


    But, even without any deep knowledge about these parts, their abilities as huntresses could not be underestimated.


    Their group was well used to camping and so shelters were erected all around using the larger trees as support. Connie decided who would guard the camp in which order and the tired group disappeared into their shelters.


    "Oy, young master, are you sure you don''t want us to make you something quick? We still have some spare cloth."


    The commander seemed concerned that he had not prepared any sort of shelter for himself.


    "No need, I''m truly used to sleep up there."


    As he said it, he started climbing up one of the larger trees.


    "You mean, in the tree? But, what if you fall?"


    "Then I''ll wake up."


    She was left speechless by his answer. She didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. The mage walked up to her side and looked up towards his climbing silhouette to ask her own question.


    "But what if it starts to rain?"


    "Then I''ll be wet?"


    What sort of silly question was that? What did she expect him to answer? Anyway, he couldn''t see any clouds around, there was no way there would be rain. On the other hand, the two girls seemed to think that his answer was just as crazy as the question.


    "Aren''t you afraid you''ll catch death?" Asked Jaska.


    "Won''t it wake you up?" Connie added.


    "I won''t wake up with just a bit of rain. Speaking about waking up, I sleep very deeply. Someone will probably have to throw rocks at me or something to wake me up."


    "... Throw rocks at you?"


    "Yeah, or make me fall off somehow, maybe shoot me with one of those crossbows?"


    "There''s no way we''re doing that!" Panicked Connie.


    "It''s fine, I don''t think those can pierce the armor."


    "You''re sleeping in your armor?"


    "Yes, it takes too much time to put it back on afterward. I don''t mind how you do it but I must tell you that you''ll have to try hard to wake me up. Even if there was to be a battle here, I''m not sure it would wake me up."


    "Is it some sort of nonsense or is he really serious?" Asked the mage to her boss.


    "I''m sure he is, he''s the guy who the great Marcelia chose. As expected of him, there''s no way an ordinary skirmish could wake him up! Hahaha!"


    Emp waved them goodbye and brought himself up to a large limb in the tree. He placed a note stating he was ready to combine with the other him inside the bag and sat as comfortably as possible.


    Bellow him, the many huntresses were whispering about how strange it was to have a guy sleeping so close to them, in a tree no less. They must have been used to camp together, maybe some of them usually undressed outside of their shelters because removing equipment in such a diminutive space must have been annoying. Emp didn''t have that kind of problem though since he didn''t remove it. He knew he would feel sore in the morning but the extra safety was worth it considering how hard he slept.


    He rested his head against the pillar of wood and looked up to the sky. He had thought about the same thing through the whole day. He had pretty much decided what he wanted to do now. Once he came back to the village, he would apologize to Marcy for hiding his name and tell her everything he knew.


    She was someone important to him and she deserved to know what had happened. Even if the empire felt it should remain secret, even if she might not believe his crazy story, he had to tell her. He would feel miserable if he hid the truth from her.


    Now that he had made his mind, he felt much better than in the morning, even though he had done nothing as of yet.


    As if to conclude his reflection, the two Emps combined for an instant and he was sent back with some very interesting knowledge.


    The spars on the other side were done and he had greatly benefited from them. In particular, those fights had him come to the realization that he could do what he did with a bow with any weapons at all.


    He would have never noticed if not for Celtine''s intervention. When Space gave him that ability, he told him that he could do much more than move fast with it. He had been told to be creative but he had not paid attention to Space''s power at all.


    Now that he could see how effective it could be, he was wondering just how much he was missing out on. What were the true limits of this power, how could he use it best? For example, could it be also used the other way around?


    If he could hit far with it, could he stop something close from hitting him by perceiving it as far from him? If he could hit something far while perceiving it as close, could an opponent do the same if he attacked at the same time? If he used it too much, would he end up thinking that everything was just at his side naturally, just like how he felt that any kind of distances were short? That would be annoying to live with.


    He would need to practice a lot with this to learn about all of its different uses. Maybe he could make it even more effective by using a long weapon, like a poleaxe. Or maybe the opposite was true and it was best to use the power of a shorter but sturdier weapon and give it an impressive reach with the ability.


    He wondered what was the best way to test all of this out. Should he just go against some monsters to practice or enlist another student for it? Maybe a dummy would be enough for most of it.


    He quickly fell asleep thinking about this.


    As expected, his wake up call had to be a bit rough for him to notice. He woke up as he was crashing down into some large fern. he hit the ground hard and his armor made an impressive sound clashing against some overgrown roots.


    Around him, a bunch of huntress gasped in worry and rushed towards the spot where he fell.


    "Jaska! Why''d you have to cast a spell at him!"


    "Nothing else worked! It was either that or the crossbow like he suggested!"


    Emp had never fell off a tree before, he had not expected it to be that painful. He hurt his elbow a bit and felt dizzied from the shock but still managed to get up on his hands and knees with a groan.


    "Are you alright?"


    "We''re so sorry!"


    "I''m fine, the fall woke me up. If not, I might have slept all the way up to noon."


    Around him, the women all made wry smiles or raised an eyebrow at his words. They seemed to be unable to choose between worry and relief.


    From what he was told afterward, Connie first tried to call him but when they saw it didn''t work, Tacey started throwing rocks at him like he had suggested. She hit him about five times but none of them managed to wake him up.


    In the end, everyone got either very amused or very annoyed and Jaska ended up having to use a spell to shoot out a small rock at high speed to wake him up. It was that that had upset his balance and made him fall off the tree.


    He had a heavy breakfast with everyone and Connie kept asking if he had hurt himself through the whole thing. She seemed way too afraid of hurting Marcy apprentice.


    "No, it''s not really about being afraid of hurting you. Look at everyone around." Jaska told him before biting into a juicy blue fruit.


    They all seemed to have mostly regained their calm but looking closely at their faces, he could see lingering fear and nervousness.


    "Tacey''s daughter fell and died after bumping her head. People around here get nervous when someone falls." She explained.


    Emp glanced her way when he heard what had happened to her daughter but she neither noticed the words or the gaze.


    He already knew her daughter died so he wasn''t that surprised but he understood better now why everyone was so nervous about his fall.


    "Thank you for the explanation, I''ll try to not scare everyone so much from now on."


    "Mnh, its good if you understand."


    The group resumed their hunt and explored deeper into the forest.


    He spent most of the day listening to the stories of the huntresses.


    Connie had been raised among death seekers. She would see them go on adventures and come back with amazing stories all the time. She said that she had admired many of them but none came close to the Gladius siblings.


    The pair of brother and sister had learned how to make equipment from their father but far surpassed him. In order to supply their craft and ambition, they decided to go hunt for materials by themselves. They had teamed up with Palonia who ended up marrying Tiberius and went on many adventures with the three of them. (1)


    Marcy was essentially her idol. Connie had dreamed of becoming as strong and brave as her, she had gathered companions everywhere and built herself a large group of reliable huntresses. She felt that if she gave it her all and raised great achievements, her too would one day be able to impress a noble and marry into a good family. Even if not, she hoped that she would find someone or something interesting in all her travels or at least, help all her subordinates find what they desired.


    Tacey was the opposite of her. She had joined them out of necessity rather than desire after the death of her husband in the thundering pass. She wanted to offer as good a life as she could for her daughter but in the end, she had died too.


    Now, she didn''t care much about anything. She followed the group because she had nothing else to do. She didn''t bother with much, didn''t make much effort for anything and wasted all her money thinking she had nothing to look forward to. When she wasn''t wasting it, she was leaving it for the others to take.


    Jaska was the most talkative of the three and he learned most of what he knew of the rest of the group from her. Still, despite all her words, in the end, he knew almost nothing of her. She spoke in length about the man who taught her magic but not a word on how she met the others or for what purpose she traveled with them.


    From what she said, her master in magic came from the other side of the tribes land, far north of the empire. The man was a great warrior and mage but spent most of his time and wealth assisting orphans and testing the magic affinity of every child around in search of someone with an earth affinity high enough for him to take as a disciple.


    He had helped many on the path of magic. The more talented a child was, the more he spent efforts and time on them to have this talent bloom. Jaska had been one of those who stayed with him for the longest. All that he had asked in exchange for his vast knowledge was for them to continue his work and teach to more people still.


    Jaska believed he must have gone back north by now. It was true that he cared for everyone but the Steelwood empire never was his home.


    "Master always said the same thing to every disciple he left behind. Magic will be your rise and fall. It will let you achieve far more than what destiny would have otherwise given you but in the end, there is only so much you can steal from life before it decides to take it all back. Don''t mind it too much though, the more you help with it, the more worthwhile the journey is. How many can you save with your talent? I''m sure that what my master meant was that using his gift for greed would do more harm than good, however tempting it is to do it."


    That guy seemed to have been very impressive. Helping the poor orphans, teaching them magic, knowing powerful spells and able to keep many active at once using special martial arts. No wonder Jaska was proud of him.


    He felt like he was probably for her a bit like what Marcy was for him. She was a kind woman teaching him things and housing him just because she could. She may not have been helping every single orphan in the world but she did her best to keep the village around her safe.


    While Jaska kept talking to him about all the things that crossed her mind, the true huntresses were hard at work searching for clues about what they were going against or if they were getting any closer.


    So far, they had not found much.


    One time, one of the girls felt she had found something interesting when a tree extended its limbs towards her and captured her in its branches.


    Emp dreaded it was a woodland horror but it turned out it wasn''t. It wasn''t even a lumberjack eater, the others called it a falsestor. A demon trying to trick wanderers into thinking it was an ancestor. It wasn''t even really made of wood.


    The girl screamed in panic and dozens of crossbow bolts flew from all sides immediately, turning the beast into a pincushions. Because of its size though, those bolts didn''t bother it that much.


    Huntresses rushed from all side and cut down a myriad of its limbs. Axes dug into its "trunk" and the falsestor retaliated by sending most of its root-like tentacles to attack them.


    Emp wished to help but felt that in such an hectic fight, it would be more than likely that he would end up being in the way instead. Even if he was strong, his presence would disturb the coordination they had cultivated between them all over the years. The best he could do was get his bow out of his bag and shoot high up into the creature, far over the heads of everyone to make sure he didn''t hit any of them. The arrows weren''t that effective but he felt it was better than nothing.


    While the leader and the second in command engaged the monster in melee, the mage fetched a vial of black sand from one of her pockets and started chanting a spell, spilling the sand onto the ground to form a large square on the moss in front of him.


    She then picked a piece of flint and a small rock reflecting the sun from two different pockets. She raised them over her head as she was chanting and suddenly crouched to smash them both into the earth in the center of her square. Even then her spell still wasn''t over and her mouth kept moving.


    Her companions were harassing the beast from all side to keep it from doing anything to the one it had first captured. This gave her a lot of time to complete her attack.


    She rose back to her feet and stomped hard in front of the square, everything in it collapsed on itself like a house of cards, swallowing the other two items.


    She made a grasping motion and raised her arms up, the earth followed and floated up in front of her. The dirt had been changed into hundreds of sharp shards of crystalline stones, Emp could easily guess what they were for. All the moss, foliage and roots that had been mixed with the dirt fell down the new hole helplessly. Jaska drew back her arms, bringing her hands to either side of her chest.


    At this point, another girl that had stood by at her side took action.


    In small groups of coordinated persons, the teammates of a spell caster knew them well enough to feel when a spell was about to happen but in any sort of large groups, some form of warning was necessary. However, more often than not, a mage could not both chant a spell and call out when it was ready. It would either ruin the spell entirely or they wouldn''t be able to hold it.


    It was for this reason than every organisation attached what was known as a warner to their mages. The warner here was a girl that was otherwise too young to contribute in any meaningful way in a fight. Her job was to know the spells of the mage like no other could and warn everyone when it was about to happen. More often than not, a warner was also the apprentice of the mage but Emp had no idea if this one was or not.


    "Out of the way! Incoming shards!" She yelled, loud enough to cover the sounds of the fight.


    All the huntresses knew what this meant and they all jumped away from the beast. As soon as they started moving away, Jaska threw her hands forwards, forming claws aimed at the beast with her fingers.


    The shards flew out at high speed and punched the falsestor full of holes. Many passed on either side but most of the shards that had floated towards the middle of her square blasted the monster apart.


    The creature emitted a high pitched wail out of an unseen mouth. It was loud and piercing, a chill ran through Emp''s spine and he saw the warner step back with a shiver.


    Chunks of flesh, brown blood and skin imitating bark flew everywhere as shards upon shards cut through it like heavy rain through thin paper.


    Emp feared that the girl the creature was holding would get hit as well but she was a bit too high up and luckily ended up unharmed.


    When the hail of stone ended to reveal its battered shaped full of holes and craters, Tacey wasted no time and rushed back to it again. She wielded her axe with both hands and with a scream, swung with all her strength into the weakened part of its trunk.


    With all the newly made weak points and most of the bark blasted apart, the axe easily dug into it. It''s blade wasn''t large enough to sever the trunk entirely but she managed to slash through a good half of it, weakening it and forcing a new wail out of it.


    Tentacle-like limbs trashed everywhere, Tacey got hit in the face and was sent tumbling back while the rest pushed onward from all side to end the creature.


    The girl that had been captured at the start got squeezed hard and after a yelp of pain got released so that the limbs holding her could focus on other huntresses.


    "Someone drag Hal out of there! The rest aim for Tacey''s mark!"


    Connie didn''t have the best weapon for the situation but she remained surprisingly effective with her spear. There was nothing to pierce but she could split the air while using it like a staff, battering limbs away by droves and helping her team push forward.


    It was at that moment that Emp saw an opening, not in the monster''s defenses but in the huntresses formation. Two of them picked up the unconscious victim Hal and carried her away, leaving a pretty enticing space on the front line.


    Emp didn''t want to disturb their usual battle formation but that space was an invitation he couldn''t refuse. He would deliver one strike and back away to make sure he wouldn''t be in their way.


    He released the grip over his bow to get a two handed sword out from his bag. That one was one of those he had bought after the first hunt. It had no real use aside from being extremely long and heavy. It had no magic on it and no ornaments, it was a plain sword made to kill.


    He easily raised it over his head, stepped into the empty space and slashed downward with all his strength. He severed everything in his path, scrawny or large limbs, fake roots and false foliage. Everything was cut through for almost two meters in front of him. Then, his blade dug into the ground with a thud and moss flew everywhere.


    Wasting no time, two huntresses jumped in the wide opening he had just made by vaulting over his sword and swung their axes into the main body of the creature, right at the spot where Tacey had first attacked.


    The falsestor didn''t have the time to bring new limbs in the way to shield itself and was cleanly split in two by the middle. The creature collapsed under its own weight and everyone backed off from it in order to not be buried under it as it fell while flailing wildly.


    While the team cheered towards the creatures death throes, Connie gave some final orders.


    "Jaska, take a look at Tacey and Hal, the rest wait for it to die before chopping it in bits."


    The rest nodded and threw some "aye" her way before setting up to do their tasks. Emp placed his sword back into the bag and walked up to the three leaders. Everyone took their time to calm their breaths.


    "That was a good swing." Complimented Connie.


    "Thanks, I liked your spear work too, you were able to keep all those limbs away easily."


    "It''s all about experience. So your weapon''s a two hander?"


    "Not really, I like hammers better but this one was more apropriate for what we were doing."


    "I see."


    Connie nodded and Tacey butted in the conversation, disturbing Jaska who was trying to apply some ointment on her face.


    "You didn''t really help."


    "I didn''t want to be in the way. I''m not really part of the team, I don''t know how it works."


    "Hmpf."


    "So... was this the thing we were looking for?" He asked.


    "No, no way. That thing is a stealth hunter, it can''t intimidate everything else out of its territory. I''m not even sure it moves all that much."


    "So we gotta keep looking?"


    "Yep."


    That would have been great if it had been this easy. At least now he knew better about how they all worked together and what it was that a warner actually did.


    The girl Hal turned out to be mostly fine, she had a few ribs cracked but not broken. Bones were easy to repair for good earth mages so Jaska fixed all of them in under two hours.


    After that, the search resumed until a few hours before noon on the next day. It was then that they found a huge patch of forest covered in a strange matter. None of it was coherent, it was like lines of purple crystal had been carved through the woods.


    When Emp came close to it to take a look, he was strongly reminded of glass. It was as if Juniper had decided to reshape the forest with a huge amount of dark purple glass sculptures.


    "What is that?" Asked Tacey.


    "Glass, crystal? What the fuck is that doing here?" Asked another one.


    "What could have done this?"


    "Connie, whatever did this isn''t on the list we gave to Marcelia. Should we go back?"


    Jaska didn''t seem thrilled to continue.


    "Does anyone have any idea of what could be the cause of this?" Their leader asked.


    They all looked at each other but no one could answer.


    "Alright then. I feel like it would be pitiful to go back without even taking a look at what sort of monster is the source of all this mess. The village over there is counting on us to fix this so I feel like we should at least scout out what it is. If we feel like we can take it on we''ll do so but if not, we''ll just run. Anyone as another suggestion?"


    No one voiced anything. Emp didn''t really care either way so he had no reason to speak. He wasn''t afraid of whatever laid in wait over there.


    "Then lets go, speak in low voices, no sudden noises, stay sharp and signal the rest if you catch a glimpse of anything suspicious. From here on, the true hunt starts."


    ***


    (1)There is also the way one of her weapons ended up changing Connie''s life but that''s more about how she admire Marcy than about why she is here so I didn''t talk about it.

 66 Mables Protector

    "Jin!"


    "It''s impossible! How did he hit!"


    The group of challengers refused to believe that Jin had really been hit. All of them were shouting questions and their disbelief was shared across most of the seating areas.


    Even himself had a hard time believing that even though he had attacked the shield on purpose, he still broke the arm of the poor guy. That wasn''t what he had meant to do at all.


    Exclamations kept fusing from all sides.


    "Emp! How did you do that!"


    "What was that?"


    "What a great hit!!"


    Only on Emp''s side people were cheering. Opposite to them, a tiny girl with huge furry ears jumped from her seat and screamed "Master!" with all the strength her small voice could muster. She was obviously a cursed-blood and had been sitting at the very edge of the bench with the other few cursed servants present, removed from the students and even the human slaves.


    The girl seemed genuinely concerned for Jin who Emp assumed was her master. The other servants around brought her back down on the bench to stop her from gathering attention.


    Emp didn''t want to worry her too much so he had to send Jin back to her quick. But, wasn''t he in the gang that hated him because he carried Celtine on his shoulder? How come a cursed-blood enslaved to him was so concerned for his well-being?


    Jin was currently writhing in pain on the ground, clutching his arm with clenched teeth.


    "Emp wins again, healers, go do your job quick."


    While the healers were rushing up to them Emp ignored the words of everyone around them and crouched next to him.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hit you so hard, you were just too fast for me to do otherwise."


    He only managed a groan as an answer.


    "You could have won that fight easy with your speed, why didn''t you?"


    No answer still.


    "The girl up there is really worried about you, she cares a lot."


    That stirred a reaction, despite the pain, a smile crept up his face. He painstakingly replied.


    "Mice- are cute... Aren''t they?"


    So this was some sort of mouse girl? A mouse girl loving a freakishly fast man. It wasn''t the first time he was told that mice are cute.


    "Mice are known to be fast too I heard."


    The eyes of Jin locked onto Emp''s pupils.


    "Knew it. My dad- couldn''t win- no way I could."


    Each word was hard to utter through the pain of his broken arm. This wasn''t really the place to talk was it? Still...


    "I do not understand what''s in your heads."


    "Hard to keep face. No choice."


    The healers arrived at their side and pushed Emp a few step back to surround the injured. It seemed that their talk had come to an end.


    "Fix the arm of my friend with magic, I''ll pay the fee if I have to, just make it quick." Emp told the healers.


    "Got it." They replied while dragging Jin away and feeding him some potion.


    No one heard their small exchange because of how loud everyone else was being. Emp saw the mouse girl run off sneakily from the benches in order to meet up with her master a bit further. Her long tail held straight up by her worries.


    Emp was certain that Jin Josephal was his full name, he was obviously related to the mouse, not the girl but the man who fought him in the streets soon after he came to this city.


    Were Jin and his father really only pretending to hate cursed-bloods? But baron Josephal the mouse fought so hard against him and seemed to really want to punish him and Celtine.


    On the other hand, Emp had never understood why he had not just fought them the first time they came across and just threw them a bunch of nonsensical threats instead. Was he just trying to let them escape from his weird masquerade?


    He still didn''t understand what was the cause of this but at least he knew that Jin cared for the mouse-girl just as much as she cared for him. That was enough for him to roughly understand that Jin wasn''t a bad guy.


    While he was wondering about all that, the teacher spoke again.


    "Emp, are you listening at all? I just told you to not hit that hard! Seriously. *sigh* Anyway, you''re bad a retreating, we''ll work on that. Also, stop relying so much on your armor. I know it''s tempting but you never know when something will manage to go through."


    Emp nodded to tell him he understood. It was true that he had won only by hoping his armor would hold this time. He needed some tricks to deal with speed it seemed, this was the main thing he learned here.


    "Does anyone else want a go against him?" The teacher followed.


    The guys on the other side were still trying to figure out what they had just witnessed, was it magic? They would never guess how he had managed to reach Jin with his hammer.


    While they decided on what they wanted to do next, Emp retreated to the bench section claimed by group C. Ivar was the first to talk when he got there.


    "Emp, that was great, I really thought you''d lose for a second there but you pulled it off in the end."


    "It''s not over though, they clearly haven''t given up yet and from what they said, that guy wasn''t their best." Brenia added.


    "As long as they aren''t as fast, I don''t think I''ll get in real trouble again."


    "Hehe, that''s great. Still, what was that move? The one you just used to end the fight." Asked Oliver.


    "I just did the same I do when I use a bow. The thing Celtine helped me with."


    "Now that I know you can do that, you won''t take me by surprise with it later."


    Brenia gave him a grin to accompany her words, she was convinced she would win. It was true that he was more interested in his fight with Brenia than he was in his fight with the guys on the other side. He wished they would just give up already, this whole thing wasn''t worth the trouble for either him or them.


    The guys on the other side finally made their decision and their strongest stepped forward.


    "I''ll do it, I''m the next one to challenge him."


    If Emp had heard correctly earlier, his name was Noirantel. He wore a silver lined plate armor and a helm. On the benches behind them, a bunch of girls supported their classmate.


    "Yeah! You''re done for now you savage!"


    "Noirantel can''t possibly lose!"


    "Show him what''s what!"


    Emp walked back to the center too, happy to hear his own group encourage him.


    "You can do it Emp!"


    "Be careful, that guy is probably way older than you too."


    "It''s for the whole class so you can''t lose!"


    The two guys walked to their respecting starting points and readied their weapons. Noirantel brought up a large sword he held up with two hands. The blade was straight and long, almost equaling the reach of Jin''s spear. He held it firmly in front of him at the vertical.


    "Are you both ready?" The teacher asked.


    "Yes." They both said.


    "Then go!"


    Emp expected him to charge forward once the spar started but instead, he chose to stand his ground and wait for him to move. He probably felt it was pointless to rush forward if he could just instantly close the distance, just like Jin.


    Emp had no desire to stretch the fight unnecessarily but the last time he stepped up to his opponent, Jin had managed to dodge it easily. According to those on the other side, that man was stronger than Jin. Then, he must have had a special trick to beat his speed. What was the trick though? Would it work on him too?


    By letting Jin fight him before this, he had gained the advantage of knowing what Emp could do while still keeping all his abilities hidden. Emp didn''t have that many tricks to begin with so they where all exposed already.


    Noirantel, must be feeling confident that he wouldn''t be surprised by his opponent moves and he would be right to do so.


    Emp on the other hand, had no idea what the man in front of him could or could not do. How could he probe his abilities?


    Since he seemed confident in his ability to stop his initial charge, there was no point in doing it at all. Emp chose to instead step up to half the distance between them to see how he would react.


    Noirantel predicted the step and swung his sword the moment Emp''s feet left the ground but since he didn''t go all the way to him, the blade only sliced empty air in front of him.


    Was this the only thing he planned to do to counter his advance? Emp was tempted to step in after the sword passed but he feared the guy would bring it back the other way around.


    Instead, he stepped past Noirantel and attempted to hit him with an horizontal smash as he turned around to face him again.


    When he disappeared from his view, Noirantel decided to continue his swing all the way to his back and his sword barely intercepted Emp''s hammer in time.


    The two weapon loudly clashed against each other and the sword was bounced away by the strength and weight behind the hammer. It did not give victory to Emp however as the instant the weapons hit each other was enough for Noirantel to dodge the attack entirely.


    He recovered quickly and sent another attack immediately. The hammer clashed with the sword again and the story repeated itself. After those first few exchanges, the fight evolved into something that forced Emp to use everything he knew about swords techniques and the many combat rules Heinrich taught them.


    If nothing else, Noirantel knew how to use his sword very effectively. He might not have been as strong as Emp or as fast as Jin but after that first simple strike, each and every move became a cunning trick or an elegant counter.


    The only reason Emp wasn''t instantly defeated was that he was strong enough to withstand the assault and bat the sword away with his hammer. He had the advantage of a greater stamina and muscular strength but he was denied their use for anything else other than defense.


    A swing came from the right, he deviated it away from his chest. Then, a return attack from the left, he hit it with the hammer head, curved it upwards and countered.


    A step back to dodge followed by a lunge forwards.


    A clash from above to pin the sword into the ground. The blade slipped to the left and went for his leg. He stepped up to use the hammer''s haft as a shield and swung it from the ground into his knees, the hammer got pushed to the right by the cross guard.


    The crowd around them was throwing loud encouragements to either of them the whole time. Sometimes they were impressed at how Emp could keep up and sometimes they were awed by Noirantel''s technique. After the first few strikes, Emp had not managed to bounce his sword away as cleanly as he did the first time, it was always slipping away towards him.


    From up close, Emp was unable to see any opening and he felt distracted by how Noirantel kept mumbling. He would never cease to talk but it was all barely audible nonsense. After a while, he finally understood that it was some sort of spell but since his knowledge in magic was vastly inferior to Noirantel''s, he couldn''t figure out what it was that the spell was doing.


    He couldn''t see any obvious effect, he couldn''t see material sacrifice or catalyst, there were no apparent gestures and he didn''t recognize any of the words. He couldn''t even figure out when he had started casting the spell or what sort of element it was appealing to.


    Was it a continuous thing or was it just very long to cast? There was no way to know. How frustrating.


    "Emp, finish him already, what are you waiting for!"


    Mable was impatient and wanted him to win already but he just couldn''t find out how. Neither of them felt tired at all but neither could break past the other''s defense.


    "He should give up already! There''s no way he can break past the deep river style."


    What was the deep river style? Was it the spell Noirantel was sustaining? It was likely that the other boy was right. Without knowing what it was, his chance of breaking it were slim. It would all be down to luck and endurance.


    The best he could do was pay attention to the feet and hands of Noirantel. After all, he had called this a style. Weren''t combat styles all about movements? If this was all a single incredible technique, there must be a way to link together all those movements and strikes into something coherent. There should be a pattern somewhere in there.


    He shut off any external sounds from disturbing him, he made a small world only containing him and Noirantel. He continued to exchange blows with him again and again. He watched his movements ever more intently.


    His opponent did his best to defeat Emp, feinting even his feints themselves and slipping his blade all around in order to score a hit. Emp did not let himself be defeated easily, with how much his strength had improved, he could wield the heavy hammer as if it was a stick, brushing off every attacks the moments they were about to hit.


    Noirantel was simply not fast enough to hit him and Emp was too smart on things related to a fight to get outplayed. Still, Noirantel''s technique was just too much and he seemed to literally flow around each strikes Emp attempted, using them instead to his own advantage.


    There was no room to use the trick he had used against Jin either. Here it seemed, in that small world of hammer and sword, only pure skill would choose the winner.


    Clash after clash, his eyes darted all over the man in front of him, trying to figure out what was happening. He was starting to feel heated, his armor was stuffy, his muscles were fine but he felt like a fire was spreading through him none the less. The other must be feeling the same way.


    The more the fight dragged on, the more the two would feel exhausted afterward. Neither had expected this spar to last for so long. Instants felt like hours, both exerting themselves to overcome their opponent.


    Finally, Emp saw it. His sword bent itself around the hammer. His sword was acting like water! It was so subtle that Emp could barely see it even after focusing on the impact point between their two weapons.


    Every time they would hit each other, the sword would make way for the hammer and absorb the shock into almost nothing. This was why his sword wasn''t flying away every time he smashed it aside. The man could just ignore all of his blows. That was the link with water, the movement of his body suddenly made much more sense as well. He just twisted and flowed around the stiff arcs made by his hammer. Aided by the spell, he could maybe even see the path of the hammer in advance, slow it down and absorb part of its strength with the long sword and then bend his body around the path the hammer would take well before it could connect.


    What an impressive ability! Even when attacking, the steel would just give way in front of the hammer like a river against a boulder before reforming on the other side of it. It would always give just enough resistance to make him feel the hit connect through the hammer. This was brilliant, he was very impressed. He wished he knew a similar form of combat.


    This all meant that none of his attacks up to now had any effects on him, he didn''t even need to spend energy in really blocking them. He only pretended to.


    Now that he knew that, he had to find a way to turn it all around. The first thing that came to his mind was to hit harder. Up until now, most of the power behind his attacks were negated but if he hit hard enough, would his trick manage to take all of it away? Then, he remembered that he was just in a spar. If he put all his strength in an attack and managed to hit Noirantel, the results could be bad.


    Then, what was the best way to achieve victory? Feints didn''t work, strength wasn''t a real option and the guy would not tire anytime soon because of how the spell absorbed his blows. If only he was able to do those crazy things Jaska showed him the day before, he would be able to strike from all sides at once.


    What he needed to do was something so unexpected and outlandish that it would never cross the mind of Noirantel even with the help of the spell.


    He tried his luck with a feint followed by him pushing the blade away and attempting a kick but his waist and armor just bent around his foot and he almost got hit in return. This wasn''t the way to go.


    He jumped to the side to avoid the blade coming back, crouched under it, protected his face from the knee of his opponent with his hammer and wracked his brain for a new idea.


    As a consequence of him thinking about Jaska, he was reminded of the spell he was practicing, hold together solid. Could it be used to hold the blade of Noirantel in a state solid enough for him to really hit it away from him? Would it even work through the other spell? Was steel part of the earth element? It came from there too after all.


    He felt it was worth a try. He wasn''t confident in his ability to hold the spell at all but if the blade became truly solid for even an instant, he would be able to strike it heavily. If he put a lot of strength in the hammer and Noirantel expected it to bend like always, he would maybe lose his grip on it because of the unexpected shock.


    Emp changed his grip over the hammer to hold it using only his right hand and fetched the small rock in his left. Solidify was the only spell he knew and he practiced it a whole lot. Casting it in the middle of a fight wasn''t that much harder. All he had to do was focus on the enemy blade instead of a bit of dirt. Since he was already wholly focused on it so that he would not get cut, it was pretty easy.


    He recited the words he knew by heart holding the rock towards the blade while he swung the hammer from left to right. The air groaned in front of the hammer and Noirantel prepared his blade to parry it like every other time he attacked.


    This time however, the sound of steel rang louder than ever.


    It worked!


    The spell had activated just before they got in contact. The blade slipped out of his fingers turning both of his thumbs backwards.


    His body dodged the hammer just as a groan of pain and surprise disrupted the spell and the blade bounced against his shoulder hard before spinning away and falling in the dirt a few feet at their sides.


    It was now awkwardly bent, it had not liked the dual spells cast on it and the following shock apparently.


    Noirantel had been disarmed, the fight was over.


    Heinrich didn''t have the time to declare the victor before Mable exploded in joy.


    "Emp won again! Take that you bunch of villain! My champion''s the best!"


    She held the hand of both Celtine and Aglaya and raised them both above her head in a victory pose. A smug victory smile on her face.


    The rest of group C clamored and clapped to celebrate the victory of their group over the other one. Those were all meaningless spars but they felt a sense of superiority none the less.


    Those on the opposing benches were speechless, they couldn''t believe their best hope had been defeated.


    Noirantel was more than a little surprised about how the fight had ended as well.


    "How!"


    "Earth spell solidify." Emp answered simply.


    The guy attempted to remove his helmet to show his sweating face but had a hard time of it because of how numb his thumbs felt.


    Finally, he got rid of it and scowled at Emp pointing a resentful finger at him.


    "If it had been a true fight, I would have skewered you ten thousand times before you figured out the deep river style!"


    "If it had been a true fight, I would have won in that first strike because I wouldn''t have held back."


    "Ah! You''re dreaming on your feet if you believe that!"


    "Boo, what a sore loser!" Called Mable.


    "And you, what a sore winner! Can''t you stop insulting us for a second?"


    "Why? You were the ones looking for trouble, I don''t have to be considerate for you!"


    "Mable, that''s enough, you''re just bullying them now." Aglaya told her before forcing her to sit back down.


    She crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks to express her discontent but otherwise stayed silent after that.


    Heinrich chose that moment to step in.


    "Alright, Noirantel, obviously, you lost. You did pretty well and your form was as good as ever but you made two obvious mistake. First of all, when Emp started casting a spell, you should have backed off if you didn''t know what he was trying to do. Instead, you blindly believed in your deep river style and continued on as if nothing was happening. It is very strong but nothing is unbeatable and like you just saw, betting everything on it could end your life on a battlefield.


    The other thing is much worse. That attack should not have knocked your sword out of your hand, you were overconfident and relaxed your grip on it in the middle of a fight. That is unacceptable. Once you enter combat, never loosen your fingers from your weapon until the victory has been achieved.


    Never, under any circumstances should you let go of your weapon so easily. Even if everything seems to go swimmingly, a turnaround is always possible.


    Now you Emp. Great job too. This time you didn''t injure your opponent, you didn''t rely on your armor and still kept things under control until you found your opponent weakness. Overall, it was a great improvement.


    I still believe your technique isn''t up to my standards yet so I will have you work on that. In addition, you need a real hammer style rather than just using your high reflexes to stay in control. If you plan to keep using hammers, I will find you a specialist soon and you''ll follow lessons with him on top of the fencing lessons."


    That would probably be very helpful to him. He really liked the weight behind the hammers and used them a lot.


    Noirantel shot him and Mable and heinous look, snatched his weapon and started leaving. Not merely the sparring space but the field itself.


    "We lost I''m leaving."


    Everyone from his group seemed unhappy and obviously dissatisfied but there was nothing else they could do. They all rose from their seats, intent on following him away. Unfortunately for them, Mable called them back.


    "Hey wait up!"


    Most turned around to look her way as she exposed her thoughts.


    "You all told me I would regret it if Emp lost but he''s the one who won in the end, shouldn''t we be getting something in return?"


    That seemed a bit excessive to Emp but Aglaya agreed with her.


    "Mable is right. You can''t just threaten her and then leave as if nothing happened. That is both disrespectful and unfair for us."


    Those guys seemed so angry hearing this that Emp thought they would change their minds and all assault him together. They managed to keep their calm and Noirantel had no choice but to walk up to them to talk.


    Emp followed after him and only the clanking of their armors was heard as they made their way to the bottom of the benches. Because of where Mable and Aglaya were sitting, Noirantel had no choice but to look up to meet her eyes even though she was much smaller than him. Did Aglaya plan this from the beginning? He seemed to find this very annoying as well.


    Meanwhile, on the side, the teacher seemed to find this whole thing tedious and uninteresting. All of those nonsensical arguments were just stealing time from his class and that was very inappropriate in his viewpoint. However, he still felt it was better to let them reach some form of conclusion so that he wouldn''t have to endure another thing like this for a while. He liked spars but they were usually done to practice with companions, not challenge a rival.


    "What do you want?"


    Noirantel went straight to the point which was convenient since Mable was a very direct person.


    "I want you guys to promise you won''t bother us again and offer us a strawberry cake as an apology."


    The reactions to her words were mixed but mostly consisted of incredulity.


    "You want a cake?"


    "Yes, a strawberry flavored one."


    Noirantel didn''t know what he should think about this. What sort of nonsensical demand was this!


    He could only sigh and give her his word.


    "Fine, I promise in the name of my group that we won''t bother group C and I''ll have a cake sent to you later."


    "A strawberry one, this is important."


    "Yes, a strawberry one."


    "Great, you can leave now."


    The guy frowned at how he was dismissed like a lowly commoner but left anyway, holding his annoyance to himself.


    "Shouldn''t you have asked for something more worthwhile? They were completely defeated after all." Asked Juniper.


    "If it had been me, I would have forced them to apologize in front of everyone one by one and offer me some valuable compensation." Heida added in.


    Mable was about to defend her choice of demands but Aglaya came to her rescue before she could.


    "Isn''t that a good thing? If she had asked for too much, they would have been even more angry at us. Asking for something as simple as a cake is much better than being unreasonable."


    Emp felt that a cake was already unreasonable for most common people but he decided to keep his thoughts for himself. In the end, it was still better than to ask for some valuable.


    "That''s right, it''s exactly for that! It''s not at all because I really wanted some cake. Nothing to do with that." Mable affirmed with a few nods and a proud stance.


    The rest smiled knowingly at how she betrayed her true intentions through her words. She really was just interested in the cake after all.


    "That''s why you''ll share it with everyone right?"


    "Ehhh?"


    Gytha gave her a mischievous smile and Mable could only lower her head in defeat.


    "Mhhh, I should have specified it needed to be a large cake."


    While everyone was laughing, Aglaya told her what she needed to do next.


    "Now, you need to reward Emp."


    "Eh? I thought a piece of the cake was enough."


    "Yeah, I don''t really need a reward or anything." Emp agreed with her.


    "Nono, that won''t do. Mable, Emp fought in your name as your champion, he needs to be rewarded properly for his hard work."


    Mable had not expected that turn of event so she was put in a hard spot by her friend.


    "But, I didn''t think about this before, I have nothing to give him."


    Aglaya made a show of seriously thinking about it but Emp felt she probably already knew all of this would happen. Even Mable told him beforehand that she was planning something.


    She kept her legs crossed and had a finger pensively tapping her shin until she finally "found" a suitable answer.


    "How about you hire him then? Make him your personal guard so that his title of champion becomes permanent."


    Was that really a reward? What was her intention behind this? Emp was just confused.


    Mable felt the same and her face just showed skepticism.


    "I don''t understand. How could work be a reward?"


    The others were all frowning too, nobody had any clue of what she was going for.


    "But it is a reward, it''s all about the title of protector. A personal guard that also happens to be the champion of the one he or she''s protecting has the title of lord protector. The higher the status of the person they are protecting is, the higher the renown and prestige they gain. Not only that but as a guard, he would get paid to just stand around with us. Everyone gets to continue to act as normal but he gets a title and some money for at least until we all leave this school. Even a prince would find the title of protector attractive if he was in charge of a member of the imperial family for example."


    Mable''s face lit up.


    "Ehhhh? Is that true? All I have to do is hire him?"


    "Yes, that''s all. I think it''s actually the best thing you can give him for is trouble too."


    "So that guy would now be Emp, lord protector of Mable? I can''t even say he doesn''t deserve it, I don''t think anyone from the other groups could beat him. Aside from those in this group, he''s probably unbeatable, it''s the perfect guard for our time in the school."


    All of that sounded like a compliment but Gervaise seemed really annoyed as she said all that. Nessa on the other hand, giggled happily and gave a positive opinion instead.


    "That''s so clever Aglaya, I see where you are going with all this now. I think it''s great."


    Emp still couldn''t find what her overall goal was but apparently, Nessa found it obvious.


    Mable seemed convinced by their words. She turned her head back towards him with a smile showing she was having fun.


    "Yeah, alright then Emp, be my guard protector thing please."


    What should he do? That seemed a bit more complicated than what was said and he had no idea what Aglaya really wanted. He would ask for Celtine''s opinion but she was stuck at Mable''s side, unable to write him some counsel. He had thought they had brought her there to be friendly but was she just up there to stop her from giving him an advice?


    He looked at the faces of the others instead.


    Most of the guys were giving him the look of "don''t do it."


    "It''s too bothersome, find a way out!" Kenneth whispered in a barely audible voice.


    Was it really that bothersome? All he had to do was to keep her from getting injured by someone else no? He could hardly see how such a thing could happen inside the school. Nobody really disliked her either aside from the earlier group. This seemed like the easiest thing to do. Since the other guys all felt it was a bad idea however, they must have known something he didn''t. He should be cautious.


    "I don''t really need the money though."


    "Oh? So you would do it for free too? How gallant of you! But sorry, we cannot accept this, you must be paid for your help." Aglaya answered instantly.


    What a way to turn his words around. Should he insist? If he hesitated for much longer he felt he would disappoint Mable. She seemed super happy about the idea too. He didn''t want to make her sad. Refusing to get rewarded would be rude too would it not? He felt he heard such a thing from madam Blackbull at some point.


    He looked again towards the other guys and all their faces were the very picture of resignation. In contrast, most of the girls showed knowing smiles. What was happening really?


    Celtine was just making a frown and he wasn''t sure if it meant she was against the idea or just thinking about what Aglaya really meant to do so it wasn''t helping his decision either.


    In the end, he didn''t really have a choice did he?


    "Then I guess I will have to accept."


    The smiles on the girls faces deepened as if they were spiders looking at a fly that fell for their trap. Mable raised her arms in the air with a loud "Yeah!" as if she had won a new battle and pointed his way.


    "Alright! You''re now my champion protector! With you around, I''m sure to win all the cakes! Mwahahaha."


    Emp understood by now that the winning and savoring cakes was an important part of what made Mable who she was.


    He didn''t know if she was more happy about having him as a protector or about the opportunity to win herself more cakes from now on.


    Seeing her giddy like that, he felt warmth spread through him, a feeling he recognized as him having done the right thing.


    Now that all of this was done, the only thing left was for them to finally see, who was the strongest here. It was time to fulfill the demand of Brenia.


    ***


    "You''ve come to like that drink haven''t you? I''m glad. It''s important to me that you in particular come to appreciate it."


    "..."


    "Yes, I heard about this, it made quite a ruckus through the school. I heard one of them was made into a lord protector."


    "..."


    "Really? That''s interesting. It would be more impressive if we knew all the names here. I''m not a fan of all the mystery added in this time around."


    "..."


    "Well, would it not be a shame if your friend was of such a low rank that becoming her protector dishonored that boy? I''m just saying that hiding all the names makes everything difficult. I wonder if you could help me find out more about all those names."


    "..."


    "I understand, it makes you a bit uncomfortable. Here, maybe you should have another cup of this my sweet lover."

 67 Brenia

    "Alright, are you all done with that nonsense now? Can I finally have my bloody spar?"


    The opinion of Brenia on this whole adventure was similar to that of the teacher. It was a huge waste of time only here to distract her from her training.


    "You actually even managed to use that damn spell to win against that guy. Now I want to defeat you even more."


    She didn''t care about rivalries, titles or rewards, the only thing that interested her was to measure her strength against his own. The others were mostly in agreement, not about her eagerness to fight but about her curiosity to know who was best.


    This was after all, something they had waited to settle since the very first combat class. After a year of training, who in the new students was the champion and could that champion win against the leftovers from the last school cycle?


    They were all dying to know and once again a vivid debate started about who was the strongest. Mable giggled happily and proudly declared her future victory.


    "There''s no way Emp will lose! He''s going to win quick and then I''ll get a new cake! That one is going to be all mine too!"


    "I''m sure we already had this conversation but why are you so sure he''s going to win?"


    "Because he''s the best!" She answered with no hesitation whatsoever.


    Emp thought that Mable''s trust in him was impressive. He didn''t want to disappoint her. It felt nice that someone believed in him like this.


    "Oh? We''ll see about that! Come here you, I''m tired of sitting around."


    Brenia butted in on their conversation and refusing to wait any longer, she walked into the field. She seemed more than ready to give her all to defeat him. Maybe fighting with real weapons against her wasn''t that good of an idea.


    Emp followed behind her while the others proclaimed loudly who they were rooting for in this match. He made a long step to reach her side and told her how he wanted to modify the rules of the spar.


    "Brenia, if we really use our whole strength to go against each other the fight will end with one of us dying."


    "So what are you saying, you want to hold back? No way, that would be boring."


    "No, I''m saying we should use wooden weapons instead. They''re going to break in a hit but considering how hard we both swing, that one hit would probably be the end of the other in a real fight."


    She showed him a large grin when she understood the reasons behind his words.


    "Oh, I see what you mean now. The teacher doesn''t want us to get hurt so if we use dummy weapons, we can fight to our heart contents without changing too much the final result."


    "Yes, the only difference would be the weight..."


    "But it doesn''t matter because our fight would never be decided by a lack of stamina in the first place. There''s only one annoying part really. If we hit the two weapons too hard against each other, they will break."


    "True, but we don''t really care about that because hitting the other weapon at full strength is pointless in the first place and it gives us some challenge anyway."


    "We only have one chance. I like it, let''s do that! Hey, teacher! We do have some wooden weapons laying around right?"


    Emp was happy that Brenia was a sensible person like him. Getting hit by a wooden weapon would really hurt but the damage would simply not compare to real one, even if the strength behind it was enough to shatter it. (1)


    He didn''t agree all the time with her but at least when it was concerning a fight, they seemed to share many thoughts.


    It didn''t take that long for them both to be handed a long wooden sword each. Neither of them really favored swords but neither of them complained for the sake of being able to go all out.


    Her armor was mostly a patchwork of leather with steel plating to reinforce her forearms and chest. She had steel toed long boots over her pants and a mail shirt hung in between her chest plate and the layer of leather, ending at her knees. It was cut in the middle from the front and back to let her make complex movements. Her gauntlets were made of soft wool on the inside, hard leather outside and a steel plate over the back of her hand to insure the protection of her hand.


    Her helmet was the most interesting part of it all. It was three layers of leather over rabbit skin but only served as base for the main defense. Large curved claws had been painstakingly sowed on top of the leather. All of them followed the curve of her head to point forward. They all started behind her head and protected her whole skull by all being fixed against each other. There were no space in between them for an attack to land. From the side, it looked like a teardrop pointing to the front or some sort of garlic bulb. From the front, it either looked like something had a round mouth surrounded by teeth on all sides or, if you were more poetically inclined, a flower bud barely starting to reveal the treasure inside.


    The only real weak point of this helm was the face of Brenia herself since there was no visor added onto it. This meant that in combat, she needed to turn her head in order to protect her face. Of course, in a spar, such a weakness didn''t really matter.


    As for why he knew all that about her armor, it was because he was really interested in armors and weapons. With all the lessons Marcy was teaching him, he couldn''t help but be curious about what everyone else used and so, he kept asking them about details related to their equipment. What type of metal, where did the leather come from, how was it worn, what welding technique had been used, the weight of the different parts, the reasons behind each design choices, he wanted to know it all.


    To his great sorrow, Brenia didn''t know what sort of fangs were used for her helmet. It had been a gift and at the time, she had not bothered asking. In fact, it was him that told her that the innermost part was rabbit skin. She had not really cared at all about what it was.


    "It was a... guy, that... generously gifted that to me after, uh... A strong argument we had. I didn''t really have the chance to ask him what the fuck it was made of, only that it could bounce my axe away." Is what she told him about it.


    In any case, there she stood in front of him. She seemed to be having just as much fun as Mable and was ready to strike the second the signal would be sent from the teacher. Emp needed to be careful with her, he had trained at her side a lot by now, he knew many things about her strength. He believed that like him, if Noirantel hadn''t used some magic to make his sword soft, she could have beat him easily. She could not be underestimated, even with a sword instead of an axe.


    "Begin." The teacher said.


    Emp started with a long distance stab but Brenia dodged it by leaning to the side. How did she guess he would stab from such a range!


    The corner of her mouth raised and she dashed forward. Emp immediately stepped up to her and swung his sword sideways.


    Brenia reaction speed was unbelievable and she placed her sword at the vertical in front of her. In such a clash, both weapons would risk getting broken but Emp was willing to take the chance. That was, until she placed her left forearm along the blade. The shock would be absorbed in part by her arm and it would without be his own sword that would break!


    He twisted his wrist to avoid the collision and let his swords slide on her side instead as they passed each other.


    Brenia didn''t waste time and turned around mid charge to swing at his back. He twirled on himself to face her incoming sword and brushed it away from him. The two wood pieces still made a loud clack despite not coming against each other directly.


    "He blocked it!" Someone shouted.


    Her feet slid against the dirt as she leaned back to stop herself, twisting her upper body in the process, she placed her left hand against the ground and slashed once more at him, this time towards his legs.


    Emp stepped over her to dodge the blade and found himself close to her feet from where he trusted at her lower back.


    "How did he do that!"


    "That''s cheating!"


    She still managed to dodge the blow however by twisting her left arm against the ground and using the momentum of her sword slash to turn her entire body clockwise. His sword just stabbed into the earth pointlessly.


    She had been told in the first combat class that she had no technique and no coordination. It was obviously no longer the case, she was truly a hard worker.


    Her feet found purchase in the soil again and giving a push with her hands, she found herself upright again. Emp followed her with an upward swing she should not have been able to dodge, she wasn''t balanced properly on her feet yet, how could she possibly dodge this?


    Like he had done just before, she used her sword to deviate the path of his own away from her and then stepped up to grab his head.


    Using the movement of his sword getting pushed away, he dropped low to the ground and swiped his legs at hers, hoping to trip her while he dodged the grab.


    Instead, she put her hand on top of his shoulder and vaulted over him by using it as an anchor.


    When did she become so agile!?


    "Wow!"


    "Like a street performer!"


    Everyone was at the edge of their seat. The fight was moving so fast anything could change in the blink of an eye.


    After a spin in the air, she was on her feet behind him and slashed towards his head. The large smile shining across her face proved she was having a lot of fun. Emp was already crouched so he couldn''t duck bellow the blow and couldn''t back step away either. She was awkwardly placed at an angle behind him so he couldn''t simply raise his sword for a parry.


    This should be a winning move. The only way out was to let himself fall to the ground.


    The sword whizzed just over his head and the moment his chest touched the ground he rolled on himself. His armor loudly complained with clanking noises.


    Emp was now on his back and the sword of Brenia was once more flying towards him. Immersed in her imminent victory, she did not prepare for a counter attack. He kicked at her leg which cost her her balance and using his sword to guide her fall, made her spin to the side. Her slash went nowhere and from the spin and her forward slash, she fell down towards him.


    He raised his other hand up and her back fell right on it. He supported her whole weight with only one hand. She was now laying on his palm, over him, turned the wrong way around, completely defenseless. Both of her arms where hung from her in a cross shape as she was trying to make sense of her own position. He swung his sword at her side from bellow her. Desperate, she twisted her sword into her hand, reversing her grip and stabbed blindly behind herself. She missed by an inch and her sword caught into the dirt at his side while his own made a clean contact. A real weapon would have dug into the right side of her stomach but this wooden replacement smashed against her chain mail and broke in two with a loud crack.


    "Ow! Hahahaha! That was awesome! I was so convinced I had won. I want another one!"


    "Emp Won! I knew it!" Loudly proclaimed Mable.


    While everyone else was arguing again, Emp chatted happily with Brenia.


    "Maybe not today since the others really want to know who is the best but I''d like to have another match too. This one was so close, that vault at the end really took me off-guard."


    "Right? I felt the same when you just stepped through me, I really thought I was done for then."


    Emp pushed her back with his hand and she easily stood back up on her own two feet before turning around to offer him a hand.


    "The fight was tense but you seemed to have so much fun, I couldn''t help but have fun as well." He told her has he accepted her help.


    "What are you talking about, I was having fun because you smiled the whole time. Every time I made a move, you made that smile that said; this is a great one! And then, you kept answering with your own great counters, how could I not have fun?"


    Emp had not noticed that he was smiling but now that she said it he could tell, that was indeed the case. The feeling of that spar was so different from the spars he had with the other group just before. This one was much better, it felt great. Even if he had lost, he was convinced he would not have been disappointed, just like how Brenia asked for another one right away.


    He was in a really good mood now, this was much better than defeating the other group. It felt like close to the sensation of creating a smile on the face of his friends. Or was it because Brenia was actually smiling from their spar that he felt this way? He couldn''t tell, both were similar.


    Whether it was the warmth he felt from having Mable be so excited for his win or the one he felt from gifting his slaves some well deserved gifts, both were very close to the sensation he felt right now. It was all the same to him and the only descriptor he could give the feeling was "good".


    After he was done talking to her, the teacher proceeded to tell them what they did good and bad and how to improve. Brenia listened very seriously, Emp had no doubt she would continue to improve. He would have to continue to train harder if he wanted to keep up.


    Then, Mable asked the others who next wanted to test their might against Emp. By then, she was very convinced that the cake that was promised a year ago was within her reach. No one could defeat Emp, she was sure of it and so couldn''t help but look down on everyone else with the proud smile of a victor.


    Heida could not stand it and got angry.


    "Enough, there''s no way that this guy is the strongest! Nicolas! Go down there and beat him for me!"


    "I really don''t think-"


    "It''s an order!"


    He released a sigh and walked onto the field. In no time at all, he had agreed to the same rules and was equipped with a wooden sword to face Emp.


    Nicolas was a returnee which meant that he had already spent six years in this school. He might not have been the best in anything but it was known by everyone that if not for Heida and the situation in their territory, he could have left long ago.


    He knew a great amount of tricks, spells and elegant techniques to fight against any and all opponents. The spar Emp had with him was tricky to deal with. It felt similar to the one he had against Jin, not because of the speed but because of the stalemate they found themselves in instead.


    Nicolas was unable to deal a finishing blow to Emp and because of the constant pressure, couldn''t cast any spells properly. In reverse, Emp was unable to defeat him because of his superior swordsmanship.


    What made it more like Jin''s spar than Noirantel''s was that Nicolas dueled with the assumption that in the end, he would lose. Being fine at everything meant that he wasn''t great at anything either and thus, when locked in a situation like this when only a small parts of those abilities were usable, he was at a huge disadvantage.


    Just like the teacher told them in the first class, Nicolas was probably the best of the group but only outside of the school, were he could use smart planning, take advantage of the terrain and rely on his many different skills. Here, he was only a good swordsman, nothing more.


    In the end, even if Emp couldn''t pierce his defense, he would be the first to tire and give up due to fatigue.


    The fight didn''t end like that however.


    Emp attempted to deliver a kick to his stomach which he dodged by stepping back only to get Emp''s sword slam against his arm. He had been so focused in this very ordinary sword fight that he momentarily forgot Emp could attack from a distance.


    This was a very anticlimactic fight and Heida was very disappointed in him.


    "Nicolas! How can you be so bad! What''s the point of remaining in school this long if you can''t even defeat a guy like that! Come back here, it''s embarrassing."


    He seemed very dissatisfied by her comments but after a deep breath, he managed to calm himself and walk back to her.


    "Good job Nicolas, like always." The teacher told him as he passed by. "That move Emp''s got is very impressive, anyone not knowing about it beforehand would instantly die in real combat, there is no shame in losing to it. Your technique was as good as ever."


    "Thanks." The student nodded feeling a bit refreshed and by the time he sat down close to Heida, he was calm enough to endure her nagging some more.


    The following fights all ended in similar ways. The more he won, the louder Mable cheered, it was as if she provided the share of Celtine and Harriett too.


    Frits declined the spar saying it was pointless so Emp won by forfeit.


    Norval was good but he was only a new student like him and Brenia so he without any impressive tricks, Emp won easily.


    Ivar was one of the returnee too but he was mainly an archer and like Frits, he declared forfeit without stepping in the field.


    The others were no match for him even if like Odilon, they claimed otherwise, none of them managed to stand up for long in front of him. The girls didn''t even want to try to spar against each other so going against Emp was impossible.


    The one Emp feared the most was Oran, he had the highest physical strength of the whole group even surpassing Emp''s. But, despite how good he was at fighting and how strong he was, he had too much of a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Emp could attack from a distance with a sword.


    Despite the fact that he had seen it many times, when he fought against it for himself, he still felt surprised and after a few attacks, he got confused and with a feint, Emp took him down like the rest. He didn''t even have the opportunity of getting close to him.


    With more spars against Emp, the possibility of him resisting and turning the fight around for a win instead was very real but for now, only one conclusion could be seen by the group.


    "Lord protector Emp is the champion of group C! He''s the big winner. My Emp is the very best here!" Mable shouted excitedly.


    She had her arms in the air an instant and the next she was holding Aglaya by her dress and shaking her around in fits of laughter. She was clearly the kind of person who got intoxicated on victory, Emp was glad she was having fun. Plus, he had fulfilled his promise and won her the cake.


    "Your Emp?" Aglaya asked, putting an emphasis on "your".


    She seemed very amused by this.


    "He''s working for me now isn''t he? He''s ''my'' lord protector. That''s how it works! When he wins he does so for me!"


    "Oh? Is that what you meant?"


    "Mwahahahaha... Wait, oy oy, why is everyone looking at me like that?


    While Mable tried to understand why the girls all looked at her as if she said something incredible, Emp walked back to seating area.


    Afterwards, there were more spars to be had but Emp was done for the day. He had participated in all of them since the beginning so now, he had deserved a rest.


    Spurred on by Kenneth, the whole group received their champion with some applause to reward him. Emp felt really embarrassed to receive all these praises and claps so he hurried up to the bench.


    At the urge of Aglaya, he sat down on the bench between Celtine and Mable and watched the others fight for the rest of the class. His slave didn''t seem that happy and he felt she reproached him something but when he asked what was wrong, she just shook her head. Maybe if he asked her later in their room he would get a clearer answer.


    Since the great competition to see who was the best was over, the rest of the fights were very relaxed. Most of them opted to use the wooden weapons since when they fought against someone like Brenia, they feared they might lose bits of themselves.


    Emp had a great time watching over them. The experience of watching and commenting from afar was very different than when he was the one fighting. It was very interesting and it gave him a lot of time to talk with everyone.


    Mable, Aglaya and him took a long time to decide how much was a worthy salary for him. He had no idea what was the correct value and had no need for money so he wasn''t really helpful at all but the two girls came up with the amount of a gold piece each month.


    The facts were that they had no idea either what was the correct amount to pay, they just felt that a gold coin was seemingly fair. If they stayed for four years, he would have made back half the entrance fee of the school. Plus, ordinary guards would never be paid in gold so there was no way he could complain even if he had wanted to.


    Then, they had him agree that he needed to go get Mable for class each morning since he needed to escort her. It didn''t bother him at all since her room was close and it made sense for a guard to stand near the thing he was protecting.


    Aside from that, he had some nice chat with everyone and Mable looked like a true sunbeam from how much happiness she radiated.


    Later that day, once the whole training session was over and everyone went back to their rooms for lunch, Aglaya took him apart from Mable to talk, using the excuse that she wanted to have his help to organize a surprise for Mable later on.


    Of course, the girl agreed to lend him giddily and waited along with Nessa and Gytha.


    Emp wondered what sort of surprise she wanted to present Mable with and why she required his help. He followed her into a calm corner with Celtine and waited for her to say what she had in mind.


    Immediately, she admitted it had nothing to do with organizing a surprise for Mable. Instead, she wanted to talk some more about his task of lord protector.


    She must have known how confused he felt and the annoyed look of Celtine was hard to miss. She must have wanted to talk about this as soon as possible to answer his many questions. As long as Emp could get more details about what had just happened and how exactly he was supposed to handle all that, he was more than willing to listen.


    Once she was sure that no one would hear them, she exposed part of her thought process to him.


    "To tell you the truth, I could probably have gotten rid of them without having Mable put you up against them." She admitted.


    "Why did I go through all that then?" He asked.


    If he had gone against their whole group by himself, it was only because he thought there was no way around it. if anything, he would have preferred to have some more friendly spars with the others instead of those serious challenges. Her answer just confused him even more.


    "To feed the rumor obviously."


    Since Emp had no idea of what she meant and Celtine seemed to be the same, he just waited for her to elaborate.


    "I felt like I could use you to shield Mable."


    "For the fight? But you just said you could have appeased the situation without it. As a guard then?"


    "No, I meant about suitors."


    "What?"


    How did that even make sense?


    "Listen." She explained "You may not know this but there is a rumor saying that you have feelings for Mable. If I can make it well known early on, I can stop many problems later on when she is going to grow up. Now she is merely cute but in a close future, I''m sure she will turn into a real beauty and then, we''ll have a swarm of annoying pest around us.


    No one will dare go after her if they know you will stand in between her and them. That the rumor is true or not doesn''t matter here, all I need to know is that you are kind and that everyone else believes it.


    Since you''re a bit like Zoran and you just do things when people need you to, I know you will step in the way whether you have feelings for her or not. In the end, if it turns out she doesn''t like you, everyone will go their own way without hard feelings and if it turns out instead that you like each other than everybody wins."


    So the truth behind that whole thing was just that Aglaya intended to use him to stop boys from approaching Mable? That seemed crazy, he wasn''t sure he could believe it.


    He looked up to Celtine who was back on his shoulders again and she wrote him that she couldn''t hear a lie. Even then though, she didn''t seem reassured at all.


    But why did all the boys think it was troublesome then? That was easy to do no? From what she was saying, just his presence was enough to be a deterrent. He wouldn''t have to do anything. As for the protector part, all he had to do was be close by and step in the way like he would have anyway if things turned sour. Since they wouldn''t be in the school almost all the time, there was nothing more easy.


    "Say Emp, are you not afraid you might you might lose some prestige?"


    He had been immersed in his own questioning so he had not expected such a strange question from her.


    "Why? I don''t get it, how would I lose prestige?"


    "I explained it earlier, being the protector of another noble is very prestigious. The bigger the gap between their ranks, the higher their ability is esteemed and thus the bigger the prestige they get. That kind of thing was based on how the Muraciers protect the Grandbois, it''s a mark of great honor and trust. However, it isn''t so when the ranks are reversed. You told me your name was well known but you do not know the full name of Mable. If it happened that her title was much lower than yours, you could lose a lot of face."


    "I don''t get it, shouldn''t I gain more since I took the time to protect someone weaker?"


    "No, they will say the task was beneath you and you are wasting your time while you should do something more fitting of your status. At best, they will think you are pitying her and you wish to take advantage of her somehow by offering a token protection."


    "This doesn''t seem reasonable."


    Emp made an effort to think about it seriously and Aglaya waited patiently for his answer. The fact that this kind of thing came from the Muracier proved that in the past, they indeed cared a lot about the protection of the emperor and his territory. They had not done it to gain respect or because they were selfish though. They could have taken the throne in the very beginning.


    "No, I am not scared of losing any prestige or loosing face for my family like madam Blackbull would say."


    "So you do not think the difference should be too big? You think she might be more highly ranked than expected?"


    "No, I am very sure that my name is stronger than hers but I do not care. Mable is my friend, if she wants my help, I will gladly give it to her, it has nothing to do with some ranking. Even if she was the poorest of villagers, I would still help. No words or snickering can scare me." (2)


    She offered him a pleased grin.


    "I like your answer, you always say something unexpected. I knew I could count on you. I only have one last question left. You haven''t reacted when I spoke about you loving her. Is it because it''s true or simply because you haven''t thought about it?"


    "I haven''t thought about it, the main point wasn''t about that but about how I needed to block the others. I don''t know what love is really about yet."


    She laughed out loud and gave him her last words as she left.


    "You truly are just like her. You don''t have a clue. Let''s go get her back to her room shall we?"


    Emp felt a bit puzzled by her statement but followed her back to Mable anyway. He wondered once more how to figure out exactly how he felt about things and people.


    He walked Mable to her room and left her there with Aglaya before going back to his own.


    ***


    In Mable''s room, Aglaya was smilingly looking at her dear Mable. They were both sat at her table and enjoyed some evening tea.


    "Are you really only happy about the cakes?"


    "Of course, I''m super excited that we won against those guys too but the cakes are just way more interesting."


    "But, don''t you think you won something much better today?"


    "Something better?"


    "Yeah, you found yourself a lord protector, isn''t that better than a cake?"


    "But he was already helping wasn''t he? It feels like you tricked me somehow. What are you doing? Also, what is the surprise?"


    "If I told you it wouldn''t be a surprise anymore. I''m just trying to help you. Having a strong protector is important and I know you like him."


    Mable made a sour face.


    "Why are you always mocking me? I think he is fun and I like how strong and kind he is but... Why can''t I have boys as friend too? Dad would never agree to it if I was to like him. I''m glad you found a way to keep him close like that. This way even my dad won''t be able complain. I''m glad you''re always there to help me out."


    "Of course I''m always there, I have to. There''s no way I can let such an adorable thing sulk!"


    She placed back her cup on the table and quickly ensnared Mable in her arms. Usually she tried to struggle free but in private, the teen found those hugs very enjoyable. There was no one to see such an embarrassing thing here.


    She made herself comfortable in her arms while Aglaya continued to speak.


    "Once more, it''s all thanks to the old traditions I told you to study so many time and the Muraciers."


    Mable puffed her cheeks in annoyance.


    "I don''t care about the Muraciers, I hate them."


    "Again with this? You never even met one."


    "But they made dad angry."


    "Everyone of us anger people all the time, the high nobles, the merchants, even you. Look at what happened today, it was all because you made a bunch of guys angry."


    She groaned and refused to leave it at that.


    "It''s not the same, the Muraciers are filthy liars, I hate them, I hate liars."


    "We don''t know what happened, we weren''t there. Who knows how they really got your dad angry. No one saw them since before you were even born, maybe they just can''t fulfill the promise, maybe they''re dead. Even so, even you are lying all the time, how can you say that you hate liars."


    "I''m not lying all the time! I''m never lying!"


    "What about your name then?"


    "I was ordered to hide it, that''s not the same!"


    "Oh? What about Emp then?"


    "This... I don''t know... Mwu."


    "Fufufu, that''s exactly why I''m here to help."


    ***


    "Then, what is it you would like to talk about? In the end, we always discus about my work, I would like to hear from you for once."


    "..."


    "You don''t need impressive knowledge to be of interest my dear. You could tell me about the rumors you heard recently or how your friends behave."


    "..."


    "Hahaha, no, of course not. But, even If I asked you, there is no way my sweet lover would hide anything from me right? People like us prosper because we care deeply for one another and help each other with all we have. For example, neither you or your family will ever have to worry about money again, all thanks to my love for you."


    ***


    (1) Sensible "trademark". Bashing someone else with a solid wood sword at full strength, there is no way this could go wrong in real life. Thank the gods this isn''t it.


    (2) This him hasn''t heard about Marcy yet. Words can indeed scare him.

 68 Killing the unknown

    The hunting team advanced slowly through the woods. Around them silence lorded over the snapped trees and the grotesque glass sculptures. With the sun reflecting and shining through the purple matter, the world around them took a malevolent tint and a much darker aura than the daylight should provide.


    Somehow, because of how the glass covered only patches of the woods, it felt like a corruption was spreading through the forest rather than it being a new area.


    Everyone here took their time and moved carefully in order to stay silent, paying attention to every details around them. As of yet, there were no indications to tell if the creature was still far or if they were right at its side.


    With a bit more than thirty of them, they could cover a lot of ground despite their slow pace. They all kept looking towards each other to make sure everyone was still there and that the distance between them didn''t widen too much.


    Those were the kind of simple things that had to be done when facing the unknown. This is what they were challenging, it could be anywhere and look like anything. Since all its characteristics were a mystery, they needed to be ready for anything.


    All they knew about it was that it was linked with the strange purple glass stuff.


    As he was moving with them, Emp had the chance to look closely at some of the crystalline glass. He had first thought that everything had been turned into glass but he had been wrong. It wasn''t covered in it either, it wasn''t that the glass crystal had grown on top of the landscape. Instead, it was more like things had been melted into glass.


    Looking at a tree snapped at its base for example, most of it remained wood. Only the part where it had been cut seemed to have turned into glass. The broken part reminded him greatly of a melting candle if it had been placed on its side. It had all been smoothed out and some of the glass structure seemed to be dripping from it despite its solid state.


    If it had been turned into glass, it would have kept its details so it wasn''t really what had happened. This also explained why there weren''t any underbrush made of glass, it had all melted into irregular puddles covering the ground. All of it was solid now and when Emp gripped a bit of the crystal tree to break it, he saw that the inside was also glass. Since the rest of the tree remained wood, maybe the very center was still wood too but there was no way to know unless he broke it completely and that would make a lot of noise.


    Just because it looked both curiously interesting and pretty, he broke off many tear shaped outcrops of purple glass on his way, placing it all in his bag. It would always snap cleanly despite its strange hardness. To him, it seemed more resistant than normal glass, maybe he could craft something out of it?


    Whether they beat the creature or not, he had to remember to come back here get some more of the stuff. Marcy would be very interested by the rare material, he was sure. Even if not, he could still show it to Juniper, she might have some clue on what it was since she was an expert in glass.


    As they progressed through the eerie wilderness, Emp did his best to not step into any of the glass pools. He didn''t want his armor to clank against the crystal glass so he had to walk around them. The huntresses however had the opposite strategy and walked on the crystal as much as possible since the sound of their boots on hard ground was less than the crackling of twigs.


    Aside from the weird mood imposed upon them by the light, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The critters and birds acted like normal and the air was fresh. If not for the glass, nothing would have told them they were nearing any sort of danger.


    Or maybe there was no creature at all. Maybe it was a natural catastrophe of some kind or a magical phenomenon that had driven the wildlife closer to the village. In a way, it might have been better that way but Emp really wished it was a creature instead. A monster could be defeated to bring back the peace, a wild magic phenomenon could not.


    Like that, they eventually reached the bottom of a hill. It was rising not too far on their right and extending far higher and deeper than the trees would let them see. The side they approached formed a steep surface more like a cliff than anything else.


    The destruction of the terrain was more obvious here and the glass was in a much higher density. They looked around but there was nothing to be seen aside from dried grass and dehydrated plants. One thing was for certain, they were getting closer to whatever they were looking for.


    "Isn''t it hot here? Feels like were right under the sun." Complained one of the huntresses.


    Emp agreed with what she said, he was cooking in his armor and sweating all over. It seemed that the closer they go to the thing, the warmer the air became.


    Connie ignored her comment and gave some instruction while trying to stop her clothes from sticking to her skin.


    "Joyce, see that outcrop of stone on top of the crystal cliff? Go up there and see if you can find anything."


    "Got it boss."


    She made her way around to the base of the hill and started climbing through the less steep part of it. While Joyce was moving about, Jaska came closer to Connie and pointed at the cliff.


    "Don''t you think it looks strange?"


    "It''s made of that weird purple crystal, of course it looks strange."


    "No, I mean, the shape of it. Look, it looks like there a huge circle carved into it."


    Everyone who heard her squinted their eyes to try and see what she meant. Now that it had been pointed out, Emp could see it too. It seemed as if a large circular shape was sticking out of it. If it wasn''t so large, everyone would have missed it because of how the light reflected strangely on it.


    "Is that a magic circle? Is it the cause of all this?"


    "Not sure, I can''t see from it."


    Connie looked around and selected another huntress.


    "Lakla, go take a look closer, be careful and don''t touch anything. Come back once you have a rough idea of what we''re looking at."


    She answered with a nod and started making her way there. From where the rest of the group was up to the cliff, there was about twenty-five meters or so. It was a bit too far to see the details of the cliff properly but it was close enough for the woman to reach the wall quickly even while being careful.


    She walked up to the wall and stood in front of the circle well before Joyce reached the outcrop of stone over her head. She looked at it closely, walked to its left than its right and finally crouched in front of it to look at the floor around.


    Everyone looked curiously at her while she did her inspection and once she was done, she came back quickly with a serious look in her eyes.


    "That''s not a magic circle." She told her boss in a ushered voice. "That''s a door."


    "A door?"


    "Yes, it''s a huge disk in front of the cliff, the markings on the ground around it say that it''s been moved often. There''s signs of something big moving about on the crystal floor just in front too."


    "How big you reckon?"


    "No idea, enough to wear down the crystal after a while but not enough to scratch it since it''s the only place where there are signs of constant use in the area. It might be a match to the tracks we followed up to here but that thing is too hard to keep any descent markings of the creature."


    "Maybe it''s where it lives."


    Tacey''s opinion on the matter seemed to be agreed upon by most.


    "I think we should back off." Advised Jaska. "It''s an unknown creature that can obviously turn things into crystal and is smart enough to make itself a door. We''re not in front of a simple beast here. Might even be an unnameable of chaos."


    Her words unsettled the other huntresses around them. For people like them, knowledge was an important part of the job. No knowing about what you were hunting was dangerous and stupid. Safety was all about knowing the strengths, powers and weaknesses of your quarry. That was why the unnameables of chaos where so feared. Not only were they all strong, each were absolutely unique, no two ever shared their traits.


    For people like them who heavily relied on information and knowledge, those were the worst things they could possibly encounter.


    "We don''t know though, we haven''t seen it." Pointed out Tacey.


    "That''s the whole point! We don''t know a thing about what''s hiding in there." Insisted the mage.


    Connie seemed to find the idea displeasing.


    "What are you asking me to do then? Call the retreat and give up on the hunt entirely? If we don''t learn anything here, it''s pointless to come back a second time and if we don''t accomplish anything, we can say goodbye to the money."


    "We''ll find something else then, this is more of a job for the army than us. As long as we tell them were we found the place they''ll take care of it."


    Tacey opposed Jaska as well.


    "We almost have nothing left. I''m not sure we can sustain everyone until we find something else. I haven''t been paid in months just to make sure Connie didn''t have to disband the group. Let''s be honest, we don''t have the money to pay for all the junk you consume for your magic anymore."


    Jaska made a sour face. She knew very well how much it cost the group every time she cast a spell for them. Connie looked at the face of everyone around her to be sure they were listening and gave them her own viewpoint.


    "Aside from the money we desperately need, there''s no telling if the creature won''t move by the time the army gets here. Think about it, how many creatures have we seen today? Why do you think they''re all running towards the village? It didn''t appear here all of a sudden, it moved here. That thing must be a predator and once it runs out of things to eat, it will move again. the most likely place for it to go next is Dark-glint, or close enough that it won''t make a difference. If the village gets wiped out because we didn''t move when we could then what are we?"


    "Then we just have to tell them to evacuate for a while." Insisted the mage.


    "We can''t, the main trade route between the two kingdoms will get cut off if they leave. We need some sort of proof or they won''t move. We need to know what''s in there."


    Jaska was getting very annoyed by now and would probably have been yelling at them if not for the fear that the creature would hear them.


    "Argh, that''s unreasonable and you know it! We don''t even have our lucky charm anymore. This is just reckless."


    Tacey''s face tensed at the mention of their lost lucky charm but Connie kept arguing.


    "Yeah, we lost her because we did something we shouldn''t have. That was clearly divine punishment and we''ve been going downhill ever since. This is a chance at redemption that is presented to us on a silver platter. Maybe we''ll get back some of our luck if we do this."


    "Or maybe we''re just as unlucky as ever and we should back off. Fuu, and all that heat is distracting too, I can''t think straight. You, young master Emp, what do you think? You''re the one paying after all."


    Since he had been excluded from the conversation up to now, he had not expected the sudden question and it took him some time to form a descent answer.


    "I do not mind much either way. It is true that it would at least be useful for us to know what is hiding here but if you think it is too dangerous, I do not think we will be blamed for retreating."


    "Mhn, what about the rest of you?" Connie asked looking at the others.


    Their opinions were varied but in the end, they agreed to continue with the job and settled for an ambush. Jaska was still in disagreement but she would not leave all her friends in trouble so she could only follow the will of the others.


    "Going in its den would be crazy. It''s best to prepare for an Ambush around here and attack the moment it leaves. We''ll position ourselves around the entrance and all strike at once as it gets into view. Even if it''s really an unnameable, do not panic, we have the drop on it, we can do this."


    Following that plan, four more huntress were sent on top of the outcrop with Joyce who didn''t know anything about what they had discovered yet. While they climbed from the side, the rest all took cover behind nearby trees.


    Those more confident in their melee ability like Tacey and Connie chose to stand as close to the entrance as possible. Jaska did the opposite and stood as far back as her magic permitted along with her warner.


    After a short discussion, the girls agreed that it would be safest for Emp to get the monster out. At first they had been against it but Emp showed them just how fast he could move away from the disc door and they decided to let him have a go at it. All he had to do was knock on the door with his hammer and fall back before the thing came out.


    Once the five snipers were ready to shoot from up on the hill, Connie gave him the signal to knock on the door.


    He stepped up to it, gripped his hammer in both hands and swung at it with most of his strength.


    BANG!


    Not only was the sound extremely loud, the crystal glass cracked and vibrated under the might of his hammer. Maybe he shouldn''t have hit it so hard, now his arms felt a bit numb. He did not waste time to think about them though and turned around to step as far away from the entrance as he could.


    As soon as he got there, he slipped behind a tree and held his breath. Everyone was focused on the door, nervous with the approaching battle. The tense atmosphere that gripped their hearts simply could not be compared with what he felt the other day on the sparing field.


    This sensation was only the very beginning too.


    Everyone here had their face red from the heat and their speeding hearts. Would the thing take the bait? Was it even in there? What if it came from behind them while they were all looking at the door? How long before it opened the door if indeed it was there?


    Then, a loud cracking sound was heard, spreading fissures through their courage like those Emp had made on the door.


    The temperature rose even higher as the disk rolled to the side at a snail pace. The few remaining grass blades and patches of moss cried in pain and shriveled from the scorching feeling.


    Behind the door, under the trembling gaze of the huntresses, a huge beast revealed itself. A four armed creature of bulging muscles, a testimony of its incredible strength.


    Since Emp had smashed his hammer into the door, he knew just how heavy this disk really was, to move it this easily, the monster must have had a tremendous power. Emp was convinced that alone, he would never be able to move it.


    The thing had a hunched back pose and rested its weight on its lower pair of arms. Its head was long and bestial, crowned by large horns covering the sides of its head like a helm. Its ugly fur covered most of its body and two long tentacles sprouted from its swollen back.


    The creature spread a suffocating smell of burnt wood along with its menacing purple gaze.


    Everyone had been hiding but since they still needed to see it, parts of their faces poked from behind their covers. The monster locked eyes with every single one of them in turn as if he knew they were there from the start.


    Many could not sustain its gaze and removed their head from its line of sight. They felt as if their hearts were about to burst, it really was an unnameable of chaos!


    Emp himself felt a similar sensation to what he experienced when he had seen the woodland horror in all its glory. How could a single monster seem so frightening!


    Unhurriedly, the thing stepped outside of its base, giving a perfect view of itself to everyone.


    "Now! Shoot!" Connie yelled from her hiding spot.


    All of them were deathly scarred but they were all seasoned warriors and hunters, they swallowed their fears and shot it from all sides. Even the five standing on the outcrop shot it in the back, none dared miss their chance. Thirty one bolts and an arrow from Emp flew at it in a span of two seconds. None of them went astray.


    The creature should have been turned in a pincushion like the falsestor but it didn''t.


    The two tentacles over its back swelled up in that instant and spewed forth a pair of black liquid jet, one aimed on either side of it.


    The liquid splashed through a few of the quarrels melting them down on the way in a hiss. Those that remained where mostly batted out of its way by its massive horns or simply its forearms.


    Of all the projectiles aimed at it, only the five that shot from above achieved to wound the creature. They pierced the skin of its back but did not draw blood.


    Meanwhile, the black liquid pursued its path in the air and collided with the trees with a strength surreal enough to blast through them.


    Like those they had seen before, the trees snapped where the liquid passed through them and fell in a loud crack but this was not the sound that they paid attention to.


    What they heard instead were the anguished screams of the girls hidden behind those trees. Emp saw one on his left completely cut in half by that black substance. Her upper body slid off from her legs and fell in a bush, there was no blood to be seen, all of it turned to glass in an instant.


    Another just beside the one that was cut in half had a big chunk of her stomach melt and reform in crystal, loosing consciousness after a breath.


    From where he stood, Emp could not see how the other huntresses fared but one thing was for certain, that black liquid was deadly. That thing was the cause of the glass everywhere and Emp hoped it was the strongest weapon available to the beast because if it wasn''t, he didn''t dare imagine how worse everything would turn out.


    After the screams of horror and pain, he heard a large amount of names being called. The women were calling to their fallen friends in grief or panic, there were too many voices to hear clearly who reacted how.


    Emp didn''t really know any of them but he now knew how it felt when someone you knew left like that. The fight had only just begun and it was already an heart wrenching disaster for them. He felt really bad for them. Maybe they should just all run away while they still could. On the other hand, he had not witnessed the speed of the creature yet. Was it even possible to run now?


    All of this happened in an instant and Emp had a hard time keeping track of this as well as the fight itself.


    The beast released a pained grunt because of the arrows in his back and decided to turn around to see the five that had weakly injured it. Tacey and Connie having charged just after the arrows were shot arrived just as it was turning around.


    With a loud war cry Tacey swung her axe at it. The creature had balled its fist and swung it carelessly as it turned around. The fist would hit Tacey''s side well before the axe cut the chest of the thing.


    Connie attempted to intercept the fist by pinning its forearm to its flank with her spear but her plan failed. The spear did pierce its arm but did not slow it down in the least and the shaft of the spear got snapped like a twig.


    The fist nonchalantly bumped into Tacey''s shield, brought it against herself and then pushed everything against the crystal cliff with a loud bang and a crack. The shock was so violent that gastric fluids were forced out from her mouth and she vomited all over the monsters hand.


    The beast ignored her completely and stared daggers at Joyce and the others standing over it. The girls froze in fear, it was obvious what the beast would do next.


    Three other huntresses came from the side opposite from Connie and Tacey as their leader screamed that they needed to get rid of those tentacles. Because of how large the monster really was, there was no choice but to jump at it if they wanted a chance to hit anything worthwhile.


    Connie dropped the useless remains of her weapon and Emp did the same with his bow, they each drew a backup sword instead. Emp didn''t pickup either of his magic swords because if he did manage to get the tentacle, he feared the black substance would damage them.


    The huntresses reached the creature and leaped towards it, weapons raised over their heads. Their opponent reacted by straightening half of itself and used both of its arms on their side to bat them away like annoying flies. All three were hit in midair and spun away screaming.


    By doing that, the monster hunched his opposite side further and Connie used the opportunity to take a swing at its neck. She would have aimed for the tentacles but she couldn''t reach from where she stood with only her backup sword. The monster only needed to tilt its head and blocked the sword strike with its horn.


    The beast reached out the arm it had used to smash Tacey against the wall and made a grabbing motion towards Connie. Emp chose this moment to step right onto its back. It wasn''t that tall after all, it was just a small step.


    He felt the creatures flesh under his boots, it gave him the impression that the huge bulge on its back was full of liquid, only contained by a thick layer of skin. The whole thing bent under his weight like a soft mattress. He would never be able to keep his balance on top of it but he didn''t need to.


    Only one sentence ran over and over in his head. Cut them off, cut them off. He sliced the sword close to the base of the tentacle and almost severed it. The reason it wasn''t completely cut off was because the black substance was so potent that it melted the sword away before it could finish its job.


    Still, what kept the appendage attached couldn''t possibly hold it up and the whole thing collapsed in a fountain of black juices. The creature roared from pain, shaking the forest and dizzying those that stood close to it. The black liquid spewed from the wound and flowed freely all over its back as the almost destroyed tentacle trashed wildly. It seemed that the monster was immune to the effects of its own weapon as its skin and fur didn''t melt. It only formed layers upon layers of crystal on its back.


    With all the black substance flowing out towards his boots and a useless half-melted crystallized sword, Emp had no choice but to retreat and stepped far away. He was very glad he hadn''t used either Flame or Ray for this.


    The beast gave up on grabbing Connie and expressed vivid anger. She used the moment to sneak up even closer to it and sliced at its crotch. Furious, the thing contorted itself backward, slammed its swollen back against the ground to free up its legs and get rid of the unknown assailant on his back. Not wasting an instant, it kicked Connie hard before she could back off.


    Following a thud, she was sent flying into the crystal tunnel beyond the door and disappeared form the view of everyone.


    The thing had been nonchalant before but now that it had been really hurt it apparently decided to get serious. Before it even got itself back up, it immediately sprayed a lot of black liquid from its remaining tentacle towards the outcrop above them before wildly spinning on itself to search for Emp.


    The girls up there cried in panic and jumped aside, Joyce even had to throw herself off the cliff to dodge the deathly substance. The huge rock was bisected by the black blade and fell over the cave entrance with a loud boom. With it being half melted, it fused with the glass floor almost immediately as it solidified into the purple matter. luckily, it didn''t entirely block the path inside so Connie would be able to get back out.


    Joyce fell close to Tacey and hurt her leg badly, her crossbow bounced on the glass floor and jumped a bit further. Tacey didn''t react, her eyes were closed and she was slumped on the floor, she seemed to have passed out after the first hit.


    The creature trashed on the ground using that time and finally locked its eyes on Emp who tossed the useless weapon aside to pick a new disposable one.


    Another rain of bolts flew from either side of the clearing, about fifteen down from the original thirty. This time around, many dug into its skin because all of its attention had fallen on Emp. Still, it barely hurt it and the monster rose back onto its feet.


    "Out of the way! No melee!" The warner called from somewhere behind Emp.


    The monster pounced forward towards Emp and he dodged by throwing himself to the side. Before it could adjust its charge, A long crack appeared through the crystal floor as fast as lightning and a huge spike of the same matter broke through it at an angle. The crystal spike was longer and sharper than a spear, it extended from where Emp had stood all the way to the monster. It tried to jump out of the way with inhuman reflexes but still got its leg pierced.


    The structure continued to expend and tripped the beast by going completely though its left leg. It roared in pain again and with the spike rising, it got turned around and flipped upside down.


    Its four hands scratched at the floor trying to free itself to no avail. While it was stuck, it was the perfect time to attack it.


    Connie would have called for an all out attack but she wasn''t there. Anyway, there weren''t any strong melee fighters remaining in the group. Emp would have to do it for them.


    Taking care so as to not be splashed by the black liquid, Emp stepped up behind the creature as it gripped the huge spike with all four of its arms. It was about to try and break the crystal formation.


    Wasting no time, Emp sacrificed a second sword to cut off the second tentacle. At the same time, the monster bashed its horned head against the crystal pillar and shattered it. Black juice flew everywhere along with shards of crystal. Emp moved away in a hurry, turning his back to the creature and stepping to the fallen outcrop''s side, followed by an intense sizzling sound.


    The monster howled yet again from the pain in its leg and the loss of its second tentacle. The sound it made was so bone freezing and malevolent that many huntresses on the side fainted from the shock of hearing it.


    The monster gripped the piece of crystal going through its leg and removed it with a sharp gesture. Blood flowed in rivers from the wound but it seemed more angry than pained. Using the spike as a projectile, it threw it towards Jaska who had cast the spell with all of its incredible strength. From where Emp stood, her figure was masked by the fallen rock but the squelch he heard was far from reassuring.


    He shivered in worry and the creature turned its head back at him again. He felt true fear but deep down, he knew they could still win somehow. The thing could not use the black liquid anymore, it only had its strength and speed for it.


    Emp discarded the newly melted sword and picked a third one form the bag. If things continued like that, he would end up become the best client of the weapon store back in B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    If that was the case, might as well get another bulk purchase discount! He took example from the beast and threw the sword at it with all his strength. Just like the crystal shard moments before, it made the air scream as it cut through it. The monster surprisingly caught it between its huge fingers and threw it back towards him with another angry roar.


    Emp felt shocked and just only managed to step to the side before the blade passed right through where he was and destroyed itself against the cliff''s surface.


    The thing slammed the ground in frustration and charged towards him. With the large hole going through its leg, that charge was much slower than the previous one but it was still one of the most scary thing Emp could possibly imagine. After all, he had no idea how to defeat it or even stop its charge. Could he use the large rock to delay it?


    A bolt flew from his side and struck the wounded leg of the creature. Joyce had managed to reload her crossbow with a single leg and shot it while still laying on the ground.


    It didn''t seem to do that much damage but it did manage to slow it down a bit further. The monster ignored her and stayed fixated on Emp who retreated behind the boulder. That rock was just a bit smaller than the beast and fused into the ground but only the bottom part was made of glass-crystal. Would an ordinary rock be able to stop that thing?


    Maybe if he used the solidify spell, either he tried it or he ran away. The monster would not be defeated by a rock but it could possibly create an opportunity for him. This was the kind of idea Brenia would never have.


    Emp rammed his hand into his bag looking for the rock in the instants he had before the creature reached him. He got hold of it and got it out of his bag to discover it was a piece of crystal instead. No matter, it might be even better, he didn''t have the time to think about it.


    He placed his right palm against the rock in front of him held the crystal in the right position to cast the spell. Almost as soon as he did, he saw the head of the creature show up above the rock. It was distorted in anger with all its fangs showing up in a snarl. There was a stick up its nose! Some sort of shaft? An arrow maybe?


    He was so absorbed by the strange sight, he almost missed how the monster was drawing back its arm for a punch. He had been right, the thing would try to pulverize the bolder with him behind.


    "Hold together solid!"


    He hurriedly called in the magic language. Like in his spar previously, the spell only lasted an instant but that instant was critical.


    The monster had put its own weight and anger behind the punch. Its fist collided with the rock with tremendous power and an atrocious crack.


    Its fist dug into the rock and shattered part of it but didn''t manage to break through entirely. Fissures spread through the boulder but it was its hand that sustained the most damage. Its fingers were all mangled, the bones throughout its hand must have been broken down into tiny pieces. (1)


    The thing took a step back while holding its fist with its three other hands, visibly pained. Before Emp could act on it, a new wave of bolts came at it and stuck into its arms. Then, a ball of crystal the size of a horse came flying from nowhere and smacked the monster right in the back of the head. This meant that Jaska was Fine.


    The boulder shattered against its horns but the heavy chock still made it collapse forward. At this point, any sane creature would have fled but not this one, unnameables of chaos never fled, they always fought crazily until the very end. He was about to go around the boulder to charge at it again when a voice called from behind him.


    "Young master, I need a spare weapon."


    Connie had crawled back out of the cave. She didn''t look so good but somehow held herself up. He didn''t think she would be of much use in her state but he granted her wish anyway and threw her his own spear.


    She gave him a ferocious smile and walked to the other side of the large rock. By that time, the beast was already getting back up with insanity swirling in its eyes.


    "Get up there and strike with me, can you do it?"


    "What the plan exactly?"


    "Let him charge at us!"


    "That''s not a plan!"


    However, she didn''t hear his misgivings with her plan as the beast made another lour roar and came toward them again.


    "That''s right, come here you sack of shit!"


    The next few things all happened in the blink of an eye.


    Connie readied the spear by wedging it at the bottom of the huge rock and Emp got up the boulder with a step.


    The monster tried to simply bat the spear away from him but Connie moved it expertly away from its hand and back in its charging path. Meanwhile Emp got Ray out of his bag and shined the powerful light at the monster.


    The thing squinted and lost track of the spear which was driven into its throat with the strength of its own charge. The power of it and the resistance of its skin was too much for the spear and snapped it in two right after it drew some blood.


    The monster, confused by the light and the sudden pain in its neck missed its initial attack and Emp trusted his sword towards its face. He was too far to hit but was he really? The monster was right there. He could feel it in his bones, those were the final moments of the fight, he only had to break into its head with Marcy''s blade and everything would be over.


    All his good spirit left him when his sword clashed against its huge horns instead. The thing had turned its head to escape the light!


    Three large hands darted forward, one grabbed the left arm of Connie, one grabbed his own leg and the last slapped his sword away.


    Of course, he was holding his blade correctly and did his best to not lose it but that hit was powerful. The shock was so strong he felt as if his arm would be torn off. Everything went numb instantly as his armor was destroyed and the sword left his hand to run away by itself.


    Then, intense pain spread through his arm with a second of delay. The pain paled in comparison to the horror of the situation he was facing.


    The neck injury on the monster wasn''t a fatal blow, it was off center and didn''t hit anything important. They had failed!


    The monster lifted him by the leg and dangled him upside down in front of its face. At his side, Connie was similarly dangling by her arm. She attempted to deliver some kicks into the face of the monster but it was all futile.


    "Boss!" "Connie!" The others screamed.


    They were dragged an inch away from its face, purple eyes digging through them like some torturers rusted nail. Emp''s head was spinning, he needed to do something now! His left hand fumbled through his bag looking for anything that could help him. The bag wasn''t on the right side of his hips but he didn''t care, he reached into it anyway. There had to be something to help, there were so many weapons there.


    The thing roared again, as if to kill them by intimidation alone, their faces so close from each other that spit flew all over his cheeks. As its screamed, its hands squeezed down on their bodies. Emp felt his armor breakdown and dig into his leg. It was frustratingly the same leg he had injured last year. He heard a great amount of cracking noises but he ignored both them and the literal bone breaking pain. Even the sounds of Connie''s pain could not reach him.


    He took the first thing that fell into his hand and brought it over the monster''s head, thinking of making a last attack on it with it. What he brought out into the light turned out to be his snack, Calla''s apple he hadn''t eaten yet.


    From desperation and pain, he crushed the apple between his fingers. Its sweet and tender flesh broke apart and spilled juice all over the face of the monster. The acidic juice of Calla''s gift burned the purple eyes and the monster brought its third valid hand up to its eyes to protect them, delaying their demise by a single instant.


    A few more bolts flew at the creature but nothing seemed to matter. Only the arrow in his nostril seemed to have gone deep, like a nail into wood.


    A thought flashed through his mind. Hammer it down! Quick!


    He got the Thunder-chew hammer from the back and swung it with his left arm. He was upside down and it wasn''t his dominant arm but he was so close it was impossible to miss. What''s more, the thing was hiding its own eyes, no way it would dodge this time!


    "Ahhhh!"


    The hammer struck the nose of the creature, squashing it against its face. It''s flesh rippled, the arrow was driven much deeper into its head before snapping from the excess strength.


    Its whole body went stiff for an instant before it threw all its arms in the air. Emp had no idea what sort of reaction that was but he didn''t have the luxury of thinking about it.


    The whole world spun around him and he felt all his organs go up into his chest. He was neither able to hold on to the hammer or his sense of where was up or down.


    With its eyes wide, the monster fell on its back and both Emp and Connie were slammed against the ground above it. Emp felt all the air in his lungs leave him and he was left panting and gasping.


    Then, he saw Tacey. He had no idea when she had gotten back up but she had. She raised her axe far above her head and with a scream, drove it into the neck of the monster trashing on the ground.


    Then, she collapsed on top of it as if all strength had left her.


    There was a final spasm where Emp felt his leg be squeezed like the apple and then finally, the creature ceased all movements. Now, he could focus on the pain.


    ***


    (1) It''s a bit like punching through a cardboard panel only to realize there was a brick wall just behind it. You think it''s going to be very satisfying but then its very painful instead.

 69 Injury

    What happened to Emp after the fight was over felt misty and distant to him. The pain didn''t take him over entirely but it was still more than enough for him to lose his reason and conscious thoughts for large chunks of time.


    It felt as if pain was being pumped through his leg instead of the blood it should receive and he could not move his right arm at all. Emp didn''t remember if he screamed in pain or not.


    He didn''t remember placing the unnameable of chaos in his bag but he apparently had done so right after the thing died.


    What he did remember was Connie enduring the pain of her own crushed limb and giving out orders. She had no choice since her second in command had fallen unconscious again.


    She asked everyone that could walk to carry those that couldn''t and the dead. She wanted everyone to run back to the village. If there was to be any other fight, they were in no shape to defend themselves.


    Since no one still alive seemed in critical condition, she chose to wait for the safety of the village before asking Jaska to check the injuries of everyone.


    She had no intention of stopping to rest before they were back in the village. Since they didn''t have to worry about stealth and looking for clues and tracks anymore, the way back should be much faster than the two days it took them to reach this place.


    They had to leave a bunch of supplies and equipment behind to carry everyone. Emp would have taken everything in his bag but apparently he didn''t, this was one of the moments he missed.


    In the time between then and when they reached the village, he kept dozing off only to be woken up by pain. He would feel is consciousness drift away from the loud voices, exclamations of all kinds and the maddening pain then suddenly, his eyes would open widely in shock.


    In those moments, he would hurriedly check around himself to try to make sense of what was happening around him. He had no idea for how long he had been dragged, how much they still had to travel before getting back to the village or even who were dragging him. he did understand they were huntresses however, he was too feverish from the pain to see which ones they were.


    Then, he was in the village, right at the gate, Marcy was absolutely furious. He had never seen her scream so loudly at someone before. She was unleashing a hellish storm of words upon Connie. She would be so mad at him too because he chose to fight instead of run, he just knew it. After the whole battle had really started, it had never really seemed like a great idea to run, he was too determined to defeat it.


    His next clear memory was of both the village healer and Jaska trying to remove his armor from him. The whole leg part of it was in tiny pieces, irreparable junk, completely destroyed. When they unclasped his chest protector and remove the back of his armor, they had to remove all layers of it together because apparently, the back had been fused in a purple melted mess. The skin of his back was burnt by the heated metal but he had luckily escaped the fate of his armor.


    Marcy had to bring a pair of large pincers to cut open the chainmail and the under layer in order to free him from it. He remembered her serious face between him and the orange evening sky as she did her work.


    His next memory was of him getting carried on a large plank towards the house. Somehow, the pain had been lessened but they kept his leg under a large piece of cloth so he couldn''t see how it looked like. A crowd had gathered around the huntresses and the injured, a large chunk of it followed him as he was getting moved. All of them were faces he knew but he was in no shape to greet them, it was hard to keep his head together.


    On his way, he caught a glimpse of Gilbert Champom, he had a deep frown on his face. The apple flashed in his head, how he had blinded the monster with it. Without it, he felt he may have died instead. He called out to Gilbert, raising his hand in the air.


    "Gilbert! Help me!"


    The teen pushed his way through the other faces and came to his side, keeping up with the moving speed of the plank.


    "Help you? How!? I don''t know how to heal!"


    "Calla- I need to- Bring her here. I need to-"


    "Got it brother! Calla. She''s really not good with injuries but I''ll try my best."


    With that, he ran off and Emp lost another length of time to the abyss.


    When he opened his eyes again, he was in the main room of Marcy''s house. There weren''t many people left here. There was Marcy, Bor, the healer and Calla. When he twitched and his eyes flew all over the room to recognize his surrounding, she froze in place. Her head couldn''t decide if she should jump forward in worry for him or jump back in surprise from his sudden actions.


    When he saw her clearly, he called her name.


    Hearing this, her feet finally moved and she quickly found herself just by his side.


    "Emp, are you... I..."


    She didn''t know what to tell him but it did not matter at all. He reached out to her with his left arm and wrapped it around her neck. He brought himself up to her as he dragged her down towards him and held her in a comforting embrace.


    Her head ended up resting on his shoulder while his own was brought up close to her ear. It all happened too fast for her, she had not managed to react. Her mouth opened but no sound came out. She had not expected that Emp of all people would hug her so suddenly. She felt her face burning but she was unable to decide what to do about it.


    She didn''t want to pull away but she was afraid of hurting him further if she was to share that hug. Because the older villagers knew how she feared injuries, they had not told her how bad Emp''s condition was exactly. She was scared of placing her hand in a wrong place and hurt him further. She could only keep her hand frozen in the air by her side.


    His words reached her ear, they were filled with gratitude.


    "Your apple Calla, your apple saved us. Your apple saved me. Thank you."


    A part of Emp brain told him that the apple itself hadn''t saved them, anything else from the bag could have done the job. The rest of himself disagreed with that thought.


    Anything else could have saved them but anything else could also have led them to death. There was no way to know. All he knew for sure was that the apple had worked and that apple was there because Calla gifted it to him.


    He wanted her to know, he wanted her to feel how thankful he was for her seemingly little gift. From Vesa and his own observations he knew, when Calla didn''t know what to do or say, she used food instead. That apple carried her wish for him to come back safely and it fulfilled its purpose.


    He didn''t know why it was so and he understood it made no sense but this was what had happened anyway. There was no magic in that apple, only her words and wishes. Yet, that ordinary green apple turned his fate around.


    Calla felt a wave of pride and joy spread through her. She had helped him. She had not thought that something could have made her more happy than hearing that he had come back alive. Finally, her own arms held him close to her, returning the hug. His back felt oddly smooth from the burns she had not been told about. She didn''t know how else to express how glad she was that he came back and that her apple had somehow helped.


    After that, he lost track of what was happening around him again, pain overlapping reason and time.


    His next memory was of Marcy trying to get his attention. Calla wasn''t here anymore but it must not have been too long after since the healer was still explaining his condition to Marcy.


    "His arm is just dislocated and his life isn''t in any danger but I don''t have the knowledge to fix his leg. Whether you believe it or not, Sophus said he can''t either and the huntress only had enough components for her own people, her magic is dry."


    "I feel like it''s the exact same as last time." She was very frustrated. "Emp! Can ya hear me?"


    "Marcy. I can, I need to tell you-"


    "It can wait later. For now, we have to do something about yar leg. It''s in pieces, I might have to bring ya all the way to B¨ºt¨¦clair to have it fixed."


    "But, it''s important. It''s about Chijou."


    At that moment her face froze completely, it was as if she had been turned into stone. Only her eyes grew tenfold from the surprise. That was a name she had never expected him to utter.


    Before he could say another word though, she had placed a hand over his mouth to stop him. Her eyes seemed to focus somewhere that wasn''t here but her words were clear.


    "Not now, it''s not urgent is it? For now, I need to help ya or ya might lose yar leg. It needs to be tended to in the shortest time possible, the more time we waste the higher the chances of losing it increases. It''s already very impressive ya can keep up a coherent speech at this point."


    Was is leg really in such a bad shape? It was extremely painful and he couldn''t move it but being unable to see it, he didn''t know how bad it really was. Her eyes focused back onto him after a short pause.


    "Do you understand what I''m saying? Focus on your leg! Now, tell me, can the other you do something about this? Can you find a healer?"


    She removed her hand and waited for him to answer her.


    His mind was sluggish because of the pain but he understood what she meant. All he had to do was tell the other him that he needed to find a healer before merging. He moved his left arm to his right side and tried to find his bag. He found out it wasn''t there.


    "Bag."


    "Right, here."


    She picked it up from his bed''s side and gave it to him. He was on his bed? He had thought he was on the table. He placed his hand in the bag, he felt tired, somehow, his hand was slower than earlier when he hugged Calla. He found a paper and a quill he dragged out of it and let everything fall on the bed.


    "Write what I need."


    She had to do it for him because there was no way he would ever manage to write it with his left hand.


    She gave him a short nod and wrote down a few lines before handing him back the paper. He didn''t take the time to read it and placed it back in the bag.


    "I''ll find it and call myself back after."


    "When you get back Emp, prepare yourself for the scolding of your life."


    Emp got a bit worried by her words but the darkness swallowed him again before he could answer. He didn''t even manage to tell her.


    ***


    In B¨ºt¨¦clair imperial school.


    Emp had tried to look inside the bag for a second time but found nothing. He was waiting for the message telling him he could fetch his other self back but it was late to arrive. He had decided that the other him might have been busy with the huntresses.


    If that was the case, it would be pointless to look all the time, it was best to wait and look back after longer. Instead, he left his bed and went to the main room to get himself some more water.


    Here, Harriett was still up. Only illuminated by a candle melting on the table, she was just finishing cleaning up the pot they had used for supper. Emp felt she worked too hard and should have gone to bed already.


    "Harriett, you''re still up? Aren''t you tired?"


    Emp asked her as he poured himself some water. He drank it but it was a bit displeasing. It had been out of the well for too long and now it was lukewarm. Since he was thirsty, he didn''t complain and drank his whole cup while Harriett gave him an answer.


    "Ah, master. I had thought you went to bed already..."


    In the dark like that, she seemed very gloomy. Both her and Celtine acted strangely since he had become a lord protector two days ago. He had found really funny that it had been added on his hunting card in his list of tittles too, just under his name. Oh, he had almost gotten distracted again, he needed to ask her what was wrong.


    "Harriett, is something bothering you? Both you and Celtine seem a little strange since the other day."


    She seemed hesitant to speak but after Emp dragged a chair in front of her, she had no choice but to sit down and talk. With almost a full year behind him, Emp had learned that it was much easier to extract information from Harriett than Celtine. The mute girl had an easier time to hide things since she always thought about her words very carefully before writing them down.


    If he wanted to know what was the problem, his chances of finding out were higher with Harriett. She was too loyal to hide anything at all from him.


    "It''s because of two things master. But, it''s pointless to talk about it because master doesn''t understand those kinds of things. We said nothing because we don''t want to bother master with things he can''t help with."


    "I see."


    Her answer was a bit troublesome to him. How come he couldn''t help? Was it an emotional problem? Even if he didn''t understand, he should still be able to fix the root of the problem no? If someone makes them sad, he just had to avenge them and everything would go back to normal. He felt bad too when they looked bothered all the time like that.


    "Tell me anyway. Even if I can''t help, I was told that saying what bothers you to someone else makes it a bit better anyway."


    "Who told this to master?" She asked a bit surprised.


    "Marcy, whom you haven''t met yet. Now, will you say it?"


    Harriett fidgeted on her chair but still told him what was bothering her.


    "The first thing is about miss Mable and miss Aglaya. We''re afraid that miss Mable will take you away from us like how my father''s wife got rid of me and my mother."


    That wasn''t exactly what he had expected. Wait, did he have to beat himself up now?


    "Miss Pierail wants you to get closer to miss Mable so she prepared a trap master would be unable to escape and now master is her lord protector. We fear that the more time you spend with them, the less you will spend with us. You even gave her one of those rings."


    She even resented him giving Mable one of the rings?


    Considering that he was now working as her protector, Emp had decided that the ring was an incredible advantage. He would be insane if he didn''t give her one of the allegiance rings copy.


    He had brought up the matter to her on the day right after the spars.


    "Mable, I was thinking about something I would like you to do."


    "Something you would like me to do?"


    At that moment, he was walking through the corridors of the school with her, they were going towards the room used for the magic class.


    According to Galana, nobles didn''t like when those working for them called them by their name or asked them to do things. They were the ones that were supposed to be in control after all.


    Mable however, wasn''t displeased at all by that. Emp didn''t believe she was that kind of person but even if she had been, she was his friend and he had always called her Mable before so he didn''t think she would want that to change.


    "Yes, I have a magic ring I would like you to wear."


    "Oooh! A magic ring really? What does it do?"


    She was very excited to hear about it. Celtine squeezed his head between her legs, she was either surprised he brought this up or annoyed he did.


    He would not change his mind though, he eventually planned on giving one to almost everyone in class and most of his friends in the village too.


    "If you wear it, it will let me know all sorts of things about you, in particular, if you are in danger, the ring will tell me so that even if I am not beside you, I will be able to run to your room to help."


    She seemed really impressed about the power of the ring. She loudly gasped and harbored a shocked expression.


    Usually, magic trinkets were engraved with very small runes giving some strange property to them however, because of their small size, the effects were often weak or very limited. She had never heard of such a special effect on a thing this small before.


    Instead of being worried about him receiving some information about her, she grabbed onto his arm and shook it wildly.


    "This is amazing! Will you really give that to me? I want to see it quick, show me!"


    With an amused smile, he passed the ordinary iron ring onto her. She looked really disappointed. As she stared at the worthless piece of metal in her hand, she asked in disbelief.


    "Are you sure that this is magic? Are you making fun of me?"


    "No, it really is magic, put it on, you will see." He urged her with an even brighter smile.


    Somehow, seeing her so downhearted made him feel very impatient to see the amazed expression she would make.


    She did as she was asked and picked a finger at random to slide the ring on. Immediately, she was taken by surprise and gasped in shock as the ring changed its shape right in front of her eyes. He was right, she had an impressive reaction to show him, pleasing him greatly.


    "It changed!"


    "It did. It changes on its own according to how I feel about the wearer."


    The new ring was sparkling and colorful. It now had a cheerful design all made in simple waves of colored metals and had a ruby sculpted to look like a strawberry as main ornament.


    "It''s so pretty! I love it. Thank you so much Emp. How can it be so special? How does it work?"


    "It''s because it was given to me by a god. This is why you can trust its ability."


    "By a god? Is it really okay to give it to me then?"


    Nobody in their right mind would give something offered by a god to someone else. She didn''t doubt that it had came from a god even if it was the part of the story that was the hardest to believe. Instead, she was only wondering if it was really fine for her to have it. She did not want to cause trouble for Emp. At least, not more than she already had.


    "Of course its fine, its made just for this. It only works because I have one on my finger too. I already gave one to Celtine and Harriett."


    "Oh, I see. So it was like that. I had thought you liked to give new rings to Celtine all the time but instead, was it the same that kept changing?"


    Emp nodded to confirm her suspicion.


    "Then I''ll take it! Such a good thing, I''ll be really upset if you don''t come save me even though I''m wearing this."


    "Don''t worry, of course I will."


    Later on, in the class, she had proudly showcased the ring to Aglaya, ignoring the ability to warn him if she was in danger and only insisting on how it changed on its own and that it was Emp that gave it to her.


    She had seemed very suspicious of his motives and he found the smile she gave him very embarrassing. It was like he had been caught doing some mischief.


    At least, now he knew that giving jewelry to someone else than Celtine and Harriett would earn him the stares of everyone. Because of the strange looks everyone gave him, the rest of the day felt a little strange. On the good side, the special task Aglaya gave him was on the path of success.


    If the reactions of the others only mildly embarrassed him, he dreaded how madam Blackbull would react. He would have a class with her tomorrow and it would be the first since he became lord protector.


    Speaking of tomorrow, he should pay attention to his current conversation with Harriett instead of thinking about the other day and quickly call back his other self.


    She had been right to say he would not understand, he couldn''t picture in his head a situation in which he would get rid of those two. To reassure her, he reached out to her and held her hand in a manner that would show off the ring clearly.


    "I have no desire to set either of you aside. You only have to look at the ring to know don''t you? I do not want to spend less time with you either. You should know better, we talked about this not too long ago. It is true I do not understand anything about emotions and the matters of the heart yet but even then, my mind will not change. You are already very precious to me. I think I would be very sad to not have you around and not only because I do not know how to take care of my clothes alone. I believe it is impossible to convince me I should feel less of you or push you away."


    "Master... How can you never understand anything but still give us a good answer every time? I understand master, I will try my best to not scare myself with this anymore."


    "Good, I like you better when you smile after all."


    She seemed really pleased by his words and she gripped the fingers holding her hand slightly more strongly.


    "Now, what was the second thing?"


    "Well..." She hesitated to tell. "What happened made us remember the fortunes we picked up in the temple of Love. We tried to make sense of them but it''s hard. Master said that Love personally told him to have us pick one so the message must be important but we simply can''t figure it out."


    Emp felt a bit disappointed, for this one, he really couldn''t help.


    "I''m sorry, if it''s about that, I really can''t help, Love told me to not peek on the messages. If they are written like a page in the book of answers, I''m sure they are horrible to decipher."


    The clear laughter of Harriett rang inside the dark room.


    "They are even worse master, I tell you! It''s too short and doesn''t say anything!"


    Then it was Emp''s turn to laugh.


    "I''m sure you will figure it out at some point but for now, it''s late, you should go to bed already, it is not good to work in the dark. It can all wait tomorrow."


    "Alright master. I''ll just finish storing what I left laying around."


    With a recovered smile, she free her hand from his and stood back up to store her things as quickly as she could. Emp used the moment to look again in the bag and finally found a note. He got it out of the bag and read it. To his surprise, It was written by Marcy. He could recognize her overlarge letters easily.


    This fact alone gave him chills, why would Marcy write in his stead? he quickly moved the candle to the very corner of the table and paid careful attention to the words presented on the message.


    "Master?" Harriett asked, but he was already too lost into the note to answer her.


    <The hunt went wrong. Your leg has been completely crushed and is horrible to look at, your arm his dislocated too and you seem to be delirious.


    You need to find the best of healers before you make our Emp disappear.


    You need someone able to repair bones that are, from what Clide described, "feeling like sawdust" and fix the leg around it. He thinks your leg should be removed before it''s too late to save the rest of you so you better get a real pro. Make it quick, the more time you waste, the less chances you have of saving that leg.>


    As he read those lines written in a hurry, he felt disturbed by the description of his own wounds. Thinking about how he would soon have to experience their painful bite, he couldn''t help but shudder.


    At least, Marcy didn''t waste words. She was always someone very direct. He needed to move fast, there was no time to waste. He left the note on the table and jumped up.


    Who did he need to notify? He would go to the medical room of the school of course but he should probably send someone to fetch Heinrich. He wasn''t a healer but a great mage was useful for many serious wounds. Then, he needed to message the duke about the situation or he would surely get angry. Aside from those two, did he need to tell anyone else? He couldn''t think of... Maybe Mable? If she waited for him in the morning and the wound stopped him from going to her room, she might stomp her feet angrily because he didn''t show up.


    He decided all this in a second and called out to Harriett who was already looking towards him with all her attention.


    "Harriett, the other me was gravely injured in a hunt today, I need to hurry to the medical hall of the school right away before I call back my other self."


    Harriett was so shocked she let the cleaning rag she was holding fall to the ground. Emp did not dare to wait for her to regain control over herself before he showered her with instructions.


    "I will run there with all haste but meanwhile, you have to go get the Duke, the magic teacher Heinrich and notify Mable''s servants that I probably won''t be there to follow her to class tomorrow. Once this is all done, you will join up with me over there. The teacher has priority, tell him my leg is more paste than leg. Do you understand, can I rely on you?"


    Hearing his last question, Harriett straightened her back and almost shouted out her answer in a panic.


    "Yes! Yes master! I can do it!"


    "Then go."


    With not a word more, she dashed to the door and left it open as she rushed in the dark corridor of the stone building. He could still hear her steps in the distance as he opened the door to the two slaves room and looked for Celtine.


    She had been sitting on the side of her bed, waiting for Harriett to come back but the loud noises on the other side had awakened her curiosity. She was now listening very carefully and waited for either an explanation or an order. She was dressed in her night gown but it was of no matter for her. A single candle was burning close to her bed, only waiting for Harriett to be snuffed out.


    "Celtine, I need to run really fast to the medical hall. You will be of no help at all to me this time but do you still wish to come?"


    She understood clearly what he meant when he said she would be of no help but still desired to go along. She could not stay here alone as her master was hurt. She did not know yet of what ailment he suffered but she had to come no matter what, she nodded and slipped out of bed to walk towards him.


    This was one of the times Emp saw her walk the fastest, using her extended arms to gain a more reliable balance but he had no time to be impressed. He space stepped right in front of her, hoisted her up to his shoulder and dashed out of his room as well. He closed the door but did not take the time to lock it and just ran in the dark.


    He understood that running in the dark was dangerous since he could barely see anything at all but at the same time, he was pretty sure that even if he was to fall in a flight of stairs, his wounds would not be as grievous as the one described by Marcy in her note.


    He had already been in great danger once before and had committed the very idiotic mistake of just walking to his destination in order to not alarm his two servants. He had no intentions of doing the same twice.


    In no time at all, he had rushed through most of the school building and reached the medical hall. Here, there was always at least one healer up at all time to receive wounded students in case of an accident. This was true even in the darkest part of night but since it was still only just after nightfall, there were still six of them lightly discussing around a few candles and mugs of mead.


    When Emp rushed in, without announcing himself, they all jumped in surprise and one of them fell off his chair.


    The group of healers reacted in anger. They didn''t like to be disturbed so late and more than that, they hated to be surprised. A lot of mead had been spilled over the table and the six were lamenting their loss. It took Emp a while to convince them that he had a good reason to be here, after all, currently, he didn''t look injured at all.


    What''s more, they could hardly take seriously a man walking around with a half naked girl on his shoulder. If not for his head blocking the view, all of them would have seen her underwear. They found it rather inappropriate to say the least and angrily asked him to leave.


    It was only after he told them that he had used a divine treasure to delay his wound and that he had already sent a message to the duke about it that they finally reluctantly let him lay down on a medical bed to prove his words.


    The bed was hard and not much warmer than stone but the point of it wasn''t to sleep. It was low to the ground and narrow to allow as many healers and mages as possible to its side.


    Celtine was now standing close by, anxiously awaiting the next event that would occur. They had been too quick in their rush to the medical hall and she had not taken her tablet and quill with her. She would not be able to say a word at all this night.


    Of the many healers here, none seemed really interested in his condition. Emp could hardly blame them since his leg seemed perfectly fine and he was currently feeling perfectly healthy but it only made him more anxious about the next step. Once he merged, would these worry free guys be able to help him properly?


    He knew that in the school building, there were all sorts of healers. There were mages, herbalists and even physicians. He had no way of knowing what those six specialized in though. One of them gave him a look of disbelief and asked him a offhanded question.


    "So, when do you think this divine artifact of yours will stop working? How long do you plan to have us wait here?"


    "I can bring back the wound whenever you are all ready to fix it." Emp answered impatiently.


    "Alright then, give it a shot." The man said after a long gulp from his mug.


    It would serve no purpose to delay it any longer anyway. They would only move once they saw that he was saying the truth. The best thing to do now was to comply to his demand. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the pain he expected to feel.


    After that, just like his memories in the village, everything became jerky. Every time he became truly conscious of what was around him, the scene was completely different than the previous one. It was like people kept appearing and disappearing from his side. His life was cut in bits and rearranged at random, cutting from scene to scene without warning.


    They gave him this and that to drink but he only remembered about a quarter of them, his pants were torn to shreds at some point to let the healers do their work and an impossible amount of faces came to his side to argue with each other.


    It seemed that sometimes, they couldn''t agree on what they should do and at other times, they were all busying themselves around him.


    At some point, Heinrich was added in the mix of faces and he could also hear the voice of the duke threatening everyone here of extreme punishments if they couldn''t save his leg.


    "If ya lot dare cut off his leg I will feed all of yours to the dogs!"


    This was only one of many disturbing shout he heard him make through the night.


    He was somewhat conscious that Celtine and Harriett were close by but he didn''t get to see them because there were always many other people in the way.


    His vision was blurred most of the time and even if the pain had greatly lessened since they had begun, he still could not stay awake for more than a moment or form any coherent thoughts.


    His dulled senses where buried under all kinds of magic chants and a number of exotic smells and tastes.


    He spent more time unconscious than awake and once the treatment had progressed enough, he fell into his usual deep sleep. A mercy he welcomed wholeheartedly.

 70 Marcys anger

    When Emp woke up, he felt rather lost, pained and feeble. It wasn''t the first time he felt this way but this time, his bad condition was entirely physical.


    His throat and mouth were dry, his limbs didn''t want to move according to his will and a million imaginary needles were pricking his leg constantly. Those weren''t small needles either, they were large things that would scare children and adults alike.


    He used a lot of his strength to open his eyes into slits and looked around him.


    On him laid a thin white cloth covering both him and the bed. Bright sunlight shined through the windows revealing a bright and simple scene. No curtains had been obstructing the sun warming this peaceful day.


    His memories were all jumbled and foggy but he could remember he was in the medical hall and even if he had not, it would have been easy to see.


    The place had three kinds of things; beds, shelves with all kinds of medicine, many chairs and bedside tables. The hall was enormous but a single small table was the only furniture that wasn''t one of the four previous thing. It was the table the healers had been sitting around when he had first showed up.


    Between each bed, a short row of chair waited for either healers or visitors to use them. Aside from his own, all other beds were unoccupied. Sat on the chairs around him, a lot of people were dozing off.


    There were of course his two loyal servants. They were both sound asleep, leaning against each other to prevent themselves from falling from the chairs. They were dressed just like the last time he had seen them so he must not have been unconscious for long.


    Then, there was the duke. He was pacing back and forth at the foot of his bed. He wore expensive noble clothes and an army of servants kept their eyes on him in order to instantly grant any of his wishes the moment they were formulated.


    Aside from him and his many servants, there were also a sizeable amount of healers at his bedside, waiting for any and all change in his condition. Many of them seemed utterly tired, they might not have slept at all last night in order to save his leg.


    The teacher Heinrich was nowhere to be seen. Emp guessed he had a class to attend to this morning.


    The moment Emp opened his eyes for more than half of what they could, the silent and tense scene exploded with life.


    "My lord! He''s awake." One of the healers noticed.


    The duke spun on himself to turn his way and rushed to his bedside, pushing a few healers out of his way. He grabbed Emp by the shoulders and shook him in anger.


    "Bloody depths of all wrong lad! Why must ye be like so? Ye tryin your best ta make me look like an idiot to your dah or what? Already twice now you escaped some inconsis- insa- escaped trouble! I''m supposed to keep an eye on ye but twice in this short year ye almost died! Yer father will chop me head off twice if he hears of this! How did ye even get that viscously injured inside of a bloody school?"


    The duke was so mad he fumbled through his own speech a lot and his servants didn''t get the chance to correct his words like they usually did. At least, Emp understood he meant viciously rather than viscously. Or at least, he hoped that was what he meant.


    He tried to form an answer but his mouth was too dry and his voice too weak to convey any real meaning.


    "My lord please!" The healers all urged him. "He now needs a lot of rest, it is not wise to shake him too vigorously."


    The duke gave them an annoyed grunt and released him. While the old man was trying to regain his calm, the two girls came to the other side of his bed. The loud shouts of the duke had awakened them.


    "Master! Do you feel any better now?" Harriett asked earnestly.


    He gave her a small nod as an answer. He felt warmed up by the smile the two gave him.


    "Master must be parched, I''ll go get some water."


    She came back quickly and carefully fed him the water. It was a good thing she was here because he felt too weak to hold the cup properly. With her help, he drank the refreshing liquid steadily.


    Even after he was done though, he found speaking to be difficult. His voice only came out as a whisper.


    "Thank you."


    "You know, when I told ye to tell me if something happened to ye, I meant before you break all the bones in your leg." The old man said. "Can''t ye tell me before ye try something dangerous instead of after?"


    His answer was slow and his voice strained.


    "I''m sorry. I was hunting with a group of thirty and we came across an unnameable of chaos. I did not think it would be so fast. I was not hurt inside the school."


    While he was apologizing, he had to remember that Marcy would be way more angry than the old duke, and way more worried too. He immediately made the other him reappear in Dark-glint.


    "An unmovable of chaos? Lad, you will now tell me exactly how ya came across such a thing in details. Did ye kill it at least?"


    Emp would have better liked if he had let the healers tell him how is leg was first but he could only go along with the wishes of the duke.


    ***


    When Emp found himself back in Marcy''s home, he discovered that she had placed a chair close to where he had disappeared and sat there the whole time.


    There was no one here but her. The moment he got here, he saw the hard face she was making. She must have been worried. Seeing her like this, Emp was reminded of Willow''s mother when they had brought her back, so relieved yet so angry.


    Emp did not know what he should say first. There were so many things. The three most important things he needed to do right now where to arrange the reward for the huntresses, let Marcy vent her anger and tell her about Chijou. Maybe he should let her speak first?


    The two stared at each other. She had not let out a noise since he had come back. She did know he was there right? She was looking straight at him, she couldn''t possibly be so lost in thoughts that she didn''t notice he was back. Maybe she didn''t know what to say either. Was she that angry?


    He chose to start things off with a simple greeting. Maybe when the first words would be spoken, things would progress more smoothly.


    "Hi mom."


    This time at least, he had remembered to call her that rather than Marcy. He felt it was a great start.


    "Hi? That''s all ya have to say!"


    Or maybe not? She had seemed like a motionless lake but the moment he said "hi", it was like someone set fire to it and everything started to boil and storm.


    "I''m so angry I can''t speak!"


    Emp believed that if there had been some furniture close to her, she would have broken it down in her anger. It took her a while before she managed to shout her next sentence.


    "Was I not clear when I told ya to run! What crossed your mind when ya decided it was a good idea to fight such a thing?"


    Emp had seen many people get angry before. Many of them had been angry because of him too. Usually though, he didn''t mind it much. They could yell all they wanted, it didn''t disturb him or scare him in any way. Galana''s anger was even weaker as he only found it comical. Here though, he wished the other him would recall him right away.


    True anger, he found out, was only effective when you felt strongly for the other. Marcy held a lot of weight in his heart, he respected her a lot and she even considered him as family. Seeing her with such a angry expression was enough to stop his blood flow.


    "I felt like we could beat it."


    "Have ya no brain! It killed ten of them from the thirty that went out with ya! Ya could easily have been one of them! The whole back of yar armor was turned into purple stuff and yar leg was mushed into paste! At what point through all that did ya think ya could beat it! Ya should have ran like I told ya to!"


    "But then more of them would have died."


    "Then let them! Because ya couldn''t save Vesa doesn''t mean ya have to risk yar own life every time ya see someone in trouble! Ya''re not a soldier ya slag, ya have the choice to escape! Ya don''t have to die for shitty nonsense!"


    Emp would have shrunk back from shame but he did not have the strength, he could only stare pitifully. She released a heavy sigh and leaned back a bit.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to say that ya shouldn''t help when ya can. Of course ya should. I''m just saying that sometimes, it would be wiser to ignore it. Has no one taught ya the difference between brave and foolish?"


    "I understand-"


    "Ya clearly don''t! Ya were so desperate ya had to resort to using an apple as a weapon! If ya really understood, ya would have turned back way before that!"


    "But it was you who told me to go in the first place." He complained weakly.


    "I expected a lot of things but not an unnameable of chaos! That was why I told ya to run in case it seemed too dangerous! I wanted ya to help them a bit not blindly attack such a thing! Don''t ya understand the danger ya were in? I thought it was obvious but do I have to tell you that you are forbidden to die?"


    "No..."


    "Then why is it that you come back to me like this? Why is it that you thought it would be a good idea to do this?"


    "I didn''t think-"


    "That''s right! You didn''t think! You shouldn''t fight against things that are so much stronger than you that they can kill you with their little finger."


    "It didn''t look so bad."


    She took a deep breath to calm her anger a bit.


    "My boy, I would punch ya if ya weren''t so badly injured right now."


    "I''m sorry."


    "Ya aren''t! Instead ya feel like ya helped bring back as many of those girls as possible. Ya haven''t learned yar lesson at all. If the same happened, ya would do it again, wouldn''t ya?"


    Emp replayed the scene in his head again. He tried to figure out what he could have done better now that he wasn''t in the middle of it anymore. He was the one that had cut the tentacles, if he had not been there, everyone would have died from the black liquid. Then, no one would have known what was there. If the village decided to get rid of the thing themselves or if the monster decided to move towards the village before the army came to their help, many people he knew could have died. Him fighting it now was the best outcome he could see.


    "I would."


    There was another big sigh from her and with a defeated look, she dragged her chair towards him until it bumped against his bed. She grabbed his forehead into her large warrior hand and rubbed it against his pillow in frustration, sweeping it left and right as a form of punishment.


    Emp was too weak to resist and could only endure the burning sensation at the back of his head from all the rubbing.


    "Seriously my boy, what will I do with such an inconsiderate son? Ya should value yar own life more. Ya aren''t a tool to be used by others like a forge hammer, ya are yar own man. Make sure ya can save yarself before ya think about others. I just want ya to be safe."


    Those were meant as comforting words after her outburst but Emp couldn''t help but think they were wrong. He was a tool made for a purpose. There was a goal he needed to achieve, he was made only for that.


    Once she was done with all that rubbing, she grabbed his right arm instead to see if it was back to normal. She moved it up and down and then over his head to see if he had any reaction.


    "How are yar wounds now? How much did it cost ya to have them fixed?"


    "I don''t know. I hadn''t asked yet when I came back. I wanted to get here as soon as possible because I did not want you to worry."


    He saw the shadow of a smile appear on her face but it was quickly replaced by her stern look.


    "If ya don''t want me to worry then don''t do such a stupid thing in the first place. Hmf, since you don''t know, let me take a look."


    She moved down to his leg and rolled up his pants to reveal it. It was all purple-brown and purple-red in large spots. There was not an inch of skin that was of its usual color. From Emp''s point of view, it seemed way larger than usual too.


    "It looks much better than before." Commented Marcy. "Does it hurt?"


    "Yes but much less than earlier. Now it just feels as if I put my whole leg inside the furnace."


    She nodded. The pain seemed unreasonable enough to stop him from having a conversation but not only did he not have the strength to complain about it, that level of pain was a relief compared to what he felt before.


    "Can ya move it?"


    "I don''t have the strength to move anything right now."


    He felt that they had probably used a lot of his own vitality as sacrifice for the spells used to save his leg. That would explain why he had no strength at all and why they hadn''t dared heal his leg all the way back to normal. Taking anymore than that would have been dangerous for his life.


    "I get it, I''ll let ya sleep and ask the Champom girl to make ya something filling."


    She was in the process of rising up from the chair when Emp called her back.


    "Wait, I still need to talk."


    "Can''t it wait for later?"


    She did not sit back down Immediately, there was an unsure frown across her face. She seemed to not really want to hear what he had to say next. Was it because she was anxious about what he wanted to talk about or only because she wanted him to get better soon?


    "I promised to myself I would tell you the moment I came back. Can you please stay a bit longer."


    She hesitated a bit more before finally leaning back onto the chair.


    "Fine, tell me, what do ya have to say?"


    She knew he was about to talk about Chijou and she clearly didn''t like it too much. She closed her eyes and took slow and deep breaths to prepare herself.


    "While we were looking for the creature, the huntresses told me about you and Chijou. I didn''t know that it was him your lover."


    "So ya want me to tell ya how it was between me and Chijou?"


    That possibility seemed to have reassured her a bit but it was a wrong assumption.


    "No, that''s not what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell you that I know what happened to him."


    Her fingers squeezed her two hands together strongly when he said it.


    "How would ya know?"


    "It was Chinui that told me..."


    Her eyes shot open and stared holes into him. It looked like she was ready to tear his head off at the first wrong word exiting his mouth.


    "Who are ya?"


    "That''s a longer story but I will tell you."


    "You better not leave anything out."


    He then told her about his four creators explaining how it was because of this that he had two souls, revealing to her that the ring he had used in the new year was a birth gift from Love and how he had stumbled upon Chinui''s house.


    "Are ya saying ya just found the great general in the woods randomly?"


    "Yes. I stayed a few months with him."


    "Ya know yar story is really hard to believe right?"


    "Yes, that''s why I don''t like to talk about it."


    "So... do ya have a proof that ya at least met Chinui?"


    "I uh... please look at my full name."


    He willed his hunting card to appear and there it was, displayed at the very top, Emperor Muracier.


    A jolt passed through her and she recoiled a bit from the card.


    "I see now why ya said people reacted strangely when they saw yar name. What was he doing in the woods all the way there though? What did he say about his brother?"


    That was the hard part to say. He had to swallow his nervousness before he managed to say it.


    "He said that the thundering pass battle went wrong. The guys commanded by Chijou weren''t in the spot they were supposed to. He said it was the emperor who gave a wrong order and because of that order... Chijou died."


    Her fingers twitched and she closed her eyes again.


    "After that, Chinui got very angry and left. He said he would not come back as long as Billow Grandbois would be the emperor. That''s why he is so far out in the woods."


    "..."


    She was chewing on her own lips and quickly placed a hand over her eyes as if to hide herself from the news. She did not say a word.


    "I''m sorry. If I had known how close you were to him, I would have told you right away but you never spoke of his name."


    "W... Where?"


    "He''s taken roots in Chinui''s backyard, there''s already a good tree over him."


    She was shaking now. Those were silent sobs weren''t they? She was just hiding her tears. His own eyes started to burn as well. It was painful to look at Marcy like that.


    He forced his hand away from his side and reached out to her. Letting his powerless arm fall on her knees.


    "That''s why you don''t like secrets isn''t it? No one told you when you asked them."


    "I... I need to be alone now. Rest for a bit."


    Her voice was quaking in grief. She gently pushed his hand back onto the bed and left with slow pained steps, closing the door behind her and leaving him to rest.


    Emp stared at the door for a while. Had he done the right thing? He was convinced this was the best he could do but it still didn''t feel right.


    He still had a lot of things to do but he couldn''t get the sad figure of Marcy out of his head. Even if he could have, he was unable to move. Really, his only option was to sleep but, somehow, he couldn''t. It wasn''t that he was not tired but instead that he felt guilty about making Marcy cry.


    He had heard of people tossing and turning in their beds before. This was definitely it. He was not moving at all but it was all the same. However long he closed his eyes, sleep would not take him. He found every little thing to be distracting. His leg, the position of his arm, an itch under his foot, all excuses to move his thoughts away from what had happened.


    He really had not wanted to hurt Marcy with his words, he was so sorry. He wanted her to come back so that he could tell her.


    He felt that he waited there looking at his ceiling for a long time. He noticed that some of the planks up there were a bit old, a few had bent out of shape probably a long time ago. Was the rest of the house like that too? He should replace those with new ones soon, maybe take a look at the roof as well while he was there. Marcy would like that right?


    Finally, the door was gently pushed open. Emp was about to call Marcy but was surprised to discover Calla at the door instead.


    "Calla?"


    She gave him a warm smile when he called her name.


    "You''re awake." Her voice was full of relief. "Marcy said she''d tell me if you woke up but she left with a really big sword a while ago so I had to check by myself."


    "With a big sword? Do you know where she went?"


    "Not far I think, she went straight towards the woods and brought nothing else."


    Emp wondered what she was doing. This was curious, he hoped she wouldn''t do anything reckless with it.


    There was a short pause where neither said anything. Calla was standing in the doorway with her hands behind her back, her warm green eyes looking over him.


    "Are you hungry?" She suddenly asked. "I cooked you something but I didn''t know if you would be up to eat anything soon. I feel a bit silly."


    Now that she spoke about it, it was true that he was really hungry. His stomach had been growling ever since he woke up.


    "I am super hungry." He answered her. "But I feel too weak to lift my arm and hold the utensils."


    "Don''t worry about that, I''ll help you."


    She turned around with a gentle smile and left to the kitchen. Shortly after she came back with a large fuming bowl, its smell alone was enough to make him salivate.


    "I made an heart stew, with scareants mushrooms my sisters picked in the orchard, scented herbs, plenty of vegetables from my garden and healthy bits of meat to give you back some strength."


    Scareants mushrooms were a sort of large brown fungus with a peculiar scent that scared ants away. They were well loved by people like the Champom who grew trees because most of the ants living in the Steelwood empire were different kinds of aggressive carpenter ants.


    The stem of those mushrooms where thin and pale but the cap was always large and meaty. Those caps had a dark brown shade and an easily recognizable sour scent but when cooked, they turned out to be delicious.


    They were often seen growing at the foot of all kinds of trees and the orchardists took great care of them. (1) They helped it grow around the trees and harvested them along with the fruits they were growing.


    Emp had often tasted the scareants mushrooms and calla cooked them very well but...


    "A heart stew?"


    "Mhn, we get plenty of meat so people often throw bits like the heart away but they should not, it''s just as good as the rest when you prepare it well. Grandma told me once that grandpa believed that eating the heart of a strong beast would give him some of its strength. I don''t think that''s true but it''s still good to the taste."


    Emp had a strong impression left in him of Chinui telling him to not waste any part of what he caught so he wasn''t truly against eating the heart of an animal. It was instead Calla herself he had a hard time understanding. He had been curious about it for a while already. How could she be so disgusted and scared of a dismantling but so easily cook meat as if it was nothing at all?


    "How come you aren''t scared of cooking meat but you can''t look when we cut a prey open?"


    She drew circles in the stew with a spoon while she answered.


    "It doesn''t feel the same to me. One is violent and scary, there''s blood and skin, I can''t watch as its torn apart, it''s too much. When there''s only the meat and me though, I can see all kinds of possible meals, I can feel its texture, picture the perfect result and cut the pieces I need easily. The bones to enhance a soup, the fat to melt and make a sauce, there''s only food there." (2)


    So for her, cooking was so engrossing that she could leave aside all the rest. Emp thought it was impressive.


    She placed the bowl on the chair Marcy had left and kindly helped him to sit into the bed, with his back against the wall.


    "I see," He answered. "thank you for helping me."


    "Mhn, you need to sit properly in order to eat."


    She picked back up the bowl and after placing the chair to be at the head of the bed she sat back on it.


    "I don''t think it''s too hot to eat now."


    She took a spoonful of stew and brought it to his mouth by bending forward. Her large overly-loose braid fell to the side of her head and balanced in between him and her, casting a shade on the bowl in her hand.


    He had no reason to resist her angelic smile so he just let her deliver the food to his mouth. The taste was wonderful, the flavors mixed well together and were full of vigor. It was a meal that said "get well soon", he could feel the warmth of it spread all the way down to his bones. The meat would melt into his mouth and the mushrooms burst under his teeth every time he chewed on them.


    He let a pleased sigh escape his mouth after he was done with the first bite and Calla seemed even happier than before.


    "I hoped you would like it."


    "Of course I would like it, you are the one who made it after all. Everything you cook is stunningly tasty."


    She just continued to smile and gave him another bite.


    Emp savored the whole bowl of it in the warm peace brought by her care. He felt so calmed by it that his concern for Marcy floated out of his mind like mist. He could feel some of his strength come back to him as his belly was filled.


    Once they were done, she kindly asked if he wanted another one and of course, he said yes. He was still very hungry.


    It was only after he had emptied a third large bowl that his stomach finally calmed down.


    "You were very hungry." Calla commented in amazement.


    "It must have been a very special meal. It was so good that I couldn''t help myself but want more after each spoon of it. Thank you Calla, that was wonderful."


    "I''m glad."


    She wasn''t surprised by his words since she could see from the beginning how much he loved it.


    "Say, was it true that the apple saved you?"


    "Yes, I... Sorry, I was a bit strange yesterday was I not."


    She blushed a bit but shook her head to tell him he was wrong.


    "I do not mind at all. Could you tell me, how? I can''t, I mean, my apple, how could it possibly save you?"


    Emp told her earnestly.


    "When the monster grabbed me by the leg and readied itself to kill me, it raised me over to its face. I squeezed the apple over its eyes and the juices blinded it. Because it was blinded, we were able to turn the tables on it. I don''t know what would have happened if I did not have that apple then. I''m very grateful for it. I was sure it would please you to know."


    She answered with a few nods. It was the kind of faces he really liked to see. This made him think of Marcy again, he wanted to cheer her up somehow. Maybe Calla would have a trick.


    "Calla, I made Marcy cry, how do I fix this."


    "Mnnnn. First, I think you need to apologize earnestly. I''m sure she knows you didn''t mean to make her cry but apologies are always a good start. After that, I''m not sure."


    "You''re not sure?"


    "I don''t know what would cheer up Marcy. I would say you have to bring her a gift or work hard to help her but you should rest for now. If it was me, I would apologize with a good meal but it doesn''t seem like something you would do."


    Not only that but the food he made himself was far worse than the food Calla could prepare.


    "Have you no idea that could help me then?"


    "No, sorry."


    She seemed a bit disappointed that she was unable to help him but Emp didn''t hold it against her. It may be for the best if he found the answer on his own.


    "It''s fine, I''ll just... Marcy?"


    She had stepped into the doorway. She did not seem as miserable as before but the sword she brought with her wasn''t in the same boat. It was all chipped and the blade was bent as if it had been used for years.


    "Why don''t ya call me mom?"


    She seemed really disappointed.


    He had forgot again, he had been too surprised to see her there. He had not heard her come in.


    "Sorry, you surprised me."


    After another awkward silence, it was Calla that spoke first.


    "I think I''ll leave you two alone now. Good luck Emp, I''ll bring you something else later."


    "Thank you Calla."


    She got up from the chair and walked past Marcy in a hurry.


    "Sorry girl."


    "It''s fine" Calla told her with a shake of her hair and a smile.


    Once she had left, Marcy placed the huge sword against the wall and took her place on the chair.


    "I''m very sorry mom. I really did not want to make you cry. I just thought it would be worse to hide it from you."


    "It''s fine, ya did the right thing... I guess in a way, I already knew he was dead. If he had been alive, he would have came back long ago or at least, sent me a message. I just didn''t think it would be this hard to hear it confirmed."


    "I feel really bad, first I scared you and then I made you cry. Can I do something?"


    "Ya''re already doing fine Emp."


    She ruffled his hair and offered him a weak smile.


    "Just ya being there is already good. Calms me a bit."


    Emp thought it was great but she changed back to an angry look right away.


    "Don''t think I forgot about how you put yourself in danger though! You better believe I''ll punish you once you''re better!"


    After that, they talked a lot about both of their pasts, what he was doing in B¨ºt¨¦clair and how she found her way to Dark-glint. They talked for so long that they were still at it when the sun had come close to the horizon and Calla came back to cook food in their kitchen.


    She did not tell him what happened with the sword but the answer seemed obvious.


    Then, that night, he slept very well. Marcy had seemed in a much better mood after their long talk. She had been curious about all the things he kept hidden for a while now, having them finally revealed must have been fun to her.


    ***


    (1) orchardists are those taking care of orchards. I believe this is a real word.


    (2) I would say gravy instead of sauce but they don''t have corn or wheat readily available. Maybe she could replace it with mashed apples or potatoes though. How about it, apple gravy, has anyone tried that? My guess is that it won''t work the same since grains and apples don''t have the same texture at all but who knows. Fun fact, in french, potatoes are called earth apples. they don''t have a real name for themselves.

 71 New classes

    Because Emp was stuck in the medical hall of the school, he could hardly escape the many questions of the duke. The old man really wanted to know how he came across that kind of monster inside a city.


    In order for his explanation to make sense, he needed to talk about the Gift of space so he decided to start with that.


    When he talked about the anchor, the duke threw everyone else out of the room, servants and healers alike. He got very angry that Emp would speak so lightly of a divine treasure. He insisted that he should never talk about the divine treasure or what it did to anyone but the people he trusted the most.


    The old man feared that someone would use what they learned about the treasure against him. Powers and artifacts given by the gods should be kept as secret as possible so that no one could take advantage of them.


    After he was done lecturing him on the subject, the duke let him proceed with his story.


    Emp told him about how the anchor let him be at two places at once and how his mother sent him on a hunt with a group of thirty.


    "At least ye learned somethin. Ye didn''t carelessly give her name. This is what ye should always do."


    Emp had said mother instead of Marcy because now that he knew of her relationship with Chijou, he was afraid that the duke would die on the spot if he mentioned her name. He didn''t know how he would react if he knew that Emp lived with her. She wasn''t supposed to know anything of what happened but there was no way the duke didn''t know her. He might make all sorts of assumptions if he heard her name.


    He might think Emp was careless or in reverse that she was in league with Chinui for his supposed plan. He might want to hide her or send troops to protect her, both of which would annoy her to no end. All sorts of things could happen and Emp didn''t want to be stuck in the middle of any of it.


    Emp glossed over the mention of his mom and talked about how they ambushed the monster instead, discovering that he was stronger than they thought and how they barely managed to kill it.


    "Is it on your card?"


    Emp showed him the kill list and the unnameable of chaos on it. The thing was labelled as "new moon mutant". (1)


    "Hehe! This be great, this be meanin ye took a great part in the fight. If ye just watched from the side, it wouldn''t be there."


    Emp could hardly see what was so great about this. He did understand that killing an unnameable of chaos was a rare thing worthy of admiration but he got very beat up in the process, almost lost his leg and he clearly remembered a few huntresses dying.


    Aside from that, being able to kill that thing or not didn''t matter in any way to the school.


    "Ye need to continue doin all that and rake in more achievements, it will give ye a head start. Speakin ''bout that, ye kids are ''bout ready to get into the special courses, or be they classes? No bother. the others get to choose what they want to study but not you, I registered ye to most of them already."


    "How many?" Asked Emp, curious.


    He could hardly understand what the strange duke was trying to tell him but he did understand that he would have to follow even more classes. He wondered how many and what they were. Would he really have the time to go to all of them?


    "No clue, I just ticked yer name at each I felt you''d need. Ye be thankful later lad, the schedule will be sent to ye soon. The other will choose today what they feel they wanna take."


    That was a bit ominous but at the same time, he was here to learn as many things as he could so he would probably have registered for as many as possible too.


    After that, he told Emp to do his best and continue to impress everyone and left, letting the healers back into their hall.


    Then, them and his two slaves tended to him the whole day, checking on his condition keeping him company.


    They told him that his leg would take a few day before it started to move like it should and a few more before it went back to normal. Of course, this speed was only due to their efforts. They had spent a lot of resources on it at the behest of the duke. They also had to remove a lot of fragments of his broken armor embedded into his leg which took a lot of time.


    He was ready to pay for it all but the duke had already did. Emp thought it was very generous of him.


    There wasn''t much to do while stuck inside a bed. Aside from the times where the healers came to check for changes in his leg and cast a few more spells on it or had him drink some foul medicine, it seemed that nothing would happen here.


    We was glad Harriett and Celtine were there with him, at least he had someone to talk with. He sent them back to their room early in the day to get some real clothes but after they came back, they did not leave his side anymore. they seemed to be rejoicing about spending time with him.


    "Master is so amazing he could beat such a big monster!"


    "I almost died though."


    "No way, how could master die against a wild beast! Even if master tells me that, I won''t believe master would truly have died. Every time, I worry a lot but in the end, master is always fine."


    <I disagree, I think you should be more careful.>


    "You are right, I wasn''t careful, I was only thinking of helping the others. I need a lot more strength."


    "Mwu, how come master always agrees with Celtine but never with me?"


    "I don''t know. This time I only survived because there were many of us to take its attention away and because of the apple Calla gave me."


    Both girls frowned hearing the unknown name.


    "Who''s Calla?"


    "A short girl with a pretty smile and a thick braid. She''s shy and always hiding somewhere but the food she makes is great. I wish you two could taste it as well."


    "She made master some food!"


    "Yes, all the time and it''s the best I tasted so far."


    Harriett seemed shocked and sulked the rest of the day. Emp told her many time that he liked her cooking too but it did not cheer her up.


    Later, a servant of the school brought him the papers of the new schedule. There was a few more things on it like strategy and management and also some old classes that he only had a few times before that were now more common.


    There was a note from the duke saying he would get strategy and geography much more often until he mastered them and then his schedule would shift back to more fencing, magic and combat.


    Emp couldn''t help but wonder how the schedule of everyone would fit together. Would he end up alone in a bunch of classrooms all the time? With how it was organized, he felt that his whole time was filled with strategy and geography.


    <Why are there so many strategy classes on the schedule?> Celtine asked, lost in what they had planned for him.


    "It''s because of my name, If I was to be ignorant about that kind of thing, I would be a disgrace." Emp guessed. "The geography is there a lot too because I need to know what the terrain looks like to decide the best course of action of an army."


    He was almost certain that the others would have a schedule that looked nothing alike.


    He didn''t have to wait long for his suppositions to be confirmed. As soon as the lessons of the day were over, Mable barged in the medical hall to see him. Aglaya, Ivar, Nessa, Gytha and Kenneth all came in with her.


    They were very curious about what had happened to him and all swarmed the side of his bed the moment they entered the room.


    Because of this, he had to explain the whole thing again, recounting how the creature could spit black liquid from tentacles on its back and how it had killed many of the huntresses that were there with him. he told them how terrifying the thing was and how everyone was gripped by fear. He mentioned how the bolts did almost nothing to it and how fast it could move. He also told them how close he came to defeat and how it was only because of extreme luck that he managed to score the blow that had knocked it down for Tacey to kill. (2)


    He must have been getting better at telling stories because the others were captivated by his tale. Gasping in surprise every time the monster defied their expectation and asking a million questions at every opportunity. He even ended up showing them his wrecked leg at the demand of Kenneth making all the girls turn away from the sight.


    The only question he could not answer was the most important one, how did this all come to happen? He could only tell them that the duke Jazay, ancient of the school, told him to not say anything about this. The best he could say was that none of them had to fear seeing something like that anywhere close to the city. Anyway, it had been a unnameable of chaos so there would not be any more of it.


    "That old man can be so frustrating! Why did he ask you to keep quiet about it? We should all go complain to him!"


    Nessa found Mable''s comment to be very amusing and while she laughed it off, Aglaya explained the reasons to her.


    "Think about it from his own point of view Mable, one of his students got very injured in this. What would he do if Emp told everyone how it happened and someone else had the dumb idea of doing the same to gain prestige by fighting an unnameable of chaos. How he came across it doesn''t matter to the story anyway."


    It wasn''t the real reason at all but Mable readily accepted it as truth so it was convenient for him.


    "So, how long will you be stuck here?" Asked Ivar.


    "I don''t know-"


    "He''ll be released by tomorrow but he won''t be able to do any physical labor." Intervened a healer that wasn''t too far away. "No training, no riding, no going outdoors for a walk, he''ll have to sit down until this is healed properly."


    This seemed a bit depressing but it made Kenneth laugh instead.


    "Lucky you! You''ll miss the first few dance classes of Blackbull."


    "What do mean lucky him?! Dancing is so fun!" Complained Nessa.


    "Don''t let it bother you Nessa, I''m sure more than a few will find it just as fun as you when we get there."


    Kenneth and Ivar didn''t seem to have any interest in dancing at all but Gytha stayed positive and cheered on her friend. As the oldest here, it was natural that she kept her friends in a good mood like an elder sister. She had warmed up to them since they all met first and now seemed to smile way more than before.


    Mable spoke her thoughts as well.


    "I feel like dancing should be its own class instead of forcing those that don''t want to do it to come anyway."


    "Fufu. You''re just saying that because you don''t know what to pick for your own classes. You''d have liked to pick that. They''re not separate from the rest because everyone attending noble social gathering will need to know dancing if they don''t want to look like uncivilized brutes." Aglaya answered, shooting a side glance to the two boys.


    "Aye, I know I know, I''ve had them a long time ago already, I don''t need a repeat of them." Ivar pointed out.


    "I''d rather be out riding or hunting." Said Kenneth honestly.


    "I''m sure most of our fathers and brothers think the same." Agreed Gytha with an understanding smile. "What about you Emp?"


    Emp didn''t have an opinion on dancing yet. He had seen that kind of thing only twice until now and had participated in neither. However, the people in the village seemed to have a lot of fun with it.


    "I''ll give it a try at least, once my leg is better, but I don''t know if I''ll be any good at it."


    The girls nodded approvingly but Mable didn''t stick with the subject and went back to her own problem.


    "But none of this helps me choose what sort of lessons I want to follow! Emp, show me what you chose!"


    He pointed her toward his schedule on the bedside table and she snatched it to look through.


    "Beuh, why do you have so much strategy?"


    "It''s easier to understand than the customs taught by madam Blackbull."


    Always trying to find a reason to everything without lying was getting very tiring. It was a bit depressing knowing he must still have a long time to spend in the school.


    Aglaya looked over her shoulder and peeked at the schedule too.


    "Look, he''s got a special lesson with Blackbull every other day, this probably means you''ll see her every day in between. You may not be with him all the time but he will be done quick with those strategy classes and at least, you have geography in common."


    Mable made another pout.


    "Why do you want me to take that? It''s boring I don''t need it. I''d rather have more classes with Blackbull and survival ones, those are funny."


    "They might be funny but you have no need for them, you need to think about your future. Management, economy and geography is what you need."


    "Why? They don''t expect anything of me. I''m not inheriting anything."


    Emp couldn''t remember how many older brother she said she had. it seemed obvious that after they had a go at the inheritance, there wouldn''t be much left for the carefree girl.


    "That''s why you have to work hard Mable. Did you plan to lounge all day and let us take care of you?"


    Mable groaned and placed the paper back on the table.


    "Trust me on this. You''ll see, it will all work out." Aglaya said patting her shoulder.


    Now that Mable''s lessons had been chosen, Emp got curious about the others.


    "What about the rest of you? What sort of class will you pick?"


    "I already got most of what I possibly could out of them so I just got more archery." Ivar answered with a shrug.


    That was expected from him, he was always in the archery field anyway. Kenneth was the next to speak.


    "I''ll share the instruction of a spear master with Oliver and hone my riding skill to perfection."


    "Gytha and me want to try to raise our knowledge of magic enough to get into the potion class. Wouldn''t it be fun to serve magic tea? That wasn''t my first choice but the other isn''t working out well."


    Emp had no problem picturing Nessa with some magic drink, she was very knowledgeable about tea. It was one of her great passions. He wondered what could have interested her more than potion making.


    "I guess I can understand for you but why you too Gytha?" Asked Ivar.


    "I felt it would be sad to have Nessa go there alone. Plus, I have an affinity for Illusion magic and it''s the same teacher for both. I hear the two discipline work well together. How about you Aglaya?"


    "I''ll take all the same as Mable of course. I told her this was the best path so of course, I have to prove it. Also, if I don''t go with her, I fear she won''t pay attention and fail the class."


    "What!?"


    "I''m just playing!" She tried to appease Mable, taking her into an embrace. "How could I leave my cute Mable alone in a boring class."


    "Wha! Please, let me go!"


    They had a good laugh and after speculating on how they thought the schedule of everyone would be arranged, left to let Emp rest. They only told him to not worry about Mable''s protection as they left. Not that he would have anyway, he was convinced nothing could happen in this school.


    Later that day, the medical staff helped him back to his own room and it wasn''t long after that before he felt sleepiness take him over. Still, he couldn''t help but take a look at the ring, checking on everyone he gave a ring to so far.


    Mable was fine, Willow had removed her ring, Celtine was fine and Harriett was written as Jealous... Jealous? What sort of condition was this? Was it because of what he said about Calla''s food? He would need to think about how to fix this soon. He didn''t want her to torture herself too much over this. For him though, it was really hard to think about how to go about this.


    The answer did not come to him as he fell asleep.


    The next day came too soon to his liking. Not only because he wanted more sleep and some more time to figure out how to appease Harriett but because he had a full afternoon with madam Blackbull that day.


    In the morning, there was a combat class but since he couldn''t go anyway, the two girls let him sleep the whole morning instead and they only woke him up for the customs class which happened to be the long awaited dance class.


    There was no way he could dance in this state but he didn''t dare to not go. He feared Blackbull might get even angrier if he didn''t.


    Using Harriett as support, he managed to get there in one piece and sat by himself close to the wall. The teacher had asked to use the main hall for this so they had a lot of space to practice. Most of the hall''s decorations and furniture had been pushed close to the wall, including the chairs. Emp was glad they had not removed them from the room entirely.


    As expected, the others came to ask him a bunch of things about his leg and the fight he had. Brenia was particularly surprised to hear about how he broke the hand of that beast with his weak spell.


    "No way! It really worked? Why didn''t you just fight it head on? A good swing of that hammer of yours would have done the job."


    "Impossible, Brenia, that thing destroyed my arm with a weak slap. If I had gone against it head on, its fist would have broken all the bones in my body."


    "Haha! You know what this means then? We got to train harder!"


    She raised her arm and showed him her bicep, gripping it with her other hand to show him how solid it was. There was something very strange about seeing a girl in a dress do that kind of gesture. It wasn''t fitting at all.


    Not to say that Brenia was a good fit with any sort of dress though. She had been forced to wear one for this dance class but she seemed really annoyed by it and Emp didn''t doubt a second that she would change back into normal clothing the moment the class was over.


    She wore a long blood red dress with no shoulders to it and a black corset she clearly didn''t intend on tightening at all. The dress was too long to see but Emp was pretty sure she wore her combat boots under it. If one had to judge her on her appearance, they would say that she had made no efforts at all but they would then get their skull broken open by her.


    Maybe the dress didn''t seem to fit her only because she seemed uncomfortable wearing it? Both the dress and its wearer were pretty, there was no reason for the combination to be this jarring.


    "I don''t think that''s something training can fix." He tried to tell her.


    Brenia was about to say something else but as she opened her mouth, they heard the characteristic clacks of the teacher''s shoes as Blackbull entered the hall. Brenia closed back her mouth and stepped away from him and back into the group of girls. Even then though, she was really sticking out.


    As for the class that soon started, Emp didn''t keep a strong impression of it. The teacher had brought a few musicians with her and under their performance, she instructed the students on what noble dances were all about.


    Emp felt it seemed very complicated compared to the thing the villagers called dancing. Noble dances were so precise it felt incredible to watch when done properly. Since it was only the first class, there weren''t that many that were good at it yet.


    Of all the boys, Zoran was the best followed closely by Norval. Norval wasn''t really a surprise since he was good at everything but he had not expected Zoran''s talent. He seemed to have a great time and understood the steps easily but sadly, every time someone noticed him, he started to panic and fumble.


    The rest of the guys were just terrible and couldn''t follow the beat. Only Frits was any good and that was because he already went through those classes long ago, he was only here to accompany his future wife. He danced with her the whole time and her smile revealed to everyone that she liked his attention very much.


    On the girl''s side, the worst were Penny and obviously Brenia. Every time the teacher would turn her head away from them, they would stop trying to dance at all and only stepped out of the way of everyone else. Clearly, neither of them had the slightest intention of ever stepping in a ballroom. Even when Blackbull was glaring at them, they moved as if they had two left feet.


    The others seemed to have a lot of fun though. Even those who had more difficulty tried their best to learn. Mable was too cheerful and often outpaced the others and the music while Aglaya was elegant but way too stiff in her movements according to the teacher.


    The best of them all was Nessa who seemed to be in a world of her own. Everyone present couldn''t help but look her way and admire her moving form. Emp had the sensation that the floor like the rest of the room belonged to her for as long as the music played. It was the same sort of feeling he would attribute to the unnameable of chaos in its crystal cave or Brenia on the sparring field. It was the first time he ever saw her dance but he could tell as easily as everyone else, if the dance floor was a battlefield, no one would ever defeat her. Blackbull was extremely pleased by her performance and urged the other to take her as an example.


    The class ended with many feeling satisfied and many more thankful that it was over for now. Emp however felt the opposite. Now that the class was over and everyone was dismissed, it was time for Emp''s private lesson. The old lady had a lot of complaints about his recent behavior.


    "You have failed to attend more classes than anyone up to now." She first said after Harriett brought him to the teacher''s office.


    "I do not get injured on purpose though." He answered with a bit of sadness.


    "I understand that of course but can''t you be more careful? At this rate, you''ll end up with a final result even worse than your father''s."


    She had not even taken the time to make herself some tea like usual before she started complaining.


    "Am I really so bad? I''m doing my best to pay attention to your words."


    "I do believe you listen carefully to my words, I can see it. However, young man, you keep making insane decisions at every turn."


    She couldn''t possibly have heard about every mistake he did. Maybe asking her what he did wrong first before trying to explain himself would be for the best. That way, he might be able to dodge some reproaches. He had enough from Marcy already.


    "What have I done wrong?"


    "What have you done wrong? The list is longer than my arm! First off, two nights ago, you carried a girl in her underwear across more than half of the school and left her like that in front of the duke!"


    "I didn''t have the time to-"


    "You offered a ring to miss Mable! A decent man shouldn''t give jewelry to a woman who he isn''t courting!"


    That had not even crossed his mind.


    "But it was for her protection. The ring-"


    "You stood on your hands on a desk in the middle of a magic study class!"


    How did she hear about that one? It must have been Mable, She must have thought it was funny and let it slip to the teacher in one of her own private lessons.


    "That was because Odilon said-"


    "Young man, it doesn''t matter what that boy says, it''s not that he has more bark than bite, it''s that he has no bite at all. Whatever he says shouldn''t have any weight on you, learn to do like the rest and ignore him."


    Poor Odilon, now even the teachers decided to ignore him.


    "Let''s skip over all your usual nonsense for now, we need to talk about how you became lord protector. This is by far the worst thing you did yet."


    That was the thing he had first feared she wanted to complain about. He had been afraid since that day about what misgivings she would have on this.


    "I didn''t know what else to do but to accept. In any case, I don''t feel it''s a hard thing to do and it''s not displeasing either."


    "Admitting that most of the fault is on them and that I already harshly scolded them for that maneuver, did it not cross your mind that it would be best to decline that position?"


    "You said that not taking a gift was something I should not do."


    "Yes because usually people refrain from gifting absurd things! You should be able to use common sense and your own judgement to understand when something is too much. Do you not understand who you are?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "You don''t know her full name! For all you know you could be betraying your own family right now! What were you thinking? Emp tell me, what is the goal of the Muraciers?"


    "Their goal was to protect the imperial family and the empire."


    She reacted to his answer with a long frustrated sigh. Obviously she believed that he couldn''t be the lord protector of someone if that person wasn''t in the imperial family. If she was right, did that mean that he put himself in real big trouble?


    Thinking about it, the Grandbois held the empire together with the might of the Muraciers, if they suddenly supported another family, the whole thing could crumble. Since Chinui wasn''t coming back, he might just have done something terrible. The old lady continued after letting Emp think about it for a moment.


    "I also can''t help but notice you said ''their goal was'' rather than ''our goal is''. What''s with the detachment between you and the rest? Why the past tense?"


    Oops, he had not meant his sentence to send any special message. He just didn''t feel that attached to the family behind his name.


    "What is going on in your house?" She asked in bewilderment.


    Time to dodge the questions like she had taught him.


    "You mean the building or the societal organization formed around a familial unit?"


    "By the gods Emp, one of these days I feel like I will strangle you."


    "Is my answer really that upsetting?"


    "Even If I get my question across, you will answer me something like ''I was told to not say anything about this'' won''t you?"


    Emp considered for an instant before nodding.


    "Yes."


    "I''m afraid there won''t be enough tea in this city to calm my nerves. What have I gotten myself into really? Can you at least tell me your intentions toward the imperial family?"


    "Which one?"


    Her question was too vague, there were many imperial families on the continent and at least one of them was an enemy. She let out another depressed sigh and got up from her chair to empty the whole shelf of tea leaves she had, placing everything on her desk.


    "Maybe it''s best if I don''t know after all. Of everything I''m trying to teach you, why was this the only thing you managed to learn properly? Maybe everything will coincidentally work out in the end."


    "What does that mean."


    "Ah, it''s your turn to get no answer now since it''s just baseless hopes. We''re done with this topic, let''s go back to some other mischief you did. Let me look at the list."


    She had a whole list! Emp took a depressed appearance as the teacher found something else to complain about.


    ***


    "Have you drank it all?"


    "..."


    "This is the point of it after all. This feeling of calm and relaxation will last for a while. Now that you are so relaxed, let me tell you about my plan. I need your help to bring it to completion."


    "Your plan?"


    "Yes, a plan to help you and your family get out of their debts. You know I would do anything for you right?"


    "How?"


    "Do not be hasty, I need your help first and then, I will tell you what this is all about."


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "I like it when you''re so obedient. Listen, I made a list of possible targets but I''m lacking information. I need you to tell me everything you know about all of them. I want all of their secrets."


    ***


    (1) The fact that they are unnameable of chaos implies that they can''t be named but mankind really likes to name thing anyway. If the unnameable of chaos gets really well known, people have to stick a name to it or it becomes hard to talk about it. It''s especially important when it lives for decades before getting slain. Here, the hunting card put a label to it but it''s not an actual name, it''s just what it is.


    (2) I like to speak over and over about the same thing to see all the different kinds of reaction everyone have about those events but obviously, I have to refrain from doing this because I know how annoying it is to read those again and again. I shortened it as much as I could without disjointing the whole thing.

 72 Purple cave

    The day Emp felt well enough to move by himself, he crawled out of his bed and went out of the house to properly take care of the aftermath of the fight with the unnameable of chaos. He still had not recovered his strength but his leg could support his weight and he had too much to do to stand still.


    The creature needed to be dismantled, the huntresses needed to be properly compensated for their hard work, he needed to properly give his condolences for their losses, he needed to go back to the monster''s den to see what it hid, go collect as much of that purple glass as possible as well as all the things they had left behind and see what he could do for his armor.


    The list was too long, there was no way for him to do all that in a single day. He decided to first go ask Marcy about the dismantling. Once it was underway, he would look for the huntresses. He walked into the forge to see Marcy being lazy. She did not approve of him being there and showed it with a frown.


    "My boy, ya should stay put for a while longer, even if ya ask me, I won''t have ya work."


    "That''s not it mom, we still haven''t paid the huntresses and I''d like you to take a look at the monster so that I know what the corpse is worth."


    "Oh, right. Sure, we should be able to handle that, nothing too hard there. Want me to get some experienced dismantlers or ya going to put yar friends to use again?"


    "The corpse is too dangerous, the liquid in its back is deadly. I''d rather have some more careful people for this."


    "Right I''ll get the hunters then, maybe the outsiders will help too. I''ll meet ya at the dismantling space. Good thing ya thought of that today, I felt bored."


    Emp smiled as she slapped his back and both went their separate way.


    Walking towards the east gate, it wasn''t long before he came across Manley. The teen was carrying a seemingly heavy box of tools but when he saw Emp, he placed it on the ground with a sigh of relief and called Emp as he stretched his back.


    "Emp, you''re up! I was wondering how long you''d stay in there."


    "Well, I''ll go back soon, Marcy, I mean mom, won''t let me out until I''m fully recovered."


    "Well, that''s what moms do don''t they. I''m glad you found each other, I think you both needed it. It''s not right for people to be alone all the time, it messes them up."


    Emp wasn''t sure he agreed, Chinui was alone in the woods since a long time ago but he seemed fine. However, he would not say that he was not happy to have Marcy.


    "I''m glad too I think. What are you doing with that box?"


    That was a very sharp change of conversation but he really had nothing else to say about that and he was very curious about the box.


    "Those are carpentry tools. The guys are teaching me how to be a carpenter."


    "Really? I thought you wanted to be a hunter."


    Most of Emp''s friends wanted to be hunters, the boys at least. Seeing him suddenly pick up carpentry was surprising.


    "Well, you know... The wolves changed my mind. I understand it''s not always like that but that was too much for me. I don''t want to have that kind of stressful job. I''d rather stay behind the walls. I''m still going to listen to your advises to prepare for my first hunt next year but after that, I''m done with it."


    "That''s a big decision, what did your dad say?"


    "Uh, I think he was glad actually. He''s not a hunter either, he must have been relieved from my turnaround. In his place, I would have felt the same I think. Now he knows I''ll be safe and we can do construction work together."


    Emp didn''t understand what he meant about the stress but since everyone was happy with that decision, he was happy as well.


    "That''s great then. Now I''ll know who to look for if I need a carpenter."


    It might be soon too if the roof really needed some repairs. It was made out of overlapping wooden tiles after all. Roofs had the tendency of being made from the cheapest material possible and there was nothing cheaper than wood in this empire. Even simple clay wasn''t as cheap, after all, you needed to remove the trees on top of it to access it.


    "Haha, maybe in the future, right now, I''m just an apprentice. Speaking of being an apprentice, since Marcy won''t let you out, what are you doing outside?"


    "We''re going to dismantle the thing, or rather, they''re going to dismantle it and Marcy will force me to sit down and watch. I''m going to the place right now."


    "Hahaha, poor you. That''s what happen when you don''t listen to your parents. You get punished."


    "Being in a family is hard."


    "That''s why it''s so rewarding though. Everyone has to make an effort and in the end, everyone is better off. It''s because it''s challenging to keep everyone in a single piece that''s it''s so good when it works. When things are too easy, they are rarely fun. Well, maybe if they''re chores, those are better when easy."


    Said like that, Manley made a lot of sense. Emp was familiar with efforts and he did feel like the end result was more satisfying when he worked hard for it. The archery was the best example of them all. He had felt so great when he finally hit a target for the first time.


    Until now, he had not realized that families worked the same way. Now that he was told though, he felt the desire to improve in that as well. The goals weren''t as obvious but he knew he could do it. Everyone else did after all, there was no reason for him to not be able to do the same. The first thing he should do should probably be to call Marcy mom more often. It was hard to remember but if he did, it would surely make her happy.


    "You''re right Manley, I''ll do my best."


    "Right, just don''t overdo it. I feel like you''re the kind of guy who would do something extreme to resolve a tiny problem."


    Emp just shrugged through his comment and asked him if he wanted to see the beast instead.


    "Do you want to see the unnameable of chaos? Do you think the others would?"


    "Yeah, I''m sure they''d be angry if they missed it, do you want me to get them or is your leg fine?"


    "My leg''s alright but mom will complain if I walk around too much."


    "Hahaha! Fine, I''ll go around myself, wait for us yeah?"


    "Mhn."


    He agreed with a nod, and passed his friend to resume his progress towards the dismantling place.


    Since the huntresses camp was close to the gate, Emp decided to stop by on his way. He wasn''t sure how well they all felt but he wanted to at least inform them that they were about to dismantle the creature.


    He stepped into their camp and after a short search, he found where their three leaders were. When they saw him approaching, the three of them gave him a forced smile. They were clearly unhappy about how all of this turned out. Aside from their depressed air and the bandaged arm of Connie, they seemed to be in good shape.


    "Jaska fixed your arm?"


    Jaska answered in her stead.


    "Yeah, I saved her arm but I couldn''t do anything for much for the crystal growth in the others."


    "How many did you lose?"


    "About a third." Connie answered with a grave tone.


    "And my disciple got crushed by a crystal spike I had made myself." Jaska added while gritting her teeth.


    "I feel really bad about this. I''m sorry for what happened." Emp told them. "If I had known it would end like this, I would have sided with Jaska back then."


    Connie released a long sigh and shook her head in sadness.


    "Don''t feel too bad about it. It had nothing to do with you. Not only did you almost die with us, you did more work on it than most of us."


    "In fact, I feel like most of us would have died if not for you cutting down those two things on its back." Tacey said to raise the mood a bit.


    Usually, she was the most depressed of the three but right now, she seemed to be the one in the best mood. Maybe once one lost almost everything, there wasn''t much that could affect you anymore. Emp didn''t really know how to cheer them up so he just told them about what he came for.


    "I wanted to express my condolences but I''m bad at those things. Whatever I say won''t make you feel any better. Instead, I came to tell you that we are dismantling that monster today. We''ll check it and see what it''s worth. I understand that money won''t bring back the warner and the others who it killed but do you want to come and watch anyway? At least, you''ll see it cut in tiny pieces."


    "Sure, I''ll even participate if you''ll have me."


    The perspective of cutting the beast to pieces seemed to be very enticing to her. Just killing it wasn''t enough to express how much she resented it for the loss of such a big part of her team.


    "I think she wanted to ask for the help of your guys too but you''ll have to ask mom."


    "Great, I''ll tell the others its happening today." She nodded before getting up.


    "Then me and Jaska will follow him there." Tacey agreed.


    "We''ll ask them to wait for the other before they start."


    Now that they all agreed, Emp led the two woman to the usual dismantling spot while their leader gathered everyone else.


    They were the first to reach the place so they sat nearby to wait for everyone else. In order to not let the gloom overtake too much of their time waiting, he racked his brain to find something to talk about.


    "Before we fought it, you said something about losing your luck, do you think this will be enough to bring it back?"


    "Nah, I think it''s hopeless."


    "Tacey!"


    "What? I''m sure you agree with me Jas. You were right from the start, this was part of our curse. Redemption my ass, half of us died. You were the one against it in the first place, don''t tell me you feel like this is a success."


    Jaska had nothing to retort to that. She just groaned and massaged her forehead to calm herself down.


    Emp had wanted to lighten the mood a bit but instead he had made it worse. How should he fix it now? Maybe the words of Luck would help them?


    "I was told once that one should make his own luck."


    "What does that even mean?" Tacey said dismissively.


    "I have no idea." Admitted Emp. "I couldn''t understand when he told me that."


    "Why even tell us that then?" Jaska grumbled.


    "You know I have the blessing of the god Space, meaning I completed his challenge, but when I got there, it wasn''t his challenge. The place was the trial chamber of Luck."


    The other two were jolted by his words but didn''t interrupt him as he spoke.


    "I failed his challenge and he switched place with Space instead as penalty. Before leaving though, he told me what I just told you. Remember, you have to create your own luck. I don''t know what it means but they were the words of Luck himself, they must have a useful meaning no?"


    "They must..."


    "Make our own huh?"


    The two were instantly lost in thoughts, laying their heads on the palm of their hands, they stared into the distance searching for the meaning behind those words. Emp wasn''t sure it would really help them since he had no idea what it meant but at least, they weren''t moping anymore.


    They passed the rest of the time waiting for the others in silence. When his friends started to show up, he went up to talk with them instead, leaving the two woman to their thoughts.


    In the end, a great amount of people showed up. It seemed that the whole village was rather curious about what an unnameable of chaos looked like. The news had spread to everyone that they were about to take care of it so most of them decided to stop what they were doing to go take a look.


    Even those he didn''t really expect to see showed their faces. Calla who hated dismantling came to see the terrible monster, maybe she wanted to know what sort of creature could have hurt him so badly. Sophus too came to see, Emp felt he was probably there to find some way to badmouth him.


    Finally, once everyone was present, Marcy asked him to get the monster out of the bag. He placed his hand over the container and dropped the creature in front of everyone.


    The reactions were as varied as expected. There were many gasps and step backs in front of its size and fearsome appearance as well as many expressions of wonderment and cheers knowing that it had been defeated by the huntresses and Emp. That huge corpse was the proof that the forest would soon be as safe as it had been in the past.


    Calla sat close to him with her sisters at her side and her jaw wide open in shock. Emp pointed towards the face of the creature and showed her.


    "Look, your apple managed to blind that huge monster long enough for me to smack my hammer on its nose."


    "Yay! Our big sis helped too!" Cheered the two small girls. (1)


    After that, the crowd burst into many vivid discussions and the dismantling quickly turned into an eventful celebration. Seeing it, Emp started to understand a lot better the never-ending festival of the dismantling square in Red-water. The scene in front of his eyes was very similar to it.


    The huntresses were treated as grand heroes and drowned in questions about the hunt and the creature. At first, they were all a bit downhearted but the admiration of everyone did manage to bring back some of their spirit. The story got told from many angles and perspectives, impressing the listeners around them.


    While this was happening, Emp walked close to Marcy and the creature, pointing out things he had noticed about it and the dangers of the black liquid. Under Marcy''s instructions, the creature was slowly sliced in many different parts. The hunters took their task seriously but still took their time to teach the younger generations the tricks of the work.


    Baskets were brought from all over the village and everything was slowly but neatly divided between them. Marcy, Emp, Connie and a few experts gathered around the baskets in order to evaluate the contents and negotiate their value.


    Emp felt that the black liquid would certainly be the most valuable part since it could melt anything at all and turn it in crystal-glass but he was very disappointed to discover that now that the monster was dead, the liquid quickly turned into a large chunk of deep purple crystal. he had warned everyone to be careful about it but before the thing was half taken apart, there was nothing to worry about anymore.


    Aside from the lost liquid, many other parts seemed to be worthwhile. Its horns were harder than stone and able to withstand strikes from swords and hammer alike so they were a very interesting material for Marcy. The bones were large and numerous, barely less resistant than the horns too. It had no claws but its fangs were large and sharp, as for its skin, despite the ugly and foul smelling fur, the skin under was thick and resistant and would probably make for some valuable protective leather.


    The blood was drained and thrown away in the forest using a great amount of buckets. Monster blood was often used by mages but each creature had different effects so using the blood from a unique creature wasn''t a recommended thing to do. It would need many research to find a good use for it and by that time, there would be almost none of it left with no way to get any more of it.


    As for the meat, a heated debate took place to decide what to do with it. Eating the meat from a sapient creature was not a well seen behavior in the empire for many reasons related to cursed-bloods. For example, they felt degrading to eat sentient creatures like they were a beast themselves and feared they might turn into curse-bloods for doing it. Others just felt the idea of eating something able to think with reason and logic to be repulsive, after eating a beast like that, the step wasn''t large before you started eating cursed-bloods or even other humans.


    The villagers shared those feelings but there was another side to this as well. The root of the debate was that there was so much meat on it. For a small village like theirs, wasting such a large quantity of meat was disastrous and heart wrenching. It was so painful that some started to argue that the thing was clearly a beast, it had no resemblance to any sentient being at all and was even an unnameable of chaos, surely the usual rules couldn''t be applied to it.


    Emp had no strong feeling for either side of the debate. He wasn''t even sure the thing was really sentient. It had made itself a door but did not wear any garment and used no tools, monkeys might have been smarter than it. Plus, he had been taught to not waste anything. If its meat found itself in his plate, he would not fuss over it but if they chose to throw it away, he would not complain either, he did not fear starvation.


    All the internal organs were put aside with the meat for further discussion and all that remained were the back appendages and the large crystal lump. The tentacles were quickly done with because Marcy decided to keep them in case she found some use out of their elasticity. The crystal was harder to deal with, mainly because of its weight and because its properties were unclear.


    Compared to the glass-crystal he had previously collected in the woods, that lump was both clearer and darker. There were no impurities in it so it had a much better transparency but the color was much darker because of how densely the black liquid had been held in that back lump. One could easily see through the whole thing but the world appeared purple on the other side.


    The small crystals he had taken in the woods had been snapped easily but such a large chunk of it was way harder. Considering how the thing had broken all the bones in its hands when it punched the boulder turned crystal solid by the spell, it was obviously tougher than ordinary stones. He felt that this matter could be very useful but he had no idea on how to use it effectively.


    Worse, the crystal chunk was covered in a layer of fur that had merged into it. The liquid had spewed from the almost severed tentacles and covered its back. The group of dismantlers had no idea on how to proceed to free the clear and beautifully smooth crystal from the messy crust covering it.


    Emp ended up having to place the whole thing in his bag until they found some way to either move its impressive weight or cut smaller pieces of it.


    Aside from this, the hardest and most tiresome part was to clean the bones, especially the skull. The valuable horns were obviously growing out of it but made the cleaning difficult by being in the way through the whole process.


    Throughout the whole dismantling procedure, no one complained about how hard the task was, rejoicing about the good quality of the materials instead.


    In reverse, Sophus didn''t say a word of praise or joy. He tried to blame Emp for the loss of so many huntresses saying that if they didn''t have to protect him, many more would have survived but all of them turned against him. They all shouted he didn''t know what he was talking about, pointing out that he was the one that had managed to disable its strongest weapon and booed the mage until he left.


    Then, after the whole thing was done, while everyone celebrated and drank with the surviving huntresses, Connie, Marcy and Emp sat down away from the festivities to talk about the payment.


    Estimating the value of the materials as well as the difficulty of obtaining them and the fact they had accomplished the task at a huge cost, he finally gave them five red dragon coins. This was more than three times the amount they had negotiated for the worst case scenario they had planned to confront.


    Even after rewarding them generously for the task and the corpse of the monster, he felt that it wasn''t really worth the price they had paid to get it. He had paid a book last year for the same amount of money. To him, the fact that those two things could be compared felt very wrong, how could a simple book be worth as much as a creature that had brought terror to the wildlife and caused the death of more than a dozen experienced hunters?


    He had wanted to give them even more but both Marcy and Connie opposed him. Marcy because she wanted to teach him it was bad for business to overpay for things and Connie because those five red dragons were already a fortune to her, getting anymore would only cause trouble for the group.


    "You''ll let me pay for the critters you caught on the way though will you?" Emp insisted.


    "No, ya''re done. I''m the one paying for the rest." Intervened Marcy.


    "I''m okay with this." Nodded Connie.


    Emp didn''t have any objection to that, who paid didn''t matter at all.


    "What will ya do next then?" His mother asked.


    "Dunno, we''ll stay for a bit more to tend to our wounds and go back there to collect the stuff we left behind and then we''ll go back to B¨ºt¨¦clair I guess. Now that we have some money, we need to buy some new equipment, buy ingredients for Jaska and refill our ranks with new recruits I suppose."


    Marcy rubbed her neck with a look of apology on her face. She hesitated for a few moments before she said the thing that was on her mind.


    "... I''m sorry for how I screamed at ya the other day. Ya didn''t deserve this at all, I knew ya didn''t put Emp in danger just for fun. In the heat of battle, it would be crazy to not use all the good warriors ya have on hand. Yet, even though ya lost so many of yar own, I was inconsiderate and I lost my calm because my boy got injured. Really, I apologize for what I did."


    Emp was happy that Marcy chose to apologize. His decision to fight was his own alone, being angry towards Connie was pointless, she didn''t deserve it. He gave a warm smile to his mother to show her he agreed with her actions.


    Connie dismissed the whole thing, with a wave of her hand and half smile that didn''t fit the sad expression of her face.


    "No worry madam, It''s already forgiven. I saw far worse in the past, trust me. A mother''s anger is boundless, I learned that already, you were right to be angry. Anyway, I''ll get a bigger part of that anger soon when I go around telling a bunch of them that their daughters died working with me."


    Emp could tell this would be a very painful thing to do.


    "I guess that''s true. In any case, ya can stay as long as ya want. Ya did good for us here, ya''ll always be welcome. Also, don''t call me all that madam nonsense, call me Marcy, everyone else does."


    She shot a side glance towards Emp and he could only smile wryly.


    "I''m doing my best, I''m just too used to it."


    Connie made an amused snort while Marcy was telling him that he had already used that excuse more than once.


    "Well then Marcy, I guess we''re done for now? I''m going back to camp."


    "Wait." Interrupted Emp. "When you''ll go get back your things in the woods, I''d like to go back as well with Marcy."


    "Why?" The two of them asked at the same time.


    "Aren''t you curious to know what''s inside the cave?"


    ***


    A few days later, a small group of people set off to the forest once more. Since they knew where they were going this time around, the way to and back from the place should not take more than a day.


    Connie, Tacey and Jaska were in the group along with Marcy and Emp. If they used Emp''s bag to hold everything they came to pickup , there was no reason to bring any more people than that on the expedition to the monster''s den.


    Everyone wore their armors except for Emp who didn''t have any left. On top of that, he still had trouble walking so he had to use Marcy as a pillar to hold himself upright. Marcy didn''t seem to mind it at all and helped him progress in good spirit.


    As for the other three, they seemed to be in a much better mood than what they had been in the other day. Well, Tacey was just as down as usual but Emp had never seen her in a good mood so there was nothing different here.


    "You seem to be in a better mood today." Emp commented.


    He really wanted to ask why that was but he didn''t want to intrude in their personal matters because Blackbull said that was disrespectful.


    "It''s all thanks to you, those two told me what you had said back then and after we thought about it for a while, we found out what we needed to do." Connie answered with a genuine smile.


    "What he told ya?" Marcy asked, perplex.


    "You have to create your own luck." Tacey clarified.


    "We felt we had lost our luck since a while ago. We kept hitting bad fortunes upon bad fortunes. We all came to believe it was because of that cursed-blood." Jaska explained to Marcy and Emp.


    "That''s a long story but essentially, we think we found a way to bring our luck back, all we need to do is find that cursed-blood again." Connie said to close the subject.


    Since the first time he heard about it, Emp felt that this story was something they disliked to talk about so he did not push them for more details. Marcy shared his opinion and just nodded in understanding.


    "Well, I''m glad ya found your way. I agree with the idea, ya need to seize every opportunity for yarself, waiting around for things to fall in place by themselves never works." (2)


    "We''ll go do that soon but for now, let''s move, we''re not far off from our goal. Look, the purple glass is there."


    As she had said, they neared the place they had fought the beast. Purple crystal-glass soon covered their surroundings. From that point on, Both Emp and Jaska kept pestering the others to break parts of the crystals for them. Apparently, that crystal was a very excellent catalyst for earth magic.


    For Jaska all that crystal was a field of free spell components while for Emp, it was a mine of pretty trinkets and solid material that only needed to be studied.


    The others helped as best they could with the requests but they were impatient to see what was inside the cave and urged the two collectors to move along.


    Once they reached the site of the fight, Emp leaned against the large boulder at the entrance of the cave while the rest spread out to pick up the equipment that had been left behind. The whole operation didn''t take that long and soon, everyone was facing the gap between said boulder and the cliff side. Behind it, they all knew, a tunnel traveled downward in the darkness.


    All five lit a torch each and slipped into the hole. In there, the swaying flame reflected on the perfectly smooth crystal surface of the tunnel and shone thought the darkness with an unnerving sheen. The tunnel only had a single circular surface as far as they could see, it was a cylindrical passage. The whole thing propagated the light of the torches and gave off the impression there were dozens of them but at the same time, the darkness was swift to absorb the light after a few steps. It was as if the crystal making up the wall kept all the light trapped inside it instead of sending it further down.


    The only way to see further would be to step deeper inside the den but none of them were really scared of the place. After all, they knew the creature had already been defeated, there was nothing here to fear aside from their own delusions.


    Tacey extended the torch forward in the tunnel, revealing a few feet more of the very weak slope descending down under the hill.


    "When that thing kicked you inside, how far down did you go?" She asked her leader.


    "It felt like I was thrown really far in and it took me some time to get back out but it was dark and I didn''t see the end of it."


    "Well, we''ll see it soon, ya watch yar step in there. We might slip if we''re not careful." Marcy told them as she dragged Emp forward.


    With one hand holding Marcy to keep himself up and the other holding on to the torch, he understood easily why she gave them such a warning. If he lost his footing in here, it would be easy to lose the torch or drag the others down with him.


    The floor wasn''t slippery but it was obviously curved as it morphed into the walls and it was smooth enough to deny their boots any meaningful grip on it. Fighting the creature in there would have been a true nightmare.


    They progressed downward steadily, pushing the darkness ever further down its nest. The whole situation reminded Emp of when he found the trial chamber on that tall cliff. Wouldn''t it be great if somehow, another god awaited them bellow?


    What they found at the end of the tunnel however was no god at all. After a few hundred steps, they reached what they could only describe as a room. The room was exactly like the tunnel before it. It was smooth and round, giving them the impression they were inside a bubble pressed against the floor or a sideways chicken egg.


    That room was the only thing at the end of that straight tunnel, there were no other chambers connected to it. Inside it, there was nothing to be found that could have been linked with the den of a terrible creature.


    The group stood dazed at the entrance for a long time to get a feel of what they were seeing. The place was neatly divided in three distinct area. Along the left edge, there was a relatively empty space devoid of any interest. On the right, there was an impressive collection of things the creature had accumulated over time. There were jewelry and coins reflecting the light of the torches, a collection of skulls, some turned into crystals, and many other things the monster considered treasures.


    It was the center of the room however that caught the eyes of the group. There, in a small garden, a collection of flowers bloomed with an ethereal beauty. All of them were tulips, growing out of the glass floor in a way a chick would break its shell to be born.


    Their refined stem was made of the very same glass, their pale leaves seemed to be frozen in time but their purple veins proved the thing was in fact alive. The flower was crowned by three pitch black organic petals and three equally dark crystal sepals. At the very center of it, a pure white pistil stood in between many light purple stamens.


    In that out of place garden, a few dozens of those healthy yet bizarre tulips grew away from all light or water.


    "Wha-what are those?" Connie blurted out.


    "Tulips?" Marcy said, unable to find a better descriptor.


    "Tulips are edible right?"


    "Really Tacey, that''s the first thing that crosses your mind when you see that!"


    "Why not? Should we try?"


    "Obviously not! Should we even touch them at all." Jaska asked, much more cautious than her friend.


    "Only one way to know."


    Tacey walked up to them under the tense looks of everyone else and crouched in front of them. She looked back towards the other with a smile to let them know she was still fine and extended her hand to the stem.


    Everyone tensed up as her fingers touched the flower, hoping nothing catastrophic would befall them again. After a light snap, the whole flower was freed from the ground and she brought it back to the others. Everyone relaxed and sighed in relief seeing that nothing strange happened to Tacey.


    "Aside from its fucked up appearance, it seems to be a normal tulip." Connie commented, looking closely at the strange thing.


    "I''d still rather not keep it." Jaska told her. "It''s obviously related to that creature so there''s no telling what it could do if we keep it around."


    "Then let me keep it." Emp intervened. "I''ll ask a great mage about it."


    Connie looked towards him and Marcy with a serious air.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Ya doubting our contacts girl? As long as he keeps it in the bag, it won''t do anything so there''s nothing to be scarred about. Plus, I feel the same as yar mage, I don''t want to keep those flowers close. I don''t want them growing so close to the village. We''re plucking them all, I want even the bulbs dug out."


    "All right, I can agree with that. Let''s be careful and try to keep them as intact as possible, if in the end they''re worth something, it would be a shame to damage them."


    There were only a few flowers but because they grew from the crystal, it took them hours to dig them all out of there. Emp collected everything in his bag, thirty eight flowers in total. He would present them later to Heinrich in case he knew something about them.


    As for the treasures piled on the side of the room, they sifted through it but found nothing magical. Everything there only had aesthetic value aside from the coins. They chose to split the lot in half, one part for the huntresses and the rest for Marcy and Emp.


    With the cave emptied of everything it had hidden, they returned to the village and by hastening their steps a bit, they managed to get back as the night fell.


    ***


    (1) That''s not important at all but "Yay". It took me the longest time to find how its written in English. In French, it "Y¨¦", with some additional ¨¦ to stretch the sound. Yay and y¨¦ are said the exact same.


    (2) Words I should apply myself to follow but never do because I have some "good" excuses.

 73 The dance strategy

    "Are you really asking me if this is glass or crystal? Don''t you know that crystal is glass?"


    "They''re the same? I thought crystal was a kind of rock."


    Emp was currently talking to Juniper about the purple crystals he had collected. He was more curious about the flowers but he had wanted to know what the only expert on glass he knew would tell him about this.


    He wanted to use it for various things but he needed to know more about it first. He also had a second reason to show her though. After he saw how much of that crystal there truly was in the cave, he felt that even if he kept a whole lot of it for himself, he would never be able to use it all in his lifetime. If he couldn''t use it, the best thing to do with it was obviously to sell it. Juniper Glassart was just the perfect merchant to ask about it.


    In front of him, the girl was shaking her blond head in annoyance. In one of her hands, she held the small teardrop shaped piece of glass he had picked up in front of her eyes while her other hand rested on her hip.


    "I don''t even know where to start my retort. What did you think glass was in the first place? It''s made out of sand, of course it''s a mineral too! Both crystal and glass are made from rock and metals purified, melted and pressed together."


    That would certainly make sense considering his earth magic could work on it.


    "Why are there two different names for them then?"


    "I didn''t say there were the same, I said crystal is glass. All crystals are glass but not all glass is crystal. Your question made no sense from the very start. I''m not the one making the glass, I''m just the one selling it so I''m not a hundred percent sure but I think crystals are made by nature and the glass you know is mankind''s attempt at imitating it. This one I don''t know, it''s very clear but it''s also full of impurities, there''s bits of crap floating around inside it. I''d say it''s crystal, or maybe a transparent gemstone, I have no idea. It''s too clear to be man-made though the person who polished it in that teardrop shape is very talented, I''d like to meet him. A real shame you broke the tip of it too."


    That was a long explanation but he got the gist of it. She didn''t know what it was except it was well polished. Sadly for her, he had no one to present her.


    "If we exclude the way it''s polished, is the quality good? Why is it purple?"


    "The color of the glass always depends on what''s mixed in the material used to make it. Like I said, It''s my sister Janika who''s in charge of the glass-making itself so I have no idea what made it purple. I can only say it''s a metal. As for the quality, it''s extremely high if we consider it as glass. We can actually see through it clearly. That''s the only point that really matters for people like me, it''s not an ingot of some metal, hardness and whatnot doesn''t have any kind of importance here. The color is pretty too so bonus points. The only thing against it really is its small size and the impurities."


    "Could you melt it back down to remove the impurities?"


    "We could try but it''s not even worth it with that small stone." She said with a shrug.


    "What if I happened to have large quantities of it?"


    The girl narrowed her eyes and put the glass teardrop aside to focus her attention on him thought the curtain of her long eyelashes.


    He had peaked her interest.


    "How much are we talking about here? Where did you even find this?"


    "That thing was made by the unnameable of chaos I helped kill the other day. The place where it lived is covered in that stuff, from floor to ceiling and in a wide area outside too. We''d easily have enough to fill wagons of it."


    A shrewd smile appeared over her face. Her white teeth shone from the same greed animating her teal eyes. She stepped up closer to him with a sway of her elegant dress


    "Hoho, are you trying to sell me heaps of that rare material?"


    "Not rare, unique, you know as well as me that each unnameable of chaos is unique in the whole world. Whatever it did won''t ever happen again unless you or your guys figure out how it did."


    "And you''d be willing to leave it all to us? Why not exploit it for yourself?"


    That was a very reasonable question but Emp had thought about it a lot and had many reasons to give.


    "There''s too much for me to use alone. I''m not a merchant so I wouldn''t know what to do with all of it and even if I did, I''d have to compete against you. That''s not smart at all."


    Juniper seemed flattered.


    "True, it would not be wise to compete in glasswork with my family. We sell to the whole empire, we''re the most known glassworkers of this land."


    Emp nodded and continued his explanation.


    "That would be an unreasonable thing to do and it''s not even my last problem. I''m a noble and the territory where it''s at isn''t mine. I don''t think whoever is in charge there would let me hire people to dig through it. If it was you however-"


    "We''d only need to pay the mining tax while we extract the whole thing and we''d be gone as quick as we came. The lord doesn''t even need to know what it was we wanted to extract until it''ll be too late for him to snatch it from us. All I need is the location and then my guys would reap the whole thing. Even with the raw material alone, we''d make a huge profit but if we manage to find out how that thing made this." She waved the crystal in front of her as if it was wand. "It would be the greatest advance in glasswork to ever grace our empire, with my family at the forefront of it all!"


    She was very excited about this but it could easily be understood. A clear see-through glass was a luxury among luxury. Her family traded glass for a few generations but never managed to do this sort of work before despite quickly becoming the top glass traders of the empire. No one in Steelwood worked glass better than their company but even they couldn''t do it. If they found how to do it, they''d go down in history.


    "It''s true but don''t get too excited, I don''t know if it can be made again. I was the one to imply this because it would be great to see but it was made by an unnameable of chaos after all. Who knows if anyone can make it work without the creature itself."


    "It''s still worth a try though, even if we fail, we more than make up the loss with the profit from the already existent material."


    "I''m happy you like the idea. I was thinking that instead of troubling myself with those things I don''t really understand, I was best to see if there was a way to profit with my friends instead."


    "Mhn, profit is the right word here." The girl giggled. "I''m not gonna lie, I''m very interested, what do you want in exchange for the info on the location? I can arrange an upfront payment."


    "I already have a lot of money..."


    He still had a large amount left but after all those books and equipment, plus the reward for the huntresses, it was true that it had slightly diminished. Should he just accept that proposition? Was there a better way?


    "What do you think Celtine?"


    In doubt, it was best to ask others. It seemed the girl had already prepared an answer and was only waiting for him to ask. She knew him well.


    He was very pleased that she was back on his shoulders, he felt things were out of place when she wasn''t up there. While his leg was hurt, he always ended up asking her for things only to find out she wasn''t there to answer. He would need to pay attention to this before he started doing it in the village too or people would soon think he was crazy.


    The board was dangled between the two students so that Emp could read her words.


    <You should ask for a part of the overall profit made from it instead.>


    "Right, Celtine thinks I should ask for part of the profit instead of an upfront payment. This does make a lot of sense. If I was to accept your offer now and then see you make hundreds of times more with it, it would be a bit upsetting."


    "Haha! What a smart girl. To be honest, I hoped you would not think about asking for a cut of the whole thing. Fine then, I''ll see what I can do and prepare the papers, we can talk about the real numbers once I''ve asked my house about that deal."


    She said she was disappointed but she was still smiling brightly. Between a very big profit and a big profit, the difference wasn''t much, more so for extremely rich merchants.


    "Then I''ll wait for some good news." He smiled in return.


    Hopefully the amount would be large enough to share with the huntresses as well, they had played a good part in the operation as well.


    She placed the piece of crystal in her purse to show to her family later and cocked her head to the side. She suddenly seemed perplexed by something.


    "Heya, it''s got nothing to do with what we were just talking about but, aren''t you taller than before?"


    She used her hand to compare their two heights from the top of her head to his forehead.


    "Back when school started, I was the taller one. I had not noticed since you always carry her around but, aren''t you growing way fast?"


    Had he really grown that much? Ever since school had started, he had to ask Harriett to adjust his clothes a few times because they sometimes felt a bit tight but he had not realized how much taller he had gotten.


    "I had not noticed either. It''s a good thing though right?"


    "At least for Mabel it is yeah!"


    After saying that loudly, she couldn''t help but laugh at the thought, throwing her head back in amusement.


    Emp had gotten pretty used to that kind of comment since it was part of Aglaya''s strange plan so he didn''t really mind it and just waited for her to regain her calm.


    "Speaking of the devil, where is she now? Aren''t you supposed to ''protect'' her?"


    Emp was happy to realize he had now grown enough to understand the way she emphasized protect meant she didn''t feel it was what he was actually doing. He felt he had made a lot of progress in his understanding of how everyone acted between each other.


    "I had a strategy class to attend to and she didn''t so I left her in her room with Aglaya."


    "Well, don''t be late then, I won''t hold you any longer. See you later!"


    "Bye."


    He waved her goodbye with Celtine as she strutted off.


    That had been a fruitful meeting. He was happy with the results. Now then, he needed to get to his first strategy lesson. From what he understood, there would be no one else this time around.


    He didn''t know what the teacher was like so he was a bit nervous to be the only student in the class. He knew others would join in later on in the year but for now, if the teacher was a strange one, he would be forced to suffer alone.


    Hopefully it would be fine.


    He reached the assigned room and opened the door without knocking. The classroom was well lit by large windows and lined with maps and bookshelves. There were only a few desks making it obvious that only a few students bothered with strategy lessons each cycle. Instead there were many large tables holding all sorts of small figures of wooden archers, mages, spearmen, knights and horsemen. At the far end of the room, behind a tall desk, a man stood with his back turned towards the door.


    The tall man wore clean clothes in green, a rigid military posture and short blond hair neatly arranged. When Emp got in, he was talking to himself and didn''t notice his student.


    "...send me a single guy again. How come that out of a hundred students, only one or two show up every time. Should I apply to make them a speech on the importance of strategy. Even though we have the Muraciers, it doesn''t mean that their subordinate don''t need to know how a battle plays out. What is that student even waiting for?"


    Maybe he should have knocked.


    "Sorry teacher, I''m here already."


    "I know you''re there, who do you think I am? I served on the battlefield for a long time under the duke. I followed him here because he convinced me that the younger generation needed guidance on strategy after our last battle but I remain a knight at heart. If I was to fail to notice a single kid walking behind me it would be a..."


    While his speech was progressing, he had slowly turned around and his confident air froze when he saw the face of his student. His words trailed off in the middle of his sentence and his pupils shrunk in shock.


    What was that reaction for? Did he see something frightful behind him?


    The man gulped and spoke with a shaking voice.


    "Gh, general! Sir! I''m at your orders."


    With that, the man gave Emp a knight''s bow and stayed at attention on his knee. His reaction really reminded Emp of how the soldiers in red-water had reacted when they had seen his name.


    "What''s going on, could you tell me?"


    "That hair color, the eyes, the overall facial structure, there can be no mistake, you are a Muracier! I was rude to you earlier, my deepest apology."


    The teacher lowered his head again to express his regret.


    Emp was almost as surprised as he was. It was true that he had been told a few times that he looked like a Muracier and it was also true that he had their name but wasn''t that too exaggerated? He wasn''t related to them by blood, how was it possible for someone to guess his name just by looking at his face?


    "It''s true that my name is Muracier but you are the teacher here so please, stand up."


    "As you will sir."


    Emp let out a groan as the man rose back to his feet. He was still not used to that sort of treatment. He would prefer if the teacher acted like a teacher instead of a servant.


    By the way her feet balanced happily on his chest, he understood that Celtine was rather pleased by this turn of event. Maybe she was happy that some important teacher recognized him as a superior. Or maybe she just found this whole thing funny?


    "Listen, no one is supposed to know who I am. My name is being kept hidden from everyone for a purpose."


    It was a purpose he didn''t understand of course but there was still a reason behind it.


    "I see, my apology again, if others had been here, I would have revealed the secret. I will refrain from showing my loyalty so openly in the future."


    That was perfect but Emp felt he''d lose if he tried to get a better result.


    "I''m not here to ask for loyalty or give some orders, I''m here to learn. As of right now, I know almost nothing of strategy or how the army actually works. The duke Jazay said that he''d turn me into the best great general yet and he chose you specifically to teach my friends and me. I hope you won''t disappoint."


    His eyes shone with fervor.


    "It will be the greatest honor for me to show the Muracier heir the ropes of the work. I understand now why the ancient was so lively as we talked about this batch of students. I am the viscount Gustave Halfoot and I will do my best to turn your mind into the sharpest of tools, no, rather, I''m certain it would be so even if I did nothing."


    "Please, do your best to teach me everything and make sure that no one else finds out about my name. I didn''t have a lot of time in the past to learn about this so expect me to be totally ignorant despite my name."


    "Understood, I see now why there are so many lessons with you on my schedule. You will not be disappointed, let''s start immediately."


    In the end, the teacher was indeed a strange one but only because of his own name. Things turned out to not be as bad as he feared and once Gustave started teaching, things turned serious and efficient. Emp liked that sort of lessons were things were clear and logical, a knowledge easy to absorb.


    Not only in that first lessons but in all the following ones too, the teacher applied himself to have him learn all things related to strategy, how to best lead soldiers, the structure of the army, the hierarchy and so on.


    He showed him dozens of examples from the past, having him read old history books and showing him how each and every battle played out using the small soldier figures on the tables.


    He would point out mistakes from both sides and their great ideas, how they used the terrain to their advantage, how they fell for simple traps, how to lead a war towards were one wants it to go, how to deny any significant advantage to an invading army, how to best use fortifications, how to take into account the wildlife while moving troops around, how to keep an eye on the supplies.


    In brief, he was extremely knowledgeable on the subject.


    Emp felt that he must have been a great leader in the army but Gustave denied it. He was a good assistant to the duke because he was extremely knowledgeable but he knew that it was not the only thing that decided the true ability of a leader. One needed to be able to make swift decisions, take initiatives and think outside of the box in order to counter any and all opponents. Gustave was no such man, he could recall large amounts of past battles to help but like he said himself:


    "Each battle and each war is unique. If the same armies clash twice at the same place, one cannot assume that the end result will be the same. A true commander always comes up with a better way to outmatch his opponent. The past must be acknowledged and remembered but only copying it will lead to an easy victory for the other side. As long as they know what they are doing, that is. On this point, the Muraciers never failed. As you saw already, more than half of those strategies I showed you came directly from them."


    Emp greatly enjoyed his time in those classes. Mable would sulk each time but those classes were really interesting to him. He didn''t know if all of this would ever be useful to him since he wasn''t sure yet how he would challenge the emperor of the green dragon empire but he really liked to hear the tales of all those old battles and he liked to think about how things could have possibly be turned around.


    Like that, time passed quickly for him. While his leg healed, he spent most of his time studying geography and strategy or practicing what Jaska had showed him.


    He received many magic classes in that time but he had not yet found the occasion to ask Heinrich about the tulips. Penny always stayed long after class to ask him a myriad of questions and since he had other things to do, he didn''t want to wait the whole time. In any case, as long as he kept the tulips in his bag, nothing would happen to them so they could wait for a while.


    It didn''t take too long for his strength to come back entirely and for his leg to work as it should. Looking at it, he could still see the old scar from the woodland horror but with it, there was now a large amount of smaller and shorter lines peppering his leg. Emp found a bit annoying that his two legs now looked like they belonged to two different persons.


    The scars themselves didn''t disturb him, it was instead the difference between the two that he found displeasing. One was exactly like his leg should be while the other looked like he had been tortured for years. He wondered if he could go see a mage in the city who would be able to remove all those scars, then, his two legs would be alike again. Symmetrical things were so much better after all.


    It was while he was harboring such pointless thoughts that a new dance lesson was organised by Blackbull. This time around, a few weeks had passed and his leg had been fully healed.


    He was made to wear his suit and met with everyone in the hall again. Like the first time, the teacher showed up with musicians and over their music, tried to impart the many dances of the court to them.


    She expected absolutely nothing of Emp but he surprised her and everyone else by being able to easily mimic the movements she wanted the boys to do. Brenia even shouted "What the hell!" when she saw him do them.


    His movements weren''t flowing like any sort of good dancers of course but just like combat techniques, he found that it was easy for him to burn the specific gestures in his mind and repeat them afterwards.


    Thanks to that, he didn''t slow down the lesson despite how he had missed the first one and everything progressed like Blackbull had planned.


    Looking at the dances and their movements, Emp understood that they found elegance in flowing movements and ordered steps. This was no place for the energetic steps of the villager. The more he followed the movements and the music, the more he understood them. He held no hope of ever being a ruler of this space like Nessa was but after a few approving nods from the teacher, he was confident he would not embarrass himself if he was ever caught in a dance somewhere.


    At the end of this second lesson, Blackbull decided that there were now enough talented people of both gender to attempt the real thing. She believed that the others would learn all the complicated steps more easily if they received the guidance of a good partner. Anyway, all those dances were designed to be practiced in pairs. (1)


    Because of this, on the third dancing class, she put a rotation system in place where all the boys and girls would switch partners once in a while to let all the good dancers lead the others on the right path.


    Like everyone else, Emp had to dance with most of the girls in class. Everyone around him seemed to be embarrassed about doing this. At first, Emp didn''t see what was wrong with this, until he came around to dance with Rica.


    Frits'' lover was holding his hand and arm, in front of everyone. It could not be any clearer on her face that she would rather be dancing with Frits the whole time. Both Rica and Frits were really uncomfortable to dance with anyone else. It was at that point that he understood that this sort of noble dances wasn''t meant to be performed as a pair but as a couple instead. Maybe was it a form of courting? (2)


    If that was really the case, it was no wonder that everyone felt awkward. Even he felt worse and worse the longer it went.


    This however was nothing compared to how weird he felt when he got paired with Mable.


    That day, she wore a bright blue dress that reached her knees and had no shoulders and only a string of flowery lacework as a short sleeve attached to its side, with long delicate gloves that were clearly forced upon her by Aglaya. He felt that it was just as bright as the usual her. This only made her tense face even more apparent as it clashed with the dress. His own face was probably similar.


    He felt as if he was back in the forge with how much heat his embarrassment generated. Mable was just as bad as himself and it only got worse with the grinning stares of everyone. They weren''t a real couple, everyone just assumed they would end up together and giggled at them. How were Frits and Rica able to be so close to each other all the time and ignore everyone else around them? Emp wasn''t able to do it and Mable could stand the stares even less.


    "Would you all stop staring! We''re not doing anything strange! At least we can dance properly!"


    That was true, Mable was so embarrassed that she wasn''t fighting against the rhythm anymore, she was too busy thinking about all the stares. Because of this, Emp was able to somehow lead her into the proper instructed steps, focusing on that, he was able to mostly ignore the others.


    After that, the others tried to avert their eyes, mostly because Blackbull seemed to be about to scold everyone and soon, their partners were switched again.


    His dance with Brenia was much more lighthearted. Sure their performance this time around was terrible but at the very least, it didn''t feel awkward.


    "How come you''re so fucking good at that? I don''t get it at all." She complained when their turn came.


    Brenia had butchered the dances of all her partners up to now and was very frustrated. Emp decided to help her by giving her a tip she would surely understand.


    "Just think of this as a fight. You have to answer all my moves with the correct counter, it should be simple to you."


    "What?"


    "Listen, when I do this, you need to counter by stepping up with your right foot and when I do that, you retreat a step this way. You''re holding my arm because I could stab you if you release it but in exchange, I''m holding on to your sword hand."


    She seemed to have come to an understanding of the dance with that, She narrowed her eyes and concentrated for the next few movements. It wasn''t long before their performance improved by huge leaps. A victorious smile crept up her face and she stared holes into his face.


    "So that''s how you did it. I can''t believe it''s actually working. I had my mind so set on how I hated this I had not noticed it was so similar. I still don''t like it but at least I won''t get mocked by all those nobles anymore."


    Emp was pretty sure no one here would dare mock her but he was happy she could improve so much with only a few tips from him.


    Brenia had been bad but she was not the one that gave the worst performance. Surprisingly the worst practice dance was the one between Nessa and Zoran. He was fine dancing alone but with someone else in front of him, his steps would crackle and stutter like his voice.


    He got so flustered in front of the best dancer in the group that he ended up tripping and dragging her down to the floor with him. Nessa shrieked as she fell, Zoran bumped his head on the floor and Nessa used him as a cushion to not hurt herself in the fall.


    Both ended up fine aside from the small bump on Zoran''s head. He became beet red and seemed downcast for the rest of the day but aside form that, nothing bad happened.


    The rest of Emp''s dances went pretty well, excluding the fact that he found them rather embarrassing now that he thought he understood what it was all about. The worse dance he had was with Josseline.


    She was comfortable with the movements so she didn''t need to really focus on them. This should have been a good thing but she felt really chatty and her favorite subject were love stories. With how busy he had been, Emp had almost forgot that the only reason she was in school was to find herself a husband.


    She spoke at length about all the rumors surrounding everyone''s love interests. It was all important information for her she claimed. She asked Emp what he thought about the different guys in class and even those of the other groups they had met to help herself figure out who she should aim for. More embarrassingly she asked him how many wives he thought he would end up with.


    "Mable makes one, then maybe Brenia and I feel you''re the kind that will uplift the servant girl too so that makes at least three. Will it be just that or will it go up to five? Eight? Thirteen?"


    Thirteen?


    "How did it even get up to thirteen!" Emp couldn''t help but retort.


    "Five plus eight, you gotta follow Emp. Next up would be twenty one."


    There''s no way he would marry twenty one person! Understanding what love was exactly was already a hurdle, there''s no way he would do it twenty one times over!


    "No way. If your logic goes like that, where did you get the five?"


    "I added Aglaya and me to the first three." She said bluntly.


    Emp almost tripped hearing her confession but she was surprisingly nimble and managed to bring him back into the steps. Doing so, she brought herself much closer to him.


    "Hoho ?, watch out to not trip like Zoran. Mhnn, Juniper was right, you''re much taller than before."


    Somehow, that comment sounded very threatening to him.


    "You''ve got more than enough on your hunting table, a blessing, you''re obviously talented in many things, not that bad looking and you don''t seem like a bad person at all. On paper, you seem like a good prey."


    A prey? Emp unconsciously stepped backward and Josseline had to save the dance once more.


    "Aya aya, don''t run away. We''re already a year in and I''m no closer to getting a guy. At least help me figure out who I should go after."


    "That''s hard to do." He complained. "I don''t know you enough but shouldn''t it be about how much you get along with them rather than their abilities? I''ve been told it''s about emotion and need rather than logic. I''m bad at this but I don''t think all that information on me and the others will help you figure out if one of us could fit with you well."


    She made a pout Emp could have found funny if he wasn''t in her grasp and after exhaling deeply, she agreed with him.


    "What you said is surprisingly helpful. Someone strong is only good to impress the friends, If I have to spend my life at a guy''s side, I''d rather we shared some interests. We need to be like a key and a lock, I like big keys but it''s pointless if he doesn''t fit me."


    "A key and a lock?" Emp asked, confused.


    "Yeah, or like a sword and a scabbard if you like that better. There are a lot of swords shape out there, they don''t fit all scabbards, it''s best to use only the one it was made for, no?"


    "But... wouldn''t there only be pairs then? What about having more than a wife? What do they do with all the empty scabbards?"


    "I''d say it''s because scabbards get worn out if you use them too much but that''s just a myth ?. (3)


    Seriously I don''t know, people are more complicated then keys and swords. A lover is like a partner. Just think about it, don''t you fit well with many persons already? That was easy for me to see already, there''s no way you can''t, you''re the one that brought this up!"


    After that, the teacher switched their partners again and Emp was left thinking about what she had said. He had never linked the concept of a lover with a partner before. He felt closer to understanding everything now. A lover was someone you yearned to be with, got along well together and would be able to rely on for a long long time. Wasn''t it kind of like an amazing friend? Maybe he still missed something.


    If he only took that as his definition of a lover, he''d be the lover of a great amount of people he knew. He would compare with the couple of lovers he knew but there weren''t many he could think of. He wasn''t there yet but he really felt close to the answer.


    He let the biggest part of his mind thinking about this while he continued on with the dance class. On Juniper''s turn, she informed him that she was ready to negotiate with him properly about what she called their "joint venture". He didn''t have a big part to play on this though, all his contribution had already been done. He told her he would see her soon about it and shortly after, the group was rotated again.


    On the final dance of the class, he got paired with Nessa. She was still having a lot of fun and spent most of her time with him leading the way expertly. Emp had not been bad up to now but this time, compared to her, he felt as if both his feet were submerged into mud.


    "You''re not bad at all." Nessa complimented him close to the end. "I feel like with a bit more practice, any girl would feel dancing with you to be very pleasant."


    "Uh... Thank you." Emp was way too focused on his steps to find something better to answer.


    "Even Brenia suddenly got way better after she danced with you. What did you do? I''m very curious."


    "I told her dancing was just like sparring or fencing." He said absentmindedly.


    "What!?"


    "They really are, it''s all about knowing the right answer and the rhythm of your opponent. The only change is that one of them communicate affection while the other just communicate death."


    His words sent Nessa into some other world. After that, even though she danced with him until the end, there was no life into her eyes, it was like she had left her body.


    After the dance ended, Nessa stayed frozen in place for a long time. Aglaya, Gytha, Mable and by extension Emp and Celtine stayed behind in the hall to wait for her. She stared into space even though Mable was waving her arms wildly in front of her.


    "Emp, what did you do?" Mable asked, displeased. "You broke her."


    "I don''t know, I haven''t done anything special. I just told her how Brenia got better halfway through."


    "Should we get her some soothing tea?" Gytha proposed.


    Before anyone could answer, Nessa''s eyes snapped back into reality and she shouted loudly.


    "Emp! Go to the training field together with me!"


    "Right now?" Emp and Mable asked at the same time. "Why?"


    "I think I got it! Get your sword quick!"


    After adding on this short exclamation, she dashed out of the hall with the excitement of a small kid in front of a tasty feast.


    ***


    (1) I say in pairs but in actuality, there are probably some that are made to be performed in trios. This seems strange but there are many people in the empire that are married with many women at once. If they were to dance one on one with each of them, this could take a while. I''m sure it would get frustrating for those waiting. Maybe they could dance between them, or make their hubby jealous by dancing with another guy?


    (2) It is not really a form of courting, it''s all in good fun, Emp is just misinterpreting. Traditionally, "noble" dances had a lot of exchange of partners, either directly written into the steps or in between each short dance. They were meant to get everyone to feel closer to each-other than just a face you saw once from afar. I have no doubt that they were massively used to pair your people of marriageable age as well but I do not think it was uncommon for married women to dance with friends and acquaintances as well.


    Even if it is not accurate to real life, it is at least how it goes here.


    (3) I''d say to get your minds out of the gutter but she''s doing it on purpose. Sadly, that scabbard joke is completely lost on Emp.


    Also, It took me weeks to find how to make those music notes again! Praise the free text editing software.

 74 Sword dance

    When Emp reached the training field with all of Nessa''s friends, she was already there wearing her light armor and her fine sword. She had tied up her hair into a trio of thick rings to keep them from flying everywhere and stood with an excited smile on her face.


    Mable didn''t know what they were all doing here and found a little strange that Nessa would dress that way without a good reason. After all, her small group of friends weren''t really into exercises and fighting. She was the first to ask Nessa what was happening.


    "Nessa? Why did you want us here and why are you dressed like that?"


    "It''s because of what he said!" Nessa pointed at Emp. "He said fencing was just like dancing!"


    The others didn''t understand how that brought them here but clearly, it was very important to Nessa. Did she get upset because of his words?


    "You want to fight me because you disagree with what I told Brenia?" Emp tried to understand.


    "No! The opposite. It resonated in me, I saw what you meant. If there is a song guiding this whole thing, I want you to teach me. Show me the rhythm of death, show me the steps to the dance of blades."


    "You want me to show you?"


    "Yes, if Brenia could learn how to dance with only those words, there is no reason I couldn''t do the same the other way around."


    "So all of this is about fencing?" Aglaya summarized.


    "But why do you want to learn fencing so much?" Gytha wondered out loud.


    Emp had been asking himself the same since a long time ago. She was one of the only girls who kept going to the fencing classes and she kept putting up with it despite the fact she had never improved.


    "I guess it''s true that I never told you. You know the four dukes of Artefine right?"


    Emp didn''t remember but luckily, they had Aglaya with them.


    "Yes, duke Jazay of the eastern grove, duke Glowstorm of the southern grove, Greathorn of the western grove and Hasting of the northern grove." (1)


    "Right, I''ve never really hid it so like you know, I''m Vanessa Hasting, daughter of the duke of the northern grove. The task placed on my family by the king of Artefine is to protect the northern part of the kingdom just like the three other dukes and their respective directions."


    "I heard of that, the northern grove is the hardest to protect and they have the largest armies of the four."


    "That''s right, up north, we have the cursed-bloods from the tribelands that keep pushing at our borders while the other three only have wild beasts to worry about."


    Cletine grip on his head tightened a bit and Nessa tried to reassure her with a few words.


    "You don''t need to make that face Celtine, I can understand that not all cursed-bloods are bad guys. I think your guys actually never attacked us. It''s usually the wolf tribe or the bears."


    "But what does it have to do with fencing, you''re not going to fight them yourself are you?" Mable asked her with a bit of worry.


    Nessa answered with a wry smile.


    "My father doesn''t want to let me at least but... It''s complicated. We were really unlucky, or rather, my father was. Right now, there are only two Hastings that could inherit the title and duty after him, me and my little brother."


    "You only have a single brother?"


    Aglaya seemed surprised. Maybe she had searched for information before and found another answer.


    "Yes, I had more before, and sisters too but like I said we were really unlucky. My father had four wives, one was barren, one got murdered with her son and daughters by a group of Drekans as she traveled between fathers castle and her own parents home for a family reunion. The third was my own mother, she was a great warrior that followed my father on every battlefield, she died giving birth to me. The last one is the mother of my last little brother. I had two other older brothers from my mother but one died before I was born in the thundering pass while fighting alongside my father and the other died in an ambush while on his first hunt."


    Emp would have never thought that Nessa of all people would have such a story. She was always all smiles and seemed to be interested in nothing but dance and tea. Now, he learned that she was the daughter of the protectors of the north and that most of her family had died.


    "How old is your younger brother?" Asked Aglaya.


    "He will turn nine in a few weeks." Nessa said in a sigh.


    "I think I see where this is going." Aglaya said softly.


    Emp didn''t but Nessa soon explained for the rest.


    "I do like my brother but I just can''t see him leading our territory. What''s more, I heard from my father that things have been getting worse lately. The imperial army feels sluggish, it doesn''t help as much as it should and we''re accumulating losses in our knights ranks."


    Emp felt that the last part was probably because Chinui wasn''t there to give orders and take decisions but he couldn''t say it aloud.


    "My little brother is too soft, he won''t be able to work this out. He''s not fit for it. My father''s getting old, he''ll have to give him the territory before he''s ready to shoulder it all, not that he ever would be but if he was at least a man it wouldn''t be as bad. They want to marry me off and entrust everything we have to him but if something happens to him, there will be no one else to pick things up and the whole north will crumble. I wanted to inherit the title in instead of him, for the sake of house Hastings."


    "Is that even possible?" Mable asked. "Do you even have a say in this?"


    "Normally not." Nessa admitted. "But, I thought that if I could prove my abilities, show them I was more fit for the duchy than my small brother, father would have to see reason and entrust the house to me instead. I needed to show him I could take care of everything way better than my brother would ever be able to."


    "So that''s why you struggled so hard with the fencing classes."


    "That''s right, I hate them but I really needed to learn. If only I had Brenia''s strength, I wouldn''t have all those problems. Alas, I''m really bad at it. I had almost given up and resigned myself to see our house disappear. I didn''t even bother taking the strategy class." (2)


    "But you saw hope in what Emp said? That''s sad but also beautiful, I hope you will succeed." Gytha said in wonder. "But, even if Emp manage to help you get better at using a sword, will it be enough? I mean, I''m sure that under your father, there must be a lot of very exceptional swordsman. Even if you know how to use one, all those strong guys won''t think of you as one of them."


    "Maybe but there is a way. One thing the others would have no choice but to respect."


    Aglaya seemed to realize what she was talking about because she became suddenly very excited. She gasped and clasped her hands together.


    "The royal sword dance!"


    Nessa nodded with a large smile while the rest frowned in confusion.


    "What''s that?" Asked Mable.


    "It''s a legend from Artefine." Aglaya explained helpfully. "When the Artefine king''s brother left to establish house Hasting in the past, he was granted the whole northern border because of his incredible sword technique."


    "That''s right, my ancestor was one of the best swordsman in the empire. What most people don''t know is that he was actually blind."


    "Blind? How could he be one of the best swordsman then?" Emp asked in confusion.


    "That''s because of the royal sword dance. He said he could hear the song of the battlefield, whatever people did, he could always defeat them. He once fought a team of twenty imperial knights and won despite his disability. He called his technique the royal sword dance and tried to teach it to his sons but none managed to learn it. Our house kept trying to learn it and repeat his legend at every generation but we always failed. No one ever managed to learn the royal sword dance after him, we don''t even know what it looks like anymore. All we have to left of it are old dusty tomes with instructions and accounts of his exploits."


    "That''s why his words pulled your heartstrings." Gytha nodded.


    "That''s right, he said that fencing was just like dancing. If I can truly understand what Emp said, I''d be able to learn the sword dance and revive the legend of our founder. I''m a good dancer after all, if this is truly a dance rather than a fancy name, I''m sure I can achieve it."


    The others agreed to her thoughts easily. If she could truly master that, there was no way her father could deny her the title of duchess. The whole kingdom would oppose her younger brother inheriting the title, favoring the legendary technique wielder instead.


    "That''s why, let me hear the song of war, the ballad of death or whatever you want to call it. Show me it''s melody and the correct steps to dance it."


    Emp really wanted to help her but he felt there was a major flaw in her plan. He exposed his thoughts in an apologetic tone.


    "I understand what you want me to do but I don''t actually know anything about that sword dance, it''s just an observation I made to help Brenia with the dance steps. I''m not sure I can actually help."


    "We can at least try right? Just Help me with the fencing and I''ll take care of the old technique myself. Please."


    As long as she did not resent him afterwards if it failed, he''d be happy to help. Mable and Aglaya also urged him to accept with their eyes.


    "I''ll try my best."


    While the other girls took seat around a small garden table to drink an afternoon tea, Emp tried to help Nessa with her sword. For this, he even put down Celtine and gave all his attention to Nessa.


    "You can''t actually hear a music when fighting, but there is a rhythm. It changes all the time, it''s set by you and your opponent."


    It''s all about the speed at which they can attack and defend, they''ll raise the bar until the other can''t keep up.


    "The one who sets the rhythm has the advantage."


    It''s the one attacking, the other is forced to follow and counter, if he can''t adapt, he loses or at least, becomes unable to take back the imitative.


    "Your goal is to see the rhythm and match your moves to what the other side does. You have to consider every attack as a step in the dance. Each of them has a correct counter, a correct step to make as an answer to keep the dance going."


    That was the best way he could put it but if she only countered all the time, she would go nowhere.


    "In a noble dance, you have to keep it going, you lose if either makes a mistake. In a fight, it''s the opposite, you need to wait for your partner to make a misstep and exploit it. You need to impose your superior performance. It only ends when a better dancer is determined, the other is a dead dancer. Does that make sense?"


    "Maybe? Could you show me instead?"


    With the pained smile on her face, it was obvious she barely got any of that. Emp wasn''t surprised, he was making this all up as he was going after all.


    He stepped closer to her with his sword in hand and slowly made a motion as if he would slice at her from the right.


    "Here, if I attack from this side, how will you answer this step? What is the correct movement? The fencing teacher showed it to you already."


    "He showed many different, how do I know which one is the correct one? Dances are easy because they are always the same, this is hard, there are too many different answers for the same movement."


    "You have to feel it." Emp never thought he''d actually say that to someone one day. "Fighting is like you took every single dances you knew and all merged them into one. Every counter you learned are correct answers but the one you chose will change the dance towards where you want it to go. The more different steps you know, the easier it is to steer the whole thing towards where you want it to go."


    "Mhn, then I''d like to sweep it over my head."


    She placed her own sword under his own and pushed it over and past her head with a large arc of her arm.


    "Then what?" Emp asked her.


    "I don''t know..."


    "What would happen if this was a dance, would it be over after just that first step?"


    "No, we have to take the next one or we will fall off the beat."


    "If you do nothing, I will attack again to keep the beat going but this is not what you want, you want to take control of the dance, you want to lead it, impose your own rhythm and style. It is your turn to make a following move before I do something else. You have to chose a step that would go well with the first one you made."


    "I see. then what if I do this?"


    Sliding the sword just a bit further to her side, she followed the arc to bring the blade towards him, for the sake of listening to his instructions, she kept the same snail pace as him.


    "Right, then my answer would be this."


    Emp turned his body to expose only his side, letting the blade pass right in front of him in the empty air.


    "After that, I can just bring back the sword you pushed away. You have to remember that just like a dance, most of it is done with your feet."


    "With my feet? Isn''t it about the sword?"


    "In my case, yes, because I could still attack you from all the way over there but for you and everyone else, it''s about your position. How close are you to your opponent, can you reach, can he reach, will you be able to move out of his attack range, can you predict where he will move to next, should you push forward or back up a step? In most fights, there is a back and forth, sometimes you want to push back the other and sometimes, you want to back off to avoid a strike, sometimes, you can just sidestep it, sometimes, you want to turn around your opponent or distract him."


    "Like a waltz then?"


    "I''m sorry, I don''t remember which one is a waltz."


    Emp was able to remember the moves and adapt following the example of those around him but remembering which moves belonged to which dance was beyond him.


    Nessa showed him a few steps where she twirled on herself, moving to the side.


    "Oh, I see. It''s the one where we all move in circles while spinning. I''m not sure spinning is a good idea in the middle of a fight but you can certainly use the general movements."


    Emp continued to slowly help her out like that. In the following two hours, he slowly moved faster and faster to let her adjust and understand the pace. He would make sets of attacks, give her many tips and kept trying to make comparisons with dances. In return, she brought her own dancing knowledge with her and asked more details about some similarities she noticed.


    At the end, she couldn''t help but laugh.


    "I really feel it. I think I see, or rather, I can hear the beat. Your boots on the ground, mine, the two swords hitting each other. You were right, we make our own rhythm, I can refuse a clash to impose the right note and step."


    That wasn''t really what he meant but if she found a way to keep all his help in mind, it was good none the less.


    "I really want to take a look at those dusty tomes now, let''s practice again soon. Oh! Let''s bring Brenia as well! Maybe if I can see the real thing again, it will help me understand better."


    "Alright then, I don''t think it will be hard to convince her to help with that." Emp agreed.


    From nearby, the other girls praised Nessa.


    "You really improved a lot today, I would not have believed it had I not seen it myself." Aglaya told her.


    "Yes, at first it was really hard and I couldn''t remember all the movements Sofenne taught us but once my feet started moving, things slowly started to feel better and better."


    "Emp, do you think she can do it? Learn the sword dance I mean?" Mable asked her guardian eagerly.


    "I think so." Emp said even though his tone seemed unsure. "I don''t know what the sword dance is about and I don''t know how much time she has to make it happen. I do think she improved a lot in just those two hours. Now that she has the right mindset, I think she will continue to improve fast. If this is really a dance, Nessa has as much chance as anyone of doing it."


    Maybe even better than anyone, Emp had no reference on what made for an extraordinary dancer.


    "That''s great." Gytha nodded.


    "Yeah, we''re all rooting for you Nessa. I''m sure you''ll succeed!" Mable cheered loudly.


    "Thanks Mable. Wait... Didn''t you have a private lesson with Blackbull today?"


    The girl immediately turned pale.


    "I forgot!"


    "We were all so entranced by your practice that we missed it." Aglaya chuckled.


    "Then you should go apologize now. I''ll go with you since it is my fault after all. Then, I''ll go have my schedule changed." Nessa proposed apologetically.


    "You''ll take strategy?" Aglaya asked.


    "Yes, I''ll have alchemy removed and changed for things I''ll need if I succeed in learning the sword dance. How to manage a territory and so on."


    Emp felt pleased, It meant he would not be alone in that classroom for much longer.


    ***


    The next day, Emp had a private lesson with Blackbull so he couldn''t help Nessa or finish up making the contract with Juniper but he did find the time to talk to Heinrich about the tulips.


    He suddenly had the brilliant idea of asking the book of answers about them but the answer had not been satisfying to him. The book told him the exact name of the curiosity but failed to tell him what it was used for or what it could do. Now, the only thing he knew about it was that it was called a "black tulips of the crystal spring". Obviously, this wasn''t enough to sate his curiosity and so he really needed to ask Heinrich about this.


    The hardest part was to remove Penny from him. She was always glued to him with millions of questions. To get rid of her a moment, he had to exchange the technique Jaska had taught him to fragment his attention. This was enough to interest her and keep her out of his way long enough to ask.


    Once everyone had left the classroom, he went over to the teacher and showed him one of the crystal tulips he had picked up in the den of the creature.


    "Teacher, I''d like to ask you if you know about this. I heard they''re called-"


    "Black tulip of the crystal spring!"


    The teacher had been struck by interest and loudly exclaimed the name of the flower. He got close to it in an instant and marveled at its delicate beauty.


    "I can''t believe you found one of those, they''re incredibly rare."


    "Are they?"


    He had thirty seven other in his bag.


    "Of course they are! They can usually be found only on the highest mountains of the south. They are a sign of the apparition of the new moon king."


    "What is the new moon king?"


    "It''s an entity that only appears in our mountains and only at night when the moon doesn''t show up. That means he only appears about once every month. On the night he shows up, he makes a few of those flowers grow under his presence and then leaves again. The creatures living close by are attracted to the presence of the new moon king and soon find the flowers. If one of those tulips is eaten by an animal or a monster, it wildly mutates into something else. Sometimes, they die from the shock, sometimes they are disgustingly morphed and sometimes, they even turn into unnameable of chaos."


    "So this thing is poisonous."


    Good thing they had plucked them all from the cave, who knows what could have happened otherwise. Had the creature they fought been one of those mutated by the flower? Maybe it decided to keep them with it as a souvenir.


    "Yes," The teacher followed. "consumed as is, it''s a deadly poison but when given to a master alchemist, it is miraculous instead."


    "Why, what does it do?"


    "I''m no good with potion so I don''t know how to process it but I know of the final result. When the recipe is followed at the exact, a powerful elixir can be made out of it. That elixir, just like the flower at its base is extremely rare and when drank by anyone, will forever improve the composition of their bodies."


    "What does that mean."


    Emp had never heard such a thing as improving the composition of one''s body before.


    "It induces a controlled mutation in the drinkers body, it''s a form of high level magic strengthening. It''s said to be miraculous but I''ve never seen the results myself. According to recorded results, the effect vary but usually improves one''s flexibility or speed. Researchers assumed it somehow changed the bones structure to make it lighter but more resistant."


    "Is it actually safe to use? I''m not sure I should trust something that could change me from the inside."


    "Of course not, it''s nowhere close to safe. If even a little mistake is done while preparing the elixir you die instead. If it''s done correctly though, there are no harmful side effects. It is highly prized by warriors and nobles. The only downside is that it doesn''t work twice on the same person, it can only improve a person once."


    If that thing really had no side effect, it would be crazy to not use that flower.


    "That sounds incredible, could you make it?"


    "Are you even listening? I just said I was bad at this sort of thing! Of course I can''t do it. I can find the instructions but you''ll have to find someone else to do it. Maybe Ninoslav, the potion teacher could do it but I''m unsure. Also, he''s a greedy crab and will probably ask something insane in exchange for making it. If I were you, I''d look for someone else, and be discreet about it too. If they learn about that flower, they might try to steal it. I''m not exaggerating when I say it''s extremely valuable."


    "How much is it worth?"


    "I don''t know the exact value but its more than you think. There are new ones that appear every month but humans are never the first there and more often than not, the monsters rampaged and fought each other over the flowers. Only the luckiest can find one in time before they get destroyed or eaten, it usually only happens about once every ten years."


    He had thirty eight! What the hell was going on in that den!?


    "Thank you for your advises teacher."


    On this, Emp left with his mind filled with excitement. They had found such a good thing! With thirty eight of them, even if he gave an elixir to each of the surviving huntresses, he''d still have a lot left.


    He knew it wasn''t good to pick the fruits before the trees grew but he couldn''t help but think about what he should do with the remaining elixirs he would end up with. Should he just sell them? He didn''t think it was a good idea. He didn''t need the money and he felt that if he had such a treasure in his possession, he should give it to his friends instead of some stranger for money.


    If he sold them, they might end up in the hands of someone like Balpoisson, some bad guy that wouldn''t do any good with them. It was better to choose himself who would get one and who wouldn''t.


    But, before he could give those to anyone, he needed to find someone that could make those elixir. Sophus might be able to do it but with how much he disliked Emp, there was no way he was willing to give him the flowers.


    But who else then? He didn''t know anyone who specialized in potions. It might take him a while to find someone. Maybe it would be best to just ask Esther the front desk girl to find him someone, or maybe the duke would have someone in mind. He chose to go with Esther for now.


    Like always, she was very helpful and polite. She promised to help him search for a master of potion on his behalf and sent him away with a gentle smile.


    Now, it was time for another tiring private lesson.


    ***


    Weeks later, Emp was once again on the training field with Nessa and Brenia. This had recently been a common occurrence.


    Nessa wasn''t the same person anymore, she had improved so much that she was now at the level of everyone else in the group, only worse than Brenia or Emp.


    She had a revelation, a flash of insight. After her third time training with Brenia and him, she suddenly understood the words used by her ancestor to describe the sword dance. It was just like a switch had been flipped in her head. Everything suddenly made sense.


    Now, even while holding real spars against either him or Brenia, she could last a long time. She still needed a lot more training and she was far behind in terms of stamina and actual combat experience but she kept coming up with new tricks to fight Emp and Brenia.


    "I tell you they aren''t new tricks, they''re all old steps of the dance. I just need to hear more of the music, read more of the dance that goes along with it."


    Emp felt that if this sentence was said by anyone else, he would think they were a bit crazy. Nessa wasn''t though. Outside of the training field, she acted just like always but here, she turned the dirt under their boots into a dancing floor.


    She now always showed up with twin swords, straight and sharp, long and fine. Even the knights that were ambidextrous didn''t like to use two long weapons at the same time but she obviously didn''t care about what was usual.


    Her initial posture was insane too, she stood straight facing her opponent, she held her two swords crossed over her head like the elegant pose of a ballroom dance.


    When the music started though, like she would say, she could spin in and out of reach easily. At first her movements had been awkward and clumsy but now, they gave off the same feeling he had when watching her dance, and they were deadly too.


    Her two swords would come from every directions at once, clash again and again with his own and then he''d find himself at her side instead of facing her. When he tried to lunge forward, she would just spin past his attack and bring her two swords down towards him like the fangs of a spider. She''d make seemingly random steps with her feet and look in the distance seemingly ignoring him but somehow always ended up where she wanted to be at the right moment to strike in-between his own attacks.


    Brenia was in the same situation as him, she had more than a little fun experiencing this new style of battling. Brenia was a fighter with a lot of power and enough flexibility to pull off some stunts in a battle. Nessa was growing more into an agile fighter that relied on surgical strikes and precise maneuvering to dodge her opponent. The two against one another was impressive to watch.


    The biggest weak point of Nessa, at least for now, was recklessness. Not from her but from Emp and Brenia. When in the middle of a fight, If Brenia and Emp suddenly decided to ignore her attacks and her quick pace to rush up to her and swing wildly, she''d get hit every time.


    "When you break the pace like that, it gets too fast for me to react and I don''t know how to escape those swipes."


    "It''s still pretty impressive that you can hold your own against those two monsters." Aglaya praised.


    "I never thought you would do it this fast, in only took half a year. You''re awesome Nessa!" Mable added in.


    The trick was that the first stage of her sword dance relied heavily on control. As long as she was the one setting the pace, it was hard to break through to her but once someone did something reckless and dived into the blade storm at the risk of their own health, she had no way to take back the initiative. As long as someone could do something that was outside of her known steps, she would lose every time. A simple trick could spell her demise where she could counter almost all recorded classical stances.


    The true problem wasn''t the sword dance itself though, that thing was very impressive. The problem was that she only knew the first stage of it, the higher the stage she reached, the more impressive it would become but the harder it was to understand and perform. Not only in terms of talent but also simply in terms of her body.


    "The opening steps of the second stage are just too fast, the beat turns insane before suddenly dropping, even if I can understand the words and hear the music, my legs and arms can''t follow."


    One time, she tried to execute the movements anyway but ended up cutting deeply into her own arms with the swords, she almost sliced a piece of them off before tripping into her own foot and collapsing forward. That had scared the other girls a lot but after she had been bandaged, Nessa had already wanted to try it again.


    Seeing all that, Emp now understood what Galana meant when she asked if the Muracier had a secret hammer technique. Obviously, if one could master such an insane technique, there was no way an ordinary sword art could compete.


    "Almost! If I could only master the second stage, the dukedom would be mine." Nessa lamented after each failure.


    As her friend, Emp hoped she would succeed. As a fighter, he was pretty annoyed at the strength of this technique. He had looked at the words related to it too and was the one that had trained her all this time but he had not been able to understand any word of it.


    Winfred had found an expert in the use of hammers for him and he had learned a lot since then about how to best use that sort of weapon but the movements and technique seemed rather dull to him since he had witnessed the almost mastered first stage of the graceful royal sword dance. He so wished he knew a set of moves that could compare to it.


    He felt depressed. Even the finalization of the contract on the crystal den didn''t cheer him up.


    He ended up with a 10% of the profit they would make from the crystal, including the crystal they made themselves if they were ever able to copy it satisfyingly. Ten was great, it was as much as the tax and commission from the auction back then. He''d get a lot of money without ever doing anything.


    Money would not find him a great technique though. For that, he could only sigh in sadness. At least, he could still be greatly advantaged simply by using Space blessing. It was enough to defeat the other students but would it be enough in the future too? Who knew what sort of crazy techniques there was out there? The students here learned the basics of everything but their own houses usually provided their own secret knowledge afterwards. Emp had no such thing.


    ***


    "She could really do it? As expected of the daughter of a duke."


    "..."


    "Are you regretting telling me all of this already? Here, drink this, it will help you clear your head a bit."


    "..."


    "Good, now, come here. Sit on my laps."


    "..."


    "You did a great job, some of them I would never have guessed. It''s so hard to get information sometimes. I''ll tell you now what we''re doing, do not worry, this is nothing evil. I decided it was time for me to retire and when I found out about you, I knew I could do so with a large bonus. You of course, and the large door you could open."


    ***


    (1) All the names here have already been presented to you in the past. Here is a reminder: Jorman Jazay, the ancient of the school had been presented as the duke of the eastern grove, Zoran''s last name is Glowstorm, a man named Twain Greathorn used a spear crafted my Marcy to kill a stone giant and obviously, Nessa Hasting.


    (2) I know no one says alas but I wanted to use it anyway. It''s more dramatic than sadly and I like that word a lot.

 75 The life of the blind prince

    There once was a man who wore a long stretch of cloth over his eyes, he was blind. As brother to his king, he did his best to not embarrass him of ineptitude and stayed out of his way. Always respectful and upright, he spent his days listening to servants reading him stories but what he enjoyed most of all was music. The prince had singers and musicians come from all over the kingdom to perform for him so much that before he was full grown, the castle was already known far and wide as the melodious palace.


    The notes and vocalizations animated his empty world. From nothingness, he could almost see the sounds dance in harmony in his mind.


    His enthusiastic sister, enjoying the constant melodies livening the castle, organized extravagant balls to go with them. Men and women of high birth came to hear the rumored divine harmonies of the melodious palace. They were charmed instantly and the place became instantly popular for both renowned dancers and artists hoping to have their instruments heard.


    Tap, tap, crunch, echoes in the dark.


    Noises unceasing, blurry background to a disjointed cacophony.


    Helped by a servant, the prince wandered the halls searching for what were those painful sounds disturbing his charming peace.


    He found it, louder and louder he heard what felt like the whole world talking and stomping wildly.


    "Guide me there." He told the servant.


    He slipped in the room, unnoticed.


    He leaned against the wall and took in the sound of chaos, curious.


    For days he repeated those actions, slowly attempting to sense what was happening around him.


    For him, this was a sort of game, a way to pass the time. Asking himself what they were all doing, what they were saying.


    At first, he mastered the voices, attempting to listen to all conversation at once, through the loud music and cheers.


    Then, the incessant tapping, what was it, what were they doing in the hall? Where all these sounds feet? Following the beat of the instruments in an ambiguous synchronicity.


    Dancing.


    He could hardly tell what it looked like through the soundscape, there were too much noise mixed in to follow.


    "Would my lord care for a dance as well?"


    A voice, gentle and feminine, just at his side, the servant. A longtime confident.


    A misinterpretation of his desires born from good intentions.


    "Not here."


    He stepped out of the hall and extended a hand for her to take. The music still clearly audible here behind the inner door, no witness to his inexperience, a perfect place to try.


    Her fingers entwined with his own and he brought her close in answer to her kind instructions.


    Her flesh warm with life, the skin of her hand smooth as a daisy on one side and rough on the other, damaged by work. Her scent, a mix of lilac and honey, was appealing but offset by traces of smoke from his fireplace. Her breath caressed his cheek while her words had him move in tandem with her.


    This moment was burnt in his heart.


    Neither were good dancers but it mattered not.


    The dance itself mattered not.


    It was the proximity of each other they enjoyed, a pretext to share those moments.


    Nonetheless, the prince applied himself to the task, wishing to impress her with his performance.


    They repeated the experience time and again, the man was no longer content of being a cripple.


    He willed her loyalty and affection rewarded. After months of daily practice, he learned to hear her steps perfectly, the rustling of her clothes as they moved, her heart beating according to his own.


    They were ready, to her surprise, he led her by the hand, not in the backroom but in the main hall instead.


    She wanted to flee but he held her hand firmly.


    She wanted to protest but still followed at his behest.


    He cut straight through the crowd, dodging the moving nobles by listening to their heels clapping on the marble. Reaching the main stage, he had his oldest friend stand in front of him and in a flurry, undid the cloth masking his eyes.


    Those were useless, they could not see but they could still move and locked their pupils to her face.


    The world he could not see and the crowd he could not distinguish but her he could feel. She was the only thing he could see, in nothing but infinite darkness without colors nor shape, she was there. The shape of her face, the texture of her clothes, the curls of her hair and the loving warmth of her hands. Those all were like resounding colors to his ears, perfumed shapes to his nose, through the darkness, a sweet light to his lips.


    He wanted her to see through his dead eyes the life he wanted to share with her for a long time more.


    Once more they danced, this time for real, taking the eyes of visitors from all over the kingdom as witness.


    They lost themselves to the rhythm.


    His world was made of only her, when something intruded, he would lead the dance away from it. In the center of the crowd, nothing reached him or his beloved. The steps around them quieted, the voices ceases, all stared, transfixed by the enchanting performance the prince and the servant presented.


    The world he perceived reshaped itself to match his steps, as the dances around them resumed, their discordance dissipated with the echoes of the old notes. A new dance had begun, none dared to step out of the prince''s beat. All followed into his world, the sounds merged into a perfect harmonious whole. The songstresses vocalized their awe as the musicians colluded wit the rest and soon, the whole castle was lit with divine harmony, the whole surroundings and even the whole capital city soon resounded with it.


    Then, his feet stopped and his lips met hers, silence all around but for the beat of their hearts peaking like never before.


    Then the clamor of applause came from all sides, starting from the sister of the prince and spreading spontaneously.


    When the clapping abated, a voice resounded through the hall. It was a sound like brushing leaves and rivulets of water, clear and pure but melodious like a songbird.


    "Splendid!" It claimed.


    "I had long heard of the melodious palace and wished to see for myself. I did not come in vain."


    Rustles of disquiet were heard throughout the place, something was off.


    "Truly, this kingdom is a place of fine arts. I am the old fae of the underforest and I wish to reward you for you are the root cause of this magnificent work."


    The mysterious fae offered him what felt in his fingers like a whistle of rough wood. In typical fairy fashion, she told the crowd that she would make one of his wishes come true, but only one. When he was ready, he only had to blow once into the whistle and she would soon be by his side.


    After the old fae had left, the prince married his faithful servant and continued to sharpen his senses and coordination. He led a good life until one day, the kingdom knew war, assaulted by their neighbors intent on making a vassal out of them.


    The prince greatly desired to help his brother but he did not posses the means to do so. His wife told him that his brother would be able to handle it by himself but he feared he might not be enough.


    Deep into the night, when no one was looking, he called upon the age old entity, almost forgotten after years of peace.


    He told her of his wish and she agreed to make it come true.


    "I will show you how to help your brother, for you it will be easy. Love and hate, peace and war, life and death, move thy fate, cease and soar, wife you met. You could hear it for a long time already, all are the same. Feel the drums of war for they are your lover''s heart, play the string of their hearts and hear the echoes of their hate. This is the first stage, engrave it in your bones.


    If you want to dance with death,


    can''t chance your breath.


    Feel your own life, clear.


    Breathe, can you hear?


    A rhythm of your own.


    Attune it, overgrown,


    through the world, all is one.


    This is a dance for kings not everyone.


    Rule your heart to rule theirs too.


    Get your arms, not one but two.


    One above to chase the blow.


    One bellow to close the show.


    Can you see ahead, nothing


    moving left, spinning


    moving right, twirling


    Can you see behind, nothing


    Living, shift, dying


    Going, shift, coming


    shock them with a pincer


    Back them in a corner


    Faster and faster


    Until a third master


    now, do not hear the music


    now, breathe, be the music"


    The words acted like a spell on him. Was it fairy magic or ancient sorcery, he knew not. Then, he felt something take a hold of him. Soft hands, viscous appendages, rough needle-like fingers, the sensation wrapping all around his body changed constantly.


    "Accept the changes, they will help you just as much as the words. Those are the teachings of my kind, if you can understand them, I will come back to teach you what''s next. This is the royal sword dance, it can sing life and death."


    The very next day, he was heard in the yard with twin swords in hands. Just like when he had learned to dance for the first time, he practiced incessantly, this time for a very special dance.


    The fairy came back soon, and then again, and then again.


    When he had almost mastered the fourth stage, he marched with the royal army and met a great general in combat.


    A knight challenged him and was instantly defeated. The prince could see the whole battlefield, sounds everywhere to feed his senses. He could pinpoint everyone from their breath and beating hearts, dodge arrows by the sound they made piercing the air and escape swords by the slicing sound they made cutting wind.


    Another one came, he reached the second stage. His arms a blur cut through armor and bones.


    Five came at once, he reached the third stage. He now seemed immobile but they died all the same.


    Twenty came to stop him, he reached the fourth stage. Six swords gleamed in the sun but all the prince saw were the sounds of a myriad weapons colliding around him. Spells came from above and bellow, he spun about and and chained the blows. In a circle around him, the knights rained swords upon his form but did not hit their target. He gave them a smile and stomped the ground in rhyme.


    He needed not touch his own blades for they only needed the song of his life to follow his cadence.


    As he danced in this field of death, the swords surrounded him like they had a life of their own. They dove at his rhythmic commands and fell back with a timely step.


    His battle was won, but the war was lost.


    He had stalwartly held the enemy in place but there were too many and from a split, came from the far south. The kingdom was forced to surrender.


    A voice came from ahead, telling him that if he laid down his arms, he would escorted back home safely, nothing would be done to him. It was a trustworthy voice, the prince agreed.


    The kingdom fell and became a vassal but both king and prince lived with all those who surrendered.


    The prince was recognized for his heroic performance and made into the all important duke of the northern grove. The enemy general, greatly admired his technique and often came to visit in a friendly way eventually binding himself to the prince''s sister. The kingdom did not suffer and the prince calmed down. He never ceased to practice the dance but never had to use it in war again. Only his enormous ballroom saw its grace and dignity again.


    He had many children with his single wife and ended his days peacefully in his own palace north of the kingdom.


    --- Woes and heroes of our woods. The life of the blind prince.

 76 Callas day

    "Sis, wake up! Calla!"


    "Come play with us! Let''s go pick up shrooms!"


    Calla woke up and opened her eyes to see the faces of Zora and Fleur an inch away from her own. The two had jumped into her bed as they called out to her and were now shaking her to drag her out of her sleep.


    The two girls were early today, the sun had not even rose above the treeline yet.


    "Zora, aren''t you too old to jump into my bed? You didn''t even say good morning first." Calla complained sleepily.


    Zora was almost nine, it was more than time for her to learn some basic manners. A girl that old shouldn''t jump into the bed of someone else to wake them up. She needed a harsh punishment.


    She brought her arms around the two girls and dragged them to her side in order to tickle them and spoil them.


    "See what happens to naughty kids?"


    "Waa, waa! Sorry! Good morning sis! Hii! Please stop! Haya! I''m dying, I''m dead!"


    Calla stopped at their breathless demand but kept them prisoner of her arms with a satisfied smile.


    "Did you ask mom first? What did she say?"


    "Mama said to not wake you up yet but we really wanted to go to the orchard." Fleur answered pitifully.


    "You even disobeyed mom? I see you need to be punished again!"


    "Waa noooo!"


    After making them squirm in her arms for a while and tickling them to her hearts content, she finally let them breathe. Zora didn''t even take the time to recover and placed her hands on both of Calla''s cheeks to squeeze them in her small hand.


    "Come on, get up already. The mushrooms!"


    "I got it, I''m coming. Let me dress up first." She said in laughter.


    "Yaaay!" The two exclaimed before jumping off the bed and dashing out of the room.


    Calla giggled again and sat on the side of her bed. She yawned and stretched herself before walking up to her drawer and getting a clean dress from it. She folded her nightgown and placed it down on her bed sheets for now, replacing them neatly on her bed while she was at it.


    She then put on her simple clothes and tied them up tightly with a sash around her waist. She made a big bow with it, turned it to her back and left her room with her shoes in hand.


    Sometimes, she failed to turn the bow enough but her mother always adjusted it to the right spot.


    From time to time, she dreamed she was a princess, she''d have all the fancy clothes she wanted and an army of servants to help her put them on. She wouldn''t have the need to worry about if the bow was right in the middle or not. Then, she would think of how embarrassed she would be to have all those strangers play around with her clothes and felt reassured that this would never happen.


    Her mom and sisters were fine but she could not picture herself gathering enough courage to talk to those imaginary servants. Even in her dreams, her words stuck in her throat and she wanted nothing more than to hide somewhere.


    In the kitchen, she had her mother help her with her hair while she put on her shoes. She could do it herself but it took way more time than just having her mother do it.


    "Quick quick! We want to go already!" The two small girls complained while running around her.


    "Shouting at us won''t make me go any faster." Said her mother while making another link in her braid. "I''m sorry they woke you up so early, I know you stayed up late again yesterday."


    "It''s fine, I''ll find a good idea soon I think."


    Everyday, after she went to bed, she would think about what sort of gift she should make. She understood why it couldn''t be food but it made it so hard to find something. Food was what she was best in after all.


    "No worry, you have all the time you need. As long as you pour your heart into it, it will be fine."


    Calla smiled at her mom''s encouragement while the other two got noisy again.


    "An idea about what? Tell us, we can help too!"


    Her mom laughed and denied them the answer right away.


    "No, it''s a surprise. If we tell you two, everyone will know about it in under a week. Even the outsiders and the huntresses will know."


    "Waa, no fair. We''re good at keeping secrets too!"


    "Yeah, we haven''t even told about big sis Iris and Quil''s babies yet."


    "They both gave birth more than a year ago, that''s not a secret at all." Fiona laughed.


    "No, we mean the new ones in their bellies!" Complained Fleur, eager to prove they could keep the secret.


    "The new ones! You mean the twins are both pregnant again!" Calla''s mom was speechless, she had a wide smile across her face.


    "See, you told us a big secret again. There''s no way I''m telling you two."


    The two girls rolled on the floor in protest but Calla wouldn''t change her mind.


    She felt great joy knowing her sisters would have a new pair of babies but at the same time, she couldn''t help but be disappointed at the two blabbermouth.


    "Why didn''t they tells us though?"


    "They said they wanted to say it to everyone at once as a surprise." Zora admired.


    "Poor girls." Her mom lamented. "They got their big surprise revealed again. I''m very happy to be grandma again though! You too Calla, I want to see yours too before I get too old."


    "Mom!"


    "What, I''m not gonna get any from your brothers for a while. Karp is smitten with that road girl that come''s once a year, Freddy isn''t close to finding a wife either, Gilbert is an idiot and Jerold is too young still. That means it''s all on you and Azalea and that one want''s to move to a big city with her man. Seriously, what will I do with you all? Why is it only the twins that were lucky?"


    Calla was pretty sure it was because the twins went for the same man but she was too embarrassed to say it out loud. She would never be able to share her own lover with her sisters. She''d never be able to look at them with a straight face after that.


    As for her mother, she just wanted to get a large amount of grandchildren, it didn''t matter which one of her kids provided them. She really liked small children, as many as possible was the best amount for her. She spent most of her free time talking about them and making some new clothes or dolls for them.


    Calla was a lot like her mother, she too liked kids a lot and it was true she wanted a bunch of her own but there was no way she''d ever say that out loud, even to her mom.


    "You were the one telling me I had all the time I needed earlier. What are you saying now?"


    "You do have all the time you need, I''m just a bit impatient. I just don''t want you all to be like your big brother Karp and wait until your twenties to find someone. I''d like to know you''ll all be fine before I''m too old to do anything about it. You need to go for it, trust in yourself, I''ll be behind you to support you through the whole thing. You could be wed already if you just spoke a bit more."


    Calla felt her face turn red as she pictured herself at a wedding. She hid her face behind her hands to escape the comments of the two small devils running around.


    "Don''t be embarrassed just from that! I haven''t even said anything scandalous."


    Her mom sighed and put the finishing touch to her braid before tying it up.


    "Here, done. Don''t forget to wash your face before going out."


    Calla escaped her mother, drenched a piece of cloth with water to wash her face with and then left the house with the two excited girls in tow. She knew her mother was right but she was way too blunt, she couldn''t stand her words without feeling burning shame.


    Why were everyone else in her family so bold? How come it was so easy for everyone else to say how they felt? All she needed to do was open her mouth and tell Emp she liked him. Why was it so hard!


    She met him almost two years ago and felt affection for him ever since but to this day, she still had not managed to tell him anything at all.


    The way he saved them on the day he showed up was still burnt in her memory. He came out of nowhere and helped her and the others as they ran away. He took the monsters out so easily. Ever since then, she always felt the safest around him.


    He wasn''t jumpy or boisterous like the other boys, he was calm and peaceful most of the time. Someone she could just stand with and share her silence with. That was how she viewed him at first. A serious and reliable person with whom she could be at peace.


    Then, he had given everyone a silver coin as if it was nothing for him. He was so generous he gave her a coin too even though she had done nothing to earn it. She couldn''t help but wonder if this was a way to express his affection to her. She still remembered how flustered she had been asking her mother what to do. She still had it, the coin. Her mother had taken back the one he had given to Gilbert but she had left that one to her because she trusted she''d be able to use it responsibly, unlike her brother. She had never used it for anything, a silver was a lot after all and back then, she thought it meant something special.


    After, he bought the whole armor of Vale when Dean disappeared. It was then she understood that he had a lot more money then what it seemed. The story had made a whole lot of noise in town at the time. This meant that not only was he generous and stoic, he could also easily take care of a family by himself, and a work at the forge meant he wouldn''t just disappear one day.


    Wasn''t that mysterious newcomer with an exotic hair color a dream-like person worthy of fairy tales? Knowing how she felt about him, her mother urged her to put a claim on him before the other girls took a liking to him as well. After all, her mother knew, if Calla wasn''t first, she''d never work out the courage to say anything, ever. She had wanted to tell him everything but she simply couldn''t do it. It was too bold for her, how would she even say it?


    What if he said that he didn''t know her enough to share her feelings? What if her just rejected her? That would be terrible, she was better off keeping her mouth shut.


    It was at that point that a golden opportunity presented itself. He complained about his food, a lot.


    "If you can''t got straight for his heart, steal his stomach first! That''s what I did with your dad. Once he''s hooked on what you''re cooking there''s no way he''ll be able to say no to you. Plus, you''ll be able to spend a lot more time with him."


    That had been very true. After she started making food for him and Marcy, she was able to see him everyday, and he liked her meals very much! She was so excited! She had always liked cooking, she was good at conveying her feelings with her food, she worked hard to please them with her cooking. She was certain her mother''s plan would work out fine.


    She still couldn''t say it out loud though. That was why she made the wish to be bolder, braver. She needed enough courage to confess to him how she felt. With him helping her make the wish, it was like the gods themselves wanted her to succeed.


    But the new year had changed everything. She went from joy to sadness and confusion in just a few days. She didn''t like to think back to that time. Two of her friends died and Emp just barely managed to bring the others back. Then, he told her about Vesa''s feeling for her.


    She tried to keep him out of her head most of the time, mostly because what happened to him depressed her. She felt so sorry for him, sorry she had not understood his feelings, sorry that he died to protect her, sorry that she never saw more in him than a friend. Even if he had survived, she didn''t think she would ever have seen more in him than a good friend.


    Would things have been different If Emp never came to the village? Maybe, who could say? They could all have died that day in the forest if Emp had not been there but maybe they would have been fine. Maybe one day she would have married him to spare his heart or maybe she would never have worked out the courage to do such a thing and would have ended alone?


    This was scary and sad to think about. Poor Vesa, and even after such a revelation, her shock wasn''t over yet, Emp told her about his own wish. She then discovered that the boy she fancied wasn''t stoic at all, he was empty instead. He didn''t know what family and love really meant he said. To her, this was a very strange and foreign idea. Her family was large, her siblings numerous and caring, she could not picture a life where she knew none of them.


    To think that Emp had been so lonely that he didn''t even understand such a simple and important thing. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was pitiful and the more she wanted to help him feel that thing that fueled her whole world. Maybe she could fill his heart with her love just like how she filled his stomach, that was her new goal.


    At the same time, she felt more and more nervous, how was she to reach something that was so deeply buried in him? Even if she worked out the courage to tell him she liked him, he might not react in kind. He might just try to work out what it was she loved instead of answering the feelings themselves.


    No, he would surely react that way, she knew him too well. He would ask what it was she liked about him, she wouldn''t be able to answer correctly because of her nervous state and then he''d try to study the whole situation to understand it. Obviously, there was no way he would get it that way, they would just lose a lot of time and she wasn''t sure how it would all end.


    Words weren''t the right way to go for her. That was why she decided to jump straight to the offering of Holia, that and a small push from her mother. That, was the reason why she spent a lot of time each night trying to figure out what was the best thing to make and that was also why she was a bit sleepy.


    A smelly mushroom suddenly bounced on her head.


    "Sis, stop daydreaming and get the basket closer!"


    "Look how much we found!"


    She shook her head free from her thoughts and got closer to her sisters.


    "Wow, that''s a lot. We''ll be able to make many good recipes with them."


    "Right?"


    "I like it when you help mom make the meals, you''re the best!"


    The shout of the small Fleur made her laugh a lot and they happily continued their gathering.


    Her father and brothers were working in the orchard but it was so vast they didn''t cross any of them as they completely filled a basket of mushrooms.


    They went back to the house with their basket of mushrooms and ate a big breakfast with the whole family. Finally, her day was ready to start for real.


    The first thing she had to do was bring breakfast to Marcy and Emp as well. She emptied the basket of mushrooms and filled it with the breakfast instead. She took what was left of their breakfast but also had to make prepare some more, the two smiths were quite the gluttons after all.


    She waved her mom goodbye and started her trip to Marcy''s house. Annoyingly, her house was a bit far, it wasn''t even on the same side of the river. Calla was such a klutz, every time. she was afraid she would trip and drop the baskets of food she carried.


    She passed a lot of people on her way but didn''t talk to many of them... None at all in fact. Not that she didn''t want to talk to them but... She liked to listen better than to talk herself, that was it. It was not at all because she was too timid to say a word. What if she said something dumb? That would be terrible, she was better off not saying anything at all.


    On the way, she noticed many faces she had never seen before. There had been a bunch of gruff men invading the town recently. All of them where miners. Emp said they were here for the crystal cave he found with the huntresses. They would stay for a while and then leave after they were done hauling all the crystal.


    Calla was fine with meeting a single new person but there were just too many. It was scary to walk around with all these strangers about. She hurried her steps every time she saw one.


    She hoped they were all good people but she was too nervous to find out the answer by herself.


    The huntresses were still there too. Marcy said they wouldn''t be camping at the gate for much longer but Calla didn''t mind their presence as much as the miners. At least they were all girls, that was less scary.


    They had been there for months already, Calla was used to them being there. At first they had wanted to leave immediately and she had wished for the same but Emp convinced them to stay for a bit longer. He said it wasn''t safe to move the girls that had some crystal growing out of them, plus, Marcy wanted to replace the weapons they broke on the monster and Emp said he had some valuable treasure to give them before they left. Calla didn''t know what was that treasure but from what she heard, the huntresses had decided it was well worth the wait.


    After a while, Calla had just gotten used to them, Tacey was a bit scary but aside from that, they were just ordinary girls with a good ability to fight and hunt. Calla didn''t like that sort of thing but she could respect it, she understood that for the safety of everyone, some needed to brave the dangers of the woods.


    She wouldn''t be very sad of seeing them leave but she would not have been upset either if they stayed.


    Walking down the street, she passed by the house of Willow. She had not come out at all recently. Her mother said she was sick in the beginning but this was obviously not the case. She had vomited a few times in the beginning Calla heard. Then, she came back out to hang out with them for a few more weeks and suddenly locked herself inside again.


    No one was allowed to see her and Winnie seemed very worried about her sickness but the rest of them weren''t idiots. Even Calla knew what was happening, every girl were talking about it. Willow was carrying Chase''s child. The reason no one was allowed to see her was because her belly was round like a barrel, Winter saw it through a window one time she felt too curious to resist.


    Calla was worried for her. Raising a child alone didn''t seem easy at all. She wanted to help her but she didn''t know how. If only Chase hadn''t died back then. He was a great guy, fun and resourceful.


    Calla didn''t like how the world kept behaving unexpectedly around them, always pulling off tricks on them. She didn''t like uncertainty. Just like that, Chase had been removed from their lives and Willow was now facing the hardest times of her life.


    She was pretty sure that the other girls were very happy to not be in her shoes. She had not waited like their parents always told them to and now she was stuck. They pitied her but there was nothing they could do, it was way too late for that.


    Calla felt uncomfortable thinking about it, all she could do was make her a filling meal with fishes as a main ingredient. She''d ask her brother or Manley to catch a few in the river and she would prepare it with a thick sauce made with eggs. She heard fish and eggs were good for pregnant women. It was Jenna the shoemaker who told her one day.


    She would bring her that filling supper and express her friendship and support with it. Calla didn''t have the power to fix Willow''s problems but she did have the heart to support her whatever she chose to do after the baby was born.


    Of course, to do that, she needed to find an egg, more than one if at all possible. There weren''t a lot of livestock in the village. They got all their meat from the forest, wasting some of their hard obtained vegetables to feed an animal was not something the villagers had the habit of doing.


    Luckily for her, merchants passed through the village regularly as it was the safest path between B¨ºt¨¦clair and Red-water. Surely one of them would have some chickens, he might be willing to sell her a few eggs.


    Gilbert told her that one of them came in yesterday after she left to cook. Maybe he would have some? She would go there take a look after she was done with breakfast.


    She escaped the main street full of strangers and reached Marcy''s house without troubles.


    ***


    After everybody had their breakfast, she made her way towards the village''s center to look for the merchants. She also needed to think about what she would do for dinner.


    She would probably do something light and quick to make. Marcy wasn''t that likely to come out of her workshop anyway because she didn''t like to be interrupted. She would most likely keep Emp in there with her so she wasn''t even certain they would eat dinner at all. It happened often that they went to work and forgot about everything else for hours and hours.


    As for herself, she didn''t have a big appetite. She absolutely loved to cook things but she ate almost nothing herself. It just wouldn''t fit in her belly even if she knew it was delicious.


    Instead of thinking about dinner, it was best to think about supper. When they''d come out in the evening, they''d be starved like every time. What would be good? Maybe she should check the garden in the afternoon to see if there was anything worthwhile to pick up. Even if not, there would still be the scareants mushrooms she had picked up.


    It was while she was thinking about this that she happened upon Sophus. The village mage was going to see Marcy again. Since she was arriving from there, it was normal to encounter him. She would have preferred otherwise though. The guy was kinda scary.


    It wasn''t that his appearance was off-putting, it was the air around him that was a bit dark. He was always complaining about anything and everything, considered everyone else to be beneath him, treated them like servants and scarcely spared a look at anyone but Marcy and Bor. He acted as if he was the supreme ruler of this place.


    It was kinda true that with his status of magician, he was far above the rest of the villagers. He was the closest thing to a noble living here aside from Bor but since he was staying in dark-glint, could he not be a bit more amicable?


    His stern look made her shiver every time she saw it. She hurriedly stepped out of his way hoping he would not glance at her. It usually worked but not today. He caught her with the corner of his eyes and stopped to face her.


    What was happening! Why was he looking her way?


    She shrunk behind her empty basket hoping he would just give up on whatever he wanted.


    "..."


    It was not working at all, he was still staring at her! Could she just leave? She would but her legs refused to budge.


    "You, I feel like I''ve seen a lot recently." He finally said, squinting an eye to examine her better. "Who are you again?"


    Calla opened her mouth to answer but no sound came out of it. She had not even understood the question properly. There was only a giant "Why?" spinning in her head right now.


    Sophus frowned because of her lack of answer but soon it turned into a smile.


    "Are you scared of me? You know I''m one of the protectors of this village right? Why would anyone be scared of me?"


    Because your attitude is terrible! Please go away!


    "It doesn''t matter if you do not answer me, It''s easy to find out who you are, watch."


    He leaned in closer to her and wrinkled his nose to take in a deep breath. What was he doing? Was he sniffing her?


    "Apple." He said. "You work in the orchard, are you a Champom?"


    She tensed up hearing her name.


    "Oh, you are, that was easy." The mage straightened back up again. "I don''t like the apples from here, they are way too acid for my taste. I guess they kept all the sweetness for themselves. The girls they raise in the orchard are surprisingly better than their apples apparently, that''s were all the sweetness went. I had never noticed before. At least they know how to keep quiet."


    What did he want? Why was he still here? What was she supposed to do? While she was racking her brain to find an answer, she saw Izzy, Galina and Sylvia further on the road, happily chatting with each other. Please help! She yelled in her head.


    The three girls saw her distress and came running to steal her away from Sophus. They surrounded Calla, took her by the arms and dragged her away while pretending to have something amazing to talk about.


    "Calla, you''ll never believe what we just heard! Come quick!" Sylvia said.


    "Hi Sophus, bye Sophus." Galina waved to the mage as she pushed Calla''s back to make her move faster.


    The man just watched them move away without protesting or saluting them in any way and turned back towards the forge.


    Calla released a heavy sigh and took many breaths to calm her beating heart. She was so thankful to the three.


    "What was that about?" Asked Izzy.


    "He finally noticed you went to the smithy awfully often?" Galina supposed.


    Calla nodded. Now that she wasn''t in such a stressful situation anymore, her head started working better again and as she saw it, it was the only thing that could possibly make sense. That was why he had stopped there wasn''t it? He said "I feel like I''ve seen a lot recently."


    "Calla, you''re so hopeless. Why do you freeze like that in front of everyone you don''t know much? Sophus isn''t that scary, he''s just annoying. The others are even less worthy of freezing over. I still can''t believe you did the same in front of your sister''s husband." Sylvia lamented.


    Everyone always told her things like that but she couldn''t help it. She really didn''t like talking to people in the first place. She got anxious whenever someone talked to her. That they knew her for a long time only made it "less" worse rather than better. Even her close friends could only extract a few sentences at a time out of her.


    "You''re not like that at all in front of Emp." Galina pointed out.


    "I feel at ease when he''s close by. He''s too calm it spreads to me as well." She explained.


    "He may be reassuring to you but he''s also really dense." Mocked Izzy. "You were so depressed the other day when he didn''t get your message."


    She answered with a pout. It was true she had felt saddened when she made the ultimate "I like you" meal but he didn''t say anything about it at all. She cooked him a literal heart and spoon-fed it to him herself! How was it not an obvious message! He truly didn''t get love at all. That was when she had set her mind on an Holia''s offering, or rather, that was when her mom snapped and told her to do it.


    She shook her head to bring back her head into the current conversation.


    "Have you seen the merchants?"


    "Yeah, they have a lot this time around. Were you going there? Do you want us to come along in case you''re too timid to shop by yourself?"


    "Please."


    "Alright then, lets go buy some good things!"


    The three younger girls brought her to the center of the village and showed her around the different merchants stalls. They had all set up shop here by using their wagons as counters and storage. A few of the escorting death seekers and private guards stood close around while the rest wandered in the village to see some people they knew or just to explore the place.


    In the wagons of the caravan, they had a great amount of things rarely seen in the village. One of them carried chickens like she had hoped and sold the eggs to the villagers. That wagon was always popular because chicken eggs were often larger than the wild bird eggs the hunters sometimes found. Luckily for her, the merchant still had some left and the girls helped her buy a few for some coppers. She added some butter with it too even if it was way more expensive. She couldn''t replace it if she wanted to make a sauce after all.


    Now that this was done, the only thing she still needed to do was to wander around looking for something that might inspire her. She took a look at all the things they carried, but like most of the villagers, she gravitated towards the things she could actually afford and use.


    Looking at jewelry and precious stones was pointless. It would only sadden her knowing she couldn''t afford any of it.


    Thread however was entirely different. With treads, you could make a lot of different things. The merchants were proud to show off the good cotton and silk harvested in Grandbois and Greenpeaks. Calla was disappointed to see that the price of cotton had grown again. Izzy asked the merchant about it and he gave some excuses about how Greenpeaks fields weren''t in good conditions anymore and most of the cotton came from there.


    Buying some cotton was out of the question for her, it was too expensive for her now. Paying that price she was better off buying silk instead. She still wanted some thread though. With it, she could probably make something good for her offering.


    Pieces of clothing were often a good choice with that kind of thing. Most girls gave some clothes when unable to make anything more special. Calla was one of those. Since food wasn''t acceptable and she had no fancy practical skill like shoe making, sowing was probably her best bet.


    Looking at her choices, with her budget of only a few coppers over a silver, she could either buy some fur, some flax linen or a smaller amount of silk. (1)


    In the end, she settled for a length of silk and some soft looking grey fur. She didn''t know what she would make with them all yet but at least now she had something to make her offering. She had to sacrifice the silver coin Emp gave her but with all the courage her new year wish gave her, she convinced herself it was well worth it.


    She might not have been the best with a loom but she was far from the worse, she could make clothes too. It might take a long time to weave all of this into fabric but she wasn''t scared of the work.


    She waved goodbye to her friends who seemed just as excited as her about her purchases and went back home with it all in her basket.


    Once there, she sent her brother on a quest for some fish and sat in the kitchen to think about what she would do. Her two smaller sister went with him as well so she would be left in peace for a while.


    She would make a good sauce using the eggs and the butter. Butter was not something she usually had access too so it was a bit painful to use it right away for a sauce but it was for Willow after all. She usually replaced butter with applesauce but she wasn''t convinced the taste would be right with the eggs.


    With all those eggs, and butter, she would have plenty of that rich sauce, she should use it on the others'' meal too. If her brother brought back enough fishes, she might just make enough for everyone. If not, she needed some other plan to fall back to. The garden might help with that.


    She walked to the back of the house and looked at what was growing. There was some scallions ready, maybe the carrots were too, she might take one or two but maybe not today, what else? Some asparagus might have been good but none of them seemed ready to be harvested. Ginger didn''t fit like most of the other things growing in the garden so she settled with only some herbs.


    She then made her way to the cellar and chose a piece of meat she would use to replace the fish if her brother failed. If he didn''t, she''d just make a side dish with it and share it around.


    She placed everything in the kitchen and then went to find her mother to talk about her purchases. They brainstormed for a good part of the day but in the end didn''t manage to decide on anything until Gilbert came back with a few fishes.


    She spent the rest of the afternoon busying herself with the meal. Her brother did a decent job and caught enough for everyone. With the help of her mother, she sliced them in large sections to get rid of all those small fish bones and sent someone to get Emp and Marcy. She didn''t want to reheat the sauce after all.


    She cooked the fish with some herbs, scallions and scareants mushrooms. While it was on the fire, she made the preparation from the eggs and slowly added the butter, some more herbs and some finely chopped scallions and mushrooms. They needed to be fine enough to not break the texture of the whole preparation so it was hard to cut properly. The sauce became yellowish and thick, perfect, she even had two eggs left.


    She decided to scramble them and make a side dish with the meat and them. She didn''t have that much vegetables to place in the meal though, maybe she should have taken the carrots or a celery after all. The taste might have been ruined though.


    Instead, she got a few apples, big ones, cut them in half, removed the core, cut them in slices instead of quarters and carved out all the "meat" from the middle. Now only apple strips remained.


    She let all the apple centers in a bowl and gave them to her mom to mash it all in tiny piece, as if to make some applesauce, except harder since they weren''t cooked yet.


    She prepared two more pans, in one she started cooking the scrambled eggs while in the other, she placed the apple strips and some thin meat slices together. She then asked her mom to pour down the apple juice she had made from mashing all of that in it and poured some ale as well, not too much! She almost dropped the mug into it, that scared her.


    What remained in the bowl, she mixed with the scrambled eggs, added small bits of scallions and scareants mushrooms cut in cubes. She mixed it all together carefully and placed it back in the pan. The mushroom should absorb the excess flavor from the apples and mellow everything to a sufficiently sweet level while keeping the rest of the tastes present.


    When the meat and the fish were well cooked, she removed them from the fire and placed them on two different huge plates. One housed the fishes and was ready to accept the sauce she was about to heat. She took care of keeping a some of both to present to Willow and her mom later.


    On the other plate, she placed the meat strips together with the apple strips and emptied what was left of the juices into the egg pan. She finished cooking the scrambled eggs and the sauce as everyone else showed up. Finally, she carefully emptied the contents of the two pan onto the earlier two dishes and she was done.


    Salted meat strips with apples and mushrooms served with sweet scrambled eggs in one plate. Fish cooked over the fire with herbs and scallions with the rich egg sauce to cover it on the main plate.


    She took a few bites of both to fill herself and brought what she had set aside to her pregnant friend.


    Willow was quite happy for the meal and even cried a bit as she hugged her in thanks. Her mom was a bit distraught by the fact that all the girls knew about Willow''s pregnancy but there was nothing she could do at this point. It wouldn''t be long before the rest of the village knew too. At least, Willow could count on Calla.


    ***


    (1) Silk should be surprisingly cheap in steelwood because there is a lot of trees for the silk worms to feed on. However, it may still be very complicated to keep the worms alive, stop them from propagating to the surrounding orchards and harvest the silk high up in the trees. I hear they are usually farmed on small plants so that the silk is easier to pick up. Steelwood doesn''t have the space for that.

 77 Troubled Zoran

    That was terrible! What the... He must have read it wrong! That had to be it.


    He read through the letter his father sent him once more, hoping he would prove his first read wrong.


    <My son, blablabla, you are weak of heart... no spine... not worthy of our house... disappointed in your progress... toughen you up by having you serve in the army... either royal or imperial doesn''t matter... I hope it will help you man up, your service will begin once you are released from the school. PS; your sister says hi.>


    That was a catastrophe. Him in the army? That wasn''t a place for him at all! He''d die for sure!


    Zoran needed to find a way out fast!


    He stood from his desk and started pacing in between the delicate draperies of his window and his bed. He racked his brain to find an answer, gripping and messing his own hair in an attempt to think harder.


    He couldn''t think of anything! He couldn''t help but see himself in a row of soldiers in front of a bunch of creatures. He wanted to cry.


    Could he perhaps escape by loosing a limb? It sounded way too painful though, he''d never be able to do it. What was the point of being the son of a duke if you had to go fight monsters like everyone else! Why was it so wrong to enjoy pastries and flowers? His tastes and the way he chose to entertain himself didn''t change the fact that he was an actual man. A short and week one, true, but a man none the less.


    Sometimes, rarely, he wished he had been born a girl. If he was a girl instead, he wouldn''t have to worry about big fights. He wouldn''t have to go swing swords and no one would bother to question what he liked to do in his spare time.


    One time, he wondered if he could put a dress on to convince his father he had no place in a war but then felt he would only make him extremely mad. Even though his sister assured him he''d look good in a dress, his plan to stop his father for good might have ended in a way worse catastrophe instead so he forgot that idea immediately.


    But what could he do then? Maybe someone else would have a good idea.


    He left his bedroom and stepped into his main room. There, his two servants were waiting for him.


    They were both taller than him by a good two heads and wore the short green dresses Zoran had given them. The two acted like caring big sisters with him and he liked it very much. They would wrap their soft arms around him and bury him into their breasts to hug him. Every time, he would turn red from the sensation and they would giggle at his embarrassment.


    What he would not tell them was that he had especially asked for their clothes to be made in order to show a lot of cleavage. He wasn''t shameless enough to actually do anything with those two but he had never once regretted his investment while he felt their skin on his cheeks.


    Today though, he did not have the time to let them cuddle him. He told them he''d be back later in the afternoon and asked them to prepare him a bath in the meantime.


    He left his place and walked down the corridors of the school thinking about who he should ask for a way to dodge his predicament. Maybe it would be best to just ask everyone, he''d make a round asking each of them and he''d try the best answers.


    His first step would be the magic class, It was the perfect time to ask things because the teacher didn''t bother to discipline them at all. He just let them do whatever they wanted. This made it the perfect place to talk. He was halfway there when he finally realized that he had forgot his book of spells. He was so turned around by the letter he really forgot about everything else. He cursed himself and went back to his room with a fast walk.


    He was interrupted on his way back by something unexpected. Nearing a "T" corner, he heard some inconspicuous noises. His heart started to race, was it what he thought it was? He slowed down and sneaked up to the very corner of the stone wall. Crouching down and placing his hands against the ground, he peeked after the turn with his head close to the floor.


    He was right! There was a guy and a girl kissing, noisily, and obviously lovingly. The boy was a student, he wasn''t in his group but Zoran recognized him as one of the guy who made the mistake of fighting against Emp.


    The very short girl was most likely a slave since she was a cursed-blood. She had a long skinny tail swishing left and right from under the hem of her long dress and fluffy mouse ears sprouting through her luxurious hair.


    The guy was leaning over her and kissing her passionately. Holding her head and lips against his own. How scandalous! Even though Zoran didn''t have a strong feeling of hate or disgust against cursed-bloods, there was no way he would ever kiss one. Even if she was the prettiest girl ever, he would not. The one in front of his eyes was not the prettiest girl though, that tittle belonged to only one and she wasn''t it.


    Zoran was shocked, and very embarrassed to be witnessing this. He couldn''t help but keep watching. Would they ever stop? Would they get caught by someone, would he get caught peeping? Josseline would never believe him when he''d tell her later. They were so busy with each other that they didn''t spare any attention to the end of the corridor where he hid.


    The mouse girl freed herself from the guy''s embrace by just a fingers length in order to get some air. She looked feverish and love struck, her nose seemed to twitch by itself when the guy would get his face close to hers.


    "My father is definitely insane." He said as she was gasping for air.


    "Master..."


    He kissed her again.


    "I really can''t understand his choice."


    "What if someone comes here?"


    "I don''t care anymore."


    "But I don''t want you to get in trouble because of me. The girl your father loved must have been the same. Please, I wouldn''t forgive myself if you were shunned because of me."


    He caressed the nape of her neck tenderly and spoke to her in a serious tone.


    "My father was wrong, I can''t do the same, I''d never be able to do it."


    "But I''m glad of the choice he made or you''d never have been born. What would have happened to me then?"


    "I guess so but... I really love you."


    She hugged his arm tightly and her tail rose to entwine itself with his fingers.


    "I know, I love you even more. To be with you is the greatest joy in my life. That''s why, please..."


    He gave up with a heavy sigh and placed a light kiss on top of her long ear, making it twitch.


    "I get it already. Let''s go."


    Hearing that, Zoran''s clouded mind cleared as if he had been struck by lightning and he hastily backed away on all four in the corridor. If they came this way and saw him now it would be really bad! He backed all the way to a pillar and quickly hid behind it.


    He was still holding his breath and hoped that his heavily beating heart wasn''t as loud as he felt it was. He heard the couple take the other branch of the T intersection and felt so very relieved they didn''t come this way.


    Once he couldn''t hear their steps anymore, he whipped the sweat from his forehead with an handkerchief and scurried back to his room with the fastest speed he could muster. It was only once he closed the door to his own room and leaned his back on it that he started to breath properly again. His two slaves looked curiously at his heavy breathing self and quickly moved to either side of him to bury him in their bosom.


    "What happened to you? You look so nervous, let us calm you, there there."


    He really liked that kind of treatment but that wasn''t what he needed right now, it was only making it worse! All that breast flesh in his face wasn''t calming down his heart at all! He pushed them both away in a fluster.


    "I-I-I-''m fi,fine. Noth-nothing happ-p-p-pened. I just forgot my-my book. That''s a-all."


    There was no way he''d ever admit that he got in this state just by looking at two person kissing.


    "Oh, silly us, we forgot you had classes today. Should one of us carry those books for you?"


    "They''re way too heavy for our cute master."


    It was true that the magic book were heavy and it was also true that they usually carried them for him. It was a bit embarrassing but it couldn''t be helped.


    "Th-then Uksa, p-please help me."


    She clapped twice and ran off to get his books while the other one, Nasa smiled warmly.


    "Then this means that I get to hold your hand on the way." She said, beaming.


    He wanted to tell her no because that was embarrassing but he couldn''t resist that sort of smile. That was how he ended up walking to the magic class holding hands with one of his slaves again. Hopefully no one would see.


    He parted with Nasa at the door of the class and brought Uksa in to place the books at his desk. Almost everyone was there already. At least, forgetting his books didn''t make him late. He sat down and took the remaining time before the class to calm himself for good and bring back his head to what he wanted to do. That kissing story could be dealt with later, right now, he needed to find a way to save himself.


    ...


    He was really itching to tell Joss and George and about it though...


    Since Ivar was sat close to him, he''d ask him first and then join up with the other two to tell them what he saw. Yeah, that seemed like a good plan, that way he''d do both.


    He leaned over his desk towards Ivar and asked the older boy if he had a good idea. Ivar was almost ten years older than him, surely he would know a trick.


    "Ivar, my da-dad wants me to join th-the army but I-I don''t want t-t-to. Do you know a way to-to make him change his mind?"


    Ivar shot him a look of pity and whispered in a sigh.


    "You too?"


    Zoran was confused by his answer.


    "What do you mean me t-t-too? Who else?"


    "Me, I was told I''d have to join whether I liked it or not."


    "Really? My dad th-thinks that I-I''m not manly enough so he decided th-the army would t-t-toughen me up but what about y-you? You''re not like me at all."


    "It''s just a family tradition I don''t want to follow. It''s dangerous and a waste of time so I don''t want to go."


    "Th-then how do we get out?"


    Ivar just shook his head in defeat.


    "If you find a way, let me know. For now, the only thing I could do was waste as much time as possible here in the school to put off the execution."


    That was a really depressing answer. If Ivar couldn''t find a way out, despite all the time he spent looking, did that mean that there was none? Zoran worried there would be no correct answer.


    "Th-thanks, I''ll continue to search."


    Ivar waved him good luck and threw his attention back into his book.


    Zoran turned to the other side and switched place with Uksa to fool the teacher into thinking he was still studying. Instead of actually doing that however, he walked up to George''s desk and met with Josseline who similarly ditched her studies.


    "Why do you two always use my desk as a meetup point? Can''t you go somewhere else for once?"


    "No way, you''re the perfect midway point between our desks." Josseline denied him with a fake face of indignation.


    Zoran only answered with a nervous smile. George complained almost every time they convened here but he knew deep down that he didn''t really want them to go away, he just put up a surface show of rejecting them. In truth, George was a good friend.


    He complained of everything and anything and grumbled every time anyone asked anything of him but Zoran felt that George only pretended to not want to be here. He never said a thing if not to complain but he showed up every time something happened anyway.


    He would sit on a remote bench to assist to the duel between their group and the other, he would pretend to sleep but perk his ears to listen to the strange stories and misadventures of the others, he was always there somewhere, listening. He just hid in the back were no one would talk to him. Zoran felt he really preferred to watch over the group like someone in a crowd assisting to a theater performance rather than be in the group of performers himself.


    He was similar to Zoran in that no one paid them any attention, Zoran because he had no presence and George because he pushed everyone away and pretended to not care.


    He felt bad that George might end up without friends because of his strange habits so he made a point of often talking with him. His desk wasn''t a perfect midway at all, it was just a pretext to forcibly include him. Everyone seemed satisfied with that arrangement.


    The three of them were really a group of unexpected friends, he thought. There was the stuttering doormat who no one paid any attention too, the guy who pretended to dislike it all but peeped at everything and the girl that liked to snoop at everyone''s secrets by pretending to be looking for a husband. With the three of them combined, they knew almost all the secrets of the school and the students alike.


    However, even though they knew so much, they didn''t intend to do anything with all that information. It was all just for their own fun, they liked to discover all the secrets and repeat them when they felt like it. For example, they knew that Gytha disappeared awfully often to meet some secret lover, they knew that Penny spent all her evenings with Heinrich, they knew Rica was no noble at all and also the true names of most of their classmates.


    The three pf them suspected that Rica was the reason why they were allowed to hide their names this time around. The simple girl of a woodcutter getting married to the future duke of thorns was big news after all.


    Aside from that, they even knew that Nessa often met with Emp and Brenia to train furtively despite everyone else thinking she had a lover she met in secret.


    Now, they also knew that Jin, the man who supposedly hated all cursed-bloods was in fact in love with one of them. Like he had thought, the story of what he saw earlier was highly entertaining for Josseline.


    "Now way, he really said that? That''s incredible! I wish I had such a good lover too." She said dreamily.


    "You''re always ru-ru-ru-ru... fluttering around everyone. Who''s the real target?"


    "Still not sure, I can''t choose so hastily after all. Norval is promising but he''s still young and a duke is too high for me after all so maybe Kenneth, Oliver, Emp or one of you two."


    "Don''t just add us two on the list. Don''t include us in your mind games." George complained.


    "Those aren''t mind games though."


    "What about Cyril and Nicolas?"


    Zoran believed that the two of them were much more knightly than the others, even more than Norval the honor student. If only they were a bit stronger, they would get many love confession from servants and students alike.


    "Nha, Heida put a claim on Nicolas since day one and I don''t want her as either a rival or a sister. Cyril is a really good person but I feel he''s the type that will forget about his wives and think only of his work and duty. I want a husband not an empty space everyone tell me is great."


    Maybe she was right. Zoran hadn''t considered that. Still, she agreed with him that knightly types were more charming. With how small and weak he was, would he ever get confessed to by a girl? He''d probably get killed in some battle long before it ever happened.


    Zoran slumped down on George''s desk.


    "Why are you so depressed suddenly?" Josseline asked with a questioning frown.


    Now was as good a time as any to tell them so he explained to them the terrible situation he was now in.


    "You''re screwed, better accept it." George flatly told him.


    "What, no way, don''t give up like that! I''m sure we can find some way out."


    "Do you have any idea?" Asked Zoran, hopeful.


    "Not yet... But I''m sure we can find something."


    He groaned pitifully.


    "Maybe if you''re incompetent enough, even the army will throw you out." George proposed.


    It may seem like a dumb idea but it was the best he had obtained until now.


    "I don''t think that''s a realistic way to go about it. How about you ask Emp instead."


    Emp wasn''t here right now though. He had a strategy lesson instead. From what the trio had heard, he had almost mastered it already. It had only taken him less than a year. If Zoran disliked the mere idea of joining the army, Emp seemed to be the opposite and already started taking steps to get high in its structure. Of all the students in their class, he might be the one with the most knowledge about this sort of things.


    "I should do th-that but he''s not here now. Who else should I ask in the meantime?"


    Looking at everyone present, there weren''t much that could be of use to answer his question. Oran wasn''t exactly known for his good ideas, Nicolas was known to be unable to escape his situation and most of the others weren''t there because of the strange schedules.


    "Maybe Juniper or Aglaya might have an idea. The two of them are really smart after all."


    He nodded in agreement, either might just have some insight on how to disentangle himself from this. He chose to go ask Aglaya first. The reason behind his decision was that Vanessa wasn''t here, she was in the strategy class with Emp.


    There was no way he''d ever be able to say a single word if she was here. He''d end up embarrassing himself like in the dance class, he still cursed himself everyday for that blunder. It was so frustrating! The one time he could have impressed her he had wasted it all again! He had made the prettiest girl he had ever met fall with his clumsiness.


    Other girls like Juniper and Josseline might have more curves and more womanly charm but in Zoran''s opinion, Vanessa was by far the most breathtaking of the girls in class. Tall, slender, elegant and graceful, with delicate features and smooth skin he had to force himself to not stare at. Just a touch from her hand was enough to stop his heart from beating and his brain to function.


    He was infatuated with her, there was no denying it. He''d do almost anything if it meant she''d give him a kiss on the cheek. Just Being in the same room as her was suffocating.


    He often wondered what sort of guy she liked. What would he have to do to impress her? Both him and Josseline tried to pull the information out of her but both failed, she seemed to have no other interest than dance, drinks and the safety of the northern territory.


    For the dance he had failed miserably. He did not understand why when he practiced alone in his bedroom he was so proficient at it but when he tried to do the same in front of others, everything went wrong. He had no hopes of impressing her that way.


    Then, there were drinks. If it was tea, he was fine. Except for the fact that he shook and spilled some the last time she looked his way while he was drinking some, he was confident in his tea related knowledge since he liked all kinds of them. Alcohol however was something else entirely. Nessa could drink more than five others without being affected at all where as a single mug could knock him out for hours. That was a dead end too.


    Then, there was the protection of her territory. She wanted to inherit it and protect it dearly, she needed strong and smart men to fight with her and defend the border from the cursed-bloods and whatever else might come from the tribe lands. This was an absolute failure for him, there was no need to even explain. He was a weak scaredy cat and his father was right, he was spineless, an unreliable coward. Who would want such a weak guy to stand with them and lead a large territory. Speaking honestly, he had no value and that was quite depressing. What''s more, if he did end up with her, she may have to move south to him rather than the other way around, she would never accept such a thing.


    There were only two realistic way for him to end up with her. One, if he failed to escape the army and somehow became an impressive knight she could rely upon. That seemed more absurd than anything. Second, if she failed to inherit the rights to her territory and ended up forced to marry by her father. Maybe at that point he''d be able to convince everyone involved that he was the best choice. Not only did this seem just as far-fetched, he felt miserable just for thinking she might fail. He wanted her to succeed after all.


    Because of all that and the fact he knew how weak his chances were, he was simply way too embarrassed to talk around her. He''d rather fall down the stairs of the school''s many towers than stutter something nonsensical in front of her.


    With her absent, it was way less difficult to talk to Aglaya. Like usual, she was with Mable. Even for the trio of rumor collectors, Mable true identity was a mystery.


    He heard that Mable was an upstart noble Aglaya took a liking to and carried everywhere with her. He also heard the opposite, Aglaya was a bodyguard sent to escort Mable who was a high noble.


    Zoran believed both to be wrong, Mable was most likely the daughter of a count or a viscount in close relation to count Pierail. They were obviously childhood friends and their relation had nothing to do with being subordinates of one another.


    "Hi Ag-g-g-glaya, Mable."


    "Hi Zoran. Is something the matter?"


    "Yes, you see..."


    Zoran told her everything about his predicament. Aglaya nodded while Mable said "Poor you." In an apologetic way.


    "And so you want me to help somehow?"


    "Yes, I was th-th-thinking you might have an idea to help me get-t-t out."


    Aglaya thought about it for a long while making Zoran somewhat nervous. Finally, she spoke with an unsure tone.


    "I''m not sure how effective it would be but if you secured a wife with a high standing before then, he might think the link with another powerful house to be more valuable than making you more manly."


    Zoran felt defeated. How would he ever do that! Not only was this highly unlikely but he would also need to succeed in his first hunt before he tried anything and he wasn''t confident at all in his chances of success.


    He was really glad now that Vanessa wasn''t here because he was certain he would have turned towards her the moment Aglaya suggested marrying a high noble. That would have been almost as horrible as making her fall.


    "Sorry that I wasn''t that helpful, I never imagined that sort of problem before."


    "Maybe you could just pretend to be really awesome for a while and your father might change his mind. Find some monster parts to send him and just say it was you who killed it." Proposed Mable in a lively way.


    "That won''t do, just a quick look at his card will reveal the ruse and he''ll end up in even more trouble." Aglaya reasoned.


    Both Mable and him slumped their shoulders in defeat. Zoran thanked them for their time and walked up to juniper instead.


    Once again, he had to repeat his whole story. She listened seriously to his words and nodded in understanding when she got the gist of it.


    "It''s hard to come up with an answer for you since I don''t know your father at all. What I do know is that negotiations are all about offering something of value in exchange for what you want. If you want him to change his mind, you have to offer him something that is of equal or higher value to him than the results he expects."


    That was a reasonable tip from the merchant but what did his father want? He said he wanted Zoran to man up but the truth wasn''t exactly it. What he truly wanted was for the other nobles to stop mocking him for his weak son. Zoran was a weakness. He wasn''t his only son but from the eyes of rival houses, the meek boy was a huge target.


    Maybe his father didn''t mind if he died in some battlefield, at least he''d be able to claim he died a soldier death and the rest would have to shut up.


    In that case, he needed to prove to a bunch of hostile old men that he wasn''t someone they should laugh at and disdain. That was impossible! However much he thought about this, his father was right, to have him become a soldier was the only way to pull the rug from under their feet.


    The alternative was to follow Aglaya''s first idea which would end up doing a similar thing but it really wasn''t an option. Was he really going to be stuck in a line of soldier?


    He thanked her for her suggestion despite feeling worse than ever and went back to his desk to sulk.


    After the class, he went to find Emp, his last hope. He wasn''t hard to find because he would come back to Mable right away after each of his lessons apart from her.


    Emp was a strange guy. He was very strong and grew at a ridiculous rate but he had no common sense and sometimes acted in a weird way. If he acted in a more noble way, he felt that he would suddenly be way more popular than Cyril, Norval and Nicolas.


    For now, he was the kind of guy his father wanted him to be. Strong and helpful, with a way to stand that said it was best not to mess with him. Although once you really knew him, you quickly learned that there wasn''t much that could really bother him. Zoran had never heard of him getting angry at anything.


    His two friends and him tried to figure out his last name many times but in the end, couldn''t do it. Most people thought he wasn''t a noble at all and came here by his own mean but the three of them knew better. It was confirmed that he was a high noble but they had never pinpointed his exact origin.


    Their best bet up to now was that he was a Muracier but it felt way to unreal to match that guy with such a big name. Instead, it was more likely considering his ties with the old duke that he came from a long line of military man in service of the Muraciers and so shared the upright attitude and battle fanaticism.


    He found him in a corridor and called out to him with a wave of his hand. His clothes seemed small for him, he obviously had them lengthened many times already but Zoran and the others could tell he needed some new ones, they didn''t fit him at all anymore.


    The cursed-blood servant was still on his shoulders. The others had been right after all, since he was used to see her there, it was easy to forget her presence. She did act a bit like an oversized accessory and she took notes for him too... He wondered if he did like Jin in private.


    He reddened a bit at the thought. Why did he always think of weird things when he saw him. Now, because he thought of that, he remembered how embarrassed he felt about being carried by him like some princess. This happened every time he saw him, he felt so much shame he wanted to bury himself underneath the school. He had wanted to be helpful but instead, Zoran just felt immeasurable shame and then some guilt for rejecting his goodwill like that.


    "S-so-sorry." He blurted out.


    Emp frowned hearing his apology. What was even more embarrassing was that he apologized so often for it that his classmate knew exactly what he was talking about even though that was the only thing he said.


    "Would it make you feel better if I let you carry me in the classroom in front of everyone once?"


    Obviously not! It would make it way worse instead! That guy really was a shameless weirdo to propose such a thing! What would everyone else think? He really made quite the pair with the carefree girl, both of them were full of nonsense no one else would think about.


    He ignored his proposition as best he could.


    "No I-I-I-I need your he-help."


    Zoran fought his stutters and explained to him what his problem was.


    "Why is getting in the army no good?" Emp asked with a face saying he didn''t get it at all.


    "I-I''m not like you, I''m no good with this sort of th-things. It''s too much for me, I''ll d-die." He complained to make him understand.


    "Oh, Manley told me something similar before. Would it not be a good thing though? Not dying obviously but you could use the army to get your first kill more easily, no need to go on a dangerous hunt. There''s a lot of citizens who do that."


    It made some sense because in the middle of so many soldiers, any sort of fight would seem easier but in reality, surviving a battle from the front-line was way harder than just going on a hunt. There was no way he would do that!


    "P-please help!" He insisted.


    "Hmmm. I don''t know how to convince your father to not send you in the army but I know a way to make you spend your time there safely If you fail to convince him. Would that help?"


    Emp said it with an unsure tone and a shrug but such a thing sounded great to Zoran''s ears.


    "T-t-tell me!"


    "I don''t know for the royal army but in the imperial army, they would never waste a talent on the front line. If you can show them you are valuable in some field, they''ll put you somewhere more appropriate for you. Archery is a good place for example because the other soldiers will stand in between you and the enemy."


    That sounded like a good advice but archery was a no go. He wasn''t good at it at all. He was one of the worse in the group for it. Ivar used to comfort him by saying that at least he was better than Emp but that wasn''t even the case anymore. That was another thing he had been defeated in by Emp. That and his height, he had not been that much taller than him when they first met, why didn''t he stop growing already! Zoran was getting a bit afraid he might steal Vanessa from him.


    "Aside from archery, what else is there?"


    "Mages are valued a lot too. Healers are one of the most important and they get to stay far in the back. You had an affinity with light magic right? I can''t remember who told me that."


    That was probably Odilon, he had pressured him until he revealed his affinity. That was harassment after all! He was forced to say it!


    "Light affinity has a great deal of spells associated with healing and support no? If you can progress in light magic study enough before you get in the army, they''ll give you a healer''s spot and you''ll be sent in the very back close to the commanders."


    Zoran thought about his words for a few seconds and decided it was the best advice he received until now. Learning light magic in just a few years couldn''t be that hard could it? There was hope after all! He now deeply regretted wasting most of his magic classes talking to Josseline and George instead of studying seriously.


    That was one of the rare things he had been good at after all, he placed no efforts at all in it and just spent his time there leisurely instead. He needed to roll up his sleeves and spend all his efforts in that now if he wanted to escape the worst.


    "Th-thank you Emp. You helped me a lot."


    ***


    "I could retire with a pretty wife but I could do so much better still. There is an easy way to fix your problems and let us live in bliss for the rest of our lives. We only have to choose you some worthwhile sisters."


    "Sisters? As in..."


    "Yes, we only have to convince a few to join us, we would get more than enough money to be well off, we still have my many talents in case something happens and you would get many a lovely sister you already get along well with."


    "I''d love to be sister with my friends."


    "I knew you''d like the idea. Have no fear, you''ll always be the greatest in my heart. With all the information you provided me, It will be easy for us now to choose who would make a better sister and how to... Convince them."

 78 Forge

    "Here, I uh... Brought your ring back."


    Emp was currently facing Willow, frozen in place like an idiot.


    The whole group of friends had come together in the backyard of Marcy''s forge to train and chat. He had been showing the guys how to hold their weapons properly and how to stand with them in order to not fall over if they got tackled. Since they had already practiced for months by now, they were much better than in the beginning. Emp was confident they would be able to protect themselves if anything happened, at least until someone came to help them.


    He was currently showing them some more complex tricks they would probably never use just for the fun of it. That was when the girls showed up surrounding someone else like a wall. All the boys had stopped practicing to look at what they were doing and when the girls were sure that no one could spy on them from the street, they freed the person in their midst.


    It had been Willow, out of her house for the first time in months... The guys gasped and Gilbert even stepped back when they saw her huge belly.


    Two thoughts appeared in Emp''s head in very quick succession. The first was; "How much did she eat?" followed almost instantly by "That''s not fat! That''s a baby!"


    Aside from her large round belly and the posture she adopted to accommodate it, she seemed just like usual. She wore a wide dress with a second skirt under, probably because nothing else would fit her current form. Her face showed resignation and a wry smile answered the reactions of everyone.


    He had believed she was sick but had it really been the case? She seemed very healthy for a sick person, was she jut hiding from them?


    "Is it Chase''s?"


    After Manley blurted out those words, everyone held their breaths. They all expected the same answer but all hoped for her it wasn''t truly the case.


    "Yes. We did it only once but... We just didn''t think..."


    Now, the question on everyone''s mind was; "What will you do now?" but no one had the guts to ask it out loud. None of them had any idea about what would happen to her and the little one, they only knew it would not be easy.


    The whole group felt a cold air surround them. None of them knew what to say. It seemed the girls had already known but they they waited patiently for someone to break the ice before they said anything. It was likely that they would attempt to help their friend somehow and scold the boys if they said something insensitive.


    The group of boys now stood in a difficult situation. Emp did not want to say anything that might be offensive or idiotic in this situation and he knew it was very likely to happen since he was far from prepared for this and wasn''t good at talking in general. Instead of opening his mouth, he looked towards Calla for help. She was the girl he knew most in the village aside from his mother. If one of them was to help, it would be her.


    She shot a smile his way but didn''t tell him how he was supposed to react or what he was supposed to say.


    He resolved that it was best to say nothing and let the others find something to say by themselves. After all, it had nothing to do with him. As long as he didn''t say a thing, everything would be fine.


    That was at that point that Willow stepped his way and extended the ring in front of him. It had turned back to its simple iron state.


    "Here, I uh... Brought your ring back."


    She must have known the others would react strangely to her and had found something to bring up in case it became to awkward. Emp thought it was clever but this put him in a though spot. He chose to ignore the special circumstances and just act as if everything was normal. It might not be the best reaction but it was the best he could come up with.


    He did not make a move to take it back and instead just told her directly that she could keep it.


    "The ring I gave you at the new year? You didn''t have to bring it back, you can just keep it, it''s yours."


    "But, wasn''t it magic?"


    "Yes, I gave it to you because you are a friend and I was worried about you. If I had wanted it back, I would have come to get it a while ago. It''s already been so long, I thought it was obvious."


    She still seemed very unsure about this and some of the others seemed to think there was something more to it that he was hiding. He had to explain further.


    "Look, if you don''t want it, you can just throw it away or give it to someone else. Those rings aren''t worth anything at all, I can just make as many as I want."


    He showed her by creating five new copies of the ring out of thin air.


    "In fact, I planned to give some of them to the others too if they wanted one. It won''t really help anyone get out of trouble but if they''re lucky, I''ll notice something is wrong before it''s too late and come to help."


    He turned towards the boys at his side, showing them the rings.


    "Any of you want one?"


    All of them shook their heads. The scene unfolding in front of them seemed so strange that they didn''t know what to think about it.


    He turned towards the girls next.


    "You all?"


    Most of them shook their head too but Calla fidgeted on the spot instead. She had not answered aloud but it was clear she wanted one.


    "Here, put it on, everyone will see I''m not lying then."


    He presented her one of the rings and Calla extended her finger, pointing one towards the ring instead of taking it. Did she want him to put it on her finger? He shrugged internally and slid the ring in place. A split second later, the iron ring turned into solid gold, with a ruby shaped like an apple peeking behind two leaves of emerald concealing most of it.


    "Wow, It''s just like the first time!"


    "That one is way prettier though." The other girls pointed out.


    Calla was beaming which warmed up Emp''s heart. Her ring seemed less complex than some of the other rings he gave but it was in no way less impressive than the others. It''s simplicity was a good match for her and the leaves hiding the shy apple were so detailed they seemed to be almost as alive as the crystal lotuses leaves.


    He tore his eyes away from her smile and asked again if anyone else wanted one. No one was up for it.


    "Not even you Gilbert?"


    "Nah, rings aren''t for guys like us. Plus, I feel like it would upset her if I took one."


    Emp didn''t get it but since he couldn''t convince anyone else to take one, he placed all the spares in his bag. It would have been easier for him if they just took them. After all, the more of them wore those rings, the easier it would be to tell if something went wrong in the village.


    He had not given them the rings earlier because he had forgot. He had been wounded for a while and then punished and pushed to work hard to apologize to Marcy and then the miners came and so on.


    Since he was thinking about it now, he''d at least give one to his mom later when he went back inside.


    "So there you have it. You don''t need to give it back. Don''t wear it if you don''t want, do whatever you want with it, it''s really yours."


    "Thanks..."


    She did not put the ring back on but placed it in her purse. Everyone had been distracted by the ring story for a while and things seemed to be more casual for a few minutes after that. The group talked about some things she had missed while she was hiding in her house and in return, they asked questions like when would the small one be born and how she intended to name it.


    According to her, the baby should be born any day now. She had not decided how she wanted to call the newborn yet. Emp felt that if it was to be born so soon, she should have thought about it before but on the other hand, he was sure she would come up with a better name than what the gods usually gave.


    Aside from that, she told them how Chase''s family didn''t want to help with the baby. They told her mother that since they had not been married, the kid she was carrying was none of their business. They didn''t want to look after an infant who''s father died in his first hunt.


    It was true it was their grand-kid but neither Chase nor Willow had respected the rules and they couldn''t afford to take care of the girl and her baby on top of their own family. This wasn''t all that uncommon in the Steelwood empire. The ties between true family members were often more important than blood ties. Sisters of marriage relied more on each-other than their blood relatives and people often only cared about their immediate household, ignoring the problems of relatives when they found them too bothersome. Galana had fallen victim to the same kind of treatment in the past.


    For Chase''s family, Willow should live with the consequences of her own poor choices. Meanwhile, they would grieve for Chase and go on with their lives, he was sadly just a failed son.


    This meant that she would have to find someone else or go on alone.


    Everything ended up becoming awkward again because no one knew how to help. If she had been good with a crossbow, Emp might have proposed she join the huntresses who would surely help her but he could hardly picture her fighting anything at all. Even less so with a baby in her arms. He had no idea what she should do.


    Once no one knew what to say anymore, she complained about her back and the sole of her feet and decided to go back home. After she had left with her large escort of girls, the guys all looked at each other with a sour face.


    "How do we help her?" Asked Emp first.


    There was no doubt she would need some help, she wouldn''t be enough alone.


    "We don''t." Stated Wilbert. "If any of us help, she''ll cling to him and try to get engaged. I don''t dislike her but... I mean, I guess I''ll want my own kids rather than taking care of Chase''s."


    Manley made a face of disgust but made no comment. He had been adopted after all so hearing one of his friends saying something like that must have been a bit strange.


    "Not only that but I''d feel weird doing it. Wouldn''t it feels like I''m stealing her away form Chase?" Gilbert asked.


    "He''s dead, you''re not stealing her from anyone." Manley pointed out.


    "What, you''d do it?" He asked in return.


    "Maybe... I don''t know. I never looked at her that way before."


    The others nodded, they had always thought of her as a friend first and then, Chase''s girlfriend. None of them really wanted to stand as the second pick, "Chase''s replacement".


    "If at least she liked one of us, it''d be easier. Even if we really wanted to take her now, we''d only be seen as having taken pity on her."


    "Is it bad?" Emp asked.


    "I don''t know."


    "We should ask our parents."


    "It is bad because if it happens again, they''ll turn to the mercy guy to take the next one in too. I''m sure when the news spread through the village, everyone will turn towards Manley''s dad to take her and her kid."


    "And even Willow will only see it as mercy rather than love. I''m sure she''d continue to lament over Chase until her death."


    "But what do you all want to do about it then?"


    The boys continued to argue for a long time but none of them came with a good answer. Only Manley said he''d think about it seriously while he would be working the next day.


    The training session had been cut short but they weren''t really in the mood to swing fake swords any longer.


    Since that was the case, Emp went back to Marcy''s side and left the others to their own tasks.


    His adoptive mother was busy making pickaxe heads for the miners.


    The guys Juniper had sent to collect the crystal had arrived a few weeks ago and were busy mining away in the cave. They worked hard but still swarmed the small village by their numbers.


    Most villagers thought that this many strangers was annoying but it was worse for Marcy. Because of them, she had been swamped in work. Those guys were equipped with low quality iron picks because they never thought that the crystal would be this hard to collect. The result was that they kept breaking their pickaxes and had to ask the only smith in town to repair or replace them.


    Of course, Emp helped a lot too. Aside from the breaks he took to teach the others how to use swords properly, he was always in here with her making some of the picks in her stead.


    All that work did bring her a lot of money but her supply of iron was dwindling at an abnormal pace to replace the bits they somehow lost in the cave. Because of this and her very busy schedule, they did not find the time yet to make Emp a new armor or use the remains of the monster for anything.


    "Mom, I''m back."


    "Hi, give me a hand will ya? Tell me when it''s hot enough."


    She did not look his way but used her hand to beckon him to the furnace where she was heating one of those pick heads. Emp put on the thick gloves and took her place holding the long pincers reaching into the furnace.


    Marcy backed away from the furnace to cool herself off a bit, sitting down on a chair. While she was relaxing, Emp used his left hand to reach his bag and got one of the rings out.


    "Willow reminded me, I wanted to give you one of these."


    He checked his ring regularly but forgot to give out more of them almost immediately after, every single time. He would check on the others, think of how he wanted to give some to his friends and then go to sleep only to forget about the matter.


    Marcy reached out to grab it and dropped it on the table at her side for later.


    "Willow? You''ve seen the lass, she finally came out?"


    "Yeah, she came here today to meet with everyone. She''s pregnant."


    "What? But she... Chase?"


    Marcy was really surprised to hear that it seemed.


    "Yeah, that''s what she told us. Chase''s family won''t help though."


    "I wouldn''t expect them to... She hid it well, is that the reason she didn''t go out all this time?"


    "I guess so. Is there a way we can help?"


    "We don''t need to. I''m sure the boys reacted in panic for now, they''re scared of the kid and most of them haven''t even had their first hunt but one of them will break sooner or later and take her in. She isn''t a bad girl after all and not an ugly one either. She''ll have it though for a while but if she can take good care of the baby, one of them will fall. They wouldn''t be able to let someone they know so well suffer. Dark-glint would never let one of its own fall like that anyway."


    Marcy had a rather optimistic view over this whole debacle. Emp felt much better now. If Marcy said she''d be fine then she would, there was nothing to worry about, Willow would be alright. He sent his attention back to the furnace.


    "It''s ready." He said.


    Marcy stretched herself and came back to pick up the piece of hot iron. She was just softening the blunted point to hammer it back in shape instead of grinding it down. She brought the weak metal over her anvil using the pincers and started stretching it into a sharper point with many vigorous hammer strikes.


    Emp watched her work for a while before he decided to speak about something else.


    "Gilbert still wants to become your apprentice."


    "Wanting it doesn''t mean it''s going to happen. Here, heat it again, ya do the next set of strokes."


    Emp placed back the lump of cooled iron into the furnace. He was glad they were still in winter. In the empire, the temperature never went bellow the freezing point except on some very rare nights in winter but the days were still a lot cooler than in summer. This was the perfect time to work the forge for a long stretch of time.


    "What will he do instead though?"


    "I don''t know, I don''t need another apprentice and I still think he isn''t fit for it. He needs to give up and do something worthwhile instead. Even if his sister tries to sway us with her food for years it will never work."


    "You think he''s going to resent me for this?"


    "Maybe but he''s more reasonable than Sophus, he will understand that even if ya weren''t there it would not happen."


    Sophus had still not given up. Either for wooing Marcy or chasing Emp away, he was still attempting to do both. Now that Emp had helped with the unnameable of chaos and had already been here for almost two years though, his campaign had lost a lot of traction. Only a few still agreed with his views, those were the people that just hated strangers and Vesa''s mother.


    Emp had hoped that he would give up but he didn''t and instead, kept observing him to find something to badmouth him. That was pitifully pathetic, even if he did find something, by now, the others knew about his irrational dislike of Emp, there would be no one to listen.


    Leaving the petty mage out of his mind, Emp continued to work with Marcy until late in the evening.


    "Tomorrow, we''re starting work on yar armor." Marcy said as they left the workshop.


    "Really?"


    Emp was very pleased to hear that, he looked forward to seeing what she would do.


    "You got an idea of what to do?" He asked.


    "Yeah, I was inspired by the stuff ya brought back and so I had some interesting metals delivered here from my brother. The merchant came back from Redwater today, he brought a lot of good stuff."


    Those merchant probably carried a letter from Galana too but he''d only see it once they arrived in B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    More to the point, he wondered what sort of material she had bought.


    Emp rarely felt this excited about something and so had a hard time falling asleep. It did not stop him from oversleeping though and Marcy had to wake him up forcefully.


    "Hey, Emp! Wake up ya lazy slag, we got work to do and the lass is here with our breakfast already."


    After getting kicked out of bed and a short but delicious breakfast, he stepped into the workshop with Marcy.


    "Lass, we''ll be doing something big today, we don''t want to be disturbed. Tell that to yar bro or something."


    Calla just nodded and left with her empty basket.


    Emp wanted to ask Marcy what the miners would do without her but he knew that she would just answer something like "May the forest take them away, I don''t care."


    Marcy then locked them both up inside the workshop. When she was like that, she often stayed in there overnight but Emp knew that making something like a heavy armor would take far more than a single day to create. Just processing the metals alone would take one or two days with their "small" furnace, the monster materials would take an additional few days, the real crafting and forging about half a week and then, if she wanted to place enchantments on it, it would take even longer. The conclusion he came up with was that there was no way she would stay here the whole time.


    Inside, she had already brought all she thought they would need for making the armor, she must have woken up way earlier than him. There were a bunch of parts from the monster including its horns, skin and bones but there was also a good amount of raw ore. Most of that ore seemed to be iron.


    "Isn''t that just Iron? I thought you said you had a lot of good stuff delivered." Asked Emp, puzzled.


    "I have, this isn''t just simple iron ore, this is turtle-iron brought from the mines of Asdiold, all the way north in the Jorkovian empire. This thing doesn''t rust, is ever so slightly harder than ordinary iron and lighter too. We''re going to mix it with the small amount of blood-iron I could find and a good chunk of that normanic-Iron here. We''re making a steel alloy with all of them today so you better be ready for the heat. Fetch the fuel while I set up the crucible, we''ll melt it all down again and again until we get something good."


    So they were about to make steel out of them. All of those metals had been described to him before by her but he had never seen them for real. He knew their characteristics very well and he couldn''t wait to see what they would do once combined. Looking at them closer he could see some very small differences in the three ore. The blood-iron had a weak red tint while the normanic-iron had a similar blue tint, the turtle-iron was fairly ordinary at a glance.


    As for their properties, Emp knew that pure blood-iron could absorb the blood it came in contact with to grow and make more of itself while the normanic-iron was heavier than normal but ridiculously hard to bend when "cold". The alloy resulting from the three was very famously known as soaked-cold steel.(1)


    They got to work immediately and progressed slowly. They smelted everything and repeated the process a few times to get the purest iron possible before melting the whole thing down together to form their alloy. With the amount of raw ore Marcy had bought, they ended up with quite a few bars ready to be made into something useful.


    The bones were carved up in the shapes she wanted using her good tools, the skin was processed by Emp, the metal was forged by the two, things were tested and scrapped, others were kept, they continued working until late in the night every day for the better part of a month.


    Marcy kept complaining how he didn''t have any creativity.


    "What will ya do once I''m not there to tell ya what to do anymore? You need to listen to yar instincts and the materials, there''s something great to be made here, don''t just make a boring armor like the dozens ya can see everywhere. Ya have to go beyond that when ya make something, see beyond the obvious and reach for the genius instead."


    Emp wasn''t good at that sort of things but Marcy was and she was very talkative on what she felt was his biggest weak-point in this field. The whole time she talked though, she kept tweaking things, drawing some sketch and starting over to reach the best result she could from what she had at hand.


    In the end, she made something anyone else would have found inconceivable. She made a whole set of plate armor using the polished bones of the creature and after throwing all of it in her furnace, forged, or rather, melted, the soaked-cold steel on top of it, covering it like a second layer. The bones made the main structure of the armor while the steel acted as some sort of skin over it and kept all the bones welded together.


    The hardest part of it, the horns, were turned into a thick pair of vambrace with the surplus painstakingly removed and used as reinforcements into the breastplate.


    The new armor didn''t look anything like the old one. This one was steel smooth with a natural purple tint to it because of the mix between the blood-iron and the normanic-iron. The new thing was bulkier and harder to move in because each piece was made to cover as much as possible, even the articulations had their own plates covering the gaps in the main ones.


    He had already been complaining about how hard his armor was to put on but this one would be a thousand times worse. With the leather and the mail under the plates, it weighted a ton and he felt the inside was as hot as their furnace but Marcy said she''d fix that with a few runes.


    Every individual piece of the armor had to be engraved by the runes, each of them were carefully integrated into the design and Marcy spent a great amount of time embossing them in the company of beasts and arabesques to mask them in fancy artwork.


    She even applied some lacquer in places and gilded the borders of every pieces. His armor ended up being the most impressive work of art he had ever seen. He did not know of a painting or a sculpture that was this breathtaking. Even then, she told him it wasn''t her best work, she had done way better many times. No wonder she was a legendary smith, she wasn''t just a craftsman, she was an inspired artist as well.


    While they were doing all that, Emp had to work double the time because not only did he need to help making the armor, he also needed to do the usual work they were given, like fixing the tools of everyone else.


    It took so long to make that they missed the birth of Willow''s baby, he heard it was a girl and she named her Shana. They heard of it only when school Emp finally got the elixirs from the black tulips of the crystal spring and went out to bring it to the huntresses.


    He had found the best alchemist in B¨ºt¨¦clair and went to meet him for the elixirs. He had decided to trust him after an interview and the approval of both Celtine and Fonao the fwan who Heinrich had dispatched for the purpose of making sure the man was as good as he pretended.


    He observed the whole process carefully because he had not wanted to be cheated out of some of that elixir but the man was honest and after paying with one whole crystal plate, he received the thirty-eight bottles of elixir he had paid for. Each unit of the precious elixir was contained in a thick glass bottle enclosed by a cork and a good amount of wrapping over it to secure it firmly.


    Emp only had three, now two, crystal plates, each worth ten thousand gold coins so it was officially the most costly thing he had ever paid for.


    Once he had all those elixirs, the him from the village brought them to the huntresses like he had promised. He wanted to give one elixir to each and everyone of them but Connie refused to waste some on the badly wounded who would probably not go on any hunt again in the future. This meant that he used only eighteen, he had twenty remaining and one of them was for himself.


    After he had told them what those tulips were, Tacey had been very glad that she had not eaten one of them but it seemed she still had no fear of the deadly poison. Tacey made herself into the test subject and drank the thing in front of everyone. She downed it like a drunkard downs mead and everyone awaited some sort of reaction from her.


    "Taste''s fishy." She complained.


    Aside from her words the only visible reaction was that all her exposed skin became flushed as if she had a high fever. She did not complain of any discomfort and after a few minutes, her skin went back to normal.


    "Do you feel any different?" Asked Emp, curious.


    "No, not at all."


    "Maybe it takes some time to take effect?" Wondered Connie.


    "Or maybe it worked perfectly and she''s already augmented." Jaska countered. "What was it supposed to do again? Improve the speed and flexibility? How about you make a lap around the village to see."


    Tacey shrugged and started running. The results were underwhelming, nothing seemed different in any way.


    Supposing Connie was right, they waited a few day to see and effectively, the results were earth-shattering.


    Tacey said herself that she felt much lighter.


    "It feels a bit as if I was in a dream, it''s like just a push of my feet could have me jump several meters in the air."


    Her movement speed greatly increased, her jumps height and length both almost doubled, flexibility exercises felt easier than ever to her and her equipment felt much lighter than usual. Even her skin seemed smoother than before, as if it had been polished with care. (2)


    Seeing the incredible results, the other active huntresses hurriedly drank their own and Emp did the same. The smell of the dark purple liquid was fruity but Tacey was right, it tasted like fish.


    Emp felt a heat wave spread from his stomach to all over his body and saw his skin flush just like Tacey but the sensation quickly faded. What was left was only to wait for the miracle to take place.


    In the mean time, the other him also had Celtine drink one because he felt that it might help the problem of her race having brittle bones. He did not fear it would make her heavier since the drink was supposed to make her lighter in the end. He had now only eighteen elixirs remaining. He decided to wait before he gave more to anyone else.


    Only after all that and a lot more work and magic was the armor finally finished. The runes were imbued in magu by Heinrich instead of Sophus because Emp had no trust in the village mage. The best and simplest way to describe the final result would be to say that it looked powerful and dignified, knightly and intimidating.


    There were no pieces out of place but the ornaments on it made it seem like something one of the personal guards of the emperor himself would wear to impress the gallery. The armor was enchanted with cooling runes to strengthen the effects of the normanic-iron and make it more comfortable, runes to protect the wearer against curses and raw magu as well as a set of complicated runes to stop the armor from absorbing too much blood and get out of shape.


    The things was more than solid enough, should not splinter even if pressed strongly, could repair itself, could not rust, was comfortable and incredibly good looking. A true work of art and a majestic piece of equipment.


    As icing to the cake, Marcy had taken into account that he was still not done growing and had made the pieces that could not be easily adjusted bigger than they should.


    This was the best thing Emp had ever been given or had ever worked on. He couldn''t wait to show it to the others back in school.


    ***


    (1) World building time folks. If you''re interested on the how and why of those special metals, read on but be warned, it''s complicated.


    The people of this world just consider all those as different metals, they aren''t really. This is about the influence of magu. Look at the periodic table and then imagine it was 3d instead. The dept of it is determined by the number of protons and neutrons corrupted by magu. To be clear, lets take hydrogen, it only has a single proton, that''s why it''s 1 on the table. In this universe, you would have the normal everyday "H" but also a "H magu 1" where its proton is affected by magu.


    Iron as a total of between 52 and 60 proton/neutron this means that there would be 60 different variation of it caused by the magu permeating the world. There is no difference between Fe-56 and Fe-58 in terms of magu corruption aside from the fact that you can''t have some Fe-56 with a lvl 57 corruption. Got it? This means that there is a blood-iron-52 and also a blood-iron-60 that would have the same sort of difference ordinary iron-52 and iron-60 would experience.


    Both of them would have the same exact amount of proton/neutron corrupted. This also means that for each element, if you can corrupt it manually and exactly, every time you corrupt for example 24 parts of it, it will always result in the very same exhibited new properties. This is why you can find entire veins of the stuff and its not all a huge chaotic jumble.


    The lower you go on the periodic table, the wider variation of them you get but medieval mankind doesn''t care and just threat everything as different materials altogether instead of variation of the same.


    Melting the different irons together does result in mixing their properties because the atomic corruption doesn''t change, it just mix parts of the three different corruption in bulks if you will. Mixing them together will never result in an entirely new type of magu corrupted element unless you tweak them at an atomic level.


    I used corruption as descriptor through this entire thing but it was not to make it sound evil, it was just the most appropriate term I could muster on the spot. It turns protons into M-protons and neutrons into M-neutrons like a cell eating other cells around it to make more of itself.


    I don''t know for other fantasy metals but no one can blame me of not putting thoughts into this XD.


    Here is a list of a few of the iron variation Emp knows about: Blood-iron, Buzzing-iron, Chaos-iron, Divine-Iron, Echoing-Iron, Ethereal-iron, Fairy-iron, Normanic-Iron, Turtle-Iron...


    Their M number isn''t included because I can''t be bothered to decide them, it''s a pointless thing to do since it will never be of any use to the story. Divine-iron is most likely the highest number naturally occurring.


    (2) Obviously, reducing the weight of someones bones can''t do all that, the elixir is much more miraculous than what Heinrich said. I promise, it is well worth the ten thousand gold coins.

 79 Taller and newer

    Emp was laughing to himself as he read the letter in his hands.


    < Idiot! What is wrong with you! Don''t just go and attack such a thing! You could have died!


    Don''t expect me to go to your burial if you die in such a stupid way. Not that I could leave the city even if I wanted too.


    Also, would you stop bragging about all the things you learned or discovered for a second. Why do you think I care about how you defeated those assholes nobles or how that one girl got better at using a sword?


    You keep troubling those around you and then you trouble me as well for who knows why.>


    She kept complaining but she answered every time anyway. She pretended to not care and said things like "who would answer to that?" But she did it anyway, often just after saying it.


    < That girl you keep talking about is madly in love with you. I tell you, she''ll dig her claws into you, steal you for herself and turn you into one of those no good, evil, demonic, bloody nobles. You were already the worst, I don''t want to imagine what you''d be as a true noble. You should flee while you still can, you learned enough haven''t you? Just get out of there and move on before you are completely tied down by them.


    That is my friendly advice to you. You should also stop sending me letters and especially books, you aren''t helping me at all. I''ll tell you again but there is no way I will ever be able to repay you for all those things you keep sending, stop it, you''ll get nothing in return. Seriously.


    As for what you asked about my progress in magic, I had none. I''m just no good at it I tell you. I don''t have the time for that either, I''m a busy girl you know. That I waste my time answering you is already surprising in itself. That is why I answer despite the fact that you''re the worse.>


    Emp believed she was lonely, that was the reason why she kept answering. As for magic, maybe she just wasn''t good with water like her mother was. Maybe she should try some other element.


    Emp had a ton of books about magic, surely, one of them would be in line with her affinity. He was almost done with many of them by now. Once he had managed to use Jaska''s trick reliably, he became able to hold the spells as long as he pleased.


    Because of this, he started reading the following spells and since he was busy with many other things, he chose to learn the whole book by heart. Even if there was something he didn''t understand, he would still remember it for when he needed it. While doing that, he felt it was a good idea the repeat the process with all the other books Heinrich had given him.


    That was really a whole lot of information to remember but he was pretty good at this sort of things. He kept forgetting things like the book of answers or to give copies of the ring or even what he ate the previous day but when he really wanted to, things just stayed in his head. Martial arts never left his mind once they were demonstrated to him, strategies he remembered thanks to the figures on the table and magic he just used the gestures as a way to tell which things were for which spells.


    The book about fire magic was rather simple compared to earth or wind. Their spells felt very direct, they were usually just a quick bursts of words and sharp, violent moves. He didn''t manage to cast any of those spells yet because reading about them and actually using them was quite different but all the content had been assiduously engraved into his head.


    He felt that fire would be a good match for her and since he didn''t need the book anymore, he decided to send it to Galana with his next letter.


    As for his own progress in magic, learning everything by heart was enough for now. He would eventually be able to cast all of those correctly as long as he didn''t remember anything wrongly. If the words were wrong, Celtine would be able to tell they didn''t sound right anyway.


    Emp believed he could use her to translate all the spell words and learn the actual languages rather than just spitting them back out by heart but it was way too time consuming.


    The words came from more than one language and all of them were old and obscure. Only those super old mages that had dedicated their whole life to magic had actually learned the languages. Someone like Emp had no time for this.


    It was true that Sage told him to learn magic but there was just too much of it. If he stopped to learn everything there was about it, the emperor he was supposed to overthrow would have the time to die of old age twenty times over before he was done. It was best to just know the spells for now instead of understanding all the mechanics and semantics behind them.


    He fetched the book in his bag and after he read the rest of her letter, he wrote her a reply where he complained she never talked about what was happening on her side.


    If he was to believe her words, there would be nothing worth mentioning at all. It had been months since the last time she complained about some injustice or another. Why wasn''t she telling him about them anymore?


    Once he was done with the letter and the package of three books with it, he placed it back in his bag to give to the receptionist later and left his bedroom.


    Today, he was to follow Mable and her three friends in town. It seemed that she had grown as well and she decided she needed some new clothes.


    It was true that Emp had noticed how the front of her dress became more and more strained overtime but it was only after he was told that she had grown that he understood why that was.


    Her growth rate had been almost on par with his own so her height did not seem to change from his perspective. This had led him to believe that she ate so much cake her chest started to fatten instead of her belly.


    Now that he had a real explanation, her breasts growing to infinity from the cakes seemed like a really dumb thought. She was just becoming more womanly and everything was normal.


    In any case the girls had convinced him he couldn''t just continue to have his old clothes fixed all the time and that he should follow them in town to have some new ones made for him and escort them through the streets.


    That meant he needed to prepare to go out.


    Once in his main room, he called Harriett over in order to help him put his armor on. Since he was going out, might as well put it on. His clothes weren''t really fit for going out anymore and he would look more like the bodyguard he was supposed to be with the plate on.


    The slave came up to him in high spirit and helped him with the complex pieces of equipment. She had not been jealous of Calla''s cooking for long because she realized that without her here, Emp would never get anything done. She was essential to the good operation of their daily lives.


    In the end, the situation fixed itself quickly and Emp didn''t have to intervene outside of confirming that she was the best at housework. It wasn''t the most impressive thing there could be but she was very proud of it and he was very thankful for her hard work.


    He had told her this often but she needed a reminder from time to time.


    While she was helping him put on his suit of armor, he admired the old one, exposed on a specially made stand by the fireplace''s side.


    He had a lot of memories in it so he had decided to keep it and since it was unusable, he had decided to expose it here. Ever since that time Mable told him his room was no good, it had changed a lot. He kept the soul crystal over the mantle because he felt that such an important part of him should hold a prominent place in his living space. He kept a sword turned into purple glass to remind him of the unnameable of chaos and he kept a large bowl of spiked-wolf teeth in a corner until he found something worthwhile to do with them. He still had some books here but only those he had the time to read. There was a copy of woes and heroes of our woods, the book of basics in earth magic and a few about historical events and geography.


    It was still somewhat empty compared to many other rooms he had seen but at least, now it felt like himself. He did not feel disappointed of its emptiness, the others had a great lead over him after all. He would grow it over time with more things as he progressed through life. When he''d move away from here, he would bring all of those things with him and recreate this place elsewhere.


    "I think this is the last part master. Did I do a good job of it?"


    "Yes, like always, thank you Harriett."


    "It is my pleasure to serve you master."


    That was a classic Harriett answer, sometimes, he wondered if it was true or if it was just the way she had been taught to answer. He could just ask her but whatever she really felt, she would answer that she really did enjoy it.


    Instead, he decided to bring her along on their shopping trip. He wanted her to take a break from all the chores for once and they might find something to her liking.


    He looked at the two girls and told them how he wanted to proceed.


    "Celtine, you''re not coming this time around because it''s still hard to carry you in this new armor. I''ll bring Harriett along instead, you''ll help me with the new clothes I need."


    "As you will master." She answered in her usual formal way.


    <Be safe and have fun.> The other wrote for them.


    Celtine didn''t seem to disappointed to not come along with them. Riding his armored shoulders was always uncomfortable and the stares of everyone on the streets were very displeasing. Instead, she''d rather stay here and try her hands at dusting the place a bit. That was the kind of task she preferred because she could use the broom as a crutch.


    Like he had expected, the elixir had not fixed her balancing issues but now at least, he wasn''t afraid she would hurt herself badly if she fell. He believed that now, he could have her practice the use some useful weapons like a short bow without risking her breaking her own arms.


    At first he had been skeptical of the rumors saying that the winged tribe members could injure themselves by using weapons but Celtine herself had confirmed it. Her tribe never fought in melee range because the chock of each strike could snap the bones in their arms. They all had weak and brittle bones that could easily break from the silliest reason.


    They did have some bows to defend themselves but their bows had very low string tensions and were only used while aiming downward from high up in the sky. The fall of the arrow generated much more power than the actual bow.


    However, with the effects of the elixir, Emp was convinced that a real bow would pose no danger to her now. Would it not be fun to have her shoot arrows from his shoulder while he fought? He knew it was a bit silly but he couldn''t help but want to try it.


    Aside from that, he hoped that she would now be able to gain some muscle on her exaggeratedly thin frame and gain a better autonomy. It would still be a while before he could give her wings back to her so he was hopeful that the concoction he gave her would improve her life in the meantime.


    As for the effect of said potion on himself, he found them very great.


    Everything seemed lighter than before to him, it was as if he had worked out with the overburdening hammer for months.


    When he stretched himself before training, he found out that he could bend much more easily, in fact, he could now bend backward so far that he could touch the ground with his hands with no apparent difficulty.


    He could now understand what Tacey meant when she said it was like being in a dream. The difference with before was so jarring that it did seem unreal. Things that would have seemed ill advised before like jumping from the roof of a house now seemed easy and simple. Before, he could have just space stepped down but now, even a two floor building didn''t seem that tall to him and he didn''t think he would hurt himself from falling from such a height.


    His speed also greatly increased, it still wasn''t at the level of the mouse but it was close to the speed of his son Jin. Before, he could see a lot of things without being able to react in time but now, it was almost the opposite, it was his head that couldn''t keep up with his speed if he went all out.


    The heavy thunder-chew hammer now felt like a simple stick in his hand. It could have been ten times heavier and he would still have been able to swing it easily.


    There was no doubt in his mind that the next spar he held with Brenia would be very unfairly in his advantage. They had been pretty close to each other''s strength up to now and he had lost about as many as he had won against her but now, he couldn''t see how he could possibly loose.


    Now was not the time for a spar though, now, he only needed to think about clothing. He would have preferred to try out his new improved body but everyone else was right, he did need new clothes.


    Harriett and him waved goodbye to Celtine and left his room to join up with Mable and the others.


    It only took a few moments to reach her room. He kept his new helmet in his hand as he knocked on the door. The others didn''t know about his new armor yet so he didn''t want to frighten them by hiding his face as well.


    The new helmet was sleek and had a sort of edged line pointing in front of his face. It was a close helm that had an articulated visor in four different parts and a bevor that protected the upper part of his neck and held the helm in place on his head when correctly fixed with a strap. Under it, there was a gorget that protected his neck and shoulders but he didn''t have to mess with it to remove his helm.


    The way the visor was forged, it looked like many layers of a wall that was erected between his face and the enemy, with the upper part looking like crenelated battlements and meurtriere as openings for his eyes. (1)


    The bevor under it was like the base of the wall which turned into thickroots painfully hammered into its shape. The roots extended all the way down to the gorget and gave the impression that the wall had grown like a tree from his torso. He liked it lot, it was made to represent the Muraciers but for those that didn''t know, it was just a great looking helm with many details and a lot of inlaid gold ornaments.


    "Who is it?" Aglaya''s voice came from inside.


    "It''s me."


    "Ah, Emp, come in."


    He turned the door handle and let himself in. The four girls and their servants were sat around the table, drinking tea while they waited for him.


    When they saw him, they all examined his new armor with interest.


    "Woah, that armor looks great! You look like an imperial knight!"


    Mable clapped her hands in excitement and came up to him to look at the details.


    "Where did you get it?"


    "Isn''t it too large for you?" Aglaya added to Nessa''s question.


    "A bit big yes, we made it this way on purpose because I wasn''t done growing."


    "We?"


    "Yeah, I participated in making it. I hammered more than half of those parts into the right shape, it took me days. I wasn''t good enough to make the details or any of the small articulations though. I only made the general shape and prepared the materials and tools for my mother."


    "Your mother! You''re saying it''s your mother who made it? She''s so talented it''s incredible."


    Mable praised their work as she turned around him and traced her fingers over all the embossing and engraving work on it.


    "I agree, it looks incredible but if it was made by you and your mother, is it just a work of art?" Nessa asked.


    It did happen sometimes that nobles had some armor made for them with no other use than parade in them. Those weren''t really made to battle and only served to cover them in ornaments, the metal was weak and often unwieldy. Nessa''s question was a legit one.


    "It''s not just for show I can promise you. This thing was made from the bones of the unnameable of chaos covered and welded together with soaked-cold steel. The under-layer is made with leather from the same beast and the thing is covered in magic runes."


    One might wonder how you could emboss something if there was a layer of literal bones at the spot you needed to hammer to make it work and they would be right to do so. The answer was a bit complicated and included two parts.


    Even though the creature was gigantic, you could not cover a human in its bones because you had to carve them into a usable shape. Even with enough material, they would not play nicely enough with each other and there was a lot of leftovers. What is more, some parts couldn''t be thick enough to hold the bones if they wanted it all to move properly.


    The second part of the answer was a crafty trick Marcy employed. She made a second thinner layer of soaked-cold steel she riveted and welded over the first that held the bones together. It was that one she embossed and gilded before snapping it in place for good.


    For someone ordinary, this was way too much steel and would be too heavy but for Emp, it was nothing at all.


    "Really? Woah, it must have cost you an arm!"


    Githa started sweating just at the thought of the cost.


    It was true that it ended up costing them a lot in raw material to make those two layers but Emp would never resent paying as much as needed for the equipment that was meant to keep him alive.


    "Yes but it was more than worth it I think. I like it a lot and I can''t wait to try it out for real."


    "It''s true that it''s very good looking, it''s completely different from your old one too." Commented Aglaya.


    The old one was full of edgy bits and menacing, this one was much more noble.


    The overall balance of the armor colors was great, with the bright gold really enhancing the purple sheen of the armor by contrasting the borders and important details of it. Plus, he liked purple a lot. That armor just made him like it more.


    "Put the helmet on, I wanna see!"


    He did as Mable asked and clasped the whole thing in place. It wasn''t that much harder to do with his gauntlets than it would be with his bare fingers. In fact, he found the way all the small plates moved when his fingers bent to be very entertaining. It was the satisfaction of a perfectly working mechanism.


    "Now you really look like a knight. It''s really fun to know the one under the armor well for once. Usually, it''s just a bunch of stranger wearing plates and its a bit scary and intimidating. Since its you though, its the opposite. It''s not intimidating at all."


    Emp was about to protest but Aglaya was faster.


    "Mable doesn''t mean to say you aren''t intimidating, she means that it doesn''t feel that way because she knows you are the one underneath. I''m sure any ordinary townsmen would shiver if you were to walk straight at them."


    That was reassuring to hear. It would have been real disappointment if no one found it impressive.


    "Yeah, sorry, that''s what I meant. I meant to say that it feels like that because you''re with me rather than against me. I know you''re not there yet but even a Muracier would pause to evaluate his chances before he fought you."


    If by that she meant that he wasn''t strong enough to fight against a real Muracier yet, then she was right. Being the strongest student didn''t make him a strong warrior, it only made him someone who wouldn''t die instantly in a real fight. He was pretty sure that even Marcy was still much stronger than him.


    Thinking about Marcy, it seemed that Aglaya kept her words and didn''t question him about his mother. She had told him she had given up looking for who he was and that seemed to be the case.


    "I might not be strong enough yet but I hope I will soon."


    "I hope so too!" Mable cheered him on with a resolute smile.


    "Well then, we''ll be able to check that armor as much as we want on the way, we should go already." Nessa declared before drinking all that was left in her cup at a quick pace.


    The others agreed, having new clothes made for them was a serious affair, at least for them. It would take a lot of time if they were all to buy things, they couldn''t afford to waste it all standing here talking about Emp''s armor.


    The girls took on their purses and the group left the school with a few of their servants. They ended up being a group of ten. The sky was clear and bright but it had rained the previous day so the streets were all muddy and the stones slippery.


    The girls all wore knee length skirts or dresses to keep the cloth out of reach from the filth. They walked close to each other and kept their servants in a sort of circle around them. Nobles often did that in order to keep something between them and the rest of the world. If something happened, the servants would be first in line and could potentially buy some time for the nobles to react.


    Emp was of two mind about this. He understood this was a good idea and likely the best way to do things but he also felt that those slaves had spent a lot of time with them. If they knew them as much as he knew Harriett and Celtine, it felt like a waste to sacrifice them to a random thug. He''d rather protect them too.


    Since he was alone to watch over a group of nine others, it was a hard task to do. If he stood in the back to watch over everything and someone attacked them head-on, he would have to go through the group in order to reach the attackers. If he led from the front, he would have the same problem if they were ambushed from the back.


    In a corner of his mind, he understood that getting attacked in the middle of the street was very unlikely but at the same time, his own experiences until now led him to believe otherwise. Every time he went out shopping, he got into a fight with someone. He hoped that since they were clearly all nobles, no one would have the idea of messing with them.


    In the end, he ended up leading the way to the clothes maker. He walked in front and made a path for the rest of the group through the crowd.


    He was very happy to notice that he could now see through the crowds, he wasn''t the shortest anymore. In fact, he was now above the average.


    Like every time he went outside, he attracted the eyes of many people because of what he wore. Last time it was because of Celtine on his shoulders while this time, it was the armor. Despite how magnificent and intimidating it looked, it was very out of place here in B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    People here wore gaudy clothes of extravagant feathers and risque cuts, adorned with mismatched jewels and tinted furs. The armors one could see on the streets were either similar to his old one or painted from head to toe with colorful imagery. (2)


    The girls stood out as well because of their clothes. Emp would describe them as more tasteful than those surrounding them but the locals would call them foreigner clothes instead, or just bland.


    In summary, they seemed like a group of strangers. It was obvious that the girls at least were from the imperial school. Aside from that, because they had so much attention, it was easy for him to cut between the passersby. (3)


    They walked peacefully towards the store as they talked. The girls chatted about how long it had been since each of them had been escorted like that. Githa was the only one for whom this was a new experience but she liked it a lot. There was a satisfying feeling provided by how people made way in front of Emp and them.


    Emp thought it was amusing how much fun they had just walking around and watching everyone get out of their way. They would be the ones who would have to get out of the way if they met with a very high ranked noble but since Nessa was the daughter of a duke, the chances of meeting someone higher on the ladder where slim.


    Once at the tailor''s place, the part Emp disliked started. If someone had told him that choosing clothes could get even worse than what he had already experienced, he would never have believed it.


    First of all, he had not realized before he got there that the clothes-maker would need to retake his measurements, therefore, he needed to remove the armor.


    Second of all, they had many person to go through. Each of the four girls wanted some new clothes and thus, he had to sit through the whole process five whole times in a row.


    The third thing they had to worry about was scissors. They had to send Githa inside first to make sure there was no scissors in sight. Afterwards, every time they needed something cut, they had to ask the clothes maker to do it in the backroom to spare Mable.


    Finally, the girls were very vocals about their opinions and kept discussing the choices of everyone. Emp only desired two things in his clothes, he wanted them to be comfortable and easy to move in and he wanted a bit of purple on them. The girls were much more demanding.


    They talked and talked, asking for the others'' thoughts on every bit of details. They constantly changed their minds about their previous decisions in order to accommodate new ideas.


    Not only did she ask the others but Mable also asked him what he thought about most of her decisions. The moment he seemed unsure about something, she discarded it and chose something else.


    It was hard for him because he had no clue about what to answer most of the time. Even if she asked him which fabric would look better with the design she wanted, how was he supposed to know? It wasn''t like he had extensive knowledge about fabrics or even clothes in general.


    The best he could do was to answer the simplest questions like which would look better between this and this.


    As if their discussion didn''t feel busy enough to Emp, they put a layer of small talk over it all. They spent their whole afternoon in that shop, talking about clothes, classes and whatever else they happened to think about.


    They talked about the rising number of refugees from Greenpeaks, they talked about Nessa''s progress in the strategy class, about Zoran''s misfortune, what they''d like to wish for when the new year came and so on. They even talked about their sleeping postures and how Githa found older men more to her liking than the boys their age. (4)


    Emp stayed out of most of the topic and only commented when he felt it was worth to say it or when he was directly asked. The subject changed so often and so quickly that he was often left behind.


    They only went back towards the school after they had spent hours there and Githa didn''t even buy anything in the end.


    That sort of trip wasn''t for him. He was kinda relieved once it was finally over. In reverse, Mable had a lot of fun and was beaming from the jolly outing.


    "Thank you Emp for accompanying us." She told him as they walked back into the school.


    Emp removed his helm again to answer more easily.


    "No problem, I''m supposed to anyway."


    "There''s something great about being watched over by someone reliable isn''t there?" Aglaya nudged her friend.


    "Yes, I understand what you meant now. I never thought going shopping for clothes could be this fun. It was way better than back home."


    Mable was satisfied it seemed. Emp was just glad they had not been attacked like every other time. He finally had a peaceful shopping trip after two years of existence.


    The girls all left one by one until only Mable remained. He walked her all the way to her room and she thanked him again for the day.


    "I know you don''t like to talk about clothing but I don''t think it would have been as fun without you so thank you again. I had a great day and I like your new armor a lot. I think its charming in a manly sort of way."


    "You think?"


    "Yeah..."


    She seemed to hesitate for a second before leaning forward on her tiptoe and whispering a strange secret to his ear.


    "I''m kinda glad there''s no ridiculous codpiece on it. My uncle had one so large he kept knocking tables and things over with it. One time, one of my aunts was furious and slammed a door shut on it. It left that huge dent and my uncle went pale."


    Emp could help but laugh out loud at that ridiculous story. As he was laughing, Mable used her position close to his ear to press a light kiss on his cheek and ran inside her room before he could react.


    "Night! Bye!"


    And the door was slammed shut.


    ***


    "Tonight is the first big step in our plan, I''m all ready now, you can go to bed, I''ll join you later."


    "..."


    "Yes I love you too, good night. Don''t worry, I won''t do anything exaggerated."


    So, who should I go get first, this one or that one? Hard to choose. Should I go for who she recommended as sisters? She''s cuter than I expected, maybe I''ll keep her after all this is over. In that case, I should pick one or two from her list to please her.


    Although I''m not sure she will be as cute as before when she finds out how I plan to convince them. Soft suggestions and mild mind altering potions worked well on her but I don''t think the others will be so easy.


    The glass merchant girl would be a good choice for the money alone but she''s not a pressing matter. The noble girls are many times more valuable, I''ll get so many titles!


    Then the Greenpeaks princess? She''s not the inheritor and her kingdom will probably collapse soon, maybe later. She''s not even in the list she gave.


    Then who''s the most interesting out of her top three?


    This one is very curious, I wonder what''s her name. Shall we gamble a bit? I can only go for her at night anyway because she''s followed all the time by her guardian and her friend. Scissors? Where did I store those things, they might get handy...


    ***


    (1) Note that meurtriere is a misspelled French word, (meurtri¨¨re) that literally means murderer (in its feminine form). Just in case you don''t know, meurtriere are the slits in the battlements that they use to shoot arrows through. So they were indeed murder openings. Openings being a feminine word in French, they called it meurtri¨¨re and the English version just removed the accent.


    Likewise, gorget come from the word "gorge" which is the French word for throat.


    (2) I often disagree with American spelling of words but in the case of color and armor I do not. You see, in French, "ou" is pronounced the same way you say "who". Every time I see colour or armour I go crazy because I say it "col-who-r" and "Arm-who-r" in my head. Fun fact, armour is only a letter away from the French word amour which means love. Anyway, I''m just complaining because my text editing software thinks I misspelled all words including color or armor in them and it''s getting annoying.


    (3) Yes, I finally learned that the plural of passerby is not Passerbys but passersby instead.


    (4) I do not remember if I precised it already but It needs to be pointed out. I often use the terms boys or girls to describe anyone up to around twenty years old. I even sometimes use the words for 28 years old that look young. In fact, in real life conversation I almost never use the words women or men. I felt like this habit of mine needed to be pointed out once and for all before the readers started complaining about how confusing my choice of words were. In my head, boy and girl doesn''t equal kids. If I really mean a kid, I will say either kid or small boy/girl. Same kind of thing for teenagers.

 80 Mables bedroom

    Mable was standing close to the railing of her balcony. Her hands were gripping it while she was trying to calm her speeding heart.


    It was dark outside, she could barely see the training grounds bellow. There were no loud sounds to disturb the night. A few bugs were flying around her and a great deal more down there. She chased them all away by flailing both of her arms their way. In part because they annoyed them and in part because she needed to let off steam.


    She couldn''t believe she had really done that. She had wanted to tease him for fun but then she ran instead of staying to watch his reaction. Now she didn''t get to see his confused face and it would be awkward when she''d see him the next day. She should have stayed after kissing him but no, of course she had to run away!


    She was so frustrated with herself she wanted to throw something down from the balcony.


    Not only that but she just knew her bit of teasing would backfire on her. No one had to know! She needed to tell Emp to shut up about that first thing in the morning tomorrow because if Aglaya learned of this, she was the one who would be teased until the end of times.


    It had been such a good day too, why did she have to end it on such a stupid note?


    She released a sigh, got back in the room and threw herself onto her bed after slamming the door shut. She stayed sprawled there for a while, motionless.


    She wondered how Emp felt about it.


    Knowing him, he was probably not as restless as her. Perhaps he''d like her to do it again?


    No way! She wasn''t doing that again!


    Maybe just possibly if he asked really nicely.


    No way! Her father would kill them both! She was so dead!


    She rolled on top of her bed to calm herself a bit.


    Maybe he''d be upset instead. That would be better for them both.


    Would it?


    It wasn''t even a real kiss, it was just a peck on the cheek. She gave the same kind to her dad. There was no reason to be upset about that sort of kiss.


    Right?


    She never got flustered like she just did by giving those to her parents though.


    She groaned and rolled in her bed again, tangling herself in her hair. They were getting a bit long. The out of control kind of long. Maybe she should have someone cut them shorter with a big knife. Her father wasn''t there to stop her anyway.


    Now wasn''t the time to think about her hair though. What she really needed to do was to go to sleep. To do that, she needed to stop thinking about that stupid kiss. Who cared about a single small peck anyway.


    She needed to think about something else, anything at all.


    She struggled to free herself from her hair and got back up from her bed to get rid of her clothes and change into her night robe. It was a loose white dress made of silk that fell all the way down to her ankles. She often got her arms stuck in the long sleeves at night but it was still convenient since it was often too hot to bother with bed sheets in the summer. Tonight though, she''d hide herself in the covers, It was still cold enough before the new year.


    She finished undoing her hair and arranged it neatly at the head of the bed before laying on it herself. She still had not found a way to keep her hair from getting all messed up by her sleep. It always ended up in a jumble and it took her and her servants hours to fix them.


    If she kept them tied up, it made an uncomfortable knot under her head. If she threw them out of the way and onto the floor, their weight tugged at her head in an annoying way. There was no other solution for her than to leave them between her pillows and the bedhead and hope that she wouldn''t get herself stuck in them by moving too much in her sleep.


    It happened all the time too. She''d wake up to find her hair strewn all about and the top half of herself tied up with them.


    While she was grabbing the thin sheets to pull them over herself, her eyes fell onto the ring Emp had given her. Her hair would surely get stuck on it if she kept it on. It would be smarter to remove it and place it on the night table until tomorrow.


    The kiss she gave him came back to her mind again and she decided against removing it. She didn''t want to. She might regret it in the morning but for now, she didn''t care.


    She liked that ring a lot, not only was it the most complex and interesting she had, it had been gifted by Emp.


    She wasn''t sure she would be able to convince her father that Emp was a good suitor, it would be very hard. He would need to do something pretty heroic for it to work. He had a good start but her father had some ridiculously high standards. She was almost certain that he''d say that it was just some momentary feelings on her part and that she would find her actions ridiculous in the future. How was she to know about that though? She wasn''t some sort of seer who knew the future.


    Maybe she should go to the temple of love and take a prediction from there. Maybe they''d know what to do.


    She could hardly see the ring in here. She had no candles in her room because it was all too easy to set fire to hairs. She had to raise the ring close to her eyes to look at it more easily in the dark.


    He had said that the ring changed according to what he felt right? Wasn''t the ring even prettier now than it was before? Maybe it was just her imagination, or an illusion of the dark.


    What was she even doing now, she was supposed to think of something else and sleep.


    She placed her head on her pillow and fixed the ceiling.


    There was a mosquito hovering mindlessly close to her ceiling. She must have let it in when she went to the balcony earlier. Should she call a servant girl to get rid of it? She didn''t want to get bitten in her sleep but she didn''t want to get back up either. It would take ages to neatly place her hair back into the bed.


    She watched it move about for a while, half trying to figure out what to do with it and half trying to put herself to sleep by loosing herself in its flight.


    Maybe it was fine to leave it there. After all, she wouldn''t die of a mosquito bite. There was no reason to alarm herself with this. She slowly drifted to sleep thinking about the fly.


    She woke up later thinking she heard a noise in her room. It made her gasp in surprise and she bounced in her bed in confusion. The first thing that came to her mind waking up was to wander where that noise came from and what it was. Only after those did she finally ask herself the most important question, why did it come from inside her room?


    She fearfully looked around her room to pinpoint the origin of that noise. It was hard to see through the curtain of her disheveled hairs and the obscurity but she believed that if something was out of place, she would notice it right away.


    First, she noticed her balcony door was still closed. This meant that whatever it was had already been here or came from her main room. Maybe it was just one of the two servants but why would they come in so late at night? Or maybe it wasn''t so late, she didn''t know how long she slept for, it might have been only half an hour.


    She saw that the mosquito was still there. Why are mosquitoes so dumb, there''s nothing on that ceiling, go away! She scolded it in her head.


    Her eyes continued their tour and finally landed on a tall shape close to her door. It was too dark, she couldn''t see what it was. It was taller than her two servants though!


    She froze in fear, staring at the thing. What should she do? Scream for help or wait for it to leave? Maybe it was just something dumb like a coat hanger, she needed to calm down and look at it properly. But she had nothing there! No coat hanger, no furniture of any sort!


    There were some scratching sounds coming from it, with no other noise in her room, it seemed very loud. She felt like that noise wasn''t what had woken her up but she couldn''t figure out what it had been.


    She had cold sweat under her blanket, she was so scared. This was the second scariest thing she had ever seen. If she screamed right now, would she get immediately attacked? Even if she wanted to, she doubted she''d be able to scream, in her state of panic. It seemed that at this moment, only her heart wasn''t turned into stone, in reverse, it was beating extremely quickly.


    Didn''t it hear her waking up earlier? Why had it not moved when she gasped? What was it doing? at this moment, she had the impossible hope that someone like her servant, Aglaya or even Emp would barge into her room to bring some light to what the thing was. Maybe save her from it too.


    The thing moved!


    There was the rustle of clothes and a louder clicking sound as a feeble spark of fire blinded her. After her vision adjusted to the new light, she finally discovered what was in her room.


    It was a man, a bald one. Someone she knew, a teacher that looked like he had not slept in years. She didn''t remember his name but she believed he was the potion teacher, or something like that. He held a candle on a small holder in his left hand which illuminated a bunch of weird drawings on her wall. Was he the one who made them? Were they some sort of magic thing? Was that the thing that made the scratching noises?


    The most important question of all was, what was going on?


    The man wore a set of black clothes, leather pants and a many-pocketed mage vest. He harbored a smile he probably wanted to seem reassuring but in the dark with only the lower half of his face lighted by his candle, it just seemed more creepy.


    A shiver ran down her spine. She was much too scared to ask him why he was there.


    The teacher walked closer to her bed and spoke in a well articulate manner.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you. I was drawing the spell circles on the walls and I dropped the candle by accident."


    His words seemed so absurd and in such discordance from the current situation that she finally broke out of her stupor. She loudly yelled her complaints. She was still frightened but there was no way she could let that ridiculous statement be.


    "What do you mean you didn''t mean to scare me! By all the gods, what are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?"


    "I just wanted to have a private conversation with you. A nice chat away from all the ears of your friends."


    Did that man have some brain damage? Intruding in someone''s bedroom at night just to talk? She had no good or bad impression of him before but now, she marked him as a worthless undesirable creep.


    "Get out!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.


    The man brought his free hand to his ear with an exaggeratedly pained face, as if to mock her.


    "Do not scream so loud, it''s painful to the ears."


    "Get out!" She screamed a second time, just as loudly.


    The man didn''t seem impressed or put off at all by her outburst. He continued to speak in a calm manner.


    "Even if you do that, I''m not leaving and no one will hear you. I just finished placing wards on your walls to block all sounds from escaping or entering this room."


    A new wave of fear washed over her.


    "What? Why would you do that?"


    "Obviously so that we won''t be disturbed. Here, I knew you''d be upset of my intrusion so I brought you some flowers and a small strawberry cake as an apology."


    He bent down a fetched a box he must have brought in with him when he first came in. Opening the lid, he revealed the two items he wanted to give her. This didn''t appease her at all however. The mosquito hovered over his head as if to remind her she was still in the real world.


    "I don''t want them, I just want you to leave." She told him after gathering her courage again.


    "Don''t be like that, I jut want us to have a good time."


    He placed the box on her bed and sat himself on the other side of it. How dare he sit on her bed! She didn''t want some strange man there, but then again, there wasn''t really anything she could do about it for now. It wasn''t like she kept a weapon with her at all times.


    She was afraid of where this was all going but she kept the hope that she''d be able to distract him long enough for her to dash out of the room. For now, she could only listen to his nonsense.


    "How could I convince you of my good intentions? Here, look into my eyes, see that I''m not lying."


    Now she felt much more angry than scared. She was still very afraid but the situation was so strange and was progressing so slowly that she managed to recover some of her wits.


    She looked up to his eyes while thinking of a way to get out. His eyes where jovial but had a dark color and his smile was soft but in the circumstances, disturbing. He had raised the candle in front of his face so she could see the flame sway gently in between his eyes.


    "I only want the happiness of everyone, you have to trust me. Calm your heart, there is nothing to fear here, there is nothing wrong going on. We''re just going to have a normal conversation. I am a trustworthy person, a teacher."


    It was true that he was a teacher after all, what could he possibly do to harm her. She lost interest in him and somehow focused on the flame of the candle instead. That thing should not be above her bed because it could be dangerous but she found some calm by looking at it.


    "You''ve had a long day of shopping, I understand you are tired so you can be at ease and relax. Your thoughts are heavy, sluggish even, no worry, I won''t mind, I understand."


    Mable sank back down on her pillow. The moment he left, she would go back to sleep. She thought that this event had woken her up for good but apparently not.


    "It''s true I''m tired. If you understand that then go away."


    "But I''ve come this far just to have a talk with you, at least hear me out, it will not be too long I promise. Your friend told me you are a very fun person so surely you will accept my puny request. You''ll see we''ll have a lot of fun."


    Something was wrong. Why was that flame so tall? She agreed absentmindedly while she kept her eyes on the candle.


    "Good, should we introduce ourselves properly first? You know who I am right? I am Ninoslav Miramor. I''m a teacher, some of your friends are in my class. Will you allow me to hear your name as well?"


    Something was very wrong.


    "Mable."


    "But what about your family name? I gave you my full name, why not do the same by courtesy."


    Alarm bells rang in her head. She wasn''t supposed to tell anyone. Aglaya reminded her almost every day to not do it. She had no intention of doing it yet, why did she want to say it so badly? Her heartbeat accelerated once again. What sort of trick was this, what was happening?


    In panic, she activated her self-magic. It cleansed her whole body from anything foreign but consumed a lot of sugar in exchange. The longer she kept it active, the more she craved pastries and sweet fruits.


    Running the energy throughout her body, she felt clarity come back to her and her sleepiness fade away like smoke. He was casting manipulation magic! That horrible freak! If not for her family''s self-magic aptly called "clarity and purity", she would have fallen in his grasp completely in no time at all.


    She was horrified by the realization and barely managed to stammer and answer.


    "I I w-won''t tell. I won''t tell!"


    "Hmm, maybe you are indeed too tired to hold a proper conversation. Maybe the cake will do you some good. Here, take a bite of it, it''s really good and I have some beverage to go with it. I made it myself, it''s delicious."


    All her hair stood upright when she saw him fetch a sealed bottle from a pocket of his vest and present it to her with the cake box. He was a master of potions and illusions! There was no way eating either the cake or the clear liquid in the bottle a good idea. Her heart bounced into her chest and she gulped in apprehension.


    There was another thing she understood with this though, he kept the candle were it was. Did he not notice she had escaped his spell? Was this her chance to escape?


    She had no intention of remaining here to see what sort of mad thing he was planning. She pretended to grab both the cake and the bottle but hurled them both at him the second she had a hold on them.


    "Ah!"


    He yelped in surprise and protected his face with both his hands. The cake flew into the candle and extinguished it before bursting in big chunks and dirtying both his face and clothes. The bottle bounced onto his arm before spilling its contents all over her floor.


    While this was happening, she threw her covers away and dashed towards the door. The room returned to darkness the moment the cake hit but Mable knew her own room well enough to find the door even if she was blinded. This must have been the first time she thanked her room for being so small.


    Not small enough.


    Her hand reached for the handle when she was suddenly pulled back. The man tugged on her hair hard and she fell on her back on the wood covered floor. Her head knocked on the ground hard and she felt dizzy, under the boards, there was stone. The noise this painful fall made was loud but she knew from his word that neither of her servants would hear this.


    Betrayed by her own hair again! It was so long the end of if still went across half her bed. It had been easy for him to grab a hold of it, even without seeing anything.


    "I didn''t expect you to break free of that spell so quickly, you surprised me. Will you come back here obediently now or do I have to use your hair as a rope?"


    "Let go of me! I''ll tell everyone that you''re a pervert who goes into girls rooms at night and uses mind altering magic on them!"


    Still laid on the floor, she wrapped her fingers around all the hair she could reach and tugged back with all her strength. It was kinda painful and she had the absurd fear that either her or him would end up ripping her scalp off her skull but if she wanted to run, this was the only thing she could do. Instead of bringing back her hair though, she just slid on the ground, getting even closer to him.


    His calm voice came from her bed again. He didn''t seem more upset than that.


    "I really just wanted to talk and see if you were worthy of being made into one of my wives but if you''re gonna be like this¡­ I have to either make you surrender tonight or have you disappear before you can tell anyone about what I''m doing. Good thing I came prepared."


    Make her disappear!!?


    "W-what will you do?"


    The dark shape of the man rose from the bed and closed in on her. She tried to crawl further away but he kept her there by using the hair like a leash. Her head throbbed in pain, her heart kept pumping blood faster and faster into it and the new bruise on the back of it, quickly giving her a huge headache.


    "The plan was to ask you some questions and slowly gain your heart over time once I knew you wouldn''t cause me too much trouble but it seems I was unlucky. You''re forcing my hand here you know? Why did I even try this in the first place, I hate gambles. I''m a firm believer that everything should be thought trough before moving a single finger."


    He came so close that she was now able to see his face clearly in the dark, he was a million times scarier now than he was before. He had dropped all semblance of kindness and now only determination could be seen.


    As he crouched above her, she struggled and kicked towards him, keeping him at bay for now.


    The candle he previously held in his hand was nowhere to be seen anymore, instead, he had¡­


    "snip-snip."


    She froze completely, turning as rigid as a plank. Fear drowned her head and all reason escaped her. There were no fragments of coherent thoughts left in her head.


    "Oh, I didn''t, expect these simple scissors to be so effective."


    Ninoslav sat over her belly with his legs on each side of her. She couldn''t hear nor see him though. All she saw were nightmarish memories.


    She was walking alongside a beautiful river with her mother. A giant pincer burst out from the water. No guards to be seen around. The ladies scream, the river is supposed to be safe.


    *snip* One of them is caught before the first scream rises. There isn''t only one pincer, others follow as fast as rain, picking everyone up like flowers in a garden.


    *snip-snip-snip*


    Horrified faces and oversized crustacean arms all around her.


    Some get snapped in half neatly and only their legs remain, others just disappear as if they had never been there. A disgustingly wet snipping sound clacks besides her ear again, her mother isn''t there anymore.


    There is only a pair of dismembered legs in her stead.


    *snip-snip*


    She''s going to die too.


    *Snip* another one disappears.


    She''s going to die!


    *snip-snip*


    She''s going to die!


    She''s going to die!


    She tries to curl up on herself to escape the memories but a man is sitting on top of her.


    "I wonder what sort of man your father is. If I come to him and present our union as an accomplished fact, will he attempt to kill me from the humiliation or just accept it to hide the shameful truth? If I get you pregnant, there''s not much he can do right? Then I only have to worry about your behavior. I don''t know how you escaped my small trick earlier but it''s only a matter of time until I find a crack in your defense. I''m not a master just for show. Would you be surprised if I told you I''m actually an accomplished war mage? I''m one of the quickest spell caster of the empire and my illusions make sure that I never get hit by anything while I kill my opponents leisurely. In fact..."


    The man kept talking on and on but Mable was lost much too deeply into her own delirious nightmares to ear anything of what he was saying. He tired himself quickly and came back on the topic at hand.


    "¡­ but first, let''s get a taste of that."


    His hands reached behind him, under her dress and between her legs. He soon showed a confused frown.


    "Wait, what is that? Don''t tell me..."


    He changed hands and brought down the one that was holding the scissors instead and tapped them on what he found.


    *Clank-clank.*


    "Chastity? You''re wearing a chastity belt to sleep?"


    He was visibly shocked.


    "Where is the key?" He asked her sternly after his surprise passed.


    Still shaken, she didn''t answer fast enough to his liking. He brought the scissors up to an inch away from her eyes. All she could see was a gigantic pincer coming for her. She was transfixed by the dread those simple iron cutters brought her.


    "Where is it!"


    Her mouth opened to scream of terror but no sound came out of it.


    ***


    (AN)I was forced to write the beginning of the following message here because the Author Thoughts section was just too small. pls don''t scold me.


    Hey we''re finally at the first year anniversary!


    What an awkward chapter to celebrate this on.


    I''d like to thank everyone who are reading this again.

 81 Secret of Love

    Emp was still a bit dazed from what happened in front of Mable''s door. He had been taken completely by surprise by that kiss, it had come from right out of the blue.


    When she did that, something in him moved in a way he had never felt before. He tried to understand what it was for a long time afterwards.


    His heart was beating fast, but it wasn''t fear or exhaustion he felt, he was pretty sure.


    He didn''t notice the reaction of Harriett to the event or when he stepped back in his room either. When food was served on a plate in front of him, he still had not managed to figure out what the sensation was. It was a¡­ good feeling, at least he thought so. It was close to the excitement he felt before what he expected to be a good battle but at the same time, wildly different.


    It wasn''t the first time he received a kiss, how come this one felt so strange. When Marcy decided to kiss his forehead and ruffle his hair for example, he felt happiness but nothing like this.


    It was indeed not far from the warmth he felt whenever he was close to those he would call his important friends but stronger in a way.


    On the side, Harriett and Celtine were in the middle of a heated argument Emp was too lost in introspection to notice. They were frustrated at how bold the noble girl was.


    Harriett felt restless and wondered if she should pull the rug under Mable''s feet and steal her precious master lips before she could.


    Celtine just felt depressed at the amount of girls around him. Wasn''t he with that village girl already? Humans had some very strange customs. If he was from her tribe, he''d make it clear to both of them who he''d develop his relationship with. Humans could have many spouse at once though, she still couldn''t get used to it.


    Aside from their respective personal worries, they also debated on whether they should help him get out of his trance-like state or not. They weren''t sure what he was thinking about or what sort of conclusion he would reach but he had been like that for a while already.


    Harriett was saying they should get his attention somehow and help him with whatever he was struggling with while Celtine felt it was best to let him reach his own enlightenment.


    "But what if he misunderstand something and decides to do something strange?"


    < Just leave him be. Maybe he will finally be able to understand his feelings afterwards. >


    They weren''t able to come up with an understanding for either that or if they should or not try to distance him from the troublesome Mable or not.


    Meanwhile, Emp organized everything in his head neatly. He examined how he felt about every single person he knew and placed them in boxes according to the type and intensity of feelings he had for them. Then, he labeled each boxes with what he felt were appropriate words of increasing precision.


    Doing this, he noticed many things. He had a great amount of friends but they did not all share the same importance to him. Some, he understood, he cared more about than others. He carefully classified them all in his head, from those he barely considered friends all the way up to those that came close to what he felt for Marcy.


    The smith was in a category of her own. She was one of those he felt most strongly about and he identified it as familial affection. In a subsection of this, he had a box of those he respected a lot in a similar way, his four creators and Chinui were the five residents of that box. Under them, there were all those Emp respected as elders or knowledgeable people, like the teachers, the duke, Connie and the likes.


    Then, adding this to what he felt for his friends, this meant that he felt so strongly for some of his friends that he almost saw them as brothers and sisters. Still, there were a few he couldn''t place there with the others even though he felt just as strongly about them, the feeling was just different. Mable, Calla, Celtine, Harriett and to a lesser degree, Galana and Brenia. It was Mable that had shaken all his classifications with her action, forcing him to reexamine everything.


    Neither friend or family seemed to be the right descriptor to apply to them. They only partially fit in the laboriously erected monument of what he felt those two things were about. The warmth didn''t match, he didn''t feel warmer when he interacted with either previous trees. He did feel something similar while interacting with Marcy but without being able to tell the difference between the two, he could tell this wasn''t the same.


    There was still a piece he was missing though, he wasn''t able to put a label to the boxes containing those girls.


    There was a little something whispering in the back of his mind that he knew exactly what it was but he was scarred to admit it. It would be truly embarrassing if this was wrong. Maybe...


    There was a way to know for sure, or at least, almost for sure.


    He pushed the now cold food out of his way and placed the book of answers on the table in front of him. He gulped nervously and asked it the question that was floating in his mind.


    "Aside from confusion, what is it I''m feeling right now towards them."


    The cursedly untrustworthy book answered him with a blank page. This meant he knew the answer. He stared at it.


    It really was love wasn''t it. That was why it was so close to the affection he had for Marcy or his friends but different like a lake and an ocean.


    Had he really found it? Was love just this? It seemed simpler yet enormously bigger than what he had anticipated. It was like someone told him he would bring a knife and showed up with a great sword with the width of an open hand.


    The feeling wasn''t foreign to him, it had been part of him ever since he had split his soul. He had just never managed to put it into words. When was the first time he felt this? He remembered the times when those feelings rose in his chest.


    When Calla cried with her face buried in his shirt, when he gave Harriett her gift, in his first bout against Brenia, when Celtine gave him the solution for his problem with archery, whenever he received a letter from Galana, Calla feeding him her stew, the two servants comforting him, when Mable got overexcited for his success and of course, the one that just triggered his understanding, the kiss on his cheek. There where so many smaller things too, dueling Brenia, seeing Calla hide from the passerby across the street, the smile of Mable, all the attentions of Harriett and the mere close proximity of Celtine. Not all had the same weight in his heart but all were great, that was why he sought them. He liked giving gifts because of Harriett''s reaction, he wouldn''t have liked sparring so much if he had not fought Brenia after the other group.


    Those events had a vast weight on his soul and changed him each time. Not because of the acts themselves but the people he associated with those memories instead and the strong feelings the memories carried.


    Finding all this out gave him an intense sensation of calm, he felt relief. Finally, he understood what this was about. All the list of criteria he had made previously were all pointless. The pieces fell in together in his head, he now understood what Celtine meant, the feelings were there or they weren''t. He could spend all the time in the world trying to dissect them, he would never be able to figure out what it was that made them what they were. Each were unique and each existed out of his control. All those feelings belonged to him alone but none moved at his will.


    The monument of carefully labeled boxes he had just made with a great amount of effort blurred and crumbled in front of his new understanding of both himself and the world around him.


    He felt fine, he felt great even. He was under the impression that he had just been reborn into a new, better him. No that was wrong, it was the same exact him only everything was clearer around him now. Other feelings he did not understand before now seemed way more natural to him too. His understanding was pointless as long as he acknowledged them and saw how they affected him.


    As for the kiss that caused all this, he had no clue on how to react to it.


    He did not hate it, he wouldn''t mind her doing it again, rather, he had the small hope she would do it again. On the other hand, he feared he might upset a very careful balance if he acknowledged it in any way.


    Marcy too gave him some kisses sometimes but she wasn''t in love with him, maybe Mable was just as bubbly as always and did this without thinking. Maybe it meant nothing at all to her, after all, she just left right away afterward. It was best if he just ignored the thing until she exposed her intentions more clearly.


    Now that he had cleared all this up, it took him only a big breath to bring the calm back to himself and return his attention to what was around him.


    He found that the two girls were starring at him with some very serious faces.


    "I get it now. I understand feelings."


    "Is master certain of that?"


    Harriett was skeptical. After all, He had been even worse than clueless for two years straight. Of course she would not believe him if he just said that. How to prove it though?


    Maybe he should use this opportunity to confirm everything once and for all. He moved his hand to call them closer to him and asked Harriett something unusual while pointing his own cheek.


    "Harriett, would you please kiss me on the cheek?"


    "Of course master. Master knows I would follow any orders from him right?"


    Her words seemed confident and she emphasized the word "any" but she still blushed as she leaned forward to kiss her sitting master on the cheek. She did it extremely slowly, left her lips there only an instant and backed off just as slowly.


    "Was this good?"


    She seemed nervous. He answered with a smile. It was just like he expected.


    "Yes thank you, it was really helpful."


    "Was it?"


    "Yes. I never really saw you as a servant did I?"


    "Master?"


    His sentence was rather unexpected and confusing for her. If she had not known him better than that, she could have thought he meant to say she was so bad at her job that he intended to get rid of her. That sort of fear had long left her though.


    Celtine was observing the unfolding events from the side with great interest. She did not make a move to intervene and didn''t write anything for them at all. She was just curious to see what sort of conclusion he had reached.


    "I do not really know how to say it in a way that would make sense. You are an important part of my daily life. I am conscious that without you, nothing would ever get done but¡­ I don''t know. If I felt it made you unhappy to do all that work to help me, I would not let you do it. I like to see you smile more than I like the floor to be swept or my clothes to be cleaned. Does that make sense?"


    The girl just seemed even more confused than before. It was rare for her master to talk without actually saying anything. The only thing she got from all that was that he was happy she liked her work.


    "I''m not sure I understand what master mean but I do like to be useful. I would go crazy with nothing to do."


    "I thought so but that''s not what I meant."


    Emp was a bit disappointed she didn''t get it because he didn''t know how else to put it. He decided to see if he could come up with some better words after asking the same of Celtine. He left the curious Harriett hanging like that and turned to her colleague.


    "Celtine, would you please give me a small kiss as well?"


    Her cheeks reddened a bit more than they already were but after a few instants of pondering, she decided to deny him and turned her face away.


    Since he really needed to confirm those things now, he decided to not wait for her to change her mind or even try to convince her. Instead, he leaned forward himself and kissed her colored cheek himself.


    He was surprised to discover that the feeling was just as strong while giving a kiss than receiving one. It also solidified the belief in his heart that he liked her a lot.


    He saw her whole face burn bright red because of his sudden act and after a gasp form both Harriett and Celtine, the girl scowled and bit down on his shoulder that was now really close to her.


    Either his skin or his clothes were pointless in front of her two long a sharp fang-like canines. They were made to pierce through hard shelled fruits so soft human skin was nothing in comparison. She bit down really hard too, it felt painful. He understood it was just some sort of retaliation for what he just did but wasn''t it too exaggerated?


    He let her do as she pleased though because he didn''t know how to remove her from there without hurting either his shoulder her the girl herself.


    "Celtine!" Harriett cried out in alarm.


    Emp swiftly lifted a hand in front of her to stop her from doing anything.


    "It''s fine, as long as you both listen it''s fine. You can stay there if you want."


    He would have moved moved one of his hands to each of them but he didn''t think moving his right arm like that was the smartest thing to do since she had his shoulder muscles in Celtine''s mouth.


    "When Mable gave me that kiss, it¡­ somehow, it enabled me to understand more than I ever did about love and my own feelings."


    He felt Celtine bite even harder on his shoulder as if to stop him from talking. He hissed in pain but he really wanted to share his new discoveries with them so he didn''t stop his words.


    "I think I love you two."


    The teeth around his shoulder twitched and Harriett just stared slack-jawed at his words.


    "My feelings for you both are way stronger than what I have for my friends. My heart jumped when Harriett kissed me and it did the same when I gave one to Celtine. You asked if I really understood but I know it to be true, I''m done trying to understand it. I don''t know what to do about those feelings and I don''t know what you both think of me but I feel like I needed to say it now."


    There was a long silence after that, no one moved or said anything. It took such a long time before anyone reacted that one of the five rushlight Harriett had lit when he was thinking burned out, casting a corner of the room in darkness.


    Harriett finally closed back her mouth and asked in a weak voice.


    "Really?"


    Emp nodded.


    "I need you, I already said so, but not for your hard work. Even though I like how efficient and talented you are, I could live without it. You as a person on the other hand, I believe I would never be able to let go."


    Harriett swayed as if she was about to collapse, clutched her heart and made the broadest smile he ever saw her do. She let herself plump unto her chair and mumbled "Master" in an absentminded voice. Emp thought her smile was probably a good sign and that she was fine so he turned his words to Celtine next.


    She was still biting his shoulder and her two hands were clutching his upper half like the claws of a hunting bird.


    "You too Celtine. I feel great joy whenever you achieve something, I really want you to succeed with all your goals. I think you feel the same for me, you want me to succeed not because you are my slave and not because I promised to help you either, I think you care for me."


    Her fingers and mouth tensed some more but he continued to speak.


    "I''m ashamed to admit, even though I really want you to get better and finally see you as you should always have been¡­ I''m starting to feel reluctant to help you regain what you lost. I fear that once you get it all back, you will leave us. I do not want to watch you go even though I know that if you were to ask me, I would still let you leave because I couldn''t bear to make you sad."


    Celtine finally released his shoulder and backed a step away, lessening the pain in his shoulder. At this moment, he discovered she was crying, not of happiness.


    Emp was taken aback, he didn''t know what he expected but this wasn''t it. He felt like someone had just clubbed him in the back of the head when he saw her face like that. Droplets of blood flowed down from the corner of her mouth to her chin but neither of them paid any attention to it.


    "What''s wrong? Am I somehow completely mistaken?"


    She shook her head left and right. He didn''t know what to do. He just said an instant ago he didn''t want to make her sad and she was already crying. Great job Emp, he scolded himself on the inside.


    She grasped at her writing tablet and magic pen and wrote about two words with shaking hands before stopping. The letters didn''t seem like anything and both blood and tears fell on the paper around her hand. She gritted her teeth and scratched what she was writing in frustration. This didn''t seem to appease her enough because she scratched it a dozen times more before ripping off the paper from the table and reducing it to shreds.


    Emp looked at her in worry and unable to endure his gaze, she ran off to her shared bedroom. By running, Emp really meant throwing herself at the door since actually running there would have made her fall over. In any case, Emp didn''t understand what just happened at all. He looked towards Harriett for an answer but she looked just as lost as he was.


    "I''ll go after her. Maybe she will tell me something once she has calmed down."


    Harriett proposition seemed to be as good as any so he agreed with a nod. She rose up from her chair and slowly walked up to the door of her room before stopping and turning around to call out to him again.


    "Master."


    "Hmm?"


    "I was really glad to hear master say that to me, to us. Thank you, I really value both master''s words and the feelings behind them."


    Emp nodded again with a half smile. He was comforted to know that at least one of the two seemed to have appreciated his discovery.


    "I will not doubt master on those things anymore but, what about miss Mable?"


    "I believe I like her too." Emp answered honestly.


    "I see¡­"


    She made a curtsy and left the main room to join Celtine.


    Once he was alone in the main room, Emp ate half of his cold meal and decided he wasn''t hungry anymore. He didn''t feel all that well.


    The feeling of love was a happy one wasn''t it? How come that when exposed, it could produce such an opposed result? He didn''t get it at all. She was usually so happy when he made some progress, how come this time she fell into tears?


    He rubbed his painful shoulder and walked to his own bedroom.


    Sitting down on his bed, he contemplated what to do with the rest of his feelings.


    He had already settled on what to do for Mable, nothing, and told the two slaves what he felt about them. What was he to do about the remaining three?


    Calla was delicate, he wasn''t sure if she was just really kind and liked to cook or if she thought something special of him. If he was wrong and told her something off the mark, she might just hide in her room and never come out again. He''d rather see her happy with someone else than never see her again because he embarrassed her too much. Maybe his mother would have something to say on this but in the meantime, he''d rather not do anything.


    As for Brenia and Galana, he didn''t know what to do either.


    The feelings he had for those other two were more blurry, way less clear than what he felt for Celtine or Mable.


    He suspected that his attachment to Galana was only due to her being the first real girl he spoke to. She was imprinted in his memory as the first girl he really met. On top of that, she was very knowledgeable and he liked to tease her. Even back then before his two souls bloated so much that his emotions got throttled, he had a lot of fun annoying her and watching all her reactions. He didn''t know if this was true love or just strong attachment he felt for her. It wasn''t quite love but noting else either, a sort of attraction. Maybe he liked her reactions and knowledge more than the girl herself?


    Brenia was more of the same. Whenever he fought her, his heart surged and he always looked forward to those moments. However, just meeting her in the corridors or talking to her in class, the feeling was much duller. Was it the excitement of a good fight he liked or her? It didn''t do the same when he fought hard with Nessa or one of the boys, why did his heart act like this only for Brenia? More down to earth, there was no way he was going to ask Brenia to kiss his cheek in order to make sure of his own feeling. He was pretty sure he would end up in a fight that wouldn''t end up until he was full of bruises.


    He let out a long sigh. He was so happy to have finally found what love was about but now, he was already in front of another wall. He had no clue about what to do with all these feelings he had for everyone. He wanted to give them more than ever but at the same time, he feared they would turn them against him like Celtine.


    He should go talk to Love should he not? His other mother. She would know what to do with this mess, this was her domain after all.


    In the mean time, it was best to sleep. He''d take care of this in the next few days. Before the new year at the latest, he would go back to the temple.


    Like he did everyday, he checked on the ring before really getting into bed. Once he was done, he''d check the bag for the message from his other self and get to sleep.


    Looking in the clouds floating peacefully inside the ring, he read the information available to him.


    First, Celtine. The ring said she was torn, felt guilty and was crying in her bedroom. Emp hoped she''d be better tomorrow, he didn''t understand what being torn was about and didn''t see a reason for her to feel guilty either.


    Next was Harriett, she was excited but somehow, felt guilty as well? The ring said she was pondering in her bedroom. What was happening with those two? He was starting to regret saying anything.


    The ring said Calla currently felt determined and was working hard in her house. He wondered what she was working hard for, she couldn''t possibly be making food at this hour right?


    Willow didn''t put the ring back on, he didn''t think she ever would. This meant that Marcy was currently the only one wearing a ring that he had no romantic love for.


    His mother''s ring had turned into something thick and solid, it was silver with a tint of steel and bordered by fine gold. She wore it on her index finger but kept removing it because it didn''t feel right into her thick forge gloves.


    According to the ring, Marcy was currently wearing it and was sleeping. To be exact, the ring said she was not conscious but after the first few times he got scared for nothing at all, he got used to its weird way to put it.


    Finally, he moved the clouds so that they would show him Mable''s information. Terrified was the first word he read.


    His heart skipped a beat, what was happening with her? He rushed through the rest of the information given. "Petrified, in her bedroom." As he was reading it, "terrified" changed for "in mortal danger"


    The words the ring offered him stroke fear in his heart as strong as the one Mable had been feeling. Mortal danger! He felt his scalp go numb and almost immediately after, his blood rushed through him at an untold speed.


    Before he had even realized he was up from his bed, he had already slammed open the door to his bedroom. Before the two girls were done gasping in surprise in their own room, he had already done the same to his main door and scrambled in the corridor.


    He rushed through the pitch black corridor without care. There were no light sources here but he didn''t mind, it wasn''t the first time he ran here in the dark. His mind was empty, everything was moving on its own.


    He reached for the doorknob of Mable''s room with his left because his hammer was now in his right. Locked, he did not think further about it and kicked it open.


    The wooden door was thick and solid, it did not break but the lock was ripped out of the stone wall instead with a single hit of his foot. He heard the two servants scream of fright from their room but he paid them no attention. Mable was in her own room, he did not spare a glance to the main room and stepped up to her own door instantly.


    This time, he did not even try it and broke it down immediately.


    There was a loud crash as the door burst open and bumped against the wall at the end of its arc.


    In the time of a blink, he had taken the whole scene in, a man sat on top of Mable who way laying on the floor near the door. He had some sort of small weapon in his hand and was roaming his other hand over her body. The rest of the room was utterly irrelevant to him, he raised his hammer.


    By the time the guy raised his surprised head to see who had opened the door, Emp''s hammer was already ramming into his chest. Emp had put his whole strength into that swing, he heard all his ribs crack and the aggressor was sent flying backwards.


    With his breath instantly taken form him, he made no sound aside from the whistling of the air as he flew back. He crashed through the panels serving as the balcony doors, hit his head on the stone wall over the door on his way out and spun over the railing and into the empty air of the night sky.


    He never had even a second to react, Emp didn''t even catch a real glimpse of his face before he ejected him from the room. If only he had not raised his head to look at the door, Emp would have been able to remove it from his shoulders with that swing. He surprised himself thinking he really wished it had happened this way.


    Instead, there were only a splash of blood over her balcony doors and a pair of scissors that flew across the room to prove he had really hit the man.


    Scissors? where did those come from?


    As for the man himself, Emp guessed he would end up crashing somewhere on the training ground bellow and he felt the urge to jump after him to make sure he would not come back up.


    He swiftly decided to not do so when he saw the panic stricken Mable. She was the one needing help, the other guy didn''t matter at all. Whether he was dead or alive, Emp didn''t care for now, he needed to make sure Mable was was alright first.


    He had felt so worried for her, the sensation had been even worse than that time with the wolves. So much so that the world around him had ceased to exist. Back then, he was already there so he knew what was happening, he had been away for just a second, this time, he had no clue what was happening before he stepped in her room. With the immediate danger removed, the world around him started to move again. The lights came back up in his mind and his blood slowed down, almost feeling as if it flowed in reverse for an instant.


    The bedroom was dark but thanks to the broken doors leading outside, the moonlight was let in and permitted him to scan the surroundings thoroughly. Her bed was huge and had a big colorful canopy made of silken drapery and thin cloth waving in the wind. Her covers were half thrown off the bed and her hair was spread through the whole room and over her bed.


    There were flower petals spread everywhere and a disarrayed bouquet in a corner and a surprising about of what he felt was cake splashed by chunks in her hair, on the floor and even in her bed. Had she been eating cake before this happened?


    The scissors had ended their course close to the balcony after bumping in the wall. Speaking of he wall, there were large drawings painted on them. Emp could only assume they were some sort of magic related things since it seemed out of place and oddly geometrical. He had no idea what they were supposed to do.


    Before thinking about them though, he needed to remove the scissors from here, she was still fixated on them. If he had not known about Mabel''s secret fear, he would have had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out why she was still in this state after he removed the man. He picked up the metal tool, it was still clean meaning it had not been used to hurt her. Satisfied with his finding, he threw it out from the balcony, maybe he''d get lucky and they would plant themselves into the guy he threw out.


    Just after he threw them out, he froze, a question showed up in his head. How did the man know about the scissors? Wasn''t it a well kept secret? Who was he to know this and why did he attack her in her room?


    Once the scissors had disappeared, he heard her cry out his name, sob once and then start to wail loudly.


    He turned back towards the room and discovered she was still laying on the floor. She wasn''t as rigid as before though, she now looked like a puppet with all its strings cut, it was as if she had no more strength to do anything else than lay there and cry.


    He also saw the two shocked face of her slaves in the destroyed doorway. He really must have looked like a madmen to them, suddenly bursting into the room of their master armed and breaking all the doors. Their mistress was collapsed on the floor and there wasn''t even a real trace of the true assailant left. The obvious conclusion would be that he was the attacker, he hoped they would trust him enough to listen to his words. He pointed their way with his hammer and they shivered intensely.


    "You two, I need the guards called over, the ancient too. I want people searching the training ground bellow us for the guy that attacked her."


    The two of them twitched but neither gave any indication that they would follow his commands. He could only sigh in disappointment. What was he supposed to do then? Mable was still completely out of it, he couldn''t leave her here by herself. Would he have to wait for her to regain her reason before he could call for help?


    His salvation came in the form of Harriett who pushed the other two servants aside and stepped into the room.


    "Master, I followed the trail of things master broke, what is happening? Do you need me for anything?"


    So reliable! He was so happy she was there. She seemed a bit different than earlier but it currently did not matter.


    "Harriett, I need you to fetch me the ancient and the guards, Mable was attacked in her room."


    "Understood master!"


    She lowered her head in acknowledgment and left with her own light source. he had forgotten to ask her to have the yard searched but the most important had been said. Anyway, the guy wasn''t going anywhere after the strike he received and the fall he endured.


    It was surprising how often she was asked to go get the ancient. He''d be so mad again but for once, Emp wouldn''t be the cause of it.


    "How dare they!" He''d yell. Emp could already see it.


    Now that this was taken care off, he stepped to Mable''s side and examined her closely. He needed to make sure she wasn''t hurt anywhere. Her nightgown was in disarray but there were no obvious rip in it and he couldn''t see any wounds on the rest of her bare skin. Her eyes were closed and her face full of flowing tears. He wanted to ask her about what just happened and if she was hurt somewhere but he found painful to look at her like this.


    Emp sat down at her side, as closely as possible to her and spoke in the softest voice he could achieve.


    "Mable, I''m here now. I beat the bad guy and I got rid of the scissors. Everything is fine now."


    As her only answer, she continued to cry and sob and just raised her two arms in his vague direction, like a small child wanting a hug. He felt a twinge in his heart and did as she requested.


    He left his hammer to his other side and bent further down to slide his arms under her. Gently, he reached all the way around her and dragged her up to him, letting her rest in his arms. That scene reminded him of when Calla jumped into his arms except this time, he was more comfortably sat and he wasn''t as unsure on what to do.


    Mable didn''t reach around him like Calla had done and instead only let herself get embraced. She nestled herself there and while he held her against him with one arm, he tried to stroke her hair to calm her with the other.


    ***


    Hidden from the mortal world, Love and Luck were eating delicacies and junk food as they watched the situation of their personal creation. They were both lounging on divinely comfortable couches so luxurious even the highest royalty would not dare place their buttocks on them. The room around them was vast, impressively resplendent and empty aside from the low table and the two couches. Since she could just phase things in and out of the room to her will, anything else would be superfluous, a smudge in her perfect residence.


    Love had a big smile plastered across her face, she was ecstatic at the new development she saw today. Her dark purple eyes where shining with excitement.


    "Finally, the real good stuff is about to start. I was so annoyed when I found out his emotions got locked."


    She smiled Luck''s way and threw a heart shaped chocolate into her mouth. Her long hair was dancing in happiness, floating under the influence of a nonexistent wind.


    The other god was back to his masculine shape and wore the most dreadful clothes she had ever seen. She felt that her sister Beauty would just die instantly seeing this abomination, that was why she was hanging out with him so much. That way, her sister was kept at bay. Luck answered her with a wry smile.


    "With all your temples, I''m surprised you still have the time to laze here all day with me to watch him."


    He reached out his long fingers over the chocolate and picked up a maple donut instead. She brushed off his accusation with her delicate hand.


    "No biggie, I can still hear it all from here so it''s fine. I like you better as a woman, you feel less naggy."


    Luck snorted and stuffed the whole donut in his mouth at once. He just chose at random, like everyday, his personality didn''t change at all because of what sex he happened to be. Instead of biting onto her petty nitpicks, he returned the talk back to Emp. His mouth was still full but if it could annoy her, it was perfect.


    "Do you think he really likes those two servants?"


    She showed him disgust for his improper action but still answered honestly. In the end, he was still better than Sage or Strength. Why didn''t she hang out more with Life instead? Maybe she should put her jealousy aside and mend their relationship, she felt as if all her friends where idiots. The only reason she couldn''t stand Life was because she couldn''t make a new life of her own.


    "He does, it''s really easy for him to love. I made him that way after all."


    "Just how much influence did you have in his creation?"


    Luck looked at her with accusing eyes as if she had cheated. She threw his reproaches right back at him. And complained on top of it.


    "Don''t look at me like that, I know you did the same, we all did. We all told each other that we wouldn''t do anything excessive but we all cheated in secret. We all tweaked the bits we care about. The only reason he isn''t much stronger is because we all found each other''s tweaking to be distasteful. If I had not intervened, he would be a freaking giant because of strength and sage would have made him an emotionless machine. I''m still convinced it''s his fault if my Emp struggled so long with basic emotions."


    "That''s true in a way but you were more zealous than any of us. It''s just a stupid bet with a mortal. We could just topple a mountain over his head and end it here yet you insisted that we do it that way."


    "Don''t pretend like you don''t know. He''s the only son I''ll ever gonna get. It''s obvious I''ll dote on him a lot."


    "A son you say? It was Sage that made him and he was based on those guys DNA so that the temporary soul would fit. How is he your son?"


    Love just looked away in an attempt to dodge his question. Being the goddess of love, she had been witness to the strongest love of them all so many times since the very first human being appeared on this world. Even before it could be seen everywhere in nature. The love of any mortal creature for their progeny. She craved to feel that love as well since millenniums ago. She was unable to produce any children however, she had never been able to, a great torture to her. All she could do was favor the wishes of mothers and fathers over the world. That was, until now.


    Unable to read an answer on the face of Love, Luck looked back down through the pure white floor and locked his eyes onto Emp who was currently consoling the girl.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ His eyes are hazel but in the depth of his iris and even his pupil itself, isn''t there some purple? How come I never noticed before? What did you do?"


    "Don''t ask questions you already know the answer of." She told him with a dark look.


    "You''re not supposed to mess around too much with things down there, do you intend to just carry him to the top?"


    "I don''t want to hold his hand too much because I want him to be proud of himself but nothing is stopping me from moving things around him right?"


    "Aside from our bet?"


    "Do you really think I care?"


    For her, the bet had been a simple opportunity to get what she wanted. Luck released a disheartened sigh. He wasn''t in the mood for any more sugar filled food. He turned over himself so that he sat upside down and answered her question in a way she would understand.


    "No, but since you somehow managed to convince Sage to help you create that kid for the bet, you know he''ll want to respect the rules. He has always been like that."


    "It''s going to be fine as long as I don''t do anything obvious. A bit of tweaking here and there is fine if I don''t intervene in my son''s problems directly."


    "A bit of tweaking? You slowly overloaded that man''s brain with desire over the past year." Luck complained, pointing out the courtyard with his thin finger.


    Love only answered with a shrug, not caring at all.


    "He''s fine. Anyway, my Emperor needs to learn. Sacrificing that one random bug for it is well worth it. Plus, it gets him closer to that girl. Look, I prepared a sweet message for her for when she decides to come ask me counsels."


    She got a piece of paper from thin air and made it float all the way to Luck''s hand that was resting on the floor.


    He grabbed it from the air and after unfurling and turning it around, read the message it contained.


    <Traitors beyond the wall, suitors inside the wall. The wall is where they meet. Either you find love on it or you burn it all down with the threat.>


    "What does that even mean?" Luck complained.


    When he wanted something known, he was more of the mind to say it directly. He wasn''t a big fan of metaphors and enigmas.


    "You don''t get it because you never pay attention to anything. You just keep wasting your time stealing money from random mortals in bars and taverns."


    "It''s not stealing, it''s gambling."


    "For you it''s the exact same!"


    The two continued to bicker while the scene below moved on

 82 Traitors

    Emp felt like his gentle gestures worked well because her sobbing diminished slowly under his attention. Seeing this, the two servants finally decided to move and stepped into the room, coming to stand on either side of them. They fidgeted there for a while, not knowing if it was best to stand close for Mable or leave the girl alone while she was being comforted.


    In the end, they settled on starting to clean up the mess, fixing her bed sheets, gathering Mable''s hair and untangling them, one of them even decided to go out to the well to get some water to wash the bloodstain off the wall and the cake off the floor.


    Once Mable seemed to have calmed down a lot, he decided it was time to start asking her the important questions.


    "Mable, are you hurt anywhere? Do you want a healer to come here?"


    She mumbled her answer into his shirt but he understood her despite her whining tone.


    "I bumped my head but its fine."


    That was great then.


    "Did he do something to you?"


    "No, you saved me."


    There was a short pause as he waited for her to continue. As expected of Mable, now that she had started talking, it didn''t take long before she whined about the whole story. Emp knew she was the sort of person that would speak her best and worst thoughts about anything and everything. She had trouble with keeping things inside her. Emp liked her honesty and in the current situation, it was very useful since he quickly heard about the whole thing.


    He was very surprised to hear about who was the aggressor and what the drawings on the wall were for. How could one of the teachers do such a thing? He had deeply trusted all the staff here, to think one of them could be so¡­ He didn''t even know the word for it.


    He didn''t know how to react about this either. Had he simply been too trusting of everyone around him and no one could be considered safe like Blackbull said or was it an isolated incident? Did this sort of thing happen a lot, not only here but everywhere?


    It couldn''t be that common or else the nobles wouldn''t entrust their kids and young adults to the school. Like him, they must have firmly believed that nothing could happen in the school. He was extremely thankful that he remembered to give her one of the rings, what could have happened if he had not?


    She was about to tell him what his intentions were when the Duke, Heinrich, his fwan slave and about twenty heavily armed guards stormed into the room. Emp had not heard them approaching at all so he jumped in surprise. The spell of the potion teacher really was effective.


    The newcomers took in the scene in front of their eyes and the old duke wasted no time before he started bellowing in anger.


    "Who did this! Where is he? I''ll pluck all their limbs one by one starting from their fingers!"


    He was armed with a long one handed sword and a disproportionate shield compared to his aged frame but he radiated fury and strength. Emp wasted no time to answer for Mable, pointing towards the broken balcony doors.


    "The potion teacher, I hit him with my hammer and sent him down the balcony."


    The old man roared in anger and jumped off the balcony under the stupefied gaze of everyone. Emp had thought of doing the same because he could simply step all the way down but they were on the fourth floor! Even now that he was enhanced with the elixir he would not dare jump off from here.


    It seemed that the old man was far from having lost all the strength he once possessed as a soldier. Speaking of soldiers, there was no way the guards he brought with him would follow the ancient down that path and just stood there like idiots wondering what to do.


    They all wore the colors and insignia of the duke of the eastern grove. Like most of the guards protecting the school from intruders and outside threats, they where under the direct orders from the duke himself. It didn''t stop them from listening to sensible orders though. Heinrich told them what to do.


    "Have Ninoslav''s room locked down. It will be thoroughly investigated by me and the duke later. Call for the city guards to establish a perimeter around the school to prevent any potential accomplices from escaping. If you find anyone suspicious, bring them to me, they will be interrogated by my fwan."


    "Understood!/Yes sir!" Were the answers from the guards as they left again in a hurry.


    They would have gained a lot of time if Emp hadn''t forgot to ask Harriett to relay all that information but there was nothing he could do about it now.


    After the soldiers left, Heinrich turned his attention back to Emp and Mable.


    Emp attempted to have her get back up but she refused to show any semblance of dignity and stubbornly clung to him, only exposing her prone back to the mage. Heinrich paid it no mind and started questioning the two with his usual serious air.


    "Her condition?"


    "She says she''s fine, only a bump on her head."


    He nodded and turned towards his slave.


    "Fonao, please check just to be safe."


    The Fwan nodded but quickly frowned after opening his many pairs of eyes.


    "I can''t see."


    Fonao seemed perturbed by that fact and rubbed his forehead in puzzlement but not Heinrich.


    "Oh, yes of course, we were told about her power already, I forgot. If even you can''t see, I guess we can safely assume she isn''t under the influence of anything."


    He brushed the subject away and went straight for his next question.


    "Did Nino say what he was after? Was it theft? It would not surprise me, that greedy bastard."


    "He said he was after my hand." Mable answered.


    Since she said it from his shirt again, Emp had to relay the information for Heinrich to understand properly.


    "Her hand? As in marriage right, not a severed hand? I don''t get it. Was there something wrong with his head?"


    Mable then let out a long series of loud complaints about how it was obvious that there was something wrong with his head, it didn''t have to do with what is goal was, he needed to be insane in the first place to sneak into her room, whatever the reason was. Why he wanted her hand she didn''t know and she didn''t care. As for why he believed his actions to be the best way to get it, she didn''t know either.


    Most of the things she mumbled were nonsensical rambles born from her intense fear and anger so Emp could only continue to appease her by patting her back.


    Once she finally calmed down, Heinrich was able to resume his questioning. This time, he made sure to not upset her with some comments.


    "So you came to her rescue? Did you hear her call from your room? Why didn''t her servants do anything?"


    Emp told him about the markings on the wall and about the ring he had given Mable.


    "Thanks to the ring, I was notified when things went wrong for her and ran here to help."


    To be specific, the ring told him she was in mortal danger but since the culprit was after her hand rather than her life, he had to guess that Mable''s perception of the situation had turned for the worst when the scissors showed up. Thinking about those, he shared his worry with the mage.


    "Do you know about her fear Heinrich?"


    "Her fear? About how she felt just now? It must have been terrible but what is your point."


    "No, not that, her fear as in her phobia."


    "No, I don''t know. Is this important?"


    Heinrich didn''t get it but Emp nodded to show the serious of his words.


    "Mable has a fear only few know about. It''s supposed to be secret yet that guy showed up with the exact thing she feared most and used it against her. How did he know that?"


    "I see what you mean, how many exactly know about this fear? Is it truly a secret or do half the students know about it?"


    Mable trembled as she realized what they implied and finally raised her head to protest.


    "It can''t be! There should be only Aglaya, Nessa, Gytha and you! There no way one of you would tell!" She protested.


    "But forcibly, someone had to speak for him to know." Heinrich contradicted her. "Nino is a master illusionist and alchemist, not some augur. Either one of the four talked or one of the servants managed to somehow go over their seal and spoke which is highly unlikely. The last possibility is that it was a coincidence. Is that possible?"


    Who would bring scissors in that sort of situation anyway? Emp saw no logical reason for it to happen so he denied it with a shake of his head. It couldn''t even be considered a useful tool, he would have been better off with a knife. He must have known for sure.


    Mable realized this as well and turned extremely gloomy when she saw Emp shake his head.


    "The other girls must be brought for questioning then." Heinrich declared. "I do not expect any of them to have betrayed you but your lord protector is right. We need to know how he came across the information. Maybe one of them told another student and the information slowly spread. Maybe it isn''t too late to have the knowledge of your weakness buried."


    Emp was in agreement as well. The more the night progressed, the more the teachings of Blackbull started making sense to him. Anything said could be turned against them if it reached the wrong ears. For him, her fear of scissors had only been a peculiar quirk and he had no doubt the rest of the students would think the same. Yet, one person saw it as a weapon. It wasn''t impossible for the students to have spread the funny information, unaware of the real threat of it.


    Anyone around them could turn out to be an enemy and all they said had to be properly controlled. Blackbull only meant to protect the reputation of everyone but he was now conscious that aside from their reputation, those random bits of information could have much more dire repercussions.


    While they were thinking about how to proceed, Harriett came back to the room and bowed to him. She had not run back so her arrival had been vastly delayed compared to the soldiers and the ancient.


    "I did as master requested. Does master have any other wish?"


    "Good job and yes, could you go get Aglaya and bring her here? Wake her if you have to."


    He was pretty sure Aglaya was too smart in that sort of thing to reveal Mable''s secret to just anyone but she was the one who told him about it first after all. Even if she wasn''t the one, she cared a lot about Mable and would rush here the moment she heard of what had happened. She would want to know as soon as possible.


    "My apologies master but I do not know were her room is, I can''t go get her." Harriett answered pitifully.


    That was right, he went there for tea a few times but Celtine was always the one who came with him. He turned his head towards the servant of Mable that was still here. She noticed his gaze and stopped combing the hair of her mistress to listen.


    "You know the way right? Go with her."


    The slave turned her eyes to Mable who used her hand to tell her to go.


    "Understood, we will be back shortly."


    Once both of them were gone. Heinrich asked a few more questions but it quickly became apparent that without the culprit, nothing new would be learned on the matter.


    The mage proposed that they should leave the room and let Mable change into actual clothes to follow the discussion and the investigation but the girl refused to budge.


    Emp felt it had already been a long time since he came to her rescue but Mable still didn''t want to let him go and acted spoiled. Every time they mentioned moving, she gripped his shirt and hid her face in it. It was apparent that she would go nowhere, maybe only Aglaya would ever be able to have her move.


    Thinking about how long they had been here already, Emp felt that the duke should have been back long ago. Did he break his leg jumping off? Emp was a bit worried but the mage didn''t seem to think the same and just studied the marks on the walls instead.


    While they waited for anyone to come back, there was not much else to do for him but to try to undo the spell of the illusionist. As a member of the elder circle of Thronewoods, the task was not too hard for Heinrich and after studying the symbols for a few minutes, he simply erased a line on the far wall and the magic came undone. Emp would have never dared do such a thing at random because erasing the wrong line could have any sort of consequences.


    Because the spell disappeared, all the noises from out of the room made themselves heard to them. Outside, there were the cries and shouts of the guards searching and relaying information to each other. In Mable''s main room, they could hear more soldiers moving and talking but more importantly, the fast paced steps of someone walking fast towards them.


    The guards let Aglaya through without a fuss and she rushed into the room.


    "Mable!"


    The tall girl had her hair set loose and wore a one piece steel blue dress she had put on in a hurry. Her feet were inserted into small slippers with short heels only visible under her long dress because Emp was sat on the ground and because her legs were even longer than her dress.


    She was surprised to see Mable in Emp''s arms but it didn''t stop her from running up to the other side of the girl and quickly sitting onto her knees. Once she was finally within Mable''s reach, the girl released Emp to latch unto her friend instead.


    Emp couldn''t help but smile at her actions while Aglaya held her friend tightly against her.


    Aglaya had rushed here so fast that she had not bothered asking Harriett about any details and hurriedly showered Mable of her worried questions. She had calmed down a lot by now and didn''t have as much trouble to answer the simple questions of her friend. In fact, now that she was over her scare, most of her answers were instead a bunch of very lengthy complain about how she hated the potion teacher and how much of a bad guy he was.


    Aglaya was just glad that she was well enough to hold that sort of talk so she let her empty her heart for as long as she wanted. It was only when she got to the part of her grievances about how he knew about the scissors that Aglaya really reacted. She easily figured out what this meant and instantly became outraged.


    "They knew it was a secret! Who could have said?"


    "That''s what we were wondering too. We wanted to get all three of you in turn and have the fwan figure out who spoke about it."


    Aglaya was not insulted to be included in the list and looking at Fonao straight in the eyes, told him that she had only told Emp about this, no one else should know. Fonao, with his eyes able to see all lies, confirmed that what she said was the truth.


    With Aglaya out of the possible suspects, only Nessa and Gytha were left.


    "What about you though?" Aglaya said, piercing her eyes full of suspicions on him.


    Emp wasn''t upset either of her suspicion. He understood, both as a guard and a friend, that this was an important matter to them.


    "I never talked of this to anyone. I care way to much about Mable to ever do that."


    "Truth." Confirmed Fonao with his taciturn voice.


    Mable turned a bit red but Aglaya was way too on edge to notice or tease either of them for the way he answered.


    "Then it truly must be either of the other two. Which one decided to betray us and why?"


    "We don''t know for sure yet." Emp told them to spare the despairing Mable. "Even if it''s unlikely, the teacher is a mage after all, who knows what sort of trick he may have to discover that kind of information. As long as we haven''t asked them directly, we should refrain from accusing our friends of anything."


    "Right, I''m sorry." Aglaya apologized to Mable and Emp. "It''s just too much. You''re right though, maybe they are both innocent. Allies are always valuable, if I accuse them for no reason, I might damage our relationship. We should stay calm."


    She was the one to say it but honestly, out of all of them, she was the least calm. Thinking about it, he was certain he was worse than this earlier when he ran here. Good thing he was able to calm down fast after the threat was removed.


    Instead of simply waiting for the duke to come back, the group decided to not waste any time and have the last two girls brought here to be questioned.


    But, before they could chose who they wanted to bring first, one the guards came back with unexpected news. He was just coming back from the illusionist''s room and reported the findings of his group to the school mage.


    "We locked down his quarters and went inside in order to find some evidence. There, we found one of the students sleeping in Mr. Miramor''s bed."


    "What?" The same question came from both Aglaya and the mage.


    "We supposed you might want to interrogate her so we brought her here, she''s held in the corridor by the door."


    "We do want to talk to her, bring her in." The mage agreed.


    "Understood."


    The three students were very nervous to discover who it would be. Obviously, two were much more likely but they were still shocked and painfully disappointed to see Gytha pushed inside by the guards.


    Just like Aglaya, it was apparent that Gytha had been sleeping soundly before she was brought here. Her hair had not been taken care of, she seemed very tired and wore the same clothes she had during their day outside.


    When she first stepped in the room, she seemed reassured to find her friends there but she started worrying again when she saw the accusing gaze of Aglaya. She resembled a small animal stuck in a trap and kept glancing at the broken down door and the guards on the other side of it.


    "What''s happening? Why are we all here and how..."


    "How did we find you? That is what you wanted to ask right? Well it wasn''t exactly you we were looking for." Aglaya told her sternly.


    Hearing that she was in the bed of Mable''s aggressor and seeing that she was obviously fine, the noble girl had already made up her mind about her.


    There was a long silence after that while Gytha tried to puzzle together what was happening and the others tried to get over this discovery. Only Heinrich didn''t seem disturbed but he wasn''t directly concerned and was very hard to destabilize. Even if Emp was to suddenly burst in flames, the mage would probably not react with surprise but curiosity instead.


    Mable had apparently been turned mute by this turn of event so the others had to take the lead.


    "We have some questions we would like to ask you. Fonao here will guarantee that only the truth is heard. Are you ready?" Asked the mage.


    Gytha shrunk a bit hearing this.


    "Uh¡­ Do I have a choice?"


    "No."


    She frowned at the clear denial and they started asking their questions, alternating between Emp and Heinrich. Both were merciless in their interrogation, Heinrich because he didn''t care and Emp because he really wanted to know the truth behind all this. The Fwan''s top pair of eyes shone as it scanned her soul at every answer she gave, the second pair opening at intervals to check for some magic trick that might hide some secret.


    "Did you tell anyone about Mable''s secret fear?"


    "What? No!"


    "Lie." The Fwan denied.


    The girl winced and Heinrich reprimanded her.


    "No use lying miss, it will only worsen your case. No lies can stand in front of a fwan."


    "What case?!"


    They ignored her own question and asked her again.


    "Who did you tell?"


    "One of the teachers, why is this even important?"


    "Was it Ninoslav?"


    "Yes, will you please tell me what is going on?"


    "Why did you tell him? What is your relationship with him? Why were you in his bed?"


    The girl turned red of both embarrassment and anger and yelled her answer at them.


    "I refuse to answer any of those, It''s none of your business!"


    Mable turned ashen from that answer. There was no doubt it was her anymore. Not only that, but from her reaction, she seemed to be a willing accomplice.


    There was another silence where no one dared say a word. The first servant of Mable came back with her bucket of well water and a rag, slipped past all their frozen figures and started scrubbing the bloodstain. Everyone ignored her completely, it was as if she wasn''t there at all.


    "You had an affair with that disgusting trash!" Screamed Mable suddenly, pointing an accusing finger towards Gytha.


    "Nino is a great man! He''s not disgusting and he isn''t trash! Why are you so mean?"


    "I''m mean? That, that..." She was way too frustrated to find any way to call him so Aglaya intervened.


    "Degenerate."


    "That degenerate! Yes, got in my room in the middle of the night and tried to **** me!"


    Gytha paled hearing the story of her friend.


    "No, no way. He''d never do that. You must be lying." She said trembling.


    "She''s not." Pointed out Fonao.


    "The only reason I''m fine is because Emp came to save me!"


    "I hit him with the hammer and he fell over the balcony."


    Gytha gasped hearing this, saw the blood being scrubbed and the broken balcony doors and fainted from the shock. Luckily, there was a guard behind her to catch her limp body before she bumped her head.


    They still had any more question for her but it seemed they would have to wait for her to regain consciousness.


    "At least now we know how he came to posses the information." Heinrich declared, satisfied of the swift discovery.


    Mable didn''t know what to do with herself, she was both extremely angry and downcast at the same time. She was hovering from one state to another so quickly she couldn''t vent either of her emotions.


    While she was struggling with herself, the duke finally came back. Stepping inside he almost walked on Gytha.


    "Woah, what is that lass doing there? Can''t anyone move her out of the way?"


    The soldier that had caught her had just sat her unconscious form against the wall close to where she fell but under the angry gaze of the duke, he hurriedly dragged her further in and set her in a corner.


    Looking at him, Emp saw that he was perfectly fine, he just took a long time it seemed.


    "Was the corpse still recognizable?" He asked the ancient.


    After all, he had no doubt that he found it, knowing from where it fell, it would be hard to miss in an empty field. However, he was surprised again.


    "Nah, tha rascal escaped. I only found a pair of bloody scissors and an empty canteen."


    "What?" Emp exclaimed.


    How could he have escaped! He fell from so high, he had all his ribs broken and smashed his head against the wall on the way out. He should not have survived the fall, how did he manage to get away!


    Mable shivered at his side and the worried frown Aglaya showed since earlier deepened hearing the dukes words.


    "Aye, he be a slippery one. I ran after but quickly lost track, the guards patrolled everywhere and blocked all the entries but he must have left beforehand because none of''em saw him."


    Maybe Emp really should''ve have jumped after him. Now, because he stayed with Mable, they had an enemy on the loose.


    "He''s going to be really hard to catch now. He is a master illusionist after all, I doubt anyone will be able to find him if he doesn''t want to be seen."


    "Aye but we''ll make is life as hard as can be. In less than a day, every soldier in the city will be after him and in less than a week, the whole kingdom, I promise that."


    The Duke was gnashing his teeth in frustration. Not only was he angry that he let him escape but he was also feeling ridiculed. He had been betrayed by one of his subordinate and someone he was in charge of had been targeted without him being able to do anything.


    "Twenty years he''s been teachin here! All this time he hid his treacherous face! If I get me hands on him he''ll wish he died in that fall!"


    He planted his sword deeply into the stone wall in frustration which made the servants and a few soldiers jump in surprise. Emp was amazed that the sword didn''t break in the process but was even more impressed by how easily the duke seemed to do it. The old man was obviously way stronger than Emp gave him credits for.


    "My lord, if you damage the masonry work, it will only cost you more, it won''t help in finding him." Heinrich tried to calm him.


    The duke begrudgingly accepted to quell his anger for now and listened to the information the others had collected while he was out running after the culprit.


    At some point, Harriett came back as well but Emp told her she could go back to their room as he didn''t need anything else. She bowed for a last time and went back home.


    When Gytha came back to herself, she was interrogated a lot more by the three men and the fwan but they didn''t learn much more concerning the alchemy teacher.


    The girl was absolutely devastated by what was happening and cried the whole time they interrogated her. From what they gathered, Gytha had fallen in love with him after having been courted for a few weeks. They had no way of knowing if it was a real love or a sentiment cultivated with the mixtures he had her drink often and his mind altering suggestions and magic. He had promised her his love and enough wealth to get her family out of their though spot in exchange for the detailed information she provided him.


    Apparently, Emp had ignored this but her house had lent large sums of money to some old allied household in order to help them establish themselves in Greenpeaks. Just afterwards, the situation over there turned dire and they both lost all they had invested. They barely scrapped enough for her to get in school.


    As they knew, she didn''t dislike older men and his attentions combined with the prospect of getting out of the hole they had dug for themselves, she decided it would be fine to take her as husband. Following an idea he had, they wanted to add some more students in their family and pool all their money together.


    Considering Emp had been told many times that the man was very greedy, he couldn''t help but wonder if this was really about the girls themselves or the money they may bring with them.


    "I just wanted to live happily with my friends and my man, I didn''t think he would do something so extreme!" She wailed.


    Everyone was appalled and Emp had no idea of what to do with her.


    Did he really love her or not? Would he come back for her? Would he give up on Mable now that his plan had failed?


    Emp hoped he would not come back but just in case, maybe he should prepare something specially to battle good spell casters.


    While he was thinking that, Mable finally got up from her prone position and turned towards him. Ignoring the presence of everyone around them, she grabbed Emp''s head and planted a new kiss on his forehead.


    "Thank you Emp for saving me. I''m scared to think of what could have happened if you didn''t come. Making you my lord protector must have been the best decision I took so far in my life."


    Getting closer for a last hug, she made sure her head was on the other side of everyone and whispered to his ear.


    "Don''t tell anyone about the other kiss please. It''s a secret."


    "Don''t worry." He said out loud. "that''s just part of what a lord protector should do, no?"


    It was true both about protecting her and keeping her secret. Since she wanted to keep it secret, here in front of everyone wasn''t the place to ask her why she wanted it to be so but he could still ask her later.


    *-*-*-*


    Back in Celtine and Harriett''s room, the two girls were talking about Emp''s confession.


    Celtine felt deeply conflicted with herself. She had hoped that she would have more time than this to settle her mind on what she wanted. She knew what she had to do and wanted to convince herself to stop thinking about nonsense to focus on what was important instead. It had somehow worked up to now but with what he said earlier and the kiss on her cheek that sent her heart racing, she was back to struggling with herself.


    That day when he had invited them both in his bed, she had put a lot of thoughts into this. Back then, she wasn''t sure if she herself liked him or not.


    She only knew that she cared about it very much. She had not wanted to hurt him with her eventual departure or make it seem as if she was using his goodwill to her advantage. She did care a lot for him even though she was the one receiving things after things from him and getting promised miracles, she never wanted to use him.


    He wasn''t a tool to take advantage of, yet what was she doing? What could she say? It was obvious to her now that she shared his feelings there were so many wrong things with this. Most obvious of them was that he was human! Terrible, cruel, humans, he was one of them, highly placed in their society too, how could she tie herself to him?


    Then, there was the simple fact that she couldn''t stay, her people needed her, she was the wind caller. She needed to go back to lead the way and sing to the wind, she couldn''t stay here with him.


    On top of this, he just said that he felt the same for Harriett and Mable too. Celtine was fine with sharing anything she possessed but not this. She didn''t understand this custom of the human tribes. How could they share lovers like that? It had been explained more than once to her but she could still not wrap her head around it. She didn''t think her heart would be able to take it if she saw him with another girl after she admitted her feelings to him.


    Having something between them was simply impossible, yet, that master of hers said something like that without any shame or nervousness. What was she supposed to do then? Turn him down even though she would have liked to say something like "yes me too."? Accept his feelings only to break his heart later on once she regained her voice and wings?


    How could she even stand in the same room as him now? She would have wanted nothing more than for him to have never said this.


    She explained all this to Harriett but she was so distraught that the other servant started doubting herself as well.


    Harriett had wanted to charm their master since the very first day, she had wanted to make sure she would not be pushed away again like her father had in the past. She had wanted to climb to the very top using her master as a ladder. Even staying a slave was fine for her as long as she was the slave of the one at the very top and that she was treasured.


    However, after serving him for two years, learning to know him like a part of herself and then hearing the worries of Celtine about using him like a tool, Harriett started to feel very guilty about what she was doing too. He did not deserve to be toyed with in this way. She did admire him greatly and trusted him with her very life or anything else at all, yet, she shamelessly stole part of his heart. If it had happened in a normal way instead of her doing her best for it to be so, she wouldn''t have regretted how she currently felt. Was there a way to atone for her sin?


    She didn''t feel deserving of his love and she wasn''t sure she had the right to love him in return. Should she confess her treachery now before anything happened? Would she lose everything if she did so?


    Like that, the two girls slowly talked in a gloomy way. Trying to find a solution to their respective dilemma.


    "I still think you shouldn''t go." Harriett told her best friend. "It''s crazy, you''ve been gone for years now and it will be years more before you get back there again. Anyway I look at it, they''ll have found a replacement by then. You should stay with us instead."


    Celtine shook her head. As much as it pained her to go, she would still have to, at least just to make sure they didn''t need her and tell her parents that she was fine. Would she be able to go back then? Would she even have the strength to leave her tribe and family again?


    She told Harriett how she felt about her own problem instead.


    <At first, you wanted to hide in his shadow and ride his success but that''s not the case anymore right? You really do like him now even if your original behavior was an act. You have nothing to feel guilty about.>


    Harriett shook her head as well. There was no worse crime in her eyes than betraying her beloved master. She deserved ten thousand lashes for her deception.


    What a pitiful pair of servants they were making now.


    *-*-*-*


    On the survival of the empire.


    Steelwood empire bestiary, new edition.


    Nobles and scholars like myself from across the empire are often accosted by citizens or villagers and asked why the empire hasn''t rid itself of its monsters yet.


    Sometimes, they resent having lost a member of their family, sometimes its a merchant frustrated about the caravan fees and sometimes, it is simply the result of a rumor about a far off land that could be monster-free.


    The citizenry doesn''t seem to understand how difficult and complicated the issue is. As a scholar and author of this collection on the many facets of our glorious empire, it is my duty to explain on these pages the reasons behind our reluctant cohabitation with said monsters.


    First, readers have to understand that the empire did try to rid itself of any interior threats many times and the kingdoms composing it did the same even before the empire was born.


    The land is vast and the forest thick, there is an infinite amount of place to hide in the leaves and crags. More frustrating than this, some parts cannot be reached by our soldiers like mountaintops, the bottom of the howling hills or the confines of the thornwoods. Even after a thorough sweep of the parts the army can reach, many creatures escape their march and reappear shortly after. Either that or they just migrate from an uncleared place to the one that was swept.


    The citizenry doesn''t seem to understand that the empire isn''t conveniently shaped in a long strip of flatland. Reaching every corner of its vastness is logistically impossible. Even if it were feasible, the extermination would probably end the moment the army met with something like a woodland horror. In fact, such a thing did happen in the past and thousands of valiant soldiers and knights lost their lives when a woodland horror woke up right in the middle of them.


    People would think that over the long history of the empire and its many attempts to rid itself of all threats, the number of creatures roaming would have dwindled but no. Despite our best efforts, the population of beasts seems to be stable. Some old species of natural beast did go extinct over time but they were soon replaced by others.


    The following problems on the list are the outside threats. Be it the Jorkovian empire north of the thornwoods, the things lurking at the bottom of the ocean, the cursed-bloods from the tribe lands or the things lurking in the sandwastes, any of them would be thrilled to take a bite out of the empire while our armies are looking inwards. The empire must keep troops at the borders at all times because what lies in wait outside is far worse than what hides inside.


    Yes we have horrendous deadly creatures killing lone wanderers and razing small villages but the army does stand by at every settlement, watch over every road leading out of the empire, roam the roads used most frequently and keep watch over the fields, orchards and lumber camps everywhere. What more could they possibly do? They are already doing a fantastic job as it is. They can''t make miracles out of nothing. Spending months in dark forests without supplies and the fear of the unknown assailing them at every steps is just not something our armies can afford and the cost in human lives would be extreme for the doubtful progress it would achieve.


    Even admitting that all of this was possible, let''s suppose for an instant that with strong planning, resolute leadership from the Muraciers, perfect organization and a bit of luck, we managed to rid the empire of all abnormal creatures living in it. For the purpose of this, let''s also ignore the fact that the land would fill itself with unnameables of chaos to reestablish the balance in nature. Those can show up anytime and anywhere, no one knows were they come from. The only thing consistent about them is that they are more often seen in places deemed safer than elsewhere but pardon me, I digress.


    If the land was devoid of monsters, the empire would soon have a new problem to face, famine. We aren''t talking about a small thing were a few villagers starve either, we''re talking about entire cities collapsing from a lack of food. Just take a look at what is filling your plates. Meat? From where?


    Hunter''s are the largest human group inhabiting this empire, above farmers and soldiers combined. To farm, you need space, you need to cut down the ancestors in mass, denying their ancient protection for a bit of weed. To raise your own livestock, you need even more fields.


    "Then we will continue to hunt." is the most common answer. Those that aren''t hunters do not seem to understand how much hunting needs to be done to sustain an entire city and what it is exactly that they are hunting. Do you think that catching a few deer will be enough? How fast do you think those animals reproduce? The answer is; much slower than the monsters and creatures mankind fears.


    The only way would indeed be to make a vast amount of fields, surrounding cities and villages alike with far reaching golden wheat. At a glance, you''d think that farming would be more reliable than hunting creatures for a living but there are many problems with it too.


    First, our troops would have to be spread even thinner to accommodate the new land under their watch, diminishing their reaction time and effectiveness. Second, the moment an unnameable of chaos with some strange powers shows up, the field could all rot or burn in an instant, wasting months of work and food for an entire city. A dragon could do the same easily, one sweep over the field and only ashes remain of your precious food.


    With the ancients gone, our bows would loose their effectiveness against their threats and burials would become harder to perform because of the large distance people would have to travel to reach the trees. Cities would have to burn their corpses instead to prevent the dead from rising, denying all of them the rest their soul deserves with their brethren waiting in the ancient woods.


    Just look at the current situation in Greenpeaks, a few years where the land refuses to yield any crops and the whole kingdom collapses under its own weight.


    Monsters will always be there but if mankind knows how to protect itself, they might not be as bad a thing as they would seem. Stay grouped when traveling, trust our armies with the protection of your families and remember to call on to the guards if the forest shows signs of unrest.

 83 How to fight mages

    Emp was displeased that once again, he had been caught in something bothersome on the day he went shopping.


    Every time!


    He couldn''t even say that at least he wasn''t the one who got attacked because he felt that Mable being the victim instead was much worse.


    After that night, Mable was very cross with Gytha. She would not talk to her no matter what. They had been very good friends before but Mable couldn''t get over what she felt was a serious betrayal.


    Gytha kept apologizing and repeated many times that she didn''t think that the secret was such a big deal but Mable would hear none of it. It didn''t help her case that she also kept repeating that the ex-teacher wasn''t a bad man. According to her, he couldn''t be as bad as Mable described him to be. She was denying reality, refusing to see the truth for what it was. She agreed that what he did was wrong but believed that if he just apologized, everything would go back the way it was.


    All her words just made Mable angrier and angrier. She yelled at Gytha that she wouldn''t talk with her of anything until she was fixed. According to her, it was pointless to listen to any of her words for as long as she was under the influence of that sick mage. Even then, she wasn''t sure she would be able to forgive her.


    Emp could see it clearly, Mable had labeled her friend as untrustworthy. Emp could understand where she was coming from but he thought it was sad to see their friendship dissolve like smoke.


    Obviously, the news of a teacher turned criminal couldn''t be hidden and the whole school soon knew what had happened from how he used potions and magic to mess with the heads of some female students to how he invaded to room of one of them. From then on, Gytha was treated as an outcast. Either she was seen as a poor victim or some disgusting accomplice, in both cases, she was kept at bay.


    If Mable was to forgive her, her situation might improve but Emp wasn''t sure this would happen.


    Brenia was one of the very few who did the opposite of everyone and got very close to Gytha instead. From what Emp saw, she was trying to be supportive and talked a lot with her in an attempt to understand. He thought it was very kind of her, Gytha really needed the the help right now.


    Aside from that, the girl didn''t get in trouble with either the school or the guards since the authorities believed she was at best manipulated and at worse, put under a curse or spell.


    As for the mage himself, Emp was impressed by how much effort the city put into finding him. It was like the whole army of the kingdom combed the streets and raided the inns of the city. They looked everywhere and placated warrants of arrest on every shop and every public boards, in the town squares and even in the gathering places of death-seekers. The warrants even reached Dark-glint thanks to the caravan, the duke wasn''t lying when he said he would have the whole kingdom looking for him.


    Still, it didn''t feel like they would ever catch him. After a week of intensive search, there had been no new of him and Heinrich who knew magic best didn''t believe they''d catch him either.


    Because of this, Emp decided it was best to prepare himself to fight mages. Not only in case Ninoslav came back but also in the event that he had to fight any other magic users in the future.


    From what he heard from the duke and Heinrich as well as the fact that the illusionist didn''t die, Emp understood he had been extremely lucky that night. The mage had not expected anyone to come and had been taken by surprise by Emp who just stormed in and attacked without a word. If he had stopped a second at the door to ask what was happening, things could have been completely different.


    Even with such grievous wounds, he had found a way to not only escape the deadly fall but also heal himself and escape the guards. In combat, Emp learned that the illusionist liked to make multiple copies of himself and mix real attacks with a great amount of illusions to confuse his opponents. Until that night, he had been known to have never been hit once in his life.


    His only obvious weak point was to catch him by surprise but currently, the chance of him catching Emp by surprise where much higher than the reverse. Illusionists usually had an easy time at catching others off-guard, this was the whole point of illusions after all. He could be disguised as anyone else, strike from an unexpected angle or even manipulate the mind of another to do it in his stead. Then, he''d be gone before anyone noticed.


    This bothered Emp greatly, he felt worried that something might happen to either him or Mable without him being able to do anything.


    Because of this, it didn''t take long before he went to see Heinrich for some counsels on how to fight against a mage. Penny was there too but it didn''t bother him if she listened to his question. She had tied her hair in a big bun with an even bigger pin and sat at a nearby desk immersed in her own studies as he explained his thoughts to Heinrich.


    "Not only that guy but in the future, I will probably have to face many more opponents that would use primarily magic instead of forged weapons. Are there any tips or things you could tell me that would help?"


    "Certainly, yes, there are many things that could potentially help you." The mage agreed.


    He went on to tell him all about how mages fought and there was a lot to say. Emp had to sit down somewhere with Celtine so that they could write it all down. Speaking of Celtine, she was still acting very strangely compared to the usual her. She seemed uncomfortable on his shoulders but he didn''t know how to deal with this nor did he have the time for it. Ninoslav could strike at any time and he needed to know what he was doing once it happened.


    "The main downside to magic is time." The teacher started to explain. "The time it takes to learn, the time it takes to cast a spell and the time you can keep it up are all limitations a mage must learn to circumvent or withstand if he wants to be successful.


    Magic is of no use if you die before it can take effect. For this purpose, spell caster usually employ a good amount of warriors to keep them safe while they chant their magic. Against this sort of magic user, your priority should be to disrupt their spell in any way you can. Interrupt them, distract them, attack them directly, anything to stop him from finishing his spell. Most magic users are of that kind.


    A truly powerful mage however, just like a powerful warrior, doesn''t need any support. They''re often called war mages because they can change the tide of a battle by themselves. Ninoslav is of that sort, and a good one at that.


    Each have some wildly differing tricks but the goal always remain the same, gain time or go faster.


    There are many ways to do both, traps, tools, sheer casting speed, extensive preparations, self-magic/"


    "Wait, how does self-magic help?" Penny interrupted him.


    She wasn''t really a part of the conversation but it didn''t stop her from absorbing anything the teacher said. Emp knew she disliked self magic so it wasn''t abnormal for her to ask how this could help.


    "You''re one of the most talented students I''ve had, it should be obvious to you. If you can strengthen yourself using self-magic, you can improve your reaction time by a great margin. Not only this but with the right self magic, you can force yourself to speak faster and clearer. It is all about speed, in a fight between two mages, the one who can cast the fastest will often be the winner. Because of this, most well known mages have developed their own self-magic or made some combinations of many other to gain an edge over the rest."


    Penny had not seen things that way before because she was more inclined to the studies of magic than its practical uses but hearing the words of her teacher, she understood she had made a mistake when she discarded self-magic so easily.


    While she was regretting, the mage continued his lecture.


    "A mage is just like anyone else, he must come into a fight prepared for anything. The problem lies in the fact that the opponent won''t just wait for him to chant a long string of words before cutting him down. This and the obvious fact that one cannot say the words of many spells at once. Casting one spell means that you aren''t casting the other spell that could save your life.


    This is where tools and traps comes in. Miss Penny, can you tell us what are the tools most commonly used my mages of all spheres?"


    The girl regained her composure and answered with certainty. Puffing up her chest with pride. She didn''t have much in that area but gave the illusion she did by filling the front pockets of her shirt with all sorts of trinkets for her magic. Emp didn''t care about her figure but he believed that this sort of trick was a bit sad.


    "Most use wands, talismans and staves. Those with bad memories also fill loose parchments with the words they need."


    "Exact, do you know about all those young master Emp?"


    "No. I thought talismans were hung on armor for protection."


    "No, those are charms, many common man confuse the two a lot."


    Emp had never seen or heard about any of those things. Heinrich had never shown any in front of him and Jaska didn''t use any either. From their names, he could guess what they looked like but he didn''t know how they worked.


    "Let''s start with parchment then. There is no power at all in them, they only contain the words necessary to the spell. With all the things a mage need to remember and keep track of, they sometimes forget about the exact words of their spells. It is best then to write them down and you can just quickly glance at it when you need the spell. Don''t let them!


    Burn the paper before they can read it, rip it off their hands, blind them, anything to stop them from reading the words. If they were so doubtful about their abilities that they had to write down the words first place, they wouldn''t dare cast the spell without having them in front of their eyes.


    On this topic, I heard that Ninoslav once replaced the words on such a parchment on the fly with a small visual illusion. His opponent didn''t notice the words had changed before it was too late and cast a distorted version of his spell. I heard he ended up with a liquefied arm."


    Emp got one important lesson out of this, never rely on a piece of paper. If you can''t remember the words by yourself, it was better to not cast the spell at all. Just with this short speech, he could already picture a number of ways things could go wrong with this. They could be tempered with before or even during a fight, they could easily be lost or destroyed and keeping more than one would mean you''d have to figure out which paper was for which spell when you wanted to use one. They were very impractical.


    "Instead of parchments, the more talented individuals will rely on wands and talismans to do the job. When going to battle, mages usually put on a belt of wands, talismans or both. Some have better ways of transporting them like that bag of yours but really, the only thing that matters is that you need to be able to carry a lot of them with you, dozens if need be."


    Emp didn''t see why they needed so many of those wands. From what he pictured in his head, carrying all of those seemed impractical, what was the point of having more then one. He wouldn''t carry so many swords into a fight after all.


    Well... He did but that was only because he could easily.


    "Both wand and talismans work in a similar fashion. Each of them takes a long time to make and are very carefully crafted by the mage himself. They always must be made from the ingredients and sacrifices intended to be made for the spell and engraved with a second magic to trap the spell in it. Once the spell is cast upon it, the wand will keep it in place until the mage, or anyone else for that matter, is really ready to use it. It is merely a way to cast a spell in advance.


    For a wand, point it the way you want the spell to take effect and call the trigger word for it to fly out of the wand. Doing so will consume the wand or at least render it inert but the advantage of casting a spell instantly is massive.


    The talisman work the same except they must be broken instead of activated with a word. Once cracked, it will affect the area around it with the spell infused in it. Some like to cast dangerous spells in them and throw them at their opponents while others like to put barriers or support spells in them to break at their feet when in trouble.


    The problem with talismans is that anyone can use them since they only have to be broken to activate their spells. If a skilled bowman could pierce an explosive talisman with his arrow while still on the mage''s body, the consequences for the mage would be disastrous.


    Similarly, as long as one knows the word of activation, anyone could use a wand. Steal it from his hand, turn it around and call "fire" and that''s it, the mage is toast in quite a literal way."


    The corners of Emp''s mouth rose because of the joke but he found this explanation to be frustrating for him. Casting spells way beforehand was cheating!How was he supposed to counter something he had no way of guessing would happen? He''d be fighting at an advantage and a lightning bolt would fly his way out of nowhere. His armor might be able to take on a few spell because of its enchantments but who knew how many wands the other party could have.


    The way the mage proposed for him to deal with this didn''t seem remotely feasible at all. If he was close enough to steal wands and talismans from them, he should just run them through with his sword. Even if he did take a wand, there was no way for him to guess the correct word to use it or what the wand was supposed to accomplish.


    Should he just make his own wands then? All he needed to do was learn how to do it and then he could just cast his spells in advance like them, right? While he was thinking that, the teacher moved on to the next thing.


    "Since we''re talking about Ninoslav, he will probably use potions and alchemical mixtures instead of wands and talismans. He will throw flasks to release toxic vapors and drink strengthening concoctions while his illusions keep you at bay. If you expect to be fighting someone like him, I highly suggest that you prepare some protections against poisons and curses."


    Curses he should be fine with thanks to his armor, as long as they weren''t so powerful that they could break through the enchantment. Poison was another thing entirely though, he knew nothing about poisons.


    "Then, you have staves. Most ordinary folks think that they are the same as wands but they are very wrong. Staves are bulky and hard to carry, if they were to be used like wands, it would be very inefficient.


    Instead, you could say that a staff is a greatly improved version of a wand. Instead of having them hold a spell for you like a wand, you have the staff cast it in your stead. This is why they are much bigger than wands and often unwieldy. The whole spell has to be engraved on it in order to work. Once it''s made however, all you need to do is have the sacrifice ready and fill it with magu for it to activate."


    "But if the staff casts the spell for you, how does it make the movements needed for it to activate?"


    "The answer is very complicated and also the reason why those handy tools aren''t used by everyone. The short version of it is that the spell is way, waaaay, lengthier if you forgo the movements that should accompany it. Combine this with the absence of actual voice guiding the magu, the process gets laborious and very complex.


    With a spell as simple as the ones you can currently cast reliably, you need a staff that will be just a few inches bellow your height and it will be entirely covered in precise runes. Because of this, you can forget about making a staff that could cover an entire field in flames.


    On top of that, if it gets damaged in any way, it will become unusable and more often then not, it needs to be remade from scratch."


    All of this was very interesting and he learned a lot but it didn''t feel really helpful to him. This whole discussion resumed itself with two simple concepts; Don''t let your opponent do anything and break everything they get in their hands. Aside from that, prepare for poisons and maybe some tricks of his own. What he got from this whole discussion was that it was best to stay as close to enemy mages as possible, don''t give them any space to breath, be relentless and keep them locked in melee where they will have trouble casting any spells at all.


    He summarized what he had learned to Heinrich who gave him a few approving nods.


    "This is exactly right, this is why it will be extremely hard to do."


    "What?" What did he mean?


    "The way to fight against a mage is obvious, everyone knows it, mages themselves most of all. They will do absolutely everything in their power so it doesn''t happen.No one that is simple minded ever become a great mage. We''re talking about extremely smart and crafty people.


    When fighting a mage, you must always assume you already fell into their trap, you must assume they wanted you to fight them at this moment and this exact place, that it was all planned. There will be traps everywhere you look, they will have counters for any and all tricks that you ever revealed in public, they will rain down offensive magic at you with wands and talismans as they build barriers around them or move to a safer position. Rushing straight towards a mage is the stupidest thing you could ever do because you can be damned sure that the space between you two will be overflowing with dangers.


    You need to go around, hit them from a distance, know them as well as they know you, prepare counters for their strong affinities, in short, you need to be smarter. If they are water mages, blast them with lightning, prepare water bombs for fire mages, find a way to skip across the terrain of your fight without ever touching the ground, have many layers of protective charms on you to escape instant death from an unexpected magic, keep tricks in reserve that they never saw before, have your own wands and talismans ready to throw their plans off the rails, if you can, have your own traps fill the field. There is no such thing as too prepared to fight a mage."


    "This is why mages are so superior to warriors." Approved Penny with pride.


    Heinrich sighed and shook his head in disappointment.


    "You are an exceptional student so I really hope you won''t discover how wrong you are the hard way."


    "How could I be wrong? It''s obvious that mages have the clear advantage over idiots waving bits of metals around."


    "You have no idea how many mages died thinking the same thing. As your teacher, I urge you to pay more attention in combat class, maybe watch a few spars between the students, I heard some of them have come up with interesting techniques."


    Heinrich was probably talking about the royal sword dance. Emp found himself wishing once again that he knew some technique as good as that one. For now, he relied on raw physical advantage to win his fights but he doubted it would be enough in the future.


    "I''d rather be studying than wasting my time outside teacher."


    "It''s not a waste of time if you get to learn something that could save your life in the future. I insist you should go take a closer look. By that I really mean to observe it all carefully, not just waste your time there thinking of other things."


    She made a pout and leaned back on her chair with her arms crossed.


    "Muh, fine. If it''s you asking it than I will. Even though I don''t think there''s anything to be learned of this."


    "I''m glad you finally saw reason. Emp, when is your next practice with lady Hasting and lady Harmaton?"


    That was the first time he heard anyone call Brenia lady Harmaton. He knew that was her name but he felt that if someone called her lady they might get their spine ripped off. She was very sensitive on how people viewed her and lady wasn''t in the descriptive she wanted associated to her. What was just as surprising to him was that Heinrich even remembered the name of the girl who slept through all of his classes but Emp didn''t ask about it and just answered the question.


    "Later today actually, it will be the test run of my armor."


    It would also be his first real physical test since he drank the elixir.


    "Great, Penny, you will go there with them and bring everything you would need if you were dragged in a fight yourself. Do not spare any effort, think of this as if you were really about to meet a mortal danger. You will observe carefully, and if they are willing, you will challenge Emp yourself. This should benefit the both of you greatly."


    "That would be unfair for him, I can''t hold back the powers behind my spells, he might get hurt."


    Emp heard that great mages could lower the power behind their spells if need be but Penny was just a student, this ability was out of her reach.


    "That will not be the case, you haven''t seen his new armor yet but I was the one to infuse power into it. From what I know of your progress, there is no spell of yours that could possibly break through his armor."


    "What! How can that be?"


    "I told you people are smarter than they look and that warriors have tricks of their own. You won''t have to hold back and it will give you an idea on how you would fare against a novice warrior. You have to understand that if you consider yourself a novice in magic, they do the same as warriors, they can get far far stronger than what you will see today. Watch and learn carefully because the day you will underestimate a real warrior, you will deeply regret not taking today seriously. The best of the best in any empire are those that can easily use both martial techniques and magic at the same time."


    The mage didn''t even ask him or the two girls he trained with if they would be bothered by Penny''s intrusion but since he wasn''t, he didn''t complain about it. After all, the mage was right, it would indeed help him understand how to better fight a magic user.


    Later that day, he brought her out to the field and met with the other girls. The only one that wasn''t there like usual was Gytha who had probably been turned away by Mable.


    Looking at this, wasn''t it strange that there were only girls here aside from him? They were here to practice fighting after all. How come the only ones willing to practice outside of class hours were the girls? What were the guys doing? This suddenly intrigued him a lot.


    "Celtine, remind me to ask the guys what they do in their spare time later."


    There was a light tap of her foot on his chest to confirm she had heard him and he walked up to the others.


    Brenia was acting differently than usual with Mable just like with Gytha. She was much more delicate with her words and demeanor than usual. Anytime he wasn''t with Mable, Brenia would stick closer as if to replace him and he believed that if he wasn''t her "official" guard, she would be there all the time. She didn''t seem to think he was doing a bad job however because since the events of that night, he seemed to have gained more respect from her and she now jokingly called him hero.


    The first thing Brenia did upon his arrival wasn''t to call him hero and laugh at his reaction however, it was to ask about Penny instead. Those two were like fire and water.


    "Hi, what''s she doing here?"


    "Hi everyone, The teacher asked her to train with us today. He wants us to show her that fighters aren''t as weak as she thinks."


    This answer made Brenia smile broadly. She walked up to Penny and the two girls stared at each other.


    Brenia was wearing her usual armor and her hair was wild. She was the third most muscular women he knew, right after Marcy and her sister in law. Aside from on her chest, she had no useless fat and when she wore anything else than her armor, you could see that her muscles were well defined.


    Watching her standing in front of Penny and looking down at her was a bit funny. Penny was shorter and slightly broader than her. She always wore loose clothes but from her fingers, one could tell she wasn''t pudgy. She was merely weak.


    For the training, she wore some cream colored pants too thick for the weather, and a long sleeved pale-gray shirt that hid half of her hands as well as her legs down to almost her knees because of its length. Both of those two pieces had pockets all over, most had been added by herself overtime with cloth of the wrong color. The front of her shirt was covered in those and they were all filled with unknown materials.


    She wore a woven hat adorned with a green ribbon and a wide brim to hide her eyes from the sun and some ordinary slippers.


    Mable and Calla too usually wore slippers but they weren''t going to train or fight. Even Nessa switched her dancing shoes for boots when training. Aglaya wore high heels instead but she wasn''t going to fight either and wore some even at night from what he saw the other day.


    Finally, Penny had a large belt falling from her waist onto her hips holding seven different bags and a wide leather shoulder belt made to hold wands. That shoulder belt was, at a glance, the only thing that kept her loose belt in place as it was tied up to it. It currently housed sixteen wands of unknown use.


    Emp felt it was impressive that even though she had started learning magic at the same time as him, she was already confident enough to make herself some wands.


    "I don''t want to be here but the teacher feel I need it." She told Brenia without flinching.


    "He asked her to watch us train seriously and then, maybe have a spar with me."


    Brenia squinted one eye and looked his way with a skeptical expression.


    "Why you in particular hero?"


    Emp snorted hearing her call him hero again and gave two light taps on his breastplate.


    "My new armor makes me immune to any magic she could currently cast according to the teacher. Since she never had any spars before, it would be dangerous for anyone else to have a go with her."


    "That make sense." Approved Nessa.


    Brenia seemed a bit disappointed that she wouldn''t be able to truly tussle with Penny but got over it fairly quickly and discussed the elements of his new armor with him instead.


    When they were done talking about equipment, they decided to set Brenia against Nessa first and then send the winner against Emp who would then maybe go on to spar with Penny if she felt like it.


    They started with some warm ups, Emp sat Celtine at the garden table with Mable, Aglaya and Penny and went on to train. He stretched, ran some laps and jumped a few times as high as he could. Even with his heavy armor on, he was still faster than he had been without it before he took the elixir and could jump high enough to easily get on top of the table. He felt that without so much weight, he could go far higher since even with it, just the table was easy enough that he didn''t even need to bend his knees.


    That was what he felt but he couldn''t be sure of it since he didn''t actually jump on top of the table, he would probably have broken it. Once he was done, he came to sit with the others as he waited for the other two to start their bout.


    "Aren''t you even faster than usual today?" Mable asked. "Is that some magic in your new armor?"


    "Yes I am faster but no, it''s not the armor."


    He had not told anyone in the school about the elixir yet and after what happened with Gytha, he wasn''t sure he should. He still had so many of them on him, he didn''t want anyone to get the idea that stealing them might be possible.


    "What is it then? A new self magic?"


    "No, I just drank something powerful. I still need to improve if I want to keep up with that sword dance and the older generation."


    "I won''t worry a second for my lord protector." She said with a smile exuding confidence. "Those old men will never hold out when compared to your talent."


    Emp smiled from her compliment even though he felt it would probably be harder than she seemed to believe.


    Penny made no comments about what she had seen up to now and instead waited for things to really start with a bored air.


    The two girls on the field took their respective positions and prepared themselves for their mock fight. After a quick confirmation that they were both ready, they raised their weapons and charged each other.


    Emp narrated some of the things that were happening for Penny''s benefit. This fight was very similar to their usual. Brenia took the first advantage with a charge that forced Nessa to back off. They exchanged many blows and the dancer took the lead, forcing Brenia in a dizzying back and forth.


    Brenia made a large horizontal swipe with her training axe to push Nessa back but she fled forwards instead and spun just outside the axe''s reach on Brenia''s left. She crossed her swords into a pincer to catch her arm but Brenia dropped down to escape. The two swords followed, darting down towards her until Brenia used her crouched position to propel herself into Nessa. She headbutted the other girl in the stomach and kicked at her ankle to make her fall.


    Nessa lost her breath but still spun on herself to let Brenia''s kick pass her by. It was at that point that she attempted once again to breach into the next stage of her dance. She swung both her blades in front of her in opposite directions and tapping her heels on the ground, jumped back out of Brenia''s reach to refocus her breath. Knowing what was coming, Brenia didn''t pursue her and hid behind the blade of her axe instead.


    Her swords blurred into a wall of steel in front of her as they moved faster and faster. She then started to spin on herself and her feet switched their positions constantly, slowly widening the wall of rapid cuts in front of her. At first, only the wind getting cut was heard but shortly after, scrapping sounds showed up more and more often. Emp knew they weren''t supposed to be there, if the two swords clashed against each other it meant that she couldn''t hold the rhythm.


    The wind produced by the impressive speed made her clothes flutter but just like every other time before, her face warped into a displeased and strained frown. The wall collapsed, one of her swords flew out of her hand and far away while the other sliced part of her own skirt off. Her hands shook as if they were stuck in an earthquake of their own and the spins finally beat her. She collapsed backward with a face red from the effort.


    "She failed again." Sighed Aglaya.


    "She can''t do it, it''s just too fast." Nodded Mable.


    "At least this time she didn''t injure herself."


    "What was that?" Asked Penny, confused. "She was doing well against Brenia until she did that. Why would she do that to herself like that?"


    "She was trying to reach the second stage of her sword dance but she hasn''t managed to speed up enough for it so her muscles gave out and she lost all strength in her arms and legs." Emp explained.


    He felt that if he gave her one of the elixirs she would probably do it easily. The real question was, should he? He had harbored this intention before but the story with Gytha had really shook his beliefs. If he was to give her such a huge boon, would she become troublesome later? She was a friend for now but who knew what the future held except maybe Time himself? If he gave her the elixir and she managed to reach even higher than the second stage of the dance, she might turn into an unbeatable monster.


    Was there someone that could help him make up his mind? Who could he even talk about this with?


    He really felt conflicted about this, looking at the ridiculous speed she needed to reach to make it into the second stage, he wasn''t sure that it was actually possible to do. Maybe the mouse or Jin could do it but their self magic had for only goal to raise their speed. Not only did Nessa need more than just speed to achieve it, she would never get her hand on the mousse''s personal self-magic.


    If this really was an impossible thing to do, would it mean that if he didn''t give her that elixir, she would fail to grab the territory of her father? Maybe if she trained for a dozen years or so she could reach the required speed an coordination but by then it would be too late? If the north of Artefine fell because he didn''t give that one elixir to her, he''d feel responsible forever.


    Two years ago, when he had not been able to help that woman in the auction house in Red-water, he told himself that he would help those he could reach. Nessa was one of them. Was he going back on his word just because of an irrational fear?


    "Emp come here, you''re next." Called Brenia, interrupting his thoughts.


    He switched place with the tired out Nessa and told himself he would think about it later.


    Brenia expected a great fight like they usually had but this time, Emp had to warn her.


    "Be careful today, I''m not the same as last time."


    "Pffft, what is that bragging about? You just beat a tiny mage, we''ll see who improved most."


    "No, I''m serious, I''m way better than I was."


    Brenia just grinned and leaped towards him. In a few steps, she had closed in on him and swung down with the axe. Emp got his thunderchew hammer in his hand and swung it once almost casually. The air screamed in agony as it tried to resist the hammer and the handle bent under the pressure. Despite starting the motion as the axe was already falling, the flat head of the hammer caught the axe swinging downward long before it reached him.


    There was a loud clunk and the axe was torn away from her hands to be buried deep into the earth at their side. Her face instantly expressed the pain she felt in her fingers but Emp was unwilling to underestimate her or go easy on her. Before she could react to that unexpected situation, he used his free hand to receive her charge with a punch. There was a meaty sound as his fist collided with her armor and she froze on the spot with eyes as round as saucers.


    She made a step back and clutched her stomach with a groan.


    "What? That wasn''t even a fight! She got instantly defeated!" Mable screamed as she saw the scene.


    Aglaya and Penny just gasped in surprise while Nessa almost fell off her chair witnessing that scene. They had all seen him warm up earlier but they still didn''t think it would be such a clear cut fight.


    Weren''t they always on equal footing before?

 84 Pursui

    "Ow! What the fuck was that!? How can you be so fast suddenly?" Brenia complained as she regained some of her breath.


    She looked at him with a very frustrated expression.


    "I told you to be careful." He answered with a bit of worry in his voice. "Are you fine? Did I punch too hard?"


    "No of course I''m not fine! What did you do to improve so much so quick?"


    So she was physically fine but she felt angry?


    She wasn''t usually a sore looser but this was just too much.


    Thinking of the spar, or rather, her unfair instant defeat, he realized he was very disappointed. The spars he had with her were always very entertaining, he really loved them. This one wasn''t fun at all, she was simply too slow for the current him and their strength didn''t match either.


    Before, he had a slight edge in raw strength but she made up for it in agility and speed. Against Nessa, she did the opposite, lacking a bit of speed but making up for it in strength. Now, the difference between them was just ridiculous.


    He already regretted their old spars. He was just as displeased as she was.


    "I drank one of those." He chose to answer her question by showing her the bottle of elixir.


    "Gimme that."


    She didn''t ask any more questions than that and snatched the bottle from his hand. If it was good enough for him to drink without worry and get such an improvement, she saw no reason to not drink it. She didn''t bother to ask him if he was willing to give her some either.


    Emp did nothing to stop her as she uncorked the thing and drank its contents whole in an instant. Witnessing her crushing defeat, he had already made up his mind, he would give one to both her and Nessa.


    "Wow, it tastes disgusting. How long will this work for, I don''t want to drink this all the time."


    "It''s permanent."


    Brenia raised an eyebrow and Aglaya, getting over her own shock, asked him what was in the bottle.


    "A black tulip of the crystal spring elixir."


    None of them knew what it was so none reacted except for Penny who was so surprised her chair flew back as she jumped to her feet and stamped on the table.


    "There''s no way you let her drink such a thing just like that! That would be insane!".


    Since none of the others understood the situation, she had to teach them all about the tulip and how the elder circle of mage in Thronewoods only made about one every ten years.


    Brenia paled looking at the bottle she had just emptied.


    "How much did that thing cost you?" Asked Mable curious and nervous to hear just how much money Brenia just drank as if it was nothing.


    "I already had the flower so I only paid for the processing fee. It still cost me a whole crystal plate for the batch."


    This was close to three hundred gold coins the bottle. Without the flower, he heard it would have been closer to two thousand the bottle.


    The others all stood there dumbstruck at this ridiculous price figure. At this moment, if Brenia could have spit it all back out into the bottle, she probably would have. Seeing their dismayed faces, he gave them a light chuckle to reassure them.


    "Don''t worry, I still have more. I already intended to give one to Brenia so its really fine. I have one for you too Nessa."


    Seeing him get another bottle of it out of his bag, Penny couldn''t help but scream in indignation.


    "No way! How many did you even have? How rich can you possibly be?"


    "The answer to both of those things is; more than you think."


    While Brenia was still in shock about what she just drank, Nessa stared at the bottle with intensity. It was obvious she craved it. Still, she refused the gift.


    "There is no way I can accept such a precious gift."


    Opposite to Emp, she knew when to refuse a gift and when to accept one. She couldn''t possibly accept receiving such a rare gift form her classmate.


    "Honestly, it''s fine. I still have more and there is no use in drinking this more than once so I do need to give them away."


    "It''s still too much, why would you gift this to me, why not someone of your household?"


    Emp told her his whole thought process about it.


    "I don''t know how your ancestor did it but I think reaching the second stage of that sword dance is just impossible for an ordinary human. Even if you trained your whole life, you would never reach the speed you need to sustain it. In my opinion, this is the reason why no one managed to learn it after him. I think that this would be enough to let you reach it."


    She wanted to reinstate her objection but he stopped her with his hand.


    "What happened with Gytha made me wonder if this really was a good idea to give you this. I had not realized before that my friends could maybe become opponents, even if against their will or unknowingly.


    I felt it would be much safer for me if in the end, you never managed to get to that second stage. The truth however is that I would much rather believe that you would never turn against us. I''d like for you to win.


    You will owe me nothing, I don''t want anything in return. If you insist on on giving something back then just make sure to take my or Mable''s side if we get in trouble alright? Take it and let me see the next stage of the dance with my own eyes."


    He said nothing about why he didn''t give it to someone of his own family because he didn''t know how to answer that without saying too much or saying something that would make him seem strange.


    The reactions to his explanations varied widely but everyone spoke at the same time making it difficult for him to understand anyone.


    Penny disagreed with his viewpoint and told him he would be better off keeping the elixir for his family.


    Brenia didn''t know how to react to the fact she had just drunk such a thing so casually and instead asked why he said his "or" Mable''s side rather than his "and" Mable''s side.


    Mable just told Nessa to take it since it was such a good gift. Then she heard What Brenia asked and turned beet red. Emp had asked her since then about what she meant by that kiss and why keep it secret but she had just pushed the issue for later so he had no clue what she was currently thinking.


    Aglaya on the other hand, found his words to be very clever.


    "He doesn''t know the full name of Mable so he can''t commit to anything and she doesn''t know his full name either however, he included her anyway in his request to show that he did hope for her to be a long time ally. On the opposite, he does know the name of Nessa as well as her ambition and from the information decided that the chances of her ever getting in conflict with him were minimal. I highly suggest you to take that elixir Nessa. Not only is it a sign of friendship but a clear commitment towards a long term alliance. Yes you will be bound to help in the future if you accept this gift now but not only will it greatly help you on your path, it''s just Emp we''re talking about. What could he possibly do to make you regret siding with us?"


    Aglaya saw much more than what he meant here but it was true anyway. He wished to remain in good terms with Nessa in the future, granted of course that he saw her again after he left the school. He also wanted Mable to stay close but he couldn''t take decisions for her and it didn''t seem like she would clarify her thoughts about him anytime soon.


    "You''re telling me to accept but it''s only because he asked for me to help Mable in the future if she got in trouble. Your opinion on what I should do is driven by your own interest."


    "The advantage it gives you is way more obvious than ours. Not accepting that elixir, you''re only hurting yourself."


    Nessa pursed her lips as she thought about it and finally decided to drink the bottle she was given.


    She made a disgusted face tasting the liquid and like everyone that took the elixir, her skin turned red for a moment.


    "I don''t feel any different." She stated.


    "Me neither." Brenia added.


    "It''s normal, it will take a few days to fully take effect, the changes will gradually take place until you are fully improved by it."


    "I see... I understand why you would want to give one to Nessa since she''ll be a duchess and that''s a useful friend to have but why would you give one to me as well?"


    "Why not?" Emp asked with his eyebrows scrunched up. "It would be really boring if I lost my favorite sparing partner just like that. Aren''t you my friend as well? Get stronger and fight me again, I want a good match."


    Brenia had a good laugh at his words and grinned back at him. She knew he was honest about this.


    "Sure, for a good fight I''m more than willing!"


    She punched his shoulder to show her approval but aside from the clank of his armor, he felt nothing through it.


    "I always have fun with you, well except today. I think you broke the thumb of my left hand." She added afterwards.


    They laughed it off despite the fact that Brenia would have to go see a healer later and they moved on to the next spar, the one between him and Penny.


    She had seen many insane things since she got here but wanted to go through to the end with it anyway. The teacher wouldn''t be able to say she didn''t put efforts in her observation and trial.


    "If I can''t hurt you with my spells, how do we decide who won?"


    "We could just go to the first one to hit or since Heinrich intended this to be an eye opener for you, we could go at it as if this was a real fight. Since you can''t hurt me, you win if you can either escape or force me to surrender by locking me down. I would win by catching you or getting a hit on you but don''t worry, I would not hit you as strong as I hit Brenia."


    "Boo, that''s favoritism!"


    Both him and Penny ignored Brenia, she just received a ridiculously rare elixir, talk about favoritism.


    "You should go for the second one, it sounds way more interesting." Mable said from the side.


    Penny rolled her shoulders to gather her spirits and agreed to it. She unsheathed one of her wands, a grey wooden branch adorned with feathers and readied herself for the fight. It was clear in her posture that she wasn''t used to this sort of things and a lot of the confidence she had earlier in the day had vanished seeing how Emp had so thoroughly defeated Brenia.


    Aglaya raised her arm in the air and after a short wait, gave the signal to start by swinging it down.


    Emp instantly stepped right in front of her and reached out to grab her arm.


    "Away!" She yelled in panic as she lived in person what it was like to be charged by someone like Emp.


    A powerful gust of wind stormed around them and slammed into Emp without disturbing him in the slightest. It did however raise a lot of dust and obscured his vision for a second by slipping into the eye slits of his armor. When he managed to see again, she wasn''t in front of him anymore. Only a grey stick and withered feathers remained


    "Melt!"


    He felt the ground under his feet give way and he started to sink into it. The dirt and sand had been turned into a very liquid type of mud. He turned the upper half of his torso around and saw her discard a second wand. Before even confirming whether he was stuck or not, she started chanting another spell and rummaged in her shirt pockets to gather a few trinkets.


    Emp sunk down to his knee without being able to do anything about it. It reminded him of the mud traps he had seen when he first left Chinui''s cabin. He wondered how far the liquid dirt extended away from him and if he could perhaps get away by gripping solid ground. First though, since she wasn''t that far off, he should disrupt her spell by attacking her right away. Not running off in the distance was a mistake.


    He Lifted the hammer up in the air and her eyes showed panic as she realized what he was about to do. She had seen him attack from incredible distances like everyone else before but she had momentarily forgotten because that ability was so illogical.


    She quickly made many steps backwards but kept chanting, refusing to stop her magic. He swung the hammer towards her as weakly as he possibly could because he didn''t want to hurt her.


    The weapon was too slow compared to her retreating steps and only clipped the front of her shirt. There was a "crack" sound as he hit something in one of the pockets and a massive cloud of thick black smoke burst from it, obscuring her from the view of everyone.


    Emp groaned at the miss and tried to reach the border of the liquid dirt instead. It wasn''t out of his augmented reach but too far to use it to prop him up, he needed another plan.


    The smoke was still everywhere so he had no idea of what she was doing. The only thing he knew was that her spell wasn''t done yet since he still heard her conjuring her magic.


    With his reach, he grabbed an ordinary rock out of the pool and used it to cast solidify on the ground absorbing him, cancelling the other spell. That simple spell had so many more uses than what he believed it would ever have.


    The ground around him grew solid once again and using his incredible strength, he forcefully extracted his legs from the ground. It made a lot of cracking noises and the yard broke apart around him as his leg previously buried up to his thighs dragged dirt and stone with it to move back up.


    Using his hands and the removed leg, he was able to do the same with the second one in no time at all.


    Just as he was standing back up on solid ground, he heard the loud boom of thunder and saw many lights run through the black smoke like lightning bursting from the sky.


    Since he was right in the middle of the black cloud, he couldn''t really tell what was going on but he heard the shocked gasps of the other girls sat at the table. Then, there was a second, louder boom and his world turned white. The smoke burst apart and lightning ran all over the ground to cover his armor. It was like every single bit of dust in the black smoke had turned into another bolt of lightning. He heard it crackle all over him but felt nothing at all.


    The only inconvenience was that it blinded him and everything sounded eerily quiet for a short time.


    Now that the cloud disappeared, once the light stopped blinding him, he saw a blurry Penny floating a feet in the air with a web of electricity linking her feet to the ground.


    Her eyes were wide in surprise, she was shocked to see that not only did he escape her pool of liquid dirt but he was perfectly fine after that. The moment he moved a muscle towards her however, her instincts took over and she fled towards the far end of the field. Her speed was now incredible, way faster than Jin even. Maybe with that speed she would be able to use the second stage of the sword dance. Had he jumped to the conclusion it was impossible too quickly or would it be too hard to keep that spell up as well as the dance?


    Floating above ground, she rushed away without moving her feet, only leaning forward further to accelerate.


    She had given up on stopping him now huh? Emp was an expert in long distance run though. He started running after her with all the speed he could muster and found himself right behind her almost immediately. His earring and vision were also already returned to normal so that was good.


    The lightning emanating from her licked the front of his armor once again and sensing him, she turned her head behind her to look.


    "Fast!" She gasped.


    Her movement wasn''t the only thing that had accelerated with her it seemed because before Emp was done thinking her reaction was comical, she had already pointed a new wand his way.


    "Boom!"


    Following her onomatopoeia, air gathered at the tip of the wand and turned into a ball of fire the same size has herself. The moment it was formed, it flew towards him and since they were both so close to each-other, Emp didn''t have any time to dodge and got hit instantly.


    The conflagration was violent and managed to stop his pursuit. In that single moment it was blowing up onto his armor, he was unable to move forward because of its pressure. It''s heat however, only managed to make him feel warm instead of cool thanks to the runes on his armor.


    Her attack wasn''t over with only this though, the flames hadn''t completely dissipated yet that the ground on either side of him surged upward into two huge walls.


    She had started chanting a new spell and her finger danced with lightning as she threw powder in the air and drew circles in them. She widened her arms and Emp understood what was about to happen, this was an earth spell, one he had read about in his earth magic book.


    He swung his hammer left in reaction just as she strongly clapped her two hands together. The two walls of dirt and stone rushed towards him to imitate her hands but, with a dull boom and an ominous crack, the left one was turned into rubble when he smashed the hammer into it with all his strength.


    The wall on his right, with nothing to collide with, pushed at his back and had him slide far away from the girl as she resumed her escape.


    This was kinda fun. Emp thought. He wondered what she would do next. However, he was unable to smile at all. He had been hit by every single one of her attacks until the start. If it had been a real mage with powerful magic, he would have been dead four times over by now.


    He smashed his elbow into the wall pushing him to break it apart and went through it. He saw Penny in the distance and ran after her again. This time however, she was so nervous about seeing half her spell instantly getting dismissed that she had kept an eye on him. She saw he was after her again long before he reached her.


    Just as fast as before, she reached for her pockets and got a spearhead made of steel and a fist sized piece of gold. There was so much cold sweat on her forehead flowing down that Emp wondered how she could still keep her eyes open. The answer however didn''t matter to either because they both continued what they were doing.


    Emp sped towards her and she slid backwards at an incredible speed while still casting her spell. Her mouth moved so fast because of her magically enhanced speed that Emp couldn''t understand a word of it but it seemed really complex for a novice. It took her a while before he saw any signs of magic at all.


    Fifty meters between them, she raised both of her hands towards the sky, lightning coursing on her flapping clothes.


    Forty meters between them, she pointed the spearhead his way after having it draw a wide and slow arc from over her head down towards him. A long beam of golden light took form between the gold piece and the spearhead.


    Thirty meters, the light condensed and seemed to solidify itself into a shining spear fit for a giant. Her arm holding the gold piece, arced towards her back, stretching the spear further and further.


    Fifteen meters, the spear was now fine and sharp, glowing like the sun reflected on polished steel. Another similar beam started forming over her head.


    Five meters, she seemed desperate to end her spell fast because he was getting very close. Behind her, the stone wall of the school building got closer to them at a frightening speed.


    She knew she was going towards it a full speed, yes?


    She decided to release the golden spear and it pierced the air towards him. If he didn''t dodge it, it would probably only slow him down but if she hadn''t noticed the wall, she would ram into it with enough speed to turn herself into grounded meat.


    He threw the hammer at it and twisted his upper body in his course towards her. The hammer clashed with it provoking a sound similar to a whistling teapot and a high pitched shriek, the two object flew back in different direction and both crashed into the dirt. The ground burst open and bits of it flew ten meters in the air. Emp barely escaped getting hit by the spear and sped even further up.


    The wall was ridiculously close now, he was convinced she couldn''t see it. She was way to busy dealing with him. There was no way he was letting her hurt herself in that ridiculous spar!


    Both of them were panicked at this point for very different reasons. Penny was on edge trying to figure out a way to slow him down as her second spear was being formed while he was desperate to reach her before she was turned into a pancake by her own speed.


    He pushed himself to his very limits and jumped forward, extending his hand to her, she was definitely close enough. He reached through space and caught the arm pointing the spearhead towards him. She yelped in surprise and the rays of light condensing into a spear dispersed aggressively around them, blasting holes all over the ground.


    The wall was just behind her now!


    He paid no attention to the dangerous light and quickly dragged her to him as he spun on himself to expose his back first. She was tugged all the way to him and her lighting spell collapsed too. Both the gold piece and the spear head fell from her hands and were left in the dust behind their furious run.


    With no time to make sense of what was happening to her or what he was doing, Emp held onto her to minimize the shock she would feel and rammed into the stone wall with ridiculous speed.


    If it had been made of wood or brick, he would have gone through but the base of that stone wall was much too thick. It was made to support many floors and towers.


    The shock was so heavy and violent that he didn''t register the powerful sound it made and all the air in his lungs escaped him. He found the experience to be painful but not enough to knock him out. He was reminded of how the crystal monster broke the bones of it''s hand punching the huge rock. Did he just break a bunch of his own bones as well? It didn''t feel like it but at the same time, his whole body felt numb.


    He released Penny who fell on her hands and knees in front of him, just as out of breath as he was. As she gathered her breath, she looked back at him and started to piece together what had just happened. As she came to understand that she could have been the one running into the wall at that speed, her face was drained of all its blood.


    Emp slid down the wall and coughed hard to try to fix his breath. After a few tries, he finally managed to force some new air into his lungs and felt very relieved that he was able to breathe.


    Because of the huge distance they had traveled in their fight, the others were very far away. they saw how the fight ended and decided to run towards them in worry. It would take them a while to reach them though.


    Emp took the time to move individual parts of his body to see if something felt wrong. He did hurt everywhere but nothing seemed really damaged.


    "You..." Penny said, unable to find any words to add to that.


    "You weren''t paying attention to what was around you. You could have hurt yourself badly there. You need to be aware of everything, don''t just run backwards blindly." Emp scolded her. "My whole back will be bruised now."


    "I... Sorry."


    She really did seem sorry. He let out a sigh and struggled to remove his helm.


    "It''s fine, just pay attention while you''re in a fight, anything could happen after all."


    "Thank you for taking the impact in my stead." She said. "I''m not used to going that fast, I was certain we were very far away still."


    Emp decided she looked guilty enough and would probably remember to look out next time. Instead of complaining some more, he decided to tell her what he felt about the rest of their spar.


    "That was fun, I was very curious of what spell you would throw at me next."


    "Fun? That was so scary. I couldn''t stop you or even just escape. Every time I looked you were closer than before and I had a hard time to keep my spell up or even just think of anything in front of that... pressure."


    Emp could understand what she meant, it happened a few times to him as well. Under too much fear and stress, you could feel like nothing in your head worked and just moved by reflex alone.


    The others finally reached them with Brenia lagging behind. She had taken the long way around to pick up his hammer and carried it back to him holding it by the head.


    "Are you alright? What happened?" Nessa asked first.


    "We had an accident because of a small lack of awareness but we''re both fine." Emp answered.


    "That was so fun to look at! There was so much happening, with loud explosions and elements attacking you from everywhere. Did you win in the end?" Mable asked excitedly.


    "He did win." Penny nodded, still sat in the dirt. "I was thoroughly defeated. I threw all my best spells at him and it barely slowed him down."


    "It doesn''t feel like a win though. Aside from when you tried to squash me between the two dirt walls, I never saw any of your attacks coming and got hit by every singe one of them. I dodged the last one but I had to sacrifice my hammer for it. Against a more experienced mage, I would have died many times over."


    "I see what you mean." She nodded in agreement "In a real fight, I would have died many times over as well. That first attack with your hammer was too slow for the ridiculous speed you showed me after, you could have hit me easily but you didn''t. Then, even after sacrificing many wands and a talisman, the wall would have killed me and even if not, you still caught up to me."


    "Heinrich was right, I think we both learned a lot in that small fight."


    "Yes, I see now what our teacher wanted me to understand. Fighting for real is very different than just knowing the spells. Things don''t always go your way and there is much more to be aware of and understand."


    She turned her eyes towards the other girls and apologized to Brenia.


    "I''m sorry I said warriors were wasting their time and had no value, I was obviously wrong. Emp is very far from weak, he could shrug off anything I sent at him and broke through stone and dirt as if it was a sheet of parchment. Even with the blessing of lightning, I couldn''t escape him. The others as well, from what I saw and from how confident Emp seems to be in your ability to catch up to him, that strength isn''t unusual. I vastly underestimated the potential of forged weapons users."


    Emp expected Brenia to be gloating from seeing Penny admitting that she was right but she seemed just as downhearted as the novice mage instead. She placed the hammer to the side and after lowering herself to the level of her usual nemesis, she surprisingly apologized as well.


    "I''m sorry too. I believed that mages just used overrated fancy tricks and dishonorable tactics but today, I saw you throw everything you had at him, sparing no efforts to win a desperate situation.


    I get it now, mages aren''t different. Magic is just another weapon, one I don''t understand, but in the end, it''s the same as a sword or an axe. You must have practiced just as hard as I.


    I apologize, I won''t look down on magic again, Emp was right from the start. If it had been me against you, I would have lost for sure, you were much faster than I and you two rampaged around the field so much that the whole thing is wrecked, there are holes and rubble everywhere. That was an impressive display. I should have paid more attention in magic class."


    With that, she extended her hand to Penny for a shake. The young mage looked at the hand in surprise for a short moment and took it with a smile.


    "And I should have paid more attention in combat class. I wouldn''t have embarrassed myself by running straight into a wall."


    Brenia burst in laughter and helped Penny get back up.


    What an unexpected turn of event. They had been at each-other''s throat for two years and just like that, they both changed their minds and mended their relationship. In the end, despite harboring opposing opinions, both of them were quite similar. They were both stubborn but hardworking and ambitious in their own field. Their desires to improve surpassed their stubborn nature and after seeing that they had been wrong and that there was indeed another way to go to progress than the one they believed in, they accepted the truth with dignity instead of complaining and persisting in their misguided perception.


    Emp was glad this happened, he liked when things were logical and them two finally agreeing that both magic and martial arts were useful was, in his own head, how it should have been from the start.


    "I''m glad you''re both finally in agreement that both magic and martial art have their uses and should both be studied."


    "No." The two denied together to Emp''s absolute dismay.


    Didn''t they just agree to the opposite?


    "We agree that both are strong and should not be underestimated yes, but I still don''t think you should practice both at once."


    "Brenia is right, if you waste your time studying the intricacies of both, in the end, you will be master of neither. Study one and pay attention to what the other can do, that''s all that''s within our reach."


    "Yeah, if I waste time trying to cast spells now, my progress in martial arts will drop and I''ll never catch back up to you. I''ll watch carefully and listen so that I know what a mage can do but there''s no way I''m ever doing the same. It would just break my momentum."


    Emp couldn''t believe those two! He thought they had both finally seen reason but it wasn''t the case at all! They just acknowledged the value of the other side rather than considering it as part of the right path. He didn''t know what to tell them.


    Was he the one in the wrong then? Was it absurd to think he should practice both rather than one or the other? He didn''t think so, he had been asked to do both by the gods themselves, there was no way he was wrong.


    "Speaking of broken," Brenia followed. "I picked up your hammer and it doesn''t seem to be in good shape."


    She gave it back to Emp and he was immediately saddened to see that it was badly damaged. The handle was deeply cracked, he was surprised the head of the hammer hadn''t fallen off in the battle. Not only the handle, the giant tooth was also damaged, there was a large charred scar like a trench where it had collided with the spear of light.


    He liked that hammer a lot so he was very hurt to see it like that. Maybe he could replace the handle but the tooth would never be as smooth as it one was. Even by replacing the handle, hitting something with it could now result in the tooth splitting by the center which would be extremely bad. When he said earlier that he had sacrificed the hammer to dodge the spell, he hadn''t thought that he had "really" sacrificed it.


    Seeing his depressed face, Penny apologized again.


    "Sorry, it was my pale sunlight spear that damaged it."


    "You don''t have to apologize for it. In that kind of spar, it''s better to not hold back, I can accept it. I needed to get a new one anyway, that one was too light for the current me."


    "Your mouth says that but your eyes tell us the opposite." Aglaya pointed out.


    Emp gave them a disappointed sigh and tried to express his feelings with words that would make sense.


    "It''s true that I needed a new one but that hammer had been trough a lot with me. I feel really sad seeing it in such a bad state, I hoped to keep it in good condition to hang it on my wall. I can still place it there but it won''t be the same..."


    While Emp mourned his hammer with Celtine tapping his shoulder in support, the others gave him some space and talked about Penny''s magic affinity a little further off. They were still close enough for him to hear but this way, if he wanted to keep to himself for a bit, he would be able to. Nessa was the one to ask her about it.


    "You used a lot of different magics, we saw a bunch of opposed styles from our seat. There was lightning, light, wind, water, earth and fire too, what is your affinity in the end?"


    "I have none." Penny admitted. "When the teacher tested me, none of the powders rose."


    "What?"


    The others couldn''t be more surprised. They expected her to have a lot.


    "Having no affinities isn''t a problem, affinities do not equal talent, they just tell you what will be easier. Even though there was no easier path for me, I think this is great. This way, I get to try out all of them.


    Some mages focus so much on their affinity that they forget the other types of magu even exist. I will get to master all of them at once, I''ll have the advantages of all and the weaknesses of none. The powders says the path will be harder but it is meaningless in front of my efforts."


    "I don''t know if it''s efforts or talent but some of those were really impressive. The one were you floated above ground was amazing." Mable told her. "Would you be able to fly over the school with it?"


    "No, actually flying is way harder, this one just makes me float somehow."


    "The last one was great too, it was so bright we could see it clearly from all the way over there. It was super strong too, you even broke Emp''s hammer with it."


    "Yes, the pale sunlight spear is the best offensive spell I know, but it still wasn''t strong enough. Emp was way too strong it''s ridiculous, I didn''t expect my spell to be pushed aside by the hammer, I thought it would blast the hammer away and continue towards him but instead, it got stuck on it and was deviated just enough for him to easily step out of the way."


    "I wonder how strong Emp truly is now."


    "Let''s ask him then! I''m curious too." Mable told them before calling out to him. "Hey Emp, just by curiosity, just how strong are you now? Could you strike the ground with that other hammer of yours? The big black one, just to see what it looks like when you go all out."


    Emp looked up from his damaged hammer and placed it in his bag before answering. He was still sad but, it was only a hammer after all. He could forget about it for now to answer Mable.


    "I can but it will tire me out, I won''t be able to spar again today if I do."


    After a quick consultation, the others agreed they wanted to see. Anyway, no one could match him in a true spar now.


    Emp took a few more steps of distance with them before he prepared himself to get the overburdening hammer out of the bag. He used it every day to strengthen himself with it but almost never made any strikes with it because the strain on himself was too much. His arms hurt for a long time after he did just from the shock of the impact. Striking the ground was very stupid after all, his bones felt like cracking every time and all his skin felt like it was being stung by bees.


    He took a deep breath and reached into his bag for it. Using both of his hands, he painstakingly lifted it up high in the air. He quickly felt all his strength disappearing and his whole body started to burn despite the cooling effect of his armor. By the time the hammer was up high, his face was drenched in sweat. The others could only watch with bated breath seeing him struggle to raise it.


    Then, when it finally was as high as he could possibly lift it, He reversed his strength and pushed it down with all his might.


    "Haaar!!"


    It made a wide swing in the air and its flat surface punched into the dirt floor. There was a boom louder than any they had heard in the previous duel and the ground shook under their feet. The black weapon dug deeply in the earth and the whole area around it felt like it rose in answer, fracturing dry soil and rocks under its weight and displacing everything around it to let the frightening tool through. Pieces of dirt flew high up in the air and splattered all over his armor like pellets shot from a sling.


    When the sound of the impact finally stopped rolling around them, Mable started clapping in wonder.


    The others had mixed feelings. They would not have been that surprised to see a knight or a death seeker exhibit this kind of strength but, Emp was just a student like them. His full strength could shatter the earth under him and he was only this old.


    How ridiculous would it become in the future?


    The only thought currently floating into Aglaya''s head was: How did that teacher survive a full powered hit in the chest from him? What sort of magic had he been protected by?


    They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about training and magic. Everyone left late in the evening and Emp brought Mable all the way to her room like usual.


    "When my clothes will be ready, I''ll need to go out in town again, will you go with me this time too?" She asked him.


    This seemed like the perfect occasion to attempt to have another talk with Love. He really wanted to talk to her after all. By escorting Mable in town, he would have a good opportunity to stop by.


    "Sure, but while we''re there, I''d like to stop at the temple of Love, I have something to do there."


    "Wow, that''s funny, that''s were I wanted to go too! That''s great then, we''ll go together!"


    Why did Mable want to go to that temple?

 85 A small reques

    The new year was approaching fast and everyone from either the village or the city was preparing to leave another year behind. Emp had some things he wanted to do as well before they hit the new year.


    After helping some more the boys who would go on their first hunt this year, he walked to the Champom house to speak with Calla. (1)


    He knew that Calla would cook something fantastic again this year for the festivities but he came to think that he may be able to help by bringing her some ingredients she didn''t have access to here in Dark-glint. He could just buy them in B¨ºt¨¦clair and bring them here easily using the bag.


    While he was here, he also wanted to ask her for a few additional portions. If possible, he wanted Harriett and Celtine to feast with them as well and try out her food.


    It had been a while since he last came here but he noticed that something was different. There was a large tub outside with the opening covered with planks. There was no indication nearby of what it was for which made him very curious to know what was inside.


    He stopped at its side and walked around it looking for a clue on what it was for. There really wasn''t a lot to work with, it looked just like a normal tub. Why was it outside though?


    "Emp, hi! Are you here to see Calla?"


    Fiona Champom suddenly showing up from the window almost made him jump. He turned his back to the tub in order to look her way.


    "Hi ma''am Champom. Yes, I came to see Calla but got distracted by that tub. I was wondering what it was for."


    "It''s something Calla''s been working on, although it''s empty for now because she couldn''t get the right ingredients." Calla''s mother answered with a warm smile.


    "I see, in that case, I might be able to help."


    "Mhm... I wonder. Come in then, I''ll tell Calla you''re here."


    "Thanks."


    He went to the door and let himself inside. Soon after, Calla joined up with him and he asked her about is idea.


    "I guessed you would do a new year meal this time too and I wanted to know if you wanted anything special for it. I could get it in B¨ºt¨¦clair and you''d have some fresh ingredients for it."


    Calla seemed very interested and thought about it seriously with a hand against her cheek.


    "Don''t worry about the cost." Emp precised. "I don''t care paying if it''s to enjoy something you cooked, you can ask for anything at all."


    "How about you ask him for that thing you were looking for?" Her mother intervened.


    Calla blushed a bit at her mother''s suggestion but still seemed very excited about it. She had not thought about it before but now that the idea was here, there was no way she could forget to ask him.


    "I don''t know yet for the new year recipe but... I would really need you to get me something else..."


    "What is it? If I can help, I''ll be glad to do it for you."


    Like usual, it was hard for her to speak up so he had to be patient and lean forward a little bit to make sure he would hear her clearly.


    "Flowers..." She confessed. "I need royal lilacs and deep lavenders. As much as possible, as soon as possible."


    "Flowers? This shouldn''t be too hard. I''ll find a flower shop and buy all the royal lilacs and deep lavender they have for you. I''ll fill your house with them if you want. You''ll have them tomorrow night."


    She gave him a sweet yet embarrassed smile and her mother stopped him from going overboard with a few words.


    "Don''t fill our house with flowers, I''d be troubled. Just enough to fill the tub outside should be much more than enough."


    "The tub? I got it, no problem."


    Calla''s mother didn''t seem to agree to his worry-free face and showed him a reproachful frown.


    "I''m still not convinced. Please, do not spend all your money on flowers."


    "Don''t worry, that won''t happen."


    He only spent a third of it on flowers up to now and those were extremely rare flowers too. He couldn''t see how he could possibly spend two crystal plates on ordinary flowers and still not be able to fill a few houses with them. Just a tub of them was nothing at all to him.


    After that, he explained to Calla how he wanted to have a few of his friends taste her food and asked her to make some more for them once the new year came. She agreed with a cute nod and he told them goodbye for now.


    The next day, he was ready to finally give a visit to the temple of Love. He would go in the company of Mable and all four of their servants. On the way back, he would pick up all the flowers Calla requested and the other him would then be able to deliver them.


    He dressed himself with his armor with the help of Harriett and walked up to Mable''s room with the two girls.


    They were still acting strange around him. They still had not told him what was on their mind so he was at a loss on what to do. Neither talked again about what he had told them that night. He tried to ask Celtine what was wrong many times but she refused to give him any answer at all. She just kept turning away, not daring look at him in the eye.


    Today however, he hoped he would get answers to all of his questions, including what to do about those two.


    He knocked on Mable''s newly repaired door and waited for the servant to open him. Inside, Mable was ready to leave, she was only waiting for him.


    "Hi Emp."


    "Hi Mable, I''m here, are you ready to go?"


    "Yes, what do you think of my new dress?"


    All smiles, she spun on herself to let him have a good look at it. It was a long dress with a wide base like she preferred them. Most of it was white with some layers of pale green but there were many orange and golden ribbons, laces and details on it adding a great amount of complexity to the piece of clothing. Orange was Mable''s favorite color so it wasn''t surprising that there would be some touches of it on her clothes.


    The details on the lacework were very impressive without giving the feel that there was too much of it while the many folds in the dress gave it the volume Mable liked to see.


    The dress came with its own corset now adjusted to her new size and was tied in the back. Her fair shoulder blades and neck were left in the open but covered by her haircut. Her sleeves were delicate and thin enough to let one see the elbow gloves underneath with ease. Finally, the upper part of her dress covered her front elegantly and tied itself around her neck with two long string of pearls.


    Finally her hair had been braided on each side of her head and brought up and down in layers while those in the back looked like many curtains in waves. Everything was held together by a pair of long golden hair-clips and what remained fell freely onto her shoulders and back.


    He found her very charming.


    "You''re very pretty in the dress."


    Her cheeks took a red tinge and swiftly pointed at the dress again, shaking it in front of him.


    "I asked about the dress not me!"


    Why did she ask him if she didn''t want an honest answer?


    "I think the dress is worthy of you but I don''t feel like I''m the one you should ask about that."


    "But you''re the one I have to ask in order to know if I am pretty or not?"


    That was a fair point. He didn''t know about the dress but Mable he knew for a fact was attractive. He couldn''t say that out loud though. Instead, he let Mable grin from her own comeback and he changed the subject.


    "Isn''t that a ball dress? Is it really the right thing to wear to go out in town?"


    "It is a ball dress, that''s the one I intend to wear at the new year party. I wanted to try it beforehand. I have the high heels to go with it but right now I''m just wearing sandals."


    She raised the hem of her dress to show her slender feet.


    "Should I have kept the dress a surprise for the new year? I was too excited, I had to try it now."


    Emp started laughing because she was making the face of a child that had been caught doing a bad thing. While he was laughing, she gave him some more excuses as she pushed him out of her room.


    "Anyway it''s not muddy at all outside so I''ll be fine. Stop laughing and let''s go already!"


    "Fine, fine. Let''s go to the temple."


    They greeted Wren at her desk on the way out and had a peaceful walk up to the temple.


    The gigantic garden was just as well maintained as the last time he came and the gardening girls were still hard at work giving out flowers to people passing by.


    Last time he came, he had been curious about these flowers. They were said to bring luck to couples as long as they hadn''t withered. This time, he hoped none of the novice priestesses would decide to give him one of them, who would he give it to if he received one? Mable, Calla, Harriett or Celtine? He felt that however he decided to give that flower to, at least one would get upset.


    He preferred not giving any flower at all until he knew what he was doing.


    "Wow, the temple of Love is really impressive! There''s one in Thronewoods too but I never went to take a look before. I''ll definitely go sight-see when I go back home."


    Mable was really impressed by the architecture and even more by the immense flower garden.


    "It looks so peaceful and gentle."


    "You never came to the temple before?"


    "No, I never had a reason too before."


    He felt that if he questioned her about her reasons, it would probably be about him and in that case, she would feel like he was teasing her and be upset about it. He decided to not say anything about it instead. He felt like he was getting so much better at this sort of thing it made him smile widely. Good thing he wore his helm or she would have seen and felt like he was teasing her.


    "I know you''re smiling in there! Don''t pretend otherwise!"


    Drats.


    "Speaking of reasons," He escaped into another subject. "Why aren''t Aglaya and Nessa here too? You three always stick together usually." He had almost said four too! That was close. (2)


    "I didn''t want to see their smug smiles and I didn''t want Aglaya to tease me the whole day long."


    "Won''t she do it anyway when you come back?"


    "Well at least she isn''t doing it right now. And don''t think I forgot about that smile, I''ll get you back for sure."


    Damnation.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Did I tell everyone where Champom comes from already or did I forget? I always pick names for a reason, sometimes they are more obvious than others. Here, champ=field in French and pomme=apple in French as well. So Champom is in fact just apple field just shortened to Apfield. They were the ones to plant the first apple tree in Dark-glint long ago after all.


    (2) Fun fact, "four" is the French word for oven. I always get a weird feeling when I have to write 4 in English. I always feel like it''s wrong.

 86 Loving mother

    With Mable swearing to tease him back later, they proceeded to step into the grand temple.


    Emp served as a guide telling her all about what was happening around them. He showed her the priestesses blindly writing predictions and throwing them in the massive pool of them, he showed her the horn that was used to receive the payment for a prediction and told her how the stairs in the back led up to the prayer room.


    "I came for the prayer room but if you''d like, we can go take a prediction for you. I think they call them counsels here."


    "I''d like one yes, that''s why I came."


    "Let''s go talk to that woman then."


    They made their way around the burners spreading a sweat scent and the sea of flower covering the floor and arrived in front of the woman. Like last time, Her overly long white dress flowed all over the floor around the horn on which she was sat leisurely. Behind her and the pool of messages, the small stage was presenting five talented harp players, all of them women with white dresses.


    Like the last time he came, she welcomed them warmly with her smooth voice.


    "Welcome to Love''s temple proud pair. This one grew and now wears armor but I do remember. Are you here for a prayer or a counselling this time around?"


    She must have recognized him because like last time, Celtine was on his shoulders.


    "I''m here for a counselling." Mable answered. "We''ll go for a prayer afterwards."


    "Lovely, in this case, entrust a gold crown to the horn and choose a message from the pool. Remember, you can only read it once you have chosen."


    Mable nodded in understanding and after taking one from her purse, dropped the coin in the horn. With the approval of the priestess, she walked up to the pool and laboriously fought her dress to take one of the papers. Those sort of dresses weren''t made to bend and fold after all. It was very intricate and fit for a ball room but not to crouch.


    Only after Emp helped her by holding one of her hands was she able to lean forwards deeply enough to pick one of the papers.


    She thanked him warmly with a smile and unfurled the piece of paper to read what was on it. She made confused frown and walked back to the woman on the horn with Emp right behind her. He didn''t try to read what was on the paper because Love had told him not to do that sort of thing last time he came. He was curious of what could be troubling her though.


    "I don''t understand what it is supposed to mean." Mable complained to the lady.


    "Sometimes, it''s a bit cryptic but it always is the right words for you. It might be a metaphor or even a single word, sometimes it seems clear and sometimes you need to wait for the moment of truth were it all comes together. You have to trust in lady Love and believe that it will help you when you most need it."


    Mable seemed unsure if she should be believing her words but thanked her all the same.


    "Thank you for the explanation."


    Trying to be helpful, the lady in white gave some further advice.


    "I noticed in the past that our lady Love likes to give choices. Even when it is meaningless, there is always an alternative. She likes to show everyone that there is always a second path even if that second path is a wrong one. If you close your eyes and think about the two paths offered, often you will find that your heart knows clearly which is the right one for you."


    Mable thanked her again, this time more warmly and asked about the prayer room.


    "Just place a hand over your heart and tell the idol what lies in your heart. Like I told the man at your side, do not say a word out loud, only the words in your heart matters."


    The small group then walked up the white stairs to the second floor and Emp saw for the second time the prayer room. He placed Celtine onto the floor just like last time and looked at how similar it all was from before. People were praying all over the room as the large statue of Love watched over them just like in his memory of the place.


    "Do you think that the statue looks like Love?" Mable asked him. "How do they know what Love looks like? Maybe they were wrong."


    Emp felt that if they had been wrong, the temple would have crumbled for making a god mad.


    "I know for a fact that it does look like her. Stone can''t make her warmth justice but that statue is otherwise just like her."


    "Really? How do you know?" Mable asked him with a very skeptical look.


    "I met her before, she was the one who gave me the magic ring." He answered pointing at her finger.


    He couldn''t tell her that Love had created him but the origin of the ring wasn''t really a secret, plenty of people knew about it already.


    Mable seemed very impressed and saw the ring on her finger in a new light. No wonder it was this magical! It had come from a true goddess! Why didn''t he say so from the start?


    Emp and the others stepped into an empty spot and everyone placed their hands over their heart.


    It didn''t take long before the world around him faded.


    Everything turned grey and the brilliance of Love filled space above the heads of the believers.


    "Darling, you finally decided to come back to see me! Why don''t you ever come see me?"


    "You said you couldn''t help and I was busy with a lot of things."


    "Can''t you just come here to talk? There are two of you and you can''t make any time for your real mother even though you live so close by. That''s not fair at all!"


    Her hair swayed like annoyed snakes but he could see on her face that she wasn''t really angry at him. Instead, she seemed like she was playing some harmless mischief on him.


    "It''s true I want to tease you a bit but it''s also true I missed talking with my son. Last time you were in a hurry and then you waited more than a year to come back. You even chose yourself a mortal mother in the meantime and didn''t even bother to ask me if this was alright."


    "Is it?" Emp asked.


    He had not considered this before because Love was more one of his creator than an actual parent. He didn''t think she would be bothered but gods were fickle after all, since she was bringing it up now, he feared that she might be upset.


    "It''s fine, I''m not upset at all. Most mortals have many mothers too. As long as you remember that it was I that brought you into this world and gave you life, I''m fine. I know you think I''m unreliable but it''s only because of that stupid bet, I truly wish your well being. You are the son of Love and there is nothing in this world I love more than you. This is a fact."


    She was Love after all, even though he didn''t think she showed it well, it must have been the truth.


    "I''m sorry that I haven''t come talk to you in a while and that I let Marcy become my mother without telling you. I didn''t think you would mind either."


    "Well it''s fine, I''m keeping an eye on you. I just want you to remember that I''m not that far off. For example, when next you marry a girl, I want you to come here to present her to me."


    "I don''t think this sort of thing will happen soon."


    She laughed loudly at his comment as if it was the funniest thing she heard the whole day.


    "You think? I''m sure it will come sooner than what you expect. You''re doing well for someone who doesn''t know what he''s doing."


    Of course, she knew of his problem, not only could she read his mind, she said she kept an eye on him.


    "Now I know what it feels like to love but I don''t know what to do with the feeling." He complained. "The emotion is smothering me, there''s too much of it it''s a torture."


    "How is it a torture, Love is the best feeling there is!"


    "I told Harriett and Celtine that I loved them but both became distressed afterwards and now I really wish I had said nothing, I just want things to go back the way they were. Mable too, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and then ran off and refused to give me any sort of explanation. And then there''s/"


    "Wait, wait. One at a time, jeez."


    If they were to go one at a time, it''d take the whole afternoon and there were still more he wanted to talk about.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine, we have as much time as we want here outside of reality."


    "How does that even work?"


    "Way too complicated for you, don''t bother with it. As long as it works, it''s fine. What do you want to talk about first? You don''t have to hide anything from your mother, I''m there to answer anything at all."

 87 Answers

    What should he start with then? What was the best thing to ask first?


    Emp looked at the girls at his side and chose to ask about Celtine first.


    "Then about her, what did I do wrong, why is she so distant with me? Why was she so upset when I told her about my feelings?"


    He really felt depressed about this so he really wanted to know.


    "Don''t misunderstand, your two servants, they aren''t mad at you, they are mad at themselves and don''t know how to face you."


    "What? But why? They have done nothing wrong."


    "Clearly this is not what they feel. I could tell you exactly what is the problem but as the goddess Love, I know it would be better if they were the ones to tell you why they feel this way. Either find out by yourself or wait for them to be ready to talk. The only two things I can say is that you did nothing wrong up to now, you''ve been great even, and I already gave them the answer to their problems. I knew this would happen from the start so I told them what to do on those papers you all took last time you came."


    "Really?"


    "Yes really, I told you they were important."


    Emp was impressed by Love. That time, he just thought it was a waste of time but if he had known then how he now felt, he would never have thought so. The way those two acted was really disturbing to him, he wished they''d be back to normal soon.


    "The girl Celtine will take time though. There is a massive differences in culture between her and this Steelwood empire. Not only do you not share the same race but by her standards, a single man should belong to a single woman and the other way around. She strongly rejects the idea of sharing her partner, she can only see it as disgraceful decadence."


    "So you mean to tell me that I should choose who I love most and leave the others be in order to satisfy her?"


    "No, I don''t think you can. I made you with too large a heart, you are the son of love after all. I love all things and you are not far off from that. You may not love everything and everyone but once you do love something, it will be hard for you to let it go. It is not because you are a lecherous man or that you like to change lovers from time to time, it will purely be because of my divine influence. You will love and love, unable to do anything about it and those feelings will only grow. That is why I gave you the ring of allegiance, once you start loving someone, letting them go or loosing them would be devastating for your heart."


    "Isn''t that cruel?"


    "I didn''t mean for it to be cruel, I just wanted you to feel love like I do. I admit that love sometimes hurts a lot but when you reach that perfect state of acceptance, care and comfort with another you wish to share those, you will never want to leave that state.


    Love is a powerful drive, you lived it already. The love for a friend let you risk your life to save theirs and the love for this girl here had you move faster than I ever saw.


    This isn''t a curse or a cruel trick, you will love and love more. With a good character like yours, that love will bloom into smiles around you and help you protect those you hold dear. It will help you fulfill the bet too.


    I can see it in your head already. You''re thinking it all the time since that mage attacked Mable. How do I make sure she is safe, how to make sure they are all safe? Let me give you the answer, you will find it enlightening I''m sure. Who do you think are the most protected women in the world? Wouldn''t they be the wives and daughters of the emperor?"


    Emp stared into her purple eyes for a really long time after that. Wasn''t she right? His name was Emperor, he was meant to be an emperor. If he did, there would be all the armies of the empire at his order to protect them, who would be crazy enough to attack someone in the family of an emperor?


    "Nowhere will ever be perfectly safe since Death as a lot of reach but this is the best you can possibly do aside of course from being at their sides all the time. You don''t have to hurry though, things are moving just as they should, luck made sure of that. Since you''re so mean to me and I don''t know when you''ll be back next, I''ll tell you now; the ancient of the school is preparing something interesting. He will ask something of you and you will say yes. You could say no as well and make your own path but I tell you, accepting his plan will be best if you want to keep friends and lovers close for later in your life."


    "I will keep that in mind."


    Up until now, Love had refused to do many things for him but everything she had said had helped him a lot. He had no reason to not trust her words and so would pay close attention to whatever the duke would ask him. However, he wasn''t here to learn about his future, he was here to know what he was supposed to do right now.


    "What about Mable? What do I do for her?"


    "The girl does like you a lot but she isn''t the ruler of her own destiny, or at least not yet. She''s just afraid of getting hurt. Think about how you feel from that mute servant reaction, this is the sort of pain she is afraid to feel."


    "Is it because of her father? She talks about him a lot."


    Emp remembered that way back in the first moral class, she was one of those who had raised their hands when asked if they had been told they would be able to chose their own husbands. He also remembered that she had lowered her hand when asked if she believed it was real.


    "What do I do then? How do I give her control over her own life?"


    "Again, the answer is: nothing at all. I can''t see the future, I just know what everyone is thinking and planning right now. I can tell you that if nothing crazy happens, things will end up well. If she makes the right choice that is, I gave her a hint just earlier. I''ve got your back my darling boy, don''t worry."


    That answer felt very disappointing to Emp since he really wanted to help. Was there really nothing he could do to help?


    "There are things you can do to help things go in a way that will satisfy your hunger for love but I can''t tell you those because you are missing pieces. I really want to tell you what you missed because I can''t wait to see the face you''ll make hearing it but I can''t. In any case, I know you enough to understand that you will do the right thing even if you aren''t told what that thing is."


    Emp made a frustrated pout but gave up on trying to get more information. Knowing he was on the right track was enough for now.


    "So the next one you want to know about is that girl in the village right? She''s a bit far from here so I have a hard time looking."


    "Does this mean you can''t help for her either?"


    He wanted to know how to tell her how he felt without loosing her forever from the embarrassment.


    "I can help, of course, this one is the easiest of the lot in fact. Not the girl herself, I mean, the way to help you. I can feel how much you love her already and for me, it''s easy to tell that this feeling is shared with her. The best part is that she already knows how you feel, she''s just gathering her courage now. Keep going like you are now and everything will fall in place soon, I''d say in less than a month. Don''t forget about the flowers and she will make her feelings clear soon."


    So he was worrying about what he felt for all the girls but in fact he had been fine? He only had to wait?


    That was very soothing for him but he still had many question. What about Galana and Brenia, what was it that he really felt about them, was there a way to make it clear?


    "The warrior girl has a past much more troubled than it seems. She''s bitter and distrustful, her heart half dissolved. She''s also entirely fixated on her own goal, if you do want to keep her close, know that it will be a hard thing to accomplish.


    What you feel towards her seems blurry because you don''t know her enough. Just spend more time with her and whether you like her or not will become clearer.


    Just don''t jump to any conclusion too fast, mistakes do happen in love. I''m not saying this is necessarily the case here but not confuse lust for love. Lust is very talented in breaking perfectly working relationships with a momentary feeling, I warn you now.


    As for that bookstore woman, just give up on her. She''s not worth any of your time."


    "Why?"


    Love seemed to dislike Galana and she did nothing to hide it. Her eyes showed displeasure and her mouth twisted in disgust at her mere mention.


    "She insulted me and mocked you, she has a foul mouth and can''t seem to work out solutions for her simple problems. She is a burden with no will of her own and keep placing herself in trouble. Plus, she never apologized. I want better for my son. I don''t care if you like her rough attitude or her oversized sense of distorted morals, she is just no good. I am the one to bless marriages, even if you ignored my words and took her in, as your mother, I would never bless that ceremony and that would make it invalid. Just forget about her."


    Love hated her, there was no other way to say it. Love would not help him about her but her words did help him understand what he felt. He noticed that he got frustrated hearing Love criticizing her, maybe he felt more strongly about her than he first believed. (1)


    He felt he still needed more time to think about both Galana and why exactly Love didn''t like her. In the meantime, he still had more things to ask about. In particular, something that bothered him for a while now.


    "Why do I look so much like a Muracier? I could understand that some might mistake me for a Muracier because I do have their name but why are there so many people recognizing me as a Muracier before even seeing the name. You four made me, how did I end up looking like them?"


    "That''s a hard question."


    Love moved her lips left and right trying to find a good way to say it.


    "You remember what I told you about that second soul?"


    He did very well, after all, it was an important event in his life.


    "I told you back then that creating a new human from scratch was easy for us but since we had to make use of that spare soul to make everything work, we had to make sure it would bond properly. We cheated a bit and took the blood of his family as a base to build you. If you had been born the normal way, It would be like your father was a Muracier and your mother was custom made by us."


    So, did this mean that in the end, he really was a Muracier? That was incredible! He had not expected that. No wonder everyone felt he acted and looked like one of them, he was half truly Half Muracier. That was really surprising he had not guessed it at all.


    Then...


    Wait...


    The body had to match the soul? The body was linked to the Muraciers to make the soul fit, did that mean?


    "Yes, in that stone you keep over your mantle is what remains of the general''s brother."


    What! (2)


    *-*-*-*


    (1) I just noticed I made a terrible mistake in chapter 64: "Mable''s Champion". Emp refers to Balpoisson by name even if he isn''t supposed to know who holds the debt of Galana. This is a major inconsistency. I went back and fixed it as I was writing this one. I just wanted to clarify once more in case someone gets confused later on. Emp does not know who Galana owes money to.


    My apologies if I led you to believe otherwise with my stupid mistake.


    (2) Back in March, when I wrote the side chapter titled "Who''s soul was it?" I really expected that this reveal was never going to come into play. I thought Emp would remain in the dark for the rest of the story and I wanted to give the readers the conclusion they needed to know if they had guessed it right or wrong. However, now that I place it in the story, I feel like I butchered the opportunity. I learned a valuable lesson today. Even if I think it will never come into play, never reveal anything out of the text. I erased the "who''s soul was it?" for the new readers and also because it isn''t needed anymore since everything I talked about there is now or will very soon be covered. Sorry for messing it up. What a horrible week.

 88 Exercise of desire

    Emp felt confused for a while on how exactly he should react about the origin of his soul and body. Aside from that, he was mostly happy that everything he felt was wrong was actually going relatively well but still felt frustrated that there was nothing he could do right now for them.


    While he was thinking about all that, Love had a long discussion with him about her domain, what he should do in the future, desires and all sorts of things.


    She understood that he loved many girls around him already but she wanted him to be very sure that he was doing the right thing before he moved any of those relationship forward. Emp had a hard time figuring out what she meant by that at first but she took all the time she needed to explain it to him properly.


    It wasn''t about if he could love them all because according to her, he definitely could. The true question was to know if this would be the best thing for them. She wanted to make sure he would not mislead any of those girls and then break their heart because he had not been looking forward far enough.


    Celtine for example, desired a pure and singular relationship where both party possessed the heart of the other in its entirety. If he truly loved her more than any other, he could reject all the others and give her what she wanted. If he chose to do that, he needed to tell the other girls who already expressed love towards him that he didn''t intend to accept any of them clearly before they grew too attached to him.


    In reverse, he could try to convince Celtine to stay and accept the others as sisters but then, would she truly be happy? Would it be better instead to let her go and just watch her happiness from afar?


    According to the goddess, love was a free thing no one could control. True love took many forms and no answer was truly better than another. Sometimes, true love was a story of compromise between two strangers forced to marry, sometimes, it took the form of a pair unable to see anyone else but their other half. Maybe the love of one was strong enough to bend their convictions for it and sometimes, they were willing to accept that they were not the right person to bring happiness to their loved one. Love could be as simple as accepting the lonely friend of a lover and others found comfort in mere proximity rather than a more carnal relationship.


    Love had no answers, she could only show all the paths to Emp in order for him to take the decision that would make him and the others the happiest they could.


    Fighting Mable''s father for her love might seem like a good idea at a glance because he wanted to please her but would it be best for her? Would he even be there for her if he needed to go across all the continent to fight a a far away emperor?


    Love wanted him to seriously think about all this. She warned him sternly too. It was true that she wanted nothing more than his happiness but as the goddess of love herself, there was no way she would accept her own son going around breaking hearts by acting stupidly. If he did, she would punish him harshly.


    "Don''t toy with a woman''s heart. If you do love them then treasure them dearly but if you chose to stay distant, make it clear and do not twist a blade in the wound. Always be genuine, honest and truthful. Knowing you, I don''t think this will be much of a problem.


    I want you to come to a decision about the slave girl and tell her within the week. Will you or will you not give her the entirety of your heart? Whatever your decisionends up being, she needs to know in order to clear her heart of the shadow looming over it. Let her make peace with herself."


    "But I don''t know what I should do, I just started to notice those feelings. I don''t know what would be best."


    "It''s not about what you should do it''s about what you want. Seclude yourself for a while and think about this. Close your senses to the outside and picture your future. One by one, you will add and removes those you think as friends and lovers, leave only one, place them all there except one, experiment with this. Picture those you like with some unknown man, can you accept it? Who do you care for most and who do you care for less."


    He remembered having done a similar exercise in a tavern once. He closed his eyes and did as he was told. He saw family and friends stand at his side and had them disappear and come back to see how it affected him. For some, he felt distressed, for others saddened and finally, for some few, he believed he would be fine as long as he knew they were alive and well.


    Then, he tried to pair everyone up in his mind, either with others he knew or random strangers. When doing this, for most of those he knew, boys and girls alike, he felt joy for them as he pictured them happy with a lover. He was himself happy for their own happiness, he believed this was normal, it should be how he always thought.


    But, for others, it didn''t feel the same at all. Because of the previous events, he pictured Mable with Ninoslav first, even though she was smiling with Gytha, he was filled with rage at the sight. He felt it was unfair for his experiment to have her pair with that guy so he switched for someone he appreciated instead, Norval Windslow, the honor student. He wasn''t enraged anymore, true, but he was still bitter and a bit angry.


    Something similar happened with Calla. He saw her with Vesa, he knew he loved her before he died. Vesa was the most happy he had ever seen him, for the sake of the exercise, Calla seemed just as satisfied. He felt conflicted about what he was seeing. He was happy for those two he liked very much to be together, if only in his imagination, but at the same time, he felt sad, disappointed maybe.


    As for Celtine, when he placed an unknown person at her side, he only had a deep sense of loss. Maybe he had just spent too much time with her already, it was hard to picture her elsewhere than at his side or on his shoulders. Emp had not lived all that long but most of that life had been spent with her already.


    That exercise was hard, the more it went on, the more he just felt like he wanted to keep everyone closer.


    "I expected that sort of answer." Love told him, reading his mind like usual.


    "Is that a normal way to react?"


    "Yes and no. Most are greedy and want to keep all the pretty boys or girls they fancy for themselves but your reaction is different. You seem to lack the sense of beauty still, you just find yourself attracted to things that stirs your heart instead. What is more interesting is that it doesn''t matter to you either they are lovers or friends, you just want to keep all of them close like a compulsive hoarder. You are afraid of loosing anything at all.


    For an ordinary person, this would be abnormal but for you, I think this is normal. You just feel too much love, it pours down to everyone you think of as a friend. The type is different but love is love after all. Just be careful to not disperse yourself too much. There''s a limit to how many beings a mortal can entertain after all." (1)


    Emp wasn''t sure this whole thing really helped him make up his mind on anything.


    "At least you now know the answer you should give the wingless girl. According to how you felt pairing the others, you would not be able to truly let go of either the apple girl or the one right here. You have to tell her this, be honest with her. It is not that you are rejecting her, it is that you cannot reject the other two for her. Or rather, you could but you would regret it soon."


    "Why would love be so hard to work out?" He complained.


    "You mean, why couldn''t they just all get along with you? You have to understand them, keep in mind that they might feel the same as you, like the wingless servant. You can''t let them with someone else in your head but they should let you do just that? If you cannot accept seeing them with another man instead of you why should they accept seeing you with many woman?"


    "Aren''t sisters fine with each other?"


    "That''s is how the morals of the Steelwood society dictates it should be. This is necessary for its continuation but it doesn''t mean that it is truly representative of what lies in the heart of everyone. Jealousy is a powerful goddess too. A girl might put up with the man she loves sleeping with others she approved but it doesn''t mean she likes it.


    Keeping one lover is easy as long as you do not cheat but its even easier to lose all of them altogether once you try to keep the hearts of two."


    Emp felt scared by her words. He didn''t want to lose anyone. From what she was saying, was that even possible? Why had she been telling him he was doing well earlier and cheering him on if he was throwing himself into such a pit?


    "That''s because I do want you to succeed in everything you set out to achieve. I want you to get everything you want. The task being hard will just make the final result sweeter.


    Plus, as the son of Love, don''t you think that limiting your love to a single person would be odd? That one person might drown in it if you''re not careful. It would be like having a full bucket of water and trying to pour it all into a single tiny glass, there''s no way it won''t spill."


    Was this truly how it was? But wanting something didn''t mean it was obtainable did it? Sometimes, it was just impossible. He wanted Vesa to come back but he was dead, it was impossible.


    "So what, you would force yourself to live in melancholy because your desires seemed unreachable? Would it be worse or better than trying? You met many people already that had all sorts of relationship.


    You met some that lost it all before it began and regretted, some that lost after it was too late to turn back and regretted, some that found love with one partner they wanted to share everything with and some that have so many wives their house is filled with woman and children.


    I believe you had decided that since any and all decision could result in sadness, it was better to just chose to do what you wanted."


    Yes, that was right, he did chose to do that. Since he would never fully satisfy everyone with any of his choices, it was best to do what he wanted rather than listen to what others wanted from him.


    He had not been sure what was best since all decisions could lead to sadness. Was it best to not lose anything by doing nothing or was it best to feel happy for a time and then lose it.


    The answer he was facing now was that even if he did nothing, it wasn''t true that he would lose nothing. It wasn''t because he did nothing about them that his feelings didn''t exist. Those would be wasted and lost, the opportunity squandered. Marcy was the perfect example of this. The choice was losing for sure or losing maybe after enjoying some happiness for a while. Wasn''t it just better to move forward with it then?


    "Another step forward! I''m proud of you, keep thinking to forge your character. Do you want to know the secret of how the Steelwood empire works? Those that marry out of love usually only have one partner, most of the others marry for the sisters rather than the man.


    Most of the time, the man is something they have to put up with to make sure that their relationship with the sisters will work out. They want long lasting relationships with them rather than the man. He''s just glue to bind them. They look at a man and if all his wives are girls they would think would make some good long lasting friends, they try to join the circle of sisters.


    This is why everything works out so well in the majority of the cases where the husband dies. It is so because it was already working perfectly before. They fulfill their civic duties by bringing new life onto this world but aside from that, they care more for the sisters than the husband whom they can''t really entrust their hearts unto since they never really obtained his either."


    "Isn''t that a bit sad? How do I make it work then?"


    "There is no secret, either it does work or it doesn''t. It doesn''t mean they will hate you even if they do end up disappointed with their relationship, in most cases their love will just fade into friendship.


    I''m not saying its always that way either, I just stated the common. You might be able to make it work. Your ability to love is almost infinite after all. I do not think that any of them will feel like you do not love them enough because you will indeed sincerely love them all, you are born this way after all. I can''t know for sure however because I can''t see the future.


    Whatever you choose to do, you''ll have to work hard all the time to keep everything right as it should. Relationships, either in a family, as a friend or as a lover, all work the same. They need to be cared for and nurtured like a delicate garden flower. If you do not answer its needs constantly, the flower withers and dies. Look at the garden they made for me outside, look at how many girls and boys spend their whole days in there to take care of it. You need to be like those caretakers, never stop providing your attention and love."


    *-*-*-*


    (1) According to Robin Dunbar, a human can only have five meaningful relationship at a time in their inner circle. The second circle contains only ten more and the third 35. That one would include the people you know from work I presume. The last one contains a hundred people but aside from recognizing their faces and names, I don''t think those hundred have any real meaning in our lives. They can provide a nice chitchat.

 89 Flowers of dissen

    Emp pondered about everything he had been told in Love''s temple very seriously but didn''t forget to stop at a florist shop on his way back. He needed to buy the two flowers Calla wanted and even Love told him this was important. He went straight to the chop keeper, some short and stocky woman and asked to buy all the royal lilacs and deep lavenders she had.


    Mable knew he was here to get flowers but that sort of request was excessive. She asked him what he wanted to do with all those with an air that seemed just as surprised as the chop keeper. This reminded him of how Galana kept complaining about how nobles always asked for unreasonable things. Had he become one of those nobles? He bought swords in bulk and now emptied a flower shop to please a girl.


    Mable waited for his answer with great curiosity as she toyed with a large blue flower he didn''t know the name of. He answered her casually.


    "I''m buying them for Calla, she asked me to get some for her."


    "Who''s Calla?" Mable asked with her brows furrowed in puzzlement.


    Thinking about it, he had never really talked about Calla to Mable or of Mable to Calla. In light of what he had discussed with Love all day, He should probably do so now.


    "Calla is girl I met before you. She lives close to my mother, I like her as much as I like you."


    "What!"


    Mable was shocked, struck by lightning, frozen in place. Had he said something wrong again? He felt like it was a good and short summary of everything though.


    The shopkeeper looked like she had just witnessed the worst mistake she would ever see. She fidgeted on the spot, looked away and hurriedly rushed to get the flowers without a word, eager to get away from what she seemed to think was a disaster.


    "Wh-I... That''s unfair!"


    At first, she fumbled to find her words and emotions but she finally settled for annoyance. Emp didn''t get what was wrong at all though.


    "What is unfair?"


    "All of it! I can''t believe what you just said or the way you said it! You can''t just dump that on me like that!"


    Anger wasn''t the word to describe her current state but Emp didn''t know what was the word for it. It was like she herself couldn''t figure out if she was supposed to be angry or not.


    He looked to Harriett to find some sort of hint on what he should do but he only got a pained wince in answer. Celtine didn''t even look and kept her eyes closed as if this was of no concern to her.


    "I can''t know how I should answer if no one tells me what is wrong. Please tell me what is upsetting you."


    "I can''t right now, I''m too flustered. Don''t talk to me anymore, just bring me back home."


    With this, she crossed her arms and stayed silent until Emp had bought all his flowers and walked her back to her room.


    The whole time he tried to make contact between their eyes and wracked his brain to find what was wrong but he simply couldn''t.


    When they reached her door, he tried to ask her again why she was upset but only received a wronged gaze in return.


    "Good night." She told him irritated as she closed the door in front of him.


    Emp looked at it in confusion, what should he do now?


    "Harriett, could you go get Aglaya and bring her to Mable? I don''t understand what is wrong but I''m sure Aglaya can help."


    "Of course master."


    "Will you tell me what you think is wrong after that please?"


    "By your will, of course master."


    It was in times like theses that Emp really wanted the old Harriett, the less stiff one, if only by a small margin.


    *-*-*-*


    Meanwhile, Emp in the village now had access to the flowers and after a quick recall back to the other him to share the new knowledge, he delivered them to the Champom.


    On his way there, he came across Sophus. Now that the huntresses had left, he was the only magic user left in town.


    Last time he met him, he had told Sophus what he really thought.


    "Maybe if you tried to understand my mother better instead of messing with me you would be luckier. You''re just working against yourself right now."


    The mage had been really angry about his words. He must know he was saying the truth right? Why was he so hateful towards him anyway?


    Emp expected him to be just as unpleasant as always but he really looked in a better mood today. He was still not friendly towards Emp however. He snickered as if he had just heard a good joke and just left without saying a word.


    Emp wasn''t bothered even if Sophus laughed at him. His opinion had no real value to him. Whatever he thought was funny about Emp, it had no meaning to him as long as he didn''t try to cause trouble with it. Emp had done nothing wrong anyway, Sophus had nothing to work with to bother him.


    When he got to Calla''s house, he removed all the flowers from his bag and pilled them around the tub. The florist had so many that he now had to make many huge piles of flowers all over the place. Those kinds of flowers must have been popular to be in such high numbers. He had enough to fill five tubs like the one they had.


    When Calla and Fiona saw them, they were really happy. Calla was very impressed but like usual, said nothing at all and her mother had to speak to thank him.


    "Those are too much, I said less than the tub!" She said with a satisfied smile.


    "But I emptied just one store. This much is nothing if its for Calla." He declared.


    Calla turned deep red and hid her face with her hands which made her mother laugh.


    Should he talk about Mable now? He still didn''t know what went wrong when he told her about Calla. He didn''t want to make the exact same mistake twice in a row like an idiot. He didn''t want to say something that would make her more nervous.


    In the end, he decided to hold his tongue for now. It felt a bit as if he was lying but this course of action wasn''t wrong was it? Telling her about Mable before she admitted her feelings towards him would probably only serve to hide her thoughts forever. He reasoned that the best was to wait for her to say something and then tell her about the other and ask her if that was fine. His head said this was the best way but somehow, all of this made him very nervous.

 90 Quarrel

    Days after the trip to the temple, Emp was paying some gold coins to Penny in exchange for wands and talismans.


    He had tried to do his own but he wasn''t good at all at it, at least for now. All his attempts ended up in failures. There was also the problem that he hadn''t mastered a great variety of spells yet so even if he did make his own wands, they wouldn''t be that useful.


    Instead, it seemed a better idea to just ask someone like penny who knew what she was doing to make some for him. She received coins she could use to make her own things and buy spell components and in exchange, he received working wands and talismans.


    Over the period between his visit to Love and the new year, he would have quite a few made by her for him. If he had to really fight a mage, he felt it would best if he had his own magic tools to go against them. Once he was able to craft his own, he would be able to carry as many as he wanted in his bag.


    By the new year, he would have collected five firebomb talismans, a wand that was supposed to shoot a lightning bolt, one that could dig a ten feet deep pit into the ground, one that should send the surrounding vegetation in to hold onto his target and one that called a strong gust of wind.


    The activation words weren''t hard to remember so he was sure he would not forget any of them.


    He didn''t know how useful all of those would be but he found it better than having nothing at all.


    He had thought a lot about his mock fight with Penny and came up with a few ideas he wanted to work on and points he needed to improve in order to fight mages less dangerously. He couldn''t just let himself get hit all the time and rely on his armor, he needed to be more alert and react faster.


    The most apparent problem when facing a mage was the variety of unexpected things they could get out of their pockets. Any opponent would always have many tricks but mages were different. If someone used a technique he didn''t know against him, Emp could just improvise a counter with something he did know. This would not work against magic.


    Heinrich was right, the only good way to fight a mage was to be just as prepared as they were. He needed to show up with just as many tricks and counters for anything he could think of and everything he didn''t think of too.


    This was a hard task and Emp was struggling with it. His progress was slow but at least, he felt like he had made some advance. He worked very hard and with the help of Penny and Heinrich, he had learned most of the easiest spells there were, at least one of each affinity he had. Hopefully, if he kept his focus high enough, he would be able to react with either his new tools, an appropriate magic to counter or even simply move out of the way before it was too late.


    What was most important for him was to learn to recognize a few important words in magic language in order to recognize what sort of thing was about to be thrown at him. For example, he now knew what "burn" sounded like when casting a spell. That way, whatever the spell was, at least he would be able to guess it was related to fire before it was too late since almost all of those spells included the word "burn".


    That was the hardest part because there were so many types of spells and more than one spell casting language. He had just started learning so the only two words he recognized in a reliable way were "burn" and "light". He knew "burn" because it was easy and "light" because illusions where often related to light. That was the thing he felt he needed to watch out for the most.


    He still had a long way to go. Hopefully, Ninoslav would not reappear soon, or even better, not at all.


    After he was done with Penny, he walked back to his room. On his way, he tried to not think too much about his problems. He felt as if nothing went as he wanted ever since Mable kissed his cheek. Everything he said was wrong and everything he didn''t say was a weight on his heart. The new year was almost there but he didn''t really feel like feasting.


    After what happened in the flower shop, Mable had been ignoring him, sulking even. She did talk to him but only in short sentences to tell him what she wanted of him as a guard. She was usually a very straightforward person so this silent treatment was very unlike her. She didn''t usually keep anything to herself and shared her thoughts the moment she had them. He believed she was keeping silent on purpose to annoy him.


    Emp felt bitter about it and refused to apologize for something he was certain wasn''t a fault of his own.


    Harriett had told him what he had done wrong but he really felt this was ridiculous.


    "While master was on an outing with a girl, he stopped to buy flowers for another girl whom she had never heard of and never met. Then, in a single sentence, master confessed his love for the both of them in the most unromantic way there ever was. Miss Mable wanted to be angry about miss Calla but couldn''t because you suddenly told her you liked her. She couldn''t be happy about it either because she was angry about the sudden appearance of miss Calla."


    Why would she be angry about Calla though? It wasn''t like he had cheated anyone since no one aside from him seemed to want to be honest with their feelings at all. It wasn''t like he had hid anything from her on purpose, Calla just never showed up in a conversation before. The moment she came into question, he was honest with her and told her exactly who she was. From his own point of view, she had no reason at all to be angry. If anything, she was just rejecting him.


    Aglaya hadn''t managed to appease Mable either and could only watch with a disappointed air at the quarreling duo.


    Speaking of Aglaya, she was waiting at his door. It seemed that she had kept her annoyance to herself for long enough and decided that enough was enough. When she saw him, she walked straight up to him and stood directly in his path with a severe look and a serious pose. She had her hands on her hips as if she was about to scold some children except she was barely any taller than him now.


    With Celtine on his shoulders, they would have been taller for sure but she wasn''t there. She didn''t feel like riding on his shoulder since he told her the results of his conversation with Love. Instead, she stayed in her room all the time, to sulk alone he imagined. Because he trusted her so much, he told her about almost everything that was said in there including that he couldn''t give up on everyone else for her. It seemed that Love''s suggestion once again caused him trouble since now he was walking alone.


    He felt quite bitter about it, if he had shut his mouth at least she would still be on his shoulder. Then again, he would have felt like he was hiding things from her and he didn''t want that. He disliked lies and secrets a whole lot. It made sense considering every Muraciers hated lies. he really was just like them after all.


    Aglaya didn''t pay attention to the bad mood he was in and blamed him anyway.


    "Emp, this has gone on for long enough, you should apologize already. The new year is in just a few days and this is a bad way to start it."


    "No," He answered with a frown. "I''m not apologizing because I did nothing wrong. She''s the one who''s overreacting."


    "Emp! Aren''t you supposed to be the one of the two who''s more mature and reliable? How come you''re so stubborn on this?"


    Emp crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side with a perplexed pout. How was "he" the stubborn one in this?


    "I''m not being stubborn I''m being honest. Apologizing would mean that I regret what I said and that I am in the wrong for saying it but I''m not. What should I have done instead, lie to her face? No way I''m ever doing that."


    Aglaya snorted in frustration.


    "What happened that day in the end, why are you both like this?"


    "Mable didn''t tell you?"


    "No, at first, she was too flustered and then, she started complaining and it kept going on and on. I was never able to get the story out of her."


    "What are you even here for then? You''re accusing me without even knowing what happened."


    "I felt you were more sensible than her and be easier to convince to make up with her. Obviously this isn''t the case. At least tell me what happened."


    Emp took a deep breath and told her what had happened the way he remembered it.


    "We went together in Love''s temple and everything was fine but on the way back we stopped at a flower shop. I had told her I needed to stop there on the way back before we even went to the temple. I needed flowers for Calla."


    Aglaya interrupted him when she heard an unknown name.


    "Who''s Calla?"


    "See? That''s the question that messed everything up. I wasn''t hiding her from Mable she just never came up in a conversation before. I answered honestly to her question, I told Mable that Calla was a girl I met before her because she lives close to my mother''s house. I... I told her I liked Calla just as much as I liked her."


    Aglaya''s eyebrows rose in chock and she choked on her own surprise.


    "You what?"


    "I told Mable I liked them both." He repeated. "I''m not apologizing because those are my true feelings, I''m not denying them now that I said it. What else did she want me to do? Hide Calla from her or pretend like she was no one important to me?"


    "But, what? Why did you never mention her before?" Aglaya was baffled by that strange occurance.


    "I told you, she just never came up in any conversation, I wasn''t purposefully hiding her."


    "Emp you silly idiot! Stupid airhead! When there''s something like that, you need to warn the others first, you don''t just dump the info on them out of nowhere! Even less if you''re telling them you like them in the same breath! That''s just not something you do!"


    "Warn her of what? For all I know, there''s nothing between either Mable and I or Calla and I."


    Aglaya seemed like she wanted to retort something but no sound came out of her mouth. It was obvious she was very displeased by his words though.


    Emp took another breath to calm himself and tried to express himself better.


    "In order to tell either Mable or Calla that there was another girl I liked beside them, even if there was nothing between us, I would have needed to know I felt such a thing in the first place. I felt nothing at all for a long time, do you remember that? Because I had two souls, My emotions never surfaced and after the problem was fixed, it took me a really long time to make sense of everything I was feeling. Mable was the one who woke up the love in me, before that day where she was attacked, I had no idea I liked her or Calla or anyone else. Now I can''t get rid of the feeling.


    I did like Love told me to, I did like I always do and I was honest with everyone. Now, Celtine won''t get out of her room, Mable doesn''t talk to me and even Harriett is acting strangely.


    It''s not like I hid something like having a lover or even a wife. I just told her I held feelings for the both of them but instead of talking with me she got upset on her own. I don''t even know how she really feels about me because she refuses to say anything related to this ever since that night she woke my heart. What am I supposed to understand? What am I supposed to do? What does she want from me? I don''t know."


    Aglaya released a heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead as she stared at Emp and his slumped shoulders.


    "Seriously, you both like each-other and you got in a fight for such a ridiculous thing. Could you bring this Calla here so that we can all talk this out together? Where is she even, how come we never met each other?"


    Emp made a difficult expression.


    "I don''t know if I can, it would be hard to do. She lives quite far from here. I know you think she lives close by because I said she lives close to my mother and I helped her make a new armor for me not long ago but this isn''t the case. I can''t tell you where they are or how I met them so often even though they are far for the same reason I couldn''t tell you all about where I fought the unnameable of chaos."


    "Another secret?"


    Aglaya seemed rather displeased, she understood it wasn''t entirely his fault but that sort of thing was complicating things a lot for her.


    "I do hate secrets but I hate lies even more. Since I promised I would not tell, like for my name, I will never tell even if I want to. I do understand your point however. If everyone meeting each other can help, I will do my best to find a solution and make it happen. It won''t be before the new year though, that''s just impossible."


    "Fine, in the meantime, I will try to make Mable understand that she''s being silly. Hopefully, she will forgive you and apologize before the new year."

 91 Four dances

    "Why do I have to wear that thing? I hate it. I shouldn''t have come at all."


    Brenia was complaining about her ball dress, standing with Emp and the boys along the wall of the great hall. Ivar answered with another question.


    "The real question is why are you on this side rather than with the girls over there?"


    "I''ll go away when the dancing starts but not now, I can''t stand all their girl talk."


    "Aren''t you a girl too? Aow!"


    Ivar got punched in the shoulder.


    "Ancestors! Are you trying to break my arm?"


    "I''m not used to this strength yet, sorry."


    "What does that even mean?"


    Odilon intervened from the other side of her.


    "I think you''re more attractive in your armor."


    Emp might not be an expert but he knew that this was definitely not the right thing to say at this point. There was a harsher punch immediately after and Odilon fell over Zoran from the impact on his shoulder. Emp stretched his hand, grabbed the meek Zoran by the collar and yanked him out of the way before the falling boy could bring him down with him.


    "He''s like a sea slug, what comes out of his mouth is all slimy." Nereus shook his head watching him fall over.


    "You''re wrong, a sea slug might just be more reliable than him." Pointed out Oliver.


    Odilon slowly got back up, dusted his pants and started massaging his shoulder.


    "Ha-ha, real funny guys."


    Today was the new year celebration. Everyone was gathered in the hall for the celebration and now they they received the dance classes, the newest students were dragged into the dance. As per the tradition, the guys stood on one side of the room and waited for any of the girls to invite them.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, the girls talked between themselves as they waited for the music to begin.


    "Who do-do-do you th-think they will ask to d-dance with?" Zoran asked, very nervous.


    "I bet on Norval." Frits answered.


    "I guess we''ll see soon but I think Emp will be just as requested. He''s a better dancer than me."


    "Ha, you think so? Mable is just like Heida, she won''t let anyone dance with him aside from herself." Nicolas told Norval.


    "That''s not true, it''s fine as long as we ask her first, I did it the other day." Brenia told him.


    "What? You asked her to dance with Emp?" Everyone was surprised.


    "Yeah, we absolutely have to dance, we have no choice. In that case, I''d rather duel him than dance with any of you idiots." She mocked them.


    "Could it be instead that you have a crush on Emp?"


    "I will really break you arm this time Ivar."


    "No fun at all."


    "So Mable is giving out permission to dance with me without even telling me first?" Emp didn''t know how he was supposed to feel about that.


    "Aye, she said it was punishment for hiding something from her. She''s forgiving you but first, you''ll have to dance Juniper, Nessa and me."


    "Juniper and Nessa too!" Cyril gasped.


    "Don''t be so surprised about Nessa, she won''t be satisfied with just that one dance, she said she wanted to dance with Norval first and see who was good. She''s planning on asking even the guys from other groups as long as they are good dancers."


    "For real? She really loves dancing huh?"


    The boys couldn''t help but look at the guys from the other groups on either side of them. Emp was more focused on trying to understand how any of this was a punishment.


    Aglaya said that she had convinced Mable to make up with him here at the party but he didn''t know it would involve dancing with three other persons. He just wanted to talk to her as quickly as possible.


    The singers and musicians took their places on the stage at the end of the hall and got ready for their performance.


    "Mhhh, I guess that''s my cue to leave huh? See you all later."


    Brenia waved their way and left to the other end of the hall under the furious gaze of Blackbull.


    Soon, the music started and many of the girls crossed the hall the other way around to ask one of the guys for a dance. Some were pretty obvious, Rica went straight for Frits and Emp was pretty sure she would not let him go of the whole afternoon.


    Heida walked up to Nicolas and told him that he would have to do since she didn''t want to with any of those inferior fools. After a small sigh he only answered her with a generic "yes, of course my lady" and brought her on the dance floor.


    The rest of the pairs were pretty much all surprises to him. Aglaya came and fetched Ivar, Josseline picked Zoran of all people and Gervaise got rejected by Oliver. Gytha and Mable didn''t move a bit but stayed far from each other, with Brenia between them trying to somehow raise up their respective moods.


    Juniper appeared in front of him and presented her hand which he took since he didn''t want to be rude.


    She wore a rich glittering dress with stones at her neck and glass in her hair. The light blue of her dress made her dazzling in the light of the hall. She was usually elegant and pretty but today, her sight was nothing less than impressive.


    She was in a good mood too and as they danced she talked casually to him with a bright smile. Mostly, she wanted to tell him that the operation was going very well and they were almost done mining all the crystal. Emp knew this already because he saw the miners every day but he just politely listened to her anyway.


    He found this dance to be very fun, Juniper was in such a good mood that it calmed him greatly. She told him all about the good deal she had made with Mable. According to her, who you danced with first was very important to show off your talent, with Emp as her first dance, she was sure that she would be able to drag anyone at all on the floor and once they were there, she''d be able to sell them anything using her charm.


    "Mable didn''t even want anything in return so it''s all up to you. Should we make another deal? What would you like in exchange for that first dance, partner?" She said mischievously.


    "There''s nothing I really need for now. Can I keep that for later?"


    "Sure, I was afraid you might ask for something unreasonable but as expected of you, you''re safe to dance with."


    "Aren''t you the one unsafe to dance with? You''re planning to empty the pockets of everyone else. I''d be more afraid for them than you."


    "Hahaha, business is a thing full of risks for every party involved, that''s what makes it so fun."


    *-*-*-*


    After his dance with Juniper, it was Nessa''s turn, she too was in an extremely good mood. She waited for the dance the whole year after all, now that she was actually there, she couldn''t be happier.


    She had put on her best clothes and wore carefully matched jewelry to enhance it. Her hair was loosely flowing over her back but a few lightly weighted ribbons flew into the air around her whenever she made a sharp turn. She was dancing on high heels and had such an easy time of it that she seemed to just float over the floor.


    She started the dance in close proximity to him, enough to hold a casual conversation with him in the middle of the music and party going on around them. For her, this wasn''t harder than simply breathing.


    "I can see that the plan changed."


    "What plan?"


    "Look, Mable is still sitting over there looking miffed. She hasn''t moved at all, that wasn''t what she said she would do."


    "What did she say she would do then?"


    "I''m not telling, this is for her to say. But, I''m planning to enjoy my time."


    She suddenly changed both the steps and rhythm of the dance, going for something faster, something Emp didn''t know the steps for.


    "That''s not part of the dance." He commented as he tried to keep up.


    "It is, it''s part of the sword dance. Here, hold my hand up there and make me spin, you''ll see."


    He did as he was told and brought her hand far over her head in a delicate hold. Then, holding her other arm, he gave her a slight acceleration and she started spinning, quickly gaining speed on her own. The hand over her head was turning into his own so fast he feared it would set fire to it.


    Her feet turned on themselves soundlessly and her dress puffed up. All the ornaments on it rose by themselves and all seemed like sharp blades cutting through the air around her. Her free arm moved up and down in curves but after only a few instant, she looked like she had a dozen arms around her, all perfectly still. Then, a second dozen arms separated themselves from the first row and either rose above or fell beneath the first depending on where the first stood still. Both those above and bellow formed semi circles of their own, with her hands and fingers pointing towards each other until she seemed to be holding her own hand at twelve different points around her. Twelve big circles made of twenty four arms that should not exist.


    Then, it all came to a sudden stop and she raised her open palm in the air with her arm fully extended and her body bent backward in an elegant arc. He kept hold of her hand by instinct to stop her from falling back, he was very impressed. He had seen her attempt it many times before but he knew that this time, it was clearly not a failure.


    After a merry laughter like a victorious roar and a full bright smile, many other students clapped at her spectacular move.


    "Here it is, the opening move of the second stage! That elixir truly is amazing but will you be able to keep up now? I wonder."


    Using her free hand, she removed some hair that had fallen over her eyes while she was spinning.


    "Well done, that''s was very impressive, and with only one arm too. Extremely elegant and I''m sure, very powerful too. Don''t worry about me keeping up, I''m sure I''ll find something."


    She was overjoyed about her success and prouder than anyone else right now. All the joy she couldn''t contain was overflowing from her eyes into the form of tears. Emp felt very moved by the sight and the words that followed.


    "I tried in my room and now that I can do that, the rest of the recorded techniques of the second stage don''t seem all that hard. I think I can do it, the duchy will be mine and it''s all thanks to you! That''s why I especially wanted to dance with you today, to show you. I''m really lucky to have friends like you and Mable."


    "I hope it will work out as you say. I''m rooting for you."


    He didn''t know many feelings that were as good as seeing the joy of his friends so clearly as this.


    "I know, I want to dance some more before I hand you to Brenia so lets go."


    The rest of their dance together was way more usual than her previous demonstration. The only difference was that she kept raising the speed and intensity to push him to his limits, just for the fun of it. She always slowed down before it was too much for him though, she didn''t want to embarrass him by provoking an accident.


    She was gracious in her movement and delicately elegant in her performance. It was a real pleasure to dance with her or watch her display of talent from up close. Each step was perfectly placed and each movement of her body devoid of anything superfluous. If only those were the forms of a fencer instead of a dance, she would be deathly efficient.


    Emp didn''t consider himself a bad dancer but he was far from her equal, everything was in her control. He feared that none in these halls could match her or would even threaten her obvious title of queen of this dance floor.


    Once she had her fill of messing with him, she ended things with a formal hug and handed him to Brenia.


    He had not disliked dancing with Nessa but he was relieved when Brenia''s turn came. It was the same sort of feeling one would have after finishing an intense exercise. This next dance would be his chance to gather himself again before Mable''s turn.


    Brenia was wearing the exact same dress she wore for the practices but her boots had been replaced by classy heels fit for a noble ball. It was easy to read on her face that she hated them. It wasn''t long until she complained about them out loud too.


    "I hate those crappy shoes, I feel like my toes are about to cramp and the balance is all wrong. I can''t wait to remove them."


    She put some more weight unto him in order to shake the numbness in her feet.


    "Maybe you should have practiced wearing them before today."


    Her hand squeezed down on his shoulder and she showed him a displeased frown. It was a bit painful but at least she hadn''t just punched him.


    "I''m never wearing those again."


    "You''re way too nervous about this, nothing is going to go wrong."


    "I''m not nervous, I''m annoyed that I have to do this, that''s not the same. You better not let me fall over in those or I''m throwing you out the window."


    Emp snorted in laughter.


    "Don''t worry, I''m not gonna. Anyway those shoes can''t be that bad, those things look sharp. With a good kick, you can probably gut someone with them."


    "Haha, I might try it out later." She answered with a wry smile.


    "On who?"


    "You if you don''t stop mocking me."


    "You''re the one mocking me by calling me hero all the time."


    "Aye, that''s true-Ha!"


    As she was answering that, she twisted her ankle and lost her balance. Felling herself falling, her face cramped and her fingers dug into his shoulder. Emp held her up, using her hand to pull her back upward. The misstep wasn''t too bad so hopefully no one noticed.


    "Thanks."


    "I told you."


    "Ya ya, hero."


    "Where is that even coming from? Calling me hero."


    Emp was trying to have her think of something else than the present situation she seemed to find overly embarrassing, even without falling over.


    "Huh, there was this guy where I lived before. Everyone kept calling him the local hero because he kept flying to the rescue of everyone the moment there was trouble. Somehow, he always managed to be there when someone needed him."


    "Wasn''t he a great guy then? Why are you always laughing when you''re calling me hero."


    "The guy was a real idiot and took on more than he could handle. He died mauled by an armored bear of the crags."


    "Oh, were you close to him?"


    "Nah, that''s why I can laugh at his stupid death. What good is there to flying over to help when you don''t have the strength to back it off?"


    "Are you trying to say I''m going to end up mauled by a bear?"


    "Maybe, who knows? Heroes die early to protect everyone, true warriors live another day to keep what really matters out of harms reach."


    "Sounds like a valuable lesson, how did it turn out into a mockery?"


    "I just can''t help but picture you getting slapped left and right by a bear every time I call you that and it makes me laugh. Anyway, it''s not like a small armored bear could kill you."


    Emp almost choked on his own laughter.


    "I''ll try to keep it all in mind then, don''t be a hero."


    "You better do cause I''m sure Mable would be real sad if you died in a stupid way trying to help someone we don''t actually care about."


    He nodded to show her he understood.


    "Speaking of Mable being sad, you''ve been really supportive for her and Gytha, I think that''s great."


    "Yeah, I don''t understand their silly quarrel, Gytha needs help... You know, I''m laughing and calling you hero but you really did good back there. Back when I helped save your ass, I never thought you would then save a girl from... This. I guess this is how Juniper feels when she makes a good deal."


    He agreed about Gytha, leaving her alone like that was getting very annoying. Mable had not talked to him for just a short time but it had really frustrated him so much. He could hardly tell how Gytha must be feeling after being pushed away by everyone like that.


    "You''re acting gruff and all but you really care about the others." He told Brenia with a smile.


    "It''s not... I just..."


    She seemed a bit pained and struggled to find her words.


    "I... I don''t know the next steps please help."


    Emp was taken aback by the sudden change of subject but reacted quickly.


    "Counter my advance with your left feet, I push back your hand and you use the momentum to switch with me and take the advantageous position."


    "Got it."


    They sidestepped in sink with the crowd and turned around each other to face the opposite way. Once the usual slow movements resumed, she had regained her composure and she was looking angrily at him. Completely discarding the previous subject, she started blaming him instead.


    "You made such a stupid mistake letting that freak go. You can be damn sure that if I find him first you won''t have another go at beating him cause I''m going to split his skull open with my axe and nail his balls on my breastplate as a trophy."


    Emp winced as he pictured her words but he wasn''t about to tell her that it was exaggerated. The guy deserved it, even just for scaring Mable like that.


    "Do you think you can beat him?"


    "Come on, it was just a what if. I get that he''s stronger than me, I''m not stupid enough to rush him now, warriors live remember?"


    "I didn''t mean to say you were weak, I don''t think I can beat him either. The first time was just luck."


    "Oh, shall we make a game out of it then? The first one to improve enough to beat him and actually kill him wins."


    "That might take a while, what will I win when do it?"


    She grinned widely hearing his answer.


    "Oh? You really think you can beat me so easily? You don''t know what I can do in that sort of competition yet but fine, If you win, I''ll do a single thing you ask. But, If I win, you will be the one to do one thing I ask."


    "Isn''t that simple for such a high target? Ninoslav is a war mage after all."


    "It''s fine, it''s just a game after all. We might both lose if the guards find him first."


    Emp had to agree that this was indeed a possibility.


    "Alright then, I''m in, just don''t do anything stupid to win."


    "Nah, you know me. The only thing I ever attempted that was out of my league was this bloody dance. I hope it''s over soon."


    "You''re giving up?"


    "No, that''s not it. I feel like Mable is about to blow up, I can see from here, she''s getting really mad."


    "Oh."


    Emp felt a bit worried about Mable now. He couldn''t see her because she was now behind him but if even Brenia was saying so, she must have been in a really foul mood. He was nervous to see how things would turn out after this.


    "Great, the song is finishing. Thank the ancestors, I''ll be able to remove those toe crushers."


    "Did I do a good enough job to escape the gutting?" He teased her to relieve his own tension.


    "Don''t laugh now or you might still get it."


    With the music dying down, Brenia used him as a pillar to hold on to as she removed her shoes and waved him goodbye quickly to go back to some seat. Blackbull stared darkly at her barefoot self again since this was far from the correct way to end a dance but Brenia really didn''t care at this point and just wanted to be out.


    "Happy new year Emp."


    "I hope you''ll have a good year too." He answered her.


    Now, all that was left was to make Mable feel better, somehow. She was pouting and frowning too, staring daggers at him.


    She took a quick but deep breath and rose from her seat. She tugged at her dress to readjust it and walked towards him with long steps. By the sound they made, she wore the heels she said went with the dress the other day.


    Everyone wore their best clothes for the new year and so everyone seemed very charming but Mable''s dress really was a perfect match for her. Because of her heels, each of her stride made her skirts bounce left and right, moving like a large bell tolling for his imminent demise.


    Emp didn''t understand much about clothing but he really liked how ball dresses were made. With all those layers and folds to give them volume, the way all those layers moved with a slight delay over each-other at every twirl and step, he thought it was captivating. He felt that the clothes maker must work really hard on them and know as much of their craft as a smith must to make a functioning armor.


    Mable reached him and extended a hand to him, he rose his own and took her delicate fingers into his palm as was the custom. Then, they both stared at each other for a while. Emp wondered if he should be the one to talk first.


    "Won''t you say anything about my dress, or my hair?" She finally said.


    Hadn''t they been through this the other day already?


    "That dress suits you perfectly, it is really good but like I said the other day, you could wear anything else and I would still find you really charming. Is that a better answer than that day?"


    She nodded with a hint of red on her cheeks and moved closer to him for the start of the dance. Emp took hold of her waist with a bit of shame and an accelerated heartbeat but kept his voice calm as he asked her a question of his own.


    "What was that all about? Brenia said this was punishment but somehow, you seemed more punished then me."


    Mable scrunched up her face as the music started but still answered the question.


    Emp didn''t recognize the song but with a quick look to those around him, he guessed what dance it was and led Mable into it.


    Every dances fit for a ball were pretty similar to one another in the end, remembering a few wasn''t that hard. The most difficult was the one they always kept for last because everyone had to be in sync with everyone else, involving every single pair present.


    Putting the music and the other dancers at the back of his mind, he listened to her answer carefully.


    "I wanted them to hold you down while I danced with other boys to make you jealous. You would have been angry too then and I could have told you "It''s not like there''s anything between us." just like you told Aglaya the other day."


    "But, why didn''t you do it?"


    "I couldn''t bring myself to, so I just sat there with nothing to do but watch you dance with my friends and I made myself jealous instead." She mumbled, trailing off her last words.


    Emp almost started laughing out loud because of her small voice and shameful tone but managed to keep his cool somehow. For him, it didn''t really matter at all but he found that seeing her fall into her own trap was charming.


    "Aglaya was right, that idea was really stupid and childish." She said in regret.


    She looked away feeling ashamed from her actions and Emp decided he should apologize at least for that.


    "I''m sorry about what I said to Aglaya about us. I didn''t think it would hurt you, you''ve been the one refusing to tell me what that kiss was about after all. I should have been more considerate, I''m not used to this sort of thing."


    "I know, I shouldn''t have stuck to these few words like I did, I understand that''s not really what you meant after all. I was unfair."


    "I''m curious though, why those three?"


    "Well, Nessa just wanted to thank you for helping her and she felt the new year was the place to do it. Brenia was very uncomfortable and didn''t want to dance with anyone so I felt that if I was the one to tell her to go with you it would be easier on her. Juniper just told me she''d pay me back if I let her have the first dance to talk to you about some shared business. I denied everyone else because I felt this was just too much."


    He felt appeased knowing that she only let those three because they seemed to have some good reasons. But, Emp was also afraid to learn who was everyone else. In the end, he chose to not ask. Instead, he waited for her to place her own question as he felt it was her turn. Since she had been mute all this time, she must still have some grievance to vent form the day they went to the temple.


    As he waited for her to talk, he looked at the others having fun all around them. The new year really was a good day to have fun after all, there were only a few who didn''t seem to enjoy themselves. Zoran and George were in a corner by themselves, Some girls waited for a guy or another to be freed and some guys like Jin turned down anyone that came to request a dance from them. He seemed really displeased, Emp wondered who he was waiting for.


    Finally, Mable calmed down enough and decided it was time to get onto the real subject. Emp removed everyone else from his eyes again to give her his whole attention.


    "About the girl you mentioned, Calla was her name right?"


    "Yes, Calla, what do you want me to tell you about her?"


    "I don''t know... I felt really surprised to suddenly hear about her like that. I wondered why you had been hiding her existence and if she was trying to steal you from me. You bought so many flowers for her too, you never gave me such a big gift."


    "But she was the one who asked for those, her and her mother needed enough to fill a tub, it was an errand, not a gift. Are you saying you would like me to give you some flowers? Because I can. I can go through all the flower shops in the city and bring you back every single flowers in them."


    She giggled a bit and relaxed thanks to his tomfoolery.


    "That''s not what I meant. I know you weren''t hiding her on purpose too, Aglaya told me what you said. It just caught me off guard, I didn''t know you were so close to someone else. I felt she was sneakily trying to steal you from me."


    "Considering you met me after her, it should be the other way around."


    She giggled again.


    "I guess that''s a way to see it."


    She took a short pause to gather her thoughts before she spoke again.


    "You said you liked her as much as you liked me though you didn''t say just how much that was."


    "I don''t know how to put it into words aside from a whole lot. You''re the only one that gave me a kiss though, two at that."


    She blushed and gave a weak slap to his shoulder.


    "Those weren''t real kisses, they don''t count, they don''t mean anything."


    "Really? But you were so angry when I spoke about Calla."


    She made an angry pout.


    "So mean. I... I think I do... want it to mean something but. I can''t even give you my name so giving you more is just... impossible."


    "Why can''t you tell me your name?"


    "They told me to not say it." She complained.


    "I get that, I was told the same."


    "Who told you to not say your name?"


    "My family, the duke, Blackbull. You?"


    She giggled a bit hearing his answer and returned something similar to him.


    "My family, the old duke, Aglaya, Blackbull too. She says I''m making trouble for myself by sticking with you."


    "Yeah she told me the same sort of thing. She''s not that worried though because when I told her about what I said in the flower shop to ask for her help, she hit me on the head with her cane."


    Mable laughed out loud.


    "How hard did she hit? Just a small one to mock you or a real one?"


    "The real thing, she was very angry, she hit me three times and called me an idiotic miscreant."


    Mable laughed again but then made an apologetic face.


    "The teacher is one of the only few who knows both of our full names right? She''s the one who cares most about social rules and household names in the whole school too. She''s the one who think we shouldn''t be close, she must be right, we just can''t see it."


    "You think we should listen to her and stay away from each other?"


    "I don''t know, should we? I''m sorry, This whole thing is probably all because of me."


    "Don''t be sorry, it''s probably all because of me instead."


    The music ended and everyone came to a stop. The students around them moved around and changed partners or walked off to get some food before the next song but neither Mable or Emp left. They remained together in silence as they waited for the next one.


    Emp didn''t need to be told to know that Mable didn''t have enough. They weren''t done talking either.


    "She think it''s probably a bad idea but she can''t know for sure. She wouldn''t have gotten angry at me if she really wanted to drive us apart. Well, I''m saying us but it''s really all up to you."


    "All up to me?"


    "Yeah, what is it that you want? If you tell me to work hard to impress your father then I will, but only if you want me too."


    His words really embarrassed her but she still squeezed out a weak answer.


    "I... want to tell you to do your best. Because l... I think you will be a great person someday, not that you aren''t a great person now, I mean, I don''t know, you know?"


    Emp didn''t, her sentence made no sense.


    "I''m not sure I get it."


    "I just, I don''t. What about Calla? I don''t want to steal you. I don''t want to be the bad guy in the story. I don''t know how she feels, I don''t know what she''s like, I don''t know if we can get along or if we''re competing, I don''t know her at all. I had fun when It was just me but now things got complicated. I''m not sure I would have done the same if I had known she was there."


    Emp didn''t really know how to answer to that. He just gave her the words that came to his mind.


    "If you had done differently, I might have never noticed how I felt about you, or Calla or Celtine and Harriett. It was your kiss that woke up my heart for real."


    "Are you saying you like your servants too now? You''re the worst."


    "You don''t seem as upset as last time though."


    "It''s not really the same, those two are servants, plus, I kinda know them. I can understand what you like about Celtine. She''s cute and weak but she tries her best to be helpful, anyone would want to protect her. As for the other one, she''s a bit like Aglaya isn''t she? Super serious in her work but that''s only because she likes that work. Both of them are sealed and bound to you so they''re safe too, they''re not going to betray you or our, I mean, your family. The other one I can''t be sure about, how do I know she''s even worthy of you?"


    "Are you?" He asked, returning the question back to her.


    "I definitely am worthy! Definitely more worthy than anyone!"


    Emp showed her a smirk as the next song started and he brought her into the next dance.


    "Sounds like you did make a choice then. If there is no one more worthy than you, than I must do my best to impress your father."


    She blushed again.


    "That''s not what I meant! That''s cheating! What I''m saying is that I want to see her! If I think she''s no good then I will fight her and if not than I''ll think of something..."


    "I really think she is someone great, I like her infinite kindness, she always wants to help everyone. She makes really great food too, she made us a new year meal we''ll eat later, would you like to share it with me? I''m inviting you to supper."


    She turned the question around in her head for a moment before she gave her answer.


    "Fine, but I''ll be extra judging."


    "Then are we good?"


    "You''ll tell me if another girl tries to steal you right?"


    "Yes, of course. I told you I didn''t mean to hide anything."


    "Then I guess we''re fine for now. I''d like to have you for myself but I don''t even have myself for myself so there''s nothing I can do really."


    "Are you still upset?"


    "I am. More at myself than you though. I feel like I''m suffocating, I can''t make any move at all and I''m forced to watch things happening around me. If it was all on me, I would have already given you my hand. We''re both of age after all. How come I can''t do what I want?"


    "Maybe because you keep spending all your money on cakes and do childish things like trying to make me jealous."


    She seemed really miffed about his words and gave him another small slap and a pout.


    "I''m sorry but I do like that about you. You''re always very honest with yourself and your words, you don''t hide anything and you''re very lively. You always make me smile with your antics, I think it''s a good thing."


    "Stop that you, I''m very mature I''ll have you know."


    She seemed in a much better mood now, maybe it was a good time to bring up what Brenia told him earlier.


    "Speaking of that, I would like you to use that maturity."


    "Now you''re just being mean."


    "No, I''m serious, I''d like you to forgive Gytha."


    "Gytha? There''s no way I''m forgiving her, she betrayed me!"


    "No, the teacher betrayed the school, Gytha is your friend, she was just controlled."


    Mable wasn''t making a pleased face but Emp continued to argue for Gytha.


    "I''m not saying you need to trust her with all your secrets, I agree this is probably a bad idea. I''m just saying that the teacher wronged her too. You should have mercy on her, she needs support as well. I''m glad Brenia kept an eye on her up to now, even dogs starts to bite when no one care for them."


    "Are you comparing Gytha to a dog?"


    Her face was hovering between laughter and anger as she spoke.


    "Mhn, I didn''t mean bad with this... I meant to say that Gytha was still on your side but if you continue to push her away like that, she really might turn against you. I understand this is hard for you but I think this is the reasonable thing to do. You don''t need to trust her to enjoy her company do you? It''s the new year, help her get over this bad experience, as a friend."


    She made a sharp sigh of annoyance but still reluctantly agreed.


    "Fine, I''ll try to get over it but in exchange, you have to make up with Celtine too."


    Now it was Emp''s turn to make a difficult face. She must have noticed that Celtine had scarcely been on his shoulders recently.


    "I really want to but I hurt her and I don''t know how to get things back to how they were."


    "What did you do to her?"


    "Well, she''s what they call a wind caller, that''s sort of the royalty of her kind."


    "Celtine''s a winged princess?"


    "Yes, I promised I would help her regain her wings and her voice, I will do it, we have a good idea of how to do it but..."


    "What''s the problem, say it."


    Emp told her all about how he said he liked her, how her tribe was monogamous and how he told her that he couldn''t give his whole heart to her.


    "Yikes. Poor girl, I guess I can kinda understand why she won''t talk to you anymore."


    "What do I do then?"


    "Mhhhh... Let me talk to her. I''m part of her problem after all, she can''t have you because I''m there. I promise I''ll do my best to make her feel better."


    Emp agreed to her request readily. He had nothing to lose in this really.


    After all that important talk, they danced a lot more until the very last song. Thanks to Emp keeping Mable''s rhythm in check, they didn''t break the performance of the whole school on the last dance. He felt like Mable greatly enjoyed herself once everything had been cleared up so Emp felt great as well.


    Mable went up to Gytha before the end of the new year party and pulled her in a hug to tell her she wanted to be friends with her again. Brenia gave him a big slap in the back saying "good job" but he really hadn''t done a lot. He believed that she had wanted to mend her friendship with her since the start, she only needed an excuse to do it. Both of them left separately but on good terms.


    Later, Mable really did the impossible and managed to get Celtine out of her room. He didn''t know what they told each-other but it must have been emotional since both had their eyes reddened by tears.


    It wasn''t exactly like it was before but at least, now she was there. Mable, the four servants and himself all sat down at the table and they all enjoyed Calla''s amazing cooking.


    Mable seemed really frustrated that there was nothing to complain about at all in that meal. She couldn''t find anything worse to say about it than it was enjoyable and impressive.


    Emp was very glad that everything seemed to have finally calmed down after being so tense for so long. He felt like he would sleep better tonight than he managed to in an entire month. That was true until he recalled the other him.

 92 Holias offering

    Emp was moving around the village to enjoy the festivities as much as possible. He did his best to place all his worries aside for the new year. Hopefully, the other him would be able to fix things with Mable. In the meantime, since there was nothing he could do about it on this side, he was better off enjoying his time with the rest of the village.


    The others were feasting and throwing away the last year with booze and acclamation. This year had been better than the last for the village, the deaths had been few, they got rid of a dangerous monster, there was no sickness spreading and trade was getting better. Still, it didn''t stop everyone from hoping that the next would be even better and the festivities were even livelier than ever with all the mining crew adding on to the population of the village.


    Emp was moving from a place to the next, talking to those he came across to wish them a good year and hear about their hopes and future plans. Emp liked to do that, he learned a lot about everyone this way and it helped him figure out what he wanted himself.


    There were a lot of different groups gathered together.


    In one place, there where a group of new mothers with their babies talking about all the problems they had and sharing tips to each other and some soon-to-be mothers. Just a bit further, there were all the fathers boasting at each other and trying to convince the others that their own baby was the comeliest or the the healthiest.


    The miners had all gathered together to laugh as some bold ones tried to woo Eda. The young woman ignored them all and hurried along with the other girls to the center of the village.


    The carpenters and all the guys working in construction work hung out together in a small group and roamed the village to prank old acquaintances and loners alike.


    The hunters had their own group too but there were so many of them that they filled most of the space they cleared for the occasion. Even Bor''s soldiers were in minority compared to them.


    Each of those groups collided and mingled together as the day progressed and everyone got in the mood. Even June showed up with her huge dog and sneaked around stealing food from the tables with Karp Champom scanning the crowd to get a hold of her.


    Emp couldn''t remember what the name of the dog was but the animal did. It pushed its huge body against his leg to request some affection.He rubbed its back distractedly and made his way through a bunch of guys trying to throw small hoops over some soldiers pikes. Emp liked the axe throwing contest better, he found it more entertaining than annoying the soldiers with small wooden hoops.


    On the other side of those guys and a large group cooking a wolf sized bird on a spit, Emp managed to find the boys. They were talking about the hunt that would happen on the next day since a few of them were taking part this year. The forest should be safer since Emp and the huntresses had taken out the creature but they were still very nervous. Last time they lost two friends after all, they could prepare all they wanted, they would never be rid of all the stress.


    Emp tried to reassure them as best as he could and listened to what they wanted to do in the coming year. Manley was the one with the clearest ideas, he knew exactly what he wanted to do in which order. He had thought about his own future a lot and had come up with clear objectives.


    He needed to clear his first hunt to do anything but once that was dealt with, he would be of age and able to put all his desires in motion. The first thing he intended to do was the most controversial in the group.


    "Once I''m back from the hunt, I''ll go see Willow and ask her to choose me." He said to the others.


    He was obviously nervous about it but he seemed sure of what he wanted. He had thought long and hard about it and made up his mind. He took his time to explain his thoughts to the others.


    The gist of it was that he didn''t want her to continue alone because he felt it wasn''t right. If she would have him, he''d take care of everything and he didn''t mind that baby Shana wasn''t his. His father had taken him in when he had no one and if he could provide the same help to someone else, he was glad to do it.


    He also explained with a red face that Willow could still have more kids so it didn''t mean that he wouldn''t have some of his own later if she accepted him. With the stares of everyone else on him, he chugged down his whole mug of cider and went to get some more.


    Emp hoped for him that it would go as Manley wanted. He didn''t know how she felt about Manley but from an outside perspective, it seemed like a good solution.


    Emp was a bit envious of Manley who knew where he was going and what he wanted. In comparison, he was just a mess. He was going to the noble school because Chinui asked him but he didn''t know what he would do or where he would go afterwards. He would eventually have to leave and go far far north for the bet of his creators. How would he ever win it?


    What would he do about all his friends, he couldn''t bring them all with him could he? The closer he grew with everyone, the worse he felt about his future. He didn''t have any solution for this. Would it have been better to isolate himself and never meet anyone?


    He felt it would have been better in a sense but at the same time, he would have deeply regretted not meeting all those he now called friends and family.


    Some part of him wanted to take care of every problem he had or felt he would eventually have right this instant but he knew that it was impossible. It was best to wait and fix each of them as they presented themselves, one at a time. He hoped that everything would fit together nicely in the end.


    His current problem was that he needed to somehow find a way for Mable and Calla to meet. By extension, he needed to tell Calla more about himself and the existence of Mable. He understood he needed to do it but still feared the results.


    He knew hiding things from her was bad, stupid even, but he also knew the girl very well. Telling her all of this out of the blue like he did for Mable would be catastrophic. He needed to prepare her for the information somehow before he told her he wasn''t just an adopted weapon-smith with a god''s blessing but some high noble instead.


    The information was already bone crushingly heavy on its own so just dumping it like that on a delicate person like Calla was impossible.


    He had been thinking about it for the better part of the month but had not found any solution as of yet.


    The day progressed quickly because of how much fun he had and soon, the whole village was gathered around the tables and fires of the new year dinner.


    The solid wooden tables were as close as possible to each other and formed many linked rows to make it easier for everyone to speak and laugh together as they ate. Sat at the central table, Bor presided over the feast with a smile. He was of good company and threw pleasantries at whoever passed by their table.


    His family all sat with him, and following them, Sophus on the right side and Marcy on the left. The two sides didn''t speak to each other of the whole day. Emp sat at Marcy''s side and after him, the Champom filled the table with their numbers. On Sophus''s side, it was the families of the biggest hunters of the village who took place.


    Calla had prepared something amazing once again, using both the things she had on hand and the things she had Emp bring back from the city not long ago. It was simply the most extravagant meal the village had ever seen. As per his request, he keep a few portions for himself and the others back in the school before he enjoyed its taste with the rest of the village.


    Fiona had Calla sit right next to Emp and the girl watched with a proud smile as friends and acquaintances came from every table to taste her cooking. Like last time however, whenever someone tried to praise her for it or simply talk to her, she''d hide behind her mother or Emp to escape the eyes of the others. According to her, it was the food that was good, they should focus on it rather than her.


    The food she provided was simply magical. It wasn''t the most original thing she had ever done but it was certainly one of the best. In order to have enough for as many people as possible, she had to make something simple and had found her answer in a stew. She really liked stews after all, it was filling and tasteful. This time, she didn''t spare any efforts or ingredients on it.


    She had recruited all her sisters, her mother and even some friends to prepare ten huge cauldrons at once. All of them had equally generous portions of meat in them, vegetables in mass brought from the city and spices most of the villagers had never heard about. The whole thing was thick and served with grains that absorbed the excess liquid and its flavor. It was warming for the body and heart, so tasteful that everyone kept eating it like hungry wolves and kept asking for more.


    Meanwhile, Calla only ate a few bites of it before she was filled. Throughout the whole feast, Emp asked her more than once if she would like to taste something else, not because he felt she had not eaten enough but because he didn''t want her to hold back because she was too shy to go take something by herself. Whenever he asked her, she would either discreetly point some meal her friends had made or meekly whispered her answer into his ear. Emp would then get up and go fetch it for her and sometimes for himself too. He was perfectly fine with doing this for her, he was happy to see her enjoy the feast.


    Once he asked her and she shook her head instead, he knew she was really done now and didn''t bother her anymore. Instead of that or going to dance close to the fire, he just took part in the discussions around him, enjoying the mood from his seat. He couldn''t leave Calla by herself now could he? That wouldn''t be kind and there was no point in dancing without her.


    After the festivities went on for a long while, everyone started to move towards the edge of the forest in groups, readying themselves for shooting their wishes into the forest.


    Emp wondered what he should ask for. Last time, he had wished for Calla''s wish to come true but his own wish became real anyway. He felt like he understood family and love much better than before now. What else should he wish for then?


    Maybe he could wish for his misunderstandings to be cleared but it would be a waste of a wish if they turned out to be easily solved. He could wish for Calla and Mable to get along but Mable was usually so similar to him that he felt she would would appreciate Calla immediately after meeting her. What to do, what to do...


    He had a hard time making up his mind. He decided to first watch and see if Calla could shoot her arrow far enough, maybe he wouldn''t have to make a wish at all.


    She drew her bow and shot over the tree line. She had done it this time! Emp was happy for her but at the same time, now he didn''t know what to wish for.


    There was a lot he wanted in the long run but he felt it was pointless to wish for something that wouldn''t happen this year. Could he just wish for everything to work out? That seemed like cheating.


    After a long deliberation, he chose to simply wish that he would find a way for Calla and Mable to meet without too much trouble. He wanted Calla to know him better and know all his friends, the easiest way to do it was for them to meet. He hoped that his wish would let him escape an arduous and winding path.


    His bow creaked under his finger as he pulled the string as far as he dared. He aimed over the trees and released the arrow into the forest. Finally, his wish was shared with the ancestors.


    Last year he felt that he may not have ancestors but this time, he wondered instead if the Muraciers ancestors would watch over him. They hadn''t helped his arrows go straight in the past, why would they answer his wishes?


    When he turned back around, he found that Calla had vanished while he was busy thinking of a wish. She must have gone back home, choosing to not disturb him while he was thinking hard.


    He was a bit disappointed, he had wanted to praise her again for the delicious food and wish her a good year again before they parted.


    What shall he do now then?


    June was probably back home trying to sell all the things she gathered over the year to Marcy. He could go back now and watch but it wasn''t all that interesting or pressing. Marcy would have him go through it all anyway whether it was now or tomorrow.


    He walked along the edge of the woods as he was thinking and found an impressively large tree on the way. It had been a while since he last climbed up a tree. On a whim, he decided to get to the very top of that tree.


    From up there, he could see very far in the distance. There wasn''t much to witness though as it was a green sea of leaves as far as the eye could see. There was nothing there to stand out, only green and more green that sometimes rose above the rest because of some hills.


    Still, despite its lack of worthwhile features, Emp liked to observe the landscape from up there. When was the last time he just stopped doing anything to just look at the land? The wind blew softly thought the forest and the sea rippled in answer.


    Solidly anchored to the tree, Emp let his spirit wander over the peaceful green land. Under the cover of the leaves, monsters lurked, but from up here, there was only calm and the sort of beauty you can only see in nature.


    The day had been resplendent for the new year and now, the sky above the ancient forest slowly took the pink tint of a soft evening.


    Emp stayed up there a long time, almost wishing the sight could be burned forever into his eyes. He had missed doing this, he felt so refreshed now. Maybe he could stay up there all nigh, he wondered what the scenery might look like under the moon. There was nothing to stop him from doing it really.


    He liked the scene before his eyes more than luxurious masonry and sprawling rooftops. Not that the city didn''t have its own peculiar charms, he did like to stop and admire the grandiose hard work of mankind but, there was just something more in the living green.


    As he was contemplating the world in front of him. He heard a voice calling him back.


    "Emp! Is that you up there? Come back down!"


    He looked back towards the village and saw a sizable group of girls at the foot of the tree. Those were all of Calla''s friends and her sisters, surrounding the shy girl and waving their arms towards him. Even Willow was here with her baby.


    He had not expected to see any of them again today and felt curious to know what they wanted to tell him. He made his way back down the tree as fast as he could without simply jumping off.


    Emp welcomed them all again with brows furrowed at their apparent collective nervousness.


    "Hi, what is it? Why are you all here? I didn''t expect to see any of you again today."


    They were all very tense but more of an excited kind of tense rather than a scared tense. They all hushed some encouragement to Calla and gently pushed her forward. It seemed she was the one that had say it so Emp waited patiently to know what this was all about.


    Everyone wore their best clothes for the new year just like in the school. The difference was that in the village, there were more flowers, wood and bone ornaments than jewels and the clothes themselves were less sophisticated. Most of it was made by themselves after all which made everything just as impressive as the noble''s clothing in a way.


    Of the whole group, Calla was the prettiest by far. In the past, he rarely noticed anything he found worth looking at except the scenery. He wondered if she attracted his eyes because he liked her or if it was the opposite. Maybe she wasn''t at all the prettiest and it was only his biased opinion.


    She wore a pale shirt buttoned up to her neck, a pin in her hair decorated with spring flowers and a lively long skirt. In her hands, she held a piece of purple clothing neatly folded. He didn''t know what it was exactly yet but he was sure he would find out soon because she presented it to him. He did not take it immediately but instead, waited for her to say a word. He felt important to follow her pace.


    "This is an offering of Holia." She said Meekly.


    He didn''t really understand what she meant. An offering as in a gift? Who was Holia in the first place?


    "For me?"


    The girl nodded. She seemed more nervous than ever before.


    "Will you accept it?"


    He didn''t know what this was about but it was obviously very important to Calla, she wanted him to take it right?


    "Yes."


    He took it in his hands but before he could ask if he could unfold it to take a look at it or what was the meaning of all this, all the girls went crazy. The moment the word "Yes" was said, all the tension disappeared and was replaced by extreme glee.


    Friends and sisters jumped in joy and shrieked excitedly. They all tugged at Calla''s sleeves and expressed their happiness in a boisterous manner.


    Calla herself seemed as if she had just climbed over the worst hardship of her life and her sisters had to hold on to her to help her stand despite her weakening legs. She had the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen on her face.


    All the girls gathered around Calla and escorted her away leaving a confused Emp behind.


    He looked down at the piece of clothing in his hands and carefully unfolded it to take a proper look.


    It was a long sleeved shirt with split cuffs and wooden buttons to easily fold back the sleeves when working. It had two shades of purple on it and both were vivid and rich. The body of it was the palest of the two purple while the borders and the design was made of the deeper purple.


    The whole piece was light and seemed comfortable as the cloth was very soft. The neck was lined with grey fur that extended into a wide hood able to cover even the shoulders of the wearer to protect from the rain and wind.


    The shirt was matched to his size but wide enough to not stick to him too badly on hot days. He found it was a really caring gift. It may not have been as special as something a professional clothes-maker would make for a noble and may not be filled to the brim with spectacular details but this might become the piece of cloth he liked best. The mix of fur and what he believed to be silk was a bit jarring and may seem a bit ridiculous for a noble but it wasn''t so bad.


    However one sliced it, it had to be Calla who made it, it was a piece of cloth that spoke the same language her food did. She had made it with him in mind, it was even his favorite color. But who was Holia then?


    He wanted to try it on right away but there was obviously something that escaped him about that hooded shirt. Completely forgetting his previous plans of watching over the forest until the night, he folded it back as carefully as he could and made his way home to tell Marcy about it. It was usually Harriett who folded his clothes so his work was a bit shoddy compared to how he had first received it but it was good enough for now.


    He walked inside the house to see June still telling Marcy about all the ridiculous things she saw on the road. The dog wagged its tail and came up to him for some more love but Emp ignored it for now.


    Marcy waved her mug at him and asked him to come sit with them with some wide gestures.


    "Emp my boy you''re back! Come here. What''s it ya got in ya hands?"


    "It''s a shirt." Emp started to explain as he walked up to her. "Calla gave it to me earlier."


    "Oh, what a kind lass." Marcy said impressed by the color.


    Emp agreed with a smiling nod and asked her what was puzzling him since the beginning.


    "Do you know someone named Holia?"


    "Holia? No, this isn''t really a common name, why?"


    "Well, Calla brought this to me and I feel like she''s the one who made it but she said it was a gift from a certain Holia. I don''t get it."


    Marcy froze and her face warped in shock. June took a deep breath, muttered "Oh boy." and sneaked out of the room as swiftly as humanly possible.


    "My boy, what were the exact words she used?" Marcy asked with a cramped face.


    Something was definitely wrong about all this, he felt like he was about to get harshly scolded but he had no other choice than to tell her.


    "She said: This is an offering of Holia, will you accept it?"


    Her face turned even darker if such a thing was even possible.


    "And what did you answer?"


    "Well, yes obviously. It seemed really important to her and that shirt is amazing."


    "And you don''t know what that means?"


    "No...?"


    Marcy shook all over, got on her feet and clasped both of his arms in a vice-like grip that would be enough to crush the bones of anyone weaker than him.


    "It''s a marriage proposal ya daft son with slag for brains!"


    It was now his turn to be frozen in shock. His mind spun and his mouth opened uselessly. The only thing in his head was the simple question: What? He replayed the scene over and over, watching everyone''s excessive reactions as he accepted the shirt. His confusion reverberating through every muscles in his body.


    "Ya just accepted it without even knowing what it was!"


    "But-but, how was I supposed to know? Is that some sort of code?"


    "What do you mean "code"? It''s the way everyone does it! It''s always been the tradition, how can ya not know this!"


    It seemed that Chinui thought it wasn''t important to tell and Blackbull believed it was so obvious that anyone should know long before getting into the school. Every kid must have seen it happen time and again.


    Emp felt feverish and feeble. He had forgotten to breathe again, he gulped some air with a gasp. He didn''t answer her last question, what was he going to say? He could only give her a helpless look.


    "By all the ancestors Emp, ya have a gift for messing with me. We''re gonna do this properly from here on. First of all, Calla, ya do like the lass right?"


    "Yes." Emp nodded despite his muddled head.


    "So ya''d have said yes even if ya had know what the shirt meant right?"


    "Yes?"


    He was a bit slow and hesitant to say yes. He had just learned to understand his feelings and an hour ago his greatest concern was to know if Calla and Mable could appreciate each other. He had never thought about marriage before, not seriously at least.


    He did like her and wanted her close to him but he had no idea what such a thing entailed. Was this really the right thing to do considering she didn''t even know he was a Muracier? Would things really be fine if he just accepted like that?


    "Are ya afraid boy?"


    "I don''t know? She doesn''t know... I... Mom, what am I supposed to do?"


    Marcy breathed out and inhaled deeply before speaking in a calmer tone.


    "Well, first of all, you need to put on that shirt, you''re supposed to wear it all the time until the confirmation."


    Marcy let go of his arms and Emp did as he was told. He didn''t know what was the confirmation exactly yet but quickly switched his bland shirt for Calla''s gift. Like he expected it to, it was really comfortable. It didn''t put his mind at ease though.


    "Let''s talk then, we''ll sit down, go through yar worries and I''ll tell ya what an Holia''s offering is all about since ya''re obviously clueless."


    She dragged him back to the table turned a few chairs so they would face each other and forcibly sat him in front of her. She then took her serious master air and properly thought him about it all. Emp did his best to slow down his running heart and pay attention to her words.


    "First of all, the offering of Holia is an old tradition that came down from the story of a lass named Holia who was too scared to ask the man she loved if his feelings were the same.


    They say that she was really shy, a bit like Calla. Back then, it is said that women had just begun the habit of choosing for themselves rather than waiting to be confessed to by a man. Maybe she really was the first to take the initiative."


    That must have been a really long time ago then, he had not even known they once did differently. Emp found incredible that they did it the same way for so long.


    "Holia found herself in a difficult situation, she couldn''t find the courage to confess her love to the man because he was always surrounded by others."


    This really sounded like Calla. She was way too weak willed to say anything to him, was this why she brought him that instead of simply telling him about her feelings? This was what Love warned him about wasn''t it? She had known from the start and didn''t tell him. If he had known, he could have prepared himself, now he just felt like a huge idiot. Did the man of the story feel just as stupid for not reacting before?


    "What was his name?" He asked with curiosity.


    "Can''t remember It''s been a long time since I heard that story in full my boy.


    Anyway, instead of fighting against her nature, Holia weaved a necklace of flowers and gave it to him before running off. The guy understood and shared her feeling so he went to her home and presented a gift of his own with his declaration of love. That''s what we call the confirmation."


    "So I have to give her something too?"


    "Yes, I''m getting there. Her method became popular and soon turned into a tradition, a woman that wants to marry a man must present a gift to him. There are only two rules about that gift.


    First, the gift must be made by herself and no one else. Aside from that, it can be anything, a bracelet, a pair of shoes, a crown of flowers, a shirt or even a weapon. For my own offering, I had made a pair of swords for Chijou, he entrusted one to his brother because he couldn''t carry the two at once."


    Emp remembered clearly the broken sword in Chinui''s house. Was it one of the two she made for that?


    "Second," She continued. "When presented, it must made very clear that it is an offering of Holia. A girl can''t just trap a guy by giving him something random out of the blue, the man needs to understand what that is.


    If ya don''t want her for wife, we should go there right now and tell her that ya didn''t know what an offering of Holia was. We''ll look like the worse untrustworthy idiots but that''s really yar only way out at this point."


    "No, I''m keeping it."


    He really liked her so he didn''t feel like wasting her efforts like that. She had been working on it for a long time and had to gather all her friends to help her give that shirt to him. Emp was very impressed by her and her hard work.


    He was indeed scared because he didn''t know what was waiting for him after this but what he felt way more strongly was pride and elation. Calla did all that for him. That was... too great to put into words.


    Marcy nodded, satisfied of what she read on his face, and continued her story.


    "If the man accepts it, it is taken as a promise that he will marry her soon. Usually it means by the end of the year but since we''re just entering the first day of the year, ya can take your time. No need to worry too much about hurrying."


    That was great in its own way. He didn''t know what he was supposed to do after all. He was glad he would have some time to prepare.


    "Ya, as the receiver, must keep the offering on ya all the time until the marriage. This is to show everyone around ya that you have promised her this. That means, ya''re not removing that shirt anytime soon.


    Now that ya have that, the next step is for ya to prepare a confirmation gift. Like for the girl, ya must make it by yourself. Buying it is unacceptable as it would mean that ya wouldn''t make any efforts for yar future wife. Usually, ya need to show what ya can do with that gift, it''s meant to show that ya have talent and are worthy of her love."


    "So I have to make her something? Does it need to be something in particular?"


    "It can be anything at all but usually, the girls like to keep it close so if it''s cumbersome that''s a bad thing. The most common thing is to give a girl something they can wear so that they can show their love and support to their husband by wearing it just like a man wears the offering of Holia.


    I know that soldiers and death seekers usually make something like a necklace of fangs or claws stolen from monsters they slayed but ya can do way better. Ya have the talents of a smith so ya have to make something great. She must be proud of what ya will give her and the efforts ya put into it. It will affect yar reputation as well as how her family thinks of ya. If yar gift is rubbish, there''s no way her father will welcome ya warmly."


    What should he do then? Another ring? An hair ornament? Maybe a bracelet?


    "Once ya have it, ya have to go give it to her in front of her whole family and as ya present it to her, ya must take the same vows Holia''s lover took back then. Ya need to use those exact words, this is important, I will tell them to ya again and again until they come out of your mouth as easily as air."


    She leaned forward to make sure he was paying close attention and told him the old words.


    "I swear on all that I know, and all that I don''t, to keep ya safe until my last breath.


    If ya accept me as husband, my love for ya will last until I feed the trees with my bones.


    May this gift be proof of my commitment for it is my best and I am offering it to ya."


    Those were really important, he was glad Marcy would repeat them until he learned because he felt that messing it up would be really bad.


    "Then, after all of that, there will only be the marriage left to worry about but the most stressful part for ya will be done. The marriage usually happen in the week the confirmation is received, often the following evening. There will be a feast, a prayer to Love and Calla will take her vows there. The confirmation gift will be used as proof of yar union and everyone there will be witness. Everything ends with a kiss and yar new life as husband and wife begins then."


    That was the part he was most worried about since he had no knowledge about anything related to this. He did have knowledge in biology he had been imparted with at his creation but it didn''t help him understand how to interact with Calla after all this was done. Was he supposed to do something special? Was there a bunch of convoluted rules he didn''t know about? First though, there was something way more important to ask.


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    "Calla doesn''t know I''m a Muracier. Isn''t that a problem? She must think I''m just going to be a smith with you forever. Should I go tell her right now?"


    "No, no and not now anyway. Now that ya accepted that offering, ya can''t go there until ya''re done with yar confirmation gift. They''d mistakenly think ya''re ready every time and that isn''t an okay thing to mess with.


    Ya''ll only tell both her and her parent once you do the vows, anyway, ya wouldn''t be able to hide it as yar name would transfer to her hunting card once the marriage ceremony is done. I''m sure that none of them will be mad, ya''re a noble, a high one at that, I don''t think they would feel it''s worse than a simple smith. I''m sure that they''ll be surprised but anyone would feel like this is the luckiest thing that ever happened to them.


    The worse that will happen is that Calla will be scared knowing that she asked a high noble to marry her and will probably stress about getting thrown into that sort of family but ya''ll be there to support her. Ya are not yar name, it belongs to ya, not the other way around, ya are the same whatever the card says yar name is."


    Those were just the words he needed to hear. He felt his entire body relax. He was the one Calla liked, not his name, that Muracier was added at the end didn''t change who he was and her feelings would not change.


    "Now my boy, I will answer all yar questions and then, down to work ya go. Yar not leaving this house until ya''re done with that gift. Chijou left before doing it and never came back, I won''t let my son do the same stupid mistake."


    Her eyes glittered with passion and resolve, Emp knew he would have a hard time.

 93 Gift planning

    Emp couldn''t sleep that night, he was too nervous about what was happening in the village. He had believed that he was on the right track to appease Mable but he was pretty sure that this would anger her again. This time though, she would have a real reason to get angry.


    One day she''s saying she wants to meet Calla to make up her mind on what to do and the next, he''d show up wearing an offering from her. He was wearing it right now.


    He had stuffed it in the bag before getting recalled and he put it on before sending the other him back so that both would be wearing it. He felt it was only fair, he was in two places at once but he was still a single person. If the tradition said he had to wear it then he would do so in both places.


    Obviously, with how out of place the silk and fur hooded shirt seemed here in the school, he would get asked about it a lot and the whole group would know in no time at all.


    This would be a huge mess he just knew it. Everyone would think it was Mable and he would have to say it wasn''t her who gave it to him every time. They''d all be shocked and Mable would seethe in frustration.


    Just the day before, she told him that if not for the fact that she couldn''t do as she pleased, she would have already given her hand to him. He would have been wearing her offering then rather than Calla''s. He was certain that she wouldn''t take it all that well.


    At least, now that Calla was about to become his wife, just thinking the words felt incredible, it would be much easier to bring her here in B¨ºt¨¦clair. He would have to bring her to Love who had asked him to meet his wife once he had one. After that, he would be able to present her to Mable and whoever else wanted to meet her. The duke might be very eager to meet her, in his head, she would be the first wife of the next great general after all. (1)


    Now was not the time to loose himself in the predictions of how all these meetings would go though. For now, he had to focus. He needed to make her a confirmation gift. He wanted to give her the best gift there could possibly be. He needed to think carefully about it and come up with the best idea.


    For this purpose, the two of him would stay up all night to think about this and in the morning, they would merge again to pool all the ideas together and make the final decision. After that, the real work would start.


    According to what his mother explained, he had the right to buy materials but they all had to be raw. He couldn''t buy, for example, a polished and cut precious stone. If he wanted one, he would have to do it all himself.


    Considering this, with his training and experience as an apprentice smith, he had a great advantage over many others. It wasn''t as good as being a jeweler but it was close.


    He considered all his options many times, thinking of what he was able to make and what would be better, more impressive, more good looking and most of all, more fitting for Calla. After all, he could make the best object there ever was but if it didn''t go well with Calla, it would be a failure.


    The whole night he pondered and questioned himself. He carefully weighted each option and took the time to work every details in his head. He spread parchments and ink all over his desk to draw sketches of his ideas and plans. He lost himself in his own thoughts many times over the night but finally he had settled his mind on a bracelet.


    Small jewelry was out of his reach as an apprentice, Calla didn''t use too many hair ornaments as she preferred to just tie them in a loose braid, he had already given her a ring so he felt that a second one was too much and a necklace was much too simple if he didn''t make a chain and too hard for him to do if he did. Really, without getting into protective gear she would never use, a bracelet or an anklet were the best ideas he could find. Since an anklet was harder to show off, he went for the bracelet.


    Now that this was set in stone, he needed to choose the materials and the design. He felt it needed to be slim and light because if it was a bit heavy, it would bother Calla. It needed to be tight enough so that it wouldn''t fall off and disturb her while she was cooking but not too tight that it would be uncomfortable. Ideally, it would be easy to put on and remove in case she needed to. After all, if she was about to do something dirtying, she might want to remove it to keep it safe.


    On the other hand, since he was doing something for her, he wanted it to be very useful, he wanted it to keep her safe. He felt that placing an enchantment on it would be great. Heinrich had infused the magu into his armor but Marcy was usually the one doing it on more simple runes, he was surely able to do the same.


    What sort of runes would help protect her in a meaningful way without taking too much space? If the enchantment was too lengthy, it would never fit on a bracelet after all.


    In an ideal world, she would never be in danger, but if she was, he felt that the most natural reaction would be to raise her arms in front of her face to protect it. In that case, the bracelet would be the first thing in the line of danger, like a shield. The first thing he understood picturing that in his head was that a bracelet wouldn''t help her in most cases. Monsters biting at her would not be bothered by that small thing while a smart opponent like a human would just stab in the exposed stomach.


    This was tricky, he couldn''t come up with anything useful. He might have been thinking too much but that gift was meant to show what he could achieve. He needed to push everything to the very limits of what he knew. An enchantment, even if it wasn''t extravagant, was already very impressive for an apprentice.


    He knew there was such a thing as conditional enchantments that would activate in only certain circumstances but a bracelet was too small to house that. This meant that it needed to be something that would always be active or something that would require an external input of magu like a staff. Getting inspiration from a staff could be pretty good but even if he thought her how to bring magu into an object, it wouldn''t help her at all.


    Calla was the sort to freeze in fear in front of danger.


    Of the three possible reactions, fight, flight or freeze, Emp felt that freezing was the worse possible but people were how they were, he would not be able to change her however much he tried.


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    So, it needed to be always active, somewhat meaningful despite its simplicity and take into account that it would probably almost never be the main target of an attack.


    ...


    There was nothing good to do with that, was there?


    He wanted to make her the very best thing but with all these limitation, he felt there was nothing worthwhile to do. Maybe there was a reason why no one placed enchantments on pieces so small.


    With the right materials, he could make it glow or make it harder to break but there was no point. He didn''t feel inspired, Marcy was right, he wasn''t a creative person. He could redo everything she had shown him but he couldn''t come up with his own ideas now that he needed them.


    Even if he had more space to work with, would he be more inspired? He wasn''t sure of that. Anyway, if it was too large, it would be too heavy for her... Unless he made it light with an enchantment. The idea seemed the most attractive he had found up to now.


    Should he make it larger just for the sake of making it weight less with magic?


    It would be more like a large cuff than, or even a tube-like bracer with a clamp to hold it on her forearm. Would she like that?


    No, it would be too much, a wide cuff bracelet was better, if it was made right, he wouldn''t even need the enchantment to make it lighter, he could place something else on it. That sent him all the way back to square one though. Making it lighter was pointless if it wasn''t large but making it large just didn''t fit her at all.


    It was a good thing that there were no classes that day because he wasn''t close to be done thinking about it.


    Celtine and Harriett came many times in his room to ask what he was doing alone and why he wasn''t coming to eat his breakfast but he pushed them back out every time. He started to understand why Marcy hated getting disturbed while she worked, those distractions weren''t helping him at all. He was burning to tell them about what had happened and what he was doing but now wasn''t the time, this project needed his full attention.


    By the end of an overlong thinking process, he mostly knew what he wanted to do. He had been hit by a genius idea as he tortured his own brain for an answer. He was certain that she would be deeply touched by what he planned, if he could pull it off.


    To do it, he needed a book on a type of magic he didn''t have and so, he needed to go see Heinrich.


    He would do the body of cuff with the purple crystal if he could melt it or bend it somehow and if not, he would do it with pale gold. If he could, he wanted to add some of her favorite color since she had done so with his shirt.


    She wasn''t the only one who knew the color of the other liked most, hers was pink.


    He''d go see Juniper and ask her about pink gemstones and gold. She was a glass merchant but she must know were to find raw stones and she said she would owe him something.


    It would be made to look like a single leafed tree for good luck and wrap warmly around her arm with the roots held on to her.


    With all of this settled in his mind and feeling more confident about his idea than in the morning when he didn''t know at all what he would do, he walked into the main room to face the servants.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Should I change great general for grand general? In French, grand just means tall but I understand that in English its more of a short for grandiose or just someone at the upper end of the pyramid.

 94 Harrietts worry

    Emp stepped out of his room and Harriett and Celtine standing around the table waiting for him.


    The two girls were more than ready to hear him out since it was already past noon. They looked at him with a mix of puzzlement and worry at the sight of the shadowy bags under his eyes. He was extremely tired because he had stayed up all night but he was still in a very good mood. He didn''t feel like going to sleep at all now.


    <Will you finally tell us what you are doing?> Celtine wrote at his attention.


    "Yes, I have some big news and I can''t wait to tell you!"


    "What is it master?"


    "This shirt is an offering of Holia. I''m getting married!"


    The two girls were sent reeling back from the shock. Celtine dropped her pen in a daze and Harriett simply collapsed on the spot, falling onto her knees and looking forward with unfocused eyes.


    Emp understood they were taken very off guard by that sudden announcement but he wasn''t sure if they were only surprised or distraught by the reveal. He felt that the boys in the village would have cheered and clapped instead, showing their happiness. The reaction of the girls was off.


    Not even five seconds after she fell down, Harriett sprung back up as if she had caught fire. Quickly spewing out questions after questions.


    "Master is getting a wife! This is momentous news! What is the confirmation, when will the ceremony be, where will it take place, who was it that asked master first, what should I start preparing first? A list! I need to make a list of all that master will need for it! Will she be brought here, should I prepare another bed, oh, silly me, of course not, master''s bed is perfect as it is."


    She mumbled at lightning speed and walked back and forth in the room before rushing into her own to gather things she thought she needed as quickly as possible. She seemed to be anxious and surprised, but neither too happy or displeased about it. She could only see all the work this meant for her.


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    She came back with some ink and papers and started writing lists furiously. The list included a lot of items, including clothes fit for a high noble wedding, official invitations, flowers, musicians and so on.


    Seeing this, Emp hurried to stop her. He grabbed her hand to get her attention and looked into her eyes.


    "Harriett, calm down, not only are we not in a hurry but I won''t need any of that."


    "What does master mean?" She was clearly not understanding what he meant. All of those were essential to her understanding of what a marriage was.


    "I''ll answer all of your questions but put that feather down first."


    Harriett complied and tried to calm herself like Emp asked of her. She took two big breaths, noticed that Celtine was still standing there in confusion and led her to a chair, picking up her pen on the way. Once everyone was sat, she turned back towards her master and spoke with resolve.


    "Please master, tell us all about it."


    "Calla was the one who gave me that shirt."


    "The girl from the village, the one that made our delicious lunch yesterday?"


    "Yes, exactly the one. For now, she doesn''t know I''m a noble, I will only tell her and her parents when I bring her the confirmation gift. Calla is a very meek person, I do not want to scare her with a bunch of extravagant decorations, renowned musicians and all the young nobles from the school all at once. Do you understand what I mean?"


    Harriett nodded confidently.


    "Master wants a smaller private ceremony with carefully selected attendees and a simple design."


    "Yes, more like that. It will take place in the village with her family and our friends from there. It will all be organized by them in the traditions of the village, there is no need for you to exert yourself with this."


    His words seemed to relieve her of a large weight. She breathed out in relief. Taking care of that sort of event was harder and more complex the higher a noble was. It would have been worse for her because she didn''t have an army of servants to help, she only had the cripples Celtine. Knowing her workload wouldn''t increase by a hundredfold let her focus on the event itself rather than its organization.


    "What happens next then?" She asked. "What does master require of me?"


    "First of all, I would like to know how you both feel about this."


    "I will do as masters says, my feelings have nothing to do with this."


    "They do, I value you and your thoughts. I you think there is something wrong I want to know. I want to share my joy with you but if you don''t like it, I want to know. In fact, I''d like you to always tell me when you have a problem with anything at all because I want to help."


    "If master likes her then I''m happy for them both. My only concern is that she will become our mistress and we know nothing of her. I worry of what might happen."


    Emp had not thought about this point at all. It was true that those two did a bunch of work for him but he really considered them more a close friends than servants so he had not realized that Calla would have authority on them, at least to an extant.


    The same would happen if it was Mable instead.


    "I don''t think you have to worry about that too much." He said after some consideration. "Calla isn''t the sort that would ask someone else to do anything in her stead. I''d like you all to get along but I''m pretty sure she won''t join us here in the school anyway."


    He''d bring her here to present her to Mable and Love but afterwards, she would probably go back to Dark-glint with the other him.


    It was pointless of her to stay here, she''d be far away form her family and friends, she couldn''t join as a student before the next cycle in three years and even if she did, she''d just feel out of place.Emp was pretty sure she wouldn''t want to stay in that small room all the time either. Instead, it was more logical to stay in Dark-glint, at least until he was done with the school.


    "I''m eager to meet her then, I will do my best to please." She answered him with a weak smile.


    "What else is there, I can see that this isn''t all."


    Unable to keep anything from her master, she revealed another thing.


    "Master is getting married in that village but will master let me come as well?"


    "Obviously, I want you and Celtine to be there. This is important to me that I share this with you two. We will go there together and bring her back with us once this is done in order to greet everyone. You knew I''d say something like this though, this isn''t what is really bothering you. You''ve been like that since I shared my feelings with you two. Are you willing to tell me why?"


    She made a reticent face so he gave her a way out of his question.


    "I don''t want to extract the information out of you, you can just tell me when you are ready to do it if you want. I just don''t like to see you so preoccupied all the time."


    "I... It would be easier if master ordered me to say it." She told him in a troubled tone.


    Emp looked towards Celtine to get some clue on whether it meant she was asking him to order her but she still seemed completely lost in her own thoughts. He wouldn''t be surprised if she had listened to none of this. He''d ask about her in a bit but for now, he opted to give the order.


    "Fine then, if this is what you want. It''s an order, Harriett, tell me what has been bothering you all this time, don''t hide anything from me this time."


    Under the influence of his order, she forced the words out like they were a curse.


    "The wife of my father."


    Obviously, with only that he didn''t get it at all. He knew that she disliked the woman because she had been thrown away by her fault but this didn''t explain anything. He gave her all his attention as he waited for the rest.


    After that, the more of her thoughts she confessed, the more tears streamed down her cheeks with them. By the end of her speech, she was openly crying and all her words came out as barely recognizable whining.


    "I was afraid it would happen again, I didn''t want to be sold off again. I didn''t know master well but I knew master would go far. I wanted to make sure I would stay with master but even if I trusted master to keep us, I... I couldn''t leave my fate into the hands of some future wife again.


    I had the audacity to believe that I might be able to seduce master first and carve myself an unshakable position at his-your side. But, the day you told me that you held feelings for me, I realized how wrong I was. I really learned to know you in that time we spent together and I... shared how you felt.


    I understood I had betrayed you and your trust. I had successfully seduced you for my own gains and I felt so very guilty about it master! I''m so sorry, master. That was unfair of me, I am not deserving of your affection master! I don''t know what to do now. I want to keep serving you, I just want to stay by your side but what I did was simply unforgivable. I''m not fit to be your slave at all, master is too great to be my master."


    After she was done talking, Emp was tempted to ask if that was all. He expected something bigger because of how emotional it made her but in the end there wasn''t any big problem at all. She was just making up her own worries. He didn''t feel betrayed or angry at all.


    He brought her into his arms to console her, hugging her warmly to show her he wasn''t upset.


    "That''s the silliest betrayal I ever heard of." He told her as she sobbed unto his shoulder. "If you see it that way than Calla too betrayed me. She made me love her with her amazing food and lovely compassion, don''t you see it''s ridiculous?"


    "Master doesn''t understand, she liked you so she did but I''m different. I''m just a slave and I wanted to use master for my own gain. I''m a terrible person."


    Her words were a mess of sobs and wails. Emp patiently kept rubbing her back and denied her claims.


    "I disagree, you moved out of fear, that doesn''t make you a bad person. Look at how guilty it made you feel, you''re crying so much. If you were truly so malevolent, you wouldn''t be in this state right now. Plus, you just said that you did love me, how is that taking advantage of me then?"


    "I''m so sorry master!"


    "There''s nothing to cry about. I forgive you, I do not think any less of you. Everything is fine. I won''t get rid of you, I don''t feel betrayed and I still think what I told you that time, I do like you."


    Harriett kept crying but his words had reached her. She was no longer as devastated as before, now she was just emptying all her pent up guilt to soak his precious shirt.


    He kept her in his arms until there were no more tears to be spilled before he said anything else.


    "You''re always making things way bigger than they are, like that time at the entrance ceremony."


    "Master thinks I''m stupid." Harriet blamed herself.


    Emp smiled and rubbed her back some more.


    "No, I do think this is silly but in a fun sort of way. This is also part of what make you what you are. Keep being you and I will keep reassuring you whenever you over-complicate things. I like you just like you are."


    "Does master really think this?"


    "I do. Don''t punish yourself over this anymore, it isn''t worth it. I want you to look forward with me and smile again. You will be with me for as long as you wish. There will be no one to tell me to get rid of you but it won''t be because you tricked me, it will be because you are worth too much to me to give up on you. Get along with Calla please, she is not a danger to you."


    "I understand master... Thank you, for your kindness. I will not let you down ever again."


    "You didn''t, that''s what I''m telling you."

 95 Celtine dilemma

    Now that Harriett seemed to be better, it was Celtine''s turn. He let the first girl free from his hug and turned his head towards the other.


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    "Celtine what do you think about all this? I didn''t even get the time to ask what you and Mable talked about yet. Did it make you feel better?"


    The girl reacted slowly, she had some time to recover from the news with all that had happened with Harriett but she was still not fully back to her sense. She couldn''t have been more surprised by his announcement.


    Stirred by his words, she moved her hand up to her pen and slowly started writing down her thoughts. She wasn''t certain of how she was feeling herself but she found that writing it all down helped her make sense of it.


    At first, her words didn''t seem all that coherent but the more Emp read, the more he came to understand what was passing through her head.


    She had spoken with Mable about how she felt and had received surprisingly insightful advises. Mable had shared her own frustrations and they had come to understand the other''s problem easily. They both understood what it felt like to not want to disappoint others and how it felt to be raised for a single purpose. They both had a duty to fulfill towards their people, whether it was Celtine''s tribe or whatever place the noble family of Mable was in charge of.


    With that shared experience, it was easier for them to talk about what was bothering them as they had similar problems.


    Celtine told him about how she had felt like she was abusing his goodwill to gain all that she wanted and how she still wanted to go back home once she had regained her wings and voice. Mable had helped her understand that it wasn''t the case, it was just how Emp was. It was all his own choice, he helped her of his volition and did not expect her to give anything in return. He couldn''t help it that he wanted to help her, whether she loved him in return or not.


    She came to understand that she didn''t have to feel guilt about this all. Whatever she did in the future, everyone involved wanted the best for the others, none had any intention of extorting anything from the other and they all acted on their own will. Feeling guilty about this was just as silly as feeling guilty about the wind blowing the way she needed by coincidence.


    She didn''t feel as bad anymore but was still saddened. She had told Mable and now him that she understood that Emp couldn''t follow her back home and how hurt she felt when it was spelled out so clearly to her right after he said he liked her.


    Knowing she felt attraction towards him but also knowing that she couldn''t have him was a very displeasing thing to feel. She couldn''t help but feel awkward every time she saw him and that was why she shut herself in the room.


    Mable didn''t have any good advice to give on this but just talking it out with her and being told that this was a very normal way to feel had helped her a lot too. Emp didn''t know what they told each other exactly but Celtine had found enough strength to meet him again.


    Then, he had told them about Calla and him the day right after and it shook her again.


    She was genuinely happy for him because he was clearly feeling elated about this whole thing but at the same time, she couldn''t help but feel disappointed. Somewhere in her heart, she had still believed that she could somehow make it work but now she felt as if she had lost him for good. She felt it was unfair to tell a girl you liked her and then marry another right after.


    On this point, Emp felt he would get told a very similar thing later by Mable.


    She felt regrets and relief in equal part. She didn''t have to torture herself with her feelings for him since he would now really belong to another girl and could put them to rest. On the other hand, she regretted that she had not done anything sooner. Two years was a very long time, if she had really wanted him to herself, she should have told him so long before this point. It was silly of her to think that nothing would ever move and everything would always stay the same.


    It was the same everywhere after all, she was certain that all the others her age were already married back in the tribe. Once she came back, she expected that she would be by far the oldest person to be single there.


    She regretted what she could not have but knew she would have equally regretted if it had been reversed and she had lost the other side instead. She was relieved that she didn''t have to struggle with herself anymore yet her heart was still pained.


    Reading all those words, Emp felt really pained as well. He didn''t want her to give up, he didn''t want her to put her feelings to rest. Her whole explanation made him very emotional. He understood what she meant when she said she felt both happy and sad because he was the same. He couldn''t be happier that Calla professed her love to him with this offering of Holia but at the same time, Celtine made him want to cry.


    "Mable is right that I would never force you to do anything and I did already tell you that if you wanted to leave, I would find a way to free you from the seal. But, I am very... disappointed with your conclusion."


    <Why would you be disappointed?>


    Celtine seemed a bit angry about his comment, she gave him those blaming eyes saying: "what right do you have to be disappointed?"


    "Because it''s the truth that I love you. Even if you think this is wrong or even if it seems incredibly selfish or even ugly I can''t help it, just like Mable said. I want you to love me back and I know you do. I feel so... frustrated, not about you but for you instead."


    <What other conclusion should I have reached according to you? There''s nothing else, I''ll have to go once I get back what the humans stole from me! Your race did this! I never asked to be here, I could have never met you and lived a happy life like I was supposed too! Instead I was tortured so bad I wanted to die and now you''re ruining my heart too!>


    She wrote this all sharply, feeling aggravated but Emp felt just as annoyed as her. He couldn''t disagree more with what she was writing. His voice rose to meet the intensity of his feelings.


    "How is that ruining your heart? How is my desire for your happiness worse than your plans for your own future! You just admitted that you like me as well but you want to go back to your tribe where you''ll end up alone! You wrote it yourself just now, by the time you get back, there will be no one left for you to pair with and you want me to just watch you stay alone from over here. How can I accept that without being saddened?


    I understand that you think this kind of thing is gross and you don''t want to share your lover, you are perfectly in our right to not give your heart to me but I do also have the right to feel disappointed about it!


    I just wish you would tell me how I can make it all work instead of giving up on your own happiness."


    She shook her head with a pained expression.


    <There is no way, this isn''t how the world works.>


    "Why not? People aren''t supposed to regrow limbs either yet we already found a way. You would force yourself to live in melancholy because your desires seemed unreachable? Love asked this of me, would it be worse or better than trying, she said. My answer was that I would always do what I wanted rather than what others wanted me to do. I told the Same to Mable, this is not about what her father wants or about what your tribe needs, it''s about what YOU want.


    I am Emperor, I was born to rule the land. I will take over Steelwoods and all of the tribesland if I have to. Just tell me how to fix it and I am willing to remake the world to make you happy. I will make the wars between the tribes and the empire a thing of past, make us all into one. Once there are no more sides and I get everyone to be together, will you be willing to consider my love for you or is that still not enough?"


    Celtine seemed very shocked to hear his words and was forced back a bit from his fervor. As an answer, she only managed to write down a few words.


    <I don''t know.>


    "That''s a maybe then, I''m fine with that, I''ll do my best."


    Harriett laughed merrily from the side even though Emp had been speaking harshly.


    "This is great, master has a lot of ambition. What''s funny is that I remember saying something similar to her two years ago. I told her that maybe she would be able to convince master to help protect her tribe. In the end, she didn''t even need to try, master came up with something even better by himself.


    You know Celtine, kingdoms and empires often give princesses to the other side to seal an alliance. That''s because they are less likely to turn against each other if they share the same family. Who knows, as future ruler of your tribe, you might be forced to marry Master to seal the deal."


    Harriett found it really funny but Celtine was just at a loss for words.


    "As long as you wish me to, I will do my very best to find a way and make everything happen like you want. You only need to write the words."


    <Why?> She wrote with trembling hands.


    "Do I really need another reason? I just love you. Even if you don''t accept me in the end, I will not regret spending all those efforts for you because I don''t think my feelings will ever change. I will soon be married with Calla. I don''t know how that sort of thing works, all I want is to keep those I hold dear close to me. Hopefully you, Harriett and Mable can get along with her. For any and all of you, I will do my best, you only have to tell me your wish once you know."


    "What about taking over the empire?" Asked Harriett.


    "That, I''m going to do anyway. I made up my mind already."


    Love was right at that time, this was the best way to go. To keep those around him safe it was the absolute best. To fix the problems of each of his friends it was the easiest too. What was even the point of being born on this end of the continent if not to do it this way? He even had the advantage of being a Muracier and Chinui said the current emperor wasn''t fit to the task. Why not take over then? This was a goal like any other after all.


    He''d use this empire to fight off the other and win the bet, he didn''t need to start by overthrowing the main target, no one ever said that. he wouldn''t need to leave his friends behind if he could just extend his reach across the world.

 96 A promise

    "Emp you... What''s up with that weird shirt?"


    That was the first thing Juniper told him when she met him in the entrance hall.


    Since there were no classes that day, Emp had to ask Wren the receptionist to send someone get Juniper for him. He could have waited for the next day but he wanted the materials for his confirmation gift as soon as possible.


    The receptionist sent the message and Juniper showed up after a good hour of waiting. She wore a sparkling dress like usual and waved his way when she arrived. She seemed to be in a mood as good as the previous day. She started teasing him but stopped immediately when she saw his shirt and decided to tease him about that instead as it was a clearly better and funnier target.


    Emp was accompanied by both Harriett and Celtine who was back on his shoulders. Both of them were feeling much better now and Celtine even praised the shirt, saying that the fur crowning it was very comfortable to sit on and very soft. She had not told him to go forward with his plan but she didn''t say the opposite either and since she was back with him, he decided to take it as an encouragement.


    Emp himself received Juniper with a smile and told her what the shirt was about.


    "That''s an offering of Holia for me."


    "What!?"


    All the glass she wore on her person jingled with her movement of surprise.


    "Mable asked you in Marriage?!"


    "No, not Mable, someone you don''t know."


    "What!"


    That one was even more shocking to her than the last.


    "But, what? I''m supper confused now."


    "There''s nothing confusing about this. A girl I like very much gave me this shirt as an offering of Holia and I accepted it. Now I need to make a confirmation gift and so I need your help."


    "You know, when I told you yesterday that I owed you something, I didn''t think you would come back so fast, and I certainly didn''t think it would be for that sort of thing."


    "Well yesterday I didn''t know this was going to happen. I need you to tell me if you have some knowledge about precious stones, I need something pink."


    She furrowed her brows and and put her clenched fists on her hips.


    "You need something pink? Are you going to ignore the dragon in the yard?" (1)


    "If there was a dragon in the yard we would have heard it."


    "It''s a figure of speech! What about Mable!"


    Oh, it was just another expression he didn''t know.


    "I''m going to see her right after I''m done here, I just want those stones as soon as possible."


    Juniper produced a strange mix between a sigh and a snort and waved off the whole thing.


    "Fine, it''s not my problem anyway. Just know that I''m going to take Mable''s side."


    "What do you mean Mable''s side? I''m on her side too."


    "He says wearing the shirt of someone else." She pointed out.


    That was true in a way but for Emp, they were all on the same side.


    "There is nothing I want less than to hurt her. Look, I don''t want to spend all afternoon arguing this with you here, I need to go see her. Can you help me for the pink stones and the gold or not?"


    "You didn''t mention gold before and no I can''t do anything about it. I can help for the gems though, I know some people. That''s a huge favor compared to just leaving the first dance to me though."


    "I''ll pay for them, my problem is just to get them in my hands as soon as possible. Obviously, they need to be as raw as possible too."


    "Yeah, yeah, everybody knows the old rules, I''ll see what I can do. What are you gonna tell her?"


    "Well, the truth obviously."


    "That''s not what I meant! You can be so frustrating sometimes. Forget it, it''s gonna annoy me way too much, I''ll leave you to your problems."


    "See you tomorrow then."


    "Yeah, later."


    Their talk had been short but now at least, half of the things he needed had been taken care of.


    For the gold, he simply asked Wren Esther instead. The receptionist said she would find him what he requested in the shortest possible delay and after thanking her, he left towards Mable''s room.


    "How do you think Mable will react?" He asked Harriett on the way.


    "I believe she will be quite angry at master again."


    "She knows I do not like her any less than before though, right?"


    <This isn''t about liking her more or less.> Intervened the writing tablet. <It''s about how betrayed she will feel that just yesterday, you told her you would do your best for her and today, you show up engaged to a girl none of us have met yet.>


    Emp hoped it wouldn''t be too bad but he kept feeling more and more nervous as they got closer to her room. Mable was the sort to burst and react violently to both happiness, sadness or anger. He was afraid she might do something she would regret later.


    His group finally reached the door and knocked a few times on it. One of her two slaves came to see who it was and relayed the information to her mistress inside.


    "Emp? Let him in of course!"


    Led by the servant, Emp stepped inside and saw that Aglaya was here drinking tea with Mable. That was very helpful, her presence might help mellow down Mable.


    The girl welcomed him with a big smile and an exaggerated wave of her hand while her friend pointed at a chair near them.


    "Hi Emp. Would you like a tea with us? We were talking about yesterday."


    "Uh, yes, I''ll take one too then." He answered nervously.


    He removed Celtine from his shoulders and sat facing them. One of the servants quickly poured him a cup. He thanked her with a nod and tried to start the conversation with a more casual subject than the shirt.


    "I saw you dance with Ivar, he seemed to be very giddy about it."


    "Right? He didn''t expect I would pick him for the first dance at all. He was so cute I decided to keep him company all the way through the ball."


    Emp wasn''t sure that cute was the right way to describe Ivar but there were many things Aglaya qualified of cute.


    "I''m glad that everything is back to normal." She followed. "Having you two fighting is no fun at all."


    "So Mable already told you what we talked about?"


    "Yeah, I even told her all the embarrassing things you said so now she''ll be able to tease you all the time!" Mable said excitedly before laughing evilly.


    "What about the embarrassing things YOU said?" He asked in return.


    "Wha? I haven''t said anything embarrassing at all!"


    Both Him and Aglaya gave her a mischievous grin as an answer.


    "Don''t you dare say anything about that! What about that shirt instead, where does it come from?"


    All the apprehension he had just dissipated with that silly talk instantly came back once he heard her ask about the shirt.


    "I think it''s rather cute." Aglaya chimed in.


    Emp gulped and attempted to make an answer that wouldn''t be too sudden. It was one of the things he had been chided on last time.


    "It''s a gift from Calla."


    "Calla again?" Aglaya said, a bit surprised.


    "She''s a way better cook than she is a seamstress." Mable pointed out. "Oh, Aglaya, you wouldn''t believe how good that supper was. It was simply incredible! Even the great cooks at home couldn''t do that recipe any better than her."


    "That''s impressive... Why do you seem so stiff Emp? What''s wrong?"


    "I..." He gulped again. "That gift really took me by surprise, if I had known she''d do it, I would have told you before."


    Mable felt he was strange and attempted to wave his nervousness away.


    "I''m not mad because she gave you a shirt, you don''t need my approval to receive gifts. I''m not that bad, am I?"


    She turned towards Aglaya for some sort of confirmation. The other girl scanned Emp''s group with a raised brow and found that something was wrong.


    "You can be really bad sometimes but here, I don''t think that''s all there is to it. All three of them are way too nervous. What haven''t you told us yet Emp?"


    "It''s an offering of Holia, from her to me."


    That was it, there was no other way to say it. Silence took hold of the room and no one moved at all for a while. Even Mable''s servants stopped doing their work to stare blankly towards him.


    Aglaya was the first to start moving again. She had the face of someone who just received an impossible task.


    "Maybe you should leave for now. She''ll need a moment to gather herself before she tells you anything I think."


    Emp didn''t know what else to do so he just nodded and got up from his seat. He had not touched the tea at all but even though he felt it was a waste, he left it there and moved to the door in silence. That was a better conclusion than getting yelled at wasn''t it?


    He raised Celtine up on his shoulders and opened the door. As he left though, he felt the need to turn back and tell her one last thing.


    "My feelings for you haven''t changed, I''ll do my best for you."


    He got no other answer than the empty eyes of Mable so he closed the door and walked back to his room. The rest was out of his hands, that was very scary thing to think.


    From the school, there was nothing more he could do for now. He started pacing in his room, waiting to receive any of the things he requested or even better, some news from Mable.


    *-*-*-*


    In Mable''s room.


    She was bawling her eyes out onto her best friend''s shoulder.


    He was getting married! To that Calla she had never met! She felt so frustrated and lost, her head wasn''t working properly at all. She couldn''t think of anything else than that shirt.


    Why was it like so!?


    Aglaya was doing her best to appease her and support her, stroking her back and caressing her hair. It wasn''t working very well.


    "Mable, dry your tears. He''s not dead and he''s not even rejecting you, there was just another girl that was faster than you."


    "It''s still painful!" She wailed.


    "I know, I know but that''s silly, you haven''t lost him at all. He said he liked you both, obviously, if she give that sort of thing to him he''s going to accept it. Think about it, what should he have said? I can''t accept it because I need to ask this other girl you haven''t met first?"


    "Why not?"


    "Because that''s silly, that would just be a rejection with a dumb excuse painted over it. There''s no way Emp could do that sort of thing. When you do finally give him your own offering, I''m sure he will accept it gladly."


    "But what if SHE doesn''t?"


    "Mable, you''re troubling yourself with far off things that might not even happen."


    "But it could. I''m sure he likes her more than me too. I can''t do anything but her, she''s a fantastic cook."


    "That''s not true at all, there are many things you can do very well, you haven''t done badly in your studies at all. Even if that was somehow true, which it isn''t, you would still have a better social status than her."


    "That doesn''t mean anything, at least not for Emp."


    Aglaya made an exasperated sigh.


    "Mable, I''m more than convinced that Emp does love you way more than you think. I''m willing to bet anything on this. Also, didn''t he say that he liked you both just as much? Isn''t that proof enough."


    "Maybe he lied."


    "We never saw him lie before."


    "Doesn''t mean it can''t happen."


    "With how hung up he was the other day about not lying to you, I don''t think that''s the case."


    "Mhuhuhuh." She whined.


    "Mable... Do you like him or not? Do you want to give up on him and leave him to her instead? There are plenty of fish in the sea after all."


    "No, I don''t wanna."


    "Why are you crying then? There''s work to be done. Since he said yes to her and he isn''t lying, that means he''ll tell you yes as well the moment you give him your own. All we need to do is move your father and you''ll have him too. You''ll meet that Calla soon as well and then we''ll know for sure what is going on."


    "Why can''t I just say, it would be much easier."


    "You know why, it''s too dangerous for you to say it."


    "Even if Emp is watching over me?"


    "Emp is great for his age but he isn''t enough, you know this too. Now stop beating yourself, get up and prepare yourself to show her who''s the better of you two."


    "But I don''t want to steal him from her."


    "This isn''t about her at all, this is about you only, about your own happiness. Didn''t he tell you something similar just yesterday?"


    Mable looked down at her ring, that ring was so beautiful, shining with care and affection. The sight of it made her feel a lot better. She knew how the ring worked, she had seen it change over time, not only her own but those on his two slaves too, at first they were very ordinary. There was no way he didn''t like her all that much with a ring like that.


    Aglaya was right, her father and Calla didn''t matter in this at all. It was all about what she wanted.


    Was Emp worthy of her love and efforts and was Calla a worthy sister, those were the only questions that truly mattered. The rest she would fight as needed. If Calla was some opportunist latching onto Emp, she had no reason to feel guilty of "stealing" him from her. If she truly was a great person like Emp pretended then she would need to ask herself, did she like him enough to go through all that trouble or was it just a temporary feeling? Could she find it in herself to share or should she evict her rival?


    *-*-*-*


    The first day of classes after the new year, Emp had two lessons to attend to. He had morals and customs in the morning and magic in the afternoon.


    He planned to use the magic class to ask Heinrich about the book he needed. Blackbull''s class was scarier though. Everyone would be there and all of them would ask about the shirt. The old teacher was bound to say something about it too. She always had some reproach to give him about anything he did.


    At least, he had managed to get some sleep last night. He had waited for some good news from Wren, Juniper or Mable but received nothing and in the end, the extreme tiredness he felt took him over and he ended up falling asleep with all his clothes on.


    With that bit of sleep behind him, he felt much more vigorous. Feeling that he would need all the support he could get today, he brought both Harriett and Celtine with him as he left.


    His first destination was Mable''s room. As her official protector, he needed to pick her up for class. To be honest though, he was just feeling very nervous about what sort of reaction she would show him now and couldn''t wait for the class to see.


    "Is master sure that this is a good idea? It has only been a day since master announced his marriage to her."


    "I think that waiting to see her reaction in the classroom is way worse. Plus, what would happen if she waited for me to escort her from her room and I never came?"


    "Master is right of course. I did not think things through properly. I hope for master that she will not be too angry."


    "Are you saying that because you are rooting for me or because you wish to be her sister one day."


    Harriett fumbled an answer to his daring words, waving her arms in front of her to deny it all vehemently.


    "M-Master! I would never dare!"


    Emp simply smiled her way and they soon reached Mable''s door.


    "I''m glad you two are here with me, it makes it all easier."


    Celtine tapped the top of his head lightly and Harriett answered with a nod, still too affected by his previous words to say anything else.


    He knocked on the door like every morning.


    "It''s me! We must not be late for Blackbull''s class!" He called through the door.


    He felt like he waited forever in front of the door before she opened and showed her face. He wasn''t really sure how to interpret her expression. He remained silent from there and awaited her words with bathed breath.


    They both stood on their side of the open door, staring at each other.


    "Hi Emp. Now that I see your face, I feel like kissing it and slapping it both equally."


    Emp chose to think that at least she partly felt like kissing him.


    "You know that this whole thing will make me look like a huge idiot in front of everyone else right? Am I an idiot Emp?"


    "Of course not." He answered in a rather confused manner.


    "But I do feel really stupid." She confessed. "I don''t even know her. I do understand all your words and reasons, they do make sense in a way. I understand that our secrets are the true problems, they will turn into a wall between us. By the time I tear them down, years might pass, will you still be there for me?"


    "That''s obvious I will be. I''m your lord protector, as long as you stay the Mable I know, I''ll always do everything I can for you."


    "But how many more Calla will there be?"


    "None."


    Emp was rather convinced that such a strange set of circumstances couldn''t possibly happen again but Mable didn''t feel the same.


    "I could choose any other man and require of them that I be their only one. I didn''t think you were the sort of man to collect woman all around but if Harriett here was to give you an offering, you would accept it too wouldn''t you? I''d only know after the fact, only after you accepted. You do not understand how hard it is on me. I can''t move and I don''t have a say in whatever you do since you are not mine. I am stuck on the sideline and I don''t know how long I will be there. I don''t want to be a fifteenth sister, I don''t like the idea of being courted by a man who already has a bunch of kids..."


    Her words and the pained way she said them were just heart-wrenching for him. He opened his mouth to protest but there were no words that came out of it, there were no words worth saying. She took a deep breath and kicked the door-frame distractedly as she prepared her next set of words.


    "I don''t want to marry an old man either though, I don''t want to be given to someone else just because they have status, I don''t want to end up with an idiot from the other groups. What I want is to make my own choice and you are the one I want to choose."


    That new set of word was like a beam of light piercing through the dark clouds. He felt overjoyed to hear them and if not for the very serious atmosphere surrounding them, he would have jumped in joy. Her whole speech was akin to feeding him buckets of boysenberry instead of her usually sweet strawberries. One moment the bitterness would fill his mouth like a torture and the next, it''s sweet juices quenched his burning anguish. (2)


    "I need more than words now, I need something that I can trust and will tell me without a doubt that I''m not acting like a silly maiden in love, that I''m not wasting this time of my life."


    He''d be willing to wait for a long long time for her but he understood what she meant. If she spared no efforts to be with him and ended up disappointed in the result, it might be too late to find someone else that she found fitting. She was at a crossroad and feared she might take the wrong path and lose herself.


    "I am more than willing of course but I can''t think of anything. I can promise and swear but those are still only words. Did you have anything in mind? Anything you ask, I will do it, as long as it''s not to go back on my words to Calla."


    She shook her head, still keeping her serious face. Emp didn''t really like that face, it didn''t suit her at all. She was clearly straining herself to appear like that.


    "No, that''s not something I would do. I came up with an idea but you''ll think it''s silly."


    "I''ll do it even if it''s silly though. I really like your kind of silly anyway."


    He saw her struggle to keep a straight face as small smile threatened to show up but in the end, she managed to keep it under control.


    "Then, I want you to do four things for me. First, I want you to kill some river snatchers for me."


    "River snatchers? What are those?" Emp had never heard of river snatchers.


    "A kind of huge crab, they live in the rivers of Grandbois, I hate them, they scare me to death. Kill them for me please."


    This indeed seemed silly to him but it must be really important for her since she asked this right away.


    "Sure, I will kill as many as you want, what next?"


    "I really, reaaally, need to meet her soon. If I don''t like her I''m throwing the whole thing off."


    "I already said I''d bring her, I will. My plan is to go all the way there with Celtine and Harriett for the marriage and bring her back here with me once it''s done. It might take a few weeks to go there and back."


    Going by himself would only take a few hours but if he was to bring more people with him, he would end up way slower.


    "That''s fine, also, that''s not part of the four things but could I go too? Does it mess up some secret?"


    "It does, sorry, I can''t bring you with me. It would make me break half a dozen promises. I really am sorry, I would have been really happy to have you there."


    He felt really bad about denying her but he was simply unable to fulfill her request. She didn''t seem too surprised or disappointed by his answer.


    "It''s okay. Watching that might have been too much for me anyway. I wasn''t sure I really wanted to see it."


    She changed the subject as quickly as it first came.


    "The third thing I want from you is... you''ll make her a confirmation gift, I want one too."


    "What?"


    What did she mean, she wanted him to do it the other way around?


    "You heard me right, I can''t give you an offering, It''s impossible, I''m stuck. But, if you were to give me the confirmation first, at least I would know you are indeed waiting for me. Once I get rid of my problems, I''ll be able to give you my offering and the confirmation will have already been taken care of. With it and the ring, I''ll have a good idea of what my love is really worth to you and it will make my efforts more bearable. You''ll give that to me with Nessa and Aglaya as witness. If I feel like you betrayed me or one of the four promises I''ll just throw it away in a pit of disgusting millipedes and the whole empire will know." (3)


    "I got it, don''t get too riled up for something that won''t happen. I''ll make you a confirmation gift, I will pour my heart and soul into it and give it to you with the traditional vows. I''ll do it as soon as possible but I have another to make and a trip to prepare so it might take a while. Are you fine with this?"


    "I am, I''ll wait to see it before I really think of how I''m supposed to deal with you. As for the last thing, I want you to promise you will wait for me and not get married again in the meantime."


    "Alright, I swear on my full name, I will not accept any other offering of Holia until I have received yours."


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    Things ended up both better and worse than he expected them too. Worse because she was clearly hurt about what happened and showed it with all those ridiculous conditions. He had never wanted to make her feel bad, things just happened that way. It was better than he dared hope as well since she didn''t ask anything impossible and said that she still liked him.


    Now he had double the work though and no time to think about it since they had classes to attend to. He reached out a hand for her to take and she took it with a sour face.


    "I feel like I should be way more angry at you."


    She left the room with him and her servants closed behind them as they made their way towards the classroom.


    "Because I''m getting married, because it''s with someone you don''t know or because it''s not you?"


    "All of those. I should kick your butt for that. I feel like I should hate you but I just feel disappointed instead."


    "I really didn''t mean to make you feel bad, I was super happy to receive that shirt, I just want to share it with you too, the happiness I mean, not the shirt."


    "I know, I guess that''s why I can''t be really mad at you. You can''t hide your feelings or your thoughts at all. It''s always very obvious, you don''t even try to hide anything. You''re very open and I like it. The guys in the capital, they''re all wearing masks, even those younger than me, I can''t see what they''re thinking, they''re all hiding things like petty thieves. I hate it. I feel like I found the best strawberry cake in the whole empire, I''m so happy about it, yet, it''s someone else that''s eating the cake instead of me cause I forgot my purse at home. Does that make sense?"


    "You''re comparing me to your favorite cake? That makes me a happy but I know you don''t like sharing cake."


    "Aglaya always tells me it''s selfish but I can''t help it, I love strawberries too much! I don''t want everyone to eat all my cake."


    "I don''t know how to handle it Mable, I''m bad at those things. I''m glad you''re the one who woke my heart though because you''re very straightforward. This is one of the things I like most about you, Aglaya is right on this, we are very similar for that. It makes it easier for me to figure what you want me to do. The hardest is to find what words to use. I feel like everything I say is always the wrong thing. I don''t want to lie, I don''t want to say I don''t like someone I do indeed like but I don''t want to make anyone else feel bad either. Whatever you ask of me I will do but I would do the same for Calla too."


    "I don''t want to say I understand or that I''ll accept sharing before I really meet her though. I told you before and I will tell you again, If I really don''t like her I''m getting rid of her for you"


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "I don''t know, I''ll have her eaten by a huge badger maybe. A snarly one with the haircut of a thug." She mimicked with her hand.


    It would have been quite funny if they weren''t talking about the death of Calla.


    "Don''t make that face, I''m not going to do anything stupid. I just don''t know what to expect from her. Knowing you if anyone at all gave you an offering of Holia, you would have accepted it just to not hurt the feeling of the one giving it to you. It could have been Gytha or Josseline or a random tavern girl. You''re my best friend after Aglaya you know? I just don''t want some sort of hero fisher digging her fangs into you for money or whatever else."


    "Calla isn''t like that at all."


    "Let me and Aglaya be the judge of that. I just can''t trust your evaluation of other people''s characters. You''re like me after all, we''re both gullible idiots who would trust the words of anyone."


    "You think I''m a gullible idiot?"


    "I do, whenever anyone says some idiocy in class, we both believe it immediately, worse, you take metaphors literally half of the time. Eida and Gervaise keep laughing at our backs because of it. All of this to say that I love you way more than I should and I don''t trust you at all with yourself."


    "I think the opposite, I should love you way more than I do. I think the same about your protection though, If I leave you alone you''ll get yourself in trouble."


    "You should, most definitely. Wait, what was that about getting myself in trouble? You get in trouble way more often then I do!"


    "That''s an exaggeration, I got in mortal danger only one more time than you and I saved myself in one of those while you needed me to rescue you. I think I should get a bonus point for that."


    "That''s not how it works at all! I pay you to protect me, you don''t get any bonus points for it."


    "Speaking about pay, once I give you that confirmation, there won''t be any reason to pay me no? I''d still keep you safe even if you stopped paying right now."


    "No, I need you to keep the title of lord protector until all this mess is cleaned. Anyway, if you do everything I asked you and it all goes well, in the end, All your money will be mine too so it''s like I''m paying myself."


    "Oh, that''s true, I had not thought of that."


    "Right, It''s because I''m great, my ideas are so good."


    "Isn''t it all Aglaya''s plan? You had nothing to do with it."


    "Hey, you''re supposed to be repenting now not doubting my greatness."


    "I''m not doubting your greatness. Even though her ideas are the best, you''re the one I like which makes you the greatest of the two by far."


    What did he just say? The words just spilled out of his mouth. Why did it feel so much more embarrassing than just stating his feelings plainly.


    "Forget it."


    "No way I''m forgetting that! Now you''ve said it, I''m the greatest, you better remember it well!"


    They reached the classroom accompanied by the sound of her laughter and they both sat at their usual seats. The moment they got inside, both of them started to feel really nervous again. Mable was really certain that she would be mocked because of how someone just stole Emp from right under her nose.


    Juniper and Aglaya both knew what was about to happen too and they felt almost as tense as the two who were actually concerned.


    Surprisingly the inevitable question about his shirt didn''t come as fast as Emp expected. Some of his classmates looked at the out of place piece of clothing with a raised brow but none felt it was worth it to ask about it. He even started to think that nothing would happen at all until Blackbull walked into the room with her cane.


    Everyone stopped talking as she made her way to the front like usual. She quickly turned her attention to Emp and his shirt.


    "I said that I would not allow my students to wear those strange clothes that are seemingly in fashion in this city. This applies to boys as well Emp, this thing doesn''t seem appropriate for a noble of your status, Go back and change into something more fitting."


    "Madam Blackbull." Emp answered her with a helpless face. "I can''t remove it, that''s an offering of Holia."


    Everyone reacted with various degree of surprise ranging from silent shock to loud "Hei?". The teacher in particular almost dropped her eyes and had to fight her surprise to find a descent answer.


    "My apology Emp, In this case, do keep it on you, you are very right. I did not mean any disrespect to the one who gave it to you. If I''m not being too curious, who was it that promised themselves to you? Was it..."


    She shot a meaningful look towards Mable along with the rest of the classroom. The girl used her two servants as a wall to hide from everyone else.


    "No, it''s not a student, not even someone you know." He told Blackbull.


    The old lady seemed to be greatly relieved by this. (4)


    For the others however, that seemed even more shocking and the eyes they pierced Mable with felt even heavier than before. Aglaya moved in the way to shield Mable along with her servants but obviously, if no one provided some explanation, they would never leave him and Mable alone.


    Emp didn''t mind being stared at by everyone, he knew them, they were his friends, they were just curious and didn''t mean him harm. However, Mable didn''t feel the same and was distressed instead. She couldn''t stand all those eyes looking her way like a curiosity and Emp hated seeing her so vulnerable. He needed to do something about it. He should have thought about it beforehand instead of talking nonsense with her.


    He rose to his feet again, gathering the attention of everyone and said whatever came to his mind.


    "I did accept an offering of Holia from someone that isn''t Mable but I do love her as much as one possibly can. The only reason it is not her shirt I''m wearing is because of some familial problems on her side. I will be eagerly awaiting her own offering."


    Hopefully this would be enough. Either he made himself look like a real idiot or he managed to convince them that Mable wasn''t being played for a fool. Either way, he was successful at deflecting the attention onto him rather than her, at least for now. Aglaya threw him a good job sign from where she sat, comforting him in the idea that he wasn''t wrong.


    The class reacted with mild laughter from the guys and scandalized giggling from the girls before Blackbull put some order back in the room. Hopefully this would be enough to make things less awkward for Mable. The others might give him some strange looks for a while because of his public declaration of love but if it was only him, he didn''t care.


    After the class, he spoke to Juniper and asked her for some orange stones to be added to the pink one he had previously requested.


    "Orange stones? What for?"


    "A confirmation gift of course."


    *-*-*-*


    Celtine was back on Emp''s shoulders. He was currently talking with the mage Heinrich about a book he needed to enchant the item he was about to forge. He had told them what he planned on doing before and Celtine thought it was a great idea. He had no idea if it was possible though and that''s why they were here.


    He looked so happy. Even from his shoulders, she could see how much he enjoyed this. It was clear that he truly liked the girl. His peers had harassed him all day long to know about that mysterious woman but it didn''t bother him at all, instead, he was happy to talk about her.


    Celtine didn''t know what to think about the whole thing. With difficulty, she had made up her mind and decided to let go of her unreasonable feelings for him. It was for the best, she had to for the future of her tribe, her own and Emp''s. Yet, he didn''t want to give up on her, not even a bit, and said the most outrageous thing.


    What was she supposed to do about this?


    Half of her mind told her she needed to be firm and turn him down. The other half told her to wait and see if he could actually do it, it was secretly delighted and not so secretly hopeful.


    It would be so much easier if he just let her be. The man was about to get married for all the winds! Keeping feelings for him was just amoral. She really enjoyed her time with him though.


    Fly and sing, that was what she did, that was who she was.


    Limp and scratch, that was a prison, not who she was at all.


    How come she was smiling then?


    "Argh!"


    Emp suddenly let out a pained voice and fell on his knees, clutching his chest.


    "Master!" Harriett worried.


    Celtine dropped herself off from his shoulders, both to get out of his way and to look at his condition. His face currently reflected nothing more than pain as all his limbs twitched from the action of an unknown threat.


    Heinrich called out to his own slave while Emp cried out in pain. None of those present including Emp himself understood where that acute pain came from. Celtine worried deeply of course but still stood ready to anything at all that could help him. She only needed some clue on what she had to do.


    The fwan came as quickly as one of his kind could and stared at him from the door where he appeared. His eyes shone with ancient power as the grey man looked into her master.


    "His soul as been set on fire, it''s gnawing at him from a distance, I can''t see, it''s too far off."


    The other him! It must have been it. Emp came to the same conclusion when he heard the fwan and recalled his other half. Fire burst out from him as if called by the words of the fwan.


    It was a strange and frightening thing to look at, the flame seemed empty. Even if it was clearly there, it was hard to see, one moment it seemed dark and ominous while the next it was an outline of a pale turquoise with nothing inside but the twisted air of the heat affecting him. Even more curious, his clothes weren''t burning, they were unaffected by this otherworldly fire.


    "It truly is soul-fire. An unusually cruel spell."


    Heinrich moved fast and his hands reached out to many ingredients at once. A moonflower that bloomed by itself in his hand, a night gladiolus, a very tiny see through stone and a small phial.


    "May the cool gaze of the moon bring your soul to peace. May there be no fire to disturb the peace of the diamond fairy on the lake of your life. Bring fresh night upon the burning day and let the garden bloom."


    He said so in that weird language, or at least, that was what she understood. As he spoke, he dropped the two flowers unto Emp''s lap and they immediately withered from the heat she could not feel. Right after, he placed the stone into the phial, shook it along with the final sentence and poured down the contents of it on top of Emp''s head.


    The liquid was bright and clear like the purest of water, shining like the moon, it put out the fire as it soaked the head of Emp. The small rock was nowhere to be found, melted into the water that beat off the fire.


    The moment the flames were gone and Emp was freed from the pain, another fire was lit up in his eyes. A hatred and anger the likes of which she had never seen him show before, the kind she only saw in the devil that took her wings before.


    His face twisted as he tried to speak through his clenched teeth, each words a curse targeting someone that wasn''t here.


    "My armor, quick."


    All the pieces of his armor where dropped from his bag as he said it. Harriett and Celtine obeyed as fast as their hands would allow them and covered their master in his armor.


    "May you tell us what is happening over there this time?" Heinrich asked while the girls clasped his helm in place.


    "A mage dies today."


    *-*-*-*


    (1) An elephant in the room, except it doesn''t work because they don''t know what elephants are.


    (2) Boysenberry is a word I was asked to use back in chapter 87. Feel like asking for another word? Leave it down bellow.


    (3) Millipedes was also a requested word. I won''t mark the next words like this but now you all have a good feel for the delay between a word request and its actual use.


    (4) We''re in starwars and it turns out that her name is Mable Muracier. XD It''s not, do not worry.

 97 The old deal

    In the village, the day following the new year, Emp managed to convince Marcy to let him out of the house. She had told him that she would not let him leave until he had made his confirmation gift but after he told her he stayed up all night thinking about what he wanted to do, he managed convince her.


    He wanted to go out of the house because today was the first hunt of many of his friends. Like last year, he wanted to wait for them and see how things would turn out with Manley and Willow. Anyway, even if he worked his hardest the whole day, he would never be able to finish today.


    He explained that he intended to have someone find him stones and gold in B¨ºt¨¦clair and wanted to use it in his gift. This meant that even if he made progress now, he would still have to wait in the end. He also told her that he wanted to be a single person for the ceremony and so the other one would be coming home with his two slaves for the marriage. This meant that he couldn''t give her the confirmation until the other him was almost there.


    Because of all this, Marcy let him out and he watched the guys walk out into the woods. He felt really nervous because the scene in front of him was eerily similar to last year. The Champom were there to cheer on Gilbert and the same was true for Manley''s father.


    The two boys borrowed weapons from Bor and left in different directions. They were the most nervous of all since they were the ones going in the woods but it didn''t stop everyone else from worrying.


    He wished them good luck and waved with the rest.


    The sensation was peculiar, Emp was confident that they could handle almost anything that came their way since he had showed them a lot of tricks but he was still worried. He knew he had no real reasons to but still felt that way.


    Emp was pretty tired because he had not slept last night so he sat against the palisade surrounding the village in order to take a rest. Maybe if he slept for a bit he would feel better. Aside from him, the only boys of their group left were the three knife boys, Wilbert, Cuthberth and Jurgen. All the others were girls, none of them were as restless as Willow last year tough.


    Like last year, everyone left after the boys stepped into the woods except for those that had nothing better to do.


    Calla left with her mother since she was too embarrassed to see him right now and the traditions didn''t really allow it anyway. Her father stayed however, he looked for Emp, found him by the shirt and came to talk to him.


    Ogden Champom looked down towards him with a severe look.


    "Can I sit down with you for a bit?"


    "Yeah, of course."


    He sat himself down at his side with a groan. Ogden was pretty well built for someone living from picking up apples but he did have trouble getting low to the ground. He was like an older version of Gilbert, the only few differences were his slightly darker hair, his thinner eyebrows and his slightly taller stature.


    Emp wondered what he wanted to say. He understood it was probably about Calla but since Ogden never interfered in her affairs before, he couldn''t guess what her father was about to tell him.


    "You''re wearing the shirt she made for you." He stated the fact.


    "Yes, I love it, I can feel she put a lot of effort into it."


    "She did, she worked on it for weeks." He nodded.


    They stared at the woods in silence for a while. Emp could feel he had something important to say but he took his time to just feel the refreshing wind for a moment.


    "You really love my daughter right? You''re taking this seriously?"


    Emp was a bit upset to be doubted on that and answered earnestly.


    "Of course I do! I stayed up all night thinking of what I would make for the confirmation."


    "I didn''t mean to upset you. It''s just that my Calla is very, delicate, weak even. I worry for her. My wife was very keen on making it work between you two but I kept my doubts, I don''t really trust travelers, strangers. You haven''t been here for a long time, you didn''t even speak the tongue and I''m still not even sure you''re really there or if it''s just some sort of magic trick. Now I''m told I''m supposed to entrust my daughter to you."


    His words did make some sense. From his view point, he was just the new guy that could disappear at any time.


    "You don''t know about Fiona and me either do you? Our story doesn''t help me trust you at all. You see, Fiona is the only girl I ever loved, I was madly taken by her, but she didn''t see me. She only had eyes for that guy, Swerven was his name, I won''t ever forget it. I hated him because my Fiona loved him instead of me. Back then, we both completed our first hunt on the same day and right there as we came back, Fiona gave him an offering."


    How did he end up married with her if she gave her offering to another guy, Emp didn''t understand yet what had happened or how it was related to the present situation but he had a feeling he would soon know.


    "Of course, he accepted it, the young me wanted nothing more than to put an arrow in his back like the bug I had just slain. I didn''t, even though I was so bitter about it. It''s what happened next that angered me most though, if I had known, I would truly have shot a dozen arrows into his chest I''m sure of it. The asshole took her first, got a taste of my sweet Fiona and then left for Red-water, alone, and he kept the offering too. He left a confused Fiona behind saying he wanted to see the city. Of course, he didn''t come back, he only sent a letter Fiona needed Bor''s father to read her, said he wasn''t coming back and didn''t feel the same for her. He took her heart and bailed. It''s only after that that I became close with her."


    It wasn''t really a good story, Emp felt kinda bad hearing it.


    "Fiona says to everyone that wants to hear it that she seduced me with her food but that''s not the case at all, I was hers from the beginning. I was just frustrated. We''ve been together for so many years now and she still feels like a fool for that and that makes me mad. The worst part is that she knows it makes me mad and she feels guilty about it, it''s not her I''m mad at though, it''s him. I know I''m the one for her, I''ve always thought so, I''m the one but I won''t ever be her only. Because of Swerven, I was never able to stop asking myself if she truly loved me or just used me as a spare."


    Emp wasn''t sure what Ogden wanted him to answer so he kept his mouth shut. He recognized in his story what Love warned him to not do. What Swerven had done was very cruel, he stole a heart, pretended to treasure it and then threw it on the roadside while no one was looking. That heart always remained muddied after that, not dirtied per say but wounded and murky from the place it was thrown away.


    "Then Karp did the same, fell for that ridiculous lass who makes rounds between here and Red-water. A traveler that one too, she won''t settle down it''s obvious. I keep telling him but he won''t listen. You would not believe how happy I was when the twins chose a guy that truly belonged here. But now, my Calla too, for someone that came out of nowhere. She''s not like her mother of her siblings, I don''t think she could survive being left behind. That''s why I need to know, I need to see for myself. Are you just fond of her or do you truly love my Calla? Will you disappear one day and never come back, will you hurt my daughter?"


    This was his real purpose for sitting down next to him, that was his only true question. The two fixed their eyes into each other and Emp answered him honestly.


    "I do love Calla, enough that I do not want to live without her being close to me. She is not the only girl in my heart and I may not always live in Dark-glint but I would never betray her, hurt her on purpose or leave without her. If I do go elsewhere, I will bring her with me because I could not bear knowing her far from me. All that and the old vows too, I truly intend on saying them properly soon. I swear on my full name and all the ancestors, may I rot on the spot if I lie."


    He nodded at Emp''s words.


    "That''s enough for me. If you do hurt her though, I''ll make sure you wake up nailed to your bed with a few hundred arrows planted into you."


    Ogden didn''t look like he was kidding at all. He had kept this same serious face all the way through their conversation.


    From what Emp now knew of the Steelwood laws, even if he had been kidding, Emp could have him arrested for threatening a noble of death, the punishment was especially harsh when the target of the threat was someone of his rank.


    Of course, he wouldn''t say anything to anyone about this, the last thing he wanted was to get the father of his soon to be wife decapitated for something like that. Anyway, not only was he not planning on hurting Calla in any way, he wasn''t scarred of Ogden at all. As he had observed earlier, he was well built but he was not a fighter, Emp believed he could beat him easily even unharmed.


    "It won''t happen." He answered calmly.


    "It better not. And don''t make her wait too long for that confirmation, she''s been restless since yesterday. She keeps pacing everywhere and hugs everyone that passes close to her path."


    Picturing Cala doing that made him smile.


    "I''ll do my best, I''m waiting for a delivery form B¨ºt¨¦clair though, I want to give her the very best gift."


    Ogden grunted in acknowledgement and rose from his seat to leave. Emp stayed behind and watched for the return of the other two patiently.


    Luckily, the events of the previous year didn''t occur again. Just a few hours after they both left, Manley came back. Not only was he unharmed but he carried a large vampire bird behind him.


    Vampire birds were a rare specie of creature that lived everywhere between the hills and the sandwastes. It was a bird pf prey the size of a big dog, its feathers were dark and slick, with an emerald sheen on females. They had a long and sharp beak like a curved dagger and used it just like one too. Vampire birds got their nickname on the fact that they rested upside down all day long on the branches of the trees. When an animal or a man passed bellow them, they''d stretch their necks like a snake or a turtle and pierce the back of the neck of whatever passed by them, targeting their spine for a quick kill.


    That sort of bird had an ugly voice and were no more than weak opportunists, they where just dangerous to be surprised by. Manley must Have seen it from afar and taken it down with a single arrow, a pretty lucky find for a first hunt.


    "Manley''s back! He did it!"


    Everyone went up to him to congratulate him and ask about his hunt. Not too long after, Bor came to officially declare him a man and take back the weapon he had borrowed. His speech was concise but important as it marked a turning point in the life of Manley. His father along with everyone he knew came to hear the speech and drink for his future.


    Emp was among them all. He still really disliked alcohol but since it was for Manley''s future, he drank his whole mug anyway. The worst was that he knew he would have to do it a second time later for Gilbert.


    Manley was very proud but still immensely nervous, maybe he felt the most intimidating part was yet to come. The others roasted his bird for the celebration but he barely touched any of it. Emp wanted to raise his spirit but he had no idea how to do it so he could only take a bite of the bird. Thought the meat was really soft and original, he couldn''t help but wonder what Calla might be able to do with it.


    Baby Shana started crying because of the merry crowd and so Willow decided to leave to calm her down. Seeing this, Manley freed himself from the others and ran up to her.


    "Wait Willow!"


    The others quieted as they watched over the scene with curiosity. Knowing what sort of thing he was about to ask, Emp felt nervous for him. Willow kept balancing Shana softly in an attempt to calm her.


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    "I''m really happy that you made it back safe but Shana''s upset so I really need to leave."


    "Just listen to what I have to say. It won''t be long I promise."


    "What is it?"


    Willow had no idea of what was coming.


    "I want, I mean, I would really like for you to chose me. I''ll have a safe work and I can help with Shana."


    At first, Willow had a hard time processing what he meant but when the answer dawned on her, her eyes widened in surprise.


    "But... for real?"


    "I know I''m not Chase but please, think about it."


    A tear escaped her eye and fell on her baby. In a daze, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek for all to see.


    "I''ll think it over." She said before turning around and leaving.


    Apparently, her daze had been transferred to Manley because it was his turn to be lost in surprise. His father came over and clasped his shoulder in support, giving him another mug. The party instantly resumed immediately after his father said he did good.


    According to Sylvia and Galina, Manley had done really good and Willow was sure to think seriously about his words. Emp hoped they were right and that things would work out for Manley.


    Way later in the day, after everyone started to seriously worry about him, Gilbert came back too. He was empty handed but didn''t look disappointed at all.


    "Thank the ancestors, Gilbert''s back!"


    "Why don''t you have anything? Did you fail?" Izzy asked.


    "Of course not!" Gilbert retorted with a wronged look. "Take a look at that hunting card and see that I did kill one of those freakish beetle."


    He showed his card to everyone and it was indeed the truth, there was a beetle in his kill section.


    "Why didn''t you bring it back though?" Jurgen asked.


    "Isn''t that obvious hat''s because it..."


    His words trailed off because an angry looking Eda took a frustrated stance in front of him.


    "Uhhh... Eda?"


    "What even took you so long? You scared us!"


    "I didn''t do it on purpose! I ran around the woods the whole time but I couldn''t find anything at all. I wouldn''t be surprised if Manley spent the whole night looking."


    "I''m right here though."


    "What!? How?" He had not seen Manley yet it seemed.


    "He came back right away! You''re the slow one here!" Eda complained.


    "I made it, I''m fine, I wasn''t even in any danger. Why are you so angry?"


    Emp too was rather perplexed by her sudden burst of anger.


    "I''m angry because you''re always so slow! You don''t even know what you''re gonna do from now on yet either do you? You better do something about your life or you''re not getting a wife anytime soon."


    Emp thought it was funny that of all people, she was the one to complain about that. She was the oldest girl in the group and yet, never worked on anything because she didn''t feel like it.


    "You''re one to talk!" Gilbert snapped back. "You''re more than old enough to be married too, you better get a move on or you''re not getting any husband at all!"


    "Well maybe I''d be married already if someone I knew had a brain and went for his hunt already instead of wasting his time harassing Marcy for a job he''s not getting!"


    Eda was waiting for Gilbert? Emp must have missed something because he never noticed. Apparently, he wasn''t the only one to have overlooked this.


    "Are you trying to insult me? What do I have to do with you getting a man or not? It''s all your problem not mine."


    "Gilbert Champom! You''re so infuriating sometimes!"


    On that shout, Eda turned around and left. All the other girls ran after her and only the six boys were left.


    "Gilbert, you''re an idiot." Manley told him flatly.


    "What! She''s the one insulting me for no reason!"


    "No, I think she was saying that she was waiting for you to sort yourself out before she gave you an offering." Emp told him.


    "See, even Emp gets it."


    The true meaning behind those words were: if even Emp gets it and you don''t, you are worse than blind.


    "What? But... Eda? Really? I... I didn''t... Shit, I messed up."


    "What are you going to do about it?"


    "I don''t know yet."


    "You know that''s exactly what she was angry about, right?"


    "Give me break, I just need a minute alright."


    Gilbert felt like a real idiot after that and puzzled over what to do for the rest of the day. He kept that serious frown the whole time the others praised him for his success and the fact that he was now truly a man.


    Emp wondered what he would do in the end but even though he was very curious, he had more important things to do.


    Knowing that the two of them were safe, he could now place all his attention into making that bracelet.


    The first thing he did when he got back home wasn''t to start working though, it was to go get some sleep instead.


    The next morning, he was finally ready to begin testing the purple glass and its usefulness. His first idea was to make the bulk of the gift with it so he needed to understand the material and know how to work with it before he could even start his first attempt.


    The first hurdle he came across was to find a way to remove a piece of the purple glass from the huge chunk he got from the corpse. That thing was ridiculously hard and to remove just a small piece of it proved to be difficult.


    He first attempted to break it using a chisel and a hammer but it didn''t even make a dent in it. He then took an ordinary iron sword form his back and smashed it against the purple stuff with all his strength. It didn''t work either and the sword broke instead, the sound it made was so loud Marcy came to check on him.


    Instead of attempting to break it with his overburdening hammer or asking Marcy for a mining pick, he resorted to magic instead. He remembered that this thing acted like stone in front of magic and thus, he knew exactly what to do with it.


    In his spar against Penny, he had witnessed a spell to make the solid ground liquid. If it worked on this, he could melt it without using the furnace and pour it into a mold. The best part was that it would not even become hot so it should be easy to work with. The inconvenient part was that it would be in a liquid state until he ended the spell, if he lost his focus, it could harden wrongly and even if not, it would be hard to have it keep the shape he needed.


    He rummaged through his bag to find what he needed for the spell, trying to remember exactly what were the sacrifices, the words and the gestures for it. Once he felt everything was in his reach, he prepared a bowl he placed under the purple glass and attempted to cast the spell.


    He failed three times in a row. There was some commotion outside he found bothersome and didn''t help him focus on his task at all. Hopefully whatever was going on would end soon, at least the workshop isolated most of it from him.


    On his fourth attempt, the spell finally took and a chunk of the large stone turned into a disgusting purple goo that flowed into the bowl under it. Emp was thrilled by the sight. This meant that it would work, all he needed to do now was to create some sort of mold to shape the liquid into a cuff or at least, to have the general shape of it.


    He felt the easiest way would be to make two tube-shaped piece of wood or iron. Wood seemed like the easiest but he had no idea how one could make a piece of wood curve so he chose to go with iron instead. That was easy, he just needed to heat it and hammer it around the anvil.


    Using his own wrist and his memory of how smaller Calla''s were compared to his own, he drew circles on a piece of paper to give himself an idea of how large the mold should be and started working on the iron. Since he had just broken a sword, he decided to use it as material for the mold, he didn''t care about it enough to repair it anyway.


    Once everything was glowing hot, he started making the first ring that would make the inside of the mold, stretching the metal and slowly curving it on itself to force it into the shape he needed. The hardest part was to make sure that it kept the same shape all around. If there was a bump in there or the thing wasn''t exactly shaped right, the molten crystal would take on the bad characteristics and get too thin in places or uncomfortably uneven.


    As he was making it, he kept thinking that the final shape of the mold wouldn''t match at all the shape of the cuff he wanted to do. He didn''t know yet how he would work the crystal but he felt that adding length to it would be the hardest. Just to make sure he wouldn''t lack any space for it, he made the mold extra long, covering the length of his entire forearm. This way, he hoped that what he had in mind would end up easier to do.


    When he finally finished the interior wall of the mold, a bit more than half a day after he began, he took no rest and started to work on the larger tube for the outer surface. Repeating all the steps would be just as long because he needed to make it just a bit larger than the one before.


    On top of that, there wasn''t enough metal remaining in the sword to do the other one so he had to take a new iron bar and merge it with what he had left. This wasn''t a thing you should do to make a proper item but since it was just for a temporary mold, he didn''t really care.


    While he was heating the piece of combined iron, the door slammed open and made him jump.


    "Emp it''s bad! You have to come with me to the village center! Quick!"


    It was Manley at the door, he was panting from having run all the way here as fast as he could.


    Usually, Emp would welcome him warmly but today, not only did he seem distressed, Emp was busy.


    "Manley, I''m making a confirmation right now. I''ll help you another time okay? I''m busy."


    "You might not need to make that confirmation anymore if you don''t come now!"


    That was an ominous thing to hear, Emp dropped everything he was doing and started worrying about Calla.


    "What''s happening, is she in danger?"


    "Sort-of, I''ll tell you on the way but we have to go now."


    Emp removed his smiting gloves, dropped them on the floor and followed Manley outside. From out there, the noise that had bothered him from inside was a lot louder. It was a bunch of people arguing close to the center of the village, just by the bridge.


    "So what''s happening?" He asked with a pressing tone.


    If anything was happening to Calla he wanted to know immediately. He was forced to either rush there blindly or wait for Manley to give him some details before he did, loosing some possibly precious time.


    He quickly shot a look at the ring while Manley started talking. Fear, sadness and confusion were the words used to describe her current state by the ring. She didn''t seem to be hurt or in mortal danger though so he chose to stick around for the explanation.


    "The short of it is that this bastard Sophus is using the old promise just to cause you harm and Marcy''s so angry that she''s about to kill him."


    "What old promise? I don''t get it."


    "When Bor convinced him to stay in the village, Sophus was allowed to take any unwed girl as wife but he never made a choice because he chose to court Marcy who was out of the deal. Now he decided to claim Calla," Emp felt all his limbs go stiff, and his scalp went numb. "probably just because he knows you took her offering."


    Manley was probably right, Sophus had no reason to be interested in Calla. Emp felt shocked at how far that mage was willing to go for his nonsense. He felt so angry that the contents of his stomach almost went back up his throat.


    He did his best to control his rage and quickened his steps. Maybe he could still have him listen to reason. Manley didn''t say anything else after that. He just showed his own worry and tension as he followed closely behind Emp.


    Of course, Sophus had chosen the very middle of the village for his theatrical display of pettiness. As Emp got closer, he started hearing what everyone was saying. He first caught the voice of Bor.


    "Sophus, that''s unreasonable. Calla is almost married already, why do you insist on her?"


    "Almost means it is not the case yet and so it is my right to pick her. You do not have to concern yourself with my reasons Bor."


    "Ya''re clearly doing this cause she''s my son''s lover! Unhand her now!"


    "What for? I like her attitude, she at least has that over you. Though I might be inclined to change my mind if a certain other woman was willing to give me a chance."


    "Sophus! Ya sludge rat! Ya''re just keeping her hostage!"


    "See, that''s what I was saying about attitude, you''re just as rude as ever. I''m generous enough to give you a reasonable choice and you insult me. I''ll say it clearly again, be mine or let me have her, those are your only two choice."


    "There''s a third option ya know? The one where I lop yar head off with that great sword."


    Emp still had to turn the corner of the next house to see so he didn''t know which sword she was talking about. Marcy had a lot of them after all.


    "I think not, that''d just be plain murder. There''s clearly a choice that''s more reasonable than the other here."


    "Ya think?"


    "Marcy please calm down!"


    Emp heard a bunch of clanking noises and then a sudden rumble and a burst of light flashed past the corner he was about to reach.


    He heard Marcy cry out and the villagers gasp in surprise. He turned the corner fast and saw that Marcy was now held upside down a few feet above the ground. Her ankles were held by some sort of long flaming rope tied at the end of a pillar also made of fire sticking out of the ground. Her sword was resting on the ground under her and she seemed unconscious.


    "Oh Marcellia, you''re usually smarter than that. You were so angry that you didn''t even think about this. I spend half a week setting that up just for you, why do you think I''m standing right there like an idiot?"


    Sophus was standing not too far from the pillar of flame, he wore all his mage clothing and was obviously ready for a fight. He seemed full of himself, he was convinced of his own victory already.


    He held calla at his side by the wrist, she was livid and frozen in place. She was the sort to freeze if the shoemaker living next door looked her way so Sophus holding her by the arm was way past the limit of what she could handle. She was profusely crying but otherwise unable to help herself.


    The rest of her family stood next to Bor and kept complaining about Sophus''s actions. They must have been the ones who went to get the ruler of the village first.


    "What did you do to Marcy?" Bor asked.


    "Nothing obviously, I want her to be my wife not kill her. I just neutralized her for a bit. Rather, didn''t you see, she tried to kill me. She should be punished by the law."


    "Sophus, what/"


    "Emp''s here." Manley interrupted.


    "Oh, Emp, right on time!"


    The corner of Sophus''s mouth rose as he spoke while Calla got even more worried. She didn''t like violence, not only was she afraid of it and its results, she also really didn''t want anyone to get hurt. In this case, she worried more about Emp and Marcy than about herself.


    "Let me guess, you''re about to tell me that I''m going against my own objective again aren''t you? You''ll say I''m just making things worse for myself and that miss Champom here has nothing to do with this. Am I right?"


    That was a good part of what he wanted to say, yes.


    "Now that you''ve angered her so much that she wants to kill you, there''s no way she will ever think of you as a friend again. How do you expect to get her love?"


    "That''s the best part, I don''t need it! That''s what I was talking about with Bor while you were wasting my time on the way here."


    Emp didn''t understand at all what he was going on about but Sophus took great pleasure in explaining everything to him.


    "You see, now that she tried to kill me, she must be punished by the law. Of course, Bor needs her to run the village smoothly so he can''t have her executed and banishment won''t do either even if she could get off so lightly. The answer is simple, I will have her turned into my personal slave! That way she can keep working for the village and I won''t fear getting myself murdered in my sleep."


    Many villager choked on their words hearing that.


    Emp was simply speechless. Could he really do that?


    "Don''t leave your mouth open like that, you''ll eat a fly. So Bor, am I or am I not right? You don''t need to answer, I know I am." He said brightly. "So that''s Marcellia in the bag, finally, and I''ll keep the Champom lass as a bonus."


    "What?!" Calla''s father cried out.


    Enraged, he shouted his protest as Sophus.


    "If you already got what you wanted, why won''t you let my daughter go?"


    "Simple, I hate Emp. Everyone knows this, obviously I''m keeping her."


    Emp ground his teeth in frustration, his whole being was trembling in anger. He had felt angry a few times in his life before but never to this degree. If someone could simply explode from anger he would certainly have already done so.


    The air he breathed out through his teeth was burning hot from his boiling insides.


    "Emp! Don''t do anything stupid, let me think of something." Bor warned him with a hand raised in front of him to block his path.


    "Yeah, let''s make a deal instead. You leave this village and never come back and I may let the Champom girl go with you. If you really want to stay instead though, I could make you a slave too but then I''d keep the girl and I can''t guaranty you won''t be ordered to go off in the woods and not come back. She''s not really my type but I''m sure she could give me a few sons more than Marcellia even if she cries the whole time."


    He had this triumphant smile the whole time he talked, and that look in his eyes, he was keeping back his laughter. He was mocking Emp, nothing more.


    Emp felt lighting run through his back and he bolted forward, knocking Bor''s arm aside. With a single space-step he was in front of Sophus and his raised fist was about to meet his face but things didn''t turn out as he expected them.


    The mage was more than ready to receive him and his palm stopped Emp''s charge, not with strength but magic instead. He had hidden a tiny translucent flame in his hand the whole time and when it touched Emp, It spread instantly to the rest of his body.


    Emp felt an intense burning sensation where the palm touched him, he hesitated a split second on whether he should push onward with his attack or back off and that moment was more than enough for Sophus to step aside from his fist.


    Emp missed the target and tumbled forward as he felt the fire spread all over him.


    He released a short wail of pain and rolled in the dirt in an attempt to extinguish the flame.


    "You''re not extinguishing that, vagrant. It''s eating at your soul."


    Sophus let go of Calla and stepped up to his side while the rest of the village looked at the scene in dumb stupefaction. Most had their mouths agape, wondering if today''s events were really happening or if it was some sort of mad dream.


    The mage spoke to him as Emp battled the thought of ripping off his own skin to stop the burning.


    "You know, I do love Marcellia a whole lot but I never intended to take in a child that isn''t mine, even less so a worthless vagabond. You had to be removed from the start. No one will help you because the soldiers obey Bor and Bor needs me to protect that village. He would have intervened I''m sure but I''m killing in self defense here, there''s nothing he can do. Even if he moved now, he would not be able to remove that flame and he knows he can''t beat me without her help. You had me wait for a while though you know? I had to hold up that spell for hours, I wasn''t kidding when I said you were loosing my time. Really, my only regret is that I should have used a flame that would have burned your flesh too, that shirt would have disappeared as well."


    With his head half mad with pain and half mad with rage, Emp fought the jolts running through his muscles and rose to a half kneel. He wanted to curse Sophus ten thousand times but he knew no curses. Instead, he could only look with helpless hatred as he vanished, recalled.

 98 Fire storm

    After Emp was recalled, Heinrich quickly got rid of that fire for him and his mind cleared a bit. He still felt overwhelming anger but he wasn''t blinded by it. Now that Sophus wasn''t right in front of him anymore, his mind sped over everything he knew in order to find a way to get rid of him.


    Since the mage was so determined to kill him then fine, he would play that game too.


    "My armor, quick."


    Sophus wasn''t a war mage like the ex illusion teacher, he was just a magician living in a village. Emp had to be able to defeat him. If not, Marcy would end up a slave, Calla would end up his and Emp would die.


    While the girls strapped every pieces of his armor on him, he went through his knowledge of Sophus, thought about strategies and reviewed all the equipment he could possibly use against him.


    Sophus said it took him a week to make the trap that got Marcy, but when he delivered flowers for Calla over two weeks ago, he was already snickering. This meant that he had already prepared his plans then and so, probably had at least two more traps in place.


    Sophus knew about his double so he knew he''d be back soon if the fire didn''t kill him. He also knew that he would reappear at the same place he left which meant he would stand ready for his next attack the moment he came back.


    He also knew about his space steps and used the knowledge to score a solid hit right away so it would be hard to surprise him with this too. However, he should not know about the elixir and his practice in magic.


    This gave him some advantage over Sophus as he could surprise him with some spells, his increased speed and strength. Finally, his armor should be able to protect him from a few spells, most of the weakest would be useless against him.


    His problem was that he knew almost nothing about Sophus in return. All he knew was that he liked to use fire.


    Emp didn''t posses a wand with a water spell attached to it and wasn''t good enough with water magic himself to rely on it.


    "May you tell us what is happening over there this time?" Heinrich asked while he was making plans.


    "A mage dies today."


    This was the only logical way to end this. The only way he desired it to end it too.


    The moment he would get there, the mage would attack with the spell he prepared while he was gone. He also had the advantage that Emp had no idea where he would be standing. In that case, he''d start with a flicker. He would bring back the other him only to recall him an instant later. The mage would fire a spell into an empty space and Emp would reappear again. That time he''d know where the mage was.


    To exploit this, he would first go with Ray the sword, the mage would see the sword and think he was about to charge but the second time, he would be back with a drawn bow.


    He would be unable to move towards Sophus since there was probably a trap set up in between them and the same was true for the obvious path of retreat. Once he was there and his arrow left the bow, he''d jump to either the left or right, and follow the fight from then on with extreme attention.


    He had four wands but he felt that the vine prison would serve no purpose here as there were no plants nearby and as a fire mage, he''d get rid of it immediately. The pit wand could be a great surprise, the wind might be able to ward off one of the spells and the lightning bolt should be able to deal some serious damage if Sophus wasn''t prepared for it.


    He also had five firebomb talismans but it was dangerous to use those right in the middle of the village, he might injure someone else. The same was true for his other weapons if he missed so he would need to be careful. Hopefully, the others would move out of the way.


    As a fire mage, he would only have a few defensive spells as it was an unsuitable element for it. A wall of fire was pointless if he threw a sword trough it. If it wasn''t hot enough, he might even be able to simply walk through it.


    Instead, he''d focus on escape and offence, hoping to burn Emp into ash before he could do any serious damage. All he had to do was launch an attack that could not miss and the victory would belong to Emp.


    If he stroke through space, Sophus would not see it coming and might not even attempt to dodge. Or, if he managed to make him fall into the pit made by the wand, he would be at his mercy.


    With those few clear ideas in mind, Emp removed Ray form the bag and sent himself back there.


    On his front left, Sophus stood with his arms extended on each side of him, there was some sort of whirlwind of fire twisting violently at the tip of his fingers on each side. When he saw Emp, he clasped his two hands together in front of him and the two whirlwinds smashed against each other, multiplying their violence and the chaos that made them as they charged towards him with great speed.


    The flames rose in sparks and made the air hiss as they charred black the dust it gathered on its way. Emp vanished again and the whirlwind went through nothing. The villagers standing on the other side cried in alarm and ran off while the soldiers wondered if they were supposed to try to stop it or get out of the way too.


    Luckily for the soldiers, Sophus released the spell since Emp had dodged it and theflames vanished before anything important was touched.


    As he tsked, Bor called for everyone to move away as he had seen the same as everyone else. Emp was wearing the armor of a knight, he was clearly intending to fight and things would get messy.


    Sophus put a hand in one of his pockets to get himself another ingredient while Emp reappeared with his monstrous bow fully drawn in his direction. The instant his figure showed up, the arrow was released, the sound of string taking back its rightful place was quickly eclipsed by the ripping sound the arrow made through the air.


    The mage was caught off guard and with a hand in his pocket, the best he could do was turn his upper body in hopes that the arrow would pass him by.


    The projectile was much faster than he was and went right through his arm, passing it completely and ended up stuck in the wall behind him.


    The mage grunted and picked up a talisman from one of his pockets, quickly crushing it between his fingers while Emp jumped to one side and prepared a new arrow. He wasn''t good with that sort of weapon so it took him a long time to draw a second one.


    By the time he was ready to release a second one, the wound on the mage''s arm had been closed with fire and a shield of flame was raised in front of his palm.


    Everyone else had left to hide elsewhere, the bravest just peeking from the corner of a house while most left far away. Only Marcy remained as she was still hung upside down further on his right.


    The next arrow went through the shield but was burnt to nothing in the process as it was a simple wooden arrows.


    Emp discarded the bow and threw a sword directly instead.


    "Hu!" Sophus dodged it despite his surprise and the blade dug deeper in the wall behind him than the arrow.


    Emp followed with a second and then a third sword throw as the mage started chanting fast. Now that he knew what was coming, he stepped out of the way more easily but Emp surprised him again by getting the lightning bolt wand instead of a fourth sword and yelled "Daze!" as he pointed it his way.


    The bolt crackled and buzzed as it instantly connected the tip of the wand and the extended palm of the mage holding up the shield of fire. There was no way to dodge something that could hit instantly and the shield did nothing to protect him. The mage became rigid and the sole of his shoes burst apart, the chant of his spell was stopped and instead of whatever he was attempting to do, his clothes caught on fire. Apparently, all his spells had been released.


    Emp wasn''t certain he was still alive but chose to make sure it wasn''t the case with his sword. He got ray out of the bag once more and dashed forward with a space step but the next moment, a loud sound deafened him and made him feel weightless. He saw the world around him spin out of control as the armor pushed heavily against his legs and chest.


    Only once he was high up in the air did he finally understand that he had stepped into some sort of trap. His brain could not make sense of where was up or down and the only thing he could hear was an overlong ringing noise. He plummeted back down and fell unto his side, knocking his armor against the hardened dirt of the road.


    Emp didn''t feel good at all but still much better compared to ramming at full speed into a wall. It seemed the armor was enough to protect him from the explosion but did not save him from all the pressure of the blast.


    "Shitty leech! You won''t get me twice with it!"


    Emp looked up to see Sophus ripping off his half burnt overcoat revealing dozens and dozens of wands tied to his undershirt. The coat was cast off to the ground, spilling out all the precious magic ingredients without a care.


    He needed to get back up now!


    Emp jumped to his feet and drew the wind wand at the same time as Sophus''s own wand.


    The mage created a fireball the size of an ox and lobbed it towards Emp who used the strong gust to have it land off its mark. When the thing hit the ground, Emp felt the scorching heat even through the protection of his armor. How many of those did he have?


    Emp started running towards the mage in a half circle to escape whatever other traps might be there and Sophus used the time to create a huge snake of fire under his feet. The creature darted away with Sophus standing on its back and Emp had to run after it.


    Those that were peeking from corners cursed and ran off further as the giant snake of fire rushed through the streets with Emp on it''s tail.


    The mage took wands after wands, throwing all sorts of fire his way; Dozens of fire arrows that pierced through the wooden walls of nearby houses, whirlwinds like the one he started with, a long rope acting like a whip of green flames, a rain of liquid fire that burned holes into roofs and everything else in its path.


    Emp used space steps to keep up with the snake and dodge all the spell coming at him. He would step from one side of the road to another, get on a roof and pass to the next street from there. The mage was tireless and very willing to spend all his wands on Emp if he had to in order to kill him.


    Everyone else hid inside their homes and hoped that nothing they owned would burn down under the relentless fire spells raining down in the streets. The bravest would run to the river with buckets and attempt to douse the flames running amok.


    The snake was as fast as what Penny managed to achieve in his duel with her but had some more advantages. Sophus didn''t seem to need to give it any direct orders or pay any attention to it in order for it to weave itself in-between the houses. On top of that, because it was moving like a snake, Sophus kept swerving left and right in front of him. Hitting him from a distance would be difficult in those conditions.


    Emp did his best to keep up or even cut in front of it but couldn''t corner the seemingly living flames. With all his attention on the mage, he noticed a few strange things he started to worry about.


    With all the wands he had on him, Emp expected him to pick one at random or for them to all have similar activation words but neither of those were true. Sophus took the wands in a very specific order dictated by their position on his clothes and every words was different and strange sounding.


    It was when he used the word "burn" in the magic tongue that Emp really felt that something was wrong. All the activation words he had used up to now were in the magic tongue, that was why they sounded weird. Emp finally understood what he was doing in a flash or recognition. The mage was casting a spell using the wands as a chant! That spell was freakishly long but since every moment mattered in a fight, Sophus found a way to use the wands at the same time he cast it. This was ingenious, each wand was a word in his spell as well as a potent attack.


    If that was really a spell though, what was the sacrifice? It couldn''t be the wands themselves, could it? They should be the sacrifice of their own spells already, they couldn''t be used for both, right?


    In any case, that chant needed to be stopped before the spell activated because Emp didn''t want to discover what sort of magic required such a long string of words.


    He jumped over a flaming spear that pierced the road he was standing on just earlier and stepped up to the snake to deliver a slash of his sword. The sensation was unsatisfying, Ray passed through it like air and the flames just came back together in its wake. This one handed sword wasn''t long enough to go through its entire body so it was ineffective.


    The snake slithered away unharmed and Emp had to dodge to the side to escape a swirling mass of fire falling towards him. The thing exploded behind him into many jets of blood red flames that homed in towards him.


    Emp sidestepped a few, slashed two away and blocked one with his forearm but five jets still hit his chest with heavy clanks and had him stagger back. His armor gave him a hiss of complain from the heat and the places where it rested on his body hurt him with the chock but he did not have the time to worry about that.


    Before he could regain his balance from the hit, the ground rumbled and burst into flames at an angle from him. Large chunks of dirt where thrown by the strength of the explosion and blasted into him with the strength of one of his own hammer strike. He had brought his arms in front of him to protect himself from the projectile but it did not help all that much.


    A piece of the road as large as his chest sent him careening back into the wall of the nearest house. He broke down the wooden walls, passing through like paper, destroyed the table inside by pushing it against the cupboard on the opposite wall and exited the house from that same wall. Emp didn''t pay attention to the shocked face of Willow he briefly saw as he went by her main room and rolled onto the street on the other side.


    He ended up on his back close to the river with pieces of broken wood and dirt scattered everywhere around him. The next instant, a beam of brilliant light feel from the sky and scorched the heart around him. He felt all his exposed front side burn even thought the enchantment of his armor desperately tried to negate the heat. The light was blinding and the pain akin to placing a hand directly into the fire.


    He rolled to the side to leave the burning zone and instantly felt some relief from the pain. He climbed up to his feet and saw the snake rushing along the river towards the bridge. On top of the snake, Sophus stood with yet another wand in hand, over his head, seven giant spears of light had gathered.


    This was the same spell Penny had used against him, except Sophus had seven spears instead of two and his own had a deep golden color and were much brighter, enough to light a good half of the village through the night if it had been dark.


    All seven rushed towards him together with the speed of an arrow and the obnoxious scream of the air itself burning in their path. Too dangerous! His instinct told him that his armor would not survive this.


    With a shiver of fright, He fetched the digging wand from his bag and pointed it at his own feet.


    "Fall!" He shouted in panic.


    The road opened under him to swallow him whole and he fell ten feet deep as the spears of light hissed just over his head and made a second large hole into the ground at his side with a deafening boom. Emp almost got buried alive by all the debris that fell into his hiding hole but at least he survived that strong attack.


    He got back out of the hole with a jump to see the villagers still getting water jump into the river to get out of the snake''s path.


    Emp rushed after it again, feeling a bit sorry for all the damage Sophus and he were causing. All of this still needed to be done though, at this point, neither of the two could accept living in the same village as the other.


    The snake of fire passed over the riverbed and slid over the bridge to keep following the river. Sophus raised both oh his arm over his head and flames rushed from the snake to engulf him, bathed in the scorching heat, he seemed confident and elated. Apparently, his long spell was done, this meant that Emp had failed to interrupt him.


    As the snake passed over the bridge and Sophus took his victorious pose, a huge sword emerged from the shadows of the structure and cleaved the elemental creature in half.


    The snake turned into smoke and Sophus fell straight towards Marcy''s extended sword, ready to impale him. She must have woken up sometime after Emp shocked Sophus. The spell keeping her prisoner must have collapsed then.


    The mage was surprised by the sudden disappearance of his mount but did not panic and smiled at Marcy as the blade went through him with too much ease. Flames gushed out of his body instead of blood and the sword went thought him completely, even splitting his skull in two. He fell on his back right on top of the bridge and got back up unharmed.


    "What the!?" Marcy complained as Emp stepped up to stand with her.


    "In case that wasn''t clear already, you cannot kill me. Marcellia, stand back, I don''t want to hurt you while I slay that vagabond sticking to you like a leech."


    Neither Marcy nor Emp bothered to ask how the other felt for now, They had more pressing matters than the condition of either of them.


    "It''s impossible!" Marcy shouted in frustration.


    She was right, what Sophus was doing should be impossible. Magic let a mage change things around him to his will but should be unable to change himself.


    The closest thing he had seen of this was that lightning spell Penny used. It wasn''t exactly alike however, hers affected the outside which affected her in turn. It was close to soul magic in function but a true soul magic would ask the outside to affect her directly instead of changing the outside to then affect her. This benign sounding difference made it much more unwieldy than true soul magic and left her body largely unaffected. (1)


    What he had now in front of his eyes was completely different. Sophus had well and truly turned his body into fire. He looked exactly like he always did aside from the aura of flames sprouting from him but Marcy''s sword passed through him like Emp''s sword passed through the snake earlier.


    The question was, was it self-magic or soul-magic? If it was self-magic, the cost to himself would be tremendous as he would be using his own strength as sacrifice to obtain this power. If it was soul-magic, it would truly be disastrous for Emp because who knew how long Sophus would be able to hold onto the spell.


    Emp only knew one way to find out, he stepped forward and sent a wide slash towards Sophus. The mage stepped out of the way with a carefree air and a confident smile. A grin sprouted on Emp''s face none the less.


    "That''s just a fancy self-magic. If it had been some Soul-magic, you would have taken it without moving however you chose to dodge because the cost is too great for you to take. I wonder how much you lost already when Marcy split you in two, I wonder how much more you can take."


    The mage''s smile stiffened and that was all Marcy needed. Her sword whooshed over Emp''s head and removed the mage''s neck in a burst of flame. It reformed instantly but the two smiths were far from done.


    Sophus tried to back off in a hurry but Marcy and Emp were just as relentless as he had been earlier with his wands. Their swords kept slicing his body apart at such a speed that he was never once in a single piece after that.


    He picked up some more wands that all ended up destroyed in his hands as he tried to activate their spells. They were just as intangible as he was but they needed to actually be there and in one piece to free the spell they were holding making it easy for them to interrupt him.


    He next attempted to go through Emp like a malevolent spirit but the magu protected armor and the cooling enchantment on it was like a true wall of thorns for him and Sophus had to painfully back off after part of his hand vanished in a hiss.


    He started chanting a new spell as he was slowly pushed back to the side of the bridge. He might have been able to escape easily against only one of the two but with the both of them upon him, every dodge sent him into the blade of the other. The two had a great teamwork, beating him up like a piece of metal in their forge.


    Emp felt like Marcy and him currently held the advantage but Sophus was radiating a great deal of heat and if Marcy wasn''t carefully, she might burn herself badly as she attacked him. Emp was less affected by it as he was protected by his armor but the magic steel still complained with screeches in front of the scalding heat and his already burnt chest felt worse and worse as time went on.


    Sophus fetched a wide capped mushroom with a pale red color from one of his pants pockets and squeezed it in his hand. A thick cloud of spores burst out of it towards Emp and Marcy before catching fire with a sudden burst.


    Marcy protected her face with her arm and backed away in time to escape but Emp was much closer because of the shorter length of his sword.


    Emp was so close that he felt the spores rush through the openings of his helm into his eyes and all the way down into his lungs as he breathed some of it by accident. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever felt before and his whole body shook with violent fits of cough. The burn in his eyes forced him to back off from the mage and close them with pain while the magic burned through his throat violently. It was a bit like having a frog in one''s throat, only that frog was on fire, was very angry and had sharp fangs. (2)


    He heard the rushed steps of Sophus using the opportunity to distance himself from them but Emp refused to let him go. He swung his sword, cutting through space towards the mage. Knowing this would not stop him, he forced his eyes open despite the pain and added a kick to the slash.


    He could see nothing but vague shapes through the slits in his helm and did not feel any of his attacks make contact with the mage but he had the impression that the shape of what he assumed to be the mage was pushed back towards the edge of the bridge by his kick.


    Emp tried to clear his throat without much relief and saw the shape of Marcy rush back towards the mage. Since the armor seemed to be the only thing that could hinder Sophus. Emp estimated that simply punching him might be more effective than driving his sword through him. He joined the dark blurry spot that was Marcy and punched hard where he felt that the stomach of the bright blurry spot should be.


    The hurtful heat on his knuckles told him he did get in contact with the mage. There was a retching sound and Sophus fell back over the bridge''s railing down into the water bellow.


    The bridge wasn''t that high and the water wasn''t that deep but the mage was currently made of fire. There was a short cry of surprise and then a loud continuous hiss as the water around him boiled and turned to vapor.


    Emp didn''t ask himself any question and after placing his sword back into the bag, jumped down to join him landing another kick as he fell directly on top of him.


    The mage was struggling to get out of the water as fast as humanly possible, and the hissing sound was deafening around them. Emp was locked in a confusing world were he could see almost nothing and heard nothing but evaporating water.


    He grabbed blindly until he caught something burning hot and started punching it repeatedly with his left fist. Water kept getting into his armor in waves and he chocked a few times on it, helping him rid himself of the burning sensation. Sometimes, the water was cool and the next instant, it was boiling hot, cooking him in his armor like a lobster. Emp didn''t care about the searing pain and kept beating the mage.


    Eventually, their struggle led them to the riverside further up where the snake had originally come from. Sophus slammed a talisman onto Emp''s helm and the burst of flames that follow pushed him back into the water, finally freeing Sophus from his grip.


    The mage struggled to get back up on the road, this short trip in the water had clearly exhausted most of his strength. The moment he set his unsteady foot on the road, he was once again split in half by Marcy''s sword and he stumbled back out of Emp''s view.


    He felt the strong need to rub his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision but couldn''t since he would have to take off his helm or at least part of it. He chose to push on with his blurred vision and walked out of the water, dragging a lot of it with him thanks to his filled boots. He found that he wasn''t tired at all, he was hurting all over though. He must have been burn everywhere, each inch of skin felt like it had been held over a brazier for way too long.


    "Marcy, enough! Stop!" Sophus was yelling in between heavy panting breaths.


    Both Emp and Marcy ignored his plea and kept up their attack. Sophus was staggering and wobbling back towards what Emp believed to be the pit he had dug earlier. Marcy was skillfully leading him that way and Emp just provided some occasional supportive attacks as he really had a hard time seeing anything. His vision kept getting worse because tears flooded his eyes over the already present blur.


    Finally, Sophus reached the side of the ten feet deep pit and Emp made a lunging strike at his ankle. Unlike all the previous strikes, he felt a resistance, he had hit something solid!


    There was a grunt of pain, Sophus leaned to his side as he lost part of his balance and with a sharp upward slash from Marcy, his arm went flying. The mage fell into the hole, screaming from the loss of his arm.


    Feeling it was appropriate, and mostly because he felt so much hatred towards him, Emp dropped all five explosive talismans he had into the hole to keep him company.


    Sophus was a fire mage so he easily recognized what those were. Luckily for him, they didn''t explode just from the drop. His own fall must have hurt him because he had trouble moving. He couldn''t make any wrong gesture as it could set off one of the talismans, either one of those Emp dropped or one of his own.


    Marcy crouched at the edge of the pit and picked up a pebble.


    "Marcy don''t! I just wanted you to love me!"


    She didn''t answer anything aside from raising her hand. She threw the pebble downward, Emp couldn''t see but she must have hit one of the talismans because a earthshaking boom immediately followed.


    Fire, dirt and gore flew out of the hole and rained down in the street around them.


    Emp wasn''t sure of what to think as all this rained down on his armor. He believed he should be very happy about being rid of him but he also felt guilt and regret.


    It was true that he had tried to kill him, wanted to enslave Marcy and used Calla as bait but Sophus had done many other things too. He had known him for the largest part of his life, seen him every week, heard him complain all the time, saw him keep the soldiers alive in difficult situations. They hated each other but he was part of this village, well, "had" been part of this village. Emp felt that he might have gone too far.


    Killing him already left a bad taste but blowing him up to pieces was clearly too much. How were they supposed to bury him with the ancestors now? Anger was truly a dangerous emotion.


    Since the fight was over and he didn''t need to see anymore, Emp chose to close his eyes for a moment, he could hardly see anything anyway and they needed some rest.


    The first one that came to see the final result of this madness was Willow since they were standing just beside the hole in her wall.


    "Is it over?" He heard her ask.


    "Yeah, Sophus is dead." Marcy told her.


    "You three wrecked our house!" Winnie complained.


    "I''d say it was worth it but don''t ya worry Winnie, we''ll help ya fix this. We''ll even pay for the repairs"


    Marcy discussed this with Winnie and Willow for a short moment while footsteps arrived from both sides of the road. Obviously, everyone was curious to know how it ended. One of the sets of steps got closer to Emp and Marcy than the others and the voice of Bor surged.


    "I can''t believe you''ve done this! You really killed Sophus! What in the bloody water am I supposed to do now?"


    "Oh shut it Bor, he was an ass, nobody liked him." Marcy shot back.


    "That''s not a reason to murder someone! He was an ass sure, but he was an ass I needed to keep my men safe. And he was in the right this time too, you two are the ones who attacked him."


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    He was obviously annoyed at what happened even though he disapproved of what Sophus pulled off. As the leader of this place and boss of the local law enforcement, even if he didn''t want to arrest them, his options were limited here. They murdered a man in broad daylight.


    Emp felt like Sophus ran after his own problems and was truly the one in the wrong here but he would need more than that to escape this predicament.


    Before Bor could say anything else, Emp raised his hand in front of him to stop his words.


    "Bor-"


    His voice sounded like gravel, it was sort-of painful to speak and annoying to hear. He tried to clear his throat again but he sounded just the same when he tried again.


    "Bor, before you say anything else, look at the top of my hunting card, don''t tell anyone what you''ll read there and think carefully of your next words."


    Emp made his hunting card appear in front of his palm and waited for Bor to see his name. It was impossible for him to not recognize it and Emp assumed that knowing he was a Muracier, he would refrain from sentencing them to something absurd like death by hanging.


    He wished he could see what sort of face he was making right now but kept his eyes closed. After he felt that he had kept his card open for a long while already, he added a few more words.


    "I''ll pay for all the repairs and help with them myself if I have to but Sophus messed with the wrong people."


    There was another silence.


    "Commander?" The soldiers asked.


    "Sophus deserved his end. Marcy and Emp are free to go for now. They will both be sentenced to a fine for the damage they caused. All the assets of Sophus will be confiscated by the village administration to fund the repairs. And you two... You owe me an explanation."


    "Sure, anything ya want Bor." Emp couldn''t see the reaction of everyone else, but from the jovial tone of Marcy, things must be going fine.


    "My boy, yar voice is messed up, did ya breathe in too much smoke?"


    Emp''s fingers fumbled around his helm to reach the clasps holding it in place and he removed it from his head. He heard a bunch of gasps right after he was done.


    "Woo boy, he sure didn''t miss ya. Ya look roasted! We better not show that to Calla or she''s never gonna want to marry you!" She guffawed.


    They had Clide the healer take a look at his burns and his eyes and he ended up getting prescribed a bunch of creams for his skin and time for his eyes. Clide said they''d be back to normal after a while but he had to keep them closed for now so he wrapped a length of bandages around his head. (3)


    He asked what happened to Calla and was told that her family escorted her away while he was gone to the other side. Someone went to deliver the end result to them and Emp was told that he should continue to work on his confirmation as planned. Her feelings had not changed at all, even though she hated violence and wounds, all of this had been for her.


    Emp was relieved but also, very inconvenienced.


    Blindness was a great affliction to have when he had some precise work to do for the most important gift of his life. That and no tactile sensation at the tip of his fingers due to the burns. Everything he touched just felt ultra smooth and painful to him.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Just in an attempt to be clearer. Soul-magic would simply ask the lightning to strengthen her and its magu will be added on to her own as fuel for a "self-magic" sort of effect. Mind-magic can''t to that, instead, the mages have to modify the lighting around them in a way that will make it receptive to their fine manipulation and will then use it as a coat. One is a direct buff while the other is a coat.


    (2)In French, it''s a cat in the throat rather than a frog.


    (3) He did place something over his eyes before putting on the bandages. Also, before people call me an idiot for the light treatments of the burns, those aren''t your grandma creams, those are made with magic properties and the healers in the school will give him some stronger stuff next chapter.

 99 Blind

    "I swear that''s what happened! One moment he was just fine and then the next he was all burned!"


    Mable was claiming to her friends at their table in the training yard.


    With her, there were Nessa, Penny, Brenia and Aglaya. Gytha could have been there too but she was attending a survival class.


    "T''was really a spell-caster that got you to that state?"


    "Yes, a fire mage, I dodged most of the spells but a few got through the armor."


    "He should have used lightning instead, you''re too fast for fire spells. Tell us how it went in detail, I want to know how you won so I won''t do the same mistake as him." Penny chimed in.


    Since their mock fight, she came back a few times to study how everyone fought. His story about how he fought the mage was very interesting to her. It wasn''t that she really wanted to beat him but more that she used him as template for what a warrior could do.


    He did as he was told and recounted the whole story of the fight except for the circumstances of it and why it took place. His voice was still more than a bit rough and he needed to drink water all the time to calm his aching throat. He was lucky to have Celtine here to serve him water since he couldn''t see the pitcher.


    Yesterday, after he had sent back the other him to fight he did his best to calm himself of his anger but he would not feel better before he was done with the mage and claimed the memory of it. In the meantime, he had Celtine and Harriett remove his armor again in case he got hurt and needed a healers help right away.


    With nothing else to do, he took the time to finish his discussion about the book he needed with Heinrich properly. Because he insisted, Emp told them what was happening on the other side but there was nothing more they could do from here. Either he would get a note about his success later or he would just die right there without warning.


    Knowing he was involved in a life and death battle without being able to do anything about it was a very stressful feeling. He could die at any moment and he would not even know why.


    He got Heinrich to sell him a book including some spells about sounds and decided to come back another time once he knew what he wanted to do for Mable. He had the same problem for her confirmation that he had with Calla and of course, he could not use the same idea twice. He needed to find something else and he dreaded the long hours he would spend thinking about this.


    After he left the mage, he went to meet Mable right away, hoping it would make him think of something. It was while he was with her that he received a message written by Marcy saying that he had been burned and would be blinded for a while.


    He felt that the circumstances were a good opportunity to show Mable how the anchor worked. He had been forbidden to say anything about it but not to show her. Anyway, he had promised to marry her one day and was already working on his confirmation, she would have to learn about it eventually.


    "Hey Mable, I need to go see the healers now, would you like to come with me?"


    "What for?"


    Was she asking why he wanted her to come or why he needed to go to the healers?


    "I got myself in a fight with a mage today, that''s why I was a bit tense and grumpy. I got injured in the fight and I have to go see the healers for it."


    "You''re injured? But you seem fine."


    "Yes, well, this is about what I''m not supposed to tell, that''s how I meet my mother and Calla and how I fought the unnameable of chaos. I am not supposed to tell anyone about this but I was not forbidden to show. Would you like to see?"


    "Isn''t that just cheating? You''re bending the rules." Mable was very curious about his motives.


    "It might be a bit true but I trust you. I also don''t think that you could learn anything worthwhile just by watching it happen. What you will see probably won''t make any sense to you."


    "All I have to do is follow you to the medical hall?"


    "Yes, I''ll show you there."


    "Let''s go then! I''m curious to see!"


    She led the way there with a a spring in her step, it was quite something to see after how mad she had been against him.


    "You seem really happy." He commented.


    "That''s because you said something so embarrassing earlier in class, I''m feeling way better now."


    "You''re feeling better because I said something embarrassing?"


    "Yes, I feel like I got some some sort of revenge over you and also, I liked what you said so it''s a double victory for me. It feels great."


    "I''m glad you''re feeling great."


    After that she asked him what had happened but he could only tell that he didn''t know yet what exactly occurred. He would have to wait there to know.


    When they got to the medical hall, the healers recognized him so when he told them he had been injured, they believed him this time.


    They had him lie down and once everyone was ready, he closed his eyes and recalled the other him. The memories of what happened appeared in his mind and his boiling anger vanished in favor of relief and pain. His skin felt really unpleasant but luckily the shirt was intact, he had cooked inside his armor but nothing had caught fire.


    "No way!" Mable shouted.


    She couldn''t believe what her eyes just told her she saw.


    "You''ve been cooked alive!"


    That''s what led to their current discussion in the training yard. The healers came to the very same conclusion than Clide and both versions of him ended up with bandages around the head and disgustingly viscous creams to apply on his skin. The only difference was the price tag on the creams the two places offered him.


    He told the curious girls all about the fight he had lived, the impressive self-magic Sophus used and the ingenious way he activated it, how even though the flames did not reach him the heat by itself still got him in this state, how he ended up blinded and how it all ended by blowing up the hole Sophus fell in.


    "His way of casting the longer spell using wands was very clever, I''ll keep it in mind."


    "That spell would have been great too if not for the snake''s death. He would have been really hard to take out."


    "Yeah Emp, you were lucky that your mom is a good fighter and came to your rescue. I don''t think you would have won without her help."


    Emp thought the same as Brenia, they had managed to corner Sophus only because they worked together to corner him and because she got rid of that annoying snake.


    "I think he did pretty good for a second year student. He won against a professional mage in the end, even if he was wounded." Aglaya praised him. (1)


    "Now I''m blind though, so I can''t do anything."


    "That''s not true, my ancestor learned the sword dance even though he was blind. You won''t be blind for long anyway, you just need to take it as a vacation."


    "But I have a confirmation to make and a trip to plan. Plus, what if something happens to Mable? I won''t be of any help then."


    "I''ll watch over her for you while you waste your time being blind." Brenia said from his side.


    "Don''t worry about Mable, she''s fine. She''s too busy pulling faces at you to put herself in trouble." Aglaya added.


    "What! I didn''t pull any faces at him!"


    "You''ve been doing this the whole time we''ve been here."


    "I''m not! Stop it you''ll make me look bad."


    The others all laughed.


    "I don''t mind even if you pull faces at me."


    "But I''m really not!"


    "Oh, that one was a good one."


    "You''re so mean!"


    Emp enjoyed listening to the conversation even though he couldn''t see anything.


    The biggest hardship he was currently experiencing was that keeping his eyes closed all the time made him feel very sleepy.


    "What are you? A bird? It''s only noon, don''t fall asleep in the yard!" Brenia complained when he told them about this serious problem.


    He didn''t understand why everyone else was laughing about this. It was a real problem for him, he had things to think about, he couldn''t fall asleep here. He yawned the whole day but thanks to Harriett who kept him awake with the occasional tap on the shoulder, he managed to stay conscious despite the drowsiness.


    He tried is best to spend his day like usual but there were a lot of things he could not do. He could not spar, he could not study magic and every other subject became very hard to practice. The only thing he could do with ease was think about his plans for the two confirmation gifts he needed to make.


    But, his momentary blindness didn''t stop him from going out to see everyone else, listen to Blackbull''s rants and talk to the Duke about those new wounds and the upcoming marriage.


    The morals teacher was rather angry about his bold declaration in her classroom. To be clear, she was angry of the way he said things and the words he used rather than about the contents of the message. Since he was a Muracier, she knew he was serious about Mable but there were strict rules about this sort of thing and he had followed none.


    At least, he had effectively remembered all the little behavioral rules she attempted to teach him since last year, she had just never spoke about this specific sort of thing.


    She fixed this hole in her teachings right away and there was a lot to say about courting. Emp had to listen through it all and it was very, very long. This was the moment he most feared that he would simply fall asleep.


    She did not approve of this whole thing but, since they both seemed to want to go down that path, she said that she''d do her best to help them. Only, helping them to the extent of her abilities didn''t help all that much, she lacked some important information to seriously help them. In particular, she still did not know what Emp and the duke were planning and if it would affect Mable''s house.


    Blackbull had lived a long life and could easily navigate the troubled waters of the court. She understood the nobles and their ways like she understood how to breath, something that still escaped Emp sometimes. For her, it would be easy to move the important pieces in the noble spheres of society to achieve the results she desired but, she didn''t know what was the result the two of them were looking for.


    Even if she did, it would not mean that she would side with them when everything was put into motion, this was a point she wanted them to keep in mind, she wanted them to always stay on their toes and think carefully about the interests of everyone around them as who knew when one might be betrayed. This was just her role as a teacher, help them if she could, correct them if she couldn''t.


    With all of that said though, for now, as long as they weren''t planning anything too extreme, she was willing to help them, whatever she meant by that. Emp felt it was a good thing she didn''t know he aimed to replace the emperor because this was definitely too extreme for her.


    This was high treason wasn''t it? He wondered how he would pull it off in the end. He was about certain that the old lady would be able to help him do it but he was just as certain that she would never do it.


    She wasn''t really an opponent but not really an ally either, at least he knew what to expect from her. This wasn''t the case for the duke.


    He had no idea of what the duke wanted out of this at all. It was clear that he held the Muraciers in high regard and seemed to be very loyal to them. The problem Emp had with this had been caused by his understanding of Blackbull''s lessons. Was the duke Jazay loyal to the title of great general, the Muracier family or loyal or to Chinui? All of those would produce very different results once Emp''s goal was exposed.


    If he was only loyal to the title, he would turn against him as it would go against everything a great general should do. If it was Chinui he was loyal to, he would refrain from siding with anyone until the man himself sent him some signal to go with either. The old man didn''t feel like someone that would assume the wishes of the son to be the same as his father, after all, he kept complaining on how his sons sent him here to get rid of him. Only if he was loyal to the Muraciers as a whole would he be his ally without doubt.


    However, he could not simply ask him that and now wasn''t the time anyway. For now, he just needed him to help plan a trip to Dark-glint.


    When he went to meet him in his office, the duke wasn''t all too happy about these new wounds.


    "Seriously, ye two are the worst troublesome kids I ever saw. How''s it that ye keep getting in tumble?"


    "You mean trouble." A servant said from somewhere on Emp''s right side.


    "Aye, this be what I mean. Good thing I''m not gonna be the ancient of this ole place for long."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean I be an ole man! At this rate, ye two are goin to kill me. I''ve been more requested for crazy things in da two years since ye came than all the time I be here in charge before that."


    Emp heard him pour some liquid, probably in a cup or something. Not seeing things was really disturbing. Where there really people that could not see at all, ever? He didn''t understand how they did.


    He heard the old man drink and after slamming something on the desk he asked a new question.


    "What be the thing that did it this time? Another beast? I be wanting to ask ye to stop hunting big nasties while ye be in me care."


    "No, I didn''t go hunting, something important happened, I have a lot to tell you about."


    "I see, all of ye get out, except the lass there. I be needed ye to speech probably."


    "You mean to speak properly."


    "Aye this be what I meant. Now shoo."


    He heard ten different set of steps as everyone moved to get out, Emp caught the arms of his own two servants before they could get the idea to leave.


    "You two stay as well since I can''t see."


    "As you wish master."


    After everyone was gone, Emp started his story. He began with the shirt since he was pretty sure that no one told the old man yet.


    "First, I have to tell you that this shirt I''m wearing is an offering of Holia."


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    "What! Ye sprout be gettin a wifey? Please, don''t be tellin me it be the trouble lass."


    "No, her name is Calla Champom, I''m working on the confirmation right now, well, I''ll resume once my eyes come back."


    "This be a name I don''t reco... remember."


    "This is normal, she is not a noble and doesn''t live in B¨ºt¨¦clair. I will to go over there for the marriage."


    "I see, I be congratulatin ye on this joyous event. Best wishes, happiness and all that. Also, I want to tell her meself too and shake da hand of da new lady Muracier, I missed the last one. Now, where ye be goin for this?"


    "Not far, I''ll just be going to Dark-glint on the main road."


    "This not be fur for right. Ye not be needed that many smoulders."


    Emp didn''t understand at all what he just said.


    "He says that it is truly not far and you will not need that many soldiers to escort you there."


    "Aye, this be it. Ye be rewarded later."


    "I will be eagerly awaiting that moment." The helpful servant answered.


    Emp had not thought about having soldiers escort him there before but he didn''t reject the idea. He needed to travel with Harriett, Celtine and later, Calla as well. If he was alone to watch over them, they might get in unnecessary trouble. For their safety more than his own, this proposed help was really useful.


    "Thank you, I''ll accept the company on the way. I would just like to ask you to take only people who can keep their mouth shut."


    "That be obvious, I didn''t have ye hide yar name just to spill it ta everyone now."


    "Not only that but Marcy is going to be there."


    "Marcy? We be talkin about the Marcy I think we be talkin about?"


    "Yes, Marcellia Gladius."


    Since the soldiers would come with him, they''d see the marriage, her, and the fact he called her mom. It was impossible that the information wouldn''t go back up to the duke at that point. Instead of trying to hide it, it was best to find a way to say it that wouldn''t make him overreact or that would make him think that Marcy became the wife of Chinui after Chijou''s death.


    "Aye lad, what about the emperor''s order?"


    "I don''t think my father really cares. She should have been in the family, she should have our name, I''ve been calling her mother lately."


    All of what he said was true and that way, the duke might think that he just called her that by respect and loyalty to the engagement cancelled by death.


    "I be hearin ye lad. Back in the day, the lass was fierce, a lovely match for yer uncle. If ye be tellin me she is part of the family, I''ll see her as so. I be respectful and make sure that those that be followin keep their traps shut. Ye can place yer trust in me."


    "Great, thank you for your help. Also, the village needs a new mage."


    "A magician? What for?"


    "I killed the one they had yesterday."


    The old man burst in roaring laughter and took a while to regain a semblance of calm.


    "Be that how ye got burned? What was the fight for?"


    "He tried to enslave Marcy and steal my future wife."


    "He be lookin for death then. Ye be needin more trainin lad, a puny village mage got ye to look like a sea creature in me plate. I be introducin the teachers to be harder on ye."


    "You mean instructing."


    "Aye."


    "I would like that yes."


    More training was never a bad thing for him.


    "I be lookin for a replacement then, someone who''s smart enough to not go against the future head of the imperial army this time. Spell users are hard ta find though, it will be long."


    "That''s fine, as long as you can do it."


    "Aye, that village is on the main road so it needs to be kept safe. It''s also the place that be housin the smith lass and the relatives of yer wifey I be guessin."


    "That''s right."


    "No worry, I be takin care of it. When is this marriage be hapennin so that I can prepare me boys fer the trip?"


    "I can''t finish the confirmation as long as I''m blind so I don''t know. Maybe a month? We''d leave in about two weeks then."


    "This be fine. Before I be forgettin, I have an advice fer ye."


    "An advice? What is it?"


    "Ye be takin care of her smile. The lass be one of yer faces too now, if she won''t be smilin, the moral of tha troops be going down. Yer wifey be a..."


    "Indicator?" The servant proposed.


    "Aye, she be an indicator for tha soldiers ta know if things are going well or not. If she not be lookin good, they be believin you might not be lookin good also and it stresses them out. I made the mistake once of tellin one of me wives about what me and me boys were about to do and worried her. She be so worried the boys started to worry too, if even the wifey of the boss be worried for him, what about our own safety."


    Emp nodded to acknowledge his advice. He could roughly understand what he was rambling about. As a commander, he should be the safest in the army, if his wife was worried sick for him, the soldiers under him might think that the operation was much more dangerous than they thought it was. Either the commander is hiding some danger from them to keep them moving or they are underestimating the threat.


    He got all that but, he wasn''t in any commanding position yet so for now, it didn''t matter at all.


    He didn''t stay all that long in the duke''s office after that and instead went back to thinking about what to do for Mable''s gift.


    That was almost the only thing he could do while he was still blind. He couldn''t even talk to Celtine since he couldn''t read her words. He sat down on his bed and fell deep into thoughts.


    When thinking about Mable, he felt that giving her something she could put in her hair was most appropriate. That was something she needed to use all the time since her hair was way too long to keep loose. She had a great amount of all kinds of hair accessory already though.


    Maybe it wasn''t such a good idea. She had enough of them and each one she already owned were well crafted pieces of jewellery. It would be a pain for him to make one too since those things were usually very thin and delicate. The best Emp could do would probably be a hair band or a pin on the larger side of things.


    He kept the pin idea in the maybe section of his head and attempted to find something else. He thought about a hair comb, another kind of bracelet, an anklet, something to pin into her dress, a small dagger, a necklace, maybe even some sort of armor. They where all considered the same way he had examined the hair accessory one at a time and he felt like rejecting them all.


    He couldn''t make up his mind, what would be useful to her, what would she like, what would be original, what was realistic for him to do? If only he knew how to do more things than just working a forge, he felt it might have been easier.


    Mable wasn''t really the type to fight for herself so an armor or a weapon wasn''t all that useful to her. A small dagger she could carry discreetly would have helped her in a situation like that time Ninoslav got in her room but at the same time, he felt it would make it seem as if he wasn''t certain in his ability to protect her. He rejected the idea. He might give her a dagger but not for a confirmation gift, if that gift represented his best, something that said "protect yourself with it" wasn''t the way to go.


    Then there were all sorts of ornaments and jewels but he felt that he would never achieve the quality she could just buy in an artisan shop here in B¨ºt¨¦clair. He didn''t want to give her something that said "here, my best is worse than any old thing you can buy". They were all rejected along with the hair ornaments.


    He really needed to work with his own strengths instead. He had to stick to what he knew, metals and leather, but what would interest Mable from this?


    He only wanted to find an idea that was just as good as the one he had for Calla but repeating that success proved to be difficult.


    On the second day of his thinking, he toyed with the idea of making a huge hairpin that would double as a weapon. He could make it extremely light and sharpen the tip of it before making some sort of receptacle in the form of a band that would hold her hair together when the pin was used to hold it together.


    On the third day, he felt that maybe some sort of amulet would be better. It would be able to receive magu from her and shine brightly on command letting her blind foes and see in the dark without carrying a rushlight everywhere. What sort of design should he shape it into though?


    On the fourth, he remembered she hated some huge river crab and wondered if it would be good to make a weapon specialized in dealing with crustaceans.


    On the fifth, he circled back to the armor, even if she didn''t use it often, it was the thing he was the most comfortable doing and would definitely help protecting her.


    On the sixth day, he was getting very depressed for not being able to find anything that felt right. There was always that little something that made him feel like it wasn''t enough, not as good as what he planned for Calla. He asked Harriett for help, not to find an idea but to bring him to Love''s temple instead.


    Once in the prayer room, he asked his mother for advice.


    "I understand how you feel." Her voice came from nowhere. "You want the thing you will give her to be the best thing you will ever offer to her because it will go with the heartfelt vows you will take. However, that vow is there to tell her that you will continue to love her from now on, It doesn''t have to be the best thing ever because you will continue to improve and gift her more and better things in the future.


    You are also afraid that your gift to her won''t be as good as the gift you plan on making for that other girl but what makes it such a good gift in the first place? It is not that complicated aside from the materials you chose for it. It is just a tiny enchantment as well. What really makes it stand out is that it is perfect for her and her alone.


    What you need to consider above the rest is what will truly be a thing that says: this is for you only, made with all my best. You are not searching for something that says: this is what I can offer you. Do you understand the difference? That is the only thing I can do to help because the answer is meaningless if it doesn''t come from you.


    Also, your eyes are mostly healed, you''ll be able to remove those bandages tomorrow."


    Emp thanked her and let Harriett guide him back home. He thought hard about what she said for a long time but the idea he was looking for did not grace him of its presence.


    The next day, he felt kinda upset that he had spent a whole week thinking about it but still found nothing worthwhile to offer Mable.


    He went back to the healers so that they would remove the bandages for him and check if he could see properly but he didn''t feel all that happy about it. He was too focused on his lack of ideas to enjoy regaining his vision. After all, now that he would get it back, he would have to start working on the gifts again and would not have as much time to think about what to make for Mable.


    He was led to a bed and after exchanging a few banalities with the healers, they started undoing the wrapping of bandages over his head. He saw the world slowly getting brighter and brighter as layers of cloth were removed. From total darkness, it became so bright his eyes started to burn even through his eyelids.


    The amount of cloth was reduced again and he started to see vague shapes through what remained until he finally opened his eyes and the world as he knew it was revealed. Harriett and Celtine were at his side and the healers around him to take a look at his eyes. They weren''t the first person he saw though, the first he saw was Mable.


    "Surprise!" She called, throwing her arms in the air.


    Her smile was simply brilliant, a true sun for his previously blind self. With her golden hair flowing like rays to warm the world bellow. He felt awed for a moment, to a degree that the healers wondered if he could actually see what was in front of him or not.


    He could see alright, as clear as day, and from that moment, he knew what he needed to offer her. The idea just came to him with her dazzling smile.


    "Mable, I''m happy to see you. I didn''t know you were there."


    "That''s the whole point of a surprise!"


    Now that he knew what he wanted to make for her, that is eyes were back to normal and that Mable brought back up his mood, he was more than ready to start working.


    Later that day, he made a trip into town and bought a new set of improved tools in Normanic-steel including a drill, a chisel and a set of files. This way, he might be able to work on the purple crystal more easily.


    The whole week after that, Emp studied hard, collected the gems and precious metals he required and planned his trip to Dark-glint carefully.


    Finally, the time came for him to depart. He said goodbye to everyone and made sure that they would all keep each other safe.


    "Yes mom, we''ll all be careful." Mocked Kenneth. "Go get your wife already, nothing will happen to us. We can all take care of ourselves."


    "You are the one that needs to be careful on the roads instead." Mable complained.


    "Of course I''ll be careful, the duke even lent me a few guards to protect me and the girls." He reassured her for the twentieth time.


    "Worry not, I''ll watch the idiots and Mable for you." Brenia told him right after.


    "Thank you." That was all he needed to make sure of.


    He joined up with the guards the duke wanted him to take at the front gate of the school. Conveniently, a carriage had been prepared for the girls. That was very thoughtful of the duke since neither Harriett nor Calla knew how to ride and walking there would just be a pain for the delicate girl.


    He did not expect the old man to be there himself however. He wore his full armor and rode a large warhorse leading all the soldiers he chose for the task. In total, including the duke, they were twenty-one. A twenty-second horse had been prepared for him. It was a good thing he had gotten better at riding over his time in school.


    "Ancient, you are coming as well?"


    "O''course I be commin! The young master Muracier is about to get married, no way I be missin that! I told ya before that I wanted to shake her hand by meself."


    Emp did hear it but he thought he would have waited for them both to come back. He wasn''t particularly disturbed to know the old man was coming and since there was no way for him to refuse his presence anyway, he agreed to it easily and hurried the two girls inside the carriage.


    He had started to train Celtine to use a crossbow but with all the soldiers there with him, he didn''t need that extra bit of help and he didn''t want Harriett to feel lonely inside that carriage.


    As for why he thought Celtine how to use a crossbow rather than the usual bow, it was because if she was sat on his shoulders, a bow would always be hitting against his helmet and be in his way in general.


    Once he got onto the saddle of his horse, the duke Jazay gave the signal and the whole group rode out of the school grounds and onto the streets of the city.


    Soon, the two parts of him would be reunited and he would be able to give Calla his confirmation.


    *-*-*-*


    (1)The school years don''t match the new year, this is why they are second years instead of third. The school year starts 3 months after the new year. Deep into summer.

 100 Crafting of the first gif

    Once the blindfold was removed, Emp started working on the bracelet right away. He had done all that he could to help fix the village while he was blind, mostly filling in holes using a shovel and carrying the wood for Willow''s house with someone to lead him there, but now, it was time to go back to work.


    There would be nothing to disturb his focus anymore and he immersed himself in his important task.


    The mold didn''t take that long to finish and he was quickly ready for a first attempt at pouring the liquid crystal in it. He cast the spell and poured the crystal into the mold from a bowl. Immediately, he noticed a problem, he couldn''t remove the result form the mold, try as he might, he couldn''t make it slide back out of it and its surface was so smooth that he couldn''t get a grip on it. He ended up having to break off the bottom part of the mold to push his first attempt out of its shell.


    His next problem was that he knew he would need to hollow it out so that air could go through. As he pondered on how to fix that problem, he decided it would be easier to include the worst of it in the mold. He needed a long hole going through like a flute and believed he could achieve it easier by holding a narrow stick in the mold instead of drilling a hole in something already filled.


    He also needed the main body of it at the end of the shaft to be hollow and he believed he would never be able to do it using the mold. Instead, he realised it would be better to fill some small part of the mold with some other material that would be easy to remove, like clay, and make a large crater in it. Then, he would only need to make a second top part using something like the gold he bought, fill it with holes and weld it to the crystal base.


    He melted his first attempt back down and got to work on the mold again. He remade the bottom of it, hung a small iron hook on one side to drag the next bracelet out of it without removing the bottom, smeared a layer of clay on the inside of the mold, sticking it to the outer layer and finally, stuck a long baguette into that clay.


    He poured the liquid inside carefully and the stick fell off, forcing him to redo it all again. After many trials and errors, he finally got a result closer to what he wanted.


    In his hand, he now had a long tube of purple crystal with a large chunk missing in its thickness on one side because of the clay and a hook as well as a piece of wood sticking out of it. For now, it honestly looked like a piece of junk, but he had worked really hard for that base on which to work upon.


    Now he needed to tackle the next problem, he had to remove the piece of wood as well as all the excess crystal. It was currently a tube but he needed it to be a cuff looking like the body of a tree with a single leaf.


    He tried to yank the piece of wood out but ended up snapping it in the opening. He then tried to set fire to it to get rid of the wood remaining inside the flat opening before finally using a thin file to push out what was left. It was a lot of work for just a small bit of flat wood, a work he frustratingly needed to do again later after he misjudged his sculpting area and broke the main piece. The opening he had made was a weak point in the structure so when he hit the bits around it with his new set of tools to remove the excess crystal, it cracked towards the hole. It was frustrating but there was nothing else he could do other than restarting it all from the beginning again.


    That crystal was freakishly solid but since he had to break the excess off, he needed to strike strongly and the crystal really wanted to snap were it was weakest.


    In the next few attempts, he kept the piece of wood inside to better judge where he needed to sculpt and chisel but still needed days of trials before he could do the shape right. He even had to use a few more sticks he tied into the mold to create new weak points were he wanted them.


    The end result was roughly in the shape of a leaf from an apple tree, curving around what would be the arm of Calla. The leaf sprouted from a tree that curved the other way around to hold the cuff in place and its roots melded together on one side to extend along the inner arm of the wearer. That was the currently hollow part, the very tip of the roots was a hole. The body of the tree was the thinnest part in the crystal because it was the portion where the clay had stopped it from filling the space completely.


    Now, he would only need to make the polishing and the small details of that piece before it was ready. Well, that and engraving the necessary runes for the spell on the underside of the bracelet. That would be the most dangerous part because even a single tiny mistake would break the whole thing and force him to do it all over again.


    He gathered his courage, his chisel and his small hammer and started practicing on random pieces of crystal he removed from his huge block. This was the first time he did runes by himself, Marcy never let him do it before. She was always the one to do them because it was almost always the most delicate and important task in the making of any piece of equipment.


    The runes could not be either slanted or misshapen or they wouldn''t work, the dept of each line needed to be the same as every other, each needed to be linked to the others in order to work and not in a random order.


    He kept the book open at his side and took a while to translate the spell he needed into what he believed would be a functioning enchantment. After that, it took him two more full days and hundreds of tries before his trial set of runes proved to display the intended magic effect. He then took another half a day to find a way to fit them all inside his tiny bracelet and a full day to actually carve them into it with utmost care and precision. He was so glad that his new chisel could dent the surface of that crystal or it would have been way harder still. He did not place the magic in it yet as he had more work to do but that part was mostly done now.


    At that point, he had already worked a full week on this. Marcy came a few times to silently watch him work and nod in approval. She seemed glad that he was able to display some originality by himself rather than following the same templates she showed him how to do a countless number of times.


    He knew the other him was about to begin his journey towards the village so he could not stop yet, he needed to be finished by the time he arrived with the girls and the escorting soldiers. There were many pieces yet to make and many details to engrave to make it the best he could achieve.


    Currently, his gift looked like a misshapen flute, which was close to what he intended to make. However, the opening at the very end of the long stick needed to be on the side rather than forward. To fix that, he needed to carve a bit of either gold or crystal like a small ring and bend it to have a tunnel curving at a ninety degree angle.


    He decided to go with gold as this way, he would have some at both ends of the bracelet and it would be easier for him to shape. He very carefully made tiny dents into the tip of the "flute" so that the gold would grab and hold onto it when he would place it there.


    What was very convenient was that gold was easy to heat and bend while that crystal was almost impossible to weaken with heat. This meant that once he heated the piece of gold, stretched it into a thin strip and rolled it around the tip of the object, he would not be afraid to reshape the main part by accident by heating it.


    The gold was soon ready to work with and using violent hammer strikes on the anvil, he stretched the rose gold as thin as he dared before reheating it and beginning the real work.


    He possessed, yellow gold, white gold and rose gold but he felt that the rose one was better for this as it was less jarring to look at when combined with the rich purple of the crystal and pink was Calla''s favorite color. He was glad that the merchant Wren found for him presented him all these types of gold before he bought anything, it gave him some option.


    As rose and white gold were alloys, he wasn''t sure if he was supposed to make them himself with some gold and some copper but the merchant claimed otherwise. He said that as long as they were in ingots, it was good enough for the traditions. That was relieving for Emp because he already had a lot to do.


    The rose gold was rolled around the tip, hammered into the dents to take their shapes and the end was curved upward. After it was cooled, he passed a long long time making sure that it seemed to be an integral part of the whole object, that it held perfectly in place, that there were no dents, no sharp edges, that it did not bulge out of the rest and that it did not extend too far or peek either towards the arm of the wearer or the opposite side.


    After all, if it was thicker than the rest, it would be like a thorn in her side when she held her arms close to herself and poke into her flesh. He needed this to be comfortable and so, he needed the end of that bracelet to be perfectly flat and leveled with the rest of it.


    In theory, that bit should be on the side of her arm rather than the delicate inward facing part of it making it hard to poke into anything. But, turning her wrists and hand might change that and he had to make sure it would not be less comfortable.


    Next up, he needed to use more gold to cover the cavity of the tree trunk in the bracelet and fill it with holes to let the air escape it.


    He had been inspired by the howling hills, always screaming so loudly as the air rushed through the holes in the sharp cliff edge of the hill.


    He wanted to give Calla a tool that would let her be heard whenever the need arose. Sounds and air would enter from the tip of the root at one end, be amplified by the magic inside and come rushing back out from the trunk of the tree in a much louder manner.


    This way, she could call for help easily if she was in trouble and people would be able to hear her meek wispy voice without having to make her repeat fifteen times or bringing their ears close to her face. All of these would be true as long as she brought the bracelet close to her face, something Emp could confidently bet she would since she kept hiding her face behind her hands and arms when meeting people.


    That was his plan, the great idea he had for her, the one thing he felt would greatly help her and keep her safe as well by making it easy to call for help from anywhere. Normally, the spell he used was made to make your voice loud enough to stun and daze enemies close to the mage like the closing jaws of a thunder-chew would, but her, her voice was naturally so weak that he doubted such a thing would ever happen.


    He took another piece of rose gold and put it to fire and hammer as well. In order to make the piece of gold match exactly the cavity he had to deal with, a lot of work was necessary. He hammered relentlessly and measured the pieces over and over in order to make a perfect match. He prepared carefully placed slits into the crystal to jab tongues of gold inside which he would be able to twist and lock place. He ground both crystal and gold with files to have their profiles match perfectly and finally, pierced holes into the golden cover with the smallest of hand drills and careful hits of a puncturing nail.


    He heated the piece one last time and inserted it in place, hammered the locking mechanisms and made sure once more that nothing was out of shape or exceeded it''s allowed space and finally, observed the result with great joy. Slowly, the object he had envisioned was taking shape.


    The next step was to inlay gold into the leaf part in order to make it look like the veins of it, then, he would have to dig sockets into the whole thing to inset his pink gems and finally, only the detail work would remain. Emp didn''t feel dispirited about all the work that he still needed to do to complete his project. He felt excited instead to feel the finished product in his hands.


    By the time he was done, the other him might already have arrived. In fact, with how long he took with just the gold, he had no choice but to give up on the idea of finishing before the group arrived. The good thing was that Bor had already been informed of the group future arrival by the intermediary of Marcy. He knew already that a duke would be coming to visit so Emp didn''t have to interrupt his work just to go warn him about this.


    The days passed quickly as he dug lines into the crystal and set stones into it. The precious gems were really hard to work with and it was far from his favorite work. He knew no techniques in jewelry and had no knowledge on how to make them shine or polish them. He didn''t even know the names of the stones he was working with, all he knew was that they were pink and cost him many a gold crown and silver scepters.


    Once he thought he would never be able to do better, he locked them into the bracelet in way that they would never fall off, with tinny claws holding on to them and digging into the crystal. He set one at the head of the leaf, one at the heart of the tree and one in the roots opposite to the air tube. Any more than that would seem like too much in his opinion. The rest would all be a work of sculpting and line details.


    Armed with his new tools, he sat under the light of the many lanterns hanging in the workshop and started to work on the details. He drew veins into the leaf and bark lines into the trunk, he divided the roots in clear limbs and worked carefully on the whole silhouette. He dug, scrapped and polished, rubbing off layers after layers of excess material and slimming down the rough shape he started with into what felt more and more like the single leaf tree he wanted.


    He smoothed out the curves, erased all edges and brought out details as they came to his mind.


    There was a commotion outside again, his escort and him had arrived, they had left the school over a week ago already. Time passed so quickly when one was focused on his work. The others must all be wondering what was happening and look curiously at the visitors like that time when a caravan of imperial knights passer through the village. This time however, they would be surprised to find out that those guys in heavy armor, elites of the knights working under a duke, weren''t going through but staying here instead.


    Emp believed that the him that was already there could handle this whole thing without his own intervention and so he just kept his attention on the object in his hands.


    Using the same tiny pick he used to engrave the runes on it, he decided to write a few words in to the crystal, along the trunk of the bracelet.


    "May luck be with you each day


    May they hear my flower say."


    Satisfied with those words, he quickly moved to the next task.


    He had all the bits of excess gold he removed from the earlier steps melt in the furnace and after wiping the sweat on his forehead for the nth time, he poured the liquid on the leaf and carefully wiped the excess so that only fine lines of it would remain. He did the same for the runes on the inside and the words on the outside, carefully holding them so that the precious liquid would not drip out of place. Because of the curve in the object, this step took him a long time too since he had to do it tiny bits by tiny bits.


    Now, all that remained was to give it one final scrub to make it shine and pour actual magic into it. He prepared the sacrifices necessary for the spell, some bird blood and a flute and followed the instructions in the book to cast the spell. He failed twice before the spell managed to take hold but luckily, nothing too bad happened aside from a loud screech emitted from the first wrongly cast magic.


    He very carefully held the spell up and transferred it into the object as he had been shown and taught to do. His gift didn''t seem any different now than it was earlier but if he had done it right, magu and power now ran along the carved runes.


    He brought the gift close to his mouth for a test and whispered into the tip of the root, or what looked like the tip of a flute.


    "Is it working?" He asked as softly as he possibly could.


    His words traveled through the cuff and were expelled from the trunk like an echo. The voice wasn''t distorted in the least and the volume was decent. Emp was very pleased.


    He placed it on the table, smiled at the abnormally loud thump it made, got up and spoke again to see if the voices of everyone around her would be affected too. If they were, the whole thing would be a failure. He didn''t want to deafen her with the voices of everyone else, he only wanted to buff hers.


    "Blablabla." He tried.


    Nothing happened, Emp was getting more and more excited. As a last test, he yelled at it from his standing position.


    "Please don''t be too loud!"


    There was some sort of buzz from the bracelet but nothing too loud. It seemed that the opening was too narrow to catch the sounds that came from too far of it. That meant he did it! He had finished his confirmation gift and he was very very proud of it. He couldn''t wait to show it to Marcy and finally go give it to Calla.


    He picked up the result of his hard work and rushed to the door, opening it widely to discover that it was already dark outside. He did the same sort of thing every day since he started working on this. He would get in the workshop after waking up and left once it was dark or sometimes, not at all.


    He locked the door behind him as he left and walked to the house. There were a bunch of soldiers blocking the door and when he came closer, they expressed confusion.


    "How can you be here? Weren''t you inside just now?" One of them asked.


    "Idiot, he can''t be both inside and in front of us, either he''s the twin of the young Muracier or he''s an impostor." Another said.


    The others became wary of him but he was truly both inside and here. Instead of going through the whole thing of showing them his card and having them be even more confused, he chose to just call those inside.


    "Hey, it''s me, tell the guys out here to let me in!"


    Shortly after, the door to his house opened and he saw himself walk out to meet him. It had been a while since he last saw himself like that.


    "Oh, it''s finished! Let me look at it."


    Emp carefully took it from himself and ran his eyes over the finished gift. He must truly be the only person in the world able to experience that same wonder twice.


    Since it was clear for the soldiers that the two Emp knew each other, they relaxed a lot. The two Emps walked back inside together and with a touch, he recalled himself, letting him know how the end of the trip went.


    *-*-*-*


    After Emp left the school riding alongside the carriage and the duke, they left the streets of cobblestone of the city in no time at all. The clapping sounds of the hooves on stone was replaced by the thump they made on the compacted earth of the road towards Red-water.


    As they were all leaving, many travelers asked where they were going, hoping to follow them for protection but once they knew they were only riding down to Dark-glint, no one followed the group. It wasn''t worth it if they got stranded halfway between the two cities.


    The journey itself was very uneventful. The soldiers had packed everything the group would need in two wagons preceding and following the carriage, they were used to travels and were able to build small camps very quickly and easily. Everything was well coordinated and executed making their trip a smooth sailing one.


    There were only two things in this trip he found tiring.


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    First, there was the riding itself as Emp wasn''t used to it. He felt like they were moving at a slug''s pace and his butt felt sore after a while of being sat on the animal. He, by far, preferred to just walk. He was impressed by the tenacity of the people like Kenneth and Jin who could ride all the time with no problems.


    The other thing was the duke Jazay. It seemed that he really liked to talk and rarely ever stopped. With no servants of his to translate all his nonsense, Emp had to pay careful attention to each words of his stories if he didn''t want to get lost immediately.


    The old man had a large amount of tales about Chijou and Chinui to tell, or about one war and another, enough to fill the whole week with them and still keep more in reserve for later. Most of them were interesting, even if a bit hard to understand. It was fun to hear about the two brothers but also very straining since he had to focus so much.


    Travelling with others was very different than travelling alone he found out. When he was by himself, he moved at the pace he wanted and stopped whenever he felt like it but as a group, he had to be slower and couldn''t just stop at any point to gaze at the scenery. It was still better though since he didn''t feel lonely. The journey would have felt a lot longer than it was if not for the distraction the duke offered.


    The other good thing was that creatures mostly kept their distances with the group of heavily armed knights. Only the most idiotic creatures like the twin-headed beetles dared challenge the group and those died instantly when they got close.


    The girls in the carriage had an enjoyable trip too, Emp believed. They could look at the scenery from the open windows while they sat comfortably in the safety of vehicle. They had almost no work to do through the journey aside from the very few chores after the camps were set in the evening. They had their whole days to relax and chat.


    After many days of riding, they finally reached the palisades of Dark-glint. The sight he knew so well filled him with joy. The familiar place always felt good to see.


    The usual guards at the gate stood at attention as the group passed them to enter the village, they seemed much more serious than usual in front of noble caravan. Emp wondered if they spotted him at the front or if they were too busy being nervous about the duke. He was hard to miss with his memorable ways and his flag flapping from every cart and carriage in the procession.


    Bor having been notified of their arrival by a watchman hurried to meet them at the gate.


    After the incident with Sophus, Emp had told him most of what he could about himself. He said he was the son of the great general and that he was on his way to the noble school in B¨ºt¨¦clair when he met Marcy here in the village. He was just hiding his name because he didn''t want to cause a commotion, he had no special reason of keeping it secret. As for what he did to Sophus, well, the mage had been particularly offensive and attempted to burn him to death. Maybe if he had given up earlier he would have lived but once the first flame hit him, there was no saving the mage.


    Later, he had also told him that the duke would show up for the marriage so Bor wasn''t taken off guard by the sudden appearance of the high noble at his gate. He placed a knee on the ground in front of the horses and welcomed the duke.


    "My lord duke, it is an honor to greet you in our village."


    "Har har har!" the duke laughed heartily. "Ye be a funny one."


    From his point of you, Bor had been housing someone with a standing equal to royalty for two years so it was absurd to be honored to greet him. With all the curious onlookers though, he couldn''t say it aloud. He knew Emp kept the secret until now and he didn''t want to waste all his efforts.


    "May ye let us make camp here village lord? We be stayin here until the lad''s marriage."


    The crowd was curious about what was being said but they didn''t talk loudly enough for them to hear. They could only whisper their speculations to each other. (1)


    "Of course my lord can set camp here."


    "Ye heard the man! Ye bunch of slow buggers, get ta work!"


    He always gave his knights a bunch of ridiculous nicknames and gave them various orders in high spirit. He had told Emp that he really liked the feel of moving around again with the soldiers, he missed his days leading the troops to war.


    After he gave the order and the knights started unpacking the carts he turned back toward Bor.


    "Ye can rise now. I be not yer lord. Yer lord be that idiotic old man Greathorn.


    Bor got up with a nod but refrained from making any comments on the duke''s words. They were the sort to bring trouble if you paid any attention to them.


    "Would my lord wish to share my table this evening?"


    "Nah, this not be necessary. From what I be seein, yer place is no better than the rest of this here place. I be telling the Great-horn-in-da-brain that he be better takin care of the great road instead of riddling the hills with holes but the old mummy doesn''t care. This be an important place on the main road yet the lord here doesn''t even have a keep to protect it. I hear ye be in need of a mage too, tha story made me laugh, I be willin to help search for one."


    "My lord the duke of the eastern grove is generous." Bor smiled happily. "What can this small lord do for you then if my table doesn''t please you?"


    "I just be visitin the smith lass today. I haven''t seen her in a long time, how many years''it be? More than ten for sure. She be dyin to split me old skull I be bettin, let''s not make her wait. Please lad, lead tha way there." He asked Emp.


    "We should leave the horses here though." Emp answered as he got back down.


    "Ye be right. And ye lot be comin along."


    The duke got down from his horse and gestured a small group of knight to follow them towards Marcy''s house. Emp took the time to open the carriage door and fetched Harriett and Celtine before leading the duke there.


    It was the first time he came here with the girls and it felt a bit strange to carry Celtine on his shoulders here, he was used to walk these small streets alone. It also felt strange to feel all the gazes of those people he knew on him and those he led. None of them understood what was happening, all they knew was that the smith''s apprentice was leading a duke in the village and carried a pretty girl with fiery hair on his shoulders.


    Emp couldn''t help but point some people he knew to the girls, telling them about the guys and the places they passed. He was having a great time sharing the other half of his life with them, he wanted them to know all about it. He understood a bit better now how the old duke felt when sharing all these old stories.


    He led everyone to the door to their house, knocked once and stepped inside as he called Marcy.


    "Mom, I''m home, I''m bringing important visitors and Bor with me."


    Celtine had to bend herself and stick close to his head to pass the door and the others followed inside. Only the knights stayed out and stood on either side of the door to keep watch.


    Marcy showed up in the main room to welcome them and the two girls hurriedly bowed respectfully towards her. Celtine had a harder time of it since she was on his shoulders and only managed to bend her neck where Harriett almost touched the floor with her head even though she was still standing upright.


    That encounter turned out to be a strange mix of emotions. The girls were happy to meet his mother while Marcy was partially interested to meet them and partially angry to see the duke in her house. Bor didn''t know what to expect and stood silently to the side while Jorman jazay attempted to apologize to Marcy.


    "I get that ye be angry about this whole thing cause I''d be angry too but the emperor lass. He looked me in the eye and had me sworn to keep me mouth shut."


    After that, the duke got yelled at for a good hour. Essentially, she was really angry that no one even dared tell her what happened to her fiance and even though the old man could do nothing about it and had nothing to offer to make up for it, she still vented a lot of her frustration on him.


    Only once her anger cooled down were they all able to sit at her table for Emp to make the presentations.


    "Mom, you already know the duke, those two are Celtine and Harriett, I told you about them before. You two, this is my mom Marcy."


    "I am more than honored to meet master''s mother at last." Harriett said with sincerity, not at all affected by the long scolding she just administered a duke.


    <I am glad to meet you as well.> Celtine wrote simply.


    "So ya are the two my boy keeps talking about. Ya are welcome in my house. I heard my boy relies on ya a lot. As for ya, ya aren''t."


    "Aw, bloody hill lass. Ye be barkin at the wrong tree, I be havin no controls on the whims of the emperor. I put up with all yer shoutin already, give me a break. I only be here for the lad''s marriage."


    "I won''t throw you out but ya''re not staying the night. Find yar own place."


    "Fine, anyway yer place is so small. Ye be part of the Muraciers, ye should be livin in a palace, what took ye to hide in this small here place?"


    "I didn''t want to be disturbed and with how I was being treated, it didn''t feel like I was a Muracier at all as ya put it."


    "I be sorry already lass! For the ancestors care!"


    They continued to talk and argue like that until dark. He was happy to see that Marcy and the two girls understood each other just fine and got along well. They seemed to have a good first impression of each other aside from the way Celtine tried her best to stay away from her. She had the same sort of reaction with Brenia, she really didn''t like strong women being close to her even though she had a good impression of her.


    When the other him came back with the gift, he went outside to greet him and was amazed to see the final result of his hard work. He walked back inside with the other him, they merged into one again and Emp showed it proudly to Marcy.


    His mother looked at it from every angle and nodded many times with a smile as proud as his own. She ran her fingers on the edges to make sure he had thoughts of smoothing them out, wiggled the bracelet in her hands to see if all the pieces were properly bond with the others and finally praised him for all his hard work.


    "Good job my boy. This thing is sure to please her and the rest of the Champom. I can see ya gave it your all and it is very well done, quite original too. I''m very proud of ya and now I know for sure that ya can create stuff on yar own rather than just copying my own work. I am very pleased with ya."


    She ruffled his hair and gave him a hug. Emp felt great to be praised by her. The group celebrated the completion of his work and Marcy said that she should go tell Ogden and Fiona that he would be ready to go meet them tomorrow. It would be awkward if he came and had to wait for someone to find Ogden in the huge orchard after all.


    "I be goin to my tent too then and I be leavin ye to it."


    The duke left at the same time as Marcy and Bor returned to his own home too.


    The only ones left in the house were the two girls and Emp.


    "Master''s mother really loves him. She seems very friendly too."


    "She is, well, usually."


    The other two laughed thinking about how the old man had been treated. They chatted some more and then again with Marcy when she came back and everybody went to bed. The two girls slept in Marcy''s room so Emp ended his day like he always did and almost wrote a note saying he was ready to be recalled by the force of habit.


    Tomorrow would be nothing like usual though. Tomorrow, he would gift the bracelet to Calla and do the confirmation properly.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) One would think that such a discussion was taking place in the noble tongue but as you may remember, only Marcy speaks it decently here. Bor wouldn''t understand a thing.

 101 Confirmation

    Emp hardly slept as he was too nervous about the coming day. He wondered if Calla was just as nervous as him, she must have heard from her mother that he was ready. Maybe she was spending the night panicking. Considering it was her, she might just be even more stressed than him about this.


    In order to help himself fall asleep, he started repeating the vows over and over in his head. The repetition should send him to sleep and if not, at least he would have had a lot of practice for that day. The trick must have worked because the next thing he knew, he was dragged along the floor of the house by Marcy and his head kept bumping into the floorboards.


    "Ya slag of an apprentice better get up already. It''s not proper to make a girl wait." She was telling him.


    Emp hurried to agree and got up from the floor. The other two girls were already up as well and Harriett had made breakfast. That was great because since Calla gave him her offering, she had to refrain from showing up to bring them food in order to follow the tradition. Marcy was glad to eat something better than a few fruits and old smoked meat.


    Once they had eaten, Emp was made to take a bath and then, the two girls and his mother helped him prepare for the confirmation. They arranged his hair, made sure his clothes were as good as they could, Harriett took care of his facial hair with a razor, Marcy had him repeat the vows again just to make sure he actually remembered them and finally, he was ready to go.


    The only thing he didn''t do was practice lifting the hammer but he could forgo a single day for something so important. He left the two girls and his mother there as they gave him some good luck wishes and started walking towards the Champom house.


    He came across a few of his friends on the way and they all gave him a few words of encouragement. Most of them were curious and wanted to ask about the knights but since they knew what it meant for him to be walking towards calla''s house, they chose to wait and simply support him for now. From the look in the eyes of many of those he passed by, he knew that many would just go ask Him or Calla how it went right after he left and ask to see the gift he had prepared for her.


    A smile crept up his face despite his nervousness. He was really proud of his gift after all, they could all come and take a look at it, he was sure they would be impressed.


    He reached the Champom''s door, took a deep breath and knocked on the door, repeating the words in his head just to be sure. This was most definitely the most stressful thing he had ever done, if he didn''t take the near death experiences of course.


    "It''s him! He''s here!" He heard Zora and Fleur yell from inside, followed by a shush from their mother.


    Not long after, Ogden opened the door for him. He shot a severe look down to him and spoke in a grave tone.


    "I swear if you took all this time just to make a kitchen knife I''m throwing you out."


    "I think I did way better than that. Will you please let me present it?"


    Ogden nodded with a faint smile and let him in. His biggest worry had been that Emp would just change his mind or abandon his daughter but he had been willing to fight the mage to the death for her and was right here right now to present his confirmation. At this point, the chances of him disappearing were rather minimal so Ogden didn''t seem as skeptical anymore.


    Inside the main room, all the Champom had come to assist to this confirmation. Ogden and Fiona sat on chairs placed on either side of Calla. On the chairs following Fiona, Calla''s four sisters sat in order of age, there were the twins Jonquil and Iris with their swelling bellies, Azalea who Emp rarely ever saw, Fleur and finally Zora on the furthest chair from the center. On Ogden''s side the same arrangement was made for the boys, with Karp sat right beside him followed by Freddy, Gilbert and the small Jerold.


    Aside from Gilbert who was his friend, the other Champom boys would have rather been elsewhere at that point but they had to stay by the request of their father and also, by the will of the tradition.


    The most nervous of them all was of course Calla since the boy she chose now had to gain the approval of all twelve Champoms. Her mother seemed inclined to approve of him whatever he presented to them today but the elder sisters and brothers would be harder to convince.


    Emp had never witnessed a trial before but he felt it would probably feel a bit like that.


    First of all, he had the other him appear at his side. The two him spoke in synchronization.


    "Both versions of me are here today for this, I had the other me come back from B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    That way, he was able to show her father once and for all that he wasn''t just an illusion, the real him was here. He recalled the other him again, stepped in front of the nervous girl and knelt at her feet. Nobody said anything, they were all holding their breaths waiting to see what he brought Calla for his confirmation.


    The girl herself was almost shaking from her nervous anticipation and played with her fingers to control how tense she was. If she had not been sat there, Emp would have been afraid she might fall. Maybe this was the reason why everyone of them had been sitting on chairs instead of standing.


    He offered her a warm soothing smile, seeing her in front of him like that, most of his fears had disappeared, he was convinced he would be accepted. That smile managed to calm her down a bit as well and she took a big breath to prepare herself.


    Now that they were both ready, Emp fetched his ornamented cuff from the bag and presented it to her. Those a bit further down the line of chair leaned forward and stretched their necks to see what he had brought. Those closer were very impressed by how shining and precious looking it seemed.


    At that point, Emp''s brain was spinning because he had forgot if he was supposed to say the vows now or explain what it was first. There was a short moment where everyone held their breaths and finally, Emp opted to say the vows first. He fixed her in the eyes and said the words he knew by heart.


    "I swear on all that I know, and all that I don''t, to keep you safe until my last breath.


    If you accept me as husband, my love for you will last until I feed the trees with my bones.


    May this gift be proof of my commitment for it is my best and I am offering it to you."


    With an awed look, Calla picked it up and turned it around in her hands to examine it''s details.


    "What is it?!" Cried Fleur from her far off chair.


    "It''s a wrist cuff I made with the crystal from the creature I fought with the huntresses, plenty of rose gold and some pink gems I don''t know the name of. I tried to make it look like a single leafed apple tree, the roots and the leaf are there to hold on to her arm. I even put magic in it."


    "Woa... So complicated." Azalea said, rather impressed.


    Calla traced the letters he had engraved into it with her fingers and Fiona read the words aloud. Emp had no idea she knew how to read. Maybe she had learned after that story with the letter from Red-water.


    "May... luck be with you each day. May they hear... my flower say. That''s rather cute."


    Emp felt a bit embarrassed. When he engraved those into the cuff, he didn''t think about anyone reading them. Calla felt way more embarrassed than him and reddened heavily.


    Ogden and Karp were both more practical and each asked something of their own at the same time.


    "What is the magic on it?" "What''s up with those holes in it?"


    Emp answered with a smile.


    "I engraved the runes on the inside." Calla turned the cuff over so that everyone could see the magic symbols traced in rose gold at the back. "The holes are there so that the magic will work properly. Here, try it, you''ll see."


    Emp took hold of Calla''s hands and brought the long flute-like root close to her mouth. Calla didn''t try to escape his gentle grip and let him guide her hands.


    "Say something."


    "Like what?" She said in a very tiny voice that Emp would have had a hard time to hear but, thanks to the work of his magic, the sounds were heightened and everyone heard her from all across the room. Calla made a small jump of surprise hearing her own voice.


    "Wow! Sis spoke way louder than usual!" Zora said excitedly.


    "So that''s what you meant with those words. May they hear my flower say. That''s very interesting." The twins approved.


    "That''s just a perfect gift! That magic''s way too good!" Gilbert called from the side.


    Since he had revealed that cuff, the smiles around him kept getting broader and broader, Emp felt it was obvious that he had done well.


    "The only thing I''m not sure about is if it fits your wrist or not."


    That was the last thing he had to say about that gift. Everything else could be seen in the time it took him to make it and the details of his hard work. Calla brought her arm into it and after a bit of wrist wiggling and arm twisting, the gift came to rest snugly around her arm. Emp was very relieved to see it fit her so well.


    Calla was simply radiant. This was far better than what she had hoped and she knew that there was no way anyone here would object such a confirmation. Her heart was just flying right now, this was the best gift she had ever received and it came from the boy she loved, the boy she would soon marry. She snuggled the gift against her chest and made her joy obvious for all to see.


    Emp felt his own chest flutter seeing her so happy from his gift.


    "Now then, it''s time for everyone to give their opinion. Those who want to approve the gift and the marriage say yes, the others say no. Obviously I say yes." Fiona said with a bright smile, she was very happy for her daughter.


    The others all said yes one by one, following the orders of the seats. The two youngest girls were especially loud in their approval and Ogden tried to keep his serious air despite his smile as he gave his own yes.


    The one who had the final say was Calla since it would be her own marriage after all. Her mother urged her to give a clear answer and using the cuff, her tiny yes echoed in the room to make everyone cheer.


    With this done, everyone got up from their seats. Emp felt elated and got back up just in time to catch Calla who hugged him lovingly as thanks for the gift. She really appreciated his present.


    "Alright then, we''ll wait for those nobles to leave and after that, we''ll sort that marriage out." Ogden said in high spirit.


    The other Champom all seemed to agree to this easily while the kids rushed closer to take a better look at the gift. Calla''s father wasn''t that into having a bunch of stranger watching his daughter marry and anyway, he felt Calla would be way to intimidated by them to move in their presence. However, he didn''t know yet what Emp had to tell them.


    "Sorry but we can''t wait for after they''ve left." He told them, still keeping Calla in his arms.


    "Why?" Ogden and Fiona asked with raised brows.


    "Because they came here just to see it, I''d rather not upset the duke by having him leave before the marriage happened."


    Everyone seemed unable to fully understand what he meant, which was absolutely normal. Why would a duke, no less, come in a village outside of his territory to witness a lowborn marriage?


    "There''s something important I need to tell you all. Calla, could you please."


    He was a bit disappointed to end that hug but he really needed to say this. She stepped back to leave him the space he needed and he brought up his hunting card to show them his name.


    "My family name is Muracier. I''m first in line to be the next great general."


    "What!" Ogden screamed of fright.


    Remembering the things he told Emp before, his face was drained of all blood. If he had known that Emp was a noble, he would have never said anything about nailing him to his bed with arrows, his rank just made it much worse. Emp reassured him right away.


    "Do not worry, I understand why you said those things, It was all for Calla, I do not mind them."


    Meanwhile, the others had not recovered from the shock of this revelation. Calla was the most affected in the group, she had simply frozen in place and Emp had no clue about what was happening in her head. She was looking towards him without seeing him, just staring into the distance as she was lost in her mind. Her previously radiant smile frozen in time like a sculpture.


    The others all cried out in surprise and the two smallest kids pestered their older siblings to know what this meant.


    "My girl is marrying a high noble? Royalty even!" Fiona had her mouth agape, unable to close it.


    She wasn''t exactly right but she wasn''t wrong either. The Muracier almost had an equal standing with the imperial family which made them stand above royalty even though they did not posses large amounts of land of their own. Only the emperor was above the great general in authority and power which meant that, as the next in line for the title, even kings from the kingdoms making up the empire would have to listen to his words with respect. This might not have been what Chinui intended when he lent his name to Emp but this was what was going to happen anyway. At this point, with the efforts of the duke and his own objectives, there was no way to turn back.


    "Wha!? I didn''t know that big bro Emp was this cool! Big sis Calla is so lucky!" Called Fleur excitedly.


    As the revelation sank in, the expressions of surprise where turned into joy. Marcy had been right, they felt as if they where the luckiest, they would have hit a gold vein in the orchard and they would have been less excited than this. This might not make them all rich or turn them into nobles but their Calla would from now on be someone that countless people would look up to. As long as the ever benevolent Calla remembered from where she came, the family would never have any hardships again.


    This might just be the greatest news they heard in their entire life.


    "So that''s how you managed to have Bor change his mind!" Gilbert realized.


    "I should have known you weren''t just a mere traveler. For Marcy to take you in like that, you had to be something more." Karp said aloud. "Great job sis, once the marriage is a done deal, you''ll be one of the most powerful woman in the whole empire."


    Karp was only partially right. Marcy didn''t know he was a Muracier when she asked to adopt him, she just thought he had some potential. As for Calla being one of the most powerful woman in the empire...


    "That''s true but for now, my existence is a secret known by very few. It will take some time before the nobles everywhere hear about me. I''m still just a student in the noble school after all and I have no troops under me. In the mean time, I was planning to live here in Dark-glint for longer."


    "It''s all good, as long as my Calla is happy." Ogden said, a lot more reserved than earlier.


    "I''ll have noble grand-children!"


    Fiona couldn''t get over it, she was the second most surprised after Calla. Speaking of Calla, Emp was starting to worry about her, she had not moved a hair since he gave them his family name.


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    He grabbed her hand and spoke her name to get her attention. He managed to have her eyes focus back on him and he told her what he felt as well as something similar to what Marcy had told him the other day.


    "I had been worried you might be scared about my name so I never told you. If I had, I feel you would have never given me that shirt, but I love it and I love the girl who gave it to me even more. You don''t have to be scared of anything because I''ll be there with you, I just swore to keep you safe after all."


    Emp saw the colors come back to her face and he knew his words were helping her. The others kept silent because they didn''t want to interrupt something they felt was very important for Calla.


    "You know, when you gave me that shirt, I became really stressed and asked mom what I should do. I felt I really had to tell you my name but she told me that my name didn''t matter at all. You didn''t know this was my name but still loved me, I haven''t changed now, I''m the exact same I always was. For you, I will always be simply Emp."


    She showed him a tearful smile and jumped into a hug again. This family might represent a huge wall of steel for everyone else but he wanted to let Calla know he wasn''t some unreachable person, he was right there in front of her and if he could help it, he would always be. He could feel her take a deep breath against him and by the way she held onto him, he knew she would be fine. This time, he kept her there as he talked some more to her family.


    He had to answer questions about the Muraciers and the exact reasons why a duke was here for quite a while but after everything was said, only the excitation about the Marriage remained.


    "Let''s do it tomorrow then since the duke won''t leave until it''s done." Ogden proposed.


    Everyone else agreed with his proposal, it wasn''t unusual to hold the main ceremony the day right after the confirmation. Young couples were often eager to start their wedded life as soon as possible after all.


    "Then you girls will help me prepare your sister." Fiona told her daughters.


    "And while the girls are taking care of Calla, you boys will help me prepare a place in the village center for tomorrow. We''ll take over the marketplace for this, we''ll ask Bor to tell everyone and have the neighbors get a piece of the deer they keep in their cold room."


    "What about me? What do I do?" Asked Emp.


    He had never seen a marriage before so he had no idea what he was supposed to do at this point.


    "You''ll help us prepare the place of course! And then, Marcy will probably want to fill you in on how to behave tomorrow. First though, we have to tell all the curious outside."


    Emp almost asked what curious he was talking about but when Ogden opened the door, he saw a few dozen people in a half circle waiting for the results. All of them were people he knew well. It seemed the villagers really liked that sort of news and the feast that would come with it.


    "My daughter Calla and Emp will be wed by tomorrow night!" Ogden shouted at the crowd holding its collective breath.


    There were cheers and everyone ran off in all sorts of directions. In less than an hour, everyone in the village would know and helpful friends would show up from all over to help the Champoms prepare the place for the big event.


    Gilbert was sent to tell Bor about what would happen the next day and everyone started moving in a very busy manner. In the very middle of the storm, Emp still stood motionless with Calla in his arms. The house around them was like a chaotic tempest of excitement and activity but for now, Emp felt his time was better used to keep Calla calm. Once he let her go, he knew she''d start worrying about the next day. Here in his arms, she was relaxed and peaceful.


    Knowing he had to go help, he made the other him appear and thanks to him, he was able to both help and stay with her. While he was there with her, he stated thinking again about what would happen next.


    For example, he wanted to stay in the village for a long time still but from what he gathered, staying in Marcy''s house along with Calla wasn''t the right thing to do. First of all, there wasn''t enough space for that and second of all, he was told by Blackbull that it was the rule, at least for nobles, to get their own place when they were married. It might be fine for a poor shoemaker to stay in the house of his parent with his wife and newborn kids for a few years but the same could not be said for a noble.


    This meant that he needed to get a house somehow. If he asked Manley to help, would he be able to make them one by the time it took him to travel to B¨ºt¨¦clair and back? He''d possibly have his own hands full soon if Willow went along with his wish. He might very well make her a house as a confirmation gift. If that was the case, Emp would have to wait.


    He should go ask him as soon as possible. The thing that worried him the least was the cost of it, just the profit of his crystal deal with Josseline would be enough to pay for that and possibly everything else he might need to fill a house. He had no idea what that everything else was... He was sure he''d end up forgetting something.


    All of this would be a problem for later however, for now, he had to convince Calla to make a trip to B¨ºt¨¦clair with him.


    "Calla, I have something to ask you."


    "What is it?" She said close to his ear for him to hear properly.


    "I have a lot of important friends in B¨ºt¨¦clair, since tomorrow you will become my wife, I would like you to meet them."


    "Friends?"


    "Yes, most of them are nobles to be honest but I care for them a lot. I promised a few to present you to them so... I''d like to bring you back with me to B¨ºt¨¦clair for a few days."


    Emp felt her heartbeat quicken through the hug.


    "You don''t have to worry, all of them are nice people and a few are just as gentle as you. There will be all those knights to protect you on the way there and I will be with you the whole time."


    "But... they''re all nobles. Will it really be fine for me to go there?"


    "Yes, absolutely. Those that aren''t nobles are doing just fine there and those that look down on them aren''t my friends. Also, remember, tomorrow, you''ll become Calla Muracier. Who could possibly make things difficult for you?"


    Emp saw her ears redden and he laughed a bit.


    "I''m sure they''ll all get along well with you and be respectful enough. Plus, it will only be for a few days and then we''ll come back here. You know, there''s a girl that''s just as shy as you there, she''s always hiding behind her fiance, you can just do the same if you want and hide behind me."


    Thinking about it, Frits and Rica had been fiance for at least two years now, why weren''t they wed already? Wasn''t the tradition saying they should be wed the same year he received the offering? He was suddenly very curious about what was happening.


    "I... I don''t want to... I''m bad with people, I don''t like meeting new faces."


    "I know but this is very important. To be honest, there is a girl I know in the school that was very upset you gave me an offering first."


    Calla made a small gasp but Emp quickly tried to reassure her again.


    "She''s not upset at you, she''s upset that she doesn''t know you and she''s scared you''re using me somehow since... You know... There''s a huge gap between my name and yours. She just want to make sure you aren''t a bad person. And I hope that one day, you two will be sisters. Don''t you think it would be best for you two to meet? You''re worried that my friends won''t like you or scare you but I believe it''s impossible for you two to not like each other."


    "Sisters? What''s her name?"


    "Mable. She acts a bit like Fleur even though she''s much older than her."


    This made Calla giggle.


    "She really liked the food you made for the new year too, she could only find good things to say about it. I''ve been upsetting her a lot lately. I feel bad about it and hopefully, meeting you will help her understand."


    "You think we could be sisters? Why did you never talk about her before?" Calla didn''t sound upset at all, she was more curious than anything.


    "I felt that if I said anything about this noble girl that likes me, you''d get scarred and keep your distance from me. I''m still pretty sure that if I had, you wouldn''t have given me that shirt and I would be really sad if it never happened."


    "Sorry..."


    "You don''t have to apologize at all."


    "It would have been too scary to propose to you if I had known about her, or about your name. I''d never have found enough courage to do it, now that it''s already done, I feel much better."


    "So you aren''t angry that I had not told you anything about the school or my name before?"


    "No, I''m a bit glad you didn''t and also, I''m curious to know now. Will you tell me?"


    "Yes of course. I''ll tell you everything you want to know and everything else too. But, will you come to the school with me please? Please Calla."


    "I... Will, yes, but it''s still scary."


    Emp giggled.


    "It''s fine, you can just hide in my arms if you''re scared."


    She buried her face into his chest and mumbled something he didn''t catch.


    "Mhn?"


    She removed one of her arms from his back and brought it between the two of them, soon after, he heard her voice clearly.


    "I said I like it in here, It''s soothing."


    Her mother passed by just at this moment and couldn''t help but comment with a mischievous face.


    "Oh, is it now?"


    Emp saw her ears turn red again and she brought her other arm in there too to better hide herself in his embrace, making him and her mother laugh some more.


    Outside, everyone worked hard to prepare for tomorrow and by sunset, a stage as well as an array of tables and decorations had been prepared. Fresh apples were hung everywhere around the central place to chase evil spirits away from the marriage location. Flowers were brought in by anyone that found some in the woods and tied to ropes hanging in between the nearby houses.


    Finally, a temporary shrine to the goddess Love was established on the center of the temporary elevated stage. It did not have a statue or wood sculpture representing her, only a large wooden heart carved from a single piece of a douglas fir tree. The whole sculpture was so large they had to be six men to lift it and drag it up onto the stage. At the base of the heart, over the included pedestal, a tablet with a prayer engraved onto it served as the foundation of the heart. It''s content would be read soon.


    On the altar, close to the tablet, a large wooden bowl which would be used for the ceremony rested patiently. Emp was made to take one of every kind of fruits found in the vicinity of the village and cut them in bite-sized pieces to place in the bowl. Apparently, it was an offering for Love herself. Emp wondered if she would really take it.


    Now, all Emp had to do was wait impatiently for the next day and try to keep in mind what Marcy would tell him about that ceremony.

 102 Village ceremony

    Emp was now in Marcy''s house trying to keep up with her explanation on how this day was supposed to go. She had told him before that it was rather simple but she must have lied to him because he felt there were a lot of steps.


    "It''s all a celebration my boy. It doesn''t matter if it''s awkward or if ya say something foolish. ya''re not marrying a princess, the people here will just laugh along with ya and cheer some more. The only step that cannot be messed up is Calla''s vow. That is the only really important part, all the rest if for the fun of it."


    It made him feel a lot better for a moment but then he started worrying again. Knowing that it all rested on Calla''s ability to speak up was rather stressful. He really hoped she would fine, maybe he should think of something to help? In fact, maybe his cuff was help enough already. She''d be able to mumble the vows and still be heard by everyone making it that much easier for her.


    All Emp really needed to do was try to remember each steps and look his best. Harriett and Celtine made sure that the second part was covered while Marcy told him what would happen.


    The girls seemed way more nervous than he was. They still had not met calla and their master was about to be the main protagonist of today''s wedding.


    "I do not understand how master can remain so calm even now! Master will be wed today! Isn''t master excited about this?"


    "Of course I am. I''m almost trembling in anticipation."


    "It doesn''t show at all."


    It was true that the two girls really were trembling from the emotion rather than just almost.


    "I just do not think it will be that different from before once it''s done."


    "Of course it will be different ya slag. She will be living with ya from now on, truly sharing yar life. Ya''ll have to make sure she never wants of anything as yar duty. She''ll rely on ya from now on instead of her parents or her siblings."


    "What does it mean exactly? What is it I need to do once she becomes my wife, what does she expect of me."


    "Yar love is what she wants from ya but what ya need to understand is much more important than that. From now on, ya have to think of more than just yarself. There is no more I, it''s ya and Calla now, ya need to think we instead of I. I''m sure ya''ll be able to do it but the difference is massive."


    Emp wondered if it would really be that different. Was it really hard to think we instead of I? Did the others really do that as well? He''d find out soon enough wouldn''t he?


    Not long after, they needed to leave the house, the festivities would take the whole day so they needed to leave early. Everyone loved to take a brake to feast, drink and have fun, a marriage was a perfect excuse to do so.


    Of course, the two girls and Marcy came with him and walked towards the place were the ceremony and surrounding festivities would take place.


    When everything would truly begin, the family of the man would have to take place on the right of the stage while the family of the woman would take place on the left. For now however, things weren''t truly started so everyone was just chatting happily and laughing together.


    The knights and the duke were there as well but the villagers mostly stayed away from them, only the most curious dared go speak with them. Even though they had helped yesterday with the preparations and brought some decorations of their own, the villagers had a hard time trusting strangers like that.


    Marcy told him to go talk to people while they waited for the right time so he left with Celtine and Harriett to chat with the others. Most of the things he talked about where repeating subjects, it seemed everyone was curious about the same few things.


    What sort of gift did he give Calla was one of the questions, he tried his best to explain it each time but they would really have to wait later to see it clearly.


    He also received many questions about the presence of the knights. About that, he couldn''t say much. He repeated many times that they were here to enjoy the event and weren''t anything dangerous but the others remained wary. Who knew what sort of crazy things a high noble could come up with to disturb an event such as this.


    One of the most popular question he received was; who are those two? He had to present Celtine and Harriett many times over as servants working for him in B¨ºt¨¦clair. Harriett would bow politely and greet everyone that came to meet them with a few word but Celtine had a harder time since she was mute and barely a few knew how to read her words here. Clide, Bor and Fiona were the only three he knew could read here and Fiona was busy preparing Calla and would be absent until the main event started.


    Aside from her difficulties, the others were very friendly toward them. Everyone here considered them as friends on equal footing with them. They weren''t used to meeting slaves or cursed-bloods here so seeing Emp threat them so casually, they naturally did the same. Most of them lamented the problems of Celtine and wished they could help somehow, she felt really warmed by their attitude, reminding her a bit of her home. Galina and Sylvia even came to help her move around more easily, helping her enjoy the festive atmosphere. The two of them were very used to silent friends since they spent so much time with Calla and could read what Celtine wanted on her face without too much trouble.


    Emp strode across the crowd, thanking everyone for coming to his marriage. Jenna and Paul the shoemakers were there, Vale the huntress was here with her kids, all his friends, their parents, their cousins and everyone he knew. He had been living here for a long time already so he knew mostly everyone and only a few didn''t come. Vesa''s mother wasn''t here today, but Chase''s parents were, they remained as far as possible from Willow carrying their grandson in her arms. Emp greeted them all the same and thanked them for their presence.


    When he reached Manley, the young man captured him in a short manly hug before he managed to say anything. He was very happy for Emp and threw him a very long string of encouragements and well wishes.


    "If there''s anything I can do to help, just let me know, I owe you for making a huge hole into Willow''s wall."


    "I was very busy lately so I haven''t followed everything that happened in the village, why do you owe me for that hole. I felt it was pretty bad."


    "You don''t get it, because of that hole, I had to go there to repair it and I was able to spend a lot of time with her. In the end, she must have liked my work because she gave me this!"


    He proudly presented some sort of weaved badge tied to the front of his shirt. It was thick from the thread used and represented what Emp felt was two halves of a heart shaped house stitched together.


    "Is it an offering?"


    "You bet It is! She said I must be the best at repairing things and asked me if I could repair her heart too as she gave me that! That''s why I''m not standing with her right now, I''m supposed to stay away until I''ve given her the confirmation."


    "What will it be? What will you give her?"


    "I''m working on a set of cribs for her. It''s the most pressing thing she needs since Shana currently sleeps in an improvised thing. I also wanted to go through it all quicker than by making her something larger."


    Emp understood what he meant. He had felt that Manley could make a house but with the rule of working on it alone, it could take him months and neither of the two had that sort of time.


    "Why a set?"


    "Well, you know, one for Shana and a few for eventual brothers and sisters... If Willow would like some I mean... Anyway, anything you''d like, let me know." Manley hurriedly changed the subject and Emp followed to spare him.


    "Actually, there is indeed something I''d like."


    "Tell me my friend."


    "I know how to work metal but not how to work wood and stone. I need your help because Calla and I will need a house too."


    "That makes a lot of sense, I didn''t even think of that. I guess I''ll need one for Willow too huh? Alright, I''ll help with the others guys I work with."


    "Great, I''ll ask Bor about the spot close to the forge. I''ll be gone a few weeks with Calla and I hope that the house could be well advanced by the time we come back, I''ll pay a whole lot for it to be done quick and I''ll even throw in some free metal work for you if you need anything for Willow and you."


    "Alright, deal."


    They shook hands on that, dealing with him was much easier than dealing with Juniper.


    "We''ll work while you''re away and once you''re back, you''ll pay us and provide us with whatever metal supply we''ll need. I''ll probably need a bunch of nails or hinges for the doors."


    "You might need a few pots and a cauldron too."


    "I''m sure there will be a bunch of things I would have never thought about that will be sorely missed until you give us a few. You know, just to receive these few things will help us a lot to get started I''m sure."


    "You are one of my good friends, of course I will help as much as I can. This is what friends are for isn''t it, help when the others are in trouble and party when the others are feasting."


    "Haha! So right!"


    Manley cheered and raised his mug of cider to that. Emp was more convinced then ever that Galana had been wrong. She had hid her problems from her friends because she didn''t want to trouble them but if they truly were her friends, they would do their best to help her through these hard times because they''d expect her to do the same later. She might not have the ability to help anyone in her current state of helplessness but she would not remain that way forever. Even if there was nothing she could do, her desire to help would be well appreciated anyway. Emp hoped she was alright, it had been a long time now since he last received one of her letters. He decided to send her a new one as soon as possible, in it, he would tell her all about his new conclusions.


    After that, he also spoke to Gilbert about his problem with Eda.


    "Have you found what you want to do yet? Did you manage to have Eda forgive you."


    "No, I just don''t know what I want. I had my mind set on being your mom''s apprentice you know? Now I can''t find anything I feel like doing."


    "I can understand that, I didn''t know what I wanted for the longest time too."


    "What did you do in the end?"


    "I figured out what was the most important thing to me and decided on the path that would make it easiest to accomplish and keep that thing."


    "That makes sense. I''ll think about it some more... Wait, am I supposed to call you brother in law now? That''s kinda weird."


    "Haha! Call me whatever you want, I don''t mind."


    "I''ll call you my lord."


    "Don''t!"


    The two laughed together for a while more and Emp went to the next person.


    Like that, his morning flew by in an instant and a around noon, one of Calla''s sister came to tell everyone that she was ready. The crowd grew exited and everyone started to gather at the feet of the stage. The Champom on the left, Celtine, Harriett, Marcy, the duke and his knights on the right and everyone else wherever they could fit.


    Marcy called out to Emp to remind him of what he should do while Azalea ran off to get her younger sister.


    "Now, ya go up there and place yarself on the front left of the statue, in order to face our way when Calla will come up to yar side."


    "Yes, I remember."


    "Then go!"


    Emp walked up the three steps that led to the stage and moved close to the giant sculpted heart. Everything was exactly as he had left it the previous day, except from the fruits which had disappeared, replaced by a surprising amount of water. There were two possibility, either Love really came to take the fruits and gave them some water instead or some birds stole them and the morning dew was really persistent today. It might really be the second one, or even just simply rain as the sky had been partially covered since yesterday.


    He was in no mood to wonder about this though as he was febrile, eager to see Calla join him in this place. He did like mostly everyone else and kept his eyes at the end of the place. An empty path had been left for Calla and her helpers to move along and beyond it, the girl would soon show up.


    His head felt a bit muddled, he didn''t know what sort of thing to expect and the emotions he currently felt were foreign and overwhelming. He wasn''t sure whether this was a good feeling or a bad one. It was like when he discovered that the rock under him was a woodland horror, except it wasn''t like that at all. He was not afraid of Calla, why was it so nerve-racking then?


    His heart was pounding in his chest relentlessly like a maddened beast, he tried to take a few deep breaths but it was barely working. If even him was like that, he dared not try to imagine how Calla was feeling right now.


    Finally, the girl showed up in the central place, walking towards the open path with her mother holding her arm and her sisters following close behind. All talking ceased and every eyes remained glued on her. She was after all the reason everyone came together today. She froze in her steps for a second but with her mother tugging softly at her arm, she soon started to move again.


    She wore a long dress emphasizing her slender waist. It''s colors where sunny as people believed that a sunny marriage would mean a sunny life. The world apparently agreed with that because the clouds seemed to shrink and give more space for the sun to shine on her as she made her way forward. The dress itself had nothing complicated or extravagant on it, it was simply the best dress Calla owned, it was truly the one that fit her the best.


    Her hair were tied in a slightly more complicated braid than usual, she had two that started on either side of her head and merged into a single one at the back, making it look like a circlet. The way the back braid was made, it seemed extremely loose and made it seem like a voluminous waterfall of swirling water and puffing clouds. The whole thing was ornamented with fresh flowers carefully placed by her sisters to enhance her beauty.


    The most important thing for Emp though was that the short sleeves of her dress let everyone see the cuff he had given her, adorning her arm as if it was a part of her.


    He smiled broadly when he saw her appear, he felt his heart slow down, even though it beat stronger than before. He felt calmer now that she was here.


    It was obvious for everyone to see that the girl was just as nervous as he was a moment ago. She couldn''t stand the looks of everyone so she just stared at her own feet as she walked forward. The only reason she went the right way was because her mother was there to keep her on track. She was tense, her skin rosy and her fingers gripped her dress strongly. Emp could do nothing for her from all the way over there so he merely watched her like the rest, giving her many mental encouragements.


    When they passed her family, all her sisters left her trail and took their place in the crowd. Her mother continued to walk with her up to the steps but had to let her climb on her own. Calla gripped her arm as she climbed two of the three steps but to climb the last, she needed to let go. It was very hard for her because she felt extremely uncomfortable from all the stares upon her.


    She froze halfway up the steps, unable to let go of her safe harbor. The crowd had reactions varying from warm smiles to slight worry for her.


    Emp decided to leave his assigned position to help her. He walked to the top of the stairs and extended a hand towards her.


    "Do you want my hand?"


    Calla latched onto it and was finally able to release her mother who sighed in relief before she joined her husband in the crowd.


    The girl desperately wanted to hide in his arms again but managed to keep control over herself by focusing on his hand wrapped around her own. She also kept her eyes on him hoping that she''d be able to forget about all those stares. This was the last hurdle, the last embarrassing thing she had to do before she could finally relax and... It was wrong, after that, she would still have to deal with all the acquaintances of her unexpectedly highly placed husband.


    She blushed harder thinking of him as husband, in a few minutes, this would indeed be reality.


    Emp led her to the big wooden heart again, taking back his place. Her hand was clammy from the stress but Emp felt she was doing great. He had been afraid she might start crying from the overload of emotion before even getting on stage. Behind her, he could see Marcy at the base of the stage praising him with hand signs for going to get her at the steps.


    Like she had said, the point of this whole thing was to celebrate, only the vows needed to be strictly followed, staying there while she struggled would have been wrong.


    "Everything will go well." He told Calla.


    The goal was to reassure her but at the same time, calming her down made him a lot more relaxed as well.


    From being so close to her, he could smell some flowery scent emanating from her. Usually, she had no particular scent, or maybe something that was a bit like the orchards and the apples in it. Today though, she must have put on some perfume as the flowers were evident.


    "You look like an adorable flower and smell like one too, did you buy some perfume just for today?"


    "Perfume is too expensive." She denied in a weak voice. "Mom kept the royal lilacs that were left after I dyed your shirt and placed them in a jar to make scented water from them."


    So that was what the flowers were for! He should have known, enough to fill a tub, who would need that?


    Bor detached himself from the crowd and walked onto the stage to face the heart sculpture, with Emp and Calla between it and him.


    Him and the duke had a long argument over who should stand there to preside the ceremony. Neither of them had wanted to do it. Bor had been very afraid to mess up the marriage of someone ranking far far above him and believed the Duke was more suited for the task. On the other hand, the duke Jazay couldn''t be bothered.


    "This be not me own territory. I be not the one to be in charge here, I only came to see. Ye be tha one to do it."


    Bor had tried to convince him otherwise for a long time but in the end, he had no choice but to do it himself.


    The ceremony was nothing too complicated. Bor started with a speech asking Love herself to oversee the whole process. He then produced two wooden cups he gave to them. Calla and Emp had to take some water from the bowl with them and feed it to each other.


    Emp went first and very carefully poured a small amount of water into her mouth. This was an awkward thing to do, he was afraid that she would choke on it from having no control over the speed at which the water flowed into her mouth.


    Everything ended well and it was now her turn to do the same. Her hand was shaking and Emp had to bite onto the cup to stop the water from spilling everywhere. Really, not holding the cup himself made it difficult to drink.


    According to Bor''s speech, this was meant to show that the both of them would now care for each other. The sacred liquid, provided by Love herself, was meant to water their heart and let their love for each other grow further and deeper. It was quite similar to what she told him before, it must not have been the same time she compared the love of someone with a growing flower.


    Everything went well with the water part and now was the time to switch places. Emp needed to turn clockwise along with Calla so that they would take the place the other occupied just before. They had been facing their own families but from now on, they would face the family of the other. This was meant to let them see the whole family as they made the vows but Emp felt it was all in reverse.


    If he had been the one making up the traditions, he would have made them stand on the side of their family first and then have them switch to the side of the other''s family to show that they were now part of their family too.


    He wasn''t making the rules though and didn''t complain as he led Calla in the turnaround.


    Emp now had all the Champom in his field of view and saw that every single one of them were crying, even Gilbert! At least none of them were tears of sadness, Emp felt they were all way too emotional.


    Bor continued his speech, addressing Emp directly.


    "Do you swear to the goddess, on your name and honor, that you will uphold the vows you previously took in front of Calla and her relatives?"


    "I do swear it." Emp answered with a palm pressed upon his heart.


    With that, he had completed his part. Since most of the steps of a marriage were taken before the ceremony itself, there weren''t many steps to take before everything was done. This meant that they were already at the worst part, Calla had to take her own vows.


    The words were written on the tablet bellow the heart but it was frowned upon to read it directly instead of remembering them.


    Emp was confident that Calla surely knew what she was supposed to say but he wasn''t sure she would be able to say it all aloud.


    Bor held his speech about Love being witness to this event and the pure feelings shared by the two of them before gesturing that it was now Calla''s turn.


    Emp could see her eyes darting between him and those behind him. She probably felt intimidated by all the knights and the duke watching from his side of the stage.


    He tried to help her again.


    "Calla," He whispered. "None of them matter, just look at me and tell me what you want to say."


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    She stared right into his eyes and took a few deep breath before she tried to say the words. Emp held her hand higher up for the magic item to catch her voice and share it with the audience.


    "I..."


    Her voice spread through the audience and made her wince but right after, she seemed to gain a lot of confidence from his encouraging look and the power of her own voice. The next words kept gaining in assurance and each was clearer than the last.


    "I swear on all that I am,


    to support and trust you in the darkest times,


    to cherish and care for you in the brightest,


    to share bounty and pain with you and any sisters I might have.


    This is my will absolute, my deepest love for you.


    I entrust it to you now and until death takes you or your vows falters.


    May Love hear my sincerity.


    May this stay true for eternity."


    She could hardly believe she had managed to say it all in one go. She felt so much better now that it was done and Emp could see it openly on her face.


    "And now," Bor said with a nod. "A shared kiss for the goddess, for the audience and most of all, for you."


    Emp came to the sudden revelation that he had never kissed Calla before. He felt burning hot from the nervousness and knew Calla was worse. Still, neither hesitated and a kiss was shared for all to see.


    There was a resounding thunder of applause but Emp didn''t hear it. He was drowning in the sensation of his lips meeting hers. Calla was much of the same and believed the only reason she didn''t melt on the spot was because Emp held on to her.


    "With this, the vows are sealed, you are now husband and wife." Bor claimed loudly, raising his arms into the air. "May the gods bestow their blessings upon you and the ancestors favor you."


    Emp knew he was supposed to have the last words so he had to force himself away from her to end the ceremony. Once the kiss was over, Calla nestled herself against his chest and he felt her heart beat against his own. Maybe she could hear it beat loudly for her? He wrapped an arm around her to keep her there and raised the other to end the Ceremony.


    "And now we feast!" He had to shout.


    The rest cheered loudly again and the neatly ordered crowd scattered into a mess of festive individuals.


    With Bor being so close to them, he was the first to offer his congratulations.


    "I am very happy for you two. Especially about how Calla got to marry the guy she wanted after all. I was pretty pissed that you killed Sophus but you do know I think you are better for her than him, right?"


    "I do, I get it. You need to think about the safety of everyone first. Thank you for presiding the ceremony."


    "It is always my pleasure to do that sort of things for the people here."


    Calla and him had to receive the well wishes from so many people after that, it took a long long time to go through all of them. Everyone worked hard and prepared a grand feast for the entire village while they kept the two of them surrounded.


    Calla and Emp had no task other than receiving food and congratulations.


    Now that the hard parts and complicated things were all over, Emp felt great. This must be one of the times in his life he felt the best. He could keep Calla under his arm and she was all too happy to use it to hide herself from the crowd, even if it was mostly ineffective.


    All kinds of curious came to take a look at the bracelet and praise Calla for how loudly and clearly she spoke her vows. She felt very embarrassed about it and kept very close to Emp. The Champom all came in a row to share a handshake and a welcome hug with him while Marcy did the same to Calla, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a word of praise for her great job on the stage.


    Next up, the duke himself came with all the knights in tow. All of them said "We came to pay our respect to the Lady." at the same time and deeply bowed for Calla.


    The crowd cheered in awe at the unexpected show of respect for one of their own. They did not know Emp was a Muracier and didn''t think a group of noble would show so much deference to a simple girl. They were all greatly pleased and felt a lot better about those visiting knights.


    Calla was the most shocked out of everyone. She did know why they did that but she didn''t have a clue on how she was meant to answer that. No one ever did that sort of thing towards her and she didn''t feel like a lady at all. She was afraid to answer the wrong thing and embarrass herself as well as Emp. Her only reaction was to huddle even closer to Emp and hope he would help her somehow.


    "You can all get up now, you will embarrass her if you stay like that for too long." Emp told them with a joyous smile.


    He never understood the appeal of all those extravagant salutation and only felt annoyed when others did that to him but he had to admit that seeing them all show so much respect for Calla made him very happy. The knights and the duke obeyed and stood back up. The old man showed a pleased expression and walked closer to the two newlywed.


    "Calla, let me present you the duke Jorman Jazay of the eastern grove. He has been a great help to me up until now and came all the way here to meet you."


    "If you could tell him: pleased to meet you, it would make his day." He added, whispering in a way that the duke wouldn''t notice.


    "I/ Pleased to meet you." She mumbled shyly into the bracelet so that the old man would hear clearly.


    That gift was more than useful, it was lifesaving! She thought for the tenth time already today.


    The duke answered with a smile and some warm words.


    "No no, it be my pleasure to meet ye lass. I wanted to be tha first to see the lass who conquered this lad with me own eyes. Now that I see, I be believin you be a very elegant lady in the future. I be havin no worry for the lad''s reputation. I be wishin the ancestors watch yer back and cradle your future children tenderly."


    Calla became very red from the comment about the child and the old man burst in laughter as Emp thanked him for his good thoughts.


    "Thank you for your wishes, I, we, really appreciate them."


    He had suddenly remembered what Marcy was telling him earlier about we instead of I and he understood what she meant. He knew Calla was thankful too but she would never say it out loud so it was best to say we instead of I. Or maybe he was interpreting it all wrong again?


    "This one be a shy one, it''s different than the usual. The two brothers both liked more savage women like the angry lookin student and the smith lass over there."


    "Hey! Who are ya calling savage! And I have noting of a lass!"


    "Ye be half me age, ye be a lass still ye vindictive warrioress."


    "I''ll show ya vindictive!"


    Emp dodged the war about to begin between the two and moved along with Calla to present her to Celtine and Harriett.


    The two were standing respectfully on the sideline as they waited to be called for. Harriett being so strict with her conduct, she would likely wait for Emp and Calla to be finished with the food before she went get some for herself. Celtine just followed the example, maybe she felt there was too much meat to her taste.


    As he led Calla to them, they both bowed, Harriett deeply and Celtine with a simple nod in order to keep her fragile balance.


    "Well met mistress! This Harriett and this Celtine are very honored to meet you at last." Harriett declared.


    "Hu... Hi?" Calla didn''t know how to answer those two either.


    She roughly knew who they were because Emp spoke about them a lot just the day before but they were still strangers to her. Strangers who called her mistress of all things!


    "I was very eager for you three to meet already." Emp told them. "Calla, this is Celtine the windcaller on the left and the very loyal Harriett on the right. Both of them are very precious friends to me."


    "Both of us are sealed slaves bound to him as well so you can trust us with anything, we would never betray master."


    Calla bowed to them as well, surprising Harriett and making Celtine smile.


    "Thank you for taking care of him." Calla told them using the bracelet. "He told me he wouldn''t be able to do anything without you. I hope we can be friends too."


    Celtine nodded in answer to her and Harriett said, "Anything you wish mistress. From now on, we are at your service as well."


    "I''m not, I don''t, I... Please help."


    Emp reached out and took the hands of all three girls to gather them all together.


    "I told you two before didn''t I? Calla doesn''t know what to do with servants, she can take care of herself. She would feel bad and embarrassed to ask anything of you two. You two being here to support her is more than enough. I really think she just want to be friend. Help her when she needs it and she will do the same for you."


    Calla nodded to his words as it was pretty much what she wanted to say. Harriett listened to his words but it would obviously be hard for her to treat her less respectfully. She couldn''t even to it with Emp. Celtine on the other hand was very pleased with it, she was the sort to only do things she wanted to do and not blindly obey orders.


    After that, Emp had to order Harriett to get herself some food as he still had a lot of people to talk with and he didn''t want the two to wait for him. There would be a lot more time for the three to better acquaint later when they''d leave for B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    There was a lot more celebrating and feasting that day and Emp''s only regret was that Calla couldn''t prepare the food for her own marriage.


    When evening came, everyone went back home with mischievous smiles and many knowing looks towards the now official couple.


    Fiona came to talk to her daughter again and whispered things in her hear that Emp heard easily and turned Calla redder than ever.


    "Work hard tonight, I want many more grand-kids. Don''t forget to come get your things in a day or two." She said as a form of goodbye.


    They shared a long hug and Fiona left the two to explore their newlywed life together.


    Emp brought Calla to his room both because he didn''t want to let her go and because he was expected to. The night went slowly and gently, it might not have been all that wild but it was sure a first for the both of them. (1)


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Cop-out! I can hear the angry yells from here. I''m sorry I can''t! There''s no way I''m getting into more details than that, use your imagination. I have two reasons. First, It isn''t clear enough that they are legal according to modern laws since I have never properly defined their ages and the Steelwood empire could technically have some 8 years old adult man according to their rules. Second, I''m just bad at that sort of stuff.

 103 Road back to Bêtéclair

    Emp woke up in a different way than usual. He had not been thrown out of bed, Caltine was not biting down on his arm, there were no buckets of water poured down on his head, he just woke up by himself.


    Feeling a subtle weight on his chest, he opened his eyes to see that it was Calla''s naked arm resting over him. That was right, Calla was in the bed with him, she was his wife now.


    He smiled and turned his head towards her, discovering that she was already awake and staring at him.


    "Huh, good morning Calla. Did I sleep for too long? Were you waiting for me?"


    She shook her head on the hard pillow.


    "Hnh, good morning too Emp. I was just looking at your sleeping face. You look very serious while you sleep."


    "Do I?"


    "Hm, I didn''t want to disturb you and I got lost in thoughts."


    Emp turned over to face her, shared a kiss with her and rested his forehead against hers. He didn''t feel like getting up at all but they probably had a lot of things to do today.


    "How are you feeling? Was there something you wanted to do today?"


    "I feel good, a bit sore though."


    "Sorry."


    "It''s fine." She tapped his shoulder kindly. "I think I need to wash the bed-sheets today and I need to go get my things."


    "Do you want my help?"


    "Yes please, there is too much to carry for just me."


    "Alright then."


    Emp was about to fall back asleep but his wife was a hard worker and slipped away from his arms to sit on the bed side. He guessed he had no choice but to get up as well then.


    They didn''t think things through enough last night because now, the girl had no choice but to put back on the same dress she came in with. After that, she started doing her hair and Emp watched through the whole thing, fascinated.


    Feeling his eyes on her as she made up her braid turned her skin red again. Hoping it would feel less embarrassing, she asked him to help instead of just staring at it but it was a big mistake. He held on parts of the braids for her which was fine but every time her fingers brushed against his hand, she couldn''t help but turn red again making him smile tenderly in turn.


    Emp thought it was funny how she reacted this way even now that she was his wife but didn''t make any comments as she was embarrassed enough as it was. He squeezed her in his arms as an apology instead and they finally both walked into the main room.


    As it was the first morning they were together, things got rather awkward at the table. Marcy and the two servants were waiting for them and they all knew exactly what must have happened last night in their room. Marcy was in an especially mischievous mood and kept teasing her daughter in law while Harriett served them water to wash their faces and their breakfast on a plate.


    "What were ya two planning on doing today?" Marcy asked after she was finally satisfied with all her teasing.


    "Calla wanted to wash the bed sheets and then we have to go get her things."


    "Leave the bed sheets to me master. Mistress and master don''t need to concern themselves with those."


    "Thank you Harriett. Could you take care of the shirt too while we''re at it?"


    He had worn that shirt for weeks already, it was in dire need of a good scrubbing.


    "Of course master! It will be as good as new."


    "But..." Calla worried.


    "It''s fine, this is her job after all."


    "Yes, I don''t mind washing anything as long as the stains just came from master and mistress."


    That would probably be the most embarrassing thing Calla would hear all day. She became so hot that they could have used her forehead to cook instead of a pan.


    Marcy snorted loudly, Celtine winced and Harriett apologized hurriedly, getting flustered too as she realized what she just said.


    "Aya! Please forgive me mistress, I didn''t mean to embarrass mistress like this! I only meant to say I was fine doing all the washing in mistress''s stead! I just want to be helpful!"


    Harriett lamented for a while after that about how she messed up on the very first morning.


    In any case, everyone eventually calmed down and the new pair was able to go to the Champom house together.


    Mother and sisters wanted to have a private chat with her right from the start so Emp had to sit down outside with Gilbert as they waited for the girls to be done.


    Obviously they had talked just yesterday so they didn''t have much to tell to each other. After an awkward silence, Gilbert found something to say.


    "Say uhh, Emp. Do you think I''d make a good soldier?"


    "A soldier?" How did he come up with that?


    "Yeah, knights are cool, now that I have a brother who happens to be a big shot, I was thinking... You might be able to help me? I mean, wouldn''t Eda be super impressed by me if I became something more than just a simple guard under Bor? With you behind me, I might make it big."


    "You might make it dead too."


    Gilbert made an annoyed pout.


    "So you think I''m not good enough to be a good soldier."


    "I don''t know Gilbert, a good soldier isn''t the same thing as a living one and it''s not because you''re acquainted with the next great general that you''ll be safer."


    On the spur of the moment, Emp decided to talk about Chijou a little.


    "You know, my... uncle, Chijou. The brother of the current great general. He was leading a lot of people into battle, he was the most important man there for Chinui and yet he died anyway because of some stupid mistake."


    Gilbert made a sour face, he understood what Emp meant but it was still upsetting to hear.


    "You want me to give up..."


    "I haven''t said that either, I have a lot of respect for warriors and I think it would be great to have one of my best friends at my side in some battle. I don''t want you to risk your life just because I''m there too though. You need to be sure you are up for it and prepared for the consequences because once you are there, in the middle of a long row of soldiers, it will be hard to get away if you change your mind.


    On top of that, if you want to be more than a simple soldier, you need way more than just a few sword tricks. I know a guy that is good with a sword, the village where he lived thought he might be able to become a knight so they pooled everything they had to pay for his entrance into the school. That guy works hard every single day to improve and learn what he needs. He had to learn the noble language, listen to hours and hours of teachings about morals, learn about magic and leadership and so on. In the end, he''ll be knighted and he''ll become the pride of his whole village.


    You might be able to make it too but you are starting late, it will be hard and dangerous. If it''s just to impress Eda, I''m not sure its worth it. If you still want to give it a try though, I guess you could start by working for Bor for a while. It''s not that dangerous here but it will still give you a good idea of what it feels like to have that sort of job. I''m sure that after a while, you''ll know if it''s too much for you, if you''re fine with it or if you want more."


    Gilbert nodded with a pensive look.


    "I might do that then. It''s not a bad idea and I''m kinda bad at hunting."


    Emp laughed and the two continued to talk until one of the girls came to tell them Calla was ready to move her things.


    It should have taken a long time to move all her clothes and her things from her room here to his room on the other side of the village but with his ugly bottomless bag, it was very easy for him to just hold on to everything.


    The longest part in fact was to let Calla decide what she wanted to bring with her and what she was leaving behind for her younger sisters. She did not posses a mountain of things but couldn''t help thinking that some of her old clothes could be fixed up a bit so that her smaller sisters could wear them later when they grew up. She had also a few furniture in her room like the bedside table or a wardrobe she didn''t know if she should take or leave there. The bed for example was pointless but the wardrobe might be useful if Emp could make it fit in his room. At the same time, anything she took would be something the next sister to occupy this room would not have.


    "It will be fine, leave all the furniture here for Zora, I''ll buy some new ones as we need them." Emp assured her.


    Speaking of Zora, the little girl was very excited to get her own room. She had rushed in to ask Calla if she could have the room and after she was told to ask their mom instead and that one said yes, she started running around happily. Until now, the two youngest sisters used the same room but since Calla was leaving, they''d all get their own room.


    "Whaa! Not fair! I want my own room too!" Fleur Complained.


    "Silly, if Zora moves out of your room, you''ll be alone in it too." Fiona answered the youngest.


    Emp saw her thinking hard about it before her face bloomed into a big smile and she started cheering with her sister. He couldn''t help but chuckle at the sight. That was just too funny.


    It was only when Calla and him where back at the door that the two small girl finally realized that Calla wouldn''t be in the house with them all the time anymore. They started crying loudly and Calla had to console them for a long time.


    "I''m not going far away, I''m just going to live with Emp over there. You just have to run there to see me. I''ll come back often too."


    After a long hugging festival and another farewell from Fiona asking to come back often, they were back on the way home. They had already told Fiona that they would follow the knights back to B¨ºt¨¦clair for a trip there but since they promised they''d be back soon she didn''t mind it too much.


    Back in Marcy''s house, Harriett and Celtine where done washing everything and they had even cleaned the room for him. He thanked them like he always did and Left Calla with them in order to go ask the duke when he wanted to leave. When he came back with the answer of two days, he saw that Calla was already preparing the next meal with Harriett scrutinizing her work as she tried to understand how her work could be so much better than her own and Celtine sat at the table observing from afar.


    Emp sat at her side and talked with the three of them for a bit, enjoying the rest of his day leisurely with nothing to do but watch Calla work and chat with them.


    Thanks to the animated discussion taking place behind her, Calla felt less out of place than before with the two other girls. She didn''t know them at all but they were so familiar with Emp that it made her feel very... at home. It was the same sort of feeling she had when working with her sisters and mother. She did not have enough confidence yet to open up to them but at least, they felt as if they belonged there, somewhat. A bit like how she expected a neighbour to live next door.


    Since Emp really wanted her to, she''d try to get along with them but it would be hard. She couldn''t understand Celtine because she couldn''t read and needed Emp or Harriett by her side to help her while Harriett felt a bit too eager and it made her feel like escaping and hiding somewhere. Her first impression of them wasn''t bad though, she just wasn''t good with other people. It was even more true for strangers like them.


    In the following few days, Marcy gave Emp all the free time he wanted so that he could take care of everything that he now had to deal with. In the time between the marriage and their departure for B¨ºt¨¦clair, he spoke to Bor about taking a small piece of land next to Marcy''s house for himself, bought it more cheaply than what the precious stones for his confirmation cost him, spoke to the carpenters and Manley about the plans for a house and what he was willing to pay and finally, spent a lot of time with Calla to reassure her about the trip.


    The plans for the house was what took the longest time. He didn''t want anything in particular but he wanted Calla to like it and more importantly, the guys needed to know what they were building so that they could make it properly. He continued to work on that until the morning of their departure. He felt satisfied with all that was talked about and with that, they should be able to work on it without anymore of his input. If a problem occurred, he trusted that Marcy would be able to take care of it for him.


    "Well, I should be going now then. I think you''ll be fine with this."


    "Sure, leave it to us. When you get back, most of it should be done."


    "I trust you Manley. Also, this might be a bit much to ask but will you wait for us before you get married? I''m pretty sure Calla doesn''t want to miss that."


    "Hahaha! Of course, I''m sure Willow won''t mind waiting for you two to be back. I''d be disappointed if you weren''t there."


    "Great, I''ll say that to calla."


    "By the way, why is it that you two are following the knights all the way back to the city again?"


    "There''s just a few persons I want Calla to meet. Plus, we need to get a mage to replace Sophus."


    "Bor asked the guy who killed the mage to find a new one? That sounds odd."


    "I''m the one doing it because I know some people there already and I have money to negotiate. I should be easier for me than anyone else."


    "That makes sense, just come back safe with Calla."


    "Of course." Emp answered with a tone emphasizing that this was obvious.


    Not too long after, he had joined up with the duke, the knights and the girls, everyone was ready to leave. A lot of people came to wave them goodbye, Calla and Emp returned them all with some waves of their hands.


    Calla was extremely worried about leaving but they would not be gone for too long and there would be knights to protect them the whole time.


    Emp divided himself in two and kept the second him on his horse while the first him climbed inside the carriage to accompany Calla, Celtine and Harriett.


    With him sat at her side, Calla was able to stay calm enough to to look at the scenery drifting outside of the carriage and enjoyed watching the changing landscape. She was worried about not seeing her family and friend for a while but she was also convinced that everything would go just fine since Emp was just at her side. The calm made her very curious to see some places she had never laid her eyes on before and throughout the many days of their trip, she asked Emp about a lot of places they passed through.


    By spending so much time all together in the rumbling carriage Emp felt that the three girls got a lot more used to each other. Like he had thought would happen, the two servants lost all fear of his wife being a nuisance for them shortly after they met her. Calla was just too reserved to cause them any trouble and Harriett even started feeling the reverse of what she had first feared and now worried that Calla was too shy to rely on them for anything at all.


    Celtine discovered with interest that Calla didn''t like any form of violence and felt sick at the sight of any sort of wounds. She was as far from the picture of a cruel human as Celtine could possibly imagine.


    Emp told her the story of Celtine in as much details as he knew and she was greatly saddened by the tale she found tragic. She really would have liked to help but there was nothing she could do. She could only cry and offer her her arms.


    She was acting a bit like a member of Celtine''s tribe. They were weak and could only lament upon the bad things happening to them and disappear when danger threatened to overwhelm them. Calla was not really one of her tribe but Celtine recognized their character in her and felt kinship with her, at least more than for any other humans.


    Emp told her about Harriett''s story as well and she was saddened by that one too. She did not offer her arms like for Celtine though because her strange mix of eager liveliness and serious sense of duty was very off-putting to her. She felt too intimidated by her to get close. However, she said into Emp''s hear that what the wife of her father did was too cruel and she would never do such a thing. Emp was happy to relay it to Harriett who was facing them and it greatly helped remove some of the weight pressing on her mind.


    The trip might not have turned the three of them into the best of friends but at least, now they had a better understanding of the character of the others.


    Emp felt a bit dissatisfied of that. It was great that they got along but as all three of them were so precious to him, he would have liked for them to become great friends already. This whole process of acquainting themselves with each other was way too slow for him. He tried so hard to move things along that he might have seemed a bit forceful. When he talked to the two servants, Calla would stay silent and when he spoke to Calla, it was Harriett and Celtine who remained silent. He had a hard time including all three in a single conversation. In the end, he had to resign himself to accept the small progress as they came.


    The days inside the carriage were spent like that and they traveled everyday until their butts hurt from all the bumps in the road. Outside of it, everything was mostly the same as it was on their way to the village. The only real difference was that the duke had transitioned from stories about the brothers to stories about his wives.


    To be perfectly honest, Emp liked the stories about the Muracier brothers way better than the stories about his wives but he didn''t know exactly how to say that to the duke.


    Because of this, he had to listen to him rambling about this fault or that negative trait about a bunch of woman he had never met, hear him reminisce about some good events and sometimes, listen to a surprisingly raunchy story. Emp guessed the old man couldn''t help recalling all those memories from seeing him with Calla.


    At least, the duke seemed to be in a really good mood. With how much he argued with Marcy every day he was there, Emp had thought he would feel a bit annoyed but not at all. In fact, it was the opposite, as they left the village, he only had good things to say about Marcy.


    "The lass hasn''t changed at all! She be the same hardheaded banshee as she be in the past. The troops liked her a lot back then cause she didn''t let anyone step on her feet and just knocked them all out. She didn''t care a bit that they be the great general and his young brother, she yelled at them all the same. She did the very first day they met I be telling ye. She be so angry that time, no lads wanted to argue against her, yer uncle had to go out and deal with her himself. I think it be her character that charmed him. A reliable loyal lass this one be, even if a bit violent. I be happy to see that she was doin fine all this time. Should''ve told her what happened back then but honestly, I be more afraid of the emperor''s bite than the lass''s bark. Seeing her so lively made me feel a lot better, ye be the one to thank for that I be sure."


    Emp was a bit curious to know about why she was so angry the day she met Chijou but he was just swept by the tide of the duke''s stories and lost the occasion to ask about it.


    The only time the duke interrupted his stories was when some sort of giant bear showed up on the road. The thing was almost ten feet tall and had an enormous mushroom growing out of its back, it walked on its hind legs, had a greyish green colored fur, impressive claws and its belly was covered in a crust of fungal armor of some sort. It dominated the whole width of the road and seemed ready to munch on everyone there. Each step it took left deep footprints in the muddy road going through the local swamp.


    Emp felt this monster was most likely way more powerful than the usual creatures one could find in the local woods. This one was a predator, it did not need to rely on surprise or petty tricks, it was confident it could crush the whole group of knights easily. There were only two sorts of monster who would attack a caravan like theirs, the foolish ones and the really strong ones, this one was of the latter.


    Its powerful roar made Emp tense up and the girls in the carriage pale. It was probably not as strong as the unnameable of chaos but he doubted he''d be able to fight against it alone. Emp reached for his weapons but the duke stopped him with a smile.


    "No need to bother yerself with this sprout, let me move it out of the road. All ye lads keep an eye on the Carriage!"


    "Yes my lord!"


    Emp watched with curiosity as the duke jumped off his huge warhorse and walked in the path of the advancing bear, unsheathing his sword but leaving the large shield on the horse.


    The bear swung its huge front paw towards the short frame of the old who met the attack with a sword swing of his own. The result was like what would have happened if a really muscular knight slapped away the hand of a child with all his might. The arm of the bear shot back and almost got dislocated at the shoulder. The only good thing for it was that it didn''t get cut.


    "Aye, ye be a though one." The duke commented, rather unimpressed.


    The bear attacked three times more, two slaps from the right and a hook from the left. The duke countered them all easily, just like the first. The last one he sent back was so violent that the arm of the bear went back to tear a hole in the road behind it, forcing it to turn on itself from the exaggerated pull of its own arm.


    The moment it was forced to look away, the duke jumped on top of its head as easily as one would jump a step and drove his sword downward, straight into it. The creature didn''t see it coming and even though the blade wasn''t sharp enough to cut it properly, the strength behind the attack was such that the skull caved in to let the blade through and the contents of its head where ejected from its mouth in a gruesome way. The creature died instantly. The way the duke pushed himself in the air as he punched his blade into the head of the bear would have been funny if not for the gross result.


    With it''s head destroyed, the bear monster didn''t utter a final cry and just fell down on the road with a loud thump.


    "Huh... This thing be havin a thicker skin than me grandson! I be gettin rusty, t''was harder than expected."


    What did he mean harder!? He killed it in a single strike!


    "Now lads, we should... Wait, ye sprout, that bag o''yers, could ye keep that beasty warm for me in it?"


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    "Sure." Emp agreed even though he was a bit shaken by what he just saw.


    In no time, the corpse was stored in the bag for the duke and the group resumed its travel.


    "This one be weak compared to the guys from the bear tribe and the beasties they brought with them. Those be a lot faster and smarter, the old warriors back then could go toe to toe with even I. We had to corner them ten to one to win. I kinda be missin these old wars."


    Emp was reminded once again that his current strength was far from enough to do anything. If he had been the one fighting the bear, It would have took him a while to take it down. His strength might have been enough but he would have had to hop around it a lot and whittle it down. With a skin like that, his swords would have had a hard time to go through and he still didn''t have a new hammer.


    "Lord Jazay, I feel weak when I watch you beat that sort of thing so easily."


    "Hahahar! Ye still be young lad, ye''ll get better I be tellin ye."


    "I have a great self magic that will make me way stronger but I can''t be relying on it alone. When I see the sword dance of Vanessa Hasting, I can''t help but desire a special technique of my own. Chinui didn''t teach me any but did our house perhaps have some sort of special power? How did we stay on top for so long?"


    The old man took a wondering air, rubbing his chin while he thought about it.


    "Aye, did he not teach ye this? Perhaps he felt ye were not ready yet? Ye do have an old fighting style but there be no one to teach ye if not fer another Muracier. I won''t be callin Graube over to teach ye, this one be eyein the great general''s position for a while. We be better not trustin him. I be believin ye should practice a new self-magic instead."


    "I thought that we could only use a single self magic at a time. I can''t turn off mine."


    "It''s not on in the first place! What ye be havin, from what I see, is an amazing self-magic indeed. Ye be puttin it on and then the effect stays after it''s shut down. I be believin ye should be able to use another on top in a fight with no problem."


    The old man had seen him use the hammer throughout the trip so he knew what he was talking about. This meant something very important, Emp could have made himself a lot stronger since he started following the combat classes just by learning that basic strength or speed self-magic! He was filled with regret and felt rather dumb about how blind he had been. What the old man just said should have been obvious from the start, he couldn''t turn it off because it was only truly active while he was in the process of lifting the overburdening hammer.


    "What sort of self-magic should I learn then? Do you have a suggestion?"


    Even though he felt like an idiot for not noticing, he had to ask. He might learn about something much better than simply augmenting his strength. After all, in that area, he was not really lacking and it would only go up with time thanks to the hammer.


    "Sprout, the greater warriors all come up with their own or use the one of their ancestors. I be thinkin ye should spend more time in the magic class. Only ye be knowin what sort of thing ye be needin to better yerself. Either fix one of yer weakness or add on top of yer best."


    It seemed like it would take a long time to do. He didn''t even know from where to start. Maybe he should learn the basic self magic first, at least it was better than nothing. Then, he would start working on something better, along with all the other things he still needed to improve.


    He really needed to improve though, it seemed that every time he fought, he ended up so injured he had to take a long rest afterwards. It was fine for now but in the future, once he left the school, he believed that he might not have weeks to put himself back up after a fight.


    The old man in front of him reached that level of strength without the hammer or a fancy elixir, he just trained really hard. With all the amazing things he already had, he should be at an advantage yet, he still felt lacking.


    He started to believe that his problem might not be in the amount of things he had but in his understanding of those things. He should not have needed Marcy''s help to win against Sophus, yet, he couldn''t reach him, couldn''t catch up to him, got surprised by a number of his attacks and reacted slowly despite his theoretically far greater reaction speed and agility.


    He might be able to gain a lot from just trying to deepen his understanding of Space''s blessing or practicing some more with what the elixir did to him. He should have done that a long time ago in fact but kept putting if off because there was always something that seemed to be more pressing.


    He would need to fit all that plus his studies on self-magic and ordinary magic in his schedule somehow, along with making the gift for Mable, his forge work with Marcy and his studies for all the other classes.


    Wasn''t there too much? How did ordinary people juggle with all that? There were two of him and he still didn''t know how he''d do all that in a reasonable amount of time.


    After that point in their trip, he spent more time thinking about how to improve than actually paying attention to the old man''s stories.


    They''d travel most of the day and then set up a camp in the evening. He got to share Calla''s cooking with the two girls everyday thanks to the provisions he thought of bringing in his bag and then, he would rest the night in a shared tent with the three of them. Calla and him slept at one end of it and the other two at their opposite. They should have had their own tent but it was bothersome to erect more than one if the first had space enough for all of them.


    It bothered Calla a bit that the other two slept right there but Emp didn''t mind them. The truth was, he wasn''t convinced that Calla would be able to wake him up if something happened and he felt reassured to know that the other two would be close enough to react in case of danger. He didn''t have anything to hide from them either. Finally, because of some noble rules and protocol, he wasn''t allowed to install his own tent, it was a task for the subordinates. This meant that he had to rely on the knights to raise his huge tent as well as their own. He didn''t want to trouble them with yet another one for the two servants just because Calla felt shy.


    The only difficulty with this was that he had to sway Calla every evening with both reasoned thoughts and tender words. He did understand she felt shy sleeping and changing in front of the other two but he felt that while travelling, one should reach a reasonable compromise. It wasn''t like they were all sharing the same bed, they only shared a tent.


    Thankfully, after the tents were packed again and everyone was back in the carriage, Calla was quick to forget her embarrassment until the next evening and could easily enjoy the trip.


    When they got close to the city, the road filled itself with hunters and the many others going in and out of the woods or the few fields close to the walls.


    Calla had never left the village so it was the first time she saw so many people at once. At the gates of the city, there were more people than the entire population of the village, including the guards and the miners who wouldn''t be there for long.


    At first, she wanted to close the shutters to escape the huge crowd of strangers but when she felt Emp holding on to her, she calmed down greatly and was able to drink in the sight of the city instead.


    Like him two years ago, she was very impressed by the walls, the gates themselves and the large statues on either side of it. She pointed out many high towers for him to tell her what they were for.


    The first time Emp had come to the city of B¨ºt¨¦clair, he had been curious about the function of all those towers too but now, he knew enough to confidently answer most of Calla''s questions.


    Because there were so many people living in the city and no one wished to have their house outside of the walls, the architects here started stacking the buildings over one another everywhere. This was why there were so many towers. If a few nobles had accepted to reduce their own courtyards in the inner city, there wouldn''t be nearly as many towers as there were now but from the viewpoint of both Emp and Calla, this was just as well. The towers were very impressive to look at after all.


    Some belonged to a single individual with a lot of funds, some belonged to a commerce wanting to advertise themselves or needing additional space, some were simple houses stacked up to ten of them, with stairs running around the outside. Emp pointed the most interesting ones to Calla, filling her with marvel in front of the unusual shape of some of them or the impressive nature of their occupants.


    Then, they reached the inner city and Calla was wonderfully impressed all over again in front of the large manors of the nobles and the many impressive buildings like the temple of Love, towering in the middle of its huge field of flowers.


    All of it went far beyond what Calla had ever pictured the city to be like. Despite her reluctance to come here, she was glad Emp dragged her all the way to show her this place. The city of towers would never leave her memories and she was filled with warmth as she felt Emp arms keeping her safe through it all.


    The Emp that rode outside asked the Duke to delay their arrival for a moment, while they were out there with all the knights, he wanted to make a stop to Love''s temple. The duke didn''t know why this was important to him but gave the order anyway and the carriage turned towards the field of flowers.

 104 Calla and Love

    Emp''s group soon reached the temple of Love. Emp didn''t know what to expect from this meeting but he had promised Love he would bring his wife here as soon as possible and he didn''t want to upset her.


    Emp merged the two him back into one once the carriage stopped close to the path into the sea of flower. Only those on foot where allowed closer to the temple.


    He took Calla''s hand and helped her off the vehicle. After a moment of hesitation, he told Celtine and Harriett to wait for them here. He didn''t feel like he would need them there to present Calla to Love.


    Calla held on to his arm, sticking as close to him as she could while he walked her down the path. Walking with someone holding on to him like that was very different than just walking side by side. He had to be careful to not make her trip or make too big a step for her to follow, it was way harder. He didn''t want her to stop leaning onto him though because he found it really enjoyable.


    They walked down the path slowly enough for her to admire the many flowers and stare at the waterfalls flowing down the walls of the temple from the garden at its submit.


    She found everything to be wonderful to look at but,


    "What are we doing here?" She asked into his ear, tickling him with her breath.


    "There is someone really important to me here that I want you to meet. You''ll be very surprised when you see her."


    She had to meet someone already?


    Calla tensed up and Emp felt it from his arm.


    He couldn''t really tell her there was nothing scary here since he was about to present an actual Goddess to her. Instead, he chose to tell her how important this was to him.


    "I owe my life to the person you''re about to meet. I call Marcy mom but this person is the one that created me. This is one of the biggest secrets about me. Only Celtine, Harriett, Marcy and two others know about the person you''re about to meet and none of them met her in person. I know you want to know who she is but it''s a surprise, you''ll see once we reach the second floor."


    His words only managed to make her even more nervous. The person she was about to meet was that important to him, the way he said it, it might be his actual mother, a noble lady of high birth no doubt. What if that mysterious person didn''t like her? She was just wearing her ordinary dress and the large sash she tied in a bow. Was it really fine to meet such a person while wearing that? She couldn''t get thrown out, could she? She was already married to Emp, noting really bad could happen.


    ...


    She was safe.


    ...


    ...


    The more she thought about it, the more she felt that all sorts of things could go wrong!


    Emp chuckled seeing how worried she was and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She blushed but it did calm down her beating heart a bit.


    Emp showed her the magnificent interior of the temple but she wasn''t really in the mood to gaze in wonder at the petals covering the floors, the giant pool of messages or the stage holding up the priestesses playing music.


    He led her to the stairs and slowly helped her climb them. Finally, they reached the second floor where everyone was praying in silence. Emp walked forward a bit and showed Calla what to do by placing the hand she wasn''t holding over his heart.


    Calla had been holding on to him with both her arms up to now so she had to release one to do the same. She gazed at the pretty statue of Love and did the praying gesture but she had nothing to pray for, she had already received what she wanted. Instead, she couldn''t help but wonder why they were doing that. Weren''t they here to meet someone?


    "I am the person you are here to meet. You''re doing that so that the others won''t find it awkward and also so that I can see you properly."


    Both the voice that reached her ears through the silent prayer room and the appearance of the one wielding it were mesmerizing. A woman floated in midair right in front of them and her long hair flowed around them like water in a river, refusing to touch the ground.


    She had the body and face of a dreamlike lover, able to steal the heart of any men looking her way with her alluring red dress and fresh-looking skin as pale as a newborn babe. She seemed delicate yet tender and smooth. From her black eyes, Calla felt an amount of care and love so gigantic that it felt literally suffocating.


    More importantly, and impossibly, she was looking exactly like the woman represented on the statue far behind her.


    Calla''s couldn''t make sense of how this woman got there or why she looked exactly like the statue. She felt like her conscious mind was unraveling faster and faster as she looked towards her. Thanks to her old reflexes of shyness, she tore her eyes away from her face and looked at the ground instead. She instantly felt better, only a bit dizzy.


    "Hi mother." Emp said from her side. "We came to see you right away just like you wanted."


    So she was right and the person they came to meet was his mother. Somehow, it made even less sense with what she had just seen.


    "The poor thing is so confused. Hurry darling and do the presentations."


    "Right, well mother, as you probably know already, this is my wife Calla. Calla this is one of my four creators, the goddess Love."


    Calla felt her brain turn empty at that moment. That was simply too much for her to handle.


    Love reached down and wrapped her arms around Calla like a mother would for her child. Love was warm and her arms so pleasant to feel no silk in this world could be softer. She rubbed her cheek against Calla''s face to get a feel for it like a little girl would rub a new doll.


    "My dear first daughter, I couldn''t wait to meet you!"


    Calla didn''t know what to answer. She was just so surprised that nothing would come up in her head that even remotely seemed like an answer.


    "That is fine, that''s perfectly normal to be so surprised. Tell me, how does it feel to be the wife of a demigod?"


    A demigod... If the goddess was Emp''s true mother than... It couldn''t be! She...


    "I''m not really a demigod, am I? You just made me for a bet. I feel a true demigod should be a lot stronger." Emp said to contradict his mother.


    "The power all depends on the progenitor god, I''m not renowned for my great martial abilities I''ll have you know. I only take care of hearts. Plus, you''d be a lot stronger already if not for that stupid bet. You might feel weak but you do fill the description of what a demigod is."


    But then, the goddess Love... She did it with the great General?


    "No silly, of course not. I only stole a bit of his blood." Love laughed.


    Calla didn''t understand how this made sense but there were too many other questions swirling in her head to linger on this one. For example, how did she know what to tell her before even Calla could make sense of her own thoughts?


    "That''s easy, I''m just plucking all the questions directly from the mess that is your head right now."


    Love was very comprehensive and went over everything with her calmly to make her feel at ease. She was also made to understand that everyone around them couldn''t hear or see what was happening between the three of them.


    Calla had expected many things and pictured all sorts of people Emp could want her to meet but she would have never guessed that one of them would be the goddess of love herself. No wonder he absolutely wanted her to come to B¨ºt¨¦clair with him, not coming to see her even though she had asked for it would have been a really bad idea. Because she was a goddess yes, but also because she was after all, his actual mother.


    When she took her vows in front of the big heart sculpture representing Love, she had no idea that this far off, silent, faceless, judge she was asking to bless her marriage was actually the mother of the man she was taking as husband.


    If she had known that, and his name, from where he came and all those other things she learned about him since he gave her his confirmation, she might, no, she definitely would not have ever been able to give him her offering. She would have been way too intimidated by everything around him.


    "But I can tell you are very happy that you did, not because he is a Muracier or because he is a demigod but simply because he was the one you loved. Your vows were very heartfelt, I am always happy to give my blessing on that kind of marriage. You love my darling son dearly, it is obvious to me. You have my approval to be his first wife."


    It was incredible to receive those sorts of words from a Goddess. Calla felt elated as well as overly embarrassed about how she could read so deeply into her heart so easily. However, hearing her feelings told out loud was very embarrassing, at least for her. Luckily, there was only Emp to hear it.


    "It is easy to read inside your heart for me because there doesn''t seem to be any hate or anger in it. It is very pure, you have the sort of heart I am usually looking for in a priestess, sadness can reach you but you are not the sort that would get angry over it. The gentle nature of a flower, no wonder my darling and you were attracted to each-other."


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    Love held Calla''s hand into her own and floated down to place her face close to Calla''s.


    Like this, Calla was forced to look at her again and the feeling of loosing herself came back right away. It was as if she was made out of dust and dirt and she was being washed away by the river.


    "As your mother in law, I have an important task for you. You are the perfect kind of person to do it too."


    What was she about to ask her to do? Calla would do her best but she didn''t know if she really would be the best person to do it. She didn''t have many talents after all. She hoped she would not disappoint her, Love was... Important for her. Had the world around them always been so purple?


    Love seemed to notice that something was wrong with Calla because she used her wonderful fingers to force Calla''s eyes closed, freeing her from her fascination.


    "Don''t worry," She said without mentioning anything about her quickly recovering condition. "I''m sure I won''t be disappointed. I only need you to continue to help those around you, spread your love to those who need it and help Emperor do the same. Only you can truly assist him in his wish to help everyone he knows because only a heart like yours can truly see what will benefit everyone instead of only yourself."


    Her mind felt a lot clearer now that her eyes had been closed but she still doubted herself. What had just happened to her? Why wasn''t Love saying anything about it? In the end, She could only give up searching for an answer and just turned her thoughts back to the discussion at hand.


    Would she truly be able to help? Calla didn''t feel all that confident in herself but she would do her best. It couldn''t be that hard to help those around her... except she didn''t know how to help aside from comforting them with a good meal.


    "I''m sure you will be fine. Emperor is there to help out too if you think you aren''t enough. Speaking of him, you know he intends to take more than just you as wife right? How do you feel about this? Do you want to talk to me about it?"


    "I thought you said you wouldn''t help." Emp said with a puzzled voice.


    "I can''t help you but I can help my daughter in law, no? Tell me how you really feel about this, I am the perfect person to ask for this sort of things."


    Calla didn''t exactly know yet how she felt about this. Her mother was the only wife of her father so she didn''t know how it felt to have more than one mother or if it was awkward to gain a few sisters by marriage. She really meant her vows though and if she did gain a few sisters, she would do her best to get along with them.


    Her two oldest blood sisters married the same man and seemed to be really happy about it so it must not be so bad to have sisters. She wondered if it would feel the same as having true sisters and at the same time, she was very afraid it would be totally different from what she knew.


    Emp had been very vocal to her about everyone he knew since he had become her husband so she knew he at least intended to marry a girl she would meet soon here in B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    Calla didn''t know what to expect from her. She was afraid they might dislike each other or just don''t get along together. She didn''t want to disappoint Emp but what if the Mable he talked about turned out to be detestable, or overbearing? What if she tried to take all the space and pushed Calla in a corner to be forgotten? She had not met her yet but she was deeply worried about this.


    She was also scared that she would look weak and... ordinary. She had been mostly fine with Harriett and Celtine but the next one was a true noble and Calla just had the dress her mother made. She didn''t know how to read and didn''t know how to talk to nobles or how to act with them. All of this together with how she usually froze in front of strangers, she expected to ridicule herself when they''d be presented.


    She had nothing against the concept of sisters by marriage but she didn''t want to gain sisters she would dislike and adding some she knew nothing about was a very scary idea for her. There was a big difference between having a new friend and gaining a sister after all. They''d share a house, a life and even Emp. That last part might be the scariest, what if Emp didn''t like her as much after the new girl was added into their family?


    She didn''t know how to say any of that in words but her mother in law could conveniently read all of it directly from her head.


    "All of those are very normal fears to have. I cannot make everything perfect or give you courage but I can alleviate some of those fears. First of all, as the son of love, he will never love you less unless you do something so atrocious that it break his heart. He will only love you more as time goes on, I promise."


    Emp didn''t say anything since he didn''t know what Calla had been thinking about or if what Love said was accurate or not. He didn''t see how he could possibly love Calla more than he already did.


    "As for whether all his wives will get along or not, I can''t say. What you need to remember is that when something isn''t to your licking, to need to tell him. Do not keep it all to yourself, it will only make things worse. He loves you and wants your happiness, you swore to share your worries with him so do it, it will only make him happier to know you trust him to help if things aren''t going well. Also, do not be ashamed of yourself, you are the first wife of my darling son, he loves you like you are, he doesn''t care if other nobles are impressed by you or not. If someone dislike you for such petty reasons, it will only make them less important in his eyes. Finally, do not be afraid to be silenced by any other women, my darling gave you the perfect tool to protect your place, do not be afraid to use it, it will fill him with pride, I know."


    Emp didn''t know what this was all about but Calla seemed to like Love''s words a lot. He felt sort of out of place in this discussion. Maybe he shouldn''t have been there at all.


    Love got closer to Calla and spoke some words in her hears that Emp had no way to hear.


    "From now on, you are the guardian of my son''s heart, keep it safe, watch over it so it doesn''t make any mistake. He is your territory now, defend it if you have to, invite only those you trust in it. Happiness is a precious thing, do not waste it on someone who doesn''t deserve it. This is the true mission I wanted to give you."


    Calla wasn''t good at imposing herself or protecting things.


    "But I trust you with it anyway." The voice of the goddess resounded directly in her head. "Not because you are his wife but because you truly love him. Someone like you will not allow those she love to grow misshapen. I know you can do it. I do not need my powers to make you do it. This isn''t an order from a goddess or a threat towards you, this is a heartfelt request from a mother. Keep his heart safe for me please."


    Calla would do all her best for it. Love was right after all, she loved her husband dearly, she had to help him as best as she could. She would never fight and didn''t know how to do much more than housework and taking care of a garden but if it was only understanding the feelings of others, she should be able to do it. All she had to do was tell him if something was wrong and when someone didn''t feel right and everything would fine.


    Love approved in her head and turned back to Emp.


    "Darling I like her, she''s cute."


    "I''m glad you like her." Emp answered to her sudden declaration.


    "A heart like hers needs to be cherished. Don''t make things difficult for her and listen to what your wife says."


    Emp usually did listen to what she said, there was so little of it that if he didn''t listen, he might miss something really important.


    "Not literally! I''m saying you have to do as she tells you to. Be a good husband to her and do as you''re told. I know she will do the same because she''s already such a good wife."


    What was this? Was he getting scolded for something that didn''t even happen? Of course he''d do his best to please her! The only reason he would have to not do something she asked of him would be if she asked something outrageous but she wasn''t the sort of person who would do such a thing. At least he didn''t think so. He also had to convince her to come here but Love herself was one of those that wanted him to do it. It was unfair to blame him for that.


    Love chuckled and left a kiss on his forehead.


    "Look at him getting all upset over this. What a good son. Of course I know you''ll do just fine."


    After that, she decided to give them a few tips for living together harmoniously. She was the goddess of love after all, she had seen countless couples over time. With everything frozen around them it didn''t really matter how much time she took to tell them all she wanted.


    Emp and Calla did their best to follow the talk and keep what she was saying in mind but there were so many things and so many of them seemed ridiculous. Maybe they didn''t get it because they had been married for such a short time?


    When Love felt they had heard enough, she sent them away with a joyous smile. Her last words were to praise Calla again for her courage as she went through the traditions and how she liked the way she said her vows.


    The world regained its colors and everyone around them started moving once more. Calla wobbled from the strange sensation the sudden return to motion gave her but thankfully, Emp was there to hold her up.


    Calla felt a lot calmer as they left the temple, admiring all the things she was too worried to care about before. She had been welcomed warmly by an actual goddess and praised by her too! Not only that but she was the mother of Emp!


    She felt that whoever she met next, it would never be as stressful as meeting Love herself. This thought filled her with confidence. She might loose it again right away when she came across another person but at least for now, she felt very good.


    "You seem happy." Emp told her. "What do you think about her?"


    Calla got on her tiptoes to tell him.


    "She seems to love you a lot."


    "Really?"


    Emp had never really felt that.


    "She does, probably way more than Marcy. I thought gods would be distant and scary but your mom seems kind, at least towards you. I liked how she could read my mind too, it made it easier for me to hold a conversation with her."


    Emp was a bit surprised by her evaluation of Love. Calla seemed certain that Love thought of him as someone very important. Even though she had said she loved him many times, somehow, he had never fully believed it, after all, how could he be sure she wasn''t just manipulating him for the bet? If even Calla said so however, it might really be the case.


    Emp was also surprised at how she loved to have her mind read. He believed that mostly anyone else would find that annoying and frustrating but apparently not Calla. She saw convenience and relief where most would have seen an invasive act and feared she might uncover all of their secrets and dark thoughts.


    Emp had never been bothered by it because he didn''t intend to hide anything from his four creators but Calla wasn''t the same. Calla possibly never had any secrets or dark thoughts to begin with, she would only feel the usual embarrassment that came with someone looking her way.


    "You weren''t scared at all by her?"


    "I was, I do not mean it in a bad way but she is the most scary thing I ever saw." Calla admitted. "Every time I looked into her eyes, I felt I would loose my sense of self and turn into goo. It is silly, is it not?"


    "No no it''s not." Emp answered her with laughing smile.


    On the inside however, he was wondering if could really be dangerous to stare for to long into her eyes. The gods weren''t following any sort of mortal logic after all. He didn''t notice anything but maybe it was just because he was partly made from her. For all he knew, maybe a normal man could die simply for looking at a god for a while.


    "Her eyes where a lot like yours." Calla continued.


    "How so? We do not have the same eye color at all."


    "Not from far away, it''s true. Yours are hazel and hers are a scary pure black but if I look from really close, I can see the same purple reflection hidden behind the surface color."


    "Is that true? I never noticed there was purple in my eyes."


    If someone else had told him this, he might have believed it was a lie.


    "It''s because no one looked from close enough to see it."


    Hearing her say that, he grew curious about her own eyes and turned his head around to take a look at them. Calla had clear green eyes but from so close, he could see that the green he always saw was actually an amalgam of very tiny filaments of color. The closer he looked the more details he could make out into her irises.


    How come he had never noticed? He usually looked at the whole of her instead of focusing on a tiny part like this. Maybe his own eyes did hide some purple.


    He wondered how many more captivating small details like this he had not seen of her yet. This required a proper investigation. In the meantime however, he needed to tell her what he just discovered about her own eyes.


    "Yours are gorgeous, they''re like a vast field of tiny blades of grass of so many colors I can''t count them. I could stare at them all day and I still wouldn''t be sure to have seen all the wonders they hide."


    She answered him with a sweet smile and a kiss which he shared for a moment before they joined up with all the others waiting for them. He helped her up inside the carriage again and split in two once more.


    The one who climbed back onto the horse joined back with the duke and the signal to leave was swiftly given.


    "Did ye get what ye came for?"


    "I did, thank you. We can go back to school now."

 105 Meeting Mable

    The caravan finally arrived in the entrance of the school after weeks of travel to and back from Dark-Glint.


    Calla was very impressed by the size of the building. She guessed that such a huge stone construction could house everyone from the village and it would not be surprising.


    This place was far from the prettiest she had seen on their way through the city but it was still impressive by its size, its height and the amount of things Emp had to say about it. It was the place he knew best of the whole city after all. The Carriage was stopped close to the entrance hall and everyone got out to stand by the gate.


    The duke rode closer to them as the other Emp got down from his horse.


    "We had a great trip but now we be here. Me lady, I be happy to welcome ye in this school of mine. I hope ye be havin a pleasant stay."


    Calla nodded as an answer, not knowing the right way to end such a conversation.


    "Thank you duke Jazay for going along with me." Emp said.


    "It be my duty and fun too."


    The duke answered with a jovial tone as he led his guys and the rest of the caravan towards the stables.


    This only left a merged Emp, the two servants and Calla in front of the main door. From there, Emp would have no problem guiding Calla anywhere. He picked up Celtine and placed her on his shoulders like he usually did, grabbed Calla''s hand and stepped into the school.


    Calla held his hand against her, she would have cuddled against him but Celtine was now in the way. She thought it was somewhat cute because it looked like he was carrying a child on his shoulders but she didn''t feel great about it. She felt that Celtine was in the way even though she knew Emp only carried her because of her handicap.


    Celtine thought along those lines as well. She felt bad that a guy would carry her on his shoulder right in front of his wife. She wanted to get back down but if she did, it would take her a really long time to climb the stairs toward his room. She would have apologized to Calla but she had no way of talking to her.


    Emp walked to the front desk with the three of them and Wren Esther welcomed them warmly.


    "Welcome back! Did you have an enjoyable trip?"


    "Yes, I had a lot of fun, thank you."


    She looked towards the door somewhere behind him.


    "Is the duke back as well?"


    "He is, he''s taking care of the horses."


    "Good." She commented wit ha nod. "I''m sure your classmates will be happy to see you back. Some of them have been coming to ask me everyday if you were back yet."


    "Really? It was Mable, wasn''t it?"


    He had told everyone it would take a few weeks but it would be just like Mable to send someone down here everyday to know if he was back yet.


    "It was." Wren confirmed "She seemed very impatient to see you return."


    "I''ll go see her soon then. May I have the schedule of the next few days?"


    "Yes, here they are." The receptionist fetched a few parchments from a bookshelves behind her and Harriett grabbed them for him.


    "By the way, may I ask who this young lady is?"


    Calla would not present herself because of her usual shyness so Emp did it for her.


    "Her name is Calla, she is my wife since a bit more than a weeks ago."


    "Oh! All my blessings and well wishes to you both then! Congratulation on your marriage."


    "Thank you. She''ll stay here for a few days."


    "I understand, may you have a pleasant stay in the imperial school." She told Calla wit ha a deep bow of welcome. The woman was one of the rare few that knew of his true name after all, she couldn''t show any disrespect.


    His wife nodded and he led her away towards his own room.


    That room had nothing impressive to it so It did not take him long to give her a tour. There was his main room with a few souvenirs from his short adventures, the girls room, the empty room he used for physical exercises when he didn''t want to walk all the way outside and the bedroom he''d share with Calla for the time she''d be here.


    There was a bit of dust that had accumulated everywhere while they were gone and Celtine wasted no time before she started dusting everything and shaking the curtains and the bed sheets.


    Harriett would have helped but Emp sent her on a quest to go announce his return to Mable. He didn''t know if she''d want to meet Calla today, tomorrow or even later but he needed to let her know they were ready anyway. Well, maybe Calla wasn''t as ready as he was, she seemed more nervous than anything. The best way to put it would be to say that she''d never be ready so it was pointless to wait.


    Harriett came back not too long after to inform him that Mable wished to come visit him later today with Aglaya and went away again to relay the positive answer from Emp. Only after all of this was done did she begin helping Celtine and started a small fire to heat water for the tea.


    The two girls were really happy to be back home, or at least, in known territory. They did their best to make the place presentable as soon as humanly possible and even made the extra effort of preparing a bath for Emp and Calla. In Harriett''s opinion, they should wash away the smell of the road before they met another noble lady.


    Emp believed it was a good idea and let her do it even though filling up a tub from here was rather complicated. He saw her make many trips downstairs with buckets in order to fill the tub and he felt bad for not helping her. Calla felt the same and wanted to give up on the bath entirely but Harriett didn''t want to give up and after a while, they had a wooden tub half filled with lukewarm water in the bedroom.


    The tub was too small to let them both bathe at once but they gained some time by helping wash each other''s back as they bathed in turn. It would have been even faster if Harriett and Celtine had helped but Emp had never let them do so before. He was perfectly able to wash his own back and the rest of him by himself after all. Calla was the same but more importantly, she would be too shy to let anyone see her naked. Even her own husband was at the very limit of what she could handle without freezing in place, and only because he had seen her body a few times already. On the other hand, she had fun helping him bathe even though she was almost as embarrassed seeing him naked as she was of the reverse.


    Once they had been cleaned of the road''s dirt and the smell of horses, the girls brought them each a set of clean clothes, some of Emp''s usual noble clothing and Calla''s ordinary dress. Emp wondered if Calla would have liked to be presented to the others in a noble dress rather than her usual clothes but having some made for her would take a long time. It would be impossible to find her something today even if he rushed and tried his best.


    Calla wanted to help the two girls with the dusting and felt like she should think about what they''d eat later but Emp pulled her close to him.


    "Let Harriett work, she''s very proud of it."


    Instead, they sat side by side at the table, setting the chairs against each other, and took the teacups offered by Harriett. The tea was warm and appeasing, Calla enjoyed her time with him by resting her head on his shoulder and looking at the small fire in the fireplace.


    The bath, even though it was swift and simple, lifted up their spirit, there weren''t many things better than sitting down at home after a long trip, all cleaned and warmed.


    "Don''t forget to wash yourselves as well." Emp told the two faithful servants.


    "If you wish so master."


    "I do, you''ll feel much better later when you go to sleep."


    Harriett nodded in a mix of agreement and disappointment as she would be the one who would have to empty and then fill the bath again for herself and Celtine. There was no point in washing yourself in dirty water after all.


    They passed time for a while, talking about what Calla thought of his place and simply sipping their tea in a comfortable silence in turns. She didn''t have much to say about his room, her conclusions were rather similar to those of Mable. The colors, object and furniture were very like him now but as a whole, it all seemed disjointed for her. It was a bit as if he placed things here just so that it wouldn''t be empty. Only the crystal containing Chijou''s soul, the old suit of armor and the broken hammer didn''t seem out of place for her.


    Time flowed forward slowly as they didn''t do much at all but both of them enjoyed those sort of calm moments. Either of them could spend hours like that doing nothing else than watching the fire burn out and feeling the other at their side.


    Emp was conscious he had other things to do but he had traveled for weeks and rode on horseback for a long time. He felt he deserved to take a break. Calla too felt that she should probably start working on their next meal but she was enjoying the moment and didn''t feel like getting back up at all. All that road and her encounter with Love had been very tiring for her too. Emp felt that maybe it was the reason why she wasn''t so scared to meet with Mable today, she was just too tired to worry about this.


    At some point in the evening, someone knocked on the door. Emp didn''t need to have Harriett go take a look to know it was probably Mable. He told her to open the door and let them inside. Only then did Calla starts to worry for real and put down her tea to hold his arm firmly instead. She had enjoyed her peaceful time with him but now, she had to face this new hardship. Someone else might think that hardship was a strong word for simply meeting someone new but for her, it wasn''t an exaggeration in the least.


    As Emp had expected, Mable stepped inside with Aglaya in tow. She could have brought many more people with her but it seemed she didn''t trust any of them as much as Aglaya for this, not even Nessa. For her, it was important to know everything and make up her mind before the others met Calla. In simple terms, Mable needed to know what was the tune she was singing before the music started. Out of everyone in school, Aglaya was the only one she trusted fully, she could only rely on her and her talent at understanding people''s intentions to know for sure what was Calla really like.


    Mable had a nervous air but looked determined to know the truth of it all. She had the face of someone about to charge into a battlefield. With her luxurious hair, her fanciful clothing fitting her perfectly and made of the best textiles there were along with her friend just as well dressed, Calla felt she had been defeated immediately.


    She was just an ordinary girl, she didn''t have perfumes bought with golden crowns, precious jewelry reflecting light like stars, clothes tailored by grand experts for them only or even simply that way of walking that gave them such a presence.


    Both girls that made their way in the room where extremely pretty, princesses facing the simple her. Calla wasn''t sure yet which one was Mable but she felt that either of them where far above her in beauty and grace.


    She kept the words of Love in mind but she had a hard time keeping herself together. She felt as if her mere presence was like a stain in front of them, she dearly wanted to disappear. Worse, she was the object of their focus, the moment they saw her, their eyes latched onto her and would not let go. She felt so intimidated in fact that she ended up closing her own eyes.


    "I am Calla Muracier." She kept repeating in her head. Emp had told her before, she had no reason to be afraid of anyone here and she probably had a higher standing now than any of the students. They weren''t even as impressive as Love! She had met an actual goddess earlier in the day, why were those two so much more intimidating to her? Was it because they lacked that overwhelming feeling of love?


    She had qualified Love as the scariest thing she had ever seen but the two girls in front of them felt more real somehow, they were right there in front of her, might not be friendly and could not read her mind which would force her to speak. She had to welcome them inside somehow didn''t she? She forgot to ask Emp if she needed to do anything special.


    Was she supposed to give them a bow? Or use specific words? Maybe she wasn''t supposed to do anything since she was the new lady Muracier. Was she just supposed to look at them from above? She couldn''t do that, it would be way too hard and embarrassing! Plus, they didn''t know her husband was a Muracier so they might think they were far above her and think she was arrogant instead.


    Since they were Emps friends, maybe she was worrying about nothing at all and she was just supposed to greet them like a normal person would another. Except she usually never did that either.


    While all those things rushed through Calla''s head, Emp greeted his two friends like normal.


    "Mable, Aglaya, come sit with us. I''m happy to see you two again."


    Mable stepped towards a chair but Aglaya stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.


    "We''re happy to see you again too but should you not do the presentations first?"


    Emp didn''t get why it had to be done while they were still standing there but he made the presentations anyway.


    "Mable, Aglaya, this is my wife Calla." He looked towards her as he presented her and saw that she had her eyes tightly closed and her face buried in his shoulder.


    That could be problematic for presentations.


    "Hi..." Mable said with a raised brow.


    "A pleasure." Aglaya said.


    How should he make Calla move? Mable and Aglaya might be disappointed if she didn''t greet them at all. He tried to speak close to her ears.


    "Calla, what are you getting scared for? Those two are really fun people and good friends of mine. I''m right here with you, nothing bad will happen. I asked them to give you chance and they came here to meet you. It would be a shame to do all this road in not even greet them, wouldn''t it?"


    He saw he twitch but it wasn''t enough to really make her move.


    The two standing girls were trying to figure out what were Calla''s thoughts. Harriett told them her new mistress was really shy but this was exaggerated, wasn''t it? Was it a comedy to wrap Emp and the girls around her fingers? Was she just mocking them maybe? Was it a taunt instead? Something like: look at how close I am to him already.


    "Would it be easier if I told you what to say?" Emp asked her.


    Is efforts were rewarded with a sort of weak nod.


    "You''ll have to look though, I promise they aren''t as scary as my mother."


    Emp felt like he was talking to a small child which was sort of funny. He thought her behavior was endearing but he had no way of knowing how the other two would take it. Hopefully, it would turn out well.


    Calla opened her eyes again and looked towards the two visitors. The way they observed her with a mix of confusion and curiosity made nothing to reassure her but with the close proximity of Emp and his encouraging words, she kept her eyes on them.


    Emp repositioned her and his arms in order to hug her and hold on to her hands to bring the bracelet closer to her face. Calla let him do as he wanted, both because she trusted him and because she understood what he was doing.


    Mable gave an annoyed frown to this display of affection but kept her calm and remained silent.


    "The tall elegant one is Aglaya Pierail. You can simply say it''s a pleasure to meet her if you want."


    Calla lifted her eyes up to hers and almost looked away again when she saw the serious in them. She seemed to have the same sort of eyes as Eda, the serious and responsible one in her group of friends. She was a hard person to face.


    "Sorry, It is a pleasure to meet you."


    Emp nodded in approval when he heard her voice clearly, and presented Mable after Aglaya gave a nod.


    "Great, next, the pretty one with a lot of hair is Mable. You can greet her he same way."


    Calla looked at the other girl properly. This one was harder to greet because she was the one Emp said loved him. She was a rival of sorts, or a sister if everything went the way Emp wanted it to go. With how shaky the girl seemed, maybe it was more of the first. She seemed furious at a glance but for Calla, she seemed ten times more sad. Her eyes kept going from Emp''s arms wrapped around her to the cuff he gave her and back to her face.


    Calla really didn''t want to make a bad impression but simply greeting her didn''t feel like enough. She needed to convey more than just that. That she was a noble didn''t matter anymore, she was only a troubled person and Calla had the power to help, if only she could say some words.


    For Emp, she needed to do her best now. She needed all the strength she could get. She took a short but deep breath and keeping the presence of Emp and the words of Love in the foreground of her mind, she spoke her thoughts to Mable. The words were slow and sometimes trembling and there were long pauses between each sentences but she kept talking and went through everything without hiding behind Emp.


    "I... am glad you are here. Emp talked about you a lot since the other day, he was very eager to see you again. I am not sure how I should feel about you but I know you must be thinking the same thing. I wish to befriend you because I know Emp cares a lot about you. I am... bad with people and I never really talked to nobles before. I''m sorry if I said something wrong. Would you please sit with us?"


    Emp was very impressed by her long speech and rubbed her arm in praise.


    To Mable, her words seemed heartfelt but she didn''t trust herself for that kind of thing. She looked at Aglaya behind her for advice and she was pointed to one of the chairs in answer.


    Once she had sat down at the table facing Emp and his wife, Harriett came from the side and gave a warm cup of tea to both Aglaya and her. Mable really didn''t know what to do about her yet so she could only stare awkwardly from her seat.


    From her point of view, Calla looked like a young mother, the sort of person the nobles would hire to take care of their many kids while they did some other things. From her look alone, she was absolutely ordinary, there was nothing special about her. If she had been an extreme beauty, Mable would have understood easily why Emp loved her but she wasn''t. Not to say that she was ugly, such a descriptor couldn''t be applied to the girl in front of her but she wasn''t eye catching like many of the students here.


    The only two things easily noticeable on her were the ring and the bracelet she wore. Both were resplendent and kinda seemed out of place on her. The ring was obviously one like her own, the one Emp gave her. The bracelet had a lot of pale pink and purple and despite a rough craftsmanship had a lot of charm, it was undoubtedly the confirmation gift he had made for her.


    If it wasn''t her look than what was it? What did Emp see in her? She badly needed to understand. She needed to know more about her, determine what were her true intentions and find out if... if she had any right to be there.


    To do that, she needed to make her talk. She didn''t know what sort of question to ask her though. She had wanted to meet this woman for a long time but now that she was sat right in front of her, she didn''t know what to say at all.


    She had pictured herself getting in the room like an imperial interrogator in front of a defenseless but perfidious prisoner, throwing shocking questions with determination until the truth came out. But here she was now, staring in silence, unable to say anything, unable to remember any of her questions. All she could see was the shocking scene of that girl in the arms of the man she liked.


    She changed her mind, she wanted to leave, she had lost already, this was obvious. This whole things was just a huge embarrassment. She tried to get back up but Aglaya held her in place from under the table.


    She scowled at the traitor who first gave her a disapproving look before clenching her fist as some sort of encouragement or signal.


    There were no signal to be had here though! What could she possibly do now? This was way too late!


    Aglaya rolled her eyes and sighed, turning back towards the new girl to initiate the conversation herself.


    "I do not mean it as a criticism but since we are speaking in the common tongue, can I assume you do not speak the noble one?"


    Calla nodded while Emp voiced her answer.


    "You''re right, she doesn''t speak the noble tongue. She hardly speak at all in fact, it takes a huge toll on her to speak to her neighbors already so meeting new people like today is really hard on her."


    "Really? So you are a bit like Rica then? If she can help it, she doesn''t speak to anyone but Frits."


    Aglaya kept addressing herself to Calla directly, either to stay polite or to pressure her, Mable didn''t know.


    Calla didn''t really know who Rica was so she had to turn towards Emp.


    "Similar yes. She''s both meek and shy."


    "But, I don''t get it. If she''s so shy that she can''t talk to her neighbors, how did she manage to give you an offering so fast? We had only just heard of her existence and the next thing we knew, you were engaged."


    A loophole in the story! Mable got a bit more vigorous from this. That was right, if the attitude she showed them since earlier was the one she had with everyone, how did she get so close to Emp? This had to be some sort of act to charm him!


    She was cheating somehow, Mable had to prove it!


    "She was great that day, she managed to do it even though she was so nervous she had to be dragged by all her friends and her sisters."


    "Really? But what gave you the courage to start this whole thing in the first place?" Aglaya looked towards Calla with curiosity, Mable did the same with a bit less friendliness.


    Calla answered as best as she could. She talked about why she started liking Emp in the first place, how she felt braver and more safe around him and how she had tried to tell him about her feelings many times.


    "I even made heart stew for him only and I personally fed it to him but he didn''t get it."


    "I know, Emp never gets any hints and we have to tell him straight! I can get so frustrated because of that!" Mable complained.


    She was looking for something to catch Calla red handed but at least on that, she fully agreed and nodded decisively.


    Emp wasn''t bothered by it all and let them continue.


    "How did it turn into an offering then if you couldn''t even tell him about your feelings?" Aglaya pressed.


    "My mother told me to do it. She knew how I felt and she was afraid that with someone like him, someone else in the village would get ahead of me if I didn''t move fast enough. She knew that if I wasn''t first, I would never work up the courage to say anything for the rest of my life. We felt giving him that offering was the only way to make him understand how I felt. Then, I used the new year to wish that he''d say yes and everyone helped me to do it."


    "But weren''t you scared about him being a noble?"


    "She didn''t know I was a noble." Intervened Emp. "I had not told anyone in the village who I was, they all believed I was the apprentice of the smith. She didn''t know about the school here or Mable or anything I did in B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "He didn''t say anything about me?" Mable seemed rather upset about this, it was the same thing she had been upset about before the new year.


    "No, not before the confirmation. I was scared she might pull back if she knew any of that."


    "That''s the reason you had for not saying anything?" Aglaya was shocked. "You''re telling us she got engaged to a noble without knowing!?"


    Both Emp and Calla nodded. Mable just stared with her mouth wide open.


    "Emp! It''s not fine to do that sort of thing! You can''t hide half of your life to someone like that even though you are about to get married!"


    "But that''s what my mother told me to do." Both of them did in fact.


    "Aren''t you angry about all the things he hid from you?" Mable asked Calla.


    The girl shook her head and expressed her own viewpoint.


    "Why would I be angry? He was right, if I had known, I would have been too scared to give him an offering and both of us would have regretted it. When my parents learned who he really was, they were really happy for me as well. At first I was shocked and scared but now I know that Emp is just Emp, whatever his... our last name is. The Emp I knew wasn''t a lie, he just kept the stressful parts away from me to keep me calm. He had good intentions and it didn''t harm me in any way, I have no reason to be angry."


    The two noble girls leaned back on their chairs. They took some time to take in what they had just learned and what Calla said.


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    It made Mable feel a bit guilty about getting so angry. Emp had kept hidden way more things to Calla than he had to her and she wasn''t disturbed at all. She felt they should both be angry but since Calla wasn''t at all, maybe she had overreacted? It felt a bit awkward. She didn''t really feel like she was wrong though, Emp didn''t play fair this time and he should be scolded.


    She turned towards Aglaya for some sort of answer. After the emotion passed, Aglaya showed a half smile to her friend.


    "I think I''m starting to understand what sort of person she is."


    That wasn''t the sentence Mable was expecting but it was the one she had been waiting for. She urged her friend to tell her what she thought about this girl, not caring that they were right in front of her to ask.


    "What do you think? What is she?"


    "Not dangerous, she doesn''t seem to be the kind to plot in the dark either. I don''t think she tricked him or stole him from you on purpose, she didn''t seduce him for his position either since she didn''t know. I need more time to be sure but for now, I believe Emp fell in love with her because she is the sort that needs to be protected all the time. Emp is a very protective guy after all, this is why he makes a great lord protector. That girl fell for the most interesting man she knew and he was happy to provide her what she needed which to me appears to be security and peace. Even now, she''s using his strength to speak, without him she''d never be able to say anything to us."


    Calla nodded at everything that was said, believing it was very accurate. Emp on the other hand thought that it wasn''t fair to gather all his feelings for Calla into something so simple as wanting to protect her. He did of course but it was like describing a dog by simply saying it had dark brown fur. There are a lot of others things to say about it too like its race, its size the length of the fur, what it''s tail looks like and so on.


    Mable didn''t know whether she should feel happy about this or sad. According to Aglaya''s first impressions, the girl really was as simple, kind and shy as she appeared to be. This meant that she couldn''t get rid of her, Emp would not be hers alone.


    Now, either she had to accept Calla or move on to someone else. That was the truly hard question. She had hoped that she wouldn''t need to ask herself that in the end.


    "What do I do?" She asked Aglaya.


    "I think you should learn to know her better so you can take the best decision for yourself but I guess you have to ask her first what she thinks about all this."


    Mable turned to look at Calla again. Aglaya was right, anything that would happen from now on would depend on her. If she didn''t want to see Mable ever again, as his wife, her opinion would be decisive. Likewise, if Mable couldn''t get along with her, it was pointless to think about becoming her sister.


    Who you took as sisters was just as important, if not more, than who you took as husband. Everything would be shared between them all and the bond between them had to be stronger than anything to work out well in case of trouble. From what Mable knew, noble ladies often gathered strong sisters on which they could rely upon if the worst came to pass. People They knew for most of their lives and trusted with everything including said lives. Sisterhood didn''t make strong bonds, it was instead strong bonds that made real sisterhoods. Mable knew of some ladies that came out of nowhere and easily integrated in a group of sisters but she also knew of many more who didn''t.


    She was of the optimistic sort so she strongly believed that everything would go well for her in such a scenario but anything could still happen and she didn''t know if this was really what she wanted.


    If all that Calla said was true then she seemed like a pretty likeable person. She might be easy to get along with but, there were two things Mable worried about.


    First, there was a huge gap between her and Calla in terms of social standing. If they became sisters, they''d become equals but if something happened to Emp, the girl would likely turn into a huge burden. Committing to a relationship with Emp meant that she also had to commit on supporting Calla. If they became fast friends, Mable would probably not mind it but her family might not agree to this. Now, not only did she need to convince her father that Emp was the right guy for her, she also needed to have him accept a simple girl raised in an orchard as equal to his daughter and inheritor of all that would go down to her after his death.


    Then, secondly, even if she found Mable likeable, it didn''t mean that the girl would think the same in reverse. Up to now, Mable had said almost nothing and kept throwing dark looks at her, this made for a really bad first impression. That girl had the legitimate right as a wife to refuse to accept her as a sister. If Calla didn''t like her, she''d never be with Emp.


    Mable was essentially at Calla''s mercy. If the girl accepted to spend time with her so that they might get to know each other better, then Mable would have a choice on what to do. If she didn''t, Mable would have to leave whether she wanted to stay or not.


    The girl in front of her was still mostly a mystery to her and she couldn''t read on her face what were her current thoughts. Not because she hid it all like the nobles back home but simply because she seemed to struggle so much about her own thoughts that there was nothing to latch onto.


    Mable decided to take everything in her own hands, she couldn''t wait for her to come to a decision, she needed to make her take the decision that she wanted her to. She did something she almost never did. She got up from her seat and bowed towards Calla.


    "I have been rude with you up to now. I apologize. Please give me a chance to show you who I am."


    Calla was stunned for a second but managed to give a few words of ascent.


    "I would love to know you better. Please, get along with me."


    Emp was really happy about the outcome of this first encounter. He smiled broadly as the two girls reached out over the table to hold the hand of each other.


    Calla found the contact nerve-raking as taking the hand of someone she just met was very different than holding the hand of her childhood friends. Still, she was willing to do it and learn about her, because of what Love told her, because she wanted to please Emp but also, because she was curious about having sisters herself. The idea of someone being like her blood sisters in the future staying with Emp and her was appealing. She was used to sisterhoods and hoped that she would be able to open up to them like she did with her blood sisters.


    Mable thought it was relieving instead since there wasn''t any hint of displeasure or resentment on her face. The girl seemed to want to give this a serious try and if she was really like she seemed, Emp was probably right and Mable would get along with her easily.

 106 News and invitation

    After the two girls agreed to learn to know each other better, the group spent the whole evening together. There were quite a few awkward moments but also a lot of good ones.


    Mable started by trying to engage in a conversation about cakes with Calla as it was her usual opening subject but the other girl had never eaten a cake before. She felt like an idiot because it should have been obvious. Mable did her best to find something to talk about after that but it was really hard.


    The two girls had lived in opposite worlds up to now so they could hardly find any experience that both of them shared. It seemed that the only points they had in common where that they both had siblings and both of them liked Emp.


    Those two things didn''t make for a long conversation so they ended up having to share stories about themselves in turn instead. Mable would share something she found interesting and explain why and Calla would nod in understanding. When she was done, Calla would share a story of her own that could somewhat relate to hers and Mable would listen with mild interest.


    The truth was, from Mable''s point of view, Calla lived a pretty boring life. Emp had to agree that a story about finding an unexpected patch of mushrooms wasn''t as interesting as a story about a group of knights arresting a criminal on the main road of the capital.


    This made Calla rather dispirited. Her own ordinary life couldn''t compare to the experiences of a noble after all. Mable felt bad about it too, she didn''t want to appear uninterested but Calla''s stories lacked excitement. Most of them where either about a meal she made or a moment she wanted to hide in embarrassment or shyness.


    Calla apologized again for another story about how she tried to make someone feel better with a meal but Mable had enough.


    "We''ll never work out anything like this! If we can''t find common ground like this we should make our own! We''ll make brand new memories with the two of us and this way, we''ll know if we can get along."


    "What do you have in mind?" Emp asked her.


    "You didn''t help her buy any good clothes yet did you? I say we should go in town, get some cake, new clothes and go wherever we fancy for the fun of it."


    "You want us to go buy clothes again?"


    "No, I''m saying I want to help her look like the wife of a noble and use the occasion to spend time with her. You''re not allowed to be there."


    "I''m not allowed to be there?"


    "No, I want to know her and I''ll never get to if you keep holding her hand all the time and answering for her."


    Calla got rather nervous thinking she''d be separated from him. Even worse, they were talking about moving around in this huge city.


    "But, should I not go along as your lord protector?"


    "We don''t need to, we''ll bring Brenia, Aglaya, Nessa and your two servants too. It''ll be a girls only day."


    "That''s a great idea." Aglaya approved. "This is going to be fun, I''m already looking forward to it. Maybe we could go to the theater while we''re there."


    "Oh yeah! I heard they had a new play. We''ll get a meal in town, have Calla look like one of us and end the day with the play, it''ll be great! Only the seven of us, will you come? Please, I promise it will be fun."


    Emp expected Calla to be hard to convince but she surprisingly agreed to come right away. She was scared of the town and nervous to go out with people she didn''t know at all but at the same time, she understood as well that it was the best way to make some bonds with them.


    Seeing this, Emp could only agree to it. They''d have Brenia and Nessa anyway in case something happened and inside a city, guards were never that far off.


    "Why aren''t you bringing Gytha too?" He asked instead. "I thought you were friends again."


    "You didn''t hear about it?" Aglaya asked.


    "About what?"


    "Gytha''s gone, she disappeared while the ancient was away with you."


    "What do you mean disappeared? She left the school?"


    "We don''t know for sure because the teachers won''t tell us but we believe that Ninoslav came back while the old man was gone and used the opportunity to get her." Aglaya answered.


    "It''s an abduction! Plain and simple!" Mable Complained loudly.


    Emp was rather surprised by the news and worried about Mable. Calla didn''t know any of the persons they were talking about but she still found that someone they knew getting abducted was incredibly scary. What if it happened again? She''d never be able to sleep now.


    "He didn''t go after you again?"


    "No, Heinrich placed a bunch of spells and traps around my room after that time. Ninoslav isn''t close to his level so there''s no way he''d be able to get in again without the whole school going after him."


    "But then, how did he get Gytha? Did he not do the same with hers?"


    "No, she didn''t want any. She said it was a waste and bothersome too. I think he still placed some traps but he certainly didn''t spend as much time and efforts on them as he did for mine. I guess she was sort of hoping he would come back for her. I don''t know."


    What an unsavory story.


    "So he managed to get away again? Did he only take her or did he do something else while he was here?"


    "Like I said, the teachers won''t tell us, I think a girl from another group went missing as well but we never really paid any attention to the other groups so it might just be a coincidence."


    Emp was bothered by that story. He hated being left in the dark, hated not being able to do anything and hated to know that a friend of his was missing.


    "I hope they''ll find her." Was all he could say about it.


    Because of that topic, a strange mood took hold of the place. They didn''t know what else to talk about with Gytha floating in their minds but didn''t want to end things on that either.


    Calla decided it was time to prepare some food and Emp invited the two to stay for the meal. Hopefully, the mood would have lightened by the time they left after supper.


    Emp invited Celtine to sit down with them while Harriett assisted Calla in her work. He had to entertain the two visitors with stories about what they saw and did on their trip while his wife was cooking. He''d have liked to include her more since she was just there but Calla really felt more at home listening to things going on behind her rather than participating herself.


    The mood went back up slowly but surely with Harriett on one side asking questions and receiving cooking advises from Calla while Mable got in an animated retelling of everything that happened while he was away including how they saw a girl slap Noirantel hard.


    "That guy from group B, Noirantel, the one with the weird sword move you fought. He was arguing with that girl on the other side of the field. We didn''t get what he was saying because he was so far off but he was clearly yelling, he was moving his arms like an ape, it was really funny."


    She mimicked his arms movements, raising them in the air as if she was really frustrated and shaking them up and down.


    "Then, the girl swung her arm and gave him a loud slap like Pang!"


    She mimicked that too, throwing a backhand in the air over the table, making all the cups shake.


    "Wow Mable! Careful." Aglaya intervened.


    "Sorry, it was just too funny, we heard it from across the whole field. We all gasped and the girl left him standing there in shock."


    "What did he do to deserve that?"


    "I don''t know and I don''t really care. I''m sure he deserved it and it was a truly impressive slap."


    "Mable... that''s not really kind of you."


    "I know but the guys from group B are so bad. They''re the worst." She turned towards Emp to complain some more. "Aglaya feels that when I mock those guys it makes me look bad too but/"


    "It''s unbecoming of a lady, Blackbull told you this too."


    "But it''s entirely their fault! I wouldn''t laugh at the misery of some random person I don''t know. Those guys came looking for trouble, insulted Emp and me and now you want me to not laugh when one of them gets slapped?"


    "Mable, the point is to be better than them. Some people will do way worse things than that in the future and you can''t disdain them all so openly, it will bring you trouble."


    "That''s not openly, we''re in private!"


    "Maybe now but when it happened, you laughed so loudly he heard you across the field and turned towards us."


    "Well I can''t help it, it was just too much. I''d have laughed even if it was Emp."


    "Why would I get slapped?"


    "You keep doing infuriating things and also, you should be more concerned about her laughing at it than you getting slapped." Aglaya pointed out.


    "Why?" Both Emp and Mable asked, puzzled.


    Neither understood how this was problematic at all.


    "Great benevolent Mercy, save me. Why is there no one in this room with any social skills at all."


    They rolled from this subject to another and another until Harriett told them that Calla was done with the meal. Emp learned a lot of what happened while he was gone this way but nothing stuck out as particularly special. All of it was more of the same usual nonsense that went on with their group.


    Some of those from the last cycle were starting to talk about leaving, Odilon said more nonsensical things until Brenia glared at him and he stopped, Ivar got in an argument with Kenneth about the army, Zoran made huge progress in magic and Oran defeated Brenia in a spar by taking hold of her and dragging her out of the sparring area.


    "She was pretty upset about losing this way." Mable retold while Harriett was placing plates in front of everyone. "She kept saying that this didn''t count as a loss because there was no real fight involved but the teacher disagreed."


    "Yeah, Winfred said that she had plenty of time to undo his grip and fight back but she didn''t so it''s really her loss. She''s weak against grapples, he said, she should work on that." Aglaya added.


    "She couldn''t get away from Oran? How did she get caught in the first place?" Emp asked, curious.


    "They ran at each other right away but when their weapons clashed into each other, Oran didn''t stop and bumped into her. He used his arm to take hold of her waist and didn''t let her go even though she screamed, kicked, punched and slammed the handle of her axe on him."


    Emp could hardly believe Oran could withstand all that, he must be as tough as a boulder. He might be easy to beat in a spar ending with a single hit but in an actual fight, those that were there since the previous cycle might be way stronger than they seemed.


    "Then, she challenged the teacher and got beat up instantly. Thank you for the food, this seems delicious Calla." Aglaya told the next part as she was served the meal by Harriett.


    "Yeah, I can''t wait! I''m starving, thank you!" Mable said as well. "It wasn''t even a spar, she didn''t land a single hit! The teacher turned her axe over, had her bend forward with a hit in her stomach and sent her flying back! It was crazy! Even though she drank that potion of yours, she didn''t come close to lasting more than a minute, even less winning! How come the teacher is so strong?"


    "I guess there''s a reason why he is the teacher and not us." Emp nodded.


    He was in great need of his help too, it might be worthwhile to fight him even if he was defeated instantly like Brenia.


    After everyone was sat and the meal was served, they all ate it together. Calla hadn''t done anything complicated, merely a steak cooked along with fruits but it was nonetheless delicious. Everyone praised her talent in cooking again and thanked her for the food.


    The two visitors liked it a lot, so much that Aglaya didn''t understand how such a simple steak could be that good. From what Emp understood, it was all about seasonings and the time it cooked with the different ingredients separately. Enough to taste them but not enough to be too much. Emp wasn''t entirely sure though and he didn''t wish to know. He liked to think it was all some special "Calla" magic that made all food she touched taste spectacular.


    Like usual, she ate just a tiny bit of her own food but felt really happy that both Emp and Mable asked for more after they had emptied their plates.


    Once everyone had their fill, they spoke just a bit more before Mable and Aglaya left. It was getting late and everyone would still be there the next day to continue where they left.


    "I''ll talk to the other girls about our plans but in the meantime, don''t bring Calla to class. I''d like her to look as good as her food tastes before the others see her."


    "Does it really matter?"


    "It does! Even if the others might not necessarily look down on her from her appearance, they will certainly not see her in a good eye either. First impressions are important. We''ll skip a moral class soon to take care of that, I''m sure Blackbull will understand."


    "Fine then, I will refrain from bringing her along."


    After a round a good nights, the other two left, Emp dragged the tub in Harriett and Celtine''s room and he went to bed with Calla. It had been a long time already since he last slept in a bed this comfortable, his wife was very impressed too by how soft it was. Emp reminded himself to buy a great bed for their new home too. He wished to buy something fancy like a mattress filled with feathers.


    For now though, he turned towards Calla and asked her about the day. Now that there were only the two of them left, it was easier for her to talk and express what was on her mind.


    "So, what do you think of everyone?"


    "I feel like I need a few weeks of rest now, I''m exhausted. Your mother loves you a lot and seems to like me but it was still tiring because... You know, she''s a god. I like her even though she''s intimidating. I wouldn''t want to be alone with her because it''s too scary but she''s really helpful and sort of caring?"


    Emp nodded, he didn''t quite understand what she meant exactly but did understand her general train of thoughts.


    "What about Mable?"


    "Well... At first, I was really scared because she didn''t seem to like me at all. She was angry right away. But then, I understood it was only because she liked you that she disliked me. Once we were clear that we wanted to make friends with each other, I started to see what you told me the first time you spoke about her.


    She''s very lively like my younger sisters even though she''s much older. She seems mischievous but not in a bad way. It must be tiring to spend a lot of time with her though. She''s very active when I''d rather spend my time in peace and quiet.


    At first, I thought you liked her so much just because of how pretty she is but then, while I was cooking, I changed my mind. She thinks in the same way you do, not exactly but close. She doesn''t seem to care about anything but gets really upset when her friends get in trouble. She laughed at that man getting slapped but I''m pretty sure she would be more upset than anyone if it was someone she knew well instead."


    "You''re right, she really does that."


    Calla nodded in understanding.


    "Those she doesn''t know don''t matter to her at all unless they did something against someone she does know. In that case, I''m sure she turns really angry against them like my younger sisters would throw a tantrum if something doesn''t go the way they want."


    "Is it that bad?"


    "Maybe not, we just met so I don''t know, it''s just my first impression. It might not be such a bad thing either, you get angry too sometimes, like with Sophus. Because of how she is, I''m pretty sure we can get along and she might even get just as angry as you if someone somehow slight me but I''m not sure we''ll ever get that close. she''s too lively and sociable for me to follow and I''m too boring to keep her attention."


    "Don''t say that, you''re not boring, you''re calm and gentle."


    "I don''t think that''s how she sees it. The good thing is, I don''t think we''d get in each other''s way if she did become a sister. I think she''d be more suited than me to take care of the noble part of things related to your family. It would be easy for her while I''m sure I''d struggle. I''d be more comfortable with Harriett doing housework, even though she''s a bit zealous."


    "So up to now, you aren''t really against Mable, Harriett or Celtine become your sisters, are you?"


    "I''m not." She shook her head. "I''d like for Celtine to be my sister more than the other two I think but as long as none of them take all your time, I''d be fine with them."


    "Do you like Celtine more because she is silent?"


    Calla turned a bit red of embarrassment.


    "No, more because she seems a bit gentler than the other two, more calm. I wish I could speak with her properly though. Will you teach me how to read?"


    "Sure, of course, why not."


    "Thank you."


    She gave him a little kiss to go with her words.


    "Don''t thank me yet, I haven''t even started."


    "But since you said you''d do it than you definitely will so it''s the same as having done it already."


    Emp smiled but went back to the previous subject.


    "Say, you aren''t telling me that you find them alright just to please me, right?"


    "I''m not, you worry too much. I do want to get along with them mostly because of you but I genuinely think they are good persons. I just need some more time to get used to them."


    That was a rather strange answer but if she said so, he had no reason to doubt her. He felt a lot better now that he knew Calla and Mable didn''t dislike each other. It was a weight that was removed from his chest. Falling asleep was very easy after that. Calla was very tired as well so in no time at all, both of them were deeply asleep.


    The next day was yet again another strange one. He left Calla with Harriett while he went to class, apparently it was magic class, and was swarmed right away by the others wanting to know more about his new wife.


    With the help of Mable, he convinced everyone they would meet her soon, explaining to everyone that they wanted to go shopping for some things first and that Calla was tired from the weeks long trip.


    "That sounds reasonable. Then that means that the girls will be out on their own this afternoon, right? Let''s take the opportunity to do something with just us while they''re all away." Kenneth told them.


    Apparently, there was a moral class in the afternoon and Mable was already going around inviting the girls she wanted to come along for the afternoon. That was fine by Emp since clothes took a certain time to make after all. The sooner they were started, the sooner they''d be delivered.


    As for Kenneth''s suggestion, he wasn''t against it but, what would they do? Would they just go train or would they try to drag him out for a drink he didn''t really want to have.


    "Like what?" Ivar asked, following in Emp''s thought.


    "I don''t know, let''s grab Odilon, Nereus, Cyril, Norval, Oran and... Zoran? I''m sure we can find something fun to do. We have to do some stuff with Emp, I feel like he spends more time with those girls than us."


    "Of course he''s spending more time with them. That''s because he''s getting paid for that and Mable promised him a bigger reward for later. I''d do the same in his position."


    There were a few laughter from the guys around but they all stopped abruptly when both Mable and Brenia glared their way.


    "Maybe we should wait for this afternoon to talk about that..."


    Emp decided to accept their invitation for now and excused himself to focus on his studies and ask Heinrich about self magic.


    The explanation on how to make his own self-magic turned really complicated really quickly so instead, he had to just take notes on how to use the most simple of speed enhancement self magic there was.


    Apparently, to make a useful self-magic, one had to, at the very least, be able to fully understand and control the magu inhabiting his own body. Only then could they start to experiment with it and come up with something useful. Emp had never really used his own magu before so he was far from that. To rectify this gap in his knowledge, the best way was to learn a self magic and focus his thoughts on himself while he was using it. Hence, he needed to start with a simple self-magic and between all the common one, the speed enhancement was the most useful for him.


    He kept those instructions for later and spend the rest of the class focusing on practicing casting spells and memorizing formulas and instructions. There were so many of those damn things and he wasn''t even in the hard ones yet. It was no wonder so many mages limited themselves to a single subject. He was pretty sure that the only reason he was able to keep all of those things in mind was because Sage had made him smarter than just "slightly more than ordinary" like he had said the day he was created.


    How could a normal person remember any of that? He was about certain that if he asked Calla to remember five of them, she''d forget something important for at least two. Maybe Penny was right, if she tried to learn about fighting too, it would scatter her focus for magic and it might lead to a disaster. She was impressive enough to be able to keep so many spells in mind, she even learned them faster than him.


    For Emp, it wasn''t that hard, it was just tedious. Most of the time, he didn''t really understand what he was reading, he was just making sure it was written properly in his own head so that he''d be able to remember everything if he needed it.


    He knew it was important for him to learn all of it but it really felt like he was missing an important piece to really understand what he was learning. He believed that the day he''d be able to understand the magic languages would be the day he would truly start to understand magic.


    After the class was over, he went back to his room followed by a contingent of girls. They were all there to pick up Calla and Harriett for their afternoon trip.


    Everyone Mable had invited decided to come and surprisingly, Rica asked if she could join as well. Mable had been a bit surprised but in the end, she had no reason to refuse her so she accepted.


    On their way to his room, they shared an animated discussion. The subject, obviously, was on what Mable thought of Calla and how the girl was. Emp listened with interest, curious to know what Mable felt about his wife.


    "She''s like a mix between Rica and Zoran. She looks fragile and shy and she dangerously softhearted."


    "Dangerously softhearted? What does that mean?"


    "I''m not sure how to explain it. She seems to be the sort to pity even the worst criminals on their way to the gallows. I''m afraid she''s going to be tricked easily by bad guys as long they they act hurt or pitiable in some way. I don''t even think she''d be able to hurt a fly to defend herself."


    "So you''re saying she''s a weak point for Emp?" Brenia asked.


    "In a way, yes, but not really?"


    "I feel the same as well, it''s a bit complicated." Aglaya intervened. "She''s too softhearted to walk around scheming nobles, I feel she''ll collapse if she has to be around nobles too much. This shouldn''t be a big problem though. She might make a few mistakes but I don''t think she intends to interact with high society all that much so she isn''t that much of a weak point, at least not in a normal situation. Emp is like a big mama bear with her, as long as he''s close, I don''t think anything could go wrong."


    The other girls gave a few nods as if they understood exactly what she meant but Emp didn''t get it at all. How was he a big mama bear? He wasn''t roaring at anyone getting close and he was definitely not that hairy.


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    "Aside from that, what else do you think about her?" Nessa asked.


    "I''m not really sure yet. She''s like a picture, you can talk to her all you want but she almost never answers. From what I''ve seen, she seems to only like cooking and has no other hobbies. She''s not very lively either."


    "She''s like a calm lake." Aglaya said after Mable was done. "Whenever someone talks to her, it''s like someone is throwing a rock in the lake and disturbs her peace. She''d rather be left alone I think."


    Rica jumped in the discussion at this point


    "But Emp said she was a commoner from a small village, right? I feel like that reaction is reasonable for her, everyone else would be like divine giants compared to her."


    Usually, Rica didn''t speak much and didn''t really involve herself with the other girls but today, she seemed really interested.


    "I would think the same but Emp said she was like that all the time, even with those from her own village."


    "Right, she doesn''t like speaking in general. She likes to listen to other people talking though, she just doesn''t like having the attention of others on her because it makes her nervous." Emp told them.


    "She might really like the theater than! We might finally find a common interest!"


    "I think its great that you look so enthusiastic about this." Rica told her. "I thought you would be more upset that Emp married a commoner before you."


    Aglaya tskd.


    "That sentence was a blunder on many levels Rica. Good thing there were only us here."


    "What did I say wrong?" Rica asked in a saddened manner.


    "Yeah, I was rather curious about Mable''s reaction to his wife being at the very bottom of the chain, she asked it much better than I would have. Mable doesn''t seem to be annoyed by the question either. You shouldn''t scold her for this." Pointed out Brenia.


    "I''m not scolding her, I''m pointing it out so she doesn''t do it again with someone who isn''t as clueless as Mable on this sort of thing." Aglaya defended her critique.


    Nessa explained everything to the rest of the group for Aglaya.


    "There were indeed many things wrong with the way she said it but we all know she didn''t have any malicious intent under her words so it''s fine. The problems are that the way she said it implies that Mable should be upset at the lower status of Emp''s wife. It gives the impression that she is looking down on both of them, one for being a commoner and the other for assuming she would be petty. Then, she also said he married her before Mable, both implying that the order of the weddings mattered despite the traditions saying otherwise and also assuming that she would marry Emp without a doubt, even though she never confirmed it herself."


    Rica''s brows sunk as she heard the explanation and she swiftly apologized.


    "My apologies, I didn''t mean any of that. I was just curious about Mable''s enthusiastic reaction, I have nothing against Emp''s wife or Mable. It''s just that I feel like most nobles would be less accepting than this small group."


    "It''s fine, don''t worry about it." Mable and Emp answered at the same time.


    "I''m not even a Noble in the first place so of course I''m not going to look down on her." Pointed out Brenia. "Though I had Aglaya pinned for someone that would."


    "First of all, that''s rude. Second of all, you are wrong, I don''t care at all. What I care about is the motivations of people and it just so happen that more often than not, when an ordinary person gets close to someone like us, it''s to get some benefit from us, either simply wealth or just a way to use us like a ladder to elevate themselves. I''m not an idiot who will see everything in pink just because a girl pretends to love someone way above her own status in order to live in luxury."


    Rica seemed put off by that answer but Brenia still threw out her next question without feeling embarrassed in the least.


    "Isn''t that the same? How can you know for sure that the girl really liked Emp instead of his money or status?"


    "It''s simple, Emp didn''t tell her he was a noble before he gave her the confirmation."


    "What?" Everyone else asked in surprise.


    "There''s no way she can wed herself to him for his status if she doesn''t know about it in the first place. She might still have done it for his money but from what I observed, it seems more reasonable to thing that she just thought that Emp was a reliable guy, he''s probably much stronger than an ordinary hunter too so for a normal girl, he must be a really good choice."


    Brenia started laughing out loud.


    "You tricked her! Hahaha! I can''t believe it. Poor girl, I hope she doesn''t regret it later."


    "Unless you embarrass her too much today, she shouldn''t."


    "Yeah yeah, I''ll have you make it up to her later. You better not treat her wrong."


    "Of course not."


    Why did Brenia want him to make it up to Calla later? He didn''t really wrong her in any way and the girls didn''t even know each other.


    "At least we know she doesn''t have nay ulterior motives." Sighed Nessa.


    "How would you all react if another guy from the class married a lowborn girl then? I feel like the present situation isn''t likely to happen often." Rica asked with great curiosity.


    "I guess it depends on who it was. I think I wouldn''t bother to look into it for most of the guys, it''s not my job to check if they get fooled or not. If it really bothered me, I''d spend a lot of time observing her to know for sure what she was planing." Aglaya supposed.


    "Me I don''t care at all. It''s none of my business, I probably won''t ever meet their wives anyway." Mable said carefreely.


    Nessa shrugged as well.


    "I think it doesn''t matter as long as the guy likes her. I mean, it''s her problem if she wants to stick to a guy she doesn''t like. If the guy wants to keep her because she''s pretty or whatever then it''s fine."


    "I see..."


    "What about you then Rica? How do you feel about a common girl getting to the heart of one of the boys in our group?"


    "Me? I think it''s fine if they love each other..."


    "You don''t seem convinced by your own words."


    "It''s just that... I don''t know, you all seem so cynical about this. Don''t you think that a girl can just truly fall in love with a noble?"


    "Like you you mean?"


    Hearing Aglaya''s words, Rica stopped dead in her tracks. The others slowed down with raised brows and turned around to look her way. Slowly, Emp''s brain worked out what he had just heard and he had the same reaction as the others. Rica wasn''t a noble? He had not noticed at all.


    "How did you find out?" She stammered.


    "Wait Rica wasn''t a noble?" Mable butted in with a face of deep surprise.


    "She isn''t, I did guess right. It took me two years to get the truth. That is why you didn''t speak much with anybody isn''t it?"


    Rica crossed her arms and took a worried stance. She hesitated for a moment but seeing that the secret was obviously out, she let out a big sigh and reluctantly told them about it.


    "I was really afraid I''d say something I shouldn''t or something that would make trouble for Frits so I did my best to stay away from everyone until I had at least a good grasp of everything. I was also scared that no one would talk to me if they knew I was just the daughter of a hunter."


    "You didn''t want everyone to treat you differently because you weren''t a noble." Emp summarized.


    She nodded and tensely awaited their reactions. Emp really felt she made things to be bigger than they really were. It didn''t matter at all to him and he could see that the others thought the same. Brenia in particular seemed to find her worry ridiculous, she wasn''t a noble herself after all.


    Mable was the first to voice her reaction and sounded very impressed.


    "That''s crazy! I would never have guessed it!"


    "It''s not surprising that Mable wouldn''t guess it but I didn''t expect it either. I just thought you liked it in your little world with Frits and didn''t want to hang out with us."


    "As you can see, none of us care, we aren''t Heida. I just like to know everything."


    Aglaya extended her hand towards Rica to invite her back with them.


    "Are you sure?"


    "You''re just being wishy-washy, come on, you''re making us all wait." Said Brenia with a bit of annoyance.


    "Seriously, we''re all friends here, we know you''re not some leech stuck on Frits, you love him way too much for that. You''re the only one making this weird." Nessa added.


    Rica gave them a huge smile in relief and took the hand that was given to her, catching up to the rest of the group as everyone started walking again.


    Now that he knew she wasn''t born a noble, he wondered if it was the reason why she was so interested in calla.


    "Is that why you wanted to accompany Calla in town as well?"


    "Yes, I figured she was living the same thing as I was so I wanted to offer her my support. I''ve had two years to learn after all so I thought I might be able to help her get along with the others."


    "We''ll all help, I want her to impress everyone." Mable declared seriously.


    Emp held back a fit of laughter with a snort and thanked them with a warm smile.


    "I''m glad that you''re all here to help her. Even if she has a hard time saying it, I''m sure she will be grateful so on her behalf, and mine; Thank you."


    Brenia slapped his back casually.


    "You welcome hero."


    "Don''t misunderstand though, it''s not really Calla I''m helping, it''s Mable." Aglaya pointed out. "Everything that is wrong with her, either in appearance or in behavior will reflect badly on Mable whether she gives you an offering or not in the end. If she does, then it will reflect badly on her as a sister and if she doesn''t, people will mock her for being defeated by someone with this or that flaw."


    "Thank you anyway." Emp told her. "I do want to receive an offering from Mable one day but even if she didn''t, I wouldn''t let anyone mock Mable."


    "Wa! Don''t say thing like that, everyone will laugh again!"

 107 Girls in town part 1

    Calla was taken by surprise when Emp walked in with a bunch of girls saying that they were ready to go out. She had not expected it to happen on the very next day after they talked about it. But, since they were already there, she went along with it and left with everyone.


    Emp wished her a good afternoon and remained alone in his room. They had even left with Celtine and Harriett so there was no one to make him dinner. He ate an apple and a bit of salted meat before leaving for the next class.


    He wasn''t really worried for the girls, they had Brenia and Nessa to protect them after all. The only real dangerous thing that could happen would be for Ninoslav to show up but in that case, his own presence wouldn''t change a thing. The annoying truth was that Emp was far too weak still to go against someone like Ninoslav. He could only hope that Gytha was fine and that the mage wouldn''t want to get revenge.


    He was more worried instead about how Calla would fare alone with the girls. When he was there, she held on to him to give herself some courage but alone, he wasn''t sure she would be fine.


    Those silly worries kept floating around in his mind until he walked in Blackbull''s class. Emp sat down with the others and talked with them about nothing important until the teacher walked in with her cane. She noticed right away that half of the girls where missing.


    She frowned but still took the time to welcome Emp back before she asked about them.


    "Mr. Emp, welcome back to the school. Did you experience an enjoyable trip?"


    "I did, thank you for asking."


    She gave a sharp nod to acknowledge his answer and moved on to the missing people.


    "Now, can someone tell me why half of the girls are missing?"


    "They went in town with my wife to go shopping."


    "Shopping?"


    "Yes, Mable said it had to be done before I presented my wife to everyone else."


    "I see... Well, it doesn''t really matter, let''s get on with the class."


    Like usual, the class was pretty boring. It didn''t help that since Celtine wasn''t here, Emp had to take notes by himself. Today''s class was about laws, the proper way to accuse someone of a crime and how to behave when accused of one. Even thought it was dull, Emp kept paying attention because he knew it would all be useful things to know later on. His plan was to become the emperor of Steelwood after all, unlike a great general, he would have to know everything about how the other nobles did things, even if he found it tedious. The fact that this was the hardest class for him to understand didn''t change but he was ready to put forth his maximum for it.


    Even with all that, he was very happy when the class finally ended, even better, the teacher didn''t ask him to stay afterwards. She told him to come see her with Calla once she was presentable instead.


    The others cheered in secret because it meant that they could now drag Emp with them, which they did right away before Blackbull changed her mind. They also abducted Zoran who complained about wanting to go back to study and Frits joined with them because since his own girlfriend was out, he had nothing better to do.


    Almost every guy in class followed, they only missed Oliver, George and Nicolas who got snatched by Heida. The group had no serious plans so they ended up wandering aimlessly until they stranded themselves in the training yard.


    They surrounded a tree just out of the field to make use of it''s shade but they still had no real idea about what to do.


    "So... C-c-c-can I just go th-then?"


    "Come on Zoran, we never do anything together because we''re always busy." Ivar complained as he took hold of his collar to stop him. "What sort of friends are we if we barely see each others in class?"


    "Yeah, the other groups have a great cohesion we can only assume that they will keep those relations going after the school and form some strong new alliances. Meanwhile, we can''t even find some time to simply hang out." Norval pointed out. "Strong relationships are important as well, we all know this."


    Real friendship is a hard thing to achieve for a noble, harder for them since they had no idea about the names of a few people in the group, including Emp''s. The problem was that even if they thought of each others as friends, sometimes, the hard reality of things would end up having them clash for a number of unexpected reason.


    The sad truth was that they couldn''t fully trust anyone of them in case that one day their interests ended up opposing each others. They might be best friends here but once outside, if their two houses ended in a dispute about the ownership of a piece of land, that friendship would not matter in the least. They would have the duty to protect the interest of their family and the people standing under them.


    They needed to make friends to gain some allies on different steps of the social ladder but they couldn''t truly open up either.


    In theory, there were a few exceptions like nobles of the same rank from two different kingdoms of the empire. For them, there would never be any logical reason to go against each other because of the distance but by the same logic, they couldn''t expect much help from them.


    Another good example, would be the Muraciers. They had nothing to fear of any other noble because they had a theoretically untouchable position. The Grandbois would never dare trust any other noble house with all the armies of the empire for fear they''d be tempted to overthrow them.


    They''d end up overthrown by him anyway but that was irrelevant to the current situation.


    For Emp, he should have been able to trust all of them since he was a Muracier but this wasn''t exactly right. He had not really thought of this before but as his goal turned clearer and clearer in his head, he realized that what he''d end up doing might tear the empire apart.


    If he didn''t move carefully, all of them would have to pick a side between the Muraciers and the Grandbois. Even if he was good friend with them, they might still side with the emperor in the end.


    "So what do we do?" Oran asked the others while Emp was lost in thoughts.


    "Well, first of all, why not ask Emp about how it''s like to be Married?" Odilon turned to Emp.


    From Emp''s point of view, everything was very similar to before if he excluded the long trip back and forth to B¨ºt¨¦clair. Of course there were a lot of differences compared to before but nothing extreme. He spent all his time with her, woke up more easily in the morning, he gained someone else to share all his secrets with and the both of them gained an extra pair of arm to help through the days. Maybe it was a bit more different than he felt if he considered all those things carefully along with all the little things but he felt no impact from any of those. He just felt happier.


    He tried his best to answer the question but every time he thought he gave a good answer, he was asked something else. In the end, it seemed that most of them were here to hear about this and maybe hear some indecent story. They were very insistent on that last point and their talk devolved quickly into everyone sharing some of their fantasies. All of them hanging out was just a pretext to talk about girls and things best kept for the darkness of the night it seemed.


    Of course, Emp didn''t tell them about anything that happened with Calla. He feared she might really just die of embarrassment if he said anything, that and also, it was none of their business.


    In the end, they didn''t really do anything and just lazed in the yard. They still had some senseless fun talking about random things like betting on how many wives Zoran would have in the future. They also spent time asking the others if they had plans for when they''d leave the school. Most of them did have some sort of plan but few wanted to share them in details.


    Ivar and Zoran didn''t seem to have a choice and would end up in the army. Nereus didn''t care much for Nose Island and was more interested in finding a way to captain his own ship. Norval wanted the opposite and only cared about the territory of his family, hoping to be as good as his father at taking care of it. Frits had no choice but to watch over the Thornwoods as his name implied. Odilon said he had some elaborate plan to become some sort of renowned hero but Emp believed he had no idea what he was doing just like Oran. Kenneth and Cyril both aimed to become knights, one for fame and one for his village. Emp refrained from saying anything precise either, he just stated that he was aiming for a high position.


    "You''ve had a lot of those strategy classes right? Can you tell us what''s the best tactic?" Cyril asked Emp.


    Ivar looked back with an exasperated face.


    "The best tactic for what? What''s the context?"


    "Does it matter?"


    "No, it doesn''t." Emp told them, cutting off Ivar before he could voice his disagreement.


    He was certain of his answer.


    "There is no best tactic. If there was, everyone would use it so it wouldn''t be a tactic anymore but a standard."


    This satisfied Ivar who nodded in agreement but didn''t satisfy the curiosity of everyone else.


    "What about the one with the biggest payoff if you can pull it off successfully?" Odilon insisted.


    "It''s very risky but you could just load a catapult with a few dozens of talismans and throw everything at the enemy."


    The group had various impressed reactions.


    "Yikes, I wouldn''t want to be the one facing that."


    "That sounds really good, how is it risky?"


    "Well, if the talisman aren''t well made, they might break at launch and release their magic right above the catapult and it costs a whole lot to have all those talismans made. Also, wind mages."


    The others looked blankly for an instant before they understood what he meant about the wind mages. In their heads, they pictured strong winds returning the talismans towards those throwing them out and shivered. Returning a big rock with wind magic was much harder than a bunch of tiny talismans.


    "I guess we can''t use that on the sea, can we?"


    "Isn''t that more of a maneuvre than a tactic? It''s just one move."


    "Yeah but you can end a battle with just this or breach a fortress in a single shot if it works."


    "I was taught that the first time someone used that idea, the opposite army was routed instantly. The talismans completely wrecked their formations."


    "But what do you do if they send the talismans back."


    "It depends on if you have mages or not. If you have some and you really trust their wind magic, you hope that they''ll send them back again, either that or hope that one of them can make some sort of wall to block the talismans. If you don''t, you call for the shield and watch your troops die."


    The others made a disgusted face but sometimes, there was really nothing to do.


    "There''s a reason why no one does it. It''s only worth it if you have an overwhelming amount of mages. Only a few kingdoms out there can pull it off safely. In Steelwood, unless we''re going against mindless monsters, we''re better off sticking with archers."


    "Come on, no love for cavalry?" Kenneth intervened with a grin.


    "Seriously, I do not even understand why we have a cavalry in the first place. We''re always fighting in dense forests or treacherous hills. They''re pointless." Oran stated. "Not to offend you Kenneth of course but really, I feel it''s all about the infantry."


    Emp was of a similar opinion. He was very surprised by the amount of people he knew that were into riding compared to the amount of people he knew who were good with a bow. Ivar was the only one who specialized in using bows that he knew of.


    They continued to talk about tactics and specializations arguing about the superiority of each branch of the army in turn. After a while, the discussion circled back to Mable and how he was currently her lord protector. The guys tried to figure out what sort of rank she had for the nth time to guess if Emp gained prestige or lost some in being her lord protector.


    It was Odilon who put an end to that question.


    "It doesn''t even matter in the end. He''s going to get the girl herself in the end, he can''t lose prestige from protecting his own wife."


    "She''s not his wife yet though. She might get kicked out of the line by his new wife." Ivar said.


    "I don''t think she would do that, also, what line?" Emp asked.


    "It''s just a figure of speech."


    "It''s accurate though, Emp is awfully popular with the girls right now." Cyril commented.


    "It''s not that he''s popular with them, it''s just that because of Mable, he''s spending all his time with them."


    "But proximity breeds attraction." Frits pointed out.


    "You''re saying nonsense."


    "Maybe what he''s saying isn''t that far-fetched though."


    "Most of them don''t even have a real choice, it doesn''t matter what they think. If it did, I''d have gotten closer to them as well."


    "Even if you did, I don''t think any of them would have fallen for you Odilon."


    The guys all around them snorted in laughter.


    "Haha, real funny."


    "Who''s free out of all of them anyway? Juniper, Josseline and Brenia. Do you think they''ll choose one of the guys in this group?" Ivar asked as he pondered on the question himself.


    "There''s Heida too."


    "But she''s gonna pick Nicolas. She''s treating him like shit but it''s obvious that he''s the only one she remotely cares for out of all of us."


    "Juniper only sees gold, we''re all invisible to her as well." Kenneth pointed out. "I know, every time I tried speaking with her, she tried to sell me something instead."


    "Josseline and Brenia are both way too scary in their own ways." Nereus Said. "Even if they gave me an offering, I''m pretty sure I''d turn them down."


    "I wouldn''t, I''d even take them both, the more the better." Odilon said again.


    "If we''re more realistic, who are they more likely to choose?"


    There was a long pointless debate after that to answer the question as everyone had an opinion on it. They concluded that Josseline was a wildcard no one could understand, that Juniper would choose no one here or the richest if a fortune was suddenly exposed and that Brenia, if she ever did such a thing, would likely go for either Kenneth, Ivar or Emp since she hung out with those three a lot.


    Emp didn''t have that big of an interest in that sort of talk but it was still out of the ordinary for him to spend all his afternoon with the guys so he put up with it. In the end, it was obvious that they wouldn''t do anything else than just talk for the rest of the day. His time might have been better used to train instead but at the same time, he liked to spend some time with them.


    They laughed a lot, talked about nonsense until sunset and all went their separate way after that.


    When Emp walked into his room, the girls hadn''t come back yet. He decided to review all the notes he had on Blackbull''s classes since the very first one while he waited for them to come back. He wondered if they were having fun.


    *-*-*-*


    Calla spent her whole morning with Harriett. She watched her work in an awkward silence. She didn''t know what to do to pass the time and Harriett didn''t want her to help.


    It would probably have been less awkward if they spoke to each other but Calla had no idea of what to say. The only subject that came to her mind was to ask when Harriett would try to give her own offering to Emp. Calla wasn''t Bold enough to ask it out loud though so she remained silent while Harriett prepared the clothes they wore for the trip for a good wash.


    Thinking about clothes, she could have used that time to fix up one of her dresses she had ripped on a branch not too long ago. With the marriage and the trip, she hadn''t found the time to do it yet. The problem was, all her things were currently stored in Emp''s bag while they still didn''t have wardrobes and cupboards to put her things in. She didn''t think about asking him for it before he left and now she had nothing to do.


    If she had been home, she could have picked up a few apples to prepare some apple butter or something. Here, she was isolated from all her things, she didn''t have her garden, her clothes, her tools and she didn''t have any ingredients on her to prepare food. She was bound to the chair she was sitting on with nothing to do but watch Harriett humming as she did the chores.


    She felt bored. She did like to spend time doing nothing but she preferred doing nothing along with Emp for example, or watching some interesting scenery.


    Thinking about scenery, Emp had a balcony, the view there might be more entertaining to watch. She picked up her chair and moved it in the bedroom to sit facing the outside. There, she had a good view on some young knights training in combat which didn''t interest her at all and further away, on the other side of a low wall, the many towers of the city with the king''s castle in the distance, half hidden behind said towers.


    The castle wasn''t that pretty. It was a stout stone building with narrow windows and an intimidating shape. A fortress was a more accurate way to describe it. She couldn''t see from here but she guessed it was probably surrounded by high walls as thick as a road. She was in the capital city of Artefine, the castle was probably the strongest in the region too since it was the home of the king.


    Calla lost her gaze over there and let her mind wander away at random. That huge thing over there was just the house of a man, a man ruling over an entire kingdom. She got chills thinking that her husband had the same sort of status as this man she thought was so far above her she''d never even have a glance at him from afar.


    Maybe one day he''d be standing cleanly above the four kings. He had told her what he intended to do and she found it extremely scary. She had wanted to tell him to give up, he''d already be the great general for sure after all. What if he failed? They would both end up dead. However, she simply couldn''t. He was doing it to fulfill a request from the gods. Even if it was the scariest thing, even if the gods asked to throw your own life away, mortals had to obey. The consequences of going against their wants could be way worse than simple death, even she knew this.


    If Emp managed to make himself the emperor, would he still have the time to just sit down with her to relax? She usually pictured the nobles doing absolutely nothing in her head because they didn''t have any chores to do but deep down, she knew this wasn''t really the case. She would feel very sad if Emp didn''t have any time to spend with her at all, it would only get worse with other wives too.


    Would she end up living in a huge palace, or a fortress like the one over there? She didn''t feel like she belonged there, she didn''t want to stay so far away from Dark-glint and her family either. Throne woods was two kingdoms away, she could hardly picture the distance in her head. How long would it take to travel back home just to see her family? What would she do all day in a place like that? It was barely just the first morning and she was already very bored. What did the other nobles do in their free time if they didn''t go outside to take care of vegetables, repair their own clothes or even cook for themselves?


    Calla never had free time usually. Rather, she did, but there was always something to prepare for later, something she forgot to do before or something unexpected she needed to fix right away. She''d work all day, cook for fun and then go to bed. She was very curious about what they could possibly do in their free time.


    She couldn''t figure out what they were doing since she couldn''t see any practical result that came out of it. Could they all be like Emp and just trained all the time while they were free? That would explain why many of them where so strong but she didn''t think that girls like Mable and Aglaya where the sort to train so much. They didn''t look all that powerful and weren''t as muscular as the huntresses she knew.


    Time flew by while she thought about all this until she heard Emp open the door and call that he was back. A smile crept up her face and she hurried back in the kitchen to see him. She really felt like making some soup now, surely there would be some interesting ingredients to cook with here in the city.


    She was about to ask him about it as she stepped into the room but froze instead as she discovered the group of young women standing there.


    It was quickly explained to her that the girls planned to bring her shopping this afternoon. She was then presented to three new girls just as stiffly and awkwardly as the previous day, Brenia Harmaton, Vanessa Hasting and Rica. From what she was told, Brenia was just a strong huntress instead of a noble, Rica was in a similar situation to her own and Vanessa was the daughter of a duke... A duke!


    Calla felt like hiding behind Emp again but instead, she would have to follow them off into the streets of the city. To be honest, she wasn''t looking forward to it at all.


    Emp wanted to give her some money so she could buy some things while she was out there. She felt like a silver coin would be more than enough but he got a fistful of gold coins out of his bag instead! What sort of things where they planning to buy!?


    "Don''t bother giving her this small bit of money, she doesn''t even have a decent bag or a pouch to carry it. Just let me pay for everything today and if you insist, you''ll only have to pay me back later."


    Nobles really are scary, a small bit she said. Still, it was true she didn''t have a bag. Usually, she just carried a few copper coins at a time and only when there where merchants in the village and she needed something.


    "Will you tell me again that it''s not worth it because it''s like paying ourselves?" Emp asked her.


    "It will all depend on the outcome of this outing I guess." Aglaya said in an ominous tone.


    "Let''s go then! We''ll stop to get some food first, there must be some restaurant nearby in the upper city!" Mable cried out cheerfully as the group of girls surrounded her and dragged her outside.


    "As long as you''re the one paying, I don''t mind eating in some fancy place." Brenia boldly chuckled.


    Rica gently took Calla''s hand and pulled her along with a warm smile.


    Emp waved at them as they left.


    "Have fun out there!"


    Just like that, Calla had been dragged out of the room and into the street without being able to object or resist.


    Celtine too had been made to follow. Everyone seemed to appreciate her and wanted her to come but she slowed down the whole group because of her difficulty to walk. She had been supported on her way here by Harriett but Brenia proposed an alternative once they got outside.


    "Emp carries you around usually, do you want me to do the same or do you want to walk on your own?"


    Calla looked with curiosity at Celtine''s hesitation. It would be easier on everyone if she accepted but she looked rather reticent. Was it because she thought it was strange and embarrassing if it wasn''t Emp? She seemed to be very used to be sat up there after all. From what Calla had seen yesterday and this morning, Celtine liked to be carried this way.


    In the end, she agreed with a nod and she was helped on Brenia''s shoulders. She didn''t seem nearly as comfortable on her shoulders as she was on Emp''s and it was obvious for everyone to see.


    "I know you don''t really like me but it will be way easier for everyone this way."


    Celtine scrunched up her face and wrote a message she dangled in front of Brenia''s face. Calla couldn''t read so she was thankful when Mable asked about what she was saying.


    "She says that she doesn''t really dislike me, I just remind her of the girls who took her wings."


    Calla had not expected that sort of answer and her eyes went wide. In contrast, Brenia didn''t seem that surprised but the others were curious.


    "Really, how so?"


    Celtine wrote some more as the girls started walking down the road. Continuing the conversation on their way to find something to eat, Calla was thankful that she took the attention away from her for a while.


    "She says I have the same sort of demeanor, the same feel as those huntresses. I speak similarly, I have the same hair color and the same shape."


    "But the hair color shouldn''t count, we all have blond hair."


    "She knows but she can''t help it, I remind her of them too much. She understand I had nothing to do with it but she''s still afraid."


    "Why are you so calm about this? Don''t you feel a bit disturbed by this? You''re not even a bit surprised."


    "No, it''s a talk we''ve had many times before this, I''m not surprised at all by that. I perfectly understand how she feels. When you live through something like she experienced, the fear don''t just go away on its own. It sticks to you, invade your dreams and cloud your judgment. Actually, I''m very impressed by how she fights her trauma head on like this. I''d be proud if you counted me as a friend Celtine."


    Celtine answered with a few taps of her feet while she wrote an actual answer. Brenia didn''t read it aloud but it seemed to please her.


    "You speak like you know a lot about how she feels. Are you perhaps... speaking from experience?" Vanessa asked hesitantly.


    "I''m not talking about it." Brenia answered with a severe look. "Anyway, we''re here for Calla, why am I the one under examination?"


    Calla had sort of hoped they''d forget she was there while they talked about Celtine and Brenia but the attention was pushed back at her right away.


    "Right, today, we''re going out with her so that we all get to know each other better. That and I want her to look like one of us when Emp is going to present her to the class."


    Calla felt that things turned chaotic right after that point. They all had a lot to say to her and a lot more to ask so she got stuck in a very long discussion that felt like it would last forever. It didn''t take long for her to overheat and after that, her whole day felt like a blurry mess. It was the same sort of feeling as when she had found herself in front of the wolves, even though she understood that there was no actual danger, she couldn''t help but feel intimidated by the others. She sorely wished for Emp to be there too while the rest thought that his absence was a great opportunity to talk about anything they wanted.


    At the start, Calla began by trying to figure out who the three new girls were. She knew their names but not who they were or why they were there.


    Since she was holding her hand and seemed very friendly, Calla started with Rica. Using the life saving power of the bracelet, she managed to ask her what her relationship with Emp was.


    Unexpectedly, she didn''t really know Emp. She was born in a small town and had fallen in love with a noble there. She said she understood what Calla was going through right now and just wanted to help her through the hard beginning.


    Calla couldn''t help but ask if she was a student too.


    "You... stay in the school too, yes? Are you a student as well? Was it your lover who paid for you?"


    "That''s right, it was Frits and his family that paid for me. His father was against our union and said that I at least needed to learn how to properly conduct myself so they sent me here."


    "Wow, that''s harsh." Commented Brenia.


    "This is why you are only a fiance and not a wife." Aglaya guessed.


    "Yes, but I''m not really upset, I still get to spend time with my Frits and I know that once I''m done with this school, I''ll get to be his actual wife. I wouldn''t want to embarrass him anyway so it''s a good thing. You understand that too right?"


    Calla nodded to her question. She did understand exactly how she felt, she was scared all the time that she would say something wrong and shame Emp in some way.


    "Don''t worry, today, we''re here to help you with that so you won''t have to be to stressed when you meet the others." Mable cheered her on.


    Calla was grateful for their help but was still very curious about everyone. She wondered if Rica''s lover was someone important to the Muraciers in some way. She didn''t know anything about how everything was organized, she could only vaguely picture what title was more important than others.


    "Who is Frits?" She asked innocently.


    "My fiance! Frits Thornwatch, he''s the son of a margrave."


    "What''s a margrave?" Calla felt really silly but she had no idea.


    "They''re essentially a count with the duty of protecting the borders of a kingdom." Aglaya explained helpfully. "They have the right to raise their own armies do defend the empire without asking for permission first. You could say that they are mid ranked nobles if it helps. Artefine uses their four dukes instead to watch over the borders so it''s natural that you don''t know what a margrave is."


    Rica nodded in agreement.


    "That''s right, usually, counts are under the dukes in term of political powers but the margraves like Frits'' father work right under the Muraciers as army commanders so their voices still have a lot of weight, at least when it comes to security and wars."


    That answer was very satisfying for Calla, not only did she learn what a margrave was, she also learned that Rica''s lover would be under the direct orders of her husband. With this revelation along with her friendly attitude, Calla labelled her as not a threat at all.


    They soon after reached some restaurant where the staff made a fuss about not wanting to accept Celtine as a guest. Calla didn''t understand what was wrong with the people working here and why they hated Celtine right away. She wanted to leave but Mable refused and added more money to the table until they let everyone sit down and eat.


    The food they were served was much better than the attitude of the girls working here. They used some ingredients Calla had never even heard of she was excited to look for them later in the market and get some for herself, she might be able to cook something special with those.


    However, the plate they served Celtine wasn''t nearly as appetizing as those that where served to the others, it was clearly made up of leftovers. Everyone frowned, Brenia made a frustrated pout and Mable turned purple as she tried to hold in her anger. It was a reaction similar to what she had expected from her previous observations.


    Calla felt that the girls working here were despicable and even if the food was ten times better, she knew that neither her or the others around their table would ever eat here again.


    She ended up sharing her own plate with Celtine because she didn''t have enough appetite for it all anyway and the others seemed to approve, they shared some of their own as well so that Celtine got a fair share.


    Then, Mable decided to mock the staff by using Calla''s cooking as a revenge for what they did to Celtine. Praising Calla''s food right in front of the waitress and claiming that it was way better than what they were currently eating.


    Calla felt that she was exaggerating but then, Aglaya said the same.


    "It''s true that Calla is extremely talented in cooking. From just the sample I had yesterday I can tell that with the same ingredients, she would surpass this establishment''s cooking easily."


    "Isn''t that obvious? There''s a reason why Emp keeps praising her food! I''m pretty sure she''s the one making every meal they eat."


    "It''s true, mistress is the one cooking all the meals we eat since she wedded master and she is greatly talented at it." Harriett added with a serious face.


    "Wait wait, are you doing it because Emp is too lazy to make food and he asked you to do it or are you doing it because you like it?" Asked Brenia with a frown.


    Calla felt pressured and had a hard time getting out an answer.


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    "I like it... cooking is my favorite."


    "Then it''s fine. If Emp bullies you just because you''re his wife, tell me and I''ll punch him for you alright?"


    What sort of help is that!


    "He''s not!" She''s squealed.


    Brenia nodded with a smile and the others chuckled. This might be a good time to ask her who she was as well?


    "What''s your relationship with Emp?"


    "Me? I''m no one, I''m just here to watch over you all while you''re running around in town. In fact, I didn''t even want to be here."


    "Come on, we all know this isn''t true. You were really curious about Calla and you accepted my invitation immediately. Also, aren''t you at least a friend to him?" Mable teased her.


    "What do you mean at least? I sort of respect his attitude but that''s it. Don''t try to drag me into some nonsense."


    Celtine scratched a few lines on her tablet and placed it on the table.


    "You sort of respects him but Celtine here seems to think that Emp sort of respects you as well." Aglaya chuckled.


    Brenia kept a stone face, reached out her hand and ripped off the paper from the tablet, crumpled it into a tiny ball and threw it across the whole dining room and into the fire roaring in the kitchen to the displeasure of the girls working there.


    "Alright, you''ve all mocked me enough for now. I won''t fall for your shitty tricks."


    What was written on that paper must not have been to her licking but the others were all grinning. Lacking information about her, what was written on the paper and what Emp thought of her exactly, Calla wisely chose to remain silent for now.


    The only thing Emp told her about his feelings for Brenia was that he really loved to spar with her. Calla believed there was more going on between them than either where willing to admit but here was not the time nor place to question them about it.

 108 Girls in town part 2

    After they left the restaurant, Calla and the group started working on their mission for the day. Having successfully managed to frustrate the girls working there with all their talks about Calla''s superior cooking skills, Mable was back into a good mood.


    The staff had not said a word as they left but Calla felt that they were so angry they were almost shaking. The way they had been criticizing the food had not been subtle at all, if someone had talked the same way about her own cooking, Calla would have probably cried. She hoped they wouldn''t feel too hurt about it.


    With this peculiar meal behind them, the group walked into the merchant street. The place was called merchant street because of all the prosperous merchants doing business there but there were also many successful and talented artisans offering their works all long the street. Like the rest of this strange city, some of the shops where high above the road and could only be accessed through stairs leading up the many floors of the buildings on either side of the street. The amount of those was so exaggerated that they had even built some walkways along the second floor of the buildings to bridge all the shops above the streets.


    It was very special to look at but Calla was much too bothered by the crowd to pay any attention to it all. There were a lot of people here, way more than she could handle, walking here and there all around her. She stuck close to Harriett for safety and hid in the middle of their group as she watched the strangers.


    All of them were dressed in ways she would never have expected. The most ordinarily dressed men wore tall hats and mismatched coats over thin and even sometimes translucent shirts, buttoned from the side or simply tied at the waist with colorful ribbons. Most of them had short sleeves and pants to show their legs and arms often adorned with bits of gold tied to their gloves and sleeves.


    Women also wore a vast array of clothes Calla could never have imagined on her own. They had sleeves disconnected from the body of their clothes, gloves without fingers, clothes that left their bellies exposed but tied their breasts tightly or tops that showed vast cleavage but still covered their necks like the most private of places. She saw hats that flowed down their back and turned into skirts, dresses made entirely of layered flounces, skin tight pants that left part of their calves or thighs in the open and a wider variety of dress and skirts cuts and lengths that there were people in Dark-glint.


    Calla couldn''t understand how any of those clothes could be practical to wear at all, a few even turned her as red as an apple and didn''t deserve the title of clothes. Were all the nobles wearing these sort of things? This couldn''t be, the girls around her wore much more sensible clothes. Harriett and Brenia wore pants and shirts and the others dresses or skirts. Celtine had the weirdest clothes but she knew they had been tailored on demand to let her sit on Emp''s shoulders without issue.


    Since they were planning to have new clothes made for her, Calla''s felt relieved that according to what they wore, she wouldn''t end up dressed like those around them.


    Mable pointed at a shop on the third floor of a stone made building.


    "Here, this one deals in normal clothes, they made most of my new clothes."


    The sign had no picture, only words she couldn''t read. However, the others all seemed to agree that this was the best place to have new clothes made so they climbed the stairs on the outside of the building. The first led to the upper walkway from a bit further down the road and the they had to circle to the side of the building to find the solid wooden staircase wrapped around it to get to the third floor it occupied.


    Calla found funny that before getting in this city, she never had to climb stairs longer than a few steps up to a stage or down a larder. Here, everything was about verticality. It might explain why the men down on the road wore boots with with soles as thick as a fat apple and why some of the girls wore heels so tall they seemed to walk on their tiptoes.


    Inside the shop, a dozen ladies and two men frantically worked on lengths of cloth and half finished clothes. They seemed very talented, at least compared to her or her mother. They worked swiftly and efficiently, whether they were weaving or sewing they were confident in their task.


    One of the two men got up from his work and walked up to them with an amicable smile.


    "Welcome in our workshop fair ladies. Students from the imperial school again I presume. What can we do for you all today?"


    Aglaya presented Calla by putting her hands on her shoulders and pushing her to the front of the group


    "Hi, we''re here for her today."


    "Very well, what is she in need of?"


    Calla knew it wasn''t all that polite to address Aglaya rather than her directly but she preferred it that way because she had no idea of how anything worked. Vanessa explained the situation to the man using a charmingly polite voice.


    "She married one of our good friends and we need her to wear a dress that will reflect her new status."


    Surprise flashed on the face of the man but he recovered quickly. He must have believed that Calla was one of the servants, possibly even a slave.


    "I understand, a formal dress for the lady here. What sort of status does it need to reflect?"


    All the other girls made a difficult face and Aglaya asked Calla directly.


    "What is Emp exactly? Low for baron or bellow, high for dukes and above and intermediary for the rest."


    "High." Calla answered weakly but without hesitation.


    His current rank could be considered equal to a royal prince, or even imperial princes that weren''t the heir. Was there a specific name to describe a non-crown prince? (1)


    "So we guessed right, he is a high noble after all." Aglaya nodded.


    "You guessed it? I was sure he was an idiot that came from some backwater village." Brenia complained.


    Did she just make a mistake? She knew that they didn''t know who Emp really was but she had not thought about how it also meant that they had no idea about his real rank. She just thought that she was being asked for politeness. She hoped Emp would be too disappointed in her.


    Mable on the other hand seemed rather pleased. Not because of Calla''s slip up but simply because she learned something good about Emp.


    "In that case, the price will be quite high but we will make sure the result is exquisite." The man followed. "Let''s talk about the details."


    The man wanted to know her tastes, the colors of her husbands house, the style of clothing she required, the kind of textile she preferred, the desired effect, and so on.


    Unlike Emp, Calla knew about all those terms and the texture of all sorts of fabrics, she didn''t dislike to talk about all that either. However, the more the talk advanced, the paler she became thinking about how much it would cost Emp. Did she really need all those expensive lengths of cloth? She kept trying to redirect the attention of everyone on simpler and more common textiles hoping to lessen the cost but she was shut down by Mable and Vanessa every time.


    "Calla, trust us, money doesn''t matter. It''s all about what the others will think of you instead. The better you look, the better you make him look. This is not wasted money, every crown we spend here will increase both of your reputations."


    On top of that problem, she was unable to answer anything related to his house. How was she to know what were the colors of the Muraciers or what their emblem looked like. It''s not like she could just tell them it was the Muracier''s, she couldn''t betray Emp''s secret like that. At the same time, she feared she would get in trouble for not going along with their traditional clothing style.


    In the end, it was Harriett who provided the information, just in small parts in order to keep his anonymity. Calla thanked her for her precious help, if not for her, she could have been stuck here for a very long time.


    She was asked to point out styles and things she liked but since she had no concrete idea, they used the clothes of the other girls as example.


    They took a long time to examine and compare them all. With four example of good noble dresses or skirts, it made things easier for her to picture but not that much easier to choose.


    There were two skirts and two dresses adding on top of Brenia''s hunting clothes and Emp''s two servants gowns to take ideas from. All of their clothes were very pretty but Calla felt that the most important was that they seemed to be a good match for each of them. In Calla''s opinion, none of those would be good on her.


    Mable''s dress had a party cut, flaring out from the bottom, it was floor length with a natural waistline and a tight bodice darker than the rest of the dress and accentuating the shape of her upper body. She had a wide U shaped neckline but even if it revealed a tiny amount of cleavage, it was far from indecent or eye catching when combined with the fantasist borders and cuts along every pieces of cloth part of her dress. The whole thing was bright and colorful, with short summer sleeves and delicate lacing. It was overall charming, pretty and youthful. Calla felt that if she wore something similar, the shape of her own waist would not make justice to the cut of that dress. The colors where too bright as well, she''d feel like her younger sisters and she''d be afraid to dirty it while cooking.


    "Don''t cook wearing a high class dress! I know you love cooking but please, promise you''ll change your clothes first!" Mable pleaded to her.


    This sort of thing must be hard to wash.


    The other wearing a dress was Vanessa. The hem of it had an asymmetrical cut reaching higher up her leg on the left to reveal her long white socks and her tall boots. Overall, it was a tea-length dress, reaching just under her knee and the bottom part was shaped like a tulip. The waistline of her dress was just over her hips and gave the feeling she had a long slender upper body. Her dress was all in tints of pale greens and blues and was made in four layers, each with their specific uses and good looking traits. From her words, it was made in a way that would let her move properly and practice dancing without tripping in the skirt or feeling her breasts moving all the time. Her dress had no sleeves but she wore long gloves almost reaching her elbows. Calla thought it was pretty, more so when she moved and showed her legs and expansive shoes, it was graceful and energetic. She was not the type to move all that much unless she did chores however, such a cut would be wasted on her.


    Next was Rica with the most casual wear of the four noble ladies. She wore a loose top under a pale brown leather corset, with a snug pair of pants under a knee length skirt with a handkerchief hem. Aside from the corset, all her clothes were emerald green but even though they seemed simple, the complexity of their cuts and stitches along with the many ornaments made it stand out of its ordinary nature. This might be the one Calla would feel the less awkward wearing but everyone else said it wasn''t fit for the effect they were looking for as it was too casual.


    Then the only one left was Aglaya''s. She mostly wore black to match her serious nature but kept some accents of deep green here and there to show some personality. She wore a conservative straight floor length skirt with a flounce hem and surprisingly wore it tied just bellow her bust. This was the main reason she seemed to have so much leg. Likewise, the top part had long black sleeve ending in points reaching over her fingers under a thin wispy vest open at the front that fell loosely down her back and over the skirt. Her clothes had nothing alluring or youthful like the others but they gave her an authoritative air, smart and dignified. In the end, it was just as charming as the others on her but Calla felt that if she wore something like that herself, she would just look like an idiot.


    Unable to find any clues on what would look good on her from the other''s dresses, Calla had to rely heavily on the opinion of the tailors and he other girls to make her decisions. They made sure that everything would match her bracelet, in colors and design so that they wouldn''t clash against each other, they inquired about other jewelry and ornaments, discussed her haircut and its length, talked for a long time about footwear, passed through examples of dresses, tops, skirts, pants and even underwear. They also had her touch plenty of different fabrics and expensive threads, pointing out their different characteristics and how they felt on her skin.


    Unlike Emp, she didn''t feel dizzy immediately and time flew by in a flash. They took measurements, had her stand in different poses as they tried different things and pushed her to take decisions for herself even though the opinion of the majority often overruled her own will.


    She had a surprising amount of fun despite feeling faint about how the bill kept growing further and further out of hand. On top of that, Mable paid an alarmingly large extra to have it made as fast as humanly possible. Celtine stood in the background taking notes on everything they bought and paid for including the extra for future reference for Emp. Calla felt terrible about this.


    She also felt feverish picturing what sort of clothes she''d end up with, it was all way too much for her. She had dreamed of being dressed like a princess just like any other girls when she was younger but honestly, she did not believe any sort of clothes that were this pretty could ever fit her well. With how eager the others seemed and how confident the workers looked however, she started feeling curious and a tiny bit hopeful about the result.


    They left the store late but according to the girls, they were far from done yet. They moved on to all those other things they spoke about with the tailors including footwear, jewelry and makeup. They even found someone to give her tips about her hair and they bought her a cute bag to strap over her shoulder that would match her new clothes.


    Throughout this all, she listened to the chatter of the other girls. They seemed to really enjoy showing her all those things she knew nothing about, pointing this and that to her, talking about their experiences on each and arguing about what was the best kind of every single item they checked. It was quite obvious that they genuinely wanted her to look like a noble, like one of them. She wasn''t sure of why some of them did yet but she was glad they were there to walk her though it all.


    At some point, Vanessa was telling her she should wear high heeled shoes to match her height with Emp as she was way shorter than him. The heels would not fix the almost ten inches difference but it would feel less jarring. Calla didn''t understand why this height disparity mattered but according to the others, it was good if the guy was taller but it didn''t look good when it was too wide a difference since people need to think she can stand on her own.


    Calla thanked Vanessa for the advice and the other answered her with a smile.


    "You don''t have to thank me for that. Also, call me Nessa, all my friends do."


    Calla felt it was a good time to ask her about who she was.


    "Nessa, what sort of relationship do you have with Emp? Why are you helping me so much."


    She answered with a shrug and a smile.


    "I have a debt towards Emp but that''s not why I''m here and that''s certainly not what you want to know, is it?"


    Calla didn''t know what she wanted to find out exactly yet so she didn''t know what to tell her.


    "Mable, Brenia, Aglaya and Emp are my best friends so of course I want to know about you."


    "How am I one of your best friends? We just spar from time to time."


    "You don''t hold your thoughts and hide them in front of me even though I''ll become a duchess in the future. I don''t know all that many people, even less I can call friends, I value your talent and honesty."


    "Huhum, speaking of honesty, I''m curious about this Nessa. Do you have feelings for Emp?" Brenia asked her bluntly.


    Calla would have turned bright red if she had been the one that had been asked that but Nessa barely reacted at all, and more with surprise than embarrassment.


    "Not really I don''t think. I''d rather wait to see where everyone will end up before I take any sort of decision on anything related to love. I need to think about my territory first and what will benefit it."


    "That''s not really what love is about though." Mable pitied her.


    "I''m happy that you found someone you really like Mable, even if you try to hide it. But, I''m not like you, it never was about what I want, it''s all about what my territory needs. Emp might be the best in the group for now and I think we get along well but the world is vast, I want to see more and see if I have have a good synergy with someone before I do anything. Now, we even know that he''s at least in a ducal house, probably the inheritor too. Linking myself to someone like him would ruin my territory because no one would be left to care for it, I cannot follow your example. All this and also, I think Zoran is cuter."


    "Zoran?" The others goggled their eyes.


    Calla had not seen Zoran yet so she didn''t know why the others seemed so surprised.


    "Yeah, he reminds me of my younger brother. It doesn''t help my territory at all but I like how flustered he gets around me. Don''t misunderstand though, I think he''s cute but I don''t like him any more than the other guys. What I feel for him is more like what I would feel looking at a good entertainer or a painting."


    "Hahaha! Poor Zoran."


    Calla thought it was sort of sad, nobles really had a different way of thinking than ordinary people. The subject was about to be put to rest but somehow, she started blurting out words of worry for her.


    "You can''t just marry some man you don''t care about just to profit your territory. Love won''t bless that sort of marriage."


    "Why not, why would she care about us anyway?"


    "Trust me, she cares a lot about everyone. You need to listen to your heart,"


    What was she even saying! How embarrassing.


    A few raised brows and amused giggles answered her before they quickly switched to the next subject. It would take more than that for Nessa to rethink her view of the future but at least, Calla now had a good basic understanding of everyone here.


    They ended up buying a lot of things for her and even though she was reluctant about it, Harriett carried everything for her. It was very strange for her to have someone else carry her things, more so since Harriett wasn''t really stronger than herself. She was perfectly able to handle her own things, even though there were so many, she didn''t need the help of Harriett.


    "That''s also part of being a noble though. The higher standing you have, the less people will let you do things by yourself."


    Calla thought it was quite ridiculous but she didn''t wave the will to take back her things from Harriett. She knew that Harriett was rather proud to do this for her and might even brag about it to Emp later to get praised.


    After they were done with all those things, Calla managed to convince them all to stop at the market as well to look for interesting cooking ingredients.


    At last, a place she found familiar. She had never stepped in this market before and it was many times bigger and more populated than the one back home but she still felt more in her element here than in the alleys full of glittering shops and expensive treasures.


    Here, she was able to smell the freshness and tasteful variety of the products. She went around in high spirit with the others on her tail, all curiously observing her change in attitude. She''d smell different ingredient and spice and point at those interesting her for Brenia and Celtine to pick up and buy for her. She was still too shy to interact with the merchants by herself but it didn''t stop her from requesting this and that from everywhere. She pointed at wild herbs from Dugo, spices from the sand wastes and strange wines from Grandbois, keradon butter acquired from the northern hills, fresh fruits and vegetables from all over and so on.


    She was rather disappointed to understand that she could not simply buy every ingredient she wanted without Emp here to carry them in his bag. She had to limit herself to the most interesting few according to what her inspiration told her would make for a great meal.


    She might be undecisive about shoes and clothes but the others were all surprised at how confidently she weaved her way through the market. For them, she was like an entirely different person even though she was still barely speaking.


    Maybe because her aura felt different, Brenia felt it was a great time to ask a bold question out of the blue.


    "So Calla, how big is he?"


    No one understood the sense of her question and all turned raised brows her way.


    "Emp, how big is he under the belt."


    Rica choked on her surprise and Mable opened her mouth in shock. Calla felt like her clothes might catch fire because of how hot the embarrassment made her feel. Harriett and Celtine froze as well while Aglaya chided her rude friend.


    "Brenia! That''s such an inappropriate thing to ask!"


    "What? It''s valuable information for Mable! If he''s like a tiny earthworm down there, she might change her opinion on him." Brenia wiggled her little finger to express herself. "More importantly, if he''s no good, I get to mock him later about how his wife think he''s small."


    Brenia was beaming and barely just forcing herself to not giggle through her grin while some people around them overheard her words and whispered between themselves in hushed giggles.


    Opposite to her, Calla was speechless, there was no way she could possibly answer that! Someone help!


    She looked around her for some support.


    Mable was now hiding her face behind her hands but she kept an eye out curiously, she couldn''t, help but want to know even though she''d never admit it. There would be no help form there. Rica and Nessa where too shocked to say anything and Aglaya seemed to be too amused by the reaction of Mable and Calla to say anything more until Calla gave some sort of answer. The only help she received was from Harriett and Celtine.


    "There''s no way master is that small!" Harriett rebuked Brenia loudly, insulted on behalf of her master while Celtine knocked on the head of her perch in protest.


    "Oh? Have you seen it?"


    That one Harriett had no counter for and just flapped her mouth uselessly in helplessness.


    Brenia returned her mocking gaze towards her and this time, even the crowd of stranger followed and fixed her as well to know what sort of answer she would give. They couldn''t help but all catch on to the embarrassing conversation from how loud Harriett had answered.


    The question was too much for her though. She would never work out the boldness to answer even if she lived ten times longer. She needed to say something however or this nightmare would never end. She repeated her new full name in her head and kept Love''s words in mind in order to find an answer.


    It took her a while to extract herself from this perilous situation. In the end, the others seemed even more shocked by the way she answered the question than the query itself, even Brenia was reddening now. Maybe she had not really expected Calla to answer? She had used Brenia''s fingers to give her some idea of it since it was easier for her than just wording it but the others seemed to think it was way worse than just saying something.


    The crowd gasped at how bold she was along with the girls and they all hurriedly dragged Calla away from the market and the many eyes glued to the indecent conversation.


    "You... You better not ask something like that again." Aglaya told Brenia in a way that showed how disturbed she truly was despite her iron face.


    Brenia just nodded with a blank stare. Only after they had walked for a long time did she finally say something else, putting an end to the long silence of the group.


    "I''m not teasing you ever again, you''re way too savage even for me."


    Brenia was the one that went too far, Calla was just desperate. Still, she was very glad this was over and hopefully, not one of them would mock the size of her husband. (2)


    Since it was already late and they needed to change their minds, they asked around and learned that they were just in time for the theater performance the group wanted to see.


    Calla had never seen a theater play before so she was curious to see it despite the subject being "The debt". She didn''t like stories that ended badly, the first time she heard it, she couldn''t sleep for two days straight. Since then, she was very careful about what she asked from others too.


    She had thought they would watch in an open place outside but it was happening in a wide building instead. A gruff looking man stood in the entrance to sell and verify passes before letting anyone enter.


    They could watch the play standing at the back for a silver but Mable decided to pay for seats to enjoy it in comfort. The whole group stepped around the standing crowd and were led to a row of seats with stuffed cushions where they got a great view of the stage. They were really comfortable too and Calla felt glad they were there even though she feared the price they paid for them.


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    The other good thing was that since they were all sitting, Harriett and Brenia were able to put down all the things they bought through the afternoon and take a break from carrying everything.


    They had heard that they were right on time but they still had to wait for a long while for the huge room to fill itself and for the play to start. Calla was very happy that from were they sat, they had nothing to obstruct their view of the stage and the actors on it, they even had an upper angle on them so that they didn''t break their necks looking there for so long.


    The play lasted for two hours and was many times more detailed than the story Calla had heard when she was small. At this point, it was almost a brand new story. She was very impressed by what she saw, the men and women on the stage had crazy costumes and vehement expressions. She felt very invested in the story of the now named characters and their struggle to repay their debts and more importantly, the creature tempting the protagonist. They felt so much more alive than when she just heard her mother tell the story to her, it was incredible and very surprising when she understood that they had changed the ending.


    The wife went on to plead to the other hunters for help, she loved her kids and husband too much to let him die at the hands of a vile creature. She promised them earth and sky and so managed to sway them. The hunters stood with the brothers and vanquished the creature under the thunderous applause of the crowd.


    Calla felt very satisfied, the man ended up repaying all the other hunters with his help on many hunts after and everything ended well. What a good way to end the play and their day outside.


    She liked it so much she would have been willing to watch it again straight away. This must have been one the things the nobles often did to spend their time, she would perfectly understand that they''d rather sit here to watch this instead of doing the laundry. She would have liked it better if the fight against the creature wasn''t there at all but she had to admit that the whole thing was very entertaining.


    The left the place in high spirit and even Brenia who complained about the ending seemed pleased with the play.


    "I like the original ending better, it teaches two important lessons, they shouldn''t cut it off."


    "Two? I get the one about paying off your debts but what''s the other?" Asked Rica.


    "If it looks like a snake and talks like a snake, then it''s a snake, not a helpful stranger."


    The others all started laughing. Even Calla smiled, it was all too true. Sometimes, it was obvious that someone is up to no good even if they did their best to seem friendly, one should not trust the words of a snake, whether they looked like a scaly lizard or a gentlemen.


    "I liked the costumes." Mable pointed out. "The creature was impressive with all those scales and scary claws."


    "It''s true but we shouldn''t talk about this standing here in front of the theater. It''s already dark, we should head back home quick."


    Calla agreed wholeheartedly. She already found the darkness scary, being in the middle of an unfamiliar city made it much worse. On top of that, she felt tired from the day they had, all those interactions with the other girls and the overspending took a toll on her.


    They all agreed to walk back to the school but since they had not eaten a supper yet, Calla decided to whisper into Harriett''s ear to ask them if they''d like to eat with them in Emp''s room. She''d cook something with the things she bought earlier and they''d be able to end the night calmly.


    The others all agreed happily, those that had not tried it were all curious about her cooking talent and Mable liked the company of everyone so she wanted to stretch the day for as long as possible.


    A few streets further, they came across of a shop that had just closed. In front of the door, two young women were arguing in the noble tongue. Calla didn''t understand a word they said but they seemed to be fighting over a piece of food. Those two weren''t nobles, they were just hired hands of the shop, both were smaller than even her as well and must have been just over ten years old, there was nothing special or eye catching about them except for the unusual amount of freckles on the face of the taller one. They looked quite similar to each other too so they might have been sisters? Sisters should fight like that.


    Calla felt the need to stop them from arguing and so walked up to them, driving her hand inside her new bag to look for something. Since she had conveniently been given a bag earlier, she had stored a lot of fruits and vegetables in it.


    "Calla?" The others called.


    The girls interrupted their fight to look warily at the approaching stranger. They seemed really suspicious of her but she didn''t mind. She got two big fruits from the bag and presented one to each.


    This wasn''t really a full meal but each were at least as big as the piece of smoked meat they were arguing over. The two looked at her with raised brows and she shook the fruits so that they would take them.


    They looked at each other, asked something she didn''t understand and in return, she just smiled and shook the fruits once more. One didn''t need to be a genius to guess that they were asking if they could really take them. Two small pairs of hands stretched towards her and she dropped the fruits into them.


    She saw both smile brightly and she walked back to the rest of the group in satisfaction. The moment the good deed was done, she started worrying about the dark again and hurried to the others for safety.


    "That was dangerous! What did you do that for?" Nessa asked.


    "What if they decided to take the whole bag instead? What if they had a knife?" Brenia added.


    That had not crossed her mind at all. She had just wanted to help.


    "I just felt they were hungry."


    The others answered with a few snorts and they all moved on.


    "You shouldn''t do that anymore." Aglaya said. "You never know what''s really in the head of everyone else."


    Calla sighed with a mix of emotions and soon after, everyone put the event behind them.


    They discussed casually on their way back and unlike every time Emp went shopping with someone, nothing happened to them on the way. Calla felt a lot closer to everyone now than she had been in the beginning and felt satisfied with her unexpectedly interesting outing.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Seriously, I''m curious as well, is there such a name? I''d say just prince or princess but then it also include the heir. I can''t find a term for it.


    (2) I just wanted to show how Brenia is just as bold as the guys on Emp''s side with her lewd questions as well as showing that the two group sort of mirror each other but that small section might have gotten out of hand. I cut the answer out sorry XD. Maybe I should have cut the whole thing out. Let me know if you think this was out of place.

 109 Theyre back

    Emp was still reviewing his notes when he heard the door open and the girls walk in while chatting happily. He put down his studies and stepped into the main room to welcome them.


    He had only expected to see Calla instead of the whole group to come to his room but he welcomed them all warmly anyway.


    "Hi, welcome back girls, did you have fun?"


    He received a bunch of nods and yeses as answers and in no time, the girls were talking about their day and a bunch of other things.


    He shared a hug with Calla while Harriett placed a lot of objects on the table. They had bought a surprising amount of things.


    After recharging her energy with the hug, Calla went straight for the counters by the fireplace and started working on a meal with a smile. She seemed to have had a really good time today, Emp was happy for her and very glad everything went well.


    He was curious to know how it all went and what were all those things for and the girls were happy to talk about most of it.


    After he found enough seats for everyone, he quickly learned that Calla had been surprisingly vocal today. She had went through the day mostly answering with nods and shakes of her head but she did speak up much more often than usual.


    They all seemed rather satisfied with their day and explained with enthusiasm to him what all those trinkets and items were along with why they bought it for Calla. They also giggled about some things they experienced throughout the day but they kept most of them for themselves. It seemed that they were unwilling to share all the secrets they talked about with him but Emp was fine with it.


    He didn''t impose himself in the conversation and just sat on the sidelines and listened to what they were willing to share. From what he could tell, the general idea was that they appreciated Calla.


    While she was preparing the meal, the only thing the girls criticized about her was how she gave some fruits to random people that were arguing on their way back. After hearing the full story, Emp just frowned in puzzlement.


    "How is that a bad thing? I don''t get it. She did good."


    They argued for a while about it. The girls were adamant that she shouldn''t do that because it was too dangerous. They had many arguments against it, including but not limited to the mysterious nature of strangers, the possibility of it all being a trap and simple greed leading to a tragic outcome. Emp understood their viewpoint but asking Calla to not help someone she could was like asking the sun to stop shining.


    "As far as I know, she has always been like that. If someone is in need of help in front of her, she will do her best to provide it. I think the only exception is if it involves fighting, then she doesn''t move at all and gets frozen in place. I can ask her to make sure that she isn''t alone when she does things like that so that someone can protect her if it turns bad but I won''t tell her to stop. This is part of her after all and I see it as a quality. Honestly, the only thing I''m disappointed about in that story is that the real problem wasn''t fixed."


    "What do you mean?" Aglaya asked with furrowed brows.


    "Why were two kids arguing over a piece of meat smaller than a big fruit?"


    No one here was able to answer his question and just shrugged in confusion.


    "Was it because they are gluttons or because they were very hungry? How come they were so hungry though, weren''t they working in that shop? Aren''t they getting paid for their work or is it so little that this piece of meat was all they could afford? In that case, why do they keep working there, why aren''t they changing jobs? Are they forced to work there somehow? Are they threatened? Calla could fix the consequence but not the cause and this is what I''m disappointed about. I feel there was a real problem there and no one did anything to help. I''m not blaming you all about it but Calla is right. If no one helps, won''t things just get worse over time? What if they get so desperately hungry later that they start stealing from others? If I had been there and I had done nothing, I would have felt bad about it later if something worse happened. What Calla did might not have been the best but at least, she did something."


    The other girls had not expected to receive such a speech tonight and felt a mix of shame about their conduct and pity towards Emp for being so naive. They were just two girls in a sea of people. They would never cross paths again and countless others must have far bigger problems than being unable to eat their fill. As long as they still had some food to stave off starvation, a multitude of other problems would be more important for nobles like them. Not because they didn''t care about the smaller man but because from were they stood, they would be often tasked to fix more pressing and general problems.


    A noble couldn''t just go to every shop in his territory to make sure the owners payed their employee as they should, they needed to take care of roads, walls, guards, catch criminals and make sure the city as a whole would get enough food and water to survive. Someone further down the chain should take care of those small individual things, a true noble didn''t have the time to care.


    "We''re not saying it''s bad to help people, we''re saying it''s dangerous for someone like her because it''s clear she doesn''t know how to protect herself." Brenia told him.


    "I get it but that one we can''t change. I''m not going to argue with her just because she gave away a few fruits"


    The others knew full well he wouldn''t change his mind so they simply gave up. Instead, they talked about the play they had all watched together while Calla finished preparing the meal. Already, the good smell was spreading across the room making everyone eager for a bite.


    Mable was rather excited about the play and like she usually did, she told him about the differences between the play and the classic story with exaggerated gesture and a loud excited voice. Emp was glad she was back to her usual explosive self. Hopefully, it meant that she was already more comfortable around Calla and would stop looking so serious all the time.


    "So pay oooooooooff yoooooooour debt Emp ooooooooor I''ll turn into a huge lizard and hauuuuuuunt youuuuuuuu!" She said while booing like a ghost.


    "I don''t think lizards make the same noises as ghosts." Nessa giggled to her friend''s nonsense.


    "What noise do they make then, eh? You never heard a lizard scream before, did you?"


    "You didn''t either! Can lizards even scream?"


    "They must do, how else would they talk to each other then?"


    "Couldn''t they all be hissing like snakes?" He asked.


    "That wouldn''t be as fun though. I''m going to hiss at your window all the time isn''t as impressive as haunting you."


    "Anyway, how much do I even owe you?"


    "I have no idea, I haven''t kept track." Mable shrugged.


    "More like you didn''t care about keeping track because you already made up your mind." Aglaya teased her.


    "No! I just don''t care about that money!"


    "My Mable in denial is cute too." Aglaya said before grabbing Mable and pulling her into an inescapable hug.


    "Wha! Aglaya no, stop! Not in front of Emp I told you! It''s embarrassing!"


    "Hahaha, the truth comes out!" Brenia pointed out in a fit of booming laughter.


    "So that''s why I had not seen such a hug for a long time." Nessa nodded with an understanding smile."


    Mable continued to complain for a bit until Aglaya chose to free her and Mable made a wronged face while Celtine presented Emp a list.


    He looked through the first few things on it and quickly understood it was a list of everything they bought.


    "Thank you Celtine, that''s very useful."


    "What is it?"


    "The list of everything we bought. Just so you know Emp, I was thinking the same as your wife on this, they spent way too much." Brenia told him with a tinge of amusement.


    "Traitor, what do you even know about those things, you keep dressing like a death-seeker." Mable complained.


    "I know enough to understand that a normal person doesn''t need so many necklaces just to spend a few weeks in this school."


    Emp scanned through the list to see what the fuss was about. Celtine had been very meticulous and he had all the details of every items in his hands. It didn''t take long for him to see the problem along with the total sum of the spent money.


    "You know, when I said that you could spend as much as you wanted, I did not expect the total to go over twenty red dragons." He said calmly.


    They had spent over two thousand gold coins in a single afternoon.


    Rica gasped at the amount and Brenia opened her mouth like a fish. Clearly, they had not kept track at all either. Calla almost collapsed behind him when she heard the amount and Harriett had to rush to catch her. Luckily, she didn''t get hurt and she didn''t drop the food on the ground.


    "Did we really spend that much? I had not noticed." Nessa said just as calmly as Emp.


    "It''s fine, it''s not even half a crystal." Mable waved off the price with her hand as if it was nothing.


    Those girls really didn''t have the same understanding of money as an ordinary person. Not to say that Emp was any better. He turned around to reassure his frantic wife.


    "It''s fine Calla, relax, I''m not bothered at all by that amount. It''s not like I would have to pay that every week, it''s just a one time thing."


    "High nobles really are something else." Brenia Sighed.


    Once Calla was mostly appeased, he turned back to the others and got the Red dragon coins out of his bag. They were dropped on the table and pushed towards Mable.


    "Seriously though, the haunting lizard thing was a joke, you don''t have to repay me that small bit of money." Mable said.


    "I don''t have to ignore it either though, I won''t miss those few red dragons anyway. It was all for my wife so it''s natural that I should pay."


    "Mhnn... Let''s leave that there for now then and wait after the food to choose who this money belongs to."


    "What does the food change to that seemingly pointless argument?" Rica asked.


    "It changes that by then, Mable needs to know what she wants to do about Emp from now on and Calla needs to tell us if she''s fine with it." Aglaya Explained casually.


    Even if she had said it in a very normal tone, everyone tensed up from the realization. Surprisingly, the two calmest of them all were Mable and Calla who finished preparing the meal as if nothing important had been said.


    She had wanted to make soup but a good one needed a lot of time to take on a good taste and there where a few important guests tonight. She needed something good and quick instead. She relied on her instinct and a quick taste of the things she bought earlier to find a good combination and cook something nice for everyone.


    The fruits she brought back were the true stars of the meal. She had some sour ones and some sweet ones, combined with spices, herbs and exotic ingredients like maple syrup, she was able to devise some incredible meal.


    Like always, the moment that the meal was served to everyone, they all loved it.


    Emp heard a lot of comments about how it was true that she was a better cook than the guys in the restaurant they went to and had to be told the story to understand what this was about. He found it funny but not unexpected, some people were just gifted in a field like magic for Penny and in this case, cooking for Calla. This was her language as well as her favorite thing to do, it was normal for her to be this talented.


    For a while, the group enjoyed the taste of the meal and despite the quantity cooked by Calla, after a long time of only hearing utensils instead of voices, there was nothing left over.


    The plates were all pushed aside and gathered by Harriett. Everyone remained silent and looked at Emp, Calla and Mable in turn, trying to figure out who would speak first.


    Emp took the first step because he was really eager to know.


    "So, what conclusion did you both reach? I am very curious."


    He turned towards Calla first who answered him with a smile.


    "As of yet, I''ve nothing to say against her or your friends. You were right, she makes me think of my little sister. If what I''ve seen today and yesterday is the usual her than I''m willing to let her give you an offering."


    He was surprised to see that she was able to speak so easily in front of them. She was still not as comfortable as with her friends with them but it seemed she didn''t really see them as strangers anymore either. Emp nodded at her words and turned towards Mable.


    She was the real unknown here, the approval of Calla wasn''t surprising at all, as long as she seemed like a kind person, she would have agreed. Mable was seemingly deep in thoughts, pondering about something. Emp pressed her on.


    "I am not surprised about the opinion of Calla but I would still like to know what you are thinking."


    "You''re too nervous Emp, calm down." Mable laughed.


    "I am not that nervous though?" He said with a raised brow.


    "You are. You always revert to speaking without contractions in your sentences when you''re nervous or worried." Aglaya pointed out.


    "Do I?"


    He turned towards Calla who just nodded in approval.


    "You do, that''s the only way I found to know when you''re nervous or not because you don''t show it at all otherwise."


    "Huh..."


    Emp was rather surprised, he had not noticed. He had believed that the only special thing he did when he was too stressed out was to forget to breathe.


    "Anyway, I''d like to know what the others think first. What do you all think of Calla? Would she or would she not make for a good sister?"


    Rica was the first to speak, she wanted to help a fellow peasant girl.


    "I think she is really kind, if it was me, I would be absolutely fine with her. She gave part of her food to Celtine when the staff would not, gave fruits to helpless kids and cooked us all something delicious."


    Most of the other girls nodded and Nessa agreed with her own answer.


    "She could''ve been consumed by her new rank and started acting like Heida but she didn''t. She is humble so even though she doesn''t know about a lot of the noble etiquette, I don''t think she could bring any trouble to Mable. In fact, I think that a calm sister like her could help stop Mable from doing her usual crazy acts. I give Calla a pass, I''m more worried about Mable making a bad sister than otherwise."


    "Hey!"


    There were a few laughter and Brenia spoke next.


    "Well, I''m sorry to say it but I don''t like her."


    "What?"


    To mostly everyone''s surprise, she disagreed with them all, not even Calla had expected that.


    "She''s spineless, she let everyone make every decision for her the whole afternoon. Also, she''s the hero type that wants to help everyone but she has no strength to back it off and no courage to face an opponent. A warrior lives and a hero dies I said but she''s even worse than that. She might be the sort to send everyone to death in an attempt to save someone she can''t reach. She''s a dangerous person to have around. She won''t be able to support anyone and will instead need a bunch of people to watch after her, she''s a huge weak spot. It''s true that she''s likable and kindhearted, I really do want to like her but I can''t. What I really think is that she''ll be trouble for Emp."


    "How can you say that? What about the thing with the fingers?"


    Emp had no idea what Nessa was talking about but everyone else seemed to know and Calla turned very red.


    "I thought I had misunderstood her then but the fruits convinced me I was right the first time around. She was cowering in the dark then turned into a hero while she had no power, ran off by herself into what might have been a trap and resumed cowering right after. I''d never be able to trust someone like that."


    Emp thought her judgment might be a bit harsh but he had no say in her opinions.


    "I''m sorry." Calla said meekly.


    Brenia answered in frustration.


    "It''s pointless to apologize since we all know you would do it again. I''m not fine with it, you''ll end up killing Emp for something stupid."


    Calla was saddened by the words of Brenia but had nothing to say for herself. The others all made some awkward faces, they didn''t fully agree but the point of this round of discussion was to express all their opinions so they couldn''t blame Brenia for being hard on Calla. They turned towards Emp to know how he would react about his wife getting scolded and found that he was taking it pretty well.


    If a stranger had been this hard on Calla, Emp believed he would have been pretty upset but in this case, he wasn''t at all. Brenia was just telling them about what she thought was a dangerous habit of Calla because she didn''t want either to get hurt.


    He was disappointed that she said she didn''t like Calla but at least, she did not hate her. Thinking about it, it wasn''t so surprising that the two would disagree with each other, if it had not been Brenia, he was about sure that Calla would have at some point voiced a complaint on her behavior. The two were just too far apart from each other in terms of behavior and beliefs.


    Brenia would clash with things head on and feared nothing, she almost lived for a good fight. Calla, in reverse, could not stand violence and got easily scared of almost anything and everyone.


    "I understand your concerns, I promise we''ll be careful. Thank you for worrying."


    "When have you ever been careful before? There''s a reason why I keep calling you hero." She grumbled.


    After that, she was done talking and everyone turned towards Aglaya. When it came to things related to Mable, she was usually the most critique so everyone expected her to have some very thought out answer. They were right, she had thought about all of this a lot.


    "I think that her personality is good. It''s a great foundation and I think that she wouldn''t be a source of problem in a sisterhood. I mean in a relationship way rather than a security way." She added looking towards Brenia who just snorted. "I think she needs to learn a lot about high society though. She will reflect badly on the whole house if she can''t stand straight in front of others or understand noble speech or simply just act like a lady of her rank. Currently, she lacks dignity, and I would advise her to receive the teachings of a private tutor in etiquette, someone like Blackbull. With how she is now, thanks to her personality, I don''t think she could make any huge mistake or could cause anyone to loose face but she won''t gain any favors either. What we bought today might help but what she needs is education. If she can fix that than yes, I think Mable would benefit from having her as a sister, I agree with Nessa''s statement. As for the security concerns, I agree with Brenia but Emp had the same problem from the start."


    "He doesn''t! It''s true he listens to others a lot but when someone pushes him towards something he disagrees with, he stands his ground and fight back! She would just take the hit instead and not defend herself." Brenia denied.


    "I get that but it doesn''t affect the security of him of her sisters in itself. The only real problem is trying to fix things she can''t help by being too kindhearted. The two of them are the same, they feel the need to help every time and that is the only issue I have with this. As long as Emp can become the strongest like he said he wanted to than it doesn''t matter, he will just beat down any problem they encounter, if he doesn''t however, the two will cause problem for everyone close to them."


    Aglaya ended with that. She didn''t take a side and just stated everything that came to her mind. She left everything to Mable instead because she couldn''t take the responsibility of making such a decision for her.


    For Mable, after the afternoon they had, things didn''t seem as complicated as they were before. The words of the others didn''t really change her opinion either. Despite what Aglaya kept trying to tell her, she didn''t care much for rules of conducts, her personality was way more important for her. She couldn''t stand all those nobles hiding behind protocols and polite masks in order to hide their faults. She''d rather stand with people like Emp and Calla than those hiding all their thoughts even if they appeared better.


    As for what Brenia said, she liked Emp precisely because he was that sort of person. Saying that Calla wasn''t fine for this reason would be stupid. What were guards for anyway if they couldn''t protect a single lady trying to help those around?


    She believed that not many would have the guts of targeting Calla. Not only was she representing the dream of so many little girls wishing to become a noble from nothing, if she continued to act like she did today, it wouldn''t be long before everyone in her territory started loving her. People don''t like it when those that are caring for them get hurt, they would all be protecting her instead.


    Aside from being bitter that she managed to get Emp first, she couldn''t find anything she really disliked about her. She was just an agreeable charming person. She felt that there could be some way worse things in life then ending up becoming her sister. In the end, the choice was simple. Either she saddened herself for no reason and got nothing or, she gained Emp and a kindhearted friend.


    She had everyone wait while she thought of all this but the choice wasn''t that hard.


    "I guess it doesn''t matter who keeps the money, my pocket or your pocket, they''re like the same." She ended up telling him.


    Emp understood what she meant and felt great relief, likewise, the others smiled hearing her conclusion. Calla just slumped down on her seat following the disappearance of the surrounding tension.


    "Do we split it half and half for now then?"


    "Alright then, let''s do that. You still have to complete the list of task I gave you though, don''t forget it."


    "I won''t."


    The coins vanished from the table in no time and everyone rose from their seats to leave. They all wished each other good night and went their own ways after passing his door. They didn''t forget to thank Calla for the food and give some excited comment to Mable as they left.


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    Rica wasn''t usually in the group so she was, in a way, the first person to get the proof that Mable and Emp were indeed in some sort of relationship. She would probably tell Frits about it and the boys in the class would all know soon that what Emp had declared in the classroom a few weeks ago wasn''t just some random nonsense.


    As for Brenia, she didn''t seem disappointed or sour about this conclusion. She had just wanted to help them after all, she was simply concerned. It had not been her goal to split Emp from either Mable or Calla.


    After everyone had left, Emp and Calla didn''t stay up much longer and went to bed. Once inside the covers of their bed, they still talked for a bit however.


    The first thing Calla told him was an apology.


    "Sorry that Brenia doesn''t like me."


    "What are you sorry for? It''s not your fault if she doesn''t like you. It''s not even really you she doesn''t like, it''s just the way you confront problems."


    "I''ll try my best to have her change her mind."


    "You don''t have to, it doesn''t really matter."


    "It does, you know, she said she admire Celtine because she goes against her fears. I think she has her own fears she can''t go over and I want to help her."


    Emp didn''t get why it was so important but her words reminded him of what Love once told him about Brenia.


    "What do you think that fear is?"


    "I don''t know, maybe this is why she really doesn''t like her friends taking risks."


    "I''m not convinced, I think she would have told me long before if that was the case. Instead, she told me that story about that hero guy she mocked."


    "Do you like her?"


    "Not in the same way I like you."


    "But not that far off either, right?"


    "Possibly, I''m not sure. You know I''m bad with those sorts of things."


    "I do, I guess what I''m asking is, would you take it if she gave you and offering?"


    "I guess so." He answered honestly. "I can''t really picture her doing it though. I think she is more likely to kill me for thinking about it than she is of doing that."


    "I think she''s hiding something, about that and her fear too. I just don''t know how to help."


    "I''m happy you want to help but don''t try too hard. She doesn''t like to be pushed."


    "I won''t."


    "Should we not talk about Mable instead? Or your afternoon? Did you have fun at least?"


    "I did, I learned a lot and your friends are really helpful. They were patient with me and explained a lot of things to me without being too hard. I''m glad Rica was there to show me that I was not that much out of place. I''m sorry I made some mistakes though. When we were buying clothes, they asked if you were a low, mid or high noble to know what sort of clothes I needed and I answered high without thinking, sorry."


    Emp made a pout but he wasn''t really angry.


    "It doesn''t matter, I''m pretty sure Aglaya had guessed so anyway. She can''t find my name with just that. Instead, I''m more curious about what you learned."


    "A whole lot. They thought me about so many things from shoes to behavior and even ladies-in-waiting."


    "Ladies-in-waiting? What did you learn about those?"


    Emp had a hard time figuring out how such a thing came up in a normal conversation.


    "They said that noble ladies and girls often spent a bunch of time alone because they couldn''t just go out and have fun with the common folks. They told me the school was the exception, the only time they were allowed to break the rules and have fun outside before they returned to their families. Because they don''t want to be too lonely, noble ladies often pick a few lower ranked nobles to be friends with and stay with them all the time. Those are the ladies-in-waiting, they are mostly loyal friends and sometimes prospective sisters, they can help with all the tasks the noble lady can''t do alone and more importantly, share a friendship that would be hard to find otherwise. They were wondering if I''d need a few ladies-in-waiting myself because as the wife of a high noble, they thought I wouldn''t have that much time to spend with my old friends and they thought it might get lonely. They took Aglaya as an example of perfect lady-in-waiting, pointing out how she kept helping Mable and took care of her."


    "Aglaya is a lady-in-waiting? Is that true or was it just a way t explain it to you?"


    "It''s true, Mable said she had many but Aglaya was her best friend of them all."


    Emp thought it was unlike Aglaya to reveal such a thing to others. She liked to keep information for herself to hold the advantage. Perhaps she felt bad for stealing his rank from Calla and decided to offer an equivalent information in return.


    With Aglaya being the daughter of a count, the lady she was serving needed to be of a higher rank and thus, this told him that Mable was at least the daughter of a duke just like Nessa. This piece of information would have been hugely important if he had cared about her identity but he did not. He only cared about the person herself. He might be able to deduce her name with this information and a lot of work but there was no point in this. If he had really wanted her name, he could just have asked the book of answers. For him, all that was important was that Mable liked him and that he liked her in return.


    Him and Calla spent a few more minutes discussing of things she had learned before they both fell asleep.


    *-*-*-*


    Gods play with man like dolls and are the explanation to many things in life but sometimes, the world itself can birth its own oddities and bring them on the play-field. One such oddity was birthed in this empire long ago, in a fort south of Grandbois.


    The girl grew up in madness not of her own but that hidden in the words of her fellow man instead. The most sordid of sentences were uttered carelessly in her presence but even after complaining to her lord parents, no one would believe what she heard. Not an isolated happening, such an event repeated itself time and again to the point that even her parents said things to her that no one should to a child.


    The girl, only heir to the family, was branded of insanity but she kept claiming the most absurd of things.


    One fateful day, the truth revealed itself to her. They spoke and spoke but never did their mouths move. She had been oblivious to the fact because it had always been so. Whether she heard voices that were never there like everyone believed or she heard unsaid thoughts kept private and pilfered by her uncontrolled power.


    Experiments of her own followed by rigorous tests imposed by her mother proved the second to be true. The girl had been born with the power to feel the thoughts of others.


    Quickly, her power was put to use by her ever practical father. Criminals would parade in front of her and in moments, the truth of their guilt or innocence would be revealed for all to hear. Focusing on developing her unique talent, she grew in power until instead of simply voices, she could witness their deeper thoughts like dreams or play performed for her entertainment.


    This practice however, coupled with her inability to stop seeing those things, corrupted her beyond human reach.


    Every time a criminal was brought to her, she was able to see the crime as clearly as if she had been there, as if she had done it herself. With the high frequency at which she welcomed criminals in the halls of her parent''s home, she grew to believe that what she saw in the heads of those she spoke to must be true no matter what. Confusing reality for simple imagination, it did not take long for her sanity to leave for some more welcoming and better structured forest.


    Compassion dulled by years of interactions with the worst of mankind. The girl now young woman had grown unable to see the difference between a murderer and a servant getting reprimanded and thinking he wished his boss would die in a fleeting moment of anger.


    For her, thinking of something was the same as having done it. Someone would step over a sleeping cat in the way, picturing for a split second what would happen if they stepped on its head by accident. They''d feel disgusted of the thought and forget about it but the girl would not. They had murdered a cat in front of her eyes.


    This woman spit in the soup served to her parents.


    This man scammed her father out of hundreds of gold coins.


    This one simply stole everything in the treasury.


    This servant was thrown in jail for thinking something indecent but was somehow out again now to think it.


    Her own mother cheated on her husband with some hunk of a twin-horned man.


    This other man did unspeakable things to her, defiled her dozens of times and left her on some bed like a rag.


    She snapped like a twig in front of this torture.


    She bawled for his arrest and everyone protested that no such thing had ever happened. But it did, she had seen it clearly, felt it like the reality it was.


    The lord worried for his daughter as he saw her become stranger and stranger. He feared he might have to lock her up somewhere to stop her from doing something insane.


    Of course, she saw this too. She did not remember if it had happened already but she forgot how she escaped or if it was about to happen.


    She knew exactly what the cells of the dungeon were like, she did not want to go there. Feeling betrayed by the her lord father, she ran away from the hall.


    Like fire in a dry field, thoughts spread around faster than she could outrun them. She was mad, she had finally turned insane.


    A guard stopped her, or attempted to, she could no make the difference. On moment he was praised for stopping her mad dash and the next he was stabbed by her. Did she or did she not kill the guard? Even her did not know, at this point, she couldn''t be sure whether it was his thoughts, reality or simply her own frenzied thoughts. To her, all of those were the same.


    She had stepped on the cat, burned people alive, raped dozens and murdered countless. The thoughts would not stop, "her" thoughts would not stop.


    She found herself on the roof, an inch from the long drop. In the mind of hundreds, she was already falling.


    She was soon surrounded, or was she? Standing or falling, she did not know where she was.


    Around her, many caught her and many more failed to and watched her break her bones on the ground far bellow. Her father saved her and she cried in apology in his arms, but then he failed and she fell, next she was dropping with a guard trying to catch her and then she was again saved by her father, this time she was struggling to free herself from his embrace.


    Too many running thoughts, the amount just kept escalating, burying her own under their crushing weight.


    "Stop thinking." She pleaded in agony.


    For a split moment, everyone thought about not thinking of anything. An instant of clarity in her crowded mind. She was stood on the roof, not falling. Did she do those things or not?


    The clarity broke down with the focus of the giant crowd, they started picturing others failing at thinking about nothing, a million scenarios flew into her mind again. The final bits of her own self collapsed as she saw her own death in thousands of grotesque ways.


    She was a monster behind countless crimes, she needed to stop. Standing and falling are the same anyway.


    Her thoughts were silenced for good that day. No one is guilty of their thoughts, saying otherwise is proving yourself guilty of just as many crimes. Actions speaks louder than words and thoughts are devoid of sound for a reason.


    --- Guilty thoughts, Woes and heroes of our woods.

 111 Calla and Blackbull

    Emp felt like an idiot for forgetting about the book again, he did the same thing every time. It was only after he asked the book that he also remembered why he always forgot about it.


    He asked in as many way as he could think of about the techniques of the Muraciers but only got mildly interesting answers at best. He managed to get a few technique names but that didn''t help. He tweaked the questions in his head until he managed to get some sort of instructions but all of it was nonsensical like mostly anything the book ever answered him.


    Even if he did manage to get something he could understand, he didn''t believe he would go far in its practice without some sort of instructor. He still remembered what Chinui taught him in the past, it was pointless to learn it wrong and then relearn it afterwards. Emp should learn it only once and learn it right from the start.


    The only interesting thing he got from all this was the knowledge that the Muraciers had a lot of secret abilities and techniques they honed through the history of the empire.


    They had their own self-magic, two to be precise, a fighting style usable with all sorts of swords, another for unarmed combat, and plenty of techniques related to all kinds of situations and weapons. Really, they had collected knowledge on fighting for generations, it was the thing the family excelled at and they didn''t spare any efforts in their training and quest to learn more and improve themselves.


    The book of answer only teased his curiosity and he really wanted to just go ask Chinui himself about all this. He wished he had the time but instead he could only add it to the long list of things he needed to do. He hoped he would have some time to go all the way there to ask after he was done with the school.


    Even without the secrets of the Muraciers, his training progressed well, he felt he had really improved by the time his wife received her clothes.


    The day those clothes were received, Harriett and Celtine locked her up in the bedroom with all the stuff they bought and helped her wear the special outfit. Emp was not allowed to peek at either her or the things they had bought so he only saw the final result.


    The girl that walked out of the room was almost a different person than the Calla he saw dragged inside earlier. Everything about her was different even though she was still clearly the same.


    Emp smiled broadly seeing the tremendous beauty his wife was exhibiting. Seeing him staring at her, Calla stood motionless in front of the door, waiting for him to say something.


    "Calla, you look great. Stunning, come here and let me take a look."


    She gave him a relieved smile and walked closer to him while Emp drank in every details of her new appearance.


    Calla was impressive from head to toe and she turned on herself to let Emp see her from every angles.


    Her hair usually loosely braided was now falling down her back and tied with a large ribbon shaped like a butterfly and pinned with a sculpted hand-long stake. The hair on the side of her head were drawn to the back in a way that made them go wide and low in a smooth curve on either side of her head and then braided over the main cascade of hair before getting pinned as well on the opposite side of where they started. Those two smaller pins of gold were linked with a delicate silver chain and many tiny ornaments were hung to the back of her head along the way. A few more strands here and there had been tied in tiny braids and held on to the rest with many silver hair pins. The overall shape seemed much more defined than usual and her straight hair seemed more brilliant and refined than ever.


    The way she had dressed her hair at their marriage was just as pretty but the feel was worlds apart. The last was merry and youthful were as this one was elegant and delicate.


    Since he started looking from the top, the next thing he saw was her face, carefully taken care of by Harriett. Emp didn''t know what were the appropriate words to describe what he saw. Pampered? Maybe painted? In his own opinion, Calla was already very pretty, what they had done was only to wash out the little things and accentuate the good points. They also painted the outer corner of her eyes black to make them appear longer and sharper. He heard that sort of thing was highly popular in the high society of Steelwood and he saw it many times on his friends faces already so that wasn''t surprising. Her cheek had not been tinted at all because she kept blushing strongly on her own all the time. Instead, he felt like her skin had been paled a bit to make the red tinge more apparent instead and reduce the effect the sun had on her skin.


    Her clothes were impressive too but Emp didn''t really know how to describe them. She had four visible layers of pink and wine-red colored skirt progressively longer and darker towards the inside. All of them were longer at the back than the front and long bands of dark green cloth were tied at the top of the skirt and made waves in gentle curves around her. They emphasized her hips, showed her ankles and footwear while walking and bounced on the floor lightly at her every steps.


    She wore a stiff dark green bodice over a tin pale-red and gold shirt with long skin tight sleeves, puffing shoulders and a wide cleavage to show off an eye catching and expensive looking pendant dangling from her delicately exposed neck. Under that shirt was a corset that had apparently been tied strongly by Harriett and in combination with all the rest, she seemed thinner than usual even though she had never been large to begin with. In contrast, her bust was accented by some sort of many-folded sash resting over it and pinned in place by a golden brooch at the center. The sash extended to the sides and wrapped around her upper arms to go join at her back and fall to her lower back under her hair. The sleeves went all the way to her hands and ended in a tin point wrapping around her middle fingers on each side.


    The skirts were so wide and full she could rest her arms on them but she could not raise said arms high in the air at all because of the pink sash. The skirts were also long enough that she needed to grip it on at least one side so that she wouldn''t trip on them while walking.


    On top of the intricate motifs of the cloth there were many accessories to go with the clothes. She now wore a few thin bracelets to balance his confirmation gift on her other arm, the pendant around her neck, a few tiny chains dangling precious stones at the end of laces and straps, two pretty earrings with minuscule stones in them, a jeweled waist chain and a fine jeweled tiara stuck to her forehead.


    To finish the picture, her feet were dressed with simple looking but delicate slippers with an elevated heel she struggled to balance herself on.


    "It''s hard to walk with this." She told him with a worried smile.


    "Then hold on to my arm with one hand and hold your skirt with the other. If you lean on me, I''m sure you will have an easier time."


    He offered his right arm and she gladly pressed herself against it.


    "Are you sure I look okay and not silly?"


    "You look like a princess, I promise. How do you feel about all of this?"


    "I''m not sure... If you really think I look pretty then I won''t doubt it too much but there''s a lot more that makes me worry. I can''t raise my arms, I can''t bend down to pick up things, it''s hard to walk and it''s even hard to breathe, isn''t it too tight here?" She asked rubbing her waist from the side.


    "If you think it is, you just have to ask Harriett to make it looser and nobody will complain but I think it''s supposed to be like that."


    She made a small noise while she pondered the question and ended up keeping it like that.


    He placed a kiss on the back of her hand to reinforce the atmosphere around the princess feeling and decided they should test this out by paying a visit to Blackbull. Of everyone he knew, she would be the one to tell the most clearly if this was working or not.


    While Calla was blushing, Emp sent Harriett to ask the old teacher if she could receive them.


    After the girl was gone, Emp helped his wife sit down and listened to her talk softly about the different parts and what everyone had said to convince her that they were the most appropriate for her.


    In her long explanation, what mostly stood out for Emp was the many things she had been unable to answer about his house. She had not been able to tell what were the colors or the crest of the family. The truth was that Emp had no idea either. He only knew they were usually represented by a crenelated section of steel grey wall.


    She told him about how they insisted to at least include the green of the empire since she didn''t know what the colors of the Muraciers were. She would have liked more pink too but they said it was enough. The pendant didn''t represent anything of value even though it rested so prominently under her collarbone. They had told her she should eventually replace it by something that was about Emp''s house but for now, she couldn''t or his name would be exposed instantly. Likewise, she pointed out to him a few places where bands of cloth with the heraldry could be hung and tied as ornaments including the golden brooch on her chest which should be changed for the actual coat of arms of the family.


    "It doesn''t matter, it''s normal for you to not know since I don''t know either. We''ll just have to ask Blackbull later, don''t worry about any of this. You look great."


    "Thanks. This lady Blackbull, how is she?"


    "She''s always harsh with me but very helpful. She wants to help but has no sense of humor or patience for silliness."


    Calla fidgeted a bit on her seat.


    "Are you sure it''s a good idea for me to meet her? Maybe we should see Mable again first?"


    "It will be fine, she knows my name and isn''t malevolent, she just tells it straight when we do something wrong. She just wants to correct our behavior. You could see her as an old mother scolding kids that do something wrong, she just wants us to learn."


    "I think I understand. I will listen to you again then, I trust you."


    Harriett came back soon enough with a positive answer from the teacher and they made their way to Blackbull''s office without crossing anyone on the way.


    The reaction of the old lady towards Calla was very good. She allowed them in with a smile and Calla returned the bow she was given with one that was just as polite. She would have given a deep one by reflex but the dress forbade her to bend so much and resulted in the appropriate bow instead which pleased Blackbull.


    "I am delighted to meet the new lady Muracier. If you would allow me to present myself, I am Countess Giselle Blackbull, teacher in this imperial school of B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "I''m Calla Muracier, E-Emp''s wife. I hope I''m not too much bellow your expectations."


    She used the magic cuff to say that loudly enough and had a small stutter when she said Emp''s name because she came close to calling him Emperor but aside from that, the presentation went well.


    "You are above my expectations in fact. At a glance, I can tell you are someone more sensible than most. I had not dared hope before now that his first wife would be someone so much more gentle than either Mable or Brenia."


    "That is a good thing?"


    "Yes, at least for me. My task is already hard enough without adding another troublemaker to the mix. I feel like I can work with someone like you. You have a very decent appearance and the will to express good manners. With your new status you stand far above me yet you did not show any condescension or a sliver of superiority. Someone like you is always a boon to have close by for someone with the lineage of Emp. With just this short moment since you stepped in, I already know you''ll be able to sooth tensions in any gatherings."


    "You got all that just from the way she presented herself?" Asked Emp, a bit confused.


    "Yes, the way she presented herself, the way she leans on you, the way she talks and stand, the way she''s observing me and the way her fingers are gripping her dress. I can tell a lot just from this. In my humble opinion, aside from serious teachings to increase her general knowledge of this world, what you lack in urgency, madam Muracier, is a bit of pride."


    "Pride?" Calla asked.


    "Yes, pride. I might not be your teacher but letting you go just like that would be an outrage. A criminal act! Please, take a seat and let me serve you a cup of this tea."


    While Calla raised a brow trying to make sense of what the teacher had just said, Emp stepped up and presented a chair for Calla to sit on like he had been taught to do. She sat on it and he pushed it back closer to the desk for her while Blackbull served tea. She made no mention of his gestures but he knew that if he had not moved the chair for Calla, he would have been scolded.


    "I bought those tea leaves from the southernmost mountain of the golden strip. They are watered by both the rain from the sea and the pure water from the ice above, their taste is very peculiar and perfect for this occasion. I sincerely hope you will enjoy this tea, it is mixed with the best herbs around."


    Emp had no real knowledge about tea or whatever else was put in the mix and Calla didn''t either. If it didn''t grow close to the village, the chances of her knowing where slim.


    "What''s the golden strip?" She asked.


    "The long strip of land in Greenpeaks where crops can grow well and high. You might have never seen it for yourself but all those plants turn gold when they are ready to be harvested."


    Calla nodded to express she understood and took a sip of the tea at the same time as Emp.


    "It''s good." Calla answered to the silent question of the teacher with a small nod.


    Blackbull nodded approvingly and expressed her love for this particular tea.


    "Not good my lady, exquisite."


    Emp didn''t say anything because after two years of getting scolded by Blackbull, he roughly knew when she wanted him to stay quiet. This was clearly one of those times, she wanted to talk with Calla alone.


    The old lady made a thin smile and followed.


    "Tell me, what is your name?"


    Calla furrowed her brows in puzzlement, didn''t they just introduce themselves?


    "Calla Muracier?"


    "Exactly!" Blackbull exclaimed loudly.


    Calla almost dropped the teacup in surprise from the outburst.


    "Why then are you slumped into your seat! You need a bit of pride! That''s what I''m saying. Hold yourself straight, have some confidence, you need to honor your name."


    "Emp''s mother told me something similar." Calla admitted with her tiny voice.


    "And you didn''t listen?"


    "I tried but it is hard."


    Calla always had a hard time imposing herself, it wasn''t a new name that would change it all. Blackbull sighed at the sight of Calla''s lowered head.


    "Having pride in a reasonable amount isn''t the same as trampling over everyone else''s dignity with disdain. You do not have to be condescending to be proud of who you are. I''m not asking you to be belligerent, I''m asking you to not cower and stand instead as the lady you are. What are you afraid of? Are you ashamed of something?"


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    "No, not really."


    "Then sit straight, stand tall! You are good looking, you are polite, you have a powerful name too, you need to show it or you will become a target."


    Calla straightened her back against the chair, not because the words of Blackbull inspired her but simply because she was asked to.


    She and Emp had to listen to a long speech afterwards. The teacher was trying to explain to Calla why the lack of pride she showed could cause serious trouble and also trying to teach her how to show the confidence she seemed to lack. For once, Emp wasn''t the target but he didn''t feel any more relaxed than usual because he had to support Calla the whole time.


    She understood that nothing Blackbull was saying was against her but despite the sound arguments of the teacher, she hardly made any progress. The old lady was highly exasperated by her meek attitude and did her best to help her show dignity despite this shyness.


    As she explained, a noble that showed such a weak will usually instantly became a target. The reason was obvious, that large weak point was an opportunity for all sorts of nobles towards all sorts of goal. It wasn''t as bad for a family like the Muraciers but such a weakness could be used to belittle the whole house in a hundred of different ways. It could also be used to threaten, blackmail, control, anger and damage the reputation of a number of people close to her.


    Blackbull wouldn''t let Calla leave the room until she could be sure that Emp''s new wife would not let everyone walk over her like a rug. Her motivations had nothing personal, she just couldn''t allow the lady at the head of the second most important house of the empire to seem weak. It was for the best interest of the whole empire.


    Calla did manage to learn a few tricks and promised to do her best many times over. Blackbull wasn''t satisfied with just that however.


    "I strongly advice you to hire a private tutor." She told the both of them. "She needs someone to provide advice and teachings on this and more."


    "But we won''t be here long, I''m presenting her to the class and then we''re going back home." Emp told her.


    He felt that hiring someone for a few days was rather pointless.


    "It changes nothing. Do you think that even if you hide her now she will never have to deal with other nobles again? She''ll one day soon by one of the highest feminine figures of the empire. Everyone will want to know her and she''ll be swimming in events and invitations to all sorts of things in no time."


    Emp had not thought that far ahead. He was too busy training to worry about that sort of future. He would eventually sit on the emperors throne and this would make Calla empress, or at least empress consort. He didn''t care whether she was proficient in everything related to nobility but he didn''t want her to be embarrassed because she had a lack of knowledge.


    "Is it really possible to hire someone and have him move with us back to the village? Won''t they feel dissatisfied by the living conditions and won''t they also have a chance of betraying me by revealing my identity to someone else?"


    Blackbull agreed with his concerns and pointed another solution.


    "How about finding your wife a friend? Find her a lady-in-waiting from one of the vassal houses of the Muraciers. I do not believe those would betray their long time allies for something so simple and in such an unsightly way."


    A girl from a vassal house huh? He turned towards Calla to have her opinion and she answered him with a shrug and a divided frown. She understood why it needed to happen but she was tired of meeting so many new people.


    Would a lady-in-waiting be a good option? Since Calla wasn''t exactly against it, maybe it was worth considering.


    "She''d probably be able to help Calla but how do we recruit one? How do we even select one and have her come without revealing anything?"


    "I''ll help you a bit, I''ll make a list for you of suitable ladies of a similar age. I''ll gather the rumors and everything known about them so that you may take a decision. If one of them seems to fit your requirements, you could arrange a meeting. You would send a letter to them saying that the new lady Muracier is seeking ladies-in-waiting. The letter would send them in B¨ºt¨¦clair but you could catch them on the way since they will have to go through that village to reach this place anyway. You could say in the letter that a man working for you will meet them first in Dark-glint before they can meet the lady. This way they''d feel in control in front of you and your wife thinking you''re only employees and you''d be able to see a face closer to their true selves than if you met them here. Either you pick them or you refuse them, you can stop them from moving all the way to B¨ºt¨¦clair and reveal your secret. This isn''t a perfect plan because you''ll have no choice but to reveal your existence to at least the vassals and someone with an observant nature might find the traffic on the old road interesting but for now, I believe this is the safest way to proceed."


    "Right, I''d be able to learn more about everyone I haven''t met, we''d get Calla a teacher and helper, it would give me a bit of preparation for when I leave the school and still keep the other students from knowing."


    Blackbull nodded in satisfaction at his understanding.


    "I feel like this is a good plan, if you agree Calla, I''d like to try it out."


    Calla gave it some thinking but in the end, she chose to agree with the plan. She was very conscious that she needed some education if she didn''t want to embarrass Emp.


    "In that case, I will start working on this today. I will find every daughters willing to move out of their parents homes to assist you. In the meantime, since you want to present her to the group, I would suggest you to bring her during one of my classes. I will allow her presence this time to help you and with my supervision, we should be able to avoid most mistakes."


    "Thank you teacher for your help."


    "No need, it is my duty after all. Just be prepared, you know how some of your comrades like to act."


    Heida, the princess of Greenpeaks, was especially eager to mock every little mistakes made by anyone. She really thought herself to be above everyone else in class. Emp had no doubt that she would snicker at Calla.


    *-*-*-*


    Sunny days are replaced by strong winds and those soon leave their places to heavy rains only to eventually go back to calm sunlight. Nothing can stay forever the same and are often replaced in cycles turning ineluctably towards the next, so goes life. Humans are born, grow up into fine men and women and give birth to the next generation who hopefully will do the same.


    One such cycle not too long ago took a turn for the strange when a mother like any other gave birth to twins sharing a single mind. A day prior, inconvenienced by her bulging flesh, she asked her husband to change the rotting fruit hung over the door. A cycle in their daily life like any other, a cycle that like all others, should not have been disturbed. The husband got distracted by something and the fruit was not changed.


    Whether a spirit came in the dead of night to eat the soul of one of the yet to be born twins or tricked the family by having them birth two were only one should have been, no one knows but the results were plain to see. The baby was not one but not two either.


    When one babe was crying for food, the other was sleeping and like sun and moon, never were they awake at the same time.


    When one of the child went to sleep, the other would wake up and go on with the other''s day as if the two were one and the same. Both remembered what the other did while they were asleep but never once did either speak to the other. For them, they were a single man.


    As one man, they worked twice as much as any other, pursuing their work through the whole night, every single day. Few people truly understood that they weren''t twins with a strange habit but truly a single man transferring his conscious between the two bodies he was born with.


    No women wanted to wed this pair of a man, fearing the night walking half like a child looking at a murderer locked in a dungeon. The man was not upset by this and simply assumed that the rest did not enjoy to be disturbed in the night. He limited his social interactions to the day and worked harder through the night instead.


    Whenever one was too tired, he would go to bed and switch to the other but his mind never slept. It was impossible for him to truly sleep. Like they could never be awake at once, they could never be asleep together.


    Sadly for him, like any other cycle, the one between dream and conscious thoughts should not be disturbed.


    The man thought and thought and thought. His mind would never rest and nothing he did would stop him from thinking. Especially after sundown, when no one was left to talk to and all the work was done, there was nothing to do other than sit and think.


    He spent years not being bothered by it but after hearing about other''s dreams for such a long time, he started wishing that he had his own. The man head slowly filled itself with nonsense and without the help of sleep to sort through it all and bring him wisdom, he became increasingly strange.


    He became enormously interested in cycles and more importantly, how to disrupt them. Of all the cycles he interested himself in, those of the sun and moon fascinated him the most. He examined how the moon would sometimes eclipse the sun to change the day into night, how the moon sometimes simply disappeared of its own accord and how the length of night and day changed through the year.


    If even the sun and the moon were sometimes awake or asleep together, should he not be able to do the same?


    Everyday he would wonder what it was like to sleep, to visit all these crazy worlds were anything could happen, how it felt to be a king for a moment or glide over the forest like a bird.


    The man, after careful deliberation, decided to have a magician brew him a powerful sleeping potion.


    One day, he would work all night and exhaust himself. At dawn, he would go to sleep and once the day him got up, he would drink the sleeping potion. He hoped that this way, both the day and night him would be made to sleep at once and he would at last be able to experience the dream world.


    The chosen day, he proceeded as planned and drank the whole bottle of sleeping potion where the magician told him to drink a cup. He felt drowsiness take him over and his eyelids became heavy. It became hard for him to move at all as sleep was a more powerful opponent than he had first believed. However, as powerful a thing as sleep is, it was not as powerful as the cycle that defined his life.


    Try as he might with even the full bottle, he did not sleep. Unable to sleep but just as unable to stay awake from the effect of the potion. He stumbled through his day like a drunk man with half closed eyes and muddled thoughts. He had the worst day of his life, the most miserable, and the last.


    He lit a fire to cook himself a meal and fell over in the fireplace. His clothes caught fire and rolling back out of the fireplace, spread the fire everywhere. The curtains were set ablaze, the basket of kindling turned into a brazier, all the cloth he had been tailoring and fibers he was braiding into ropes were swallowed right away by the fire and in a short time, the overly dry floors and walls started crackling under the flames. Who would have thought that so much time to keep a house clean would make it so deadly?


    The man saved himself from his burning clothes and stumbled into the bedroom to pick up the other him. By the time his half conscious self managed to drag the sleeping him away from the bed, the fire had spread everywhere and trapped him in the house. the windows were too high to reach for him in this weakened state and having to carry the limp second body further secured his demise.


    From the charred remains of the house, a single burnt skeleton was found and with it, an iron stake resting between its ribs.


    Everything in this world has its cycle insuring its proper functioning. Sometimes, the reasons behind its workings seems obscure but they always work for the best. Going against the cycle is like going against your own nature, everyone and everything is born like they should be and blaming them for it or trying to change them could result in pointless misery for them and you alike. Be happy with what you have because lusting for what you don''t could cost more than you expect.


    --- The Cycles, Woes and heroes of our woods.


    *-*-*-*


    (AN) That short at the end, I had two version of it. That one where I focus more about the cycles and him trying to escape it and one where the guy was gay and started using his second body for relief out of loneliness. A girl in love with his day self sees it and decides to burn down his house during the day to get rid of the night creep and free her love from being used at night by him. The day guy rushes inside to save the other him and the ending is the same. I felt the first version was more fitting so I chose it for the final release but I can easily see how the other could be told in another place of the empire. That sort of story often changes depending on who told it and where it was told.

 112 Calla and the class

    It was only a day after their meeting with Blackbull that Emp decided to bring Calla to class. He was eager to present her and she was eager to be done with and stop stressing about it constantly.


    Like the other day, Calla walked forward by leaning on Emp. She was better in her shoes than the other day but stumbling in front of the class would be the worst. Because it would be awkward to carry Celtine on his shoulder with Calla accompanying him, they left her back in the room with Harriett. Emp would have to take his notes on his own.


    On their way there, Mable and Aglaya joined up with them.


    "Just let us deal with anything troublesome. You don''t have to answer to anything mean." They told Calla like Blackbull the other day.


    Calla nodded and took a deep breath to gather some courage. They soon stepped into the room to see that almost everyone was already here. Only Zoran and the teacher were missing.


    Because her shoes clacked on the wooden floor, some of the students turned around to see who was coming in and reacted instantly with surprise. The hands they were raising to welcome the new arrival froze and they all gasped.


    "Forest! It''s her! She''s here!" Odilon shouted, gathering the attention of everyone that had yet to turn around. (1)


    Calla''s face seemed to cramp a bit as she shifted her body to hide a bit more of it behind him. She really disliked the attention, even thought she had expected it.


    Everyone started detailing her with theirs eyes in rapt fascination. It was the new wife of their friend after all. It was the first time most of them saw her and they had apparently not expected her to look like that.


    With how she was clinging to Emp, there was no doubt in anyone''s mind that she was the Calla he spoke about but he still said it aloud to avoid any confusion at all.


    "Hi everyone, I''m happy to present to you all my wife Calla."


    They had practiced this small introduction a few times but now that it was really happening, Calla was frozen in place.


    "The bow." He reminded her in a whisper.


    Brought back to life by his words, she griped the side of her dress and bent her upper body slightly in an almost mechanical way. No one aside from him noticed though.


    "No way! You said she came from a village, there''s no way that''s true! She''s way too pretty for that!" Odilon cried again.


    Kenneth slapped the back of his head hard.


    "What''s wrong with you? That''s insulting. Don''t try to hit on the wife of someone else."


    "Ow! I''m not, It''s just the truth."


    Many other students seemed to agree and were surprised by her appearance. All this preparation did make a difference after all. She might not have been the prettiest in the room for most of them but she was well above their idea of a common girl.


    Emp thought the ordinary her was more than pretty enough but this much was necessary to make an impression on the future lords and ladies in this room.


    Meanwhile, Calla felt shy from the compliment and wanted to hide even more. Her face reddened in embarrassment, accentuating her cuteness in the process. Just like that, she had won over all the boys in class. Well, at least for her appearance.


    The class was about to begin so Emp wanted to hurry Calla forward to his usual seat but they were interrupted by loud and hurried steps. Calla, Mable, Aglaya and him turned around to see who was running in the corridor only to be surprised by Zoran who burst into the room.


    He didn''t want to be scolded for being late so he rushed all the way here and doing so ran face first into the four standing in the door. Because he turned into the room so fast, he didn''t get any time to see what he was walking into and fell into the most embarrassing situation of his life.


    Zoran was rather short, even if he shared the title of youngest with Mable, he was a good head and a half shorter than her or Emp. This was the reason why his face bounced off the chest of Calla instead of hitting her in the head.


    Calla didn''t move an inch because she was held by Emp who would not be pushed by a someone as weak as Zoran so he was the one to bounce back instead. Every single girl in the room yelped in shock, most boys snorted in panic or laughter and Calla turned so livid Emp feared she might collapse right then and there. Zoran bounced on the unexpected soft obstacle and gasped in shock when he saw what he had hit.


    Calla brought her arm in front of her in defense and Zoran did the same in front of his face, turning just as livid as her. Everything after that seemed to happen at the same time.


    Mable turned very red in anger, Odilon called Zoran a lucky pervert which earned him another hard hit on the head from Ivar, Brenia cracked her fingers ominously and Zoran started stuttering an apology at extreme speed.


    "I-I-I didn''t I didn''t did-, I''m sorry I I I, I di-di-didn''t."


    His eyes went up and down Calla quickly as his brain rushed to find an explanation to what was happening. Emp saw his mouth open wide in shock from her pretty appearance, and then Zoran saw Emp too.


    Emp had not moved a muscle yet, he had no idea how he was supposed to react to this weird accident. Part of him was glad that no one was hurt while another was angry that Zoran put his face onto his wife and yet another part worried about the girl herself and finally, there was his reason calming him down saying it was obviously an accident and he shouldn''t be angry for it.


    If reason was winning in Emps head, it wasn''t the case for everyone else. Zoran''s eyes opened even wider when he understood he had just rammed headfirst into the bust of Emp''s wife and his mouth dropped so low he might have been able to swallow an apple whole.


    Mable screamed "Zoran!" ready to rain down furious words on him but Zoran fell backward before she could. Her angry shout was the drop of water that made the pitcher overflow and he collapsed on the wooden floor unconscious with a bang. The boy had fainted.


    Everyone held their breath with their mouth open. Something so crazy had never happened before.


    "What in the world is going on here!" The voice of Blackbull thundered angrily from the corridor where Zoran''s head was sticking out.


    She appeared moments after and stood close to the head of the unconscious student. Her face was the image of frustration.


    Emp apologized for causing a ruckus.


    "We''re sorry teacher, we didn''t mean to cause any trouble."


    "Was it you who knocked out Zoran?" She asked with an inquisitive air.


    "No, he passed out on his own. He came in running, bumped into Calla and then fainted."


    "He didn''t just bump into her! That''s almost molestation! He buried his face into her breasts like a huge pervert!" Mable screamed in anger while pointing down on him.


    The teacher first raised a brow then looked at the faces of both Calla and the students behind Emp including the girls nodding in approbation. Seeing they all agreed on the version of Mable, she shot a disgusted pout a the unconscious Zoran.


    "It was an accident though, he was running and didn''t see us in time." Emp tried to defend Zoran.


    "That it was intentional or not doesn''t matter. What happened happened and he shouldn''t have been running in the first place. Just look at the poor girl''s face."


    Calla had been greatly shaken by this thing. If a normal day was worth one silver coin of energy, meeting the whole class at once would be worth ten gold coins for her. This was worth about a thousand gold coins of energy. She really seemed to feel weak right now.


    "Uh... Maybe we should sit down for a bit. Just put this out of your mind, he didn''t mean anything by it. Don''t let this ridiculous happenstance ruin your day."


    He held her firmly to not let her fall off and led her safely to his seat. Meanwhile, Oran came up and lifted Zoran on his shoulder to bring him on his own seat. At least he''d wake up somewhere else than on the ground and the teacher would be able to step inside the class.


    "He fainted right up when he saw Emp''s wife. It must be love at first sight." Odilon whispered to Kenneth with some hardly contained laughter.


    Nobody paid any attention and everyone sat down at their usual places, with Calla at Emp''s side.


    If there was anything good about the incident it was that the attention of everyone was mostly on Zoran instead of Calla now. With what had happened, Heida or anyone else couldn''t criticize anything about Calla either because it would be seen as if they were attacking a victim. For now, they had to wait.


    Blackull started the class right away and told them that she would end it early to let meet Calla properly.


    This gave them plenty of time for Calla to calm down. Emp used that time to tell her who was who and who she had to watch for. He knew he would have to introduce some in a more formal way later after the class but a bit of forewarning couldn''t hurt.


    Meanwhile, the class went on in the noble tongue like usual so Calla didn''t understand anything of what anyone was saying. Blackbull didn''t say a word towards Calla of the whole lesson, both because she knew Calla didn''t understand and because there was no need to show everyone that they already knew each-other.


    Zoran woke up halfway trough and stayed slumped on his desk for the rest of the class in stupor. He didn''t say a word until Blackbull asked him what happened and he stuttered a string of apologies again. As Emp had feared would happen, Zoran was severely reprimanded afterwards, in common so that Calla could understand.


    The old woman had a lot to say about running inside, how tardiness was a disease to society as a whole and how utterly disgraceful his accidental act was.


    Finally, he was released from the anger of the teacher and the class ended.


    The moment it was over, Emp was entrusted the task of introducing everyone that wished to be presented to her.


    With Blackbull smothering everyone with a threatening glare, no one dared do anything unorthodox and just presented themselves soberly. They knew she was already in a foul mood because of Zoran.


    The smaller man had a awkward time presenting himself because of that.


    He started by apologizing again, then Emp told Calla he was the son of a duke and was aiming to be a healer. Calla thought it was a great occupation and felt a bit better about the pitiful Zoran but then Juniper brought her opinion back down right away.


    "With what we saw earlier, he might be trying to be a healer just to touch women."


    Of few of the guys laughed while Zoran turned gloomy and apologized yet again before excusing himself out of the room. He had been humiliated enough for a single day.


    Then, since she had just spoke, Emp introduced Juniper as the woman hiring the miners currently camping in the village. Calla found Juniper less scary than her employees at a glance but her words where like a sneaking sword and she was almost immediately turned into a target for the sale of glass jewelry.


    Aside from the presentations themselves, the most annoying thing was Heida just as Emp had expected it to be. She walked up in front of Calla and shamelessly asked something ridiculous even though Blackbull was glaring from the side. Not only that but she asked it in the noble tongue on purpose.


    "What''s up with your clothes? You seem to be dressed well above your status."


    Calla furrowed her brows in confusion while Emp did the same in annoyance.


    "Oh, I forgot you didn''t understand the noble tongue. Silly me, of course someone like you would not. Let me ask again. Aren''t you dressed in clothes too expensive for someone of your rank?"


    Calla looked down at her clothes in worry but Aglaya reassured her immediately by snickering at Heida and Gervaise who was encouraging Heida from the back.


    "She''s not, did you not know Emp was a high noble? It seems you failed to learn the most basic things about the rest of us. Those clothes are fitting of her rank unlike your misdirected words."


    "Him? A high noble? Please, you''re lying to throw me off and protect the new girl." Heida answered confidently.


    "She isn''t lying miss Greenpeak." Blackbull intervened.


    That truth seemed to be shocking to Heida and the time she took to think of a comeback was enough for Calla to calm down. In the end, she wasn''t in the wrong and like the others had said they would, they were protecting her from everything troublesome. It was really appeasing.


    Unable to continue on with her petty attack, Heida lashed out at the teacher instead, pointing an accusing finger her way. Emp thought it was a pretty bad idea but then again, she seemed to be entirely made of bad ideas.


    "My name is supposed to be hidden! How dare you use it in front of the class?"


    "Miss Greenpeak, you do not get to wield your status as a weapon to look down on everyone here and also keep it hidden. You made the choice of taunting the rest with the power of your name since the moment you stepped in here two years ago. Your name is a secret to no one, unlike some of your comrades who kept their status and names under wrap. You cannot blame me for revealing something you never tried to keep a secret just because you''re angry about not finding the secret of someone else before making a fool of yourself.


    You are constantly encouraging unnecessary animosity with your behavior and I fear you will one day regret it. I understand your family is going through difficult times right now and that you feel the need to remind everyone of how important a person you are but now should be the time to bring others to your side.


    Do you not ever think about what would happen if the order of the kingdom of Greenpeaks collapsed now? No one in here would help you."


    "Our kingdom won''t collapse! It''s only a matter of time now before we find out why the crops aren''t growing properly and then you''ll regret it."


    "Like I said, threatening me serves no purpose, I''m just trying to teach you a lesson your highness."


    Somehow, the title of highness sounded more like an insult than a polite form of speech. Heida got extremely angry and stormed out of the room, grabbing Nicolas by the collar on her way out to bring him along.


    Gervaise was the sort to annoy everyone equally so she just mocked Heida on her debacle and then kept her mouth shut, absolutely uninterested in everything that was going on here.


    The others were more agreeable. Even though it was a stressful day for Calla, Emp believed it all went pretty well. The girls she had already met helped her understand the others and explained some of the things that would seem strange for her.


    For example, Nereus compared her to the figurehead of a ship. For him it was a high praise, silent but uplifting, able to bolster the morale of those that recognize it. Calla didn''t know what was a figurehead, the biggest ship she had ever seen was a small boat on the river they used to repair the bridge from under it.


    Norval introduced himself like an honor student should and got the approval of Blackbull. Not only did he politely compliment Calla on her appearance but he also congratulated Emp on being chosen by such a presentable and well mannered girl. It might not have been the most impressive of compliment but he knew nothing about her so it was the best he could do. Emp thanked him warmly.


    George didn''t come to get presented and just stayed in his corner of the room. Like usual, nothing that happened in here seemed to matter to him.


    Josseline wanted to ask Calla a lot of things on what it felt like to be married but held back because of the ever watching teacher sat at the front of the class. She merely gave a few words of welcome instead.


    Frits didn''t say anything special but Emp felt closer to him now that he knew Rica was the same as Calla and that the Thornwatch house was on his side. Calla gave him a big smile too because of her good impression of Rica.


    The boys felt rather mischievous but none of them dared ask anything funny or make any comment at all in front of Blackbull and just presented themselves like good gentlemen. The two that did it best were Ivar who was always acting more mature than the rest and Cyril who was genuinely happy for Emp and Calla. He felt like an idiot for once believing Emp was mocking him for his humble origins. He had taken a simple girl for first wife, a guy like that couldn''t look down on the common folk.


    Because everyone was curious and wanted to speak with her, they tended to all gather close to her and Emp had to ask everyone to back off a step a few times over.


    Calla didn''t say much at all through it all. She listened to everyone telling her all sorts of things and mostly nodded or shook her head in answer. Whenever it seemed too difficult for her to say anything, Emp would answer in her stead. She did say a few words here and there, mostly using the magic bracelet to make herself audible.


    She seemed to get better and better as time went by. Partly because she got used to the calm way people presented themselves and spoke softly to her but mostly because she knew that the more the time went by, the closer they got to the end.


    Everything ended as well as it could have gone except for the Zoran incident and the strange wills of Heida. Emp was leaving the place with all the usual girls and a relieved Calla when Juniper interrupted their departure to ask the one important question for the class.


    "What about Mable?"


    Emp was about to answer for Calla but she was surprisingly faster than him.


    "I''ll be happy to have her as my sister when she''ll be ready."


    "I''m happy with Calla too!" Mable loudly added just after. "We''ve spent a lot of time together since she came here and we''ve been getting along really well."


    "That''s great!" Josseline cheered.


    That was something everyone could agree upon and it was in a good mood that everyone parted ways.


    They all ended up in Mable''s room for a chat afterwards, they ate some cake she bought recently and enjoyed some fruit wine and tea.


    The girls praised Calla for being able to go through all that. They thought she had done really well and things could not have gone better. They also talked a whole lot about how angry they were at Zoran and how much of an idiot Heida made herself look. They didn''t really like her which wasn''t that surprising so it was normal for them to giggle at such a big mistake on her part.


    At least now the presentations were all over. The girls knew Calla didn''t like that sort of thing and that she was really tired from it all so they were very gentle with their interactions with her. They let her plenty of space to breath and kept her in the conversation without talking to her directly too often.


    They all had an enjoyable time and Calla and Emp left late to go back to their room.


    The moment the door closed behind them, even before Harriett welcomed them back, Calla released the longest sigh he had ever heard from her and she let herself become limp into his arms.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Mhn, I''m so glad it''s finally over."


    "I know it was hard for you but you did great, I''m really proud of you." Emp told her along with a hug.


    "Thank you."


    "Let''s go rest for a while and let Harriett take care of our meal. Just relax for now and take some time to breathe. Tomorrow, I''ll go tell the old man we''re ready to leave."


    Calla answered with a nod and they spent the whole evening doing nothing at all.


    *-*-*-*


    The next day, Emp walked to the office of the ancient and after one of the servant girls announced him, he stepped inside to talk.


    "Ha lad! Ye right be the person I be lookin for. D''ye know what all these papers be about?"


    The old man held a stack of parchment up in the air with delicate writing on them and shook them in an annoyed way.


    "No? If you shake them like that I can''t see what''s written on them so I don''t know."


    "Those be papers sent to me by yer teacher. They all be like spy reports on some girls, what in the world are ye doin?"


    He slammed back the pile of documents on the desk and Emp realized what they probably were.


    "It''s Blackbull who sent you those? Aren''t these just the files to help us choose a few ladies-in-waiting for my wife?"


    The old man raised his brows in confusion while one of the servant girls standing behind his chair leaned forward to whisper something into his ear.


    "It is?" He answer the girl before leaning his face over the stack of paper. "Ye be right, it''s written on the first page. I be sorry lad, I had not looked."


    "How did you know what was on the other pages if you didn''t look?" Emp asked with confusion written all over his face.


    "I never be readin the first page of anything because it always be useless flattery. I rather be readin the meat of things instead." He declared proudly, as if his trick was impressive instead of ridiculous.


    On another note, Blackbull had told him she''d start researching for this only a few days ago, how could she already be done?


    "When did you receive those papers?"


    "Hm? Oh, it be this same mornin. Don''t ye be worryin about these anymore, now that it make sense, I be angry no more."


    This morning huh? So it took her two days and an evening to write that huge stack of paper and do her research? How fast can one be?


    "So, will you give them to me?"


    "No, no need, now that I be readin the top paper, it''s just a copy of it, she wrote another and sent it to ye already."


    Now that was just impossible, even Celtine didn''t write so fast. This could only mean one thing, The old women had planned this since long ago and just pretended to come up with the idea the other day. Why would she do this though? Emp was starting to worry a bit, it meant that she had some plan involving all this but he didn''t know what the goal was. The scary thing was that since she was the one that had made the list and since he knew no one at all, she could have written any number of falsities or omitted any number of people in order to push him to choose someone she wanted him to pick. He had no way of knowing if she did this or not or for what reason she would do such a thing. Could he trust the list at all?


    He ended his discussion with the ancient as quickly as possible, asking him to please find out for him when the next big caravan for Red-water would be leaving before he made his way to the office of Blackbull.


    He knocked at the door while announcing himself and soon after, the old lady told him to come in.


    "Young Emp, welcome. What might be your business with me now? Did you receive the list?"


    "I didn''t see it for myself yet but the ancient did."


    "Oh, I see. He didn''t read the first page again I presume."


    "Yes but that''s not what I''m here for. The pile is too thick and too well written, there''s no way anyone can write all of that twice in only two days."


    The corner of her mouth rose into a half smile, deepening the wrinkles on her cheeks.


    "You don''t need to say anything more. Forcing you to say it more bluntly would just be insulting to you. That''s right, I started writing those files long before we talked the other day. I started the day I heard you were about to marry a common girl. Now, I suppose you want to know if I had some hidden motives to do all of it this way."


    "Yes, you always tell me to pay attention to the goals and motives of everyone else. I need to know why you tried to make be believe the idea just came to you the other day and why you really made all those files."


    "I''m glad you are finally using your head but you''re applying it here in vain. I just didn''t want you and Calla to think I had already taken the decision on what to do for you so I pretended I had not already finished doing the research. As for why I really want you to do this, it is also very simple."


    "You''re not trying to fool me, are you? What is the reason."


    He was now regretting that he didn''t bring Celtine with him, she would have been able to tell right away if Blackbull was trying to hide something from him.


    "Of course I''m not trying to fool you. Who would be stupid enough to fool a Muracier? Even if I pulled it off which is already pretty hard considering those of your house can almost always tell when someone is lying, I would end up in serious trouble the moment the truth was revealed, would I not? I know I''m old but I don''t intend to forfeit my head yet, there''s nothing for me to gain by tricking you. The reason is that I and many nobles around me dislike Graube Muracier."


    Graube Muracier?


    "What does it all have to do with my father''s cousin? I do not see the link at all."


    "It should be pretty obvious. While your father was away the forest knows where, Graube decided that he might have a good chance at becoming the next great general and overturn the main branch of the Muracier house. He''s been hard at work all this time trying to win over the retainers, the bannerets and the vassals. Some like the old man Jazay know well of the abilities and temperaments of everyone in the Muracier house, those didn''t move an inch but many of the younger generations don''t share their opinions. After all, aside from you, no one of your generation ever met the great general at all where Graube is making himself seen and raking in achievements.


    I met Graube once and I''m sorry to admit, I would rather not have such a man become the second most powerful person in the empire. Only with enough support would Graube ever be able to steal the title of Great general from the main branch but it''s likely to happen once my generation starts to leave the scene. There''s a simple way to stop him however. Currently, everyone is convinced that Chinui the lord great general doesn''t have any heir and no one has seen him in years. Announcing your existence will put a huge dent in his progress and showing some interest for the retainers will show to the world that the Muracier house isn''t finished yet. All I need you to do is prove to the world that you exist and that the title is yours and not Graube''s."


    "I understand what you mean but I''ve never met Graube before, what''s he like?"


    Even the duke Jazay told him flat out that he did not trust the man but he wanted to know what impression of him Blackbull had.


    "The man is only half as talented in combat and strategy as his two cousins. That alone is already bad enough but he also has those eyes full of greed, anyone with a bit of cleverness can tell he''s thirsting for power and wealth rather than the well-being of the empire like the main branch. The worst part of him is that I know he doesn''t care for how much he must sacrifice for a victory. As long as the final result is in his favor, he could sacrifice a large amount of knights without thinking. I have a large family young Emp, I''d rather not see twenty of my grand-kids go to war for none to return because this idiot was in command. Obviously, the you right now isn''t better than him in talent at all but since you came from the main branch, since the old man supports you rather than Graube and since you have the temperament that will push you to reach for perfection in the art of war like your father before you, I''d rather back you instead of your uncle." (2)


    Everything she said made sense. Since Emp had no reason to distrust her, he chose to go along with it for now.


    "Alright then, I''ll believe you on your words and I''ll do like I said I would for now. I''ll go through all the files on my way back to the village with Calla. I suppose that any of the girls in the list would help achieve your goal?"


    "Yes, that is right. I left aside the most inconsequential ones and those that will be on your side no matter what like the girls from the Jazay house. Winning any of the girls on that list to your side will help you get recognized because any of them would be stolen from Graube''s side. The boys will be easier to win over, all you have to do is prove yourself better than Graube in the field."


    "I see, thank you for your help teacher."


    "Don''t let him win and you won''t have to thank me at all."


    Emp took his leave mildly satisfied with the answers he got and made his way back towards his room. Since he intended to overthrow the emperor and take his place, he didn''t feel any better than Graube so he felt a bit guilty of accepting that help. However, help was help so it would be stupid to refuse it.


    Just a few turns away from the teacher''s office, Emp happened to come across Noirantel. Neither expected to see the other here and both stopped walking to stare at the other. Emp wondered if he should just step aside to let him pass or if he should wait for him to do it instead.


    The only time they had met was when they had a spar against each other on the field. Neither of them cared about the other much so Emp didn''t have anything to tell him.


    Should he just say hi and be done with it?


    "Hi Noirantel."


    "Hi lord protector Emp."


    There was another silence and then Noirantel started speaking in a disinterested manner.


    "You know, that time you defeated us all, you used your blessing right?"


    "Yes, I did, why?"


    "Well, I do not mean to sound like a sore looser after all this time. I won''t deny that you did indeed defeat me but if you think it will be enough to carry you everywhere you are wrong."


    "What are you trying to say?"


    "Having a blessing is super impressive, there''s a reason why everyone that has one is renowned everywhere but you''re not the only one with a divine blessing. I can name two other people our age with a blessing just at the top of my head."


    "Who?" Emp asked curiously.


    "Well there''s the Muracier heir for one."


    Wasn''t Emp the heir? Was it some sort of misunderstanding?


    "The Muracier heir?"


    "Yeah, he showed up around two years ago in Red-water and showed off his card around to a bunch of people. I haven''t heard his name but I know he had a blessing too and that he was a Muracier. If you go up against a guy like him relying only on your blessing, you''ll loose for sure, the Muracier aren''t the best for nothing."


    Emp didn''t know how to answer to that at all. Noirantel was just talking about him after all.


    "So who''s the second one?" He tried to change the subject.


    "The other is a girl called Kaisla Grovgar I don''t know anything about her aside from the fact her father''s the head guard of Highsteel."


    That was interesting, Highsteel was the home of the main branch of the Muracier''s house. Maybe she was in the list?


    "That''s really interesting, I wasn''t expecting all of them would be related to the Muraciers."


    "Oh I''m sure there''s bound to be many more that aren''t, old and young too. Don''t be mistaken though. I know you''ve been working hard to make it into an important position in the army but only a blessing won''t cut it for the Muraciers to approve of you. You''ll need to impress them just like I surely will. I don''t know about yours but my family''s been working for them for generations you know?"


    "Your family hasn''t done much to keep the old road safe though."


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    Noirantel seemed really pissed off by the comment.


    "Because it''s pointless! We keep saying it to the idiots of Jazay but they don''t get it! It''s only a matter of time before my father finds the gold in those hills and then we''ll make a new road south of the old one. The new road will go straight between Artefine and Red-water, forget about the low-woods and the howling hill. The new one won''t be snaking around for miles and waste the time of everyone. We only need a bit of gold to make it happen I tell you and then, everyone will be thanking us, you''ll see."


    "If you say so. I''d like a faster road between the two actually but there are villages on the old one that needs some backup."


    "I do not see the use of that. It doesn''t matter at all what you think since we''ve got the approval of Graube Muracier. Everything goes through him first. Anyway, I''ve wasted enough time with you. I''ve got a perfect reputation here in school so I''m sure to make a great impression."


    Emp disagreed since he had been defeated before and had been slapped in public by a girl. He couldn''t see what made this perfect at all.


    Noirantel might not be a bad guy but he really didn''t help himself with his words. If Emp did end up as the great general instead of Graube, and hopefully he would, he wouldn''t be against working with Noirantel but he certainly wasn''t impressed yet.


    Emp had to step aside because Noirantel obstinately refused to do so and after he had left, Emp was finally able to go back to his room.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Forest here is employed as an exclamation word instead of a name. Like: God! Shit! Holy fuck!


    (2) note that Graube isn''t really the cousin of Chinui and even less the uncle of Emp. Eight generation before, one Muracier Brother made that side branch and Graube is a descendant of him. At this point, they''re barely related but the easiest way to describe him is uncle or cousin which is how Chinui and Chijou always called him. They do share the same name however.

 113 Fruit caused problems

    The duke Jazay relayed the information on when the next caravan was leaving for Red-water to Emp like he said he would and had the information delivered to him in no time. Along with Calla, Emp prepared their departure carefully. They stocked up on all sorts of food and ingredients for Calla, stored all her new things in the bag and even added bunch of furniture for their house he bought along with her and Harriett.


    He could have mostly everything made in the village by carpenters but if he wanted something special, like a large and divinely soft bed, he had to buy it here in B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    Aside from the preparations to leave, Emp was satisfied with Calla''s visit in this city. He had managed to do a lot in the time the two hims had been there together and managed to get most the things he needed before he had to split again.


    He had trained a lot, presented Calla to everyone, saw her make a few new friends and also, more importantly for the village, he found a new mage for the Dark-glint.


    Like he had promised, the old duke found him a few mages that he thought were trustworthy enough to be employed by a Muracier and keep the secrets he was given.


    Emp met three of them in person, it was the first time he was using the name of Muracier for something important. He absolutely needed to use his name here because the whole point of hiring a new mage himself was to make sure he would be loyal to the Muracier and more importantly, that he would take care of Marcy and Calla properly.


    He rejected the first two after only a short meeting with them. One was pretty similar in attitude to Sophus and kept looking at Emp as if he was a weakling. Emp didn''t even bother telling him his name and left, he didn''t want to plague the village with the presence of such a man.


    The second one was very amicable, the perfect opposite of the first but it quickly became apparent that he was far weaker than any other mage he knew. Even the itinerant mage Jaska working with the huntresses was a far more talented mage than him. He might have been very friendly but if he could not do the job he was hired for, it was pointless.


    The third one he saw was called Martin Tournesol. He seemed to have a surprisingly sunny attitude for a man in his thirties. The man was a wielder of light elemental magic surprisingly oriented towards combat rather than the usual healing. He also knew quite a good amount of water spells to fill in the gaps in his portfolio of light magic. He had studied under Heinrich years ago in the imperial school and then focused on his own research, living by spending the fortune his parents left him as inheritance instead of properly working on anything.


    The Duke Jazay thought he was trustworthy and Heinrich believed him to be talented so Emp had high expectations for him and he wasn''t disappointed.


    Martin however wasn''t keen on moving to some village away from the comfort of the city until Emp showed him his hunting card. Knowing he would be working for a Muracier was way more motivating to him as if he did his job well, joining the imperial mages afterwards wouldn''t be so hard. The pay was great too.


    Emp had him sign a contract quickly. The words on it forbade him from saying anything about him or his family to anyone living outside of the village. In exchange, Emp would give him his support when and if he applied for a position in the elder circle of mages in Thronewoods. Since his support was conditional to whether or not he did the job correctly, Emp didn''t mind promising it to him. He didn''t seem like a bad man and he wouldn''t stay secretly hidden in Dark-glint forever. As long as he kept the Champoms safe for a while, everything would be fine.


    The day Emp and Calla left for the village, they first stopped around the school to say goodbye to everyone. There were many small bows shared and even a big hug from Mable that Calla happily returned.


    The two new friends would miss each other, Mable already couldn''t wait for the next time they''d meet and was already making a list of everything she wanted to show Calla then. She would have loved to spend some more time with her and both of them hoped they''d met again sometime soon even though Calla really didn''t want to leave the village again for a while, if ever.


    The duke too gave them heartfelt wishes for safety in their travels as well as a happy reunion with everyone soon in the future. He told Emp and Calla that he would miss having the lady Muracier close by to protect her but he understood that her place wasn''t really in this school.


    Blackbull wished them farewell as well although very soberly. She still helped by stopping the others from complaining about the short stay of Calla and how they hadn''t had any time to really meet her at all.


    Calla had the hardest time saying goodbye to Harriett and Celtine because they were the two she spent the most time with. After a long and hard look and some wavering tries, she managed to read the goodbyes of Celtine on her own thanks to her efforts in practicing everyday since she came to the school. She promised them that she would be careful and had them promises in return that they would keep helping Emp as best as they could. She also promised them that she would be able to read the words of Celtine properly by the next time they met and told them one last time that she thought the two of them were great and that she''d support them from home.


    "No, it is mistress that is great. I''m glad master accepted your offering." Harriett said.


    Calla didn''t know what to answer so she just gave he two one last hug before they left.


    Emp didn''t feel anything in particular because he would be at both places at once but everyone else seemed to be pretty saddened to part ways. In an attempt to make everyone feel better, he reminded them that they could share messages through him pretty easily. All he had to do was recall the other him or place the message in the bag to let the other side get it. In a way, Calla would be able to talk with Mable, Harriett and Celtine whenever she wanted.


    "Master''s right! We can all just send letters and they''ll reach mistress the very same day! That''s a great idea!"


    Celtine and Calla agreed with a smile as well and everyone felt better right away.


    Finally, it was time to leave for the village. Emp and Calla dressed in ordinary clothes to not attract too much attention in the caravan and left for the south gate. Esther at the reception desk wished them good travel on their way out and soon, they were back on the streets of B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    "Aren''t we going to say goodbye to your mom?" Calla asked while they were walking down the street.


    "I don''t think we need to. I''m pretty sure she will just hear you if you say your goodbyes from here anyway."


    Calla understood his point of view and simply said goodbye in her head. If they were to stop by the temple, they''d end up late to catch up the caravan.


    Instead of going to the temple, they followed the main street through the swarm of merchants and shopping nobles. They were walking holding hands because Calla feared to end up lost in the crowd.


    It was still early in the morning so there weren''t so many people that it was hard to navigate but there were still enough to make her dizzy. Like every time Calla was in a crowd of stranger, she was tense and kept looking around nervously despite Emps best attempts at reassuring her through the contact of their hands. Once they left the city, she''d surely feel much better.


    Everyone around them talked in small groups as they walked and Emp paid attention to none of them until a few short sentences caught his attention.


    "Hey, look over there, did you see her?"


    "Isn''t she the girl from the other day?"


    "Yeah look, that''s really the same girl from the other time."


    "We have to thank her."


    "More importantly, look, she seems in trouble, we got to help."


    Emp got curious to see who was in trouble and looked around to search who was talking and what they were talking about but found neither. Everyone around them just kept walking normally and nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all.


    Emp found it curious but since he couldn''t hear them anymore and saw nothing suspicious, he turned his attention back to the road. After only a few more steps though, Emp felt that something was wrong.


    He pulled Calla into his arms and jumped forward using his blessing to reach further. Calla yelped sharply in surprise and immediately after, right at the spot they had been standing on, two smaller girls bumped into each other at high speed and tumbled to the ground with pained groans.


    "Ow!"


    "How did we even miss him so bad?"


    "We ruined it again."


    "Quick get up before he runs away!"


    The two girls hurriedly disentangled themselves from the other and got back up to face a confused Emp and Calla. Those were definitely the voices he heard earlier. Didn''t that mean that the girl in trouble was Calla and that he was supposedly the bad guy? How did this even happen?


    "You, bad guy! Release the kind lady now!" The taller one yelled while pointing a finger at him.


    Her fall combined with her yell gathered the attention of everyone around them and made Calla very uncomfortable. For now, no one moved to help either sides because no one knew what was happening yet, it might not be long before they all started to pick sides. Emp had to disperse the crowd fast or Calla would crumble from the weight of the stares.


    "Calm down alright? Whatever you''re thinking is happening is a misunderstanding. Just lower your voice and we''ll talk."


    "That''s exactly what a bad guy would say!"


    Calla quickly hid her face behind her arm to escape the stares and Emp held her more strongly to keep her from falling.


    Meanwhile, the two girls had taken an heroic pose with the fists clenched on their hips. It might have been impressive if they weren''t so small. The tall one was barely the height Emp had when he was created and the other was half a head shorter. They both wore leather pants held by straps along with oversized and undyed long sleeved shirts. The tall one had a face full of freckles and short blond hair cut close to her head while the smaller one had two side buns of hair and her eyes were of a much darker brown than the other.


    Together, they were trying to intimidate him since their surprise attack had failed.


    "See? She''s scared! Release her now!"


    He needed to come up with something else or this nonsense would never end. It didn''t help that they were speaking in the noble tongue, Calla couldn''t understand a word they were saying.


    "She''s scared of you instead. You do not know her at all, you don''t even know her name! You keep calling her kind lady."


    "We do know her, she gave us fruits the other day!"


    Fruits? Could they be the girls Calla helped the day she went out with the others.


    "The night she gave you those two fruits, my wife was walking with a big group of girls right?"


    "How did... Wait, your wife?"


    "I told you it''s a misunderstanding."


    "Huh sis, did we mess everything up again?" The shorter one asked while cocking her head to the side.


    "That can''t be! Why would she look so uncomfortable with him then?"


    "She not uncom/"


    "Alright, everyone hold it right there, what''s happening here?"


    Emp was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a group of ten guards. Five surrounded Emp with their weapons drawn and four surrounded the girls, ready to catch them if they attempted to flee. The last one, the leader of the group, stood in between the two small groups and looked at them both in turns with an authoritative glare. Their appearance did nothing to improve the state of mind of Calla but at least, she knew that as long as they learned about his name, they would never hurt Emp or her. This might have been the only reason she didn''t collapse on the spot.


    The guard sergeant first turned his attention towards Emp.


    "First you, release the woman for now."


    "But I''m afraid that If I let go of my wife now she''ll collapse."


    "Do it!" The guard ordered strongly.


    Emp released an annoyed sigh and gently lowered Calla so that she would sit safely on the ground at his side. Once sat on the ground, Calla still clutched his trousers in fear that he''d disappear while she had her eyes closed


    He had wanted to join up the caravan without gathering too much attention from the crowd of regular travelers but this happened instead. That was very upsetting.


    "Tell me what is going on. Why are you arguing with two small girl in the middle of the road?"


    "I don''t know yet, I''ve been trying to figure out why they want me to let go of my wife since they tried to tackle me earlier." Emp told him.


    "That''s because she''s looking so distressed, I''m sure he''s trying to kidnap her! Plus, he had that serious look like he''s planning something shady" The tall one explained.


    "Yeah!" The small one added.


    "Why would I kidnap my own wife? She''s just afraid of crowds so we wanted to hurry on our way."


    "Yes, a likely story." The guard said, rather skeptical. "We''ll bring the four of you in for a quick interrogation, just your two hunting cards should be enough to prove at least her identity as your wife, or disprove it. You''ll all be free by the end of the day, admitting that no crime was committed."


    "By the end of the day! But that''s ridiculous, we have a caravan going to Red-water to take."


    Emp couldn''t believe those two small girl could cause him so much trouble! He was getting rather frustrated.


    "Just do as you''re told if you''re innocent or resist and prove your guilt." The guard narrowed his eyes menacingly.


    "Can''t he just show his card here? I''d feel really bad if I was wrong and they missed the caravan because of us." The girls on the other side hesitated.


    "No, I said we''d do it in the guard post and so we will. This whole thing has no reason to take place in the middle of the road."


    Emp groaned in frustration, they didn''t have any time to waste on this. They already went through the trouble of saying goodbye to everyone so it would be really ridiculous to go back to school tonight because they missed the caravan. On top of that, he would have no choice but to show them their hunting card. Once it happened, of course Emp and Calla would be released right away with a profusion of apologies but it would be too late and everyone in the whole city would know that he was here in less than a week.


    In that case, it was best to get rid of them all right now.


    "Alright, I''ve had enough of this nonsense. I order you to look at the name on my card right now." Emp said as he made his hunting card appear.


    The guard was about to shout in anger at his disobedience and the way he was being addressed but then Emp saw his face pale under his helm when he saw the name. As soon as Emp was certain that he had seen it, he made the card disappear before anyone else could take a look from further off.


    "Calla, please show him your card as well."


    She willed her card to appear in front of the guard and then had it disappear again after a short moment once Emp told her it was enough.


    For the crowd, keeping a safe distance form the guards, it only seemed as if the captain was focusing on the cards so no one got any clue as for what the guard had just witnessed.


    "So as you just saw, we really are husband and wife. It really is all just a misunderstanding and my wife truly just doesn''t like to be in a crowd or under observation. She''d feel a whole lot better if everyone forgot she was ever here, do you understand?"


    "Really? Shoot, then that means we messed everything up again!" The taller girl dropped her shoulders low in regret.


    They had not seen the name from over there but since the two cards had been shown and Emp seemed so confident, they had no choice but to believe he was saying the truth.


    "I told you." The smaller girl told the taller one.


    "No you asked me if we did, you didn''t affirm it."


    "That''s the same!"


    "No it''s not!"


    Meanwhile, the guard sergeant blinked twice and then gulped before nodding like an obedient kid in front of his father.


    "Yes of course, you were never there and nothing happened. It was all a false alarm, haha... Yes, right. In that case, those two are causing a ruckus for no reason and should be punished."


    The guard turned around towards the two girls but Emp called him back.


    "No need, Even though they were wrong, they intended well. I''m not angry at them at all, it was just a misunderstanding. However, I''d like to see your own card."


    "M-My card?"


    "Yes, you were so helpful in coming to help a girl like my timid wife right away. I''d feel much safer if I knew your name, that way I''d be able to find you if my wife was harassed in the future, do you understand?"


    "Yes, of course."


    The guard showed his card willingly and Emp nodded once he was sure he''d remember it. With what he said, he was pretty sure that the guard would understand what he wanted him to do. The meaning of his words were truly; Nobody must know we were here, if anyone learns about it and find my wife I''ll find you and you''ll be in huge trouble.


    Emp thought it was pretty clear and by the nervous look of the guard he seemed to think so too.


    "Thank you, I appreciate your help. You don''t have to worry for my wife too much, once we get home, she''ll feel much better again. So... are we all good?"


    "Uh, yes, of course. We''re done here guys, let''s move on, who knows what might be happening further down the road."


    The other guards followed the wave of his arm and moved away without asking any question even though they had several. When the sergeant was acting like that, it was best to just shut up, they might have unexpectedly pointed their swords at someone important without knowing.


    The rest of the crowd moved out of the way of both the guards and Emp because they knew that something was up. The attitude of the guards changed too much after they saw his card and no one wanted to mess with him any more than that.


    No one except the two girls.


    Emp had barely just raised Calla back on her feet when the two girls rushed towards them again. This time however, they wanted to apologize. They got in front of Emp and Calla and bowed in apology.


    "We''re sorry that we caused you trouble."


    "Yes, very very sorry. We just wanted to help the kind lady."


    "She haven''t said anything yet, is she mute or something?"


    "No, she''s just shy and also, she doesn''t understand the noble speech." Emp answered.


    He knew how to get rid of the knights because he had been taught how to in multiple classes by many people but as for the two talkative and curious girls, he didn''t know how to get rid of at all. Instead, he just started walking with Calla while the other two followed and gasped in surprise.


    "Really!? But she was walking with so many nobles the other day!"


    "We really were super wrong. We''re sorry kind lady." The two girls said in the common tongue.


    Calla gave them a weak smile to accept their apology but didn''t answer anything. She was eager to move away from the observers and leave the town. Emp understood this by how she behaved and so tried to put an end to the conversation in a gentle manner.


    "She accepted your apology see? Now, if you would both excuse us, Calla really doesn''t like the crowd so we should get going."


    "We''re sorry, is it really that bad?"


    Calla nodded and Emp answered as he walked away.


    "That''s why she only went outside once for the whole time we were here."


    "Hey wait! Wait up!"


    The two girls kept following them.


    "We haven''t thanked you properly for the last time."


    "Calla told me she was happy to give you those two fruits and I was curious of the circumstances but we really must go, we can''t miss the caravan."


    "You''re leaving town? But when are you two coming back?"


    Emp thought those two girls were very obstinate. In theory, he didn''t mind people coming to talk to him but they were slowing them down, had caused them a bunch of trouble already and they were embarrassing Calla with their persistence.


    "We''re going back home, we were just visiting. We might not come back. Goodbye now and don''t worry about those small fruits, neither of us mind at all. We''re just glad you were happy and had something more to eat than the small piece of meat she told me you were fighting for. Bye."


    Emp ended the conversation with a wave of his hand and Calla raised her fingers too. He tried his best in order to not sound too annoyed even though he was cutting the conversation short. He really wasn''t that annoyed at all, the girls just didn''t meet them at an appropriate time, it wasn''t their fault.


    The two stopped following them with a face saying they didn''t really know what to do anymore and simply raised their hands towards the pair of Calla and Emp disappearing behind the many passerby.


    Finally rid of them, Emp let out a sigh and let Calla trough the streets of the city, away from the noble quarters and into the lower city until they reached a place close to the gate where the caravan was gathering.


    Like one would expect from such a procession, there were a great amount of wagons of all size and shape, a bunch of merchants and tag-along travelers as well as a hefty amount of mercenaries and death seekers to provide security on the trip.


    Most of those hired guards didn''t bother looking at any of the travelers in particular but a small group hung around a wealthy looking mustachioed merchant who was walking around collecting payments for the privilege of travelling with his caravan. The merchant was the owner so he had the right to ask for everyone else to pay him for protection. At least, he didn''t ask more than the reasonable amount of six copper coins per person.


    Some people would not pay anything and would just follow the caravan from further back but doing such a thing was risky because the hired guards wouldn''t do anything for them and they wouldn''t be allowed to sleep in the camp with everyone else. A few of them had no choice but to take the risk but Emp had more than enough money and paid the twelve coins without problem.


    Right after, he looked around the gathering area and found the man he was looking for. He led Calla up to him.


    "Hi Martin, are you ready for the trip?"


    "Of course I am, I had to rent a whole wagon just for my supplies." The mage said pointing at the large cart behind him.


    "Hm, by the way, how am I supposed to address you if I can''t use your name?"


    "Just calling me Emp is fine. Here, let me do the presentation. Calla, this man is Martin Tournesol, he''s going to be the new mage of Dark-glint." Calla waved her hand to welcome him. "Martin, that woman is my wife Calla. She''s not very talkative but she''s very kind."


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you. I''d give you a deep bow but I don''t want your husband, uh... Emp to glare at me."


    Calla shook her head to tell the mage it was fine and the conversation continued on to other things. They spoke a bit about what he had stored inside his wagon and after he had told them happily about most of it, the mage was suddenly bothered by a question he decided to ask right away.


    "You know, earlier you said I was the new mage, right? What happened to the previous one?"


    Calla looked away while Emp answered the casual truth.


    "The previous mage died, I killed him."


    "You what!?"


    Martin seemed shocked and stepped back with a shiver.


    "Yeah, that''s because he was... What is it Calla?"


    He interrupted his answer because Calla kept tugging at his sleeve. She was making a smile as if she was about to giggle and was looking at something behind him.


    Emp turned around and saw to his great surprise that the two girls from earlier were arguing with the caravan leader with loud indignant tones and frustrated gesture. They each had a small bag over their shoulders and seemed really miffed.


    "Six copper each is way too much! Who has the money to pay that! I''m sure you''re trying to charge us more because we look weak!"


    "It''s unfair!" The small one added.


    "What are they doing here? Don''t tell me they followed us." Emp asked in disbelief.


    "I found them, look they''re over there!" The small one pointed at him and calla.


    "Kind lady! Over here!"


    Calla really started giggling and looked at Emp with those eyes saying; Please, go help them.


    "Fine."


    Emp agreed it was sort of amusing but he was also worried about why they were following them. He hoped it wouldn''t be something too bothersome.


    "Wait! He was what?! Don''t leave the story hanging there, you''re scaring me! How do I avoid the same fate! Come back!" Martin pleaded behind him while Emp walked up to the caravan leader.


    "You know them?" The mustachioed man asked in annoyance.


    "Sort of, yes. Sorry, I''ll pay for them too."


    "Fine but watch them, if they cause any trouble I''m kicking them out."


    The man took the twelve additional coins and left with the guards to the next place.


    "Yay! We found them!" The small one said happily while the older one apologized.


    "Sorry we caused you trouble again. We didn''t think it would cost so much to get in."


    "It''s fine, it''s just a silver. Come join us and tell us what you''re doing here."


    Emp gestured at them to follow him and turned back towards Calla and Martin.


    "You must be right. He said a silver was nothing, he must be a rich merchant." The smaller girl whispered to her sister, not low enough to stop Emp from earring.


    "The fruits too, it was nothing to them. Lets do our best this time!"


    Do their best for what? The caravan leader was right, they were clearly troublemakers.


    Emp walked up to Calla and helped her sit on Martin''s wagon as the rest of the caravan ended their preparations too. The mage seemed pretty desperate and made a pitiful face.


    "How does the story end! What did he do wrong?"


    "Later Martin, I can''t tell you that in front of those two."


    Emp pointed at them while they were tossing their bags into the mage''s wagon as if it was perfectly natural. They made themselves home and just sat down close to Calla.


    "B-but..." The mage pleaded.


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    "Don''t worry, unless you try to seduce my mother, nothing bad should happen."


    Martin seemed even more confused than before by his answer but Emp ignored that problem for now to focus on those two strange girls instead. He saw the two of them inch themselves closer and closer to Calla and so he decided to sit between them to stop them from going any further. It didn''t disturb the two girls in the least.


    "So, who are you and what are you doing here?"


    "I''m Erin, and that''s my little sister Leonni. What are your names?" Erin returned the question.


    "I''m Emp, My wife''s name is Calla and that''s Martin."


    "Martin Tournesol, noble mage of light and water." The mage presented himself with a tiny bow when Emp pointed him.


    "Wow! You know a mage! That''s cool!"


    "Why is he the cool one if I am the mage?" Martin complained, feeling a bit dejected.


    The little girl just shrugged and Emp asked his question again.


    "So why are you two following us?"


    "We aren''t! It''s just a coincidence." Erin defended herself with a fake air of indignation.


    In front of the furrowed brows of Emp who didn''t believe it for a second, she slumped her shoulders pitifully.


    "Fine, you said you needed to catch the caravan and with the way you were going, we guessed it would be one that left from this gate, we rushed to get all our things and came here to follow you."


    "But why?"


    "We wanted to protect the kind lady on the way, I mean Calla."


    "That''s right, we can protect her!" Leonni added.


    "Don''t worry Calla, we''ll protect your bad-guy looking husband too."


    Emp didn''t feel like he looked like a bad guy. Why was he being called that?


    "He doesn''t look like a bad guy, he just looks serious." Calla defended him using the cuff to make herself heard.


    Erin shook her head in denial.


    "Naw, that''s the same to me. He''s got the face of my grandpa."


    Martin snorted loudly and Calla giggled while Emp just kept a straight face. He had not met her grandpa so he didn''t know how right or wrong it was. Instead, he focused on what they said they were here for.


    "You said you wanted to protect Calla. Do you have any weapons with you?"


    "No..." Erin seemed disappointed.


    "Do you know how to fight at all?"


    "No..." Now the two sisters seemed almost dispirited.


    "Then how do you plan on protecting her?"


    "Well uh, our father is the son of a knight!"


    "Yeah! We''re almost nobles!" Leonni nodded vigorously.


    "I don''t see how this helps at all."


    "Nobles are all super strong, aren''t they? Since we''re almost nobles too, we must be super strong as well! Believe us, we''ll keep you safe." Erin said with confidence as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.


    Nobles weren''t strong because they were nobles though, they were strong because they had plenty of time to train a lot.


    "I can''t believe she''s saying this to you of all people." Martin mumbled with an incredulous face.


    "Does your father know you are here?" Calla asked, worrying for them.


    "Dad doesn''t care."


    "He didn''t want us home because he didn''t have money for all of us and we kept breaking things." Erin explained.


    "He told us to go find work for ourselves and to not come back unless we could pay our own food."


    Calla seemed very appalled by their story and Emp agreed it was a bit sad. For him though, it was way more confusing than sad.


    "Isn''t your dad a knight? How does he not have enough money for you all? How many siblings did you even have?"


    "We have fifteen siblings but they won''t talk with us anymore." Leonni said with a saddened face.


    "And dad wasn''t a knight, he was just the fourth son of one. He didn''t get anything and grandpa said he wasn''t talented enough to be a knight on his own."


    What sort of story was that?


    "So your dad threw you out of the house until you found some work? Weren''t you working in a shop the other day when Calla gave you those fruits? How come you didn''t have any money still?"


    "We got fired that day because we broke some porcelain." Erin admitted with her head hung low.


    "We keep messing everything up and we got fired from every place we worked for." Leonni said.


    "The longest we worked in a single place was three days."


    So the whole story about why they only had a small piece of meat for the two of them and no money to buy food was because they couldn''t keep a single job for more than a day? In the end, there was no deep explanation or crooked merchant exploiting his employees, they just got kicked out of every single place they worked for because they were troublemakers.


    "It''s so bad that dad told us to not use our family name anymore because he didn''t want to get in trouble because of us." Leonni explained.


    "No one wants to hire us anymore so we thought we''d have better luck in... where are we going exactly?"


    "The caravan goes all the way to Red-water but we''re stopping in Dark-glint village." Martin answered helpfully.


    "What are we going to do in Dark-glint?" Erin asked, including herself in the group as if it was natural. "Do you have some big business as a merchant there?"


    "I''m not a merchant at all." Emp answered.


    "What!?" Leonni gasped.


    Erin bounced back up from the revelation quickly because of how used she was to setbacks.


    "But what sort of work do you both do then? Do you think your boss would be willing to hire us too?"


    Martin started laughing and almost lost it hearing that but Emp glared at him and stopped him from revealing the secret.


    "We won''t make any more mistakes we promise!" Leonni said, thinking this was the reason why Martin was laughing.


    "But you don''t even know what the work is." Emp said.


    Not that there was any work in the first place.


    "Then tell us, I''m sure we can do it! We''re willing to give it a try and work hard!"


    "Yeah, we''re not afraid to work hard."


    Following that the two girls pestered them until Emp decided to tell them that Calla cooked. It wasn''t really her job but that was mostly what she did of her time.


    The girls seemed to think it made perfect sense and decided to practice cooking in order to impress the imaginary boss.


    Since he was unrelated to them, he could advise them strongly against going with the caravan but he couldn''t stop them. They decided to tag along despite his advice and included themselves in the group right away.


    Emp was willing to let them be as long as they didn''t do anything too outrageous. He didn''t want to be cruel and kick them out, plus, he had already paid the fee to let them in.


    That''s how, on the third day of travel, they ended up doing something outrageous that made him angry.

 114 Disaster sisters

    Travelling from B¨ºt¨¦clair to Dark-glint in a caravan took much longer than with a small group of knight. It was excruciatingly slow for Emp who believed that he would only need a single day to move from the city to the village if he was by himself.


    At least, they had some interesting company.


    Martin was stuck in a difficult situation where he wanted to impress Emp with his talents while staying respectful without revealing the secret of his employer''s identity to the two tag along. More often than not, whenever Emp was close to Martin, the mage would shut his mouth and stay nervously silent. Maybe the half story he heard about Emp killing the previous mage was affecting him more than Emp thought it should.


    The two sisters didn''t have the same problem at all. They acted as if they''d always been there right from the very first day of the trip. They fooled around and ran about in the vicinity of the wagon as it was pulled on the road by the two horses, they rummaged through Martin''s things to find something interesting until he forbid them to touch anything and they kept asking thousands of questions to Emp, Calla and Martin.


    They didn''t bother watching over their two small bags, trusting that they''d be safe in Martin''s wagon and instead, played all day until the whole procession stopped for the night.


    "Why are we stopping here? There''s no houses around. Is it truly a village?" Leonni asked dubiously.


    "Of course not, we''re just stopping here for the night. We still have a long road before we reach the village."


    "How long are we talking about?"


    "It should be three weeks at worst. But there''s one or two other villages on the way" Martin answered.


    "Three weeks! But that''s so long!"


    "What did you expect?"


    "We thought we''d be there by now!"


    "The trip to Red-water takes more than a month and Dark-glint is halfway there so there''s no way anyone can reach it in a day." Martin denied.


    "But what are we gonna eat!" Leonni asked in a panic.


    They had not planed for the trip at all and they barely had a snack in their bags. Emp was about to tell them to go gather fruits in the woods around because that''s what he would have done himself. He refrained from doing so because he was pretty sure they''d end up getting lost and more importantly, Calla showed him a pitiful look.


    "We have more than enough food so just share ours for now." He said instead.


    "Really? You''re the best even though you look like a bad guy." Erin said with a few claps.


    He still didn''t think he looked like a bad guy but he didn''t get any chance to complain about it because it was at that point that the girls decided they should help Calla with cooking.


    They said it was because they felt bad for just eating it in exchange for nothing but the truth was obviously because they wanted the rumored job of cook. To summarize the results, they weren''t any good at cooking. Apparently, they had never done any cooking at all and just ate whatever they got the way they got it or charred black.


    The only good thing that could be said about their attempt at helping was that they didn''t injure themselves. Thankfully for them, Calla didn''t get angry or annoyed at all, Emp had never seen her angry ever before so it wouldn''t be two small girls failing at cooking that would do it now.


    Instead, she was happy that the two girls tried. Even thought the two girls turned the whole meal into a failure by dropping a whole bag of spice in it by accident and that the final taste was awful, Calla was willing to let them keep trying the next day.


    Next up, they had a problem with how to organize their sleeping area. They had not accounted for five person to sleep in the wagon and the space was lacking. In order to have everyone fit inside, Martin would have to remove a bunch of his magician supplies from it and set it to the side for the night, ready to be stolen by anyone passing by.


    On top of that, the first plan was to have Emp and Calla sleep together on one side and Martin on the opposite but with the addition of those two girls, this wasn''t really possible. Even without anything in the wagon, only three people could fit side by side on either end if they didn''t want to get in the way of each other. If Emp slept with his wife than the two sisters would have to sleep next to Martin and they disagreed to do so because obviously, he was a man and they were girls.


    Emp would get no peace of mind trying to sleep knowing Calla wasn''t right next to him because if something was to happen in the dead of night, he couldn''t just grab her and escape to safety, he would have to look for her on the other side of the wagon first. Martin couldn''t sleep either because he was afraid that some of his stuff might disappear if it was left without surveillance.


    "No choice then, we''ll have to take turns to keep watch over everything." Emp told Martin.


    "Me too?" Martin complained.


    "Yes you too. You''re being hired to protect a whole village, are you really complaining now about keeping watch half a night? Why did you even accept the job if you can''t do it?"


    "No no, I can, I will. I''m just... never mind."


    "Can we help too?" Erin asked.


    "No, I don''t trust you two at all."


    "What! We''re supper trustworthy I''ll have you know."


    "Huh-huh. That''s why you got fired from all your previous jobs." Martin pointed out.


    "That''s not our fault, those were all accidents!"


    "Well I''d rather not have any accidents happening tonight. Just sleep and keep your strength for the trip."


    The girls didn''t protest too much and went to sleep as he requested. Emp decided to take the first turn of the watch because he wasn''t sure that Martin would be able to wake him up later if he went to sleep now.


    Indeed, after he switched place with Martin later on, he slept like a rock until way past sunrise. By that point, Everyone had already had breakfast and the caravan was moving again. Emp woke up under a pile of things and had to crawl his way out of the wagon and jump out of it while it was on the move.


    He walked around and got back in front to see Martin dozing off and Calla watching over the two sisters wasting their time sitting at the front.


    "Hi, good morning everyone."


    "Hi Emp." They all answered in various degrees of enthusiasm.


    "Martin, you should go back in to get some sleep, I''ll take care of everything."


    "Uh? Oh, right, sure." The mage answered with his eyes half closed.


    If he was like that every day, it would be a long trip for him.


    Emp switched place with him and took on the reins while the mage buried himself in his supplies. Keeping the wagon on the path wasn''t hard at all. All he had to do was keep following the one in front, don''t slow everyone down and don''t stray off of the road. It would be the perfect time to start reviewing all the documents if not for the two small girls being lazy right beside them. Emp needed to get rid of them somehow if he wanted to keep the secret of his identity from them.


    Just a year ago, he wouldn''t have cared at all if they heard everything or not but now, he was conscious that he needed to be much more careful with all of that. He didn''t know them at all so they could be spies from anyone and even if they were really just two small and very unlucky girls, he didn''t know if they could keep a secret or not and if they would mess everything up like they apparently often did. He could not take the risk.


    "Erin, Leonni, I have important business to talk about with Calla and I don''t want you two to listen so go play elsewhere will you?"


    "What sort of business could you even have to talk about? You''re not a merchant after all." Erin complained.


    "I''m not a merchant that doesn''t mean I don''t have work to do. I''ve got a bunch of documents to review with her." He said as he got the stack of paper out of his bag.


    "That''s a lot of paper." Leonni said in an impressed voice.


    "Why can''t we stay though? I don''t understand why it matters that we hear it or not. Also, my legs hurt because of yesterday."


    "Yeah..." The smaller sister agreed while massaging her thigh.


    "That''s good, that means it''s getting stronger, keep at it. I''ll give you a copper each if you try your hardest to walk now."


    "For real! Let''s go Leonni!" Said Erin suddenly jumping on her feet.


    "But Erin!"


    The big sister picked up her complaining sibling and jumped off the wagon. She failed to land on her feet and rolled in the dirt.


    "Wow! Are you okay?" Called Emp, stretching his neck to see.


    He wanted them to be out of his way, not hurt themselves or get lost on the road.


    "We''re fine! Just a scratch!"


    "Don''t go too far off and don''t bother the rest of the travelers all right?"


    "Sure, whatever you say."


    Erin had answered in an annoyed tone, apparently, she didn''t like being told what to do but seriously, Emp just wanted her to be safe.


    Now that everyone was out of their way though, they could finally take a look at the list. There was a lot of them, there were around seventy pages of personal information about a bunch of girls Emp had never met or heard of.


    Making a choice between all that was ridiculous so under the suggestion of Calla, they agreed that it would be best to first put aside everyone they really didn''t want to meet yet.


    Just by their descriptions, some of them sounded way too scary for Calla, too bold and daring or too violent. She rejected a great amount just by that. The thing with the Muracier''s retainers and vassals was that most of them had been chosen for their martial prowess and attitude on the battlefield. Those were both things that Calla had no need for even though these traits were so common that they were reflected into almost every member of every family associated with the Muraciers.


    On the first day working on this, they removed almost half of the list just by glancing at the description of everyone''s attitude. The day after they finished going through the list a first time and on top of finishing to remove those Calla didn''t want to meet at all, they removed a few Emp thought he couldn''t deal with yet. He eliminated this way most of the kids of the branch families, the daughters of Graube himself, cousins from Fortacier or Paroicier and so on.


    He had no doubt that they all must be talented and probably good people but convincing the very blood of Graube to stand against their father would be impossible, at least for now. As for the other branch families, Emp didn''t feel strong enough to impress them. He didn''t desire their admiration but if he looked like a useless person, they''d solidify their support towards Graube instead of getting closer to him and Emp didn''t want that.


    Just because it was a good opportunity however, he still used their presence on the list to remind himself of their banners and motto.


    The Fortaciers had a steel grey fort on their banner, just as expected from their name. They were ranked as barons but did not have more territory than a small lord, like the main branch, they were focused on martial practice rather than the management of a territory. Their motto was; Steel never faltering. Emp believed they were specialists in defensive battles but he wasn''t sure.


    Like the Fortaciers, the Paroiciers were barons without lands. Their banner represented a steel grey wall with deep roots and wide supporting beams of wood. The crenelation on the wall was slightly different from the one of the Muracier but they were the most resembling from all the branch families for being the oldest of them all. Their motto was simply; The walls may never fall.


    Emp reviewed every house he eliminated like that in order to familiarize himself with them a bit but it took him a good chunk of the day to do and they didn''t progress much in their work.


    Then, that night, the second day they were working on this but the third day since they left the city, Leonni rummaged through the supplies looking for kindling and in the dark, mistook the stack of papers stashed not far from it for said kindling. She burned it all down.


    Emp only understood what had happened the next day when he started looking around for the papers, unable to find them at all. After a while of looking and asking the others about it, the small girl admitted that she was the one that had burned the papers.


    "You burned the whole thing?!"


    The small girl ran away from him and shouted the answer in her escape.


    "I couldn''t see and I thought that putting more of it in would make it brighter. I didn''t know these were important!"


    "I''ve never seen anyone use paper as kindling before! Don''t run away, come back here!"


    "Sis! Calla! Help! Emp''s mad!"


    Emp felt the need to punish the girl somehow but the clever sisters decided to use Calla as a shield and hid behind her hoping that she''d be able to calm Emp down. The worst was that they were right, Calla only needed to give him an apologetic look to stop him from doing anything.


    He could see the faces of the two girls peeking from behind Calla, at least they seemed worried and regretful. He made a big sigh and gave up on punishing them. Instead, he asked the other him to go see Blackbull again. Luckily for him, she had another copy of the documents, that one, he kept very safely so that it wouldn''t happen again.


    Even though everything was fixed, he was still furious and the girls dodged him for a long time.


    Emp spent his night watch going through all the documents again and removing all those they had eliminated a second time over, using a small candle to read the papers.


    Over the next few days, Calla and him progressed a lot in their selection and Emp,despite being angry, kept paying the two girls a copper each everyday simply to stay away from the papers and to not spy on them. The two girls in exchange kept complaining about how their legs and feet hurt from walking so much. Emp wasn''t heartless and let them take breaks and sit at the back of the wagon as much as they wanted. As long as they didn''t come disturb him and Calla while they checked through the list, he didn''t bother with them.


    After the initial wave of mass disqualifications, the work became harder and harder because they had to look at every little information they had and put them or not in a list of possible candidates.


    They managed to reduce the list quite a lot after many long talks. The thing was that they didn''t have to limit themselves to a single person, they could take as many or as few as they wanted so it wasn''t as simple as choosing the best. And even if it was, the best on paper might not be the best in real life.


    In their list of maybes however, ten stood out among the others. There was the daughter of a count, one of a viscount, two daughters of barons, two of baronets and four of knights.


    One of the four knights daughter was named Kaisla Grovgar and was coincidentally the girl Noirantel spoke about. The paper said she had the blessing of the god Forest. The banner of her father was showing a flower shield protecting a pine grove and the motto the knight had chosen for himself was; Unfaltering petals protecting groves unbound. Emp had no idea what it meant but most motto didn''t make any more sense than that.


    For example, apparently, the Muracier family motto was; The protection of purity is the truth of the battlefield. What was it supposed to mean? What purity where they even talking about? Emp had no way to know since the thing had been written generations ago and no one ever changed it even though they had the right to.


    Going back to Kaisla, having a girl with a blessing close-by to help Calla and protect her seemed like a really good idea to him. Because of that blessing, she was the one standing out the most but there were nine others that sounded quite nice and talented. All of their names where well known, if not across a kingdom then at least in the Muracier''s family.


    Emp even recognized a few names by himself without relying on the notes from his classes with Blackbull.


    There was a daughter of baron Sorenthal who owned a kennel of forest spiked wolves and according to the document, the girl raised a few of her own as well and loved them a lot. She never went anywhere without them.


    There was also the daughter of a guy named Twain Greathorn who wielded a great-spear made by Marcy. Emp didn''t know if his daughter had some of his martial talent with a spear but the count Greathorn was a well known warrior that had won many a tournament. Whether his daughter was a warrior or not did not matter as simply having her close by would bring fame to Calla thanks to her father.


    The whole list went like that, all of them big names whether thanks to the history of their families or their own achievements, all of them were loyal to the Muraciers and each had their advantages... according to Blackbull''s research.


    Who knew what was real and what was empty boasting from nobles. The only way to know for sure would be to meet them all in person or at least those that seemed like they might get along with Calla according to the papers.


    They narrowed the whole thing to about twenty different young women that might fit the role of Lady-in-waiting and stored back all the papers for good around a week into the trip. Now, the only thing he had to do was to write down twenty letters, apply the Muracier''s family seal on it and send them to each of their families.


    Writing the letters might take a while but the hardest part was actually the seal. Emp didn''t have one, Chinui didn''t give him his own and Emp never walked into the Muracier''s home before. To fix this small yet gigantic problem, the duke had to write a letter of his own asking for an official taking care of the Muracier''s business to come over to the school with a spare seal for a secret purpose planned by the great general himself.


    Seals were something really important for nobles and barely any were ever made for each family to minimize the risk of fakes and impersonations. Asking someone to come with a spare seal was like asking for someone to send a spare key to the treasury vault by mail. The man would come since the trusted duke Jazay said it was for the great general but he would come with a massive escort and it would take a lot of time.


    In the meantime, nothing more could be done about this matter. Calla was quite glad she was now free to enjoy the sights and left Emp to store back everything in the bag.


    When Emp raised his eyes after putting everything back in place, the two sisters were standing in front of him with strangely nervous eyes. They looked like they had done something terrible again so Emp got a bit nervous.


    "What is it? Are you two alright?"


    "Yes... We just wanted to apologize." Erin said while twiddling with her fingers.


    She was looking at the ground with a guilty look. Emp feared that he had thought right.


    "What did you do?"


    "No no! That''s not it, we didn''t do anything this time." Erin panicked.


    "Then what is it?"


    "We wanted to apologize because we know we haven''t been really nice with you up to now."


    Emp had not expected that, he let them continue to hear what this was all about.


    "We said you looked like a bad guy, we burned down your important papers, we accused you of kidnapping Calla and put you in trouble with the guards, we messed up all the meals we tried to help make and because of us you couldn''t sleep with your wife for a whole week. We know we caused you trouble."


    "Also," Leonni added. "we know how much all that food cost and you had to pay to let us in because we didn''t have any money. You even gave us a copper coin everyday even though we did nothing to deserve it."


    "You even kept doing it after Leonni mistook your papers for kindling instead of kicking us out. We tried to work at many places and we''ve had a lot of trouble so we know how hard it is to get those coins and the food too, even our own dad couldn''t afford to give any to us. We''re truly grateful and we really want to sincerely apologize for all the wrong things we did."


    "We won''t say you look like a bad guy anymore. You were way more kind to us than any of our bosses from before, even though we didn''t deserve it and even though you didn''t know us at all."


    "Once we get in that village, we''ll work hard to repay your kindness, we promises. This time, we''ll be hired for some work somewhere and we''ll get enough money to repay you."


    Emp felt touched by their sincere words, they seemed like they really meant everything they said and it was very pleasing to hear. Not only because they apologized or because they were praising his generosity but also because he was happy that he was able to help a bit.


    Their speech was great to hear, but Emp felt really bad about it, like something was squeezing down on his heart. The reason he felt that way was easy to tell for once. Those few coppers were worth almost nothing to him so he had not felt generous at all giving them away, he put up with the food because it pleased Calla, not because he was especially patient and worst of all, there was no great cook job waiting for them in the village. The only good thing was that if there really was a cooking job, they''d had been rejected right away because of how bad at it they were.


    Emp felt guilty, he had just let them do whatever they wanted because he had no relation to them at all but in doing so, he had led them towards a village were they most probably wouldn''t find what they were looking for. If he had told them no and forced them to leave right away, they''d have continued to go from work to work back in B¨ºt¨¦clair. It wouldn''t have been the best but it would have been better than in Dark-glint were there weren''t that many shops in the first place. If they couldn''t do any hard work like carpentry or hunting, they''d be in deep trouble, there were only so many places there that needed more hands and a typical villager couldn''t afford to pay clumsy hands that messed everything up all the time.


    Emp held back his worried pout as best he could and asked them about their plans.


    "What will you do if you don''t get a job once we reach Dark-glint?"


    "This time we will for sure! We''ll practice hard and make it!" Leonni claimed in high spirit.


    "But what if it doesn''t work out?"


    Erin made a pout she quickly hid from her sister and spoke with optimism.


    "Then there will be someone else that will need us, there has to be. We don''t have enough money and food for the way back, we can''t fail this time. We can''t screw up all the time anyway, it''s impossible! This time for sure, we will get something good, right Leo?"


    "Right!"


    Erin spoke that way to motivate her younger sister but Emp could see that being older, she worried a lot about what would happen if they failed. If she bought her sister all the way to Dark-glint for nothing, it might be the end of the line for them both and it would be her fault.


    Emp felt the need to help them, what would be the best solution? He could just give them a bunch of food and money to go back to B¨ºt¨¦clair safely with the next caravan but it wouldn''t really fix the problem. Maybe he could find something useful for them to do instead? Erin was right in that they can''t screw up all the time, it''s simply impossible, there must be something they''re good at, they just needed to find out what it was.


    Emp looked around in search of Calla to ask her what she thought of this and saw that she was looking at the scene from the wagon with a smile.


    Emp froze for a second and then made a smile of his own. The question didn''t need to be asked, she had known all along that it would come to this. She probably wanted this to happen ever since she first heard their story. She was like that after all, she always wanted to help.


    Maybe she wanted to go to the end with them because of what he said that night when she gave them those fruits. He had said that he agreed with her action but he was disappointed that she had not fixed the actual problem. That smile meant just that; go on then, fix the actual problem.


    Fine, he would help them as best he could. He had the money for it and Calla had his back, plus, he was the reason why they got into a caravan for nowhere. He turned back towards the two girls with a much better expression on his face than earlier. He spoke with a serious tone.


    "Alright, I accept your apologies. First, tell me your family name."


    "We''re not supposed to use it." Leonni said in embarrassment.


    "Look, even though they don''t want you to use it, it doesn''t mean that it''s not yours. Even if you two gave yourself another name, the card wouldn''t lie and it would still show the first one. Whether you get along with the rest of your family or not doesn''t matter, that name belong to you too."


    Martin who was just waking up from his morning nap intervened there.


    "Just to be technical, they could change their names to something else if they found a high noble willing to reward them with a new name to commemorate something impressive. The hunting card would acknowledge that like a received title and add that new name before the old one."


    Was Martin saying that to let Emp know he could give them a new name or just because he liked to expose all the facts? He wasn''t against giving out names but he was certain that he would be simply terrible at naming things or people. Just looking at the usual names the gods gave, Emp could tell that letting him choose was a bad idea.


    "But we''ll never meet a high noble." Erin said, unaware of his thoughts.


    "We''ll never raise any achievements either."


    "It doesn''t matter for now, just show me your cards." Emp pressed them.


    The two sisters presented their cards and Emp saw that they were named Porter. Funnily enough, a girl from the list had that name too but now was not the time to think about this. Looking at the rest of the cards, the only thing in the list of kills from the both of them were two rats on the harmless column of Erin''s card.


    "So Erin Porter and Leonni Porter. I don''t think you''ll ever be good at cooking but, I''ll help you find some work."


    "Really?" Erin said in surprise.


    "Yes, really, I''ll teach you things I know until we find something you''re not so bad at."


    "Things you know? Like what? What is your work Mr. Emp?" Leonni asked.


    "Err, for now I''m just a student but trust me, I know a lot more than you. How do you think I got all that money?"


    "You worked hard?"


    "Yes, sort of, but that''s not what I meant. Look at my hunting card."


    Emp hid every information on it but showed off the list of kills.


    "Wha! So many things on this! There''s so many cats too!"


    "Cats?"


    Emp didn''t understand what they meant until they pointed at the picture of a blood-spitter.


    "That''s a blood-spitter not a cat."


    They did look like big ugly cats and he did call them cats in the past but those where actual monsters.


    "What''s the difference?"


    "A normal cat can''t kill you, a blood-spitter can."


    "But I fought the fat grey cat in Plogat alley before and he won. He was really strong, a blood-spitter thing can''t be much stronger, can it?" Erin complained.


    That didn''t sound promising. Even Calla seemed taken aback while Martin just laughed loudly.


    "Have you ever seen a real monster?"


    The two girls shook their heads.


    "An actual bad guy, someone that''s not me?"


    The two girls shook their heads again.


    "I love how you have to precise that it needs to be someone else than you." Martin chuckled.


    Emp ignored him and tried to find the best way to explain the simplest of things to those two girls.


    "Then, do you know what to do if you encounter one?"


    "You throw rocks at them!" Leonni called excitedly.


    "Wrong! Don''t do that, the rocks won''t do anything, a monster doesn''t care."


    It might just enrage it in fact which didn''t help in most cases.


    "But it worked on the rats in Plogat alley." Erin said in disappointment.


    This Plogat alley really seemed like a terrible place... Why were the two of them so familiar with it! Emp ignored that alleyway and pointed at the woodland horror on the list instead.


    "Rats are weak, that''s why they show up in the harmless section, you can''t compare them to monsters. That thing I''m pointing at was taller than the walls of B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "What!"


    "No way!" The two said.


    "That''s the truth, I was like a tiny bug to it. I would have died if it had hit me even once. The most important thing when you encounter a monster or a bad guy is to make sure you can escape. You need to be able to run away and hide if you need it."


    "I guess it might be true but what does any of this have to do with finding work?"


    "I''ll try to make you strong, I''ll teach you what I know and if everything else fails, at the very least, you''ll be able to survive as hunters. Most works in the village need physical abilities so what we need to do is make you stronger. We can both teach you how to not die in front of monsters and make you stronger at the same time."


    "How?" Leonni asked with curiosity.


    "You''ve already had a great start by walking and running so much since the beginning of the trip, now we need to get to something harder. First of all, take those."


    Emp grabbed two wooden swords from his bag, a short one for Leonni and a long one for Erin. The two girls seemed really impressed to see two wooden sword appear from the bag and opened their eyes wide in shock.


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    "Wow! How did you do that!?"


    "The bag is magic."


    "I didn''t know things could gain magic powers for being too ugly!" Leonni said.


    "They can''t... Its magic powers have nothing to do with its ugliness. Pick these up instead of mocking the bag."


    "You want us to play with wooden swords?" Asked Erin, looking at the long piece of wood with a frown.


    "No, I want to challenge you to a game of hide and seek."


    "How does hide and seek makes us stronger and what are the swords for?"


    "Be patient, I''m explaining. Sometimes, your opponent is far stronger than you, in those cases, even in the noble school, they tell everyone to flee or hide. Right now, everything is stronger than you two so I need you to be the best at hiding and running. I won''t teach you anything else until you can beat me at this game."


    "How do we win then?"


    "You can win in two different ways, either you hit me with those sword once or you escape me until I decide that you did it for long enough."


    "The second one is unfair!"


    "Whether you think it''s unfair or not doesn''t matter, I''ll give you your copper coin at the end of the day even if you don''t win. Just do your best, the goal isn''t to win, the goal is to improve."


    Truth be told, Emp believed that the first way to win was the unfair one. That age old game was made exactly for this sort of training. Like in real life, if a monster goes after you, there is only two way to live, either you kill it or you run and hide until the monster gives up. This was exactly the win conditions he gave them. He knew it was impossible for them to win against him but at least, they might pick up some good tricks to hide from danger.


    The unfair part about the first win condition was that they might waste many tries trying to hit him with those swords instead of running away. They needed to learn that going against a monster with no training at all was just crazy. Emp wanted to let them make the mistake as many times as they needed so that they wouldn''t do it against something that was actually dangerous.


    There was a reason why the game was called hide and seek instead of sword play.


    "I win if I can grab you, or I make you drop the swords. If I grab you and you hit me with the sword after, you still loose understood?"


    "We got it, we''ll win right away you''ll see!"


    "Yeah!"


    "We''ll see about that." Martin chuckled along with Calla at the back.


    "Why are you two laughing?" Erin asked with a frown.


    "You''ll see!" The mage called with a tinge of excitement.


    It seemed that the Muraciers really had a strong reputation for that sort of thing.


    Emp made a smile from the corner of his mouth and explained the start.


    "You can do anything at all as long as you don''t disturb the rest of the people here and don''t break anything. You can run, hide in the woods, snake around the wagons, it doesn''t matter, don''t go too far to get lost however. I''ll walk over there and count up to five, after that, I''ll go after you. Are you ready?"


    He''d make sure to give the two a ring later tonight in case they messed up and got lost in the woods if they played again another day.


    "We are!"


    "Go!" Leonni said excitedly.


    Emp nodded and walked to the spot he had designated. The smart thing for them to do would be to understand that the first solution was a trap and run right away but they didn''t. They raised their swords and stared at Emp while he counted up to five. They kept their feet close to each other which was a bad sword-fighting posture and they even held they swords over their heads.


    Emp said "five" aloud and didn''t give them any chance. Before the two girls had even made a single step towards him, he used a space step to close in on them and after bending down slightly, wrapped his arms around both of their waists at once and lifted them both in the air.


    The two yelped in surprise and Leonni screamed in fright.


    "How!"


    "You both died." He said close to Erin''s ear."I told you that you''re weaker than everything right now."


    He felt the girl shiver under his arm, she was starting to understand.


    "I''ll teach you how to stand properly, but first, you need to learn how to keep breathing. The worst I''ll give you is a hug but a monster would have already eaten you alive."


    "I-I got it..."


    Leonni nodded feebly to agree with her sister, still confused by their sudden loss.


    "We''re doing it again until you survive."

 115 Road games

    Emp was currently trying to teach the two Porter sisters how to escape. After their first shocking attempt, Emp walked back to his initial position and let them some time to recover their wits before he called out that he was going to start counting down again.


    This time around, the two girls stood closer to each other and kept their wooden swords pointed towards him. That was still the wrong answer, the moment Emp reached the count of five, he rushed past them turned around and grabbed them both from behind. There was another duo of screams and they got lifted up in the air. Far from having the time to turn their heads around, they didn''t even have the time to understand that he had ran behind them.


    "You both died again."


    "It''s impossible, how can you be so fast?" Erin mumbled.


    "I saw a lot of people faster than me, I''m probably not even in the top fifty in the empire."


    "I think you might be in the top twenty instead, that speed is just ridiculous. Aren''t you going too hard on those two kids?" Martin said with a frown.


    Calla, sat on the wagon next to martin was also making a face of worry.


    "I''m trying to help them so of course I''ll go all out."


    Seeing that Martin didn''t get it, he turned towards Erin instead.


    "I''m sure you understand, you need to work hard to get anything, if I went easy on you and I let you win just like that, you wouldn''t improve at all. You''re going to loose and loose and loose again but in the end, you''ll have learned something."


    Erin did understand, he could read it in her eyes.


    Her and her sister worked hard everyday to earn a few coins to eat. They failed and failed and failed again but they kept trying. They slept in alleyways and fought stray cats for the right to eat the rats they beat with rocks.


    The two sisters might have put themselves in trouble many times but there was one thing they never fell for. When some men or women came to tell them they could earn coins with almost no efforts, they never trusted them and never fell for their tricks. Money was hard to get, that was what they had learned throughout their lives, the struggle of their father to pay for the living of everyone and then their own struggle to get a simple copper coin. They knew that working hard was the only way to earn good things, Emp made perfect sense to the two of them. Easy things were either pointless or a trap.


    "I want to try again." Erin told him with a bit more strength than earlier.


    Emp nodded and after releasing them, walked back to his starting place.


    "I can''t believe that motivated them further." Martin commented while Emp announced he was starting the countdown again.


    This time, the two girls looked at each other, nodded and ran on the other side of the wagon.


    Since he didn''t hear any more footsteps, Emp guessed they probably wanted to ambush him when he turned the corner around the wagon. They might even be watching both side carefully. They weren''t fast enough to hit him even if they saw him go around but worse, Emp didn''t have to go around the wagon at all. At the end of the count of five, he jumped over the wagon, landed in between them and before they could understand what the sound they just heard was, he had grabbed them both again.


    It was the third time he caught them now and from so close, they smelled really bad. The two of them as well as their clothes were in dire need of a bath but now was not time.


    "Dead." He said simply.


    "From were did you even come from?" Leonni complained.


    "I jumped the wagon. The world around you isn''t flat, the monsters and the people in it aren''t tied to the ground." Emp told them. "They can come from above or under too."


    "A bird stole our meal once, we didn''t see it because it came from the roof over our head." Erin recalled.


    "Mr. Pigeon was hungry too but it was our hard earned food not his!" Leonni complained.


    "So what did you do?"


    "We hid the food in our bag so it couldn''t be stolen by the bird again."


    Emp doubted hiding in a bag would help them defeat him at all but he nodded anyway to acknowledge her answer and everyone returned to their starting place.


    On their next attempt, they hid under the wagon thinking he wouldn''t be able to grab them and they''d be able to poke him with the wooden sword if he tried. Emp used a spell to move the earth under them and push them out of their hiding place. They cried in alarm as the ground carried them out and Emp caught them easily again.


    "You think I''m no smarter than a bird? That''s rather insulting."


    "How did you drag us out!?"


    "I used a spell, I told you things could come from bellow too. You''ll have to find better than that."


    "We''re trying again then!" Leonni yelled excitedly.


    She seemed to be starting to really enjoy that game.


    "I didn''t know you were a mage." Erin said with a frown.


    "I''m not, I just know what I need to. Speaking of magic, Martin, do you know how to check for affinities?"


    Martin seemed perplexed by his question.


    "I do... You want me to to find out for these two?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re not planning on teaching them magic, are you?"


    The two girls seemed extremely excited by the perspective but Emp disappointed them both.


    "No, it''s too dangerous, I just want to help them for self-magic."


    The sisters lowered their shoulders dejectedly. They might have been excited about learning magic but not only Emp wasn''t talented enough in that domain to teach it, it was too dangerous for those two girls prone to catastrophe. They couldn''t follow simple cooking instructions from calla right, giving them instruction on how to cast a spell was asking for a disaster.


    "All right then, if it''s just that I''ll help but it will take me two hours to set everything up."


    "Then we have two hours of training still. Do your best girls."


    Every other attempt they made over the next two hours ended in their instant defeat. After three more tries, they completely gave up on trying to hit him with the swords and just started just running away. Because he was much faster than them, he had an easy time catching up to them every time but they did improve slightly over the two hours. Instead of catching them under a second, they managed to escape him for three whole seconds on their last attempt by zigzagging around the tents in the main camp of the caravan.


    Emp caught them both by the waist again and hoisted them over his shoulders to carry them back to their wagon. At this point, the two girls were dead tired. They had been running for hours now and they were rather relieved to be carried back. It was really good already that they had beat their record while being this tired.


    "You know, somehow, when you play that game with them, you really make me think of a cursed-blood of the wolf tribe." Martin told him while he dropped the girls on their feet.


    "The scarier I look, the easier it is to get into the game and seriously try to escape." He answered with a shrug.


    "I wonder if we were wrong about him not being a bad guy." Leonni told her sister.


    "We aren''t, he''s just pretending to scare us." Erin told her sister.


    Emp didn''t think he was a bad guy but it didn''t mean that he actually wasn''t. Maybe he wasn''t objective and didn''t have the right image of himself? He didn''t bother thinking further into it and Asked Martin if everything was ready instead.


    "It is, who goes first?"


    "Me!" The two girls answered at the same time.


    The two immediately started glaring at each other and bickering to know which would go first. Because they couldn''t agree, Emp had to cut in between and have the smaller Leonni go first.


    "Anyway, you''ll have your own turn right after."


    Erin moaned in and kicked some dirt in frustration but still did as she was asked and let her sister go first.


    "You''re gonna pay for that powder, right?" Martin asked Emp, just to be sure.


    "Yes, sure. I can ask Heinrich for replacements instead if you''d like."


    "That would be great." He said with relief.


    Martin explained to them how it all worked and had the little girl step in the center of the circle of jars. A long spell was cast and the powders all flew into the air like in Emp''s memory.


    It was the first time he was seeing it from outside of the dust storm and the feeling was a bit different. When inside, you would get blinded by all the swirling colored powders but from outside, it just looked like that dust was thrown at the one standing in the middle.


    There was a slight breeze around them and because of it, all the powders that didn''t react with Leonni just flew away and all over the wagon and themselves. Emp ended up covered in dust even though he wasn''t the one being tested.


    At the center of the circle, a big chunk of black powder had gathered around the girl like a protective shell, slowly hovering in a fine layer around her. Leonni had some mixed feeling about this, she was really excited to see magic and eager to find out about that powder but she was also disappointed that it was the ugly black that stayed around her. She''d have liked the bright colors like yellow or red more than black.


    "What does that mean?" Asked Erin after coughing away the dust and waving her arms around to get rid of it.


    "The black powder is probably linked to the darkness element." Emp guessed.


    "Congratulation Leonni Porter, you have an affinity to the darkness!" Martin clapped as he confirmed Emp''s words.


    "Is that good? I don''t like to stay in the dark, it''s scary." Leonni said as she watched the layer of black powder collapse and flow away like the rest.


    "All affinities are good. Even though the name of that one sounds scary it isn''t at all. Darkness has a lot of good spells too you know? Like light, it''s very versatile. They often say that those with a darkness affinity are really good at hiding and really playful."


    "Playful?" Erin asked, a bit skeptical.


    "Yes, I know it sounds dumb but that''s what the dark does, it plays tricks on people and hide things from them. It''s also associated with misfortune but let''s be honest, the description of those elements rarely ever fits perfectly those that are attuned to them. Humans aren''t defined by a single trait and magic was never a precise thing to begin with."


    Emp disagreed, Magic was the most complicated and precise thing he ever saw. Also, misfortune was a very fitting thing to associate with those two.


    Leonni stepped out of the circle and patted her clothes a bunch of times to remove the black dust while Martin prepared the second test.


    Emp took the time to talk some more to the girls.


    "Knowing your affinity is a good thing even if you don''t know any magic, it will help you two later with the exercises I''ll have you do. On top of that, with you being close to the darkness element, I expect you to win at our game faster than you might think."


    "What will you have us do?"


    "I''ll have you find your own magu and learn to use self-magic."


    "I thought you said you wouldn''t teach us magic."


    "Not the magician''s magic no. Self-magic is something the knights use a lot. It''s a power that come from inside you. I''ll explain more later when we''re done with finding out the affinity of Erin."


    The two girls were really looking forward to it. They would have never expected a week ago to be told they''d learn a trick the knights used.


    They regained all their energy and pestered Emp to tell them already but he wouldn''t until Erin got tested. When Martin finished preparing a new set of powders, She jumped right into the middle of the circle immediately, eager to know about her affinity but also even more eager to be told about this trick the knights used.


    The whole process was repeated again and this time as well, black powder gathered around the girl. The two seemed to share their affinity however, with his increased visual acuity and the help of the speed-self magic, Emp also saw a small quantity of silver powder hiding through the black layer.


    That was very interesting.


    When Emp had been tested the first time, there were many colors that seemed weaker than the others and Heinrich had said that he had never seen a minor affinity before. It was later revealed that all those affinities were simply dormant and not minor affinities.


    Emp didn''t know how to interpret the minuscule amount of silver there. Was it dormant like his own were or simply really weak? It could even be a simple mistake. After all, the amount was so small that he was the only one who saw it, it might just have been held up by the black powder.


    "You have an affinity for the darkness just like your sister, congratulation." Martin told her.


    "Yay, we''re the same!" Leonni cheered.


    The two sisters were always happy to share things even though they kept fighting over everything that wasn''t enough for the two.


    Emp let them rejoice and dust away the powder while he asked Martin a question.


    "By curiosity, what was the silver powder for again?"


    "Metal obviously, that''s the most common for the Muraciers." Martin told him as if it should have been obvious for him.


    Emp didn''t bother to complain about his attitude and asked a follow up question.


    "I thought that metals were affected by earth spells?"


    "They are but the metal affinity isn''t really about the metals themselves. It''s just the best way we had to describe that affinity. It''s about sharpness of mind like a fine sword and hard resolve like a solid armor, it''s an abstract affinity like illusion or mind, it doesn''t have an actual element to it. An iron will, like they say."


    Emp nodded, aside from the name, it did make some sense.


    "Why aren''t they just calling it will then?"


    "Because it would be even more confusing than calling it metal. Will is a common word in magic studies, metal is not. If you speak to a mage and he talks about metal, you know it''s the affinity but if he talks about will, it could be a million different things"


    So it was just for the sake of dodging communication problems.


    "I got it, thank you."


    Before Martin could say anything else, the sisters jumped in front of Emp and spoke loudly to make sure he would hear.


    "Will you tell us about the trick now?"


    Emp stifled his laughter and told them what they wanted to know. He explained how they needed to look for their magu, how to do it and what they would use it for.


    Emp would have liked to be told to find his own magu sooner than he experienced it, he had wasted a lot of time because he had not. He was happy to help those two start with it right away, even if they didn''t find it soon, at least they would be on the right track.


    It might have seemed ridiculous to teach two random girls he just met about self-magic as they had no relation to him but it made perfect sense for Emp. There was no reason to not teach those two the basic speed enhancement he knew. If they could control it it would help them greatly and that was the most important thing, whether they helped him or not afterwards didn''t matter at all.


    The girls asked many questions, in particular, they were curious to know how they would know for sure that they found it. It was frustrating but Emp couldn''t really help with that. He didn''t know how to explain it or even how it really felt.


    It was Martin that gave them a more useful advice by teaching them the word "hide" in the magic language. Since they both had a darkness affinity, the word hide was more likely to move their internal magu than most other things. If it seemed like they were feeling it, they only had to say the word and the reaction would tell them if they were right or wrong, hopefully.


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    "But what if we don''t have any magic in us?" Leonni asked nervously.


    "Don''t worry, you do have some, everyone does. On top of that, the black powder reacted to the magu inside you just earlier so there''s no doubt its there."


    The two girls brightened a lot with his words, they could really learn special knight magic!


    "Maybe we''ll get as strong as cousin Vinia!" The small sister loudly told the older one.


    Emp was reminded again of the name he saw on the list, Vinia Porter. He had eliminated her right away because the file said she was really strict and a fighter too. He had not thought Calla would have been comfortable with her.


    That they had a cousin named Vinia could just have been a coincidence though.


    "Who''s cousin Vinia?" He asked to make sure.


    "Our cousin Vinia''s a real knight! She''s tall and really awesome!" Leonni explained.


    "She doesn''t talk to us though." Erin added.


    "Why?"


    "One time, we borrowed her sword to play and we dropped it in the well by accident. She''s really angry with us since then."


    Somehow, Emp could perfectly imagine it in his head. It really sounded like something they would do and the reaction of Vinia was similar to what he would have expected from her file.


    "Is there anyone that''s not angry at you?"


    "We have a friend called Svaenaha, she''s not angry at us."


    "We forgot to tell her we were taking the caravan though, she might be worried for us."


    Of course, the two sisters forgot to tell their friend about the sudden trip, it would have been strange if they thought about it instead. Maybe Emp should find her and tell her the two girls were alright.


    "You''re right, she might start to worry for you if you just disappear like that. What does she do usually? Does she work?"


    "No, she doesn''t. She''s a slave because she''s a vaelian... You don''t have anything against cursed-bloods do you?"


    "No, I have a really good cursed-blood friend too, she''s from the winged tribe."


    "Svaenaha can fly too but she''s forbidden to do it, when her master didn''t ask her too. She doesn''t have a lot of time to play with us but sometimes, she sneaked out some leftover food for us."


    "Really? She seems kind, who''s her master then, a merchant?"


    "She said he''s a slave trader. She told us that she costs more than the other slaves because she can fly but there''s not many people who need that kind of ability enough to pay more than a normal slave so no one bought her yet. She said she''s been with that slaver for a year already."


    "I see... Do you two miss her?"


    The two girls nodded.


    "We''ve never been away for so long, we should really have said goodbye."


    "I hope she''s fine and I hope we''ll see her again soon."


    Emp would go take a look later, at least to let their friend know that the girls were safe. Knowing she was a slave for sale, he was tempted to just buy the rights of ownership and simply bring her to the sisters. It might be an excessive solution though. He didn''t need another slave at all and he didn''t know for how long the sisters would tag along with Calla and him.


    "I''m sure you will and maybe if you try your best, you''ll have some good tricks to show her the next time you do."


    "She''ll be super impressed, that would be great!"


    "So all we have to do is sit down and do nothing?" Erin asked again.


    With how tired they were from running everywhere since earlier, she was thankful that this task seemed so easy. Emp reminded them that they needed to focus on themselves for it to work, not just do nothing but the girls seemed pretty confident they would be able to do it.


    He chose to let them experience it by themselves instead of trying to tell them that it would be hard and told them about what he planned to do with them from now on.


    "Now that I''m done with my work on those papers, I''m planning on training everyday and I''ll have you do the same. We''ll do this special hide and seek game everyday until you win or you''re too tired to move anymore."


    The two girls made some horrified faces but Emp didn''t care, it was the best way for them to improve fast. He didn''t want to teach them how to use a bow or a sword so that they could die the next day because they didn''t know when and how to run. Even if they ended up too clumsy to learn anything from him, at least he would feel more at peace knowing they now knew how to escape death. He ignored their reactions and got two copies of the ring of allegiance out of his bag.


    He showed the two these ordinary iron rings while they were still thinking about how their legs would hurt forever. After a few seconds, they focused on the rings and he told them about some of what they did.


    "Maybe you''ll have better luck winning if you run into the woods to hide but it''s dangerous to get lost or encounter an actual monster. You should take those rings, they will let me know if you''re in trouble and it will stop you from getting lost."


    "How will those two tiny iron rings help?"


    "They''re magic. They make a link with mine so I can use it to know if you need my help. I know it sounds shady because it''s like a tool to spy on you and I could definitely use it to cheat on our game but I won''t do any of that. I swear I''ll only use it for emergencies and if you really don''t want me to find you, you could still remove it. Just think of putting it back on whenever you plan on going into the woods, alright?"


    The two girls seemed perplexed but still took the rings.


    Leonni put hers on and saw it change around her finger. In no time at all, it was covered with a red and black lacquer and showed two small horns. Emp wasn''t surprised, she had burned his whole stack of documents after all, she was like a little devil bringing him trouble.


    The girl was really impressed by the change and could barely believe it was actually magic. Curious, the older sister put the other ring on her own finger and saw it change as well. Hers turned into silver and black but instead of a simple band showed a chain of tiny shields with the same two small horns on the top.


    "Hey, why is yours better than mine?" Leonni complained.


    Emp held more respect for the older sister because she did her best to take care of her sister even though she had trouble to simply take care of herself. She had the will to do whatever it took to help Leonni.


    "Don''t worry." He told Leonni. "It will change over time, ask Calla to show you her ring and you''ll see."


    "Calla has one too? Let''s go check!"


    The girl took the hand of her older sister and dragged her towards Calla.


    "Don''t forget to search for your magu after you''re done looking at the rings." Emp told them as they left


    *-*-*-*


    In the following days, he had the two sisters do those two activities over and over again. He ran after them all day long and once they were too tired, he left them to look for their internal magu while he was training on his own.


    They failed to find it by the time Dark-glint was on the horizon and they also failed to escape him in their games even though they had improved a lot. The truth was that they had gotten pretty good at hiding and running but like Emp had promised, he didn''t go easy on them at all and gave it his all.


    Emp would run after them into the woods, jump over the trees to look from above, follow their tracks as if he was hunting an animal and used the blessing of space to go through the woods at high speed. In return, the girls learned to erase their tracks, go through small spaces where he couldn''t use his high speed as an advantage, use the environment to hide themselves and move as soon as he wasn''t looking to get further away.


    They got pretty good at it, they would hang themselves from the branches midway up a tree and let him run under them before climbing down without a noise and rushing the other way, they moved through the underbrush without making a sound and stayed low whenever they felt he was close.


    They weren''t as good as someone who did it for a living like a hunter, a spy or a scout but, they improved quick since Emp went all out and told them every time exactly how he got them. Their record ended up being a whole ten minutes which was really good in Emp''s opinion.


    Throughout the whole time they ran around in the woods, for the whole trip to Dark-glint, Emp had to intervene only once to save the girls from something unexpected.


    That time, they were running like usual when Leonni ran into a twin headed beetle. She screamed in surprise and then in fright as the creature ran after her. She didn''t try to throw rocks at it and turned around to escape instead. She did exactly like she was doing in her game against Emp and tried to loose the beast.


    It worked for a whole minute, she was doing really well. Even If Emp didn''t intervene, he was pretty sure she would have escaped the beetle just fine. He still saved her as soon as he arrived though, the poor girl was way too scared to let her escape on her own.


    Emp showed up from nowhere and kicked the beetle from the side.


    There was a loud crack and its belly burst open while his foot dug deeply into it and under its shell, killing it right away.


    Leonni ran up to him and hugged him strongly with tears streaming down her face. She had not expected to encounter something this scary. Being chased by a huge beetle clacking its mandibles at her was a frightening experience.


    Emp tried to comfort her with a few taps on her back.


    "Everything''s fine, I got rid of it already. I told you I would come save you if you were in trouble."


    "Thank you Emp! I''m never calling you a bad guy again!"


    "Didn''t you already stop?"


    "I''m doing it for real this time!"


    Emp answered with a weak sigh and just patted her back some more.


    Erin showed up not too long after and Leonni jumped into her arms the moment she saw her. The older sister was surprised to see the large corpse of the giant bug.


    "I was wondering why you suddenly stopped chasing me and went for the opposite direction. I''m glad you''re safe Leonni."


    "He saved me from the monster Erin!"


    "That thing is huge, how did you kill it?"


    "He kicked it!"


    Erin moved her gaze to his boots sticky from the bug''s insides and seemed to think that his feet was way more monstrous than the bug.


    By curiosity, she led her younger sister to the corpse and lifted the wooden sword high above her head to strike it.


    "It''s really dead right?" Leonni asked nervously before Erin could hit it.


    Erin froze and looked back to Emp. He nodded to reassure them both.


    "It is, there''s nothing to fear."


    With the insurance that it was absolutely dead, Erin smashed the wooden sword against its carapace. It made a clanking noise and the sword bounced back without doing any damage. Erin looked back at his feet again with a mix of worry and admiration.


    Thinking it was the best time to make them understand once and for all, Emp stepped to their side and asked for the sword with a small hand gesture. After Erin gave it to him, he poked the creature from the top were the carapace was still intact and pushed the sword through it. The wood bent a bit but the shell broke first with a crack and the sword was pushed inside. Erin''s eyes went wide.


    "That sword is good enough to beat it, you''re just not strong enough yet. That beetle is one of the weakest monster in the woods, there''s a reason I told you that you needed to learn to run and hide first. If you can do it, I''ll teach you how to beat it next."


    The two girls nodded to tell him they understood. As long as they got this for sure, Emp was certain that they would be fine. Since they seemed to understand, he told them about the beetle instead of continuing to tell them about how weak they were. It wasn''t fun at all to be told they were weak after all.


    "I''ll give you some tips to escape the beetle now in case you meet another one. The important thing to know about it is that it is pretty dumb even though it has two heads. They never get along so its easy to have it fall into traps. They never look at were they''re going because they always only look at what they''re chasing. This means you could have them fall into a pit or if you''re together, you could stand on either side of a tree, the two heads would go for you two separately and then his large horn would poke into the tree and he''d be stuck. You could also just climb into a tree, that beetle can''t climb properly and it can''t jump like me. Do you understand?"


    The two nodded again. Emp removed the sword from the corpse of the creature and gave it back to Erin before making the corpse disappear into the bag.


    After a bit of hesitation, Erin asked the question that was bothering her.


    "How come you''re so strong Emp? You said you were a student, was it a lie?"


    "No, it''s not a lie, I''m really just a student for now."


    "What are you studying then?"


    "A bunch of things, I''ll tell you later if you deserve to know. For now, it''s an important secret and I don''t know if I can trust you two with it."


    "What''s you family name then, you insisted to know ours but you didn''t tell us yours."


    "That''s part of the secret."


    "That''s unfair!" Leonni called.


    "I know it feels that way but you''ll just have to trust me for now. We''re almost in Dark-glint, once we''re there, we''ll see what I can tell you and if I show you some new things. In the meantime, you still have a few days to try and beat me or find your magu."


    The two girls were a bit upset because those two things were absurdly hard to do but they still did their best until they saw the palisade of dark-glint appear from the wagon.


    With their record of ten minutes and all the efforts they made even though their legs and arms hurt, Emp felt inclined to help them more once in the village. He didn''t tell them right away though and kept the suspense going while he watched the wooden palisade get bigger and bigger as they came closer to it.


    "We''re almost back home." Emp told Calla with a big smile. He couldn''t wait to see everyone.

 117 Back to Dark-glin

    Emp was satisfied with how things turned out with the slave trader. In the end, the man might still say something to reveal his secret to someone else but since he had sworn on the gods that he wouldn''t, he would probably die immediately after if he did.


    Celtine too felt satisfied with how the rat faced merchant got scared of Emp even though she would have preferred to torture him and chop his head off. She contented herself with that for now.


    Svaenaha was the most affected as it should have been expected. She was extremely happy about how her day went from a nightmare of worry to something so unexpected and exciting. She was made by the trader to wear an expensive outfit suitable to serve a high noble and sent to follow Emp right away. The clothes were offered freely by the trader as part of the deal, they were elegant but their green shade didn''t really match the color of her skin. At least the back was left open to let her fins flow out like they should. Svaenaha didn''t say anything at all before they were out of the building, too nervous that something might go wrong at the very last moment. She opened her mouth again the moment they walked out.


    "You really bought me. I''m feeling really nervous, I don''t know you at all and now I have to call you master. That''s sort of scary but also sort of exciting in a new adventure kind of way. I haven''t felt so restless since I became the property of master, I mean, mister Gnash. Will you really help me meet Erin and Leonni again? How did you scare him so much?"


    Emp tried to calm her down with a few gestures and a calm voice.


    "If you ask too many questions at once, I can''t answer them all."


    "Sorry, I''m just... Too nervous right now. I was really scared about who might buy me in the end but now it''s really happening and I don''t know how to deal with it. I don''t know what to expect or whether I should be scared or happy. Will it be like before, worse or better? I don''t talk so much usually, I''m sorry, I''m just..."


    She stopped herself from saying the rest by toying with her fingers because she was conscious she said this exact thing more than twice already.


    "It''s all going to be fine. We''ll go bring Celtine to the school were I''m staying first and then, I think I have enough time to take you to Dark-glint before night falls."


    "Really?" She asked in a mix of eagerness and uncertainty. "I thought you said it was far away. I can swim fast but not that fast. I can only swim as fast as a horse can run. If it takes two weeks for a caravan to reach, it would still take me more than two days, maybe up to four if something gets in the way."


    She seemed apologetic, maybe even afraid that he''d be disappointed. She didn''t want to make him regret buying her on the very first day, she had been taught that a satisfied master was a kind master after all.


    Emp never intended to use her ability to fly to go there however.


    "It''s fine, we will not be flying there, we''ll be running and I''ll carry you there in no time."


    The girl didn''t seem to understand how this could be possible but Celtine wrote her a message she showed with confidence.


    "Are you some sort of legendary warrior? Is this why the slave trader was scared of your name?" She asked after reading the message.


    "You''re my slave now so you just have to check your card to know my family name. After that though, and that''s an order, don''t tell my name to anyone unless I say it''s fine. Also, you''re allowed to fly, errr, swim I mean, you''re allowed to swim now. I don''t mind it."


    She gave him a big smile and without slowing down at all, her feet just left the ground with a tiny push and she started hovering beside him. Her long flowing fins undulated slowly and she leaned forward strongly but she didn''t make use of her arms or legs at all to move herself. Her legs just followed the rest of her body from behind and she still fiddled with her fingers beside him.


    Emp guessed she could probably use them to go faster but at this simple walking speed, they were pretty useless, just like the arms of someone walking normally. The way she just floated at his side was really intriguing to him.


    It really wasn''t like flying at all, there was no flapping of wings or gusts of wind around her, she was just sliding through the air magically. Aside from her own movements and how she leaned more or less forward, there was no change in her height at all, she was truly just floating as if on an invisible surface, pushed by the lazily moving frilly fins on her back.


    Her current movements reminded him strongly of the spell of lightning Penny used to fight him the first time they dueled.


    It didn''t show at all but Celtine probably felt jealous right now of how that girl could fly while she was still pinned to the ground. Emp lightly tapped her ankle to encourage her, he''d eventually restore her wings, she just needed to wait for his days in school to be over and then he''d go look for the trials of Truth and Life.


    While Emp was curiously observing her flight, she used her right hand to manifest her hunting card and looked at her titles.


    When she saw she made some sort of yelp of surprise and spun on herself like a drill five times over before kicking the air behind her with a wave of her legs and swam in front of him.


    "Are you for real! Are you an actual one or just a cousin or some far off relative?"


    Emp didn''t stop walking but he didn''t bump into her because she used her hands and arms to "swim" backwards at the same speed he walked. He answered as best he could without actually saying it. Anyone could be listening on the streets of the city after all.


    "I''m the only son of the main branch as far as I know. I can''t say more now because like I said, it''s a secret. Do not let it slip."


    "Right, understood master! I''ll keep my mouth shut!"


    She moved her body like a belly dancer and pushed herself back to his side. She was obviously excited about his name and was now swimming with a lot more bounce in her steps... Or bobbing in her swim?


    "That''s either the best possible thing or the worst possible thing." She said.


    "How so?" Emp asked, curious.


    "You have a very scary name for most cursed-bloods. I heard that your family is like a legend they use to scare all the young cursed-bloods from most tribes in the north. That''s an important name here in the Steelwood empire but everyone around it hate that name. Now I''m belonging to a family known for cutting us down, I''m not sure if this is a great opportunity or the worst possible situation."


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    "Why do you seem so cheerful then?"


    "You''re carrying a cursed-blood on your shoulders." Svaenaha answered with a huge smile.


    Celtine tapped the top of his head like one would pet a dog as if to show off and he didn''t complain. There was no harm in letting her have fun and he didn''t feel offended in the least.


    "I told you it didn''t matter to me earlier."


    "You did but it didn''t have the same impact as it does now that I know who you are." She pointed out.


    Emp thought she was probably right. Anyone could say they didn''t hate the cursed-bloods but a Muracier saying it wasn''t on the same magnitude. Emp could compare it to the review of a restaurant. If someone he didn''t know said he liked to eat there, it wouldn''t have much effect but if someone from the royal family or even better, the imperial family said the same, everyone would want to eat there at least once.


    Since the Muraciers usually disliked the cursed-bloods because they fought against them so often, one saying the opposite could have a huge impact. He had not reflected on this before but the moment that the general population discovered his existence, everything he thought and said would leave huge marks everywhere.


    It sounded really frustrating already. He was extremely glad that Blackbull was making all those efforts to teach him things properly before this happened.


    Their group reached the school yard and Emp dropped Celtine on the path.


    "Can you go back to our room alone while I carry her to the village?"


    His servant nodded lightly as an answer and waved them goodbye as Emp turned back around. Svaenaha waved back at Celtine with energy as she kept up with Emp.


    "Bye Celtine! I hope we''ll see each other again! I''m happy to know you!"


    Celtine would take a while to get back to the room but Emp didn''t want to bring the vaelian girl everywhere around school as he might have to explain who she was and loose time. He didn''t know how long it would take to run there and back exactly so he wanted to start the run quick. Leaving Celtine on the path close to the entrance was the most efficient way to do this.


    He talked some more with Svaenaha on his way to the city gate.


    "I''m pretty sure you''ll see her again sooner rather than later. Both of you are my slaves after all, it would be strange to never see her."


    "I guess that''s true. I thought I lost my two good friends but maybe I gained one instead?"


    "I hope so, I don''t really know you yet but I hope you''ll get along with everyone."


    "I''ll try my best but won''t they all dislike me because I''m not human?"


    "I think they''ll be fine with it, they were fine with Celtine. As long as you can get on Marcy''s good side, I''m sure everyone will like you."


    "Who''s Marcy?"


    "One of my two mothers, she''s the smith in Dark-glint and everyone there looks up to her."


    "Got it, master''s mom. Will she be the one to watch over me while Erin and Leo are there?"


    Leo? Emp didn''t know Leonni had a nickname, he might have heard it before but didn''t pay attention. Then again, he never used the nickname of anyone unless everyone else used it. He wondered if Svaenaha had one too, her name was rather long to say after all. He kept the question in his head for now and answered hers instead.


    "No, I''ll be the one to watch over you as long as the sisters wish to stay in Dark-glint."


    The vaelian clearly didn''t understand what he meant and pointed back to the school already far behind them.


    "But weren''t you coming back here after?"


    "Yes but I can be in two places at once. Thanks to the blessing I have, I''m both here with you and in the caravan. I''m the guy they accused of kidnapping his wife."


    "That''s amazing!" Was her first reaction, quickly followed by; "I''m so sorry Erin and Leo caused you trouble!"


    "It''s fine, I''ve forgiven them already."


    "Great! So, you''ll come back here but you''ll also be with them in that village at the same time?"


    "Yes, my wife will be there too."


    "But what will Erin and Leo do there?"


    "I don''t know. I might try to hire them for errands or something. Maybe my wife will want their help for housework or they''ll turn out to be really good at fighting and I''ll want to keep them around. If none of that works then they''ll have to find something on their own because I don''t have as much work to give to others as a merchant does."


    "Do you think they''ll be able to fulfill any sort of task for you? I wish they could but they''re clumsy and disasters keep happening around them. I know I''m just a slave and it''s not my place to say anything but could you please watch over them? I''m willing to beg for it in any way I can. I''m just a slave but if my two friends could work for someone like you it would truly make me happy and I''d be able to stay close to them."


    "I''ll do my best to help them but in the end, it all depends on them. I can''t make efforts for them and I can''t keep them prisoner just to make sure they''re safe. Do you understand?"


    She nodded with the same sort of look Erin always had when talking about the work they were willing to do and followed Emp to the gate.


    On the way, he came around to asking her how the other two usually called her and she answered that Erin and Leonni usually used Svae instead of her full name. She also told him that he was welcome to just use that too and he agreed right away.


    Once outside, Emp asked her to climb on his back. She still didn''t understand how running there would be faster than just swimming but after he insisted, she latched onto him anyway.


    With her legs crossed around his waist and her arms around his neck, she was like a big backpack with the advantage that she weighted nothing at all. It wasn''t like how a kid didn''t weight much or how Celtine was so light he barely felt she was there, Svaenaha truly had no weight. She was like air.


    He told her to hold on properly and started with a slow jog to get the proper feel for the distances. It was the first time he used the blessing of space to run this sort of distance and he didn''t want to collide with a tree or just run out of the road because he was going too fast. If only the road wasn''t so narrow and didn''t have all those sharp turns at every steps, he''d be able to go much faster still. (1)


    "I''m feeling sick, what''s happening? Where did the city go?" Svae said not even a minute after they started the trip.


    Emp didn''t want her to feel bad so he stopped to let her take a breath.


    "Was I going too fast?"


    "It didn''t feel like you were going fast at all but everything around us keeps changing like it''s wobbling and leaving on its own. I''ve never felt anything like that. Did we even really go somewhere at all? The way you were running, we should have barely moved from the gate but now we''re surrounded by woods! That''s really an incredible speed, Celtine wasn''t lying at all. It''s strange that I don''t feel the air slamming against me. At that speed, I should receive the sharp slap of the wind all the time but its not. That''s really disconcerting."


    "Celtine said the same sort of thing the first few times I raised her on my shoulders I guess it''s a normal feeling. We did move a bit but we still have a long long way to go, we just started. Maybe you should just close your eyes? It might make it less jarring. Don''t bother with the scenery, it will move too fast for you to see anyway."


    "Alright then, I''ll close my eyes. I''ll tell you if I feel too bad. How long do you think it will take?"


    "I don''t know at all. Last time it took me days but I was going on horseback with a bunch of knights and my wife Calla in a carriage. I''m curious to see how fast I can make it there."


    "I think I''m fine again so we can go now."


    Emp started running again but this time, Svae knew what to expect and didn''t get as sick as before. She was oddly quiet compared to what Emp had seen up to now but maybe she was just afraid she''d feel ill again if she did.


    Emp kept his jogging pace but had to take a few breaks along the way because he ended up getting tired despite his good stamina. To pass the other two villages on the way and catch up with the caravan, it took him about four hours.


    When he finally saw the long column of people, he called out to Svae.


    "Here it is, the caravan that left two weeks ago. Erin and Leonni are around here."


    "Then we''ve arrived?! It felt like a really long time but I can''t complain since you caught up with people that left two weeks ago in less than a day."


    Emp nodded but denied her words.


    "We caught up but we''re not stopping here. I''ll bring you all the way to Dark-glint and you''ll stay with my mom until they get there."


    "Huh? Why?"


    "I''d like to surprise them in Dark-glint but also, I don''t want to explain your presence to the caravan leader. It will be faster for me to drop you there instead. Anyway, they''ve almost reached the village, they should get there tomorrow."


    The girl was disappointed but didn''t complain and let Emp run around the caravan.


    Shortly after, they reached the village and Emp stopped at the gate. He knew the two guards well and they recognized him right away. One had been a guard for a really long time and the other was Calla''s brother. The two guys jumped in surprise when Emp seemingly appeared right in front of them.


    "Hi Gilbert!"


    "Emp! You''re back! How did you get here so suddenly and where''s my little sis?"


    He was really happy to see Emp again but at the same time, he immediately started worrying about the absence of his sister. Emp reassured him right away.


    "Everyone should get here tomorrow, the caravan isn''t far behind. I just wanted to bring this girl in advance for a surprise. I''ll drop her in Marcy''s house and then I''m going back."


    The new guard produced a sigh of relief and then asked something else.


    "So who is she then? Is it normal that''s she''s blue?"


    "Don''t you see the fins? She''s a vaelian." The other guard commented.


    Gilbert''s face scrunched up, he clearly didn''t know what was a vaelian.


    "I''ll tell you all about it once we all actually reach the village." Emp told him. "We''re even bringing the new mage with us, you can tell that to Bor."


    "Great, maybe that''ll cheer him up a bit."


    Since they were there, Emp let go of Svae and she floated back to his side. She quickly presented herself with a wave of her hand.


    "Hi, I''m Svaenaha."


    "I''m Gilbert, Emp''s brother in law."


    "And I''m Richard."


    Svae and the other two were about to talk some more but Emp interrupted everyone.


    "I''d like to explain everything and present everyone properly but it will have to wait for another day, I need to get going already."


    "Right, then I guess I''ll see you soon? You know it''s weird to come back from a months long trip and just pass right by your bro, right?"


    "Technically, I''m not back yet. I promise I''ll talk to you properly once I am. You''ll have to tell me exactly what I missed and what it''s like to be a guard at the gate."


    "It''s boring!" Gilbert threw at his back while Emp left toward Marcy''s house with long steps.


    Svae followed him by floating at his side and looked curiously as he chuckled. She wanted to ask a lot of questions about what just happened but since her new master was in a hurry and they just spent four hours running, she kept all of them for herself and looked at her surroundings instead.


    She wasn''t born in B¨ºt¨¦clair but she was pretty much raised there as a slave so she had barely ever seen anything outside of its walls. She was too young back then to remember anything from her life before B¨ºt¨¦clair, she didn''t remember seeing anything like the village here before. She was used to the many towers of the city and its verticality. Here, everything was spaced out and low to the ground. It wasn''t really fun for someone like her who could fly easily.


    Soon, they reached the smithy. Emp knew that Marcy was working because he could feel the heat form outside and hear the roar of the flames. She wasn''t currently hammering anything but it might not be long before she did.


    Emp signaled Svae to follow him and he stepped inside the forge. After making sure that she wouldn''t hurt herself if he made a noise now, he called his mother from the door with a loud voice to make sure she heard him.


    "Mom, I''m here!"


    Marcy stopped her work and looked up with a smile.


    "My boy! Finally ya''re back. Ya were taking yar sweet time weren''t ya?"


    They walked up to each other and shared a long hug. Emp had really missed her even though he hadn''t been away for too long. He was happy that she seemed to be just as well as when he left.


    Svae stayed back in silence while Emp told Marcy how happy he was to see her again. She didn''t want to interrupt their reunion.


    "I missed ya too my boy, ya missed out on a lot of work. Before we get to that though, did ya two have a fun trip?"


    "I feel like we did but I''ll tell you more about it tomorrow when Calla and I really gets back."


    Marcy freed herself from the hug to show him a frown.


    "What does that even mean?"


    "The caravan we got into hasn''t arrived yet, it''ll only do tomorrow. I just came in advance to tell you we''re almost there and ask you to watch over that girl until we get here."


    Marcy hadn''t noticed Svaenaha before he pointed out her presence but now she was surprised to see a vealian in her workshop and curious to know why she was here.


    "Sorry, I didn''t see ya there. Who are ya?"


    "Hi, my name is Svaenaha and I''m master Emp''s slave since this morning."


    "Ya bought another slave? What for?"


    "It''s a funny story but the gist of it is that I wanted to help a few girls including Svae here and I wanted to surprise them. I need you to keep her here until the caravan comes into the village tomorrow and then her two friends will be surprised to see her here."


    "So ya''re saying that ya bought a slave just for a surprise? Girl, how much did he pay for ya?"


    "Master paid six dragons and a half for me." Svae declared proudly.


    "Ya paid more than six hundred crowns for a single slave just for a surprise!" Marcy almost yelled in consternation.


    She squeezed his shoulders strongly while he explained himself.


    "Don''t worry so much just for a few red dragons, you don''t even know the full story yet. I promise you that it will be worth it, Calla agreed with me too. Also, that was a good deal, the slaver wanted me to pay ten dragons at first but I only paid six. She can fly, use a bow and do most chores, I''m sure she will end up being useful, she''s a vaelian after all."


    Marcy shook her head but still let go of his shoulders.


    "Fine, we''ll see about that. It''s yar money anyway. Ya''ll tell me the whole thing tomorrow, right?"


    "Yes, I promise, I''m sure you will laugh at what happened. So, can you keep her tonight? You can lend her my room, I don''t mind. You have nothing against her being here aside from your complaints about how I''m spending my money right?"


    "No I don''t mind her being here. And yes I will let her sleep in your room."


    "Thanks mom, I''ll come back tomorrow with Calla and the caravan, I''m bringing a mage and two trouble makers as well."


    "Ya''re already going back?"


    "Yeah, I got to run all the way back to B¨ºt¨¦clair before dark."


    "Ya slag! I told ya to not do anything dangerous!"


    "It''s not dangerous, I''m just running, here and back, it only took me four hours to come here so I should be fine."


    Marcy groaned in annoyance and turned towards Svae.


    "Ya, sit there and don''t touch anything."


    "Yes ma''am."


    Svae did as she was told and sat down properly on the chair she was pointed towards with a straight back and a little smile.


    Marcy snorted and Emp sneaked a kiss on her cheek while she wasn''t looking before he ran out of the room and back towards B¨ºt¨¦clair.


    "Emp ya slag! That''s unfair!"


    Emp didn''t know what was unfair and he didn''t really have the time to back and check. He told Gilbert he''d see him tomorrow and made his way back to school as swiftly as he could. He rarely had the occasion to run so much that his legs would hurt so he took it as an opportunity to train and spent a lot of his energy on his way back.


    *-*-*-*


    "This is the place we''re stopping at? It''s tiny compared to B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "It''s a village, of course it''s going to be small if you compare it to the capital of the kingdom."


    Erin and Martin where having such a conversation while the Caravan was slowly pouring into the village.


    It was taking longer than expected because apparently, another caravan coming from Red-water arrived at the same time from the other gate. Now, the two caravan leaders and Bor needed to negotiate the space available inside the village.


    It wasn''t the first time such a thing happened even though it wasn''t that common so despite having trouble finding a way to fit everyone in, they would all eventually be let inside.


    When it was their turn to drive their wagon through the gate, Gilbert waved at them with a big smile and called out to them.


    "Calla, you''re finally back! Welcome home you two! Come here."


    Calla got down from the wagon and received a hug from her brother stiffly. She was more at ease with her mother and her sisters.


    Erin and Leo where a bit confused by the scene so Emp explained briefly.


    "He''s Calla''s brother."


    "Hooo." The two said in understanding.


    After he was done giving his sister a welcoming hug, he turned towards the others with a smile just as welcoming.


    "I''d like to talk to you all but I''m working and we can''t block the road, there are still people that need to come in so I''ll see you two later. Bor wants to speak to the new mage, Manley needs to talk to you about your house and mom asked me to tell Calla to go see her when she gets here."


    "Alright, thank you Gilbert. We''ll see you later."


    They passed the gate to not obstruct the flow and Emp instructed Martin to bring his wagon behind the forge, pointing out the way to get there. It would be safer back there for now than with the rest of the caravan.


    Calla was about to leave to go see her mom because she was very eager to reunite with her after so long but Emp held her close and whispered into her hear.


    "Would you mind staying with us a minute longer? I have a surprise for those two and I''m sure you''ll want to see it."


    Calla found herself interested right away and decided to stay.


    The five of them rode the wagon up to the forge and after they had stopped the horses, everyone jumped down. Emp led everyone to the door and like yesterday, the heat and noise inside let him know that Marcy was working. He turned back to the two sister before entering and warned them about the place and his mother.


    "My mom is inside and she doesn''t like it when something is messy. A forge isn''t a place to play so don''t touch anything or you''ll get her angry alright?"


    "We got it, don''t touch anything. That''s something we can do easy." Erin said with confidence.


    Even though she was saying that, Emp could remember two times they didn''t manage even that just from the top of his head.


    He shook his head and pulled the door open.


    "Hi! I''m back for good this time."


    The scene inside was eerily similar to how he left it the previous day. It was as if they never went to sleep at all. Svae was still sat on the chair in the back and Marcy was watching over the flame until she heard him walk in. Before she could say anything to him, the two sisters and Svaenaha saw each other.


    Erin''s first reaction was surprise but it quickly changed into joy along with her smaller sister.


    "Svae?"


    "It''s Svae!"


    Both of them ran towards her through the forge even though Emp just told them to be careful and Svae got up from her seat to receive them.


    "Erin! Leo! I''m so happy to see you again!"


    The three of them joined into a big hug right away and Leo even started crying.


    Calla clutched on his arm seeing the scene and placed a kiss on his cheek. He was right, that surprise did please her a lot, she would have been saddened of missing it.


    "I''m sorry we didn''t tell you we were leaving!" Sobbed Leo into Svae''s arms.


    "We just forgot to tell you, we didn''t mean it. I''m really sorry too, we missed you a lot." Erin told her friend.


    "I know, I know, it''s fine, I missed you so much too."


    While the three girls were enjoying their reunion, Marcy walked up to Emp to talk.


    "So this is what ya meant yesterday? Who are those two?"


    "Honestly, just some random girls that tagged along with us because Calla was too kind and because of a misunderstanding. They don''t know who I really am either but they''ll stay for a while I guess."


    "That''s not really a satisfying explanation."


    "I know but it''s really a long story and we just came back. I still have to deal with those three, show Martin our new mage around and go see Manley about the house."


    "Fine, I get it, just tell me later. Ya already delayed the explanation for a whole day so don''t make me wait too much."


    Emp nodded to answer her and Martin inserted himself in the conversation from the side.


    "I''m sorry to interrupt but, how did you do that? Is that really the vaelian they spoke about? Isn''t she supposed to be in B¨ºt¨¦clair right now?"


    "I bought her yesterday and brought her here in advance to surprise the sisters. It''s not the result of some insane spell, I''m just really fast."


    Martin made an ugly face full of disbelief but didn''t say anymore because he discovered that Marcy''s glare was ten thousand times more scary than Emp''s.


    The reunited girls deeper in the room were getting at the same question however.


    "I''m super happy you are here Svae but how did you get here?"


    "We took super long to get here and you arrived before us!"


    "Also, you''re... You know, a slave. What are you doing here? Did the slaver come too?"


    "Yeah, why are you here?"


    "You won''t believe what happened! Since you left without telling me, I got super worried for you and I went around everywhere asking for your whereabouts."


    "We''re really sorry, we didn''t mean to make you worry."


    "I know now but before yesterday, I was really scared for you two. I thought something might have happened to you. Then, yesterday, I met this man." She pointed at Emp and the two girls looked very confused.


    "It''s impossible, he was chasing us in the woods yesterday."


    "Yeah, how could he be in town?"


    "He was though, he told me that you were both fine and just left with the caravan, then he bought me from the slaver and brought me here!"


    "Really?" The sisters looked half confused and half happy, with the confusion slightly winning.


    "Yeah, look." Svae showed off her shoulder seal to the two girls.


    "It''s not the rat anymore." Leo commented.


    The two sisters turned towards Emp for some sort of explanation.


    "It''s true, I bought her yesterday and brought her here in advance to surprise you two. I won''t tell you how I did it however."


    They both groaned in disappointment.


    "Why?"


    "Because you haven''t won our game yet and also, I don''t trust you two with my secrets."


    They didn''t contest his words but Leo still tried to guess the answer.


    "You''re super fast, did you run there and back while we were trying to escape?"


    She was very close from the truth but it wasn''t exactly it.


    "What do you mean escape?" Svae asked, reflecting the question Emp could read into the angry frown of his mom.


    Why did she immediately think he did something wrong?


    "We were playing hide and seek but Emp''s too good we can never escape." Erin complained.


    That answer appeased both Marcy and Svae.


    "I said I''d teach them things if they could beat me. Now you''ll have as much time as you want to try to beat me since your best friend is here too. You don''t have to hurry back there to see her."


    "That''s right! Since Emp is your master that means you''re staying here too!" Leo cheered loudly and hugged her friend again.


    Svae laughed happily and rocked the small girl left and right.


    "That''s right, since master is here, I''ll be with you two all the time."


    Emp let them all rejoice of this outcome for a while and shared a parting kiss with Calla when she left to go see her family. When Marcy started getting annoyed of the crowd in her workshop, Emp dragged everyone outside to proceed with the rest of his long day.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) The road isn''t narrow and full of turns, he''s just perceiving it wrong because of the blessing.

 119 Busy return

    Emp had many busy days following his return in Dark-glint. Everybody requested his attention for all sorts of things on top of the already long list of task he needed to complete on his own.


    When he woke up the first day, Calla was already up and about. He dressed himself and was about to walk out of his room when he suddenly stopped at the door. Feeling that something was slightly off, he listened carefully and looked in the corridor from inside the room, there didn''t seem to be anything abnormal if one disregarded the breathing he could hear from above the door.


    He shoved his arm out and over the door and caught something he dragged down in front of him. Erin cried out as he dangled her by her sword arm in front of him.


    "Ha! He caught me Leo! Run!"


    Leonni jumped on the wooden floor by the side of the door with a loud thump and ran off towards the stairs. They tried to ambush him first thing in the morning? They did, they had their wooden swords in their hands! Those two rascals!


    "You breathe too loudly, that''s why you died this time. You need to be calmer. Also, we need to establish some rules once I catch your sister."


    He let Erin go and used a space step to get to the end of the corridor. Leo was just escaping by the front door so Emp jumped down from the window and caught her right away.


    "You jumped from upstairs! That''s unfair!"


    "It''s not, you should have thought of a better way of escaping before you tried to ambush me in front of my bedroom. Come here now, we have rules to put in place."


    Leo groaned in disappointment but let herself be carried back inside.


    Emp stepped in the main room to see that something was already cooking in a large cauldron over the fireplace. Calla wasn''t looking at it and was instead mopping and dusting the floor with the help of Svae. Calla had been a bit awkward with the new face yesterday but apparently, they were getting along just fine now.


    He removed the boots he had just put on in his room before walking in the house, he ddin''t want to dirty the floor they were cleaning. He sat at the table while Erin was walking back downstairs. Once the two of them were in front of him he started talking again.


    "We need to place down some rules because I''ll be really busy for a while. I don''t mind you ambushing me or running around but there are three places were you can''t challenge me to the game. You can''t disturb me while I''m in the study upstairs, while I''m in the workshop over there or while I''m at the forge of my mom. Disturbing me in any of these three places could be catastrophic for you two because I''m likely to get very angry, do you understand?"


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    The two girls nodded fearlessly.


    "Aside from that, anything else is fair game unless we''re eating, don''t play around at the table because it''s Calla you''ll make angry. Don''t forget to remove your boots inside once they''re done with the floors, if you forget, I''ll have you two clean it yourselves. I think that''s all the rules, do you have any questions?"


    "What will you be busy with? What work do you do? We asked Svae but she wouldn''t tell."


    "Can we get hired too?"


    "No, you can''t. What I''m going to be working on isn''t about my actual work, I''m going to craft an item and it will take me a lot of time and concentration. As for the work I do, It''s still secret, I won''t tell you anything until its worth it to tell you or you find the answer yourself."


    The two complained because they wanted to be told right away but Emp didn''t change his mind and walked into the workshop to start preparing what he''d need for the gift he planned to give Mable.


    On the table he placed a whole bunch of orange gems he still didn''t know the name of, a whole length of silken string and all the pale gold he had. What he planned to do would all be in the details and since the crystal he possessed didn''t match the idea he had, it wouldn''t be used much. He felt that this gift would take less time to make than the first he did simply because the materials where easier to work with.


    He was eager to start but he couldn''t yet because Manley and Willow''s marriage hadn''t happened yet and he wouldn''t want to stop his work halfway to see it.


    Since that was the case, he left his tools and materials in place on his workstation and left for Marcy''s forge. They had talked a lot the previous day but she would surely want to talk more and also, make him work for all the time he missed.


    He was absolutely right and Marcy worked him to the bones for the whole day. While he was smelting and hammering, she kept asking about everything he did while he was away, about the sisters, the vaelian girl, his classes, the old duke, the trip, the new mage and so on.


    Emp told her everything she wanted to know in details and did his best to work properly after such a long break away from forging. He also told her about the list Blackbull had made for him and how he would have a bunch of noble girls come here to chose some to attend to Calla.


    Marcy didn''t really mind as long as they didn''t disturb her in her work and did their job properly. However, she told him that he would have to mind his manners with them and that they might not like his house. It was amazing for a village but it really wasn''t up to the standards of what you would expect from a noble of his status. She also believed that they might quickly get on Calla''s nerves because his wife was the sort to enjoy the little things in life. If they tried to teach her things too strictly or zealously, or if they tried to have Calla act according to her rank, she''d regret her ordinary life in no time.


    Emp promised he''d keep this in mind and went back home to get a taste of the meal that Calla cooked the whole day. It had been a while since she could last prepare something that needed so much time and she was really proud of herself. The two sisters had not participated this time around just like the previous day and had to admit with a really disappointed face that they shouldn''t help with any meals at all because it was way better when they didn''t. They knew they had been messing it up but had not realized that it was this bad compared to what Calla could do.


    Emp usually disappointed them in some way but this time around, he was the one to comfort them with words.


    "It''s not a bad thing that you can''t cook properly, it just means that your hidden talent lies elsewhere. Enjoy the food Calla made you instead of making those faces and try new things tomorrow. Its just a matter of time before you find out what you''re strong in and meanwhile, you''ll get to eat well everyday."


    They felt reinvigorated by his words and went back to how they were on the trip to here.


    In the next few days, Emp caught them again many times and dodged a good amount of ambushes while he did a bunch of things. He built a few drying racks for meat or clothes, he made a tanning rack too, far in the back in case he needed one later, he made a list of things they still didn''t have in the house he''d have to buy later, assisted to Manley''s marriage and listened to Gilberts complaints about the guard work.


    Gilbert was bothered because it was far from as exciting as he wanted it to be and it had not fixed his problem with Eda at all.


    "She said that I still didn''t know what I was doing! Can you believe it? I''m just poking at things without a clue on what I''m doing, she says! You''re not really a guard, you''re just trying it out and then you''ll give up and do something else again! She''s so frustrating!"


    Emp found sort of funny how he had never cared at all about what she thought until he was told she liked him and now he kept complaining about her. Emp kept his serious though because Gilbert was clearly feeling frustrated.


    "She just want to be sure you won''t turn around five dozen times and end up like the two girls I''m housing with no work or money. You keep saying the guard job is boring, will you quit like she says you will? I promise that knights don''t live a more exciting life than that most of them time."


    "It can''t be more boring than standing at the gate all day long."


    "You could be standing at a door all day long instead, the only difference would be that the armor is heavier, stuffier and if someone sees you not standing straight you get scolded."


    "Well at least they still get a better pay and they know how to fight properly. I don''t mean to say that the guys are weak but they don''t have the same range of skill a knight does, they''re way more impressive." He grumbled.


    "They don''t have the same range of duty either. If you really want to, I''ll try to turn you into a knight but you need to understand that you won''t really get more action than that. When they do get action, it''s not a good thing for everyone else usually. Don''t you remember about the last two times the guards here fought for real? Hoping for action is the wrong attitude."


    Gilbert answered with a really sour face. He did remember, one was when the blood-spitters attacked and killed a bunch of villagers and guards alike and the other was when Vesa and Chase died on a hunt.


    "You know that''s not what I mean, I just want to do more than stand around all day. There must be something more useful for us to do. We could go out and do stuff you know?"


    "That''s the work of hunters and death seekers. Guards are paid to stand and be prepared to react in case something goes wrong. Knights are the same as the guards but with more responsibility and they have to go to war like soldiers on top which is way more dangerous than a single monster roaming too close to the gate."


    "I know already, you keep talking about that. I''ll go swing my sword a bit to calm myself. I''ll think about it some more."


    "Tell me if you take a decision."


    "Arg, that''s the exact same thing Eda told me." Gilbert complained as he left his house.


    Emp let out a small sigh and wondered what else he could do today while he waited for the marriage on the morrow. Maybe he had the time to do some training too?


    He walked to the vestibule and then stepped back out again as Erin tried to jump onto his back from over the door like the other day. He caught her before she touched the ground, spun around, threw her in the air and caught Leo too before catching her older sister a second time with the other hand. All the while, there was a chorus of girly screams as the two of them flew around.


    "That one was good, you moved just a bit early, don''t be too eager, take your time." He told them once everything had ended.


    The two sisters made frustrated pout for being defeated again. Emp thought it was a huge improvement though, Gilbert hadn''t seen them at all. They were surprisingly good at ambushes.


    Erin hesitated for a second while he was putting them both back down and asked him something he had not expected.


    "You said you''d turn him into a knight if he wanted. Can you really do that? Could you turn us into knights like cousin Vinia?"


    Apparently, they had listened to his talk with Gilbert.


    "I can try, if you beat my game and you want me to." He answered.


    "Are you a knight?"


    She tried to guess what he was with more doubt than conviction.


    "I''m not, try again another time. For now, come outside with me, I have some time to train with you."


    They tried to escape Emp all day but didn''t win once that time either. Svae looked at the whole thing from the roof of the house with interest and maybe a bit of envy. Emp hadn''t invited her to the game for the simple reason that she could fly. Unless he forbade her from flying, he would never have a chance of catching her and that wouldn''t be useful practice for her. In a real situation of danger, she would just fly out of reach like everyone from her race always did. Learning to run and hide was pointless.


    She seemed a bit pitiful though... Should he invite her to play next time anyway, even though she wouldn''t benefit? He asked her later and she reacted with great excitement at the idea. He didn''t understand why she wanted to train this way so much but since it was not really disturbing his training at all, he had no reason to say no.


    Then, the next day, everyone gathered in the central place to celebrate Manley and Willow getting married.


    Being the one on the stage and just being sat in the crowd to watch felt really different. It was their turn now to feel nervous about the situation and Emp just watched the ceremony from a bench midway through the crowd.


    Bor was the one to preside the event like last time and everything proceeded in a similar way. Manley awaited his future wife in his best clothes, behind him the giant heart sculpture imposed its rule and in front of him, Willow slowly walked up to the stage in a colorful dress. Emp thought that she looked great even though her smile wasn''t as radiant as the one Calla showed him back then.


    She climbed up the steps and left her mother and her daughter to sit down in the front row as she parted with them.


    Willow and Manley had an easier time saying their lines than Calla had but the small Shana started crying loudly in the arms of her grandmother at the halfway point. Willow had to almost scream her words to be heard over her daughter and rushed through it in order to go back to her baby as soon as possible.


    At his side, Calla had tears running down her cheeks while further on the bench, Erin and Leo seemed utterly bored. Emp had warned them strongly that they were not to disturb the event in anyway. No talking, no moving from the bench until it was over and no mishaps.


    As for Emp himself, he was just glad that everything went well for Willow and Manley. Willow seemed a bit hesitant, probably because she always believed that Chase would be the man waiting on the stage for her, but she wasn''t against it either because she still came and said the vows. Emp also knew that Manley sincerely loved her so he expected everything would be fine.


    At the party that followed, Calla stayed close to Emp and went with him to give her congratulations and wishes of happiness to them. Emp gave his own while thinking that he was really glad he didn''t have to go meet everyone again. This time, it was Manley and Willow that had the hard job. All Emp had to do was enjoy himself.


    The sisters and Svaenaha stayed close to them because they still felt like strangers in this place and didn''t know what to do with themselves. Emp thought it was just as well since its stopped them from causing any trouble. He just made sure that they ate properly but didn''t worry too much about them.


    At some point in the evening, Jenna and Paul the shoemakers came to talk with them. There wasn''t anything specific they wanted to talk about and just enjoyed having a good talk with them after such a long time. The conversation eventually drifted to how Jenna helped the two girls find the lost wagon the other day and the girls themselves.


    "That''s kind of you to help those two. Was it an idea from Calla to adopt them or did you want to do like your mom?"


    Emp didn''t understand what she meant right away because it seemed too out of place for him. He spent a few seconds asking himself if he had heard right before answering with an uncertain tone.


    "No, uh, we didn''t adopt them. We''re just housing them while they''re staying here in Dark-glint."


    "Oh."


    Jenna and Paul made a surprised face. They were rather embarrassed by the misunderstanding they had.


    "They already have a family and Erin is just a few years younger than us. That would just be odd."


    Erin agreed in a very upset tone from the back.


    "Yeah, fathers are disappointing, we don''t need another one. Even less someone that looks like a bad guy like him."


    "You said you''d stop calling me a bad guy."


    "No, I didn''t, Leo said that."


    "She said we!"


    "It could have meant anyone, "we" doesn''t necessarily includes me."


    The shoemakers laughed in front of this ridiculous argument and defended Emp a bit by telling the two sisters how he had fought an unnameable of chaos to protect the village once. They described the monster to them in as much details as they remembered form the corpse.


    "Did he really beat that kind of monster?"


    "He did!" Paul exclaimed. "He went to fight it along with a large group of hunters that came from out of town and half of them died when fighting it. Emp came back with a bunch of bones crushed, he was scary to look at."


    "But then he didn''t really win, the monster was beaten by the hunters." Leo said.


    Emp agreed with her, he had not really won that time, he had just survived thanks to Calla''s apple.


    "All the huntresses said they would have died if he had not been there and also, he was the one that did the final hit on the monster."


    "Well I would have died too if they weren''t there. It was a team effort." Emp protested.


    The two girls kept hovering between an annoyed face and a pensive air for the rest of the feast. In their eyes up to this point, they had thought that Emp was unbeatable because he was so fast and strong but today, they had learned that some things were even stronger than that. They kept thinking about it and tried to figure out just how strong and scary Emp and the monster were respectively.


    As for why they were angry, Emp had no doubt it was about the adopted thing. They really didn''t trust parents and disliked to be told what to do. It was understandable, they had been kicked out of their home by their own father and forbidden to use their family name. Erin was even more angry because she felt she was old enough to take care of herself, she didn''t someone to watch over her... Except she did need help because she couldn''t earn money on her own.


    Later, while they were all walking back home, Erin asked him something else.


    "The creature they talked about. It was stronger than you but you didn''t run. Why do you keep telling us to run and hide if you don''t even do it yourself?"


    That was all too true. Emp had the extremely bad habit of not running when he should. He kept getting badly injured because he didn''t know when to retreat.


    "Maybe I should have ran away, yes. It seemed like the wrong thing to do at the time. If I had, maybe all the huntresses would have died instead of only half. I think there''s a time to stand and a time to run. I have a friend that keeps telling me that risking my life isn''t worth it but I think that sometimes, you have to face what''s in front even if you might die."


    "I don''t get it." The two girls said together with an unsure tone.


    Emp came up with an example to help them understand.


    "Let''s think about it this way then."


    He let go of Calla''s hand and grabbed Leo instead, lifting her up under his left arm like a bag. She made a yelp of surprise but didn''t resist more than that.


    "If I was a monster and I caught Leo like this, would you run away or would you fight?"


    He asked so in a very calm manner but the way he carried himself and formed the words dazed Erin. She looked into the eyes of her sister and then at Emp, a guy she perfectly knew that she couldn''t ever beat. She bit her lips as she thought about it, just this alone made her understand how hard it was to make that sort of choice.


    Leo on the other hand was just plainly confused. She told her sister that obviously she should run because she couldn''t beat Emp.


    "If this was real, your head would be screaming at you to escape right now and your whole body would be shivering. Your legs wouldn''t move but you''d have to take a decision quick, you have to move now. Look at Svae, she knows what you''d do already."


    Erin did as he said and took a peek a her friend. She had a bright confident smile as if she truly did know what Erin would answer. Erin wondered if she had guessed right and if what she was about to answer was the right thing to do.


    "I wouldn''t be able to leave without Leo." She said with a defeated tone.


    She had been told many times that she couldn''t win and that she could only run so she felt like she was disappointing everyone by answering that. Aside from Leo who felt like her sister had failed however, everyone else was looking at her with a large smile.


    "I knew you wouldn''t run." Emp said before placing Leo back on the ground. "Sometimes, you have to stand because you can''t afford to pay the price of running away."


    The two girls still seemed confused but Emp didn''t know how to give a better explanation than that. They walked back home in silence and shortly after, Emp left the others in the main room to get started on his gift. Now that the marriage was over, he needed to get to it properly before Mable got upset at how long it took him to do it.


    He began by making plans and outlines on how he would forge and cut each pieces, how they would tie in together and where everything would go. He took his time because he wanted to know exactly what he was doing once he would stand at the forge.


    A long time after he had started, he heard someone walk into the workshop behind him. He thought it was Calla that came to tell him he should go to sleep but it was Erin instead. She still seemed a bit downhearted from earlier.


    "I told you to not disturb me in here... Where''s Leo?"


    "She''s asleep already, I wanted to ask you something so I came here. I won''t touch anything I promise."


    Since she didn''t look like she felt well at all, Emp agreed right away. He gestured her to come closer.


    "Alright then, what is it?"


    "Earlier, how did you know I would answer that? How did you know I wouldn''t run?"


    "That sort of thing is easy to see in people. At least for me."


    At first, he had some real trouble gaining a basic understanding of anyone at all but now that he had seen many different sort of person, he could tell from their acts and their eyes what they would stand for and what they would not. Some like Odilon would stand for nothing, others were more like Erin.


    "You care too much for your sister to let her die like that, even if you can''t win and even if she screams at you to run, you would never be able to do it."


    "Is it bad?" She asked, while crossing her arms in worry.


    It was true that Emp had told them it was best to run but he didn''t want them to misunderstand. He might have gone too far trying to convince them to run away all the time. He tried to correct his mistake right away.


    "No, of course not. There is no right choice. The important thing is to make the choice knowing what will happen and not regret it after. If you ran, you would regret it forever because this is the sort of person you are. I stand almost every time too even though I''m told I should run because I keep thinking of those behind me that can''t run as well as I can. If I don''t stand, they will suffer and I can''t accept it. I need to help even if its really dangerous and everyone tells me to run."


    Her brows were furrowed as she tried to figure out what he was saying and why he was saying it.


    "Why are you teaching us to run then?"


    "Because if you can both run well, than no monster can grab Leo and force you to stand. I want you to stand because you can win, not because you don''t have a choice. To do that, you need to be able to run and then, you need to be able to win. Only with those two do you have a real choice on what to do."


    Emp felt he was speaking like his mother, Love. Talking about choices as if it was more important than anything else. Always giving him a choice even when there was a clearly better answer.


    "If no one can catch Leo, no one can make you stand your ground if you don''t want to. Protecting others at the risk of your own life isn''t a bad thing, that''s what knights do all the time but if you do it, it has to be because you want to help others, not because you have no other choice. You do your best to help if you want to and if you can''t do anything more, you can run instead of loosing your life pointlessly."


    "Is that really what knights do?"


    "It is, they can''t leave until everyone else is saved, even if it cost them their lives. They need to protect everyone."


    "My cousin Vinia is a knight but I don''t feel like she would do that."


    "Your cousin is the sort to care more about the rules than the people isn''t she?"


    He was answered with a nod.


    "Since she''s a knight and she cares so much about the rules, she will stand anyway, not because she wants to help, you are right, but because the rules told her to."


    She nodded again as she could see her cousin do that easily and stayed silent for a moment as she thought about everything she was just told. It didn''t take too long before she calmed down and took a more relieved attitude.


    "So I''m fine, there''s nothing wrong with me."


    "Of course not, protecting your own sister will never be wrong, I''d be more worried if you chose to run instead."


    She gave him a more lighthearted smile, satisfied with this new explanation. Emp figured this was also part of what it meant to have family. You need to stand for them no matter the odds else they end up in trouble like Galana or the two Porter sisters.


    Thinking about Galana, hopefully he would have some news from her brought by the caravan that crossed theirs in the village. He had not heard from Galana in a very long time now.


    "Thank you Emp, that''s all I wanted to know."


    Erin turned around to leave but Emp called her back right away.


    "Erin! I don''t know if you have the talent or not but you would make a good knight I think. I know you would stand for what is right. You jumped in to save Calla when you thought she was in danger, you''d do the same for any good person, I know."


    Erin made a grimace strangely mixing disgust and pride.


    "I don''t know... We were wrong that time and my father didn''t have the talent to be a knight so I must not have it either. I just need a way to earn money reliably for Leo. I don''t need to be a noble."


    "Your father didn''t have the talent but he didn''t have the right attitude either. He ran when he should have stood, from what I see, you''re nothing like him."


    "What do you mean he ran? My father never fought anything, how could he have ran?"


    "He ran from his responsibility towards you two. He could have endured and sacrificed something else than two of his daughters. Instead he chose to escape by throwing you and Leo out."


    "You know nothing of him, how could you say that?"


    "You are right, I don''t know, I wasn''t there. The only things I know are those you and Leo said and from those words, the only conclusion I can reach is that he is a coward. You are better than him, I know, I saw. You could have been just fine on your own, Leo is the true calamity, isn''t she? She fell in the river, she burned my papers, I''m willing to bet she was the one to drop the sword and break the porcelain too. You could have left her behind like your father did but you didn''t, you chose to stand with her and suffer at her side, always sharing the blame and protecting her. You might not know how to use a sword but you have the will of a true knight. I can''t replace your father and I don''t want to but I''d be glad to have you and your sister as my friends."


    Her eyes turned red halfway through his speech and by the end, she walked up to where he sat and hugged him strongly. Emp felt some tears fall down on his neck and his shoulders. He returned a light hug of his own just to let her know she was welcome.


    He always spoke his mind but this time, it happened to be exactly what she needed to hear.


    "As long as you keep your strong heart, you''ll always be welcome in my house and my side. You can take all the time you need to find your way."


    She didn''t say a word to acknowledge this or thank him but he knew she had heard and he knew she was grateful. After taking a deep breath, she let him go and walked back to the door.


    She shook her head to put her ideas back in place and asked one last thing before leaving. Hoping that maybe he''d forget about what she just did.


    "Uh... How about Calla''s brother, would he make a good knight according to you?"


    "He certainly knows how to stand his ground but that''s just his problem. He''s the sort to stick with anything at all once he took a decision, even if it''s a bad one. He takes a lot of time to figure things out but once he does, he never changes back his mind, he doesn''t know how to run and that''s what scares me. Running is important too, I don''t want him to die because he didn''t fall back when he should have. Both running and standing are important, that''s why they teach both in the imperial school."


    Erin didn''t seem to really listen to his answer, it was just a pretext to have him talk.


    "I see... Also, by the way, you were wrong. I was the one who dropped the sword, Leo couldn''t even carry it. I make many mistakes too."


    She waved her hand once and walked back out. Emp really thought it was Leo but he wasn''t all that surprised to hear it wasn''t. Erin shared the darkness element of her sister after all and everyone made mistakes.


    Emp stretched his shoulders and went back to work. He wanted the plans to be done before he went to bed.


    The work continued on the next many days. He used the forge many times to smelt his pale gold and silver and like last time, focused all his attention on this.


    The gift he prepared for Mable would be a large amulet made of pale gold representing the sun. He first took a long time to sculpt the gold into a wild crown of flames around the central circle of the sun, he wanted the rays to be wild like her.


    He took days to craft a complex amalgam of pieces he wanted to attach and detach at will from the central sun. Each was made of long pins of pale gold and could be socketed into the main piece to look like one of the many sun rays. When all together, they were a simple amulet but if all the pieces were detached, they formed a long string linked by fine silk, each small section being it''s own hair pin forming together a large ornamented net. Mable had a lot of hair after all, with all the pins being bundled together or not at will, it would give her a lot of freedom on what to do with her hair and if she didn''t want to wear the gift in her hair, it would still be a pretty amulet.


    Every single piece had a crowning orange gem, with a huge one occupying the central circle of the sun. They became quite visible in front of the pale gold. Silver replaced the gold in the parts where he expected that it was more likely to break or in the pins themselves because it was more resistant than gold. It wasn''t that apparent however because his silver and his pale gold were almost matching in color.


    Along the lengths of silk, he hung many pieces of gem, purple crystals and sometimes, bits of excess gold, all pierced to let the string through and spread them over if tied in her hair.


    At the back of the main sun, he placed two important things.


    First was an unused locking mechanism. He didn''t want to make an armor for a confirmation gift but if he made one later, that lock would fix the amulet in place on it.


    Second, he engraved a set of runes at the back. Those were simple runes, they were almost the same as the ones on his sword ray. The difference was that he had far from enough space to make them all correctly so he had to remove the pieces that made it permanent. Instead, it would only be activated on command when Mable poured some magu into it.


    That enchantment would let the amulet glow brightly, a bit like the sun it represented, all Mable would have to do would be to say "light" and pour her personal magu into it.


    That sort of magic items wasn''t often made because most of the times, when it wasn''t a permanent magic, most preferred to take external magu to power the magic. The difference was that if they didn''t know how to feel and control their internal magu, they wouldn''t be able to activate it at all. Using external magu was more convenient in most cases but one would need a sacrifice every time.


    In this way, using the internal magu as fuel was more practical.


    Maybe such an item would be useful to learn to feel one own magu but it was the sort of shortcut that wasn''t recommended. It resulted in things like Emp currently did where one just found a workaround instead of truly feeling the magu inside.


    He could make a few simple enchantments to help the sisters learn but he''d rather have them actually find it, unlike himself.


    Once he was done, he poured some magu inside and was satisfied to see the bright glow coming out of every piece connected to the web of silk. Her whole head would shine if she placed that in her hair.


    Now he just needed to work on all the details. He wanted that sun to truly look like a piece of art, he wanted each little claw holding the gems to look like tongues of fire holding on to them, he wanted his goodwill to shine in the efforts he was going to put into it.


    "That''s pretty, what are you working on?"


    Leo and Erin were now standing on either side of him. He was so focused on his task that he had not heard them come in.


    "It''s a sun amulet that''s also a hair ornament. What are you two doing in here?"


    "You''ve been locked in here for more than a week already. We can''t beat your game if you never come out so we came in to see." Erin said.


    "It looks really good, and super expensive, who is it for? Calla?" Leo asked, still staring at his work.


    "No, it''s for Mable. It''s a confirmation gift."


    "I don''t remember meeting someone named Mable." Leo said.


    "You''re making a confirmation gift? You''re going to get a second wife soon? Does Calla know?"


    "Of course she knows! We went all the way to B¨ºt¨¦clair just to see her. we''re not getting married anytime soon however. She hasn''t given me an offering of Holia yet."


    "But you''re making a confirmation anyway? Isn''t that weird to work on it this early?"


    "It''s complicated."


    "That''s just something people say when they don''t want to answer." Leo complained.


    "I don''t want to answer because it''s too complicated and I need to tell you more about me for it to make sense. Beat me at the game first."


    Erin threw her arms in the air in exasperation.


    "But we can''t because you''re in here!"


    "I''m almost done, I just need to work on the details now. Ask Svae to run after you instead in the meantime. She can fly so it should still be hard and a good practice while you wait to challenge me again."


    "We did already, we''ve been playing with her the whole week." Leo said in an excited tone.


    "Really? Then keep at it. Like I said, I''ll be done soon."


    The two didn''t seem to think his answer was acceptable but in the end, they had no way to make him move so they had to leave.


    Since he had already been disturbed, Emp went around the workshop to check on all the candles and replace those that had died. He then sat back down and checked into the bag once to see if he had a message from the other him. There was nothing more easy because he could see all of its content in his head as he pleased.


    He found a new piece of paper asking if he could be recalled right away in emergency. Even in emergencies, he wouldn''t be recalled without agreeing to a note beforehand because he never wanted something like the first hunt of Chase to happen again. He marked the paper and placed it back in the bag.


    Moments later, he vanished and reappeared. His heartbeat had now quickened to a pace he only experienced in real battles. It truly was an emergency, he needed to move now.


    *-*-*-*


    Juniper was pacing in her room, wondering what to do.


    She had received some really special news with the caravan that came in from Red-water. Special in the sense that it was as heavy as a mountain and as dangerous as a dragon.


    The mining process of the crystal had been going really well lately and her workers were starting to come back from the village. When she heard the words going around between them, she had to round everyone up and forcefully detain them in an inn while she thought about what she was supposed to do.


    "We witnessed a marriage." They were saying.


    "There was an old duke that came and bowed to the bride like a knight bend in front of his lord!" They claimed.


    "The smith over there is the famous Marcellia Gladius! She repaired my pick!" They boasted.


    "Her son was the groom, he left with the duke." Those morons told around as if they were speaking of the sun and rain!


    Were they all daft! Didn''t they understand what this all meant! Why did she have to deal with this now? What was she supposed to do with that information?


    She wasn''t an information broker, she was just in the glass business. Information were scary to deal with, they were dangerous, she would rather have not known that her classmate Emp was obviously a Muracier. Who else would the duke bow for?


    Maybe the imperial family or the royals of Artefine. It couldn''t be the royals of Artefine because she knew all their faces, their palace was covered in glass windows and expensive chandeliers.


    There was the imperial family and the Muraciers left. They had learned all the princes names in the class and Emp fit none. The most damning evidence was the name of Marcellia suddenly popping up. Yes, of course the fiance of the great general''s brother would be the mother of a guy who the duke bowed for just by coincidence!


    Bloody underground, may those empty headed idiots be taken by rot!


    If no one knew where the great general went and no one knew that a younger Murcier existed, it shouldn''t take a genius to figure out it was a secret. One she should never have learned.


    Things were going so well lately too! What in the world was she supposed to do with that!


    She wasn''t even a noble, she just studied here to gain contacts. If the duke or worse, the Muraciers thought she was a menace to whatever secret they were hiding in Dark-glint, they wouldn''t have trouble making her disappear for good.


    Maybe she should make the workers disappear first? That way everyone would shut up for good and she''d be safe.


    She thought about it for a moment but then discarded the idea in disgust.


    It would feel way too dirty to do that, she wouldn''t murder the whole group of worker because she was scared.


    But then what should she do, pay them handsomely and hope they''d never speak of it again? If they suddenly grew a brain, they''d understand there was something important in their random story and they''d try to do something stupid with it.


    Juniper continued to pace inside her room, biting down on the side of her index as she stressed over the matter.


    She could give the info to Aglaya who she knew was desperately trying to figure out his identity since forever. Maybe in exchange she would be able to find a solution to her problem.


    On the other hand, she could also go confront Emp about this. She felt that from what she knew about him, it was unlikely that he would do something to her.


    "Mistress stop! You''re bleeding!"


    One of her two servants rushed to grab her hand. She had bit down too hard on her finger in her state of panic and made it bleed. It was surprisingly painful but sadly, the pain didn''t help her come to a decision.


    She wouldn''t be able to keep the workers under wrap for much longer, she needed to do something fast.


    She didn''t wait for her servant to finish the bandage around her finger and walked with hurried steps all the way to Emp''s room. She knocked hard on his door but she was soon told by his human servant that he was too busy to receive anyone right now.


    What could he possibly be busy with now!


    What to do, what to do...

 120 Running off

    Things had been going really well for Emp, his second confirmation gift was well underway, his studies were advancing smoothly and his training was progressing at a decent pace for what he had access to. He was now so proficient in the use of the bottomless bag that he had perfected the way to put his armor or remove it in an instant by "cheating" space and getting them out of it while already wearing them.


    The trick had been hard to master because he needed to grab each piece in the right order and in the right way. Grabbing something with a shoulder or an elbow wasn''t intuitive at all but it worked somehow.


    He had thought that this day would be a great one too and he was very pleased to hear that a letter was brought from Red-water to him. It had to be some news from Galana, finally. He sent Harriett fetch it for him and she came back to their room later with a letter and a package.


    Galana never sent him any packages before so he got curious right away of what it could possibly be. He grabbed both it and the letter and sat at the table to examine them from closer.


    The package wasn''t too large or thick and was tied by a cross of ordinary string. It was solid but pliable and rather heavy for its small size however. He pulled on the end of it to loosen it and unwrapped the plain paper to find that what it contained was a bunch of letters, his letters. Every single letter he had sent her over time were combined, neatly folded and stacked in this package, sent back to him altogether.


    Emp didn''t understand why she was sending them all back. She could keep them or throw them away if she wanted but Emp didn''t see the use of giving them back to him. Maybe the answer would be in the letter she sent with it.


    He opened the letter and started reading it, he found out that it was unusually heavy toned. The first word wasn''t "Idiot!" like usual but "Sorry" instead.


    Right from reading the very first word, Emp felt that something was wrong with the letter. To him, it sounded removed from reality. It didn''t feel like it usually did at all, as if it was written by someone else. Even though it felt like that, he was still certain she was the one who wrote it because her writing was easy to recognize.


    >


    ...


    She had scratched the idiot at the end and replaced it by his name but it was still easy to read.


    ...


    Emp felt shaken by the letter. He had not expected to receive that sort of message at all. He found the back of his throat pained as he read her lines, his eyes stinging as if they had been bitten by bugs and his breathing turned disorderly. By the time he read the last few words, he was ready to reduce the letters into tiny scraps.


    Emp didn''t understand how it came to this. She failed to repay the debt, his books never reached her?


    She had told him in every letter to stop sending books but he never listened. She always dodged talking about the books too. Emp had not realized it was because she didn''t get to look at them at all. He had thought she was just being stubborn but in truth, what she said was right. Stop sending them, it doesn''t help at all.


    He had sent so many and all of them were worth so much. He had thought that even if she sold them all well under their value, she would have paid back the debt long ago.


    The first one he sent was alone worth five red dragons before he signed it. Her debt was only of 15RD. With barely three or four of the loads of books he sent she should have been able to repay it! By the ancestors, where did they all go!


    If only he had known, he would have done something sooner. Was it too late now? He did not want to loose his friend because she was too stubborn to ask for help.


    Even if he lost a fortune on those books, he didn''t care about the books at all, he never expected to see that money again. He only worried for what might happen to her. In the letter, she was implying she''d try to stab them when they came for her. It would only make things worse! If she stayed put, he could just go there and fix things but who knew what might happen if she started a fight with them.


    Emp felt sick, gripped by the fear that something bad would happen to her, that something bad might have already happened to her. That letter must have been written a month ago, a caravan needed at least four weeks to move from Red-water to B¨ºt¨¦clair. Who knew what happened in that time?


    Even if he ran there to help this instant, which he was very tempted to do, what were the chances that he''d be able to help?


    He let the paper fall on the table while a flow of thoughts and worries swirled in his mind.


    He couldn''t just stay here and accept her letter as a suitable ending to anything. For him it was simply unacceptable, impossible. Something needed to be done.


    It was true that he only met her for a day, that she was stubborn and just admitted she lied to him and mocked him and even wanted to stab him but she was still a friend, his very first friend. In the end, she had not stabbed him, in the end, she felt guilty, in the end, she was just tormented.


    She was important to him, as his first friend and someone he enjoyed angering and annoying. He could not stand to leave things like this. For her, a friend might not be someone to rely on when in trouble but he didn''t view things the same way as she did. He had to do something.


    "Master, you need to breathe." Harriett told him from the side.


    He was so turned over by this, he forgot to breathe again. He gulped down a mouthful of air and stood up, almost making the chair fall over, intent on doing something. The only problem is that he didn''t know what to do exactly. Emp didn''t spare a glance towards Harriett as he tried to focus his dispersed thoughts.


    He definitely couldn''t follow a caravan there because it would take too long. He might be able to run the whole way, it would only take a day then but it might still already be over by the time he got there. He didn''t even know who she owed that debt to.


    He wanted to think about all of this on the way while he ran but he felt like he could gain a lot of time by starting his run from Dark-glint instead. He wondered how long it would take the other him to notice the message if he asked for a recall now. It might take him long because he knew how absorbed he got into his craft when he was working on something.


    Even if it took a while, it might still be faster than running there from B¨ºt¨¦clair. He sat back down and summoned a piece of paper and an ink pot from the bag, writing a short recall note as fast as he could and throwing everything back into the bag just as quickly.


    "Are you alright master? What did the letter say to make you so frantic?"


    Emp didn''t feel like talking at all right now. Harriett had the right word to describe his current state, he was frantic to do something now but he was stuck here instead. All he could do was wait patiently until the other him saw the message...


    Or maybe not. He could still start running now and if he didn''t have an answer by the time he got to Dark-glint, he''d continue on his own.


    He grabbed every letters on the table and placed everything in his bag in a hurry while he spoke to Harriett.


    "Galana needs my help now. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I''m busy."


    He rushed through his room and to the balcony.


    "Where are you going?" Harriett called in worry from the table were he left her.


    "Red-water."


    It was faster to space step down from the balcony than to walk the whole way through the school so that''s what he did. He didn''t waste any time explaining anything to anyone or stopping for the guards at the gate of the city and just ran.


    He had ran up to Dark-glint once not to long ago so he knew what to expect from the road but this time, he ran much faster. It wasn''t a casual jog this time but a full speed run on the muddy road.


    He barely had any time to see the landscape around him change as he jumped from turn to bend in the road. Not long after he had started, he had already reached the first village on the way and received the answer from the other him. He quickly recalled him and let him take the relay while we slowed down on his way to Dark-glint.


    With the other him running, with good lead, all he had to do now was to go tell everyone in Dark-glint where he had run off to so they wouldn''t worry too much.


    The Emp in the village didn''t waste time, after he learned about what was going out, he ran out of the house right away. Calla jumped in surprise when she saw him rush through the main room and the girls outside got confused by his sudden hurry while he darted through the village in an instant.


    No one had the time to ask him what was going on and in a blink, he was nowhere to be found around the house.


    Emp had not walked up the road extending after Dark-glint in over two years. He didn''t remember what most of the path looked like.


    He wanted to go faster and faster, as quickly as he possibly could but the road didn''t cooperate with him. He was using the blessing of space in such a reckless way that he kept going out of the road and crashing into the treeline. He fell into a ditch twice and ran face first into a tree once. He groaned ragefully in answer but understood he needed to control himself and calm down if he wanted to reach Red-water faster. At this speed, he was wasting more time bumping into things and tripping over rocks and roots than he would by going a bit slower.


    He took a breath and resumed his run, a bit slower this time. He understood somewhere in his head that going there so fast served no purpose, that everything was probably already over but he held on to the hope that somehow, he would make it in time anyway, that he wouldn''t be too late.


    "Why are you so worried about this person? She doesn''t deserve your help." He could almost hear his mother, Love, say into his ears.


    "Not almost, I am indeed here, your sudden dash made me curious so I had to take a look. I am serious, her fate does not matter, what are you doing?"


    Emp didn''t know she could just talk in his head like that from anywhere. That was surprising and a bit worrying but right now, he didn''t have time for any of this. Galana needed help, he would not slow down further.


    "She fully deserves what is happening to her, all of it is happening because of her own poor choices, it has nothing to do with you."


    Emp really didn''t believe that Galana deserved to suffer the death of her parents and enslavement over refusing the advances of a guy.


    "But she did so much more than that, she refused the help she was given, she insulted you and many others, she''s a greedy selfish weasel that only ever thinks of money and paper, she gravelly offended me and to top it all off, she tried to stab you in the back!"


    She changed her mind, in the end she didn''t do it. She was still his friend, he needed to help her even with all her flaws. Since Love was here and could be anywhere at all, Emp wished she would tell him if Galana was fine instead of arguing with him.


    "If I told you she was not, would you turn around and go back home? What use is there to tell you anything if it won''t change your mind?"


    Emp really didn''t understand why his mother hated her so. Just for a tiny bit of slander she never meant, Emp had never even heard it, no one was hurt from it.


    "I was! Belief is a strong thing, I''d prefer it if she was to die."


    A thought flew through the mind of Emp. Was Love the one who got rid of the books?


    "Of course not, I''m a goddess not a petty thief like her. What would I even do with those books? I could just destroy her instantly, I don''t need to use convoluted mortal nonsense."


    "Then why don''t you?" Asked Emp with frustration. His voice gasping from the effort of his running.


    "I can''t. I can be angry or frustrated or sad but I can''t hate. Hate is my opposite, I just cannot muster the will to smite her, what I truly want is an apology. It is for the same reason I can''t truly stop you from trying to save her. The love you feel towards her is driving you and I can''t stop it."


    If Love couldn''t help him nor stop him, what was she even doing in his head?


    "I wanted to try to convince you to not go. What will you do if she is fine? Reveal your presence to the whole city to strike down a corrupt noble? What about your plans?"


    The plans didn''t matter in comparison. Hiding his identity was worthless if he had to sacrifice his friends. The whole point of trying to become the emperor was to protect them. It would be stupid to watch them suffer and claim he was doing it for them.


    "And what will you do if you aren''t in time? Perhaps she already died. Will you just stare at her dead body and suffer for no reason? Could you not accept her final farewells as they are and keep some good memories of her like she wanted instead?"


    Emp would not be able to do that, as long as there was a possibility that she could still be helped, he would still go. If it was too late for her, he would have the culprits pay instead.


    "You don''t even know who those culprits are."


    He didn''t know for now but he was certain he could find out somehow. It couldn''t be that hard, someone had to know.


    He heard his mother sigh in his head and the sound soon turned into terrible screams, he was getting close to the howling hills. The wind was blowing just as strong as ever.


    The hills loomed over him and the forest for an instant before he ran to its base and into the tunnel going through. The darkness surrounded him along with the ghastly howls. He had almost forgotten how impressive they were and how tormented they sounded.


    Feeling the many lights already present to brighten the path weren''t enough, he got his sword Ray from the bag and shined its light on the path ahead. Fearing he might misstep and fall into the depths of the hills, he had to slow down as he progressed along the dark road.


    The first time he went through, he had found the darkness and the howls interesting and a bit annoying but this time around, they only further accentuated his own stress. He wanted to get out as soon as possible.


    Looking down into the hill from the path were he stood, he could see, deeper down and on the other side of a black gap, the end of the path on the other side of the hill. He had noticed that he could see it from up here when he went through the first time.


    He should just follow the path as it twisted inside the hill but the end didn''t seem that far from here. The more he looked at it, the more he felt that he should be able to just jump there. It was only a small gap.


    He only hesitated a bit before he took a run-up and jumped towards the feint light at the other end of the path. He held his sword in front of him to light the empty space in the air around him while he used the blessing of space to travel the distance easily.


    Distorted pillars of stone, narrow crumbling paths and dangerous outcroppings flashed into existence around him as he threaded the needle through them. His sword hit a stalactite on the way and his arm shot back as he tried to keep the sword into his hand. He half spun in the air and the powerful wind blasted him from the side, displacing him from his initial path. His shoulder hit a piece of stone and sent him spinning the other way around.


    He immediately lost track of where he was and crashed onto what he assumed to be the path, rolling on it for a while before he came to a stop. He had not hit his head but he still felt dazed. His shoulder was hurting badly and he felt bruises on his body in various places because of his bad landing.


    What he had just done wasn''t really smart. He shouldn''t have done that. He dragged himself onto his feet and took a look around. According to the lights in place around him, he must have landed on the path which was good. He had hurt himself however which was less good. At least he should have wore his armor.


    He summoned it around him and started running again. The armor would slow him down and tire him quicker but he had just learned an important lesson. By trying to go fast, he could have hurt himself badly, it was better to be safe but slower.


    He felt some mild pain all over his body but he believed he was mostly fine. He didn''t break anything in his fall and even though his shoulder was really pained, it didn''t stop him from running.


    He soon escaped the howling hills and found himself in the low woods. The next bit of the run was very pleasant despite being short lived. The path here was perfectly straight and he had the strong wind pushing against his back, it was the best place to run he had found up to now.


    He did not pay attention to the sea of trees bending back in front of their wind lord''s will and passed them without wasting time.


    The terrifying sound of its howling was left behind and soon, the path regained its appearance of normalcy. Forests and hills then forest again, he ran through the village where the kids feared him in the past and felt glad that he was already nearing his destination.


    He was feeling exhausted and had to take a few breaks between the hills and his current position. Once again, he had to stop his mad dash to take a breath because even if he was giving this run his all, it had already been hours since he left, his lungs were burning.


    He stood on the road and put his hands on his knees to take a few deep breaths. That position was a bit uncomfortable in his armor but he was too tired to sit down by the roadside. If he did, he felt like he wouldn''t be able to get back up.


    He took a few minutes like that and once he had enough, he tried to get back up and start running.


    His muscles wouldn''t move an inch however.


    He tried again but nothing responded, it was as if he wasn''t in control of his own body anymore. He couldn''t move his hands, he couldn''t move his head, he couldn''t even lift a finger.


    Emp was gripped by fear and confusion, wondering what was happening to him until he caught something at the edge of his vision. There, an animal was staring at him.


    It had shaggy fur and a lanky body, with long curved claws and a dead tired face. The fur under its mouth was all sticky with dried blood, as were its claws. Emp had never seen such a thing but he knew exactly what it was, it made perfect sense. It was a time-stop sloth.


    Emp felt like laughing in anger at how ridiculous he felt right now. Galana was the one that warned him about the time-stop sloth. She had told him to never travel alone in these parts and now that he was in a hurry to save her, he forgot and got caught.


    He would have laughed but he couldn''t. He had no idea how to get himself out of this situation. He couldn''t cast a spell, couldn''t kill the sloth, couldn''t run or ask for a recall. He was absolutely stuck here, standing in the middle of the road like an idiot.


    All he could do was stare at the creature as it slowly made it''s way to him. The thing was excruciatingly slow. Emp would have never felt intimidated by such a creature but there was something quite dreadful in seeing something so harmless-looking moving inexorably towards you. He was powerless to do anything to stop its advance.


    The animal dragged its feet on the ground as it progressed at the pace of a snail towards him. Emp felt like he could have reached Red-waters a hundred times over before the sloth extended its hand to him.


    The wait only made it scarier and scarier because Emp kept trying to figure out a way to get out of this with no success. He felt hopeless until finally, its claws clanked on his armor. The thing got close and scratched at him a few times with no results except for a screeching sound. It couldn''t damage his armor. Emp would have screamed in cheer.


    Emp felt extremely relieved until the sloth started climbing over him as if he was a tree and started examining the armor in details, searching for a way to open it. Emp could feel its weight on his back as it tried to grip pieces here and there to see if it could remove them and how.


    It was only a question of time before the creature found how to open the shell surrounding his prey. Emp wondered how long it would take it to figure it out, he also wondered how often people walked down this road. He couldn''t wait for a caravan, one just reached B¨ºt¨¦clair today so a new one wouldn''t come through here for weeks.


    The claws of the creature explored the joints and openings in his armor while he was silently screaming in frustration. Despite all his efforts, all he managed to do was activate and deactivate his self magic, it was pretty useless to him now since he only knew one and it didn''t help in his current situation.


    How would he get out of this?

 121 Looking for clues

    Emp was despairing to find a way out of his predicament. He really didn''t want to become the meal of a weak thing like that, or anything else for that matter. He was so angry at himself, he should have remembered that this thing existed.


    He was cursing himself when he suddenly heard the rustles of leaves on his left side. Something was approaching. He couldn''t see what it was but he could hear some heavy panting.


    Was it a wolf maybe?


    If he was lucky the sloth might look at it an instant and he''d be able to get rid of it.


    The panting noise came closer and circled in front of him until he saw the head of a huge brown dog coming close to sniff his face behind his helm. The dog even gave a lick to his helm. Emp recognized it right away and the dog wagged its tail so hard its whole whole back shifted left and right. It clearly wanted to be petted.


    It was June''s dog, with its affectionate manners and its drooping ears. The big animal was very happy to meet someone it knew but right now, it wasn''t really helping at all. Emp would have preferred to see his master right now, where was she.


    "Girl, where did you go? I told you not to run off like that, I need you close."


    The dog barked once in answer but stayed in front of Emp waiting to be caressed. It even sat down to look more like a good dog. Emp couldn''t move however, the dog could be as friendly as it wanted, Emp would never be able to reach down and pet it.


    The good thing was that June would soon find him thanks to the dog and he''d be freed from the sloth that was now toying with the clasps of his armor. He heard the noise of someone moving through the leaves of the bushes nearby and soon after the voice of June.


    "There you are, what have you found? Oh, some idiot got caught by a sloth? Don''t sit there and come back here, we''ll come back later when he''s done to pick up his stuff."


    Emp felt like crying. "June you traitor! So she was a thief after all!" He thought in frustration.


    The dog whimpered once and stamped a few times in front of Emp. What a good dog.


    "Uhr, fine then. You''re always like that."


    Emp heard a sword getting unsheathed and soon after, June spoke to him.


    "You learned your lesson now, I''ll kill the sloth for you but don''t travel alone anymore. You got to promise or you''re just cutting in my profits for nothing."


    Just after that, the creature probably turned its eyes towards her because Emp regained control over himself and since he had been trying to all this time, he instantly shot up and sent his arm over his head and towards his back to catch the creature. He wrapped his fingers around its neck and squeezed but his fingers froze midway through his action.


    He was stuck again but this time he was standing and the sloth was being chocked. Its claws scratched everywhere it could reach but it was unable to do anything to emp.


    "Good move, let me do the final blow."


    He heard the wet sound of metal burying into flesh and soon after, he regained control of himself as the time stop sloth went limp between his fingers. He was immensely relieved.


    "Job done, I''m June by the way, I travel around here to save idiots like you from those things."


    Emp made his armor disappear into the bag to reward the dog for its invaluable help. It wouldn''t be good to pet the dog with his armor on after all. He also complained about her behavior.


    "I know who you are, I can''t believe you almost left me there!"


    He gave a good chunk of salted meat to the dog and rubbed its head and neck in joy while the dog ate his reward with great enthusiasm.


    "You!? I mean, Emp, what are you doing here? You''re supposed to be in Dark-glint. You know it was an act, right? I wouldn''t actually leave anyone to die from one of those."


    "How can I be sure it''s an act? I met you twice on that road, the first time you shot an arrow at me and now this."


    "I know it sounds really bad like that but I swear I''m really doing it for the reward... No, that''s not what I meant! I meant I do it to save the innocent idio-victims of the sloths. They''re so glad when I choose to save them in the end that they usually give me a huge reward. You''ll still give me some reward for my help right? You know me, aren''t we friends?"


    Emp looked at her with a very unconvinced frown while he continued to vigorously rub the back of the dog.


    "That means no reward, right? Damn... Why are you looking at me like that, I''m not the idiot who goes around these parts alone. It''s as good a way to earn money as any and if I come too late, I get to keep their stuff instead."


    Emp shook his head in disappointment and got his armor back on.


    "I''ll tell mom later and she''ll be the one to judge."


    "Aw, come on! Don''t tell Marcy, she''ll be super angry again even though I saved you!"


    "I don''t have time to argue with you right now, I''m in a hurry. There''s an emergency in Red-water. I''ll talk to you later."


    "No wait! Seriously, what about the reward! Curses!"


    By the time Emp heard her yell curses, he was already far gone.


    He was angry at her and wasn''t sure whether she really helped people or not. Even if she did help, she was just doing it for the reward. However, she had indeed saved him this time so even though he made her believe he just left without thanking her, he strapped a red-dragon coin into the collar of her dog. If she was lucky, she''d find it, if not, it would fall off somewhere and she''d never see it.


    Even if he chose to reward her in the end, he was still decided to tell Marcy. And next time she came to Dark-glint, she would get yelled at for sure.


    The rest of his dash to Red-water was event-less. He was lucky to not encounter any more of those strange monsters and got to the gate before he needed to take another rest.


    He passed the fields around the first wall in no time and went through the gate without slowing down. At that gate, the guards only watched out for monsters so Emp ignored them. Only at the second wall did they check for the identities of everyone.


    Since it was still early, there was no line at the gate. Everyone was still working in the fields outside so Emp got to the guards right away. He didn''t rush past them this time and stopped to present his card. Being in a hurry wasn''t a reason to break the law after all.


    The group of guards seemed nervous about a man wearing a full suit of armor appearing right in front of them. His armor had an ominous purple sheen, was massive, heavily ornamented and there was gold inlaid everywhere. Anyone seeing it would instantly think he was either immensely rich or an incredibly good warrior. Their leader was just as nervous as the rest but still asked for his card with an almost calm voice. Emp hid his family name and was about to show him his first name when he noticed something about that one guard.


    The corner of his mouth slowly curled upward as he saw the drooping moustache of the man in front of him. It was the same guard as last time! The guy who saw his card first and also the guy who arrested the men who attacked him and Galana.


    He had not expected this but it was just as well. A few guards following him might help.


    "I know you, I''ve seen you twice already."


    "Did you?" The guard didn''t seem to know how to answer.


    "Yes, you helped me last time I was here and now I need your help again."


    Emp Moved his visor out of the way to show his face and presented his card along with his name.


    "It''s you! I''m at your service your lordship! What do you need my humble help for?" The guard asked with a loud voice as he straightened his back more than usual.


    He was quite surprised, both by his reappearance in front of him and the fact Emp now spoke in the common tongue but he still kept his serious behavior. He had not forgotten Emp and if a Muracier requested his help, it was his duty to do his best. In fact, he was proud that a Muracier remembered him and asked for his help specifically.


    "The girl I was with last time, do you remember her?"


    "Not her name but I have souvenir of her yes."


    "I know she''s in trouble but I don''t know exactly what happened yet. I need you and your guys to help me find her. Could you find some people to replace you all at the gate?"


    "Right away sir."


    The guards around him ran around for a few minutes to find some guys to replace them and then the group of fifteen guards all followed after Emp. He had no doubt that most of them were thinking that they''d be able to brag to everyone they knew that a Muracier requested their help in person. Emp didn''t really care as long as they solved his problem.


    Now that he had some guards with him, the first thing he did was walk to Galana''s house, her book store. The building itself was exactly like Emp remembered it but he was shaken to see the sign. He had hoped that it wouldn''t be too late but he found that the sign above the door had been replaced. The bookstore was no more and instead, it was a carpet and rugs trader. It was currently closed but Emp knocked at the door, telling the guards behind him that this used to be the bookstore of Galana.


    A woman wearing a black apron answered the door and froze when she saw the large group of armed guards at her door. Emp had kept his visor up so that people could see his face but it seemed that it wasn''t enough to calm down ordinary people. Under her feet, the wooden boards had the darkened tint of dried blood. The shop was probably closed because she was trying to remove the bloodstain. Who''s blood was it though?


    "A- did something happen? What is..."


    "I''m sorry to disturb you madam." Emp interrupted her questions. "No need to worry you are not in trouble. We''re looking for the girl who lived here before, she had a bookstore. Do you know where she went?"


    The woman was immensely relieved and almost melted on the spot once freed from the tension.


    "No, I''m sorry that I cannot help you all, I just bought this place last week at the town hall, they said it was vacant. I know nothing more."


    Emp was very disappointed but still thanked her.


    "It''s fine, sorry again for disturbing and scaring you like this. Thank you for your time."


    Emp turned around and thought about his next move, who would know what happened? The guards around him seemed at a loss on what to do as well.


    "Should we go to the town hall for information then?"


    "No it might take them days or weeks to find what we''re looking for." Another denied.


    "Did she have family?" The drooping moustache asked.


    Emp ought to ask for his name, he had a good idea and he felt guilty not knowing who he was talking to.


    "You''re right, her grandmother might know. She works in the merchant''s guild on the square."


    "We should also ask the neighbors in case they know."


    The group left the curious woman at her door and split to ask those living close to here.


    What they heard was that the girl living there before stabbed a man in the throat about two weeks ago but didn''t know were she ended up. Her shop had been empty since.


    Emp was partially relived that it wasn''t her blood on the floorboards but also much more worried now that he knew she actually stabbed someone in the end.


    Fearing that something horrible could have happened to her in those two weeks, they made their way to the guild Emp remembered. He welcomed the large sign as a good memory in this tense situation.


    Merchant guild of Red-water, always open.


    Now he could read it in two of the many languages it was written in.


    He walked in followed by the troupe of guards, he remembered the grand open hall with all the doors on either side of it and the stage at the very end for the auctions. Currently, there was nothing going on and the many receptionists were wasting their time behind the counter on the far left.


    Emp walked up to them with the guard and one of the receptionist came rushing to them with a serious air wondering what trouble came for them. Before he could even ask, Emp raised his palm in front of him to stop him and buy them all some time.


    "You are not in trouble, we''re looking for an old lady working here, she has some information for us. Her name should be Whisryba I believe."


    The guy raised a confused brow, he clearly didn''t know anyone with such a name. Since he didn''t recognize him, Emp hoped he was simply new here.


    The clerk turned around and asked the others but they all shrugged witch annoyed Emp greatly.


    "Then could you bring Grandus here, he should know."


    The guy nodded without a word and someone rushed up the spiral stairs at the back to go get the fat merchant. After a few minutes, the big man came down the stairs and met them at the counter.


    "I heard you have some trouble locating someone?" He asked with a bit of sweat running down his forehead.


    "Hi director Grandus, I''m Emp Muracier, we met once two years ago." Emp introduced himself.


    Hopefully, the memory of this time would help him remember Galana''s grandma.


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    His eyes lit up as he recognized his face and he showed a large smile.


    "Of course! Sir Muracier, I do remember, you brought us the head of a woodland horror!"


    "Yes, that was me. Do you remember the old lady that translated for me back then? Where is she? I need to talk to her, it''s an emergency."


    The fat Grandus made a pained face and answered with difficulty.


    "I fear this might be an impossible request to fulfill, you see, she died last year, she was quite old after all."


    "She died!"


    Emp could hardly believe what he just heard. How come Galana never spoke about it in her letters?


    "I''m sorry to be the bearer of such tragic news but indeed, this is what happened."


    "Uh... What about her grand-daughter then?"


    "I heard she failed to repay some debts she had but I do not know of her current whereabouts, I am sorry that I''m unable to help you at all. I swear that if I knew anything of value, it would be my honor to assist you."


    Emp heard his apologetic comment but he didn''t feel comforted at all, what a setback this was. He pinched his lips together as he tried to come up with something else. Someone had to know what happened. He just needed to find the right person. He scoured his memories of Red-water and he remembered her saying she had many death-seekers friends in the past. He also knew that the most known death-seekers living here were without a doubt Marcy''s brother Tiberius and his wife Palonia.


    "We''re going to Tiberius''s shop next." He told the grim looking guards behind him.


    They had all the reasons in the world to look grim, all they knew about the girl they were looking for was that she stabbed someone in the throat and failed to pay a debt. They didn''t know half the story however.


    On the way, he told them a bit more about her, how her parents had been murdered by the guards they hired and how a noble had placed an impossible debt on her.


    "She was angry and desperate, hopefully it''s not too late to save her." He told them as they neared the shop annex to Tiberius''s forge.


    He walked inside the store and saw that it was just as well stocked as the last time he came. There were a few clients looking at the weapons and armor on display and Palonia was standing behind the counter, watching them all carefully.


    She was tall and muscled, she seemed to be in a great mood and welcomed him with a shout.


    "Good day and welcome in Tiberius''s shop!"


    Her face crumbled a bit when the group of guards followed him inside and the clients all made themselves small.


    Emp had not thought about this until he stepped inside but now, he wondered if he was supposed to call her something special. She was Marcy''s sister in law so maybe he had to call her aunt, or auntie? Marcy got angry every time he didn''t call her mom so he decided to apply the same rule here.


    "Hi auntie Palonia. I need your help."


    The woman turned angry right away.


    "Hey! I''m not that old, nobody calls me auntie!"


    Of course he had to be wrong.


    Emp answered with grimace.


    "Sorry, I just thought that since I always call Marcy mom I should call you auntie, I didn''t mean to anger you."


    She instantly got confused by his answer.


    "Who are you exactly?"


    "I''m Emp Muracier, your nephew I guess, In a way. I bought a bunch of things here two years ago."


    Understanding flashed on her face as she remembered about him but she was still extremely disturbed by how he called her auntie. Meanwhile, the customers had all stopped what they were doing to look in amazement at the scene happening in front of them. They were all glued at the spot they stood at and stared wide eyed at Emp and Palonia in turn.


    "I remember you now but... Why are you calling my sis mom?"


    "It''s a long story and I don''t have the time to tell it, we''re in a hurry and I really need your help."


    Feeling the urgency in his voice, her frown deepened and she went straight to the point.


    "What do you need from me?"


    "The girl I was with last time, the one that translated for me. I need your help to find some Death-seekers that might know her."


    "Can you go straight to the point instead of running circles around it? I know her well, Galana is the daughter of two good friends of mine. What do you want with her? What did she do?"


    That was great news! A hopeful smile rose up his face. Palonia apparently thought he had some problems with her but Emp quickly explained that it wasn''t the case.


    "We were exchanging letter while I was in B¨ºt¨¦clair but in the last one I received, she wrote that she failed to pay her debt and/"


    "What! That cursed idiot!"


    Palonia slammed both her palms on the counter in a loud bang that made everything on and around if shake.


    "The shop is closed, everyone that isn''t him and the guards get out, now!"


    The clients were fascinated by the scene but the loud sound of her hands smashing against the counter brought back their wits and they all ran out of the shop before the strong Palonia really got angry. The moment they were all out and the door closed behind them, she complained some more.


    "I told her to get help! I thought you would have helped her!"


    "I did! She owed fifteen dragon but she refused to accept my money so I had valuable books delivered to her instead. There should have been more than enough to repay the debt but the books somehow never reached her! I learned about it just with that letter and I came rushing here to help her only to find that her shop didn''t exist anymore and that her grandma died." He complained.


    "What are you doing here then? Why aren''t you going after her? Since you were exchanging letters, I assume you became friends at least, why are you wasting time here?"


    "I''m doing my best, she just never agreed to tell me who she owed money too because she didn''t want me to go pay for her."


    Palonia clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    "The stubborn idiotic girl. That''s just like her alright. Thankfully, I can help you with that. The name''s Balpoisson, a viscount''s son."


    Emp had a name! Finally!


    Now he had something to work with, he knew who the enemy was. The situation was still bad for Galana but he couldn''t help but smile at that moment. It was just a simple viscount he had to go after. Out of the ten steps of the social hierarchy of the Empire, if you excluded the slaves, viscounts were on the sixth step where he was on the second from the top. In fact, his true opponent wasn''t even that, he was just the son of the viscount, at best, he should be equal in rank to a knight.


    "Thank you, I''m glad you knew. I''m going there now." He told Palonia.


    "Hey, wait up, let me come along. I feel like a toothless mutt for not noticing her problems and not doing anything about them. Galana''s the only daughter of my friend, I''ve seen her grow up since she was a tiny sprout. Even if I''m not helping that much, I need to go."


    Emp didn''t argue and let her come along. She locked the door behind them as they left and shouted at her husband that she was closing the shop for today and that she was going out with his nephew.


    "What nephew? I don''t have any!" He shouted back from the forge.


    "That ought to keep him in suspense." Palonia laughed as she followed them off.


    Emp asked the guards to show him the way towards the viscount''s house and as they traveled there, he talked a bit with Palonia. She walked by his side in front of the guards and like Marcy she was much taller than him and more muscled too.


    With the two big subject of him calling Marcy mom and the fate of Galana on the table, she didn''t know where to start. She decided to speak about Galana first as this was the urgent problem.


    "You know, the last time I saw her was the day she came in with you. I told her to get your help to pay her debt and if she still had problems, that she could come to me. I didn''t think back then that she would be so stubborn. I knew her so well though, I should have known. I hope she hasn''t done anything too stupid."


    "I heard she stabbed someone when they came to get her. With the dagger I gave her." Emp told her.


    Palonia groaned and gripped her forehead as if the news gave her a sudden violent headache.


    "By the ancestors, can''t she do anything sensible?"


    She turned back towards the guards following them.


    "You, you''re a guard, what happens usually if someone stabs someone else."


    "Usually, one would get sent to jail until the lord can process their case and then, if the person is found guilty, they will be forced to work as slaves and do hard labor until their deaths. She was already supposed to be made into a debt slave however so the lord might come to an agreement with the debt holder."


    "I see, thanks for the info, we''ll have a hard time saving her now. What''s your name by the way?"


    "Its Bonver madam."


    Great, now Emp didn''t need to ask for his name anymore. He thanked Palonia in his head.


    "Alright Bonver, I hope you''re ready for trouble." She nodded.


    "Speaking of this, pardon me your lordship but may I ask a question in return?"


    Emp wanted to tell him that he didn''t need to call him lordship but he felt Blackbull might die of frustration if she ever heard of this. He used the name of the man directly instead hoping he would catch on.


    "Sure Bonver, what''s on your mind?"


    "That time back then when you fought back assailants and I listened to your conversation with the woman we''re currently looking for. She brazenly called you an idiot in front of a whole crowd and it didn''t bother you at all. I assumed you were close but is it really the case? What is she for your lordship is what I''m asking I guess. This whole story makes really little sense."


    "You''re right, this whole thing doesn''t make a lot of sense. Its all because everyone involved were too stupid to do things right. I didn''t know how things worked two years ago, she was too stubborn to accept the help of anyone and no one noticed that anything was wrong because we were all too naive and thought everything would end up fine."


    This whole thing could have easily been avoided if even one person acted differently. If Galana had been less stubborn, if Palonia moved to help, if Emp had insisted in the beginning. As for the original question of the guard, Emp didn''t really know how to answer.


    "Galana is one of my very first friends but the actual reason I didn''t get upset when she kept calling me an idiot is because I was never one to get angry over that sort of thing. I mostly was acting like an idiot too so I probably really deserved a few of those. She''s not some lover of mine if that''s what you''re asking."


    Bonver didn''t dare ask any further and Palonia turned the conversation to something else right away. Maybe she was uncomfortable with the subject.


    "You got taller since last time, and you changed your armor too. My sister must have made it right?"


    "She did most of it but I helped too, she made me her apprentice, didn''t she tell you and her brother?"


    "No, she just sends us small bits of paper with a list of whatever material she wants, she never says anything. How does a Muracier end up the apprentice of a smith and how does he end up calling said smith mother?"


    Emp felt the story was too lengthy and complicated to tell now.


    "I''d rather not say it in front of those guys. There''s a lot of things I''m not supposed to talk about in it."


    The guards all tensed up a little and then felt relieved that Emp wouldn''t say anything too important in front of them.


    "I see... Later then."


    "This way, I''ll be able to tell uncle Tiberius at the same time and I won''t have to explain everything twice. In the meantime, can we just agree that you are my aunt."


    Palonia didn''t seem sure on whether to be happy about it and agree to it or if she should be weirded out instead. She chose to just nod for now and the group made their way to the residence of the Balpoisson while Emp told his aunt about how his hammer broke and he wanted to buy a new one. He could make one with Marcy but he kept pushing it back for later and it was annoying him to know that he didn''t have a functional hammer to work with.


    She agreed to show him the hammers she had in stock latter just before he banged on the immense double door of a mansion.


    Apparently, despite being only viscounts, that family was well off. They lived in a mansion about five times the size of Emp''s new house, three story tall, with big windows all over it and a large garden where many slaves toiled to take care of flowers and vegetables.


    Emp had no interest in any of this and banged at the door for a second time when he felt that it was taking long for anyone to answer. The first time, he had used the door knocker shaped like three large fish but this time around, he just smashed his gauntlet against it to produce more noise.


    "What do you plan to do exactly?" Palonia asked him, curious.


    "I''ll try to just pay off the debt first and see where we can go from there."


    "Why did you bring the guards then?"


    "Because I don''t trust them at all. I am not afraid of crushing them if I have to. The guards are here to witness."


    Palonia nodded with a half smile. She approved of how decided he was but at the same time, it was shiver inducing to think he was talking about destroying a middle ranked noble house so casually.


    Finally, one of the two doors was pushed open by a woman in a maid outfit. At first, she didn''t seem to think it was proper to knock so loudly and come disturb them without an appointment but she swiftly changed her attitude when she saw the guards and the armored man leading them.


    "You knocked at the door of viscount Balpoisson, what might be your purpose for doing so today?"


    "Hi, I''m Emp Muracier, son of the great general Chinui. I have some business with the son of the viscount. What was his name again?" He asked Palonia.


    "No idea." She shrugged.


    "It''s Maurice I believe." Bonver answered instead.


    "Is it? I have business with that Maurice then, would you let us in?"


    The maid was at a loss for words and under the pressure of his name, let them all in. Because of the nervousness she felt, she led them directly to the office of the viscount instead of the waiting room like she should have. Blackbull would have been infuriated and so was the old viscount.


    "What is the meaning of this? Who are they and why were they led here?"


    "But sir, this man is a Muracier." The poor maid stuttered.


    The jaw of the viscount clenched from surprise and amazement. Soon after he welcomed the whole group into his office with great politeness and many reverences.


    Because of his heavy weight, the reverences he made were a pretty strange sight but it had no importance for Emp. Aside from his corpulence, this man also had a mustache, long and thin, going straight to the sides, a very narrow beard cut in a triangle and a long coat he was too large to tie properly.


    "What a pleasure to welcome a Muracier in my humble house. What might bring you here today may I ask?"


    "I want to see your son, a friend of mine had a debt towards him and I''m here to pay."


    His face scrunched up a bit and he quickly turned back towards the maid.


    "Go get him!"


    "But sir, your son is out."


    "Then find someone who knows were he went and bring him here!"


    The maid ran off hurriedly and the man looked back towards Emp.


    "While you wait for him, might you want something to distract yourself? Maybe a tea, or wine?"


    "No thanks, I don''t drink alcohol."


    "Right, of course, what was I thinking."


    While the man was doing his best to figure out what might please him, Emp looked around the room.


    He had a lot of books, stored neatly in many bookshelves along the walls of his office. Emp wished his own office would look like that one day, the sight was quite appealing.


    "I see you love books as well." He told the man as he made his way towards the bookshelves.


    The viscount was all too happy to jump on the subject.


    "I absolutely adore them, I have so many I had to get rid of some in my collection."


    Emp nodded in understanding as he looked closely at the titles of the books here.


    "Funnily enough, the friend I was talking about happened to own a book store. I Sent her many books but they all got lost on the way somehow."


    "Really? How does one loose a book?" The viscount seemed to be disbelieving.


    "I was asking myself exactly that."


    Emp ran his armored fingers on the back of all the books, stopped on one of them and frowned. "The thorny wall" was the name of the book, an original edition of a rare study on the Thornwoods.


    "I had a copy of that one too..."


    He pulled it from the shelf and flipped the pages absentmindedly until the last one. It was signed by an imperial court mage, the author, and also a duke who the book had belonged too. Incidentally, it was also signed by himself. "A gift to my book loving friend." Was written in the corner.


    Emp started grounding his teeth in anger.

 122 The stolen books

    It did not take long for Emp to figure out exactly what had happened to all the books he sent once he found one of them in the viscount''s bookshelf.


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    He shook from fury inside his armor once and then calmed down. He felt cold rather than burning in anger, his voice reflected this perfectly, there was no warmth in it anymore.


    "When I came here, I had the genuine intention of just paying and be done with this but I found something truly interesting here."


    The viscount did not know how to react to these words. He would have believed Emp was simply interested by the book but his tone was so cold, there might be something he didn''t understand hidden behind his words.


    "Is something the matter?" He ended up asking simply.


    The guards close to the door had felt the change in atmosphere too and they all stiffened, they did not know at all what was about to happen.


    Palonia was close enough by Emp''s side to see inside the book and simply froze at the sight of his name inside. Having been told about how the books he had sent were lost, she too could only come to a single conclusion. If Emp didn''t do something about it right now, she would explode in anger in his stead in a moment.


    Emp kept the book open and asked the viscount where he had found that book.


    "It was gifted to me by my son about two years ago, why?"


    "I see, your son again, do you know were ''he'' got it?"


    "No..."


    The viscount was certain something was wrong but he was ignorant of the reasons behind this swift change of attitude.


    "I apologize for your confusion viscount but this is one of the books I lost." Emp told him flatly.


    "So you had a copy of this one too, I see." The viscount seemed relieved. "I could gift it to you if you wish, it would be/"


    "No, this is not what I meant. This book in particular is one of those I lost, my name is in it, see?"


    After interrupting him, Emp turned the book over to him and the Viscount saw that indeed, his name was written inside. His fat shook in surprise and he hurriedly attempted to find an excuse for his son.


    "Then I will return it to you in goodwill, my son must have bought it from a shady merchant. He his keen on making good deals you see, he might have found it at a cheap price from some small street stall."


    "Possible." Emp admitted.


    He scanned the wall of books again and picked another one, directly flipping to the last page, again, his name was on it.


    "One might be a coincidence but the more instances I find, the less likely it gets."


    He Placed both books in the hands of Palonia and picked a third one, again, his name was in it.


    The viscount got paler and paler as Emp retrieved books from his shelf, all signed by his hand.


    "B-but... How is this possible?"


    "One does not need to be a genius to understand viscount. I told you earlier about my friend right? She had a dept towards your son so I sent her books in order for her to be able to repay it, all the books went missing on the way and found themselves into the shelf of the father of the man she owed money too. What sort of conclusion do you think I will reach from that? I came back to this city when I learned about the missing books because I wanted to simply pay and be done with it. I never expected instead I would find proof of thievery and foul play when I stepped in here."


    The viscount started to sweat profusely.


    "What has he done?" He muttered to himself under his breath.


    He reached for a bell on top of his desk and rang strongly twice. Emp wondered whether it would be guards or servants that showed up and was a bit disappointed to see servants.


    "Maurice, wherever he his, find him and drag him here this instant! I don''t care what he his doing or with whom he might be, he must run back here in the minute if he doesn''t want his head to fall."


    The servants all bowed lightly and ran off after the one he sent earlier.


    Meanwhile, Emp picked up the stack of letter he was sent back from his bag and untied it to look at them. He continued to speak to the viscount with the same cold tone.


    "You see, my friend had the presence of mind to send me back all my letters before she ended up enslaved. In them, I always told her in details about the books I was sending her, along with how much I had paid for them. The thorny wall, five red dragons. This book of poesy, ninety five gold crowns. This one, three dragons and forty crowns."


    He continued on and on with the list, every time he flipped to a new letter, he named three or four more books. He would point at the shelf and one of the guards following him would go pick up a book, flip to the last page and see his name written. By the end, he had named fifty-three books and more than forty of them were in the shelf.


    "Since so many of them are here, I suppose your son took the remaining ones too, I wonder what he did with them. They were books to study magic, they were the basics of many elements, I myself studied magic using them. I wonder what he did with them."


    Even without the books on magic, the price was exorbitant already. There was nothing the viscount could do for now but to gulp down his own worry and wait for his son to show up in front of the cold frown of the Muracie standing there.


    The man was doing his best trying to find a way out of this mess. A few dozen plans ranging from trying to kill Emp and the guards right then and there all the way down to simple negotiation came rushing through his mind while he waited for his cursed son to show up.


    At this moment, Emp was glad he had the urge to bring the guards with him. He was not afraid of the viscount or his son but since he was now gathering so much evidence in the form of his lost books, he felt that having them here with him already was very practical.


    The guards all had a grim face, if Emp had not been there, they would never have dared to accuse the son of the viscount of theft so brazenly. Now they were here however and it was their duty to see this whole story through.


    On the other hand, Palonia was jubilant. She felt that justice would soon be served and maybe the city would be rid of the annoying son of Balpoisson sooner than what the citizenry would have believed.


    Emp waited patiently, for the arrival of Maurice Balpoisson. He was boiling inside but his face remained frozen in a cold frown and a straight lined mouth. He was eager to see who that devil might be and more importantly, to turn the tables on him.


    The door opened behind the guards and the awaited Maurice showed up.


    "Father, I heard you were requesting my presence in urgency. I was busy with something so I hope this is... Who are they?"


    Everyone in the room was now staring at him. He was far from being as fat as his father but despite his age, he was still short and pudgy. His hair were greased slick in a wave to his right and his cheeks were inflated like a stuffed poultry. Galana had described him as ugly but even though she was right, Emp would have probably found him more ordinary than ugly if not for his deep anger towards him.


    The face of the viscount was cramped in rage and worry in equal part. Maurice stared at it a second and then at the guards holding dozens of books and the intimidating man in dark armor standing in the middle of it all, his face as cold as a dead fish.


    The door closed behind him and he felt trapped right away. He had no idea what was happening yet but Emp and his lord father didn''t leave him in the dark for long.


    "Son, this man here is a Muracier, the son of the great general, I hear. He is here because/"


    "I''m here to have you pay your debt Maurice." Emp interrupted him.


    "A... A debt? What debt?"


    "Lets not play silly games and run around the facts. You''ve done a lot of bad things, you should confess right now."


    "C-confess what? I-I haven''t done anything! Father, what''s the meaning of this? What are they here for?"


    "The books idiot! What sort of insanity was driving you!" His father yelled with the power of a giant.


    Emp almost felt the room shake. The son quivered but feigned ignorance with a hesitant question.


    "What about them?"


    Emp didn''t even bother to answer his question.


    "Maurice Balpoisson, I hereby accuse you of fraud, unlawful enslavement, two murders, and the theft of over fifty of my books."


    His eyes shot wide and he opened his mouth so wide he could have swallowed a toad whole.


    "What! Where does that come from! You can''t even prove none of it! Why am I being accused of so many crimes?"


    "You are accused because you committed them. I might not have all the proofs in hands yet for the murders and the fraud but I have more than enough in this room to prove you are guilty of theft."


    Maurice seemed like he wanted to scream "What theft?". The only thing that stopped him was how intimidated he felt in front of an actual Muracier.


    "I don''t understand." He meekly said instead.


    He clearly didn''t see the extent of the troubles he was in so Emp had to tell him more clearly about his own situation. He waved the book he was currently holding in front of the noble''s face.


    "Like your father said, it''s about all those books you stole from me."


    Maurice made another confused frown.


    "That''s wrong, those all belonged to a book merchant."


    "Was that book merchant named Galana by chance?"


    The viscount raised his arm in panic in an attempt to stop his son from talking but it was already too late.


    "Yes! Exactly, she''s the one to blame if anything!"


    Having just been told that this woman was a close friend of him and all those books were meant as gifts to her, he knew his son had just thrown himself in the jaws of the beast. His father clutched his own forehead at the idiocy of his son while Emp laughed loudly.


    "I was once told that criminals aren''t usually the brightest people around and I''m witnessing it again today." He told Maurice, shooting a glance at Bonver.


    The guard smiled wryly at how Emp used his pleasantry to insult a noble.


    The noble son gulped down in fear hearing this sinister laughter and seeing his dispirited father. Still, he had to ask, his voice came almost trembling.


    "What''s so funny?"


    "You picked up all the books as they came but you didn''t bother taking the letters too because you felt they were worthless I presume. This is the stupidest mistake you made. Not only it made you blind to what was happening but it also gave me plenty more proof of your wrongdoings. If you had read those letters, you would have known that all those books came from me, Galana is a good friend of mine."


    Maurice shook from head to toe and gasped "Impossible!" before quickly defending himself with something idiotic.


    "I took all those book as part of her debt repayment!"


    "Wrong, that debt was only of fifteen red-dragons, we have enough value in the books here to repay it five times over. She couldn''t have failed to repay her debt if you had taken them for repayment. On top of that, if you did, they would all have been taken together when you went to enslave her but your father confirmed that some of them were gifted to him by you two years ago so you took them as they came in. We''re getting to the best part now. Since they never reached Galana, all those books were still my property when they were stolen, according to our laws, they would only have changed ownership once the delivery was completed. This means you didn''t steal from a poor shop owner but from a high noble instead."


    For Emp, stealing from a commoner or a noble didn''t make a difference but it did for mostly any other nobles. This wasn''t simple theft anymore, it was an act of aggression, a desire to go to war with another noble house to gain power over them.


    Maurice didn''t seem that quick to understand in general but even him could see where this was going.


    "How can you be sure they are truly yours?" He attempted again.


    "You didn''t bother opening any of them, did you? My name is in all of them."


    Emp gestured towards one of the guards and pointed at Maurice, a book was then opened at random and turned towards the noble son to expose the name.


    "It''s only written Emp?"


    "Yes, Emp Muracier is my name, do you have something against it?"


    "No, no, I wouldn''t dare!"


    "Then how did more then fifty of my books end up in the office of your father rather than on the shelves of my friend?"


    "I-I... Why was there no seals on the letters?"


    "No seals? Do you think I will use the official seal of my house to send casual letters to a friend? And By saying that, aren''t you admitting that you knew the books came in with letters and thus, that you were the one who took them?"


    The truth was that he didn''t have any seal but it wasn''t wrong to say he probably wouldn''t have used any for these letters anyway.


    Maurice didn''t know what to say about that and just kept his mouth shut this time. It seemed every time he said something, things got worse for him. His lips shook a bit as he thought about a proper answer but Emp proceeded onward anyway, cutting him off.


    "Speaking of my friend, I have a lot more to complain about still. You lent them money to hire guards and supplies for a single expedition, how did the amount owed reach fifteen red-dragons? This is clearly excessive! The guards, people that you chose yourself by the way, even came back from what I heard meaning this is a fraud. Then, you arranged for her parents death and strangled her shop to bankruptcy by stealing all the books she should have received. I would have played fair and simply helped her pay the dragons she should not have owed you but you had to steal from me as well and enslave my friend."


    Emp pointed the corner of a book right at his nose, anger filling his eyes.


    "It is like you made everything in your power to anger me and so here I am. You achieved your goal."


    The noble son was now sweating profusely, and finally had the bright idea of keeping his mouth shut under the hardest glare his father ever gave him.


    "I know my son sometimes does stupid things, especially when women are involved but I''m sure there must be a more reasonable explanation. He would never dare harm a family with such a name as Muracier for a woman. What would you like us to do to atone for his mistake? What would you want?"


    Emp turned his head towards the viscount and answered his question with a flat tone.


    "I want three things."


    The mouth of the man began to rise into a relieved smile. Emp could be reasoned with! Palonia and the guards felt rather dejected by Emp''s answer however. It was a typical noble thing to do to sweep everything under a rug and make as if it never hapenned.


    Balpoisson would be sorely disappointed when he''d hear the last demand however.


    "First, obviously, I want my friend back, her debt must be erased and she will be handed over to me. What happened to her, where is she?"


    Of course, for the viscount, the answer to that demand was obvious. He didn''t care about Galana at all so handing her over was an evidence. He probably didn''t even know who she was before Emp started talking about her in his office.


    He barked the order at his son.


    "Have her brought here this instant!"


    "But father..." Maurice started saying with a disgusted face.


    "Don''t you dare complain now after what you''ve done!"


    In exasperation, the viscount rang the bell again and summoned the servants.


    "Find me this Galana and have her brought here as fast as humanly possible."


    While they waited for Galana to join them, the viscount listened intently to Emp''s second demand.


    "My second demand should also be obvious, I will get all my books back. I have a full list of them in those letters and I want none of them missing. Most are here in this room but there are still some that aren''t, here are the names of the missing books."


    Emp named each in turn and the viscount hurriedly wrote down the names on a paper of his own.


    "I will have servants search for them in the mansion. Unless my son here decides to be of help and tell them were they are so we can gain some time?"


    It was formulated like an interrogation but the glare that went along with it made it clear it was an order instead.


    "In my room." Maurice mumbled.


    Another batch of servants shuffled out of the room to go fetch the requested items.


    Everyone else remained quiet in the room. Emp was in no mood to talk about anything, the two noble felt pressured by him and kept their mouths shut, the guards were just silent observers and Palonia felt that Emp had everything in hand and didn''t need her input.


    The viscount wanted to know the last demand of Emp but he refused to say it until the first two were fulfilled.


    After ten long minutes of waiting, the door opened and a woman was dragged inside. It was obviously Galana but she was barely recognizable. She seemed almost lifeless, she was so thin her bones could be seen all across her body through her skin. She was naked, dirty and her hair was disheveled. Because she had no strength left, or maybe because she was left hopeless, she didn''t stand on her own and was dragged across the floor instead by the two servants. She was facing downward and her head was hung low so Emp couldn''t see her face.


    He felt stunned by her appearance and his mouth half opened in shock. She had clearly been starved, to him, she seemed broken.


    Palonia dropped all the books she was holding, not caring for their great value and rushed to Galana''s side as she was lowered to the ground in the room.


    "Galana! By the ancestors!"


    She knelt at her side and cradled her head onto her lap.


    "Palonia? Is that really you?"


    "Yes, it''s me, we came to help you."


    "Sorry, its too late, I''m sorry, I-I-I..."


    Galana then started sobbing weakly. Emp didn''t say a word and didn''t move a hair while they talked. He did not know how to interact with the current Galana.


    The viscount''s face turned even paler before turning back to dark red in anger.


    "Maurice! What''s the meaning of this! Were you tired of living?!"


    "No, it''s not my fault! I swear! When we came to take her, she killed one of my men and ended up rotting in jail under the castle for the past two weeks. I only managed to get her out of there today at the condition of making her a branded slave. I had to pay for the whole procedure myself too! I was coming back from there when you called for me."


    So she had been spared the company of Maurice for all this time but in exchange, she had to starve in a damp cell underground. Emp had no doubt she would have rather stayed there than accepted following him out, even though she had clearly suffered in the dark.


    The point that attracted his attention the most however was when he mentioned turning her into a sealed slave. He couldn''t see the seal anywhere on her. At first, he thought that Maurice didn''t have the time to seal her yet but it wouldn''t fit his story.


    "Where is the seal?" He asked dryly.


    Maurice flinched and pointed his own forehead. At this point, it was obvious to him that Galana was important to Emp and he knew really well how he would react to the placement of the seal but he had no choice other than to answer the question.


    Palonia Made a disgusted face and brushed Galana''s hair away, raising her head slightly to expose a large fish with puffed cheeks wearing a gallant hat right in the center of her forehead.


    Galana sobbed some more with her eyes closed and tried to hide it with her hands unsuccessfully. She didn''t have the necessary strength to push away Palonia''s hand anymore.


    Emp drew a deep breath through his teeth. He felt even more angry than before. The location of a seal like that couldn''t be changed once placed. Even if it was removed properly, there would still be a scar remaining. Maurice could have requested it being made anywhere at all but of course, he had to place it at the most obvious spot for all to see like some sick trophy.


    Emp gave him a dark disgusted look and Maurice shrunk on the spot, stepping back in an attempt to escape the anger radiating from him.


    His books hadn''t all been returned to him yet but Emp didn''t feel like waiting anymore and spat out his last demand.


    "Here''s my third request, I want him to be judged and sentenced according to the gravity of his crimes along with all his mercenary collaborator. Usually, a clear value must be attributed to the allegedly stolen goods but this part will have to wait because my book specialist is clearly in no shape to do the job and has been tied to the accused."


    "This is excessive! That is heavy handed and not how nobles around here usually proceeds. Could we not come to a less damaging agreement?" The viscount complained hurriedly.


    "No, I will deal with your corrupted son as I please, just like in a war, decisively and heavily. Two murders, theft, fraud, unlawful enslavement and personal sleight against a high noble The mercenaries will be charged of murder and fraud as well unless they admit participating in the theft of those books as well."


    "But I''m the heir of the third biggest family in the city." Maurice defended himself in a rather pointless and unsightly way.


    "And I am the Muracier heir, second strongest family in the empire. I am not convinced you can but if you use your head, you should understand the difference between second of an empire and third of a city."


    "Emp?" Galana whispered weakly.


    She had still not raised her head so she had not seen him yet but his voice and the mention of the name Muracier made her understand he had come along with Palonia. She buried herself further into the embrace of her friend in reaction.


    "You can''t! You can''t prove anything and you''ll cause unnecessary unrest!"


    The cheeks of Maurice bounced crazily as he spit out the words in a panic along with globs of saliva.


    "I can and I will. Between her and the books, I will have more than enough proofs to bring you down. You are worth nothing to me, you are a thieving pile of rot who harassed the good citizens of Red-water for too long already. Submit yourself to the judgment of a lawful court or try your luck in a trial by combat."


    Emp stared at him menacingly until the young noble flinched and looked away. He wasn''t stupid enough to challenge a Muracier in a trial by combat, he had better chances of getting out of this with a trial.


    Emp then turned his head towards the viscount and added a few words.


    "Sacrifice your corrupted son to cleanse your house or I bring the whole thing down."


    The fat viscount shifted his weight left and right as he thought some more about his options.


    Currently he had lost the books so he couldn''t go against the accusations of theft but his son still held the girl in slavery with a seal. He could potentially use her as leverage, if he refused to hand her over and something happened to his son, the girl would die as well. No one could force the transference of a sealed slave, his son had to be willing in order for it to work, as long as they had that card, they might be able to get out of this mess.


    If they weren''t able to however and his son refused to transfer ownership of the girl until his last breath just to spite the Muracier, his reckless action might spell the end of their entire house.


    The question was, was it worth the risk of angering the strongest noble house of the empire over a common girl? The Muracier heir might be fond of her but the viscount didn''t feel that anyone with a similar standing would bow in front of him just to save the life of a common girl. He might only anger him more by taking her hostage.


    Alternatively, his first son was the root cause of this problem. If he got rid of him, his other children and his entire legacy would be fine for sure. Emp had been very clear on that.


    If he let go of his son just like that however, the rest of the nobility might take him for a coward and worse, Maurice might feel that he was doomed and do something stupid to bring the rest of them down with him.


    He dearly wished to test the waters with Emp and attempt to find out how he would react to him refusing to hand over the girl but if he did, the chances of Maurice picking up on his idea was high. If it turned out that keeping the girl hostage was too dangerous, he would not be able to convince his son to hand her over anymore.


    The viscount weighed many possibilities in his head until he came to the conclusion that his son wasn''t fit to hold on to the important piece that was the girl. She was the only way to save him yes, but she was also the greatest risk of destroying his whole house.


    He released a heavy sigh and slumped down onto his chair.


    "I understand, we will accept this trial and I will do my best to prove his innocence. In the meantime, Maurice, you will hand over the ownership of that girl to me."


    "What! Why?"


    "Because I don''t trust you with it after what you''ve done. Can you even explain why she is naked?" The viscount shouted in anger.


    Galana curled on herself some more to hide her nakedness but it was mostly ineffective. Emp kept looking away to not shame her further.


    "I-I was about to/"


    "Do not speak a word further." His father hurriedly interrupted him with disdain. "Someone find her some clothes so that we can all go change the seal. Then, we''ll go talk this all out with count Staedler. Would this satisfy you?" He asked Emp.


    The count Staedler was the lord of Red-water city, if there was a trial to be had, he would be the one to preside it. He was fine with that part but not on who the ownership of Galana would be transferred to.


    "I''d rather she was given to the care of an impartial third party."


    The viscount stood his ground, braving the Muracier''s wrath.


    "I cannot allow it for now, I''m sure you understand."


    Emp''s eyes scanned his face for a good ten seconds of tense silence before he agreed reluctantly.


    "She will be treated well." He stated just like an order instead.


    The viscount approved vigorously and shouted in relief inside his own head. Now, he would be in control of the most important piece of this whole puzzle. He would be able to hand it over, sacrifice it or use it at this own convenience without the interference of his son.

 123 Trial part 1

    Clothes were soon found for the frail Galana and Palonia helped her dress. Emp kept his back turned from her for modesty reasons and once they were done, everyone moved out of the mansion. They brought the books and Galana with them as well as they were all important proofs for Emp''s story.


    Because there were so many books however, they had to call in some more guards to carry everything. Emp would have picked up everything in his bag but he was conscious that they might say he added more than there originally was if he did so they had to transport everything the old fashioned way.


    Palonia was the one to carry the weakened Galana on the way. She let herself be carried without complaining because she did not feel like she could walk by herself. This and also because she felt too much shame to face anyone right now and preferred to hide in the arms of her old friend.


    She didn''t feel like she had any control over anything anymore and she just let herself be dragged along by the rest of them. From her point of view, nothing much was making sense anymore. Emp was here but he wasn''t anything like she remembered. Adding on to that the fact that he couldn''t possibly have reached the city already after having received her letter, she was almost convinced she had gone insane in her cell under the castle.


    Before this man pretending to be Emp and Palonia showed up, everything had progressed pretty similarly to what she had expected.


    Galana had felt desperate when Balpoisson himself showed up at her store to take her. She had clutched the dagger tightly and seeing him from the window with his devious smile, she hoped she would manage to take him down.


    She had hid herself just at the side of the door, her back pressed against the wall and waited patiently. They knocked and knocked but of course she did not open the door for them.


    Believing she was hiding somewhere in a corner, they kicked the door open and the moment she saw the tip of a boot pass the door frame at her side, she spun in front of them, jumping out of her hiding spot. Holding the dagger with both of her hands, she didn''t wait for them to react and stabbed straight at the one leading.


    Sadly it wasn''t Balpoisson but just one of the traitorous junk that escorted her parents in the woods. The man reacted with surprise and fear by flailing at her, hitting her on the shoulder and knocking her to the ground. Thankfully however, the dagger had already went through his windpipe and blood flowed in a waterfall from his throat.


    Galana shuddered and the sight and scrambled back to dodge the blood spurting forth from his dying gurgle. She had never tolerated to see injuries like that, a bit of blood from a paper cut or old scars were fine but so much gore disgusted her to no end. She screamed at herself to jump back up and take the dagger again while the men behind the dying one cursed and screamed but her legs would not follow her orders and just pushed her further back.


    After the guy finally died, capturing her didn''t take more than a moment. The mercenaries looked at her with hatred and wanted to beat her up but Balpoisson objected because he wanted to keep her in good condition.


    She insulted him profusely, calling him a rancid fish ass and a retarded rodent with slime for brains as well as many other things.


    She didn''t manage to anger him at all however because he knew he had already won. His mood only soured when the guards showed up and decided to bring her to prison for the murder she just committed in broad daylight.


    She laughed at his face while the guards brought her away and was soon locked in a cell.


    At first, she was very happy to be here instead of in the custody of the man she hated but her conviction grew blurrier and fainter every day she spent there. The count Staedler had to take a decision for her sentence and only two possibilities existed as penance for her crime. It was either execution or a life sentence of slavery.


    The count didn''t have any patience with a murderous woman and didn''t see what good she''d be with forced labor so he was more inclined to hang her. Because of this, she was barely given any food or water to sustain herself. What was the point of nourishing a dead person after all?


    She spent her days in the dark, with humidity to make her shiver but not enough to provide her with something to drink. There was nothing to lay down on but stone and she felt worse everyday from hunger and tiredness. She felt miserable but at least, Balpoisson was denied his victory.


    She didn''t cry or complain for the whole time she was there. She just stayed laying on the floor of the cell awaiting her end.


    At that time, she wondered if her letter had reached Emp, she tried to imagine his reaction to it. She remembered exactly what she wrote but she couldn''t decide how he would react to each sentences, always picturing two different set of reactions. One where he was saddened or angered and another where he laughed like a noble, amused by how she misunderstood him so badly. She sincerely hoped her first set of reactions was closer to the truth than the other but she couldn''t help but doubt.


    Then, Balpoisson showed up again.


    She had felt so defeated when she was finally handed over to him anyway but she had no strength left to resist anymore. She wanted to insult him some more, she wished nothing more that to strangle him right away but she could not. She only watched helplessly while they carved the seal onto her forehead. It was very painful but she didn''t have the strength to oppose them.


    She believed that she had finally lost for good but not even hours after, she was brought back out of his house in the arms of Palonia and the ownership of her was transferred to the father of Balpoisson. It took hours to be done because the whole magic circle for transferring ownership of a sealed slave had to be made specifically for the current owner and he had to do the finishing touches himself.


    She still felt doomed but there was now a small light of hope dangled in front of her. There was Palonia and the wrong Emp fighting for her it seemed.


    She was conflicted about this. She had not wanted to worry them, she had not wanted to place them in trouble and she felt pathetic right now, she wished Palonia didn''t see her like this. Deep inside however, she felt so happy that they came to help. She desperately wanted their help even though she felt like she couldn''t ask for it and didn''t really deserve it.


    As for the man wearing the somber armor pretending to be Emp, she didn''t know what to think of him. Everyone seemed to believe it was him but it just seemed wrong to her. First of all, the timing was impossible, even if the caravan carrying the letter moved without wasting time, they should have just reached B¨ºt¨¦clair where he was supposed to be. His mere presence was the proof that it couldn''t really be him.


    When she took a glance at him, his face seemed familiar but the rest of him didn''t have the right height or shape. She understood hat people grew up but aside from his height, he had also become broader of shoulders and looked way more serious than before.


    His actions were completely different than what she remembered of him. The Emp she knew would have walked in alone with a naive outlook of things and just asked to pay off her debt politely. Even if he was told no, he would have proposed more and more money until they changed their mind. This Emp stormed in followed by guards and threatened to erase the whole Balpoisson house out of existence if her tormentor didn''t pay for what he did. This other Emp was intimidating and decisive where as the old one was foolish and simple.


    As they were walking back towards the castle to have an audience with the count, she shared her doubts with Palonia.


    "Are you really sure it''s Emp?"


    "Of course I am, don''t you recognize him?"


    "No..."


    Palonia shook her head in a mildly amused way. She might have found it funnier if Galana wasn''t in that state.


    "He''s got the same face, he''s wearing an armor my sister made and the guards saw his card. Plus, no one is stupid enough to impersonate a Muracier."


    That was sort of true but she also knew that Emp had never really been a Muracier in the first place, he had told her so himself.


    The aura of mystery surrounding him only got worse when they met the count later. Emp showed him the letters. The impossible was somehow happening right in front of her, he couldn''t have them yet he did. Was it a miracle or a strange trick of fate? Whether it was him or not, there was nothing she could do about it in her current state.


    She just remained motionless in Palonia''s embrace and listened to the conversation happening in the petition hall.


    "I have already found proof of his wrongdoing in the form of all the books he stole from me." Emp was saying. "All of them are mentioned in my letters to Galana Whisryba over there and all of them were signed by my hand so there is no doubt that they are indeed mine. I have Palonia Gladius here and the guards as witness that we found them in his father''s office too. I request a third party expert to evaluate the books so that we can know for sure what the value of what he stole me was. Plus, those books were supposed to be used to repay the debt of Galana towards him, that debt was of fifteen red dragons but if you allow her to speak under an order to say only the truth, I intend to prove that fifteen dragons was an exaggerated amount and that she should never have been marked for enslavement in the first place. Finally, again with her testimony and those of the mentioned mercenaries, I intend to prove that this man Maurice Balpoisson arranged the murder of her parents and stole the fruit of their labor."


    The lord count Staedler was a bit taken aback by the words of Emp and looked at the gathered nobles with an air of perplexity. Around them, guards, knights and other petitioners where looking with curiosity at the strange scene happening in front of them.


    "Are you... really sure you want to go forth with all those accusations?"


    "Of course I am."


    The count scratched his head and turned around towards the viscount.


    "Viscount, do you have anything to say?"


    "I will try my best to convince you of my son''s innocence at the trial my lord." he answered simply.


    "I see..."


    The count still seemed at a loss on what was happening but did as he should and placed all the books under lock until the trial he set to be held two days from now.


    The next thing that happened was that Emp requested Galana to be held away from her current owner for the time being because she knew many of his and the Muracier''s family secret.


    The count seemed skeptical but Emp affirmed that she knew the current location of the great general, same for his brother, what they were doing and many of his secrets including some even the emperor wanted to keep hidden.


    "In light of this, I can''t allow for the possibility of anyone using the seal to force information out of her. I need to be present at all times when her current owner, viscount Balpoisson is close."


    So in the end, was this why he came? Not because she was a friend but simply because he couldn''t afford to let her talk. She should have known from the start.


    "Far from me to criticize how you handle this sort of information but why would a common girl know all this?" The count asked hesitantly.


    "She''s my oldest friend and I trust her with the information. I just never expected her to fall because of such a convoluted scheme. Even then, I gave her a dagger to defend herself in case something happened. I was rather disappointed when I learned she had only gotten one of her aggressors, I would have killed them all."


    The count made a small frown.


    "Yes, I have no doubt you would have. Fine then, I will allow her to remain here for now."


    "But my lord! I need to interrogate her so that I can build a proper defense for my son."


    The viscount Balpoisson protested.


    "You could just ask your son to tell you what he did. You don''t need Galana. Anyway, I''m not asking you not to talk to her, I''m saying I need to be there if you do to make sure you won''t ask for an information you should not have."


    "The young Muracier is right, this shouldn''t cause you any problems. It will also stop you from ordering her to lie at the trial." The count cut the argument. "You can all go now except the witness. We''ll all see each-other at the trial."


    Everyone walked out the way they came and Galana was left alone in the petition hall. Soon after a guard came to escort her to a room. She had been extremely worried that she might get placed in a cell again but with a Muracier calling her his oldest friend, the Count didn''t take any chances and had her stay in a proper room.


    She stayed there until the trial but this time around, she was well fed and a healing mage even came to examine her. By some sort of fated coincidence, it was the same mage who took care of Emp''s leg and arm that came to give her some tonics and check on her health. His name was Bernard Forcore, Galana didn''t remember it but the mage reminded her right as he stepped into the room.


    The mage had forgotten her name too and just called her "guide of the Muracier". He was very talkative but Galana was in no mood to answer to any of his words. She just let him examine her from head to toe and drank whatever he told her to consume.


    "You are less nagging than last time we met, I still don''t understand what the Muracier finds interesting enough in you to try to get you out of this. Also, you should take better care of yourself, you are malnourished and suffering from mild dehydration. I''ll give you something to make you feel better but you must eat properly from now on. And you should also do some exercises to reawaken your muscles."


    As if it was her fault! She''d have argued back but she didn''t feel strong enough to do it. Instead, she did as she was told and did some light exercises in between long sessions of rest.


    Everything he had her drink to fix her starvation problem had a horrible taste but at least, she felt much stronger by the time the trial began.


    In the end, the viscount never came to ask her anything.


    *-*-*-*


    After Emp left the castle, it was already getting dark but he still followed Palonia back to her shop to meet with Tiberius and tell them both what happened with him and Marcellia.


    Tiberius was very similar in appearance with his sister except that he was manly and rough. He had a wide beard and a deep booming voice. He reminded Emp a lot of Strength.


    His uncle also had the same way of speaking than Marcy.


    "Who are ya exactly? Will ya two explain what ya did all day?"


    Emp started by introducing himself as Emp Muracier and as expected, Tiberius didn''t sound impressed at all. Like Marcy he kept strong memories of a past where he saw Chijou often so as long as Emp didn''t act overbearingly, he would threat him as just anybody else. There was also the fact that he was still angry about Chijou disappearing on his sister without a word.


    Emp decided to tell the two of them most of the story to let them understand better how he felt about Marcy.


    He told them about how Chijou died and Chinui left and how the emperor himself wanted no one to know about this. Tiberius and Palonia made some sad expressions but they had expected his death so that part still wasn''t that shocking.


    The next part was much harder to understand. He told them about how he wasn''t actually born but instead made from a part of Chinui, the soul of Chijou and something else he chose to not disclose.


    Then, he told them how he met her and didn''t know about her relationship to Chijou and everything that happened until it all evolved into their current relationship where he called her mom.


    "It makes sense for me because neither Chijou or Chinui got married in the end and neither had kids. Marcy should have been the wife of Chijou and her child should have been the heir. Since I have no human mother, it''s only fair to call her mom because she would have been it if I was born the normal way."


    The two had a hard time believing that strange story but as always, it came back to the fact that the Muraciers never lied. If he was one like the card suggested, then his story should be true. But if the story was true, could he truly be considered a Muracier, was he human at all?


    "Does it really matter? It makes Marcy happy when I call her mom and she''s been teaching me a lot."


    "I guess not but it doesn''t change how I think this whole thing is strange. Why didn''t she tell us and why don''t she just find another guy and have her own kids instead."


    "Tibi, that''s rude!" Palonia said.


    "I''m just saying!" He said raising his hands over his head.


    Emp didn''t know at all how to answer their concerns so he decided that it was probably time to leave and find himself a room at an inn somewhere. He excused himself after saying goodbye and went to look for the place he stayed at last time.


    "See? He left because of you."


    "He didn''t! I''ve got nothing to to with this."


    Emp heard them argue as he left. Whether Tiberius appreciated him or not or whether he believed his story or not, Emp didn''t think it changed his relationship with Marcy at all. he''d probably feel better once he talked to his sister properly. Emp believed he was in the wrong for springing this on him out of nowhere. It would have been much more strange if he just accepted it without complaints.


    He found the inn he last stayed at without problems and the pregnant lady at the desk wasn''t pregnant anymore. He paid for a room and like usual, he slept like a log.


    He feared that he might be too angry against Balpoisson to sleep properly but he was wrong. Because of how things went today, he believed that on the day of the trial, the young man would get the punishment he deserved.


    In the next few days, Emp didn''t remain Idle and made sure he found everything he needed to properly crush Maurice Balpoisson at the trial. He found and had the mercenaries that were hired arrested to be accused along the noble, he sent Bernard to heal Galana so that she would be able to speak properly at the trial, He put the letters in order to easily find the relevant passages, he had the books evaluated by two different experts to know for sure what the total value of them was and he found death seekers and mercenaries who often went out in the wild to expose what the amount of the debt should have really been instead of the fifteen dragons Galana was asked for. He even went back to the merchants guild to ask for information on where old artifacts found in ruins could have been sold, tracked down all these places and had them look for written traces of possible transactions with things the traitorous mercenaries might have brought back from their murderous trip.


    He left nothing to chance and came fully prepared for the trial.


    Town criers had announced this everywhere as Muracier against Balpoisson and a large crowd gathered for the promised entertainment. For the common folk, it did not really matter if Maurice was found guilty or not, all they cared for was how entertaining it would most probably be. That and also, everyone desired to see what a Muracier looked like. Whatever reason they chose to come, all of them were driven by curiosity rather than a thirst for justice.


    Emp understood he shouldn''t be showing himself in front of a whole city like that but at this point, he did not really care much for secrecy. Anyway, the people of Red-water saw him before already. He had made no efforts to hide the name the first time around so hiding it now was pointless, those that already knew would recognize him anyway and spread the word.


    Since his name could help with the current situation, he didn''t worry about spreading the news too swiftly. He would only worry about the duke and Blackbull scolding him once it was done. For now, he just needed to get Galana out of her predicament and erase Maurice.


    Using that as an excuse to feel better about showing himself in front of so many people even thought he had been careful to stay hidden, he came wearing his suit of armor like last time. He held the helm under his arm to show his head and didn''t shy away from the large crowd.


    Emp had never seen so many people at the same place before. He had expected many to show up but this was just exaggerated. The crowd was so immense in fact that the count had no choice but to hold the trial outside on the central square instead of in the petition hall like he usually did. A stage was quickly erected and a rope made of guards kept the public at bay while everything was put in place for the event. The crowd filled the whole square and went on into the large streets as far as he could see between the buildings.


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    At the back of the stage, in an elevated central position was sitting the count Staedler and one of his wives. At his side, his first son and his own wife were sat together a bit lower. On the other side of him, a place had been reserved for Emp himself as not only was he the main accuser he was also the highest ranked individual present.


    There was also the Balpoisson family present of course as well as the viscount Rougefond and his own family that came to assist to the trouble of their long time rivals.


    In front of them all, the ten accused stood in a neat row surrounded by guards. There where nine mercenaries Emp hadn''t bothered to hear the names of and Maurice Balpoisson.


    On his side of the stage, Emp had also brought the experts he wanted to testify for him, the evidences and the witnesses, including Galana herself. She was still as thin as paper but at least now she had regained some color, could stand on her own and she wasn''t naked. An eel wearing a ballgown was now drawn on her forehead for all to see, the symbol of the viscount replacing that of his son. Emp was pretty angry to see it there but there was nothing he could do about it, Galana probably wanted to hide it much more than he did but she couldn''t do so here and now.


    Emp walked up on the stage with the crowd pointing his way in curiosity and buzzing chatter. He didn''t pay attention to what they were all saying and after a half bow towards the count, he sat on his reserved place and dropped the helm beside his leg.


    Soon after, the count rose from his own seat and addressed himself to everyone with a loud voice. All the discussions died to let him talk and the trial started.


    He first welcomed everyone and thanked them for their presence. He then presented Emp as the accuser, making a point of stating his full name and title, and did the same with the accused.


    He listed the crimes Emp wanted to place on their heads and asked them each if they wanted to contest the accusations or confess their wrongdoings. They were all denied the trial by combat because the evidences against them were too many to waste everyone''s time with such a farce. The only way for them to request the trial by combat would be to make the crowd and the count doubt the evidence against them enough to blur the line between guilt and false accusation.


    Emp believed he could take them all on and he might even be glad to but he didn''t intend to let anyone have any doubt on their guilt.


    The ten man all contested the accusations weighting on them and following their answers, the count asked Emp to provide evidence of their guilt. For each piece of information or evidence, the accused would all get a chance to defend themselves. They could also ask for the testimony of friends or their own experts to vouch for them or breakdown their opponents arguments.


    Emp might not have been a good player when it came to all the schemes running rampant in the noble society of the empire but here, in a trial, he felt that truth should hold all the power and he was very confident in himself when it came to that sort of things. Muraciers never lie after all.


    Emp started with the easiest thing in the list to prove. He presented to the crowd all the books he had found in Morice''s father office as well as those they got from his own room and had the count read aloud the passages in the letters he sent to Galana where he mentioned them. The books where all opened and in each, his name was found on the last page.


    Experts were called on the stage and expressed their own opinions on the total value of the stolen collection. Out of the three, the lowest estimate was of two hundred and thirty red dragons worth of books. The crowd gasped at the ridiculous amount of money stated. 23,000 golden crowns for books! When Emp had been told that the books would gain in value if he signed them, he had not expected their worth to swell so much.


    Maurice defended himself by saying that he had just bought them all to a travelling merchant.


    Emp explained again in return that all those books had been sent by caravans from B¨ºt¨¦clair months apart. If he had truly bought them all, he would have had to meet the same travelling merchant multiple times and this man would have had to sell every single one of the books to him and never to anyone else. This just seemed impossible, at least one or two should have been found in the possession of the said merchant or anyone else but they had all been found in their home.


    The viscount defended his son by saying that he was a big fan of the Muracier and especially requested to be sold books with his name signed in it.


    The crowd booed but the count seemed to think it might be possible. Emp argued back in frustration pointing out that neither of them knew he existed before he showed up the other day and the name Muracier wasn''t written in any of the books, Only his surname, Emp, was present. They couldn''t even name the supposed merchant or have him brought here, because according to them, the merchant had already left town. It was clearly a bold lie.


    However, he had no way to prove that they didn''t know of his existence before that day and he couldn''t prove that the merchant didn''t exist either. Despite this small setback, the evidence against them was still overwhelming and he was confident that his next witness would destroy their defense.


    He waited for the nine mercenaries to claim one by one that they had nothing to do with this and that none of the books were even in their possessions and called a man on the stage. It was the caravan leader, the mustachioed man that escorted him and his wife to Dark-glint just before. Funnily enough, the man had no recollection of him even if he traveled along with them but he did remember the nine mercenaries as they picked up a package from his caravan every time he went to Red-water.


    He firmly identified them and even said there was one missing, when asked what they were picking up, he answered it was books, every time, when he had any. He had been in the caravan business for long so he had made many a trip from Red-water to B¨ºt¨¦clair and back so he forgot most of the people that rode with him. However, the same ten mercenaries stopping his caravan on their way into the city to pick up books from the delivery carriage so many times was odd enough for him to remember clearly.


    The mercenaries turned pale and one even screamed in panic that it was a lie. They had no way to defend themselves from that aside from denying everything in block. In contrast, it was Maurice''s turn to claim it had nothing to do with him.


    Emp was just getting started however, now he had to explain everything else he was accusing them of and doing so, expose the strange motives of Maurice for doing all this.


    Emp proceeded to explain to the crowd and count what he was sending the books by caravan for. He told them all that he was sending them as gifts to Galana in order to help her repay her debt. He pointed out that Maurice was the owner of that debt and emphasized how curious it was that the valued items he sent his friend ended up in the house of the one she owed money to without ever reducing her debt of fifteen RD.


    They claimed it was simple coincidence but now even the count was frowning at the obvious connection.


    Now was the time for the most important part, he needed Galana to take the center of the stage and answer the questions of everyone present. If everything went well, her words would be damning for the culprits, if it went wrong, everything could be lost.


    Presented as the one supposed to receive the books, his friend, the crowd stared at her hard and gasped when everyone clearly saw the seal of Balpoisson on her forehead. It was one thing to turn someone a slave but to place the seal in such a place was unsightly, who would do that?


    The viscount shot a frustrated look at his son once more for doing something so crude and under the request of the count, he ordered Galana to only say the truth from now on. Compelled by the seal, she would be unable to lie to those present for the trial.


    Emp felt that everything was in the bag now, he only had to ask the right questions and Maurice would be found guilty. He had not expected that the count Staedler would put a large crack in his strategy right from the beginning.


    Because he was presiding the whole thing, the count was allowed to ask his own questions whenever he pleased and decided to start with a very simple one.


    "So, you are the friend of Emp Muracier sitting beside me?"


    "I... Am unsure." She answered on the most uncertain of tones.


    Emp felt everyone in the crowd stop breathing just like him. Never before in his life had he ever wanted to scream idiot with his whole being but he now found himself struggling to stop himself from doing just that.

 124 Trial part 2

    Galana was standing in front of a huge crowd and had just declared that she was unsure on whether Emp was her friend or not.


    She understood this wasn''t at all an answer that would help her but she was currently compelled to say the truth, she couldn''t do otherwise. She really wanted to slap herself in the face right now but she couldn''t help it. This was the one thing she had struggled to understand this whole time, Emp''s motives.


    Did he really have to ask that? What was even the connection with the theft of Emp''s books? Could he not have just kept his mouth shut for crying out loud.


    "You''re unsure?" The son of the count repeated with a raised brow.


    Galana had never seen him do anything for the city before. The only thing she had ever heard about him was when he got married about two years ago. She held no respect for him or his wife but he was still a noble so she had to answer his question.


    She wasn''t quite sure how to clear up the confusion but the seal forced the words out of her anyway.


    "I hate nobles," She continued, cursing herself again.


    She heard a good amount of people behind her in the crowd scoffing because of her answer. Saying she hated nobles right in front of them was nothing less than disastrous for her so the others could only gasp or laugh in reaction. She did her best to ignore them as the words continued to spill out.


    "They caused all my problems, they never did anything good for me, I even ended up here as a slave because of them. I just wish they had all left me alone. Emp is different, I do not hate him. I would be really happy to be his friend but I''m... Not sure I can ever be. He''s a high noble at the very top of the chain and I''m just... no one."


    The crowd grew quiet again behind her.


    "I met him almost three years ago and this whole time, I''ve had no money, I accomplished nothing, I insulted him, I was insufferable and selfish, and I was in debts over my head. He remained friendly the whole time and he''s here again today but I can''t help but wonder if he''s really here for me or if he''s here for something else. He''s acting friendly and he''s trying to help me but his he truly doing it for me or is he here for the books or maybe even to make sure I won''t reveal any secrets to the viscount and his son?"


    On her right, she could see the group of accused men smiling in pleasure, the viscount was straight up laughing. On her left, she could see Emp grounding his teeth in frustration. He seemed like a really carefree person the first time she met him and sounded like that too in his letters but every time she saw him in person, she managed to anger him.


    Emp got back on his feet and took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke to the count.


    "I have three things to say about what she just said, can I talk?"


    The count was left speechless by the way Galana had answered his simple question so he was glad that Emp got up to take the relay.


    "Go ahead."


    "Thank you. First of all, I would like to point out that no one would have dared say this sort of thing if not for the order to say only the truth so I''m sure we can all agree, the order is working."


    Some folk in the crowd laughed at that, indeed everyone agreed on that point. No one here would have dared say they hated nobles in front of so many people. The count nodded as well and Emp went on to the next point.


    "Secondly, my motives for being here have nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of the ten accused men here. Whether I''m helping her or not doesn''t change what they did."


    So he wasn''t here for her after all... She felt her heart clench as she heard his words. He had not said it explicitly but what he did say was the same as admitting it. It was very painful to hear even if she had suspected it was the case all along.


    Emp turned on himself and looked directly at her for his next words. She was surprised to hear him shout.


    "Finally, you are a huge idiot! You are always calling me that but you are way worse! Do you really think I would do all that for just a few books? Do you really think I care about those?"


    She glared at him. Even in her current situation, she wouldn''t let herself be shouted at without yelling back.


    "They''re worth over 230 dragons! How could you not care!"


    "Because I am not greedy like you! If I was I would not have sent all of those to you! Any three of them could have paid back your debt but I sent over fifty because it is you I care about!"


    He dared call her greedy! He could well speak with a fortune in his pocket!


    "I''m not greedy, you''re just wasting huge amounts of money all the time for no reason! I told you people don''t just give precious things like that for no reason! How do I know the goal wasn''t to bring down this guy? Who''s dumb enough to keep sending so many precious books even if he''s told to stop!"


    Emp stepped closer and threw is arm in the direction of the noble. Throwing his words in the air with the back of his hand as he spoke.


    "Why would I even do that? Maurice is just a nobody I do not even know! He could be a blat, a rat or an inside out beheaded fish I would still not bother with him! Why can you not just accept a gift like a normal person and just say thank you?"


    She pressed the tip of her finger on his breastplate and pushed on it hard as she answered just as loudly. She would have liked to make him back off but he didn''t move an inch.


    "Because you''re an idiot who can''t tell when someone is taking advantage of him like me! You''d give anything to anyone as long as they asked for it! It doesn''t mean you think I''m your friend! Anyone in the crowd here could just say right now that they don''t have food for dinner and you''d give them a gold crown to pay for a meal! After all I did, I don''t want to take advantage of your stupidity on top!"


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    "It is not stupidity it is goodwill! I am offering you my help! That is clearly a concept you do not understand! Of course if someone is in trouble I will help! If you had just let me pay it two years ago none of this would have happened and you would not have an ugly fish tattooed on your forehead! You only have the skin on your bones left! You are clearly the bull-headed idiot here!"


    He pushed her hand aside and glared at her just as strongly as she was doing it. The crowd behind her was deathly silent and so were the nobles on the stage with them. They all had dumb struck faces. Clearly they had never seen such an unsightly public dispute between a noble and a slave. The only one that seemed to react without too much surprise was the guard who had already seen the same sort of scene once before, years ago.


    The two of them where way too caught in their quarrel to spare a look at any of them however. Galana yelled at him again, there was a difference between goodwill and selfishly intervening just to make himself look good.


    "If you care so little about the books then why did you even come back here to get them? You just gave me a bunch of trash you didn''t care about to satisfy your desire to help a poor girl in need? You never came to visit even once in two years, you would just have stayed in a rich people place and never seen me again if I wasn''t enslaved! You only came back to make sure I wouldn''t tell everyone what''s happening with the Muraciers!"


    "I did not come back here because I was busy! Was it not obvious in my letters? Have you not noticed what I am doing right now? I was ordered to hide my identity until I was ready and instead I am standing here on a stage in front of hundreds of people with a count a two viscounts because I am trying to help you! Do you think I care at this point what the emperor ordered all those years ago? Do I have to scream every secrets I have here to make you understand how much I care about you?"


    Emp seemed more than ready to do it, he stretched his back as if he was about to yell all of them but she stopped him with a kick in the shin. She had forgotten she wasn''t wearing shoes so she hurt her toe on his armor and cursed before protesting.


    "I''d rather not be hanged over your stupidity thank you! Your story isn''t even right! How could you have been all the way in B¨ºt¨¦clair but still get here so fast after I sent my last letter? Muraciers aren''t supposed to ever lie but I never know with you! You keep saying things with an honest face but none of it ever makes sense!"


    Emp leaned forward to get to her eye level and grabbed her shoulders as if to shake her in exasperation.


    "It is not making sense only because you are not willing to hear the actual truth! I tell you the truth and you take it as a lie almost every time! The day I received your letter, I ran all the way here alone from B¨ºt¨¦clair and it took me most of the day. I jumped over the pit in the howling hill to gain time and then I got caught by a sloth because I made the mistake of running here alone. I could have died twice on my way here but I had to come as fast as possible, no matter what, because I was scared for you! I could have taken it slow but instead I rushed here in a day and almost killed myself twice because I like you!"


    Gasps sounded everywhere around them, neither of them noticed and Galana froze like the nobles had before her.


    "I made all this and then, the first complete sentence I hear you say since I arrived is that you are not sure I am your friend! I cannot believe it! Since you said you wished to be my friend then just accept my friendship and stop arguing with yourself over all this nonsense! By the ancestors and the gods too, how can you be so frustrating?! I had to run around the city looking for you and asking people what had happened to you because you where too stubborn to tell me who was the guy that was bullying you! You didn''t even tell me your grandma died! If you had told me I would have come back here right away! I''ve considered you my friend all this time and instead of just going with it, you kept wondering if I was serious the whole time?! Are you even listening at all? In what language must I speak for you to understand?"


    She hardly heard anything he said in that last part, her brain couldn''t get past what he said before. She noticed he had stopped talking and was waiting for some sort of answer from her. She didn''t know what to say. Maybe if she asked again it would make more sense the second time.


    "Did you just say you like me?"


    Everyone held their breath while Emp let go of her shoulders right away. He stepped back with a face mixing shock and annoyance. Galana watched him struggle to find a proper answer for a painfully long moment and finally, he spoke to her again.


    "I meant it as in "I appreciate you" not as the love sort of like... I think. I''m... I don''t want to upset you again. That''s not even close to the important point... Err, we should get back on track with the trial."


    Emp looked around with a shameful air and walked back to his seat under the stupefied gaze of the crowds. Most of them were currently thinking; did we just assist to a lover''s quarrel?


    Galana didn''t share their thoughts.


    What sort of answer was that! That didn''t even mean anything! "Didn''t want to upset her" he said, well he was doing it right now with that shitty answer! Emp was definitely the worst! He wasn''t even sure of is own answer! He certainly deserved to be slapped around some! She felt like the thing that caused her whole ordeal with the Balpoisson was happening all over again!


    Maurice had complimented her and said he loved her, she had pushed him back while saying he had the face of a mutated squirrel and the weight of an overfed shark.


    Now Emp was doing the same, what in the bloody lake was she supposed to answer! He wasn''t even his type, she wanted someone smart and knowledgeable, Emp was as far away from that as it could get.


    "Do you like him too by chance?" The son of the count asked along with his wife, wildly amused by the scene that just took place in front of him.


    She wanted to scream, "Of course not!" but instead "Yes." came out with a tone saying: that''s obvious.


    Her hand shot up to her mouth to placate it instantly. How embarrassing!


    Now it was Emp''s turn to stare at her frozen in place. She heard a bunch of "Oooh!" in the crowd behind her and even Palonia shouted "Go girl!".


    Why did she even say that! The order was supposed to force her to say the truth! She did not want to believe it could possibly be what she truly felt.


    He might be taller and a lot more manly than last time she saw him, he was still rich and apparently honest, he cared for her enough to do all that despite her errors and her general evil and...


    But he was too... Dumb.


    But ''she'' was too... Dumb, possibly scared as well.


    She got so panicked she felt as if her blood was running backwards. Friends, she had to aim for friends. That was the only way out of the stupid thing she just said. Wait, hadn''t he done just that a moment ago?


    She let out a long string of curses in her head.


    She absolutely had to add something to her answer now while she still had the chance! She was terrified at the idea of saying anything else that might sound even more embarrassing but she had to do something, anything.


    "That''s not what I meant to say!"


    That wasn''t what she meant to say either! It wasn''t even because of the order this time, she was just too flustered to think properly!


    "Obviously not, that''s why we ordered you to say the truth!" The count''s son laughed.


    While from Galana''s point of view, this whole thing was a disaster, the nobles assembled to judge Maurice and the mercenaries felt a lot better now. Up to now, they hardly understood the motives of anyone involved in this affair. They couldn''t grasp why a high noble like Emp would waste his time trying to condemn a simple viscount''s son.


    The truth was the count didn''t care whether Maurice was found guilty or not and the viscount Rougefond would love to see him take the fall but neither had understood what was happening. Were the Muraciers attacking them? Were they trying to crack down on crimes and corruption? Would they go after them once they were done with the Balpoisson?


    Now, even if this wasn''t exactly right, they firmly believed that all of this was happening simply because Maurice was a victim of extreme stupidity and enslaved the secret lover of someone way way above him. Everyone of them including the viscount Balpoisson reached the same conclusion, whatever they did today to punish Maurice or even if they found him innocent, he''d end up feeding the roots of the ancestors before long.


    Emp himself didn''t know exactly how he would react if Maurice and the mercenaries were declared innocent as he never doubted that they would all be found guilty. Right now, he was more preoccupied by what he had just heard Galana say.


    He took a small moment to clear his thoughts a bit and then asked for a clarification like she had done just before.


    "You meant you like me as a friend, right?"


    She wanted to jump on the occasion to say yes and get out of this embarrassing situation.


    "I''m not sure..." Is what she said instead.


    Trice damned cursed seal only good to scrub the floors!


    She slapped herself on the forehead in protestation and saw the corner of Emp''s mouth rise.


    "Idiot! Don''t you dare laugh! That''s not funny at all!"


    It only accentuated his smile further however.


    "So do you really regret being mean with me or did you just write that in the letter to give a better last impression?"


    "I do regret, I regretted from the very day I met you."


    "You''d never try to stab me again would you?"


    She wanted to say "I will if you keep making fun of me!" but she said "Off course not!" instead.


    "And did you miss me?"


    Not really.


    "I did..."


    Curses.


    "I missed you a lot too. You should be honest more often, I like you better that way."


    His smile was just infuriating!


    "Stop laughing I said! Stop that or I''ll..."


    Bash your head into a stone wall!


    "Or I''ll..."


    Chop you into bits and feed you to the fishes!


    "Or I''ll..."


    Drill your head inside a bucket of poop!


    She came up with a good dozen threats but none of them managed to get past her lips to the apparent pleasure of Emp. She growled in frustration.


    "How come I can''t threaten you! What''s this shit about!"


    "You can''t because you wouldn''t do anything for real and you''re compelled to only say the truth right now."


    "That''s unfair! Why am I even here in the first place? Do you plan on making fun of me the whole time?"


    Emp tried to appease her with a gesture of his hand.


    "Sorry, I''m just having a bit of fun. Look, you said in your letter you were looking forward to my answers and I was really looking forward to your letters too. I had great fun picturing you shouting at me angrily with every letters and I admit it was the main reason I kept writing to you. The books where just an excuse to have you shout idiot at me. I found all of that really entertaining but I wasn''t doing it for the giggles. I really did care about what were your thoughts on my problems and I really wanted to keep our friendship alive through the letters.


    You wouldn''t believe how angry and relieved I was when I saw you. I was so relieved you had not met a tragic end but I was so angry about what happened at the same time. You said you might never understand me but I''ll say the same. All of this could have been easily avoided if you had thought differently. I do not understand what goes on in your mind and what brought you up to this point and I might never do but you are still important to me whether you believe it or not. Could we all just agree for now that we are at least friends, as strange and unexpected as it sounds? We''ll all be able to think about that more properly once this is over."


    Galana took a deep breath and answered "yes" with conviction. This time, her thoughts and her words matched perfectly. He was right, as impossible as it sounded, he truly was her friend, even if she was impossible to stand and even if he was incredibly nonsensical at times, they trusted each other.


    "Alright then. I''m sorry we made everyone wait, are you ready for actual questions about the trial?"


    Those present on stage all nodded whether they were happy with how things were going or not.


    "We don''t care, let the girl give him and offering already!" A guy screamed form the back of the crowd along with various other comments.


    Emp ignored them all while Galana did her best to not feel embarrassed by thinking about what she was here for instead.


    "When was the first time you met Maurice Balpoisson." Emp started.


    From then on, everything took back its serious atmosphere. The accused party had felt pretty lost throughout the bout between her and Emp and were still rather confused by the chain of event. At this point, most of the mercenaries felt like they were being toyed with by the high noble and felt rather regretful for following the son of the viscount. Maurice himself was livid and it only got worse as Galana kept talking.


    "Six years ago."


    "What were the circumstances?"


    "My parents were looking to borrow money for an expedition in the woods south east of the kingdom. Balpoisson agreed to lend us some money."


    "But he had a reason to lend you money, did he not?"


    "He wanted to seduce me with his money and title but I insulted him instead."


    Some in the crowd scoffed again and Maurice turned his head around to glare at everyone on the other side of the guards.


    "What happened next?"


    "He promised I would regret it but lent us the money anyway on the condition that he would choose the escort my parents would hire by himself. Since my parents really believed they would find something big there, they agreed to his terms."


    "And just to be clear for the next part of the story, could you identify the mercenaries?"


    "The nine men aside from Balpoisson and a tenth one that I killed."


    The crowd whispered in confusion but everything soon became clearer.


    "Did the expedition happen?"


    "Yes, and my parents never came back. Balpoisson came later to reclaim his money, he asked for fifteen red dragons. He came with the mercenaries."


    The crowd was instantly hooked, the story couldn''t be more fishy than this.


    Emp called for experts to climb onto the stage, mercenaries and supplies providers to ask about the prices. The conclusion was clear, it was impossible to reach fifteen red dragons of debt by hiring ten men and enough supplies for a trip to the edge of the kingdom. Worse for Balpoisson, the mercenary that testified made it clear that coming back without the people they were supposed to protect should have been a breach of any good contract and the mercenaries should have been the ones to pay Galana back the money her parents gave them.


    "I believed they had murdered my parents on the orders of Maurice Balpoisson but I could not prove it and with the debt iron around my wrist, I couldn''t leave the town to find out for myself."


    The crowd was stirred again, it was obviously a trap but if they had been stuck in the same problem as her, they felt they would have been unable to do anything either. Who would believe some random person instead of the son of a viscount? She was doomed the moment they knocked on her door.


    The viscount had not expected that Emp would bring so many experts just to testify that Galana''s parents couldn''t have such a high debt and had no defense against it.


    As for stating that the mercenaries all came back alive, it proved nothing and he had no way to refute it as it was a fact obvious for all to see.


    The next men and women Emp invited on stage were a thousand times more harmful for Maurice and the mercenaries. They almost all started panicking when those people stated who they were.


    Emp had brought with him resellers of antiquities and merchants of oddities. One man and five women, all coming from different shops but all remembering very well when the mercenaries came to sell them a bunch of unusual things five years ago.


    Thanks to their records and testimony, Emp was able to prove without a doubt that not only did the mercenary come back alive but they brought back a haul of twenty red-dragons worth of old things with them including an enormous stone statue.


    This meant a lot for Emp. First, the expedition had obviously been successful. Second, with the profit of twenty RD, the debt of fifteen RD should have been null for Galana. Lastly and more importantly, her parents died there but those ten men came back uninjured with a giant statue. If it was so dangerous that they had to leave the Whisryba couple to die, how did they find the time to loot the place and bring back such a huge and unwieldy thing? It should have been left there.


    Emp had no real proof that they had killed her parents but what he presented on this stage heavily implied it.


    Now that this was done, it was time for them to defend themselves. Emp wondered if one of them would dare refute selling those items at the specified time or if they would find some excuse as to why they had those things. He believed that they would most likely say that they had gathered them somewhere else or had them in their homes and sold them to make up for the loss in the expedition but he was far from right.


    Instead, one of the mercenaries broke down and spilled out everything he knew. Maybe he hoped he would get out of this if he was the first to confess? He did not hesitate to throw the guilt onto Maurice.


    "We were just following the orders he gave us! We weren''t told why, we were just told that we needed to get rid of the two."


    The others all scowled and shouted at him to shut up but he didn''t listen.


    "Don''t you dare say anything more!" Maurice snapped but it was too late.


    At this point, the nervous man was convinced that he would only live if he turned on the others and showed himself to be helpful. The crowd wasn''t all that surprised by his turnaround nor by his sudden admission of guilt.


    "Just so that we do not misunderstand each-other, by "he" you mean Maurice Balpoisson, correct?"


    "Yes, he paid us a lot to kill those two and he is a noble, there was no way we could say no!"


    "So, did you kill them?"


    The man nodded while all the others roared at him to shut up.


    "We followed the two ruin seekers into that old decrepit city and we waited for them to find some good things to sell. I have a wife you know, the pay from Balpoisson was good but we couldn''t resist those old treasure. We murdered them in their sleep after they filled our wagon with valuables."


    "Which was the person who finished them?"


    "It was Sam and Noser! Sam took the girl and Noser drove his sword through the heart of the man."


    "You really are a huge piece of shit!" Noser screamed in wild rage while the man named Sam almost fell backward down the stage.


    Emp turned back towards the Count with a face saying "There you have it.". There was nothing left for him to say, the work had been done and the truth had been heard by hundreds of people.


    Galana could almost not believe what she just heard, after all this time, she was finally given the answer she was looking for. She now knew once and for all what had happened to her parents. She felt empty. She had known all this time that they were dead but hearing it said this clearly was like shining a torch over a message she would rather have not seen.


    "Did you at least plant them?" She asked sorrowfully.


    "Of course not." One of them answered nonchalantly. "We didn''t have the time to bury them and we didn''t have a three to plant on them so we just left them there after we took their valuables."


    The crowd grumbled in anger while Galana fell onto her knees. This meant that their souls were lost. They wouldn''t grow back to join the ancestors and this felt much more devastating to her than them admitting to their murder.


    She did her best to hold back her tears but some still rolled down her face in spite of her efforts.


    Meanwhile, the count rose from his seat and looked over the accused group and the crowd.


    "I think we''ve all heard enough for now. Balpoisson, at this point, I don''t see how he could get himself out of this but do you have anything to say for your son still?"


    The viscount had been woefully silent since Emp''s dispute with Galana earlier and with this new turn of events, he didn''t have any idea how to save his son either. He was making a truly ugly face but now, he had no other choice than to admit his defeat. Even if they pledged that the mercenary was telling lies, the whole crowd would still be against them and with the victim being in close relationship to a Muracier, this whole trial felt like a joke. He had no other choices than to cut his losses now. He was truly glad he had taken ownership of the girl from his son first. His foresight might just save his house.


    "I will bend myself to your good judgment." He said spiritlessly, turning his eyes away from his son.


    "Then I will take a short break to think this over and come back to pass on my judgment."


    Feeling distraught about how his own father gave up on his defended, Maurice turned aggressive and demanded haughtily a trial by combat to prove his own innocence. The whole crowd booed and he was instantly and mercilessly denied by the count Staedler.


    "No, it would only be a waste of all of our times. We all know you are guilty, even your father does. You believed you could do anything to her because she was lowborn and crossed the line so far I can only wonder if you ever even saw it. Because of you, this whole city will seem tainted in the eyes of the most powerful house of the empire. You went so far as to place the seal on her forehead to parade her in front of everyone to make an example of her. To me, it seems more like an example of your malevolence than an example of the punishment awaiting those who insult a noble. I will now retire with the young lord Muracier, the viscount Rougefond and your father viscount Balpoisson to decide on your and your accomplices fate. I would not expect clemency if I were you."


    The count turned towards the crowd and spoke loudly to their attention.


    "The deliberations should not take long, feel free to stay here to hear the results."


    They all left the stage and convened in a silent room to discuss. Galana remained on the stage and took this long time to calm herself. She had already cried their deaths for five years, she had cried enough now. The facts were devastating to hear but her peace was made long ago already.


    Meanwhile, the guards had to step up to maintain the prisoners in place in case they tried to escape their sentence. Balpoisson was especially violent but after he got hit in the stomach once, he greatly calmed down. In the back, the crowd was chanting the different sentences they wanted to hear. There was quite a variety but Galana highly doubted that those men would end up as fish bait for the huge ones in the lake.


    She dried her tears and stood back up long before the nobles came back.


    Everyone took back their seats except for the count who stood in front of it to spell out the verdict. He raised his hands and the crowd quickly quieted. Galana hoped it would be a good punishment after all that he did to her.


    "Maurice Balpoisson and accomplices." The count started. "You have been found guilty of theft on a high noble, fraud and murder. You have been found innocent on the charges of unlawful enslavement."


    He made a short pause in his speech to take his breath and let the crowd rejoice at his declaration of guilt and complain about his innocence before he moved on to the main point.


    "After deliberation, it has been agreed that two choices would be offered to you. You must choose either a sentence of death by decapitation or a lifetime sentence of enslavement. You would be made into a sealed slave, the seal would be placed on your forehead to remind you of your own misdeeds and your owner would be miss Galana, the main victim of your crimes."


    The crowd cheered and laughed at the sentence while the count asked Maurice to make a choice.


    "I refuse to make that choice! It''s not right! You''re just as bad as me! I don''t deserve this!"


    The count ignored his pointless complaints and turned his eyes towards Galana.


    "I don''t want him, he''s disgusting and I hate him, I''d rather chop off his head myself." Galana said coldly.


    She was still bound by the order of truth so everyone knew she wasn''t lying and the crowd erupted in laughter again.


    "Then death it shall be." The count sighed in disappointment. "Now, for the other nine. All of you will be fined four red-dragons each, the two that made the killing blow will also serve a lifetime sentence of enslavement and the other seven will face thirty years of work in the border fields as slaves."


    Those men were mostly glad that they wouldn''t loose their lives but they still feared the amount of money they were asked to deliver.


    "Where will we find four red dragons! That''s too much!"


    "We can''t even earn this money if we''re stuck into slave labor!"


    "You should find yourself lucky that the price isn''t higher, this is only a tiny fraction of the value of the things you took from her family and the books you stole from the young master Muracier here. If you are unable to pay, you will be made to work until complete repayment, those years of work will be added at the end of your slave service. For the two that will serve a lifetime of slavery, the money will be taken from your families in the form of an increase in tax so that they do not feel as cornered as the lady you harassed."


    The crowd seemed to be pleased once again. Their families would have been very upset by how this trial was ending but they had not come. This was usual practice in case the crowd decided to take their anger on them.


    The count turned over towards Galana next.


    "Finally, the ownership of Galana here will be transferred to the young master Muracier along with her regained assets and the money fined to the other ten."


    Galana felt like a bee flew across her brain, the whole thing buzzed before she screamed; "What!" in anger.


    The whole crowd gasped at the unexpected words of the count.


    "Shouldn''t I go free!"


    Emp started explaining what had happened for her.


    "Normally yes but even though I did my best, you''ve already be found guilty of murder the other week and the seal has already been engraved on your forehead. Even though I feel like you were right for stabbing him, he was unarmed when he came in and wasn''t threatening you. Because of this, the city won''t pay for the removal of the seal as it is your lawful sentence. Even If we wanted to remove it ourselves, we would have to make the trip all the way to Thronewoods and the cost would go past everything you just regained. On top of that, it will leave an ugly scar. Since I didn''t trust anyone else with your ownership, I requested you to be transferred to me."


    Galana shook of rage on the spot as the crowd stared wide eyed at this new unexpected situation. Who would have known that the young master Muracier would be willing to leave his lover enslaved!


    He didn''t come to save her at all! He was just as worse as Balpoisson!


    "You killed people too and you weren''t enslaved! How is this different!"


    "I said the same but the count said mine was self defense where yours was resisting arrest, even though they were bad guys. I sort of disagree but I can''t do much more."


    "You''re so frustrating!" She finally screamed as loud as her lungs would allow it.


    "But I''m still the guy you like the most anyway right?" He said with a brilliant smile.


    "Yes." She answered despite herself before punching herself on the forehead yet again.


    Emp laughed in front of the deathly silent crowd and the fuming Galana.


    "And what do you think of Ballpoisson?" He asked.


    "He''s a slithering disgust of a thieving scammer, has the face of a mutated squirrel and the weight of an overfed shark, I wish I could skin him alive."


    Maurice turned red in anger as it was not the first time he heard those exact words from her. He opened his mouth to retaliate but got slapped silent by the close-by guard.


    Emp laughed some more.


    "I''m really doing my best to help and I''ll find some solution for you but I must say, I really like that honest you."

 126 Honesty

    After their copious breakfast, Emp and Galana walked back to the shop of his uncle so that he could find himself a new hammer. On the way, Emp tried to ask her about what he missed while he was in B¨ºt¨¦clair. In particular, he was wondering why she hadn''t spoke about the death of her grandmother.


    "There are many things I want to ask you now that we have some time. I can''t figure out what is true and what is wrong in the letters you sent me."


    "Like what?"


    "You said that my books didn''t help you learn magic but you never received them in the first place. More importantly, you never even told me your grandma died, I was shocked to hear it. I want to give you my condolences, I''d have liked to be there."


    "You''d have liked to be there? What does it have to do with you?"


    "She''s the second human being I ever truly spoke to. It''s true I don''t know her name but it still feels bad to learn she died. I told her I''d help you and I clearly failed so I feel like I should apologize to her. At least, I''d have liked to give her a final farewell."


    "I''d have liked to give her a final farewell too." Galana said with saddened face.


    Emp didn''t understand what she meant exactly but since he felt it was still a sensitive subject, he was afraid to ask further.


    "Can I ask what happened? Why didn''t you tell me?" He asked carefully.


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    "I just... I don''t know. I didn''t know if it would interest you or bother you, I didn''t want you to use her as an excuse to come here. I didn''t feel in the mood to talk about it at all either, I felt I might explode if I started talking about it."


    Emp felt irritated that she said that now but just the day before she complained he never came visit. He didn''t want to interrupt her for that however so he kept quiet until she found what she wanted to say.


    "I... Grandma, she died because of me." She spat in a broken voice.


    That seemed like it was hard for her to say without starting to cry.


    "That can''t be right. There''s no way that''s true." He tried to say in a comforting tone.


    Emp didn''t know what had happened but he was very certain that Galana loved her grandma too much to be the cause of her death.


    "It is, it''s all because she tried to help me! She was too old and she overworked herself! She died because she was trying to help me pay my debt!" She started whining and now that the door had been opened, she threw everything out at him. "She died because she wanted to help but it wasn''t enough. If only I had listened to everyone else before, she would still be alive. I couldn''t even assist to her rooting because of that stupid debt iron! They wouldn''t let me get out of the city to help everyone bury her in the woods. I caused her death, I couldn''t say my final farewells and my aunts and uncles didn''t leave me with anything from her. They took everything because they felt I was hopeless and I''d just loose it all to the debt! I was so sad and angry but there was nothing I could do. She worked in vain and I''ve felt so bad all this time."


    Emp thought she was about to cry so he stopped walking and pulled her into hug. It was a bit of an awkward hug because he was wearing his armor but he was hopeful that his sympathy would be conveyed to her anyway. She yelped in surprise when he did and immediately struggled to get free as he kept her head against his chest.


    "Don''t, I''ll punch you!"


    "You''ve barely got any muscles left and I''m wearing an armor, I don''t mind."


    She knocked her fist against his chest-plate and it just made a dull thud.


    "You can do it again if it makes you feel better."


    His words were quickly followed by three harder punches that found themselves just as ineffective. He kept his arms around her and refrained from laughing.


    "Does it make you feel better?"


    "It''s the worst hug I ever received... It does."


    Emp smiled on the inside. He knew hugs were the best way to make someone feel better! He had seen this at work many times, hugs were a sort of magic he didn''t understand but he was glad they existed.


    "I didn''t know your grandma a lot but I know she really cared a lot for you. She wanted to help you and did her best but that doesn''t mean that her efforts were wasted or that you caused her death at all.


    She might have overworked herself but you didn''t ask her to do it, she just did because she wanted to protect you.


    Sure, it could have went better but she didn''t die in vain either. If she had not worked at the guild that day, I would never have met you. If she had not been there, you''d be a slave to Maurice today, she saved you that day even if she didn''t realize it."


    She didn''t say anything in return but she seemed a lot less tense in his arms now. It was hard to tell because of the armor but he believed he had managed to help her a bit, even if his words couldn''t bring her grandmother back.


    The other thing he wanted to let her know was about the rest of her family and her friends.


    "I''ve seen a lot of things in the last two years, I''ve learned a lot about family and friends I think. I''ve seen some of my friends die, I''ve seen people ignoring their own grand-kid because they didn''t want the burden, I''ve seen a girl sold to a slaver by her father because his wife didn''t like her and also two girls abandoned by their family because they kept causing problems.


    I''ve not only seen bad things though, I''ve seen a guy marry a girl even though she had a baby from another man, I was adopted by Marcy when I had no real family, I''ve seen a girl take care of her young sister when no one else would help, I''ve even seen people sacrifice themselves for a village they knew nothing about.


    I didn''t know better last time but I do now. I agree that a family should always be there for each other, your grandmother was just like that and she was a great person. The rest of your family treated you just like you treat your friends. They didn''t want any of your troubles so they cut you loose, likewise, you thought that your friends would cut you loose to escape your problems as you would have done the same.


    You are wrong though, friends needs to be there for you when you need them most, not because of a debt but because they care. Friends help each other not because they expect something in return but because they know that the others would have done the same. They''re a bit like family too, one you choose yourself with trust instead of blood."


    "You might be the only one who thinks that, none of my friends even came to see if I was fine this whole time."


    "But was it because you didn''t have any actual friends or was it because you did your best to hide everything from them and avoided meeting them this whole time? Even if you think that way, I want to make sure you know that I helped you and I''m here for you, not because I want something from you but because I''d be hurt if something happened to you."


    She stayed silent for a while, looking at the ground with her face pressed against his armor. Eventually, she spoke again to say something unrelated.


    "How come you''re so tall now?"


    "I''m not that tall, Palonia and Marcy are both way taller than me. I think you''re a bit short instead, it must be because you didn''t eat enough for the past few years."


    "Idiot! That''s not what I meant! You do this every time! You ruined it again!"


    She pushed herself away form him and this time, he didn''t hold her back. She was back to being grumpy again.


    Galana was much harder to understand than Mable or Calla. What she said was almost never what she meant and what he understood was almost never the right interpretation. He hadn''t seen her in a long time but now that he was talking with her properly, he really felt like he needed someone else to translate for him. That or he needed to make the order for her to say the truth a permanent thing.


    They started to walk again in a bit of a better mood, if annoyance could be considered better than sadness, and Galana asked him something else right away.


    "Why are you wearing that armor here anyway."


    "Because you were complaining about me changing in front of you so I put the armor on to go faster."


    "Can''t you just do the same with your clothes!"


    "No, I''d have to be wearing them beforehand."


    "That doesn''t even make sense!"


    It might not make sense for her but it was actually the true reason. If he got clothes in the bag, they would be neatly folded so he couldn''t get them out of the bag already unfolded and placed over his body, it was impossible. To do what she said, he would have to first wear them and then place them in the bag while wearing them so that he could bring them back as they were.


    He could do it of course but he found it strange to wear all his clothes first before storing them in the bag, it would be harder to check at a glance what needed to be washed and what didn''t. It was a bit ridiculous just to gain a few second every time he dressed up.


    Now, because he was wearing the armor again, people on the street recognized him and pointed his way as he passed, calling over their friends or colleagues to see the rare animal that was the Muracier.


    Some even called out to him to get his attention on some product or try to drown him in flattery. He found this whole thing rather ridiculous. He didn''t understand what they thought might happen if he did take that piece of pie or observed this small sculpture of a mollusk. Men on his way stood with their back straight like a soldier in an inspection and girls fidgeted on the spot when his eyes brushed over them. Maybe all of them went insane? It was the first time he saw such a thing. At least, he didn''t have to weave himself through the crowd because everyone stood aside well before he got anywhere close to them.


    The trial happened just the day before but did the news spread all across the city already? Perhaps they were all just feeling some admiration for what he did for Galana. Hopefully, they would soon forget because he just did what everyone should have done long ago.


    Galana was looking at them all with annoyance. It might have been the reason she asked about the armor. Either it was that or it was the uncomfortable hug with a layer of cold metal in between.


    "Why are you bothered by them?"


    "Because I know the game they''re playing. They''re all treating you like a noble hoping for fame and riches if you only notice them. They''re all like ''please choose me'' and it annoys me."


    "You said that nobles were a calamity for merchants because they were so unreasonable."


    "They are, but this is different. They''re hoping that if they do good, their things will get recommended to everyone and they''ll make large profits. Some of them aren''t even merchants, there are artists showing off there and there''s even some girls trying to seduce you."


    That last part seemed to be the one annoying her the most.


    "I still don''t get it, its not like I would do anything crazy. It''s harmless."


    "With you involved it can''t be harmless, just yesterday we said you''d help anyone if they came to ask for it! I''m sure you''ll get wrapped up in something absurd in no time. You''re not even really a noble but they''re treating you like one and its frustrating."


    "I am a noble though."


    She spun around and glared his way as if he said something terrible.


    "No you''re not! You''re not."


    Emp answered with a frown. Earlier, he thought she was strange because he talked about a bad subject but she was still acting weirdly. He wondered what this was all really about. Was she just upset because she still hated nobles and didn''t want to think of him as one or was it something unrelated entirely? He still didn''t know what else he missed aside from the death of her grandmother too. He wondered if she was still hiding something from him.


    He wanted to help her but if she kept dodging the problems, he''d never be able to.


    "I do not understand what you want me to say."


    She looked embarrassed about her own words and calmed down right away. She looked away from his eyes and answered a bit more gently.


    "I''m sorry, it''s nothing. We should keep moving before you get asked for something ridiculous."


    "It''s the same thing as last time again. If you don''t tell me anything, I can''t do anything about it. Do you expect me to guess everything? I won''t, I can''t, I''m really bad at that. I don''t want to force you to say it but I don''t want to wait until its too late like last time. What''s wrong?"


    She gripped the sides of her clothes and made a sour face but after a moment, her lips let go of what was bothering her.


    "I still don''t understand you."


    "That again?"


    "I understand nothing at all about you. Are you a noble or are you not? Are you a Muracier or not? Are you some sort of god spawn or not? Even your way of thinking barely make any sense to me. You said you are my friend and so you helped me but you would have helped anyone else too. You''re too kind so I don''t know, did you help me because I am me or because I was someone that needed help?


    You said that friends help each other because they know the others would do the same for them but that''s the wrong way to see it. That''s partly right but they expect their help to be returned at some point, nobody does anything for free, there''s always something they want. Their help in return, fame, money or even their love, there''s always something they want.


    If I had been you, if our places had been reversed, I would not have helped you. It wouldn''t even have been a hard decision. I am not worth it all. I do not understand your motivations, I do not understand what you expect from me, what is it you want?


    I have nothing, I don''t have any interesting connections, I don''t have money or talent and I might have been cute at some point before but look at me now, I''m looking like &*%/$ death. I have dark spots under the eyes, no meat on me, no height, no grace at all and a %$&(? foul mouth too, no good point. Look at the street around us, look at all those girls staring at you." (1)


    Emp shot a glance left and right to see that indeed, there were still girls following them and fidgeting on the spot.


    "With who you are, if you showed any interest in any of them, they''d all give you an offering of Holia right away and any of them is prettier than me ?$$/. I bet they''re nicer too, I kept disappointing you at every turn since the moment we met yet you''re sticking to me like %/%& glue. That''s just with the girls in this street, we haven''t even talked about your actual friend.


    I''m untrustworthy and irritable. Even by your own standards, I make for a terrible friend (%$$. I wouldn''t even hesitate to leave you behind if it was easier or more helpful for me to do it.


    I don''t understand your purpose in being here with me, for even wanting to me my friend /$(!%. I barely know you but you''ve proven yourself to be leagues better than any noble I know of while I''ve just proven myself worse than any human I know, I may as well be a devil %/$% of *%*??/.


    Every time you help me or you''re saying something nice, I keep feeling worse because I know I can''t give anything back that will be as valuable as all the small things you did for me, much less for the big one. Being nice is a limited thing too you know? You can''t be nice with everyone, being nice with me means you have to not be nice with the Balpoisson for example. There are better people than me to spend your goodwill on.


    Since you were sort of kind to me back then. I told myself I wouldn''t take advantage of you because you didn''t deserve it, it would make me feel bad. Somehow though, I''m trying my best to tell you to stop but you keep helping and reassuring me.


    Whatever you are looking for, I can''t give it to you, I don''t have it. You confused me with what you said yesterday about liking me, your explanation made no %(%?/ sense. Is it just an effect of nostalgia? Sometimes, there are things that you should leave behind you know? It''s not good to keep all the )?!%? things you pick up over time. I don''t care that you meant friend or something else, what is there even to like?"


    She raised her arms to her sides to show her almost skeletal body, with her old clothes and tired face. Her light brown eyes were showing disdain, not for him but for herself. What she was presenting him wasn''t really her figure, it was what was under her skin instead and it was clear that she didn''t value it highly at all.


    Harriett had a similar problem, she kept asking herself if this was good enough for Emp, if she was doing enough to justify her presence. She was very weak to criticism.


    Galana wasn''t exactly the same. Were Harriett felt insecure about doing enough or not, Galana held the certainty she was worth nothing. She wasn''t even sad about it, or desperate for someone to prove her wrong, she was just stating what was an evidence for her.


    "I won''t ever say I''m not glad for what you did for me. I won''t ever be thankful enough for what you did but I need to know. Why are we here? What the fuck do you want from me?"


    "That''s unfair, you haven''t said anything about your qualities."


    " %?&%$ You''re the one who hate lies, we both know I don''t have any. People call me a money grubbing mud-trap, they call me %?"$ selfish idiot and even manipulative *$?/(%?% misturgeon."


    "What''s a misturgeon?"


    "Emp I''m being serious &?%/."


    Emp let out a small sigh before he answered.


    "What about your desire for justice?"


    "What desire for justice? I keep ignoring it when its in my favor, you know it."


    "But you keep complaining when someone gets scammed."


    "That just proves I''m a hypocrite *&%/."


    "Then how about the way you get angry when someone tries to take advantage of me?"


    "I was just trying to pay you back, not an actual quality."


    "Your pride is a quality, you didn''t give up this whole time and you never accepted help because you were too proud to let me do everything for you."


    She raised an incredulous brow his way as if he was saying the dumbest thing.


    "Look at me, what pride are you seeing? I''m just too bullheaded to let them have their way without struggling but it didn''t help for anything, it never did."


    Emp shook his head in disagreement but still jumped on something else.


    "You''re knowledgeable and smart too, you have some advice on everything."


    "Smart? Are you kidding me? I''m a huge idiot, even worse than you maybe! I might know a few things from all the books I read but I still ended up with that thing on my forehead. If I had been smart I obviously wouldn''t have."


    "Imaginative then. You keep coming up with all those absurd possibilities, so much so that you fail to see the things that are actually in front of you."


    "Is that even a quality? It doesn''t help anything, all this time it only served to torture myself thinking of what would happen to me next."


    "Your writing is good, you even said it yourself, you''re proud of your letters, you can''t tell me that''s not a positive thing."


    "It''s useless, what am I going to do with that?"


    "There''s a lot of great work to be done with the ability to write and read, in two different languages no less!"


    "All of it is noble work, someone like me doesn''t get to do any of that unless I''m a merchant which I''m not anymore. It''s only good for sending letters now."


    "But I enjoy those letters."


    "I was mean in most of them but you tell me you enjoy them? That''s not talent or quality, that''s just you being weird."


    "What if I told you that I care about how you care?"


    "What do you mean how I care? Care about what?"


    "You care about me."


    "What makes you think that?"


    "Aside from what you said yesterday you mean? It''s about how angry you get all the time."


    " ?/&%( What does it have to do with caring?"


    "I''ve never seen anyone get angry about something they don''t care about, I get angry when someone bullies you, I get angry when someone threatens my friends, I get angry when someone insults my wife but I don''t get angry about what those people around us think or say about me. I just don''t care. You get angry at almost everything I tell you, all the time. Either I''m the most annoying person you''ve ever met or you care a lot for me."


    "You "are" the most annoying person I''ve ever met." She snapped.


    "See? You got angry again, whether its good or bad, you do care. I''ll even say you''re honest too."


    For the second time in the same conversation, she gave him the look stating it was the most idiotic thing she ever heard.


    "Are you dumb? Are you for you &%*$ real? I keep lying to you all the time. I''m as far from honesty as one can be."


    "But you feel bad for it right away. If you were truly dishonest, you wouldn''t feel guilty at all. You aren''t dishonest, you just care too much to hurt anyone else, you want to spare them trouble or the truth but then you feel bad until you say it. When you thought you were done for, you spilled out everything because you couldn''t take the lies with you to the end."


    "Great so I''m dishonest even to myself."


    "That''s not what I meant, look, everyone has good points and bad points, you can''t just label yourself as bad all around, that''s not the truth and that''s not what I see when I look at you."


    "Whatever, none of this answered my question. What do you want from me?"


    "I can''t answer it much better than that though. You are much more valuable to me than you seem to think and I do like you, even though I''m not sure just how much I do. All I want is your presence, I want to know you''re well, I just want you to be happy. It doesn''t matter if you keep yelling at me because it means you''re fine. Anyway, I think the angry you is the best you, it always makes me smile for some reason."


    "The angry me is the best me? What does that mean?"


    "I don''t know how to say it in a better way, I just think your short temper is funny."


    "So you just want to mock me?"


    "Obviously not, why is it so hard for you to understand. Am I not allowed to feel however I want towards you?"


    "No, not when I''m like this and you''re... You."


    "You like me and you want to go with me but I''m not allowed to feel anything? That''s ridiculous. Let''s do it the other way around then, what do you see in me that is so great I shouldn''t even glance at you? According to you, I''m not even a noble so that can''t be it. I have negative traits like anybody else."


    "Don''t play dumb with me, you''re not just an ordinary person! You''re so far up no one can *%//$/ reach. You''re rich and tall, you''re not ugly and you have a name that makes all the girls around dream. People like you end up with a princess and have shining knights as friends, not some nobody )?$*?."


    "But that''s not who I am, is it? You''ve never seen me like that before, I was just the idiot who doesn''t understand anything. I''m not of another specie, noble is just a title. I''m just a man, I can get upset, I can make mistakes, I get rash when people I like get in trouble, my wife is a kind girl that lived her whole life in a village, my friends are all over the place and full of colors. I''m not some unreachable entity, I''m right here with you, right now. The girls you asked me to look at earlier, I don''t know them, they don''t know me either, all they see is Muracier. That''s not who I am though, that''s just a name, those are just letters on my hunting card. You know this because you know me."


    She made an exasperated sigh and just pulled his arm to turn him straight towards her. She wouldn''t have been able to but Emp didn''t resist her at all and stopped walking to listen. She was making a rather pained expression again and it was mixed with a lot of annoyance.


    "You say you don''t like lies and you don''t like secrets but its you who keep going around the subject without ever answering. I need you to tell me straight *(?%$%. I just want my life back. You can''t just say you like me, make me your slave and then do as if nothing happened! That''s unfair. I need to know What I am to you so that I can move on, so that I won''t hold some stupid misconception in my head.


    You''re the one that''s all about truths and honesty so just tell me already. Don''t you think I''ve already lost enough time in my life? Do you love me? Am I just a funny friend? A counselor, a confident, a burden even? Whatever you say I won''t be mad but I need you to choose something and stick with it so that I can start thinking clearly about my own future instead of worrying about what you''ll do next."


    Emp made a groan, he truthfully didn''t know how to answer her question. He had no idea how he felt about her exactly, he just wanted her to be there.


    "I know I''m the worst but you''re being the worst in your own way right now." She complained. "I don''t want to be the girl who misunderstood an extended hand for a proof of love but I don''t want to blind myself either and I can''t wait to be old and wrinkled to ask what you meant yesterday either. I''m not a small girl anymore, my life was put in suspension for five years by Balpoisson already, I can''t waste it idling around you even if the idea sounds appealing. I had lost everything, family, home, freedom and even hope. You gave it back to me and I don''t want to waste a moment of it, can you understand that?


    I like the new you a lot, tall and strong, not the dumb idiot I knew anymore, you''ve been learning things a lot faster than I thought you could. I could read your mental growth in the letters you sent me, you''ve turned from a sprout I mocked into a large three that can protect me from the rain. I don''t know that I love you or I''m just impressed by what you turned into but I''d be willing to take a proper look. Like I said though, I am nothing. I''m not dumb enough to believe I have a chance at someone like you. Don''t make me dance like a stupid idiot in your palm, that''s all I''m asking.


    Be honest and tell me so that I can move on."


    *-*-*-*


    (1) Swear words!


    I don''t think I''ll get in trouble for writing this long author note so here I go.


    In my notes for Galana, she''s supposed to use a whole lot but she hasn''t been doing it because I have trouble with them. I had not thought of putting &/$% before now. The problem isn''t that I''m afraid of using any, it''s way more simple than that.


    I don''t know any in English.


    Unless you consider fuck a swear word but it''s way too weak! Where I live, we use fuck and fucking in any and all sentences even though we speak in French, it has no strength at all.


    We have so many good ones and we really, really love to say them. We use them as verbs, adjectives and names for the silliest tiny thing all the way to the worst possible event. They''re so satisfying to say in anger but I didn''t use any because they would not make sense in the context of the story. Almost all of them are corrupted religious terms which shouldn''t exist here.


    Here''s a tiny list of those I remember classified by how strong I feel they are. (not by their meaning but by the punch they pack. Some are written the same but said in a slightly different way than what they were originally intended to turn into a swear word. I wrote were each come from to the side of each.


    In the weak ones, we have:


    "fuck", obvious


    "Criss" or "Crisse", from Christ


    "Maudit" or "Maudite", it''s just damned


    "Marde", It''s shit but said wrong like shat, almost always combined with "Maudite"


    In the medium, we have:


    "Sacrament", from sacrement, it''s actually sacrament in English.


    "Viarge" and "Viarginie", from vierge, its virgin


    "Ciboire" "Cibole", from ciboire, in English its a ciborium according to wiki, the cup


    "Bapt¨ºme" "Batince", Its baptism


    "Hostie" "Estie" "Stie" "Sti" "Osti", It''s hostie, the consecrated wafers that are held in the ciborium


    In the strong ones, we have:


    "Tabarnak", from tabernacle a temporary place of worship


    "Simonaque" "Simonac" "Simonak", simoniaque is something related to simonie, a traffic of spiritual things


    "Calisse", form calice, its just a chalice


    In the context of our story here, I can''t use any aside from "Fuck" and "Maudit" that I could use as "Damn" as well, it''s bothering me. The sentences of Galana are lacking color!


    Should I make my own swears? I could take commonly used words for them and corrupt them into swears. All of them would be made up out of nothing though so I might confuse you all with them and I''m afraid they won''t sound as good, at least in my own ears.


    Tell me what you think in the comments bellow, keep using "?/%*/" , make up my own or use those I know even though they are unrealistic in the context? Give me some of those you know too if you feel like it. I''m curious to know how people swear around the world.


    Also, if you feel mildly curious, you can go write "Osti de cris de tabarnak" on youtube. There''s a 38 second song made entirely of swears for your enjoyment. the only word that isn''t a swear in it is "de" and "d''" which is just "of". I think the actual name of the song is "chant sacr¨¦", "swore song".

 127 Family

    Emp was standing in front of Galana, he had been asked an important question but he didn''t know at all how to answer it. She was making that frustrated pout she always did because he was taking too long to think of a proper answer.


    He chose to speak in the noble tongue to stop every passerby from listening on their conversation and exposed his thoughts and feelings as best he could.


    "I have a hard time giving you a straight answer because I am not really sure myself."


    She was about to interrupt him but he placed his hand in front of her mouth to stop her, continuing his explanation.


    "I told you in my letters that there was a problem with my soul, a bit over a year ago, I was unable to feel anything, I didn''t know what it was like to actually love. I still have a hard time understanding my own feelings sometimes but I understand I need to show you all of it to help you.


    I''ve known you the longest of all the girls I ever met and I know you well thanks to the letters we exchanged but I''ve also barely spent any time with you at all. It''s a strange feeling, I''m often thinking "what would Galana think or say about this" or "I wonder if she''s doing well" but yesterday and today too, I found out I didn''t know you as much as I thought I did.


    I''ve missed you but also, I do not understand why I missed you so much if I didn''t know who you were at all. The Galana I knew was just a facade you made up to hide your problems. I still care for you a whole lot but I can''t sort through what were lies or half truths and what was sincere. Now I''m curious to meet the actual you, I want to spend more time with the real you instead of the cautious distrustful you or the despairing you.


    For now, I''m filled with joy to know you are right here with me and I sincerely wish for you to find happiness. I don''t know if it''s because I know so little about the real you or because my feelings simply aren''t that strong but even though I think I would be thrilled if you chose me, I do not feel like I would be overly upset if I wasn''t the one you gave your heart to. I think as long as you were truly happy with your choice, I would be happy for you as well.


    I do not want to be a second Balpoisson. I do not want you to feel like you owe me a huge debt and accept me because of it. I told you you owe me nothing but I still think you aren''t listening when I say so and it scares me a bit. My gift for you was meant to be your freedom. It was never about the books, I just wanted to give my dear friend the ability to make her own path as she should have from the start. I do not wish to take that gift back even though you have my seal on your forehead.


    Yes, I do like the small part of you I know and I like it so much I want to make it happy. I do not want you to choose me because you are out of time or options or because you feel like you have no choice, it would just sadden us both I think.


    I wish you would stay close to me all the time because I like when you''re there and I value your thoughts and your opinions, I like your voice too and the way you don''t let anyone step on your feet even when they''re way above you. I don''t understand you so I wish to spend time with you to change that. I don''t want to hold you there though, I don''t want to make you feel like you have to be there. If you stay with me and you want to be there then I will be glad but if you stay even though you want to be elsewhere, It will make me unhappy instead.


    Then, even if we supposed that after spending more time with me, you liked me enough to give me an offering, I would be unable to accept it because of a promise I made. I am not allowed to accept any offering of Holia until Mable gives me her own. For that, she has to convince her father to allow her to do so which will probably not happen for as long as she is in the imperial school. It might take two years but it could go for much longer too, probably at least five.


    You just complained about how those five years took so much of your life, It would truly be unfair to ask you to wait for this long again.


    That''s pretty much it, those are all my feelings and thoughts on you. You feel like you do not deserve me even though I think it''s silly while I feel I can''t impose anything more upon you.


    I like you but I don''t know if this is true love or deep friendship, I don''t want you to suffer the wait while I find out. Whatever you choose to do, I''ll continue to support you. Not because I have to or because I want you to feel indebted to me but because this is what I believe a true friend should do. That might not be a really good answer or the answer you hoped but that''s the best one I can give you."


    Emp waited a bit for her to say something in response but she didn''t come up with anything and just stared at him. Emp had no idea what she was thinking about and couldn''t decipher her expression. The only thing he noticed was the stares of all those strangers that were getting more and more annoying.


    "You don''t have to say anything now but we should get going. Everyone is staring."


    She blinked and looked around to see what he meant. In no time, she released his arm and they started moving again.


    For the whole time they took to travel the remaining distance to the shop, neither of them said a word and Emp still couldn''t figure out what she was thinking about.


    When they stepped into the store, Palonia greeted them with a smile but then frowned right away seeing their strange faces.


    "What''s up with those faces? Did something bad happen again?"


    "No, we just had a talk and now I can''t figure out what she''s thinking."


    "What sort of talk was it to put you two in that state?"


    "She told me how she felt about this whole thing and then demanded I do the same. I did but now she''s quiet."


    Galana made her frustrated pout again.


    "Just give me some time to think through it alright? Every time you say something I have to translate fifteen layers of fucking nonsense before I get to the actual meat of it so give me a break. Bloody lake, why don''t you ever answer with a single short sentence. It always has to be this long winded thing."


    "My answer was long winded? What about your speech just before! It was way longer!"


    While Emp was speaking, Palonia came up to them and stepped in between.


    "Alright, stop. Maybe you should both change your thoughts, clear your heads a bit. How about we speak of something else while you''re thinking about whatever you said." She pointed towards Galana before pointing towards Emp to express who she was talking about. "I''m sure that fighting like that won''t help. How about we speak of equipment instead. You said you wanted a new hammer right?"


    Emp wasn''t really upset, just worried, so he was easy to convince. He nodded in answer and told her what he was looking for.


    "My thunder-chew hammer lost its head in a mock fight with a mage so I need a new one. I didn''t make one myself with Marcy because I didn''t have the time and I can''t find the right material."


    Palonia smiled brightly and waved at them to follow her.


    "We''ll see what I can do, follow me."


    The group moved up to the row of hammers Palonia had exposed for the clients. Some of them were the same as the last time he came but many had changed and some had been added to the row.


    Emp stared at them with interest while Galana kept quietly putting her thoughts in order.


    Palonia pointed one of the hammers to him, it had a very long handle and a head of dark metal.


    "Like last time, you should try them on until you find one with a good weight for you. This one is just a tad heavier than the one I sold you last time so you should be able to lift it. Tell me how it feels."


    Emp picked it up with one hand and raised it over his head with ease.


    "I got a bit stronger since last time, this one is too light."


    "Eh!" Galana squealed from behind him. She still remembered how ridiculously heavy the last one was so she couldn''t believe what she was seeing.


    On the other side, Palonia made an impressed sounds.


    "Oh... Now we''re going somewhere, as expected of a Muracier. We''ll get to try some good ones today."


    "It has nothing to do with my name," Emp protested, "it''s all thanks to all the help I received and my own hard work."


    "Well said! Let''s see just how far that hard work got you, try this one next."


    Emp was made to try many more hammers after that, like last time, some of them were pretty strange looking. One was curved like a strange cucumber, one was like an overlong mace instead of a hammer, one was full of spikes and the next was almost like a staff with a plank at the end. Even though all of them ended up being too light for him, he asked a lot of questions about what the purpose of those strange characteristics where.


    They talked about this all for a long time and Emp had a lot of fun. It had been a while since he last talked like that about weapons.


    Out of all the heavy weapons she had in store, there were only a handful of them he couldn''t lift at all and a few more he could barely get off the ground. Galana had tried to lift the very first herself just to get an idea of the weight but had to give up on it. She only watched with increasingly more surprise as he went through all the hammers.


    In the end, he found a few with an interesting weight to them and after listening to what Palonia had to say about them, chose one for its handle, or rather its lack thereof. His last hammer broke at the handle after all, he didn''t want it to happen again.


    The one he chose was mostly in a single piece. It was the large horn of an unnameable of chaos that had been painstakingly ground until part of it was thin enough to be held in the hands of someone. It didn''t really need it as it was extremely sturdy on its own but many supports of normanic-iron had been twisted and welded around its length to ensure its solidity. At the end of it where the horn enlarged into a perfect bludgeoning weapon, a solid bloc of that same heavy normanic-iron had been added on to it to turn the round surface into a mostly flattened zone the size of a hand across.


    The head of the thunder-chew hammer had been much bigger than this one but a smaller impact point only meant a more focused and powerful blow. Opposite to the hammer, a large curved spike sprouted out of it like a beak. It really looked like a bec de corbin, the only difference was that it had a head that was a bit larger and was made with a really long horn. The balance was heavily leaning towards the head as it should but the beak was long and massive enough to center the weight with the shaft.


    On top of all this, the weapon was enchanted. Runes had been carved over its entire surface to make a complex magic happen. It was designed to make use of the normanic-iron properties towards the cold. The spell would make the whole head extremely cold, hardening the iron and turning to ice everything it touched. Moisture in the air would turn into tiny crystals around its head and Palonia warned him to never touch the thing with his bare hands unless he wanted to loose his fingers. If he was to hit a living being with it, it would not turn into a solid block of ice but the insane cold would be enough to freeze the blood of the opponent in their veins around the point of impact.


    The handle was safe to hold up to very close to the head but she still suggested for him to wear his gauntlets all the time while using it. Aside from that, she gave him a lot of instructions on how to keep it and use it. He would have to keep it in its specially made protective sheath when not in use in order to not damage the things around it, he was told to never hit a surface of water with it like a river or a lake because he would end up with a giant block of ice around it, he was told to keep it far away from children and to look out for any wear on the sheath. She also told him that many things became brittle when turned cold so a second hit at the same spot with the hammer should be devastating in most cases.


    Emp was unfamiliar with cold things so he believed her without questions but he felt that hitting someone a second time in the same spot would be less effective than just turning another part of them into ice.


    Like for his previous hammer, Palonia assured him that this thing should never break. With it made from a single large piece of an unnameable of chaos and hardened by the frozen cold normanic-iron, she should be mostly right. Emp was eager to see how it would fare against any sort of enemies.


    Satisfied with the weight and properties of his choice, he brought it to the counter to pay for it. He placed it on the ground in front of it instead of on top of it because he didn''t want to damage the counter of Palonia and paid with a whole bunch of crowns.


    Palonia thanked him for his purchase with a smile and right after, Galana pointed her finger at the hammer he was shoving into his bag.


    "How did you get so strong since last time?"


    Emp felt like they had already had this conversation.


    "I''m not that strong, there are still some hammers I can''t lift and Palonia is still stronger than me."


    "Don''t try to play it down like last time! This is clearly abnormal! She''s known for her strength and she''s using magic while you aren''t! You can''t compare that!"


    "Why not?"


    "He''s right, this guy is a Muracier, he has to be able to keep getting better like that or he will fail to meet everyone''s expectations."


    Galana made a sound of exasperation but didn''t protest further.


    With a new hammer in hand, Emp only had one last thing to do in town before he was ready to leave.


    "There''s a few other things I need to buy in Red-water, could you stay here with Palonia while I go get it?" He asked Galana.


    "You don''t want me to come with you?"


    "I don''t really need you for that and I feel like it might give you some time to think about what you want to do. You can come if you really want to but maybe Palonia can help you or at least, you''ll not be disturbed here."


    "Fine I''ll stay here."


    She still didn''t seem in a right mood so Emp was glad she agreed to stay. He parted with the two women with a wave of his hand and walked through Red-water city alone. He had a bunch of small errands to fulfill before he left.


    Emp first walked up to the lord''s castle to receive the compensation money. The count insisted to show him around and he had to spend a few hours with him, his wives and many children. Emp didn''t like the experience much. They were acting in a very friendly manner but all of it seemed off in some way. It felt like he was speaking to a whole group of Heida which was really uncomfortable. He escaped at the first chance he had and moved on to the next thing.


    He made a short visit to Balpoisson in order to get back some of Galana''s old books. He knew that some of them had not been sold to the very end because she cared too much about them. He also knew she would not want to leave them behind so he had included them in the repayment to her. Today, he only needed to collect them and throw them all in his bag. It was swiftly done and the viscount had no desire to see him here any longer than necessary which arranged Emp.


    Finally, there were a few last thing he wanted to buy and keep as a surprise. It was rather expensive but with all his books that had exploded in value, he wasn''t short on money at all. He sold one of them he didn''t really care about to buy the things he wanted instead.


    With all those things in his bag, he walked back to Palonia''s store. At every turn since he left her store all the way to when he stepped back in, he kept getting called by random people asking anything and everything. Like earlier, he wasn''t especially bothered and just ignored them all since none seemed to have something important to say.


    He was willing to help as long as he could but he wasn''t willing to waste time to taste food or look at a mask of painted wood. A girl bolder than the rest even stepped in front of him and presented him an offering of Holia out of nowhere. He had never met her before, didn''t know her name or face but she wanted to marry him anyway? It didn''t make sense to him. He refused as politely as he could.


    Mable had once told him she believed he would just accept any offering at all to not disappoint the other party but he wasn''t that bad. Even he understood that accepting the offering of someone he knew nothing about would be a stupid thing to do.


    The girl seemed really disappointed but she stepped out of his way all the same and he managed to reach his destination without more trouble.


    It felt really special to him that for once, he walked out to go buy something and didn''t get into any strange trouble. Maybe it was because everyone knew who he was and nobody wanted to mess with him. Perhaps everyone knowing his existence wouldn''t be so bad after all.


    Once he reached the shop again, he headed inside and stepped right in the middle of an argument between Galana and five person Emp didn''t know. He had no idea of what was happening in front of him, what was the problem or where they knew Galana from but it was instantly clear to him that she disliked them very much.


    Palonia was sat behind her counter with an annoyed look but seemed unwilling to intervene. It was probably not because she feared them however because none of those five person seemed like they were anything more than simple commoners.


    Three of them were women and two were men, all of them spoke in a very familiar manner with Galana. Before he properly listened the words of everyone, he noticed many similarities between them all including a curved nose resembling Galana''s, the same general shape and even similar light brown eyes. Emp understood they were family.


    He had probably missed most of the conversation but it wasn''t hard to understand what was happening even with just a snippet.


    "-and I don''t want to see you! Who do you think you all are to ask me this after everything that happened! Get the fuck out of here! You won''t get anything from me!" Galana was screaming.


    "Even if you don''t want to talk, at least, be reasonable and leave the money to us. What will you even do with it as a slave?" One of the men argued back.


    "Won''t you be obedient for once in your life!" A woman spat in frustration.


    "No! Get, Out!" Galana insisted, separating each word to emphasize them.


    Those people still refused to move so Emp decided to step in. He walked in the middle of everyone to interrupt the dispute.


    "What''s happening here?" He simply asked.


    Everyone answered at once in annoyance so Emp didn''t understand a single thing. He raised his two hands to shut everyone up and started over again. This time, he went straight to the main point instead of asking for details.


    "Galana, do you want to speak with them or not."


    "No." She said clearly with her arms crossed.


    "Do you need them to find the grave of your grandma?"


    She made a grimace followed by her annoyed pout but still didn''t approve of their presence.


    "I want nothing to do with them, I want them to leave."


    Emp nodded once and turned his head back to the rest.


    "Then you should leave."


    "There''s no way we''re leaving empty handed! That stubborn piece of annoying/"


    "This is the only warning I will give you. Leave her be now or I''m throwing you out myself." Emp interrupted them.


    He didn''t care one bit about what they wanted or the reasons behind their annoying behavior. All he knew was that those never helped Galana when she needed it. If she didn''t want to see them and refused to help them, they should accept this as deserved payback. Emp had no sympathy for those that didn''t make any efforts to protect family and friends.


    They had all been pretty heated from their "discussion" with Galana but seeing Emp threaten to throw them out cooled down their burning will quite a bit. Even if they had not seen him before, they couldn''t mistake him for someone else and even if they did, his imposing armor was more than enough to scare them away. Four of them turned around to leave right away but one of the two men took the time to glare at Galana first.


    Emp had warned them to leave "now", he felt compelled to put his words in action.


    He reached out for the waist of the man, lifted him off the ground easily and after a simple swing, had him fly over the other four, right through the door and into the large street. The man was late to react and only understood he was being thrown out after he was already in the air. He screamed of fright and crashed against the dirt and stone outside under the curious gaze of the crowd.


    The other four got even more scared of him when they saw the guy fly over their heads with his arms and legs flailing and all changed their walk to a run in order to leave the shop faster.


    Emp turned back to the girls while Palonia was bursting out in laughter. Galana wasn''t laughing like her but she did seem in a better mood after seeing this. The corners of her mouth rose a bit seeing her aunts and uncles scamper like that.


    "I didn''t kick them out myself because I didn''t want to get in trouble just for those guys but you just threw them out like kids. I can''t believe you really chucked him out of here! They definitely deserved that though." Palonia approved of how he handled them.


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    "He didn''t move fast enough, I said "now" not "in fifteen minutes once they''re done glaring at her". What was this all about anyway?"


    "They wanted to feed off my corpse like scavengers." Galana complained.


    "Her family came here to ask her the craziest things. She refused to do any of them or give them anything at all."


    "But Why did they want anything in the first place."


    "For nothing, they just feel like all my things should be theirs!" Galana said in disgust.


    "Were they really this shameless?"


    "They were! I''m glad you didn''t decide to help them like you always do."


    Since they weren''t motivated by need but greed instead, Emp dind''t feel like he would have helped them but he still gave Galana a proper reason.


    "If they had really wanted others to help them, they should have helped themselves first. They didn''t move to protect their own family and made no efforts to earn whatever they asked of you. They just requested it after the facts. It was all your hard work and tears, they do not deserve the help. I do not mind helping someone that worked hard and struggled but I don''t want to give something to someone who did nothing. Also, I don''t hold any respect for someone that won''t stand for his own people."


    Galana answered his words with a pout.


    "I''m just the same though."


    "You aren''t, you worked hard and struggled to the very end, you more than deserved my help. As for not standing for your own people, I haven''t seen whether you would do it or not. I know you think you would do like them but I think the opposite. If someone you cared for really was in trouble, you would do your best to help just like your grandma did. That''s what I believe."


    Galana didn''t seem that convinced by his words. She was making that unbelieving frown and throwing him a gaze showing him how ridiculous she thought what he was saying was. She was skeptical about this whole thing but like when he was talking to Erin the other day, he was pretty sure of what he was saying. He had gotten pretty good at that. He might not know her as much as he wished he did but it was enough to give a good guess on how she would react in case someone dear to her was in trouble. The only thing was that she didn''t have anyone dear to her.


    He chose to let the subject go and turned the conversation towards what they should do next. He made sure no one else was in the shop and that her family wasn''t coming back before talking again.


    "I was gone for a while, did you manage to decide what you wanted to do in the meantime? Do you still want to follow me?"


    Galana nodded.


    "Oh, straight into the main subject huh?" Palonia commented. "We''ve had quite a long conversation while you were gone."


    Galana nodded again and explained what they had come up with.


    "I decided that... I think I should go with you. A lot of what you said was right. I thought about it and thanks to Palonia, I felt that if I go with you, I won''t lose on anything. Who knows what will happen in the future and who I will meet? Even if... you know... things don''t turn out well with you, I''d rather give it a shot while I can and discover new places and people while doing it instead of staying by myself because I''m afraid of losing out or failing. At least, I''ll have made sure that my friend stays my friend. Maybe once you''re free I''ll have already found the person for me or maybe not, I think you being unable to accept any offering for a while is a good thing for me instead. It removed all the pressure, I don''t have to make a choice because no choice can be made. Like you said, If I spend some time with you, the good feeling of being saved by you will diminish and soon, I''ll know for sure why you''re a bad choice. With your help and protection added on to the offer, it would be idiotic to not go."


    She said a lot of things but essentially, she was putting the whole thing to rest for now. Emp didn''t know whether it was a good thing or not but for now, it was enough.


    Palonia looked over them kindly from the side, she was happy that everything was back to normal between them. He was pretty sure that his aunt wanted Galana to get closer to him even though he didn''t know exactly why yet.


    He didn''t ask in front of Galana and chose to speak to his friend instead.


    "Alright then, I''ll bring you to Dark-glint like I said I would yesterday. Do you want to see the execution or not?"


    "Why would I not?"


    "Well, we already know how it''s going to end. We''re all gonna go there, the crowd will jeer and scream as he is brought on stage, the Count Staedler will make a speech and then Maurice will curse us all, you and me in particular, before his death. Then, we''ll have to watch him turn into a corpse and the count will ask me if I don''t want to go to some feast afterwards but I''ll refuse.


    I will understand if you tell me you really need to see his end to put this whole story to rest but I''m not really looking forward to that, it just seems like a long waste of time to me."


    Galana thought hard about what he just said and asked another question.


    "How will he die?"


    "The count said he would be beheaded."


    She shivered.


    "I guess you''re right, maybe we shouldn''t go take a look. If anything, I already wasted enough of my time with him and I don''t feel like getting cursed."


    Emp approved her good decision with a few smiling nods while Palonia chuckled.


    "Should we go today then? Do you have something you need in Red-water? Do you want us to go look for your grandma?"


    "No, Its fine, I don''t think I need anything. As for grandma, we''ll never find her without one of my aunts or uncles and I really don''t want to see any of them."


    Galana was fine with going now but Palonia didn''t understand what he meant exactly.


    "Do you really want to leave today though? We already passed midday and I don''t know of any caravan leaving today anyway."


    "It''s fine, we don''t need a caravan we''ll walk there. We should reach Dark-glint well before the night if I carry her on the way."


    "Right, of course, you said you ran here from B¨ºt¨¦clair in a day."


    "Wait, you said you''ll carry me?"


    Galana didn''t seem thrilled by the prospect.


    "Yes, we won''t get there today if I don''t and we''ll have to camp in the forest for days. I can''t loose all this time for now, I told you I''m busy."


    "Okay, fine. Just don''t do anything weird."


    Emp didn''t get what sort of weird thing he could possibly do so he ignored her warning and told his goodbyes to Palonia instead.


    "I''ll see you again soon hopefully, tell the twins bye-bye for me too." (1)


    Galana said the same sort of thing and thanked her again for what she did for her. Everyone parted in a good mood and Emp stopped a second at the adjoined forge to say goodbye to Tiberius as well.


    "Goodbye Tiberius, I''m going back to Dark-glint now. You should come see your sister sometime."


    "She has feet of her own, she can come here if she wants to meet. I''m not moving from here."


    Emp shrugged and left with Galana. That was exactly the sort of answer Marcy would have given too he believed so he wasn''t bothered by the seemingly harsh words. On the way to the city gate, Galana asked him if he had collected her belongings already and he nodded. They didn''t speak much aside from that and since the guard Bonver wasn''t at the gate this time, he passed it quickly.


    Once on the other side, he turned towards Galana, slid an arm to her back and swept her from the ground by wrapping his other arm around her knees.


    She yelped in surprise and the guards at the gates as well as the travelers found it amusing. Her face turned a bit red but her voice sounded very annoyed.


    "No way, you want to carry me like that?"


    "Obviously, your dress isn''t wide enough for you to hold on to my back properly. Plus, I don''t think you''re well enough to hold on to me for so long. This way will be easier."


    "I guess so..." She had to concede. "You won''t drop me though right?"


    "Of course I won''t. Why would I drop you?"


    On those words, Emp started the trip back home with a mildly embarrassed Galana who hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling off.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) The twins, I haven''t spoken about them yet because they were irrelevant to the story. Emp talks about them more with Marcy in a few chapters. The main thing to know is that Palonia and Tiberius are mama and papa.

 128 Introducing Galana

    "We''ll be home in no time." Emp told Galana shortly after they left Red-water city.


    This time around, he was walking at a decent pace instead of running so it would take longer. He had plenty of time to reach the village before nightfall so they would be just fine.


    "Home huh?


    ...


    It''s fine, you can take your time. I''ve been stuck in the city for six years so I''m happy to be outside again."


    She said it while looking at the changing scenery around them but Emp couldn''t help but notice she spent as much time looking up at him and his armor than she did looking at their surroundings. He guessed it was normal considering that he was most likely occupying almost half of her field of view because of the way he was carrying her.


    Speaking of the way he was carrying her, she was still making that strangely embarrassed face because of it.


    "Am I doing something wrong? Why are you making that face?" He finally chose to ask.


    "You know, the way you are carrying me. It''s usually how a valiant knight will carry a princess or how a newlywed man will carry his wife. It''s a classic scene in many stories I read."


    "Oh, I didn''t know that."


    He expected her to get angry again and yell idiot at him but she didn''t.


    "Yes, I expected that answer. It''s just more practical for you isn''t it?"


    Emp nodded but Galana couldn''t really see it because of his helm so he gave her a clearer answer.


    "Exactly, aren''t you upset?"


    "Why would I be upset?"


    "I feel like usually, you''d get upset and call me an idiot at this point."


    She pounded his helm with her fist.


    "What is that even supposed to mean? I''m trying to be nicer and the first thing you tell me is how I should be upset? You''re an idiot!"


    Emp laughed happily.


    "That''s more like it."


    "I hate you." She pouted angrily.


    "Do you want me to carry you differently?"


    "No, it''s fine..."


    They continued to travel like that for a bit, before she found something else to speak about again.


    "You asked about what you had missed but there isn''t much else to talk about. We''ve covered pretty much everything. Now I''m more curious about what "I" missed. I know you''ve had a bunch of trouble, I know you got married to a girl I forgot the name of, I know there''s this other one I told you would be trouble but that''s about it. I don''t know anything recent, I don''t know what you''ve been up to or even what makes you so busy."


    It was true that Emp left out a lot in his letters. They were too far apart to talk about everything and he was so occupied all the time that he simply couldn''t fit or even remember about everything in a single letter. He wondered what he should tell her and what he was best not to. To be technical, she was now a sealed slave so it should not matter what he told her but if he did it would be riskier to release her later.


    "I''m not sure what I can and can''t tell you."


    "You already told me the great general isn''t really your father because you were born from the gods, you even told me your actual name is Emperor and spoke about that weird bet or whatnot. Can there be something even worse than that? I don''t think so. Come on, why should I be the only one to talk about myself all the time?"


    Since Emp already had a strong inclination on always telling everything, her argument worked really well on him. He decided to tell her about as much as he could think about. He started with what he felt was the biggest thing.


    "I plan to take over the empire."


    "The green dragon empire right? That''s about that thing the gods told you to do. Wait, are you saying you''re leaving soon?"


    She seemed a bit worried and sad at the same time.


    "No, that''s not what I meant, I plan on taking the Steelwood empire for myself first."


    Her eyes instantly went wide and she started to squirm in his arms.


    "You what!? Wait, hold on! Put me down! I can''t talk properly like that! Are you even serious?! What the fuck! What in the bloody lake is this about!?"


    Emp stopped walking and placed her back on her feet in front of him.


    "What sort of fucked up decision is this?! You''re saying it like a random guy would say he''s going to take a drink! What''s wrong with you idiot!? The Muraciers swore to protect the empire and you''re saying you want to betray their words and the emperor and take his throne! Did you go insane?"


    Emp shook his head in his helm.


    "I didn''t go insane, my goal is perfectly reasonable. I think I can protect everyone better if I''m the only one at the top. Splitting the power of the empire in two never made sense in the first place. Anyway I don''t feel compelled to follow a promise made by people who aren''t really my ancestors."


    "But you don''t really have to do all this do you? The goal is just to make sure this other emperor doesn''t stay on his throne, you don''t have to have an empire of your own to do that, being the great general is more than enough to do that! By the ancestors, you don''t even need that! I''m sure you could just walk in there, kill him and then leave!"


    "But my name isn''t General or Assassin, my name is Emperor, that''s what they meant for me to do when they made me."


    "But don''t you understand how insanely dangerous that is? Do you know what will happen to you if you get caught?"


    "Do you really think its safer to walk across the continent, step inside the imperial palace of the strongest empire there is and slay their emperor? Calm down and think properly, you''ll see right away that its my best chance, its the safest path for me and the best way to effectively protect everyone I care about."


    She made a pout to go along with a sigh and brought her two hands to her hair to help her think, stroking her ponytail strongly.


    "Once you''re truly the next great general, if you announce your intentions, one of three things will happen. Either they will label you as a traitor and no one will side with you, either the emperor will give up in front of the might of the Muracier and the armies of the empire or the whole thing will unravel and there will be a huge war for the imperial throne. The last one is the most likely, I don''t see what''s good about that."


    "The Grandbois are really bad at everything military related. They have no realistic chance of winning. The only reason they have the throne is because we''re standing behind it to push away anyone that would covet it. If the Muraciers and the Grandbois fight, the Muraciers will win every single time. We know that, they know that, everyone else knows that. As long as I can get enough people on my side first, everyone else will stay put."


    "Are you really sure about that? You don''t know, nobody does, nothing is ever certain. I was sure I was going to spend the rest of my life as Balpoisson''s slave but that''s not what happened. Anything could happen because anyone could do something crazy at any time."


    "Even if you tell me this, it''s still my best chance. You won''t change my mind whatever you say."


    "Urgh, who''s the crazy bull-headed idiot now? I can''t even say "just be careful" because however you put it, there''s nothing careful about that! The only thing I agree on is that if you need to become an emperor, this will probably be your best bet. You haven''t told this to anyone right? You know it''s dangerous to say anything, if anyone heard you we''d be in serious trouble. You need to make sure no one will find out, order me to never talk about it too, that''s safer."


    Emp was about to answer by asking her if she''d help him but he was interrupted by another person and her very happy dog.


    "That''s a bit late now. If you wanted to keep that secret, you shouldn''t speak about it in the open like that."


    "Who are you!?" Galana asked nervously. She felt like she had been caught doing something terrible.


    Meanwhile, the dog came running to Emp to request some love again. Emp had his armor disappear and petted the dog as he answered Galana. He was surprised to see June here again and really frustrated that she might have heard what they were saying but he wasn''t extremely worried about her.


    "She''s June, a thief."


    "A thief? Come on, aren''t we friends? I''m more of an opportunist of sorts."


    "I see, so you''re a scavenger." Galana interpreted.


    "Aw, why do you both have to be so mean with me? I''m doing mostly honest work here."


    "And you know her?" Galana asked him with a frown.


    "Sort of. What did you hear June?"


    "I saved you from that sloth just the other day, can''t you be kinder?"


    "June, what did you hear?" He just repeated.


    "Fine you mean apprentice, I didn''t hear the whole thing but I heard more than enough to understand you want to beat up the emperor to take his throne. I don''t think a bit of strength will cut it, you know? Also, I''m pretty sure that if I said that to the right person, you''d end up in big trouble."


    "I think you should kill her in case she does decide to talk to anyone." Galana said.


    Emp protested right away while June stepped back in feigned shock and horror, she had obviously taken it as some joke.


    "I''m not gonna kill June just because she overheard me talk. That wouldn''t be right at all."


    "But she''s been creeping and spying from the roadside, you even called her a thief just a minute ago! The first things she did was come out and threaten you with what she heard too!"


    "Woah there! I didn''t threaten him! How come whenever I say something to someone it gets misinterpreted in the worst possible way!?"


    June seemed to be about to cry.


    "How is that not a threat! You''ll ask something ridiculous from him in exchange of your silence and the moment we''ll have left, you''ll rush to someone else to sell the info!"


    "The first part is mostly right but I mean... That''s not a threat! I''m just jumping on a good opportunity! Aren''t we friends?"


    "I feel more friendship towards your dog actually." Emp answered while giving the dog some new piece of meat.


    The dog was really happy about it.


    "Hey, stop corrupting my girl! Look, I''m sure we can come to an agreement, its not like I want to rat out the son of my best friend. Anyway, what would the guards even do? Oh the son of the smith in that village want to usurp the emperor''s place, what a grave danger. that''s not worth killing over is it?"


    "The son of the smith?" Galana didn''t see at all how this was related to anything until understanding flashed through her mind. That woman didn''t know he was a Muracier! She heard only the very last part of the conversation!


    "Oh, right, Marcelia, of course, the son of Marcelia."


    "Am I missing something?" June asked in confusion.


    "You are but we aren''t going to tell you what that is. You have to understand June that this is really important at least to me and Calla, I can''t have you say that to anyone."


    "Yeah, everyone will laugh at his silly dream if you say it. His wife will definitely feel ridiculed." Galana added.


    That wasn''t really true but Emp had no reason to say it aloud.


    "Right, your wifey Champom will be so ashamed she won''t ever come out of your house again if I say anything. Marcy will be super angry too. You know what this means right?"


    "That you want money?"


    "No! I''m fine with the reward you gave me the other day thank you very much. I want something much better! You''ll have to shut your mouth about the timestop sloth! No telling Marcy about it! You stay mute and I stay mute too, how does that sound?"


    She was making the smile of a shady merchant that was about to make some ridiculously lucrative deal. Emp felt sort of bad for tricking her like this, if she did keep her words, he was exchanging his future for the promises she wouldn''t get scolded by Marcy. At least, in the end, she found the money.


    "Fine then, I promise I won''t say anything about how you almost left me to die to the sloth."


    "Deal!" June clapped her hands together right away.


    "Wait she did what?" Galana asked with an angry frown quickly forming on her face.


    "? Nothing. ?" June claimed happily.


    Galana glared her way but June mostly ignored her.


    "Maybe you should be more careful about who you frequent, she was all too ready to kill someone she had never met over something so stupid. I wouldn''t thrust her if I was you."


    "What!"


    "It''s fine." Emp calmed Galana. "It''s time we leave."


    He put his armor back on and lifted Galana in the air again.


    "If you do become the emperor, make sure to give me some big shot title, make me a noble, yeah?" June laughed


    "Do you even know what nobles do." Galana said, skeptically.


    "They laze around all day and get rich anyway."


    Galana answered with a pout because she kept complaining of exactly that and June laughed again.


    "Sure, I''ll do that. See you for the new year I guess." Emp told her.


    "You bet, your favorite big sister will be there for the food!"


    She waved them goodbye and Emp used the Space blessing to leave. "What a strange woman." he couldn''t help but think.


    The next instant, they had already left her far behind.


    "Are you really sure it''s fine to leave her like that?" Galana asked with a small bit of worry.


    "Of course its fine. She knows almost nothing and even if she says something, It will do just like you said two years ago. No one will believe her because she''s just a thief, or scavenger or whatever she calls herself. I agree she is untrustworthy but she''s still a friend of Marcy and she''s done nothing wrong yet. She was right at the end, your reaction was a bit extreme."


    She punched his helm again as she screamed her answer.


    "I''m bond to you idiot! If you die I die too! Loosing my life to a lousy noble scheme is the last thing I want!"


    "It can''t be lousy, I haven''t planned anything yet."


    "It''s even worse!"


    "I need to defeat Graube Muracier first before I make any plans. He want to take the title of great general for himself so there will probably be a battle for succession."


    "Oh come on! You have to tell me those things before I accept following you! I don''t even want to try to picture what a fight between two Muraciers look like."


    "According to my teacher, it won''t be a fight with weapons but instead a fight to see who the rest of the family supports."


    "So it''s a noble thing? It''s going to give me a headache. What/"


    "Wait, we''re passing a village."


    Emp stopped her for a time while he stepped through the village before the hills. He didn''t want to let someone hear them by chance again, even if they were moving fast enough to only let them catch a glimpse.


    Once he let Galana speak again, she had calmed down a bit and asked a few more question.


    "How does this work exactly? How many people must you convince? Just how large is the Muracier family in the first place? Is there something precise you have to do?"


    Emp did his best to explain about Blackbull''s plan, what he knew of the branch families and the vassals and how he expected everything would go.


    "So you have to prove your worth and look better fitting to the role than this guy Graube... But I messed up the whole plan didn''t I?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "You needed to put some of them on your side before he knew you existed but thanks to your intervention in my problems, everyone will know you''re real in no time. I feel even worse than before."


    "Blackbull will be really angry but I think it will be fine. He would have learned about it the moment I sent the letters to potential ladies in waiting anyway. Things will just move a bit faster than they would have otherwise, don''t beat yourself over it. The worse that could happen would be for him to come directly to give me trouble. I''m not strong enough yet to face someone like him."


    "I feel like you are plenty strong."


    "You don''t understand, its all raw strength, I don''t have the family techniques or any good self-magic. Currently, if I can''t overwhelm an opponent with strength alone, I''m not likely to win at all."


    "Can''t they teach you that in that school of yours?"


    "Not really, they can only show me the basic or things that are common in the empire. I''d need Chinui to show me but I can''t go there now, I don''t have the time. Even if I run, it will take me days to get there and who knows how long to learn. I already have my hands full with everything else."


    "What else could possibly take so much of your time? Aren''t you at two places at once?"


    "I have many things on my plate already. I''m not done with school, I haven''t finished my confirmation gift for Mable, I have to spend time with Calla, take care of things about the ladies in waiting, go around the trial grounds of Life and Truth, train the Porter sisters and my brother in law and I''ve also got to watch out about that war mage Ninoslav in case he comes back."


    "Wait up, I didn''t know about half of that. Who are the Porter sisters, what was that about the war mage, about the trials and about the confirmation gift?"


    Once again, Emp did his best to explain everything to her in the clearest possible way. He told her about how that mage came back to abduct a girl he knew, about how the Porter sisters followed him and Calla back to Dark-glint as well as how he bought Svae, about his promise to Celtine, about how busy he was with all his school classes, about the details of the deal he had with Mable and about Gilbert wanting to be a knight. It took him so long to explain all this in details and answer all her questions that they had almost reached Dark-glint by the time he was done.


    Their long talk was only interrupted by the low woods and the howling hills. Not only was the sound of the wind so strong they could barely hear each-other, it was the first time Galana saw it and so Emp let her take a long look at it. He passed through the Low woods slowly and let her admire the effect of the strong winds.


    "I can''t believe the wind is so strong here." She screamed over the sound.


    "It''s even worse in the hill, you''ll see." He answered just as loudly.


    She felt very interested by the strange sight of the bent forest and the hills full of holes but the inside of it was really on another level. The deafening screams of the wind, the darkness covering fissures and caves leading into the unknown far bellow, the small pockets of light sinning across gaps of narrow paths, all of it was just to the taste of someone raised with the stories of adventure of her parents. For the first time since they left, she didn''t spare a glance at Emp, even though she kept her arms around his neck to hold herself more upright.


    "Can you see that light up there?" He asked.


    Miraculously, she heard him over the wind.


    "Which one?"


    "The one at the far end."


    "The one I can barely see over the outcrop over there? Is that where we''re going?"


    "Yes, I jumped from there all the way to here the day I received your letter because I was hurrying but this time, we''ll take the long way around."


    "You''re crazy! There''s no way anyone can jump that! It''s too far up and its too dark!"


    "You don''t believe me?"


    She shook her head, still not looking at him.


    "I do believe you, that''s the annoying part, that''s why I said you''re crazy!"


    She turned her head back up towards his face. He saw her lips form the words "thank you" but he didn''t hear them over the wind.


    "I can''t hear!"


    "Promise me you''re never doing something so dangerously stupid again!"


    "I can''t, what if I had to save you again?"


    He never planned to do it again but who knew what trouble the future held. If he promised that, he might get in trouble later.


    "You''re a stupid idiot!"


    Emp''s laughter was devoured by the wind and he made his way to the other side with a sightseeing Galana.


    He pointed out the entrance again from the spot he jumped when they reached the top. She knocked against his helm hard again. Emp wondered if she would end up hurting her hands by doing that.


    "That''s not something to be proud of! Stop boasting about your own stupidity!"


    Once they left the cave under the hill behind, they followed their previous conversation until they reached the village. Emp had the sun right at his back while he walked as it was going down and closing in on the forest bellow it, his shadow stretched far ahead of him but other than that, it gave him no inconvenience. He was not too disturbed aside from how hard it was to not laugh at how Galana kept squinting her eyes to look anywhere.


    "Once we''re in the village," He told her. "I''d like you to not talk about anything related to the Muraciers unless someone is directly talking about it to you. There aren''t many who knows who I am here."


    "Alright, just to be sure, who does know?"


    "The village chief Bor, the mage I hired, the Champom family, Marcy and Svae. No one else knows. In particular, I''d like you to not say anything to the Porter sisters, I''ll tell them myself if they progress enough in their training."


    "Got it, If there''s one thing I''m good at, it''s keeping secrets."


    Since they were almost there, Emp put her down on the road and removed his armor. He wanted to walk in with his usual look. He also gave her a nod to show her he had heard her answer and asked her what he was the most eager to know since he had started telling her everything she didn''t know.


    "So, now that you heard everything, will you help me?"


    She answered with a confused frown.


    "Help you with what?"


    "Help me reach my goals."


    "What? But, how could I even help? You know that everything we''ve been talking about is way out of reach for me right? There''s nothing I can do."


    "That''s not true at all, there''s plenty you can do."


    "Really? Didn''t we have that same conversation this morning?"


    She looked like she had given up on everything and was looking his way with a defeated pout.


    "No that''s true that you could help me, I need someone to take care of papers."


    "Take care of papers?"


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    "Yes, the more I''m learning and the more I see that I''ll have a lot of documents to handle. Nobles like to have everything written and recorded. I''ll have reports, letters, messages, information, summaries and so on to work with. For now, I don''t have much but because of what we did in Red-water and the letters I''ll soon send to potential ladies in waiting, I''m convinced I''ll start receiving mountains of things. If I succeed, I''ll have to deal with the entire Muracier house papers and military papers too. Celtine can handle all my school papers and even takes notes for me but she can''t be over there and here at home at once. I''d like you to write and read for me, take care of storing and organizing the papers and books properly and watch over them all for me. That would be a huge help, I could do so much more thanks to that. That way, you''d be able to keep an eye on our money too, you''d have all the notes of the money we receive or spend. Honestly, who could manage money better than you?"


    "So you want me to do the job of a treasurer and a secretary?"


    "Why not, I can''t hire someone unrelated because of what I plan to do, I can''t let others see most of those papers. I''m sure you can do it. Also, you wanted to learn magic like your mother, you''ll have access to all my spell books and class notes, Martin, the mage I hired, will be close by and you''ll have my help too so you''ll definitely manage to learn. Once you do, you''ll be an even greater help to me. So, won''t you help me? You don''t have much else to do in Dark-glint anyway."


    She seemed unsure but was attracted by the possibility of learning magic properly and changed her attitude after he mentioned it. She accepted his offer hesitantly.


    "I guess I could, fine, I''ll do it."


    "Great, thank you. I''m sure you''ll like it. Now, let''s get into the village, I''ll present everyone to you."


    "I feel nervous about meeting your wife. Will she be angry at me for causing you all this trouble you think?"


    "It will be fine, I''ve never seen Calla angry before. You''ll see."


    Galana followed him towards the village gate but before they got there, Emp remembered something. He searched into his bag and retrieved a long band of white cloth that he presented to her.


    "Do you want it?"


    "What for?"


    She didn''t understand what he meant.


    "Your forehead."


    "Oh, right..."


    She hesitated a second before grabbing it and wrapping it around her head. She tied it in a thick knot on the left side of the back of her head. It mirrored her ponytail that was more on the right side, it didn''t look that out of place even if her hair had more volume than the cloth.


    With that done, they finally walked in. The guards at the gate recognized Emp and didn''t ask him any question aside from if he had a good day. He answered positively and led Galana across the town, past the bridge and all the way close to the other gate where his house was built.


    "Here we are, that''s were I live." He told her when they got close. "I''ll give you a room upstairs."


    "What the fuck? Why is your house so damn large?"


    "It''s not that large, it''s almost full already. Before we get in and meet everyone though, I have something to show you. I picked it up in the antiquarian shop but since it won''t fit inside unless I place it in the main room, I''ll leave it here in front of the house."


    "What is it?"


    Emp had bought the statue the mercenaries had hauled back from the expedition. It was a larger than life rendition of a man with a proud and dignified look. He stood straight with a royal cape and gowns, he had his palms open towards the sky in front of him and fine sculpted flowers grew out of his hands.


    Emp drew it out of the bag and placed it between the front door and the window so that anyone passing by could admire all the details carved in the statue. Whoever made that was a master in his craft, like the statue of Love he had seen, it was so realistic he felt that the statue could just come alive at any moment.


    It stood on a large rectangular pedestal with words carved on its front.


    Only two things disturbed the magnificence of the statue. First, the head was missing, small cracks ran downwards from the neck and Emp had no idea what had happened to it, it was like that already when the mercenaries brought it back. Second, the name indicating who that statue represented engraved under the text had been forcibly removed with something like a pickaxe. There was no way to ever know what the name on it was.


    Galana looked at it curiously but didn''t understand what she was supposed to see in it.


    "I guess it''s a pretty statue but the head is missing. Why are you showing me this?"


    "That''s the statue the mercenaries brought back. It''s the thing your parents died for, the result of their hard work."


    Hearing his words, her mild interest was replaced by a hard stare at the block of stone. She stepped closer and touched it with the tip of her fingers. Her eyes lost their focus on the statue and she just stood there at its contact. Emp had no idea what she was thinking right now, she didn''t look neither happy nor sad. Had he done good or not?


    "I felt you should be the one to have it since your parents lost their lives at the place where it was found. It didn''t feel right to leave it in a shop in Red-water."


    After that, he let her contemplate the statue for a while. They were standing just by the door of his house so he wondered if someone inside would notice he was back before Galana was ready to go in but it didn''t happen.


    "I don''t know what to feel about that piece of stone. I''m angry because it''s partly for it that my parents died, I feel sad looking at it because now that I know where it comes from, I can''t help but think of my parents, I''m also happy that its here, I feel like I should be proud that they did it. They found the lost city and this is the proof. I want to smash it to pieces... I also want to keep it close."


    "I don''t know what''s the right thing to do. I would keep it but if you want to destroy it, that''s fine too, I brought it here for you after all."


    Galana shook her head.


    "No, you were right, if I destroyed it, I''d feel like I turned their whole expedition into a pointless waste. At least, now I can feel some comfort knowing that they found something."


    There was another long moment of silence with only the sound of their breath to show they were alive before Emp asked her if she was ready to go in. She rubbed her eyes, tore her gaze away form the statue, rolled her shoulder while drawing a big breath and finally, she nodded to confirm that she was ready.


    Emp opened the door and called for the others inside.


    "Hi everyone, I''m back!"


    "Emp!"


    The moment he called, he heard someone shout his name followed by a bunch of quick running steps upstairs. Those were probably the sounds made by the sisters, he expected Calla to be more quiet.


    He smilingly removed his boots and Galana imitated him despite not having any replacement footwear. He stepped into the main room to see Calla smiling brightly from close to her kitchen tools. He wanted to go see her right away but the sisters ran down the stairs towards him and slid under the table to poke at him from under with their practice swords.


    Emp had no choice but to dodge the hits and catch them first before he could go meet Calla properly. He caught both of their wrists and dragged them out from their cover.


    "Owa, we failed again! Hi Emp!"


    "Welcome back!" They told him after they got caught.


    "Hi you two. Could you let me go see Calla?


    "Oops, sorry."


    Emp dropped them back down and went to share a hug with Calla while Svae was floating downstairs. She welcomed him back politely but warmly and Emp waved his hand at her from the arms of Calla.


    He shared a quick moment with his wife before he was interrupted by a torrent of questions form the sisters. First of those was as expected.


    "Who''s this?"


    They were pointing at Galana awkwardly standing by the entrance.


    "That''s Galana, she''s a friend of mine."


    "Hi, I''m sorry to intrude."


    "Are you the girl Emp ran off to save?" Leo asked innocently.


    This him had left without a word but the other him arrived not too long after to explain that he urgently had to go to Red-water to save a friend of his. He hadn''t given much more details and left again saying he had to go back to B¨ºt¨¦clair. Erin thought it made no sense since he just said he had to go to Red-water but she didn''t have the occasion to ask about it.


    Galana made a bitter smile to answer.


    "Yes, that''s me. I would have been in a really bad situation if he didn''t come for me."


    The smaller girl was about to ask for more details but Emp interrupted her.


    "You should wait to be introduced before you start embarrassing her. Galana, those are Leonni and Erin."


    "Hi." The two girls waved their hands.


    "Then, the one floating up there is Svaenaha."


    "Hi, welcome in master''s home."


    "And finally, this is my wife Calla."


    Calla just gave Galana a shy smile and waved her fingers from behind Emp. Galana walked closer to her and bowed deeply in apology.


    "I''m sorry I caused trouble for Emp and you. I also apologize for showing up unannounced and the trouble I''ll cause from now on too."


    "What trouble?" Erin asked with curiosity.


    "Galana will live here, at least for a while, I''ll give her the room close to the study upstairs, the one next to Svae."


    "Eh!?" The girls cried in surprise.


    "Is that fine with you Calla? I know I should have asked you before but it will be troublesome if you say no, I''ll have to bring her all the way to B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "It''s fine." She answered with an unsure tone through the magic cuff.


    Caught on the spot like that, there was no way she could say no even though she knew nothing at all about Galana or her story aside from a few snippets Emp told her here and there.

 129 Finishing work

    Now that Emp was back with Galana, things went back to normal, at least for him. That evening, he dropped all her things into the room he wanted to give her, handed her a key for the study and gave her a final gift, the store sign.


    The nobles over in Red-water didn''t keep the sign of her shop but he managed to find it at the rug store it had become. The lady that bought the place kept the sign to turn it into firewood, he bought it from her instead for a bit more than what it would have cost her in ordinary wood. He didn''t clean it or anything but when he got it out of the bag and placed it in her arms, she got very emotional and hugged the piece of wood strongly.


    He was very happy he took the time to go get it. He let her get used to her room on her own and enjoy the things she had recovered and went to his own room instead.


    Over there he had a rather long talk with Calla, telling her all that had happened in detail. He left nothing out, even their strange quarrel at the trial or the one they had going to Palonia''s store that morning. How the lord of Red-water now knew who he was and the entire city learned of his existence was more important but he knew Calla was much more curious about Galana herself.


    After she knew everything, she agreed that he was doing the right thing. Calla wouldn''t be herself if she didn''t want to help someone in trouble. She was convinced that he did as he should have and thought that having her work with his books and papers was a great idea but in practice, she was unable to communicate with Galana.


    The new arrival felt bad towards Calla and feared that she might be unwelcome so she did her very best to be friendly and helpful. Over the next few days, she tried many times to talk with Calla in earnest, both to learn what sort of person Emp''s wife was and to apologize more properly.


    Calla only felt overwhelmed by her strong approach and recoiled every time, she froze most of the time and whenever she didn''t she only answered with nods and shakes of her head. That only made Galana more worried that Calla might be angry towards her and pushed her to work harder and be more present at the great despair of Calla.


    Emp saw none of it because he shut himself back into his workshop to finish his gift towards Mable. It was Svae in the end that mediated between the two and managed to find out what was wrong. She listened to both and told the other in turn how they felt. Everything fixed itself smoothly and Emp only noticed that the mood around the house suddenly became better overnight.


    Galana stopped harassing calla all the time and gave her some space while Calla made efforts to convey that she was welcome here. Aside from Calla, the others got used to Galana being there quickly.


    The first morning Galana was there, she asked Svae to let her take a look at her seal from closer. She had the same on her forehead but without a mirror, she didn''t have the occasion to ever see it yet. She wanted to see it from close to give herself an idea of what her own forehead looked like. At first, Svae thought it was a pretty strange request but agreed anyway for the sake of better acquainting herself with the visitor of her master.


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    Since Galana came to see her specifically, they talked in Svae''s room for a bit and Galana ended up pulling up the band wrapped around her head to show the seal to Svae. Understanding what this was all about, Svae turned a lot warmer towards Galana right away. Even though they didn''t have much in common at all and Galana wasn''t sure she could trust a cursed blood, they bonded over how Emp helped both of them out. The things he did for them weren''t on the same magnitude at all, but for Svae, it was all the same.


    The two final girls were both curious and wary of the new arrival. They kept asking questions to Galana but she dodged them all. They asked about the statue, they asked when she met Emp and how, they asked how he helped her, why she was here, why he trusted her with the key to the study and not them and so on. Galana didn''t want to say anything about her ordeal up to now and couldn''t reveal Emp''s identity to them either so there was no way she would say anything. Instead, she lost her patience really quick and pushed the two girls away more harshly every time they came charging at her again. At some point, she ended up shouting at them to stop asking her questions.


    The two girls were more convinced than ever that something fishy was going on but Emp was adamant that she was his friend and neither Svae nor Calla seemed to care about this. Erin and Leo made it their mission to follow Galana everywhere to spy on her every action and catch her red handed doing something bad. This way, the others would have no choice but to believe them.


    Anytime they weren''t practicing their ways to beat Emp''s game, they would sneak around and hide in corners to observe Galana. They''d look at what she was doing from windows, hanging over the doors, crouched under or behind furniture, sneak behind her and so on.


    Galana didn''t have any dark or evil secrets to hide but she would still get furious when she caught the girls doing that. Most of the time, she would just barely catch them from the corner of her eyes and jump in fright before cursing and shouting at them.


    "Again! Are you trying to make me die of fright!"


    Galana would run after them in anger but with her still weakened state, there was no way for her to catch the two over-energetic girls. In the end, she could only raise her fists in the air and watch them disappear in a hurry. Thanks to Calla''s copious meals, she was getting better but it would take more than just a few days to repair the damage on her starved body.


    Aside from how she was very annoyed by their incessant questions and how she hated to be jump-scared by them, Galana remained reasonable and didn''t hold a grudge on them for long.


    A few days after her arrival, everyone was eating one of Calla''s meals around the large table and like always, it was delicious. There was an animated discussion around the table and from this to that, Erin brought up something she found interesting.


    "There''s a lot of girls in the house. There are five of us and Emp''s always hiding in the workshop so it feels like there are no boys at all."


    "But that''s not strange, is it? There are always more girls then boys in houses." Emp pointed out.


    "Well, normally yes but they''re usually related in some way. It''s strange because none of us are related to you in any way aside from Calla who''s your wife. You''re even planning to have more come soon." Galana told him. "People outside might think you''re in this sort of relationship with most of us you know?"


    "What sort of relationship?" Leo asked, unable to get it.


    Emp ignored her for now.


    "It just happened that way, it''s not like I''m trying to fill all the free rooms in the house with girls. It''s because you girls keep getting in trouble. The guys I know don''t usually get in so much trouble that they don''t have anywhere to live anymore."


    The two sisters and Galana all made a grimace at once.


    "Is it really because they don''t get in trouble or because master doesn''t have that many guys friend to begin with?" Svae asked in an attempt to save her friends from their embarrassment.


    "I do have have male friends. They''re just busy, or in B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    Aside from Calla, everyone else shot him a skeptical glare. Did he really spend so little time with other guys? Should he be worried about that? He didn''t meet all that much with the knife boys anymore, Gilbert had become his brother in law so he didn''t count, Manley was super busy with his new wife and work, He didn''t speak to Martin since he arrived with him at the village and he couldn''t say anything about his friends from school in front of the Porter sisters. Anyway, he was conscious about the fact he spent almost no time with any of them, he was too busy training, or watching over Mable...


    "Well at least none of them stabbed a guy in the neck."


    "How did it turn into an attack against me?!" Galana complained with a pout. "It''s not my fault you can''t name a single one!"


    "Woah! Did she really stab someone in the neck?" Leo shouted with curiosity.


    Emp jumped on the occasion right away.


    "She did and got into even more trouble than she already was for it."


    "Tell us how it happened! How did you do it?" Leo asked her excitedly.


    "Should I really say it?" Galana asked Emp, a bit taken aback by her interest.


    "Sure, why not?"


    "Uh... I held the dagger with both my hands and I waited by the door, when he opened it, I turned around and stabbed downward with all my strength like that."


    Galana showed it with an imaginary knife, bringing her two hands over her head and striking down.


    "I wasn''t aiming for anything in particular, I just wanted to hit him. I managed to hit his neck and that was it."


    "Wow, we never managed to do that! What happened next, did you win?"


    Galana furrowed her brows because she didn''t feel like the question made sense. Meanwhile, Erin made a grim face as she understood the meaning of the story.


    "Well, he died."


    "Eh?" Leo said, clearly confused.


    "It wasn''t a game Leo, she killed a guy with an actual knife." Erin explained.


    "Eh!?"


    Leo jumped on top of her chair, almost falling off of it.


    "Of course it wasn''t a game! Who plays around by stabbing people?!" Galana exploded.


    The two sisters turned their eyes toward Emp.


    "What? I didn''t give you any actual weapons, I gave you wooden training swords. How else are you supposed to learn anything."


    "I knew it! Both of you are bad guys! An evil looking man and a murderer!"


    Erin pointed their way accusingly while Leo was biting her lips.


    "You''re clearly dying to say it too!" Emp complained.


    Even though she said she wouldn''t do it again!


    "Master isn''t a bad man though." Svae commented to calm down the two girls.


    "But why won''t he tell us anything then? They''re clearly hiding something!"


    "Then beat my game if you want to know so badly. Galana might not have done the best thing that time but she wasn''t in the wrong."


    The two sisters didn''t insist because neither Calla or Svae seemed to agree with them. They only sulked for a bit instead until Svaenaha came to promise them that Emp wasn''t hiding some dark secret or trying to trick them.


    "But how could it be a good thing to kill someone?" Erin asked Emp the next day in the storeroom.


    She had followed him alone, according to her, Leo was doing some important task.


    Emp was in the storeroom because he had received a big new batch of talismans from Penny and he decided to store some here as well as in the bag. He kept buying more and more because he wanted to make sure he wouldn''t lack any if he ever needed them. His fight with Sophus had wasted all those he had but now, he had plenty of all kinds again.


    While he was placing them in a box on the higher shelves, he tried answering her question as best as he could.


    "I''m not sure how to explain it properly. I don''t want you to misunderstand either. I said that she wasn''t wrong, not that it was good. Sometimes, people are just bad. Not the way you keep calling me bad but more like a monster, a creature from the woods."


    "I don''t get it."


    "If you see someone that''s doing a bad thing, what would you do? When we met, you tried to jump on me but I hope you know better now."


    "Uh... Call the guards?"


    "Right, and if this time you are right, the guards will arrest them, I''m sure you know what happens to the guys they arrest."


    "They get turned into slaves? What does it have to do with killing someone?"


    "They don''t always get turned into slaves, some that didn''t do much will just have to pay for their release and some that did something terrible could get executed. We saw the trial of the son of a viscount the other day in Red-water, he was sentenced to death so even nobles aren''t safe."


    "Really? But what did he do?"


    "Two murders, as well as other bad things."


    "So he got killed because he killed? But why did he kill in the first place?"


    "The reasons behind it aren''t that important for now, for now, let''s just say he was just a bad guy. If a bad guy comes at you with a sword and wants to kill you, do you think its best to let him do it because killing isn''t good or is it best to beat him to protect yourself?"


    "Huh... Isn''t it best to hide?" Erin wasn''t sure.


    "Now we''re just back to talking about when to run, when to hide and when to stand. Sometimes, people are just as bad as monsters and if they want you dead, you have to make sure you survive somehow. If he''s the one that end up dead, I''d say its better that the bad guy is gone instead of you."


    "So, you''re saying that Galana didn''t just murder someone, she was protecting herself?"


    "No, she wouldn''t have ended up in trouble if she had just protected herself, she was avenging herself instead. Even though this isn''t wrong, the guards still consider it a crime."


    "Then she is a criminal, I don''t get what you''re saying at all."


    Emp groaned and stopped storing the talismans to think about what he would say next.


    "I''ll use Leo for the example again then. What if a monster eats Leo in front of you?"


    "I don''t want to think about that, I won''t let that happen!"


    "But if it did happen, think about how you would feel. Wouldn''t you be really angry at the monster? I''d be angry. I would want to destroy it."


    "Maybe. So you''re saying that you think its okay to take revenge?"


    "For a monster, yes, for a man, you should go to the guards and let them do the work. The problem is, what happens if the guards don''t believe you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    Emp went for the extreme straight away.


    "What if the imperial prince murders Leo in front of you? What do you think will happen if you tell the guards?"


    "They''ll arrest him?"


    Emp found it funny and smiled brightly. He felt like he was talking to himself from two years ago. He said almost the same to Galana back then. Erin frowned at his amused look.


    "Whats so funny?"


    "The first time I met Galana, I had a similar conversation with her. She told me that the guards wouldn''t believe you, they''d rather believe the imperial prince because he''s such a highly ranked noble. He''s not going to be arrested."


    "But that would be unfair, if he''s guilty then he''s guilty!"


    "I told her the same, I said but it wouldn''t be the truth, that would be wrong. I didn''t understand then but now I do. Even if you say the truth, sometimes, there''s is no way anyone will believe you. Maybe because you''re just a girl talking against a big noble or maybe because the story is so extraordinary they won''t believe it could possibly be real. Either way, the guards won''t help you and the prince will be free to go. Then he comes for you because you dared speak against him. What choices do you have then?"


    Erin sat down on a box and thought hard about what she had just heard. Emp waited patiently for her to come up with something.


    "I don''t know..." She finally said.


    "Right, It''s hard to think about this, the whole thing is far-fetched after all. Galana had a similar problem, she made a choice. It might not have been a good one but it wasn''t bad either. There was no perfect answer for her problem. I feel satisfied with what she did because she was justified, even though I understand it wasn''t actually right. Like I said that other time, the important part is to not regret the choices you make. Galana has a lot of regrets about a lot of choices she made but this one isn''t one of them I think. To answer the question you really wanted to ask first, Galana isn''t a dangerous murderer that will harm us. I can''t tell you how to think about Galana or what she did but at least, you should keep your mind open until you know the whole story."


    Erin seemed to feel better now. She was still doubtful about Galana''s presence but Emp had appeased most of her worries. She agreed to his words with a nod and watched him turn back to his task. She remained sitting there for a few moments and asked something new with curiosity.


    "What are you storing? They''re looking like strange rock from here."


    "Those aren''t rocks, those are talismans."


    "What''s that? What do they do and why are you putting them in a box over here?"


    "Talismans are magic weapons. If they are broken, a spell is released at the spot were they broke, it could be anything, it all depends on what the person who made them wanted."


    "That''s amazing! So magic happens if they are broken! These sounds great!"


    "They are, a friend of mine made them. I was thinking that when I''m not there, I want everyone here to be safe anyway. Even if Calla is too scared to move, At least Svae and Galana will be able to use those to protect her and the others."


    "Only Svae and Galana? What about us?"


    "No, it''s too dangerous. Don''t ever touch them, understood? Leo and you are forbidden from touching those. If you have one in your hand and you fumble with it, it''ll blow up in your hand. You could hurt yourself badly enough that you might die. Those are real weapons, not toys."


    "Now you''re treating me like a kid! I''m not that small, I''m older than I look!"


    "You might be fine but as we all know, you''re the sort to make accidents happen around you and I don''t want to risk it. Plus, if you touch some, your sister will think its fine to do the same and my house will disappear in no time. Don''t touch them, each is worth a lot of money too."


    "Gnw, fine..."


    Emp laughed at her reaction and shooed her away.


    She was right about not being a kid but the amount of mishaps happening around her and her sister was catastrophically high. Even if it sounded like he was treating her like a kid, he could not let her get close to the talismans. He was certain that eventually he''d be able to let her use them in case of emergency but that time would only come after she managed to reduce her clumsiness to a safe level.


    Aside from storing talismans and finishing his confirmation gift, he also had to go work with Marcy and tell her all about what happened in Red-water.


    Her reactions to the story were pretty violent all around. She got mad when he told her about his troubles on the road, then again when he told her he called Palonia auntie and reacted even worse when he told her about the trial and how he stood in front of everyone. She was absolutely furious. He had already known she would react this way though so he had been prepared to withstand her anger, mostly.


    She had him work on a bunch of small annoying tasks as punishment on top of getting yelled at for the things he did. At least, Galana got yelled at too so it didn''t feel lonely. Marcy was way harsher on her so it was a good thing that Emp was there to calm his mother. Galana had felt pretty bad about it already and all that yelling didn''t make her feel better at all. At least this time, she didn''t yell back.


    She told Emp that she felt extremely nervous about this. If his adoptive mother reacted so violently, she didn''t dare imagine how his actual mother the goddess currently felt.


    A few days later, Emp heard that Galana went to the village head to borrow the heart statue they used for marriages one afternoon. He was pretty certain she made another long round of apology in front of the statue just to be on the safe side.


    She might not have done so if Marcy hadn''t been so hard on them but one had to understand how she felt. Marcy didn''t want to be disturbed by a bunch of nobles all the time and she didn''t want the family to swarm around Emp for this and that.


    They would have done so eventually for sure but now that he had showed up and caused the execution of another noble, the rest of the Muracier house couldn''t possibly ignore him. They''d want to know where he came from and who he was exactly as fast as humanly possible. After all, someone had used their name to kill a noble, and they knew nothing of either party. They''d just look like a bunch of idiots if they were asked for answers and they didn''t even know his name.


    In the end, Emp felt she just didn''t want her family to disappear again. That was the primary reason why she got so angry.


    Speaking of family, once she was done yelling at him, Emp told her that her brother said she could use her legs to come see him.


    "What did that slag say! He''s got some bloody legs too I''ll have him know! He can come anytime he wants! The only reason he doesn''t want to see me is because he doesn''t have any niece or nephew to show me!"


    "He does have two though?"


    Emp had met them, twins, a girl and a boy, there were really small though so they slept in a crib all the time. Tiberius had a young girl take care of them so that both he and his wife could work properly.


    "What! How come he never told me! That old piece of rotten slag!"


    "You know, he said almost the same thing when I told them about you adopting me."


    "I''m still angry. Do ya even know their names?"


    "No, sorry, I forgot to ask, they were too small and I was busy trying to get Galana out of trouble. You''ll have to go there yourself to meet them I guess."


    Emp gave her an apologetic smile and his mom glared at him.


    "I''m sure ya''re doing it on purpose."


    He did think they should meet up after such a long time away but he didn''t do anything on purpose, it just all happened this way.


    Marcy eventually let him go and he was able to focus on the last details of his gift, he took his time and after a few more days, his sun amulet was ready to be gifted.


    With all that out of the way, the only thing left for Emp to do in the village while he waited for the seal to reach him was to train and continue to test the sisters.


    As for Galana herself, since he didn''t have any work to give her in that time, he just let her read as much as she wanted. He also told her to take a look at his notes on magic but to not try anything on her own. He left all the papers of all the notes he had taken in every subject at school so far in the study room for her to store properly and read as she wanted. She didn''t go out of that room much, she mostly just walked from her bedroom to that place and back, only going downstairs to eat or to do something she was asked to by Emp. She would have listened to Calla as well but she never asked anything from her because of her shyness.


    The last thing to mention would be that Emp gave her one copy of the ring. Hers turned into something looking like a bronze book with a ruby shaped like fire over it. The hoop of the ring was like a golden crown pierced at the center. She got rather miffed that he linked money so much with her that her ring looked like a pierced coin but kept it anyway and told him she''d do her best to change how he viewed her in the future.


    *-*-*-*


    After Emp rushed to Dark-glint and came back, things got a bit hectic in school.


    He came back late in the evening the same day he left and went straight to his room. The first thing he had to do was to reassure Celtine and Harriett and tell them what happened. Unable to recall the other him out of the blue he was still nervous by the time he came back and until he gained the confirmation that Galana was alive.


    He got really angry about the books being stolen and everything that happened but he trusted himself to deal with everything properly.


    After he told them about the new details on the situation, Harriett told him her own news in return. She said that Juniper came to knock on his door frantically saying it was important. Harriett had felt rather powerless to help with anything because she had been told to simply say that her master was busy. Juniper insisted for a long time but the only thing Harriett could do was repeat over and over that Emp was busy.


    He felt rather sorry because he had not thought about this sort of thing at all. What could possibly have been so urgent anyway. He decided to go meet with her in the morning first before he braved either the duke or Blackbull.


    He was also told that Aglaya came as well but she didn''t insist and left quickly so he''d go see her last.


    The next morning, after waking up, he made his way right to Juniper''s Room, or rather, he would have but he had no idea where it was so he had to go to the main all and ask Esther to send someone to get her. The servant came back as quickly as possible to lead him to her room at her request. Like usual, Celtine was on his shoulders as he walked through the school to Juniper''s room.


    Hers was pretty far away from his'' and Mable''s, not even on the same floor. Once the school servant pointed a door to them he knocked at the door and announced himself.


    "It''s Emp, I''m here because you wanted to talk to me yesterday."


    "Come in," One of her two slave said while opening the door for him. "Mistress has been waiting impatiently for you."


    The school servant bowed with her mission now accomplished and left as Emp stepped inside the room.


    Juniper might not have been a noble but her room seemed more luxurious than any he had seen so far. There were lights and fragile looking glass everywhere. Everything was shining in its pure cleanliness and delicate beauty.


    Juniper was the less delicate thing in the room right now, she was pacing behind her table when he stepped in.


    "Finally you''re here! I really needed to talk to you but you didn''t show up in class yesterday and your servants wouldn''t let me in at your door."


    "I was busy." Emp answered simply.


    "Yes, I was told that repeatedly but I need you to tell me what to do before I get into huge trouble. I can''t deal with it on my own, I don''t know how and I''m panicking."


    She really did look desperate which troubled Emp because it was so far apart from her usual appearance.


    "What is it you''re panicking with? Am I really the one you should ask things to?"


    "You are because you''re the reason I''m panicking in the first place! Your name is Muracier, isn''t it?"


    How did she learn about that! Her own two servants almost collapsed in surprise as well. Apparently they didn''t know yet. Juniper ignored them, focusing on Emp instead.


    "I can see by your two faces that I''m right. Both you and Celtine can''t believe I found out. That''s exactly my problem too!"


    She told him in details about the stories her workers brought back with them and what she guessed from all those. She didn''t know the Muraciers had any heir and considering all the mysteries surrounding this, she knew it was probably a big secret. She didn''t know what to do about what she now knew and wanted Emp to tell her what to do with her workers before they spread their stories everywhere. The last thing she wanted was to upset the Muraciers by accident because her workers couldn''t keep their mouth shut about a duke and a renowned smith.


    At first, Emp was really surprised that she guessed his name, and very worried that everyone else would soon know but the more he listened to her worried rambles, the calmer her felt. He was soothed by two things. First, she was very clear that she would do anything he would ask about this and second, it would soon not matter anymore. He told her exactly that.


    "It''s true its a secret but it won''t be like that for long anymore so don''t worry too much about it. I was in Red-water yesterday and because of some things that happened, I might not be so unknown for much longer. You can just let them be I think."


    In fact, since this thing was more because of how the duke bowed for Calla than his own fault, he thought that this news might be helpful to him instead. The duke could hardly be angry at him for something he was also guilty of to an extant.


    Juniper seemed Partly relieved by his answer and partly offended.


    "You mean I stressed this much over nothing! What in the... Urgh! I can''t believe it! So it''s fine if I say it to anyone?"


    "No don''t!" Emp stopped her hurriedly.


    "Why not?" Juniper frowned, hesitating between renewed worry and annoyance.


    "Because I don''t want everyone here to know that name. I don''t want everything to be different. Also, even though everyone will soon know I exist, I still don''t want them to know I''m here. Do you understand? If you tell everyone, there''s bound to be someone who will tell a member of their family that they know me and that I study here. I don''t want to be called to the main hall everyday because someone I don''t know wants something from me. Also, I don''t want to be scolded by the duke more than I already will."


    Juniper made a dispirited groan.


    "It will be hard to hide the link between you and what the people outside know of you."


    "I still want to try though, why does it seem to make you so upset?"


    She looked to the side to escape his eyes.


    "I might have let something slip to Aglaya yesterday. I was too panicky and she buried me in questions when I tried to escape from the class."


    That was indeed really bad for him. He needed to speak to her right now.


    "Please, don''t say anything to anyone else. I''ll leave now because I need to catch her before my name spreads further."


    "I understand, I''ll keep my mouth shut now."


    "For now, please, tell those two to keep the secret no matter what but once we''re all done with school, I don''t mind you saying everywhere that you sold me jewelry or even that you''re my friend, because you really are. How does that sound?"


    "That''s just perfect for me." She answered with the smile of a wolf.


    Hopefully, Mable wasn''t yet aware of his identity. If she was, her father might be easier to convince of his worth but Blackbull would be the most furious against him that she had ever been before.

 131 Gift and Visitors

    Some days later his confirmation gift for Mable was finally completed. He impatiently sent Harriett to her room to tell her that he was ready to present his gift.


    It was a rather stressful moment. Even though he expected everything to go well since he saw those girls almost every day, it was still a very important task to accomplish. He waited in his room restlessly for Harriett to come back, pacing around the table. He thought the temperature was particularly hot today and his fast beating heart didn''t make him feel better at all.


    Since he had done it once already, he thought that it would be easier this time but he had been wrong, he was just as nervous as the first time. Even worse in fact since he didn''t know how well his gift would be received. He started second guessing himself.


    He was really proud of the large pendant he made for her and thought it was a good match with her but, was it enough to give to a noble girl like her? What if she thought it wasn''t good enough? Aglaya knew he was a Muracier too, would she just tell him that he could have made something better because of who he was and disapprove of the gift to her friend? Maybe he should have shown it to Blackbull first to receive her opinion on it.


    Celtine interrupted his pacing by grabbing onto his sleeve. She showed him a confident smile, fearless and encouraging and raised her writing tablet beside her.


    "Thanks Celtine for trying to cheer me up but I don''t think I''ll feel better until this is done. What is taking Harriett so long?"


    Celtine wasn''t disturbed and wrote an answer calmly.


    That would make a lot of sense, Mable did say she would have Nessa and Aglaya as witness. It would be awkward if he came first and waited for them with Mable. The other way around was definitely better even though it had him pacing alone in his room.


    He nodded for Celtine and tried to start moving again. Waiting motionless was a lot harder than it seemed. Partly because he really felt like he was wasting time he could use for something else and partly because he was eager to get it done. Even if she was holding his sleeve, he didn''t feel like waiting in that one spot for much longer.


    Celtine saw that and didn''t leave him a chance to do laps around the table anymore. She reached her two arms high above herself and wrapped them around him in a tight hug. She was doing her best to make him feel less nervous and he felt her good feelings flowing into him from the hug.


    It did help him a lot and he also placed his hands at the small of her back to hug her in return. He took a deep breath to calm himself and let Celtine rub his back to appease him further. It was slightly amusing because of their size difference since it looked like he was comforting her more than the opposite but it was still effective.


    He waited like that for what he felt like a long time still until Harriett reappeared with the news he was waiting for.


    "Master, they''re ready to receive you now. Sorry it took so long but we had to wait for miss Hasting and miss Pierail to join miss Mable. She was pacing around in her room the whole time, she is very nervous about this master."


    Emp almost laughed thinking about her doing the exact same thing as him.


    "Alright, thank you Harriett, we''re all going now."


    He only had to shift his hands slightly to grad Celtine''s waist and lift her over his head and onto his shoulders. She seemed disappointed that the hug ended so abruptly but they had been there for a while, she should have had enough. Anyway, wasn''t the hug meant to comfort him rather than her?


    With Celtine at her usual spot and Harriett following right on his heels, he made his way to Mable''s room.


    He was let in right after he knocked at the door and saw that the girls inside had moved the table out of the way to make some space in front of the small row of chair they sat on. It was a very similar scene to the one he had experienced in the Champom house except there was only three chairs here. Their six servants stood behind their respective mistress and everyone awaited him with impatience.


    Of course, Mable was the worst of them and kept fidgeting on her chair. This might just be one of the most important and stressful moments of her life, it was a perfectly normal reaction.


    "Emp, finally you''re here! You took so long to make it I was getting nervous." She told him with a face plainly showing she was eager to see what he made her.


    "The other day, she even asked me if I thought you forgot about the confirmation." Aglaya revealed.


    "Don''t say it out loud, it''s embarrassing." Mable complained while Aglaya laughed.


    The two were acting just as usual except from how tense Mable was. Clearly, Aglaya didn''t speak about his name and let nothing show on her face. She was apparently ridiculously good at keeping secrets.


    Of the three girls, Nessa was the most unconvinced about what they were doing here. She expressed her doubts about this whole thing while Emp removed Celtine from his shoulders and placed her beside Harriett behind him.


    "Are we really doing this thing out of order? Is it really a good idea? Won''t Mable''s dad and mom be furious if we do this without them? I''m sure mine would be furious. I''ve never heard of anyone doing this before, we''re not even in Mable''s family, I''m not sure this is right."


    "Isn''t it too late to complain now? Mable already had him make the confirmation gift and he''s about to say the words. You should have said this at the beginning." Aglaya told her.


    "I''m not really saying we shouldn''t do this, I''m asking Mable if she''s really sure she wants to go through with this. You might have to do this all over again if your family thinks that this confirmation isn''t a legitimate one later. After all, it''s out of order and you only have two witness, one being a lady-in-waiting, and I don''t mean to offend you Algaya."


    "No offence taken, you have some valid concerns."


    Emp kept silent while they talked because as he remembered it, the first thing he said last time was the vows. He had forgotten if he had to say that first or if he could just say it anytime, he''d rather not take any chances with this. Instead, he just observed their last minute argument nervously. For him, it didn''t matter if they ended up deciding to wait but he found it difficult to just stand there waiting at this important moment.


    Mable felt jumpy too and kept rocking herself left and right on her chair as if it would make this whole thing proceed faster.


    "I want to do this now." She said impatiently. "I was the one that asked him to do it this way and I think that it''s amazing he''s willing to do the confirmation before even receiving the offering. I''ll feel much better after it''s finally done and at worse, he will have to say the vows again in front of my father. If he believes them then it won''t be too much of a problem, the gift as already been made too, there''s no way they will have him do it a second time over, what would I do with two confirmations? Today is just for me, not for my dad. I only need your two opinions on this, no one else''s matter."


    "Alright then." Nessa and Aglaya nodded, satisfied with Mable''s resolution.


    "Emp, sorry to have you wait, you can do the thing now." Aglaya invited him to step forward with a gesture of her hand.


    Mable rose to her feet and stepped forward to meet him halfway in the room. Unlike for Calla, he wasn''t afraid she might collapse in the middle of it, maybe this was how it usually went rather than staying on a chair the whole time.


    He joined up with her and got down on one knee as he removed his gift from his bag. From were he was, inches from her, he could hear her heart beating like crazy just like his own and it made him feel a lot better. He looked up to her, staring into the sapphires that served as her eyes and lifted the result of his efforts up in between them. He held it there on top of his two joined palms and observed her reaction to it with nervosity.


    She made a marveled face and her eyes shined like tiny stars so he believed she had a good first impression of his gift and it was encouraging. She kept her two hands locked together in front of her while she waited for him to say the words. He remembered them very well and wasn''t afraid to say them to her.


    "Mable, I swear on all that I know, and all that I don''t, to keep you safe until my last breath.


    If you accept me as husband, my love for you will last until I feed the trees with my bones.


    May this gift be proof of my commitment for it is my best and I am offering it to you."


    "It''s so cute!" She said excitedly.


    She was almost jumping on the spot, bouncing happily by lifting her heels from the ground repeatedly like a bunny which made him smile brightly.


    Aglaya thought Emp did pretty well and tried to keep her serious but Mable''s reaction made it very hard and a wide smile floated up her face. Nessa placed a hand in front of her own face to hide her own amusement and their six servants turned their heads away with the same goal.


    Only Harriett and Celtine were displeased by how Mable reacted because they felt it was disrespectful towards the vows their master was taking.


    Mable saw it right away and tried to catch herself. She stopped her childish display and apologized.


    "Sorry, sorry, I didn''t mean to make fun of your vows, it made my heart jump. It''s just that the gift is way too pretty, can I?"


    She approached her hand from the gift.


    "Of course you can, it''s yours."


    She reached down for what Emp believed would be the gift but she grabbed his arm instead and pulled on him to get him closer to the her two friends.


    "Look at what Emp''s giving me." She told the two.


    She leaned onto him heavily and held his arm warmly while she had him show the gift to the other two.


    "You are right, it''s rather pretty." Nessa commented. "Will you tell us what it is? Is there something special to it?"


    Aglaya nodded in ascent as she had the same question. It was a confirmation gift after all, if it was just a sun sculpted in gold, it wasn''t that impressive.


    Emp presented his gift to the three in details to prove his worth. As it was right now, it was a big sun with wild rays of gold and a big gem as its center. Tiny runes were carved around the rays and precious stones dangled from strings of silk all around it. Many delicate details were carved into the sun and its many rays so that it wouldn''t look like a big lifeless piece but an intricate web of flames instead.


    "It''s a pendant that is also a net of hairpins. Each of the sun rays can be detached like this from the sun''s core and serve as hairpins still linked to the rest by a string of silk and stones."


    Emp demonstrated it and the others thought it was very interesting.


    "I can see how this would be very useful for her." Aglaya nodded as she saw just how many pins the whole thing contained.


    "All of it is made of silver and pale gold so that it will remain visible even if Mable place it in her hair. If she doesn''t want to use it as a hair ornament, all the pins can be combined back into sun-rays and the string of stones becomes a necklace.


    The pieces don''t have to all be detached at the same time so you have a lot of options on how to use it and the whole thing can be pinned into a piece of clothing instead like a brooch.


    I made it all this way because I know Mable likes to change her hair and clothes all the time. I wanted her to be able to wear it whenever she feels like it and never have to ask herself whether it would fit or not. This way she can put on any hair ornament she wants and keep it as a pendant or necklace instead or she can pin it to her clothes to tie them, there will always be a place for it if she feels like putting it on."


    "So I can wear it all the time! That''s amazing!" She was genuinely excited which made him proud.


    "I also enchanted it so that when the word "Light" is said and magu is poured into it, it will shine brightly."


    He demonstrated the effect of the magic and a warm and bright glow started emanating from the gift. The Light coming from it was strong enough to surpass a lamp when all the pieces where together. Sparks of interest reflected in the eyes of the girls.


    "Because of how I made it, it also works on all the small pieces." He added


    "If I put that in my hair, I''ll glow like a star field. This is so special, how did you come up with that? Why the light?"


    "That was the hardest part actually, finding an idea. I couldn''t think of anything you might need or anything I felt that could be good enough to show just how much I liked you. Then I saw you smile, your smile is the brightest thing I know of. I wanted to catch that feeling, I wanted to show you that I love you just as strongly as the sun shine. It might not be the most original enchantment there is but hopefully, you won''t ever be left in the dark again with my love for you lighting up your surroundings. If you put enough magu into it at once, it might even blind an assailant, that''s the only idea I found to protect you and please you at once."


    All three girls felt moved by his short story in various degrees. Aglaya was the least affected and simply smiled gently while Nessa took a breath to keep her composure. Mable felt touched and didn''t know what to say.


    He didn''t wait for her to say anything and pointed out a few words he had engraved around the center of the amulet. Mable read them aloud, more for herself than for the others.


    "For the one who brighten my way more than the sun itself.


    For the sun who lighten my days, may you shine like my love for thyself."


    Right after she finished reading this, she let go of his arm to hug him strongly instead. His face got covered in her hair right away and he turned blind while she rested her head on his shoulder.


    "It''s a great gift, thank you so much! I love it and I love you. I feel bad that I don''t have anything as smart as your message to answer."


    Emp laughed and ran his hand through her hair to caress it and maybe remove some of it from his face.


    "It''s fine because I know how you''re feeling for me already."


    "No you don''t. Even though I love you so much, I keep asking more silly things from you and I think it''s unfair. Why can''t I find the right words? You''re the person I want to shine for the most. I''m not asking you to give me things and hunt monsters for me because I''m feeling jealous or because I don''t think you''re good enough, is what I want to say."


    He could feel her hands griping onto his shirt because she was putting a lot of efforts and emotion into her words but he couldn''t understand what she meant. To him, it was clearer than water that she loved him. What else did she want to add on top?


    He remained silent and enjoyed her contact while the others thought about how they would respond to the gift. Even though they had no real say on whether or not Mable accepted the confirmation, they were still supposed to provide her counsel and state their opinion.


    Once Mable felt that she had poured enough of her love into their hug, she finally let him go and stepped back to hear what the other two had to say.


    Behind him, Harriett and Celtine were emotional and helped each other stand this display of affection. Their eyes were moist and by looking at their faces, it was unclear whether it was because they found the moment emotional or because they regretted to only be standing at the back.


    "So what do we think Nessa?" Aglaya Asked. "I think it''s a pass."


    "What! How could you deny master like that!" Harriett exploded in anger.


    Aglaya made a surprised face and tried to appease Harriett with some hand gestures as she explained herself.


    "Oh no, I didn''t mean pass as in give him a pass. I meant it as I give him a passing grade, it''s a misunderstanding."


    "Oh..." Harriett felt really silly and calmed down immediately while Emp pinched his lips together to stop himself from laughing.


    "It''s not that special or luxurious but I think it''s good enough and a heartfelt gift. I''d approve of the gift and the marriage."


    "I think you''re too harsh with him still." Nessa said from the other side. "I think this is incredible and well thought out. The gift my father gave my mother wasn''t nearly as good as this and I feel most high nobles don''t even know how to use their hands for something like this. There''s no way anyone else could give her a better gift, it fits her so well too. This might even be good enough for a princess. We all know what sort of person Emp is too, I also approve."


    Mable made a bright smile and clapped twice. Aglaya took a look at all six servants to see if any had some objection and none let anything show. She turned back and nodded smilingly towards Mable.


    "Then it''s your turn, give your answer clearly, do you accept this confirmation and do you want Emp as husband?"


    "Yes of course I do!"


    All the girls cheered loudly and the servants clapped, some by politeness and some joyfully. Emp got back up from his kneeling position and Mable Jumped to hang herself around his neck with laughter. Shortly after, she let him go again.


    "Hey Emp, will you help me put it on?"


    "Sure."


    Because there was no place to open the necklace part, it had to be lowered from over her head which meant that her hair got in the way. Emp hadn''t thought of that at all. He placed the pendant around her neck and held it there while she dragged all her hair through the hoop and back. It took a surprising amount of efforts due to the sheer quantity of hair but once it was over, everyone was able to admire the large sun pendant over her bust.


    She said the magic word and the small sun illuminated the room. The light was quickly followed by a great smile from her. That was exactly the sort of smile that had inspired him and just like he thought, even though it was meant to show how much he loved her, the light paled in comparison to her smile. Not because he lacked love but simply because her expression was simply too resplendent.


    He stared in wonder at the girl until she placed a burning kiss on his cheek and noticed he had again forgot to breathe.


    "Thank you so much Emp. I really love you so hurry up and beat up those scary crabs for me."


    Emp nodded absentmindedly while Mable told the others how she couldn''t wait to show off that gift to the rest of the class.


    He couldn''t be happier with the way it all went.


    *-*-*-*


    Later on, after everyone but Mable and Aglaya had left, the smiling girl was spinning and jumping about to express her almost infinite joy. The sun hanging from her neck blazing stronger than the fire in the hearth.


    "You''ll exhaust your magic powers if you let it shine all the time like that for no reason." Aglaya told her.


    "There "is" a reason! I couldn''t be happier."


    "I''m sure you could, for example, you''d have been happier if you had shared your name with him like I advised you to."


    Mable frowned and stopped spinning to shoot a complaining look at her friend.


    "There''s no way I can do that, dad would be way too angry."


    "You think he won''t be angry about what we just did now?"


    "He will but he''ll understand when he meets Emp I''m sure." Mable said with confidence. "Anyway, he hasn''t even told me his name either!"


    Her friend released an exasperated sigh.


    "You two are just as bad as one another. You truly are a perfect match. I told you that he''d give you his own once you said yours right?"


    "But you also said that he didn''t care about whatever name I had so it doesn''t matter. Blah!" She threw her tongue out towards Aglaya to show how confident she was in her statement.


    The other exhaled again and shook her head to try and hide her amused smile.


    "So Mable, will you tell me what were the crabs about?"


    "The crabs?"


    "Yeah, you said; (Beat up those scary crabs for me.), you never told me anything about crabs."


    "I was talking about the river-snatchers, I''m having a good time now, I don''t want to talk about it."


    Aglaya showed her a reproachful frown.


    "Mable, what did you ask him to do?"


    "I told him to kill all the river-snatchers, that''s it."


    "But why? What does it have to do with marrying you or not?"


    "I really don''t want to talk about it." Mable said with a small bit of frustration pointing in her voice.


    Aglaya pouted and grabbed her friend to bring her into her arms. She tortured her with hugs and logical arguments until Mable confessed.


    "You know how many wives my dad has?"


    "Five."


    "Do you know how many he had when I was born?"


    Aglaya was unsure.


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    "Six?"


    "Twenty." Mable corrected with a gloomy face.


    She told the rest with tears rolling down her cheeks.


    "I had a whole lot of sisters too. They said the river was safe but it wasn''t. They all died because of those huge scissors and it was all because the Muraciers didn''t take care of the monsters properly."


    *-*-*-*


    Some days later, the duke Jazay received an expected visit. He was relaxing in his office when a servant came to announce he had a visitor.


    "The gate is closed there be no visitors allowed."


    "But my lord, it''s someone important."


    "What sort?"


    "It''s lord Graube Muracier sir."


    The duke was about to tell the servant that he didn''t want to see the man but didn''t get the time.


    Graube pushed the servant to the side and slipped inside the office without shame. Graube had the typical features of a Muracier, he was tall, muscular and had a mane of light brown hair. Like one would expect of a Muracier, he wore his armor inside, it was a gaudy thing but despite it, he did have the strength to show off in it. Him wearing it inside might be usual but unlike the rest of his family, he had a sly air to him instead of the stone cold face or the bored neutral tone.


    His dark brown eyes tore holes into the duke behind his desk.


    "Old man, what''s the meaning of this! What did you do?"


    The duke was wholly unimpressed and spoke casually even though his annoyance was heard on each of his words.


    "What''s that question be about? I be havin no clue of what ye be meaning."


    "Stop talking like an idiot and tell me about the guy who showed up in Red-water!"


    "I can harley stop talkin and be talkin at the same time too."


    "You know what I mean! Can''t you speak properly?"


    "This be my usual peach though."


    The servant behind him didn''t correct his words this time. She understood that Graube and the Duke didn''t get along well and unquestionably sided for her own master.


    Graube growled and hammered down his question one more time.


    "Stop playing the fool now and tell me about the young one who''s pretending to be a Muracier! Something needs to be done about him."


    "Ye be thinkin he''s a fake?"


    "Fake or not, he''s not from the main house and shouldn''t introduce himself as one of us. It''s my duty to/"


    "Ye be havin no such duty. Yer not the head, yer cousin Chinui be the head."


    "I don''t know if you''ve noticed but he hasn''t been here for years. Did you start forgetting things in your old age gramps Jazay? Someone has to do the work whether my annoying cousin is there or not."


    "That someone be yer uncle the ex great general, not ye. Ye should stay put and stop botherin me."


    Graube scowled and slammed in hands onto the desk, leaning towards the old man. The duke didn''t back down either and putting his weight on his armrests, leaned forward too, glaring just as hard as his visitor.


    "Look old man, the title is all but mine, there''s nothing you can do about it. It''s really stupid to mess around with the next head like that so tell me now! Where are you hiding him?"


    "What makes ye think I''m hiding him?"


    "There''s too many knights here for just a school! They must be here for him."


    "They aren''t, all these knights be here to protect the princess."


    Graube glared some more but didn''t catch a lie in the duke''s words. He exhaled some hot air towards the ancient and straightened himself.


    "Then I have nothing to do here, I''m leaving."


    "Ye think ye can just push yer way in me officer and leave without answering any of me questions? Graube, what was yer cousin Chijou doin in that rock maze that day?"


    Graube dismissed the question with a wave of his hand.


    "You know exactly why. You ask me that every time we meet and that''s why I hate seeing your face. You were there when the truth was said, it was the emperor''s order."


    "Ye never answered properly either. Why would the emperor order that? A half truth is no truth at all."


    Graube just ignored him and walked back towards the door.


    "This be why you''re not fit to be the head! Take responsibility for yer stupid mistake! Ye might not lie but ye do not speak truths either."


    "Don''t push your luck old man. I''m not scared of your weak old bones. Don''t get in my way and focus on your school."


    The duke gritted his teeth in anger and clenched his fists while he watched the back of Graube turning the corner after passing the door. He seemed powerless against the Muracier cousin.


    However, shortly after Graube got out of his sight, the ragefull expression turned into a triumphant look, the gritted teeth turning into a wide smile.


    The duke Jazay chuckled to himself.


    "This straightforward youngun is still too confident. Doesn''t even know how to ask questions properly. Nhye hehehehe. He be thinkin he''s the only one who knows how to escape questions or what? Jeje, gimme a drink! I don''t be feelin like workin anymore."


    The servant behind him bowed and set off to accomplish the ask he had just given her.


    The duke, buried himself in the depths of his seat and stared at the door for a while.


    "Hopefully, he won''t be back just yet."


    He might not be this idiotic next time.


    Emp might be young and inexperienced but the duke truly believed that with just a bit more efforts and practice, he''d make for a good great general. Graube on the other end was just an ambitious and mildly dishonest man. He didn''t have true talent either.


    Like often, the duke wished that the younger generation wasn''t so hotblooded, they might think about who should be the head properly then instead of blindly following the simple and hard-cut decisions of Graube.


    *-*-*-*


    A few weeks after, far away in Highsteel, home of the protectors of Steelwood since its foundation, a letter finally made it''s way into the hands of an old tired man. He was sprawled heavily on a wide throne, his brows heavy with age but his eyes as sharp as in his youth. His hair died white by time and his body sagging on his esteemed seat. Anyone looking would think he was too feeble to do much by himself but his hands held the letter without shaking a hair.


    In the letter, the duke of the eastern grove, Jorman Jazay, requested an official seal to be sent his way for an important matter. Since the duke was an old friend, he had no doubt that the request must have had some importance so he wouldn''t have hesitated to allow it. In fact, the letter shouldn''t even have reached his hand because it was just a simple matter. However, it came along with some interesting news.


    An unknown Muracier appeared in Red-water and brought justice to a corrupt noble. That is how the news was reported to him by one of his trusted agents a week after they received the letter.


    The old man was handed the letter at that point and he read through it carefully. The more he read and the more he heard about the events in Red-water, the more the smile creeping up his face expended.


    "That old mud-trap, you won''t keep me out of this." He mumbled to himself in a barely audible tone.


    He rose up from his seat slowly, gathering the gaze of dozens of guards and servants. They all wandered what the old man wanted, what could possibly make him stand up. He stretched his back with many loud cracking noises and ended up standing as straight as a spear. He stretched all his limbs in the same way to bring back some life to his old body and soon after, his voice thundered in the great hall, booming in the hearts of everyone present and letting itself heard across most of the fortress.


    "Have them prepare my horse, I''ll deliver that seal myself. I have some young blood to meet!"


    There was no trace of old age and tiredness left in him except for wrinkles and white hair.

 132 A bit overboard

    Emp was done with the work Marcy gave him for the day and was now standing at the back of his house. In front of him, Leo and Erin stood at the ready, they both had the air of someone determined to succeed.


    The other girls were all close-by too, Svae stood with them excited to play the game with them, Calla was laying on a sheet spread on the grass to watch the start of the game and Galana was sat against the nearest tree and absorbed into the book she was reading.


    Emp had started training with the girls again around two months ago now but they still hadn''t managed to defeat him. Even though they hadn''t won yet, Emp was pleased to see that they hadn''t gotten frustrated and they hadn''t given up on winning. Instead, not only did they keep having fun, their determination to win only grew more and more.


    Their training swords pointed towards him as they waited for him to start the game. Svae just floated lazily, by their side, ready to dart away using her ability.


    The moment Emp gave the signal, they ran in three different directions. He opted to go after Svae first because he caught her last the previous time they played.


    She was floating close to the ground for the purpose of the game but it didn''t mean she intended to let him win easily. She swam over places were tools littered the ground, over piles of wood and even over Calla. Emp had to navigate over and around difficult terrain every time he went after her. He jumped over most of the obstacles and cut through the open spaces he could find until he managed to cut in front of her and grab her. She almost ran into him herself and after a cry of surprise, she admitted defeat in a fit of laughter.


    Now, Emp had to face the hard part. The sisters might not have won yet but they did get much better. With the time it took him to get Svae, they had a large advance against him.


    While he scanned the area he could see, Svae flew over to Calla and brought her a cup of water before sitting at her side. Emp didn''t listen to their small talk and space stepped to the side of the house. Seeing nothing here either, he continued to step from place to place towards the center of the village.


    With all this time to practice, the girls had picked up many interesting tricks to hide from him. Their breaths wouldn''t betray them anymore when they hid after running, they avoided obvious hiding places in favor of spots no one would think of, they moved smartly enough to run Emp in circles instead of going straight forward and more importantly than all that, they had found their own magu.


    Emp had been very impressed the first time they showed him. Apparently, they found it a day when they annoyed Galana too much. From what he heard, they tried to untie the band of cloth going over her forehead to distract her while they slipped inside the office. Emp wasn''t really angry about them trying to get into the office but Galana was extremely furious, both for that and the headband she barely managed to keep in place. She ran after them and the two had to hide in a hurry.


    From what they told Emp, they turned the corner in the hallway upstairs and pressed their backs against the wall. They really wished to hide because they had never seen her so angry before and it was then that they felt it. Both of them tried to explain what it was like to Emp but both told him something completely different. On top of their differing explanation, neither of them made any sense. All Emp knew for sure was that Galana ran right past them without noticing them and the two girls felt extremely tired afterwards.


    After Emp had them apologize properly to Galana, he told them to keep practicing what they just did until they could freely feel that magu whenever they pleased. Once they were more in tune with it, he thought them the procedure to activate the speed enhancement self magic. With it and the hiding self magic they started working on that day they ran from Galana, their performance in the game improved greatly.


    Now, every time Emp went somewhere he had to look around very carefully in case they were hiding in plain sight. Their trick didn''t make them invisible at all but it was like the shadows turned darker around them, they became a bit blurry and faded, it was easy to overlook them in that state. It was like searching for an oak leaf in a big pile of maple leaves, you had to focus on the shape because the color alone wouldn''t be enough.


    Not only that but with them being able to erase their tracks, climb almost everywhere and knowing well how he usually played the game, they had gotten pretty hard to catch.


    He had to look into the well, over its roof, on the roof of the house, along the walls in case they climbed it and waited just under the overhanging roof, around the shed and the outhouse but not into them because it would have been too obvious, in every corner of the house and then everywhere he could think of in the village.


    Sometimes, he would stop to scan his surroundings and look at the ground in an attempt to find some indication of where they could have gone but they weren''t leaving anything.


    He knew he''d still find them eventually though, it was only a question of time.


    As he was passing the shoemakers house, he felt that their front yard was a bit different, looking closely, there were a bunch of tools placed against the wall, leaning on it. All of them were long things like a rake, a shovel and a broom. He''d have paid it no mind but there was one tiny problem, there were two brooms. The first time he glanced over them, he didn''t see anything abnormal but knowing about the sisters, he took a second look. Through the spaces between all the long handles, he should have seen the wall but it wasn''t quite right. He was pretty certain that one of the two was using her self magic and kept herself prone between the tools and the wall.


    He rushed to the tools and right away, a wooden sword pierced towards him from between the wooden poles. He dodged easily and sent his arm forward to catch her but before he could reach, the sword turned in its arc and came back for his arm. He was forced back in order to not get hit and had to clamp the tools together to lock the sword in place instead before he went after the girl.


    Once the sword was stuck, he saw Leo jump out from her hiding spot and try to run away but Emp, as usual, was way too fast. Without her sword, she got caught in no time.


    It was impressive how she could be hidden so well even though she should have been easily seen through the tools but she still lost.


    "How did you find me this time! Did you cheat?"


    "There were two brooms."


    "Ho..."


    Like that, she accepted her defeat and Emp went after the big sister. Since Leo was here, Emp was ready to bet that Erin would be back home again expecting him to be scanning through the village.


    He made his way back home while still keeping an eye out in case he was wrong but found nothing at all. He wondered where she could possibly be. He stepped on the roof of his house again and looked over everything he could see in the village. There were so many places to hide but how to guess which one was the right one?


    What if it was none of them?


    Emp sent his eyes to the palisade around the village instead. He stepped on top of it and ran around the village using the pillars as the steps of a narrow road. By now, she could be anywhere in or out of the village. The palisade was the only place for him to look both in and out of the village at the same time.


    It took him almost an hour and a half to get his hands on Erin. He caught her hanging from the corner of Bor''s roof where he should have been unable to see her unless he stood in an obvious spot in a backstreet. Her plan was to see him well in advance from there and skulk back around by following the palisade, using the line of laundry as cover for her escape. She had not expected Emp to be on top of her escape route behind her though.


    Emp jumped on top of the roof, bent over the side and grabbed her arm. She yelped in surprise and admitted defeat with a sigh.


    "You win again! Where did you even come from?"


    "I ran on top of the wall. You were easy to see from there."


    "I''ll remember that for next time." She said with determination.


    Emp smiled and nodded. If they continued like that, they''d soon win the game, in fact, he was tempted to allow them to pass already. Escaping for more than an hour was very good already. He''d give them a few more attempts to pass the mark of two hours but whether they did it or not, he''d give them the win soon.


    He walked back home with Erin at his side, he had some fun today again but now, he had to train seriously with what time he had left before supper.


    Just before they reached home though, their eyes were drawn to an incoming group. An enormous group of knights on horseback was making its way slowly through the village. They must have come in from the east gate and would stop for the night close to the western gate. This meant that they''d camp close to his house.


    "Woah! So many knights! What are they here for you think?" Erin asked him in wonder.


    "They came from that way so they must be going towards B¨ºt¨¦clair. Get out of the road so that we aren''t in their way."


    "Right, sorry."


    She followed him to the roadside and they sat in the entrance to Marcy''s forge to watch them all go by. There must have been a good hundred of them, all in neat rows of five, all as straight as boards. All of them wore steel grey plates, furs on their shoulders, charms all over their armors, a sword at their hips, a bow on their back and a long halberd in their hands.


    Their horses were just as armored as them with colorful draperies hanging over their backs. All of them had painted shields presenting their respective coat of arms, at a glance, it was easy to tell they weren''t ordinary knights. Those were as highly ranked as a knight could be. The banners they carried proved it without a doubt.


    "They''re so cool looking! Who do you think they are?" Erin asked curiously.


    "It''s easy to tell by looking at their banner. Those are knights belonging to the Muraciers."


    All around the column, large banners featuring a steel grey wall and a sword wrapped in white thread flew high above their heads. They fluttered in the wind, sticking to the poles holding them like wet clothes on the skin.


    "Really! That''s crazy! So that''s what real knights look like. Cousin Vinia isn''t nearly as good looking as any of them."


    Emp laughed at her comment and she quickly jumped on the next question.


    "So who''s the guy in front, the one that looks like a bear with thick white hair. What about the pretty knight at his side?"


    "They must be their leader but I don''t know their names."


    The first row only had two people, an old man and a young looking lady, but also wore the armor of a knight.


    The man was wearing heavy armor so he must have been some sort of knight too. He had an old face but Emp knew that he must be just as impressive as the duke in his old age or he wouldn''t be standing in front with an indomitable air. His armor was very different than those of his subordinates, it was a lot more imposing, so much so that his horse didn''t wear any protection of its own because the weight would have been too much. He didn''t have any charms on it either, only a complex set of runes instead.


    The woman wore the same armor as the knights following them but tied the helm to the side of the horse to discuss more freely with the old knight. Emp could tell she had a pretty face but aside from that and her not quite blond hair, he couldn''t see any particular feature on her that would let him guess who she might be. From the angle he was looking from, he couldn''t even take a look at her coat of arm. At the very least, she must have been very talented or a woman so young would not ride at the very front. Maybe she was a cousin of him? A daughter of Graube perhaps.


    "Maybe they''re going to go beat up some bad guys or fight off a giant monster? I wish I could see, I''m sure it would be amazing to look at!"


    Emp didn''t deny it but he hoped instead they were here to deliver the seal the duke requested.


    With all the knights, there were many large wagons with reinforced wheels carrying all their supplies and equipment. For a group of knights so large, the amount of supporting carts and helping staff was enormous, almost doubling the size of their group.


    Emp sort of wanted to go talk to them and if possible, get the seal now but he was conscious that it might be very strange for them and the rest of the village. It might be even more awkward if they weren''t carrying the seal he was looking for. Because of this, he elected to let them pass and not disturb them for now. He would get back home and busy himself inside for today instead of training outside. He didn''t want them to focus on his hair color now and he wasn''t too bothered about not being able to train outside for a single day.


    While they watched the column pass, Erin called out to him by stretching his name.


    "Eeeeemp?"


    "Hm?"


    "It''s been a while now but do you remember when we talked about knights?"


    "Yes, I remember, what about it?"


    "Can you really help someone like Gilbert become a Knight? I understand you are strong but aren''t knights way stronger than us? I don''t understand how you can make him or us into people like them."


    She gestured towards the resplendent and mighty looking troops riding past them to illustrate her words.


    "I can''t tell you how yet but I can. Gilbert and you two will have to work really hard though."


    "Even Leo?"


    "Yeah, even Leo."


    Erin was unconvinced and tilted her head with a pout and a frown as she thought hard about it. She stayed silent for a moment before she spoke her mind.


    "I''ve been worrying about what you said that time. I''d stay for Leo but she wouldn''t do the same for me, would she?"


    "What worries you exactly, do you feel bad that she wouldn''t help or do you think that it makes her bad knight material because of the things I said?"


    "The first one..." She admitted pitifully.


    "But are you really sure she would leave you behind?"


    "Back then, she answered that we should run right away and every time I get caught by you and tell her to run, she does it without hesitation."


    "But that doesn''t mean anything, she''s the sort that doesn''t understand until she lives it for herself. It''s just a game for her, you can''t judge based on that. I think she wouldn''t be able to leave you behind either."


    Erin didn''t feel much better from his words. She was a bit like that too, without a concrete example, she had a hard time wrapping her head around things. In that case, maybe if he provided her with an example they would both understand more easily.


    "Should we test her then?"


    "Test her?"


    "Yes, I''ll show up with my armor and my hammer and pretend to be a bad guy. I''ll catch you and then you''ll tell your sister to run away, we''ll see what she does then."


    Her eyes shone in anticipation.


    "That''s perfect! It''s a great idea! Let''s do it!"


    "Then we''ll do it once the knights are gone, we don''t want to bother them with our nonsense."


    She agreed with a nod and asked for more details about what Emp could only call a prank.


    "Won''t she recognize you even if you wear an armor? And won''t she just call you for help?"


    "You''ll just have to tell her I''m out of town, as for recognizing me, neither of you have ever seen my armor right? It''s a full plate like the knights are wearing, If I keep my helm closed, she won''t see my face."


    "How come you have an armor like that?" She asked skeptically.


    "I made it with Marcy."


    That simple explanation satisfied her, she had seen some of the things Marcy did so she knew that the smith was more than able of making that kind of complicated armor.


    They finished making up their plan as they admired the noble procession. Once they had all passed, they walked back home and Leo ran up to them to talk about the knights she had just seen as well. She was very excited to witness that sort of thing and buzzed around her sister like a bee.


    Emp left the two to their talk about knights and walked back inside where he found Galana sat at the main room table with Calla and Svae working on tonight''s meal behind her. She didn''t look up from her book but knew it was him by the sound of his steps and asked him right away about the knights.


    "Are they here for you?"


    "No, just passing through."


    "Did you catch shadowknight?"


    "Who''s that?"


    "The taller one, she always tails you like a shadow and she''s obsessed with justice."


    Emp walked up to the table and sat down facing her.


    "Isn''t it easier to call her by her name?"


    "No, I keep forgetting it, I nicknamed everyone because it''s easier. I''m bad with names, I only remember important ones."


    "Then how do you call everyone?" Emp asked, genuinely curious.


    "The small one I call little jumpscare because that''s the only thing she ever does and that one is skyfish for obvious reasons."


    Svae who was just behind her didn''t seem bothered at all by the race related nickname so Emp didn''t mention anything.


    "What about Calla?" That was the one he was the most curious about.


    "It''s just Calla."


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    "..." Emp felt rather disappointed.


    "What? You want me to call her wondercook or some shit? She''s your wife and the mistress of the house I''m living in, I''d be #?/%/ ashamed to forget her name."


    That made sense but Emp still felt it would have been funny to hear her call Calla with some strange nickname.


    "Watch your language!" Leo called from the doorway.


    "I''d watch my language if there were any good kids around but you''re already as bad as it gets!"


    In no time, the two of them were pulling faces at each other over the table. Emp didn''t know if he should laugh or tell them to get along. As long as they didn''t resort to using their hands, he didn''t think it was worth worrying about. Once he told the sisters about himself, he''d tell them what had happened to Galana as well and hopefully, they''d stop being so antagonistic with her.


    It was Calla and Svae who pulled them aside in the end, they told Galana it wasn''t good to fight with a kid and told Leo that Galana wouldn''t be so cross with her if she stopped frightening her everyday.


    Leo and Erin went back upstairs to spend time in their room and Galana plunged back into her studies.


    She was intent on understanding how magic worked before too long. She had met with him and Martin many times over about this and progressed at a decent pace. She was far from the speed of someone like Penny but she was better than many in his class back in B¨ºt¨¦clair. Emp felt that she could have succeeded long ago if she had not tried to do the same as her mother.


    Martin and him tested her affinity and it turned out that she had not a shred of affinity for water like her mother. She had a very strong affinity for fire instead, always crackling and lashing out. Knowing that, they had her study the book about fire magic in priority. Hopefully, she would find it more agreeable than the water magic she failed to manifest countless times.


    Emp was happy to see her so interested in something like the sisters, all three had their objectives and worked towards it steadily. Svae was a bit different from them.


    She was the one that had adapted herself to this place the best. She understood Calla extremely well and assisted her in most things all day long. She would help with the laundry, with the food, with dusting the things out of reach and do her best to listen to all the weakly stated or simply unspoken desires of Calla. She might have been doing it mainly because she knew Emp didn''t need much assistance at all but she was extremely helpful and thoughtful.


    Her most important task was to do all the errands to spare Calla. She had fun doing it because the people of the village weren''t bothered by her nature and just asked her a few awkward questions from time to time. This all seemed to be a good thing but Emp felt she was a bit bored. She liked to play with Erin and Leo more but looked out for Calla most of the time instead.


    Even though Calla kept insisting that she was fine, Emp agreed that she seemed like she needed help for a lot of things. Erin and Leo weren''t given any chores because it would end up in disaster so Calla had to take care of four people by herself on top of making food for six. It wouldn''t be so bad if she didn''t make meals akin to feasts almost everyday. She just loved making food so much, she spent most of her time there, often overlooking everything else but him when he passed by.


    Her mom Fiona said she used to push her to do her chores and had to drag her out of the kitchen frequently but Emp didn''t have the heart to disturb her while she was having fun at her favorite pass-time. Aside from that, Fiona kept complaining about the lack of grand-kids but Emp had no idea how to fix that so he mostly ignored it and told Calla it would happen sooner or later to reassure her.


    Speaking about Calla and the food, since it wouldn''t be too long until she had it ready, he waited patiently at the table and discussed of unimportant things with her Svae and Galana until it was ready to be served.


    Emp didn''t hear form the knights again until they all left in the morning. He did his work with Marcy like usual and in the afternoon, he put the plan he had prepared with Erin into action.


    He donned his armor and wielded his new hammer for the first time since he bought it. He left it in its special scabbard which he tied on his back, it was rather heavy but he felt it was necessary to be convincing. All he had to do was to be careful of not touching the girls with it. He was so much faster than them that he had no real reason to worry about it. There was no way they''d come close to the hammer. To make sure Leo wouldn''t recognize him, he left the bottomless bag in Marcy''s shop before going out.


    He felt rather excited about this, he had never done anything of the sort before so it was very interesting for him. He wondered if it would be fun and what sort of reaction Leo would have. He hoped she wouldn''t just start to cry, it would be the worst possible reaction and on top of it, it would make him feel really bad.


    He thought the chances of that happening where low though, he believed she would yell at him to release her sister instead. That was how they reacted about Calla the first time they met after all.


    He smiled to himself under his helm and proceeded to walk up to his house. Like they had planned, Erin and Leo where hanging out behind it.


    Just by the force of habit, Emp almost waved at them but he remembered what he was doing in time and managed to hold himself back. He walked straight towards them resolutely instead. Thanks to his helm, they wouldn''t be able to see his big smile so he didn''t even try to hide it. He believed the plan was bound to work and they''d be able to have some fun.


    Leo was the first to see him approach and pointed her finger at him.


    "Woah! Who''s that!"


    Because of the dark shade of his armor, he might have looked a bit scary so it wasn''t surprising that she took a step back seeing him come right at them. Before Erin had the time to look back towards him, he took a sprint up to them and hoisted her up under his arm like a bag of potatoes. He didn''t do it as carefully as usual to make it look more evil.


    Erin yelped in surprise and found herself stuck under his arm right away. She had not seen his armor yet either so she was just as surprised as Leo. She seemed to panic for an instant until she figured out it was probably him.


    Leo just stood in front of them with a face dyed in shock. Now was the hardest part of their plan, he had to say something that would sound bad without revealing his identity to her. Thinking about it now, he should have practiced some fake voice beforehand. He just said the first thing that came to his mind with a made up deep voice. It sounded so deep it was clearly fake but it was the best he could do.


    "Got you. You''re done for now."


    Erin winced because it was such a bad acting but she went along with it.


    "You!?" She cried out.


    "Who are you, what do you want from Erin!"


    "He wants to kill me because of something we did in B¨ºt¨¦clair, run!"


    "What! Let go of my big sis!" Leo yelled in a panic.


    "Or what? I''m leaving with her."


    "Just run Leo, you can''t beat him! He''s too strong and Emp''s not here!"


    "But..."


    Leo gritted her teeth, shot a look left and right and dashed towards the house with tears in her eyes.


    That was an unexpected reaction, she was crying too, did they go too far?


    Erin felt pretty disappointed and slumped down under his arm. She had a pretty hurt look on her face so Emp tried to cheer her up.


    "Wait some more, she might have gone to get help like I told her to do in a case like that. She might come back."


    "You think so?"


    "Yeah, let''s just wait for a moment and then we''ll go get her if she doesn''t come back."


    They didn''t have to wait long though, she reappeared right away and she was still alone too. Emp had no idea what she planned to do. She should have called the guards or even Svae, what did she come back alone for?


    "Leave Erin be!" She screamed, throwing a rock at him.


    "Leo..."


    Now it was Erin''s turn to cry, she was pretty moved that her sister did come back for her. Now she felt guilty about doubting her.


    Meanwhile, the rock bounced off harmlessly on Emp''s armor. He felt disappointed that she would do that, they went over this many times, throwing rocks at bad guys was pointless. She didn''t seem to care and threw a second an a third at him. One bounced off his chest and the other he stopped with his forearm.


    Since the test was successful, he was about to stop this nonsense by revealing the truth to her but a fourth rock came flying his way before he could. As he was saying "stop", he raised his arm to block it like the previous one. As it came closer to him however, a chill went down his spine. It wasn''t a rock at all, that one was a talisman! The rocks were just a trick!


    With no time left to do anything else, he turned on himself to expose his back to the magic tool and slid Erin in front of him to protect her in his arms.


    She made a surprised squeal again but it was instantly drowned by the sound of a violent explosion. Despite the combined weight of his armor and the hammer, it''s strength pushed him forward two steps as his feet dug small trenches in the ground. His head hit the inside of his helm hard but thankfully, the armor was effective in protecting him from any damage. The consequences of throwing another talisman than this simple one could have been far worse for him.


    Erin was dazed by the explosion. Even though he had told her about those, she had not expected them to be this strong, her legs were all scratched up and bleeding from the dirt that flew in the air.


    Emp wanted to quickly put a stop to this and turned back around to tell Leo to stop but she wasn''t there anymore. Did she get herself hurt by the explosion? Was she blown away?


    Then, right after he started thinking about this, he felt an added weight to his back, the girl sneaked up behind him and jumped onto him while he was busy dealing with the explosion and worrying about her.


    Fearing she might put her feet onto the hammer by accident while climbing up, he had to undo the straps holding it with his left hand first before doing anything else. His right arm kept on holding onto Erin to make sure she wouldn''t get hurt by anything unexpected.


    He activated the basic speed self magic and managed to untie the hammer before Leo hurt herself. It made a strong thud as it hit the ground but consequently, she got a precious second to do something else. She undid the clasp of his helm, flipped it around backwards and locked it in place again in just a few swift motions. Apparently, she had gotten pretty good at using the speed self-magic herself.


    Now Emp was completely blind and he couldn''t catch Leo because the articulations of his armor wouldn''t let him send his arm back like that. Instead, he could only try to fix his helmet with one hand and tell her to stop.


    "Leo stop!" The two of them told the girl.


    Emp felt that the intervention of Erin sounded a bit more desperate than his own and he understood why when he heard the sound of metal clinking onto his helm. That was definitely a knife! He let go of Erin in a hurry and shot his arm up over his head and back, taking hold of the blade just as it was sliding into one of the openings of his helm.


    "Erin go!" Leo screamed.


    "Leo stop!" Her sister yelled in return.


    "It''s just me Leo! I''m Emp! stop!"


    At the same time they were all yelling at each other, another voice came in from the side. With his helm backwards, Emp couldn''t see who it was but he''d be able to recognize that voice anywhere.


    "What are ya three doing! Who''s brilliant idea was it to blow up something in the village! Ya better have a good explanation Emp!"


    All three of them froze in place, Leo was utterly confused so Emp was able to wrestle the knife away from her and right after, Leo jumped down form his back.


    "That''s really Emp?"


    Emp didn''t hear Erin answer but she must have nodded because Leo started bawling her eyes out right after.


    "Wahhh! You''re so mean! I was scared for Erin!"


    Emp wasn''t quite sure on how to react and without his bag, he couldn''t even remove the armor to see her. All he knew was that he felt really guilty about this.


    While Leo was crying, Marcy got closer and started scolding him right away.


    "What did ya do ya slag of an apprentice! Look at me while I talk ta ya."


    He tried to do as he was told but try as he might, his metal covered fingers couldn''t work the tiny mechanism holding his helm in place.


    "I can''t work the clasps with my gauntlets on."


    He heard Marcy growl and shortly after, she removed it for him. He was relieved to see what was happening again but received a punch to the forehead right away. The strength was enough to make him fall backward onto the ground and he found himself laying into the dirt. She must be really angry, his pained forehead was the proof.


    After that, he was scolded harshly about what they did. He accepted the whole punishment for himself because it was his own idea after all. He was told to not use talismans in the village because it was dangerous, that he was a grown married man and shouldn''t do stupid things like scaring little girls for no reason and so on. He answered "Yes mom" to everything and promised he wouldn''t do that again.


    Then he was told to apologize properly to Leo and he did with a knee to the ground and his head lowered. He told her why they did this and how impressed he was about how she reacted. Leo still kept crying for a long time after that though and spent the whole evening hugging her sister who tried her best to calm her down.


    He felt the need to scold her about throwing that talisman she was forbidden to touch and not even supposed to know about but he wasn''t able to speak harshly to a crying girl so he just let it go.


    Tricks and deception weren''t his thing after all, surprising her like that was no fun at all, he just felt really bad instead and got scolded by Marcy. He thought she would be proud of being praised for her reaction but instead, she only ended up in tears for being tricked.


    Later on, Calla took care of his forehead with a wet cloth and some ointment which lifted up his mood a bit. At least his wife understood he just wanted to make Erin feel better.


    Things might not have went as well as he hoped they would but now they knew for sure Leo would stand for Erin. He also felt that this whole thing had to count for at least one hit on him, he''d tell them tomorrow once she calmed down, she won the game for the sisters today.


    *-*-*-*


    "Why are you angry again, I thought you wanted to make peace."


    "I wanted to until I saw what was wrong with him!"


    "I respect all life and I''m not the sort to cause harm to living things but I''d still like to point out that I had no hand in this. You four made him without me, It''s not my fault if there are some flaws. That''s what happen when you cheat."


    "I wouldn''t have done that if I could have one of my own!"


    "I told you I have nothing to do with that just like I have nothing to do with him!"


    "Then fix it!"


    "Why would I do that? You know we''re not allowed to make moves like that, right? I''m not moving from here, I don''t want to risk it with the immortal."


    "You''re so frustrating, why are you always like this?"


    "I''m not being mean on purpose, I''m just trying to be fair."


    "This is everything but fair!"


    "Then have him come here and I''ll see what I can do, cheech, you can be so demanding sometimes. I guess this is why we don''t get along so well"

 133 The sisters choice

    The day after Emp and Erin scared Leo, he decided to tell them about him. He sat down in the main room and told Svae to go get the other two.


    It didn''t take long for them to come down. With a good night''s rest, Leo was much better. Her eyes weren''t red anymore and she showed up with a smile like usual. Maybe Erin spent a lot of efforts to cheer her up and apologize. In any case, both of them were in a good mood and Emp intended to make it even better by rewarding them.


    They both wished good morning to everyone and he waited for them to be sat in front of him to speak. Svae stayed close by to witness the victory of her friends while Calla just sat at his side with a satisfied smile. She was really happy that Emp would finally tell them because she thought this whole thing had lasted more than long enough. She just wanted everyone to get along and have fun.


    "Good morning you two, you seem to feel better now." He told them.


    "Yes, I feel a bit better now but I''m still mad about you and Erin tricking me."


    "You don''t look mad."


    In answer, she scrunched up her face to look mad. It almost made Emp laugh.


    "I''m sorry Leo, I worried for nothing and Emp just wanted to help me, it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have doubted you."


    "Mhu, that was scary but now I guess I understand better why you said you wouldn''t run away that time. I didn''t want to loose you so I couldn''t run away."


    "You''re the best sister anyone could have."


    Erin hugged her sister again and Leo made a big smile accompanied by a contented noise. At this point, Emp felt she was pretty much just fishing for hugs and praises and wasn''t at all angry anymore.


    "I''m glad everything''s back to normal because I have some things to tell you."


    "Your forehead is still red." Leo pointed out to lure him into her scheme as well.


    "I apologized already, let''s not forget that you used a talisman worth a gold coin and twenty silver on me and could have gravelly injured your sister if I hadn''t reacted fast enough. You also tried to stab me in the neck with a knife."


    Leo opened her mouth wide in shock while Erin shouted for the both of them.


    "Over a crown!"


    He nodded in answer to her shock.


    "Yes, I told you it was expensive and dangerous, I meant it. I told you not to play around with them."


    The two girls now seemed to be really sorry and really worried.


    "Is that the important thing you wanted to tell us?"


    "Will you have us pay for the thing?"


    "Will you kick us out?"


    Emp shook his head to deny all that.


    "No, of course not. None of those things are close to what I wanted to say."


    Relief washed over the both of them and while Leo cheered in victory, Erin asked what he wanted to tell them.


    "If its not that then what did you want to tell us?"


    "I would have told you yesterday but I wanted to wait for Leo to feel better. You won."


    "We won? What do you mean?" The sisters didn''t understand what he was talking about.


    "You won our game, yesterday, Leo hit me. Well, she didn''t really hit me but the knife came really close, she managed to blind me with my own armor and even forced me to let go of Erin so congratulation, I will give this to you as a win."


    As he was talking, their faces turned into bright smiles and soon enough, they jumped down their chairs and celebrated around the room with jumps and cheers.


    "We won! Svae we did it!"


    "That means Emp has to tell us what he''s been hiding."


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    "It''s a promise you have to!"


    Emp found it very funny that they''d be this excited to just learn that. Calla laughed along with him while Svae joined up with the sister to share their celebration.


    Once everyone had calmed down, he started explaining about himself.


    "What do you want to learn about first?"


    "Your name!" "Your Job!" The two asked at the same time.


    Emp chose to answer Erin''s question first because it pretty much answered both at once.


    "My actual name is Emp Muracier, I should be the next great general."


    "Whoa!" "What!"


    Both of them felt really shocked. Erin had expected he was some sort of person related to knights, maybe a renowned one himself because of the armor he had but she had not guessed he''d have such an important name. Just thinking about how she accused him of being a kidnapping bad guy made her heart lurch.


    "You''re the biggest of big shots! How come you''re living with Calla in a village instead of in a huge castle somewhere!"


    "There are many reasons, Marcy is here, Calla''s family too, the other Muraciers don''t know about me yet. I know you don''t understand why my own family wouldn''t know about me yet but its a bit complicated and it involves a lot of things I''m not supposed to talk about so I''ll keep it at that for now."


    "Then, all those cool knights we saw the other day are working for you?" Leo said in an overexcited manner.


    "Not yet, like I said, I''m not the great general yet, so I''m not the head. If I can become the great general then yes, all of them will work for me."


    "What do you have to do to be the general?"


    "I need to convince everyone that I''d be a good great general in comparison to my uncle Graube. I have to show everyone what I can do and prove that I''m worthy."


    When she asked about what he had to do, Leo had pictured something more concrete like fetching an object or beating something. She couldn''t wrap her head around his answer.


    "But what does it mean exactly? Aren''t you good enough yet?"


    "That means I have to train hard because if I am to be accepted as the great general, I''ll have to be really really strong. I also need to know a bunch of other things I''m currently studying and maybe I''ll have to do some more things to convince some of the vassals and retainers."


    The girls obviously had ten thousand more questions to ask like how he brought Svae here so fast, if it made Calla some big noble and so on. There was one thing however that mattered more for them than any of that.


    "Doesn''t that mean that there was no work for us here in the first place?"


    Leo tensed up hearing what her sister said. She hadn''t even thought of that, she was too busy being impressed. Neither of the two felt desperate though because Calla and Svae didn''t seem to worry about that at all.


    "That''s only partially true, you know what the Muraciers do right?"


    "They protect the empire, they fight things, they lead the knights and the soldiers. Does that mean you really want to make us knights? That sounds amazing but isn''t it unreasonable?"


    Erin had felt it would be great to be a knight but she never expected to be an actual one, looking at herself and her sister, she didn''t feel like they could fit in with the knights she saw just two days ago. They didn''t have the shape or the height or the strength or even the talent.


    "That entirely depends on you now. As you are now, I think that you''d be safe on your own. I''m sure you could escape most trouble without my help but I can still teach you more things. I can''t show you anything about being an artisan or a merchant because I don''t know how to be either but I can show you how to survive and how to fight. The way I see it, you have five options in front of you."


    "What are they?" The eldest was eager to know his opinion.


    "The first three I think are less good but they are still options so think carefully about them all."


    Erin creased her brows to focus on what he was about to say and Leo imitated her. Emp was pretty sure that she would just listen to whatever her older sister said they should do though.


    "First, you could leave on your own to find some work elsewhere, I''m willing to pay for the caravan fee if you do that. Like for every other option, you''d always be welcome here as my and Calla''s friends but I can''t give more help.


    Second, I can show you how to survive in the wild, I''ll show you how to hunt and forage so you''ll be able to live as hunters. This way, you''ll be fine anywhere you go and you can even stay in Dark-glint if you want. You won''t be paid for your work, you''ll mostly work for yourselves instead. You already know how to run and hide so it shouldn''t be too long or hard.


    Next, you could be death seekers or mercenaries. You have to know how to survive in the wild like if you wanted to be a hunter but you also need to know how to fight. I''ll help you train but after that, it will be up to you if you find work or not and if you can survive it. There''s a reason it''s called death seekers and not adventurers after all."


    Erin nodded to show she understood, up to now, the second one seemed like the best option, they couldn''t be fired from a job if they were hiring themselves. She didn''t say it out loud though and waited for the last two since he said he thought they were better.


    As he was telling them all this Galana showed up on the second floor and leaned against the railing to listen to their talk downstairs. It didn''t really matter to her what the girls chose to do because aside from being annoyed about getting scarred by them all the time, she had no particular feelings for them. She was just curious to see what Emp would propose for them to do.


    "The next two I think are better but they require a lot more hard work from you two. If you trained all day everyday and gave it your all, you might be able to become knights. We already know you two have the right hearts to do it but if your body can''t follow up, it will never work. If you want to do that, you''ll have to gain a lot of muscles, learn how to survive, use weapons, learn new combat techniques, get yourselves some armor, learn manners, etiquette, know your letters and numbers perfectly too, and even study names and banners to recognize nobles and knights everywhere. I think it would be the hardest of all five options and being a knight isn''t all fun and games, you''d have to fight all the time and put your life on the line for everyone.


    The last one is the one I think would be best for you two. I''d do my best to teach you everything just like for the knight but you''d be my retainers instead of actual knights."


    "Retainers? You''d make those two insufferable tricksters your retainers?" Galana bellowed from above.


    "I don''t care about the opinion of someone who stabbed someone else in the neck." Leo said with her arms crossed.


    "You don''t get to call me out on that, you almost did the same yesterday! Emp would be dead by now if he wasn''t so fast!"


    Leo made a grimace in answer, she had not realized that.


    "It doesn''t even concern you, why are you complaining?" Erin asked her instead.


    "It does concern me, my life''s on the line after all. If something happens to Emp I''m done for and I feel like taking you two as retainers would shorten his lifespan by a ridiculous amount."


    "What does a retainer do?" Leo asked.


    "Retainers are like official representatives of the lord they serve. They do all sorts of things depending on what the lord asked them to. It''s a bit like me that''s taking care of his money and books except they''d have some sort of badge showing everyone they are close friend to the lord."


    "So all we have to do is do as Emp says, that sounds easy."


    "Just yesterday you used one of the talismans I told you not to." Emp answered.


    Leo made another grimace.


    "But what would you have us do as retainers? Galana is sort of right, we don''t have any special talent and we always mess things up. What would be the difference with being a knight? Aren''t both the same?"


    "No, not at all. A knight fights or train all the time, they have a duty to go to war and protect everyone from monsters and enemies. A retainer doesn''t have to do all that, they don''t take the knight''s vows, they just do what their lord asked them to. A retainer can be a knight but they can also just a counsellor, a mage, treasurer, a hunter or whatever. They don''t have to wear big armor and they don''t have to go to war either. They aren''t stuck behind the knights many rules so they have a lot more freedom to accomplish the tasks asked of them.


    As a Muracier though, people will expect my people to be able to at least fight well. They''ll expect me to take only the best of the best. I can''t name you retainers unless you can prove to me that you are worthy of it and that you won''t mess it up. In that way, it will be harder than to become a knight but it could be easier too. Like I said, a retainer doesn''t necessarily fight, maybe you''ll find something you''re really good at while I''m showing you things and you''d be able to help me with that in the future."


    "I still think they''d be more of a nuisance than anything else." Galana said from up there.


    Emp looked up at her leaning figure above them and told her what he thought.


    "It''s not all about talent Galana, it''s about their state of mind. I know what they have in their heart and I know the sort of will they have. They are the kind of person I respect and I believe the rest of the Muracier house would think the same. If they work hard, I think that something good will show up and I''d rather have them on my side than wasted on someone else. I think many would say that you aren''t a better choice but you''re here anyway."


    Galana snorted with a pout.


    "Will over talent? Fine then, if you say so. You better make sure they''ll be loyal to you if you do that though, I''d like to stay alive."


    With that, Galana chose to remove herself from the talk and went back to the study.


    "She''s infuriating!" Leo complained. "She doesn''t trust us at all even though she''s the untrustworthy one."


    Svae laughed and ruffled the hair of her small friend, grabbing her two buns of hair and shaking them side to side.


    "If you were that trustworthy, you''d have managed to keep one of those jobs back in B¨ºt¨¦clair."


    "Svae is right, we''d have to be especially careful if we tried to be retainers." Erin added.


    "Why, is it that hard?"


    Emp tried to explain it to her again.


    "In a way yes, think about how your dad didn''t want you to use your family name to not embarrass it. It would be the same sort of thing. You''d have something that shows everyone you''re one of my closest friends and I chose you specifically to represent me. If you embarrass yourself then, you''d embarrass me too, your mistakes would be my mistakes too and your failures my failures too. If you keep making mistakes, people will think less of me because I chose my retainers poorly."


    That idea seemed to worry Erin much more than it worried Leo.


    "Anyway, none of it matters if you don''t want to be a retainer." Svae pointed out.


    "She''s right, it''s only one of the five options, I think you have. In the end, even if you choose to try aiming for that, the final decision will still be mine to take so if I think you can''t do it, I won''t allow it."


    "But it''s the option that will make you teach us the most right?"


    "I think so."


    "It''s also the one that will take the longest time right?"


    "Yes."


    Erin shot an eye at her sister who seemed like she had no idea about what they should do and gave an answer for them both.


    "I''d like to choose the last option, I''d like to try to be a retainer."


    She didn''t seem to think she would actually do it though. From what Emp saw, she was more taking the decision based on what would keep a roof over her sister''s head the longest.


    "You don''t have to if you don''t want to. I''d let you stay as long as you want anyway."


    "But since we''re here, I''d like to try learning more."


    Emp could understand that feeling, it would be a waste to not learn anything while they were here.


    "Alright then, but I won''t go easy on you. From now on, I''ll make sure you''re working really hard everyday. In the morning, you''ll train hard with me until you can''t stand up and then in the afternoon, you''ll go see Galana and she''ll make sure you know your letters and how to calculate properly while I work with Marcy."


    "Bleh, I don''t want to study with Galana, do we really have to?" Leo asked.


    Emp chuckled a bit hearing her.


    "I know you don''t get along with her well but she''s really good at that. Plus, she''s mostly displeased with you two simply because you keep harassing her."


    "That''s because we don''t trust her, she''s hiding something."


    "You should trust me, she won''t do anything bad. She''s just ashamed about what happened and doesn''t want to talk about it."


    "Can you tell us about it then?"


    Emp hesitated for a moment. He didn''t know if it would bother Galana or if she''d be fine about it as long as the girls didn''t keep bringing it up. They had already talked about how she stabbed one of the mercenaries anyway so it shouldn''t be that bad. The main reason she didn''t say anything at all was probably just because the ending was hard to explain if the girls didn''t know his name. She had already told Svae after all.


    "I guess I could."


    He told them about how her parents were tricked and killed, how she got stuck with a huge debt, how he met her, how she stubbornly refused his help, how the books he sent were stolen, how she got enslaved and how he showed up at the last moment to get her out of there and punish the responsible noble. He told them about the slave seal hidden on her forehead too.


    It didn''t make the sisters like her more at all because they still thought she was annoying but they didn''t think she was hiding something bad anymore. They felt silly for suspecting her of all the wrongs they could think of while she was just trying to hide her mistakes. At the very least, since she was like Svae, they understood that she couldn''t go against Emp so he was right to say she wasn''t dangerous to him at all.


    "She can be really sour at times and doesn''t trust people easily at all and she''s easy to anger too. She''s not a bad person though, you''ve just really been driving her insane since she came here. You''ll have a hard time to gain her approval now."


    "Why would we want her approval?" Leo asked.


    "There are two reasons. First, because she''s the one that''s deciding if your studies are good enough to pass on to the next thing, second, because that will be your first assignment from me. Hopefully I will achieve my goals and if it happens, everyone will scrutinize every little thing I do, I can''t just give you a retainers place because I like you. The rest need to think this is acceptable too. Galana will be hard to convince but if you manage to do it, I''m sure that we''ll find the rest to be easier. Prove to her that you won''t be burdens to me, show her what you can do and what strength you have inside you. If you manage to have her tell me she accepts you, I''ll reward you with those."


    Emp shoved his hand into his bag and removed two small bottles from it.


    "What is that?" Leo asked, unsure if it was interesting or not.


    "It''s a black tulip of the crystal spring elixir. It''s a very rare potion that will make you stronger, much nimbler and more agile and a bunch of other things. It''s very powerful and I only have sixteen left including those two. Each one can be worth thousands of crowns and usually, only high nobles get to taste it."


    The two girls backed off many steps from the table, afraid they might somehow break the bottles.


    "You''d really give that to us?" Erin asked in a faint voice.


    "If you can convince Galana, yes, I''ll have you drink those, it will be well worth it for me. Your physical condition will improve by leagues, you might even become stronger than a grown man hauling lumber everyday."


    "S-seriously?..."


    "Now you know what you have to do so good luck and try your best. We''ll go train after breakfast."


    He stored away the two bottles again and the girls remained frozen for a while before they suddenly sprung back to life at the same time.


    "Erin, we have to get this!" "Leo, we have to come up with a plan!"


    The two of them ran at breakneck speed up the stairs and rushed towards the study which made Calla laugh. Svae on the other hand seemed worried.


    "Are you sure it''s a good idea to put this sort of expensive treasure on the line for them? Isn''t it too much? I''m really pleased that you''d be willing to give them such treasures but I''d have thought that it should be used on great knights under your command first."


    Emp nodded to acknowledge her question but he didn''t feel like he was making a mistake.


    "I thought for a long time about who I should give those sixteen elixirs to, my closest friends, the girls I like, strong warriors to help me. It''s really hard to decide, I''d be tempted to have Calla drink one for example but it won''t really help keep her safe. I''ve been keeping them because I''m afraid to waste them but the only real way to waste them is to not use them at all. I chose to give them to those I feel deserve them or those that need them.


    It''s fine to use two to motivate the sisters, not only will it help them a lot once they drink them but it will also make the assignment much harder and way closer to what would happen outside of the house."


    "I don''t get it at all." Svae answered with a puzzled face. "How is promising a reward making it harder for them to make up with Galana."


    Calla too was curious and waited for his answer with just as much interest as Svae.


    "It''s because Galana doesn''t trust anyone. It would already be really hard for them but its even worse because they started on the wrong foot. Now, they''ll try too hard and Galana will think they''re trying to trick her or use her to get something which is the case. She''ll close herself and not give them any ground.


    The only way to achieve the assignment I gave them will be to truly get along instead of tolerating each others which is much better in my opinion. This way everybody wins. The girls get a challenge, Galana might open up to new people and discover that the sisters aren''t so bad and I get to learn more about her."


    In the future, they''d have to convince all manners of skeptical nobles and judgmental folk, Galana was good practice. Just like running and hiding, Emp believed the way to learn was to do it and practice until they got it right.


    While they were annoying Galana upstairs, Emp got up with Calla and helped her with the breakfast. He shared a lovely discussion with her and had an enjoyable time even though the volume upstairs got quite high over time. Svae even ended up swimming upstairs to try to calm the situation.


    "Do you really think they can get along?" Calla asked him.


    "I''m sure it will be fine. It might take a while though."


    A few minutes later, Emp called everyone to eat and the following meal seemed more like a crazy street show than anything else. The sisters and Galana kept bothering each other the whole time. Whatever Galana said, the sisters wouldn''t let her go and kept assaulting her with kindness in order to earn her favor which provoked the exact opposite.


    Emp told her that he wanted her to help the two girls with their writing and calculation and she answered that she already knew with a sharp and annoyed tone. She got in a much better mood when he told her she''d be the one to decide whether they passed or not. She instantly felt that this was probably the reason they suddenly got so clingy and declared straight away that she was never going to let them pass.


    She successfully annoyed them and got called unfair, she debated with them for a moment and then feigned to be unable to stand them anymore and gave them an instant pass instead to get rid of them. Her sudden turnaround confused the sisters who didn''t know how to react. That didn''t really help them at all because not only did they not learn a thing, it didn''t count as her giving her approval either, she just said she was done teaching.


    Emp couldn''t help but chuckle while Galana climbed back up the stairs with a satisfied smile, leaving the sisters to think about how to salvage the whole thing.


    "So, did you learn anything new about Galana?" Emp asked them.


    "Learn something about her?" Leo asked, still confused about what just happened.


    Her friend Svae came floating to her side to pick up the empty wooden plate in front of her and explained what she thought her master meant.


    "Well yeah, you have to know about her if you want to convince her of anything. Clearly, what you''re doing right now won''t ever work."


    "Was there really something to learn from all that?" Erin asked with her brows furrowed.


    "Of course there was, just like when we were playing before, when you got caught, I always told you why so that you would improve. Now I won''t tell you anymore, you need to figure out why you failed and correct your approach. You need to understand her so that you won''t make the same mistakes again."


    "Hohhh..."


    "We''ll think about it later then. Right now, I''d like to ask a few more questions about the things I don''t understand." Erin told him while her sister contemplated upon what happened.


    "Alright then, what do you want to know?"


    She asked him about how he got Svae or Galana here so fast followed by a large amount of other question that had for only use to satisfy their endless curiosities. They asked about what he was doing in B¨ºt¨¦clair, if he knew many important nobles, details about his blessing and the god''s trial and so on.


    Emp tried to answer everything as efficiently as possible because he still wanted to train this morning but the string of questions still lasted for much longer than he''d have liked. Since he had told then that he would answer as many questions as possible, he didn''t complain too much and told them what they wanted to know except for the few very important things he wanted to keep secret.


    Once they were finally done, he told them to go see if Gilbert wanted to train as well and meet him behind the house afterwards. They left the room swiftly and Emp, after kissing Calla, went upstairs to speak with Galana.


    He first convinced her to seriously teach the sisters for now and then talked about magic with her for a moment. He promised to look at her progress later this afternoon and told her he was eager to see the results of her studies.


    He then put on his gear and joined the others outside for training. Thinking about how to train as efficiently as possible, he decided to sent the girls to run a lap around the outside of the village first. It would give him some time to see about the progress of Gilbert who had decided to join them.


    "But there''s a river going through." Leo said.


    "What about it?"


    The thing was so tiny Emp could just step over it.


    "How do we cross?" Erin asked.


    "Just go over it."


    The two made a dispirited face but still did as they were told and ran off.


    Gilbert seemed to think he was being harsh but Emp felt that was the easy part. Anyway, Gilbert wouldn''t get any time to feel bad for the girls because Emp really needed to train and Gilbert was the only guy he could spar with right now. Emp was sure his brother would improve a lot with just a bit of practice.


    When the sisters came back with dripping clothes and saw Gilbert sprawled on the ground out of breath and all beat up, they felt that maybe training with Emp wasn''t such a great idea.


    *-*-*-*


    (some other time)


    "Taxes?"


    "Yes taxes, isn''t that obvious that you''ve got to pay them?"


    Emp was standing in the doorway to his house with an exasperated looking Bor. The local lord was telling him about the money he owed him for the land and Emp was obviously confused.


    Emp could hear the two sisters listening in from just on the other side of the door leading to the main room. They were whispering to each other.


    "He''s trying to extort money from Emp!" "Big mistake, he''s going to get beaten!"


    Emp ignored them.


    "But I never paid any before?"


    "Because you didn''t own a house before! Marcy always pays her taxes, why wouldn''t you?"


    "But you''re asking for way more than what you were asking of her."


    "Because you''re six living in that house and you''re taking a lot of space, I told you this already. Marcy only paid for herself and you, now you have to pay for six. I shouldn''t have to come here to ask you the money, normally you should have paid already."


    Emp really didn''t know if this was right so he decided to send Svae to fetch Galana. She lived in a city alone before and owned a store, she should be able to tell him what to do. Anyway, if he paid just like that without telling her, she''d complain later when calculating the expenses for the month.


    Bor let out a long annoyed sigh.


    "I can''t believe someone with as much money as you can complain so much about a yearly tax."


    Galana showed up a bit confused about why she was called to the door and once she heard the story, Galana thought he was an idiot and urged him to pay the coins he was asked for.


    "He''s not even asking ten silvers for all six of us! Why would you hesitate idiot! Just give him the tax money already!"


    Galana exposed him everything that was normally calculated in the taxes of the empire and explained in detail what built up to the amount Bor asked for. She knew a lot about this apparently and Emp just felt confused about why all of this was made so complicated.


    Receiving complaints from both sides, Emp ended up paying without any more fuss. After that, he elected to let Galana take care of the tax from now on. Hopefully, he wouldn''t have to think about this from now on and she''d remember to pay everything with his money.

 134 Aminui

    The old duke Jazay was in his office working on some document he found to be extremely boring when a servant knocked twice on the door. She called out to him in a hurry from outside.


    "My lord, you have a visitor requesting to meet you."


    The duke made an exasperated face and yelled his discontent through the door, not looking away from the paper in front of him.


    "A visitor? What don''t ye understand in gates closed! Ye already let that Graube in and now ye all did it again? No one in and no one out I be sayin!"


    "But my lord, it''s your old friend the Muracier''s ancient Aminui."


    "What!" His head shot back up from the paper and he jumped down his chair immediately. "The ancient be here already! Why did ye not say so right away!"


    The servants in the room and outside giggled at his reaction and having gotten what they wanted, they opened the door to let the other old man through. The old man Muracier wore his armor and was much taller and much more intimidating than the old man Jazay but it did not affect him at all.


    "Me old friend be here! What a good surprise this be! It be too long since last time!"


    "Jorman you old mud-trap! I''m so happy to finally see a familiar face."


    The two old men shared a strong hug and a few taps in the back. Jorman was a good two head shorter than his friend. He felt regretful of a time when age had not shrunk all his body like this. Like Aminui said, he was thrilled to see someone he''d known for so long instead of a young face that didn''t understand him.


    "I know, these young lads be pushin us on dusty shelves."


    The two men released each other and after the duke yelled "Cups!", the servant girls pushed two big chairs out for them and brought good wine along. Like usual, they were swift but not nervous at all, they placed the wine on a small table close to the duke and served him a cup. They soon also brought a large pitcher of water for the Muracier, placing and serving some on a second table to his side.


    "Right, its like no one recognizes me anymore. Has it really been this long?"


    "Even though my heart be disagreein, it has. Me sprouts are gettin anxious about me still be breathin."


    "Your kids are still giving you trouble?"


    "Aye they be frustrated I won''t give up on me title. As if I''d give those foolish lads the rights to anythin! Can ye believe they be siding with Graube?"


    "Those foolish lads as you say have kids of their own now, and those might possibly have kids too soon. You might disagree with them but maybe calling them lads isn''t quite right."


    The two took long gulps of their respective refreshments and the duke kept complaining about his sons and grandsons.


    "They be lads until "I" say otherwise. They be nowhere near as good as yer own two."


    "At least yours are there." The old Muracier answered. "Thanks for the water by the way, it''s sizzling today."


    "Ha! Maybe it wouldn''t be so bad if ye removed that armor. I didn''t mean no thing about the two brothers by tha way. I just be meanin I''d be prouder of yer kids than me own grand-kids."


    His visitor showed some vigor like a fish just chomped on his line. His face didn''t change at all but Jorman knew him too well to not see it.


    "Speaking of grand-kids, have you heard about what happened in Red-Water?" Aminui asked him.


    The duke immediately feigned to not know.


    "Red-water? That be a kingdom away past the hills, what am I supposed to be hearin?"


    Lord Aminui leaned forward in his couch and showed an intimidating face to his friend, intent on having him speak the truth. The servants all froze in front of this most scary display.


    "You slithered around the question like an eel."


    The duke dismissed the whole thing with a tiny wave of his wrinkled fingers.


    "Don''t ye be doin that face ta me junior. It be not workin. Yer dad was makin that face better than ye and he be doin it ta me and the boys before ye even walked."


    Truth be told, his menacing air was barely any different than his resting face.


    Aminui snorted and leaned back in his seat, taking another large cup of water on the way.


    "Sometimes I forget you''re so much older than me. It''s been a while since anyone called me junior."


    "I be workin for the Muraciers fer a long time. I be likin doin it too, even if those I be familiar with are all old and wrinkled."


    "That''s a lie." Aminui pointed out. Not all of them were old and wrinkled. "Jorman, listen, a guy showed up in Red-water to expose the wrongdoings of a viscount''s son and left right away afterwards. He was named Muracier but no one recognized him."


    "This be interestin, is this why ye be here? And I be thinkin ye just wanted to see me old bones."


    Jorman tried to look pitiful but as expected, it didn''t work at all.


    "Don''t play dumb with me now, I know you''re involved old friend. The guards over there saw him leave towards Artefine by the howling road and he spoke to the count there about a teacher of his. This is the only logical place for him to be. Plus, you asked the house for a seal, there''s no way you should need one. I won''t hand it to you until I know the truth. I need you to tell me if this is true, whose boy is he? Is he my blood? A cousin? You may be able to talk Graube in circles but you know this won''t work on me."


    The old duke made some sort of pout and shook his head slowly. He had been ordered my Chinui to keep his mouth shut but...


    "Ehr, fine, ye be winnin but only because it be ye."


    The old man got back up from his seat and went around his large desk to look into a drawer. In it, he used a key to unlock a small box and brought a parchment out of it. He walked back up to his friend and placed the letter in his hands.


    "This be a letta I got from the lad, It be written by yer son."


    Aminui didn''t ask which one because the answer was obvious and eagerly ran his eyes through the words displayed on the parchment. He quickly found an intriguing sentence he read out loud for his friend.


    "Treat the boy I sent you like my son. That''s a weird way to phrase it, do you have some explanation?"


    "I be perplexed by it too first. The lad got the hair, the face, the demeanor, the name, everythin. If he not be his son, I be havin no clue who''s son he might be. He be closer to yer youngest, I be admittin, but the age be not matchin and he be sayin Marcy is not his true mother."


    "So you''re not sure he''s my blood?"


    "I am convinced he be! I just can''t show any unavailable proof without the general yer son."


    "You meant undeniable." A servant girl intervened to be helpful.


    Those girls liked to giggle at his antics but they truly were helpful most of the time. They brought a bit of life to his surroundings. even if they weren''t always right.


    Aminui shot an eye towards her and answered on a casual tone.


    "No, he meant unavailable, his sentence is just strangely constructed as per usual. Do not interrupt again."


    The girl shut her mouth right away had a slight shiver and took three whole step back just to be safe.


    "Hah, don''t be like that to the lasses, they be really helpful ta me. The lads and lasses here be not understandin half of what I be sayin."


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean it as a threat, I''m just used to ordering soldiers and I don''t like outsiders intervening in my personal matters."


    He was saying that but in fact, he always had an overly serious face. He was born with a head to intimidate those around him, his eyebrows had a natural angry angle, his jaw clenched on reflex when he relaxed, his eyes barely showed any emotion at all and his voice was like rolling thunder even in his calmest state. His old age hadn''t helped him in that regard, his brows sunk over his eyes making him look even more angry than before even though he was obviously excited and cheerful. It wasn''t a reason to not tease the man about it however.


    "I know ye be very curious and eager to learn what be hapennin Junior but don''t scare off my lasses, those be less nagging than me late wifey."


    "I said I''m sorry already. You''re worse than my guys back home worrying about my age. You should be the one feeling guilty instead! Why didn''t you tell me anything!"


    "Because of that letta of course, see at the end of it."


    Aminui looked down at the paper again and scanned the rest of the message.


    "Don''t tell anyone about him until he''s ready and most of all don''t tell my lord father because he''s bound to do something excessive!" His voice got louder and louder as he read that sentence. "I''ll show him excessive if I can get my hands on this son of mine! He goes off and hide from the empire, hides this lad too and I''m the excessive one! At least he had the smarts to send him here to learn."


    "I only be followin orders from the great general your son, me friend."


    "Well now I''m here and I''d like to make my own idea about him. Is he in class or something? Can he be called here?"


    "Sure he can be brought here. Lass, go get the lad fer us will ye?"


    One of the servant girls close to the door bowed in understanding and slipped out of the room in an instant while Aminui gave a large smile to his old friend. That was a rare occurrence, his face was made of stone and emotionless, he barely ever showed such a bright expression.


    "Great, I can''t wait. While we''re waiting, can you tell me about his progress? What''s he learned yet? Is he any good?"


    "He be an interesting one for sure that lad. Lass over there, bring me the papers on him, will ye?"


    The old man Aminui listened carefully to the old duke talking about Emp while they waited for him to show up. He also quickly scanned paper reports from the teachers about his progress in different classes. All the while, the right corner of his mouth had risen so much everyone in the room could see his teeth shining in interest.


    The duke couldn''t help but chuckle to himself, it had been more than fifteen years since he last saw him show anything else than neutrality on his face.


    *-*-*-*


    Emp was currently in Blackbull''s office listening to her speak about the appropriate manners to adopt when invited to a reception. Aside from the usual topics he failed to remember, she was telling him that wearing his armor inside was not an appropriate thing to do.


    "It is not appropriate to wear it in my office either, what made you think this was a fine idea?"


    "Its cooler in that armor than outside of it."


    Emp had finished his training outside not too long ago and decided to keep the armor afterwards. Outside, the temperature was so hot that he ended up alone in the field. Even if his armor did not have any cooling enchantment, he would have trained in it anyway but since it did, he found that the heat was more bearable with it on than otherwise.


    Blackbull was also suffering from the heat and was fanning her face as she talked but still expressed her discontent to his behavior.


    "I know the Muraciers tend to not understand that wearing their armor in public gatherings isn''t a good thing but I feel like I told you this many times already. When you meet a noble wearing your armor, it makes it seems as if you were about to go to war against them."


    "But you know this isn''t the case, why would I need to suffer the heat if I can escape it? I''ll remove it when the air cools down."


    Blackbull sighed and shook her fan twice more to blow some fresh air at her face.


    Soon after, while Blackbull was telling him about something new, the door was knocked upon. By the demand of the teacher, Celtine let the servant waiting on the other side in.


    "Forgive my interruption but the school ancient wishes for the young Emp to be led to his office."


    "Right now? What for?"


    "An important visitor presented himself today, his lordship the Muracier ancient." The girl declared.


    "The Muracier ancient? Who''s that?"


    Emp had never heard of him before. He wondered what was his role with the Muraciers and what sort of person he was.


    Blackbull seemed a bit dispirited by his question but wasn''t overly surprised.


    "I almost can''t believe you don''t know about him. I''ll have to tell you all about him in as many details as possible before I send you off."


    She addressed herself to the servant right after.


    "Please wait outside, I''ll send him with you in a few moments."


    The girl nodded and exited the room politely to let Blackbull impart her teachings in peace. Not willing to have the old men wait for too long, she explained as briefly as possible who was the Muracier Ancient to Emp.


    "The old man Muracier is like an older version of his two sons. His name is Aminui Muracier, he was the great general before his son Chinui and worked for the father of the current emperor. The duke Jazay worked for him a long time before great general Chinui inherited the title. Knowing all these old men well, I believe he could still easily hold the title himself, the only reason he does not is because of the traditions, one general per emperor, no more. He gave up the position when Emperor Billow Grandbois took the crown and unless Chinui died, he will never hold it again even if requested. He''s the current head of the house and manages everything from Highsteel."


    "He''s the head? Isn''t Chinui the head?"


    "But he''s not here now is he? Who did you think ran the whole thing while he was away? Graube?"


    "No, I just thought they were able to supervise themselves. I understand though that it would make sense that someone would do the work while Chinui isn''t there."


    "You have to be aware however that he is not replacing the Great general, he is only taking care of the household. The duty and title of Great general is still held by Chinui even though Graube currently does most of the work. Of course, all of this is speculation on my part as I do not know what the Great general is currently doing to appear so rarely."


    She said rarely but she really meant never. Chinui hadn''t been seen since the battle in the thundering pass.


    "Thank you, I think I got it."


    "Good, then you can now go meet your grandfather, do not make a fool of yourself. He will need to side for either you or Graube in the end just like the rest of your household."


    His grandfather... Emp had never thought about this. It was obvious that Chinui and Chijou had parents too but he had never put it together that they might still be alive and would be considered his relatives too.


    "Teacher, before I leave, I''m curious to know about my grandmother."


    "Lady Korine Bellrun Muracier, she''s a very headstrong woman. One has to in order to withstand the nonsense of the Muraciers. They say she could kick an armored knight down from his horse easily in her youth, rumor has it that she did just that to Aminui and it was what seduced him. She is the first of his four wives and the only one who gave him any child. I heard that he took the other three at her request to protect them and never had feelings for them but don''t go around repeating it.


    It is highly unlikely that she came with him this time around as she never leaves Highsteel, she has some hips problem stopping her from riding a horse or standing up for too long."


    Emp nodded and felt some similarities between his nominal grandmother and Marcy. Didn''t Marcy fight against the brother for something silly as well? Maybe every Muraciers felt attracted to an extent to women strong enough to beat them up?


    "Thank you teacher. Do you want me to come back after this?"


    "No, this will be all for today, you may take a break. We''ll follow up on today''s subject and events tomorrow."


    Emp gave her a respectful nod and picked up Celtine before exiting the room. The servant wasted no time and guided him down the path he now knew very well.


    It didn''t take long for the board Celtine carried to dangle in front of his eyes.


    "I think I am."


    Emp had not met a Muracier since Chinui so he had no idea what to really expect. Should he trust the rumors about how the Muraciers all acted? Who knew how exaggerated they all might be?


    The man he was about to meet could be considered his grandfather in the way that Chinui who unknowingly gave his blood and Chijou who unknowingly lent his soul could be considered his human fathers.


    If possible, he wanted to get along with him, he had kept a really good impression of the grumpy man he met in the woods and wanted to please his father. The man would no doubt have a huge influence on what came next for him so he hoped to land on his good side.


    In another line of thought however, he feared that the old man would dig for the truth straight away and ask for something he couldn''t properly answer. If he was to ask who his parents were, Emp would not know how to answer properly, he had never ceased being confused about who was part of his family and who wasn''t. Were his creators his only true parents or was Chinui included too for giving him blood and name? Now that he thought about the name, Chinui had just lent him the Muracier name for the time he''d be in school, he wondered if he''d loose it after. Would Calla turn back to being Calla Champom instead of Muracier?


    The worst of all was about archery. The ancestors never helped him hit his mark with a bow. They didn''t recognize him, he didn''t have any it seemed. Wasn''t that an irrefutable proof that he wasn''t truly a Muracier?


    He feared the old man he never met before might get angry about any of those things and from the usual reactions of everyone around him, he knew for a fact that getting any Muracier angry was not a good thing at all.


    He couldn''t tell him about any of his objectives either and possibly not even state his full name. He didn''t really know anything about him so he didn''t know how he''d react to the gods, to Celtine, to him already having a wife or his lack of outstanding talent.


    So yes, he was nervous, his heart was beating at an unusual speed like he was about to encounter a beast in the woods. Any number of things could go wrong and that was truly the last thing he wanted right now. All of his plans could crumble in an instant because of that man he knew next to nothing about.


    "Are you nervous too?"


    He asked Celtine in return. That man was a true Muracier after all, he had been a great general and must have fought a countless amount of times against the tribes. He was like Death himself for the cursed-bloods.


    She hurriedly wrote an answer, her face showed a confident smile.


    Emp didn''t understand what she meant with the sentence but he was slightly more curious about the last few words.


    "A wall chief?"


    "That''s funny, I didn''t know. Also, thank you for believing in me. I''ll try to not disappoint you."


    Emp smiled for her and acknowledged her advice with a raised thumb. Soon after, they reached the office of the director and the servant announced their arrival after a few knock on the massive door.


    "Lords, student Emp has arrived."


    "Let him in." Was the immediate answer of the duke.


    The girl opened the door for him and after removing Celtine from his shoulders and placing her at his side, he stepped into the room.


    Two old man were sat into the room, one of them he knew well but the other was no stranger either. He was the old man with the imposing armor he saw ride through Dark-glint a few weeks ago. He guessed this was the Muracier head, he had short messy grey hair, a harsh evaluating gaze with brown irises, large brows, no beard and from this close, a similar face to Chinui.


    Right away, that man rose from his seat and dominated the room with his size. He was even taller than Marcy and Chinui, dwarfing everyone Emp had ever met. He was almost a bear in the shape of a man and the imposing armor he wore didn''t help to make him less intimidating. Emp hoped he would get this big too in the future but he highly doubted it, even Strength wasn''t that tall. Emp was getting pretty close to Marcy but this was just ridiculous.


    While he was detailing him, the old man did the same in reverse, scrutinizing all his features for all the details that might lead him to some clue about him.


    Neither him or Emp showed any happiness or anxiousness from meeting the other, they just stared with serious faces in an attempt to understand the other.


    The duke didn''t say anything and Emp wondered if he was supposed to bow or something. He chose against it, in part because the man was supposed to be his grand-father but mainly because of Celtine''s advice. The visitor spoke first, he had a strong voice that didn''t show any hint of old age unlike his hair or skin.


    "Kid, did it take you so long because you put on your armor?"


    Emp shock his head.


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    "No, I was already wearing it, I was with teacher Blackbull."


    "Do you know who I am?"


    "According to Blackbull you should be my grandfather."


    The old man didn''t deny or confirm, he stepped closer to stand in front of Emp and presented himself.


    "I am Aminui Muracier and I came all the way from Highsteel to meet you. What''s your full name?"


    That was one of the questions he feared so much. Since he believed that Aminui would react the same way his son did towards lies, he had no choice but to answer as clearly as possible.


    "According to my hunting card, it is Emperor Muracier."


    "What?" The duke said from the side.


    It was true that Emp never revealed his actual first name to him, he had forgot he didn''t know. For now, the two Muraciers ignored him. Aminui just frowned a bit and asked further.


    "According to you?"


    "Just Emp, Emperor is a ridiculous name."


    "Why remove the Muracier?"


    "I am not convinced that I deserve it."


    "But you didn''t hesitate to use it in Red-water before."


    "It was the most efficient and effective way to achieve what I needed then."


    The answer seemed to satisfy him because he went straight for the next subject.


    "Your worst grades are in customs with that crow Blackbull, is it because it''s boring and you''d rather fight outside?"


    Emp felt confused by the question, it felt completely disjointed from the previous topic.


    "No, It''s because it''s illogical most of the times and it has no practical use aside from not upsetting nobles."


    The right corner of his mouth rose into a half grin, Emp didn''t know whether it was a good sign or not but it was the first emotion he let show since the beginning.


    "Good," he said before pointing two pitchers on the table behind him. "Would you like a bit of wine or would you rather have water?"


    "Water please."


    "Because you want to keep your senses sharp?"


    Emp frowned a bit, was this actually a Muracier thing? People kept telling him things like that but he never thought this was a real thing. He feared his next answer might disappoint him.


    "No, I just don''t like the sensation I receive when I drink Alcohol."


    He could stomach the taste somewhat but he hated the feel of it. Marcy tried to to have him drink many times over to get him used to it but he never did. Once she learned his family name, she stopped for good saying it couldn''t be helped.


    Aminui''s grin widened by at least twice its original width.


    "You''re not lying to me are you?"


    "Aren''t you supposed to know If I''m lying or not?"


    "So you would lie if I wasn''t me?"


    "Of course not, it just makes everything more complicated. I''d rather say the truth right away."


    Now the old man was just full on smiling.


    "So whose blood is running through your veins?"


    That was easy, Love told him specifically that she took Chinui''s blood.


    "Chinui''s blood is running through my veins."


    "Haha! No lies! I can''t believe it, it''s true! I do have a grand-son! Come here kid!"


    The next few moments were filled with the loud clanking and scrapping of metal as the old man squeezed Emp into his arms and slapped his back merrily. Emp was just really glad that he asked it this way.


    Once the old man was satisfied, he wrapped his arm around Emps shoulder and brought him to the table in order to have him sit with the duke and himself. Celtine followed them and stood behind his chair.


    "This is great! Fantastic news! Finally something good happens. I was thinking I''d have to watch my branch of the family wither but look at you! You look like a younger version of my sons, it''s great! Chinui didn''t even tell me he met someone so tell me kid, what sort of woman is she? What''s her name? What is she like?"


    It went so well just before but the old man had to jump straight up into a question he didn''t want to answer.


    "I''d rather not answer that." Emp said with a reluctant face.


    The expression of the old man instantly turned sinister.


    "What? You don''t trust your own grandfather?"


    "It''s not about trust." Emp denied by shaking his head. "I really do not want to say it to anyone and it is even worst in front all those people. I know you will be displeased by the answer and I do not think that this is the right time or place to talk about this. Maybe I will tell you another time but not now. If it can make it better for you, there are only five people in the world that know who my... mother, is. Celtine here is one of those that know."


    The old man turned his gaze towards her. Celtine flinched right away and shifted her weight to hide behind Emp better.


    "Even if you glare at her she won''t tell you." Emp told him raising his hand in between them to cut his view.


    Even though she had said that she wasn''t nervous, that glare was obviously making her uncomfortable.


    "I''m not glaring, I was just focused, I don''t do that face on purpose to scare the lasses. It''s been twice already since I got into this room that I was accused of that. Why can''t the lasses nowadays defend themselves properly anymore? How come they rely on you two so much? When I was younger, they''d just glare back at me in those cases. Why is everyone so weak now?"


    "I don''t be thinkin its age, I be thinkin that the lasses hangin out in highsteel just all be strong willed."


    "Might be."


    The old Muracier accepted the answer of the duke but didn''t seem all that convinced.


    Emp didn''t think that Celtine recoiling in front of this old man meant that she was weak at all. In her state, facing a man like him known to have fought and won against cursed-bloods all his life, hiding behind him was pretty much the only sensible thing to do.


    "So tell me, why are you willing to tell a cursed-blood but not us?"


    Of course, he had seen she was a cursed-blood right away even though she seemed human at a glance. He had fought them for so long.


    "It has got nothing to do with her being a cursed-blood or not. I was told by Chinui that I should not give those information to anyone so I chose to only say to those who I knew what they would do with what I told them without a doubt. I don''t know you or the duke enough to be certain of what would happen if I said it. Rather, for now, I feel something bad would happen so I will keep it to myself."


    "Fine, so she knows because she''s a sealed slave despite being a cursed-blood, who else knows?"


    "My other slave, Chinui of course, I told Marcy and my wife."


    "Wait you have a wife already!"


    His grandfather almost jumped out of his seat and whipped his head towards the duke to seek some answers about this massive information he ignored.


    "Errr... Oops? I might have forgot ta tell ye?"


    "What in the ancestors!" He turned back towards Emp with the same stone cold face even while sounding so surprised. "But... I feel like I''m repeating myself but... Who is she? Where? Is she fierce?"


    Fierce? Emp tried to stick the word to Calla in his head but there was nothing less fitting than that.


    "Is she more like Marcelia the girl my sons liked or is she more like my Korine?"


    "I never met Korine?" Emp answered hesitantly while thinking Calla wasn''t close at all to Marcy''s personality.


    "I''d say she be better described by delicate than fierce me friend." The duke added from the other side of the tables.


    "She what? Delicate? That''s not good for anything! That won''t make for strong kids, you need a headstrong girl, someone with guts and the strength to back it off." He told Emp strongly while clenching his fist in between them.


    Emp felt displeased Aminui said Calla wasn''t good for anything.


    "But you have not even met her, I would like it if you did not belittle my wife like that."


    "I''m sure you like her but she''s just the first wife right? We can still fix this with the second or third wife. Old man, isn''t there any girl in this school of yours who''d be a more sensible choice?"


    "There be this lass who''s like a storm pickin fights with everyone includin me. She be havin a name outside too and..."


    The more he heard the two elders talk, the more upset he got. Quickly, he couldn''t stand it anymore and rose to his feet again. Pointing an accusing finger at his grandfather, he spoke strongly to stop their nonsense.


    "That''s enough already! No one speaks ill of my Calla, not even you! She''s perfect as she is, there''s nothing to fix! You can feel however you want about her but you''ll keep it to yourself."


    Aminui turned his head towards Emp again and the two stared motionlessly at each other for what the servants present felt to be awfully long time. The old man showed no signs of being angry or offended at all while Emp looked more serious than actually angry.


    Finally, the old man raised a hand, palm forward to express his surrender.


    "You''re right, If someone told me my Korine wasn''t a proper lady they''d end up with their heads driven ten feet underground in the minute. Even though I''m right, I just met you and I''ve never seen that wife of yours, I was too eager to help you out and acted too quickly. I just want to make sure the family will be fine long after I''m gone. Don''t point your finger at your elder, I''m just trying to help you. I''ll let the subject rest for now. Let''s talk about something else instead, there''s still a whole lot I need to know about you. I need to know what I need to do to bring you up to shape. Jorman told me you didn''t know any of our tricks either so I''ll need to drill them all into your head."


    Emp wasn''t that appeased by his answer and felt a bit lost that he''d jump into a wildly different subject right away but another thing was eclipsing those thoughts. Aminui was saying that he wanted to show him the Muracier''s techniques even though Emp was in the middle of an argument with him. Emp couldn''t help but be extremely excited about this.


    The corner of his mouth rose almost against his will.


    "Good, I knew you''d like the idea. Now sit down and tell me all about what you can do, that armor and your training. I am pumped to begin! I''ll be able to train some new blood like in the old days, it will be so refreshing!"

 135 Old and new

    The old man Muracier was eager to know everything there was about Emp but he wasn''t keen on talking about sensitive subjects in a room full of people.


    "I know it''s a bit rude since I''m in your office Jorman but could you leave me alone with him for a bit? I''d like to talk in private with my grandson."


    "It be fine sure. I be understandin. Everybody be leavin fer now."


    The duke gestured at everyone and every servants in the room followed him outside. Aminui stared expressionlessly at Celtine who wasn''t moving with the rest until Emp told her it was fine to leave for now. She seemed a bit disappointed but still tottered out of the room following the duke.


    "Why is she walking like that?" His grandfather asked once everyone moved out.


    "She lost her wings and now her balance is wrong."


    "I feel sorry for her then. I have nothing against her you know? If they don''t take up arms against us, I don''t mind the cursed-bloods. I just wouldn''t trust them either. If you care about her then I''ll try to appear not as scary for her and be kinder but I''m not giving her any information about our house."


    "You really distrust the cursed-bloods so much?" Emp asked with a puzzled face.


    "Our house has been fighting them for generations, there''s no way I''m trusting any of them, ever. I''m not some idiot who''ll go around chasing them if they don''t bother me though."


    Aminui was still making that overly serious face but Emp was pretty sure it was his neutral face. It might be that he needed to put in some efforts to not look intimidating. If that was the case then he truly wasn''t trying to scare off anyone, he just looked like that all the time. Likewise, he wasn''t angry at all about anything Emp said and did previously, he was just not smiling anymore.


    "Is it bothering you that I trust her so much?"


    "No, she''s a sealed slave after all. I''m more bothered about you trusting your own family less than her. Then again, it''s the first time we''re meeting so I''m not that bothered by it either. I feel like I''ve been starting on the wrong foot with you between this and your wife though. I''m just used to everyone thinking the same as me. Give a chance to your grandfather to turn it back around."


    "Is it that abnormal that I''d like a weak girl like my wife?"


    "It is! I''ve never seen it before. My father fell for a spear-master he duelled, obviously my Korine has her reputation and my sons had Marcellia. I''m pretty sure that however far back you go, it will always be the same. I don''t know the circumstances behind your marriage and I don''t want to criticize aside from the fact you didn''t invite me but I feel pretty sure that if you butted heads with some strong girl you''d feel your heart burn with passion the same as us. Even if I think that it''s strange of you, I''m not doubting that you''re truly one of us though, you passed the test splendidly."


    Emp now understood how the old man felt about his wife, he just wanted strong descendants and felt that Emp''s choice of first wife was out of character for the Muraciers he was used to. He didn''t understand what he meant by the test however.


    "What test? You didn''t even ask to look at my card."


    Aminui was only slightly surprised to hear Emp''s confusion.


    "Chinui didn''t tell you that? I sort of expected it, you seemed puzzled throughout the test. Maybe he didn''t think you needed to in order to pass. Let me tell you clearly, people like us never trust the hunting cards. They might be impossible to falsify but the people who see them can be tricked anyway."


    Emp did remember Chinui saying something similar, the card could be trusted but the ones looking at it couldn''t.


    "Because we''re so high up in the hierarchy of the empire, we had to deal with a lot of problems in the past, body doubles, impersonators and so on. We needed an almost sure fire way to tell if someone is fake or not right away, things nobody but us would understand. I''ll tell you now but I''ll tell you only this once just like for every member of our family. Engrave this into your head and heart because this is the only way to know for sure and more importantly, no one ever must know this aside from those with our name. Even if they do have our name, don''t speak about it unless its to teach like I''m doing right now, is that clear?"


    His face had not changed at all compared to earlier but Emp could tell Aminui was now very serious. He might have thrown everyone else out just for this. This was, at least for him, some very important information upon which the very survival of the house hinged.


    "Are you sure it''s okay to tell me then? Maybe I was just lucky, I didn''t even understand when the test happened."


    "It''s fine, the test is all about surprising the trickster. It''s all about what people think we are like. You see, for example, everyone thinks that we always wear our armors inside even though it''s wrong."


    Emp glanced down from the eyes of the old man to make sure he wasn''t wrong about him wearing his armor inside right now. The old man noticed his eyes and defended himself right away.


    "Sure, I''m wearing my armor inside right now but it has nothing to do with wearing my armor inside or not, I just arrived from my trip and I was wearing it outside. It''s not like I would take the time to remove it before coming here, it would just be a waste. You''re wearing your armor inside too might I point out."


    "Yes, because there are cooling runes engraved in it, it''s more comfortable to wear it than not if its this hot."


    "Haha!" The old man chuckled. "But seriously, it''s more about wearing the armor outside than inside, if you go into the city, will you put on your armor or not?"


    "I''ll put my armor on." Emp answered without hesitation. "Who knows what might happen."


    "Exactly, every Muraciers always do that, it sounds a bit cowardly because we never go out without a suit of armor but we really do not like to fall into something unexpected without proper equipment. So we go out with it and when we get back in, we can''t be bothered to remove it again so people always think we like to wear our armors at all times. That''s why, when you came in first, I got suspicious since you were wearing the armor. I went for the test right away after asking for your name. By the way, Emperor really is a strange name, was it really my Chinui who gave you that? Does it have to do with what happened?"


    "No, it was my mother who gave me the name and it has nothing to do with that." Emp answered hurriedly.


    Aside from the name, Emp could almost not believe that the old man thought he was a fake just because he wore the armor inside.


    "Was it? I wonder what her reasons were. Anyway, I next asked you about why you used the name and you answered with efficiency and effectiveness. To me that was a good sign, you''ll see in a moment."


    Emp didn''t know what this had to do with anything but he let his grandfather continue without interruptions.


    "Most people think we are some empty headed warriors only ever thinking about fighting and training so we test first on that. It sounds stupid but you''d be surprised how many fakes were caught over the years just from that. I asked about your classes and if you found them boring. You gave a great answer, none of us Muracier ever thought that those sort of things were logical which annoys us, we''d rather have everyone be honest and stop balancing all those contrivances. Say what you want, what you need and what is wrong, that is the way forward. I felt pleased by your answer, you learn but you also feel that all of it would be useless if they were just honest for once. You were not empty headed, I went on with the next question. Wine or water, the answer is obvious. Everyone knows that, it''s even written in books all over the empire. Anyone with a bit of brain wanting to look like a Muracier would answer water, however, the reasons are wrong!"


    Emp felt his brows crease.


    "What do you mean wrong?"


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    "I mean the same thing as you, all of us just hate the taste of alcohol, we can''t stand it. Everyone always think its for something noble or fancy like keeping all our senses and mind sharp at all times but they''re all wrong! The books are wrong too! It''s as simple as it gets, we just don''t like it. That''s how every impersonators always get caught. When someone speaks to us about this tradition of not drinking alcohol we shut our mouths and let them assume their nonsense is right. Then, when someone studies real hard to make himself seem like one of us, they get caught right away once someone mentions wine or cider. They go for the established facts and say things like "no thanks, it would dull my senses."."


    "Wait, you''re saying that the security of the whole house is just resting on the fact that none of us like the taste of cider and wine?"


    That was the craziest thing Emp heard this whole year.


    "It is! No one ever expects it! It''s brilliant! The answer you gave was the only right answer, anything else and I''d have detached your head from your shoulders right then and there! That''s why we never speak of the test ever, not even between ourselves, the moment the truth come out, the test will be ruined forever."


    "So we''re lying to the whole empire then?"


    "We aren''t, we''re only letting them assume wrong. Also, by the way, don''t say to anyone again that you don''t like wine, keep it secret for the sake of the future tests and the sake of your future descendants."


    Emp felt that the whole thing was insanely flimsy but as long as it worked, who was he to disagree with the test.


    "Finally, the last part, we only have to make sure that they aren''t lying, its easy to see for a true member of our family, no one can ever lie to us after all. The thing is, lying to us or not doesn''t matter, the important point is the curse."


    "Wait, what curse?"


    "Chinui didn''t even tell you that?"


    Now that was an information that surprised him to the highest degree. He explained it to Emp very quickly as if it was obvious he should have known.


    "Our family has been cursed since the very start. Even before the birth of the empire we were cursed. It is impossible for us to lie. We just can''t, you must have noticed it. Try as we might, the lies won''t ever leave our lips."


    Emp had no idea this was a thing, he was pretty sure he wasn''t affected by it. He believed that if he really wanted to, he''d be able to lie, he just hated the thought of doing it. Did this mean that the Muraciers weren''t overly honest but simply unable to be dishonest? Maybe for them it was the same or maybe they got so used to the truth over the generations that they truly became as honest as the rest thought they were.


    In any case, he knew that at least for now, telling the old man that he was indeed able to lie was probably not a good idea.


    "It must be really relaxing to talk to people form our house then." He said instead. "You never have to wonder about what they say and you can just take everything at face value."


    "That''s absolutely right. There''s never any worry when talking in between us because we know that if somethings wrong, we''ll be told right away. In that way, the curse is more a boon than anything. Thanks to it, it was easy for the Grandbois to trust us too which led us to our current position."


    "Then our whole house is built on the most absolute truth."


    "Aye it is, the protection of purity is the truth of the battlefield." The old man nodded.


    "I know that''s our motto but what does it mean exactly?"


    "You don''t know that either? What did Chinui even teach you?"


    "He thought me how to survive alone and how to not look like such an outsider everywhere I go. He also showed me the basics of sword fighting but I really learned most of it after I got here."


    The old man scratched his cheek in pity.


    "What was he wasting his time on all these years?"


    "That''s part of why I don''t want to say about my mother, it wasn''t his fault though, he did his best with what little time he had."


    "Mhn, got it. So, about the motto, it''s not that complicated. To put it simply, we are the walls of the empire, anything wants to harm someone in the empire, they have to go through us first. Protection is our goal and duty, that''s were the general meaning comes from. The truth of our battlefield will always be protection. We fight to protect everything we know, it was always so and will always be so. Our goal is pure and the hearts of those we fight for is just as pure, the truth itself is always pure, it is simply itself without any embellishment, this is the purity we protect. Not everyone might deserve our protection but those that do are too pure, too precious to let down. The motto was meant as a reminder to never leave our post, to see justice in the battles we lead and to never feel guilt about the means used to keep the whole safe. There''s quite a lot of text in old documents talking about it in details, you should check them out sometime later in Highsteel."


    Emp understood that this small phrase had a lot of thought put into it. He was impressed that there would be whole texts written about just this small thing, it was clearly more important for the house as a whole than what he thought. He felt sort of bad not knowing about it. His grandfather also sounded rather saddened as he stated what the motto was meant to remind them of. Maybe he felt saddened that Chinui failed to remember this back when he left.


    "I''ll be sure to do that once I go there. I''ve been wasting your time a bit with those questions though so I guess it''s your turn, what did you want to know?"


    Aminui pointed at the papers on the desk of his friend.


    "Well I''ve been looking at your files but words on paper aren''t as good to evaluate the abilities of someone than hearing everything directly from the source. It says you have a blessing but not a thing about what it does, your armor is obviously well made but its not one of ours and the extent of your abilities are unknown to me. I''d just like to hear more about you from you."


    Emp nodded in understanding and did his best to explain were he was at in his training, what he was able to do, what sort of foes he fought, what he felt he was lacking in and so on. He also told him in details about how he could be at two places at once and what he currently felt about his blessing. Finally he spoke about the characteristics of the armor and how he made it with Marcy.


    "So you made it with the lover of my son. I remember she was quite good at that, I''m glad she''s doing well and she''s not that angry at us."


    He seemed rather happy to learn about the armor''s origin even though his face didn''t show much.


    "Can I ask you... Why didn''t you do anything for Marcy after Chijou died?"


    "I would have but she never came to see me. She just disappeared somewhere, she was angry that the soldiers wouldn''t tell her what happened I think but I don''t blame them for not going against the emperor''s order. I would have told her, let her stay in Highsteel with us even. My sons accepted her offering, for me, she was already family. She didn''t come to us though and I didn''t want to send knights all over to look for her, she''s not a criminal, she can go where she wants."


    Emp understood his way of thinking. Even if he wanted to help her, doing so without upsetting her or disobeying the Emperor would have been difficult. The only reasonable thing he could do was to wait for her to join them in their ancestral home.


    "She''s not that hard to find though, she''s just in Dark-glint." He told the old man.


    "Even if you tell me that, she didn''t come say hi when I passed through the other week, and if I invite her she''ll turn me down and call me annoying like the other thousand times I asked."


    "A thousand times? I thought you didn''t find her?"


    "Well now she''s hard to find but at first, she wouldn''t stop harassing the troops on the field about Chijou so I told everyone to ask her to come to Highsteel if they saw her. She didn''t like it one bit and sent back complains the other way around through the hierarchy instead. A good woman that one, it''s frustrating that my son died before sealing the deal with her."


    That old man really took the relationships of his family members to hearth huh? He seemed almost as upset about her not being his daughter than he was about Chijou dying. Or maybe he''d have felt like his son was still alive in a way if he left some kids of his own behind? A mix of those two was the likely answer to his reaction towards Marcy.


    "You should stop by my house on the way back then, meet my wife Calla and say hi to Marcy."


    "Maybe but I''m not planning on going back soon. I have to show you a lot of things first. Old man Jorman is pretty good but he can''t show you how the family does things, there''s a lot of it too."


    Emp was really happy at the prospect but there was one inconvenient thing about all this that he had to bring up.


    "I''m eager to start learning from you but I''d really like it if the other students didn''t learn about me being a Muracier."


    "What do you mean? Jorman told me about how he tried to keep it secret up to now but it is pointless at this point. Since I''m here and I recognized you as my grandson already there''s no reason to do so and since the school is locked, Graube won''t hear about it for a while."


    Now that he was brought up, Emp was curious to know what the old man thought about him but for now, he focused on the present discussion.


    "It is true that it is pointless but I am having fun. Whenever I give my name to other people, they almost always start to treat me differently and I do not want my friends to do so. I like my current relationship with them and I''d like to keep it going for a while."


    "Isn''t there some saying about how if someones opinion of you changes with your status that person isn''t a friend?"


    Was there? Emp didn''t know about it. Even though it did sound rather wise, he didn''t feel like abiding by it. He just wanted to enjoy the current atmosphere and let it go on for as long as possible.


    Aminui watched his reaction and chuckled weakly at the sight.


    "Alright, fine, I''ll try to hide our relationship as much as possible even though I don''t think this is the right thing to do. I''m sure you''ll understand on your own at some point. If they get nervous or afraid of you just because of your name then they aren''t worthwhile friends. For now, even though this is silly, I''ll just keep it under wrap as long is it doesn''t impede the training or my teaching. I won''t let this silly thing get in the way of your growth, understood?"


    He reached out a hand for Emp to grab and accept his deal. Emp thought it was fair, he understood that this state wouldn''t last forever and he didn''t plan on lying to extend it. Plus, if it did impact his training in any way, he''d rather reveal his identity as the old Muracier suggested. Emp clasped the extended hand and they shacked twice on it.


    While doing so, Emp remarked something he just noticed.


    "You are missing a finger?"


    The gauntlet of the old man only had four fingers to it, the little one was absent. It gave it a relatively strange shape which got his attention. Aminui wasn''t bothered by the question and answered happily.


    "That''s right, I lost it a long time ago when I was still the great general. I had a fight with a fox tribe chief, or was it a wolf tribe chief? I can''t remember, to me, all of those sort of look like dog cursed-blood. Anyway, I fought their chief and he was much more agile than expected, he used a magic knife stolen from my personal guards to slide under my defense and remove one of my fingers. I guess it must have been one from the fox tribe then, those are more sly than the wolves or the others. I heard their tribe still has that finger and the chief that took it gained a legendary status even though I killed him right after. I was an idiot back then and I felt so strong that I believed nothing could get me. Obviously I was wrong and that missing bit reminds me of it all the time which is a good thing. Even if your opponent is way weaker than you, don''t ever let your guard down, that''s the lesson to get out of this."


    Emp was reminded of what Leo did the other week by the story of his grandfather. Even though she seemed so weak that she could do nothing against him, she had still caused him quite a fright and came close to cut into his neck. He decided to Engrave the old man''s lesson into his heart, even the weakest of opponent can be dangerous if you aren''t being serious against him.


    "I will remember it."


    "You better, so, is there something else to talk about or are we ready to train."


    Emp thought about it for a moment, he wished Celtine was here with him to remind him of things he might have forgot. He was certain that he was forgetting something and wracked his brain until he finally put his finger on it.


    "The seal, did you bring me the seal?"


    "The seal! Of course, I almost forgot about it, I put it somewhere in my bag here... What did you need that seal for?"


    The old man asking him for some clarifications while he was going through the things stored in the bag he kept at his waist.


    "Its because my wife isn''t a noble at all and doesn''t know how to defend herself properly so the teacher Blackbull said I should get some ladies in waiting for her. She also said it would help me against Graube."


    "Ha, there, found it." He pulled a box out of his bag. "So you just want to send summon letters to some of our retainer''s and branch''s girls to keep an eye on your wife? That''s a sound idea, I approve of it. The girls you call for will be very pleased to receive the honor I''m sure. Did you already choose who you wanted?"


    "Well, I didn''t know everyone well so Blackbull gave me a long list to study and go through. We have a lot of people."


    "That we do but I know them all really well and someday, you''ll have to be the same. Knowing that old Blackbull, I''m sure her list was thorough enough though, for now, who caught your eyes?"


    Emp thought for a second and started naming some family names he remembered from the list and some he was just curious about.


    "I wanted to call for Vinia Porter out of curiosity, I know two of her cousins well."


    "In my memory, the girl isn''t so impressive but if its for comparison sake, sure you could call her and give her a chance." His grandfather commented.


    That was pretty much what he intended to do so his mind didn''t change from his comment.


    "I was curious about Sorenthal."


    "Oh, the daughter of baron Sorenthal, she''s really good at handling beasts and hunting, she had bad table manners last time she visited high-steel though and kept slipping food under the table for the dogs."


    That was interesting but he didn''t care about table manners so that wasn''t a real negative as long as he had someone else to teach those to Calla. He continued to ask about many more, Whisperstring, Verepe, Pier¨¦corce, Duch¨ºne, Starbeetle and so on. He gained new insight on many of them but his list barely changed as a result from his conversation, Blackbull had been pretty effective after all.


    "What about the little Mawshunt?" The old man asked.


    "I have a lot of Cursed-bloods servants so I didn''t think it was a good idea."


    "Right, even though she''s cute and strong, she''d pick a fight with them every day. Aside from her, I guess that''s about it for the decent girls, the rest are from branches family and that wouldn''t be right."


    Since ladies in waiting were often also potential wives, calling a girl from a branch family wasn''t that well seen even though it wasn''t unheard off. Sometimes, a new wife just wanted to hear the right answer from a trusted cousin of their husband rather than the counsels of some girls who didn''t know their husband more than them. Often, placing a cousin in the position of lady in waiting was more seen as a tactic to delay her own marriage than anything else. Emp agreed it might be more troublesome than anything else even though having some of them close to him might really hinder Graube.


    "Is there anyone I should really take according to you grandfather? What should I do about Graube?" He decided to ask.


    It was the first time he called Aminui grandfather and it felt a bit strange but it seemed to really please the old man.


    "The only thing you have to do about Graube is to be better, the family will side for who is better in the end regardless of what you, him or I think of it. Your only worry should be yourself, Graube doesn''t matter. Prove to me that you can do better than my nephew with the title of great General and it will belong to you. I''d like it best if the title stayed in the main family but the well-being of the Empire has to go before my pride and the usual successions rights. With that said, I don''t like how simplistically your uncle does things so I hope you can do better."


    "I hope so to." Emp answered honestly. "I will do my best I promise."


    "Good that''s all I can reasonably ask for. As for the other question, I really think you should take in Kaisla Grovgar. Her father''s currently the head guard of Highsteel, I knighted him myself years ago. The man is talented and his daughter even more, I''ve been spoiling her a bit I admit but she''s just the sort of girl that''s fit to stand with a Muracier. You''d please her father greatly if you took her for the job and she''s more than able to do it. Plus, and I know you don''t want me to talk about that but, It would be a good opportunity to learn to know her better. And speaking about her, it just so happen that I brought her along with me in case the best outcome happened."


    This probably meant that the knight lady with a pretty face he saw pass through Dark-glint the other week was her.


    "What was the best outcome?" Emp asked suspiciously.


    "That it turned out that I had a grandson of course! I wanted her to get a move on fast, she''d make for a great granddaughter, she even has a blessing of her own!"


    Emp held back a sigh and agreed whit a nod instead. Anyway, that woman was on the list he had chosen with Calla so he would have called for her anyway.


    "Honestly," The old man added. "Merging her bloodline into ours would be the greatest honor of her family and would make sure it goes on forever, she''s the only kid of my head guard after all so it would be a great relief for him if we took her. He more than deserves it after all he did for us."


    Emp wondered what the Grovgar could possibly have done for the family but it wasn''t really the time to ask about that. They had already been sitting alone in the duke''s office for a long time now and they should probably end all the talking soon.


    "The only thing I can promise is to meet her and probably present her to Calla."


    "I''ll take that for now. Here, take the seal. Whoever you choose to invite, don''t forget to send letters to everyone else too."


    "Everyone else too?"


    "Yes, they might feel upset that you forgot about them so it would be best if you sent them letters anyway to tell them honestly why you didn''t invite them for the position of lady-in-waiting. As long as you tell them the truth of the matter without hiding anything, most will feel at peace. We are the Muracier after all, honesty at all times is how we work. They''ll be disappointed but at least they''ll know. It would be way worse for them to keep wondering why they weren''t invited."


    Emp nodded and answered that he understood. He felt that he too would be less upset about being excluded of something if he knew the right reasons. For those associated with the Muraciers, this might be common sense.


    "Since you know them so well, could you tell me if I should do as Blackbull told me concerning who to send the letters to? I mean, do I send them to the ladies themselves, their fathers or do I address the letters to their family as a whole?"


    "The ladies themselves of course. If they''re ours, they have strong heads and wills, they''ll be offended if you send the letters to their fathers. Other nobles like to keep some control over their kids and dislike it when people go over them but those will feel pride instead that their daughters are important enough for us to receive the letters on their own, do you get it?"


    "I do, thank you for your help."


    "Bah, that''s nothing, you would''ve known it too if you were raised in Highsteel."


    "Do I send letters to the branches too even if they had no chances from the start?"


    "You should, do you want me to give you some list of all the girls so you don''t forget one?"


    "That would be really helpful, I''m sure you know them more than Blackbull."


    "I hope so! In that case, I''ll have some sort of list sent to you soon. As for the training, how about we meet later today on the field? I think we''re both eager to start and anyway, there must be no one in the field today with this heat."


    "Alright then, I''ll go back to the training field later then."


    With this agreed upon, the two exchanged goodbyes for now and Emp vacated the duke''s office to let him back in. Aminui said he wanted to speak with his old friend some more so he stayed behind. Emp notified the Duke that they were done and picked up Celtine to go back to his room and tell her more about this meeting. This was the best he could do to improve her disappointed mood.


    Meanwhile, in the office, the old man Aminui spoke again about a subject he thought very important.


    "So, you old mud trap, tell me more about this girl you mentioned earlier. How strong are we talking about here? Maybe I should send Kaisla to have a match against her."

 136 Kaisla

    Emp took some time to appease Celtine and tell her all he understood about his grandfather so far.


    The most obvious point so far was that he had many things in common with Chinui. He was a serious man that didn''t like to use roundabout ways. He didn''t like Emp''s idea about not revealing his name and told Emp to be straight and honest in his letters. Aminui was also a man who would not believe anything unless he saw it for himself, he could not believe that Calla was a good wife for him as she didn''t match his perspective and idea of a good women. Like Chinui, he was also a man who valued his family above his duty and mostly anything else. He seemed like someone that would do mostly anything for them. Like that, since he viewed Marcy as family, he had stood ready to help her all this time and he was now willing to show Emp as much as he could just because Chinui''s blood ran through his veins.


    He was not the same as Chinui in the sense that his idea of help wasn''t exactly the same. Maybe it was just because Emp didn''t know Chinui enough but Emp felt he would not have reacted the same to many of the subjects they brushed today.


    Chinui valued his brother above his name and left when he died. Aminui valued the family as a whole more than Chijou alone and sat in Highsteel to keep it together while he waited for his son to come back. He was ready to help Marcy but felt tied to Highsteel and instead of going himself, he provided her with an amount of support Emp felt inadequate. In front of the possibility of him having a grandchild however, he didn''t hesitate to leave his fortress and cross half the empire. Marcy was important family but Emp might be important future.


    That was how Emp viewed the old man Muracier. He believed that unless Chinui had another child to present him, which he did not, the whole of Highsteel would support Emp through anything. Emp felt conflicted about this, he was still unsure about truly being a Muracier or not, he felt like he was taking advantage of this old man for his selfish goals. He wasn''t born a Muracier, he was made by the gods instead. They took blood and soul form them but never asked for them, they had not been allowed to do so.


    He did share many of their habits, enough to unknowingly pass the Muracier test, but he felt somewhat guilty about that too. He really needed their help so even though it pained him to do so, he needed to continue hiding his true origins to them.


    Aside from all that, the thing he noticed most was the face of Aminui. The old man had a natural intimidating face while Chinui had a natural grumpy face. Neither ever seemed happy or resting at a glance and Emp started wondering if he did the same sort of strange resting face.


    "Celtine, what does my resting face look like?"


    She answered using the board.


    So he did have the same sort of face then.


    She soon added.


    "It''s fine, I just feel like I''m tricking him even though it isn''t really my intention."


    Her next answer took a long time to write down, she seemed to think her words over carefully.


    She knew about his origins but it must be hard for her to picture it properly, she couldn''t know how it felt like after all, to have never been born, to just exist. Explaining to her exactly how he felt might prove difficult. At best, Emp thought, he was a bastard son.


    "I don''t know how to explain it properly to you. Let''s go get something to eat instead and tell Harriett about what just happened."


    Celtine accepted to leave it be for now and they soon reached his room. Harriett got very nervous the second Emp started telling her what happened and became very fidgety. Everything had gone well this time but that in itself was enough to dazzle her and hinder her work because of the excitement.


    Emp found it amusing and let her be as energetic as she wanted. As long as it all stemmed from good feelings rather than fear, everything was alright. She made them a meal swiftly and while they all ate, she relayed a message she received earlier saying that Brenia, Nessa, Penny and the usual spectators planned on going outside to train later. Apparently, Mable decided it was a beautiful day to laze outside and the others turned it into training.


    Since the old man Aminui said that he meet him outside this afternoon, the timing made him nervous. They would likely all come across each other and knowing that Mable had some misgivings towards the Muraciers, he feared it might turn into something awkward. There was no way for him to stop them from going outside though and even if he did, Mable''s balcony stood above the training grounds.


    The only thing he could do was hope that everything would go relatively well. He spent some more time with Celtine and Harriett before they left for the training field. She prayed that he''d do well in the afternoon as well, sending them off with a polite bow.


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    Knowing that Mable would go out, he felt it was probably best if he went to her room to accompany her outside.


    As expected, she was chatting with Aglaya when he arrived. Their servants were packing some light snacks for later while the two discussed animatedly. Both wore some light clothing fit for the heat and Mable used his gift to tie up her hair away from her neck in order to make it more bearable. Emp felt really happy to see her wear it so often.


    He greeted them warmly and decided to tell them right away about his grandfather. He didn''t beat around the bush and went straight for the facts.


    "Apparently, Aminui Muracier is here."


    "What? You mean in B¨ºt¨¦clair?" Mable asked with an annoyed frown. "I hope we won''t have to meet him."


    "No, he''s in the school, I met him earlier, he said he wanted to show me some techniques outside this afternoon so he''ll be on the training field later."


    Mable seemed really displeased and made a long annoyed groan. Meanwhile Aglaya spoke her thoughts.


    "So the Muracier elder came all the way here from Highsteel? I wonder what he''s here for?"


    She asked that last question in a playful tone and Emp glared her way while Mable wasn''t looking.


    "I don''t care what he''s here for, I just hope he goes away soon." Mable said in annoyance.


    "Oh don''t be like that Mable. The old man is really really strong, it would be a good thing if he helped teach some things to our friends."


    Mable still seemed grumpy about this but Emp didn''t know how to improve her mood. If he tried to side with his grandfather, she''d get upset with him but he could hardly side for her unreasonable reaction either. All he could do was wait for them to be ready to go downstairs with him.


    He didn''t feel that disturbed by her dislike of the name because just like earlier, he didn''t feel like he was one of them without a doubt. He just wished she would notice that disliking a whole family was absurd, more so if she only did because of her father.


    She refused to give up on her afternoon because the old man Muracier would be there and hurried her servants instead so that she would be there first. He just hoped that she wouldn''t be unreasonable with the old man.


    Outside, the heat was just as bad as this morning. Since he had already trained today, he still felt a bit tired but it didn''t matter at all in comparison to the eagerness he felt towards the idea of learning from the old man Muracier.


    Mable and Aglaya settled down at their usual spot and waited for someone else to show up with them.


    Brenia was the first to arrive and joined up with them while stretching her limbs on the way. She wanted to have a spar with him right away but after she got told about the old man, she quickly grew curious and decided to wait with them.


    Thinking about it, Emp felt it would be for the best if everyone showed up before his grandfather but this wasn''t what happened. Penny and Nessa were still missing when a large group stepped around the corner of the school.


    His grandfather was leading the group but wasn''t actually leading them at all. He was walking in front and moving towards the training field with a single companion, everyone else just followed them of their own accord. All of them must have been extremely curious about the man who held the most authority in the empire after the emperor himself.


    The old man walked in long strides fit for youthful knights and once he reached the field, he scanned it all, catching Emp''s group at the other end of it. He started walking towards them right away with dozens of students on his heels.


    "He''s coming this way. He really wanted to teach you some things?" Brenia asked, curious about why this man that was bigger than life would come to them specifically.


    "He looked at my files in the duke''s office." Emp answered.


    That wasn''t a lie since he saw him do it but that wasn''t really the reason.


    "Maybe he saw yours too." He told Brenia.


    After all, the man was very interested about any strong students since they might end up serving in the empire''s armies.


    "I doubt it, he must have looked at yours because the ancient here favors you." She answered, half mocking him and half doubting his words.


    "I guess we''ll find out." Aglaya said. "Please Mable, don''t get too worked up."


    "Why would I get worked up! I won''t get worked up!" She said, clearly already frustrated. Maybe she was annoyed that Aminui came and disturbed her peaceful afternoon time with her friends.


    Aminui came to meet them soon after and Emp was now able to see his companion properly for the first time. It was the same young knight that at rode at his side when they crossed Dark-glint. According to what he was told, she must be Kaisla Grovgar.


    Her height was about the same as him, a bit under six feet, she seemed a bit older than his own physical age and was clearly done growing. She wore her knight armor but her well trained body showed trough it, she had a good figure and well proportioned muscles. She seemed a bit more slender than Brenia overall, but they weren''t far apart. Maybe it was simply because her legs seemed a bit longer in comparison? Because of her armor, he couldn''t tell anything about her chest but he didn''t feel that interested to know about it either.


    Her hair wasn''t quite blond and had clear strands of darker brown hair mixed in. It was tied in a common ponytail kept relatively short to fit more easily under the helm she yet again tied at her hip.


    Her face overall was pretty, or just feminine. Emp couldn''t tell and she had no features standing out enough to grab his attention except for her eyes. Those were definitely out of the ordinary, they were green but not just green, pure emerald, greener than leaves and grass.


    They were quite something to look at and in reverse, they seemed quite curious to look at every little thing around her. Those eyes would never stop jumping from a detail on his friends to the next, scanning every last one of them intently.


    With her armor made in Highsteel, she carried sword and shield. Emp felt the shield was superfluous since she wore a full plate armor, but she must have had a reason for it. Even more ridiculous, the shield was just made out of a single large piece of plain wood, not reinforced by any metal.


    Behind her and his grandfather, there were a lot of students Emp knew including some from his group like Cyril and Norval and some from the group B like Noirantel and Jin.


    His grandfather was seemingly ignoring them all for now, Emp hoped that he had at least acknowledged them earlier. He stepped up and used the same voice as loud as thunder he used this morning to reintroduce himself and the girl at his side.


    "Hi, I''m sure you all know already but I''m Aminui Muracier. This girl here is Kaisla Grovgar, she''s the daughter of the head of security back in Highsteel but I''ve been treating her like my own granddaughter so you all better be kind to her."


    The girl seemed just as shocked to hear his words as the crowd following them and reddened a bit.


    Noirantel shot Emp a look saying "See, I told you!" but he ignored him.


    "Grandfather!" She protested under her breath. "You''re not supposed to say that! It''s embarrassing."


    Emp felt rather embarrassed as well since he was supposed to be his actual grandson and was also told just earlier, and rather bluntly, that he wanted Kaisla to marry in the family. Because of the way she looked at him, he guessed his grandfather already told her about him. Her eyes seemed to be trying to peel every layers of him to get a feel of how strong he was and what sort of person he was but still hid some hint of nervousness.


    "Sorry, I forgot again, It''s not a secret that I''m dotting on you quite a bit though."


    Mable wasn''t impressed nor interested but managed to not complain right away and simply asked what Aminui wanted instead.


    "Welcome, I''m Mable, what do you want with us?"


    Aminui looked towards her for the first time since he came and seemed to recognize her right away.


    "Oh, you''re the girl he''s protecting no? Aren''t you/"


    "Don''t say it!" Mable shouted in a panic to interrupt him.


    Did the duke tell Aminui about Emp protecting Mable?


    While Emp was thinking that, the old man lowered himself closer to Kaisla.


    "Is it a new fad I don''t understand to not reveal one''s name?" He asked her.


    "No, I think she''s just being rude."


    Aminui smacked the top of her head right away and she reacted with a "Ow!".


    "Now you''re the one being rude."


    Kaisla seemed puzzled about what she did wrong but she voiced an apology anyway.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to be rude."


    "No offence taken. Oh, if I may introduce myself, I am Aglaya Pierail, I''m pleased to meet you both." Aglaya settled it politely for Mable.


    "But she "is" rude." Noirantel pointed out, ignoring Aglaya.


    Again, right as his words left his lips, he got smacked on the top of the head by Aminui. This one was much stronger than the last however and Noirantel was sent into the ground by its strength. Thankfully he didn''t look really hurt, just stunned.


    "The next one that says that will need a healer." Aminui promised the rest along with an ice cold gaze.


    Someone must have told him for Emp and Mable for him to react like that. The others unanimously decided to shut their mouth as Noirantel slowly got back up on his feet while rubbing a hand into his hair. Mable usually laughed for that sort of thing but maybe because it was Aminui that did it, she found it less funny and barely smiled.


    Aglaya spoke again while Noirantel bitterly decided to shut up.


    "So are you here for Emp?"


    "Yes I am but first, I wanted to see this girl and another one that''s missing."


    The old man pointed a finger towards Brenia


    "Really, me?" Even though Emp suggested something like that earlier, she had not thought it was a real possibility.


    Emp as well felt a bit confused, he had no idea what his grandfather wanted Brenia for. He was impatient to learn something new too so he hoped this wouldn''t be long.


    "Yes, your name is Brenia Harmaton, correct? According to my old friend, you and lady Hasting are currently the strongest girls of this crop of students. I wanted to have Kaisla challenge you two to test all three of your progress. I wanted to know just how strong are the students here."


    Brenia started smiling right away at the prospect of a fight.


    "Alright, it could be fun, I guess my spar with Emp can wait."


    Emp felt that even if they didn''t come for that, Brenia would have challenged Kaisla at some point, she liked fighting too much to let such an interesting new opponent go.


    On the other side, Kaisla probably knew about the old man''s intentions already because she wasn''t surprised by his words at all, she was more interested by how Brenia answered.


    Aminui made some gestures to have everyone back off from the field and Emp followed the group out of it to stand close to Mable. His grandfather stood on the other side of him as if it was the most natural thing to do. His position irritated some of the students that followed him since earlier and Mable as well since he stood to close to her protector.


    Emp decided to leave all that aside and placed his attention on the field. It didn''t take long until only the two girls remained on the field.


    Brenia was eager while Kaisla seemed hesitant. The young knight''s curiosity finally took the better of herself and she asked Brenia some more details about what she just said.


    "Do you spar often with... ... ... Emp?"


    That pause was so long! It was impossible to not notice it. She must have been struggling to find a proper way to call him. Since she knew who he was and was so close to his grandfather, she must have hesitated between a whole slew of titles like lord or young master, maybe even, and embarrassingly enough, big brother. In the end, she had to go for simply Emp to keep his identity secret as instructed.


    However, no one else but him and Aminui saw it this way, they all thought she had forgot his name right after hearing it.


    This ended up angering Mable quite a bit, she felt offended for Emp even though it was just a misunderstanding. Emp could feel her boil beside him, he wouldn''t have been surprised to see smoke rise from her ears.


    "She''s looking down on us too much! Brenia, do your best and show her what''s what!"


    Brenia made a noise in agreement and untied her axe. She seemed strangely more eager than earlier. Kaisla opened her mouth to defend herself but found nothing to say without revealing too much and closed it back up with a bitter expression. Instead, she moved her hand towards her sword.


    "Wait! I almost forgot, Kaisla, I forbid you to use the sap sipper. It''s too dangerous." Aminui said before they could start.


    Kaisla was a bit disappointed but Brenia was much more angered than her. That one sentence from Aminui had reinforced the idea that they were looking down on them by a lot. Emp was pretty certain it wasn''t the case though, it couldn''t be helped if it was too dangerous.


    "Emp, do you have some spares on you?" He asked


    "Yes, of course I have."


    He crossed the field under the gaze of everyone and stopped in front of Kaisla.


    "A sword?"


    "A shield too please." She said in an apologetic tone.


    "Alright."


    Emp searched into his bag and got her a straight sword and a shield with an equivalent size to her own.


    "Thank you very much. Could you please hold on to this for me?"


    She switched her shield with his'' and placed it carefully in his hands.


    "It''s really precious." She told him.


    For Emp, it just seemed like a less than ordinary wooden shield but he knew that some simple looking things were sometimes much more than they seemed.


    "I''ll be careful, good luck."


    "Thank you."


    She smiled wryly and let him walk back to the group with her shield while she practiced a few swings with the sword he just lent her. Brenia was doing some light jumps on the spot as a form of preparation.


    "Then we''ll be able to begin, I''ll stop you if either of you go to far. Both of you do your best and show me what you''re made of. The first one to land a hit wins." Aminui said loudly.


    "I won''t disappoint you my lord. The groves guide me."


    "Here I come!" Brenia warned her simply before rushing forward.


    She didn''t place her axe high or low at the ready for an attack but kept it secured in front of her to remain flexible in her charge. Her boots gripped strongly into the dirt and her elixir enhanced body made her gain a lot of speed in her charge. In no time, she had neared her opponent and widened her grip on the weapon in preparation of an attack.


    Kaisla didn''t let her make the first move and sent a quick jab of her sword towards her chest while keeping the shield high at her side. Brenia grinned at the sword flying her way and twisted her upper body to let it fly past her. Using that movement, she also rammed the haft of her axe into the shield with as much strength as she could.


    Brenia wasn''t the quickest but she was very strong even before she drank the elixir. A loud bang rang out in the field and the lower end of the shield was bent towards Kaisla. Even then, the shock was strong enough to break her balance and have her fall to the side.


    Aminui made an impressed noise but Emp could tell from both his face and hers that this was far from over.


    Even though she had been surprised by the strength of her opponent, Kaisla didn''t panic and turned the fall into a roll, ending on her feet just in time to receive Brenia''s true attack. Her axe came falling down from above in a loud hiss and Kaisla raised her shield to meet it. Trying to stop it head on would have been insane so she just pushed it aside and let it slide on the shield and down to her side. As it was happening, she quickly brought her sword back for a swing of her own aimed at the stomach of Brenia.


    She looked very serious as she fought Brenia so Emp noticed that Brenia didn''t seem to have as much fun as usual. As he understood it, Brenia enjoyed herself most when her opponent seemed to share the feeling. Kaisla was too serious for her and combined with how she seemed to look down on them, her enjoyment was greatly diminished. She looked more resolute than what Emp was used to.


    While he was thinking about all that, Brenia jumped over the sword of Kaisla. The head of her axe dug deeply into the dirt after her swing and she used it as an anchor to make a flip over Kaisla who only slashed air yet again. Her feet rose high up in the air and over her head. Her fingers danced on her axe and her grip on it was reversed in an instant in order to land facing the knight again.


    Kaisla followed the arc of Brenia over her with her eyes and spun on herself to slash towards were Brenia would land in advance. However, something unexpected happened again and Brenia, tensing all her muscles and kicking the air, dislodged the axe from the ground and spun it on the spot, smacking Kaisla in the leg with the flat of its blade weakly.


    That only slightly distracted the knight but it also delayed her landing just enough to escape the attack she had prepared. Brenia landed safely and tried to trip her opponent using the axe perfectly placed at Kaisla''s foot but she managed to move it just in time for it to not get caught in the axe head. In return, she threw many attack in a row towards Brenia to hopefully stop her from moving so much.


    "That girl is really strong, she bent that shield like it was a big leaf. Are you related to this?" Aminui asked Emp casually.


    Everyone was too busy looking at the match to pay any attention to their conversation so Emp didn''t hold that answer back.


    "I gave her an elixir of the black tulip of the crystal spring."


    "Oh? That''s an unexpected answer. What was your reason?"


    "I drank one myself and I didn''t want my sparing partner to fall behind."


    "I would have done the same." He approved. "She''s talented, she would have won already if this wasn''t a simple spar."


    Emp nodded in agreement. The Problem with Brenia''s style was that most of her moves were made to kill outright. She couldn''t do quick hits suitable for spars with that large axe of hers and if she just swung like usual, she might gravelly injure Kaisla, she was at a great disadvantage.


    While they were having such a conversation, the spar kept on going and Kaisla quickly got used to the style of her opponent. Now that she knew that blocking was futile and that Brenia favored acrobatics over the usual minimal movements, she made full use of her training and locked Brenia in a defensive battle she couldn''t get away from.


    Kaisla had been a bit shaken at the start by the surprising strength and agility of her opponent but she had quickly took her bearings and her sword was now cutting towards Brenia at high speed.


    Brenia was forced to dodge and block all the time to escape defeat and without a shield, she could only defend using her axe. To land a hit, she would have to retreat, makes some distance between them and use the length advantage of her weapon however, Kaisla didn''t let her do so and made a point of staying as close as possible from her opponent.


    Every time Brenia tried to kick or push her away, the knight would dodge effectively or deviate the attack to the sides. One time, she even tried to bait a kick from Brenia to cut at her leg. She saw it just in time and twisting her leg mid-kick, escaped the hit by a hair''s breath.


    "Hang on Brenia! Don''t lose!" Mable encouraged her from the side.


    The rest of the guys all watched in curiosity, many of them who weren''t in Emp''s group had never seen Brenia fight before and were impressed that she could stand against a knight serving the old Muracier while those in his group were impressed in reverse that Kaisla managed to drive Brenia in a corner.


    Being unable to make any move at all frustrated Brenia and she ended up jumping far backwards to put as much distance between them as possible. She landed close to the treeline bordering the field and Kaisla rushed after her right away.


    While Brenia was taking a breath to prepare herself for the next clash Emp caught Nessa walking towards them with his eyes. She must have been wondering what was all this but didn''t disturb Brenia and Kaisla and watched like the rest instead.


    Brenia prepared her axe to receive Kaisla and almost fell forward, suddenly loosing her balance. She shrieked in surprise and slammed the handle of her axe into the ground in front of her to stop her fall. Everyone got confused about what happened and Emp noticed at the same time as Brenia herself. A bunch of roots had wormed their way under her, pierced the ground and ensnared her feet.


    When she tried to move, her feet didn''t budge even though she had already moved her center of gravity forward and it almost made her fall. This must be some sort of spell Kaisla used even though Emp didn''t see her chant anything at all.


    While Kaisla was getting close, Brenia exerted all her strength and stretched the roots to their limits, she barely managed to get one of her feet out while the roots snaked around her other leg to hold her in place.


    "There''s no escaping me anymore!" Kaisla shouted in triumph as she finished closing in the gap.


    Brenia''s huge axe was too unwieldy to use to free herself and she was now unable to move, so her only possible answer was to hit Kaisla as she charged. She took the best stance she could in those conditions, turned her axe to attack with the blunt end of it and took a real swing towards Kaisla.


    The air screamed so loud in front of it the crowd heard it from were they stood. The weapon split the air and rushed to Kaisla''s side who pushed her shield upward as she let herself fall down. She slid on the ground but would have still gotten hit if not for the shield which slightly bumped on the fast moving axe and sent it upwards wildly. In the next instant, Kaisla''s sword was poking Brenia''s breastplate. She had won.


    While the rest was either clapping or complaining with Mable about the outcome, Emp asked his grandfather about the roots.


    "What happened there at the end, has she found a way to cast spells without words?"


    "No, not at all." The old man said with a smile. "That was Forest''s blessing. She was gifted with the ability to make all plants obey her will. The moment the girl stepped close to the trees, she was sure to loose. I''m impressed instead that she managed to free one of her legs."


    Oh, that was one impressive blessing. That ability must be really practical in a forest.


    In the field, the roots quickly released Brenia and the two girls stepped back.


    "Well fought, it''s your win this time."


    "Thank you, I was impressed by your massive strength as well, my arm is still sort of numb." Kaisla answered Brenia while taking a look at the bent shield.


    She seemed very pleased of her victory.


    The two of them started walking back to the crowd and Nessa who had just now arrived took this time to ask everyone what was happening.


    "Hi, why are there so many people here today? Am I unaware of some event?"


    "Were being invaded, that''s what''s happening!" Mable answered grumpily.


    Nessa turned her eyes to the others for some better explanation. Emp provided her a more complete answer.


    "Hi Nessa, this here is Aminui Muracier. He wanted to test the abilities of Brenia and asked for her to spar with Kaisla Grovgar over there who''s a young knight he''s doting on. She used the blessing of forest to win and now Mable''s irritated."


    "I see..."


    Nessa nodded at the explanation. She felt impressed and surprised about Aminui being here today but thanks to Emp explanation, she roughly understood what happened.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you on this day Lord Muracier." She said while bowing to Aminui.


    "No need for bows, young lady I''m the one having the most fun today." He answered. "I''ll come back to you in a moment."


    He put his talk with Nessa away for a moment to address the two returning fighters instead.


    "That was good, Kaisla, you showed some good forms like always."


    "Thanks you my lord, that was expected of me."


    The knight seemed very pleased to be praised.


    "As for you miss Harmaton, I thought that this display of your prowess was pretty impressive too. Despite being disadvantaged by the rules of a friendly spar, you kept it going for a long time. Your muscular strength is impressive and your acrobatics were quite a crowd-pleaser for what I saw. I believe that if you were shown some proper techniques and taught some ways to deal with such a close encounter, things might have ended differently. In any case, I can guess that in a real fight, you must show a much more aggressive and efficient style, it reminds me of how the bear tribe fights. I look forward to your future growth. If I have some time, would you allow me to show you some tips? Maybe I know a self magic that would fit you too."


    Brenia liked the idea as she really wanted to get as strong as humanly possible. If the old Man Muracier wanted to help her, there was no way she would say no.


    All the guys at the back turned green from jealousy, they too wanted an opportunity to impress the old legend and receive some of his teachings. They couldn''t believe that Brenia received such a reward even though she lost.


    "I''d like that, please."


    "Great, then I... No, I guess its fine for now. Instead, aren''t you the young lady Hasting?"


    He turned his eyes back to the nearby Nessa.


    "Yes indeed." She answered politely.


    "You are the second girl I was looking for, won''t you have a spar with Kaisla as well? My friend the duke mentioned you have a technique I had never seen before."


    Nessa hesitated a bit at his request.


    "I''m not sure I should, I just came to practice."


    "You have to Nessa! You need to avenge Brenia and win for us!" Mable intervened.


    "I think this is a great opportunity too, I''d like to see if Kaisla has a way to deal with your technique, I''m curious." Emp helped his grandfather.


    "Then I guess I have no choice."


    That new answer pleased everyone present and soon after, Kaisla and Nessa where back in the field.


    Since Kaisla shield was already bent, Emp moved up to her and proposed to replace it. She agreed right away and he switched it for a new one. He still had her other shield in his hands as he didn''t want to place it in his bag but it did not bother him as he changed the shields.


    "Thank you, much appreciated." She said.


    She didn''t seem that worried, maybe she felt confident after her first victory.


    Emp hesitated on whether he should warn her about Nessa or not but in the end, he chose not to. He enjoyed long and interesting spars but he also wanted to properly see how Kaisla would fare and telling her about the sword dance wouldn''t be fair. Instead, he just gave her a few simple words.


    "Good luck and don''t underestimate Nessa."


    She nodded to his words with serious and he walked back to the sidelines.

 137 Mable challenge an old man

    Everyone was watching Kaisla and Nessa with interest as they prepared themselves for their spar. Those that didn''t know Nessa well hoped they''d see something great again but Emp already knew that her technique was extremely impressive.


    "Now that you''ve seen Kaisla, who do you think will win this spar?" Aminui asked him loud enough for the people around them to hear.


    If one hadn''t seen Nessa''s ability they would think that Kaisla was talented enough to win without a doubt but Emp believed that he knew better.


    "Vanessa will win. It''s a poor match up for Kaisla."


    Hearing the certainty in his voice, Mable''s mood improved sharply right away and showed an air of confidence. She was already preparing herself for this revenge victory.


    Cyril that was also standing close asked Emp if he was sure. After all, he didn''t think he had any chance of winning against Kaisla at all.


    "You''d be certain too if you spared with us more regularly. I don''t think Nessa could possibly loose here as long as she doesn''t step under a tree like Brenia did."


    "Now I can''t wait to see that rumored skill! Are you two ready?" Aminui spoke almost as loudly as anyone else would shout.


    The two of them answered positively as they took their fighting stance. Kaisla used a classic one, shield raised in front and sword ready to dart out at any moment, it was obvious at a glance that she was very used to it. Facing her, Nessa brought her feet together and raised her arms in the shape of a bell over her head, she held two swords and both pointed outward like an extension of her arms, crossing each-other above her head.


    Seeing that, many guys frowned because that posture seemed full of openings and unbalanced. Aminui didn''t react to it and instead, gave the signal for the spar to start.


    Right away, Kaisla made a fatal mistake. She stood on the defensive because she didn''t know what to expect of Nessa''s strange stance. This gave Nessa plenty of time to start spinning. She move her arms front and back quickly and gave herself a swing.


    Like Emp had seen so many times before, her feet started to move almost in a blur as she followed the complicated steps and after an instant, she folded her arms back close to her, and with a shake almost like a snap, a second pair of arms showed up. She started slashing around at an extreme speed and the glimmer of steel seemed to spread in the air around her like a flimsy cocoon. Anyone looking closely could see how fast she was moving her arms to achieve this, all her limbs were moving non-stop in what seemed to be a blurry mess. There was an incessant sound of clinking metal in the air as if a single shock was stretched to infinity.


    "First stage." Emp stated casually.


    Emp knew this was far from over though, Nessa had reached quite far into the second stage before.


    Kaisla frowned at this unexpected display and didn''t quite know how to react to it. Since Nessa wouldn''t come forward however, she finally understood that something was wrong and hurried forward to reach her opponent before it was too late.


    She wasn''t fast enough compared to Nessa however. For everyone else looking, she seemed to drastically increase the speed at which she was spinning on herself and then stopped moving suddenly. The constant screeching sound of metal died instantly, she faced Kaisla squarely, her feet stopped moving and her arms bent into a curve pointing up on one side and down on the other. Then, other arms started appearing around her, first two more, than four more again, eight more, in the end, sixteen pairs of arms stretched around her forming delicate semi circles with each-other. Each pair formed a half-circle with two swords crossing, one pointing downwards and one pointing upwards. Each of those arms seemed blurry but the rest of her body seemed perfectly still.


    "How does she do that!" The guys around them screamed, all of them slack jawed.


    "Second stage, Kaisla lost." Emp commented.


    Aminui turned his head in a way that he''d be able to see Emp at the same time he kept an eye on Nessa and asking him something.


    "You gave one to her too, didn''t you?"


    Of course, he was talking about the elixir. Emp nodded and explained his reasoning.


    "This technique requires so much speed and agility I didn''t feel like she''d reach this stage any time soon. I really wanted to see it though and I really trust her to make good use of it."


    "I understand" Aminui answered right away. "This is almost breathtaking, that flawless execution, the quickness of the movement, I know what you meant when you said Kaisla can''t win. This is simply on another level compared to what people your age should be able to achieve. I can see all the efforts she put into her training. I can''t believe a noble lady would put so much time and effort into a fighting technique."


    "It''s because she wants to inherit the dukedom instead of her brother who she finds too soft. I think she would do a good job." Emp told him honestly.


    "It''s a great thing but unfortunate at the same time." Aminui said with a bitter face.


    "Why is that unfortunate?" Emp asked more than a bit confused.


    Did he think that she wouldn''t achieve it?


    "She can''t marry my grandson if she inherits all that territory."


    Emp had no idea what to give as an answer to that. He was left speechless. He couldn''t believe Aminui would say something like that with a serious face, then again, it seemed like a recurring theme.


    Meanwhile, Kaisla stopped her charge before coming too close as she judged that Nessa''s technique was too abnormal to take head on. Instead, she started chanting a spell. Emp understood it was an earth-type spell but he was too far to figure out which one.


    Nessa didn''t give her the time to chant it in full and moved forward quickly. She advanced fast but it was pretty special to see because she moved in small chunks each step rather than progressing in one smooth motion. Emp could tell her forward movement was following the steps of a music he did not hear, she had to wait for the correct beat to advance.


    In a hurry, Kaisla moved backward and unleashed her magic pointing at the ground in front of her and swiping the air with her sword. The field inches in front of Nessa fractured itself and opened up into a wide gap stretching until it reached her feet.


    The plan was clearly to have her fall into it or at least trip on the uneven ground but Nessa simply jumped over it all in a spin as if she had known what would happen from the start. Her feet parted with the ground at the very same time it opened to swallow her, not even managing to slow her momentum. She looked like a spinning top as she flew over the treacherous ground and landed like a fairy on the other side with utmost grace. She was just in front of Kaisla now.


    Even though he was far, Emp could see Kaisla eyes flicker all over Nessa. She was obviously able to somehow see the movements of her arms at least partially which was very impressive as Emp wasn''t able to at all even with a self magic improving his reaction time.


    Once Nessa landed, Kaisla hurriedly stabbed at her in an attempt to at least get a feel for her technique. She must have seen what she thought was an opening but it turned out she was wrong.


    For everyone else, her sword pierced accurately between two pairs of arms but it ended up hitting some sort of invisible wall. Her sword bounced sideways powerfully, the recoil was so strong she almost let go of it and was left wide open. She tried to bring back the shield in front of her but before she had even understood what she needed to do, the many swords around Nessa all moved at the same time. They didn''t seem to have moved much, only their angle changed but this mere action produced a powerful and terrifying screech.


    Kaisla''s shield was blown away and sparks danced all over her armor. She looked utterly stunned.


    Aminui didn''t waste any time and Declared Nessa to be the victor. He wasn''t displeased at all, he seemed impressed instead.


    "Lady Hasting won."


    Nessa stopped spinning with a satisfied smile under the impressed cheers of the crowd, all her arms quickly merged back into a single pair. For the spectators, it didn''t seem as if she had made any efforts at all, she just walked up to Kaisla and defeated her instantly. Mable laughed in an exaggerated manner at his side possibly in an attempt to irritate either Kaisla or Aminui himself.


    That wasn''t necessary to upset Kaisla however, she was plenty upset on her own. She threw the borrowed sword to the ground in frustration and made some sort of growl.


    "That trick is full of holes! I''d have won if I had used my Sap sipper!"


    Before anyone could answer her comment, Aminui scolded her.


    "Enough Kaisla. Nobody likes sore losers, you just lost a spar it''s not the end of the world. It wasn''t just a trick either, this was a truly impressive technique, there is no shame in loosing against that."


    The knight still wanted to complain but since she had been told off so bluntly by Aminui, she could only hold her tongue and pout. The old Man turned his attention towards Nessa instead.


    "Young lady Hasting I''m sorry for her rude behavior, what you showed me today is truly impressive. How is it named?"


    "It''s the royal sword dance my lord."


    "I see, I remember it being mentioned in an old story, it was very mysterious and very strong. Hopefully you will master it before I die of old age, I would really love to see the complete thing." He said honestly.


    Nessa felt satisfied by his apology and his compliment, she showed him a elegant smile.


    "I hope I''ll be able to satisfy that desire. How did you know that it isn''t complete?" She asked curiously.


    "It did not fit the description of the royal sword dance we have recorded and also, Emp here mentioned stages. Might I ask how many stages there are in total?"


    "At least four." Nessa answered with an uncertain air. "My ancestor wasn''t the one to create the technique and he only ever reached the fourth stage. He did speak about a fifth but there is no way for us to know if it was an actual thing or if he was just daydreaming. We also can''t be sure that there aren''t more stage after that."


    "Well then I''m looking forward to my family working with a duchess of the northern grove who mastered the four stages."


    "My lord!"


    Nessa was so surprised by his words, this was the only thing she managed to say. Just like that, the eldest of the second most powerful house in the empire stated his support for her seeking the inheritance of the north of the kingdom. She had never expect to hear such a thing today nor any other day! There was no better support possible for her to achieve her goals.


    "Thank you." She managed to say after being stunned for way too long.


    "It''s still your father who''s going to decide. All I can do is state my honest opinion." Aminui answered.


    She still gave him a bow to express her gratitude and shortly after, things got a bit chaotic. With the end of this important discussion for Nessa, everyone believed it was a great time to speak and all sorts of questions flew from everywhere and everyone.


    A great amount of students wanted to know all sorts of things from Aminui, why he came to the school, how long he''d stay, if they could also be evaluated by him, what he intended to do next and if he had some teaching to impart them.


    Aminui answered only vaguely to most of those, he said he was here for his grandson, that he didn''t know how long he''d stay and that even though he wasn''t a teacher, he might find the time to look at everyone''s performances and give his honest impression on them.


    Then, Aminui along with many students had more questions on the royal sword dance. In particular, Aminui wanted to know how she could tell how far she was in her comprehension of the second stage. He wanted to know if there were any clear indication on when she''d be ready to attempt the steps of the third stage.


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    Nessa explained to everyone that the second stage was a drastic ramp up between the first and third. She needed to build up more and more speed and listen to what her friends observed.


    "The more arms they see, the better I am. If I master the second stage, there should be only one blurry arm circling all over me because all the arms starts to overlap each other. Either that or they will see no arms at all, the old texts are unclear on that. When this happens, I should be ready to attempt the first steps of the third stage."


    "But you''re already spinning so fast! How can you not get dizzy?" Norval asked.


    "I don''t know, I just got used to it I guess. The trick is to try to not fix my eyes on anything at all, I just need to let everything go by without paying attention. The only thing I need is to listen to the song." Was her answer.


    "Just remember to not stop too suddenly afterwards or your brain might end up turned into mush." Aminui told her.


    She nodded to signify she understood and while she was having that conversation, many others where asking Kaisla about her sword techniques. Emp who brought back her wooden shield was more curious about what the sap sipper was though.


    She thanked him politely for the shield and for lending him some equipment and proudly explained what the sap sipper was.


    "It''s the divine treasure I received from from the god Forest for beating his trial."


    She removed her sword from its scabbard and Emp saw that surprisingly, it was entirely made out of wood, not processed wood but grown wood instead, living. there was even a tiny leaf growing midway along the blade.


    The sap sipper was a set of sword and shield made of living wood but it was truly a pair worth its status of treasure. It had a great amount of advantages.


    First of them, the sword was extremely sharp to a point where steel swords were blunt in comparison. The blade was brittle however and the edge would shatter if she hit something hard with it. Both the body of the blade and the shield were hard and sturdy however, much more than ordinary wood. Both still followed the rules of what made wood what it was and could still be broken, snapped or even burnt.


    The treasure being made out of living wood made it possible for her to move it at her will thanks to the blessing she received with it. She showed Emp and the crowd that while she was holding the sword, she could twist the blade however she wanted. She could twist it like a snake, split it into five, brandish it like a whip, stretch it to be long and thin or shorten it until it looked stocky and wide. The same could be done with the shield, turning it small and thick or wide and thin, shaping it like a buckle, a square or a triangle, all she had to do was will it''s shape to change.


    The final abilities of the sap sipper were what Kaisla guessed gave it its name. That piece of wood could absorb other wood into it to strengthen itself and regrow lost pieces. She could hit a tree with her shield and make the whole thing part of it. She could already control the plants so it didn''t seem that good of an ability but the wood fused with her sap sipper would gain its incredible resistance right away and became able to take a shape it shouldn''t be able to, turning a tree into a giant cube or a wall for example.


    Not only this the sap sipper could drink the blood of any living thing, the sap of trees, human blood, monster blood, as long as it ran through veins, it would drink it. The sap sipper drinking speed was ridiculous and it would use the blood to repair and strengthen itself in the same way it would when absorbing wood. Emp understood it worked a bit like blood-iron except this thing would actively suck the blood out of its victim, and quickly at that. This was the reason why Aminui didn''t want Kaisla to use it, a simple accidental cut could suck out all the blood from her opponent in a moment and kill them. The only one protected from this effect was Kaisla herself who the blade recognized as its master.


    She explained that if she wanted, she could plant the blade into a tree, take control of it and turn it into a thousand spears to pierce dozens of enemies at once and suck all their blood away.


    The sap sipper was an extraordinarily powerful treasure, there was no doubt about that. Everyone would want such a fabulous tool.


    However, having the choice, Emp felt that he would still choose his own anchor instead of the sap sipper. After all, the treasure Space gave him let him live twice as much as anyone and could be used to double his own power in battle as long as the two him were close. He wouldn''t refuse the sap sipper but he''d never feel that he needed it either.


    Once Emp had heard a satisfying explanation, he removed his armor and moved back to Mable who was brooding alone with Aglaya and Celtine. She felt annoyed because Aminui and Kaisla didn''t get upset enough about their defeat. The young knight did get a good reaction that satisfied her but the whole thing was shut down by Aminui before she could vent her frustration using that. On top of that, Nessa was clearly thankful about the words of the old man and left her feeling betrayed.


    "Don''t be like that Mable, everyone here is on the same side." He told her as he sat next to her.


    "I feel like we don''t have the same definition of the same side." She said grumpily.


    "I don''t think that the elder is the problem here Mable. You shouldn''t place everyone in the same box without knowing them. That man hasn''t led any troops since a long long time ago." Aglaya told her.


    "So I''m the problem?"


    "Of course not, that''s not what I''m saying at all. Think about Celtine and other Cursed-bloods, when guys in town think Celtine is evil because she''s a cursed blood you always say that they''re idiots. I''m just saying you should give him a chance, you might be surprised. If he can help all your friends then isn''t it a good thing? It''s not like he came here just to frustrate you."


    "It sure feels like it though."


    Emp just chuckled and wrapped an arm around her in a hug. She ended up with her head resting on his shoulder and looked up to him with a pout. She complained in words but didn''t do anything to stop him. Instead, she wiggled a bit as if to embed herself into him like a cat on a cushion.


    "Not here, it''s embarrassing."


    "You don''t look all that embarrassed though."


    "I mean, not now, it''s not time."


    "So you mean to say that its okay to hug you as much as I want later?"


    She quickly looked away and finally turned her eyes towards her best friend for support.


    "Mhn... Aglaya, help me save my dignity."


    Although she asked it like that, Emp felt that all the times she struggled against Aglaya''s hugs were much worse than that for her dignity.


    "Oh no, my best friend''s lover is comforting her with a hug, whatever shall I do." Was the playful answer Aglaya gave her.


    "You''re both terrible friends..." Mable sighed and hugged his arm with the tiniest of smiles. "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome." Emp answered along with Aglaya.


    He could somewhat feel the heavy stare of his grandfather on him but he wasn''t quite sure of the reason behind the stare. He might feel that this wasn''t a good place or time to hug a girl or maybe he was just eager to start the training for real and felt annoyed that he was currently swarmed by students. There was no way for Emp to know since he barely knew the man.


    Animated discussions of all sorts continued for a while after that and Aglaya took the time to convince Mable to be more welcoming towards the old man Muracier.


    "After all, Emp will need him if he wants to go far as a soldier. You know this too Mable, you''re just hindering the both of you by getting on his bad side."


    Mable silently agreed but Emp knew she hadn''t put aside her misgivings. She had just been convinced to hold them back for now. It would have to suffice for now he assumed. He''d have liked for everyone to get along but he was missing too many parts of the story to fix everything. Maybe he''d be able to if he told her his name but maybe it would be the opposite. That was a scary thought that often crossed his mind. It might have been an important part of why he hadn''t told her his name yet, more than he would like to admit.


    Now was not the time to take such a risk however. It was time to train instead, training wasn''t complicated, it felt relaxing, it always calmed him down.


    He released Mable who groaned in disappointment about loosing her comfortable seat and stood back up, putting his armor back on right away. When he got back to the group, Nessa was asking an important question to Aminui.


    "I do not want to seem ungrateful but could you tell us what is happening with the imperial army? My father is struggling to hold the northern border. What are they doing? Why are they so disorganized?"


    Even Mable perked her ears at that question, it was after all a pretty significant subject. Aminui breathed once through his nose and answered honestly like always.


    "The truth is that my sons haven''t been there to command the armies for quite a while now. Everything feels sluggish because there is no proper head to tell the troops what to do and the tribes can feel it. Because they feel it, they get bolder, more aggressive, that''s what''s happening in your father''s territory."


    "Where are they then?" Mable asked with a skeptical air.


    "By direct order of the emperor, I cannot say."


    Mable seemed to want to protest but she held her tongue.


    "Then couldn''t you do something about it? You could lead the armies couldn''t you?"


    "Physically yes, but the rules won''t allow it. There can be only one great general per emperor, no more and no less. I cannot lead the troops because I am not the great general anymore. When the emperor yields his crown to his successor, then a new great general will be appointed."


    Nessa frowned.


    "But the north is crumbling while we wait."


    This subject was obviously close to her heart, it was the territory of her father, his duty, the lives of the knights working for him and the security of the people entrusting their lives to him. All of it might one day be hers and she didn''t want to allow it to wither before that if she could stop it.


    "The north isn''t crumbling young lady Hasting. I''m keeping an eye on it, you can be sure of that. If I can''t lead the armies, I can still lead my own house to war if I please and all our vassals will follow. The reason it looks bleak isn''t because I''m not doing anything, it''s because my nephew Graube who''s supposed to take care of this along with the armies is too busy trying to wrestle the future position of great general from my grandson instead of pushing back the tribes. He isn''t that talented in the first place but if he had put his head to it he should have fixed everything much sooner. I understand that this is frustrating for you but most of my sons work fell onto his shoulders and it might be too much for him. He always struggled to take care of many tasks at once."


    "Then can''t you put someone else in charge of this problem? How about the grandson you mentioned, couldn''t he do it instead and show your nephew how to work properly?" Brenia cut in from the side.


    Aminui smiled at the bold question but shook his head.


    "No, I can''t put anyone else in charge of the whole thing because Graube was next in the chain of command of the armies. In the absence of my sons, he takes the decisions. There were four more who could do it but three of those four put themselves behind Graube right away. The duke Jazay was against it but he was driven out to this school by his own sons and replaced by one of them as general.


    I could bypass Graube and ask someone from the family to lead troops there and take care of it but if I undercut the authority of my nephew so much, I must be sure that the rest won''t degenerate further. The rest would see that I do not trust Graube with the situation even though I left him in command of the whole thing, everyone would stop following orders and follow their own judgment, it would become much worse than it is now.


    I do not see anyone who would be willing to wrestle the control of all the armies from my nephew, even in my own family. My grandson would be willing, It might be worth it if it was him I tasked this with but he''s too young and untrained still to take care of this."


    "Then my lord protector Emp could do it!" Mable boldly claimed.


    Emp almost chocked hearing her loud provocation while Aglaya slapped her own forehead at this unexpected nonsense. Emp saw her struggle desperately to hold a fit of laughter at bay.


    "He''s just as young and untrained as my grandson." Aminui said with a neutral face.


    It was true after all, it was impossible for him to be more experienced and trained than himself.


    Mable wrongly disagreed however.


    "Emp is the strongest in the school and he''s got a blessing too. I''m sure he''s better than what you think he is!"


    Her words brought chaos to the group again. The many students originating from other group disagreed with her and all appealed to prove that they or someone else they knew was the strongest. The guys from his own group refuted saying that they probably couldn''t even fight on equal ground with Nessa or Brenia.


    Mable taunted them by reminding them of the last tournament they had and affirmed that they''d end up just like last time while Noirantel claimed that he wouldn''t have trouble defeating Emp this time around if they did fight again.


    Kaisla looked at the whole group with a face showing how much she thought they all looked like idiots. Aminui ended up having to stare everyone down until they all shut up in order to speak calmly.


    "More strength is always good but it''s not all about that. It''s about experience, wits and respect."


    "So then you can eliminate Emp right away because he lacks the wits." Noirantel mocked.


    "What did I just say about respect? Are you looking forward to another hit?"


    "No, of course not, I apologize." He replied hurriedly.


    "Respect is something you have to gain but its also something you can give out freely. Always show at least a minimum amount of respect to your allies so that when they stand with you on the battlefield, they won''t leave you to die. Show respect to your enemies as well so that those you face might fight you with honor. Someone willing to put his life on the line for something other than themselves is always deserving of respect, even if he stands against you." Aminui explained the obvious.


    "Going back to the main topic, no one in this school will be put in charge of the north because the soldiers won''t follow an inexperienced sprout who hasn''t earned their respect. As a student here, your task is to learn and strengthen yourself so that when the time comes, you might be able to earn the respect of your peers. That''s why, I''m willing to lend a hand to whoever deserves it here, each of you will become a pillar for the future of our empire after all."


    Emp was very fine with that, he''d be very annoyed to be sent away before he was done learning and training. Mable wasn''t done however.


    "It''s great for them but you can''t just put Emp in the same bag as them. I maintain that he''s the best in this school and any test you can impose on him will just prove I''m right. I think that you should place more efforts on him and those on the level of Brenia and Nessa than the rest."


    "What, are you saying we''re no good?" A guy Emp didn''t know said, offended.


    "Well he said that he''d lend a hand to whoever deserved it and Emp clearly deserves it more than the rest of you. Some of you I have never even seen on this training field while Emp comes here every single day and often more than once."


    Of course, the other students wouldn''t let her trample all over them like that and they argued back loudly. Mable didn''t go back on her opinion however and stood in front of them all fearlessly with her hands on her hips and her hair ornament glowing.


    Emp believed that she sounded very selfish right now. She was trying to hoard all the old man''s attention to her closest friends so of course her words weren''t received well. She was exaggerating, even him thought this was excessive. In the first place, this whole thing was ridiculous since the man was his own grandfather and had already told him that he wanted to show him the secrets of their family.


    Another thing making it awkward for him was that even though he hadn''t said a word, Mable made him the enemy of everyone just like that time which led to him facing another group entirely on his own. Everyone was talking about him but no one asked him about his opinion.


    Nessa and Brenia found this whole thing awkward as well because Mable dragged them into it as well and placed them on a step over the rest of their classmates. They could only give some apologetic looks to Cyril and Norval who were so earnest in their studies.


    "Are you really sure of what you''re saying?" The old man asked Mable.


    "Yes, of course I am, I''m willing to bet a large strawberry cake on it."


    Emp suddenly wondered if this was all about cakes after all. He heard she had some trouble asking for cake to be delivered to her since the duke locked down the school. Maybe she was just grumpy because of the lack of said cakes.


    "In that case, how about we test this whole thing? I want to help everyone here grow but if they collapse right away it''s pointless. Everyone that survives the warm-ups will be helped further and I''ll continue to shave off people like that. In the end, there''s only gonna be a few left"


    So what Aminui was saying could be boiled down to: I''m going to train everyone so hard they''ll all drop out except for the best.


    Emp could get behind that, it seemed like a good idea. Anyway, he felt that if one didn''t train with his hardest, he wasn''t training properly. Mable agreed as well because she was convinced that Emp couldn''t possibly fail.


    "And if Emp last until the end, you''ll have to give me a cake."


    "Alright young lady, I''ll find you that cake. If he doesn''t last until the end though, I don''t want you to offer me some cake, there''ll be no reason to feast."


    He turned to the rest of the group right after and told them what he wanted from them. Some like Noirantel weren''t afraid at all but others that were less confident in their abilities started to fear what would come next.


    "Let''s start by moving your legs a bit by running. The field is a bit small so I''ll have all of you run laps around the whole school. Fifty laps should do for a start, the girls too, Kaisla, show them how it''s done."


    "Right away sir!" She answered as if it was a common occurrence.


    The others were a bit more reluctant.


    "But my lord, it''s burning hot out here and the school is the size of a fortress."


    The sun was scorching today so they all feared they might get a heat stroke but neither Aminui or nor Emp understood the concern.


    "Yes, that''s why it''s the perfect size. I would have asked you to run a few laps around the whole city but the old duke locked you all in. This will do just fine."


    "It''s gonna take us the whole afternoon."


    "I hope not because we have a whole lot more to do."


    The students seemed dejected and the scene seemed rather familiar to Emp for some reason.


    "And you, I know about your blessing, fifty laps is nothing to you so do us two hundreds for a start, I''ll crank it up if it''s too easy."


    Mable complained it was unfair but Emp thought he was right, doing the same as the rest would have been too easy since he could cross the thirty meters long field in a single step. Going around the whole school was much more reasonable for everyone and him doing four times more than the rest was just obvious. He''d probably have to do three hundred more laps to start feeling tired.


    "Anyone that doesn''t want to do it can give up, remain here and chat while the others prove themselves. You can all go whenever you feel ready."


    Mostly everyone started running shortly after but not that many finished the run. Everyone Emp knew managed to do all the laps, Nessa and Cyril barely lasted long enough. Kaisla, Brenia and a few other guys from other groups finished easily and were ready to go onto the next exercise. Emp himself ended up having to do seven hundred laps to satisfy himself and Aminui which disturbed those that gave up midway greatly.


    All the while, the crowd of interested students spectating them kept increasing and by the end, almost the whole school was here to watch the few crazy surviving students do the last few laps. Even some of the teachers and knights joined the crowd spectating the training.


    Emp didn''t quite know how it happened but tables and chairs had been arranged everywhere and the students were all enjoying food and drinks under the burning sun. Those that lasted until the end had to watch everyone drink while they had to keep moving and felt very parched themselves. They ran with some sort of party going all around them, stretching across the training fields, the grass, under the trees'' shade and all the way to the gardens on the other side of the school with animated discussions taking place everywhere. At least, the crowd kept cheering them on as they ran. It was almost like a festival.


    Emp thought it was a fun afternoon and it was really just a start.

 138 Carefree Mable

    Mable was having more fun than she expected. Everyone came together outside and festivities happened just like that. The servants of everyone worked together, tables were brought along with food, wines and refreshing juices for everyone.


    At first she thought it was annoying that everyone came to invade her space but then, the atmosphere turned into something similar to what she experienced in big tournaments in the past.


    Of course, there weren''t as many people watching this as there were in the capital and the events weren''t as exciting but overall, it still felt the same.


    In the capital, there would have been perhaps a joust, a melee, some duels between big names, an archery contest, a magic contest and so on. Here, in comparison, everything was simple. The first event was just a simple endurance race and the many exercises that came next were all of a similar caliber from jumps to sword swinging and more.


    None of those should have been interesting at all but the old man Muracier pushed everything he asked of the students to some impossible level. Looking at this, it was no wonder that knights that trained in Highsteel always ranked so high in tournaments, the training was simply insane. If she had tried it herself, she would have made at most two laps of the school before collapsing out of breath but he asked fifty out of the students!


    Every ordinary little thing he asked them to do would swell to ridiculous proportions and that was why everyone gathered here. They couldn''t resist coming out here under the scorching heat to cheer on the boys they knew or clap and fawn over those who did particularly well.


    Since Emp was performing so well, it was natural indeed that her mood improved drastically. He outmatched everyone else by miles in the race alone, everyone else looked like children compared to him so she couldn''t help but laugh.


    She felt really invested in that tournament-like training, more than for any of the tournament she saw in the capital. There, she would sit on a prominent seat with many high nobles and royalty, witnessing the prowess of renowned knights wanting to impress those around her for glory and money. She always felt bored then, those guys were all impressive and she did enjoy seeing all the action, often talking about it for weeks after she saw it but... She just didn''t care about them, she knew no one, she''d have rather stayed indoors with Aglaya and some cakes.


    She could understand better now why everyone enjoyed tournaments so much back home, she had a renewed understanding of the atmosphere. Everyone was there not for themselves but for those competing, they hoped to see those they knew succeed and sometimes witnessed a new talented face they''d like to meet. It was the same here, she felt really happy, proud even, whenever Brenia, Nessa or Emp impressed the rest of the school. She''d yell and cheer from the sidelines like the rest, something she had never done back in Thronewoods.


    Last time something like that happened she was nervous because she was the center of attention, everything was her fault and everyone was against Emp. This time was much more fun, all she had to do was trust in her friends and watch them defeat everyone. Plus, she soon found herself surrounded by almost all of her group of students, they had good food, fresh juice and fruit wine. There was no way she wouldn''t enjoy herself even if she felt her hair become heavier and heavier as time went on because of the heat and sweat.


    Her best friend Aglaya was sat on her right and seemed to enjoy the fact that she had fun more than the challenging training itself. They knew each other for so long, she must have been amused by her unusual reaction to this sort of thing. At least she should give some encouragement to their friends, or maybe she thought that she didn''t need to because they were so great. Yes, that must have been it, Mable convinced herself.


    Aglaya had laughed too when she did her best to battle the old man and have him train Emp seriously. She always did that whenever Mable put her nose into something she had nothing to do with. It was her that had inspired her this time though, she said Emp would need the help of the old man and she was right.


    Even though she distrusted the Muraciers, it was true that they were at the very top of the army and if Mable wanted Emp to succeed and impress her father, he''d need the respect of that old man too. In that case, she needed that old man to truly notice how awesome Emp really was. She understood that he wasn''t the best yet but that was exactly why he trained so hard and why he''d benefit from having one of those old monsters train him.


    Emp had mentioned that the old man had taken a look at his file in the office of the duke but that wasn''t enough to satisfy her, she needed him to see with his eyes. Emp would beat everyone in everything and he''d have no choice but to acknowledge him. He''d even beat that knight girl he brought with him! That would show him!


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    Convincing the old man to do this felt like a great victory to her. Aside from that, there wasn''t much she could do to help Emp. It wasn''t like she could just ask for her father''s support or even understand how the knights and warriors got so freakishly strong. All she could usually do was cheer but this time, she had truly helped and it felt great.


    She didn''t care about what the boys from the other groups thought about her even though Aglaya kept telling her she should. All she wanted was to celebrate her small victory with a dance and roll into the grass. She didn''t do it though because it would have been embarrassing and everyone she knew would have scolded her. She instead burnt her excess energy into making her hair ornament glow and cheering on Emp every time he did something good.


    Her schoolmates weren''t surprised by her behavior. they had all heard about were that hair ornament came from by now and whispered of its significance between each other. It was obvious for everyone that Mable was all in on Emp and most reacted well and expressed their support which she found amazing. Sure when they first heard of what she had Emp do, they were all shocked still but after a bit of reflection, they mostly concluded that it was bound to happen sooner or later and expressed how impressed they were by the craftsmanship of the gift.


    Thanks to that, she could show her support for him as loudly and as vividly as she pleased. Whatever she did, she only got warm smiles, except for Heida and Gervaise of course but they didn''t matter.


    She''d get on her feet and lean over her garden table with an arm or two raised up high in the air. Because of the heat today, her dress was very light and every time she did that, her cleavage became dangerously exposed so her two servants had to jump in to pull her dress up closer to her neck. They were worried that someone might see something they shouldn''t but she couldn''t help herself, she was just having too much fun.


    That must be why others tended to look down on her. People called her a childish airhead, she knew. Rica told her once that she heard it said a few times. And then, there was this rumor about her leeching off from Aglaya''s family, as if such a thing could be true! She felt offended by it, Josseline might be an actual airhead with how clueless she looked most of the time but how come people thought she was one too?


    She had complained about it to her friends and was told that it might be because of how she took nothing seriously and just let things drift in front of her without care. They also mentioned her habit of turning any conflict out of proportion and then into an occasion to get some cake. That was totally unfair though, she needed those cakes for her self magic, that and they really were tasty.


    In the end, she decided that whoever made fun of her for being happy didn''t understand how to enjoy life.


    None of this had to do with her being childish or an airhead, she just didn''t care, she just felt free, alive. She was enjoying herself here because she had so much more freedom than back home. She didn''t understand why the rest didn''t feel the same as her.


    Staying elegant and refined all the time needed so much hard work, it was so tiring and bothersome. Back home, everyone she knew always hid their feelings in an attempt to look perfect, hiding behind a made up character. She might not be good at that and might not look all that smart but she could feel it when someone was disingenuous. Mable worked on feelings alone and that was something the nobles kept to themselves along with their agendas. She disliked it.


    There were so many rules too, She kept being dragged into Blackbull''s office under the accusation that she forgot the rules again but that was wrong, she just ignored them. She knew them well enough, she knew them more deeply than she knew her own father. In front of Blackbull, she''d pretend that she didn''t know better in order to keep enjoying herself. Sure, there were sometimes things she really didn''t know, mostly about courtship or things about more ceremonious occasions but in general, she just pretended and did as she pleased.


    Back home, she''d be stared at and shamed if she did anything wrong but here, nobody knew who she was! When she first arrived, the duke had proposed this to her and assured her that she''d enjoy herself much more this way so she had accepted to hide her name. She had not expected it to be so effective! It didn''t take long for her to understand that she could breathe on her own.


    Usually, she was strictly monitored, her life planned and scheduled for her in advance. She''d get up and make sure she had a pretty face, she was the last girl in the house so she was required to be the absolute cutest at all times. She couldn''t do anything by herself and always had to wait for someone else to do things for her. Then she had to be here or there, listen to boring stuff and tolerate all the fake faces parading in front of her and her father. Not only did she not care but she knew that it had nothing to do with her, she wouldn''t inherit anything of it, she was just there to be pretty and keep her mouth shut.


    Sure, at first, she didn''t want to leave home for that faraway school, she wanted to stay and be left alone. She didn''t feel like she needed any sort of knowledge and didn''t want to be asked to do more boring things still. What was even the point after all? Wasn''t it better to gather as much free time as possible and exile herself in her room with Aglaya to play and chat?


    Now though, her opinion was the complete reverse, she never wanted the school to end! She wanted to stay here forever. No one to bother her or glare at her if she jumped and danced around, no one to control her like a doll or give her empty smiles. No one knew who she was! She had made many friends and could enjoy herself a much as she wanted. She could just be herself, the classes were barely a hindrance at all.


    For example, she could grab a pear on the table, cut it in pieces on her own and offer a part to Celtine on her left. The girl thanked her with a voiceless smile and bit down on the fruit at the same time as her. If she had done the same back home, everyone would have panicked. Don''t wield the knife on your own, let a servant prepare the food for you, don''t offer some to a slave its unsightly, don''t move around so much on your chair and so on.


    She could wear whatever she felt like instead of all the priceless clothes made to show off and the weighty jewelry. Sure she liked to show off, everyone liked to feel superior she was sure but, doing as she pleased was so much better. If she had a hurricane of words stuck in her throat, she could just let it out and it wouldn''t matter at all, if she wanted to go run after a butterfly barefoot in the flower garden at the back, she could. Who cared if she put some dirt on her dress after all?


    More than that, she liked the people here, she was so glad she came just because of how thankful she was to have met the boys and girls of group C. Most of them became good friends of her, friends she would never have made in the capital. She had never noticed how lonely she was until she met everyone here.


    She didn''t get along with everyone but they were still there and brought life to everything. It was like she had lived in a painting before but she had now peeked outside of the frame and felt actual reality for the first time.


    She wanted to stay in this school with them forever. She felt like Lissani from the story, she had found a magical glade where almost everything felt perfect.


    She didn''t have to worry about her safety either because Emp was here. Sure, she did get attacked once in her room and it made for a really scary experience but Emp arrived right away to save her. He''d always show up right away she knew, thanks to that precious ring and the fact that he was himself.


    He was way more powerful than ordinary guards too. Faster, stronger, he was learning magic too and had some amazing equipment that even what most knights had couldn''t compare with. She was not blind though, she knew he wasn''t as good as an imperial knight yet and even less a high noble from an old house. She knew he came from a high noble house himself but he never showed any techniques inherited from them so either he didn''t have any and his house was young or he hid them. Either was possible but hopefully the old man Muracier would fix this.


    The Muraciers didn''t show their family tricks to everyone but they did collect a fair amount of techniques over their long history and often shared them with younger generations with high potential. They just loved to see martial arts bloom and expend, they wanted to strengthen the whole empire with what they shared.


    She disliked and distrusted them for what happened to her mothers and sisters as well as how they got her dad angry but she did appreciate some of the things they did. She loved how they shared their martial knowledge instead of hoarding them all like other houses would do and she liked their honesty and how they were in the only few people she knew who didn''t wear masks in front of other nobles.


    She didn''t believe they always said the truth however, even though they said they''d do this and that, everything she heard always led her to believe they weren''t doing anything. The north wasn''t going well, the west was starving, the rivers were unsafe and the great general was nowhere to be seen. What were they even doing at this point? The empire might be better without them. If she was the Empress, she''d appoint Emp as the great general, she was pretty sure he''d do a better job than the current one, that Graube guy or the heir she hadn''t met.


    She was also pretty sure that Aglaya and mostly everyone else would complain that she only did it because she liked Emp instead of thinking rationally about it but it didn''t matter. It''s not like she would ever sit on the throne anyway, she was just a painting.


    Since she was just a piece of art, might as well waste some more time here in the school, it wouldn''t be better used back home. The maximum amount of time one could stay in that school was ten years but of course, there was no way she''d be able to do that. Remaining more than five meant you failed to reach a satisfactory level and had to stay for another cycle. Her family wouldn''t allow it and even if they did, her friends would have all left by then. She doubted any of them would even remain the full five years.


    Celtine suddenly presented her with a bowl of Berries which she accepted with a "thank you" and a smile. She was just a slave but she was super cute and helpful too. She felt almost as close with her as towards her own two slaves. At first, she wanted to keep her distance with them all because of what she had been taught back home but now she didn''t care as much anymore. She had taken example on how Emp treated his two slaves and paid more attention to them all. She quickly found that they became just as good friends as the nobles she met in school.


    She was glad she opened herself to her two slaves, Celtine and Harriett too. Celtine was quite a likable girl, even if she had a lot of problems too. Mable was glad that her and Harriett fell into the hands of Emp rather than someone else. One because it was better for them and two because she would have never met them if not for that.


    On top of all that, Celtine was really useful in spotting masks right away. Mable had asked herself before if Emp made a point of carrying her on his shoulders just for that. Her theory had been proved wrong as it turned out Emp was just that kind but it was still a great detector for her.


    Seeing that scene of a Cursed-blood on the shoulders of a high noble, anyone would react. Either they genuinely showed their reactions in which case she knew right away who were good and who were bad or, their mask would crack from the absurd scene. No one could resist, it was just that shocking, she could spot it right away. Those she caught in this way she''d never trust, Norval and Josseline were two examples of who she found like that. Dishonest faces, hiding secrets under a respectful smile or in Josseline''s case, intentionally empty headed air. She didn''t know what they hid and what they wore false faces for but she had decided she wouldn''t let her guard down in front of them. She disliked that sort of behavior more than she did those openly disagreeing with her like Gervaise or Heida.


    Usually however, she would let Emp and Aglaya determine who was good or bad because they were more logical and methodical than her scatterbrained self. Aglaya was even better than her at spotting those guys in fact but she felt like she had to rely on herself more often. The only difficulty was her disorganized thoughts, she usually glossed over all the details to focus on completely other things.


    If anyone looked into her mind, they for sure would think she kept jumping from one subject to another. (1) Maybe they''d think instead that she only ever thought of strawberries and Emp, that would be embarrassing and utterly wrong! She wanted anyone reading her mind to know that she thought of other things sometimes like her father, her brothers, her home, a way to have fun with her friends or that book she had just finished reading.


    That book was really good she wanted to add to the attention of the hypothetical mind reader. It was about a death seeker woman who explored a jumble of tunnels and ended up in front of a large treasure room, filled with gold and other precious things all the way up to the ceiling. Then, a scary dragon shows up, upset about her disturbing it. It plans on killing her right away and then going out of the cave to wreck the closest town with a big whooosh!


    The woman doesn''t want that to happen, obviously, and after some time manages to bribe the dragon with her most treasured possession. The dragon swears to leave her and the town be and accept the trade only to find out that her most treasured possession is a small human girl.


    The dragon feels tricked but he already swore so he has no choice but to take in the girl. Then the story gets really funny as the girl grows with the gigantic lizard as her only caretaker.


    Towards the end of the book, the dragon walks up to town with the now grown girl on his back and ask the town''s guards for the woman who visited him in the past. The whole town panic which made Mable giggle because she guessed what would happen next already.


    The woman comes out and the dragon tells her that she was right, it was truly a priceless treasure she gave him and he decided that the original deal wasn''t right. He dumped a whole half of his glittering hoard at the side of the woman as payment for the treasure she placed in his care.


    Mable liked that story, she had fun reading it and all the nonsense the girl pulled with the huge grumpy dragon. The author must have been inspired by "the debt". Mable wondered if anyone could reason with an actual dragon. Those were far more dangerous than even many unnameables of chaos and super rare too. The last dragon sighting had been reported generations ago, in the time of her great great grandfather.


    That woman had, in a way, defeated a dragon, even though she had no great power at all. It was a bit sad because her daughter grew without her but that girl had fun and the dragon took good care of her, on top of that, she saved everyone. That was a sort of eye opener for her. That was what led her to confront the Muracier old man today.


    Even though she had no great power, magical, physical or otherwise, she wanted more out of her own life. She had understood the purpose of all these seemingly pointless classes from the actions of the woman in the book. If she could harness them, maybe she could make a difference later after she went back home, she could help too! She wanted to!


    She would do her best, learn it all and do what she could to support all her friends into their own endeavors. She might not inherit any territory but she didn''t intend to just sit down and look pretty. Even if the only tools she had at her disposition were her head, her attitude and her name, she was determined to show her father that she could do things on her own.


    She''d start by beating the old dragon Muracier then force her father to let her be with Emp and then she''d help the others one at a time. Then, everyone would praise her and offer her cakes as thanks.


    She laughed to herself at the thought, feeling impatient to get the desired result. In all seriousness though, she didn''t have any grand dream like Nessa who wanted to take her father''s fief or Emp who wanted to be the strongest, she just wanted the fun times to go on forever with her friends.


    The rest might call her childish as much as they wanted but really, any and all goals from the most lofty ones to the simplest one could all be boiled down to the same thing. Everyone just wanted happiness, for them and those they knew. It was pointless to set up a long set of complicated objectives if she had already reached the end point. She just needed to maintain it somehow.


    Her friends would help her with all the complicated stuff anyway. So this meant that for now, the only thing she had to do was encourage Emp to win against everyone else, hard. She kept her eyes focused on the many challenges the whole time the Muracier tested them and kept cheering with energy.


    "I''m sure Emp can jump higher than all of them combined so throw that target higher old man! He''s gonna go up like fwoosh! you''ll see!"


    Every time Emp won, everyone got closer to their goals and a fun time that would last forever. Like Lissani, her home was with her friends in the end, she''d use all her limited might to have it go on even if the rest thought she was crazy. Everyone always thought it was a warning and a sad tale but Mable believed the opposite, it was quite a happy story instead.


    *-*-*-*


    Many mysteries and wonders hide at every corner of our woods and often make the children dream of secret lands of wonder. Would it not be nice to escape the laundry and instead discover ancient marvels and fairy lands?


    To fulfill this foolish quest for a dreamland free of responsibility, the young will often wander the woods around their homes looking for an escape. More often than not, they find it in clusters of butterflies or secret flower gardens made by nature itself. The peace they find lasts for an evening and they return home to their parents and their chores.


    One small girl Lissani however once found more than her small hands should have handled. Crossing the woods in a carefree saunter, she happened upon a hollow tree. Tall and massive ancient of crumbling bark, animated of thick vivid leaves. The ancestor grew far above his neighbors, dominating the surroundings with its sleeping presence.


    Curious, the small Lissani peeked into the wooden body of the ancestor, scanning the darkness for maybe a strange beetle or a scary spider. Her small hand gripped the swelled borders of the hole and she put her head inside. What she found was a glade, stretching for miles inside the tree. Instead of the darkness she had expected, only grass and flowers could be seen as far as the eye could see, a cloudless sky stretched over it presenting a most perfect day to this magical place.


    A mystical land ruled by fairies, even the small intruder could tell, butterflies by thousands flew in large flocks around creatures playfully chasing each other around. Tiny elves the size of a palm wearing dragonfly wings, cat sized ones with ears like corkscrews and noses like beaks and a big one tall like her father sprawled in the flowers with a hooked tail holding a cup, tall fluffy ears like a fox and horns like a ram. They wore garments of grass and petals, or in some cases, none at all, but those free spirited creatures didn''t mind the indecency and lived as freely and lightly as the air.


    Lissani crawled into the hole, interested in the marvels on the other side. The fairies accepted her presence readily and entertained her with games and countless pretty sights. They let her play along with them and all the small animals and insects populating this secret land.


    She played for long and the more she did, the less she felt like doing what her mom asked of her. She pleaded with the lord of the glade who accepted to let her stay for longer, brandishing his cup with a kind smile.


    "Watch yourself, there is no night here, do not lose track of who you are."


    The small Lissani did not mind his words and ran back to the field of countless flowers to play and marvel. There was always something to do here, something incredible to see, some friends to meet, it truly was endless pleasure in the hollow tree.


    It was a pleasure she did not want to end.


    She kept playing and fooling around with the small fairies, squirrels and mice bouncing around the carpets of petals and soft grass.


    She smelled all the fragrant flowers and basked in their dizzying perfume. She drank the flower wine of the fairies with the dragonflies and nibbled on berries with fireflies.


    She forgot an end was supposed to happen.


    An eternal day of spotless sky and blissful nature. Laughing and singing always, rolling in grass softer than clouds and running after ever dancing friends of the forest.


    Then, she stopped running, she felt tired, she did not find the strength in her to run after the dreams no more.


    "It might be time for you to go home then." The lord of the glade said with a saddened voice.


    "Every mortal needs to rest in the end."


    It was indeed true that her mother and father might start to worry if she played outside for too long. She didn''t want to do the laundry but she did feel like sleeping in her warm bed now.


    She said goodbye to all her friends and stepped in front of the tall tree again after such a long time. She crawled into the hole the other way around, a wrinkled hand gripped the crackled old bark bordering the path through the hollow tree.


    The old shaking hands of Lissani coming back from a lifelong trip in the land of the fairies.


    She moved slowly, shambling forward in the unusual darkness. Stars shove through the ceiling of the old forest, feebly lighting her path out of the woods. She knew exactly where she was going, the way home was familiar even after so long. Behind her, a path of hair slowly falling off from her head, drifting to the ground quickly from the weighty years.


    Her home appeared after the treeline but its inhabitants were unknown to her. She walked up to a man asking for the whereabouts of her parents. The grown man was confused, he had always lived here and didn''t know her parents. He gently invited her to sit down and explain. She obliged his curiosity and told him all about herself, the hollow tree and the fun she had inside.


    The fairies had not stolen her life, not robbed her of her youth, they had not made her prisoner of their glade, never detained her, they remained friendly and kind the whole time. The simple truth was that there was no evil involved in her current state but her own carelessness and free-spirited nature. It was willingly that she had spent all this time in the glade, no one was to blame.


    The man was horrified none the less. Lissani, a girl not even in her teens stepped into a tree and lost countless years of her life to it.


    "Would you like to stay the night?" He asked the bald old woman in sorrowful kindness.


    "No I am done staying in places were I don''t belong. I am tired now, I am done staying. It''s time for me to leave and go home."


    Just like that, Lissani left and shambled back into the woods from whence she came.


    The next day, the man walked into the woods and followed a trail of fallen hair. The further he went, the more colorful the hairs got, from pure white to grey and slowly turning golden blond.


    He walked up to a gigantic tree, thick bark and hollowed out. The first strand of hair came from the tree, as gold as the burning sun.


    Slumped against the trunk, peacefully sat an old lady. Inanimate Lissani, a crown of splendid flowers of the rarest kind adorning her head like a rainbow she found overnight. Her body solemnly arranged and a satisfied smile floating on her face.


    The man stared for long and left.


    He came back with an axe and faced the hollow tree.


    "I am sorry ancestors, the forest gives as the forest take. Keeping you here is unsafe for my kids."


    He cut down the hollow ancestor and the path to the magical glade, nothing stopped him in his endeavor. The man buried Lissani where the tree stood and planted a new one over her corpse.


    Fairies might grieve you but Time is not a god they understand or even feel. Humans have responsibilities they can''t escape, all of us do. We were not meant to live forever in the fairy glade and like the responsibilities imposed upon us by life to insure our well-being and those of our closest family, it is for us alone to watch the time. Do not step in the hollow tree as a form of escapism because some things always end up finding us. The hollow tree made her parents lonely but it was irresponsibility that took Lissani.


    --Responsibility, Woes and heroes of our woods.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) In french we say "sauter du coq ¨¤ l''ane", Jump from the rooster to the donkey, to express the two subjects are worlds apart.

 139 Harder exercises

    Aminui had the blood of everyone running with that short run but he was far from over after that was done. Emp had many more challenges to overcome. At first, everything was pretty simple, sit ups, push ups and so on until everyone participating had their whole body burning from the exertion.


    It was only after this that Aminui got really into it. Until then, there were still many students that did their best to keep up and managed to make it but after that point, they started dropping like flies. Even Nessa had to drop out from a challenge were he threw sandbags at the students and asked them to not get knocked over.


    The sand bags would fly across the field at high speed and ram into them, or just past them if they moved quickly enough. A guy from another class cut open three of them and secured his position. Nessa dodged two and got all the air knocked out of her lungs by the third, Brenia punched them to a stop and Emp just took them head on against his armor. Seeing he wasn''t making any efforts at all, Aminui threw the last one much more strongly at Emp and had him slide over fifteen meters back from the impact but Emp kept standing anyway Gathering loud cheers from the crowd.


    Every time someone was eliminated, they would sadly go join the rest of the crowd for drinks and food and watch those that survived in amazement. His friends in the crowd were really supportive, especially Mable who kept dancing and bouncing whenever he passed a new challenge. It made him smile brightly every time he saw that.


    Of course, the rest shouted their support often and all seemed to have quite some fun too.


    The guys were taking bets and laughing about who they thought would last the longest.


    Frits and Rica sat in the arms of each other and cheered whenever someone from their class passed on to the next round.


    Heida was complaining about how Nicolas wasn''t that good and that he should try harder, while he was trying to enjoy some food in peace and tried to shut her up with some fruit wine.


    Her usual partner in jibe Gervaise was especially egregious today with the presence of Aminui. She took every little thing that was out of place as a grave affront to their collective dignity. From disorderly clothes to the bubbly actions of Mable and passing through all the ways the students were defeated in the trial, she considered it all to be unsightly. She complained about everything all day long, chiding everyone on how they were ridiculing themselves in front of such a big figure.


    She was particularly vocal about Josseline. She fluttered from guy to guy as they were getting eliminated, apparently trying to get a feel for them. She''d go over, ask for their name and try to be charming, if they didn''t react too much, she gave up right away and moved on to the next.


    A bit behind the rest of the group, Penny was taking notes of the results and didn''t call out to the participants but Emp could see her smile or frown whenever someone form their group won or was eliminated.


    George was there too and looked like he didn''t want to be just as usual, even though no one dragged him here. Zoran was sat at his side and cheered mostly for Nessa, he looked devastated when she got eliminated and George patted his back.


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    Oliver, Oran, Kenneth and Odilon heard about Aminui late and asked if they could join the training midway. Aminui let them in with a bunch of other latecomers from the other groups and had them do all the trials from the start while he moved on with the survivors. Odilon dropped out before the end of the run even though he seemed the most confident. Oran and Kenneth followed about an hour later in the challenges but Oliver got quite far. He was known to be always training with his spear after all. Emp had heard others call him a training junkie before, a title that was also stuck to him.


    Juniper also came to cheer but more importantly, she astounded the crowd and the participants by going up to Aminui and trying to sell him glass in front of the whole school. She was afraid of him when she learned his name but now, apparently, her attitude was completely turned around. Emp felt she had gotten a lot closer to Mable as well since she learned his name but that might just have been an impression. She didn''t strike any good deals with Aminui however.


    "You don''t have windows?"


    "No, they''re a structural weakness, we only have slits to let arrows through. Even if I did have windows, covering them in glass is pointless because nothing can go through anymore."


    "But how do you light the inside?"


    "Magic."


    She felt very disturbed by his answer but still tried something else.


    "How about drinking cups made of glass then?"


    "They break too easily, we had a bunch before but my wife kept breaking them on my forehead." The old man said very seriously.


    Juniper had a deadpan face while the rest roared in laughter. In the end, whatever she came up with, nothing interested Aminui in the least. Finally, she sat down in defeat with the other girls and just enjoyed the feast like normal.


    Aminui continued to throw all manners of test on them until there were just a handful of people remaining. There was of course Kaisla who went through this sort of things often, Emp whom Mable apparently felt very proud of, Brenia who was too stubborn to drop out from training, Norval who struggled to keep up but still survived through it all and Noirantel who wanted to improve how Aminui viewed him.


    In the crowd, his friends, Celtine and Harriett were beaming because more than half of the remaining ones were from their group C. Speaking of Harriett, it seemed that Mable sent one of her servants to get her at some point to let her enjoy the festivities with everyone. Emp was glad about it, he would have been troubled if she stayed in their room up there while everyone else was having fun down here.


    Going back to the cheering and the festivities, Emp didn''t quite get why this training caused all this excitement but he waved back at his friends anyway. The only important part for him was to get stronger, it didn''t matter who could last the longest in that training session.


    Winfred the combat teacher soon showed up with a large crate he placed down next to Aminui. The old man thanked him and opened the crate to show everyone present some sort of disk made of clay.


    "Those are some throwing disks, I will use them for the last exercise I''ll have you do. Usually, we get some living flying monsters but those will do just fine. Here''s what you''ll do. I''ll throw those disk towards you and you''ll have to smash them to pieces before they hit the ground or obviously, before they get out of your reach. You are forbidden from using a bow for this but everything else is fair. Kaisla, you go first to show them how it''s done."


    Since the beginning, he always had Kaisla do the examples, she was obviously used to all of those training exercise.


    She stepped forward to give herself some room and stood, about five meters in front of Emp, facing Aminui who stood twenty meters further. The old man threw the disk in a way showing how used to it he was and the clay target whistled through the air. It didn''t seem to take him that much of an effort to throw it so far and fast. The disk flew three meters above Kaisla''s head and two meters on her left, reaching her vicinity in no time.


    The knight jumped towards it at high speed and swung her sword which curved like a whip and broke the flying target with a clear sound. Pieces of it dropped everywhere and she fell back down on her feet with a satisfied face.


    She took back her place in the short row of four and Brenia stepped forward in her stead. Emp had learned throughout all those exercises that she liked to be complimented on her victories so he congratulated her once again with a short "Good job."


    She smiled back his way seemingly even more satisfied while his grandfather threw the next disk. This time, it flew more over Brenia''s head than to the left or right, she jumped into the air to receive it and kicked it with the heel of her foot as it passed close to her. It made a sound like a smashed pot and exploded in pieces.


    Unlike Kaisla, Emp felt he would get smacked if he praised her so he refrained from doing so and simply smiled alongside her. The crowd clapped for her like they did for Kaisla and Norval stepped forward.


    He had barely hanged on up to now but this time, he seemed too exhausted to jump and hit the target. He took a deep breath and focused himself before Aminui threw the disk his way. It went far to the right but not so high up. Emp felt that the old man was pretty good at keeping the same sort of distance in between each throw even if they seemed so random.


    Norval decided to not move at all and just threw his sword into the air instead with a shout. The crowd hollered in surprise and expectation but sadly, Norval missed. The timing of his spinning sword was just slightly off and flew in front of the disk, if he had thrown it an instant after, he would have hit the mark. Loud disappointment was heard from the crowd and the sword bounced into the dirt while the disk continued its flight.


    The disk ended up bumping in the back of an unlucky guy who wasn''t paying attention and made him fall over his table under roars of laughter from the rest.


    Finally eliminated, Norval dejectedly made his way to the crowd where the guys form their group started to cheer him back up. Emp thought it was disappointing since it was the last exercise and he had almost made it to the end but he also felt that he should improve a lot thanks to today''s exercises. He''d be able to do it to the end in no time.


    Noirantel was the next to step up. He was the last one remaining that didn''t belong in Emp group excluding Kaisla who didn''t belong in any group. He looked confident in his ability to pass the test and soon nodded towards the old man to show that he was ready.


    Aminui threw the disk just as high as all the previous ones and a bit on his right. Noirantel sprung to action despite his own fatigue and jumped to meet the disk. He couldn''t jump as high as Brenia or extend his sword like Kaisla did but he still had enough strength and reach to cut down the disk with a crisp sound announcing his victory like a bell. The crowd cheered and clapped once more and soon enough, it was Emp''s turn to step up.


    The crowd stared in curiosity, up until now, he kept doing things that seemed ridiculous to the rest but somehow kept passing each and every test. At many points throughout it all, the crowd felt that Aminui had something against Emp because he kept imposing seemingly unfair disadvantages to him. The rumor spread that it was because Mable whom he protected kept nagging at the old man. Yet, somehow, despite doing his best to get rid of Emp, he was still standing there.


    Of course, none of this was true, Aminui was just trying to feel Emp''s limits and adjust the training accordingly. Here again, he did something that looked unfair for the spectators. The disk he threw this time went at the same height as usual but went way further on the left than reasonable for anyone else than Emp. It was a good twelve meters off and at the high speed it was going, no one else here but Emp could have possibly ever caught that one.


    Emp didn''t even move and just waved his arm. Somehow, the crowd saw him reach and smash the disk with his sword, giving everyone a headache trying to figure out how it was even possible.


    Like that, the last test had come to an en/


    "I''m sure Emp can jump higher than all of them combined so throw that target higher old man! He''s gonna go up like fwoosh! you''ll see!" Mable shouted from the back.


    "What?"


    The crowd as well as Emp reacted with mixed levels of puzzlement. No one understood what she wanted to achieve with that demand.


    "I see, that''s a good point, he didn''t even have to move this time. Should we go for a second round then? I''ll throw it much further this time."


    "Let''s!" Mable said with conviction, standing with her arms crossed under her breasts.


    The crowd took her side right away, eager to see that second, much harder, round. They all expressed their desire to see that. On the other hand, the four participants left had a much more mixed reaction. Emp didn''t mind because he was pretty sure he''d be able to get it wherever it went but the rest weren''t that confident. Aminui seemed eager to take on that proposal too and disregarded the discomfort of the three.


    "I heard the crowd, in that case, Emp, are you ready? This one will be hard to get."


    If even Aminui said it would be hard, he should take this one seriously. He took a stance which would let him move into action right away and called out to the old man.


    "Ready!"


    If he was challenged to do it, he had to get it or it would embarrass Mable.


    Aminui smiled for the first time since the start of those trials and put strength into his arm. He brought it back behind him while holding a new disk and threw it with great power almost straight upward. The disk flew into a perfect spin, ripping the air apart on its way up, and easily reaching the highest tower of the school before curving from the air resistance and gravity, finally moving forward at such a ridiculous height that most only saw a dark spot in the air over their heads. They all had to bend their neck back ninety degrees to see where it was going.


    Emp heard many gasps and Ivar said it was impossible to hit even with a bow. He didn''t pay attention to any other comment and instead crouched to give more power to his jump. He felt the sky come down closer to him and extended his legs with a snap, flying upward higher than he had ever attempted. Despite the weight of his armor, he reached the height of his own balcony in the school building and swung his sword upward at the "close-by" disk.


    From down there, it looked like he jumped up really high an a metallic blur smashed the disk. They barely heard the impact before Emp fell back down and landed so abruptly that he fell on his hands and knees with a boom. Shortly after, a rain of disk pieces fell all around and someone in the crowd had to use a wind spell to protect everyone from them.


    Thanks to that, the crowd didn''t get bothered at all and was able to react as strongly as they wanted. There was a lot of clapping and cheering as well as disbelieving shouts and simple wild cries. Some like Noirantel were left speechless instead. Mable just threw her arms up in the air with her fists clenched in victory, jumping three times over in joy and making a high pitched noise.


    Emp got back up to his feet, feeling numb in his legs and arms. He''d jumped too high and now he felt like the landing was echoing in his body. He had won though so he felt satisfied. He shook his extremities a bit to help with the uncomfortable sensation while the crowd kept the volume of their reactions up.


    They had to wait for a rather long moment before everything quieted back down.


    Aminui had been very pleased by his success but didn''t say a word about it and turned his attention towards Kaisla instead.


    "Do you think you could do it?"


    "No way grandfather, I mean my lord, its impossible." She denied right away.


    "How about half that height then?"


    She looked back up at the sky and hesitated for a moment, the whole crowd held their breath until she gave her answer.


    "I''m willing to try but I''m not sure I''ll manage to do it."


    "Ohhhh!" The crowd cried in excitement.


    Even though it would only be half the height, they still didn''t think anyone of them would be able to do it. Hearing Kaisla boldly say she was willing to try it brought their hopes up. They wanted to see something great a second time in a row.


    She switched place with Emp returning his "well done" from earlier on the way and prepared herself for Aminui''s throw. A moment later, the disk sped up in the air and everyone watched with attention as she jumped as high as she could to reach it, well before the disk made the distance to her.


    For someone who hadn''t drank an elixir and was wearing a knight''s armor, she reached pretty far up, Emp would have been surprised if he hadn''t known that Aminui was supervising her training. However, it was far from enough to even get close to the disk... Or so it should have been but Kaisla still had the sap sipper.


    She trusted her blade upward and it elongated itself into an extremely long and thin spear. With her body stretched in the air, the tip of the sap sipper barely made it to the disk and accurately pierced it through the center as it passed above her. The target cracked and flew in three large piece to the ground further away.


    She fell back down and landed on her two feet, earning the roaring claps of the crowd.


    "Well since that''s the case, let''s make this the new height to get for the last trial." Aminui said, putting a sudden end to the cheering.


    Everyone was stunned to hear the words of the old man.


    "That lad and lass will have to achieve the same to pass. I''ll train you further if you can do it."


    The two of them paled while the rest gulped.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll still provide the help and advice I promised earlier to you lass." He added to Brenia''s attention. After all, he had said so after she sparred with Kaisla.


    The crowd held their breath again as Noirantel was beckoned to step forward and take Kaisla''s place. Obviously, there was no way he''d ever reach that far up with his sword, even if he threw it into the air. He decided to leave it in its scabbard and made a sign towards Aminui to signify he was ready.


    The crowd wondered what he was doing until the disk was launched and he started to mumble to himself. He had clearly decided to shoot down the disk with magic which wasn''t technically against the rules.


    A ball of fire grew quickly over his extended left hand until it grew to the size of his palm. He bounced it in the air once to catch it with his right hand and threw it upward with a clear effort of his whole body, twisting his waist, upper body and his whole arm in the process.


    The fireball flew up and up but slowed down drastically with the distance. The crowd all hung at the edge of their seats as they watched the two objects get closer and closer. Was the timing right? Was the angle and speed right?


    Finally, the fireball missed the disk by half a meter and fell back towards the ground, leaving the target to continue its flight freely.


    Disappointed sighs ran through the crowd along with a few laughter from those who disliked the man. Noirantel himself cursed once and dropped his shoulders in disappointment. He had come so close.


    Before the fireball fell into the crowd, Emp reached out with his arm and cut it down with his sword, dispersing its flames in a scatter of tiny inoffensive sparks.


    While everyone was reacting to Noirantel''s performance and how he stopped the fireball, he asked Brenia if she could do it, his voice almost drowned in the surrounding exclamations.


    "I don''t think so." She shook her head in frustration.


    "Would you be able to do it if you used me as a step ladder?"


    "What?"


    That didn''t seem to register properly in her head, he repeated his idea in more details.


    "He said everything is allowed as long as you''re not using a bow so just jump from my shoulders or my head instead of the ground you''ll gain a bit of height. Just trust me, I wont let you down."


    She blinked once and then he saw that large grin show up right away, the one she always had while sparring with him.


    "You might be the only guy I''ll ever trust with those words. Alright."


    After giving him a single nod and rolling her shoulders, she turned back towards the old man. She stepped to the front and removed a few bits of her armor on the way to make herself lighter.


    "What were you two talking about?" Kaisla asked curiously in a whisper.


    "Just how to get up there." He answered.


    That was clear enough an answer for Kaisla who stood back straight and waited to see what solution Brenia came up with that gave her such a predatory smile. The strong girl stretched herself a few times more and took a position that would let her sprint back to Emp as quickly as possible. Nobody but her and Emp understood what she was planning to do. Meanwhile, Emp made sure his two feet where solidly anchored to the ground, twisting his body slightly to make sure he wouldn''t loose his balance once she jumped on him.


    The disk was thrown, just as high as the two previous times, and the moment it left Aminui''s hand, Brenia darted back towards Emp, axe in hand. She jumped up like a cat and landed a feet on top of his helm as was planned, bending her leg until she almost sat on him. Many sounds of surprise were heard around them and her second jump started right away. She sprung herself up and forward, stretching her whole body like that of a frog. Emp felt the whole strength of her body push against the back of his helm but didn''t move an inch even while his armor complained with a grating sound.


    Right away once in the air, she spun on herself with her axe extended forward and threw it upward with all her might. Her and her weapon were thrown in opposite directions at the same time, she was propelled downward fast but still managed to land unharmed with an elegant roll.


    Meanwhile, her axe spun far into the air and passed just in front of the disk, it''s flight path brought it into the spinning axe and smashed it to pieces. The crowd burst out into wild cheers right away as the axe came back down and landed safely into the waiting hands of Brenia. She had just barely made it high enough, the crowd couldn''t believe what they just saw.


    Their whole group jumped from their seats like Mable and screamed wildly. She showed a great smile to everyone and Emp turned around to face her, raising a hand into the air. She slammed her own into his gauntlet with a loud bang to celebrate her unexpected victory while Kaisla stared wide eyed at what just happened.


    "She did it!" Kenneth shouted in amazement.


    Aminui showed a grin like that of a giant predator. He made no particular efforts to calm down the crowd but as he started speaking, it naturally fell silent in front of his thunderous voice.


    "You showed me your talent and resolve, I''m willing to train the remaining three further. There will be no more eliminations after this."


    There was another wave of noises in the crowd but Aminui disregarded it and continued on with his explanation.


    "The school here has for goal to raise everyone to at least the level of a knight but from now on, you two will go for a higher goal. I will drag you to the level of an imperial knight, forcefully if I have to. I know exactly what they''re all made of because I was the one in charge of training and testing them, they all went through me.


    For those who failed today, remember this; What I had everyone do this afternoon is truly the whole warm-up routine of the imperial knights. They all do this everyday before their actual training and they don''t take five hours to go through everything like what we did today. My goal wasn''t to eliminate everyone, my goal is to show you what you need to rise above the rest.


    What those three showed you all isn''t some impossible feat, they exhibited physical prowess on par with royal knights, they are well on their way to reach the imperial ones. They might loose in technique or experience against them but with more training and discipline they''ll surely equal them in the future. This is why they are worth training to me, I can help them on the path between royal and imperial level of competence. The rest do not have the endurance or strength yet, they wouldn''t last through the actual training. All I can tell you is to keep at it, work harder, put your soul into it and either next week or in ten years, you''ll be worth training. I''ll be waiting for that moment, the only way for you all to truly loose is to stop trying.


    Now, normally, we''d get into the actual training but it seems that some sort of festival built itself around us while we were warming up. I guess it can''t be helped, the heat is way too heavy anyway, let''s start over tomorrow. That will be all for today."


    Emp felt rather disappointed that he''d have to wait to learn new things because he had been waiting all day for it. He didn''t complain out loud however because he understood that showing him the familial techniques in front of the whole school wasn''t the best of ideas.


    After that, a lot happened again and the end of the afternoon went relatively well. The party went on and everyone had fun feasting and praising Brenia and Emp. In particular, they loved how Brenia won that last round. Kaisla hesitated on whether this was cheating or not but in the end, she decided that Brenia deserved her place and congratulated her politely anyway.


    Mable felt like showing off and kept boasting about how great were Emp, Brenia and Nessa even though she hadn''t reached the end. It got even worse when Aminui came closer to declare that she was right about Emp and that he was pretty sure he could take on the imperial warm-ups at the normal speed.


    He explained once again that it didn''t make Emp as strong as an imperial knight at all, it just made him into an unusually well physically trained student. An unusual woodcutter was still a woodcutter, even if he shared the same endurance and physical aptitude then a knight. Mable would have none of it though and kept behaving as if Emp was already amazing.


    "No but you really are amazing, even if you''re just a student, you can keep up with an imperial knight''s training. That''s more than enough to be considered impressive I think." Juniper said from the side.


    The way she told him was more like she was trying to explain to him why everyone was excited rather than expressing her own feelings. Maybe she thought it was obvious he''d perform this way since she knew his name?


    As for the rest of the group, even though they all had been eliminated, they all felt satisfied that the only two who''d get to train with the legendary Muracier elder were from group C. Cyril in particular seemed very inspired by what Aminui said at the end and explained to the others that he was determined to do that training everyday until he could complete it.


    A few from other groups weren''t as accepting of the results however. Noirantel in particular felt that he would have been taken as well if Mable had kept her mouth shut before. He couldn''t really blame her in front of everyone so instead, he boldly came forward and asked the old man for a spar to prove himself.


    "Heei?" Was the scream-like reaction of everyone who heard him ask.


    Aminui just looked towards him with his usual stone face and flatly denied him.


    "No, in fights, I always go all out."


    The old man clenched his fist as he said it, the one with a missing finger.


    "I''d rather not kill a student here just for training. I''m not sparring with anyone. I can keep throwing disks your way for practice however, we still have an almost full crate of them."


    That didn''t satisfy Noirantel who left in frustration.


    Norval was also rather disappointed since he came really close too but kept his cool and focused on his food and drinks.


    Aminui then discussed with Winfred the combat teacher, Sofenne the fencing teacher and the duo of Brenia and Emp. He asked to borrow them from their classes from now on and the two teachers agreed going as far as to say that it would be an honor for the two students to train with Aminui rather than them.


    They worked on a schedule to get as much free time as possible to train and the old man made sure that he''d have some time alone with either as well as some joint training when it fit better. The reason for the personal training was primarily because he couldn''t teach Emp what he needed to know in front of Brenia who was an outsider.


    Because of all that, it was only the next day that Emp managed to train alone with his grandfather. He had some trouble sleeping on the night in between because he couldn''t wait for finally learning about what made this family so strong. Because of this he had plenty of time to think about how the day ended up. Looking back at it, he though that things went pretty well. He was glad that Mable and Aminui didn''t destroy each other right away.


    From his point of view, the most troublesome had been Kaisla who was treated like an outsider by everyone. She was not part of their group and too strong to really mingle with them. Plus, because of the misunderstanding at the start, his own group didn''t like her much and she ended up eating alone and studying the group from afar. He wondered if he should try to help her.


    He spent the rest of the evening writing letters for all the girls of his generation related to the Muracier house. There were a whole lot of them and those were only the few Blackbull knew about and thought might be able to do the job. It would probably take him days to write all the letters he needed, even with the help of the other him in Dark-glint.


    Like that, Aminui had to find a strawberry cake for Mable.

 140 Muraciers training

    Even though Emp wished to get to learning special techniques right away, he was forced to first meet with Blackbull again in the morning. She did tell him the previous day that she''d come back on that talk today. On top of that, she wanted to have Emp tell her how things went on his first encounter with his grandfather.


    She found him fidgety but did not let him leave sooner for it. Aside from that, things got along just as usual. She got depressed, or rather dejected when he told her about his grandfather but that was the worst he got from her.


    He had told her that it went well since Aminui didn''t remove his head from his shoulders right away and he even managed to not tell him about his mother. Those were all good things, he didn''t understand why Blackbull reacted so negatively to them.


    At least the temperature had cooled down since the previous day so the meeting was more bearable.


    Finally, the talk came to an end after Blackbull went through everything in minute detail and encouraged him to follow the old man''s wants and give a serious chance to the knight Kaisla.


    "There is absolutely nothing for you to loose in this apart from his help if you don''t at least try to hear him out. I feel like I should not have to tell you this but he''s the elder of your house, usually, family members listen to what their elders say."


    Emp only gave some vague answer and left as soon as he was set free.


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    He didn''t have anything against Kaisla but he didn''t have anything for her either. He just didn''t know her. From what he saw the other day, she was talented but awkward with other people, she seemed to be friendly but at the same time, she was a sore looser. That was everything he could say about her. He thought his grandfather was being way too hasty, he didn''t even know Emp properly yet either but already wanted to tie him to someone else.


    In any case, whatever the old man said, Emp could not comply to his request because of his promise to Mable. For once he was glad that the promise existed, that way he had a valid excuse to put everything off to later. All those things were too bothersome and time consuming anyway, he wanted to focus on his studies and training instead.


    The time for training finally came later and Emp eagerly walked onto the field to join up with Aminui and Kaisla. He carried Celtine on his shoulder because after the other day, he judged that there should be no big problem doing so. He received a confused frown from them both and put her down delicately at his grandfather side. She gave the two of them a respectful bow right away, placing a foot far forward to stop herself from falling over and brought her attention back to Emp in case he needed her for anything. She did her very best to not feel intimidated by the old man who made at least twice her height. She didn''t want to recoil embarrassingly like yesterday, she wanted to show her own strength.


    "Do you always carry her around like that?" Aminui asked.


    "I do, she might be the person that knows me best, I like to keep her close. She''s with me almost all the time and because of her condition, it''s easier to carry her around on my shoulder."


    "Her condition?" Asked Kaisla, puzzled while she scanned Celtine thoroughly once more with her emerald eyes.


    Her intense study resembled how most people stared at their opponent before a spar.


    "She''s from the winged tribe. She''s maimed." Aminui put it bluntly.


    "Oh..." Kaisla immediately lost all trace of animosity and returned to normal.


    "I''m deeply sorry. I jumped to conclusion too early. I hope that we can get along and that you might help me figure out what sort of person my, I mean lord Muracier''s grandson is."


    She tripped at the end of her sentence there but did as if nothing happened.


    Celtine decided to spare her for now and simply nodded in agreement.


    "So you want her to stay with us while I teach you?" Aminui asked.


    "It''s fine isn''t it? Kaisla is here too."


    "Yeah but she''s part of the family."


    "That''s something you decided on your own, I don''t know her. If she''s part of your family then Celtine is part of mine." Emp answered casually.


    While he talked, he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up at the high walls of the school and the many balconies he could see from down there. On one of them far up, he saw the figure of the lovely Mable with a piece of cake waving her arm towards him. He did the same with a smile, he felt soothed by that simple action of hers.


    Kaisla didn''t say a thing about his comment herself and just kept her lips tightly sealed. Emp had no idea what was going on in her head. She was clearly troubled but he didn''t know whether it was him, his grandfather or both that unsettled her.


    Aminui just let out a short sigh and turned his eyes upward to see what he was waving at.


    "Her again, do you know her name?"


    "If you mean her family name then no." Emp answered.


    "What''s your relationship with her, you seemed very close yesterday and she''s been persistent about you."


    Emp decided to answer clearly, that way he''d be able to talk about the promise he made to her without it sounding too awkwardly out of place.


    "The glowing hair ornament she wore yesterday, it''s the confirmation I gave her."


    Kaisla was the first to react, almost jumping a good foot in the air from the surprise.


    "What! That girl is your wife!"


    "Of course not Kaisla. First of all, its impossible and second of all, he''d have said so instead of speaking about a confirmation." His grandfather calmed her down with his usual face. He didn''t even flinch when Emp said that.


    "You''re right." Emp confirmed. "I really love her but her father seems to be a difficult person and since she doesn''t know my name either we''re stuck. Then I got married with Calla and she got really upset that someone cut in front of her and had me promise a bunch of things to her including giving her the confirmation before she made the offering of Holia and promising to not accept any other offering before hers."


    That last one had the brows of the old man sink.


    "You shouldn''t have promised that, it''s not right and immoral. What if she dies or simply never gives it to you? You''ll be barred from receiving anymore for the rest of your life."


    "Why would you go so far young lord? You don''t even know the name of each other!" Kaisla asked in a fluster.


    "We love each other, it has nothing to do with our names at all."


    "It has nothing to do with your names but you''re not willing to tell her? That seems contradictory to me."


    The eyes of the old man bore holes into Emp who made an embarrassed smile.


    "She seemed to really want to keep that name secret. I didn''t want her to feel pressured to tell me because I shared mine, so I didn''t."


    "That''s not a full truth and also a flimsy reason. You should tell your name in full to young miss Mable, that''s a strong advice from your elder. You''re all going to end up in trouble if you don''t say anything. You might regret it later on."


    Emp made a grimace of unwillingness. Celtine was used to that sort of struggle from Emp so when Kaisla took a look at her for more information, she just shrugged in a way that said "It can''t be helped". Everyone kept waiting in silence until Emp finally agreed to give a proper answer.


    "She dislike that name so much, to be honest, I''m afraid of how she might react when she hears it. I''d like to postpone that reaction as much as possible."


    That answer seemed to amuse Kaisla just like how a kitten or Mable would amuse Aglaya. In reverse, Aminui was very displeased. Emp couldn''t see it on his face but he could feel it.


    "That''s just a lie by omission."


    Emp groaned in complaint.


    "I understand it''s bad and I do feel bad about hiding things but I''d still rather wait for her to tell me hers. Our name is just too big, whenever someone learns my name, they start acting weird."


    His grandfather placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was a gesture that only Marcy gave him usually.


    "Not everyone. That''s why people like us need women with thick heads and strong hearts." The old man said while poking his forehead and chest with a finger. "People like Kaisla here or that girl Brenia I met yesterday, that sort doesn''t care and keep butting heads with us no matter what. That''s why I said that delicate is no good at first. I do admit however that the one up there probably does have a thick head and a strong heart in her own way, even if that promise bothers me a lot."


    Emp understood that from his point of view, that promise was terrible. Being cursed to never lie, a Muracier promising something like that was thereafter at the complete mercy of the other party. That promise had not been made with a way out in mind, If Mable simply changed her mind, Emp would be forever stuck with only Calla as wife. That in itself wasn''t bad because he obviously loved Calla for a world''s worth but it would mean that he''d be unable to ever accept Harriett''s love for example.


    Emp wasn''t nervous in the least about it however.


    "Don''t be worried over that promise, all I have to do now is to kill a bunch of big crabs and take the title of great general. I''m sure it will be enough to convince her father I''m good enough for her."


    "Is that why you want the title of great general?"


    "No, I want it because I''m unwilling to trust anyone else with the lives of everyone I know." Emp answered flatly. "It just so happen to have this other advantage too."


    "That''s a better answer." Aminui nodded before changing the subject again. "Before we start, is there really no one here who knows who you are? None of them guessed your name?"


    "Two of them did." Emp admitted. "Aglaya who''s always with Mable is the first, she promised to not say anything. I believe she also knows Mable''s name."


    "I see... Who''s the second one?"


    "Juniper, the girl who tried to sell you glass yesterday."


    "Really? That makes her actions much more interesting. I thought she was just a bit too bold but it turns out that she just believed you''d help her if she got in trouble. I wonder what she really wanted to achieve.


    In any case, training first. We''ll do the same exercises as yesterday and then we''ll start for real. Do them faster this time, the rest aren''t here to slow the process down this time. Kaisla too."


    Emp did what he was told and after a while, he was back again in front of his grandfather. It did take less time than the previous day but the amount of exercises was still enough to consume a sizable part of his day. While he was doing that, Aminui held a lengthy conversation with Celtine who remained neutral throughout. He didn''t feel overly curious about what Cetline was writing for the old man and didn''t ask about it after he was done with the exercises because he wanted to quickly move on to the next part.


    He was more than happy to finally be done and ready to hear his grandfather talk about what secrets the Muraciers kept. Kaisla sat down in the dirt next to them to take a breather after the series of exhausting exercises while Emp ignored his own fatigue.


    What followed was very instructive for him. Aminui explained in detail what their family traditions were all about. Where houses like the Hastings relied on a single powerful technique or self magic like the royal sword dance to impose themselves, the Muraciers instead used a wide collection of them.


    "The point isn''t to have the strongest most perfect technique possible, the goal is to know as many of them as possible and be able to apply them each at the right time. The Muraciers are strong because of our instinct and our understanding of battle, we know when to use what to be effective and we have all the tools at the ready."


    It turned out that Emp wasn''t the only one to carry around dozens of weapons of all types, Aminui had his own bottomless bag filled with tools of war. His bag was not a truly bottomless one, it just had a twenty meters cube space inside, but it was still serving the same purpose.


    Going back to martial techniques and self-magic, the Muraciers had for goal to learn them all and absorb them all in a unified fighting style merging all of it as seamlessly as possible. Every small or simple technique had its place and it was only once combined with the whole that it found its true use and power. That was how the Muraciers worked since the start. Over the lifespan of the empire, they combined and collected tricks from more houses and warriors than there were nobles currently living in it.


    Like the elder circle of mage in Thronewoods for magic, the Muraciers collected any and all self-magics and techniques in order to store them for studies and for the benefit of future generations. Everything was recorded neatly in books, studied and improved for the benefit of the house and the empire as a whole.


    Over the years, the Muraciers would bring in strong deserving warriors and teach them appropriate techniques from the library. The whole was the strength of their house but the individual parts were meant to be spread for the greater good and hopefully come back a few generations later with some improvements or additions.


    The task of learning each of them was simply colossal but no Muracier from the main house ever shied away from the duty. Emp was no different, in fact, he couldn''t help but smile in eagerness once presented with this.


    Learning every technique individually wasn''t the hard part however, the Muraciers were usually pretty quick to learn martial arts. The hard part was to juggle each of those into a coherent whole and use them effectively in battle. Like spell casters, they could know hundreds of techniques or movements but only talented people would manage to use more than a handful regularly. Most would be tempted to pick one or two and stick with them as they matched their idea of strong.


    The true Muracier style required extreme talent, memory skills and speed to take on any situation, see every possible outcome and apply the most effective ability on the spot. Obviously, that was true of any fighting style but this one was different by the sheer volume of possibility. The pool from which they chose their every action and reaction was far too vast for most to be able to make an effective use of it.


    Every Muracier mastered hundreds of attacks, defenses and styles but each came to their own conclusion on what could be used when. It was an ever changing way of fighting with no other ceiling than the ability of the user to assimilate new moves and when to properly use them. With that said, some were much more effective than others in this endless pursuit.


    The more talented they were, the less often you''d see the same movement twice in a fight. From his words, Aminui had not used the same move in a real fight twice in thirty years. In comparison, Chijou, before his death, usually cycled through all his moves in about two fights and started repeating them afterwards.


    The major advantage of this whole thing was that their opponents could never get used to how they moved because it changed all the time. It was impossible for them to predict what could come next because the possibilities were almost endless. Setting a trap for a parry became unwise, waiting for a precise opening nonsensical and even setting their own pace practically undoable.


    This could get really powerful in a very different way than something like the royal sword dance. The dance was all encompassing and very powerful on its own while the Muracier combined everything meticulously to create something greater. The sword dance might be unbeatable at a certain stage when compared to any other single ability but it was uncertain which might come on top when opposed to everything at once. In addition, in the future, the sword dance itself might become a part of the Muracier''s collection.


    To reach a level able to contend against something as strong as the sword dance, one had to start from a much more simple beginning. One needed to start learning all those techniques one at a time and spend countless hours to master them and fuse them all in his mind.


    "Lets start with a defensive one like the unimpacted wall." Aminui told him after his long explanation. "After you master that one, I''ll add an offensive one and then a self magic and we''ll return with a defensive one. The defensive ones should always have higher learning priority, first because they keep you alive and second, because if you get in trouble, they''ll buy you some precious seconds to think about what comes next."


    Emp nodded in understanding. That seemed like a sound argument to him. Anyway, the end goal was to help and protect those around him so learning more about protecting made a lot of sense.


    Aminui kept talking as he took position a bit further away. He took a stance were he dug his feet deeply into the ground and leaned forward as if he was to receive an impact. However, he made a point of keeping his arms to the side rather than bringing them in front of him to protect his torso.


    "I''ll show you what the unimpacted wall is all about. This one was made by someone from a branch of ours a long time ago. Pick up one of those big sandbags and throw it towards me as strongly as you can please."


    That was one of the training exercises but Emp still narrowed his eyes questioningly. Even though he didn''t seem muscular, he knew that he was rather strong. He wondered if he might injure his grandfather with that.


    "I know you''re strong already, trust me, just do as you''re told." The old man insisted.


    Since both him and Kaisla didn''t seem to think this was dangerous, he picked up one of the sandbags. Those things weighted about fifteen kilo each, they weren''t that heavy, at least for Emp. They had a good size however and it was hard to get a good grip on them. He balanced it into his hand and prepared to throw it like a big ball.


    The old man gave him the signal and the bag was thrown at high speed with a full motion of his body. It flew in a straight line and impacted the unprotected chest of the old man to produce a sound like iron hitting a buried rock.


    The bag wasn''t ruptured by the impact and the old man didn''t move at all, he wasn''t forced back and didn''t dig new trenches in the field with his feet. If not for that one special thing, Emp would have been convinced he didn''t hit the old man at all. The only effect was that the dirt behind the heels of Aminui burst out as if it had been blasted away by a powerful explosive talisman. It flew out in every direction and rained everywhere in crumbling patches and tiny pieces leaving large holes just behind each feet of the old man. It was as if Emp had decided to strike the earth with his hammer, he did not understand what had just happened.


    "That was one good throw, look at all that dirt." The old man commented, clearly unaffected by the impact.


    Seeing his confused face, Kaisla started laughing reservedly, hiding her mouth with a hand.


    "You see, the trick of that technique is to let the impact go through you and into the ground instead. I didn''t feel it much because I sent it to the ground instead. The strength of every impact will just pass me through without damage with this ability. A blade would still cut into me but hammers like yours would be almost useless against this, if taken from the front and not in the air of course."


    "What? But how does that even work?"


    Emp was pretty sure that such a thing should be impossible without the use of magic.


    "Come here, I''ll show you how it happens and how to do it yourself. The unimpacted wall is always a good beginning choice, it opens up your mind."


    After that, not only did the old man teach Emp about that crazy unimpacted wall but he also showed him much more. The old man knew the whole history of that technique, who used it first, how he found it, how it works, what it was intended for, how it was improved over the years, how to practice and master it, when to use it effectively and so on.


    Aminui then proceeded to show him some attack technique called "the honest feint", created by the fifth great general himself. That one was so ridiculously simple and crazy sounding that Emp had no doubt that it must have worked much more often than it should have. To put it simply, it was a simple attack pretending to be a feint. Every sign pointed towards it being a feint were it truly was an honest and straightforward attack. It took him around fifteen minutes to replicate it perfectly because of how simplistic it was.


    Not everything was so simple though, he knew that some insanely complex techniques would come later, offensive or otherwise. For starters, just the self-magic Aminui decided to teach him first was leagues apart from the one he usually used. Contrary to its effects, the name was simple, "war blood". They had called it "war blood" because it was meant to put its user in a perfect state for war, that was it.


    The thing had a complex mess of precise steps to go through in order to be activated, even Emp failed to make it work. He was sure he''d make it work eventually but it would take him much more than a day. Its effects were more than worth the efforts however.


    The war blood would have his internal magu circulate through his veins and supercharge him with its power. It would make him faster, stronger, give him more endurance, improve his hearing and sight, dull the pain, make him more resistant to spells directed at him, ignore fatigue and increase the volume of his voice.


    "No I''m not constantly using it. I have a naturally loud voice." Aminui answered his silent question.


    According to the old man, the self magic had too many drawbacks to be activated for long periods of time. It would cause a monstrous hunger, high fevers, dehydration, intense muscular pain, sometimes it ruptured old scars again, gave dizziness, headaches and a momentary loss of voice. The severity of all those drawbacks would increase with the use time but even if they were willing to go through all that, usually, the internal magu ran out before it could become too extreme.


    For the smaller self-magic Emp knew about, they consumed so little of the users magu that it would get regenerated as quickly as it was used and thus, could be used indefinitely. This one had an extreme consumption rate. According to the old man, even though he practiced its use for his whole life, he still could not use it for more than an hour.


    Emp believed he''d do much worse that that. Like anything else, the proficiency in its use influenced many things about the technique. With practice, the benefit would be accentuated, the used magu would lessen and so the duration of that self magic would increase as well. Sadly, the strength of the drawbacks couldn''t be diminished and scaled upwards with the strength of the benefits instead.


    Emp was still excited about it however. He was eager to see how much of an improvement it would be over his usual self. He wanted to know if the speed part would be as valuable as the common speed self magic. That was the most important part for him since the elixir covered the rest pretty well. Since it was such an impressive self-magic, he hoped it would be better but since it covered such a wide array of things, it might end up slightly weaker than more specialized self-magic. At the very least, he was certain there was no way it would be as good as the one the mouse used.


    He worked hard that day and then the following days and weeks as well. whether it was sunny or raining he''d come out to meet his grandfather and Kaisla to learn new strange techniques like "Midi''s step", "The mountains false gambit", "Seal the lie" and the "Touch of the ancestors". Some were much harder than others to understand and reproduce, way more than anything he had learned so far. Some didn''t even make any sense like "Overturning truths" which turned defeat into victory with complex magic and a perfectly timed and insanely risky counter.


    Kaisla would remain close as he was taught and practice along with him. Some techniques she already knew and some were brand new for her as well. The reason was simply that the old man liked to teach whatever he felt like in no clear or logical order.


    She remained very polite with him and mostly focused on training like him. She took this whole thing very seriously and was proud of her own progress. From what Emp understood, she was mostly working hard to please Aminui instead of herself. She was a bit shy with him however because of what his grandfather was pushing for and didn''t really know how to interact with him without embarrassing herself.


    She would speak very politely and as little as possible until something would catch her curiosity. Then, she''d start asking questions over questions on that and then other subjects his answers might bring. She was the most curious person Emp ever met. Even the small Leo who kept spying on everything wasn''t so curious. Kaisla needed to see and know everything to feel satisfied.


    She asked a whole lot from Celtine too and was surprised to find that she got along very well with that cursed-blood. She had been biased against Celtine because of where she was raised but it didn''t take her long to start liking how diligent Celtine was.


    Kaisla was the sort to like when everything was in order, properly organized and planned. Celtine was the perfect example of that as she kept track of everything Emp did, took notes on everything she heard and kept a proper schedule for him.


    On top of that, even if Celtine was wary of her at first, she was a great source of information on Emp and was able to sate her curiosity more often than not.


    Emp wasn''t surprised at all by how this turned out, Celtine was really hard to dislike after all. She was so careful with her words and had a kind core to her, the only reason to dislike her would be to hate her race or Emp.


    Even though Celtine usually distrusted strong female warriors because of her past, Kaisla managed to slowly diminish Celtine''s wariness around her by applying the honest ways proper in Highsteel.


    While all this was happening on Emp''s turn to train with Aminui, he wasn''t the only one to work hard.


    Brenia was being taught a proper advanced axe wielding style called the "Fangs of dawn and dusk". Emp didn''t hear about all the specifics but he knew it had two major layers to it. The first was a set of techniques and movements designed to effectively wield two war axe at once. The second and much more complicated layer needed to make use of soul magic. The user would revert to using a single larger axe but each of his movements would be mirrored by a "ghost" version of the user.


    If one struck downward, the ghost would strike upward in a perfect reflection, creating the illusion of a jaw closing in on the opponent. The same would happen from any other swing from any direction. The movements and techniques would be the same but the strength applied far greater because the whole body could be placed behind a single axe swing.


    On top of that, Aminui also showed her some more tricks to get rid of an opponent sticking too close and what to do when an enemy reached inside the blind zone where the axe couldn''t be wielded properly and much more. Brenia didn''t manage to grasp the "Fangs of dawn and dusk" in full but she still got a whole lot of other tricks to work with. Emp was sure she''d one day be able to use the style in full but learning a soul magic was no joke, it took years of efforts for most knights according to Aminui.


    The old man also taught some things to the boys who managed to finish the training routine, Noirantel managed to complete it in a month.


    Cyril too worked hard. He had felt inspired by the speech the old man gave at the end of that trial on the day he arrived and since then, he did the imperial knights workout every single day. At first, he was far from the only one but over the days and weeks, Emp and many others saw from their balcony or the field itself that the amount of student diminished. Even though they had all felt motivated, most gave up because it wasn''t useful if they weren''t aiming to become an imperial knight. They all wanted Aminui''s teaching but most lacked the motivation to do this whole routine everyday. It took so much time after all, they had other studies and training to do and couldn''t spend all that precious time on this disproportionate amount of physical exercise.


    Cyril did it anyway. He didn''t give up and it impressed Aminui. One day, he even came to see Cyril after he ran out of stamina and stopped for the day.


    "Young man, I can see you improved. Keep this up." He told a beaming Cyril.


    Cyril felt good to be recognized like that, proud that his efforts were acknowledged. It reinforced his conviction that he was on the right track. What Aminui said was true, even though the student still could not do all the exercises, he was improving slowly, reaching just a bit further every day. If anything, Cyril was determined to make his village proud, he''d do anything and go all out to perfect himself and show them that they had not paid this school in vain.


    It was through all this intense training that yet another new year dawned upon them. This meant that they were already halfway through their third year of School.


    Since the last time, he had married Calla, brought her to visit B¨ºt¨¦clair and the school, met the Porter sisters, saved Galana, killed Sophus, turned blind for a while, made a second confirmation gift for Mable and trained harder than ever. He had not seen the time fly at all.


    It was the third new year Emp lived since he came to the school and once more, he was dragged into some dances, only when approved by Mable of course.


    Last time, he had to because she wanted to punish him but this time around, she just let a few of her friends have a turn whenever she felt tired of dancing. She let Brenia dance with him once because like last time, she had to even if she hated it, once with Nessa who danced with almost everyone and reluctantly, once with Kaisla.


    She wasn''t a student but the old man insisted that she should dance too since she was of a similar age. He even asked Blackbull if she would like a dance with him for which he was glared at.


    Blackbull liked to teach and watch dances but she didn''t feel like embarrassing herself with her cane in front of the whole school.


    Kaisla wasn''t the best dancer either and shared the thoughts of Brenia on the subject in many ways. She wasn''t as bad as her but still had to put all her mind into the dance and remained silent for the whole thing.


    Emp danced a lot with Mable like last time and shared a very good time feasting with everyone.


    Heida wasn''t as nagging since Aminui stepped into the school, she didn''t feel like the most important person here anymore and kept her behavior in check to not insult that high ranked visitor.


    Gervaise kept being extremely frustrating for everyone however, convinced that she was right on everything she said, she didn''t fear Aminui at all. At the new year feast, she snickered and talked down on Josseline who was almost crying, not knowing what to do about finding herself a future husband. Apparently, her meetings with boys from other classes didn''t work out well. She was starting to get desperate, Emp hoped she wouldn''t do anything crazy.


    The rest were all in pretty good moods and many could see the end of their school years getting ever closer. Two and a third year at most before the cycle came to an end. The talks about what they''d do once they were done were getting more and more common. Emp didn''t answer to any of those talk properly but listened with interest to the others and shared their joy.


    On the other hand, Mable flat out refused to talk about what would happen after the school cycle was over and complained that now was the time to have fun and enjoy themselves instead of talking about boring things.


    He cheered her up with some pastry and she returned to her usual upbeat mood right away.


    *-*-*-*


    Two days after the arrival of Aminui at the noble imperial school.


    "Hey old mud-trap, isn''t my grandson a bit strange?"


    The two old man were talking in the office of the duke, the tone of the conversation was pretty casual. The old Jazay was munching on some crunchy salted meat as he talked.


    "A bit strange how?"


    "Well, he seems to like to keep secrets. That''s unusual, no? His taste in women is a bit off too"


    "I be seein what ye spittin."


    The old man scrunched up his face as he thought about his friend''s question properly.


    "I be not sure but I think it may be cause of that soul thingy. The lad had two, scared me a whole lot, almost died."


    "What? How is that even possible?"


    Aminui was showing a rare surprised expression, so the duke took the time to enjoy it even though he knew he had just frightened his old friend.


    "I dunno, ask the lad or the mage, Heinrich, he be the one who fixed yer lad."


    "Right, I''ll do that right away then."


    The duke giggled as he saw his friend get up and walk straight out of the room with his face returned to stone. He enjoyed watching junior panic and so he didn''t stop him as he left and simply waved with a slice of meat.


    He was sure there was nothing wrong with the lad though. He had been a bit strange just after the events but he had returned to the usual calm of a Muracier. It was fine to have some different tastes than junior, it didn''t change who he was. As for the secret, it was probably just for the fact he had not been raised in Highsteel and suffered from the inexperience of youth. Aminui would understand soon enough, he too suffered from the inexperience of youth.


    That thought made him laugh all the more, he really was old.

 142 Encounter at the gate

    "My lord, what''s this?" Kaisla asked her second suitor.


    "I thought it was better to write a letter for you like for all the others. It''s to invite you to meet my wife and maybe be one of her ladies-in-waiting if you both feel like it." The already imposing young man answered her.


    She picked up the letter and examined it carefully. It was neatly folded and sealed with wax marked by the family seal. She smiled at the sight, that was a very Muracier thing to do. Anyone else would have just asked her since she was this close.


    A few days had already passed since the new year and she was now back in the yard with her lords, old and new. The one standing in front of her wore a heavy ornamented armor radiating an intimidating air. However, his helm clearly showed which house he belonged too making it hard to believe that almost no one found out who he was yet. Plus, she knew that the man under that armor was just like his grandfather, she had not a shred of wariness towards him.


    She had an overwhelming respect for the old man, to a point were she usually called him grandfather in private. She was thankful for what he did for her disabled father. The old man had acknowledged his loyalty and strength and gave him the position of head guard even if he lost both of his legs to the forest.


    Her father had given his legs for the greater good and Aminui never forgot it. The old man housed her father, her mother and herself once she was born. She didn''t know exactly what her father did because it seemed to be a painful memory for him but the old man had promised to make sure she would do well. He trained her and raised her like one of his own, endeavoring to create a bright future for her, all to appease the worries of her father.


    She was happy enough like that, Highsteel had been her home, a safe heaven, and she hoped it would always be the case. Her grandfather had grown nervous however over the years because he knew he was getting old. He''d sit on his throne and stare at his missing finger for hours on end. His sons were both gone and he didn''t know what would happen after he left too. He wanted to make sure that whatever happened, she''d be safe and cared for just like he promised her father.


    She didn''t really feel like she needed to be cared for, she was a warrior too after all, but she understood the concerns of her father and Aminui. She could stand on her own but the future would remain uncertain as long as they didn''t control who sat next on top of Highsteel. What if Graube got in and decided that her talent was better used on the front line? She''d follow the orders and would be satisfied to be recognized as talented but her father would worry for her safety to no end and Aminui''s roots would shrivel feeling his promise being broken.


    For them, there was only one absolute way to insure her the brightest of futures. They had to tie her to the next great general, whoever that man would be. Because of that, she had been made to visit Graube frequently as he was the only logical guess on who would sit next at the very top.


    She didn''t feel much for the man who was twice her age but she accepted her fate as a just return on all that she had been given. If that union could bring peace to her grandfather and her parents then she would accept it like she would any other duty.


    However, a second contender came out of absolutely nowhere. Her grandfather was so happy about it too, he left the fortress right away just in case the rumor might be true, bringing her with him. In the end, it was true, a new Muracier from the main branch, in flesh and blood, around her age and a mindset like his grandfather.


    She took an instant liking to him. If she had to choose between Graube and Emp as husband, she''d rather have the one that was her age. It had nothing to do with love though, it was just about doing as she was told. How could she have felt anything for a guy she just met? He didn''t even prove himself in any way yet, for now, he was just a name and a kind face. It was a great start already but it was just that, a start.


    In the end though, she wasn''t even the one making the choice.


    Since that was the case, she didn''t know what to do with that invitation. Would it make it seem as if she was favoring Emp over Graube if she accepted?


    For now, she broke the seal and read the letter. It was pretty well written and kindly asked her to come meet his wife Calla in Dark-glint.


    She still felt surprised that this guy already had a wife and a half. Graube too had a ''few'' wives already but that was expected of a man his age. Whoever she ended up with, she''d just be an extra. That was very disappointing and rather saddening but she understood that there was a price to pay for the great life she had lived up to now and the one she was promised for later.


    If the price was to share that life with the family of her benefactor, insuring in the same way that her own sprouts would enjoy the same benefits, it was a truly small thing to pay. In comparison, everything else was just either a bonus or a minor disappointment. She was ready to not be loved back, to be the background character protecting the others from the sidelines. She was willing to be a rose handed over, a bouquet of unfaltering petals, protecting groves unbound with her thorns. She had made up her mind on that years ago, that way she couldn''t possibly be disappointed with whatever happened.


    Even if everything went wrong, she was strong on her own, she could just leave. She would do her best to honor her father and benefactor and keep on holding to her duty as much as possible, all for the purpose of peace for everyone but in the worst case scenario she wouldn''t let herself be abused. She doubted it would happen however. Emp looked inoffensive enough and even though Graube wasn''t that good of a man, he wasn''t that bad either.


    With all that said, she still didn''t know what to do with that invitation. She turned towards her grandfather and left the decision to him. Taking decisions wasn''t really her thing, she liked clear tasks she could focus on better. In a way, she was like the Muraciers back when the Empire was established. Like them, she didn''t care about any decision, she just wanted to improve herself and keep her family safe.


    She wasn''t a puppet however, if she disagreed with anything, she''d say it right away and confront whoever was mistaken. It was just that she had a complete trust in her grandfather, he''d never do anything that could do her wrong.


    "Of course you should agree to go. You need to meet that wife of his and protect her. Familiarize yourself with her and take your decision. Your opinion really matter to me, who of the two should be the one according to you? Send me a letter once you know for sure."


    Kaisla felt extremely pleased by his words. She almost cried because of them. Her grandfather really cared for her, he was willing to let her help him judge who should take the title of great general next. It was again a reminder that he just wanted what was best for her. He didn''t want to force a man she didn''t respect on her, he wanted her to make the choice.


    Since she already knew Graube''s side very well, it was only fair to give the same chance to this one. Marriage was all about the sisterhood after all, she had to know this Calla he loved so much to understand him properly and decide what would be best for the empire and herself. It would be easier to learn what he was made of if he understood those he kept at the center of his heart.


    She had already made her opinion about Mable, she was childish and foolish. Lord Emp liked her because of her antics similar to those of a court jester. She was less than impressed about this but the other, hidden, side of the girl was impressive. Like a coin, there was two ways to see her, the foolish girl or the ruthless figure.


    There was a thing in her that enabled her to fearlessly stand against anyone, she wouldn''t back down, impose herself over everyone else and force her opinion down everyone''s throat with no thoughts for the consequences. Lord Emp also liked her for her fearless attitude and commanding presence, even if that side of her rarely pierced through the childish side.


    This told her that lord Emp might be a bit similar to Graube, valuing the act of moving onward more than how to move efficiently. Or maybe it meant that he liked to surround himself with women of opposing values to better weight his future course of action. If that was the case then accepting a fragile girl as first wife might make more sense. Finally, it might just mean that he liked girls with bubbly personalities regardless of their strength of will or physical condition. Mostly, it meant she wasn''t really his type.


    Maybe meeting Calla would change her viewpoint.


    "Understood my lord, I will pack my things and leave on the morrow."


    "It''s not an order though, I''d understand if you''d rather stay here with my grandfather than go visit a woman you don''t know." The young lord added.


    He did not mention anything about the choice his grandfather was asking her to do, choosing to ignore it in favor of consideration for her.


    "No worry, it will be my pleasure to meet her." She confirmed.


    She trained with them one last time that day and was reminded by her grandfather to not slack in her training while she was away from him. She promised that she would not and packed her things quickly. She didn''t have much with her to begin with, only a few personal items fitting in a light bag, some clothes and her equipment.


    At the first light of dawn, she was ready to leave. She took some time to eat properly and do her morning routine, sent her regards to her grandfather and the duke ruling over the school and walked to the gate.


    She would have said goodbye to the young lord Emp too but when she knocked on his door earlier in the day, she was told that he was still sleeping. That wasn''t surprising, she had come to know that this was a habit of his to sleep for too long and according to Aminui, his second son was the same.


    She asked the cursed-blood slave to tell him she said goodbye once he woke up and left to finish her preparations. That slave, she was much more impressive than she first let on. The small woman was clever, intelligent and way stronger than she should. It seemed that her poor balance was her only weakness and even that was, from what she could tell, a ruse.


    Kaisla suspected that she kept stumbling only so that the young lord would keep carrying her around. She knew that her balance should be hard to regain after the loss of such large limbs but by now, there was no way she could still be this distressed with the ability she demonstrated.


    That slave was also more resilient and physically stronger than what her specie should be able to attain according to her grandfather. Him and Kaisla suspected that the young lord Emp gave her some fortifying brew just like he did for the two students in his group. The slave was still not strong enough to wield any sort of useful melee weapons but she was able to crank a crossbow by using her whole body and she was apparently adept at it. Emp said he thought her the basics but she must have trained a lot on her own while he trained on other things. Kaisla had even seen the girl recharge and shoot from his shoulders as if it was natural like a talented horse rider shooting with a bow.


    The young lord said that he hoped she''d become good enough to follow him everywhere and fight from his shoulders alongside him. He intended to use her as some ranged support it seemed. They were well underway to manage that and planned to train this way today as well she seemed to remember. As long as the cursed-blood kept the young lord safe this way, she was all for her improving her crossbow skills. Anyone supporting the family were deserving of her praise and support.


    By the time she reached the gate, the sun had been fully awakened and the city on the other side of it was already bustling. Just in front of said gate, there was a large group of huntresses equipped with crossbows and all sorts of weapon, there were a bit over twenty of them.


    They were arguing with the knights stationed at the gate. They wanted to be let inside the school and kept arguing even if the knight told them the school was on lockdown. While they were insisting on their nonsense, Kaisla moved to another knight to present her pass.


    She knew that man well enough since he came in with them from Highsteel and her papers were in order, signed by both the duke and her grandfather. She was let trough without problems.


    With that out of the way, she should have been ready to leave the city and start the journey towards the village she was interrupted right away.


    The huntresses stepped in her way right as she passed the gates, they looked desperate.


    "Please miss! You can go in and out so help us." Their leader asked in the common tongue.


    She was a tall steel-grey eyed woman with short blond hairs, a long spear strapped to her back along a crossbow and a scale armor. Behind her to her left and right were two other women, one in grey mage robes, and another with an axe and a long braid of hair.


    Kaisla felt like they were wasting her time and got annoyed right away, what didn''t they understand in "no one gets in"?


    "I''m leaving for an important mission now, haven''t my colleague been clear enough? You''re not getting in, give up."


    "But we can''t leave now, we''ve walked all over the kingdom to reach this place, we''re just a hair''s breath away from our goal! Listen, we''re looking for a cursed-blood girl that was sold as a slave here. It''s a long story but we need to talk to her, we need to make sure she is well. Guilt made us track her all over the kingdom and we had to speak to a whole chain of slavers to finally learn she was sold to the school here to serve one of the students. We just want to speak to that student and make sure she is fine, maybe buy her back from him. The last slaver we saw told us that she was alive and well still but there is no way we can be satisfied with just that."


    Kaisla could only sigh at the persistence of the group blocking her way. She hesitated on whether to push them aside and go on with her task or try to help them a bit. In the end, she chose to help, she wouldn''t loose that much time and that group of women seemed very passionate about the subject, it might be a matter of life or death.


    "Alright, there can''t be that many in the school, what sort of cursed-blood is she?"


    The leader and the mage seemed extremely pleased by her answer and hurried to tell her.


    "She was a sky witch. It''s a bird without wings."


    A bird without wings? Could there be such a coincidence? Her brows twitched against her will when she heard the words. Celtine was no sky witch however, she didn''t have the voice to bend the elements to her will, she was mute.


    "Do you know her?" The leader insisted with hope when she saw her reaction.


    "I think I might know who you''re talking about. Please wait a moment." She turned over to the knight she knew. "Grey, could you go get the lord and his grandson, those are here to see them I think."


    *-*-*-*


    Emp was woken up early by Celtine who told her that Kaisla had left not too long ago. Apparently, she came to say goodbye but he was still sleeping. That was a kind attention but she was going to see him again soon so it wasn''t that important.


    He might have missed her but now that he was up however, he decided that it might be a good time to train.


    He took the time to eat a good breakfast lovingly made by Harriett and headed outside with Celtine on his shoulders. Recently, she had gotten better with her crossbow and Emp had her practice shooting while he moved. Because of his unnatural way to move through space, it was hard for her to adjust her aim to it but she was improving gradually.


    He joined his grandfather in the field and started going through the usual exercises when he got interrupted by a knight. The man saluted his grandfather and explained what he came for right away.


    "My lord sir, there are some people at the gate requesting to see you and the young lord about a slave. Lady Kaisla sent me to notify you."


    Emp stopped his exercises and shared a look with the old man, they both agreed to go see what this was about with that silent exchange. He got along pretty well with his grandfather. He saw him often since he arrived and found that he was pretty much like Chinui. It was easy to get along with him whenever he wasn''t complaining about the deal he had with Mable or about who he should try to get as future wives. Emp now felt he should probably tell him about how he came to be. He just didn''t know how to break the news to him quite yet.


    In any case, he now trusted that the old man wouldn''t destroy him the instant he learned about it. Even if he cared for his family more than anything else, he believed that what he was hiding from him wasn''t a reason to be overly upset, at least not for someone like the two of them.


    He still was unsure about whether or not he had any right to call himself a Muracier but Celtine was right when she first said they were more alike then he thought. He felt a connection with him like he had felt with Chinui, their thoughts just worked in the same way and it felt great to share a conversation with him.


    The only problem he had with him up until now was when he asked him for details about his two souls for hours. He obviously knew that Emp was trying to hide something from him and the old man found it upsetting but he couldn''t possibly tell him that the soul of his son was trapped in a crystal resting on his fireplace.


    Going back to their current situation, they understood each other enough to agree instantly on that sort of simple things. They followed the knight back to the gate while still wearing their armors and equipment for the training. Even Celtine had her crossbow strapped to her lower back. Emp felt it was a waste of time to store it back in the bag just for a brief time.


    From a distance, Emp saw that there were a lot of people waiting for them at the gate. Before he managed to see who they all were properly, the knight announced them officially.


    "The Muracier elder and his grandson are here."


    Right away once they all heard who it was that Kaisla had called over, they only glanced at the two armored figures and all fell to their knees, lowering their head in the process. They didn''t dare take a proper look at the two figures that came to meet them. Emp and Aminui didn''t like that sort of reaction but it was to be expected as any other nobles would have been upset of the opposite.


    Getting closer to them, Emp smiled under his helm as he recognized who they were. Those were Connie''s huntresses, they helped him with the unnameable of chaos. He was about to greet them properly when he felt something was wrong, not with himself or them but with Celtine instead.


    She had turned rigid on his shoulders. Even with the armor between them, he could feel her muscles tense followed by her hands releasing their holds on his helm. He sent the helm into the bag to turn his head upward and look at her, she was shivering and all her hair was standing on end. Emp didn''t know how to describe the expression she was making, distraught, scared, enraged, surprised, definitely shocked and maybe at a loss. Her jaw was slightly shaking and her eyes were turning moist very quickly.


    "Celtine?"


    Obviously, those women had a really strong effect on her but Emp wasn''t quite sure of why this was so. She quickly reached to her back and brought up the loaded crossbow over his head, pointing it straight at Tacey. Emp was taken by surprise and barely had the time to pull the crossbow downward before she pulled the trigger.


    The bolt shot out and pierced the ground just in front of the huntress thanks to Emp''s intervention.


    The huntresses saw nothing more then the bolt landing at Tacey''s feet and collectively shivered. They were not sure of what was happening but were too afraid to look or speak of their worries out loud. The only sound heard from them was a few gulps.


    Emp was sure that Connie must be dying to apologize and explain her presence but they all knew that it was very disrespectful to raise their heads or speak before someone like Aminui.


    His grandfather looked meaningfully towards him, asking for an explanation for the actions of Celtine. He didn''t look pleased.


    "I''m sorry grandfather, I don''t know why she reacted this way."


    Celtine let go of the now useless crossbow and wrote in a hurry. Her words were distorted by her speed and state of mind, jagged and slanted. They were barely readable at all, completely different from her usual writing style.


    That message was bare-bones but it was more than clear and very upsetting for him. Said like that, everything made sense, even though he wished that wasn''t the case. He had mixed feelings about what was happening, even if everything was now clear, he was at a loss on what to do. He chose to explain the situation to his grandfather first so that they could all think about this properly.


    "Grandfather, this group of women are huntresses led by Connie. At her side there''s Tacey and Jaska, I met them in Dark-glint where they helped me kill an unnameable of chaos. I''d have died if not for them."


    His words caused a ripple through the huntresses because even if they didn''t recognize his voice, they would never be able to forget that hunt. Their thoughts were thrown into chaos while they tried to figure out how it was possible for a Muracier to recognize them.


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    Celtine jerked back and her face crumbled completely, a reflection of her inner turmoil. She had not expected her master to not only know them but be thankful towards them.


    The three leaders gasped as they made the link between Marcy who Connie admired and her son Emp. It wasn''t quite right but Emp wasn''t done speaking either.


    "They are apparently also the girls who took Celtine''s wings. I didn''t know that last part until just now. If I guessed right, they are looking for redemption for what they did. She told me that they had been plagued by misfortune since the daughter of Tacey died. They wanted to take back their luck by finding the cursed-blood they encountered back then and ask for forgiveness."


    "I see, well, for now, could you all get back to your feet. Neither me or my grandson are keen on that sort of reverence." Aminui told them.


    Everyone rose more or less quickly and stared at the two Muracier and the cursed-blood on his shoulders. Emp recognized most of them because he had a good memory for that sort of thing but there were also a lot of new faces. Connie must have been recruiting since they last met more than a year ago.


    "Emp, it really is you! I can''t believe my eyes!" Connie exclaimed.


    "Can there really be such a coincidence? I don''t think there could be a better case than this one." Jaska said in an equal mix of relief, awe and surprise.


    "He doesn''t look all that happy to see us though." Tacey pointed out.


    "I''m sorry, I''m just feeling conflicted." Emp said as he was trying to comfort Celtine with his hands.


    He raised one in the air to the side of his head and Celtine placed hers into it. He enclosed her hand into his own to express his support and expressed his thoughts to the huntresses and Aminui.


    "You have helped me save Dark-glint and sacrificed a lot of your own for it. You were all rewarded with money and priceless elixirs for it because I truly was thankful, I do not think you are bad people."


    Emp felt Celtine cramp over his shoulders. Feint smiles appeared on the faces of the huntresses.


    "However, I can feel Celtine radiating hate and disgust towards you. She calls you demons, devils, monsters, she still can''t walk straight because of what you took from her. She''s very dear to me, she became one of my closest friends, I''d do almost anything to give her back what was stolen from her and I will eventually. I... Might not have been quite myself when I said it but I told her that if I ever met those responsible for her situation, I would crush them under my hammer."


    The eyes of the old man narrowed. The expression of the huntresses all sank and Connie stepped a bit closer to express herself.


    "We know what we did was terrible, we shouldn''t have done it. We''ve walked all over the kingdom trying to find her back to send her home. We wanted to apologize and try to make up for it in some way."


    "You wanted your luck back." Corrected Emp, mildly disappointed by the way Connie put it. He could tell what she was wasn''t quite the truth.


    The air around them all felt heavy. Connie shook her head in a nervous way and quickly explained herself again.


    "No, this isn''t about taking back our luck, Noey''s dead, she''s never coming back, we buried her with the wings. This is about making our own luck, like you said we should. We came here hoping to see her, speak with her and save her. We came prepared to buy her back even if it cost us all we have and wanted to bring her back to her people."


    Both Emp and Celtine cramped at those words. Neither wanted that to happen.


    "I''m never selling Celtine to anyone." He said flatly.


    Right away, he felt the warmth of Celtine enveloping his head in thanks. The expressions of everyone else sank.


    "Please, let us atone at least." Jaska asked, she had not expected to be denied this cleanly by someone they were friendly with.


    "The words of a Muracier are binding." Aminui cut in, darkening the faces of the huntresses further.


    They all looked at each other trying to figure out what should be said next but Aminui''s next words froze all of them in place.


    "Emp, get your hammer out."


    Everyone wondered what he meant for a short moment until the answer dawned on them. "...if I ever met those responsible for her situation, I would crush them under my hammer." Panic spread through the huntresses faster than a wild fire but all of them found their feet frozen in place. Cold sweat ran over their back in seconds. Even Kaisla clenched her jaw, she had not expected that to happen when she had them called over.


    Emp felt terrible now, when his soul was split, he had said that in a burst of anger and came back on his words the next instant thinking he had been excessive. He had never expected that those people he appreciated would be the same as those who took Celtine''s wings. He didn''t quite know what the right thing to do was but he was pretty sure that hammering them to a pulp wasn''t it.


    He still obeyed his grandfather and got his hammer out from his bag, further freezing the air around it with its magic. He felt its weight in his hand, trying to find a way out for himself. He didn''t want to simply say he wouldn''t do it because obviously, the truth and honesty were more than sacred for the Muraciers. He said he''d do it, now he had to.


    "I was also told that we''re not supposed to leave the school grounds and they aren''t allowed to come in."


    The gate was protecting the huntresses. It was a very bad excuse because with his blessing, he could probably just reach over there and beat them up with his hammer. It was the only thing he could come up with though.


    Many huntresses sighed in relief but panicked again when Connie started walking towards Emp, stopping right at the entrance to the school grounds, just in front of him. Emp didn''t understand what she was thinking. The others called out to her, some even squealed while Tacey flatly called her crazy and ordered her to come back.


    Connie ignored the reactions of everyone and placed a knee to the ground in arms reach of Emp. She looked straight into his eyes, resolve and calm were the only things he saw in hers.


    "We came all the way here seeking atonement. The answer is right there in front of us, there''s no way I''m leaving now. If this is the price we have to pay for everyone''s bad luck to end then do it. Kill me now but let the others go, free us from our curse, I''ll take all the blame."


    Everyone behind her panicked, they all started complaining and urging her to stop this madness. They did not understand, Emp didn''t understand either. He felt his arms shaking inside his armor.


    "But it wasn''t even you who cut her wings, it was me!" Tacey complained with an insulted shout. "Let me do it instead! I''m way older too and I''ve got nothing else to lose, if someone has to die then let it be me."


    Emp would really prefer if none of them died.


    Tacey tried to get closer and take her place but Connie ordered the others to stop her right away. She turned her head towards her distraught subordinates and explained herself again in a soft voice.


    "I didn''t do it but I sure as hell didn''t stop you either. All of us just looked away, we''re all just as guilty." She looked back towards Emp with her eyes moist. "I''m fine with that end."


    No lie.


    "But... What about your dreams? What about your friends?" Emp asked with difficulty.


    "They''ll be just fine without a stupid leader like me." She said with some sort of smile.


    He couldn''t help but feel that smile was more to reassure him than herself.


    "Are you happy at least? With him?" She asked Celtine.


    Emp didn''t dare look up at her right now with the face he was making. He didn''t look at her answer.


    "Could you say it aloud for me?" Connie asked further.


    "She can''t, the slavers took her voice too." Emp answered for her.


    Connie closed her eyes to stop her own tears and spoke again after a pained sigh.


    "I''m sorry for that too then. The only things I ever heard out of her were wails of pain and anger. I made nightmares filled with them to be honest, I hoped to hear something else for once."


    Many behind her nodded to echo her words, it seemed that this nightmare was a widespread thing.


    Emp couldn''t help but notice that they hadn''t even tried to ask Celtine for forgiveness. Did they feel it was something so far out of their reach it wasn''t even worth trying?


    Connie took another deep breath and lowered her head again.


    "Okay, I''m ready."

 144 Vigilant Erin

    Erin and Leo had just finished studying under Galana for the day, or rather, Galana had enough of them for now and kicked them out of the study. The sisters felt that they were making good progress in their studies but it didn''t matter how well they did, nothing seemed to be enough for the frustrating woman. What was up with her always being angry anyway?


    How were they supposed to become friends with that annoying teacher of theirs? They did as Emp asked of them and tried new things almost everyday. At the end they would sit down and discuss between the two of them what went wrong and how to proceed next. They were quickly running out of ideas on how to tame the beast of the study room.


    "Maybe we should just ask her why she dislikes us?" Finally proposed Leo as they loitered in the corridor upstairs.


    It was such a simple idea that they hadn''t even thought about it up until now.


    "Maybe, let''s try that tomorrow Leo." Erin said along with a praise to her dear sister.


    Leo stood proudly with a wide smile in response to the praise. Erin found her sister so cute, she couldn''t resist and hugged her strongly, pleasing the smaller girl. Leo was not her only sibling but she was the one person she cared for the most in the whole world.


    As long as Leo was having fun and smiling, Erin knew she was on the right track. Her sister was an indicator on whether what she was doing was right or wrong. As long as the girl was happy, Erin felt justified in her choices and actions. Following Emp and Calla all the way to this village, staying here, learning from him. It was difficult and they were far from everything they knew but Leo was happy so Erin had no regrets.


    If they could master all the things Emp wanted to teach them, they''d get rewarded greatly but more importantly, she''d be certain that Leo would have a proper future stretching in front of her. She had been afraid for the longest time that Leo would have to do odd jobs forever and maybe even starve. She was so glad to have met Emp and the opportunity he presented them. She was conscious that she certainly didn''t deserve that opportunity so she wanted to do her best as a way of thanks to show to Emp that she was ever so grateful for what he was doing for them.


    Even if they ended up failing in the end, what they were learning right now was so valuable already that Leo and her would surely be fine afterwards. This was a priceless gift for her, something she could never have given her sister on her own.


    It was at this point that they heard a few knocks on the door. Since it was raining outside, all the windows were shut so Erin had to open one up to see. She peeked outside and Leo stretched herself and stood on her tiptoes to do the same. There, in the rain, was a large group of armed women in front of the house. It was hard to tell because they all wore thick rain cloaks or brandished shields over their heads to escape the rain but none of them belonged to the village. Erin knew because she met mostly everyone at the new year feast and even before that.


    "Who are they?" Leo asked with a puzzled air.


    "No idea, lets go hide in the entrance for the time being."


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    "Mhn." Leo nodded obediently.


    The two closed back the window, jumped downstairs from the overhanging corridor and slipped in the entrance room. Svae and Calla were downstairs too, working on some food, but Erin knew that Svae would quickly come open the door. Emp himself wasn''t here, he was with his mother Marcellia.


    Erin felt that the woman was a much better mom than her own who didn''t teach them much and didn''t have any time for them but now was not the time to think about this. For now, they needed to receive the visitors properly and by that, Erin really meant to make sure they wouldn''t cause trouble.


    This place might not belong to her but she considered it her home, she did not trust a large group of armed people right at their door. Erin wanted to protect this place as best as she could and so her and Leo faded in the darkness around the door.


    The place was just a tiny room to store coats and shoes before stepping in the main room so it was a bit cramped and was a step lower than the rest of the house. There were a wall on either side of the door and the overhanging corridor served as ceiling for the room but there was no second door from here leading into the rest of the house, it was just a sort of cavity. Erin wasn''t sure it deserved the word lobby or even entrance hall.


    This small place however was perfect to set up an ambush. The light didn''t reach here properly while the massive door was closed and there were many corners to hide herself. Under the benches, in the coats, over the door itself, in the corners connecting the walls, for her and Leo, all those place could turn into a decent hiding spot.


    She worked her magic through her body like Emp thought her and Leo and climbed the wall in a hurry. In no time, she reached the very corner above the door and let herself fade into it.


    She felt very proud every time Emp praised her improvements in her hiding skills so she kept practicing diligently. It was the first time anyone praised her abilities after all. Aside from Emp, no one ever said she was good in anything so she wanted to hear him praise her improvements more. Even if the things he had her and Leo do were exhausting, she was very conscious that she was getting much better than before and it felt exhilarating. Calla would clap at their progress and reward them with the best meals she ever ate of her life and it felt great. It made her eager to seek more of that feeling, Leo was the same, she knew, and above all that, she found serenity in knowing that all of this would truly help her sister for the rest of her life.


    Leo hid in the corner opposite to hers and disappeared the same as her, prepared to ambush the intruders if they didn''t behave well with their friend Svae. Even Erin had trouble perceiving Leo like that even though she saw her disappearing. The two of them remained very silent, masking their breath in the ambient kitchen noises and the clattering sounds of the heavy rain.


    They watched Svae come floating in and reach for the door, it had just been an instant since the visitors knocked on the door. Their friend didn''t notice them and turned the handle of the door, pulling it open and welcoming the visitors with a smile. The door let through the wet smell of the rain as well as soaked fur like a wet dog, it was surely the cloaks of the travelers.


    "Hi, who might you be? May I be of help?"


    "Erh.... Hi? We came looking for Emp but did we perhaps get the place wrong?"


    The voice was loud enough to get through the rain and sounded motivated yet hesitant.


    They were here for Emp but they didn''t state what they wanted him for. Erin expected them to attack at any moment in an attempt to drown him in numbers. Erin knew he was strong but with this many of them, he might worry for the safety of the others. If that was the case, her task would be to make sure that Calla, Svae and Galana could escape safely and run some interference in the group of assailant to ease his task.


    She and Leo would want to jump in and help but she knew he''d get angry and worried because he did not think they were strong enough. He might have been right too, she didn''t know. There was no one to try her strength against here aside from him so she had no way to judge how strong or weak she was now.


    Svae was making a slight frown, this meant that the visitors didn''t look at her seriously, probably because she was a cursed-blood. Maybe they even scowled, unforgivable!


    A gust of wind brought some rain inside and made the floor wet, Svae floated above it and the sisters didn''t flinch.


    "Master Emp does live here but he''s working with his mother right now." The vaelian told them.


    "Oh, he''s with Marcellia? Should we go there directly or wait for him here?"


    "Knowing her, she might get upset we''re disturbing the work." A second voice stated.


    "Then would you let us in fish girl? It''s raining after all. I''m sure he won''t mind."


    Svae hesitated so the visitors insisted.


    "He''s the one who asked us to come here and we all know him well. I promise you won''t get in any trouble for letting us four in. The rest will go set up the camp for tonight. You all heard me?"


    There were some voices outside Erin didn''t catch because of the rain and then a great amount of wet sounds like boots in the mud. Either they were doing as they said they were or they were circling the house to bar any exits.


    In theory, at this point, Svae should have asked Calla if she wanted to let them in or not but they all knew how it would end up. She would be too shy to answer properly and would waste a bunch of time, then, because she''s such a big softy, she''d let them all in to escape the rain. Big sister Calla was too kind, Erin wasn''t blaming her for it though because it was what was the greatest about her. That was why Leo and herself grew so attached to her so fast.


    "You may enter." Svae said, opening the door wider for the intruders. "Please, remove cloaks and boots before stepping in the main room." She reminded them. "Who do I introduce you as to mistress?"


    "That mistress is the apple girl right?" A brown cloak stepped in, much taller than Svae if she stood up.


    That one had the voice who spoke the most.


    "I don''t know if she remembers us, we barely saw each other when we were last here because she''s been avoiding us."


    Wasn''t that an obvious confirmation that they were up to no good? Even Calla didn''t want to see them!


    Three more cloaks walked in, a green and grey one with a royal quality to it, a black one made out of the skin of a bear who might be a man and another brown cloak, smaller and thinner.


    "We''ve been escorting the lady Kaisla here," The small cloak said, moving out of the hood to reveal neat blond hair. She was the one who spoke about Marcellia earlier. The woman had a fair triangle nose and heavy cheekbones. She looked a bit like a lady who sold fruits to Erin in B¨ºt¨¦clair in the past.


    "We''re/"


    "Wait something''s wrong." The royal-looking cloak stated with another feminine voice.


    Right away, the other three reached towards their weapons under their rain gears. Royal cloak was a dangerous one, Erin concluded. How did she even notice them? If that was the case, there was no point in hiding anymore. Leo reached the same conclusion and the two of them jumped from their hiding spot towards the women under them.


    Erin aimed for the royal cloak who was the most dangerous while Leo targeted the main speaker who might be the leader of the group. They didn''t need to talk with each other to know who would target who or when, they just knew. The sisters formed a really great team.


    The two of them got their short swords out of their scabbards as they fell towards their opponents. Leo and her were still unsure on whether they were evil or good so they wouldn''t aim to injure them badly but they wanted to put them under control as swiftly as possible. With the royal cloak and the leader under control, the other would have no choice but to surrender and it would be a victory for the sisters.


    Surely, Emp would praise them for their successful ambush.


    All she needed was to place a strong strike to the back of the royal cloak''s head to knock her out and it would be her victory. It didn''t go exactly as she wanted it to however. It turned out that the woman had some incredible reflexes. Even though she couldn''t possibly see Erin from were she was, she still managed to twist herself away from her strike.


    She failed to hit the woman but extended her left hand as she was falling and gripped her shoulder to spin her around instead.


    Meanwhile, the bear fur cloak stepped in the way of Leo and raised its arms to block her fall towards the leader. Leo twisted herself between the arms of the bear cloak, kicked the head of its wearer and jumped unto the leader.


    Svae called both of their names in surprise but Erin didn''t have the time to think about it. Her opponent slipped out of the cloak as if it was the easiest thing to do, getting rid of her grip at the same time. Under the cloak, a shining armor was revealed in the obscurity of this rainy day. Erin didn''t have any more time to react or even begin to think of a new followup strategy that some long wooden spikes came out of nowhere and pierced towards her.


    She blocked one of them with her short sword but six others came right through her defenses and pierced through her clothes. She was thrown backwards and after a bunch of loud tacking noises were heard, she was pinned to the wall. She didn''t feel any sharp pain so the spikes thankfully didn''t go through her but they moved as if they had a consciousness of their own and she found herself bound against the wall in the span of a single breath. She had no idea about what just happened to her but she had been thoroughly defeated.


    She tried to calm her fears and panic while she observed the rest carefully. Emp had thought her that panicking was the worst thing to do even if it was really hard not to. She first glanced at her sister.


    Leo fared much better and after foiling the interception attempt of the bear cloak, she dizzied the leader, had her fall with a kick at the back of her knee and wrapped her legs around her neck in no time with her short sword pointed right at her. The leader was locked down just as much as Erin was, it seemed that this conflict was a draw.


    Erin praised her sister in her head while she took a good look at everyone. Now that all the cloaks were removed, she could see them clearly. The bear cloak was a woman too, she had a shocked expression, a few scars and a braid on the right of her head. The leader had grey eyes reflecting annoyance from having been surprised and taken so quickly and her hair was cut short.


    The royal cloak was the most interesting though, she wore a very high quality armor that was leagues apart from those of her accomplices. It was full of detailed designs and finely elegant pieces. More importantly, it was showcasing two symbols Emp had thought her about before, they were prominent on her chest piece and brightly colored. It was obvious even in the dim lighting of the entrance, it was a flower shield protecting a pine grove on the left and a city wall on the right. That meant she wore an armor from Emp''s family which was frustrating for her because it meant they were wrong again about their evil intentions.


    Sven was shocked speechless while both the knight and Leo spoke at the same time to say essentially the same thing.


    "Drop your weapon or your friend gets it!/Let Erin go or I cut that one!"


    The grown up knight glared at Leo who glared back without flinching. The wooden bindings holding Erin down came from her back and her hips, they squirmed and squeezed her a bit more strongly to intimidate Leo. Erin wondered what sort of powerful spell that was but before things went further down the wrong direction, she intervened. She was unable to move her limbs for even a tiny bit but she was still free to talk.


    "Okay stop it, Leo, let her go."


    "But sis!" Leo complained right away.


    "Look at her armor." Erin further said.


    Leo scrunched up her face as she looked properly and groaned pitifully.


    "Uhhhh... We''re gonna get scolded again aren''t we?"


    Leo weakened her grip on the leader''s neck and let her go while everyone else looked on with confusion painted all over their faces.


    "Could you please introduce yourself properly to reassure my sister." Erin asked the armored Girl.


    The woman complied even though the one asking was under her total mercy.


    "My name is Kaisla Grovgar, I was sent here by the young lord to meet his wife. The others are huntresses he hired to escort me here."


    "So that''s why they all looked so shady! I thought you were a large pack of bandits." Leo complained.


    "They don''t look that shady, you two just see everyone as suspicious even when they aren''t! And bandits don''t move in packs, they move in gangs." The voice of Galana came from somewhere inside.


    Leo got frustrated but didn''t find anything to get back at her so she just yelled her name in frustration. Now, everyone from their side had calmed down but Erin still needed to calm down the visitors they had wrongly attacked.


    "We''re sorry we took you for invaders." She said earnestly.


    "Just who are you all?" The knight asked.


    Svae hurried to answer, anxious about her friend being incarcerated in a wall.


    "I am master Emp''s slave, those two are Erin Porter and Leonni Porter, they are friends. Master has been training them for some time."


    "We like to watch after the house when Emp isn''t there." Erin added.


    *-*-*-*


    Later that day, Emp hurried home after his work with Marcy trying to escape the rain. He opened the door and closed it back behind him as quickly as possible so that the floor wouldn''t be covered in water thanks to the obnoxious wind. He hoped that the girls hadn''t left any windows opened or he''d have them clean the mess themselves. The house was just built last year, he didn''t want the floors to get all wavy from the water just yet.


    Now that he was inside and that the sound of the wind and rain got muffled by the door, he started hearing a vivid discussion in the main room. He removed his boots in the dimly lit half-room and left them with the others. Some of the footwear were unknown to him and he guessed it was connected with the many voices inside.


    He peeked inside and saw the sisters standing on the table. They were taking poses and talking enthusiastically about the time Erin and him tricked Leo. They were mimicking the events and laughing along with their audience, commenting on whatever crossed their minds back then.


    Sat around the table were Galana, Kaisla, Connie, Tacey and Jaska. He had not realized that it had already been a few weeks long since they left B¨ºt¨¦clair, he had not expected to see them today. He was also just as surprised to see that Galana decided to join up with them downstairs and seemed to have fun.


    Leo was in the midst of telling them all about how she climbed on his back and flipped his helmet around. Emp stepped inside the main room and interrupted her story to save at least a tiny fraction of his image.


    "She had it easy because I was busy making sure she wouldn''t freeze herself on my hammer and my right hand was busy holding on to her sister."


    "Emp!"


    "Finally showing up?"


    They were happy to see him and most raised a hand to welcome him back. Calla and Svae back in the cooking area raised a hand as well, the presentations must have already been made successfully without him then.


    Kaisla stood up from her seat to welcome him more politely. Saluting him along with a formal "My lord." Of course, he returned all their welcomes.


    "Hi everyone. I didn''t realize it was already time for you to get here. I''m glad to see that everyone is getting along."


    "Well it''s hard to not get along when everyone''s got some good embarrassing stories about how you made yourself look like and idiot" Galana chuckled, more teasingly than mockingly.


    "Aye, we were in a good mood because of how your two apprentices received us." Connie said.


    "Those two are rather interesting even if the way they welcome others in your house might need a bit of work." The mage Jaska added.


    Emp turned his eyes back to to the sister to question them.


    "What exactly did you do? Also, didn''t I tell you to not step on the table?"


    "Oops, sorry." The two girls hurried to get off from it.


    They did their best to escape punishment but Emp sentenced them anyway.


    "You''ll have to clean it before dinner."


    Galana laughed heartily while the two girls groaned in disappointment and left to get some cloth to clean with.


    While they were doing that, Emp walked to the table and sat down with the rest.


    "I guess you''ve all been introduced to each other already?"


    "Almost," Connie answered. "We''ve met everyone but your wife hasn''t said a word yet so Kaisla hasn''t introduced herself to her properly yet."


    "She''s here?"


    Kaisla looked around in search of her but failed to notice Calla with Svae. It could have been rather insulting but Kaisla could hardly be blamed for it, Calla worked in the kitchen the whole time with the slave Svae for only company and wore very ordinary clothes. Anyway one looked at it, she couldn''t be matched with the image the wife of the next great general should inspire.


    "Of course she''s here, it''s the apple girl over there with the sky fish." Connie laughed. "Even the guy at the gate confirmed it."


    "What!" Kaisla felt very embarrassed and quickly looked towards Emp for confirmation.


    After Emp nodded, he waved towards his wife.


    "That''s right, the girl cooking over there is Calla Champom Muracier, my lovely wife."


    Hearing that, Kaisla instantly felt really bad and rushed to Calla''s side. She performed a perfect formal bow in the manners a knight should and apologized right away.


    "My lady, I apologize for my rude behavior. I should have introduced myself properly right away but I failed to recognize the lady of the house. Please excuse the misguided actions of this loyal knight."


    Calla reacted by taking a step back, disturbing her diligent work. Her eyes flew towards him with a clear message, "please help".


    "Of course she forgives you. Calla doesn''t mind at all, in fact, she''s much more disturbed by your perfect bow."


    Emp came closer and pulled Kaisla back up, making her take a step back to give Calla her own space again. His wife exhaled in relief and gave Kaisla a quiet word of welcome before returning to her cooking. The smell of it was mouthwatering, Emp couldn''t wait to have a bite. This reminded him that he didn''t know if the others intended to stay. He quickly established a list of priorities in his head and spoke to Kaisla first. She was confused about his behavior and wondering why he didn''t let her apologize properly.


    "Listen Kaisla, Calla wasn''t born in a high noble house and finds all of those show of etiquette awkward and embarrassing. Think about how grandfather reacts to all the decorum and I''m sure you''ll understand. Trust me, she''s happy to have visitors and doesn''t resent you at all for not presenting yourself to her, she''s just too shy to speak to you properly yet. Give her some time to get used to you and she''ll speak on her own when she''s ready to."


    Kaisla listened carefully and even though she had some misgivings about not giving Calla the deference she deserved, she still obeyed Emp and gave Calla her space again. She did understand how some people like Aminui and Emp found all this pointless and time wasting but she still wanted to show her respect properly. She had trouble imagining how being shown proper respect could be embarrassing. Since Calla herself gave of a strong impression of agreeing with Emp''s words however, she gave another simple "sorry" and went back to sit at the table.


    With that out of the way for now, Emp turned back towards the others.


    "Speaking of time, are you three busy today? I''d like to invite you all for dinner, Calla seems particularly proud of her work today and it would give us time to talk."


    "Sure, I''d be happy to stay. How about you two?" Connie asked the others.


    They agreed easily and Emp came back to sit down with them. The sisters also came back at that point and started wiping the table.


    The three huntresses seemed rather enthusiastic about tasting what was currently cooking. Emp thought that their encounter would be much more awkward than it was turning out. Last time they met, he almost ended up killing Connie and now they were all acting as if nothing happened.


    "Are you really fine with what happened last time?"


    The three looked at each other in hesitation and finally, Connie shrugged.


    "It went much better than it really should have, I don''t see why we''d be upset."


    "I almost killed you over something stupid I said once without thinking."


    "Wait, what happened exactly? How come you almost killed her?" Galana jumped in the conversation, unable to follow what they were saying.


    The five in the know explained what happened in B¨ºt¨¦clair a few weeks ago briefly but clearly to the rest. None of the three huntresses seemed to keep any resentment to this experience as they retold it to Galana and the sisters.


    "So because of what this idiot said in a fit of anger, he almost had to beat you to death with his hammer?" Galana condensed the main point.


    Kaisla got annoyed that Galana called him an idiot again but she didn''t say anything for now and just watched the rest play out on its own. The sisters were shocked to hear about that story, they hadn''t expected to hear about a time were he felt so bad about his own actions. Even for the things they laughed about previously like how the huntresses had him fall down a tree he slept on and how he tricked Leo, he just apologized and didn''t dwell on it further. He was ready to laugh with them about it all afterwards but for this, he still felt really bad even if the huntresses assured him it was all fine.


    "I think we all needed this and we''re glad of how it all went down." Jaska said again.


    "It''s already a small miracle that we didn''t all end up dead for offending a Muracier." Tacey explained.


    "We know how the Muraciers are like too. You said you''d crush us if we ever met which should have been an absolute and yet here we are, sat around a table like old time friends." Connie pointed out. "Seriously, the girl spared us because she was a good person, true, but more importantly, she spared us because you were there to fix her and our shameful mistakes for us. That was probably the luckiest moment of our lives. Not only were we forgiven, we came back alive, found out that she ended up with a good guy we knew and also a Muracier and, Tacey finally started smiling again."


    "You''re mistaken, I''m not smiling at all, it''s an optical illusion." The second in command denied.


    It was true that right now she wasn''t truly smiling but she did seem better than before.


    "Look mister young lord Muracier, I was ready to pay with my life to bring back the luck my team lost because of my bad choices. Life decided I wasn''t done yet and it''s thanks to the girl we made suffer and you, even if you were the one wielding the hammer supposed to kill me. there''s no way I''ll be angry, I''m thankful instead. You could have just erased us or just left right away after the girl decided it was over but instead, you stayed and even gave us a job to do. You felt so bad about it too, doesn''t it show your good character clearly?"


    "Yeah, I might have been mad if you didn''t have any regrets and just left without a word but you wanted to apologize about it all right away. Now we just feel great, we''ve gained the trust of a Muracier of all people, Connie showed her resolve in front of two of them and survived to be given a task, it''s more than we should be allowed to dream for already." Jaska said.


    "My plan to do the same as the renowned Marcelia and get a good noble husband that way doesn''t seem as far fetched anymore now does it? With a Muracier backing us up, everyone will know us across the kingdom!"


    Connie was rather proud of how things turned out even though she was just as surprised to see it all happen as the rest. She had not planned any of it but she did find the results perfect for her team and herself.


    With so many voices and arguments telling him to not mind it anymore, Emp felt much better about it all and enjoyed a long conversation with everyone afterwards.


    They talked about their travel, what they wanted to do after, what was happening around the village, and so on. They did a lot of catching up and spoke about some more pointless thing like why the wife of a Muracier was cooking. Tacey could hardly believe it and Emp had to insist that he wasn''t too cheap to hire a cook and that he wasn''t forcing her to do it either.


    "It''s really just that she loves to do it."


    The incredible taste of the food as well as her giant smile only further confirmed his words. All of that ended up bringing them to the main conversation, brought back to the forefront by Erin.


    "What I really want to know is why you had Kaisla come all the way here. Is it really just to meet Calla?"


    He had been pretty sure he spoke about all that the day he told them who he was but maybe not, there was a lot to go through after all.


    "Didn''t I speak about it already? She''s a candidate to be Calla''s lady-in-waiting."


    "What?"


    Erin and Leo were more confused than shocked which furthered the idea that he had not clearly talked about it to them before and also that they didn''t know what he was talking about exactly. Leo confirmed that suspicion right away by asking the question with a guilty face. Galana probably thought them what it was but either she didn''t listen or she forgot right away.


    "What''s a lady-in-waiting."


    "Isn''t it a sort of attendant?" Erin tried to answer her sister.


    Galana was clearly dissatisfied of their failure to listen to what she was told to teach them but still answered their confusion after a frustrated sigh.


    "They''re meant to act as confident and friends to the one they serve, do their best to help in any way they can and also, often serve as potential wives to the husband of the lady they assist."


    "They what!"


    That apparently shocked Erin so much she jumped off her seat in a panic.


    For the months to come, Erin kept glaring at Kaisla and the other ladies that would come, afraid that they might break the perfect balance of the house she currently enjoyed. She gave herself a new task that day, stay vigilant and stop the ladies from doing anything suspicious, for the good of her enjoyable daily life.

 145 Questioning

    Kaisla''s lord Emp felt that the first encounter between his current household and herself went pretty well. The girls might have been a bit shaken to hear about the possibility of her ending up as his wife but aside from that, they were already getting along well even before he showed up.


    He gave her the room next to his own for the time being and also some time to get familiar with the house, the surroundings and the people living in it.


    At first, she was off-put by how casual every interactions were. She couldn''t understand that no one in the village seemed to pay Emp the respect his name deserved. Even after being explained that most of the village didn''t know, she didn''t understand why Emp didn''t tell them who they were messing with and why even those that knew didn''t act with the deference they should.


    She found Galana particularly aggravating because of how she kept squarely insulting him. She couldn''t believe the grandson of her respected lord let himself be insulted like that without any sort of reaction.


    "I don''t understand what you mean exactly. She''s not doing it to insult me, it''s just the way she is. She calls me idiot all the time but she doesn''t intend to provoke or anger me." He answered her question once.


    She then asked the sisters what they knew about this whole thing and she was told that Emp wasn''t some sort of rug who would let just anyone insult him.


    "I don''t know how nobles work usually but isn''t that a normal reaction? I mean, people shouldn''t get angry at the words but the meaning behind the words instead. Galana doesn''t mean anything insulting at all, I''d say it''s more like a mark of affection." Svae tried to explain.


    Erin''s opinion on the matter was different as well.


    "Usually, he doesn''t get that angry when someone says things against him directly. He can''t really make the difference between teasing and and actual insults I think. He just accepts them when they''re from someone he knows. I think he just takes everything more easily when he knows the one saying it isn''t a bad person. He gets very angry when someone says something bad about people around him however."


    From what Kaisla understood of their two points of view, Emp would explode when something was said or done to the girls here or in B¨ºt¨¦clair but if it was against himself directly, he didn''t mind it. Was it because he was confident that he could take on any attack towards him? She didn''t know for sure.


    In any case, since Emp wasn''t bothered by it, she had no right to put Galana back to her place. She made efforts to tolerate it and focused on the real reason she was here instead, Calla.


    Kaisla did as Emp told her to and gave his wife some time to get used to her presence. Instead, she tried to spend time with the sisters in the main room of that house as much as possible because those two made her laugh and because Calla spent most of her time there.


    She had a lot of trouble understanding why Emp married that girl. She was poles apart from Mable who the young lord also liked. They were nothing alike, one was hyperactive and willful while the other struggled to chain more than two sentences together and couldn''t hold the gaze of anyone for more than a second. He had not been kidding when he said she was shy and delicate, those words weren''t even close to strong enough to describe it.


    Kaisla wouldn''t say that she disliked Calla because it would be absolutely wrong but Calla didn''t fit what she expected a Muracier lady to be. The girl was pleasant to hang out with, calm and gentle, she spoke softly and cared for everyone like a loving mother bird cared for her chicks. Compared to grandma Korine or honored lady Marcellia, she was weak.


    She met Marcellia a few days after she arrived, once it stopped raining all the time, and found the lady very similar to grandma Korine in spirit and attitude. Because of this familiarity, she found it easy to understand her. The woman kept glaring at her because of who she was and what Aminui sent her here for but Kaisla didn''t resent her for that. She respected the choice of Marcellia to not join them in Highsteel after Chijou''s disappearance and she also respected the choice of Emp and Aminui to consider her part of the family even while she resented them for hiding the truth of that battle. Even Kaisla didn''t know exactly what happened then, all that she knew was that at least Chinui must be alive somewhere since Emp existed.


    Marcellia retained some form of fear that the young master would end up not coming back if he left, just like Chijou. She had to convince the master blacksmith that she wasn''t here to do anything strange or take Emp away, she was truly only here to accompany Calla and protect her to the best of her ability. That was something that Marcellia could agree with but she said she''d keep an eye on her from now on.


    Going back to the new lady, she did not have the strength of Marcellia or her dauntless posture, she didn''t have any combat skills either, she only knew how to cook. Even if Kaisla admitted readily that the food she prepared was almost divine, it made her qualified to be a cook, not a lady Muracier. On that, she shared the prior opinion of her grandfather.


    She started to believe that perhaps he was attracted to weak girls in need of protection. It would be logical then that he liked both Calla and Mable, it would also explain the presence of Galana who she heard how he saved in details back in Red-Water. When she shared her hesitations with Erin Porter however, she was met with an interesting answer.


    "What are you talking about? Emp doesn''t care about strength or personality much. Calla doesn''t have to be strong for him to like her but the opposite is wrong too. I think he only sees the heart. As long as one cares for those around them, it makes him smile and he sides for them. Me and Leo, we were nothing at all, worthless. He let us stay and taught us ever since, just because we were ready to jump in the way to protect Calla even though we were wrong."


    This was a shocking statement for Kaisla, one that made perfect sense for what she knew however. After hearing it said aloud, she had no doubt that the squire was right. That was why he liked both Calla and Mable who had nearly polar opposite personalities, why he favored Galana despite her rude behavior and why he took care of the sisters so readily. Calla had a charitable soul desiring to help everyone, Mable might be forceful but she worked for the benefit of those close to her rather than herself, Galana valued highly the concept of friends and family to the point that she ended up enslaved because she was unwilling to bring them trouble, the sisters had a similar mindset too... She was completely wrong about Emp.


    It wasn''t exactly about him wanting to protect his lovers, it was instead him loving those with the desire to help and protect. With this in mind, she asked those around and discovered all of Calla''s previous attempts at helping. When she was told about the fruit given in the street at dusk, she started laughing so hard the whole house heard her.


    Calla was innocent and naive, in a good way. Kaisla liked how positive she was. Whenever she told a story about something she saw or one of those Aminui narrated to her in the past, Calla would always guess an unrealistically good ending. When Kaisla presented some hypothetical problems to her just by curiosity, Calla would answer with some ridiculous statements like; "I would make a good stew for the whole lot so that they''d have no reason to steal from the old man."


    Kaisla decided that Calla was a good first wife for the young master, it could have been much much worse. The girl wasn''t greedy, didn''t care about the status and only wanted to help those around her, that way, she would support the young master in his duties to protect the empire. She might not be a warrior of stone and steel but she was still a pillar the young master could rely on and use to rest against in between fights.


    Kaisla was satisfied, no, happy, with that and said so to Aminui in a message she had him sent via the bag of Emp.


    Since she didn''t clash with anyone and agreed to support Calla, the young master and his wife invited her to stay here with them and serve as a lady-in-waiting. She accepted because it was her duty to do so and she felt that the soft-hearted girl needed more protection than the two novice the young master was training could provide.


    *-*-*-*


    "An armor?"


    Emp was sat with Mable and the usual group. Officially, they were there to study their magic and help each other on the subject. In reality, they were mostly discussing peacefully and drinking another herbal beverage recommended by Nessa.


    They had been talking about the ancient history of the empire and what they learned of it through classes when they came to the subject of overturning the ruler of a territory. Emp wasn''t eager to touch the subject because of what he intended to do in the future so he was happy to jump onto Nessa''s question even if he didn''t understand exactly what she meant.


    She had turned in his direction with a very serious air and said she needed his help with something important. He said that of course he''d help if it was anything possible but was she asked for was an armor. The rest all looked just as lost as he was.


    "Why are you asking Emp about it? You''re the daughter of a duke, don''t you have smiths of your own?" Brenia asked.


    Nessa took the time to take a sip of her cup before answering in a posed manner.


    "My family does indeed hire a great amount of smiths, they are talented too for the most part but I can''t ask them to do this."


    "Why?" Mable asked, entirely lost. She wasn''t even nibbling on her piece of cake anymore because she was trying to understand what her friend was talking about.


    "It''s because of what she''s attempting to do. We were just talking about overturning a king, what she''s doing is similar. Her father decided that her brother would inherit the territory, she can''t ask his men to help her."


    Mable frowned, she obviously needed more details. For her and Emp, what Nessa was doing didn''t sound bad or unreasonable at all, they didn''t get why she couldn''t use the smiths she already knew. Nessa took the time to explain in detail for them.


    "It is as she says. Father wants my brother to take over in the future and wants me to marry into another house. He needs me to appear as I am now, refined and proper, he will not allow his own workers to forge me an armor like the one I want. I need something more than an ornament, I need something to go fight in.


    It won''t be so long before they let us leave this school. Once I come back home from it, I want to step in the great hall of our house, in front of all the knights and retainers, clad in an armor worthy of a battlefield, wielding the royal sword dance of our house. I want them all to recognize with a glance what I am and what I want, I want them to understand me even before I present them the support the Muracier elder decided to show me. I want my father to see my worth even if he denies me the support I request."


    "And so you thought about Emp who said he made his incredible armor with his own mother." Aglaya ended the story.


    Nessa nodded, satisfied that her story came across clearly.


    "That''s right, my father has no control over my friends." She turned her eyes back towards Emp. "Your armor is so well made, both in function and aesthetic, clearly, your mother is a master in her art. If you two would make me an armor, I wouldn''t have to worry about the quality of the product. You know exactly how I fight too since you trained with me for so long, I know the armor would be adequate for me. I do not see anyone that would be better suited for the task than you and your mysterious mother. Of course, I am more than willing to pay appropriately for it, no, more than that, I''m willing to pay extra for it if you two would accept my request."


    Emp was proud that Nessa would think of them first when looking for a new armor and all but the request placed him in a bit of a difficult situation. His face didn''t move much as he thought about it but since no smile showed on his face, the others guessed it wasn''t a request as simple as they thought it was.


    "Is she perhaps too busy?" Brenia asked with a frown. With the talent they could see in her work, it wouldn''t be surprising if she was constantly drowned in requests.


    "Is it impossible after all? I''m sorry if I asked something difficult." Nessa said with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.


    Aglaya was the only one here knowing who his mysterious blacksmith mother was but she didn''t understand either what made Nessa''s request difficult and awaited Emp''s answer patiently along with Mable.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to help, I just don''t know if she will be willing to do it." Emp tried explain with a tinge of regret. "She really doesn''t like to take requests. You could say that she''s a bit eccentric and only works on what she feels like working on at the moment. The first thing she says to anyone visiting her is always ''I don''t take orders''. I can ask her to help with the pretext that you are my friend but I can''t say for sure that she will agree, she might just flat out refuse to do it instead."


    "I see, so that''s how it is." The girls nodded in understanding.


    They felt a bit frustrated and regretful about the situation but there was nothing they could do to change it.


    "Would it help if I came myself to beg for her help?" Nessa asked seriously.


    She must have evaluated Marcy''s work very highly if she was willing to put her dignity as a high noble aside for a better chance to receive such an armor.


    "I''m not sure if it would help or hinder you. Anyway, it would be hard for you to meet her, just let me try by myself first and see what I can do."


    "Okay, just let me know if there''s something I can do."


    "I will, I''ll try to get an answer as soon as possible."


    "Thank you." She gave him a polite nod and the talks drifted to other things.


    With all that in mind, Emp went to ask Marcy about it the very next day.


    He met her in her forge like usual, the heat was incredible. She had not started working yet because she was waiting for him to show up as he was her apprentice after all. She had only prepared the fire and so Emp felt it was the perfect time to ask her.


    Her mood seemed good today. She was happy with his progress in everything she was teaching him and even though she complained about the presence of Kaisla here, he knew she truly felt the opposite of what she voiced. She was saying that she didn''t want to see anyone related to the Muraciers but in truth, it appeased her heart to see Kaisla close by. It brought her back to a time when she shared much of her life with that house.


    Emp was surely not an expert on that sort of things but he had the impression that the presence of Kaisla, the sisters and even Galana healed her. She''d watch his lively house from her workshop and smile whenever things got lively.


    With such a good mood displayed, now was the perfect time to ask her about Nessa''s armor.


    "No."


    Emp frowned as he opened his mouth.


    "I haven''t said anything yet. How did you know I was about to ask something?"


    "It was obvious ya were about to ask me something, it''s written all over ya. Since ya never ask me for anything, it means it''s something ya can''t do. Ya want me to forge something, the answer is no."


    Emp gave her a pout, he didn''t understand how she could guess what he wanted so clearly.


    "But you don''t even know what I was about to ask you to make." He complained.


    "It doesn''t matter," she said with an impassible air. "If it was for ya, ya would have spoken right away and said ''I need this''. Ya didn''t so it''s not for ya and I don''t take orders. Whoever used ya as a middle man can find someone else, I don''t care about what they want me to craft them."


    Emp believed that a kid fighting a knight and losing instantly would feel exactly the same as he did right now. He didn''t even have the occasion to speak about anything at all and got rejected squarely.


    "Why not?" He asked again.


    "What do ya mean why not?"


    "Why don''t you want to even hear about it?"


    "Isn''t that obvious? If I do things because I''m told to instead of doing what I feel like doing the quality will be bad. Ya could say it''s about my name and reputation but its not, its about making the best equipment possible. If I''m not entirely invested in what I''m making, there''s no point in even starting it. I pour my heart and soul into the things I make, either it comes directly from me or I''m not making it at all."


    "But what if you were suddenly inspired after hearing what I have to say about the request? I''d really like to help Nessa. I already have an idea about what we could do, I''m sure we can make something great that would fit her sword dance perfectly!"


    "That''s not how it works. Whoever that Nessa is, ya''ll have to do it yourself if ya want it to be done."


    Emp felt rather disappointed but he didn''t want to argue with Marcy any further. He knew he wouldn''t be able to change her mind.


    "Fine, I''ll tell her we won''t make it tomorrow."


    Marcy came up to his side and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, squeezing him against her and shaking his head with her other hand.


    "Are ya listening to me or not? I''m serious, If ya want it done so bad, why are ya not making it yarself?"


    He looked up at her and answered with the obvious.


    "There''s no way it will be as good as if you made it."


    To his dismay, she started laughing, closing her eyes in her amusement and throwing her head back.


    "What''s funny?"


    "Ya''re just an apprentice so of course it won''t be as good as mine but then what? Ya would just give up without even trying? How will ya improve if ya never work on anything? More importantly, what did I just say about being inspired? Don''t ya already have an idea in mind about what should be made, didn''t ya just say ya knew what to do already. That''s not a project for me, it''s all yars.


    I''ll let ya do the whole thing and supervise from the side. If ya do wrong, I''ll scold ya, if yar work is lacking I''ll give ya the teaching ya need but I''m not workin on it at all. Ya are inspired, ya have the picture in yar head and know that Nessa already, just do it. It will be good practice for ya, I''ll be just beside ya the whole time too, the project is yars."


    Emp had not expected that things would turn out this way, he felt interested by the proposition, maybe even a bit excited but he was still very hesitant.


    "Are you sure it will be alright with Nessa? She''s a good friend of mine, I don''t want to disappoint her."


    "If she''s not alright with ya doing whatever it is she wants then let her find another smith. The best I can tell ya is that at least, if she''s important for ya, ya won''t let yarself disappoint her with the end result. Like they say, if ya want something done properly, ya best do it yarself."


    That made sense, if he made the armor himself, at least, he''d be confident that she would be safe inside it. Marcy would watch over him to make sure of that, Nessa would never find safer equipment in the empire. The perspective of making it himself became more and more attractive to him as he thought about it.


    "What are ya standing there for? Put out the fire and let''s go to yar workshop, show me what yar thinking about. Ya know the steps, we made a bit of everything already over the years."


    Pushed by Marcy, he drew sketches of what he was thinking of, made lists of pieces and materials he''d need, consulted with her, Kaisla, and Martin about enchantments that could be useful for it, improved his design and worked all day on it with a satisfied mother watching over him in attentive silence.


    The next day, back in school, he explained everything to Nessa, what his mother said and what he planned to do and try if she allowed him a shot at it.


    She listened to his whole explanation attentively and after looking at the plans and drawings, agreed to try things his way. As she had said before, She trusted him more because she knew him and his mother were talented but more importantly, Emp understood who she was and how the royal sword dance was performed. She believed in his ability to complete the armor and even agreed to find the materials he requested herself.


    With this all decided, Emp was able to spend the entirety of his forging time on this and its many pieces. She provided the measurements of all the parts of her body that mattered for the armor and over the months he worked on it, he kept bringing unfinished pieces over to school in order to make sure they''d fit with her perfectly.


    Aside from working on this and keeping Nessa informed of his progress, he did a lot of other things too. Of them all, the most important must have been the discussion he shared with his grandfather soon after he had brought him to Love''s temple.


    With him finally knowing the whole truth, he was able to sit down with him and hold a serious conversation. He had given him some time to think about everything he heard in the temple so once they both sat down, the old man looked pretty calm again. Emp on the other hand was extremely nervous.


    He believed that since Love said herself that Emp was her child, whatever Aminui thought of him now, at least, he wouldn''t do anything reckless that could anger the goddess. But, feared the thoughts of the old man more than his actions. He badly wanted to ask him the question that had been burning inside him the most since a long time ago. Could he really call himself a Muracier? What did Aminui think of this?


    They met in a dark deep inside the school. That place had no windows and only a single door. Inside, there was a massive table and finally sculpted chairs lining it on both sides. The walls were covered in dignified tapestries and rush light candles were placed all around the table, ready to be lit at any moments.


    The room was meant as a meeting room and built in a way that no sound would escape its walls. No servants or guards were allowed in the long corridor leading to it while a meeting was taking place to insure the secrecy and privacy of the words spoken there.


    Emp brought Celtine with him inside and sat her down on a chair next to his own after all three of them lit the candles.


    His grandfather was the first to speak, taking the lead the moment Emp sat down on one side of the table.


    "So, are you finally ready to talk?"


    "I was waiting for you to process the truth."


    "It only took me a few hours while you waited two whole days, you are the anxious one." Aminui pointed out.


    "Well... I wasn''t sure what to tell you... I''ve been asking myself the same question since a while ago, always wondering if I really deserved your help, if I was tricking everyone around me, if I was a giant liar. Right away when I first set my foot in this school, the duke believed I was Chinui''s son, I didn''t know what to do, how to react. It was true that he had lent me his name for the school and that it figured on my hunting card but could I really call myself a Muracier? Then it went on for three years, I felt uncomfortable every time someone used that name while referring to me. You said it yourself the other day, am I really your grandson? I was never born."


    "Why did you hide it from me and the rest then? Why not say that right away, speak the truth? What compelled you to trick us all?"


    Emp placed his elbows on the table and rested his head into his hands.


    "I do not know... Chinui so kindly lent me the name, I wanted to use it. Then I learned about the blood taken from him, everyone kept repeating how I was like him and his brother... My goal was never the title of great general in the first place, I just came here because Chinui told me to. Then the secret kept growing in size and the truth was so abnormal, even if I said it, who would have believed me? I look the part and act the part, my card says Muracier on it, who would believe it if I said that I was just spawned by the gods?


    In the eyes of everyone else, I was a Muracier through and through, but I felt so guilty all the time. I did not want to use the name because I felt it had nothing to do with me, I just happened to be there and meet Chinui by chance. His blood is in my veins and the soul of his brother kept me alive, I owe them part of my existence but the gods made me, not them... I do not feel I have the right to claim I belong in the family but at the same time, I needed your teaching, I still do. I could not let the opportunity go to waste.


    I have a mission to fulfill, given by the gods who created me. They made me, I exist thanks to them, I have to do as they asked me. I could not let my own guilt get in the way of what I have to do, even if I felt it was wrong."


    Aminui exhaled in a way that sounded like a snort and answered calmly.


    "I will not pretend I understand what you felt because I do not, I''m not even sure I completely understand how it is you were born. What I do know is that you should not have assumed how others would react to the truth and hide it from us all.


    I was wondering why Chinui chose that strange phrasing in his message, why you thought I''d be disappointed when I heard about your mother, why you said you weren''t convinced to deserve our name, why you weren''t sent to us first instead of here. In the end, it turned out that my son didn''t even know what you were, he just took a liking to you and decided to help. You shouldn''t have hid such an important truth from us, the duke, me, it isn''t worthy of our name."


    Emp had hoped this wouldn''t be the case but he wasn''t surprised that Aminui would cut him off right away. Being unworthy of the name, he would go back to just being Emp and his problems would all be fixed in that way. Maybe he''d call himself Emp Champom or Emp Gladius to please Marcy.


    "I understand. I did not want to upset anyone but it is true, I did hide the truth. I do not regret doing it because I believe I needed to. I understand that you might want to remove your support."


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    "No you do ''not'' understand." Aminui slammed his fist on the table. His face did not change but he was clearly angry. "You ''are'' a Muracier, that''s why this is upsetting! I said ''our'' name, if you had not been one of us that secret wouldn''t have mattered at all. Why did you hide the truth from your own house! That''s what''s unworthy of our name! Is your brain made out of mush? I''m not stripping you of your name, I''m scolding you!"


    Emp felt bewildered, he didn''t know what to say at all. Celtine wasn''t nearly as surprised as he was. It seemed that she had expected it.


    "I may not quite understand how or why you came to be but I do understand the words the goddess presented us. You are one of mine, they were right saying that you looked and acted like them because you are for the most part. I can often see them in you and this is why I am so disappointed Emperor.


    Do you even understand what I learned implies for you? For our whole house? We have a godspawn as one of our own and he''s free from the curse! What happened the other day doesn''t need to happen again, I now know that there is a future for us where our words will not bind us in chains anymore yet I also learn of a future where the truth might not be as sacred to our family anymore. Do you understand how our house will change after you, how scary and so full of possibilities that is?"


    "I... Don''t understand?"


    Even though Emp wanted to ask about so many things he just said, that was the only thing he managed to say.


    "I''ve been dreading a day where our house would collapse because I only left two possible heir behind and both disappeared on the same day without leaving anyone after them. My eldest son did something insane, he greatly disappointed me and left himself no door to come back, I thought I was doomed to see my family disappear just like that. Then you showed up."


    Emp felt really bad about tricking the old man. He felt like he had given him hope where there was none. Aminui wasn''t thinking the same way however and kept talking with his eyes locked into Emp''s.


    "Now, even though he wasn''t responsible for your birth, even if he didn''t know his blood was in your veins he still tried to fix his wrong, he chose you to carry the name. He saw us in you, I know, it''s easy to see for me too. He helped and sent you here, ''make him the next great general'' he told the duke. I''d have helped just like how I took care of Kaisla, even if you had not been my blood."


    "But didn''t you say you''d have cut off my head if I failed the test?"


    "I would have yes. Impersonating a Muracier is a grave offence but that would have been a consequence of what you did in Red-Water instead of your origins. Your head would have fallen regardless of what Chinui thought if you were guilty of impersonating one of us. You weren''t however, you ''are'' a Muracier, that is the truth.


    When I recognized that, you should have told me the whole truth, this is what makes me mad. You are from the trunk of our house, not from a branch! You should be better than Graube, a half truth is not better than a lie! Why would you not trust your own? I am frustrated that it wasn''t readily apparent to you that you were one of us. It didn''t take me more than a day to see while even now, you''re still unsure of yourself!"


    "I am not Chinui''s true son, I just came out of the forest one day, I did not earn the name and did not inherit it either, I am just an impostor." Emp confessed his deepest thoughts. "I feel like a thief, taking advantage of an old man eager to see his line perpetuated to fulfill my own needs. The ancestors never recognized me either, they never helped my arrows fly straight. I feel that they should know better."


    "You have clouded the truth with your own guilt. Let it all out, let go of it and see the truth for what it is. Love says it, Chinui saw it, I saw it, you are one of us, even if you do not feel like it. I''m not saying it because I desperately want a godspawn in my family, this doesn''t matter to me, only my blood matters.


    What I want is for you to stop thinking of yourself as an outsider! This is not the truth of who you are! Muracier is your name, Highsteel is your home and our blood runs in your veins. The truth is that we are part of you just as much as the gods are, I need you to accept that truth and stop hiding."


    Emp moved his hand, to hide his left eye. He felt torn between telling him the rest of the truth or not. He really felt like saying it now, keeping secrets was so hard after all.


    "You do not understand." He simply said.


    "What is it that I don''t understand Emperor? You''ll feel much better once you''ve said it, I guaranty it."


    It was only at that point that Celtine started to become nervous. She tried to shake Emp to stop him from saying it aloud. She guessed what he was about to say and feared it might be a terrible idea. Emp had to say it, he ignored her silent plea. He was tired of hiding so many things to so many people, he disliked the feeling so much.


    "My quest doesn''t stop at becoming the great general. I need to take the place of the emperor too."

 146 New visitors p.1

    Aminui remained silent for a long time after Emp said he needed to take the place of the emperor. With the cat out of the bag, Celtine stopped harassing Emp and took back her place at his side with a mix of regretful disappointment and worry for what would come next.


    The silence felt heavy while Aminui processed what he just heard. His eyebrows were raised in a rare display of surprise and Emp just waited anxiously for what he''d do next. Aminui valued family and honor over mostly everything else but the two now clashed with each other. The Muraciers were sworn to protect the Grandbois, Emp had just admitted in front of the elder that he intended to take over everything. Emp did not know how the old man would react at all.


    He was conscious that this might be the most dangerous thing he ever did. Even if Aminui really felt like he was part of his family, he was betraying everything they stood for. His reaction could end up being anything at all or at least, that was how he felt.


    After what felt like a terribly long time, Emp opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted right away by Aminui''s raised finger. Emp shut his mouth again and waited for at least an equal amount of time to what he already had. The old man took a breath and started voicing his thoughts.


    "When we first met, you said that your name had been given to you by your mother rather than my son. I guess I should have realized what it meant when I met her the other day.


    I''m not sure what to say now. Did the emperor do something that would anger even the gods? What''s the end goal?"


    "Not that I know of. My true objective is to take down the emperor of a faraway empire but I need this one to improve my chances. I cannot let this opportunity pass me by, either I take this or I go all the way there on my own. I''m sure you understand how hard it would be to beat an emperor without an empire of my own to back me. I can''t just ask the emperor to trust me and do as I say, my goal will never be achieved. Considering my name, the blood they used to make me and how strangely this empire has worked since its inception, I truly feel this is what I''m meant to do."


    "You think this is an opportunity? You think that the emperor won''t see it come because of the old promise? Chinui already betrayed it with his insane stunt, Billow Grandbois is on edge already. He might not be a tactical genius but he''s far from an idiot, his family ran the empire for hundreds of years. He won''t let it go without a fight and our faction will be torn apart.


    How do you think people will react to that sort of betrayal? Not anyone but a Muracier, of all people, decided to rise against the emperor, against the family they were sworn to protect, how do you think people will take it? You might not be forced to respect your or our words, forced to speak the truth always but that doesn''t mean you should destroy the honor and reputation we accumulated over the generations our family lived. You need to reconsider your path carefully, do not do this."


    At the end, it almost sounded as if he was begging.


    "Does that mean you still consider me part of your house?"


    Aminui didn''t answer but Emp could read his thoughts through his frozen face, he did. Emp was unsure whether this was a good thing or if he should feel even more guilty for it.


    "What if I do not want to reconsider? My friends and family needs to be protected properly and I don''t trust the emperor to do it, splitting the power in two was crazy from the start. The emperor knows there are problems but can''t deal with them properly because he has to go through the Muraciers to fix anything while you... we, have our hands tied because we need his approval for anything. The only reason our empire survived this long is because we were there to stand in the way of invaders and we had the ancestors to protect us all."


    "At least you started saying ''we''." Aminui commented with a cynical tone.


    "Should I stop?"


    "Of course not, how many times do I have to say that you''re one of us for you to actually acknowledge it."


    "Even if that was the case, I''d be a traitor. I shouldn''t wear that name."


    "You are a Muracier, that''s why I''m telling you to change your mind. How stubborn can you possibly be?"


    "I guess that''s another thing I stole from the Muracier."


    "I''ll show you stubborn. I''m not moving from here until you admit you are one of us and change your mind on removing the Grandbois from the throne."


    "You will be there for a long time, I will not change my mind on this, it has to be done."


    "It doesn''t have to be done, you just haven''t thought of a realistic plan yet. I can''t let you do something so stupid."


    "There''s an easy way to stop me. You could just kill me."


    As usual, Emp and Aminui shared a similar way of thinking. Since it was a very logical and efficient way to fix every problems, Emp believed he must have thought about it, however...


    "I''m not willing to consider that as an option."


    "Why not?" Emp asked in confusion. Even though he obviously didn''t want that to happen because he felt like he''d have no chance of escaping, it truly was the most logical path for him. "You would save the name and honor the will of the ancestors. Almost no one knows the name on my hunting card so my death wouldn''t have a lasting impact on the house. Love might get angry but I do not think that it would be catastrophic."


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    "I''d really like it if you listened to what I''m teaching you. Our acts can''t be taken back, exactly like our words. I will not do something I know I will regret immediately. I can''t lie and I''m saying you''re my grandson, isn''t that clear enough for you? What do I need to do to engrave that in your thick skull? I would need to be insane to consider killing you as a possibility. This is also why I want you to reconsider, think about the consequences, how do you even plan on stealing the throne in the first place?"


    The old man had repeated a lot that they were both family and as he said, he couldn''t lie. It was obvious that he really thought of Emp as a member of his family but it didn''t mean it was right. It didn''t mean that he wasn''t an impostor.


    He was about to say so aloud when Celtine grabbed one of his hand and bit into it. He was taken by surprise and made a startled yelp.


    "Ow! What was that for?"


    He retrieved his hand and rubbed the two bloody holes on its back with the thumb of his other hand. He looked right at Celtine''s face and saw that she was exasperated. She was looking at him like he had done something bad and was about to scold him but seemed somewhat pained that she even had to do such a thing. Her brows were furrowed in a show of anger but it was sadness that he saw in her pretty colorful eyes. She made a show of bringing her writing tablet up and wrote in that angry manner she rarely used.


    Emp read it all carefully and took a moment to digest the whole thing. She had brought up a number of things that had not crossed his mind before, the impact was even greater on him with her being the one to say it all to him. She was one of the persons he cared about the most in the world so her words weighted much more for him. Her own situation couldn''t really be compared to his own but it did give him a new perspective on everything. He reached out for her and brought her into his arms.


    "Thank you Celtine for always catching me when I do something wrong. I had not seen things from this angle before. I was wrong, I''m sorry that I have upset you. It wasn''t my intention to betray anyone related to me."


    After hugging her as a form of thanks she patted his shoulder to let him know she wanted to be released and once he had done so, turned back towards Aminui. His grandfather had remained silent when he exchanged some words with Celtine. He wasn''t that offended to have been interrupted, perhaps because he was busy thinking about how to stop him.


    "Grandfather, I apologize. Celtine made me understand that what I was doing was unfair. I am still unsure of whether I deserve the Muracier name or not but she made me realize that this is not for me to decide. Feeling unworthy or like an outsider does not make me one of those things.


    She said I cannot just use it when it''s convenient and then ditch it when it is not. She is right about that, even if I am not the name, the name is part of me like an arm, I have to live with it and if I feel unworthy of it then the best I can do is be better.


    What you both want me to do is to stop wondering if It is okay to accept your support but instead, accept it wholeheartedly to make myself into someone that is worthy of it.


    I was never born, I was created, I came from no one. Everyone else seems to agree that I am a Muracier however, you, her, the duke, those that recognize Chinui in me, even my own hunting card. Not agreeing doesn''t make it less true, maybe you are right and I was blinding myself away from the truth? I am unsure, it would be easier for me if I could point and say this is my father and this is my mother so this is my name. I have neither, I did not feel like I should just selfishly add myself to the greatest house of the empire, it is cheating, a trickery, it is unforgivable to do such a thing.


    I kept thinking that and yet, everyone kept pushing the name closer and closer to me, I told you, I felt so bad about it. I guess it is true however, even if I am the worst embarrassment that the Muracier house will ever know, its blood does run inside my veins."


    Aminui exhaled strongly and swiped his hand over the table as he readjusted his seating. His face had returned to its expressionless state.


    "I''m glad that the girl knows how to talk to you and that you''re finally starting to understand all that. I''ve been trying to convey it to you but you wouldn''t listen, I can''t strip you of your name and I don''t want to either. That''s why I need you to think again and don''t do something so ridiculously foolish."


    "But I have to." Insisted Emp. "I do not care about the mean, I would like to find a peaceful way to get that seat but I do not expect to find one and I need it for what comes after."


    The two of them argued about this for a long time still afterwards, a whole day in fact. Aminui really wanted him to find some sort of alternative solution but Emp kept explaining what it was that he needed to do afterwards, how it would be impossible without the throne, how this throne in particular was the easiest to get in his situation.


    From another angle, Emp couldn''t come up with any realistic plan on how to get said throne without breaking everything apart. He had not expected to speak about this aloud to anyone else than Celtine and Harriett for a long time if ever. It felt rather strange to talk to the elder of the Muracier family of all people, the guy responsible to make sure that what he was talking about would not happen.


    Emp was pretty sure his grandfather felt horrible holding that sort of conversation but he still kept putting out sound arguments against everything Emp said instead of just shutting him down or getting angry. His knowledge of the empire and its many noble houses was extensive and so Emp learned a great deal in his discussion with him. Every time he came up with an idea, Aminui was able to easily find a large amount of problems with it, pointing out how it would damage the empire as a whole as well as the Muracier.


    In the end, they couldn''t agree to anything. Emp couldn''t give up even though he understood that everything he came up with was absolutely unrealistic while his grandfather couldn''t approve of anything alluding to replacing the emperor.


    As they left, Aminui stopped in front of Celtine and said something unexpected.


    "Thank you for watching over him, I appreciate what you do. You seem to have a good influence on him so keep driving some sense into that thick head of his. Thanks to you he finally acknowledged his own name. Here."


    He presented his hand for the tiny girl to take. It was not often that a Muracier wanted to shake hands with a cursed-blood. At first Celtine hesitated, mostly because she didn''t understand right away what the meaning behind the gesture was. It had been so unexpected to her that it took her unnaturally long to respond to his gesture and extend hesitantly her own hand. She only did so after Emp shook her to wake her from her surprise. She couldn''t be certain that it was really what Aminui wanted from her but still raised her hand.


    The old man grabbed her small hand into his own, burying it in his large palm completely. Emp found it funny that her hand literally disappeared into his own as he shook it slowly. They did not feel quite the same on a lot of things but today, they had come to an understanding.


    "Please, stop him from committing some terrible mistake in the future too."


    She answered with a nod and a confident smile. She was conscious that she might not always take the right decisions but she knew that if Emp made a misstep, she would be able to stop him just like how he had stopped her crossbow at the gate.


    The conversation would continue for many days over and spread all over their training from now on. Aminui would tell him to reconsider and think of something else, never relenting. Emp wondered if the old men would ever get tired of that game and try something more radical if he didn''t convince him by the end of his time in school.


    While he was thinking that however, the old man had already started planning on how to make everything work out in his favor. There was no way that Aminui would ever let the future of his house into the hands of Luck. Knowing the full story of Emp, he was now able to truly start planning for the future.


    He would let nothing go, he knew exactly what he needed to do in order to reach the best outcome. He had after all been the great general for a long time, with the complete picture in his hands, it was easy for him to see the path to victory. All his problems could be fixed in the same simple manner, all he needed to do was stall Emp for as much time as possible.


    *-*-*-*


    Calla was cutting down some leaks and turnips for a meal she wanted to prepare later in the afternoon. She was inspired by the rich taste of the berries Leo and Erin brought back from the woods and wanted to do something special with them along with some vegetables she had and some bird meat. She wanted to prepare a sauce with the berries and let it cool to add a colorful touch to the herb preparation she made for the slow cooking of the bird.


    Hopefully, the whole thing would be refreshing for this hot afternoon. She knew Emp was currently working hard in Marcy''s forge so he''d be burning hot when he came back after and he would be starved. The thought made her smile, she couldn''t help but feel great when he worked so hard for everyone and looked at her with eyes filled with gratitude when she brought him some food afterwards. The more he worked, the more he ate and seeing him appreciate her cooking so much made her feel especially good.


    This was her strength, food. She couldn''t really help with complicated things the nobles did and she didn''t know a thing about forge work but at least, she could fill the stomach of everyone with delicious things that would lift their spirits and relieve them of their fatigue.


    Doing all the cooking was fun in itself but it was the reward at the end she liked best. She''d watch over everyone through the day to see what they felt like and what they did and prepared a fitting meal that would please the whole house. Sometimes, she would praise the girls with something that felt more upbeat and other times, when the rain and wind was heavy, she''d make something warm and comforting for everyone. When she watched them overwork themselves on training, she''d cook some fat piece of meat that would give them their strength back and then watch their smiles warmly as they devoured it eagerly.


    This is what she liked to see the most, the elated faces of everyone sitting around the table with the things she cooked. She felt so relaxed and uplifted when she watched everyone savor her work.


    Of course, she didn''t just cook all the time. Even if it was her favorite thing to do, she also did many other things. She couldn''t spend her whole life in the kitchen after all, she had a whole lot of other things to do. In particular, she was supposed to learn a bunch of things about nobles.


    With Emp, Kaisla and Galana''s help, she learned a lot of complicated things she feared that she would forget right away. What she did learn properly was to read and write in the noble tongue. She had a hard time of it and found it all very tiring but once she got better, she first helped Emp with all the invitation and refusal letters and after that, she started exchanging letters with Mable and Celtine.


    She would tell them all about what she and Emp were doing in the village while they would tell her what was happening on their side. Thanks to Emp''s magic bag, it didn''t take more than a day for a letter to reach the other side so they could talk easily and quite freely. After just a few of those letters, Calla started to really like reading and writing them. This way was so much less stressful then actually speaking to someone. She could take all the time she needed to think of her answer and write them in a calm and peaceful environment, sometimes sitting just beside Emp and sometimes alone in their room.


    She would sit comfortably with something to drink and a pillow to rest onto and write whatever she felt like talking about. It was very pleasing, this way she could enjoy a conversation like anyone else without all the worrisome parts and she got to learn about her faraway friends.


    She had a lot of trouble getting along with people even if she wanted to, they were just too scary for her. It took her so long to get used to anyone at all, she couldn''t help it. She really liked the company of a variety of people but she still had trouble finding the strength in herself to speak to them. That was why she enjoyed the presence of many people in the house.


    While they talked to each other, she could listen in to their conversation and learn to know them better all while not having to go through the stress of it. It was perfect. It brought life to that huge house too which was good. She was used to live in a smaller house with so many more people living in it than here so she had feared that it would be lonely but it wasn''t.


    Emp understood how much she wanted life to flow and prosper in that house, he kept inviting more people in for her so that she wouldn''t be lonely. He understood that this wasn''t exactly what she wanted but she was very happy with the people he invited to the house. They were not truly family but they spent so much time here together that they might as well be. She wanted them to be family, a family she chose like Emp. In fact, for Emp, it was pretty much always like that, he only had family that he chose and she was happy with his choices. Of course she would be since he accepted to be her husband.


    They invited the sisters in because they made her laugh, they reminded her of her own sisters with all their mischief. Thanks to them, there was always something happening in the house and everything felt lively.


    Then they invited Svae, because she was the sisters'' family, she was more than happy to let the three of them reunite and stay together. Thanks to her, she wasn''t the only one doing the chores anymore so she felt thankful for her presence. She was a very helpful girl.


    Galana had been brought in next and Emp hadn''t consulted her about it first. She was intimidating and always complained about everything but Calla knew it was just a face she wore. The truth was that she respected Emp and herself a great deal and when she was alone with her, she was always gentle. She put up a strong front for the others and mocked Emp a lot but Calla could see her feelings as obviously as the moon and stars in the night sky. She was a stubborn person who hated to admit her wrongs and was eager to point the flaws of everyone else but Calla could "see" her love somehow.


    She didn''t quite know how to explain it but it was sort of like seeing a smell. She could distinguish the feelings of love coming from others just by looking at them. She wasn''t quite sure when it all started but she did notice that this way of perceiving things slowly grew stronger over time. It all started with Emp, she could see him overflowing with love for her, it was like a thick mist, then she was able to see a similar thing when he was with Galana, then she saw it between the two sisters and so on.


    She kept on looking at it and it became somewhat clearer. She didn''t know how or why, she just knew that she saw the love flowing between people. She wouldn''t say that she was good at it or that it was obvious but if she really tried her best, she could always tell the pure feelings of everyone including even Galana who often shone whenever Emp held some serious conversation with her.


    Kaisla was the opposite however. She was charming and respectful with everyone but she didn''t have any feelings of love for anyone here. She came in with that large group of huntresses and stayed behind after they all left again. They all said they were willing to work for Emp some more but he didn''t have anything left for them to do so they all left the village. Kaisla remained behind for duty rather than feelings but that was normal since she didn''t really know any of them.


    Calla was fine with the presence of the knight, she was helpful and taught her a lot of things about nobles and more precisely, things about the Muraciers.


    One day, Calla would be addressed as lady Muracier because of Emp which was rather scary but that was precisely the reason why he had Kaisla come here and why he still invited more. Emp wanted her to have some friends in the nobility so that she wouldn''t feel alone and pushed around by all those people born with a higher standing than her.


    Kaisla and the rest were tasked to teach and protect her as well as to be her friend. The last part was the most awkward, she didn''t quite know what to think about people who were ordered to be her friend. The knight Kaisla for example felt a bit more like she was evaluating her instead of simply trying to get along with her which made her nervous. Was she doing something wrong? Did she think she wasn''t good enough? Then one day, just like that, the knight''s attitude changed and became genuinely friendly, apparently, she was done evaluating. Instead, she started trying to improve her courage and posture which didn''t go very well.


    Calla really wasn''t cut out for this but Kaisla didn''t give up and taught her patiently. She split her time between trying to get along with Calla and helping the sisters in their quest for strength.


    Calla was happy that they wanted to repay Emp and help him as best as they could but she hoped they wouldn''t push themselves too hard. Erin and Leonni were kindhearted but clumsy and very protective of the few things they had. Since the new year festivities, Erin started watching over the house very seriously. She had given herself the mission to protect it and everyone inside as if she was a dragon and it all belonged to her.


    Calla believed it was because her and her sister didn''t have so much before and really didn''t want to lose what they now had. Like Calla thought earlier, it was the family they chose and the more time they spent with it, the more they wanted to hang on to it. Whenever Emp was outside of the house, they''d turn into guard dogs and run around to keep an eye over everything.


    Calla believed it was excessive and would like it better if they would just come into the main room and play like before. It seemed that their favorite game now was to follow Emp and Kaisla around and mimic them all the time. They had overreacted the day Kaisla first came to the house but instead of learning to be less suspicious of everyone, they just retained the feeling that they weren''t good enough and it seemed to have upset them. Now they were obsessed with getting stronger but Calla hoped they would eventually come back from it and return to normal.


    At least they didn''t attack more visitors anymore. They had been filled in on who Emp sent letters to and who they should expect to come knocking at the door so things wouldn''t get out of hands anymore. The sisters didn''t make any excessive things anymore and when it was someone they expected, and Emp was outside, they just sent Svae to get him and waited patiently.


    Emp was often outside for a big chunk of the day because he worked on a big project with his mother. He had showed her and told her a lot about what he was working on and Calla had to admit that she was rather curious to see the end result even though it was just an armor. He would show her the pieces and explain what they were for by pointing at some of the drawings he made. She could see that it would be very pretty once it was finished, but it was so complex.


    The whole thing was filled of moving parts and layers of protective ornamented steel. Emp told her all about the special alloys he had Nessa provide him for it but she forgot about them right away. All she could see was that it looked like a great knight''s armor but with some fierce steel skirt added on top. Emp had explained to her that this strange metal skirt would open up like a giant flower if Nessa spun on herself and reveal it was made out of large amount of blades all tied together. It sounded very special but Calla wasn''t sure she understood what the use of that was and felt more impressed by all the tiny hinges holding the whole thing together. The only thing she was certain of was that it would be very pretty for an armor and that Nessa would love it. She didn''t know her well but how could someone dislike something made with so much effort and time?


    Calla thought that Emp was pretty cute when he worked on something earnestly like that, she often felt like sitting down close by when he was working and watch him for a while. Emp wasn''t bothered by being watched as long as the observers didn''t interrupt him so she was sometimes accompanied by Erin, Galana or Kaisla and they all watched the interesting show.


    Those moments were peaceful and lovely but since she enjoyed her days so much, they all flew by quickly. She felt that in no time at all, the invitation letters reached their destinations and all too soon, many women started showing up at her door.


    That was a terrible ordeal for her, she didn''t have enough energy to receive all nine of them in a single year. She didn''t have what it took to evaluate if they were good people or not either. She didn''t even have enough room in the house to keep all of them lodged properly, they were all nobles after all, she couldn''t possibly suggest to have them share rooms.


    Thankfully Emp knew how to handle all of that and had cleverly worded his letters to them. He asked them to come meet him in B¨ºt¨¦clair but also told them to spend a night on the way in a certain house in Dark-glint. He said the house was filled with people he trusted and people he employed. The plan was to have them spend a night here and learn to know how they were with people, without the presence of the Muracier heir and his wife. That way, he intended to see the true them before telling them to either stay or leave.


    The plan was well thought out but unfortunately for him, he had not taken into account how indecisive she could be.

 147 New visitors p.2

    All those encounters with the invited ladies felt pretty tiring, she felt exhausted just thinking back on them. So tiring she had to stop cutting down the vegetables and take a break. Anyway, she probably had enough for everyone now.


    "What do I do with these?" Svae asked her as Calla put down the knife.


    She pointed towards the large cauldron and held up her dress to sit properly on a nearby chair. Svae picked up everything she just cut and carefully dropped the hill of vegetables into the indicated container to cook. Meanwhile, Calla let out a satisfied sigh and looked over the table and everyone sat around it. The number of girls in the house just kept growing didn''t it? At least they weren''t boys, it would have been even more stressful for her.


    Eight girls came as invited after Kaisla and for some reason, all of them stayed even though there clearly wasn''t enough space in the house for everyone. Not all of them were at the table right now thankfully. Most were either there or around her to help with the food but there was a few still missing. The table was wide enough to receive everyone but If they had all been thereat once, it would have been an ordeal for her again.


    She was pretty sure there shouldn''t be so many nobles attending just a single girl like her but here they were. The thing was that they were all good people so Calla couldn''t bring herself to tell Emp to refuse the assistance of any of them. She didn''t want any of them to feel left out even though she felt guilty about how it made Emp''s life so much more complicated.


    Because of her indecision, he was the one that had to divide the six rooms over and over again in order to fit all thirteen girls in them. Emp looked really tired about this, obviously, it hadn''t been his intention to fill his house with girls. He just wanted one or two girls that knew what they were doing to come over and help Calla learn what she needed to know. Instead, he picked up two slaves, two personified calamity and a diversified host of noble girls and warriors. There was no more empty rooms left in their house so Emp was already starting to scratch his head on how he''d ever fit some kids inside like she wanted. Even the giant table felt cramped.


    Currently, Sarissa, Svae and Lanavera were helping her with the cooking while Galana, Kaisla, Maria, Bailey and Lusine where talking around the table. Erin and Leo were outside with Destiny and Victory while the last girl, Lea, was hidden in one of the bedrooms with a book.


    The girls in the room were all trying to explain to her how important it was to stand with dignity even when she felt like hiding behind Emp. They had a hard time making her use any form of authority whatsoever. The only place where she truly commanded anyone was here in the kitchen. She chose who she wanted to help her and assigned them precise tasks to help her. She would have done everything herself but cooking for fifteen by herself everyday was a bit rough, even for someone like her who loved to do it.


    "I never realized how hard the cooks had it before I came here." Bailey commented while she watched the others work.


    "Dear lady Muracier, why are you so proficient at commending others in the kitchen but so hesitant elsewhere? It simply baffles me." Lusine added.


    "It''s normal to be afraid to impose your will onto someone else. I wouldn''t want to hurt or upset them after all, I''m sure our lady feels the same." Sarissa said in her defense.


    Calla agreed with her, she nodded and pointed her the next step of the recipe which Sarissa executed gently.


    Her full name was Sarissa Greathorn but Calla failed to remember what sort of noble rank she possessed. She was the first one that arrived after the letters were sent. She got here one day with a horde of guards on her heels, wearing a scary armor and a long spear strapped to her back. Calla got quite scared seeing her but she quickly removed her helm and revealed a soft face with a gentle smile.


    Her voice was sweet and mellow and despite the wariness of her many guards as well as their insistence that they had to remain close to her and protect her at all cost, she insisted to come in and shake hands with everyone. She would take the hands of everyone in between her own two hands and shake them earnestly with a warm greeting, even Svae received the same treatment.


    "If all of you are trusted friends of my lord than it makes you my trusted friends too, I am so happy to meet you all." She had said.


    Aside from that, the girl had a stronger reaction in front of Marcy than Emp even when she learned who he was. She had a lot of respect for the woman who made the spear her father wielded.


    "We''re not all as subdued as you Sarissa, if you don''t face your problems head on then you won''t ever make any progress." Maria told the girl currently cooking.


    "There''s a difference between being respectful and being weak, I know beetle is in your name but you don''t have to act like a rhinoceros beetle and bash your head into things to fix problems." Galana told her with a snort.


    The next one to show up to their house had been Maria Starbeetle, she arrived on a rainy day and complimented the huge fireplace in the main room. That girl really hated the cold even if it was only minimal and went around with thick clothes all the time, even in the worst of summer. She greeted Emp by saying he did a good job with the house and when he answered he wasn''t the one who made it she just casually said that it wasn''t "his" good job then.


    Then, she told Galana "You look like shit.", she had exhausted herself with magic training and wasn''t looking good. Of course Galana got angry and started arguing with Maria. Calla thought it got pretty scary, more so when Galana started complaining about how nobles were always so frustrating but somehow, the argument never escalated. It went on for an hour straight and at the end, Galana thanked Maria as it somehow made her feel much better. Calla didn''t understand one bit of what she had just seen.


    "I don''t need your thanks you disheveled bookworm." Maria said, turning her head away with a satisfied smile.


    "We''ll see about who''s the disheveled one next time!" Galana answered with an equivalent smile.


    "Are you angry at each other or did you just make up?" Emp asked them in confusion.


    "Idiot, read the mood!"


    "As if we''d get angry at something like that."


    Some things would always remain impossible to understand. Maria Starbeetle ended up sharing Galana''s room and they kept on arguing with each other all the time even though they somehow seemed closer to each other than with anyone else. A complete mystery.


    She was the one to create the most discord out of everyone yet no one could bring themselves to dislike her and she was most often the one pointing out the problems between others, helping them fix everything more easily.


    From what Calla see, she had everyone around her empty what was on their hearts in order to understand them better and help fix their problems, her intentions were good. Calla understood but... Maria tried to use the same tone and words on Calla once but after she saw her reaction she apologized right away and never spoke rashly to her again. She wasn''t sure what face she had made exactly back then but it must have been pretty pitiful.


    "What? You think I can''t use my head in other ways too? You destitute librarian, I''ll show you." Maria told Galana.


    "Yeah? You''ll use it to scare children away from the house?"


    Maria and Galana both started laughing loudly to the dismay of Calla. They barely knew each other but they sort of acted like sisters. Calla had never seen sisters argue like that all the time before but they apparently found great satisfaction in it, making it seem like a surprisingly strong bond. Of course, it didn''t get close to the bond shared between the Porter sisters or the Whisperstring sisters but it was still strangely heartwarming to see.


    Thinking of them, they were the third to get here. Destiny and Victory Whisperstring had very strange names, Emp had made quite the face when he first read them on his teacher''s files. He was used to gods naming things like that after all so he had a sudden fit of worry seeing people with such names. Those two had nothing to do with gods however, their parents just had a strange taste for dramatic sounding names.


    It quickly became evident after they arrived here that their parents weren''t the only ones that were strange. They showed up alone without any kind of escort one day and acted pitiful, claiming to be starved and parched even though they didn''t look the part at all. They always used exaggerated gestures with their words and bloated any stories they told way out of proportion.


    They said they were twins but they didn''t look that alike at all. According to Emp, there was a type of twin who weren''t identical which was a strange concept for Calla who grew up with a pair of twins as older sisters. Destiny said that Victory looked more like their father while she took more from her mother. Victory denied and claimed the opposite right away.


    Victory had a longer and finer nose than her sister as well as a more pronounced cheekbone while Destiny had more sultry eyes and delicate brows. Both wore identical armors but completely different clothing underneath and didn''t dress their hair similarly either. Victory had blue eyes where Destiny''s were brown. Unlike her sisters Jonquil and Iris, they never acted in true concert, they were more like Erin and Leo then the twins Calla knew.


    The day they came in, after they were served a good meal, they first thanked her as if she had saved their lives with her meal and immediately after, Destiny claimed to have fallen in love with Emp at first sight. Of course that wasn''t true, both Calla and Emp could see it clearly, but Erin chocked on her last bite and jumped in a panic.


    They made a whole scene about how she couldn''t stay as her destiny lied elsewhere while her sister narrated dramatically from behind, claiming that her heart would one day be victorious. Then they had a ridiculous duel in the yard against Erin and Leo like the ones in stories with Destiny being defeated and imploring her sister to finish without her. Erin was just getting more and more frustrated that they''d take all of this so lightly until Emp intervened and revealed who he truly was.


    At the point, the Whisperstring sisters threw themselves to the ground and apologized sincerely. Apparently, they just really liked to play around like that. They found that the things happening in the many, many, theater plays they saw were so much more interesting than real life that they wanted to turn their life into one. They created drama were there was none just to spice things up and have some fun, they didn''t mean anything serious by it and certainly didn''t mean to lie to the great general''s son.


    If one thing was certain about them, it was that they had a very prolific imagination. After that rough start, they got along very well with the other pair of sisters. Each pair of sisters were quite something on their own but when all four of them combined their silliness, it became impressive to witness. As long as they were all having fun, Calla was fine with letting them act out all sorts of craziness. Emp said it was a bit strange because Victory and Destiny seemed too old to play like that with the sisters but Calla disagreed, no one was ever too old to play. Maybe he just had some sour memories about the time he acted the role of a bad guy for Erin and Leo.


    Calla also discovered that, strangely, they were afraid of beards. They couldn''t stand it at all.


    "It looks itchy and gross."


    "What if they want a hug?"


    "Ew."


    "Why is there even hair growing on their face? Isn''t that strange?"


    It didn''t pose any problem to anyone but it was the first time Calla heard of a fear that specific. Whenever Emp forgot to shave for a day or two they''d panic and come to Calla to ask her to please convince him to shave it back again.


    "Fair lady Muracier!" They''d call out to her. "A beast is trying to take control of your dear husband''s body! Please, heed our warning and have him perform the banishing ritual before it is too late! We must stave it off a few days more so we may find a cure."


    "Do not despair fair lady, we will cure him for you!" The other would say, brandishing a lamp of scented herbs, spreading its exotic odor all around.


    It was quite the complicated play just to ask her to have Emp shave, she couldn''t help but wonder if they truly were afraid of that or if they just disliked seeing it. Was it all just another layer of play? One could never truly know with them. Well, maybe Emp ''did'' know since lies usually didn''t work on the Muraciers.


    In any case, by just the two of them, the Whisperstring sisters had more than enough energy for four people, which made up for Lea Duch¨ºne who barely ever showed her nose even though she stayed here with the rest of them.


    That girl was just like Calla if she was so scared that she never wanted to leave her bedroom. In truth, Lea didn''t like people, being with them drained all the energy from her and she needed days spent alone to work up the will to speak to anyone again.


    Her arrival had been pretty awkward too, she had refused to come but her father having read the letter thought it was a great opportunity to force her out of her room and sent her away dragged by some of his guards. She hid in a cart under piles of blankets for the whole trip and was then dragged to Emp''s door. According to the guards, lord Duch¨ºne was very worried for the future of his daughter who refused to ever leave her room and never met with anyone. He just wanted her to open up to someone even if she disliked it. The invitation from the Muracier heir was just the perfect excuse to push her out.


    Lea was a short girl and that wasn''t because she was the youngest of the invited lady, even if she was indeed the youngest. She had no talent in combat and no friends. The moment she was given a room, sharing one with Sarissa, she didn''t want to leave anymore because she didn''t want to have to brave the road again. It was too tiring, she said. She seemed to only want to sleep and read all day.


    Hoping that she wouldn''t come back, her father had all her things packed with her so she arrived with tons of books and many flower pots she liked to tend to. She even had a tiny tree growing in a pot just longer than a hand, with leaves just the size of a fingernail. It was extremely pretty and very impressive to observe. Everything was hauled into her half of the room and she made herself a fort of pillows in a dark corner over her bed. She was like a bear hiding in a den which Calla found rather cute.


    When speaking to others, Lea was very nervous and barely said anything but she wasn''t as quiet as Calla and didn''t stutter like that boy in Emp''s school. She hesitated for a long time every time she wanted to say something and most of those times, nothing at all ended up coming out. She''d space out awkwardly and stare at empty spaces until she felt so out of place and embarrassed that she ran away to hide. When she did talk however, her voice was clear and soft even if a bit hesitant.


    The girl had long messy hair she didn''t ever brush or tie because she didn''t see the point if she wasn''t going out of her room. This did embarrass her whenever she walked out for something like a meal however. She would walk around with her head lowered so that she wouldn''t catch the eyes of anyone else and move around quickly and silently in order to return to her den as quickly as possible. One time, Leonni saw her in the middle of the night and thought she was an evil spirit shambling down the hall. It provoked a very exciting night and woke everyone up but it was still a fun anecdote.


    Despite all that, Calla found a kindred spirit in her and often spent some time in silence with her and Sarissa into their shared room. Calla and Lea were fine with spending time like that with no one speaking, they enjoyed it much more that way. Lea had not expected that someone would share her distaste for social life like that and much less that they''d somehow end up friends. They had a lot of fun the other noble girls didn''t really understand. It was easier for Calla to bond with this awkward girl than with the others.


    One time, they were munching on apple slices when Lea decided to speak out of nowhere, almost scaring Calla to death.


    "I can''t help but think about the whole conversation in my head before I say anything. I try to build the whole thing up in my head before I start talking but by the time I''m ready, the conversation has always drifted far away. I don''t understand how people make up whole sentences so fast when they talk to each other. I don''t like people, plants, books and needlework makes me feel better."


    Calla could understand her feeling even thought she did not face this exact problem. They were each awkward in their own way but shared their love of calm and serenity.


    The next day, Calla told her about how she got scared and froze whenever someone spoke to her directly, how she used her confirmation gift just to speak properly and how she felt so much better when Emp was there to act as a buffer. Like that, they held a short conversation spanning over weeks. Each of them saying something short one day and receiving an answer only the next.


    If Calla had to pick only one of those girls to be her friends, she would definitely have chosen Lea, even though she enjoyed the presence of them all. She was a stark contrast with the one that arrived after her, Bailey Sorenthal. That one was the most scary of all the ladies invited. Even Bor didn''t want to let her inside the village.


    She made a commotion at the village gate the day she arrived because she came with four wolves in tow. Of course, Bor and the guards at the gate wouldn''t let those wolves in which angered her. She called them hateful and biased against dog owners to which Bor replied that those clearly weren''t dogs at all. Those were forest spiked wolves, the same kind which killed Vesa, each were well fed and enormous, the girl couldn''t have wrapped her arms fully around any of them even if they hadn''t been covered in long and dangerous spines.


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    Emp had to organize some special means of transportation just to move them from the gate to the other side of the village were they lived. Just that brought him a lot of trouble, the worst of those were created by Vesa''s mother who already really disliked Emp, she made a fuss about letting the wolves in and many other people followed her opinion.


    Calla herself was deathly afraid of those things and didn''t want to see one anywhere close to the house. On top of that, Emp had prepared a spot to keep the wolves in the backyard in case Bailey brought them but he had not planned for them to be so big and he didn''t think there would be more than two of them.


    He had to rework a large place behind the house to keep those freakish creatures in check. After Bailey arrived, Calla kept worrying all the time about the wolves behind the house, what if a kid from the village grew curious and decided to come take a look? The young woman kept assuring her and Emp that the wolves weren''t dangerous at all for them but there was no way Calla would ever believe this to be true. She had nothing against Bailey herself and wasn''t even brave enough to voice her own objections towards her but she made it very clear to Emp that she wouldn''t allow one of those four wolves inside the house, ever, under any circumstances.


    Aside from that, like the information they received before said, it was true that Bailey didn''t have good table manners but Calla didn''t mind as long as she didn''t waste the food. She would do some crazy things like cutting down her whole plate of food into tiny pieces before she started eating and often scratched her face as she ate. She even stole bits of food to give the wolves, slipping chunks of it into her pockets for later. Worse, the other girls had to keep reminding her to wash her hands before the meals and to please stop playing with the wolves in between the two.


    Because of her mixed feelings towards the wolves, Bailey had come the closest to being told to leave by Calla. They were just that scary, even if they acted just like big dogs in her presence.


    Bailey herself was so friendly and cute however, Calla had to give in. She would act just like a friendly dog herself and go around hugging people as she pleased, asking anyone she came across if they needed help with anything. She followed Calla everywhere hoping to show how helpful she was and often competed with Lanavera on who was the best attendant.


    She was knowledgeable in many subject too, she was still a noble lady after all and knew about many things. What interested Calla the most was that her family lived close to the northern border of the kingdom of Grandbois where the Thornwatch ruled. This meant that the girl knew a lot about the place where Rica, the girl she met at Emp''s school, would live in the future.


    Bailey was energetic and fun, ready to laugh at all times. This held true even while explaining with a very serious face how she was teaching the wolves about the smell of everyone so that they would think of them as members of their pack. When someone refused to comply with her desires however, she would turn depressed and slump down on the table or whatever else was nearby with a pitiful pout. Usually it happened because of something Lusine said.


    Calla decided to put an end to her break and got back up to work on the meal while Lusine Pier¨¦corce continued to ponder aloud about her behavior. This woman could not understand how someone with a status such as Calla could possibly waste her time preparing food for others. She did see how it could be a hobby but regardless of Calla''s obvious talent for it, Lusine firmly believed it would be for the best if she put the cooking aside while in company of others, more so if those others were of a noble lineage like them. She had been very clear on that, many times over.


    That person reminded her of the old lady teacher Emp presented her once. She was very strict and formal, she obviously took her task of teaching Calla about the noble ways very seriously. She was exactly the sort of person Galana hated and the lady took a superior air in front of both her and Svae. She also always pointed out the gaps in the behavior of each and every ladies living here regularly. The redeeming part was that she wasn''t doing it out of pettiness but instead out of a desire to better them all.


    She came from a place in the kingdom of Dugo close to the mountain lines, near the eastern border of the empire and rode a carriage here, taking the long way around the mountains. It took her almost a year to arrive after the invitation was sent.


    Lusine was tall and delicate, with elegant features and clothing. Calla wouldn''t have been surprised if she was told that this young woman came from a clan of fairies or descended from the moon. It was the sort of beauty most stayed far away from however, she had a dead serious look despite her beauty and her words were said in such a cold way Calla always felt like eating some meaty stew after hearing her out to warm herself up again.


    Calla could easily guess that her parents must have been very strict in her upbringing and nailed each and every little rule into her head so deeply it was now part of who she was.


    Lusine mostly only used slow and calculated movements showing a careful elegance built with countless hours of practice. Watching her eat or hold a discussion was like watching Emp and Marcy work on a piece of steel. Every detail had a purpose and everything was done with careful thinking and planing, it was sort of scary. That person was exactly what Calla expected to see when people talked about high nobles, she felt so far out of place when compared to her it made her feel bad just being in the same house as her. The most worrying part was that she was just the first daughter of a Baronet, barely over the rank of a simple knight. How much worse could things get further up the ladder?


    The girls that had been chosen to come assist and teach her were quirky and fun because they were close with the Muraciers but Calla expected to eventually meet people way worse than Lusine and this scared her.


    With all that said however, Lusine wasn''t nagging or frustrating in the least. Deep down, she must have felt just as out of place as Calla. All those noble ladies in the same house, sharing rooms and speaking nonsense, it must have been very far from what she was taught. Lusine was doing her best to improve the image of everyone else, she didn''t want any of them to be looked down upon for their mannerism. What she showed them all wasn''t condescension, it was disappointment instead.


    The introductions with her might have been awkward because of her lofty attitude but even before Emp told her who him and Calla truly were, she remained respectful with them and didn''t ask for anything outside of what could conceivably be provided by a village household. According to Galana, people like her usually imposed themselves as ruler of whichever place they visited when no one showed a higher rank than them but Lusine wasn''t like that at all. She was polite, acted like a doll, complimented Calla for the delicious food and didn''t complain about the shared room.


    "I understand, there is no need to apologize for such a trivial matter. I am thankful instead to leave the carriage for once, and I apologize for my intrusion, I am merely following the instructions I received."


    Emp had her share a room with Bailey after that, he hoped that Bailey quirky nature would make her less stiff and in reverse, that Lusine would improve the manners of Bailey. It made for quite a strangely divided room, with one side in perfect order and the other overly messy with clothes on the floor and disarrayed bed.


    All of that brought her thoughts to the last woman to join them, Lanavera Verepe who was currently busy loosing a battle against an onion.


    "I''ll show you that an onion can''t possibly defeat me. I''m stronger than that!"


    She had been the last one to arrive, more than a year after the invitations were sent. She had been living deep in the kingdom of Greenpeaks trying to keep the peace when she received the letter and even if she left immediately, the road had been long.


    She showed up one day and knocked strongly on the door, showing a fierce smile and dauntless posture. This one was truly the daughter of a knight and was raised to surpass her father just like her numerous siblings. She had no escort or followers, just a bag over her shoulder and the will of a storm.


    Lanavera walked inside in strides and pestered everyone all day about how she couldn''t wait to meet the young lord Muracier and his wife, hopefully to impress them with her eager attitude and martial talent. Since she had known Kaisla already and met her many times in Highsteel, she requested a training fight right away when she spotted her, proceeded to loose by a small margin and immediately exclaim about how her opponent had improved and how she should do better as well.


    Afterwards, she spent hours in the backyard training like a madwoman and failed to meet the whole household because of it. Then, she came back in when called to eat and got impressed that they''d give her a free meal, thanking them profusely and expressing how much of a pair of good people she thought they were.


    Kaisla said that her new roommate didn''t sleep at all that night because she was too excited about being so close to her destination. She kept asking her all night about how the new lord was and how his wife was.


    "Should I show them a serious attitude or just go in and show honestly how eager I am to have the honor of working for them? I just don''t know. What if the new lady is super scary? What if she''s so much stronger than me that I''m basically useless? I hope the new lord can do something about Greenpeaks, the place isn''t doing good at all. I just hope I''ll get the chance to prove myself you know? Maybe I should have brought better clothes to wear under my armor, what if I look ridiculous? I''ll have to show them double the might! Maybe I should have hunted something big on the way to show them."


    According to Kaisla, this continued throughout the night. She spoke to Emp about it later and he explained that it might be due to her own circumstances. Her father was a mediocre knight unlike her grandfather who was great, putting her in a similar position as Erin and Leo. She wanted her family name to shine again and didn''t spare any efforts for it but the kingdom she lived in currently faced great difficulties and people left in droves to escape famine. There wasn''t enough food to strengthen all of her siblings and her, being the eldest, she had received the biggest support. If she failed, she would have failed them all instead of just herself. She could make all the efforts she wanted but there was almost nobody left to impress with her skills in Greenpeaks and those that remained only felt resentment towards people like her who failed to bring stability to their settlements. They blamed those in power for their problems and knights represented said power on the field.


    Emp had not realized when he sent her the invitation that this would be like a light showing the path she had to take in the dark forest. She would not allow herself to fail and disappoint the new lord because the Verepe house as a whole would crumble and vanish if she did.


    People reacted very differently to pressure, Calla just fainted, Emp steeled himself and accepted everything thrown his way and Lanavera just grew increasingly gung-ho.


    The young woman got up at the first light of dawn with not a second of sleep behind her and left the house right away for B¨ºt¨¦clair. Calla got up well before Emp did and had to send Svae to get her and bring her back before she walked too far. When told about what was truly happening and that she almost left the lord behind, she had a very interesting and funny reaction.


    "What! But! The letter says you''re in B¨ºt¨¦clair! How could a Muracier lie? Why?"


    "At this moment, the hopeful lady discovered the plot of the dark lord! Betrayed, she was at their mercy!" Destiny narrated from the back.


    "How did I turn into a dark lord? I said the house was full of people I trusted, I didn''t say whether I''d be there or not by the time the letter reached you all."


    "Laughing in front of his hopeless victim, the dark lord cruelly exposed his plans to the maiden and to her dismay, they were without weakness." Victory claimed with her arms held dramatically in the air.


    In the end, things turned out just fine, more so when they said they wanted her to stay.


    With all of them here, the house was overfilled with ladies and Calla''s brother didn''t dare step inside it anymore. All her days were filled with learning and the strange antics of everyone in the house. She had a great time, that was true, but... She still felt like she was missing the most important part. She had built of family of friends along with Emp but what she desired most still escaped her. She didn''t really care about noble bearings and giant castles, about fancy meetings and gorgeous dresses, what she wanted was the simple warmth of life and that was something that no amount of friendly noble ladies could bring her.


    Two years, almost three had passed and yet no cries were heard in the main room of her house. She did not understand why she was tortured this way. Her wish was so simple after all. An even bigger house to fit everyone in, along with Mable, Celtine and Harriett too, big enough to give their own space to the kids she wanted, if her body ever decided to finally allow it...

 148 First to leave and Nessas armor

    In the imperial noble school of B¨ºt¨¦clair, all the boys in group C were gathered in the field for practice. It was a rare occurrence these days. With the end of their school years coming closer, they barely found any occasion to all spend time together even if they wanted to.


    Emp for example had to spend all the time he had training with his grandfather and studying what he had yet to learn in the many other classes. Whenever he wasn''t doing one of those two things, he was following Mable somewhere to fulfill his obligations as her lord protector.


    Thanks to his intensive training, he felt much more worthy of the task than when he first accepted it. Now he didn''t just look the part anymore, he felt that he could also be actually useful if something serious happened.


    He was far from mastering everything Aminui Muracier was trying to teach him but at the very least, he had made significant progress. In magic as well, his studies progressed smoothly, he now knew a lot of spells that might or might not ever come to any use to him. He was done with economics classes, management and geography classes, could now properly ride horses and fight from their backs without falling over and knew enough about strategy and tactics to satisfy the teacher.


    The rest of the classroom was similar, they were mostly done with everything. This time around, Emp doubted that any students would remain behind for the next cycle. He heard that Heida was asked to stay there by her father even after she was allowed to leave but he didn''t really care about her plans and she was the only exception.


    None of the students were perfect but at this point, they knew enough to act as proper nobles should. As Blackbull would say, they knew enough to not be an embarrassment to their houses and themselves. Even Emp would soon be given her approval to leave. He could still improve a lot that was for sure but at least, he had been a better listener than Chinui and Chijou which had pleased the old teacher greatly.


    Nowadays, almost all the discussions between the students were centered on their plans for what they would all do after they left and when they would do so. Today was such a day, in the training yard, all the guys had come together to spar and say goodbye to the first to leave, Nereus Forewhale.


    The young man was eager to leave, having been born on Nose island in the sea south of the kingdom of Dugo, he was used to the salt and wind. He missed the ocean dearly and was tired of seeing the green sea of trees, he wanted to get the blue one back.


    "My friends, all of you will be welcome on my ship whenever it pleases you. I''ll have you all tastes the bounties of the ocean and witness its pure majesty."


    "I think I''ll stay on land, not to offend you but my armor disagrees with deep water." Frits said, pointing at his super heavy plates covered in thorns.


    If he fell off the boat while wearing that, he''d sink to the bottom of the ocean right away.


    "Why would you even wear that armor on a ship?" Kenneth asked with a confused frown. "It''s not like you''re a Muracier, you can remove it while outside, you know?"


    "I''d rather not, only the gods know what could possibly be hiding under the surface of those waters."


    "You''re afraid of tiny fishes? Well I''m not at all, as long as there is good drinks to be had and pretty women to be seen, I will grace your ship of my mighty presence whenever." Odilon called with a smug air Oliver slapped right out of him with a smack to the back of the head.


    "If it was my ship, I''d burn down the places you stepped on instead."


    "Ow! Why are you guys always so mean with me?"


    "Because you''ve been boasting nonstop for almost five years and you''ve never won a single spar against any of us." Ivar pointed out from high in a tree where he sat."


    Odilon had always claimed that he would do great things and that he was the best but neither his words or actual strength showed any of it.


    "Well it can''t be helped if all of my classmates are freaks with insane strength."


    That might be sort of true. Against ordinary people, Emp was pretty sure that Odilon would win, at least in a one on one.


    "Except for Emp, none of us are. You''re the one not putting enough efforts in your training." Cyril said with his arms crossed behind his back.


    He was practicing his posture right now so he hadn''t moved at all in a long while.


    "There''s no one here that can put as much effort in training as you or Emp." Oran said. "You''re at it all the time."


    Cyril being the son of a simple commoner, he worked harder than anyone here to prove he deserved his place. Honestly, he was stronger and more knightly than many in their group and others too. Emp thought he was impressive in his attitude and diligence, he was certain he would reach far.


    Norval Windslow agreed with his thoughts.


    "The higher you aim, the more efforts you need to put in. It''s only natural that Emp and Cyril would work so hard. They have a clear goal in mind and they''re willing to pay its cost. It is praiseworthy."


    He might be saying that but Emp wasn''t sure he truly thought so. He was the son of a duke and since he came to this school, he hadn''t put in any efforts at all. He would always easily reach the targets he put for himself effortlessly. His only loss had been with Aminui''s training. In his head, he seemed to think that he didn''t have to put in any efforts to obtain whatever he desired as it would naturally all come to him in time.


    In a way, it might have been true considering his noble rank. With his innate talent on top, he already had all he needed to succeed.


    For now though, Emp agreed with his words.


    "Because of those efforts I might not get any time to go sight-see in the south sea though. I think I''ll be very busy for a long time even though I wish to see you again and accept your offer."


    "That''s fine, we''ll all be busy. I''m sure we''ll find the time or at least some excuse to go visit the others from time to time."


    "I''m sure we can. At least even if we lack the time, you know that if you''re in trouble, we''ll all come to help you." Ivar said,


    "That right." Emp agreed. "The safety of everyone here is very important to me."


    "Aye I know. What''s the point of spending five years away from the sea if I don''t even make a few friends for later? Of course, you all can count on me too. I''ll miss you guys but honestly, right now, I miss home more. I can''t wait to smell the sea again and eat some good fish."


    That day, they mostly spoke of the sea and then on the next day, the whole group C gave their farewells to Nereus as he left the school for good. He was the first of their group to leave but now that he had done so, the end of this step of their lives became much more real to the rest of them. Their time here was over.


    It was sort of saddening to see him leave because Emp didn''t know when he''d meet him next. At the same time, he knew this was a good event for him, he''d go back home to see family and nostalgic sights. He had done his studies and could now go back to what he knew as a better person. Plus, he had gained many friends from across the empire that would be able to assist him later as well if he ever needed them. This end was just a beginning and it made Emp feel a lot better about it all.


    He still had a lot of things to do before this was over for everyone else though. First of all, he had just finished working on Nessa''s new armor and needed to give it to her.


    Vanessa Hasting was the last daughter of the duke of the northern grove. She wanted to inherit his lands instead of her younger brother she thought too weak for the task and this was why she had asked him for an armor. Being a classmate of his, one of the best friends of Mable and a very talented swordswoman, he had wanted to give her the very best he could possibly do for her.


    He wanted her to succeed in her task not only because he thought she deserved it and showed him an amazing sword technique but also because he thought of her as a good friend. He did his best to help her and after weeks of hard work, planning and reworking the armor, he could finally show her the end result of his efforts.


    Everything was thought and built with her and her royal sword dance in mind. A normal plate armor would not have done the job well and simply going with flexible materials to ease the dance would simply have been distasteful and dangerous.


    That day, what he unpacked in front of her and her friends was simply his best forge work yet and he dared think, much better than what she would have gotten from any other ordinary armorsmith. Marcelia, his legendary smith of a mother, approved his work too and after a long examination had even stamped her own mark alongside his own on the inside of his work.


    In some circumstances, placing a mark besides the first could be seen as trying to steal the merit from the work of another but in the case of such a renowned smith, this was a glowing endorsement instead. Anyway, as the master, it would have been her right to claim his work as her own and she had helped him a lot throughout the process.


    He had carefully wrapped each pieces in cloth and stored them in boxes he opened in Nessa''s room in front of her and her friends. He slowly removed each piece from their protective packaging and presented them in an orderly way, lining them up on her table. He could have just put everything in his bottomless bag but he felt that the occasion deserved a more appropriate presentation. It was such a good set or armor after all, he wanted her to have an appropriate way to carry it if she didn''t wear it.


    In the room with the attentive and eager Nessa, there were Aglaya Pierail, Mable, Brenia Harmaton and two unusual guests in the form of Juniper Glassart and Rica. All of them were here because they were curious about the armor Emp and his mother made for Nessa of course but also, all of them thought that Nessa was doing what she needed to do and supported her decision. Around them, their many servants including his own two, Harriett Sklavsang and Celtine Estelli, observed silently in case someone needed them.


    The rest of the group was curious too about the armor but they would have to wait for her to put it on and get on the field outside were they currently waited to see the whole thing.


    Emp took a long time to remove all the pieces from their packaging. It wasn''t that the task itself was long but rather that each little thing he got out was examined in detail by the six ladies. They''d rub their fingers on the cloth and mail, admire the engravings and closely observe the runes carved on the inside of every pieces.


    More importantly for Emp, since he was a man, he wouldn''t be able to help her put on the armor without feeling awkward so he had to explain to her two servants exactly what pieces went where and in what order to tie them.


    The explanation took a while but the ladies didn''t mind as they were busy staring at the craftsmanship of the many pieces.


    Emp didn''t spare any efforts to make it not only functional and resistant but also pleasing to the eye. As a warrior, he knew that the decorations didn''t serve any purpose in a fight aside from scaring the opponent but he also knew that if the mere sight of the armor inspired respect and awe, her personal objective from now on would be infinitely easier.


    He had a lot to say about the function of everything and their details but he chose to keep all that explanation for after she''d have put it on. It would be easier to show what he meant then.


    Once everything was unpacked and out in the open, it was clear to see that it was a giant puzzle of complex pieces. Most were already welded or tied but just putting everything on would still require some work and delicacy. If the servants didn''t do their job properly and something came loose during a fight, Nessa could very well die.


    He insisted on how important it was to tie everything properly and help her put it on with diligence before he sent them off with their mistress to try it on.


    "If something goes wrong don''t improvise, come back here with the piece and let me tell you how to fix it. We''ll be patient so don''t get anything wrong. I''ll examine it after to make sure you did a perfect job. Just good isn''t enough if the life of your master is on the line, got it?"


    The two nodded nervously and started dragging all the piece in Nessa''s bedroom.


    "So far so good, I like it. I can''t wait to see the final result." Nessa told him while her servants moved all the pieces.


    "Go on then. Everything should fit perfectly since I had you try a bunch of the parts beforehand but I''m still really curious to see if it all fits you as well as I pictured in my head."


    It might not be to the level of a confirmation gift but he still put all his efforts into it and tailored it to only her. The essence of this work was the same as when he worked for Calla''s or Mable''s gift. He wanted to see if he was right in his idea of what she was and what she needed.


    "Yeah, stop wasting time, we all want to see how good it''ll look on you." Juniper chimed in.


    "If his mother approved the work, I''m sure it will surpass our already high expectations." Aglaya added.


    Those two knew his real name as well as who Marcy was. They expected a result worthy of the bests in all of the empire. They expected to be able to say that Nessa''s armor would be the most impressive in all the north of this kingdom.


    This made Emp a bit nervous, he wasn''t as good as Marcy, he didn''t want to disappoint them. He hoped it would be enough to convince them.


    Nessa left to her bedroom for a long time while her servants and herself worked out how to put everything on. There were a lot of pieces and layers after all; leather over her clothes then chain-mail, padded cloth, steel, cloth again and then steel again with the ornaments on top of it all.


    The under-layer of leather was mostly there to make the chain-mail less uncomfortable so it wasn''t that thick but it did extend in many places where the plates would not. It was made with the skin of an armored bear of the crags for its innate resistance but he had not added any particular enchantments to it.


    Then there was the layer of chain-mail extending from her head all the way to her knees. Despite the layer of plate on top, this was the heaviest piece of the armor because no enchantments could be placed upon it.


    Then there was a layer of padded cloth between the plates and chain to minimize the scraping sounds and dampen any shocks received. It also extended past the plates and exposed the colors of her house, steel blue and pale gold.


    After that there were all the pieces of protective plating with more cloth in-between whenever they ended up layered over one another. That steel as well as the whole chain-mail was made of armored fairy steel. It was an alloy made of two parts of fairy-iron for three parts of turtle Iron. That combination gave the whole armor a slight teal sheen but more importantly, it gave it many interesting properties.


    Armored fairy steel was lighter than most other steel types but offered comparable protection, it hardly ever rusted, produced a surprisingly high note when impacted and had some phosphorescent properties. It would melt at a lower temperature than ordinary steel but if it was hot enough to melt it, the wearer of the armor would probably end up cooked anyway.


    From Emp''s point of view, the phosphorescent properties was a drawback but it was a small price to pay if it made the heavy weight of the armor manageable for someone like Nessa.


    His own armor was heavier than normal but the one he just finished making for her weighted about half of what it should without sacrificing any of its protective ability. Stealth would be impossible for her, even more so in the dark, but she would be as agile as ever even under all that steel.


    He spoke about all of this with the others while they all waited for Nessa to reappear. Aside from Brenia, the others were more interested in what it would look like though so his speech sounded more like a monologue than a conversation.


    When the door finally opened again to reveal the future duchess, everyone present cheered. She looked great in it, Emp felt very relieved that at least in looks, it seemed to be fine.


    "How does it look?" She asked her friends from under her helm.


    "That''s amazing! You look strong and dangerous but also, you look like you''re wearing a ball dress." Mable claimed.


    It was true it had been his intention to make it look like a ball dress. Her technique was all about dancing, he felt she should look the part too.


    "It''s a battle dress? It''s sort of pretty but its an armor so its supper thick, I''m confused on what to think." Rica commented with Harriett agreeing to her words with a nod.


    Rica rarely spent time with them because she quickly got lonely without Frits nearby but whenever he was busy, she preferred being with Mable''s group because they already knew of her circumstances. She wasn''t truly a noble but the small group here still accepted her as if she was one. It made for a more comfortable atmosphere for her and the others were happy to have her there as well.


    "I, for one, think that it look like a very decent armor. I can tell with just a glace that getting through it will be hard work. Anyone going against you has to be prepared for an arduous fight." Brenia said while twisting her head to look at it from other angles.


    "It looks ridiculously expensive, just the weight in armored fairy steel must cost a fortune." Juniper commented. "If I were you, I wouldn''t be ashamed to step in front of the king wearing that."


    Aglaya approved with a nod and added her own opinion on top.


    "It would be good even to meet with the emperor I think. I like how your house is perfectly represented on the armor too, your crest and colors are all in evidence, it screams Hastings. Could you turn on yourself for us?"


    Emp didn''t know whether it was good enough to meet with kings and emperor, he had not made it with that in mind. He simply did the best he could to improve her combat abilities.


    Nessa spun on herself once to show the sides and back properly to everyone. While Emp got up to examine it from closer. Obviously, he knew what it looked like because he made it himself but he had to check if everything was placed and tied properly.


    "Can I?" He said after extending a hand towards her.


    "Of course."


    He tugged at a few parts to check how they were all tied and asked if the weight was fine or if anything felt too tight or loose. He adjusted a few straps and pulled out a piece of cloth that was stuck under a plate but that was it, the servants did a good job for their first time.


    While he was doing that, the girls presented a small silver mirror to Nessa which she used to look at herself.


    "I was afraid I''d look ridiculous with a helm over my head but I don''t look so bad. It fits the shape of my face. Mable is right too, I look intimidating but charming too. If it looked too strong, it wouldn''t have matched me anymore but if it looked too pretty, I wouldn''t have been taken seriously at all. You''ve made it perfect, it''s much better than I imagined. I really love it, it''s great work Emp."


    She was beaming of joy. She clearly believed that he had been spot on when he interpreted her needs for the armor. It was a piece of equipment that needed to be representative of her, inspiring for her troops and intimidating for her enemies. Her face showed him clearly that she thought he had accomplished all of that splendidly which made him happy as well.


    He accepted the pleasing compliment with a nod and stepped back again to admire his own work.


    "Does it feel too heavy? Is it uncomfortable anywhere? Can you move properly?" He asked.


    "I think so." She stretched her limbs a bit and moved her arms around. "It feels fine, in fact, it doesn''t feel so heavy at all. Shouldn''t it be way heavier than that?"


    "It should but one of the three enchantments on it is helping along with the armored fairy steel. Hopefully, you can wear it for long periods of time if you need to." Emp answered.


    With that done, he now had to answer the many questions of everyone on the design and purpose of its look and shape. He didn''t really know where to start with it, there had been so much work that went into it.


    He opted to speak about the chest piece first since it was the central piece.


    It was primarily a cuirass shaped in a classical pointed way. The center of it extended far forward to drive spears and arrows to the sides more easily and giant roses with long thorny vines wrapping around the armor where engraved into it. Above those, at the height of her heart, it was the crossed swords and winged shoes of her house that were displayed.


    They were usually represented with a band of cloth going over across the upper parts of the crossed blades to represent their blind founder and Emp did the same. He used an outcropping of steel to represent the band of cloth which doubled as an arrow protection. If any arrow hit her chest and deviated upward towards her face, they would hit this band of steel and be sent left or right instead.


    The upper part of it was the one extending the furthest away from her chest to give her some space to breathe before it curved back over her shoulders and close to her neck.


    A scale-mail was draped on top of her shoulders like a fur to cover the straps and then over it, the bulky neck piece was placed. It had a distinct wedge in front to save her from any direct trusts and extended downward over her collarbone and in between the crossed swords carved on the cuirass. The upper part of it curved outward slightly to give her head some space to turn and ended in ornamented points reminiscent of the lacework bordering dresses.


    On either side of that, there were two layers of pauldrons. The upper one had a large elevated border forming a point curving up and then away from her neck, offering extra protection to it. It also extended downward along the front and back to cover the articulation properly.


    The lower one was more like a spaulder tied underneath that piece and covered her shoulders and upper arms more properly along with a large extra piece of plating shaped like a small shield. That one exposed her coat of arms in a colorful way and was made to cover her armpits every time she might raise her arms up which happened a lot because of her fighting style.


    Both of those shoulder pieces had nothing fancy carved on them but took the shape of puffing sleeves one might see on a dress and showed the same sort of roses as the lower end of the cuirass.


    The rest of her arms were completely encased in metal with a particular attention to the underside of her arms. With how often they were raised and help up, Emp had feared that the soft underside would have been dangerously exposed so he did his best to protect it with extra pieces.


    The gauntlets were fully armored as well to protect her fingers and the whole arm seemed to be connected to it thanks to the detailed engravings. He had hammered some abstract motifs on it like one would see on noble clothes and the lines linked all the pieces to one another as if they were all parts of the same sleeves.


    The helm he made her was much more interesting to look at. He had made it narrow and tall with a pretty curve and an eye catching visor. The visor was once again made to look like the winged shoes and crossed swords of her house and when opened, extended out to the sides like a crowning ornament. Then center shoes were made of the same steel but the wings extending to the side were made with gold.


    The winged shoes could be lowered on their own to turn the helm in a classic protective form, leaving a slit for the eyes but Emp had gone further. Knowing how the royal sword dance worked and where it would develop from here, he knew that in the later stages of it, the eyesight of the user was pointless. In that case, there was no need to leave a slit there, it was a pointless weakness he corrected. He had made a second layer to the closing part of the helm to fall down under the first, completely sealing the helm from the outside. When closed that way, it looked like a fold was placed on the part where her eyes should be, connecting the swords just like on her breastplate.


    Then, the swords crossed high on the helm and pointed outward with the tip of the helm cradled in between them. For the effect, he added a bouquet of feathers there but they were easily removable. Emp himself preferred hard and intimidating steel but he heard that this sort of flair was popular in both Thronewoods and the wide majority of Artefine.


    The lower half of the armor was the really unorthodox part however. Her waist was clearly shown in the shape of the armor like in most classic designs but under it, the armor flared out again at the hips. That lower part of the cuirass was separated into four independent sections, one in front, one behind and one on each side.


    Those side sections where made of many superposed layers cascading down her legs almost up to her feet with cloth in between each for both convenience and aesthetic. Those were the pieces that gave the effects of a dress. The two side pieces were separated by the center piece made much shorter to let Nessa kneel or ride more easily but the back side of the steel layered skirt was almost as long as the side ones. It might make it hard to sit on anything with a backrest but Emp was confident that it was worth it. All of those panels made up for most of the weight of the armor if he excluded the chain-mail but Emp thought it was worth it for what they did and how they acted. He couldn''t wait for everyone to see the special trick he prepared on those.


    If Nessa was to spin, all of those pieces would rise up like the dresses in a ballroom except the centrifugal force of Nessa''s spinning made them go up much higher.


    Under all of that, her legs were still armored properly in the classic way. The motif on all the leg pieces were similar to those of the arms and he had made the armored boots specially for her with the tips curving up to let her get on her tiptoes if need be. All the pieces of the legs and arms were made in smooth and hard to hammer in curves, with corner and edges extended and sharpened like thorns. It all mixed the dress theme and the rose theme together.


    The back of the armor was just more of the same, it was mostly there to cover all the straps of the front pieces and add layer of solid steel between her and someone behind her. That direction couldn''t be neglected after all considering how much she spun on herself. Leaving it open would have been dangerous. This back piece extended down to the ''skirt'' and up to the neck in order to complete the collar of the armor and its design.


    The straps securing that part were mostly hidden by the pieces of the front, they were extremely hard to tie up as it had to be put on after the front part but it also made it just as hard to undo, both intentionally or otherwise.


    Finally, over all of that, there were only a few more details here and there. Infused gold, lacquered inner pieced for contrast and tiny engraved lines everywhere to keep the ballroom dress theme or the rose thorn patterns.


    "Why roses though? Nessa isn''t particularly known for flowers." Mable asked.


    "I didn''t know any animal that dances and tea doesn''t make for a good armor theme. I could have gone with fairies for a theme but I never saw any. Instead, I went for the thorns. They wanted her to be a flower to be gifted to someone else but if they try now, they better be careful about her thorns. That''s the effect I went for."


    This was the reason she requested the armor and trained so hard after all. She wanted to use it to show her father that she could handle his territory and that she would not be given off as a gift to let her brother inherit the responsibilities instead of her.


    "Yes, thank you, this is exactly what I asked for. Will the skirt work as you said it would?" Nessa asked as she examined her armored self some more.


    "It should but it best to test it outside rather than here." Emp answered with confident smile.


    "Does it do more than just protect her leg?" Brenia asked them.


    "You haven''t told us if you placed any enchantments on it either." Juniper pointed out.


    "It does and I did." Emp answered with a mischievous smile. "It''s better if Nessa shows you though. Just telling you would spoil the surprise. Let''s all go outside to check it out, I''ll tell you about the enchantments on the way."


    "Then''s lets go! I can''t wait!" Mable clapped in excitement. She looked even more jolly than Nessa.


    On the way to the field, while Nessa was getting used to walking in that armor, he told the girls about the tree enchantments he painstakingly engraved into the armor.


    The first was the weakest, it was a protection against magic. It wasn''t all that strong because the other two took all the space in the armor.


    "Its the armor weakest points. Since you should go mostly against cursed-bloods and monsters, I felt it wasn''t all that necessary. Make sure you don''t get hit by spells and you''ll be fine."


    "Got it, I won''t let myself get hit." Nessa acknowledged.


    The last two were those that made this whole armor possible. The first made it slightly lighter than it already was to make Nessa''s life easier and the last one made the armor sharp.


    "What do you mean sharp?" Rica asked curiously.


    "You''ll see in the field. When Emp came up with that idea, I loved it right away, I can''t wait to see if it works well." Nessa said with her fist clenched in excitement.

 149 Choice of task

    The group accompanying Nessa soon reached one of the training fields outside and was welcomed by the rest of the group C. Emp was surprised to see that his own grandfather was there too, he must have been curious to see what he could do with a forge.


    Seeing him, Mable''s competitive spirit immediately got fired up. She had a grudge against the Muraciers that Emp didn''t understand and whenever she crossed paths with Aminui, she would make that frustrated face and contradict anything he said or did.


    This time around, she took a boastful air as if his talent at forge work was a great achievement surpassing what Aminui''s praised grandson could do. Obviously, she didn''t know that he was that same grandson. In a way, it was pretty comical to see her try to upset Animui all the time using Emp since it could only please the old man.


    While Mable was attempting to stare down Aminui who was much taller than her, the others focused on Nessa and her new armor instead. Most found it pretty impressive to look at and praised its appearance.


    Even those that were usually grumpy like Heida and Gervaise couldn''t help but find his work impressive.


    "Why would a high noble be so good with his hands? That''s ridiculous." Heida complained. "Nicolas, you should work harder too or you''ll remain talentless."


    "I''m not talentless!"


    The rest of the group had more normal praises than that to give. Mable stood with pride and took all the compliments as if they were directed at her.


    "It''s because my Emp is so good, of course it''s going to look at least this good."


    "He''s not your Emp." Aminui stated flatly.


    Mable immediately got offended and raised her voice while glaring daggers at the old man.


    "What do you mean with that!"


    "Well I don''t see any offering on him. Isn''t he already a married man too? If you want to say things like that you better give him an offering quick."


    Mable growled in annoyance but didn''t find anything to get back at him.


    "Grrraw, you''re a mean old man!"


    "I''m not mean, I''m honest instead. Stop wasting time and give him an offering already. What do you think your father will do? Go to war with his family? Ahahahahahahah!"


    Obviously, from his point of view, the notion must have been ridiculous as no one would ever dare go to war with the Muracier. They say that hunger makes a man go crazy but love makes a whole nation go crazy, Emp didn''t think they''d be that foolish though.


    While the two of them where having that one sided arguments. Emp explained everything about the armor once more and set up what he needed to test its efficiency.


    "What''s this log for?" Penny asked as he placed it to stand in an empty spot.


    "You''re going to throw it at her to test the armor''s resistence?" Oran tried.


    Zoran turned pale from fright at the idea.


    "Of course not! He wouldn''t let Nessa inside it if he was going to do that!" Ivar retorted.


    "Well you never know with Emp, he might be ignorant enough to try it." Gervaise snickered.


    "I''m not." Emp stated flatly. "It''s there to see how sharp the armor is."


    That being the case, he needed the log to not move at all so he used earth magic to dig a narrow pit into the field and buried the log halfway inside. Like this, only about a meter and a half of wood stuck out of the ground.


    "How sharp it is? What does it mean?" Everyone was puzzled in front of his statement except for Nessa.


    "We will show you in just a moment, would everyone please stand back from Nessa and the log."


    The log in question was quite wide, it was good quality wood and equalled a grown man''s torso in size.


    Nessa stepped closer to it and everyone else backed off like Emp asked. They all wanted to see the armor up close but waiting just a few moments more didn''t really bother them all.


    "It should go through, you just have to move up to it steadily." He told Nessa before retreating as well.


    "I understand."


    Everyone stared hard while she took the starting position of the royal sword dance. Shortly after, she stepped into the first and then the second stage of it and started spinning on herself rapidly.


    "No way! What is that?" Girls and boys exclaimed alike.


    What they were witnessing was what Emp had worked so hard on. The dress of steel would raise up in the air slightly from the rapid spins of Nessa but then got stuck thanks to how they were tied to her legs. They couldn''t go that far up and kept protecting her legs properly. However, something else kept rising from the dress.


    The stem of the roses engraved into the steel of her armor made circles around it and it was their many thorns that rose up from the centrifugal forces. All around the dress, Emp had painstakingly locked dozens of long blades in place with well oiled hinges hidden inside the flower stem. Those blades were extremely sharp and almost made the length of her leg, starting just under where her fingers could reach.


    The thorns rose up quickly with her few first spins and then kept a straight angle away from her. As she quickened her pace, the usual speed blur occurred and the whole set of blades turned into what looked like a disk from outside.


    "Emp, what did you do? What is that?" Brenia asked, incredulous.


    "The current problem of Nessa was that if someone charged right at her, she had a hard time reacting so I wanted to stop anyone from getting too close. Plus, when she spins like that, her legs are the weakest point of her. If someone manages to jam a sword or spear between her legs, the spin will stop and she will probably be greatly injured from the shock. The dress stops that while the blades keep everyone away."


    Nessa spun closer and closer to the log with the ominous and continuous sound of the blades cutting the air around her.


    "No way, is that what the log''s for?"


    Emp was sure that everyone understood what they were trying by now.


    The very edge of the blurry disk touched the log and splinters flew everywhere. Nessa''s spins didn''t slow at all and she kept moving forward. It made the terrible sound of wood being torn to shreds while the disk dug deeper and deeper into it. She wasn''t progressing at an incredible pace but she was still ''walking'' straight. If she could spin even faster, if she could reach the third stage for example, Emp believed she would just be able to run through the log.


    Finally the log was split in half and the upper section spun over the disk and tumbled to her side. It seemed that the sharpness enchantment he placed on the armor worked as intended. If she could go through wood steadily like that, she would have no problems with muscles and skin.


    Emp put in clear words what everyone just witnessed.


    "If someone steps close to her now, they get their legs removed."


    "Scary!" Josseline said with revulsion.


    "What if she hits something that can''t be cut?" Norval asked. "Won''t she have to endure a backlash and get knocked out?"


    "That would be true for her actual swords too but I thought about it already. The hinges are loose so that if she hits a rock or steel, the blade will be torn off instead of stopping her spin. I''m sure they will break often but they aren''t that hard to replace as long as you have some descent smith on hand. The enchantment isn''t even engraved on the blades directly but in the dress instead."


    "Is that why it''s so ridiculously sharp? Even an enchanted blade shouldn''t be able to cut through a log this big this quickly. Since you wrote the spell on the armor instead of the blade, you had a lot more space to improve the sharpness of it all." Penny explained.


    Emp nodded in confirmation.


    "That''s right, that''s exactly what I did but I had to sacrifice the whole lower half of the armor for this so the magic defences of it ended up weak."


    Nessa stopped her spins and after restoring her equilibrium, took a victory pose while looking at the log. Its surface could not be called smooth, it was all rugged and splinters stuck out of it al over the place. Meanwhile, all the blades had went back to resting on her steel dress.


    "It works just as you said it would! It''s amazing! This is well worth the money I paid you for this! I''m so thankful I asked you for this armor instead of someone else! It looks better than I hoped, doesn''t impede my movements much and it''s just overall fantastic."


    "I''m glad you like it." Emp answered with a smile of his own.


    As long as she was satisfied, he''d consider that he had done a good enough job.


    "Won''t she cut herself with it?" Oran asked.


    "No, I had the blades start lower than her fingers can reach just in case but even if she put her whole arm in the disk, she wouldn''t get cut. She''s spinning at the same speed as the blades after all."


    "I don''t get it..." The bulky man said while scratching his head.


    Oran was never the brightest one and the others weren''t that bothered by it but Emp didn''t feel like explaining that the blades weren''t moving from Nessa''s perspective right now. It would have to wait for later as it might take a while.


    Nessa got back with the rest of the group and hurriedly clasped Emp''s hand into her own.


    "Thank you Emp, my friend. This is exactly what I needed and wanted. It''s perfect, I owe you now."


    "It''s not perfect and you don''t owe me anything, you already paid for it."


    As the one who made it, Emp was well aware of the many flaws it had, ranging from its weakness to magic all the way down to some sculpted details that could have been achieved more properly by a true master and passing through the unwieldy nature of the spinning blades and the danger they posed to allies if they ever escaped their hinges.


    "But I still owe you for the elixir at least and the end result of that armor is much more than what I paid for."


    "The price was honest, let''s not talk about this. Just complete your objective and it''ll be enough to pay me back."


    She paid for the materials and the time he put into it as well, what he had her pay was just the price she should have. He wasn''t a merchant or a smith, he didn''t need to make a huge profit out of this.


    "I''m impressed with your work. It''s both a well crafted armor and a strong weapon. It''s a fearsome piece of equipment all around. I''m sure lord Hasting will be breathless in front of the young lady when she goes back home." Aminui praised.


    Mable was about to answer something again but this time around, Aglaya stopped her. "Just accept the praise politely." She whispered to her friend.


    Mable made a frustrated pout while Nessa answered Aminui.


    "I hope so. It would make it all so much easier for me if he could just accept this."


    "Well I don''t know what your father will think seeing you covered in steel like that but ''I'' am itching to fight you right now. Lets have a spar!" Brenia roared eagerly.


    Nessa was about to accept in order to further get used to this new armor when she noticed a slight detail.


    "I must apologize, I guess I was so excited about this new armor, I forgot to bring my swords."


    She usually tied them at her hips but she had forgot to do so with this new armor in the way and all the excitement. The rest felt pretty disappointed until Emp presented them with his own solution. He had made two new swords matching with her armor just for her, he just didn''t have the occasion to show them to her yet.


    "Then take those, I made them with the leftover steel of your armor."


    He pulled the twin swords out of the bottomless bag and presented them both to her inside their specially made scabbard. Both of their hilts mirrored each other and were intricately decorated.


    They had a large rose adorning them at the point where the guard and the blade connected, sticking out vividly from the metal. The right one was tinted in steel blue and the left one in dark pink. The two swords had the guards of a rapier with a back-guard along with the usual wide cross-guard. Both of those were made to look like the stems extending from the roses, complete with thorns and tiny leafs. The rose at the back of the blade extended its stem into the back-guard while the one in front made up the cross-guard.


    The grip was short and comfortable because he didn''t expect her to wield one with both hands and the back-guard was made wide to let her twist her wrist under it as she pleased.


    The scabbards showed that the blades were rather long and thin, Emp had made them a meter and thirty each. (1) The leather of the scabbards was smooth and strangely built into hand-made belts. Words were engraved into them. The blue rose showed the Hasting motto "Graceful steps of victory and awe" while the dark pink one presented Emp''s hopes for his friend "A whirling dancer of thorns scattering their foes like petals in the wind".


    "Are those really for me?" Nessa asked as she stared at the delicately forged roses on the guards.


    "Of course they are, they have your house''s motto engraved on both the scabbard and blade, who else am I gonna give them to?"


    "But you didn''t have to, these aren''t part of the request. I can''t possibly accept those." Nessa tried to turn away the blades while the rest was praising the work of art that were the guards.


    Emp didn''t know if she refused because they were too bad for her or too pretty, or if she thought they would cost too much. He didn''t know how to convince her to take them outside of telling her why he made them.


    "You should accept them because I don''t think you can tie your old swords on top of this new armor properly. I told you it was far from perfect, this is one of the inconveniences, you can''t have a scabbard on top of the dress because the blades won''t be able to rise. This means that the swords have to be tied under the dress and it took me a while to figure out how to make a custom belt to tie them on properly. Even if you don''t want the swords, you''ll need the scabbards so that whoever you ask for new ones will know how to make the whole set properly.


    Plus, they are obviously made as a match for the armor and like I said, they are leftovers, there''s nothing else to do with those than to give them to you. If you don''t take them, I''ll store them in the bag and never take them out again. You don''t even need to pay for those."


    "But you seem to have put so much work into them, the roses and leaves look so lifelike, just like on the armor! How could I not pay for them!"


    "Honestly, I had quite a lot of fun making those. That wasn''t work at all, I did it for my own satisfaction in my free time. I insist, you have to take them."


    That was the truth, in the past, Emp didn''t understand the thing about pass-times. There was so much to do after all, how could people waste some of it on random meaningless acts. Since a while ago though, he had changed his mind. Always training and studying was tiring, a pass-time was refreshing like spending time with friends and family.


    When everyone else was busy with something, he''d sit in his workshop or the forge and fiddle with tiny ornaments like those for the swords. He took great pleasure in seeing them come alive with efforts and patience. He might not be as good as Marcy was, she could do all that quickly and efficiently, but he liked to do it slow and stare at it taking shape just like how he liked to stare at the mountains or a river.


    Sometimes, Calla would come in too and sit down at his side to watch him work and marvel at the tiny details he just completed. He loved when she did that, he felt proud and he liked her presence at his side. That was the true reward of his work on the swords.


    With his words and the encouragements of the others urging her to take them, she relented and wrapped her fingers around the grips of both swords.


    "Then I guess I don''t have a choice but to accept. Truly, thank you."


    "You''re welcome again. This one is the right one and that one is the left one, don''t confuse them." Emp warned her.


    "Why, what''s the difference?" Nessa asked curiously.


    For someone like Emp or Brenia, it was obvious but Nessa had never been an expert in weaponry. Emp wasn''t bothered by it but before he could explain it, it was his grandfather that provided her the answer.


    "Lady Hasting, the back-guards are mirrored to fit a certain hand. If you grip the wrong one you won''t be able to swing it properly. Plus, the one in your dominant hand should be the one harboring the color of your house, the steel blue rose."


    "That''s right, that''s why I made one blue and one red. You just have to remember that the red one''s the wrong one."


    "I see. It''s true that by respect, I should hold my own colors in my right hand." Nessa accepted their words as a new information she''d keep in mind and pulled out the two swords.


    The two blades had nothing particularly fancy. They were long, fine and sharp. Emp had engraved some magic to make them more resistant because he feared she might snap them with all the strength behind her spinning. Aside from that, the words on the scabbards were engraved here again in a barely visible way.


    "They''re really long but they''re light. I thought they would feel heavy." Nessa commented as she raised them up and down to understand their weight.


    "Of course they wouldn''t be heavy! He used the same super light steel than for your armor!" Brenia impatiently told the noble girl. She was eager to have a fight.


    "Right, sorry, I''m just impressed. They fit my hands so well, it''s surprising. Do they have a name? What about the armor itself?"


    "I haven''t thought about that, you can give them the names you want."


    That notion hadn''t even crossed Emp''s mind. He just worked hard to make the best possible equipment, he had not wondered how people would refer to them. It had no incidence on their quality after all. Plus, he had never given a name to anything before. Considering how he usually was and how his creators were so bad with names, he expected that the result would be terrible if he did.


    "That''s great, think of a good name and have Emp carve it into them before going home! Everyone back in northern Artefine will talk about those." Mable said with a few excited claps of her hands.


    Emp didn''t think that the blades were that special though. They had no crazy enchantments or particular crazy characteristics, they were just made to match the newly forged armor he gave her. What would people even talk about?


    "I''ll think about it seriously and find a good name for all three. This will be fun too." The interested girl agreed to her friend''s words with a sweet smile.


    Shortly after, the noble lady tried out her new equipment against the other students and was pleased with its performances. Emp and Aminui observed from the sides to see if anything was amiss with the armor or swords. The old Muracier also used the opportunity to give Nessa some pointers and it ended up being a productive afternoon for everyone.


    At the end of it, Nessa was exhausted and complained about the heat. Her armor wasn''t cold like Emp''s so staying so long under the sun was very taxing. The metal would end up almost burning to the touch and the many layers of cloth made it stuffy or even sweltering. She would have to get used to it if she wanted to stand on the front-lines wearing it.


    Afterwards, Mable wanted to invite her friends and Emp to celebrate but Aminui put a stop on her plans.


    "Emp can''t follow you this time, the duke Jazay wants to speak with him about the end of his studies."


    Mable seemed skeptical but since Muraciers never lie, she had no choice but to concede this time and let Emp go see the ancient on his own. Well, almost on his own, Celtine and Harriett were still with him.


    Emp said goodbye to everyone for now and made his way to the other old man''s office. He wasn''t bothered to be called so suddenly like this. It was usually him who called the duke this way so he couldn''t complain when it happened the other way around, plus, he had expected to be called for a long time already.


    The servant at the door recognized him and quickly announced his presence to the lord inside who allowed him in.


    "Ye lad finally be here. Ye be takin yer sweet time. I be havin a lot to distrust with ye."


    "My lord meant discuss rather than distrust."


    "Aye, this be what I meant. Now, sit down and hear me words."


    Of course, Emp did as he was told and sat down on the presented seat, wondering if this was about what he thought it was.


    "As ye be knowing, me and yer grandfather be pleased with yer progress. Ye be reseased/"


    "Released, that one wasn''t even a word my lord."


    "It be a word if I say so! Be released then... What was I sayin again? Right! Ye be able to leave soon and by soon I really be meaning as soon as ye want, ye be done."


    "Really?"


    Emp wasn''t surprised to hear this, it was exactly what he expected even if he didn''t feel ready at all. There was a lot more for him to learn with Aminui among other things. The old man seemed to read his thoughts.


    "Yes, what ye be needin now is more experience outside. The techniques of the Muraciers shouldn''t even be taught to ye here in the first place, ye be learnin that later once ye be back home in Highsteel. Fer now, yer old man and me prepared ye two options."


    "Two options? What sort of option?" Emp asked him while the old man drank his fill of whatever alcohol was in his glass cup.


    "We be needin ye to learn how to lead men property and so we be placin ye in a commandin position. Ye got two places that would be good."


    "My lord meant properly rather than property."


    "Aye, this be what I be meanin. Yer grandfather be thinkin ye might want to head north of here to reinforce the border with the tribesland. Ye''d see a lot of fightin there and it would be a great place to train but yer uncle Graube also be there right now."


    "I see."


    Emp could understand the viewpoint of his grandfather. He had placed a lot of efforts in helping out Nessa up to now. Going there to help her further would certainly be pleasing but on the other hand, he would have to butt heads with Graube who he had not met yet. It was an interesting idea but Nessa probably didn''t need his help right now, he felt that the armor and weapons he just gave her might be enough of a push to help her get on top already.


    "What''s the other option?"


    "The other be the one I thought of meself. Far west of here in Greenpeaks, they still be troubled but Graube be doin nothing. I be understandin that famine be not somethin a warrior can really do anything about but the people there be needin order if they be wantin the imperials ta help.


    The place would be safe with only starved bandits and angry commoners so it would be a good place to get familiar with the workin of an army. Yer task would be to assist the locals in safekeepin and escort out of there those that would like to leave."


    Emp nodded in interest, that other option was great too. The fact that the goddess Life resided in Greenpeaks made it all the more attractive for him. Maybe he could wrap everything up in one go. He could complete the task given to him, fix the problem Love detected in him and have Life regrow the wings of Celtine all at once.


    He also still felt rather bad about the situation in Greenpeaks in general. Ever since he had learned about this way back then when he first crossed the city of Red-Water, he had wondered if there was some way for him to help them. Maybe this was the occasion he was looking for? Graube wouldn''t be there to disturb him either.


    If he really had to pick one of those two options, this was probably the better one to take.


    This might even be what Love told him to accept back then. She had warned him that the ancient would come to him with a proposition and that he needed to accept it as it would be greatly beneficial for him. He didn''t remember her exact words but this must have been it. She had warned him years ago after all, what else could it possibly be?


    "I''ll go with your idea this time I think." He answered the old man.


    "This be great, I''ll be givin ye more details later. Fer now, ye be needin to select people."


    Again, Emp had no idea what this meant.


    "Please explain."


    "It be not complained/"


    "Complicated."


    "Yaya, this be what I be meanin. Ye be needin to choose some students to accompany ye. Me and yer granddah will place ye in charge with some experienced leaders just under ye but ye be not the great general yet.


    They should listen but might refuse to obey on account of Graube''s influence.


    Ye be needin some lads ye be trustin. Those ye choose will be officially invited to work directly under the young lord Muracier, ye. They be not controlled by the other commanders and they hopefully be more useful than ordinary troops.


    Yer old man also be arranging for fresh troops to join ye so ye can organize them how ye want and place yer trusted lads in charge of whoever. This be a live trainin after all. All will be into yer hands, how to deal with yer own troops, with yer allies, with yer enemy and the hard heads too.


    Uh, I be supposed to explain about yer invitin of lads but ended up chattin about the whole thing instead. Just make me a list of who ye want along with an official letta of invitation I''ll unseal in front of ye all and read. Don''t ferget to be writin yer own name if ye don''t want the rest to know who ye are yet."


    That was a long winded and strangely formulated explanation but Emp now understood what he meant. He believed that choosing some allies for himself would not be that hard, in fact, he felt like inviting the majority of the group. The question instead was; Would they agree to follow? They all had plans and to their knowledge, had never met the young lord Muracier. Would they accept the invitation?


    *-*-*-*


    (1) 1m30 is about 51in. it''s unusually long for a one handed sword. Certain rapiers reached that length but you''re supposed to poke your opponent with them, not slash them like Nesa will.

 150 Kaislas decision

    Kaisla had taken her decision after her overlong investigation on whether Emp or Graube was more suitable to become the next great general. It was a difficult task and a very important one not only for the empire as a whole but for her own future too. Grandfather Aminui wanted her to marry the next great general to make sure she''d have a bright future so it did concern her on a very personal level.


    She had come live in this small village to watch over his wife and try to figure out who he was but ended up having a hard time spending any significant time with him outside of sword training behind his house. Most of her time was used trying to educate his wife Calla or trying to control the impulses of the strange group of ladies gathered in this house.


    Calla, despite being very lovely, was unable to keep her household under control. If Kaisla didn''t do anything, this small house would soon fall into chaos. While Calla smiled, listened to others and cooked, Kaisla worked behind the scenes to insure that nothing would get out of hands.


    She would stop the sisters from doing any mischief, she would stop the twins from causing a drama too extreme, monitor the more feisty girls and have them work out their excess energy outside and so on. This way, she managed to keep everyone in a stable mood for the new lady.


    To be absolutely honest, everyone here should be mature enough to not cause problems to the household but the current situation was just as abnormal for them as it was for her. They were here to attend to a lady and help her in her tasks but she only cooked and relaxed all day. They were wondering what they were there for. As ladies-in-waiting, they also knew that there was a real possibility for them to eventually be uplifted to actual sisters which meant, turning into Emp''s wives. However, meeting the guy for any longer than a meal proved to be almost impossible for all of them.


    The man was always working on something and only spent a little time with anyone particular. Aside from Calla whom he favored by a large margin as a husband should, he barely ever met anyone for anything. He didn''t push anyone away when they came to see him or just walked in on his work to watch but he didn''t make any efforts of his own to learn about them either.


    This left the group of ladies to feel like he had no interest in any of them. Kaisla understood that this wasn''t the case. The others did as well in a way, after all, he didn''t have any more time for the girls that already were there before them. Simply, despite their thoughts, the feeling didn''t go away. They felt dissatisfied.


    Thankfully, things would change pretty soon. Whether lady Calla was ready for it or not, she would soon have to face the court and lords as only wife of the household heir. At that point, the ladies reunited here would find a real meaning to their presence. Aside from this, they were recently prooven wrong twice over by the young lord actions.


    With all of that said, it was difficult for her to truly grasp his character aside from the fact that he was very diligent in the tasks he had to complete and his own training. The man never missed training, neither his own or the training of the others. He was always there to participate and improve himself. He gained a lot of points in the books of Lanavera and Bailey for the training. Lusine found this behavior very dignified too and admired how strict he was with his own work as well.


    She agreed this was a quality but it shouldn''t define his whole character. It wasn''t her task to determine whether he was able to fulfill the work of a great general, she only needed to find out if he would be more appropriate mentally for the post than Graube. This overly dominant trait of his didn''t tell her anything and she had to work very hard to find out more about him.


    In order to understand, she had to make a lot of efforts listening to him and everyone else around. She watched how he behaved with the others, spoke to Marcellia, heard about his previous adventures from the everyone and collected the opinion of all the girls living in the house.


    Galana in particular had said something she thought very important to her decision, it hapenned at the same time as the events that changed the minds of the others.


    This woman had a surprising amount of power in the household and according to everyone, she was the one that had known the young lord for the longest time. He trusted her with all his personal money and despite her rude behavior, he always listened carefully to her opinions and ideas.


    At first, Kaisla hated her. The woman was way too disrespectful to her lord, she deserved a strong punishment. She was just a slave too, what right did she have to speak so insultingly to him? She was baffled that the lord never got angry or displeased by her behavior. Every time she called him an idiot, Kaisla got angry enough that she would have punched her right in the face. It was a slight to the great Muracier name, yet, Emp just ignored it and let it all slide like it was nothing.


    Her grandfather Aminui was open minded too and didn''t take it to heart when other lords spoke their minds to him but he did take action when unveiled insults where thrown at him or the imperial family.


    She had thought he was weak willed but the others assured her not and she was once proved wrong too when a travelling merchant insulted the cursed-blood servant. When he heard of it, even though the servant in question didn''t seem that upset to have been insulted and made to pay extra for her purchases, he still got extremely angry and walked all the way to the central place of the village to smack the face of the merchant twice and had him pay back what he took in surplus.


    Kaisla and many of the other ladies witnessed this and found the scene shocking, they had never seen him angry for anything before. His face would warp into something truly terrifying when he was.


    Like all Muraciers, he had a naturally strong expression that made him look displeased and like all of them, when he truly was displeased, the air around him changed completely. When Aminui was displeased, his face didn''t change at all but the feeling of it got stifling. His true anger was something even Kaisla had only seen a few times and those were scary memories she never wanted to experience again, even if she had never been the one to cause that anger.


    Emp was similar, that time, he had not been all that mad but still showed a face that could make the people he knew pale. She wondered if it was less intimidating for those who didn''t experience the usual calm Emp.


    What the Porter sisters had once told her was right, Emp didn''t care when he was the direct victim of words. He was impervious to them like a giant tortoise was impervious to butter knives. In reverse, he could not stand it when someone he knew was badmouthed or mistreated. Kaisla felt as if his reason flew out of his head whenever something like that happened.


    This wasn''t a good trait to have for a great general. If he could not control his mood like this, it could influence his decisions and lead the armies to ruin. She needed to take this into account. It also painted a huge target on his close circle for his enemies. They would all know soon that to truly hurt him or lead him into a trap, they only needed to threaten someone he cared for.


    Even though it affected his chances of becoming great general negatively, the rest thought it was a good trait to have. They knew of many lords who barely cared for people working for them and would react to insults to their families only because it slighted them by proxy instead of actually trying to defend the victim. The many ladies serving Calla were even more pleased of this when they started to understand that they were also in the circle of those benefiting from this protection. Kaisla could easilly relive the event in her memory, it was what led her to the insightful discution she shared with Galana.


    Emp didn''t seek the company of everyone on his own but he did listen to them all and enjoyed their presence around him and his wife. Even if he didn''t show it well, he did care and he did pay atetntion to what was happening around him.


    One day a woman from the village came to complain about Bailey''s wolves. She was loud and very zealous. She had no idea that Bailey was the daughter of a baron just like she had no idea that Emp was a Muracier but even if she knew, Kaisla had the feeling that she would still have campaigned to have the wolves executed.


    Bailey is usually the loud one but this time around, she couldn''t place a word and was one-sidedly yelled at by the woman. She looked pitiful and made herself small while anger stormed out of the woman''s mouth. She must never have been berated this strongly in her life before, even if her precious "dogs" were insulted and threatened continuously, she couldn''t defend them at all. Simply put, the woman was hysterical.


    Anyone that tried to intervene got shouted at just as much, it was impossible to reason with her. That was what Kaisla thought until Emp showed up.


    The grandson of her lord jumped from the second floor window and forcibly pushed his way between the woman and Bailey to shield her. The gaze in his eyes was complicated, what he felt was unclear. He seemed frustrated, maybe a bit angry at the woman, but he also seemed to pity her. Since she lived in the village, he must have known her for a while too.


    Still, instead of siding with the woman he knew for a long time, he took the defence of Bailey. Even thought everyone knew he didn''t like the wolves all that much and even if they all knew Calla was scared of them, he still chose to defend Bailey''s precious "dogs".


    "Cut it out now, those aren''t the wolves that killed Vesa."


    The woman showed deep hatred to Emp, so deep she almost looked demented. Kaisla later heard that this woman''s son was in love with Calla before he was killed by forest spiked wolves. She heard that Emp was present at the time too as he was one of the young man''s friends and failed to protect him. The young lord felt guilt towards the woman, he felt a part of responsibility in the death of the boy.


    From the woman''s point of view he let her son die, stole the girl he loved and then raised the same kind of wolves that killed his rival as pets. She couldn''t possibly feel more slighted than what she felt right now.


    The woman didn''t even try to restrain herself and just gave the lord a violent slap everyone in the yard heard. Emp didn''t move an inch, he just blinked in surprise. The girls gasped at the scene, this simple commoner just slapped one of the most influential man of the empire while he was already angered.


    Anywhere else in the empire and it would have been a terrible offense, anyone else and the woman would have had to pay dearly for this.


    After that, she screamed her grievances again yet the lord didn''t flinch. He interrupted her with a tone so low it just drowned her acute voice. The scene looked unreal, she was being so loud yet her voice couldn''t hold on against his words. She shouted over his words yet it was his voice everyone heard better.


    "You can be angry at me all you want but you have no right to be overbearing or violent with the women living here. You don''t get to harass my household because of Vesa. I know you are angry but none of this can bring him back.


    The wolves won''t leave from here until she does and she isn''t going anywhere until Calla does or she decides to leave of her own accord. Now turn back before you do something you''ll regret. If you do not, I will drag you to your husband myself."


    Bailey was the one that fit in the least in the group and yet, Emp still defended her against someone he felt so bad towards. This left a deep impression in the minds of the others as well as the way he ignored the slap.


    In the end, Emp truly did have to drag her away by himself. She tried to slap him a second time but he caught her wrist on the way and didn''t let it go again afterwards. Despite her violent reaction and shouts, he kept holding it and puled her away.


    Then, after he came back, he gave the two Porter sisters the mission to keep watch throughout the nights from now on to make sure that the woman wouldn''t come to try to kill the wolves while they slept.


    "If she or the wolves get injured, you will have failed your assignment but the real consequences for this house will be way worse. Do not let me down and don''t let her do something stupid. Don''t try to reason with her either, just knock her out if she sneaks in the yard at night."


    "Got it Emp!" "We''re on it!"


    The sisters were proud to be given this task but the rest felt a bit worried that they were the ones tasked with the watch. Thankfully, in the end, nothing hapenned.


    That evening, at the dinner table, Bailey thanked him for intervening and then asked him about it with guilty looking face.


    "Why did you defend my dogs if you don''t like them?"


    "I don''t understand."


    The lord was making that face he often did with one brow lower than the other as he tried to figure out the sense of what was said to him. He really had some problems understanding others sometimes and like that day, only a few around the table could figure out what he didn''t understand in that simple question.


    "Is it because I''m a noble that you pulled her away from me or is it to preserve the dignity of this house?" Bailey gave some examples of what she expected him to answer.


    "This has nothing to do with nobles or the way people view us. Even if I don''t like the dogs, you do. This is what is important. Those dogs did nothing wrong, I just can''t accept any of you being belittled or yelled at for no reason. You should be praised and rewarded instead for having raised all those obedient dogs. I thought this was obvious."


    It hadn''t been obvious for anyone else than him but this did make them understand that he held more interest in them than what it seemed on the surface.


    "Idiot! Of course it''s not obvious! You barely acknowledge their presence! How are they supposed to guess you care about them?" Galana chided him in front of everyone.


    Again the lord didn''t feel the way she addressed him was a bad thing and just answered what he felt.


    "So you''re saying I''m not vocal enough about my satisfaction towards their efforts and presence? I thought that the fact I never complained about anything was enough. If I was dissatisfied with someone or something they did, I would have said so."


    "But the lack of dissatisfaction doesn''t mean you really appreciate it, it just means you don''t dislike it! Normal people need to be told they did good because they can''t know what you think in silence idiot! You don''t even ask them for how they feel or their hobbies!"


    The lord looked even more puzzled than before.


    "Why do I have to ask about something I already know? Calla tells me all about it every night. If any one of you felt sad or lacked something, Calla would just tell me later in bed. Asking again for something I know is just a waste of time."


    Galana looked really exasperated while the rest looked in bewilderment at the scene and the strange revelation. They just heard that the lord didn''t seem to pay any attention to them because their silent lady was much more talkative in bed and told him everything about them every single night.


    Emp being a Muracier, he didn''t feel the need to explain anything or simply wasting time to verify the information provided by his trusted wife and just accepted it all at face value.


    It was all just an unbelievable misunderstanding.


    While Calla was very embarrassed to face all the stares of her attendants, Galana kept arguing with the lord for a while.


    "Knowing about them from Calla doesn''t mean you can just act as if you knew them personally idiot! Get your information from the source and speak to them like a normal person! People like to be talked to when they''re not named Calla or Lea! They''d be happier if you spent more time with them directly instead of thinking that hearing about them from a third party is enough! Calla might speak about them a lot but she doesn''t speak about you at all with us!"


    While Kaisla disagreed with the way Galana spoke to Emp, her words were true. Getting information on Emp from Calla was almost impossible because she was so silent. Getting even the tiniest piece of info would take forever. Apparently though, she was completely different when alone with him.


    The others gradually absorbed the revelations they just received and agreed with Galana that Emp should spend more time with them all as they were curious about their lord and the husband of the lady they assisted. Up until now, they rarely disturbed him even when they needed something because they didn''t want to intrude or get in his way. Him not minding them was better than him being annoyed by their presence after all. After they knew though, things changed a lot and their interactions with the lord multiplied in a short time.


    This encounter greatly helped Kaisla grasp more about Emp, it made her job a lot easier to complete afterwards too. The day after that, she went to see Galana in the study while Emp was in his workshop and interrogated her about his so called "stupidity".


    The lord did look rather clueless on a lot of subjects and seemed ignorant throughout many discussions. She wanted to have the opinion of the girl calling him idiot all the time on this subject.


    Galana shook her golden blond hair with a sigh and explained her thoughts politely to Kaisla. Her rebellious demeanor seemed to only apply to Emp. Everyone could see her clearly get angry whenever someone stated some wrong fact about anything but she always tried to remain polite with the ladies. In a way, this made it worse because it made it obvious that she knew she shouldn''t speak that way to a noble.


    "He lacks some knowledge but he''s not an idiot, he can learn things easily and can think properly for himself. I think he''s much more intelligent than me."


    That was the sort of thing Kaisla would never have expected her to say. This woman spent her days improving her knowledge by reading books and practising magic. Mage were known to be ridiculously smart after all, it was obvious this woman was aiming to be one of talent.


    "But you call him idiot all the time." Kaisla questioned with a frown.


    "He''s got no common sense is what I mean, he doesn''t understand the purpose of head taxes if everyone included lives on the same piece of land that has already been taxed for example but he can calculate the amount in an instant. More importantly, he doesn''t understand how to interact with people.


    He''s brilliant in many other subject though. He doesn''t lack knowledge about the world and can do the work of a scholar just fine, what he lacks is knowledge about the people living in that world. He''s an idiot in common sense, you only need to think about yesterday to see that, but he''s intelligent everywhere else. You only need to tell him something once for him to get it and remember but he''s like a little child and always wants to know the reason behind everything. He ends up knowing more than everyone else and then doesn''t understand why the rest doesn''t reach the same conclusion he does.


    I''m not trying to be mean to him, I''m trying to teach him common sense. When I met him first, I truly thought he was an idiot but I was wrong, I was the stupid one. There is no real meaning behind me calling him an idiot. It''s like calling Svae fishy. It''s just that sometimes, we need to tell him straight up what he''s doing wrong or he won''t notice. The day I''ll stop calling him an idiot is the day he won''t need me anymore."


    The thought made Galana look sad so Kaisla thanked her for the explanation, excused herself and left.


    Months more passed after that in her observation. One day, she got up and sat at a small table placed in the room she shared with Lanavera and started writing a letter. She had learned all that she could and gathered the opinions of the ladies too, from his wife all the way down to the cursed-blood slave Svaenaha.


    Now, her decision was taken, it was time to inform her grandfather Aminui of it. Her heart throbbed in worry as she wrote. It was very stressful, so much so that she had tried her best to delay the writing of that letter as much as humanly possible.


    She couldn''t help but fret about the words she was placing on paper. The content of the letter wasn''t anything fancy but its results would be life changing for her. She kept getting distracted and turning embarrassingly red on her own. She was telling her grandfather who she thought should be her husband and the next great general after all, she couldn''t escape picturing the future.


    Whatever she wrote in the letter, in the end, the meaning would be summarized with, "this is the guy I want to marry."


    She hadn''t felt so good about being told to marry the next great general and she hadn''t felt better about being told to choose between the two candidates. One was for her an old man she didn''t hold dear to her heart and the other was a complete stranger. Over the last few years though, she did warm up to him.


    It was embarrassing to say or even think about but she felt that it wouldn''t be so bad to be an actual part of this household instead of just attending to Calla.


    The man was like his grandfather but younger, he was much closer to her age, was a sensible person and his first wife was great too. He was an objectively better partner choice than his uncle Graube, both for this and for the title of great general. Neither him or Graube were perfect but he was more of a Muracier than Graube who was born from a branch ever would.


    She tried to convey that in her missive using many arguments, comparisons and justifications. This wasn''t about her heart after all, this was about who would lead the armies of the whole empire in the future. She wrote things like how Emp had a more supple way of thinking and acted less rashly in general than his uncle. How he cared profoundly for those around him making him less likely to waste troops like Graube did even though it made him vulnerable. She wrote about how he sometimes looked clueless about simple things but also how he was willing to listen to other''s opinions to improve himself.


    When she finally put down her quill, the letter had grown to span six whole pages. This was all she could think of that could influence her grandfather''s decision. Despite all her efforts, this didn''t mean that Aminui would choose Emp in the end, she could only suggest and wait nervously.


    It didn''t mean that Emp would accept her as wife either even though she believed he would do it if Aminui asked him to. Even if she developed feelings for him in the future, feelings different than friendship, she might end up being wife in name only.


    This was all a problem for the future however, right now, the most important was to fill the position of great general. She stamped her seal onto the letter and brought it to Emp so that he could transfer it to his grandfather this same day. His magic bag was often used for this sort of thing by Calla so she thought it would be much easier this way.


    It felt particularly strange to place a letter speaking about him into his hands so that he could transfer it but this was after all a duty she had pushed back for far too long. It needed to be done today. It shouldn''t have taken her years to come to a decision, her heart had been clouding her reason. She should learn to control herself better.


    She showed him the letter in his workshop while she was thinking this but was quickly brought back to reality because of his reaction.


    The young lord looked at the letter with that clueless frown of his however and refused to take it.


    "It''s the wrong seal."


    It was her turn to frown now. How could it be the wrong seal!


    "What do you mean the wrong seal? That''s the Grovgar seal, it has always been like that."


    He shook his head and explained what he meant to her with a very serious face. It was the sort of face his grandfather made when he''d listen to war reports.


    "Granfather insisted that you are family, if you''re family to him then you''re obviously family to me as well. You''ve lived here for two years, I know you, I know what you are on the inside, a Muracier. You''re family to all of us, you''re part of us already, part of the house and name. Where the Muraciers set their house, you''ll find your home too, that''ll always be true.


    I''m sure that this was what grandfather intended anyway when he started all of this. He said he wanted you to be forever a part of us so he wanted you to marry into our house but I don''t think you have to. Whoever you give your offering to can''t possibly change that and whatever name shows on your hunting card doesn''t either. I don''t care whether you call me husband or brother as long as you know you belong in the Muracier house. That seal is wrong, the Muracier''s wall should be stamped on that wax. At least place both, I will not move that letter until you do. Is this more clear or am I saying something strange again?"


    He seemed to be genuinely worried about whether he was saying something nonsensical again or not. It could have been very funny but it was not.


    "N-no... Sorry, I understand... My lord. I''ll be back shortly, I forgot to say something in it."


    Kaisla was shaken by his words instead, his voice turned her world upside down and devastated her mind. She improvised an answer and fled the room in a hurry, leaving her lord confused.


    She turned his words into her head a few times over and threw the letter she had taken hours to write into the fire of the main room. What she first wrote was all wrong, that wasn''t it at all. She didn''t need any arguments to justify her choice, it sent the wrong message, this wasn''t like her or even close to worthy of what a Muracier would say.


    She ran up to her room, took the quill again and wrote the letter anew from scratch. This time, it was much shorter, honest and straight to the point. Something her grandfather would understand properly. Her heart beat like crazy as she turned the paper black with ink, she felt almost feverish. What Emp just said had moved her, she wanted to convey this to their grandfather.


    \u003c Dear grandfather Aminui,


    Emp has to be the next great general. We are family, husband or not. Grandfather, he''s the lord I wish to serve and will serve once the forest takes you back. Even if Graube takes the title somehow it is him I will follow. I can feel that truth echoing in my whole being since I saw it. It is clear to me now, please understand.


    From your granddaughter for ever and always, Kaisla.


    P.S. I am having fun here but I can''t wait to see you again. His wife Calla is a fine woman and a great cook, I think you will be fond of her once you get to know her. She is not a great warrior and her will seems weak but I know that she hides a great strength of spirit.\u003e


    Her footnote was almost longer than the actual message but this was exactly what she wanted and needed to convey. She was satisfied with this new message. This time around, she didn''t stamp the Grovgar seal on it and brought it as is to Emp.


    He took the folded message into his hands as she presented it to him and prepared the wax right away with a satisfied smile.


    "Are you not going to read it?" She asked teasingly.


    "I was taught that reading the letters of others is a bad thing to do. I don''t need to either, if it concerns me, grandfather will tell me."


    Kaisla giggled at his answer and shortly after, the wall sealed the letter and this subject.


    Later, when the old man received the message from Emp''s hands, he was surprised by the seal on it.


    He read the letter alone in his room and the corner of his mouth rose into a rare smile. He folded it back and placed it in an inside pocket of his coat, close to his heart.


    "My house might just live on after all. Now he needs to leave his mark on the field and it''s my win."

 151 Forming a team

    Today, Emp had been summoned in the duke''s office along with many other students. It was already time for the old man to formally invite the students to join his expedition in Greenpeaks and since he was supposed to pretend to be part of the expedition rather than its leader, at least for now, he had to come as well. After they all left the school and the city, he''d reveal his true identity to everyone but if he did it here, it would come to Mable''s attention right away and he didn''t want that.


    He was almost ready to leave his room already but one last element delayed him, his belt. Years ago, just after he was created, he had complained about the size of his belt buckle, it was way too big for him. He ended up having Harriett change it for a smaller one that looked more fitting to his size but right now, the opposite was happening.


    He kept growing and growing until his belt buckle ended up looking ridiculously tiny hanging from his waist. He had Harriett buy him a new leather strap to replace the old one and had her tie up the large buckle he received at his creation. She was almost done with it and after that, he would have a brand new belt with an appropriately sized buckle.


    He wondered if Strength or Luck knew how tall he''d end up being and that was why that belt buckle was so large. Maybe it was just a wild guess from Luck? That wouldn''t be overly surprising.


    "Here it is master. Please try it on."


    Emp slipped the belt around his pants and tied properly. It was just the right size.


    "Thank you Harriett, it fits, good job."


    "Thank you master. Although I think a more noble buckle to fit your standing would be better, I believe master to be good looking in whatever he wears."


    "Thanks Harriett."


    That was a slightly strange way to express her opinion but he understood what she meant. Not about the good looking part but about the more noble buckle. He had heard and seen that many nobles liked to expose the emblem of their houses on their belts.


    It was a practical way to do it when their clothes didn''t leave any space for it in their complicated designs. High noble in particular liked to wear things adorned with many jewels and have precious stones directly sewn into the fabric of their clothes so they didn''t have much space.


    He could have done the same, about the belt buckle not the clothes, but it would have exposed the Muracier''s wall to everyone so he didn''t. Plus, he felt a bit attached to that large buckle. He had outgrown all his clothes so this buckle was the only thing remaining from his creation aside from the four divine treasure he was gifted.


    "I''m leaving the room to you and Celtine for now I won''t be away long."


    "There isn''t much to look after anymore though." Harriett answered while cocking her head to the side.


    Emp had started collecting all of their things and stored them in the bag. The rooms were pretty close to being as empty as they were when he first came in. He was ready to leave at anytime, most likely before the end of the week.


    "I guess you could go outside then. The garden might be interesting to see."


    "Don''t worry for us master, we''ll find something to do."


    "In that case, see you later."


    He waved to Harriett and then Celtine sat further back with her writing tablet and left for the duke''s office.


    On the way, he came across many other students who were going the same way he was and adjusted his pace to walk there with them and talk. Their group almost ended up all coming together before they reached the office.


    "Does anyone know what we''re being gathered for?" Kenneth asked the others.


    Of course, none of them knew. Emp gave them a bit of information since saying he didn''t know as well would be a lie.


    "The old lord Muracier wants his grandson to gain experience and he asked him to select some promising students to work with him."


    "For real? What''s Odilon here for then?"


    "The next lord obviously recognized my talent! The old lord must have spoken highly about me, I knew he had high hopes for me!"


    The others all laughed and they soon reached their destination. They were all quickly allowed in and joined up with those that were already there. Then, they were made to wait for the last few that were missing.


    From what Emp told them, the others expected to see all the talents from every group but they were surprised to find that almost everyone here was from their group C.


    There were Norval, Nicolas, Oran, Frits, Cyril, Oliver, Kenneth, Odilon, Ivar and even Zoran. Then, Penny, Brenia and Nessa came too and were soon followed by Noirantel and Jin, those were the only two men not from group C.


    Everyone wanted to know what this was about but no one wanted to be the one to ask the duke. Instead, they waited for the old man to express himself after everyone was gathered, they didn''t even speak to each other while they waited.


    "Ay, ye all finally be here. Let me tell ye all why I be gatherin ye here. I be given a list of names and a letter goin with it. All yer names be on the list and this message from the Muracier''s young lord be addressed to ye all."


    The old man produced the letter while many of those present held on their breath. The feeling was similar to receiving a letter from an imperial prince or a king, this sort of things usually never happened.


    Instead of reading it himself, the duke presented the letter to one of his servants with a much better diction and pronunciation who read it aloud for everyone. The unfolded letter let everyone see clearly the wall stamped on the red wax at the back of it.


    Emp didn''t really need to listen to that letter because he was the one who wrote it. It spoke about how he was tasked to bring order to the kingdom of Greenpeaks as a form of test and how he requested the help of everyone on the list to accomplish this goal.


    In the letter, he also precised to everyone that he knew some of them had prior arrangements or tasks to attend to and that they were free to refuse this invitation. He would not be taking it to heart as he already expected many to refuse, he had written all those names as a form of recognition of their efforts up until now and their talents.


    Whether they came for his help or not would not change his opinion of them and that was a Muracier''s promise. In fact, he would rather have less people than more who didn''t want to be there.


    Instead of listening to his own words, he looked at the reactions of everyone. Many looked excited or proud to receive acknowledgement from a Muracier which was funny to Emp. Nessa looked particularly relieved when the part about being free to refuse the invitation came. He had written that part especially for her so he had expected it.


    He couldn''t possibly not mention her since the simple act of placing her name in the list would help her legitimize her claim on her father''s territory but accompanying him would have put an axe into her plans. This way, they got the best of both worlds for her.


    Others too seemed pleased to hear that they weren''t obligated to answer the call, it seemed that many had other things to do. Emp would soon hear about it all, he had no doubt.


    "There it is. The Muracier head isn''t here today so that ye all won''t feel obliged to follow his grandson. Ye all be free to leave if ye don''t want to participate. Ye can all discuss this between yerselves if ye want. Once all those that want out have left, I''ll give the remainin ones further instructions."


    "In that case, you will all have to excuse me, I won''t have the pleasure of accompanying you all this time. Tell the young lord I was flattered when you meet him please." Nessa showed everyone a bow to go along with her words and a servant opened the door again for her to leave.


    After her, Frits, Norval and Noirantel also left almost right away.


    Frits and Norval said they had a territory to return to and learn to take care of quickly while Noirantel gave a more colorful answer.


    "While I am delighted to know that the heir has heard of me, I am forced to decline as well. I have made prior arrangements with lord Graube and I am to depart for the northern front shortly."


    Since Emp didn''t know him well and thought he was a bit annoying, he wasn''t disappointed to see him go. It also meant that he would be in Nessa''s way later on however so it wasn''t a perfect ending either. He hoped he wouldn''t be too much.


    Nicolas was the next one to leave saying that he was tasked with the protection of princess Heida so even though he wanted to go and even though they were going to his homeland, he couldn''t follow them.


    Emp had expected that too, just like how he expected Penny to leave. She said she wasn''t suited for the military and much preferred research so she left. She didn''t seem even mildly interested for the whole time she was here. She must have thought that this whole thing was a waste of her time, Emp felt sorry even if he really would have liked to have a talented mage at his service for this.


    The next one wasn''t someone who he had expected to leave however. Brenia made a dismissive gesture with her hand and harshly spoke of the whole thing.


    "I''m not coming either. I feel like its a trap from these old men to have me meet that guy again, they just want to match me with him. I don''t have time to waste with that, I don''t want to be ordered around by someone I don''t know and I''m afraid he''ll put me in the back since I''m a woman. I''d rather go on my own hunt some big game. Anyone here wants to come with me? Emp? Ivar?"


    Emp was almost certain she would come with them. He was really surprised to hear her words. Even if he had wanted to accept her invitation, which he didn''t, he couldn''t possibly leave since he was the commander of this whole operation.


    "Err... Are you sure you wouldn''t like to come with us instead?" He asked her with a grimace.


    Ivar too only made a pained face.


    She showed them a disappointed pout seeing as how no one wanted to accompany her. She might have underestimated how death-seekers were ridiculed in noble society or maybe she just though that others would think that fighting giant monsters at their own pace would be more exciting than following an army.


    "Oh... Alright then, I guess I''ll see you all some other time, maybe. Have fun playing soldiers guys and remember to not die for pointless shit. And don''t you all dare leave without saying goodbye or the next time we all see each other I''ll punch your heads five feet underground."


    With that, Brenia spun around and left the office with a carefree attitude. Emp had to wonder how could someone sound so angry yet seem so casual at the same time?


    He felt really disappointed, it was a huge loss for him as she was a very talented fighter and he trusted her. He''d miss her, that was for certain. Maybe he could at least catch her later and give her one of the magic rings.


    His thoughts were then interrupted by Zoran''s worries.


    "M-m-m-m-maybe-be I should leave t-t-t-too. I don''t-I don''t.... Why was I called?" Zoran struggled to ask in between his stutters.


    The short man didn''t provide any context to his question but everyone understood what he meant. Zoran had no talent in fighting whatsoever and everyone knew he was cowardly too. That being the case, how did he end up in the list of the most talented.


    "Well, Penny isn''t a warrior either, she''s a mage. The Muracier heir probably thought your knowledge in light and healing magic would be useful." Ivar proposed.


    It wasn''t exactly right but it was a good explanation for the rest. Zoran was not the best of mages but Emp had his name written in order to help him out.


    "I think you should stay Zoran." Emp told him from the other side. "You haven''t convinced your father of not forcing you into the army have you? If you come along this time, he will get the satisfaction of saying his son worked under the direct orders of a Muracier in a military operation so you''ll be free. This is a peacemaking job too so we shouldn''t face any extreme opposition and if you truly were picked for you magic, you''ll be in the back too, with all of us around and in front of you. I think this is your best chance."


    "I-I-I-I-I''ll think about it-it." The weak man answered with difficulty.


    The idea of joining such a group was obviously stressful for him so he wanted to delay it as much as possible but Emp believed he was right, there would be no better opportunity for him than this.


    "Don''t think too long though because the duke is waiting." Oliver pointed out.


    That was true but it was for the best to take your time with this sort of decisions. Emp didn''t want any of them to regret it later. Zoran wasn''t the only one worrying about what he should do either. Ivar didn''t seem like he wanted to come either but he was in the same situation as Zoran and forced to join up the army once he''d leave the school.


    That being the case, he seemed to think that this was a good opportunity as the others would be around too and working for a Muracier was more prestigious than mostly any other position he could possibly get.


    Jin worried for different reasons.


    "Lord director, I understand that you''re not the one who made the list but how come only Noir and I weren''t from their group? Doesn''t it seem like a group C thing? What am I doing here?"


    "Ye said it, I be not the one who made tha list." The old man shrugged.


    "I don''t know for the others but I''d be happy to have you with us Jin." Emp told him.


    "You''d be happy to have him? The first time you met properly was when you fought him and you broke his arm." Oran said with a confused air.


    "Well, he was too fast, that was the only way to win for the old me. Jin has some interesting skills and he isn''t a bad person either, he even likes cursed-bloods."


    "What are you talking about? The Josephals are known to be particularly hateful towards the cursed-bloods."


    This wasn''t really news for Emp since he fought both father and son for this but Zoran seemed incredibly surprised to hear about this. On a rare moment of courage for him, probably fuelled by his surprise, he spurted out some crazy revelation.


    "B-b-b-but I saw him kiss a c-c-c-cursed-b-b-blood servant!"


    The others all either stared in surprised or chocked on what they just heard. Even Emp was surprised to hear that. He knew that the mouse girl was dear to him but he didn''t think he was this close to her.


    Jin turned red in anger.


    "How dare you spout such slanderous things about me! You want to pick a fight with me?"


    Zoran squealed and stepped back in fear, hiding quickly behind Oran.


    The others felt unsure on whether this was an attempt to hide the truth behind Zoran''s words or if Jin was actually offended. Doubt could be read on everyone''s faces now that Zoran had said that.


    "Anyway, I heard that the Muracier don''t really have the cursed-bloods in their hearts either so I guess Emp would be the one most out of place there." Odilon tried to divert the conversation away from Zoran.


    "Exactly right they do! Just as they should! All cursed-bloods are disgusting freaks born outside of natural laws!" Jin approved strongly.


    "Oh but this be a wrong idea. I happen to know that the young lord be rather found of a few cursed-bloods." The duke intervened, flipping the whole situation around.


    "What? Is he?" Jin got confused.


    "Nobody here hates cursed-blood, you''re the one sticking out right now." Ivar pushed him further.


    "We don''t care if you get intimate with your servant or not either. It''s none of our business." Oliver added in a rather uninterested way.


    There was a short silence while Jin tried to figure out the intentions of everyone else before he let out a sigh.


    "I guess I''ll have to see for myself. I''ll drop the matter if everyone here swears to keep it to themselves for now."


    The rest agreed rather easily since they either didn''t care or were curious to see where this would all go. After all, it wasn''t everyday that someone turned out to be completely different than what everyone said of them. They were tempted to confirm aloud that he did have a thing for cursed-bloods but they wisely chose to not upset the man just yet.


    With Jin''s case on hold until they met the young lord Muracier, only one person still remained undecided. That person was Cyril, he had been silent for a while now, immersed in his own thoughts.


    "Cyril? What are you thinking about?" Kenneth asked him.


    "Yeah, tell us what''s wrong." The others insisted.


    The young man explained that he hesitated on accepting this summon because he didn''t know what was the better path for himself. His objective was to become a knight, a known and respected one to make his home village proud. To become a knight, usually, one had to be knighted by a higher noble. This meant that Cyril had to impress a noble with his talent despite his lower origin.


    "I feel that answering this summon could be good because one can hardly find a higher noble than a Muracier but I''m afraid I''ll end up stuck in the role of a soldier forever and never be knighted. I don''t know what I should do. And if I accept, I won''t have time to go back home to show everyone how I progressed."


    He could have written them a letter but like everywhere else, only a few in the village would be able to read properly and it wouldn''t stop him from missing them. He was very attached to his roots after all.


    "What would you do if you don''t join?" the others asked by curiosity.


    "I don''t know either. I just hoped that everything would fall into place."


    Cyril was a hard worker and a strong fighter now, he had good grades in every subjects taught in school and put his whole being into improving himself and learning about noble society. Yet, life outside the school wasn''t like life inside of it, he didn''t know where he should go from now on and it stressed him out. He had been worried about this for months already.


    Emp had hoped that he would join them but the man was right to worry. Emp had never knighted anyone and he didn''t know if he was the best person to hire a man such as Cyril. It might take a long time before he was ready to offer him what he wanted. He might be better looking for another lord to serve. That was why he had prepared a second option for Cyril. He looked towards the old man and gave him a discreet nod to signal him to speak.


    The old man had been informed of this idea earlier and him, Aminui and Emp had all spoken about this. They had agreed to offer Cyril another path.


    "Ye could still ask the old lord to build ye into an imperial knight. He be recognizing yer potential already, since he came to this school, and had everyone try that workout, ye be the only one that showed the will to keep at it every day. I be hearin ye made good progress and mostly can complete tha warm-ups now. I''m sure that if ye asked tha lord properly, he be willin to train ye some more and show ye off in the capital."


    That was what the three of them had thought of for Cyril. Either he could join Emp in his training on the field and hopefully make a name for himself there or he could go with Aminui back to Highsteel and after a lot more training, rake in some achievements in tournaments in the capital to showcase his talent. Then, high nobles would line up to knight him and possibly even the emperor himself would want him.


    From Emp''s point of view, both choices were good as long as Cyril put in the efforts and he knew that he would. Cyril had always been that type of person after all.


    After collecting the opinions of everyone including Emp''s which was simply "I think both are good for you.", Cyril chose to try to get Aminui to train him some more.


    It was a bit disappointing for Emp because another of his friends would not accompany him on the field but he''d be with his grandfather and that meant that he would improve quite a lot. Cyril would be pleased and get closer to his goal which in turn would please Emp.


    The young man excused himself and left the room leaving eight students behind if Emp was included. Oran who had nothing else to do, Oliver who was honored to work for a Muracier and hone his spear skills further on the field, Kenneth who was thrilled by the occasion and desired to help those in Greenpeaks, Odilon who kept raving about being the hero the kingdom needed, Ivar who didn''t really have a choice, Zoran who almost got pressured into accepting for his own good and Jin who needed to see for himself what the young lord Muracier thought about cursed-bloods.


    "No one else be wantin to leave?" The old man inquired.


    With no answer coming, he quickly followed up with the next steps.


    "Good, here is what ye will all have to do now. First, if ye have not yet, ye all should write down yer wills."


    Poor Zoran shook on the spot hearing that but it was just a standard thing to do. Even Blackbull pestered them to do this sort of thing all the time in case an accident happened to them.


    Emp''s own will was simple, he left everything he owned to Calla and everything belonging to the Muracier house returned to it at his death. His will also expressed how he wanted Calla, Marcy and Mable to be kept safe but obviously, he had no intentions to die. He saw this more like a formality than an actual safeguard.


    The old man reassured Zoran with a few words right away.


    "The operation shouldn''t be all that dangerous but ye never know what will fall on you in the field.


    Once yer all done with that, ye''ll all pack yer things and leave together fer Rivi¨¨re-duventeu, a small town on the border of Greenpeaks and Grandbois. Of course, ye''ll all have maps to find it hastily."


    Emp and the duke would have liked to set a precise date for their departure but they had to face the evidence. Even if they set one, they would miss it because of how the students weren''t prepared for this. All they could do was push them to be quick.


    "On tha way there, ye will all join up with the reinforcements prepared by the old lord Muracier, they be waiting fer ye all somewhere along the road. They be told to stop at Dark-glint at the furthest. Ye be takin all those troops all the way to Rivi¨¨re-duventeu and then merge with the old troops."


    Emp had been given the details of their numbers and abilities already so they''d be able to recognize them. The troops themselves also knew they were to meet with the students and that one of them was their commander Muracier. They were told to come this way to join with the students as early as possible but also told to stop in Dark-glint to not worry the king of Artefine with even more foreign troops than what he already allowed in B¨ºt¨¦clair for Aminui.


    "Ye all be allowed to take servants or whatever ye want with ye but remember ye''ll have to carry everythin yerself and protec yer servants yerself. A battlefield is not a place fer non-fighters. There be wagons and support staff in the troops but be aware that by leavin yer things there ye agree to leave them behind in case of emergency."


    This was a perfectly normal rule. Nobles and knights were usually required to bring their own equipment and care for it themselves. To do that, they often brought servants to do it for them and help them put on their armors. When that wasn''t the case, the task fell to a page they were training to knighthood.


    "Once ye meet him ye''ll all fall under the direct commands of the young lord Muracier. He be allowed to do as he pleases with ye and the troops to train his commending skills so do yer best to follow property. Be there any questions?"


    No one had any, everything the old man said sounded pretty straightforward after all.


    "In that case, be gone from my office and go prepare, ye all be leavin as soon as plausible."


    The students waited for the servant to correct his last word but she never did. Maybe he had told them to not do it with so many students there? They all bowed to acknowledge his words instead and left the office. Thinking of this, Emp felt the old man did pretty good this time, he must have practised.


    "Ancestors, I can''t wait to meet that Muracier. Do you think he''s as scary as his grandfather?" Oran asked first thing after they closed the door of the duke''s office.


    The students argued vividly about the subject for a while as they walked towards all of their rooms to prepare. They mostly had two opinions on the ''mysterious'' man. Either he would be just like his grandfather or he would be more like them because of his age.


    "In a way, both are good things because if he''s like the elder, we know we can trust him on the field and if he''s more like us then he''ll be easier to understand and maybe bond with." Ivar analyzed.


    The others mostly agreed but there was also a third option they dreaded.


    "What if-if-if he doesn''t c-c-care for us?"


    "He might not care for the ordinary troops but he should at least entertain us to a minimum, we are all nobles after all. However mighty he his, he needs us." Oliver stated in answer to Zoran''s worry.


    Emp thought all of that was very funny and he couldn''t wait to see their faces once he''d tell them it was him all along. He had planned on revealing it once they''d meet with the reinforcements.


    Right now however, what he needed to do was to say goodbye to everyone he would leave behind. His belongings were already packed so it was the only thing he had to do before leaving.


    *-*-*-*


    -Rise of the squid with the face of a belle-


    A skit of old often performed in the great halls of Thronewoods.


    This here be the tantalizing tale of how rose this squid with the face of a belle!


    Far and wide they know of the deep river belle, but when of squid spoken, they can''t tell!


    Far and wide they don''t know of Black the belle and so implore this jester'' squib, do tell! Do tell!


    Black of ink and black of soul, no better name to be than Black the belle!


    This squid had many limbs and so long they were that they touched all ends of the crescent land!


    Oh so clever the squid was and so pretty the belle was but greedy and gluttonous too.


    It kept taking from all, pillaging and safekeeping the fortunes of the land of green and blue.


    Lords protect in vain for nothing was out of its reach and all their efforts were turned to sand.


    They hired sharks to guard against the squid but the slimy scamp was not afraid to turn blue to red.


    They had better pay or a puff of dark hid the truth and with a somersault hurrah! Justice turned dead.


    And so it was that the shark all turned into rats.


    Scampered away from fear of the squid or even turned their coats.


    With no cats to catch the rats, the squid was free to rock the boats.


    Riches and gold were parked into its many laps.


    But life is like a river and always goes forward no matter what.


    It was said that the squid could turn the river any witch way it wanted but here comes the belle.


    She comes and goes, in popular wrath calls to act for the old snail on its throne of shell.


    "I could make it all stop if only you would listen, let me put it to squat."


    She sang and rang, honest and earnest!


    The belle comes and the belle goes, hired by the king to cut down the squid.


    Two by two she cut its limbs, always in pair made for quite the affair!


    Hurray for the belle for her sword like the river flow, cut''em up like a fanfare!


    The slimy ruler throws and wretch and soon enough no tentacles remains to rid.


    The belle was allowed to the snail''s court for its duty achieved.


    But the dark whispers, the head of the squid remained vanished.


    And all that treasures, look and look again but still lost is the varnished.


    This is the tale I led to the hears of fish and turtles alike and oh so loved.


    For what is a squid without a face but a belle without limbs?


    Made third by a snail, the belle in black awaits to take a new hold.


    The first being an old turtle with a sentient carapace, the wait gets old.


    But all that is sentient once gets thirsty and so this jester sings.


    When a turtle gets naked, the carapace turns black.


    The river ran red but in fact it has always been black.


    Swords can flow and so does fate, from blue it goes black.


    A squid awaits, not in the deep and dark but here at the very surface instead and it has the face of a belle named black.

 152 Emp leaving the school

    Emp was taking very seriously the act of saying goodbye to everyone. Parting ways with them was hard for him because most of his life had been spent with those people. He couldn''t help but feel emotional while shacking hands with everyone and exchanging words one last time with them all.


    Of course, he hoped he''d see everyone again at some point in the future but one never knew how things would pan out. That''s why he thought it would be for the better if he left them all with everything properly tied up. He did his best to see absolutely everyone in the days it took the others to prepare themselves.


    Juniper was the first he went to see because she was the easiest to part with. It wasn''t because he didn''t care for her but because she knew his true identity instead and had a joint business with him. Of everyone here aside from Mable, she was the one he was the most certain of meeting again. They wished each other good luck and she promised to send the money she owed him from the glass sales to Highsteel.


    After her, he kept going around to speak to the rest one at a time, teachers and students alike.


    He spoke to Frits and Rica who were happy to finally go back home. They were slightly nervous too because getting back home also meant that Frits father might finally agree to their union. In that case, they might be married the next time Emp would see them. He sincerely wished them good luck with that and Rica said she would like to meet with Calla again sometimes. Emp thought that Calla would probably like that, in particular, if she had to move around more nobles in the future, she''d be happy to have someone like her nearby.


    He met with all the guys who didn''t join up with him for the mission in Greenpeaks and shared a good meal with them before a few handshakes and some warm goodbyes.


    Nicolas was the one who''d be in the most trouble from now on because he had to watch over the ever annoying Heida but Emp believed in his ability to survive this hardship.


    Nicolas would go back to Windbow where his father would teach him all about their territory and how to care for it so Emp expected him to be more than fine.


    Cyril was in high spirit since Aminui told him that he was welcome to pursue his training in Highsteel and spoke to Emp in a very eager tone.


    George was almost invisible at first like he usually was but he looked very saddened to part with everyone none the less. In particular, him and Zoran where very emotional and it was obvious that it took all that they had to not show a single tear in front of the other. A few tears wouldn''t have changed anything at that point however because their faces were all scrunched up and their eyes red. He told everyone that he''d go to Grandbois where his family lived but he intended to visit the capital. Or maybe they lived in the capital already, Emp wasn''t sure.


    After that, because he didn''t really know how to part properly with Mable, he started by going around the teachers before he went to see the rest of the girls.


    The mage Heinrich just told him goodbye flatly as if his presence didn''t matter.


    "I''m sorry to have caused you so much trouble for the time I was here." He told the teacher.


    The mage turned his head from the paper he was studying and gave Emp a few more words.


    "Don''t fret. Life is made up of a succession of trouble. You did make my life a bit difficult but you also provided me valuable information for my research. You were a decent student too so you can leave with my satisfaction. Just remember to keep studying properly or your magic will rust, so to speak. Farewell Emp."


    Heinrich was often like that. Those living in this world didn''t seem to have much of an effect on him. Emp was just glad that he spared him enough attention to say some proper farewell.


    After he left him, Emp went to see all the more physical teachers, Sieghard, Winfred, Sofenne and Hadley. Sieghard still felt that the way he used a bow was cheating but aside from that, the other teachers seemed to have a good opinion of him. They all said he had been a good student and believed that he would still go far after he left. They urged him to keep working hard and to help the empire strive from then on.


    "Just try to control your strength alright? You always go overboard." Winfred the combat teacher told him with a parting handshake.


    Sven the economy and management teacher also thought he did well and believed that he''d be fine managing a territory. Muraciers didn''t have a territory per say, only a large fortress, but the teacher didn''t know he was a Muracier and didn''t know Emp intended to take over the empire either. The student had the feeling that if he did, the teacher wouldn''t say he was good enough. Emp wasn''t bad at all in that subject but it was obvious to everyone that his focus stood elsewhere.


    Gustave the strategy teacher on the other hand was extremely pleased with how much Emp learned from him. He said with pride that Emp would certainly impress his seniors in command of the armies once he''d join them later in Greenpeaks. Emp could say with certainty that he knew everything Gustave could have taught him now. The only thing remaining to be seen was whether he could apply that knowledge properly or not. Gustave was confident that he could and let Emp leave with a perfect military salute. If Emp was a successful great general, lord Gustave Halfoot would gain quite the fame and prestige as his strategy teacher.


    Emp also paid a visit to Glenda, the one who taught them letters and numbers and thanked her sincerely for her work. She had greatly helped him when he didn''t speak the common tongue at all. The old woman was surprised to receive such thanks as she was usually quickly forgotten by the students. In the five to ten years they spent here, they mostly only saw her for a few months and then left her behind as they went on to more substantial subjects. She was quite pleased that at least one student in a few hundred would come back to thank her for her services.


    "This is exactly why I work here. What I teach is essential and I know that thanks to it, everyone that sat here went on to do great things afterwards. I just wish there would be more like you who''d come back at the end to express some gratitude. It warms my heart to know that I could help, because I do have a heart despite what the students say when I''m not around." She told him.


    Pleased to have satisfied the ego of the old lady, Emp went on to say goodbye to the other old lady of the school and met with Blackbull.


    "And so we''re finally done. That''s what I''d like to say but I know that my work is never really done." The morals teacher said before taking a quick sip of her tea.


    "What do you mean?" Emp asked in confusion.


    "Well, isn''t that obvious? You leaving the school doesn''t mean that you cease existing and the problems you brought to me are far from fixed. Your relationship with young miss Mable will keep giving me many more headaches in the future. Lady Pierail even properly requested my help to ease the whole process. My work is far from done."


    "Aglaya asked for your help? Does Mable dislike the Muraciers that much?"


    "She does." The old woman answered simply, stating the evidence.


    Seeing his troubled face, she sipped some more tea and gave him a few more words.


    "Worry not young man, things change, always. I might be working in the dark because I don''t have a clue about what''s happening in Highsteel and Thronewoods but I can also tell that what''s between you and the young lady isn''t a fleeting thing. I can''t influence the big pieces on the board but I can try to move the small ones and sometimes, I can change the board itself. Lady Pierail and I will try our best to help."


    "And what do you get in exchange?" Emp asked by curiosity.


    She was after all the one who kept saying that everyone always worked for their own interest.


    "Well I might be getting old but I do have a house under me and getting you and Mable in my pocket will be highly beneficial for them in the future I hope. Also, your grandfather said he''d send a few knights over in my territory for a thorough cleanup of all the undesirable creatures lying around. I hate teaching them but I love to negotiate with the Muracier, it''s always easy to come to an agreement."


    She gave him a mischievous smile and poured herself some more tea to drink.


    Emp could only laugh in an embarrassed manner. At least, the old woman was on his side and maybe with her, a good portion of the court in Highsteel. Thanks to her age and reputation, she had a lot of reach even if she was on the lower end of the mid ranked nobles.


    As long as Emp didn''t do anything to upset her or the court as a whole, he''d face no strong opposition there. His problem was that he did intend to turn their world upside down at some point and then Blackbull might not smile so sincerely again.


    "You''re hiding something, it''s written all over your face." She said with a sigh. "I wish you''d learn to control your face already."


    "I don''t think it will happen, also, that''s what Mable likes about me."


    The old woman chuckled and wished him luck in his campaign.


    "Remember to stay dignified. Even in defeat, a true lord should look unfazed and confident. Only this way can you turn crushing defeat into a glancing blow. This isn''t a military secret, that''s just how the heart of man goes."


    In return, Emp wished for her to remain healthy and properly thanked her for all that she taught him and all the efforts she placed in him.


    With that done, only a few girls in class remained for him to see.


    He first got Gervaise and Heida out of the way. They said goodbye and farewell respectively but their faces said "finally" and "good riddance" instead. They had been frustrated with how he treated Celtine for all those years and were glad to see him gone at last. Emp didn''t mind too much because he couldn''t stand them either and so left things at that.


    He then went to say farewell to Josseline who was in a frenzied state. She had not found a husband for herself yet and seemed worried.


    "I''m going to be old before I find anyone! This is terrible. Mable and Rica are so lucky to already know who they want, I wish I was like that too."


    "What do I have to do with all of that?"


    Emp simply didn''t understand why she was telling him all that.


    "Zoran said he''d keep me informed of who got their first blood and who was worth marrying. He''s even going to tell me all about the soldiers and the commanders but he isn''t... resilient. So you have to keep him safe alright? I trust Zoran with being my eyes but not to stay safe by himself."


    Emp almost laughed but managed to hold back and promised to keep an eye on the meek Zoran. Knowing her, she would ask the same of everyone and then once they''d come back she''d call them all her heroes for protecting Zoran properly.


    Things were always like that with her, one could never know after who she running.


    Emp soon left her to go say goodbye to Penny instead. That one looked more saddened to loose her source of income than to say goodbye to Emp himself.


    Over the last few years, Emp had bought a whole lot of magical instruments and tools made by her because he wanted to have a good reserve of them for later. Because of that, he ended up financing all of her research and work all this time. He bought absolutely everything she made that wasn''t for herself.


    This arrangement was beneficial to the both of them but after Emp left, she would have to find a new way to make some money.


    "What will you do after school then?" Emp asked her by curiosity.


    "I''d like to stay the full ten years to get the most out of Heinrich and then go to Thronewoods and try to get into the elder circle as soon as possible. That way I''ll be able to focus on my studies"


    He should have expected this. He wished her good luck in her studies and goals before leaving to see the next person.


    He only had four left to see. He wanted to keep Mable for last and he expected Nessa and Aglaya to be with her so he looked for Brenia first. He found her training in the yard just as usual, swinging her massive axe around to spend her energy and practising the techniques Aminui showed her.


    He walked up to her but she ignored him and kept swinging her weapon. He waited for a moment but since she didn''t look like she would acknowledge his presence any time soon, he decided to speak first.


    "Are you angry?"


    "Angry? Why would I be angry?" She answered sharply.


    Even he could tell that she clearly was. He rephrased his question.


    "You sound angry. Just tell me why."


    She pushed out a loud frustrated sigh and then rammed her axe into the ground to lean on it and rest her elbows on top.


    "Look Emp, I get that you''re really dense but it should be obvious why I''m upset. Do I really have to spell it out for you? If you can''t even figure that out then there''s no point to even talk with you. Just say your farewells and get it over with."


    Emp furrowed his brows trying to figure out what she meant. Wasn''t she the one who threatened to beat them all up if they forgot to say goodbye? Why didn''t she want to talk now?


    He might have gotten a lot better at understanding emotions and others over the last few years but sometimes, there were still things escaping him. He would have preferred if she just told him what was wrong straight instead of having him guess it.


    "You''re angry because we''re all going to Greenpeaks instead of going hunting with you." That much he could understand but what he couldn''t figure out was why it made her so angry.


    "Yes but you clearly still don''t get it." She said with a frown.


    "You''re right, I don''t. We''re not doing it to upset you, we just don''t have the time to go hunting."


    "You would if you didn''t go waste your time in Greenpeaks following the orders of some guy you''ve never met."


    "We''re not wasting our time, Greenpeaks needs out help."


    "What they need is food! All you''ll end up doing is escorting supplies along roads and watch the grass grow for years! What a thrilling work." She said with disdain.


    "Well, someone still needs to do it. It''s not because its not as impressive as killing a woodland horror that its not as valuable. If everyone thought like you, that whole kingdom would starve."


    "But its already starving! Don''t you get it? You''re being blinded! This isn''t about Greenpeaks, clearly there aren''t any nobles that care about that. They can''t really help and they know it so they''re just content to watch it all collapse from outside.


    This isn''t about Greenpeaks at all, this is about the internal struggle in the Muracier house. You''re all being used for something that has nothing to do with you at all. The guy just wants to tussle with his uncle but he''s too weak to fight him head on so he decided to hide in Greenpeaks."


    That felt like a hard blow to him but not for the reasons Brenia thought. He just got called weak and got told he didn''t really care for Greenpeaks at all. She was wrong but he couldn''t defend himself properly without revealing his name. Seeing it was effective, she pressed on in her offensive.


    "A weak guy like that isn''t worth following, it''s obvious he''s already lost and you''re better than that. You''re being the hero again instead of the warrior, fighting against something you can''t defeat. Don''t waste your time with that and do something truly helpful instead."


    Now Emp was getting a bit upset too.


    "Something more helpful? How is hunting random monsters helpful in any way? Now you''re the one that''s not getting it. You''re free to do as you please but that doesn''t mean we''re all the same. If you paid a bit more attention in class you''d understand that most of us nobles can''t just ditch everything to go hunting. Our houses expect for us to do things.


    Do you really think Ivar and Zoran want to join the army and move all the way to the other side of the empire? They don''t have a choice but now, instead of getting scattered everywhere, they get to stay in a team to fight. Most of them don''t even have their first kills yet, they aren''t even considered adults but everyone is acting as if they already were.


    Greenpeaks is exactly what they need. A place calm enough to let them get proper experience safely while providing actual help and satisfying all their families. I have responsibilities too you know? I''d like to go hunting around with you but I don''t have the time, I have my own goals too. I''m always getting scolded for not understand the teachings of Blackbull but you''ve clearly not been paying attention either.


    I''m not getting tricked like you think I am, I don''t care one bit about Graube either. You know nothing of my motivations and yet you want me to throw it all away just to go hunt some beasts? I can''t. I''ll fight all those that get in my way and I''ll enjoy doing it, true, but I don''t have the time to go out of my way to find them."


    "Your motivations? What''s your goal then? Can you tell me? Whatever it is, going to Greenpeaks looks like a giant waste of time to me."


    "It''s not a waste of time if it can bring back Celtine''s wings."


    That one sentence shocked her mute. She clearly had not expected something like that to come out. All her anger got erased right away to be replaced with utter confusion. She even stopped leaning on her axe and straightened her back to think properly.


    Emp decided to wait for her to regain her speech before saying anything else. The point of this whole thing was to part on good terms, not dizzy her and leave her fast.


    "How does going there help her restore her wings in any way?" She finally asked after turning his words in her heads many time over.


    "The goddess Life resides there, I only need to find her to fix the wings."


    She looked even more confused than before.


    "What? But that''s ridiculous. Do you really think you can just walk there and find it like that? If it was that easy, there would be way more blessing holders around."


    "Trust me, I have a way to find it. Also, I do have a blessing already, you should know I can do it."


    "But then, you don''t really need to join the soldiers to do that. Won''t they be in your way? You can''t just walk off in the middle of a military operation, can you? We could just go hunting that way instead. You''d not be limited by the army and we''d be able to hunt the river snatchers on the way like Mable asked you to." She argued, putting the low chances of him finding the place aside.


    Emp shook his head in denial again.


    "Still can''t, I''ll hunt those crabs after I''m done with Greenpeaks. I have other reasons for going there this way but I can''t tell you. Well, I could but then Mable would end up hearing about it and I can''t have that."


    "You plan to wed her but you''re already keeping secrets from her?"


    "It''s just that I decided I would tell her my name only when she was ready to tell me her own and she doesn''t seem to be. It wouldn''t be catastrophic for her to know. I would just like it to be fair both ways."


    "You sure say some strange things from time to time." She answered with a sigh. "So there''s no way to make you change your mind, is there? Its frustrating, I still feel like you''re all getting used."


    "I''d promise you we aren''t but you wouldn''t believe me. Anyway, we''re not going forever, I don''t have all my life to waste in Greenpeaks. We get there, do what we can, get some practice in and then get out."


    "You think they''ll let you go just like that?"


    "I think so yes."


    It wouldn''t go the way she thought it would at least.


    "And if you want to see me, you just have to go to Highsteel, they''ll know exactly where I am there."


    Even if he had not been the Muracier heir himself, they would have known where he and his troops went so he''d have been easy to find.


    Brenia answered with a snort.


    "Fhu! Why would I want to see you?"


    "For a spar maybe? You better improve while I''m there or next time we see each other I''ll be way too strong for you.??


    "Ha! As if! You''ll see then who''s too strong for who!"


    The both of them laughed and Emp added another possibility.


    "Aside from that, I don''t know, maybe you''ll win our bet? They never caught Ninoslav in the end so maybe you''ll run across by chance. We said that the one who killed him first would be able to have the other do any ''one'' thing for them."


    Remembrance illuminated her face then.


    "Oh yeah, that''s right. I forgot we had that bet running. I remembered he was an ass-hole I wanted dead and I clearly remember why too but not that price we made up."


    "You''re the one who made it up and you forgot?" He told her on an amused tone.


    "I was busy trying to not fall off those annoying shoes! Now that you''ve reminded me though, I definitely will get you to spit out that price once I get him."


    "That''s not going to happen because I''ll be the one to win. Here take that."


    Emp threw out a simple iron ring her way.


    "Is it what I think it is?" She asked after catching it in midair.


    She didn''t look all that pleased to receive that. She wasn''t at all in jewellery.


    "It''s one of my magic rings. Put it on so that when I beat that guy up, I''ll be able to find you easy. Else, I''ll have to wait for you to find me and its going to take ages."


    "Well, I won''t deny that its probably true."


    They both knew that unless she had a very good reason to do it, Brenia wasn''t the sort of person to visit someone else. Without that ring, Emp might not find her ever again.


    "Take that ring as a promise we''ll meet again please. Don''t think you can get rid of your sparring partner just like that. I''d be annoyed to loose the occasion to fight you again just because you didn''t accept a tiny ring."


    "Right... That''s not a forever goodbye. I''ll keep it if you insist then."


    "Good, then we''ll meet again for sure. Just don''t get yourself killed while I''m gone. Don''t do anything stupid." He said with teasing smile.


    "That''s my line! You''re the one who always gets in trouble. Live and fight me again."


    They both grinned and shared a strong arm shake. Brenia liked that much more than a handshake or a lady''s farewell.


    Emp was glad that this situation was resolved quickly. She was probably still upset that no one joined her on her mindless hunting but at least now she wasn''t angry at the people themselves.


    He was eager to meet her again later at some other place. Next time they did, either she''d have found out his name or he would tell her then. In the meantime, he''d get much stronger and see if she could still keep up the pace.


    "I''ll miss you." He told her as he was leaving.


    "Well maybe I''ll miss some of your mugs too but I''ll miss the spars more I think."


    They parted on that last banter.


    With that, only Mable and her two friends remained.


    On the morning he was supposed to leave, he stopped at her room first. He took a deep breath and knocked exactly four times on her door.


    It didn''t take long for the people inside to allow him in. As expected, Nessa and Aglaya were with Mable who didn''t seem to be in a good mood at all. That was to be expected too, after all, it was no secret that him and the others were all leaving.


    "Hi." They both said at the same time.


    Everyone knew why he was there but neither he nor Mable knew how to approach the subject.


    As usual, she wore a pretty and colorful dress but more importantly, he could see that his big sun was tied into her hair to hold it all up extravagantly. It made him smile brightly and gave him the courage to speak some more.


    "It''s time for me to leave. I won''t be able to see you for a while."


    She answered with a saddened face.


    "For a while huh... Aglaya keep telling me it won''t be so long but I''m still sad. All my friends are going away and even you are leaving. I understand why you have to but I can''t help it"


    Emp could understand, he too felt saddened to let so many of his friends part with him.


    "I do feel sad as well. I wish everyone could come along."


    "Right?" Mable showed a weak smile.


    "I''m sad but I know that letting them do what they must now will make them happier latter. I think I feel both pleased and saddened by it at the same time. Does it make sense?"


    She nodded approvingly.


    "Yes, that''s exactly it. It makes me feel better to know I''m not the only one."


    "I''m sure that we''re not the only ones." Emp answered convincingly.


    "Probably not but the boys are too proud to admit it and the girls don''t want to look enamoured. Its probably better if you both don''t bring this up with the rest." Aglaya said.


    "Still, I''m going to miss you three, and Brenia too. I think you''re probably among the best friends I''ve ever had and you''ve all helped me more than I could ever possibly thank you for." Nessa added with a melancholic face.


    "I sort of feel bad letting you go up north alone but..."


    "No it''s fine, I understand and you''ve done plenty already Emp. That armor and those swords are already a great support. It''s better if you don''t stand there in fact or they''ll get the wrong idea." She answered his worry with a wry smile.


    Some where bound to pin her achievements on the man with her instead of herself if he was there. That made sense but he still felt like he wanted to do more.


    "At least, take this last advice. Remember to kill something on the way there."


    "Kill something?"


    Nessa was far from an idiot but she couldn''t see how killing something helped her further her goals in any way.


    "Your hunting card is empty, even if you show up in armor and can showcase your sword dance, knights won''t feel that good with a novice that doesn''t have even a single kill. In their eyes, you''ll be no better than your brother. I think that''s what lord Halfoot would say."


    "Got it, it''s a good advice. I should show up with actual merits before claiming anything." Nessa nodded resolutely.


    "Speaking of merits, how do you think this whole thing in Greepeaks will pan out for you?" Aglaya asked.


    "Right, I need you to impress my father with your achievement so don''t be lazy." Mable warned him seriously.


    Emp didn''t think he really had to impress anyone but he didn''t contradict her and just expressed his thoughts on the whole operation.


    "There shouldn''t be any real dangers for us. We''ll have plenty of troops and our only opponents should be desperate bandits and wild beasts. There''s nothing to worry about really, it''s just an exercise.


    It''s going to take some time to go around the whole kingdom to provide help but aside from time, the costs to us should be minimal. The imperial family should pay for most of the supplies delivered to Greenpeaks.


    The achievements won''t be all that great but the people will be thankful and the guys from the class should all get a few kills and experience. It will gain us all a foothold in the army even if we don''t do anything remarkable."


    "That''s no good! I need you to impress everyone!" Mable complained.


    "You can''t have both safe and impressive Mable. Shouldn''t you be glad he won''t be in too much danger?" Aglaya teased her friend.


    "Well, yes but... Mwu, I don''t know how to express myself."


    The two other girls giggled while Emp intervened.


    "It''ll be fine, I''ll go there quick and then move back to Grandbois to hunt the river snatchers you''ve asked me to. I''ll get enough of them to make it impressive."


    The corners of her mouth rose slightly.


    "I''ll trust you then. Here, let me give you this."


    She got up from her seat and stepped closer to him as she waved at one of her servants to bring her something.


    "I''m not really tied to you yet so I didn''t know if I really should but, I made you a charm to keep you safe."


    The servant brought it to her and after taking it, she presented it to him with both her hands. It was a small rectangular piece of wood like a tiny plank. It had been cut to give it a more interesting shape and had a few holes dug into it to let a few strings and ribbons through. A long orange ribbon flew from the bottom of it while another extended up in order to be tied properly. A few words were painted in black on the surface of the charm. \u003cKeep him safe for me please\u003e was the simple message.


    Emp held on to her hands to bring it a bit closer for him to see properly. It was handmade by her so it wasn''t the most impressive work of art ever but it felt like her.


    "Can I put it on your armor or is it too much?" She asked him nervously.


    Marcy once told him that this sort of charms was made by wives to keep their husband safe. That was why Mable hesitated to show it to him. Emp didn''t mind that sort of details however.


    "Of course you can put it on my armor. I''m grateful for it. Here, let me change real quick."


    Emp released her hands and used the bag to switch his clothes for his armor almost instantly. It made her smile brightly again.


    Emp never really had the ancestors on his side before but hopefully, they''d listen to Mable''s wish. Even if he, for some reason, didn''t earn their protection, Mable deserved it, of that he was certain.


    Mable got closer still and tied it to his chest. Her face was just in front of his own but she didn''t seem to notice because she was too busy trying to tie it properly.


    "Aren''t you taller than usual?" He commented.


    Usually, she was just a bit shorter than him but right now, she had the same height as him.


    "I don''t see what you''re talking about." She answered with an embarrassed look.


    Aglaya quickly revealed her secret to tease her.


    "She''s wearing heels right now in order to be at eye level with you without getting on her tiptoes."


    "Laya!" She protested while Emp held up a chuckle.


    With her being so close and acting so cutely, he felt the need to kiss her rise into his mind. He kept control of himself using his reason and didn''t do it. It would have been incredibly indecent to do so.


    Soon, the charm was tied properly and a servant brought a candle she held over the knot to seal it in wax on the armor.


    "Careful not to burn yourself with it." Emp warned her.


    "Don''t start or I''ll tell you to be careful to not cut yourself with your sword every time you get it out." She bit back with a playful smile. "Or don''t stub your toes with that big hammer. Here, I''ll leave that side of your armor for Calla this time. Its the side of your heart." She explained while letting the wax fall in place.


    Her smile quickly turned back to gloom once she was done tying the charm though. She handed the candle back to the servant but didn''t step back at all, she was holding on to his armor too.


    "What is it?" He asked.


    "I don''t really want to let you go..."


    She looked so sad, it made it painful for him too. He removed his armor again and took her in his arms. Mable ended up crying on his shoulder and he gave her plenty of time to hug him and let her tears run freely.


    He was sad to part with her for a while too but seeing her cry was a lot harder on him than that. He ended up crying too even though he knew he wouldn''t be away for too long.


    He held her head against him for a long time still. He didn''t want her to see him cry too after all, Harriett said that it wouldn''t be good. He calmed himself more quickly than her but only released her after she was done crying herself.


    "Mable, look at what you''ve done. You''ve been crying like a spoiled little girl and now your eyes are all red and your makeup is all messed up." Aglaya scolded her halfheartedly.


    Seeing her friend cry so much made it hard for her to not cry as well so even though she was saying that, she was sniffling as well.


    Emp pretended to not see anything since Aglaya pretended to not see his own tears and gave proper goodbyes to everyone here. From what they told him, Mable and Aglaya would stay for a short time more to finish the classes Mable still needed to master and then they''d go home as well. The young woman wanted to hurry with this because she didn''t see any fun in staying after all her friends were gone.


    He didn''t worry much for Mable because Aglaya would be there to watch over her but it still felt strange to be titled her lord protector when he was so far away. He wondered if he should renounce the title but they all told him not to. Even if he wasn''t there now, he''d be the lord protector again once he came back so he had to keep it.


    Thankfully, with all the guards still here and Ninoslav gone for so long, she shouldn''t be in any danger. He was also told that they''d be properly escorted home after they were done so it was relieving for him.


    He put his armor back on and everyone made its way down to the school gate. Emp joined up with the guys that were leaving and all their servants while the girls joined with those that had not left yet.


    On his way out, he didn''t forget to say goodbye to Wren Esther the receptionist. She had been of great help over the years he stayed so he took the time to thank her properly too.


    Finally, the knights on duty opened the gates for the large group. With the school still on lockdown, once they stepped out, they wouldn''t be able to get back in but Emp didn''t think he''d need to any time soon. Twenty-four person were leaving, eight students and their sixteen servants.


    Horses and wagons were prepared to let them move their things along with the supplies for the road and the students rode their own horses. Emp never had a horse before but Aminui found and bought a large warhorse for him.


    He didn''t think he''d need it much however because he was faster on foot. The only advantage of the horse was that it made him taller and so improved his field of view. Even if he wanted to use the horse he''d have to remove some sections of his armor because the weight of that combined with the weapon was too much for the poor animal.


    He didn''t like to remove part of his armor so he hid all his weapons in the bag instead while they were in town. Anyway, he didn''t need the horse to charge, he''d just get down from it for that.


    All of the students wore their best clothes and equipment and many had fancy dressing for their horses too. Emp had no such thing, he wasn''t really a horse guy to begin with and couldn''t even show the colors of his house for now.


    The rest of the students, or at least the majority that came to see them off, waved and cheered them on as they left. Mable was crying again, Emp saw, but Aglaya was doing her best to discreetly keep her face clean with a handkerchief.


    There were also the two old men standing on a balcony far up in a school tower overseeing their departure. Emp didn''t forget to raise his hand to them as well.


    His grandfather hadn''t been very vocal when he came to say goodbye but he did express that he knew he''d do fine and come back so he had no reason to say anything. He said he''d prepare the terrain for his return but Emp wasn''t sure what exactly this entailed.


    The group rode out of the school and began making their way down the crowd of the upper city of B¨ºt¨¦clair. Emp kept his head turned for a long time to watch the school disappearing behind the many other towers of the city. That place had been his home for five years, even though he had so much to do elsewhere, he would miss it dearly.


    It didn''t take long for things to get animated with discussions, overall, they were all glad to finally step out of the school boundaries after so long. Now Zoran could post his letter addressed to his father, Kenneth could stop by the place selling that honeyed meat he liked and everyone could take a good look at the city again.


    "When we get to fight something, you''ll all witness my valiance after so long of showing me those disbelieving faces. I''ll defeat every opponent that comes my way easily." Odilon told the rest with conviction, as usual.


    Already, Emp worried about his attitude.


    "Have you ever seen someone die Odilon?"


    "No but I can picture it." He answered easily.


    "You can''t." Denied Ivar. "I''ve seen people die already and I understand what Emp means. I agree with him, it''s hard, that''s why I didn''t want to join the army. Whether they''re friend or foe doesn''t matter. When people are dying right at your side, its difficult to keep your head straight. I think the others don''t know what they''re getting into but you''re worse, you''re a liability."


    Ivar might have been a bit harsh in the way he said it but that was true. Emp remembered how shaken he was to kill a man for the first time and he didn''t even have a good hold on his own emotion. He couldn''t guess how the others would react if they ended up having to fight other people but Odilon was the most worrying one because he was too energetic about this. He might end up making a complete turnaround in the middle of a fight.


    Despite being seen as a weakling in general, Zoran was the least worrying for that matter. The idea of death in Zoran''s head was probably much closer to the truth than what the others had in mind.


    "I can''t believe you guys are still on my back."


    "Hey Emp, you had the strategy course right? Where would you place Odilon?" Oliver asked.


    "I''d put him in charge of supplies." Emp answered.


    That was the least likely place for him to mess things up, at least until he saw an actual fight with his own eyes.


    "Come on, no way! That''s no good at all! How can I prove my heroism if I don''t see any combat."


    "But it''s an important task too Odilon, someone must do it." Kenneth said.


    "Hopefully, there won''t be any heroism to be had either." Ivar added.


    "You guys are underestimating me too much. Good thing its not Emp that will be placing me but the young lord Muracier instead!"


    Well, the two were the same but Odilon didn''t need to know that for now. While the others were laughing off his words, a woman dressed in armor stepped in the path of their procession with an arm raised to get their attentions.


    "Excuse me good-sirs, did I hear you speak of the young lord Muracier correctly or did I mishear it?"


    "I did speak of him, we''re joining him for a campaign." Odilon spilled the information right away.


    Everyone else groaned at how careless he was. What if she was some hidden enemy, a spy or anything dangerous. What was the big idea of revealing any information to a stranger like that.


    Meanwhile, the woman gave them all a smile and asked further.


    "In that case, might you allow me to join you all on the journey?"


    "I guess it depends on who you are and what you want with us." Emp told her with a frown.


    "Oh, pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Vinnia Porter, I''m a knight here in B¨ºt¨¦clair. I have a problem with the young lord Muracier."


    Vinnia Porter? It took him barely an instant to understand who she was. She was the cousin of Erin and Leo! Her face did look similar, if barely.


    "What sort of problem do you have with the lord?" Oran asked in confusion.


    "He said he didn''t need my services to attend to his wife because he already had two Porters with him!" She loudly exclaimed as if this was a very big problem. "There is no other knights named Porter in the kingdom or the empire as a whole. I wanted to tell him so in a letter but I never got words back!"


    She must have sent it to Highsteel but obviously, he never stepped there and his grandfather was here in Bat¨¦clair too.


    "I decided to go find him in person to speak and discover the bottom of this injustice. I was leaving when I overheard your conversation."


    "I see..." The others seemed to think it was a pretty strange story but since the woman seemed quick tempered, they didn''t want to say anything about it.


    Maybe if he cleared this up now they''d be left in peace?


    "He does have two Porter with him though, Erin Porter and Leonni Porter." He told her.


    "What! Those two!"


    Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut instead.

 153 Brenias objective

    Brenia was currently looking for her favorite bickering partner, the annoying mage Penny. Maybe annoying was a bit of a strong word to describe her but everyone knew they couldn''t get eye to eye with one another.


    Well, getting eye to eye was impossible to begin with since she was so small.


    Penny was short and dainty with no muscles whatsoever, she would probably snap in two like a twig easily. Those weren''t really negative points but when combined with her love for magic tricks, it annoyed Brenia to no end.


    Brenia''s stance on magic had somewhat changed since she stepped into this school for the first time but overall, she still disliked it. She didn''t think like before that it was a cheap way out for those who didn''t want to put in the efforts to train themselves because she had been clearly proven wrong by Penny and Emp but it still wasn''t her thing.


    With that said the very few tricks she learned wouldn''t cut it. She could recognize that she needed better magic to complete her objective and this was why she was looking for the short mage.


    She had set herself a new objective because it was time for her to leave the school.


    Most of the boys were gone now which was a good thing in her opinion but it felt lonely without anyone to fight against. There was still the old man Muracier there she could challenge but he said he was about to leave and anyway, when Emp wasn''t there, the old man kept trying to convince her that his grandson was amazing.


    She felt disgusted every time and would have long beaten him to a pulp if she had the strength for it. He was too strong for her though, unbeatable, she felt lucky that he wasn''t malicious but just annoying.


    He wasn''t like Ninoslav, that one was truly vile, she hated him with all her being because he reminded her of a guy in her past. She wanted nothing more than to utterly destroy him for what he was, what he did and what he attempted to do. She could tell exactly how Mable felt back then because she had been in the same position once. Just thinking about it had her boil and shiver in rage.


    That was why she wanted him dead and that was exactly what she had set as her new objective. If the guards were too useless to get him, she would do it in their stead. Emp had driven him away once but because he worried for Mable, he let him escape, Brenia wouldn''t do the same mistake. She would hunt him down wherever he went and rescue Gytha from his clutches.


    She had already decided to do it long ago. The promise of Emp to do anything she asked once was just a nice bonus. She''d kill Ninoslav Miramor, find Emp and then ask him to quit being a soldier and come hunt large monsters with her. He was one of the very few men she trusted after all and he was strong enough that she could rely on him in a fight. Him, Ivar Penny and her, two warriors, an archer and a mage, that was the perfect composition for a hunting team in her mind.


    If she could gather everyone, her dream of hunting a dragon wouldn''t be so far off anymore. Their names would be known all over the empire in no time and they''d get so much glory that their names would be forever recorded in history as legendary warriors like Marcellia and Tiberius Gladius, Twain Greathorn, Horace Invertas and so many others. No one would dare mess with her then.


    To achieve any of this however, she needed the potion teacher''s head and to get it, she needed someone who knew what she was doing with magic. She didn''t know many of those but even if she did, for all the things she found annoying about her, she would still choose none other than Penny to accompany her.


    Emp didn''t say sensible things often but at least on this he was right. It would be foolish to go alone knowing she could get magic to assist her. Even if this wasn''t her thing, she couldn''t deny how useful it was and how valuable a mage would be to fight against another one, especially considering their opponent was a battle mage. Bringing him down wouldn''t be easy.


    She moved to the magic teacher room and knocked once before getting in. This place reeked of magical garbage just like the classroom were he taught. She had to pinch her nose to stop herself from chocking. How come no one else found this whole mix of unmatching smells repulsive? At least the mage could have opened a window.


    "Hey teach, d''you know where Penny is?" She asked the man bent over an old looking scroll.


    She didn''t mind interrupting his work at all. He was a teacher not a researcher, his job was to help the students not waste hours in a room full of random junk and old scrolls.


    "Penny? No, I don''t know. Don''t you see I''m working?"


    "Right, see ya teach." She waved dismissively and left quickly to get away from the strange mix of smell.


    If Penny wasn''t with him or in the classroom, then it meant she was in her personal room. Brenia had no idea where it was. She never had to go look for her before.


    She made her way back downstairs to get the help of the receptionist but her request was denied right away.


    "I''m sorry lady Harmaton but I can''t give you the information you''re asking for."


    "Come on, why not? We''re both students in the same group! It''s not like I''m going there to beat her up or anything. Also, isn''t this rule pointless to begin with, our names are on the doors, I could just go around to look for it. And don''t call me lady, it makes me itchy."


    "I know you have no ill intent but those are the rules. You should understand that some students don''t want their privacy disturbed. Unless she comes to tell me its okay to reveal the location of her room, I won''t do it. If you''re ready to waste your time wandering the corridors of the school looking for the right door then go ahead." The receptionist answered with a gentle smile.


    Brenia felt like she was getting mocked.


    "Can''t you send someone there to ask her to come out then? I need to speak with her." Brenia felt her annoyance leak out through her words but she couldn''t really help it.


    "Why yes of course."


    The receptionist rang a bell and called for a servant girl, sending her on her way quickly.


    The servant might have been quick but the wait was still lengthy, Penny didn''t seem to be in any hurry to come down here. That was typical of her, she was doing it on purpose to annoy her.


    Brenia had nothing to do while she waited and ended up sat down facing an open window to bask in the sun a bit. The garden was on that side so she saw a few bees passing by in front of her but as long as they weren''t wasps, she didn''t mind them.


    Finally, Penny showed up wearing her usual loose clothes and slippers. She went straight for the main subject even though she didn''t seem all that saddened to waste their time and directly asked Brenia why she called her here.


    "You know, contrary to you, I have real things to do instead of swinging that lump of steel all day. What is it you want Brenia?"


    "I''m pretty sure that fiddling with magic stuff all day doesn''t qualify as a ''real thing''." She answered casually while getting back up.


    Penny walked up to her and looked straight up at her with a frown.


    "Did you tomboy really just call me here to mess with me? You must be way more bored than I thought since the boys left."


    Brenia chuckled but shook her head.


    "No, I didn''t call you here to mess with you. It''s the opposite, I need your help."


    The dark brown eyes of Penny sparkled with interest.


    "Ohoh! Are you finally admitting defeat? Will I hear you say today that magic can do something you can''t?"


    "Not in a million years. Let''s go talk outside."


    She didn''t want the whole school to know what she was planning to do but obviously, Penny didn''t care about that.


    "No way I''m going outside today, have you seen the weather?"


    "What in the world do you mean have I seen the weather? It''s a perfect day today!"


    There was no trace of clouds outside, there was a slight breeze and the sun was warming.


    "Can''t you see the sun? I''ll get a sunburn for sure if I go outside today, I''m not going, no way."


    "Your skin is completely covered by your clothes and you''re wearing that ugly hat again." Brenia said in annoyance.


    "Well my skin is very sensitive, alright? I said no, whatever you want, say it here."


    That girl was truly gifted to upset her.


    "Isn''t there some place we could talk in private instead? Somewhere were we won''t be overheard by everyone and anyone?"


    "Really, what''s up with you today? I don''t have all day to go around the towers waiting for you to ask a favor I''ll probably deny you."


    Brenia just gave her a frustrated frowning face and said nothing more.


    "Urgh, fine. Were you born just to annoy me or something?" She mumbled as she turned around to lead Brenia elsewhere.


    At least, they both agreed on that, they''d argue forever on anything and everything. Brenia didn''t hate it however. She didn''t know for Penny but at least she herself respected the talent of the mage and liked to oppose her just for fun instead. The only thing she had to hold back on were comments about her appearance because Penny was rather sensitive on that.


    They moved out of the entrance hall and into an empty classroom to speak properly.


    "So, what is it you want to ask me?"


    "I need you to lend me your strength for a track and a fight."


    Penny wasn''t interested at all. She snorted and cleanly refused.


    "As if I''d do that."


    "Oh you will, you have to." Brenia insisted with a confident smile.


    "Why would I ever do that? I plan on joining the elder circle of mages in Thronewoods for research. I don''t have the time or need to go on some hunt. If I wanted to waste my time swinging metal sticks and flinging spells, I''d have joined the Muracier''s expedition. That at least would have had some prestige attached to it."


    "You will help because the target is Ninoslav." Brenia said, letting a smug smile show.


    Penny paused for a moment to think about it but still didn''t look all that interested in the expedition.


    "Why did you think I''d change my mind after hearing that name? He''s a battle mage, I have no need to risk my life against him. I''m just a novice after all while he''s a known mage. I''d gain nothing out of it aside from a chance to die."


    "Don''t try to fool me with your novice talk. You know so many spells its dizzying, I''ve seen it. The teacher says you might be the most talented student of magic he ever taught to in this school."


    "Yes, emphasis on student. You''re just hearing what you want to hear Brenia. I''m a scholar, not a fighter. I don''t have what it takes to fight other people with magic, you know this, you''ve seen me practice before, you fought me before."


    They did fight before a few times but her memories of it didn''t seem to match with the memories Penny kept of the event.


    "We had a few practice spars against each other, I lost one and won two because I bet on the fact you wouldn''t use a spell too dangerous on a classmate and rushed through."


    "Well I can tell you that going against a battle mage won''t go any better for me. Even going with my strongest, there''s no way I''ll ever win. I''d need years of study still before I could even consider the remote possibility of one day maybe going against one. Anyway, I don''t want to, I just want to study more and discover something new."


    "Come on Penny, you''re exaggerating. You''re talented enough in magic and with me to fight with you, we''d be unbeatable."


    "Absolutely not, it''s you underestimating magic again. You don''t understand how fearsome someone with the tittle of battle mage can be. I can''t win a one on one against you properly while battle mages can turn a whole battlefield upside down and kill hundreds in just a short time. Its a whole different level. How can we possibly compare. Your quest is suicidal at best and I have nothing to gain from it, I''m sorry."


    "Yeah but ordinary soldiers aren''t as strong as me. It doesn''t matter how many a battle mage can kill quickly, if he can''t hit me I won''t die. If I have you to assist me and counter him properly, I''m sure I can win."


    "No no no, no way in a million years!"


    "So what, you''re saying that this bald old creep has more talent than you?"


    "This..."


    Penny didn''t know how to answer. Brenia knew it would come to this from the start, she couldn''t accept that someone could be more talented than her in her domain. She was born with no affinities but her high talent let her learn spells from all schools of magic easily, this talent was all she really had. If he had been very deserving of this talent and had been close to her, she might not have reacted but a man like that couldn''t be better than her.


    "He''s so smart and talented that however much work you put into your studies, you''ll never be as good as him. I see, that''s disappointing, I thought you were a good mage after all, better than a creep using cheap tricks and potions."


    "You, you''re doing it on purpose, aren''t you?" Penny said through her agitated breath.


    "On purpose or not, you''re the one saying you have no chance, no way to beat him." Brenia said with a dismissive gesture.


    "Well maybe if... No, I know you''re tricking me, I''m not falling for it!"


    Penny scrunched up her face, closed her eyes and balled her fists as if to resist the temptation to argue back. Brenia mouth curved into a smile and she leaned down close to the mage''s ear for the killing whisper.


    "But battle mages sure are respected aren''t they? That a talented and proud mage would just bow down to them so easily. The elder circle must have a high opinion of them and their abilities too no? What would they think of a girl being able to defeat one?"


    With an upset ego and the prospect of joining the elder circle early, there was no way Penny could possibly resist. She made a pained grimace, then a groan and wiggled on the spot before opening her eyes and glaring at Brenia


    "I hate you, you know that?"


    "Ya ya, I hate you too. Now, let''s look ahead at how we''re going to beat him instead." Brenia answered while wrapping an arm around the shoulder of her friend.


    "You''re too close now. Also, what''s that ring? You''re not the sort to wear jewelry."


    Penny was shooting sidelong glances at the hand on her shoulder and the ring showing on one of its fingers. It was a band of sharp looking steel claws with streaks of red flowing around them like blood but somehow, the ring as a whole still looked rather pretty. There was a trail of tiny stones around the middle part, deeply driven into the band too making it look very precious. It was the one Emp gave her, the only ring she actually possessed.


    "That''s absolutely none of your business." Brenia answered.


    Seeing an opportunity to come back at her, Penny didn''t let the matter go.


    "Ho, I see, that means it was a gift wasn''t it? In that case, I''d bet it was Emp that gave it to you, he''s the only one giving rings to people around here. He gave one to Nessa, Mable, his servants and according to the rumors, he gave one to Juniper too."


    "As I said, it''s none of your business." Brenia insisted.


    "Do you think he gave it to you for any particular reasons? Maybe he''s got feelings for you and since you''re wearing it/"


    "Okay, enough shorty. Focus on the task."


    Brenia removed her arm from around the shoulders of Penny and crossed them instead. Of all the things, Brenia really didn''t like people to try to poke into her personal life. Whether she felt anything for Emp or not concerned only herself, certainly not the short mage.


    Now wasn''t the time to think about this either. Beating the mage came first.


    "Wow, so sensitive on the topic of boys, as usual. Fine then, what do you want me to say."


    Penny looked satisfied with Brenia''s reaction and was now ready to talk properly. She had her revenge, for now.


    "I just want you to start thinking about how we''ll beat him. You''re the expert in magic, what do we need to prepare for?"


    Penny let out a heavy sigh.


    "Do you even have an idea of how you''re, sorry, ''we'' are going to find him? It''s pointless to prepare to fight him if we can''t even find him."


    "Is there a convenient spell that could help us find him?" Brenia asked Penny in a hopeful tone.


    "If there was such a thing, he would have been caught ages ago! Isn''t that obvious?"


    "Well, a girl can still hope."


    Penny snorted at Brenia''s words. Clearly, magic wouldn''t help them on this case.


    "Fine then, we''ll go about it the old fashioned way. Because the army is looking for him, he''s going to try to stay in places where they don''t have a strong presence which means that we have to search small villages, he''s likely to hide somewhere away from the empire''s borders since the military presence there is stronger."


    "That make sense, except he''s an expert of illusion, he could just mask his appearance. The guards will look for a bald guy but its easy for him to look like someone completely different. He could be anywhere." Penny commented in disapproval.


    "You''re only half right." Brenia said with confidence, she had thought about it a lot after all. "He''s likely moving around with Gytha and the other missing girl which makes it that much easier to find him. Do you think he can change their appearance sufficiently too? What about all their hunting cards? The guards can be tricked but the card can''t lie. They can''t trick every guards everywhere with illusions, one of them is bound to see that the card is being tampered with. They''re checked at the gates of every city."


    Penny took a pensive air and finally nodded in approval after a moment spent in her own thoughts.


    "You''re right, hiding three people constantly along with their cards is almost impossible. He could do it once or twice to get past a gate but not long enough to remain in plain sight. I guess we do have a chance of finding him, if we''re lucky. In that case, we''re going to need special equipment. I can''t believe I''m really going along with this."


    "What sort of special equipment? What do we need?" Brenia asked curiously.


    She failed to listen in most classes about magic so she had no idea what she was doing. That was why she needed Penny to tell her how to face the mage properly.


    "The guy will use poisons, corrosives, alchemical substances and illusions to fight. We need protections against all of those at the very least and I need to prepare countermeasures for everything. It will cost a lot of money."


    "How much is a lot for you?" Brenia had to ask while bracing her heart for the answer.


    "You might have to count the money in red dragon coins I''m afraid. We''ll need plenty of counter-poison of all kinds, masks to protect ourselves from noxious fumes, clothes and armors resisting corrosion and other mixtures, talismans and wands, something to see through illusion and then something else to free us from other illusions we might get stuck into. We might even need some trinkets to protect ourselves from mind altering effects and those aren''t given for free."


    Brenia made a pained face that worsened along with Penny''s explanation. Not all of those were absolutely necessary but as a mage, she was used to prepare for all eventuality and since she was the expert here, Brenia had to admit that she probably knew best.


    "Suffice to say, I do not have that sort of money. Baron Lightwarp my father doesn''t have it either, even if he did, he would not lend me such a sum just to buy equipment that will serve only once."


    "You''re the daughter of a baron Penny?" Brenia didn''t know that.


    "What, you thought I was just a random peasant like you? In fact, this is the difference explaining why I am learning magic while ''you'' waste your time swinging a cold lump of steel."


    Brenia chose to ignore this new attack and instead, proposed a solution to this financial problem.


    "Well sorry ''lady'' but can we stay focused on the task? I can provide some of the money but not anything close to a dragon, I spent it all to get in the school after all. Since we don''t have the money, we just need to find it elsewhere."


    Penny raised a curious brow.


    "I didn''t know you could be this serious about something. Fine then, where do you think we could possibly find that huge amount? If you came before, I could have sold a bunch of things to Emp and gotten some funds for this but now he''s gone and I spent everything he gave me already."


    Brenia wondered how one could spend so much money on ingredients and trinkets but chose to keep her annoyance to herself for now in order to let the conversation flow.


    "Let''s go see Mable and Aglaya for the money."


    "Those two? What do you plan to tell them to receive such a ludicrous amount of money?"


    Penny clearly believed that they''d never lend the money but Brenia was convinced otherwise.


    "They will once we tell them what the money will be for, just come, you''ll see."


    The other was unconvinced but still followed Brenia back into the corridors of the school. They didn''t even know how much the two girls could afford to pay but Brenia had no doubt that Mable would want to lend as much money as possible for this task to be completed properly.


    The reason was simple. Brenia knew how it felt to be assaulted like that. She knew exactly what sort of scar it left behind. Mable could act all bright and cheery just like usual but the fear would not go away so simply. Deep down, Brenia was sure that she still remembered the events as clearly as day and would give anything for the feeling of fear and powerlessness to go away. This was the same for the river snatchers, she was clearly traumatized by those too and made it a condition for her to marry Emp.


    Scars that are on the inside don''t just disappear, they just sleep from time to time. Brenia was glad for Mable that Emp was there for her when she needed it and that he''d still be there for her later but he could not possibly understand how it felt for her to know that the man was still alive somewhere, keeping Gytha with him.


    All Brenia had to do was tell Mable that she was going to hunt Ninoslav down and needed money to counter his powers. It might seem like she was exploiting Mable but she wasn''t, for her, that money would be well worth it, as long as Brenia managed to do what she set out for.


    They made their way to Mable''s room and were let in relatively quickly. Aglaya was with her as expected but Nessa was absent because she was preparing her own departure.


    "Hi Brenia, Hi Penny. Its rare to see you two together, what might bring you here?" Aglaya asked on a curious tone.


    "Yeah, it must be something special. Oh! Is it a party? Or maybe Penny wants to make some hulking giant of living magic to fight with Brenia and you want us to see? That would be amazing, it would be like Growowow!" Mable mimicked that imaginary giant with her arms held wide up over her sides.


    "I can''t possibly do that." Penny denied with a raised brow.


    Brenia shook her head too and went straight to the point.


    "No, we came to ask you two a favor."


    "A favor? What sort? I don''t have any cake left because the bakers can''t find any ingredients anymore." Mable smiled.


    Aglaya on the other hand just awaited what would come next with curiosity.


    "We''re going to hunt down Ninoslav and we need money to buy the necessary equipment."


    The smile of Mable froze like stone.


    Like every time Mable was taken by surprise, Aglaya took the relay.


    "Explain." She said simply.


    Brenia didn''t need all her experience adventuring and hunting to understand what she meant by that.


    "Penny, could you tell them what you said we''d need again? In as much detail as possible please."


    The mage let out a short sigh and started her explanation again. This time, under the insistence of Aglaya and Brenia, she went into the details and started naming all the ingredients and things she''d need one by one along with their usual market price. It was honestly impressive to see her make that list just like that on the spot. The list got very long very fast but Penny had a clear idea of what everything did and what use it would be against the illusionist.


    At the end, Aglaya nodded in understanding.


    "I see, and why did you decide to ask Mable for the money. Why not go to Juniper?"


    "It''s true that juniper would have enough money but she has no reason to give it to us. Mable has both the means and the motivation." Brenia stated. "I don''t mean to trick Mable into giving us money by throwing that name around, I just believe that out of everyone I know, she''s the one that would want him dead the most."


    She was also very rich. It wasn''t obvious at a glance but once one stepped into her room, her true wealth would show right away. Mable''s room had always been a symbol of extravagant opulence and was furnished like a room at least three times its actual size.


    She was like a turtle who would have left it''s shell for a much smaller one. There was too much here and all of its pieces must be worth a fortune. The cloth, the draperies, the furniture, the art decorating the walls and so on, all of it screamed money. She clearly had the means to pay for the manhunt.


    Aglaya didn''t answer right away and looked towards her friend instead. Mable''s mouth quivered and she turned her eyes toward her servants.


    "Bring the chest."


    The two of them seemed to expect how this would all go and didn''t waste time to go into the next room over to drag out a massive chest. The thing was barely narrower than the door, as deep as Brenia''s legs and a good meter wide. The two servants had to push with all their weight to move it and despite the cloth under it, the chest scrapped the floor the whole way through and took a long time to be moved. They didn''t bring it far into the main room but enough to clear a good space in front of it and behind it.


    Mable got to her feet, pulled a key from a secret pocket on the inside of her clothes and unlocked the chest with it. Brenia and Penny discovered that it was half full of gold crowns, there must have been a few thousands coins in there. The sight was just stunning.


    "That''s all that''s left of my allowance for my time in school. You can take as much as you need." Mable said with a very serious face.


    Aglaya wasn''t all that surprised to see this but Penny was.


    "Are you sure? That''s a lot of money."


    Usually that was the sort of sentence Aglaya awaited to make some funny comment on Mable but she abstained this time around.


    "If you can truly do what you said, this amount will be nothing for her." She said instead.


    Brenia knew clearly what she meant but Penny seemed just as confused as before. Her eyes went back and forth between the glimmering gold and the usually bubbly noble.


    "I know you''re a high noble but won''t your parents get upset to see you spend so much?"


    "You don''t understand. His very existence is a poison to my life." Mable told her flatly.


    "Before I go to bed, every night, I have the servants look through the room to make sure there are no one hiding inside, I check to see if all the doors are properly locked, if the wards put up by Heinrich are still working, if the windows are sealed properly even when the weather makes it boiling hot inside, I keep the ring close to me so that Emp can come save me if I get in trouble and a dagger just by the bedside, I even have those two sleep in turn to watch the room.


    I get nervous when Emp isn''t right by my side even by day, I''m always scared that guy might pop out of nowhere to attack me. I know this is irrational but I can''t help it, he could be anywhere. I need him dead!


    I want his head chopped off, I want him cut down in bits and fed to feral weasels, I want his bones ground to dust and thrown into the sand wastes where no trees grow, I want Gytha back, the old one.


    I trust Brenia to do what she said she would because she''s my friend, you too. I trust you both more than I trust the Muraciers to do their job. If you manage to do it, this chest won''t nearly be enough to express my relief and gratitude. If you can kill him, I''ll have my father shower you in gold until you could drown in it."


    Her speech was long and her words sounded mostly exaggerated but in her voice and expression, there was not a trace of her usual funny and ditsy self. She was dead serious.


    Penny could only nod and shut her mouth. She must have never thought she would see Mable like this one day.


    Brenia came up close to Mable and held on to her hand.


    "I understand, I truly do, more than you think I can. Trust me, I won''t let this monster escape me. I''ll do everything I have to in order to bring him the punishment he deserves. I don''t care for the gold I just can''t let him live."


    The two of them looked deep into each other''s eyes and nodded with resolve. At this moment at least, they shared the same thoughts.


    With this, Brenia now had a mage and the funds to hunt down the monster wearing the face of a man. Now, according to Penny, they would need some time to prepare and probably more people to improve their chances but Brenia didn''t worry about this. Her mind was set on her prey and she would find it and bring it down no matter what. That was always how she acted.

 154 Trip to Folcourse

    Vanessa Hasting had just left the school about an hour ago after a tearful separation with the few of her friends that were still there. Mable was an emotional and usually lively girl which made it fun to hang out with her but hard to part with.


    Up to the very end, Nessa hadn''t figured out what the full name of her friend was but she found that it didn''t really matter.


    Before she ever came to this school, she would have thought that the name of those she met would be the most important part of how she saw them but it turned out that it hadn''t been the case at all. What had mattered in the end was the heart of all her friends and the efforts they put in to help her rather than their social standing.


    She found her time in school very useful but also very entertaining. She would never have expected it to be the case. It had been its own separate little world but now, it was time for her to go back to being the daughter of Duke Hasting. For now at least, she had to leave the carefree fun behind and bring her attention back to what really mattered to her.


    Knights sent by her father were there with her to escort her back home and Juniper as well as their four slaves rode with her in an elegant carriage. The merchant girl had asked if she could travel with them for a short while since she was going further north too and Nessa had agreed.


    Despite being lowborn, Juniper was usually charming and polite so Nessa didn''t expect her to cause any trouble and it gave her someone to speak with on the long road home. Her destination was Ashenhill city which was only a few days east from Folcourse where the Hasting''s castle stood.


    Both of them were sat as elegantly as possible in the rocking carriage and enjoyed a beverage prepared by herself. It was a mix of minty herbs from the north of the kingdom and some other refreshing herbs from southern Windbow. The drink was called crystal-berry tea but there were no berries nor tea in it. Still, it was delicious and very refreshing for the heat of the carriage. She provided some for her two slaves Cherry and Myrtille as well because they did a good job in helping her put her armor in here.


    She left wearing a proper dress like the lady she should be but once inside the carriage with Juniper, she blocked the windows and changed into her new armor with the help of her two servants. She didn''t mind exposing most of her body to Juniper and the servants but she wouldn''t accept a knight to see her changing. By changing now, she would be ready to intervene if something worth fighting showed up and she didn''t cause a scene at the school gates.


    She found that it was a bit difficult to hold a cup with the armored gauntlets but removing them now would be a hassle. Also, the heat was suffocating but with how long it took her to put the suit on, it would just be foolish to wait until she needed it to start putting it on. She just had to bear with it and endure, the rest of the knights did all the time so why would she not be able to?


    "Still, I have to say, Emp did a really good job with that armor. I''m sure you will gather many more admirer now than you already did." The merchant girl complimented with a smile.


    "Thank you, I think so too. I am lucky to have such good friends."


    "I agree, the noble court is usually a much more cutthroat environment than what we experienced in that school, or so they say. This group was filled with softhearted people and made for a very enjoyable stay."


    "Yes, I was more used to people trying to gain my favors relentlessly than this relaxed environment. Is it also like this for the merchants?"


    "We all compete with each other to make more profit and beat our opponents so I''d say it''s similar but my father didn''t think so." Juniper mused. "He was feeling that the nobles were much more dangerous to deal with and that was why he decided to invest in my stay in that school. He wanted me to be prepared to deal with them and maybe one day, have our own house ascend to nobility."


    Such a development wouldn''t be surprising. It wasn''t all that rare for a noble suddenly finding himself lacking in money to tie themselves with a prominent merchant family.


    Alternatively, sometimes, a gap formed in the noble ranks and a territory found itself masterless. The king would then either give that piece of land as a reward to someone worthy or offer to sell it to whoever presented the biggest amount. In that case, the Glassart family with their massive fortune would have a good chance of winning it and the title of lord that went with owning a territory.


    "Sadly, I don''t think that our group was very representative of the nobles as a whole. The biggest driving forces of our group were Emp, Mable, Brenia and Ivar, all of them were rather kind and patient and the rest aligned themselves with those at the top."


    "You''d describe Brenia as kind and patient?" Juniper giggled.


    "In a way, yes, she would beat back down anyone that didn''t align with the friendly environment we had going. She might not have been exactly like that herself but she was indeed an agent of those things for the others."


    "I guess you do have a point. A few strong figures imposed themselves on the other and those wanted peace and candidness so we got what we got. It was fun to live this way but it doesn''t make for good practice I''m afraid."


    "You don''t have to worry too much, I think you are doing splendidly already. As long as you don''t attempt to sell glass to everyone you meet, I think you''ll keep a good reputation for a long time with the nobles." Nessa tried to reassure her friend.


    "That''s a hard thing to ask me, you wouldn''t ask a bird to stop flying would you? In any case, I think that the connections I made there are more valuable to me than what experience I''d have gained otherwise. I''d have paid ten times more to get in if I knew I''d meet those I got to connect with beforehand. Like you for example. I understand you can''t give unfair advantages to my family just because I am on good terms with you but I suspect my life will be much easier once you become the duchess of the northern grove."


    Juniper was showing a large smile of perfect white teeth and she decided to answer with a smile of her own. Nessa agreed with her reasoning even if the way she said it made it sound like she was using her. That was how real life worked after all, you made friends and connection that would help you further your own goals.


    Nessa took a long gulp of her drink before she spoke again.


    "You''re saying it as if it was a given but the struggle has not even begun."


    "It ''is'' a given! You have the support of the Muracier, you are talented and you know what you are doing. On top of all that, you''re the eldest living child of the duke. You should be the obvious choice over your brother."


    "Things don''t always go as we wish they would however, any number of things out of my expectations could happen."


    If things always went as they were meant to be, she wouldn''t have to take the seat of her father after all. She would have had many elder brothers to do it in her stead.


    She didn''t have any strong desire to own the duchy, she just understood what she had to do in order to keep her last brother safe and make sure her family wouldn''t crumble around her.


    Juniper raised her cup in an encouraging way.


    "Well, I will drink and prey for everything to go well. Speaking of going well, it was Emp that told you to kill something on the way there, yes? Do you really think you''ll be able to find something worthwhile? Emp knows what he''s talking about, I''m sure, but he might not know what sort of creatures live in these parts. He never went north of B¨ºt¨¦clair after all."


    "Trips never go without incidents, there''s always a beast with eyes bigger than their stomachs or some Cursed-blood looking to slit the throat of another Hasting. I''m sure I''ll encounter something." Nessa answered calmly.


    Her father had sent a great amount of his knights to bring her home safe because he feared nothing more than to loose the few children he had left. As such, the trip should be more than safe. However, it didn''t mean that nothing would happen, Nessa just had to react faster than the knights and take the lead.


    That being said, nothing should happen so soon in the trip, they could still see the walls and towers of B¨ºt¨¦clair in the distance behind the carriage. The chances of foolish monsters or intrepid cursed-blood going so far south were rather minimal.


    This meant she had plenty of time to enjoy the drinks and the company of her friend.


    They chatted further about the school, their homes and what they expected the future to be like. Juniper had a positive attitude and expected life to carry her far and high while Nessa remained apprehensive.


    By no mean did she want to waste all the help and efforts everyone provided for her but she had witnessed so many setbacks in the past, she struggled so hard just to learn the royal sword dance and knew the temperament of her father so well. She didn''t expect things to go smoothly at all, she knew she would still have to work harder than ever and stay strong for her objective and plans to bear fruits.


    Juniper did her best to keep her spirits up by talking about all the good things that happened up to now for the both of them and often changed the subject to more lighthearted things.


    Vanessa was thankful for that, it distracted her mind for the hardships that were to come. She just couldn''t help it after all, the moment they stopped talking, she would loose herself in all sorts of disastrous futures and outcomes. The bad events were easier for her to imagine and she''d play them all in her head.


    The trip would have been awfully long and stressful if not for the presence of the merchant. Juniper knew better than to speak about love interests too as she knew Nessa relatively well. She understood that not only did Nessa not bother with looking into a man, if she failed in her attempt to become the next duchess, the right to choose would escape her.


    Good memories and different sorts of arts were the topics instead. Dance, music, glasswork, jewelry, painting and even dresses were spoken about in the carriage over the next few days.


    At times, the carriage would stop to let the ladies get some fresh air and let knights feed the horses and give them water. The first time the carriage stopped and Nessa came out of it to stretch her legs, all the knights stared at her.


    "Lady Vanessa, might I ask what this... Armor, is for?" The knight in charge of the rest asked her.


    This was an unconventional form for a plate armor so his hesitation on its nature was normal. However, what he implied with his words wasn''t. What he was implying was that she had no business to wear an armor or worse, that she was playing around like a children with it.


    She was slightly upset by the way he formulated his question but she had prepared herself for this sort of thing, she didn''t let the annoyance show on her face.


    She took a proper look at his own face but didn''t recognize him, he must have been employed in the last five years while she was away. He wasn''t particularly handsome either but not ugly at least, an ordinary man with a talent for the sword probably.


    "To protect myself of course. What else could I possibly do with an armor?"


    Now it was her turn to insinuate things. She didn''t trust in their protection alone so she prepared something else. Every knights around showed a grimace briefly.


    "My lady, I swear you are safe with us. I''m sure your father would like to see you wearing a proper attire rather than a parade armor."


    "This is no parade armor sir knight." Juniper jumped in the argument from the side. "This things is all made from high quality steel and crafted by two masters to assist lady Vanessa into battle. Both it and the blades were made as a set and every piece is enchanted."


    The knights took a long moment to find an answer, they didn''t know on which feet to dance. Obviously, they all knew her father would be upset to know she wasn''t acting like a proper lady as she should but they couldn''t really speak against her either as she was the treasured daughter of their lord.


    They couldn''t force her to remove the armor, they could only attempt to reason with her.


    "My lady, It pains us that you would put so little trust in the knights loyally serving your lord father. What''s more, if I may be blunt, I do not think that an armor, as good as it may be, will be enough to turn the tide if we were ever to be overrun by an enemy."


    "I am not the weak lady you think I am, sir. I changed, I can fend for myself. Also, no, in the future you may not speak so bluntly if it''s only to spout sexist remarks."


    The knights all looked skeptical, they didn''t think Nessa could have gotten all that stronger in five years. She once was a refined young lady who didn''t do much physical exercise aside from dancing and had no prior experience with a sword. The knight leader would have probably told her that swinging a sword for practice against other students didn''t make her fit for a real fight but he had just been told to shut up.


    Juniper once again made a remark on a mocking tone to drive the nail of Nessa''s argument deeper.


    "Lord Aminui, the Muracier ancient, acknowledged her talent with a sword himself. He said her technique was so impressive it was a delight to look at and that she would be able to hold her own against his own grandson the next great general. In fact, I heard him pity the fact she would be the next duchess of the northern grove because he''d have liked her to join his grandson in marriage in order to annex her technique into the family."


    Nessa herself didn''t know about that last part. It was a good thing she wasn''t the sort to be easily embarrassed. She knew that the old Muracier would have liked to get a hold on the sword dance but she hadn''t known he would be willing to go so far as to push for a marriage.


    In any case, none of this would happen because as the duchess ruling over the border of the empire, she wouldn''t be able to leave her territory for something as silly as a marriage. That was the meaning the knights should have registered from this but she feared they might keep the rest in mind instead.


    "In any case," She followed. "I fully intend to show my abilities properly before we reach Folcourse. As such, I demand that you let me fight if we encounter a threat on the way. This isn''t a request, this is an order."


    "Understood my lady." The chief knight bowed.


    This was the only acceptable answer in those conditions even if he didn''t agree at all. Nessa had the feeling that they would not follow her words as well as they should. Emp was right.


    Despite all her training and efforts, they only saw a spoiled lady with an exaggerated opinion of herself and her abilities. She needed to show them with blood that she wasn''t kidding and truly knew how to handle herself in a fight.


    She spent the following night in her personal tent erected by the knights themselves and their squires. Because of her status, Nessa enjoyed a very wide tent with enough space to walk around in it and dress herself properly. The whole thing was held up by a pillar planted in the center of the tent and some rugs were unrolled all over the place to make it more comfortable. It was a pretty complex structure to erect for just a single night but the knights wouldn''t dare let their lady rest in anything less.


    Juniper had her own personal tent too but much smaller and hers was prepared by her own two slaves.


    Every nights from then on were spent in that place with her worrying on whether or not she would manage to convince the knights of her resolve and talent or more importantly, convince her own father.


    Then, by day, she''d get the help of Cherry and Myrtille to put her armor back on and would resume her trip in the carriage. The caravan didn''t move all that fast so there should have been plenty of time for her to find something to prove herself against but there was a slight problem.


    The knights just wouldn''t let anything get close. The moment something was spotted, they''d rush out and kill it immediately. By the time Nessa would hear the commotion, it was already all over.


    She got more and more upset as the days passed but the knights always had a convenient excuse. She ordered them to let her fight if they encountered a threat but they could then easily argue that this or that wasn''t a threat at all for them. She could already bet that if they ever were assaulted by something seriously dangerous, they would do their best to get her away from the fight too. They would say that her father ordered them to keep her safe at all cost and his orders trumped hers completely.


    "Maybe you should change your tactics?" Juniper proposed one day while enjoying a new beverage brewed by Nessa.


    "What do you propose?"


    At that point, Nessa was very open to any sort of suggestion.


    "Maybe you could order them to leave the next creature to you or maybe you could ride in front? They can hardly hide things from you if you''re right there in their midst."


    This was a wonderful idea, she should have thought about it by herself much sooner. She might have been enjoying her relaxing time with Juniper a bit too much to think about just getting out of the carriage.


    She was about to apply the idea when the voice of a knight called for her.


    "Lady Hasting, we found a threat for you."


    Finally, she thought. Maybe she wouldn''t have to spend all her time outside monitoring the knights after all.


    "Did we misunderstand the knights after all?" Juniper wondered aloud while Nessa stepped out of the slowing down carriage.


    Outside, she couldn''t hear the sound of fighting but she did hear the sound frantic steps.


    She followed the knight with a frown that only deepened as they got to the place she was being led to. Two knights were harassing a giant twin-headed beetle who didn''t know where to place its attention. The knight in charge was waiting nearby with its arms crossed.


    "Here, lady hasting, we found the perfect opponent for you."


    Nessa felt her face turn green in anger. This was a perfect opponent for her, the weakest of all the creatures living in those woods? It was a good thing that she currently wore her armor and helm because everyone would have seen clearly how angry it made her.


    She stepped in front of the knight and looked upward to him.


    "A beetle? Are you mocking me?"


    "No, of course not, I wouldn''t dare mock my lady."


    That''s what he said but his face wasn''t so respectful. It was clear to her that he found it rather funny. Of course, he couldn''t guess her strength so it would be normal to present her a creature that wasn''t too dangerous first but this was just exaggerated.


    Clearly, he expected her to get bullied by the beetle for a while and then he''d be able to prove that her place wasn''t here with a sword in hand.


    She was simply furious and barely kept her usual calm.


    "Listen, you clearly misunderstood what I asked of you. I didn''t think it would be so hard to understand my simple commands. First you don''t know what an armor is for and now this, you''re having me worried for everyone. Are all the knights in service of my father like you or are you the only one with an empty head? One would explain why we keep loosing to the cursed-blood while the other would make me seriously question how the people to put in charge are selected."


    All the fun underneath his sober expression was instantly erased by her words. The nearby knights were also stunned by her sharp comeback and let the beetle go in their shock.


    The beetle took the opportunity to rush towards her. She couldn''t see it because of her helm but she didn''t need to, the sound it made was enough. Her sight was the least useful of her senses for fighting, her technique revolved around sensing her opponents, listening to their movements and attacks and answering with the right steps. She didn''t need to see it to know exactly what it was doing, the music of its movements was clear to her.


    Maybe it was baited by her high pitched voice?


    She pulled out the blue rose sword she named Lockstep and in a single fluid motion, she slashed off the big horn standing in between the two heads of the beetle. She then raised her leg and stomped her foot behind her, driving one of those two heads into the ground. The other one was writhing in pain in between her and the knight but she ignored it as she stood in between the two heads, exactly where the horn should be.


    She spoke clearly over the screeches of the creature.


    "Someone put it out now. I have no intention of letting this weak and disgusting thing be the first creature figuring on my hunting card."


    Most of the knights were still paralyzed from this whole series of events but one of them still had the wits to do as she asked and plunged his sword through the body of the insect.


    "Thank you Alan." Again, she didn''t need to look to know who moved. "As always, you''re the quickest to move."


    It wasn''t because she didn''t know the guy in charge that she didn''t know anyone here either, they were all truly underestimating her too much. With her sword still drawn, she spoke to the man in front of her on a still angry tone.


    "I will view this time as an honest mistake but if this happens again, I will consider this an offence towards me. This is the last time I will ask you politely, find me a worthy opponent."


    The body of the creature ceased moving and she removed her foot from the top of its head. Like the rest of its shell, the horn was brittle, hollow and full of sickly colored ichor. It was flowing from the wound and slowly forming a disgusting pool at her side. This also meant her sword was dripping from that thing''s juices. She didn''t want to put in back in its scabbard like that so she whipped it in the air.


    The liquid left her blade and splashed onto the face of the knight leader who didn''t wear his helm. If it had been Emp instead of her, he''d have simply scolded him for not wearing it but her anger made her choose this method instead.


    The man who hadn''t moved an inch since she started speaking earlier winced in surprise as the foul liquid plastered his face.


    "Oops, how clumsy of me. Aren''t knights on duty supposed to wear their helms?"


    The man clenched his teeth in frustration but kept his mouth shut. He had been humiliated enough for now and knew better than to talk back.


    Her satisfied smile remained hidden from the knights as she put back her sword in its rightful place.


    "Beautiful things can be deadly too. I ''will'' bite back if you mock me and my determination again."


    Everyone stared at her back as she left in complete silence. She walked back to the carriage and climbed back in, letting the servants close the door behind her.


    She felt slightly better to have gotten some sort of revenge on them now but still had lingering anger. She removed her helm with a frustrated sigh as she slumped down on her seat.


    "It''s okay Nessa, you''ll still get many occasion before you reach home. Those guys just don''t want you to get hurt." Juniper tried to comfort her from the opposing bench.


    "I know, I''m not that angry at them, I think I gave them a well deserved warning. I''m angry at myself instead. I lost my temper and insulted them even though I know I need all of those knights on my side. I''m such an idiot."


    "It''s okay, anyone would have gotten angry to be disrespected like that. He said it was a threat for you after all, with all the efforts you put in your training, it''s normal that you were upset. I think you handled it pretty well instead. If you''re going to be the duchess, you can''t have the guys working for you talk back and snicker like that. You''ve got to put them back in their place like you just did."


    "I just want them to show me the respect they would my father. I don''t want to fight with guys that are supposed to be helping me."


    "You just need to show them who you are. Don''t let it get to you, we both know you''re doing your best. I''m sure that when they see what you can do they''ll come around. The whole point of finding something big to fight is to shock them enough to open their eyes, right? I think you did fine just now. If they truly get what you''re trying to do, they''ll feel more bad about today than you did."


    Even though she was trying to save the northern grove, it didn''t mean everyone would view it the same way. Juniper was saying that if she showed everyone what she was truly made of and had them understand her goals, they''d understand why she got so angry just now.


    It would be hard however, she was certain that they wouldn''t have done the same with Emp or even Brenia. She didn''t look like a warrior, her armor did but they all knew the lady who hid underneath. For everyone, she was the pretty lady that liked tea and dancing but she wasn''t just that. She needed them to understand she could also be the one to administer the territory, that she could stand by them in a real fight, that she could replace her father when the time came.


    All she wanted was a chance to show them and instead of giving her that chance, they gave her the easiest prey they could find as if they were following the whims of a seven years old kid.


    If only the knights here could be as open minded as the guys in her class and the Muracier she met, she wouldn''t have any trouble getting something to beat. She might not even need to kill anything to prove herself in the first place.


    Women knights weren''t all that common but they weren''t unheard off either. Kaisla Grovgar was well known example in Highsteel and many more stood anonymously in the ranks of the knights from everywhere.


    Yes it was hard and dangerous and yes they didn''t have to take the roles of fighters but it didn''t mean that they couldn''t do it if they put the efforts in. Anyway, she wasn''t trying to be a knight, she didn''t even have the shape or physical strength for it. What she needed to be was their leader, it just so happened that a leader hiding at the back like a coward wasn''t a good leader in her father''s book and neither was it in hers.


    She stayed for a while more in the carriage in an attempt to calm herself down and afterwards, she decided to wait some more inside. Now that she had given the knight a chance to find her an opponent, she should had least give him some time to think about it and find a creature.


    It might be easier to go out like Juniper proposed but if she did now, it would further insult the knight. He didn''t give her a good impression at all but knights were important warriors in the defence of the north and she needed all of them in order to secure her territory. Stripping him of all his authority right now just to find a creature to kill wouldn''t give a good impression on any of the other knights.


    Their group passed towns and village but unluckily for her, not a single monster more showed up in their way. It was a rarely seen safe journey for a Hasting, anyone other than her would have been extremely pleased but she could only feel disappointment.


    How come the one time she wanted some creature or hidden enemy to attack them, nothing showed up?


    A day away from Folcourse her hunting card was still left desperately empty.


    "I guess you don''t have much of a choice now, either you''ll have to go in without a kill or you have to stop caravan here and go hunting before finishing the trip." Juniper laid out the two options she could see to her.


    Nessa thought about it seriously and decided to go for the hunt. She really didn''t want to show up in front of her father with nothing on her hunting card to prove she could fight.


    The knights were reluctant to stop the trip for a hunt and had clear orders from her father but with what happened before, they had a hard time refusing her and so the forces of knights were split to follow her in the woods.


    They hunted until nightfall but Luck still didn''t smile upon her, not a trace of any worthy foe could be found.


    "We''re too close from Folcourse now, we''re not going to find anything my lady." One of the knights told her.


    The man was right, even if she spent days more looking for a prey, she wouldn''t find anything. She had to resign herself to the obvious truth.


    It was with a sour mood and an apprehensive heart that she rode into Folcourse the next day. Juniper parted with them at the gate with a deep bow for her and a second proper bow to the knights with many thanks for protecting her on the way. Then, Nessa made her way home.

 155 An army in Dark-glin

    The events that would happen today in Dark-glint promised to be messy. The two Emps could both tell right away that the day would be a long one. The new soldiers sent by Aminui were there camping just outside the walls, the group from school was about to show up and Vinnia was still with them.


    His mention of her two cousins had the opposed effect of what he had intended. She had a surprisingly vast amount of things to say about them and the whole situation so they ended up letting her tag along. She spoke about them for the whole time they traversed the city.


    According to her, those two were not all that smart, incredibly clumsy and she even described them as evil.


    "Evil? Isn''t that a bit harsh to describe your own younger cousins?" Kenneth asked with a frown.


    "It''s not! It''s impossible to be that clumsy without doing it on purpose I tell you. They keep messing up everything that comes close to them in the worst possible way. I''d say they''re agents of the god Destruction if they weren''t my cousins."


    She told them about a time they set fire to a pottery shop, told them about that time they dropped her sword into a well, how they snapped a table in two with a shelve and many other examples. She told them that it became so bad her uncle had to throw them out before they had the house collapse over the heads of everyone else.


    Then, according to her, her two cousins just vanished a few years ago. She said their father thought that they''d learn to stop messing around and come back to them to apologize for their mistakes but they never did. They looked around the city but they were never able to find them.


    Her version sounded slightly different than that of the sisters but she didn''t sound like she was lying either. Maybe the truth was somewhere in between their two stories, maybe Vinnia was simply fed lies or the sisters misunderstood the whole thing as usual, who knew?


    Vinnia came up with a whole lot of different scenario explaining why the two girls she described as unorganized and malicious pests could have ended up with the young lord Muracier.


    None of them were flattering and most had the two sisters tricking him in some way. Of course, none of them were true, Emp had just wanted to help them.


    Vinnia insisted that she had to go there and remove the two sisters before they caused some terrible havoc or forever tarnished the name of her family. She was certain that the two girls would have made a terrible reputation of themselves by now and feared how everyone would look at her name in the future.


    Emp had been tempted to reveal who he was back in B¨ºt¨¦clair to fix the problem right away but in the end chose otherwise. He had not wanted to spoil the surprise he prepared for the others and felt that this was a family matter for them. He shouldn''t intervene without the input of the sisters.


    The group could still have chosen to ignore Vinnia and tell her to leave but they couldn''t really stop her from following them from a distance. She was free to travel wherever she pleased so even if they didn''t let her tag along, she would have ended up in Dark-glint anyway.


    Because of this, they spent the trip with her. As they travelled, Emp thought about ways to fix this whole thing and ended up deciding that the two sisters should take care of this themselves. He wanted them to fix their relationship with their cousin and their family or at least show Vinnia that they were doing fine here. If the two of them really wanted to be his retainers, they would have to mend their previous bad reputation at some point or another.


    Meanwhile, just a few days before the group reached Dark-glint, the soldiers showed up. The amount of soldiers was higher than the amount of villagers in Darkglint. In total, excluding the support staff, a bit over a thousand and four hundreds warriors showed up. There were ten branches of 125 men each, four of spearmen, two of swordsmen and four of archers, alongside them, there was a pack of a 150 riders.


    To make things clear, the armies in the steelwood empire were organized in groups of twenty-five soldiers called a root. Five roots made a branch and five branch made a company, this made it so a branch had 125 men and a company 625 men. Companies could be combined to form a legion, Emp was given the smallest possible legion of two companies of recruits.


    Even though he had an official rank on par with a general, those usually commanded groups of legions to form an army. Emp''s army would be made out of this small legion and those already present in Greenpeaks once he got there.


    Those commanding a legion under a general where usually either a titled wallmaster which was a promoted soldier tasked to defend a specific place for the general or they were either knights or lords given a legion. Under them, a captain lead a company, a brancher led a branch and a rooter led a root. All of that was pretty simple.


    Those were usually not counted in the troop ranks so a root of twenty-five was actually twenty-seven or twenty eight when including the flag bearer, the commander and sometimes, a messenger. The same went when going up in the groups, scaling upward along the chain.


    Emp had been given surplus so that he''d be able to name who he pleased into all the different positions depending on who he felt would fit best. Only the rooters had been chosen so that the army could move with a minimum of discipline. Emp would be able to promote any of those rooters to higher positions if he didn''t have anyone better in mind.


    Riders worked a bit differently, there were thirty riders in a spear of rider and they were lead by a sous-meutier. Five sous-meutier and their spears answered to a meutier and combined into a pack of a hundred and fifty which was what emp was given. This was the usual amount of riders for an army in Steelwood because the overabundance of forest made it difficult to field any more than that. (1)


    However, when the might of the empire was assembled somewhere, the packs could all come together into a cavalcade lead by a mounted commander or even a mounted legion of up to 3750 riders.


    Greenpeaks was the most efficient place to move packs of riders around but training riders wasn''t easy so a hundred and fifty was already a huge amount for him. More would wait for him once he reached his destination.


    Mages had their own compositions too but Emp hadn''t been given any. Those were very hard to train and often came from nobility one at a time. Emp didn''t expect to have many under his orders even once he reached Greenpeaks which made the meek Zoran even more valuable to him.


    Going back to the legion that showed up at the village gate, Bor the chief was really upset to see it. Emp had completely forgotten to warn him about this so he apologized properly for the surprise but was never able to convince him to let them inside. Mostly, the problem was that there were too many of them to fit inside the walls of Dark-glint and he didn''t want the responsibility of feeding them all.


    The best Emp managed to obtain was to let them camp just outside of the wall along the road while the students where moving here. He promised they wouldn''t be there for longer than a week and since the army already had its own provisions, he didn''t complain anymore.


    Emp put on his armor and met everyone in charge of the army, presenting himself as Emp Muracier. He walked into their camp and after naming himself and asking to see those in charge, he waited for them all to assemble.


    He ended up standing in front of fifty rooters, five sous-meutiers and those in charge of the support staff all at once. They made a coordinated salute, all slapping their armor at the same time and all chanting the same thing as one.


    "My lord Muracier, sir! Welcome! This troop of recruits is ready to serve and hear your commands! How may we serve?"


    Then, behind them, every other soldier made the same salute and bowed to him.


    It was a very impressive thing to look at and it sounded so loud it scared the nearby birds away. Emp could only dread what it would sound like if a whole army did it.


    "Woooow!" He heard from somewhere behind him.


    Apparently, Erin and Leo sneaked out of the village after him to see and they were impressed by the scene. He had not noticed them before that, they were getting really hard to spot, it might turn embarrassing in the future if even him couldn''t tell where they were.


    He ignored them for now and took some time to get familiar with the troops he was given. He couldn''t assign everyone their final positions quite yet because he wanted to include the students that were about to arrive but he did spend a lot of time going around the massive group to see how everything was going, their dynamic and all the specifics.


    He had an inventory of everything they brought from weapons to armor, passing by ammunition and supplies made and studied, he went around and chose flag-bearers for every roots under the counsels of the rooters who knew everyone since a while already, he listened to their stories and complaints, to how they felt and who they thought had a talented future and even went around to see who had some kills recorded on their hunting cards already.


    In the empire, it wasn''t necessary to be an adult to join the military, as such, many joined in hopes of getting a kill there to gain their adulthood. That being the case, an army of recruits happened to make it so most of the soldiers were rather short compared to Emp. Children too small or weak were never hired so he wasn''t going to march with a bunch of kids but many didn''t look all that manly yet even after the training they were put trough to get here.


    The few that had some kills recorded were valuable to him as they were those with a better idea of what they were doing. That being said, most of them had been made into the rooters already and he gave the honor of bearing the flags to those that were left. They might be more useful with a true weapon in hand but looking at it from another angle, they didn''t need the kills as much as the rest. The rooters could still re-balance it all later on when everyone would have gathered some more experience.


    The truth was that Emp shouldn''t be the one going around appointing the duty of flag bearer to who he pleased as the task was well bellow his position but with a whole army of recruits, he didn''t have much of a choice. The rest didn''t know what they were doing all that well so he had to explain everything to everyone while he was still new to the army and the role of commanding himself. He was so glad that he had received extensive lessons on all this from the strategy teacher and Aminui before this.


    All this organization took most of his time until the other him showed up but he still found the occasion to finalize everything else he needed to do before his arrival and soon to follow departure.


    First, of course he told the two sister that their cousin was coming here and after a round of complaints, he told them to deal with her themselves. His plan was simply to point her towards his house once she reached the village and let things happen between the three of them.


    Then, he asked his brother in law, Gilbert, what he wanted to do between coming with him and the troops or staying here as a guard. He had been asked to think about it long before and had trained with Emp so he knew how hard it would be to follow him from now on, now it was time for him to take his final decision.


    To be honest, Emp still didn''t know what would be better for him. If something happened to Gilbert while he was under his command, he couldn''t even imagine how saddened Calla would be. On the other hand, as long as he worked under him, he could keep an eye on him while leaving him here to watch the gate put him in arms way with no trustworthy support aside from Marcy.


    Gilbert chose to follow in the end. Emp accepted even though his reasoning, made no real sense, he wanted to impress Eda, that was seemingly the only thing in his head.


    Emp couldn''t really say anything against that. Not only was Gilbert a grown man who could take his own decisions, Emp understood well how it felt when someone he liked gave him a proud smile, he constantly sought that feeling. His decision might not be all that logical but still understandable.


    It wasn''t hard at all to convince Bor to transfer Gilbert to his troupe since he was a Muracier and Gilbert was his brother in law.


    Aside from Gilbert, he also planed on taking Svae with him instead of Harriett as she was better suited for an expedition. However eager Harriett was to please him, he didn''t want to drag her through the empire towards an area in crisis with an army. He''d leave her with Calla instead while Svae would take her place and scout from the air for him.


    This brought the question of whether he should bring the sisters or not. They trained hard to be useful for him and they said they wanted to be his retainers but they hadn''t passed the test. They still had not managed to befriend Galana.


    However, at this point, both of them had far surpassed what Gilbert was able to do and what Emp expected them to be able to achieve which was very good. They could definitely be proud of themselves even if they still could not crack the shell around Galana''s heart.


    He didn''t know what they wanted either, maybe they''d like to stay here with Calla more than going around with him. They first met because of her after all, Emp fully believed they were there for her. It didn''t really matter to him whether they followed him or stayed with Calla as they would provide additional protection for his wife in one case and lend him their talent in the other.


    Likewise, some of the nine ladies here to assist Calla were more than talented enough for Emp to want them in his group. Lanavera Verepe in particular was a knight from Greenpeaks so when she heard where he was going and for what, she almost begged him to join. Her goal was to prove her worth as a knight after all but here in Calla''s service, there wasn''t much action to be had.


    Many of the other girls here had some strong fighting ability and he wished they could follow but he refused them all the same, even Kaisla was denied. He had asked them here to care for Calla, teach her and protect her. Bringing them so far away wouldn''t let them do that.


    He wanted them here with Calla even more since he''d take back his double while he passed the village.


    He had thought about it for some time, should he leave his double here while he was going in Greenpeaks? The idea sounded great since he didn''t want to leave Calla''s side but the more he thought about it, the more he felt it wasn''t the right thing to do.


    There were two reasons behind this reasoning.


    First, this would be unfair.


    His human father Chinui once told him to never order something he wouldn''t be willing to do himself and even if this wasn''t a perfect comparison, he thought the idea could apply here as well. While they were gone to work in Greenpeaks, none of the soldiers or his friends would be able to see their families and loved ones. Leaving half of him here would be unfair for them and some soldiers might come to resent him for being able to spend all his nights by his wife''s side.


    Second, his grandfather Aminui advised him with reason that he should always go all out in every single fight however insignificant it seemed.


    The fact was that one could never know what to expect from the future or an opponent, going soft because things seemed easy was foolish at best and Aminui had a deep scar to prove his point. Having the two him side by side would literally double his fighting power or seeing it from the other side, leaving one of him here would halve his true power. It didn''t matter while he was studying but now that he was leading an army away, the two him should be kept close in case he needed it in a fight.


    There might come a day where he became so strong he wouldn''t feel the need to have the two him standing side by side to be safe but that day wasn''t now.


    His evaluation of everyone''s strength had never been good to begin with, he didn''t know if he was good or not, he didn''t know if Aminui showed him all he could do, if he was affected by old age, if knights stronger than him were common or not... He would not leave his future in the hands of Luck even if he had helped many times in the past. Since he couldn''t evaluate his power properly, it was best to take no chances at all.


    This meant he had to say goodbye to Marcy and Calla as well as everyone else. He''d have the hardest time leaving Calla but of the two, Marcy was the one who was the most reluctant about letting him leave.


    Calla was a nervous person and also a cute and very loving wife but she trusted wholeheartedly that he would come back to her safe and sound. She didn''t doubt it at all, the proof was the charm she gave him and sealed over his armor above his heart. The message painted on it was \u003cPlease, help him keep everyone safe.\u003e instead of asking for his protection directly.


    She was afraid of everything and anything and could barely speak for herself but apparently, when it came to him, she just trusted he''d be fine no matter what. Emp wasn''t certain that blindly believing in his safety was a good thing but he felt that at least, it was better than having her torment herself all the time over this.


    Marcy on the other hand was a lot harder to escape. He had known this wouldn''t be easy and had even spoken to her about the plans and task he was given as soon as he knew about them but she still stubbornly kept saying he should not go.


    "I lost Chijou to the army, I really don''t want to lose ya too. Really, why did ya have to be a Muracier?"


    "Mom, nothing is going to happen to me. I have great equipment, a bunch of soldiers and I can take care of myself."


    "Ya certainly can''t! Every time ya leave these walls, ya get in big troubles and half the times, ya get back half dead."


    "But I wasn''t as strong then as I am now. The task doesn''t seem so hard either. I''m not going to clash with another army, we''re just doing some peace keeping and rescue."


    "Yeah this time its this and next time it''ll be something else and then something else again until ya end up dead in a field somewhere."


    "I sure might die but I really don''t think it will have anything to do with the army or being a Muracier at all." Emp answered convincingly. "Maybe you''re right and I always get in trouble but then isn''t it safer to be surrounded by thousands of armed guys working for me? When was the last time a great general even died?"


    She placed a hand on top of his head and squeezed his skull, messing up his air in the process.


    "Don''t get cocky ya slag, yar no great general yet and ya''re not nearly as strong as Chinui or Chijou."


    "I know that but if you keep me locked up here all the time there''s no way I''ll get better. Just trust me mom."


    The discussion kept going this way for days and days. Marcy clearly didn''t want to give in but Emp just couldn''t stay and nothing she said or did would be able to convince him to do so. In the end, she was powerless to keep him in Dark-glint despite all her worry and her anger.


    To be fair, she might have been able to hold him down using brute strength as he wasn''t convinced that he was physically stronger than her yet but she wouldn''t do something like that. This meant that she reluctantly had to let him go after a million promises to be careful and the longest hug he ever received. He was pretty sure she''d do it again on the day he left but he wasn''t about to refuse his own mother.


    After all that done, the group of students arrived at the gates of Dark-glint, joining up with all the soldiers. Village-Emp waited behind a tent while school-Emp pointed Vinnia towards the house where Leo and Erin waited. She left in a hurry while the soldiers came to salute the him that had just arrived.


    "General, sir! When did you leave the camp?" The soldiers were rather confused to see Emp there. Of course they would be, another him was standing just behind a tent a few meters from them.


    This was the moment he had awaited impatiently for so long, he couldn''t help but make a giant smile under his helm while the other students looked at him in confusion. Why where the soldiers calling him general?


    "My actual title isn''t general to be clear, it''s heir great general or just heir general for short." He told his friends. "I heard that some soldier referred to that title as great prince in the past but it would always upset the imperial family."


    All of them made a confused face. Odilon was the one who voiced what was in all of their minds.


    "Eh? What does that even mean."


    Emp removed his helm to show them an enormous smile. They looked so lost! Their faces was all that he wished for and then some, he couldn''t restrain himself and burst out laughing while the other him stepped from behind a tent further and also removed his helm to stand by his side.


    Now even the soldiers didn''t understand what was happening anymore, some thought it was an identical twin but Emp removed that notion when he held out his hand towards the other him and after a touch, made it disappear.


    "My name is Emp Muracier, I was Aminui''s grandson all along!"


    A bunch of mouths opened up in shock and Odilon shouted the loudest "What?" he had ever heard.


    "Guys," He said laughing hard again. "If only you could see the faces you''re all making!"


    "Is it some joke or is it actually real?" Oliver asked, completely thrown off balance by his declaration.


    "It''s really the truth, you can all look at my hunting card if you don''t believe me. I chose all of you because I didn''t want to go all the way to Greenpeaks without my friends. And yes Zoran, that means you''re not going to get into any danger."


    The small guy almost collapsed from both the shock and the relief, his two girl servants had to hold him on his horse in fear he fell down.


    He''d keep their distorted faces in his memory for a long long time, he never wanted to forget that hilarious scene. Celtine too seemed to think that all their faces was very amusing as she hid her mouth behind her hand to laugh.


    Once they''d have some time to think about it, Emp was sure that many of them would realize it was obvious. The one thing that made it so they had not thought about the possibility of Emp being the Muracier heir was that no one expected to be in a class with a top ranked noble heir. Who would have expected the clueless boy who kept getting tricked for a laugh to be someone so important?


    They all gathered closer to look at his card and Ivar made a comment to which everyone else nodded.


    "You know Emp, we really need to work on what you think is a fun surprise to make."


    What was wrong with is surprise? They all made wonderfully confused faces after all, this was perfect. Emp would give himself a perfect score for it.


    "Doesn''t that mean that lady Porter was complaining about you the whole time? Why didn''t you just answer her instead of pointing her into the village?" Oran asked, clearly still confused.


    "Didn''t you just lie to her then? You said you were in that house. I thought the Muraciers never lied." Jin observed.


    "I didn''t lie at all, I said that the young lord Muracier lived there which is true, that is my actual house over there and my wife Calla is inside with the ladies attending to her and more importantly, the two cousins of lady Porter.


    I just felt that her true problem wasn''t with me but rather her own cousins so I wanted to give them a chance to work it out between themselves while I surprised you all. I always mean what I say even though sometimes people don''t quite get what I''m trying to say." Emp answered with a wry smile.


    After that, there was an awkward silence where no one knew exactly what to say.


    The guys were all trying to digest the fact he was the Muracier they came to assist, the soldiers were just standing there confused and waiting for orders and Emp didn''t know if he was supposed to wait for them to ask more question or just bring up the next subject himself.


    In the end, Celtine''s heel tapping his armor from where she sat on his shoulders convinced him to just bring up the next thing.


    "So, there you have it. I''m a Muracier, those are the reinforcements we were promised and my probably temporary house is over there. My wife insisted to receive you all properly with a good meal but I don''t have enough rooms for you all so we''ll eat in the yard later and everyone will camp here with the soldiers for tonight. This means you all have to prepare the camp here, we''ll leave tomorrow and I''ll assign everyone a spot I think appropriate for now. Is there any questions or objections?"


    Emp waited for a moment but no one seemed to react. He let out a sigh and turned towards the nearest rooter.


    "You, find those guys a spot to camp, as you know, they''ll be your superiors from now on so make sure the soldiers behave with them am I clear?"


    "Yes, general, sir!"


    "Great." He turned back around towards the seven guys he brought. "Once your tents are set, join me at the house I pointed earlier to Vinnia. You won''t be disappointed by the meal, I promise. Calla is a really fantastic cook. In the mean time, I need to go see how the whole Porter situation is going on."


    He turned around with Harriett on his heels and left for his home while the newly graduated students stared blankly at his back.


    *-*-*-*


    1. A pack is a meute in french, that''s where Meutier comes from, it''s a pack leader. A sous-meutier could be translated as an under pack leader or lesser pack leader. I went for meutier because it just sounds better than pack leader in the context, it''s not a pack of wolves after all.


    I wanted to give you a pretty graph of how the army works here but I can''t.


    Instead I can only do this, it''s a bit messy but I can''t really do better, I can''t even use tabs to align everything properly.


    Ranks from lowest to highest and what they command.


    \u003c\u003e


    Military slaves: \u003cServe either on the front lines in the most risky positions or helping the logistic teams.


    Soldiers/riders: \u003cAll must be trained in Highsteel before being assigned somewhere to insure the cohesion of the troops. \u003c\u003c\u003cGuards are also considered soldiers but are usually trained by their fellow guards.


    Rooter: \u003cLead a root of 25 soldiers


    \u003eSous-Meutier: \u003cLeads a spear of 30 Riders


    Brancher: \u003cLead a branch of 5 roots


    \u003eMeutier: \u003cLead a pack of 5 spears


    Captain:\u003c Lead a company of 5* branches \u003c\u003c(between 2 and 8)


    \u003eMounted Commander: \u003cLeads a cavalcade of 5 packs. \u003c\u003c(A mounted legion can be made with many cavalcade but it is so rare there are no official title for their commanders in the Steelwood empire army.)


    Titled wallmaster: \u003cLead a legion of 5* companies \u003c\u003c(between 2 and 8) but only has authority to defend a specific place.


    Knights/nobles: \u003cCan be assigned anywhere along the chain depending on their abilities and noble ranks.


    \u003c\u003c\u003cKnights can form their own elite troops or lead branches while higher lords can lead up to a legion.


    \u003c\u003c\u003cWhile the titled wallmasters can only guard a place, a legion lead by a noble can move around under the commands of a margrave or a general. When commanding a legion, they use their own noble title hence why there is no official military title for the master of a legion.


    Margrave: \u003cCommand all defences of a border region they are higher ranked than a general on their territory but lower anywhere else.


    General: \u003cLeads an army between 2 and 8 legions


    Heir Great General: \u003cTemporary title, generals can disregard their orders in certain circumstances but generally, only the Great general himself outrank them. \u003c\u003c\u003c(Graube is considered an Heir Great General even though his actual title is only that of a General)


    Great General: \u003cLeads all the armies of the Steelwood empire. Only the emperor himself can overthrow his orders.


    I hope this explanation will help in the future when things get a bit more complicated.

 156 Erin against Vinnia P.1

    While Emp was talking to his friends in the military camp outside the walls, Erin and Leonni were preparing to receive their cousin in a hurry.


    The last time they met, Vinnia was very angry at them and they had heard from Emp that she was still quite mad even now. They really wanted to look their best so that Vinnia would have less to complain about.


    Most of the others had already left the house to prepare to receive the nobles in the backyard so the only person left in here was Galana.


    "Why are you even here!" Erin complained while she tried to fix her younger sister''s hair as best as she could.


    "I live here." Galana answered with a smug smile while leaning back against the table.


    "You know that''s not what I meant! This has nothing to do with you so go away."


    "It does have to do with me, we went over this already. If Emp truly lets you stay and makes you his retainers, whenever you do something wrong or bad, it will make him look bad and since I belong to him, it makes me look like an idiot too."


    "Ah! You said you belong to him!" Erin giggled mockingly.


    "You know this isn''t what I meant." Galana scoffed back. "How is this even a mocking point miss ''I blush whenever he looks my way''?"


    "No I don''t!" Erin protested loudly.


    Leo just looked away in an attempt to not betray her sister.


    Now it was Galana''s turn to giggle mockingly.


    "Oh you absolutely do! You like him because he''s the only guy that has ever been willing to give a chance to the calamity that you two are."


    "Grrrr, that''s it! Leo, we need to get her before Vinnia shows up!" Erin pointed towards Galana in frustration.


    Shortly after, shouts and screams sounded in the main room of the house as the sisters pursued their teacher around the room and wrestled with her. Because of it, they didn''t hear the insistent knocks on the door.


    Soon, Vinnia stepped into the main room and saw Galana on the floor laid on her back with Leo crouched over her with her hands extended up and away holding Galana''s headband and Erin trying to grapple their opponent.


    All three sides froze and glared at each other, all for different reasons.


    "So it really is you two." Vinnia stated in annoyance.


    Galana took the opportunity to snatch back her head band and push the sisters off of her. The two of them eyed Galana menacingly but she glared back with way more intensity. They knew she hated it when her slave mark was exposed.


    The three of them got back up and readjusted their clothes slightly while they kept all the glares up. Vinnia watched over it all with an air close to disgust.


    "Hi cousin." Erin said followed by Leo who just said "Hi."


    "You need to remove your boots before you get in." Galana pointed out to the visitor on a still annoyed tone.


    "Shut up slave, mind your business." Vinnia answered, not sparing a glance for Galana.


    She had clearly seen the slave mark earlier.


    "Excuse me?" Galana was already angry so of course she''d react like that when spoken to with so much disdain.


    She had already gotten in a lot of trouble in the past for this kind of thing, she always had a hard time controlling her temper.


    "I said shut up! Know your place and stay quiet until I require your input. Next time you open your mouth, I''ll close it myself and tell your master you deserve a good whipping."


    The two sisters made a sour face because they knew exactly where this would go next, there was no way Galana of all people would let anyone talk to her like that. The turned deep red and ran her mouth as usual.


    "Yeah? Try it you whiny dog, we''ll see who''s going to get slapped around."


    Vinnia gave her an offended look before she started moving towards Galana who pulled out a set of flint and steel from her sleeves. That meant she was about to use fire magic in the house, things were clearly going too far already.


    Erin hurriedly stepped in between them, extending a palm to both of them.


    "Stop."


    "No fighting in the house." Leo added.


    Galana leered her way with eyes saying "You''re one to talk." but Leo didn''t notice because she was too proud to be the one reminding people of the rules for once.


    "Erin, I know you don''t ever pay any attention to anything but this should be pretty self explanatory. A slave talks back to a noble they get punished."


    She was about to add on to that but Erin just interrupted her right away.


    "That''s a dumb rule and you were the first to be rude just now. Galana was just telling you that you need to remove/"


    "How dare you interrupt me you insufferable pest! What is it with you two always messing things up for us? I''ll be done with her in a moment and then I''ll have you apologize for the trouble you made and drag you back home myself." Vinnia said as she pushed her index finger on Erin''s chest.


    "Why are you so angry? We didn''t do anything wrong." Leo asked her older cousin in confusion.


    "Which home are you even talking about? We got kicked out by dad. You want to drag us back to the alleyway we kept sleeping in? This is home." Erin said while refusing to budge from where she stood.


    "This isn''t your home! Grow up and use your head! That''s a temporary shack for a really high noble. You have nothing to do here. You two have been nothing but trouble since you were little. I don''t know what sort of trick you used to get here but you''ll put all of us in even deeper trouble if you don''t stop now.


    At best you''ll destroy all the efforts I made to increase the reputation of our name and who knows what could happen at worse. You''re no knights at all and you''ve got no rights to be here!"


    "We do have the right to be here! We were invited! We didn''t trick anyone, we just worked hard."


    "There''s no way that''s the truth, how would he even have heard of you two if you slept in an alleyway like you said? Huh?"


    "I threw a rock at his head in B¨ºt¨¦clair because we thought he was abducting Calla but she turned out to be his wife, she was just feeling unwell." Leo explained innocently.


    This really wasn''t the thing to answer to her cousin, that was obvious to both Erin and Galana. They would have to fix that habit of hers to blurt out the worst possible thing every time someone asked her something. She always answered like a six years old even if she was now more than double that.


    Vinnia was already incredibly mad at them all but hearing that her cousin threw a rock at the head of the young lord somehow made it even worse.


    "You threw a rock at the head of a Muracier!"


    "It''s fine, it didn''t hit and he forgave us right away."


    "It''s not fine! What did you tell him so that he brought you all the way here? What sort of lie did you spout!"


    "Nothing! Stop yelling at us. We didn''t even know he was a Muracier, we just wanted to apologize properly and make sure Calla was fine. We also thought that maybe he''d have a job for us because we couldn''t find any more in B¨ºt¨¦clair so we tagged along."


    Following that, their talks further degenerated into a quarrel and Galana was quickly forgotten by the three Porter.


    They argued in circles as Vinnia reminded them of all their errors and accidents. She was even worse than Galana and seemingly remembered every little offence ever done to anyone. Not only that, she had a slew of arguments and hypothesis about what was possibly going on here, what Emp truly wanted from them and how they happened to his side.


    She ignored the presence of Galana entirely and said all sorts of senseless things the sisters were quick to deny or vehemently dispute. She even dared say he might just be lustful towards them and picked them up for his personal amusement.


    Everyone else felt offended by the suggestion, the sisters because they felt it was obviously untrue and they weren''t dumb enough to get tricked this way and Galana because it was one of the most offensive things she had ever heard anyone say about Emp.


    "You and your disgusting mouth can count yourselves lucky that he is so lax about slander or you''d have faced a well deserved and excruciatingly long torment." Galana said with disgust.


    Vinnia just reached out over her cousin to slap her but Erin caught her arm before it reached Galana.


    "Erin get out of the way." Vinnia scolded.


    "No ''you'' back off, we told you, no fighting in the house."


    "I''ve worked too hard to get up to were I am to be talked down by some harlot with a slave mark on her forehead. She more than deserves to be punished and you stand in my way. Do I really have to remind you who is the knight between us two? If you weren''t my cousin, I''d punish you as well."


    "First of all, she didn''t deserve to get enslaved, she was cornered by bad people and our lord helped her. Second of all, you have no rights to punish anyone here." Erin glared. "You need to calm down, now."


    Galana shot her some sort of strange look but she had no idea how to interpret it. It wasn''t a glare for once though, that was for sure.


    "And you need to clean the floors too. You didn''t remove your boots and you''ve trailed dirt across the room so you have to clean it." Leo added pointing at a clear trail of dirt.


    "Slaves and servants are here for that, no way I''m cleaning the floors."


    "The rule here is that the one that makes the floor dirty has to wash it themselves." Erin said seriously.


    "We know because we were made to wash it many times." Leo nodded proudly.


    "Would you let go of my arm and stop trying to change the subject!" Vinnia snarled. "You owe me big time already so listen to me!"


    "Is it about the sword again?" Leo asked with a pout. "We didn''t do it on purpose."


    "As I said many times, it''s impossible to drop a sword heavier than you in well without doing it on purpose!" Vinnia objected. "Neither you two nor your parents could pay so ''I'' had to buy a new one and work a shit job on top of my training to pay it! That sword was in the family for two generations too!"


    "So you''re still mad about that?" Erin asked with a disbelieving frown.


    "Of course I''m still mad about that! I''m sure that in the whole world, there no one who hate someone they love as much as I do right now! Have you made it your life goal to ruin mine or what? What have I done to you!"


    "We never meant to upset you though." Leo pouted.


    "I know! It makes this all the more annoying for me because I feel guilty for being angry at you even though I have all the rights to be angry!"


    "If its about the money, we can pay for the sword now." Erin proposed. "Will you leave us alone if we give you the money?"


    Emp had given the two sister quite a bit of money in small increments over the years. He had wanted to reward their hard work and efforts with more than simply a place to sleep and Calla''s food.


    For both Erin and Galana, that treatment had seemed undeserved, it was way too much for the "work" they did. Anyone else would have felt he was just spoiling them or bribing them for "something" which was clearly what Vinnia was thinking, hence her previous accusation.


    The knight grabbed the face of her cousin and pressed down on her cheeks hard as she shook her head.


    "Erin! That''s got nothing to do with the money even though I''d very much like you to pay for our family sword, yes. Why is it so hard to make you understand? We''re worried about you two and I''m worried about what you two could do to the family by accident. Just stop and come back home already."


    Erin was surprised to hear her say those things. Honestly, she didn''t think Vinnia really cared about them, she didn''t think her father cared either. She wondered if this was the truth.


    If Emp had been here, he would have known right away, Leo and her weren''t able to lie to him even once, he could always guess. She had no idea how he did it but she wished she could do the same.


    At the very least, she could tell that her cousin didn''t seem all that worried, well, aside from the hysterical way she was conducting herself... Fine, maybe she was worried after all.


    However, she didn''t want to go back to how things were before.


    She lived well here with Leo, attacking Emp by mistake was the luckiest thing that ever happened to them. Everything had been going well since then.


    They did get in trouble regularly like they used to but those trouble didn''t end up costing them all their food for the day or an opportunity they desperately needed. Most of the time, Emp and Calla would just laugh it off and when not, Emp put them to work fixing whatever they broke.


    They didn''t go hungry almost everyday anymore and Calla''s food was very good too. She didn''t have to be afraid that Leo would starve all the time anymore and Emp had thought them how to get their own food in the woods if things turned out wrong somehow.


    They weren''t treated like a nuisance by everyone they knew either. Back in B¨ºt¨¦clair, everyone would sigh and scold them at the sight of their faces so they kept having to scurry away even when they did nothing wrong at all. Here, they had a lot of friends including Svae and plenty of new ones, Leo was smiling all the time and they had a lot of fun.


    More importantly, Emp was willing to trust them and give them a chance even though he knew that most of what they did ended in some catastrophe. He had even put them in charge of protecting the wolves and the angry lady where her own mother wouldn''t have left them in charge of watching the soup for half an hour.


    With years spent here with everyone, it had truly become her home, she didn''t want to go back to people who didn''t truly want her there. She wouldn''t even consider going back, she shook her head at her cousin, trying to have her let go of her cheeks in order to speak.


    "You got it all wrong Vinnia. We don''t want to go back and we don''t have to. Why did you come all the way here? Aren''t you a knight?"


    "Of course I''m a knight! Something you aren''t, which is why you shouldn''t be here!"


    "Who''s your lord Vinnia?" Erin asked with a frown.


    "My great lord is the crown prince Jonace Artefine." She said proudly. "What does that have to do with anything."


    "He didn''t come all the way here with you, did he?" Erin said.


    "No, of course not."


    "Aren''t knights supposed to follow their lords to protect them of all things? You have to keep the peace, make sure the law is upheld and protect your lord. Why aren''t you with him instead of here?"


    Erin and learned a lot about nobles, knights and soldiers from the many women here and Emp himself. From what she understood, Vinnia shouldn''t be here. She should be waiting for orders near that Jonace guy.


    "I came all the way here to help you of course and stop you from messing things up."


    "But we don''t need a rescue and we''re doing nothing wrong. You''re the one making trouble here. We''re fine." Erin insisted, watching her cousin frown in a mix of disbelief and curiosity.


    "You''ve changed a bit." She said.


    "Of course we''ve changed, it''s been years!"


    "We''ve trained a lot." Leo added with a smug smile.


    ???No that''s not what I mean, you... ''sound'' different."


    "I sound different?" Erin asked with a deadpan look.


    Vinnia stared straight into her eyes without saying a word and Erin held her gaze. She tried to guess what she was looking for but she was unable to. Whatever was happening, Galana behind her seemed to think that this was really funny, she could hear her giggle.


    In the end, Vinnia let her go and after letting out a long sigh, she looked around the room and all over the sisters again, less in a hurry this time.


    "You''re calmer." She said. "You look like you know what you''re doing, for real this time. Usually, you pretend that you know what you''re doing and then everything falls apart."


    "I''m not sure if its a compliment or not."


    "And I''m not sure that everything won''t fall apart anyway."


    "Why can''t you trust us?" Leo said from side.


    She looked really miffed about their cousin constant nagging.


    "Because I know exactly what always ends up happening when you''re around. You''re going to end up driving a knife in his eye somehow and get yourselves executed. Even if you sound more responsible, for the safety of everyone, you should come back with me to B¨ºt¨¦clair. I''m sure we can find you something to do there. What is it you''re doing here anyway if you''re not warming his bed?"


    Erin was getting really annoyed with this idea. Why was that the only thing in her cousin''s head!


    "Stop it with that! How dare you badmouth all three of us like that! You might be family but if you speak that way again I''ll force you to apologize"


    "Really? You''ll force me?" Vinnia almost laughed which really irritated the two sisters.


    "Emp said that he''d make us his retainers if we did good enough." Leo bragged.


    Vinnia clearly didn''t believe a word of it so she completely ignored them. She focused on the name instead.


    "I feel like I heard that name before, it''s the name of the Muracier? Shouldn''t you be calling him lord instead of simply his name?"


    Emp didn''t really care about titles at all. The people he knew could call him whatever they wanted just like how Galana always called him idiot.


    "I don''t really mind either way." Confirmed the voice of the man himself from the door.


    Emp walked in the house, removing his boots before stepping in the main room. Vinnia made the connection in her head while Emp was looking over the floor with a frown. She was just realizing she travelled with him for all this time.


    "Who didn''t remove their boots before stepping in? Is it you again Leo?"


    "No, it''s Vinnia!" Leo ratted out her cousin instantly, making her flinch.


    Vinnia''s eyes grew much wider as Emp turned his gaze to her. She was just registering all the things she said about him, right in his face along the trip.


    "I''m sorry miss Porter but here in my house you''ll have to follow my rules. Go remove your boots and clean up the floors you dirtied. I don''t want my wife to get her socks full of dirt."


    "I-ehhhh- O-Of course sir! Right away!" She stuttered.


    "Sorry Vinnia, we warned you. I''ll show you to the broom." Erin told her cousin.


    As they were moving back towards the door so Vinnia could hurriedly remove her boots, Galana asked him what he was doing here.


    "I thought you wanted to leave this to the sisters."


    "I do, I just came in to get some things for Calla. What are you doing here by the way? Why aren''t you outside with the others?"


    She twisted her head to side and took a guilty air.


    "Nothing in particular..."


    Emp gave Galana his scary face. She would always obey when he did that, he didn''t need a slave mark on her at all.


    "Fine, I thought I''d have fun watching the sisters get scolded but the cousin is even worse then them."


    Shortly after, Emp had taken some things in the cellar and was dragging Galana outside. Vinnia glared at her for being called worse than Erin and Leo but dared not do anything in front of Emp Muracier. At least Galana didn''t tell Emp that they almost fought or Vinnia would have brought Emp''s anger on herself.


    Galana was frustrating most of the time and the sisters couldn''t get along with her but at least, she wasn''t bad for the sake of being bad. She knew Emp would side for Galana if she fought Vinnia but she also knew it would upset the sisters so she kept her mouth shut even though Vinnia had been really rude and menacing with her.


    Leo, Erin and Vinnia were left alone to clean up the dirtied floor. Since they were still in the middle of their talk, Erin decided to help her cousin clean everything up as they spoke. Leo on the other hand sat at the table and looked overly satisfied to watch her cousin scrub the floor.


    "I can''t believe the lord would actually make us do this." Vinnia complained.


    "Not us, just you. I''m helping only because it''s you." Erin answered.


    Now, she just needed to convince her cousin that she was perfectly fine here or at least, convince her to leave. She expected this to be harrowing but she would not let her cousin have her way. Erin and Leo belonged here and wanted to be here, nothing Vinnia could say would possibly make them change their mind and she was willing to defend her place with her own hands if it came down to it.


    *-*-*-*


    Meanwhile, outside, Emp was sat at a pair of massive tables, enjoying a drink with all the ladies, Galana and Calla.


    He glanced at his ring to make sure the two sisters were fine inside and asked his friend what she thought about this.


    "So Galana, what do you think I should do?"


    "About what?"


    "My retainers." He precised.


    To be technical, they weren''t his retainers, they were only candidates but they would soon be if Galana and Calla gave their approval.


    To be perfectly honest, Emp would love for at least Erin to be his retainer. She had a strong sense of justice and the will to do what needed to be done when a challenge arose. She had the instinct to fight instead of flee and more importantly, she made enormous progress. She came from nothing at all and now she had grown into someone reliable, or at least he felt it was so.


    Galana let out a long sigh and made a really bothered face.


    "I hate to admit it but their cousin Vinnia is right, Erin is way more responsible now than how she was at first. She called you her lord as if that was obvious, defended me against her cousin and got extremely upset when your honor was put into question. At the very least, I think she will do her best to not disappoint you in front of anyone."


    Emp nodded in understanding but also urged her to speak more.


    "That''s good to hear but I''d like to hear your own opinion of them too. Do you think I should take them as retainers or not?"


    He had promised the two sisters he''d give them a black tulip of the crystal spring elixir if they could make Galana say that she could accept them. Reluctantly giving in to his impulse wasn''t the same as actually agreeing.


    "Urgh, fine." She mumbled. "They aren''t as bad as they seem, they could potentially be useful I guess."


    "What she really means to say is that she changed her mind on them after she saw how serious they could be about this whole retainer thing and she likes how devoted to justice they are, even though they''re too energetic for her. Also, she likes to tease them a lot." Maria Starbeetle intervened from the side.


    "How dare you cockroach say I like them? As if I''d ever acknowledge the little jumpscare and the shadowknight!"


    "See? She''s even giving them cute nicknames, she''s just too stubborn to admit it." maria insisted.


    "I''ll set your skirt on fire!"


    "What, are you turning into a pervert now, you want to leave me in my underwear, what a naughty librarian." Maria mocked her with a smug smile.


    Those two almost never stopped. Emp had to raise is hand up to have them stop and ordered Galana to be honest. She hated it when he did that but truly, with her, it was almost unavoidable.


    "Galana, I order you to tell me the truth clearly. Do you think they are retainer material and would you trust them to assist me?"


    "Yes I do and I think so." She said while gritting her teeth to the hilarity of her roommate.


    "There, thank you Galana for your opinion. Are they done with your teaching too?"


    "They are. Leo makes a bunch of spelling mistakes all the time but she won''t improve no matter how many times I scold her anymore. As long as Erin writes for her, everything should be fine." She admitted begrudgingly.


    Emp nodded in satisfaction and turned his head towards his wife while Galana glared at Maria. They''d be fine, they were always insulting each other but always left with big smiles, Emp didn''t understand their way of socializing.


    "Calla, what do you think about this?"


    She was the one who met them first and Emp let them follow because Calla asked him to do it. Effort-wise, it was him that was the most invested because of how much time he spent teaching them combat and survival techniques. However, she was the one who was the most invested in them emotionally aside from Svae.


    His wife leaned in and spoke right next to his ear in order to let him hear her small voice properly.


    "I think they are sincere and that they won''t betray us."


    She looked hesitant to say something more but in the end, she chose to stay quiet and left it at that.


    "So I should give them the position of retainers like I said I might do?"


    She answered with a clear nod.


    "Would you like to keep them here or should I bring them with me in that case?"


    "Let them go with you." She answered with no hesitation. "I''m well surrounded already and Erin would like to be invited I''m sure."


    "Alright."


    Emp agreed with her words and gave her a warm hug. She knew everyone best after all, if she said Erin would rather go with him then it must be true.


    Next, he turned his attention to the other girls around the table.


    While the meal was slowly cooking, all the girls gathered to help Emp take a decision on the two Porter sisters. All of them had an opinion and they seemed proud to be allowed to share it with him. He took all their words seriously.


    Lea Duch¨ºne was the only one that didn''t share her opinion since she wasn''t there. Then again, she was never there, she was hiding in her room again.


    The various opinions of the others were rather similar all things considered.


    Bailey Sorenthal was fond of them on account that they protected her precious dogs. They did catch Vesa''s mother once trying to get to the dog at night, proving to him that they could complete an assignment properly.


    Destiny and Victory thought they were really fun girls and felt that they''d get along really well in the future so they recommended that he should take them as retainers as well.


    Kaisla, Lanavera and Sarissa all agreed that the two Porter were fast learners and talented in many physical skills, even outside of combat. Kaisla said they''d be great assets in the future while Lanavera said she''d like to fight side by side with them. Sarissa said it might be risky to send them anywhere dangerous because she feared they might be too eager and cause trouble.


    Lusine didn''t know much about their skills but she did point how how much respect they showed Emp and Calla. She felt that loyalty was more important than skills and that they had plenty of that. Plus, they knew how to remain out of sight and would make for potentially great spies or assassins.


    Emp didn''t think he''d ever need assassins and didn''t know why it was the first thing that came to Lusine''s mind but if she said so it must have been true.


    The only thing Maria had to say about them was that as long as everyone remained honest with them, everything should be fine. She noted that they tended to get very upset when people lied or hid things from them so it might cause problem later depending on who they''d have to deal with when working for him.


    That was an interesting point, he remembered how upset they got at his brother in law when he tricked them about the old woman reading the future, he''d keep it in mind.


    Svae made a point of reminding him about how clumsy they could be and told him that if he did take them as retainers, he''d have to remain comprehensive with them and their strange misfortune.


    With all of that said, Emp believed that the advantages of giving them the position he had proposed to them earlier outweighed the disadvantages and risks by far.


    Those could be controlled by what he asked them to do exactly and their originality might provide him some good ideas in the future just by them speaking their minds over a problem or another.


    His decision was made. He would truly make them his retainers, as long as they were willing of course.

 157 Erin against Vinnia P.2

    Emp let everyone go back to preparing the feast and soon enough his friends from school all showed up. They made a few gallant bows for all the ladies here and since they had already met Calla, they gave special attention to lady Muracier, as they now called her. They all put a knee to the ground in front of her to show their respect.


    At the insistence of all her attendants, she wore her noble dress today but it didn''t stop her from feeling massively embarrassed by the seven kneeling nobles men. Emp and the ladies helped her deal with it elegantly and soon enough, everyone was sat comfortably and talking.


    Odilon must have been stared down hard by everyone beforehand because he didn''t say anything out of place to the many ladies here. Thanks to that, everything went well and everyone seemed to get along. They all seemed to have digested who he was and apparently swiftly chose to act as they usually did around him except for Jin.


    The son of the mouse didn''t know Emp well before that so it influenced his behavior a lot. However, he seems happy to know for sure that Emp did appreciate some cursed-bloods as Celtine was always with him and everyone here was respectful with Svae. She did an excellent job along with Harriett and managed to serve drinks to everyone properly and swiftly. Jin would probably be much more comfortable to be seen around his cursed-blood slave from now on.


    Before the food was ready and while the talks were still animated, the three Porters came back.


    Right away, Erin asked something while she was busy glaring back at her cousin.


    "We want a spar with her." She said.


    Emp had no objection, obviously, she wanted to show her progress to her cousin. He just had to state fair rules.


    "Alright but you''ll all use wooden weapons and you go one at a time, you''re not fighting her two on one."


    All three of the Porter were unsatisfied with that decision.


    "As if they had a chance with two against me, one on one is way too unfair." Vinnia taunted.


    "But we always fight the two of us! That''s unfair!" Leo complained loudly.


    It was true that usually, they fought together against him, he even added Gilbert to their team to make it a bit less easy for himself and when not, it was one of the ladies here instead. The sisters where unused to fighting alone.


    Erin just pouted in annoyance but since Emp didn''t look like he would change his mind, she turned around and walked away to fetch the wooden swords.


    "So those are the two cousins that Vinnia complained about for the whole trip uh? Are they really as bad as she described?" Ivar said in a low voice so that Vinnia would not hear him.


    "They are indeed attracting all sorts of accidents but they''re funny and they have the same sort of morals as Kenneth." Emp explained for him.


    The circumstances in which he met Kenneth and the sisters were pretty similar after all, Kenneth accused him of mistreating Celtine the moment they met.


    "I see." Ivar nodded before leaning back the other way towards Kenneth.


    The others all had some curiosity about this, either they expected a catastrophe that would make for a good entertainment or they expected them to show some talent, Emp didn''t know.


    All their questions would be answered soon enough however. Even wasn''t sure of what would happen because his sense of strength was all out of order. Vinnnia was an actual knight, it would be interesting to see how Erin who only trained with him up until now would fare against her.


    After a very short debate, the sisters chose Erin to fight Vinnia. She wore her everyday clothes against her armored cousin but with wooden weapons, it didn''t make a difference. It would only make it easier for her to move.


    Emp politely asked Kaisla to set the rules and arbitrate for him and she accepted easily. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to do it himself but instead that he didn''t trust himself to be fair towards Vinnia.


    "Alright, here are the rules this time around. You win by hitting your opponent in a vital spot or disarming them. The match can also end by the surrender of either of you, is it clear?" Kaisla asked.


    "Understood." Vinnia said confidently while her cousin nodded.


    Leo came to sit close to Emp, clenched her fists and grit her teeth in nervousness. She really didn''t want her big sister to loose.


    "Take your stances." Kaisla said while raising her hand high.


    The two cousins stared at each other and raised their training swords for the fight. Erin took the proper position he had taught her while Vinnia took a more casual stance. She clearly didn''t expect her cousin to be able to hit her at all.


    "Fight!" Kaisla shouted as her hand shot back down.


    The two girls stayed perfectly still for a split second before Vinnia decided to taunt her cousin.


    "You don''t have a chance, I''ll give you the first move."


    Erin growled and charged forward, clearing the distance between them quickly and brandished her sword high. That was a position clearly open for a counterattack but Emp knew it was a bait, her footwork was off, ready to trow her body out of the way.


    Vinnia decided that instead of falling for the bait to humor her cousin, she should try and guard her downward slash. Erin didn''t let the clash happen however, when she saw her cousin raising her sword upward, she shot to the side by pushing her feet into the ground and changed the angle of the slash, making it curve towards the side.


    With her sudden change of position and the angle of her slash, her wooden sword slipped under Vinnia''s guard immediately and hit the neck of her cousin.


    "The winner is Erin." Kaisla declared, sounding unimpressed.


    "What!"


    That was an extremely short fight for sure. The two girls seemed surprised of the result even though they were the two who fought. The boys clapped at the swift victory, some by politeness but most were impressed that Erin could win so fast. Leo made a triumphant shout while Emp commented out loud.


    "Vinnia, you underestimated your cousin too much, you gave the victory to Erin. Would you two like a rematch?"


    Both of them agreed right away, Vinnia couldn''t accept loosing like that and Erin wanted to prove herself to her cousin.


    "This time, I advise you to go at it seriously." He told Vinnia.


    She nodded with determination and both of them took their original position again. This time, Kaisla looked a lot more serious.


    The next fight started after Kaisla signal and went completely differently. This time, Erin stayed on the defensive while Vinnia attacked. The cousin chained attacks after attacks but nothing she did could break Erin''s guard. Meanwhile, Erin looked very apprehensive, she didn''t know what Vinnia was able to do so she was scared of counterattacking and just defended instead.


    The fight this time went on and on, Vinnia would set up traps to try to bait Erin into attacking and break her posture but the other never fell for it because she refused to attack at all. On the other hand, Erin couldn''t believe that this was truly the best of what Vinnia could do and feared moving out of her defensive stance. She was too used to fighting Emp who was much faster than Vinnia, even though she usually could never win against him, Vinnia wasn''t too much for her.


    She was so certain that some trick was coming that she only focused on protecting herself and thus, didn''t fare any better than her cousin. The sound of wood hitting more wood sounded over and over as the fight went on. At this rate, they''d both end up exhausted with no clear winner in sight.


    Vinnia must have known at least a few special techniques but even with wooden swords, they might be dangerous to use on someone without armor. She''d never want to break her cousins'' neck on accident. Because of that, she had to limit herself to pure skill and speed which were not enough to overwhelm Erin.


    At first, the rest of the girls cheered her on but as the fight stretched on and on, they ended up awkwardly silent.


    "Why isn''t she going on the offensive?" Oliver asked Emp from across the table. "She''s clearly dominating the exchange."


    All of them had seen more than enough spars to be able to see that easily, most of the ladies here did as well.


    "Is she toying with her cousin?" Oran asked further.


    Leo looked over the table at Oliver and Oran in confusion, she didn''t understand what they meant. She had been tense since the fight started, almost ten long minutes ago.


    "No, she thinks that Vinnia is holding back so she''s scared of trying anything. She''s always seen Vinnia as this great knight towering above her and her sister. In her head, it''s impossible that this is all Vinnia can do. She''s certain that all of this is a long feint to have her lower her guard, that''s why she''s never counterattacking."


    "Are you saying this is really all Vinnia can do?" Leo asked loudly with a frown, she couldn''t believe this either.


    "I think so yes, as it goes on, she''s getting more and more desperate and frustrated, the gaps between her movements are getting wider and wider as her patience is getting thinner." Emp answered Leo.


    Many others around the tables nodded in agreement. It didn''t take a Muracier to see that.


    "This could be a good fight since miss Vinnia there doesn''t seem like a bad swordsman but you twisted Erin''s perception of strength so far out of proportion that we''re just getting this instead." Lanavera said with a bored attitude. "I wish I could jump in and get a spar too instead, that thing should have been over ages ago."


    She was usually very lively but apparently, witnessing that sort of performance was despairing for her.


    "The proud warrior couldn''t possibly be defeated today! Her honor at stake, facing the unassuming opponent that was her own blood cousin. How could she have ever guessed that fate would favor one she discarded as weak in the past!" Destiny said in a dramatic way, getting up from her seat and falling into the waiting arms of her twin who followed the story.


    "For she fought bravely to impress her beloved lord, defeat could not be given to her today! The maiden had been left in the dust before but today she rose again thanks to the attention of her lord. unwilling to let her family stand in the way of her heart, she would never let herself be cut down. Despite the guilt tugging at her from the inside, she could not let her cousin through as her devotion outweighed the loyalty towards her blood."


    The twins hugged each other and shed fake tears, drawing the attention of the rest towards them. Emp had to admit, at this point, their antics might be more entertaining then the fight that was still dragging on in front of him.


    Finally working out what everyone was saying, Leo shouted some advice to her sister.


    "Erin, just attack already! It''s not a trap!"


    Her sister was so baffled by what she heard that she lost her focus and got hit in the arm. She lost track of what Vinnia was doing her her wooden sword slipped past hers, darting forward and scrapping her arm as she twisted her upper body out of the way. She got lucky that the rules were about hitting vitals instead of ending on the first hit.


    She blocked a followup blow and jumped under Vinnia''s sword from where she thrust her own upward. Vinnia tried to bend back and bring her sword down on Erin but her cousin slipped in between her arms and hit her lower jaw with the tip of her wooden weapon, bringing an end to that long second match.


    "Erin wins again, finally." Kaisla declared.


    "Yay!" Leo shouted, jumping from her seat in joy.


    Vinnia looked rather offended to have lost but she didn''t seem to be able to find it in her to blame her cousin who seemed surprised to have won.


    "Fine, you did gain some skills while you were away. I was clearly outmatched even though this is frustrating to admit."


    "Erin, even though you won, I still have to point this out to you." Emp interrupted their conversation. "That was a really bad way to fight. In real combat, you can''t afford to waste time like this and let the opponent run out of stamina. Not only will you be exhausted too but your enemy could get some reinforcements while you stay on the defensive. You need more practice to learn how to feel your opponents abilities better."


    "I understand. I shouldn''t have dragged this out this long. I should have attacked earlier even thought I was nervous. I was hindered by fear, I''m sorry." Erin said with a respectful bow, surprising her cousin.


    "So, Vinnia, are you still angry that I took them in my service?" Emp asked her.


    He should be more polite with her by calling her lady Porter but it could be confusing considering there were three of them. He was sure she wouldn''t be offended by being called by name.


    "No, I can understand now why you would want my cousin Erin in your service. She is certainly much better than her father... and me. May I just ask... My lord, why did you put so much efforts into training her?"


    "Sure, I''ll tell you, just come eat with us all. Before though, I need to give the reward I promised to your two cousins."


    "You haven''t promised us any reward." Leo told him from the side with a raised brow.


    "I promised you those two potions if you got the approval of Galana." Emp answered with a smile.


    He got the two promised elixirs out of his bag and placed them carefully on the table. It took a moment for the sisters to understand what Emp meant before they shot him a beaming smile.


    "You''re really going to give us those!" Leo half asked half cheered excitedly.


    "I thought we needed to make friends with Galana for those?" Erin asked with a frown despite her clear joy.


    While the others either were asking what those potions were or explaining the whole thing for everyone, Emp told them about how Galana decided to give them her approval.


    The two sisters almost jumped into Galana''s arms but she told them she''d change her mind if they did, stopping them dead in their track. Vinnia in the back almost fainted hearing about what was in those two bottle, she couldn''t believe anyone would give her two clumsy cousin something so good and expensive.


    "There''s only Emp to give some almost priceless treasures as rewards for making friends with someone else." Kenneth chuckled while Vinnia was still gasping for air.


    Emp carefully uncorked the two small bottles and had the two sisters drink their content right there in front of everyone. They downed the whole thing quickly and both frowned at the taste and lack of effect.


    "It tastes bad, are you sure they were still fine?"


    "I feel sick, not better than before at all."


    As expected, no one likes the fishy taste.


    "It''s fine, it takes a few days to take effects. I promise you on my full name, those elixirs work just fine and you''ll gain great benefits from them." Emp assured them.


    In the past, the two of them would have been very skeptical of this but this time, they accepted it easily. They trusted Emp a lot, maybe way too much in fact.


    Shortly after that, the meal was served and the large group ate all together. As they ate, they talked about many things, many discussions were held at once around the tables. Emp did his best to follow everything but still failed miserably.


    It seemed impossible to him because everyone talked about different things and he could only catch a few bits of words through the conversation he was having himself and the ambient noises. Gilbert, Marcy and Bor soon joined them and even if Gilbert was rather nervous to sit down with so many nobles, Emp did his best to make him fit in. He wanted him to follow them out after all, those nobles would be close to him for a while after tonight.


    On his side of the table, he told Vinnia about how the sisters came to be here but apparently she already knew pieces of it from Erin and Leo themselves. What she really wanted to know was why he let them stay instead of sending them back, they had no real use when he met them after all.


    Emp had a hard time explaining it. There were no obvious answer, it was more of a mix of many smaller things. Calla liked them, they were eager and desperate, he wanted to help, he thought they were amusing, he liked how they viewed right and wrong, all of that combined led him to teach them a few things. After that, since they were learning so well, he just went along and taught them more and more.


    This all led to today when he decided to invite them to follow him on his assignment, if they were willing.


    "You want us to follow you?" Erin asked in shock, excitement distorting her voice.


    "Yes, I don''t know exactly what I''ll have you do yet but I''d like my two retainers to follow me in case I need them."


    "Yay! We''re going on an adventure!" Leo exclaimed happily before Erin corrected her.


    "It''s even better than that Leo, didn''t you hear what he said? His two retainers! We did it sis!??


    While the two jumped about to celebrate, the girls around the tables clapped and congratulated them.


    "At this point, it''d almost be more accurate to call them your wards." Galana mumbled.


    Maybe that was true but he felt it would be really awkward to call them his wards knowing that they were barely any younger than him, much older even if you took into account the way he was born half grown already. They actually lived in this world for longer than he did. Retainer was a much more suited title for them.


    The guys didn''t look as enthusiastic as the others but it was normal. They didn''t know about anything that was going on so they needed a bit more explanation but none of them seemed to be upset by this which was good for Emp.


    If they ended up thinking the sisters didn''t deserve the chance and honor to do this, it might have made things difficult. Luckily, they were all good friends so they trusted his words and judgment.


    Vinnia might have wanted to argue against this but she had just been defeated so she couldn''t really say anything. He wasn''t sure on whether she was more worried for her cousins or for the damage they might do to the reputation of her family. Gaining the favors and trust of a high noble was great but only if they didn''t mess things up, which they usually did, flamboyantly so. She could only hope they would stay on Emp''s good side.


    Everyone had some great fun that evening and once again, Calla was showered in compliments for the food.


    While they all shared stories and tidbits to learn more about each others, Emp finished his plans on how to organize the troops. He spoke with the rest and didn''t loose track of the party but he did put his mind behind the last minute decisions he needed to take.


    He''d bring Svae and Celtine with him, Celtine because he intended to find the trial grounds of Life and Svae because she would be more useful there than Harriett who would be more suited to assist Calla. The one he most hesitated to take or not was Galana.


    She had improved a lot as a mage and her abilities would no doubt be much more useful in a fight than those of Zoran. With only Zoran able to use magic properly in his troops aside from his fellow students, he might get in trouble if he met with something the simple soldiers couldn''t deal with. However, he didn''t really plan on fighting, he didn''t want to drag her all over the place if it was only to let her waste her time. It might be in his best interest instead to let her study more here and watch over Calla while he was away. He''d leave most of his money here in her care instead, she''d be more than capable of handling the finances of the house on her own.


    Zoran''s magic, aside from healing, would only really be effective against undead creatures but those were unheard of in the empire. Despite the god Death having his trial chambers supposedly somewhere in Greenpeaks, the dead of the empire remained dead as the ancestors grew from their corpses. Emp had read that in other empires, corpses sometimes rose from their graves to attack the living but not here or at least, not since a long time ago. He guessed each kingdom had their own strange problems.


    Anyway, Zoran alone would have to do, Galana was better off here, at least for now.


    Thinking about all his followers carefully, he assigned them to different positions in his head.


    He''d make Gilbert a brancher for now. Since he was his brother in law, he didn''t want to simply give him a root of twenty five men but he couldn''t trust him with much more either. Gilbert was awfully inexperienced and not that great in a fight either so giving him 125 spearmen was the best he could do.


    Oran would follow the same path, he''d give him 125 swordsmen and let him lead from the front with his monstrous strength. Oran wouldn''t be disappointed and might even be thankful of that since the lighter load of duties would let him fight on the front-lines more easily. With a bit of luck, his branch of swordsmen would gain good training and eventually be turned into fearsome elite troops.


    He dealt with Odilon as he said he would and put him in charge of the supplies for now, he couldn''t let that boastful and reckless guy lead a bunch of soldiers to their death.


    Zoran would stay close to him or at the back of the troops if he decided to move up himself. There he would be safe and would be able to heal any injured that were brought back to him.


    Ivar would be made captain of his own company of archers. Emp would split his forces in two company, one of melee fighters and one exclusively made of archers, Ivar would oversee all four branches of archers. He trusted him with the position because archery was his thing and he was always a responsible man.


    The other company encompassing all the spearmen and swordsmen would be lead by Oliver. At heart he was just a talented spear wielder but Emp felt that making him a simple brancher would be a waste of his talent. Plus, aside from Kenneth, he didn''t really have anyone else who could take that spot.


    The thing about Kenneth was that he was primarily a rider and Emp only had a pack of them. Josephal the mouse was a cavalry officer so Emp estimated that Jin would fit in with the riders easily as would Kenneth. He couldn''t split the pack in two efficiently however since it was made out of five spears in total.


    Jin could also fit in well with the spearmen but again, making him share the same rank as Gilbert was a bit... insulting for him. It wasn''t that Emp disliked Gilbert but Jin was a noble and worked years to improve is martial talent were as Gilbert was essentially new and born in a family of orchardist. Emp didn''t want to upset Jin so he''d make him his only meutier, he was a valuable warrior after all.


    That meant that he had no more captain spots to fill for Kenneth. Oliver had 750 men, Ivar had 500 and Jin a pack of 150 riders. Since he didn''t want to waste Kenneth as a brancher, the only logical spot to place him in would be to make him his second in command. He could have chosen Ivar too since his advice were often very enlightening to him but Kenneth could not lead the archers so he didn''t really have a choice.


    Celtine and Svae didn''t really need any ranks since they were his slaves rather than his troops. Celtine would remain close to him while Svae would pass on messages and scout for him. Maybe once he reached Greenpeaks and gathered more troop, he''d have a proper group of scouts he could leave in her hands, if she proved herself worthy of it.


    This only left Erin and Leo. He trusted them with weapons but to be honest, he was afraid of what might happen if he placed some soldier in their hands. He''d need to think about this a lot more before he took a decision. Either they stayed near him and learned before he gave them anything proper to do or he''d put them in charge of a root of 25 men to test them. If he did that, he''d place them at the orders of Oran because the sisters didn''t know how to wield spears and he didn''t want them to follow the orders of someone he didn''t know.


    Normally, he''d need someone in charge of logistics who would be ordering Odilon around but he had so little troops it wasn''t worth it, between him, Kenneth and Odilon, everything should work properly.


    After all this reasoning, the evening went on without too much trouble as Emp explaining his decisions to the rest. The guys agreed to take the posts he wanted to give without too much complaints.


    They could have been given much more troops but his army was rather small in the grand scheme of things so he couldn''t offer much more until he could be certain that the troops in Greenpeaks would follow his lead.


    His grandfather and the duke warned him about those in charge over there possibly be siding for Graube and following his lead only reluctantly. Until he was there and saw for himself, it was in his best interest to place the people he trusted at the head of the certainly loyal troops, even if all of them were inexperienced.


    It would be beneficial for everyone involved and the rest understood that. Only Odilon complained about the unfair treatment of being assigned somewhere away from the front-line but that was to be expected. Emp ignored his plea because he really didn''t have anything better to offer him. His outburst only served as fuel for a new dramatic scene performed by the Whisperstring twins.


    Despite all their fun and the substantial amount of food prepared by Calla, the day eventually came to an end. Everyone went back to wherever they intended to sleep for the night, Vinnia staying in her cousins room for the night while they hurriedly packed their things to leave in the morning.


    While they ran about in their room to the exasperation of their cousin, Emp spent a wonderful night with his wife. He wouldn''t see her for a while so he wanted to get the most out of it. He would miss her a whole lot, it was almost torture to leave her side now even if he knew he''d see her soon enough.


    He just wanted to keep her in his arms forever and listen to her small voice telling him all sorts of things. She would snuggle against him and just whisper things in his ear all the time. She looked like she had so much fun telling him all about her day, he just couldn''t help but feel warm all over in front of her pleased eyes. The more intimate moments would be sorely missed too, but he''d never admit it to the guys because they''d keep bringing it up to no end and Calla would die of shame.


    The next morning came way too soon to his liking and after forcing himself out of the bed, he prepared himself to leave.


    The whole household followed him out to the gate of the village to say goodbye. The sisters looked hyperactive but that was normal so he paid it no mind as they hurriedly ran around to say goodbye to everyone. Those two at least didn''t seem to think that saying goodbye was hard at all. They left for an exciting expedition and would be back soon enough to tell the rest all sorts of stories.


    Hopefully for the safety of Emp and the soldiers, those stories wouldn''t be too special.


    He shared one last kiss with Calla, and then another one because he didn''t want to leave.


    "I''ll miss you." She told him with a slight blush.


    "I''ll miss you too." He answered sincerely.


    He didn''t need any fancier words to explain his thought, the naked truth was fine as it was.


    He let go of her hand even though he didn''t really want to and then moved up to Marcy.


    He knew exactly what to expect and wasn''t disappointed to receive an overly strong hug. All his soldiers stood behind him and stiffed their laughter along with his friends from school as he was lifted in the air and almost crushed in her arms. He believed he should be embarrassed of this, more so since it ended up being a very very long embrace, but he wasn''t too disturbed by this. Even if the soldiers laughed about his mother hugging him in the open, it didn''t change anything about his abilities.


    "Don''t you dare get injured." She told him as she put him down.


    "Of course I won''t, I''ll keep Gilbert and those two safe as well." He said, pointing at the sisters.


    Even if Marcy wouldn''t admit it, he knew she loved their antics and always laughed alongside them while they weren''t looking. As for Gilbert, even if she never wanted him as an apprentice, it didn''t change the fact she knew him since long ago and would never want anything to happen to him.


    As she decided that a single hug wasn''t enough despite is protest and grabbed him again, all the Champom made their farewells to Gilbert and the rest.


    Their departure got slightly delayed by all the goodbyes and Eda who also came to say good luck to Gilbert even though she wasn''t exactly sure of where he was going. Like the rest of the village, she had never been told of Emp''s identity so watching him leave with a bunch of nobles and soldiers along with Gilbert was more than slightly nerve wracking.


    Gilbert promised he''d be back but she didn''t seem all that satisfied about his words. She shot a skeptical look towards Emp but he wasn''t sure of what she wanted him to say exactly.


    "I''ll do my best to bring him back, there won''t be a second Vesa on my watch." He told her, hopefully that was what she wanted to hear.


    She didn''t look all that satisfied but still nodded and let everyone leave the village.


    The army started moving and right away, Emp found a slight problem. He never taught the sisters how to ride. He left them his own horse for now and had Svae assist them so they wouldn''t fall while they waved goodbye to the village behind them. Emp stayed on foot with Celtine on his shoulders, anyway, he walked faster than the horses.


    Commanders usually rode horses to travel but in a way, walking the whole distance was better. The soldiers would all see he was willing to put up the same efforts they did.


    "We''re moving to Stonegrove for now!" He shouted to all the troops.


    "Why Stonegrove? I mean, general, wouldn''t it be faster pass through Red-Water?"


    At first, Kenneth asked casually just like usual but he tried to fix his speech on the second half of his question. Emp paid it no mind and explained for him and everyone else that was listening while he led his horse by the bridle.


    "It''s barely any faster and I don''t want to go there for now. Last time I went, I promised the lords I''d share a feast with them the next time I went and I don''t want to deal with it."


    A mix of laughter and wry smiles answered his words. He waited for everyone to be done before he continued.


    "That''s why we''re going north of the lake, we''re going straight for Greenpeaks, we''re not making any stops in Thronewoods or anywhere else. We have a long way to go and I don''t want to waste any time."


    "As you order." The others answered, barely keeping in their smiles.


    Emp noticed from the corner of his eyes that Jin''s slave was now riding with him on his horse. The mouse-like girl did so with a heavy blush but she didn''t seem to be displeased and Jin was clearly in a great mood. Emp didn''t think it was any problem at all and let him do as he pleased, after all, he did much worse by carrying Celtine on his shoulders all the time.


    All he needed to do now was to help the troops and his commanders train properly to work together on the way to Greenpeaks. He was certain this would be a lot of work but he wasn''t worried, eventually he would have a coordinated troop instead of a bunch of disorganized rookies.


    He also needed to make some sort of badge or something that represented him well and couldn''t be easily counterfeit. He would give those to Erin and Leo and they would serve to prove that they were indeed his retainers wherever they went.


    For now though, he needed to help the two ride properly or they''d have sore butts and cramped legs for a long time.

 158 A weak bundle of sticks

    "By the sages, my feet hurt so bad. They''re killing me." Penny complained as she collapsed on a bar stool.


    All four of their servants did the same as they dropped everything they carried on the floor around the seats. They had it much worse than Penny since she made her slaves carry most of her things.


    "Quit complaining Penny, we''re just walking. There''s nothing hard in that." Brenia said, half to encourage her and half to mock her.


    Her friend picked up her ridiculous hat and made herself some wind with it in an attempt to refresh herself.


    "I don''t even have the strength to argue with you anymore."


    She looked completely exhausted, so much so that the barman didn''t come to greet them right away to give her some time to catch her breath. She clearly wasn''t used to walking this kind of distance. Maybe Brenia hadn''t thought this through as much as she thought she did.


    As a huntress, she was used to walking. Before she joined the school, she''d get up with the sun and either walk or run the whole day to catch some good kills or move to a new hunting spot. She was on her feet all day long, all year round. Penny was the opposite, sat on her bum all day with her head in some book.


    From the very first day of their hunt, she started complaining about her feet aching. Brenia called her a wuss and giggled but after the third day, she had to admit, things weren''t looking good for her friend. Her feet had become all blistered and frankly disgusting to look at.


    She was so angry at Brenia to have dragged her on the road that time, she didn''t even protest and just let her vent her frustration on her. She seriously looked like an angry child that time with her tear filled eyes and all her shouting but Brenia didn''t comment on it. She''d take a laugh at Penny any day but only if they both were in the mood for it which she clearly wasn''t.


    Penny had made herself some magical and sweet smelling ointment for her foot and applied it very liberally on them every day since. It helped a lot and her feet went back to normal rather quickly but it didn''t change how tiring walking felt for her. She complained every night about her legs aching and burning just to remind Brenia how much she despised wandering outside.


    Of course, that grated on her nerves a lot but she needed Penny''s help and knowledge so she was more than willing to tolerate a bit of complaining. Plus, it was true that this was entirely her fault, Penny would never have come out of the school if not for her insistence.


    Since they left, they moved here and there through villages in Artefine looking for the illusionist. They had checked seven of them by now and found not a single trace of him. Their next stop would be the Glowstorm territory south of B¨ºt¨¦clair. Zoran''s father owned that but the place wasn''t close to any significant border so the military presence was rather low. This made the chances of Ninoslav being hiding there rater high.


    Penny had a lot of trouble keeping up even with her two slaves helping her carry her things and just like she said she would, her neck got burnt in the sun badly.


    Brenia was certain that all her complaining about going outside was just to annoy her but apparently not, her skin really was sensitive to the sun after all. Now it was falling off in wide but thin patches to her great disgust.


    She also discovered that Penny was extremely repulsed by worms, more than anyone she had ever met. Seeing just a simple earthworm sticking out of the road would have her jump in horror and circle around it as far as the road would allow.


    Brenia had agreed to shut up about it if Penny didn''t say anything about her fear of wasps either. Honestly, wasps were way worse than worms. Clearly Penny never got stung by a wasp or she wouldn''t chuckle every time one of them made her freeze on the spot.


    She had once slapped a wasp away from her face and got stung on the same finger twice in a row by two of them. She''d never make that mistake again however much Penny laughed at her fear.


    "The great warrior afraid of a little bug just as big as her fingernail." She had mocked while Brenia reminded her that the great wizard wasn''t much better being afraid of an inoffensive worm.


    As they traveled, they spent some nights outside in the wild but on the insistence of Penny, Brenia tried her best to plan ahead so that they''d be able to find some inn to sleep in as often as possible.


    That day, they were in some small village called Barkton which happened to be on a road important enough to warrant a bar and an inn being built. It wasn''t that late yet but Penny would move no further so they''d stay here for today.


    With Penny slowly regaining some of her composure, the barman approached them. He had a belly grown from years of inactivity but he couldn''t really be blamed for that. By the way he walked, Brenia was about sure that he had one badly hurt leg and from the sword hung over the bar, he might have been a decent warrior before his injury.


    "So, what can I serve to those six ladies? I have water for free, cider, pear cider, home made mead and pressed berry juice."


    "Aren''t we in a bar? Don''t you have some wine?" Penny asked pitifully.


    "I don''t, sorry, it''s too expensive, nobody buys that around here." He apologized with a shrug.


    "Anyway, we don''t have the money for it." Brenia scolded her friend. "I''ll take juice, those two as well." She pointed at her servants.


    Kali and Janna were very useful even if she was reluctant to the idea of owning slaves. At least she didn''t treat them badly, she saw them more like companions than slaves. There were a few in the nobles she met at school that did the same but most were like Penny who treated servants like servants.


    She didn''t treat them badly or unfairly in any way because she wasn''t that kind of woman at all but Brenia hadn''t been sure she even knew their names before she used them in front of her. She would have them work hard because according to her it was their job as servants but she wasn''t the sort to lash out at them at every little inconvenience. She was way more reasonable with them than she was with Brenia.


    Brenia tried to keep a friendly relationship with her own. Even if she had to admit that having people attend to her all the time was as fun as things could get in life, she didn''t really need them and would have certainly freed them if she had the means to do it. Since she couldn''t and didn''t have the money for it anyway, she treated them as companions.


    At first she wanted them to train and fight alongside her but they were clearly reluctant to do it and more importantly, they didn''t have the potential. Kali and Janna were two big softies, they were a bit like Calla, submissive things more willing to hide behind her than to defend themselves. Brenia wouldn''t force them to fight, they''d be unreliable and more importantly, she didn''t want to see them get hurt.


    "Then Cider for me and water for those two." Penny said with a sigh.


    "Right away ladies." The man answered politely as he turned towards his reserves.


    Brenia didn''t take any alcohol this time because despite her strong build, she couldn''t take it. Every time she drank, she ended up in some horrible situation. She might have indulged if she was with a large group of trusted friends but here in the middle of nowhere, she wouldn''t touch the stuff. It was in times like these that she envied Nessa the most. That girl could take a drink, even the strongest stuff didn''t even make her tipsy.


    Penny wasn''t much better than Brenia but she was too smart to drink herself into a coma. She''d take a mug or two and then switch for something harmless. Brenia loved her drinks too much to do the same and once she got started, she couldn''t stop herself.


    At least she wasn''t the only one who couldn''t drink. She often amused herself at the thought that the Muraciers embarrassed themselves so much with their drinking habits that they banned their whole family from drinking. That was the only explanation she could think of to explain that nonsensical rule and it made her laugh to no ends.


    The barman came back with all their beverages and told them the costs casually. Brenia and Penny paid easily the cheap cost and she downed the whole mug of juice in one go. It was refreshing and sweet, apparently, it was a mix of berries, she could taste at least three kinds. It was good, she asked for another one while she looked around the bar.


    The place was small but well maintained. There were a few bearded hunters eating at a table a bit deeper in and a group of six younger ones partying closer to them. The floors were well used and scraped but the walls were clean and hosted a good few hunting trophies. T''was a good place by her standards.


    "This place is gloomy and old." Penny mumbled her own impression as she scowled at the back shelves, simply made but solid.


    "Come on Penny, you complain about every place we go to. They can''t all be sparkly like the shiny ass of a knight."


    Brenia had a lot of fun watching Penny almost choke on her drink in shock.


    "Could you please watch your language. It''s not enough for you to drag me around the countryside, you also have to shame me as much as possible while doing so?"


    "You know I''m just doing this to tease you."


    "Yeah, for you its just harmless teasing but do you really understand how much trouble I''ll be in if we fail? My mother will certainly not approve of me wandering without protection and I won''t even get started about me leaving the school.


    Worse, my father is bound to react much more harshly to my sudden and impulsive leave. If we can''t show any results, I''ll be punished until the world returns to the void."


    "Don''t worry Penn, we''ll find him, it''s just a matter of time."


    "Time is the problem here, and don''t call me Penn."


    Brennia chuckled and took the new mug the barman brought them.


    "So, are you ladies part of Noey''s wings?" The man asked them curiously.


    "No, we aren''t." Brenia answered.


    The man didn''t seem too surprised to hear that, groups of women travelling alone weren''t as rare as one would think. He must see plenty all the time because of his job. He was just curious to know if they were part of the famous group.


    Brenia and Penny heard about them a lot since they left the school. They were apparently a large band of huntresses who gained the favors of the young Muracier lord but the rumors weren''t detailed enough to explain how exactly this happened.


    All that Brenia knew about them was that they were talented huntresses with a mage in their ranks. Many villages they searched for Ninosalv had high praises for them and the help they provided in getting rid of some strong monsters.


    It pleased her to hear about their rising fame because she always liked that sort of story. She''d like to meet them if possible just to know what they were really like and maybe even challenge some of them to a fight to test her might against some professionals.


    More importantly, if Penny and her could find them, they might be able to hire them to help in their hunt of the illusionist. Penny had reminded her multiple times already that they needed more numbers to pick a fight with him but Brenia simply could not trust any hunters or dead seekers.


    She had one too many bad experiences with them and would not risk bringing a man in their group. At least, not without spending a long time to make sure they weren''t idiots.


    This made the Noey''s wings huntresses all the more valuable to her.


    "Did they pass recently?" She asked the man.


    "Sadly not, I heard they went westward. They were looking for bigger prey and that the duke Glowstorm was unwilling to let a large group or armed people roam in his territory."


    "I see, thanks for the information."


    "You''re welcome." He nodded.


    "Why did you ask us if we were part of them if you already knew they aren''t here?" Penny asked with a suspicious frown.


    "I hear a lot of things but it doesn''t mean they are true. I like to ask things in case the wind turns." He replied casually, not offended at all by her question.


    Brenia didn''t share her friend''s suspicion, the barman was absolutely ordinary, not a threat at all. She was used to travelling and had learnt the hard way to recognize liars and hidden threats. The guy was inoffensive, he was simply doing his job. She was more worried about the group of young men at the table.


    They clearly had a lot to drink already so whether they were good or bad, she didn''t trust them. She decided to keep an eye on them while they drank.


    "So, what are you ladies doing in these parts?" The barman asked, again, trying to gather some information.


    While Penny was playing the fool, Brenia pulled out a folded parchment from one of her pockets.


    "We''re hunting down a man, have you ever seen his face? He should have been travelling with two young woman."


    The barman lowered his head closer to the portrait she was showing him to take a better look while Penny glared at her. She was such a worrywart. She was afraid that one of these days, she''d show the portrait to the man they were looking for himself. She kept telling her to be careful of his illusion but Brenia trusted Penny with her work even if she herself didn''t.


    Penny had spent a lot of time preparing to nullify his magic and came up with many countermeasures. She made a tall staff she said could disperse illusions, potions to clear up the mind, she carefully painted wards on some headbands she forced Brenia to wear and more interestingly she gave her some elixir to help her see his tricks.


    After the two of them drank those magic potion she discovered she was now able to discern magic on people and objects. Penny explained it was an old elixir based on the powers of the fwans. It took her two weeks of careful brewing to make it work properly after studying the recipe for almost as long.


    From what Brenia understood, it was very popular elixir and most mages and high noble had drank some of that at this point. It didn''t mean it was cheap to make though and that was were most of their budget went.


    She said that it paled in comparison to what a fwan could see as they couldn''t understand at a glance what the magic was but at least, now they could tell if magic was in use in front of them.


    Brenia always used this new power whenever she got somewhere. That bar for example didn''t have any magic in it at all. That was why she wasn''t all that worried.


    "Hmmm, sorry, can''t say I''ve ever seen the man. What did the bloke do?" The barman asked as he straightened himself back up.


    "Maybe he got paid to not say anything if he was asked. Who wouldn''t have heard of him at this point?" Penny accused the barman who just raised a confused brow.


    "Don''t mind her, she''s paranoid." Brenia sighed, putting back the wanted poster into her pocket.


    "Of course I''m paranoid, it''s a battle mage we''re hunting! You''re the weird one with that calm attitude. Anyone would be paranoid in those circumstances!" Penny scoffed.


    "A battle mage?" The barman asked.


    "Yeah, the guy we''re looking for is super dangerous, a master of illusions and potions. He has been wanted dead for years already, he''s committed... many crimes."


    "The sort of guy no one should mess with uh? Sounds way over my head, lucky he didn''t walk through Barkton. Sorry I couldn''t help but I''ll admit, I''m glad I''m not involved. Are you sure you can take him on?" He asks, running his eyes over the six girls.


    "It''s unlikely." Penny answered with a pessimistic face.


    Brenia snorted and slapped the back of her friend.


    "We''ll be fine if we get those huntresses from Noey''s wings."


    The barman''s face lighted up at that in a mix of relief and approval. He must have at least one daughter their age. It was obvious he worried for their safety even though those feelings were misplaced. Brenia wouldn''t get angry at an old man worrying for her safety though.


    "That''s a reasonable idea. Just don''t get in trouble over your head alright. I don''t like clients dying."


    "We''ll be fine, I can protect myself. Speaking of that."


    Brenia caught with her eyes one of the drunken lads getting up with a confident grin. The rest of his friends where cheering him on as he made the first few steps towards them. She turned her head his way immediately and pointed at him with her mug-holding hand.


    "If you come close to any of us, I''ll pick you up and throw you out of here through the wall." She threatened harshly.


    She was deadly serious too, there was no way she was letting any guy get close to her or the other five. The young man turned beet red and sat back down in a hurry to the intense mocking of his friends.


    "Well at the very least, while travelling with you, I never have to worry about the rabble getting close." Penny said on a disinterested tone.


    Brenia chuckled.


    "As if I''d let anyone get close to my cute and very irreplaceable mage!"


    Cute might be an exaggeration but it was worth saying it to see her blush in embarrassment, a thing she almost never did. Brenia pulled her into her arms, almost having her fall off her own bench to worsen her embarrassment. She couldn''t help but make a huge grin feeling her panic into her arms.


    Before she could pull herself free, Brenia forced down her amused smile and let her go.


    The mage opened her mouth to say something but then found nothing and hid her face into her clothes instead by shrinking her neck and lowering her head. Perfect, this time it was Brenia''s win!


    She thought that Penny would latch onto the second part of the sentence and complain about it. Then she would have mocked how she still followed her despite knowing she was only needed for her magic. That wouldn''t have been entirely true but it was a good weapon to win their daily quarrel.


    Penny was too smart however and saw it coming so she cut it short. The hit was lesser then but a win was still a win, Brenia would take it. That would be enough of a payback for her saying that any old troll would be more attractive than her.


    With that very important task done, embarrassing Penny not looking for some information, it was time to leave. With how much those guys were still drinking, she was about convinced that they''d come for a round two and she didn''t want to have to pay for a new wall.


    "Anyway, we should leave now before any more of those idiots get a smart idea. Thanks for the drinks and the info old man."


    "Sure, thank you as well for your patronage, and I''m not that old." He grumbled while Brenia gathered the others and pushed them out of the building.


    Penny grumbled about not having finished her drink but there were plenty of places around to drink and most of them were better for that than a roadside bar. The point of those things was to meet people and share information, not get some casual refreshment because miss magic here was thirsty after a few hours of walking.


    She didn''t even make that much efforts at all and didn''t intervene in most of the fights they got in. Monsters and beasts of all kinds were often thrilled to find a small group of women walking alone so they were attacked often and Brenia had to cut them all down with her axe.


    It wasn???t that Penny didn''t want to help but her resources were limited and every attack from her was one that that she wouldn''t be able to use again later. They agreed that as long as Brenia could beat an opponent by herself, Penny shouldn''t intervene at all.


    All of this to say that Brenia should be the thirsty one, not Penny.


    The inn would have plenty for them to quench their thirst and it just so happened to be the next building after the bar.


    That place had nothing special at all. It was the only inn in the village and the owner knew that all too well. The price of the rooms were high, they wouldn''t have much space in them and the beds would probably not be all that comfortable either. She knew because it was all too common. The best she could do about that was negotiate the price of a room down as low as possible.


    "We''d like two rooms please." Penny asked the woman at the desk.


    Her face was now back to her normal uninterested air but it just made Brenia more furious. Her mood went from good to terrible in a split second because of this regular nonsense.


    "Again with the rooms!" She shouted, not letting the woman answer. "Why do you always insist on having a second room?"


    "Because I value my privacy, there''s no way I''m undressing myself in the same room as you." She said as if it was an obvious answer.


    "Come on, we''re all woman here. Also, why in the world are you fine with those two seeing you half naked but not me?"


    "They don''t count, they''re just servants." She answered with a deadpan face.


    "Can''t I just turn around and save the cost of a whole room instead of taking another room?" Brenia insisted feeling her head throb from the frustration.


    Now it was Penny''s turn to be shocked again.


    "No, of course not! That would still be indecent. That''s an unacceptable behavior, even for a brute like you. Can''t you keep in mind that I''m a noble maiden."


    Brenia''s eyebrow twitched from being called a brute, again.


    "Your noble sensibilities are eating at our funds faster than your magic does. You''re wasting our money just because you''re too prudish to let your only friend see you in a nightgown? We''ll be out of money before we ever get close to our prey if you keep throwing it out just to spare your weak pride."


    "Eh! How dare you! You should have thought of that before dragging me on the road like some low born huntress! There''s a limit to how accommodating I can be and this is it. It''s the least you can do after my skin has started peeling off and my feet got full of blisters!"


    "You wouldn''t have been inconvenienced at all by this bit of walking if you had not been trying to imitate an old clustered wizard! An hermit is what you are. Don''t blame me for your poor physical condition, you should have listened to the combat teacher and got some exercises in then you wouldn''t be like a walking bundle of sticks." (1)


    Brenia regretted her words instantly, she made her angry, she knew. It wasn''t like their usual banter, now she was well and truly upset. Brenia knew already how much Penny hated it when people spoke about her appearance, it just slipped out because of how frustrated she was. A walking bundle of sticks, definitely not the right thing to call her.


    "You..." Penny seethed, her face quickly turning red.


    Should she apologize right away? Maybe agreeing to get a second room would calm her slightly? How long did she even have to think about it before Penny managed to put her anger into words?


    "Fine, I''ll pay for that damned second room."


    The terrible glare that answered her proved that she wasn''t close to done apologizing for her words. In all likelihood, the mage would sound spiteful for days. She glanced over the counter towards the woman forced to listen to their quarrel.


    She was given a weak smile of clear embarrassment and that was the last smile she saw of the day.


    After that she had to withstand the anger of the mage for a long time. She kept apologizing over and over again while she was being called all sorts of things Brenia had never heard of. It was a real pain to do and she came close to start shouting back many times but she really needed the mage so she just endured.


    Finally, Penny got tired of complaining and left for her room. Brenia let out a sigh feeling exhausted after all that and went to her own room. She collapsed on the bed dragging her two servants with her and slept like log regardless of how much the dogs barked outside.


    The next morning, she found Penny with bags under her eyes, she had clearly not slept properly.


    "Good morning Penny." She said.


    She only got an angry stare as an answer. She wasn''t all that surprised by this.


    "Penny, you know I didn''t mean to make you mad."


    Brenia approached her friend who turned her head to the side with a pout. Clearly she didn''t intend to say anything. She let out a sigh and thought about what to say next. Even thought they didn''t get along all that well, she was a really good friend to her and she didn''t want to see the mage mad all the time because of something so silly.


    She needed her magic too.


    "Sometimes, I just forget how sensitive you can be about your appearance."


    It was easy to forget because she dressed with clothes so mismatched and ugly that anyone would think she didn''t care. She couldn''t possibly say that though.


    "I''m not speaking until you''ve given me a proper apology."


    Brenia felt her eyebrow twitch in anger at that. She apologized a good hundred times already! And what was that just now if it wasn''t talking!


    She held back a bitter comeback and grabbed the face of Penny instead to forcefully turn her towards herself.


    "Penny, I''m really sorry alright. I didn''t mean anything with what I said yesterday, I don''t care what you look like. I only care about what''s here in your head. You could be thin or fat, short or a giant, it wouldn''t matter to me. Here, does it help if I do this?"


    She moved forward and pulled the surprised mage into a hug. Against her expectations, she felt the arms of the mage wrap around her back too. She hadn''t thought of her as the hugging type, she just did it in an attempt to soothe her and prove her words. Usually she struggled to get away but this was fine too.


    "Are we good now?"


    "Fine, I forgive you, you meat bag." She mumbled.


    Meat bag?


    "The meat bag is gonna crush you!"


    She squeezed the thin mage into her arms until she squealed in a panic.


    "Aio! I''m sorry please don''t!"


    Satisfied, Brenia let her go and Penny backed off a step. She looked mildly embarrassed as she hurriedly tugged at her own clothes to replace them.


    "You don''t really care about me though, you just want my help catching that battle mage."


    "No, that''s wrong. Even if I wasn''t going after the mage, I''d still want you with me, it would just be harder to convince you."


    "Really?"


    "Of course really. Let''s be honest with each other, neither of us have a lot of friends. We''d be pitiful without each other and you know it. Plus, we make a great team, we can both fill in for the other''s weaknesses."


    Penny hadn''t expected that answer apparently. She didn''t know what else to add and just stood there in pensive silence.


    "It''d be perfect if you didn''t waste our money on two rooms every time we get to an inn."


    Her last statement quickly brought Penny back from her daydream.


    "This is the least you can do after all that! It''s only fair considering I have to endure all your nagging." She puffed.


    "''My'' nagging? You''re the one always complaining."


    "Well I''m not the one snickering all day and mocking her partner while she''s too out of breath to defend herself now, am I?" She stated with an air of superiority.


    That was a fair point, Brenia did do that a lot. She couldn''t help it, Penny was such an easy target after an hour or two walking.


    With that, it was time to go back to the road and look for the trail!


    "I''m not nearly done yet!" Penny shouted, instantly guessing what Brenia was thinking.


    Right, breakfast first. Maybe Penny would shut up then.


    *-*-*-*


    (1) I know it''s "a hermit" and not "an hermit" It''s just that Brenia doesn''t care.

 159 Hall of Folcourse

    Folcourse was a wonderful place. Nessa was very attached to it. It was were she was born and raised after all. In the whole wide world, there couldn''t possibly be anywhere as magnificent as Folcourse.


    Other places might be more gaudy, more luxurious or even more enchanting but none would ever come close to this place in her heart.


    The city was almost entirely made out of large stone blocks carved from the hills west of here or even the mountains in the southern end of the kingdom. It had been built around a massive fortress designed to please her founding ancestor, the brother of the king from back then.


    Her ancestors had few desires but he was passionate about those that he did have. Books about him told of how he could spend entire days dancing with his wife for example. When overseeing the construction of this fortress and palace, he made sure that the whole would please him and satisfy his passions.


    Being blind, the man didn''t care about the sight and disliked the idea of towering structures. As a great lord, he could perfectly take care of himself but ending his days by falling off a tower with a misplaced step wasn''t an idea he wished to keep in mind.


    The man wanted great sprawling halls and massive hallways to move unimpeded inside and host the grandest of balls. He wanted to feel the refreshing air coming from the Tribelands on his skin and hear the breeze through the leaves as well as the songs of the birds. He wanted to smell the flowers and please his beloved with their sight. That was all the soft side of him desired.


    Her ancestors also wanted to protect his lands from any future invasion. That was the lord part of him, he had been an admirable warrior and a responsible leader after all. Being gifted with the whole north of the kingdom, it was his duty to properly defend the region and he needed his seat of power to stand strong and unparalleled beside the capital.


    The giant blocks of stone were all stacked into massive walls around a lonely hill, short but thick, unbreakable and wide enough to hold armies either on top of it. The fortress was shaped like a massive flower with petals extending outwards in every direction with towers standing at the tip of each of them. Around it all, further down the hill, more walls, just as thick to protect the city nestled under the fortress. Any invader would have to scale one wall after another with arrows raining down on them each step of the way.


    This place was the opposite of B¨ºt¨¦clair. It was massive and expended in all direction like a carpet of houses. No building were allowed to stand too tall to hinder the defenders and so instead extended over the land, merging into the forest. Most cities cleared the woods and cut down ancestors to make space available but here was different. The streets were wide and boarded with plants from trees to flowers. Houses had massive yards were nature bloomed and small animals made nests on the roofs of every building they deemed fit. Stone and wood intertwined in a breathtaking display of peaceful communion. The fortress itself was no different.


    Trees grew over the top of the walls to provide shade for the guards, pots of flowers lined every stairs, and massive ancients hugged the palace from all sides, providing support and serenity.


    Folcourse was not the most populated city of Artefine but it was the widest, it had the longest walls, the most numerous guard towers and the longest reach of the kingdom. This was her beloved home and she wanted nothing more than to remain here forever.


    Those were the graceful steps her ancestor took in the construction to insure victory for his descendant and the awe of everyone.


    She wasn''t quite sure where the city got this name, many stories about it circulated. The most commonly accepted was that someone ran from really far away to come here and warn the army of an impending threat, giving them some time to prepare. That wasn''t her favorite explanation however, hers was an amusing tale instead.


    The story goes that once the domain was nearing completion, the wife of her ancestor took his hand and ran all around it with him in order to show him its vastness. At the end, he said in the noble tongue "That is a crazy run." or "C''est une course folle." hence the name, Folcourse.


    She always found the story funny but it didn''t make her smile today.


    She followed the path of pale stones towards the massive double doors leading into the great hall with nervousness. The enormous doors were adorned with hundreds of sculpted swords arranged like the petals of blooming flowers. Before, she thought they were an interesting sight but now she knew they represented the sword dance as it would seem from above. They were there to warn visitors, the warriors inside knew how to dance along with Death. Or they should have, nowadays, she was the only one who could.


    Each of her steps made loud clanking sounds but the surrounding serenity absorbed them into nothingness after only a short distance. The sight of her however worried and shocked all the onlookers.


    She was wearing her massive armor in broad daylight with her helm held under her arm on purpose so that everyone would recognize her. Her weapons were hung at her hips as they should and a trail of miserable knights followed behind her helplessly.


    They had tried their very best to convince her to not do this as they neared the fortress but it was a futile endeavor. The witnesses along the road all expressed their confusion to each other in ushered whispers. Many did not recognize her at all because she had been gone for five years but those that did could hardly believe she was the same Vanessa that left for school five years prior.


    Their opinions of her and her actions really didn''t matter for what came next but she wanted everyone to know about what she was doing. She couldn''t let her father try and hide her behavior, she needed everyone to know and speak about it. Whether they spoke fondly or badly of what she was about to do didn''t matter as long as it stayed in the minds of everyone.


    If it wasn''t the case, she would end up locked in a tower while her father waited for everyone to forget her ''willfulness''. If the rumor spread well, he wouldn''t be able to hush the talks and he would have to address her case properly.


    She had not managed to put anything on her hunting card which didn''t play in her favor but she should still be able to convince her father, somehow. She had no reason not to, she was talented and smart, she had conviction and her brother was unfit for the role... Right?


    Right, she reinforced her belief in herself and stepped closer to the gate. She needed to do this for the good of her family and the territory.


    Massive windows adorned the wall on either side of the gate and further down the row of trees, all of them were open wide to let the sunlight and wind inside. From them, she could ear the many people gathered inside the great hall already. They had heard about her return and gathered to welcome her.


    Through the closest window on the right of the door, she could see a man properly dressed watch for her arrival. A low set of stairs had been arranged on that side so that the man in charge of the gate could announce the arrival of any visitors to his master before the gate opened.


    The eyes of the man widened in shock when he saw her but he still managed to do his job properly. As he called for her father, the room quieted quickly.


    "Lord Hasting, your daughter, lady Vanessa hasting has returned!" He loudly announced to let her father hear from across the massive hall.


    This man had a powerful voice and it was precisely for it that he had been stationed here. She knew because he was the same man as when she left, he had worked as the announcer of the great hall for more than ten years already.


    She climbed the five circular stone steps leading to the door as her father ordered it to be opened. Four knights inside pulled the steel handles and dragged the doors open. The well oiled hinges made no sound despite the strain but the audience quickly broke the silence as she appeared from the entrance.


    Right away, from what she was wearing right now, they all knew something was wrong. They weren''t dumb after all or they wouldn''t be nobles and knights able to hold down the north of Artefine with her father.


    A beloved girl would have worn a jolly dress and rushed in to meet her father again, sauntering across the great hall, happy to finally be back home. A proper obedient lady would have worn an elegant dress and strolled inside with dignity instead, she would have shown her respect to her father with a proper bow and smiled for the guests.


    She was clearly neither of those.


    She assaulted the hall in great strides instead, defying the expected order of things and stepping in with pride. At least, that was what she wanted to show, inside, she was more nervous than ever and it took her all her will to keep her face straight as she walked down the hall.


    On either side of the long and colorful carpet she followed, nobles from simple lords all the way up to even a countess tried to hide their surprise at the scene. Not only did they remember the lady she forced herself to be five years ago, her father had no doubt been speaking of her beauty and delicate demeanor the whole time she was away.


    The minds of everyone present rushed furiously as they all tried to guess what was happening. They hid their shock behind subtle hand gesture or even simply backed behind the trunk-sized pillars holding up the far off roof of this place.


    This was a clear defiance of her father''s intentions on her part, that was obvious to all, the hard part was to figure out why and how to take advantage of it. Nobles were like that after all. They didn''t know quite yet what was afoot but they were already scheming for an opportunity to climb higher on the social ladder. Should they side right away for the duke or wait to hear her out, possibly even taking her side if it was worthwhile? Who was she working with? What was the objective and could they gain some benefit form it?


    All those questions stopped them from doing or saying anything as she walked right past them all. For her, only three persons in this room mattered, her father, her brother and his mother. All three sat at the end of the hall on fitting and assorted thrones of wood, not as extravagant as a king would have but enough to inspire the respect the rulers of the north deserved.


    Her father, lord Boncar Hasting, was reacting just as she was expecting him to. He looked absolutely angry.


    His grey hair were tied in a short tail at the back of his head leaving a clear view of his face. In the few years she was gone, he had taken quite a hit from Time, her strong and stern father just looked... old. He wore his best attire to welcome her back, the one with the small gems sown into the light blue fabric. Those clothes didn''t help to hide his frustration.


    He felt ridiculed no doubt, he was waiting for his precious treasure of a daughter and a girl in heavy armor walked in instead. He might have even planned to speak about marriage right away, presenting some men to her. He couldn''t really do that now, and if he had spoken to those men beforehand, he might be feeling even more upset than he looked.


    He had never been a bad father however, he was very loving and overprotective of Nessa usually. He must be feeling betrayed even though she was doing what she felt was the right thing.


    Her brother Philips sat at his side in the heir''s throne. He had grown a lot since she had left but he was still far from reaching the height of a man. He didn''t have the mind of a grown man yet either, he had no idea what was happening and just sat there in confusion.


    "Is it really Nessa?" Was the question hanging from his lips. At least he had the sense to keep it to himself. She would have been really disappointed if he embarrassed himself like this.


    She loved her cute younger brother dearly after all, she wanted him to be happy. This was what had started her whole quest, she couldn''t let her brother take a seat he couldn''t fill. It would make him miserable she knew. He was too frail and soft, she had to take it from him for his own good.


    He mostly took from his mother, when she left it wasn''t that obvious but now that he had reached his teens, he looked as soft as his heart was. He was just adorable, she felt like hugging him right now.


    She smiled for him and he quickly returned it.


    Five years and an armor didn''t change anything for her, she was still his caring big sister.


    The last one of the tree sat as duchess on the other side of her father''s seat. It was her wed-mother Clarissa, the sister of her own mother by wedlock. The reason she sat there was simply because the favorite wife of lord Hasting, her own mother, was dead. Before then, it was her that usually occupied that seat.


    Nessa didn''t mind it much. This was natural and Clarissa was a good person as well as a good mother.


    Her wed-mother was a total unknown for her plan however. They had gotten along very well in the past, she adored her brother and spoiled him a lot so of course his mother would like her. They shared their tastes on drinks as well. She was the one who taught her how to act like a lady, the one who raised her and showed her how to prepare a proper tea, how to do embroidery and even how to play the flute.


    That was all before she decided to ask her father to transfer the inheritance to her instead of Philips however.


    She didn''t expect her to react well to what she was about to ask at all. All the wives in a marriage were supposed to treat all the children equally as their own but it didn''t always work out.


    Honestly, it was hard to imagine that she would do nothing but watch as the daughter of another tried to steal an entire duchy from her son. Her opinion of Nessa might make a complete turnover in a second. Already, Nessa could read on her face that she was starting to piece together what she was doing. Shock and betrayal were painted all over her person and worsened to such a degree she feared she might faint.


    Clarissa had always been frail. It was pity truly because she was such an upbeat person. She always wanted to do this and that but spending more than an hour standing would always result in her staggering to a seat somewhere. She was born weak, there was no other way to put it. She was a lovely person and Nessa liked her a lot but Clarissa could not ride, could not travel, could not even dance, she was a prisoner in her own body.


    That was why she only gave birth to Philips. Her health would not have permitted her to carry anymore children, even then, she accepted bearing a son for Boncar only because he lost all other possible heir. At the time, he had not even considered Nessa as a possibility.


    The worst part of it all was that she passed on her frailty to Philips. He wasn''t as bad as his mother thankfully but he would never be as strong as the knights massed around the hall. He would always be her delicate younger brother, he would never be fit to rule the northern grove.


    To protect her precious brother, she was willing to take all the responsibilities from him. She felt sorry, she really did, but it was for the good of everyone. Very few would see it that way she imagined. A strife for inheritance wasn''t all that rare although usually fueled by greed or pride.


    She walked all the way to the three thrones while carefully detailing her three relatives with her eyes and stopped just a few feet away from her father, greeting him with a polite bow.


    "Esteemed lord father, I''m overjoyed to be back."


    The words were carefully chosen and sounded a bit cold but those were her true feelings. She filled her sentence with warmth and her smile was genuine even if it was tinged with stress. She felt she looked like a child who knew she was about to get scolded.


    Behind her, Cherry and Myrtille knelt in front of the father of their mistress and kept their head lowered. They knew they had no part in any of this, they just couldn''t leave the sides of Nessa.


    Following them, all her escorting knights put a knee into the ground with respect as well. Being the leader of this operation, the guy she humiliated was at the forefront of the group. She still didn''t know his name and somewhat shamefully, still didn''t care.


    "Vanessa! My daughter, welcome back home. I''m glad to see you safe. You''ve grown... Your eyes have a glint to them that they did not have when you left."


    Knowing her father, he would have complimented her beauty but her wearing that armor made it difficult for him to voice any meaningful praise. The best he could do was speak about her eyes which had also the meaning of asking her what this was all about.


    "I did grow and refined my talents greatly, thank you for noticing. I have brought many great news too." She answered with the same warm smile.


    She felt no guilt about anything she was about to bring up, all of it was necessary.


    "I see, I will hear you in a moment. First, let me thank the men behind you. My knights, you did wonderfully to bring my daughter back safely. You have my thanks, you may stand proud."


    "Thank you my lord." They all answered.


    They had been more like a thorn to her sides than a real protection but saying so in the middle of the hall would be a terrible idea.


    "You may all stand aside now. You will be rewarded appropriately later once I''ve welcomed my daughter and reacquainted myself with her. We seem to have a lot to speak about."


    "We do father." She answered with a nod while the knights all got up and stepped into the crowd on the sides.


    "Let me ask you how was the road first. Did everything go well?"


    "It did. Our troops must be doing good work because we found little threats on the way. I admit, I was disappointed, I wanted to hunt a big prey to impress you father but nothing worthwhile stepped in our way. It made for a calm journey."


    Mostly everyone here must have been thinking it was an odd way to answer. Wishing for an unsafe journey, wanting to impress her father, it would make little sense for the lady she was supposed to be.


    "Is this what the armor is for?" Her brother asked curiously. "Did you learn some good fencing techniques while you were away."


    "I did Philips! I missed you a lot by the way, I thought about you often." She told her brother with affection.


    He showed her another big smile and with warmth filling her heart, she turned back to her father to explain.


    "This is one of the great news I am bringing to you father! I wanted to show you what I could do first but I sadly missed the opportunity. I have the greatest honor to tell you today that I managed to learn the royal sword dance of our ancestor!"


    Gasps, awe and doubt burst trough the hall in a moment, inflaming the spirits of everyone present. The sword dance had not been witnessed in a very long time in Folcourse. The crowd wondered if this was true and if yes, it was an impressive feat. A great news was a very weak way to present such a miracle.


    Her brother clapped, believing his sister right away while his mother frowned. Her learning the sword dance was a definitely wonderful thing but also not something a lady should have bothered with. She hoped it was the only reason for the armor but doubted herself.


    She was the one that had raised Nessa since her true mother died while giving birth to her. She knew that Nessa knew very well that walking in wearing this would upset her father. If the sword dance was the only thing, she could have had explained while wearing a proper dress and have the armor brought in later to perform a demonstration in front of her father. Nessa proceeding this way told her that something was afoot and the duke, her husband, felt the same.


    Lord Boncar let the crowd rejoice for a moment and then raised a hand to bring back the calm into his hall.


    Nessa noticed the wrinkles at the back of his hand as it was raised, he didn''t have any of those before she left.


    "Is it truly our royal sword dance or an imitation?"


    "I believe it to be the true sword dance father. Even if there is no one living to teach it to me, the descriptions in the old books match my own experiences with it. I can hear the music of the battle." Nessa affirmed with certainty.


    "What stage have you reached then?"


    "I''ve only mastered the second stage as of yet, I need an access to our library to learn more about the third before I dive into it. I think I''m ready for it, I have the speed and I am in perfect control of the second, as I said, I only need the books."


    Her father smiled for the first time since she got in the hall. No Hasting could resist the appeal of the sword dance. Plus, her father held no real prejudice against female warriors, Nessa''s mother had been a talented knight after all. He was only upset that Nessa wasn''t acting as the lady he needed her to be.


    "You came in wearing this armor because you were confident in your mastery of the technique and eager to show it to everyone. Is that right?"


    "It is." Nessa nodded.


    It wasn''t only for that but rushing through the steps would only hinder her progress. Like any dance, the rhythm had to be respected.


    "I''ve been practicing it quite a lot and old lord Aminui Muracier himself saw me use it. I defeated his ward in a spar and he highly praised our sword dance."


    The hall erupted in talks again. The lady had defeated a Muracier ward and her technique was praised by one of the most influential character in the whole empire. Their excitement could hardly be contained.


    Now was not the time to repeat his exact words however, it would be the point when all hell would break loose upon the Hasting palace.


    For now, her father was very happy about this. It was almost enough for him to forgive the strange way she strode into his great hall. It wasn''t everyday that the elder of the second most important family of the empire publicly praised the fighting talent of someone. Even better, she had defeated his own ward bringing great fame and honor to their name. This was an event worthy of a feast already and that was all ignoring that Nessa had brought back the ancient technique to life.


    The man was showing a wide grin to the whole assembly of nobles and knights. This might not be matching the impression of her he wanted to give to the court but it was still very helpful to the family. He, again, raised a hand to silence the audience.


    "I am filled with pride, as is the rest of our guests it seems. You said you wanted to show us, would you be willing to spar here with one of our knights for the benefit of our guests? Can you fight in that armor daughter?"


    "I would love to and I can. This armor was custom made for me, it is lightweight, very durable and filled with magic runes."


    "Splendid. A volunteer to challenge my daughter please, we''re all eager to see."


    "I volunteer."


    Nessa looked back to see who wanted to challenge her and it turned out to be the same knight she humiliated again.


    "Ha, sir Duncan, a respectable partner. Daughter, begin with only the first stage please, we''d all like a good view of both I''m sure. Make way for the demonstration." He ordered the room.


    "Understood father." Nessa answered with a confident smile.


    She could not believe that this man of all people would be able to match her sword dance, even when limited to the first stage.


    Her two slaves hurried to the side as the crowd backed off. She put on her helm and closed the visor completely. Then, she unsheathed Lockstep and Chass¨¦, her two swords.


    She could not see anything anymore but she didn''t need to. In her world of dark, she could focus on the music. She turned around to face sir Duncan, raised both her swords and crossed them over her head as usual.


    "This is only a demonstration to show us the sword dance, please, do not injure each other in my hall. Are you both ready?" The duke asked.


    "I am." Both her and Duncan answered.


    "In that case, you can begin... Now!"


    She took a half step forward right away but didn''t feel anything from the man so she stopped her advance. What was he planning?


    "Since it''s a demonstration of your sword dance, it is only fair that I give you the first move." He said for all to hear.


    Was this another of his half veiled taunts?


    The first stage of the dance was more reactive than offensive but if he insisted, she could make her own beat to dance upon.


    She focused her ears until she caught the sound she was looking for through the ambient noise, the heartbeat of the knight.


    Using it as a base on witch to work, she tapped her feet twice on the carpet and moved forward. She created a muffled beat with her feet and followed it to him slowly. Charging fast was not in her habits after all.


    She heard his breath, he was readying himself, the sound was feeble, he was confident. He did not think she represented a true menace for him.


    She slashed downward right towards his head, holding nothing back. Surely this time he wore his helm?


    She did not find out right away, the whistle of the air cut by his sword was brought to her ear instead, the grating of leather on the carpet. The dance had started, his first move, a sidestep and a counter.


    She spun with a forward step feeling his own sword slice empty air to her left, then he was in front of her at the half point of her spin. Her sword hit the back of the man before her spin ended with her facing his backside. She had not even moved the second sword yet and she had already hit the target. His heartbeat grew quicker.


    "Stop underestimating me." She told him flatly.


    Clothes clapped against the air and his sword whistled back toward her. The sounds were almost masked behind the clapping of the audience but she could not loose her opponent when so focused on him.


    She took a single half step back, her feet tapping the ground in sync with his heart. Her sword was left to linger pointing at his upper body while he spun.


    She lowered her arm and let his weapon fly past before leaning forward. Her right arm pierced towards his belly while her left pieced towards his head from above.


    She had to refrain from aiming for the gaps in his armor since he wasn''t an actual enemy, the best she could do was slash his armor repeatedly until the demonstration was over. It didn''t mean that he would let himself be defeated this easily however.


    The man turned on his side, the slide of his feet betraying his movement, his sword pulling back to strike her own away. She let him do it, her left striking empty air while her right got pushed away. She used the push to spin on herself again, twisting her upper body and striking back with her left while the right circled his weapon and drove it further away.


    Clank, she got his chest, his heartbeat quickened yet again. Now he was getting serious. She adjusted the pace of the dance.


    A backstep to dodge the counter then forward and three strikes, all blocked, then a backswing with her left, he sidestepped to dodge but she imitated even before he decided to do it.


    Many more exchange followed but after the third, she was in full control of the dance. His heartbeat was already a mess she could easily follow, the movement of his feet easily predictable. Wherever he moved, he couldn''t escape her unrelenting attacks. His strikes were powerful, the air cried on the path of his sword every time but she would always just take it gently and push it to the side. Every time, she would step and spin, closing in on him and invading his personal space to strike at point blank range.


    He tried to trip her in the middle of a spin only for her to make a small jump over his leg, a fluid move she had planed in advance, perfectly fitting in the dance. From outside, it would seem as if she knew all his plans before he even tried, which she did in a way. He was only following the dance she set.


    She was talented in the dance but even by knowing all its steps, she would not be able to do so well if not for her understanding of the music. The sharp sound of his breath, the rustling of his clothes, the boots sliding on the carpet, the loud thud of his heels, the air screaming around his sword. All were instruments playing in sync with the beat set by his heart.


    All she had to do was to control the pace and lead the dance. Her movements all flowed into one another and his answers were all countered before he even thought of using them.


    The man got better fast, he wasn''t a knight for nothing. Despite his attitude, he was a real warrior, no mere student. After the few initial setbacks were he massively underestimated her, he didn''t fall for her tricks anymore. He was led around by her pace and couldn''t place a strike without receiving a punishing retaliation but he was still able to block and dodge all her attacks.


    The pincers, the spins, the scissors, the false steps, a lockstep into a feint, a blurring flurry and piercing strike from a great distance. All were skillfully defended. She had to admit, he fared better than she thought he would.


    At that point, Emp would have beaten her long ago already but he was used to her sword dance. This man wasn''t but could still hold his own in front of her. If it had been a real fight, he would have died in the beginning while he was underestimating her but it still wasn''t so bad.


    "Enough!" The joyous voice of her father interrupted her idle reverie.


    She stopped her arcing attack and heard sir Duncan back away swiftly.


    She turned towards her father and raised her visor to see his satisfied expression. Even her wed-mother seemed impressed despite her obvious worry.


    "Bravo sister! That was great!" Her brother cheered with loud claps of his hands.


    Her father nodded and spoke again.


    "This was indeed impressive, it does match the old texts in form and might. This is merely the first stage too, I''m eager to see the second. Sir Duncan, you did well to hold on so long. Do you wish to try and face the second stage or would you like a new volunteer to try?"


    Nessa turned her eyes to Duncan, he was sweating from the effort he had to provide to resist her attack. It didn''t surprise her when he declared forfeit.


    "I''m sorry my lord but this bout exhausted me, someone else will have to experience the second stage of your royal sword dance."


    "I understand, in that case, you can step back. Who would like to face my daughter?"


    The knights looked at each other and held a silent exchange until sir Clarence volunteered.


    Nessa had known this man for a long time. He had fought on the border many times in the past and she saw him getting praises from her father often when she was younger. This man was no mere Duncan, she did not think she could win.


    "Sir Clarence, I know well of your valiance, please do not go soft on me. I will not be upset by defeat." She told him.


    "Understood my lady. Please, let us witness the second stage." He nodded simply.


    Her father gave the signal anew and she quickly started spinning on herself.


    The first time she practiced her sword with Emp, he had told her that he wasn''t sure spinning was a good idea in a fight. It was funny how she now spun so much in every fight.


    The crowd was gasping in awe as they saw her swords split into more and more blades until she went so quickly there seemed to be hundreds of them.


    The sounds blurred around her, coming from every direction at once. This was the hardest part of the technique, the difference between a girl spinning on herself and a master of the second stage. A novice would feel lost and go around randomly, a master of the second stage needed to understand that all sides were forward. The world was now a line to her, there was only forward and back.


    Sounds were all distorted and blurred, coming from everywhere at once but, everywhere was forward. She pinpointed the one she needed to focus on and stepped towards it. In the darkness of her helm, she could build an image of the world around her just from the smells and sounds. She ''saw'' Clarence charge towards her fast, like a distorted patch of smoke.


    She brandished her lower sword into a vertical slash and then a forward trust. She felt a connection, a spark in her universe of dark. The chock buzzed through her arm as she let her attack slip past, over and over again, connecting with his own sword a few dozen times in a split second. She couldn''t put all her strength into any attack because it could end up stopping her revolutions.


    She heard the sword come for her and lowered her upper arm to block. A new hundred of sparks flashed in her world, a crystalline sound preparing her for the next note.


    She made a new step forward, her dress'' blades caught into clothes, ripping them apart, she''d have to apologize for his pants later. At least, she did not catch flesh, she slowed her advance quickly to stop herself from doing so.


    Was he not wearing his armor? She started worrying about hurting him, her technique was deadly after all. She usually targeted plates on purpose to make sure she didn''t injure anyone seriously. If he didn''t wear any, she didn''t really know how to defeat him without splitting him in half. She could only target his sword.


    She kept twirling and pushed lightly with her feet, taking air and bringing her sword downward. A new note bringing life to her world in a multitude of metallic sparks.


    Again, a new strike and another block, up down up up down, trust and cross slash. Any movement she made in that state would launch dozens of deadly attacks even with a simple flick of her wrist. Her opponent was truly talented, he blocked everything.


    Neither of them hit the other but the music rose in speed and variety of notes. The tempo got frantic fast and steps varied often. The knight was forcing his own song on her, he was trying all the dances he knew against her, fishing for the best match.


    His sword was too long, she noticed it after a small time. She had not seen the knight for years and he must have changed swords while she was away, this one was much longer, he had a clear reach advantage on her.


    She could hear distorted voices calling for a technique or another, throwing counsels at her opponent. It wasn''t that they really wanted her to loose but more that they wanted to know how far she could go.


    While fighting like this was entertaining for everyone uninvolved, it wasn''t as fun for her, she was getting dizzy. Her brain was hard pressed against the side of her skull and she could feel it pulsate in pain. The match was getting too long. She could spin for a while but not forever.


    She waved her sword up and down at her opponent. She felt his own slip through the waves somehow but the wave wrapped around fast enough to push it back away. Then she heard an ominous thud, something heavy hit the carpet, her forward movement had her step on the large sword. It was slanted, he was still holding on to it. She kept her balance and extended her arm to cut Clarence who was still holding the sword. His blurry figure of sounds bent backward to dodge the countless swords and then she felt her world crumble.


    She wasn''t standing on anything anymore, he moved the sword with her on it and now she was spinning in the air. She knew because of the sounds but in truth, she had no idea where she was exactly or where she was going. In this spinning world, there were only forward and back but now both could be anywhere.


    She panicked for the briefest of moments before hurriedly rebuilding her image of the room from the sounds of the crowd. She somehow landed on her feet but her spin drastically slowed down and she had to wave her arms around to keep standing.


    The next thing she knew, a sword was invading her world again but she had no way to react. She couldn''t dodge right now and If she moved her arms to block now, she would collapse and roll across the floor of the hall. She gritted her teeth and took the hit regardless.


    There was a loud shriek of metal as her waist received the sword. Because she was spinning, the blade ran across her armor all around her many times and she was sent tumbling somewhere that wasn''t forward.


    Her body hit the floor hard and as she expected, she started rolling across the hall. She had been defeated.

 160 Debate for the grove

    "Vanessa!"


    "Lady Vanessa!"


    She heard many call her name as she rolled across the carpet and onto the polished stone floor. She did her best to slow herself down without hurting herself. It wasn''t the first time she ended up rolling across the ground after a defeat, with how much she spun, it was the common ending. She might have been blinded by her own helm but she could tell where was the ground easily enough by the many impacts that quickly assaulted her body so it was easy to maneuver her body accordingly.


    She trusted her armor to hold itself together and also trusted its inner layers to prevent her from receiving any meaningful injury from this but being thrown to the ground was still a bit offensive.


    Since she had expected her defeat since the start, she wasn''t hurt mentally by this ending even if it was somewhat disappointing. Physically however, rolling across the floor in a full-plate after taking a strong hit at the waist was very painful. She wouldn''t get any more injury than a few bruises but the consequences on her image would be devastating if she couldn''t get up quickly.


    Once she had slowed down enough, she extended one arm away from her to end her rolls with her facing down and immediately started pushing the ground away from herself. She could have stopped herself earlier but interrupting the rolls too abruptly was more dangerous than rolling across the floor.


    The armored dress was great but it made it somewhat awkward to get back up after a fall because her knees would get stuck inside. She had to practice a lot in school to get up on her own at a decent pace. It was extremely dangerous to lay down in a fight and being able to get up quickly was imperative. The quickest way for her to get back up was to roll onto her stomach and push the ground with enough strength to throw her back on her feet.


    She felt the angle of the world around her shift as forward returned to its rightful place in front of her. She had to move her feet slightly to keep her balance as she was still very dizzy but managed to stand on her feet.


    "Vanessa, are you alright?" She heard the worried voice of her father somewhere from her right.


    "I''m totally fine, I''m just a bit dizzy after all that spinning." She said to reassure everyone.


    Many sighs of relief answered her while she lifted up her visor again to see everyone. All of them had been worriedly eyeing her waist but she could already read on their faces that there wasn''t even a scratch on it. The armor held just as promised by Emp.


    "Sir Clarence! That hit was clearly too much! Be more careful with my daughter!" The duke complained.


    "No father, it''s fine." She hurriedly defended the knight before he could apologize. "I asked him to not hold back for me because I wanted to test myself. It would be a waste to spar with one of our best and not learn anything from it after all. As you can see, I''m not hurt at all, in fact, he seems to be in a worse state than me."


    Clarence had not worn his armor because he wasn''t currently in service. Apparently he wore court clothes which was why her dress blades tore through pants instead of clashing with armor. She had guessed it after she felt the clothes against her blades so she had refrained from just rushing in.


    She still did a great deal of damage on him however, his sleeves were all shredded and his pants torn open at the front by her dress. The tip of his enormous two handed sword was resting on the ground a few feet away from him while he rested his arms.


    Her head was spinning and her body was aching from the recent fall but his good clothes were all ripped apart. For her, he lost way more in that spar than she did.


    "My lady is right, I should not have spared in those clothes. Even if I had heard about its legend, I never expected the royal sword dance to exude so much pressure. Even with the advantage of experience and reach, I was hard pressed to find any openings at all. I took the only opportunity I found, I must have misjudged the strength behind my strike, I did not think it would hit you so hard. My apologies my lady."


    "No need for an apology, you did not misjudge anything, it was the strength of my own spins that sent me reeling back when you hit me. I will admit, most of the spars I loose end up like this." She said with a wry smile, inviting a few laughter from the audience.


    "In that case sir Clarence, I will not hold it against you, it was indeed an impressive display from the both of you. I''m sure everyone present was entertained by it."


    Claps and calls of agreement irrupted throughout the hall. Duke Boncar waited for it all to quiet down before he followed.


    "Daughter, it might sound weird seeing how fast you spun but weren''t you moving slowly? I feel like your attacks were much more numerous while you demonstrated the first stage." Her father inquired.


    "I noticed so as well, you hesitated after my pants were torn open, you stopped your advance." Clarence added.


    "Yes, I had not noticed you weren''t wearing your armor before I felt your clothes at the tip of my blades. I feared I might hurt you. Holding back while in the second stage is rather difficult so I could only slow down. I would like to challenge you once more sometime soon, with you wearing armor this time of course."


    This did not mean she would have won if he wore armor however, all the knights as well as her father were well aware of that. She wasn''t making up excuses to her defeat, spars were always like this. Clarence was leagues stronger than what he showed in that spar. He might not have held back in his use of techniques and combat experience in his attempt to break through her sword dance but he certainly did with his strength and speed.


    If he went all out, he would have broken her defense right away and sent her flying with the first strike. It was just like how Emp did not use any of his strength when sparing, truly hitting someone with it would be too dangerous.


    Her own strength could not be held back because most of it came from the spins which were an integral part of the technique, that was all she meant.


    "It would be my pleasure lady Vanessa." He answered with a short bow. "Might I also compliment you on how you held on to both of your swords as you tumbled? Usually, when I send the younger knights rolling, their swords fly out of their hands and I have to scold them."


    Her and her father accepted the compliment with a smile and nod. Holding on to their weapons in any circumstances was something that was thoroughly driven into their heads form the very start of the combat lessons. A warrior without a weapon was a dead warrior in most cases. She was used to grip her swords strongly, it was all the more important for her since they tended to want to fly on their own after she started spinning.


    "I enjoyed this mock fight, it''s the first time I was ever launched into the air. I did not expect it and I lost my balance, it was a very original idea." She complimented in return.


    She would not be tricked like this again in the future. Now she knew that stepping on the sword of an opponent was a bad idea when she didn''t have an overwhelming advantage in strength against them.


    "I thought it was impressive that you managed to steady yourself midair. Truly, your performance today is worthy of my praise. Now, if my lord would excuse me, I need to put on some new clothes."


    "Of course, you may leave. Thank you for your assistance in this demonstration of royal sword dance second stage sir Clarence."


    The knight bowed to her father and then to her before leaving he great hall under the applause of the the rest of the guests.


    "We are blessed today. To finally see it in the flesh after so long, Vanessa my daughter, you fill my heart with pride." Her father said afterwards.


    She forced her legs to move somewhat steadily and walked back to her original position in front of the thrones. It would be embarrassing to wobble in front of all those people after all.


    Her brother fully agreed with their father, he seemed to have to fight himself to stop from jumping down the throne and rush to pester her about sword dance. He clearly wanted to know all about it. She felt regretful that with his physical disposition, he would probably never be able to work past the first stage.


    "Thank you for the praise father. I worked hard to be able to show you this today. I will start studying the third stage as soon as I can." She promised.


    "This is already more than I could ever hope for. I''d be the luckiest man in this world if I could witness the third stage of our royal sword dance before I breathe my last. I''ve dreamed of seeing it since I was a small lad not even fit to hold a sword yet." He confessed with a tender smile.


    With the demonstration done, it was time to dive into the hard subject. The words of her father gave her the perfect opening to exploit and with her performance fresh in the minds of everyone, it was now or never. She was ashamed to return his praise in this way but she could not stop anymore. She took a deep breath to slow down her hyperactive heart and placed her first strike.


    "The old lord Muracier said almost the same thing, he was hopeful that I would master the whole thing before he died of old age and said he was looking forward to have his family working with a duchess of the northern grove who mastered the four stages."


    The reaction to her words was slightly delayed for everyone. They were all too soaked into the festive mood to catch the sudden shift in subject and the surprising declaration she voiced.


    In an instant, she saw the smile of her father collapse into a frown. A lesser lord would have asked her to repeat, would have said something like "what?", but her father didn''t need to, he was smarter than that. He couldn''t afford to look like he didn''t know what she was implying in front of this whole crowd and her words were more than clear enough for him to grasp her intentions.


    His face froze and his eyes coldly stared her down. "Do not do this." He was warning her silently. "Please not this."


    With his face changed this way, the rest of the hall swiftly caught on. Everyone froze with a fake smile. They knew a storm was coming even though they hoped nothing would happen. They were all throwing glances at other nobles they knew hoping to get some confirmation or denial. "Did she just say a duchess?"


    Her wed-mother paled even more and collapsed in her seat. She knew Nessa well enough to understand each of her words were carefully planed. A maid servant stepped from behind her seat to take care of her health right away, Nessa didn''t worry too much for her.


    Meanwhile, her brother seemed to be the only one who didn''t yet understand what she was about to do. He had caught nothing abnormal with her words, only a praise from a Muracier. He was beaming until he realized everyone else had tensed up. He looked in turn between the resolute face of his sister and the stern warning eyes of his father, unable to understand what was going on.


    "Father," She started, watching him clench his fingers over the armrest of his throne. "I would like to formally request that you let me take the place of heir in my younger brother Philips'' stead."


    A rumble ran trough the crowd. She had really done it, right there in front of the elite of of the whole dukedom! Thunder rolled across the hall as the nobles all reacted at once. All kinds of calls were made, everything fell into chaos and no coherent sounds could be heard through the sudden cacophony.


    The questions they all asked themselves when she first came in all broke loose at once. Nobody knew anything and none could find someone on which to lean to get answers.


    Who did she have in her faction? How long did she plan this for? Who should they side with? Can they get some advantage from this? Which of the siblings should really get the dukedom? How would the others react? All those questions stormed through the minds of everyone present and many were spoken aloud all over the hall.


    Just like that, she had fractured the dukedom. Everyone would quickly take a side a push for their chosen Hasting to get the throne hoping to receive rewards from good service. They didn''t care that it would be sibling against sibling, now they would do their best to inflame their hearts and pit them against the other. If they wanted favorable treatment, they needed to pick the right side and win decisively.


    Nessa knew that some would even be willing to propose poison and cold blooded murder to her or her brother. They did not understand, she wasn''t doing it out of greed for the territory, she was doing it all out of love for her frail brother. She just wanted to shoulder the burden herself.


    Her brother seemed at a complete loss. He could perfectly understand what she just asked for but he didn''t get why.


    His eyes had went wide in shock and tears were already forming in the corner. He felt betrayed, that was clear to see. The big sister he trusted and loved so much just said she wanted his place. His mind could not wrap itself around the idea, he could not understand what was happening or how it had come to this.


    She felt pained to see him like that but it really was for his own good. She''d speak to him later and explain everything, he was a smart child, he would understand.


    His mother was still out of it so she didn''t express any reaction. The servant was skillfully cooling her forehead with a wet cloth.


    Her father now looked devastated too for entirely different reasons. He had been unlucky and lost many wives and children. Now he was old and felt he needed to hurry to give his last two remaining children a proper place in the world before he joined the ancestors.


    Despite many setbacks, he had carefully planned a path for his last son and his last daughter. Nessa just kicked all his efforts away. Knowing how unlucky he was with those things, he believed he would now be forced to watch his two children tear each other apart for the dukedom.


    He needed to be firm now and put an end to this all right away. He would not let his line fall apart simply because his daughter was headstrong. He had put too much work in all of this throughout his life to let it all go to waste at the end.


    That was his opinion but of course, Nessa planned on going against his resistance. His plans had never accounted for Philips to be so weak, they had never even planned on him to be named heir, they should have had many older brothers in line before him. Philips was only the heir because there were no one else to take the place. But she was here now, he didn''t have to take on a task too big for him. She would not let him down.


    Her father raised his hand high to have everyone quiet down but it didn''t work, they were now too heated. He called for silence three times over, each louder than the last before he started coughing. Still the knights and nobles would not shut up.


    Nessa decided to intervene herself, she circulated her internal magu and focused it in her throat, activating a simple self-magic to strengthen her voice.


    "Silence!" She ordered loudly enough to bury all the talks.


    The nobles closest to her winced from the painfully loud call but everyone quieted down. Quickly, the only sound that remained was the duke coughing into his fist.


    "Father, are you alright?" She asked in worry.


    "Am I alright?" He asked angrily through many more fits of dry cough.


    Nessa knew better than to answer to that. She opted to let him calm down first and speak his mind.


    After taking a few deep breaths, he was ready to speak again.


    "You will not be the heir." He denied her flatly.


    That was the sort of answer she had expected. Now she just had to lead him towards exposing her advantages over her brother.


    "Why not? Please explain." She answered.


    Her brother opened his mouth to speak but her father sent a hand in front of his face to cut him off.


    "Why do you want to be named heir?" He asked bluntly.


    Her brow faintly twitched before she controlled her expression properly. She had not expected him to answer with another question.


    "Father, do I really have to say it aloud? It''s embarrassing for Philips. I have no desire to speak against my brother."


    "Embarrassing is it? You should have thought about it before this all then. You started it so now you have to finish it. Why do you want the dukedom and why do you think yourself more worthy of it than your brother?" He insisted with a scowl.


    Nessa didn''t know what he was planning to do. She had imagined this scene so many times before yet she had never pictured her father willfully jumping in that argument. Did he really want her to badmouth her brother in front of all those people? He wouldn''t let this happen unless he was confident in his ability to crush her. She was missing something big, somehow, despite all her planning, something was escaping her.


    She tried to test the waters first with something that wouldn''t offend her brother.


    "Well, first of all, I''m the eldest, the title should have been mine to begin with."


    She took a pause to wait for his answer but he just gave her a small hand sign to encourage her to speak some more.


    "Right of the eldest is it? Well, go on."


    Clearly he was waiting for her to say something precise. She felt like she was walking into a trap but she couldn''t find what it was. She couldn''t see it.


    "I know the technique of our ancestor, the royal sword dance, I studied strategy, economics, management and everything else a good lord would need."


    "And you think your brother couldn''t do all that?"


    He should have entered the imperial school on this cycle, just after she left. He was old enough for it now but his health would not let him leave Folcourse, he was stuck here. Private tutors could be brought to teach him but he would never get all the connections made in school and would still never be able to learn to fight properly.


    "Sadly, I do not think so. I''m sorry brother but you''re too frail for this. I do not want to see him get hurt."


    "You do not want to see him get hurt you say yet here you are speaking of his frailty in front of the whole duchy."


    "I had no choice." She explained. "If I spoke of this with you in private instead, you would have denied me flatly instead and made sure that I never spoke of this again in front of anyone. I needed witnesses to force you to act."


    "I would have been right to deny you. Do you think those are the actions of someone worthy of the Hasting dukedom? To stride in here asking for the title, to raise your sword against your own brother?"


    "I didn''t raise my sword against him! I''m doing this for him." She denied.


    The moment she said it, she understood she fell into the trap she was worrying about. She still couldn''t see said trap but the glint in the eyes of her father changed. He looked just as calm and irritated as before but, his eyes were like those of a predator who had just caught his meal.


    "For him? Then tell me, how is taking the dukedom from his hands beneficial to him?"


    She couldn''t work out what the trap was but she could not afford to hesitate here. Despite how it might sound degrading for her brother, this was the main point. She couldn''t dodge around it.


    "He''s too frail to hold a territory as unforgiving as the northern grove. Philips would not be able to lead the troops to victory or even leave Folcourse to maintain relationships with other nobles of the kingdom and empire. He might not even survive his first hunt, the territory would be left in the hands of a child! I fear for his life. It would be in his best interest to leave the burden of our territory to me so that he could remain safe. I could protect our people more efficiently."


    Philips seemed very hurt by her words. She really wanted to apologize right away for them but they had to be said.


    "But then what would he do?" Her father answered right away.


    That question caught her off guard. What did he mean what would he do?


    "In that world where you would be duchess of the northern grove in your brother''s stead, what happens to him?"


    "He''d remain here where I can keep him safe?" She didn''t really understand his question, she did her best to answer but her uncertainty was heard clearly by the rest.


    "So he would be prisoner of our palace in Folcourse?"


    "No! Of course not. This is not my intention."


    "This isn''t your intention but you clearly haven''t thought things through properly. What does a frail boy do all day cooped up in Folcourse, tell me. Too frail to go out, too frail to fight, will he sit in a room all day and wither? You are too soft Vanessa, you fail to see the whole picture. If he does not become the duke of the northern grove, your brother has nothing else to do. You could be the wife of a great lord worthy of our name or apparently a strong knight to lead our forces against the cursed-bloods, you do not need this position. You could take care of your own."


    "It''s better to have nothing to do and live than die for nothing." Nessa countered stubbornly. "If he sits on that throne, at best he''ll weaken the whole duchy and at worse he will die early."


    "It would still be a better life than what you propose!" Her father slammed his fist on his armrest. "Consider this, who would want to marry a frail boy like him?"


    "Father!" Nessa exclaimed herself, feeling shocked. Even she felt offended for her brother. "Philips is a cute boy, many woman would love to cuddle him I''m sure, many more would want to attach themselves to our name."


    Her brother seemed just as offended by her answer than by the question of her father. Did he not like being called cute anymore?


    "A boy but not a man. You said it yourself, he would likely not survive his first hunt. He will remain a child his whole life and marry no one, he will be left alone. If I handed the dukedom to him however, he would enjoy special treatment. Do you not know the rules?"


    She did but she had not thought of it before it was pointed out to her. Men were considered children until they spilled blood on their first hunt and a child could not be married. This was the rule everyone knew. However, to insure that noble lines would not go to waste from an unpredictable accident, there were some exception. If a noble lord was given his title before reaching adulthood, he was allowed to marry before his first hunt to ensure that an heir was born. This was what her father meant, if Philips sat on the throne of Folcourse, he would never have to go on his first hunt and be able to enjoy marriage anyway.


    Her father pressed on.


    "He would remain and rule from here, be respected and live a true life. He would have children and name some retainers to take command of the battles in his stead. He doesn''t need strong arms or a great stamina to manage a territory. You would have him cower behind these walls instead to survive alone while you''d have everything that should have been his."


    She felt her will waver. Was her father right? Was she in the wrong?


    No! She wasn''t wrong! His solution was just as flawed as her own!


    "How can you say that father! That would just make him a puppet to everyone else! His wife would end up being the true ruler, only marrying him for power. Other nobles would do whatever they please behind his back because they''d know he wouldn''t be able to punish them or retaliate. He''d be mocked as a powerless ruler for his whole life.


    Worse, if some other houses decides to take advantage of this and takes measures to replace us as rulers of this dukedom, we wouldn''t be able to do a thing to stop it. I''d be the only true ally he''d have but I''d be sent off to marry some man who could use me as a tool to claim the rights over the dukedom. The whole of house Hasting is likely to collapse if he takes your seat.


    Even if none of this comes to pass and his marriage and rule goes well. What if his heirs also inherit his weakness like he did his mother''s. I love Clarissa and Philips, they''ve always been my precious mother and brother but entrusting the future of our house to him is simply madness.


    I am sorry father but I am convinced that I''m doing the right thing. Please reconsider and name me heir for the good of our house and the good of Philips himself."


    "I will not reconsider. My decision has been made." He said decisively.


    She did not give up.


    "You are old father, I worry that if you were to die tomorrow the weight of the dukedom would crush my brother and make my world collapse. I cannot let this happen. At least acknowledge that he is not ready yet for it. I should take care of things for him and while I''m away to fight for our domain, he could rule just as you intended. I have no solution for his love life but give me some time to think about it later, the future of our house as a whole is more important than either his marriage or mine."


    "Vanessa you do not understand. I have lost enough of my children already. I will not watch the last two tear at each other''s throat for a title and I will not let the cursed-bloods take one more of you! You will never be duchess and you will not go fight on our borders! I will not allow it! The royal sword dance is magnificent but I will not risk the life of my precious daughter by blindly trusting in an old technique. You will remain here and behave as the lady I raised you to be! I''ll forbid you access to our library if I have to!"


    "You would forbid me from learning the royal sword dance?" Vanessa asked, taken aback.


    "I will if it stops you from killing yourself in that unending war! Now, as your lord and father, I demand that you forget all this and put an end to this rebellious act."


    Nessa didn''t really need to think about this, there was no way she would back down. Her father would clearly not change his mind today but he wasn''t the only stubborn one.


    Aside from them two, the rest of the hall was eerily silent. What was happening here was extremely important for the future of everyone present but none could do anything to change the outcome or at least, not for now. They could only be witness to the clash happening between father and daughter and pay attention. Later, they would scheme and prod to find how to best take advantage of what they were seeing now.


    They had listened to the pieces of both her and her father and now they would have to take a side. Hopefully, they would take hers. The greediest and most ambitious would side for her father and brother hoping to manipulate Philips as she suggested would happen while the rest with more honor would side for her to make the dukedom strong again.


    "I will not change my mind on this father. I will not give up." She said with her head held high.


    "In that case, we are done talking for today. The knights will escort you to your chambers where you will remain until you''ve seen the errors of your ways. You are forbidden from consulting the old tomes on the sword dance as well."


    The knights approached hesitantly towards Nessa but she had no intention of resisting her apparent arrest.


    "You will be the one to reconsider first father. My heart is pure and I swear to save this dukedom from decay."


    "We''ll see." He said with a wave of his hand to send her away.


    Philips was still utterly shocked to have heard all that. At no moment in his life before had he felt so humiliated. Both father and sister talking about him like a cripple while he was right there, trying to plan out his life for him not with the best result in mind but the least painful instead.


    His mouth just hung open, his lips dry. His eyes empty while his heart felt like it had stopped beating. His mind was all black, he could not think properly.


    Nessa gave him a discreet sign, signaling for him to close his mouth and he did right away. It was a reflex to do what his father, mother and sister told him to. Plus, he had to control his image in front of the rest of the nobility... Not that he had any proper image left to his name after that.


    "I''m sorry to disappoint you Philips." His sister said as she left the hall, surrounded by ten of his father''s best knights and her own two servants.


    What had just happened here? Why was he feeling like he was falling in an impossibly deep pit?

 161 Peaceful life of lady Champom

    Calla woke up in her large and empty bed feeling lonely.


    Emp had left a few weeks ago already and she missed him. She did not fear for his safety in the least because her husband was just the best but without him close to her she felt... weak.


    When he was just by her side, she always felt like she could do anything, that nothing could possibly harm her. With him gone for a while, she lacked the confidence she only had in minimal amount to begin with.


    She felt out of place in that big bed too if he wasn''t sleeping next to her. She hurried herself out of it and started dressing up.


    Aside from Svae and Harriett, she was always the first to get up in the house. After her, it was usually lady Verepe or lady Grovgar that got up the earliest. They liked to practice their sword in the yard early in the morning to take advantage of the cool air. Lady Starbeetle on the other hand refused to get out of bed even with Galana mocking her from the side.


    "It''s too cold to get up! How do you even find the courage to get out of the covers?" She would complain.


    She was very sensitive to cold. The others all found it funny but whenever the heat rose to such a degree that everyone else found it painful to move, she''d be up and about acting as normal. Then, it was her turn to tease Galana.


    Calla finished tying up her dress properly, put on her magic cuff and left her room to make her way to Harriet''s instead. Since the sisters and Svae had left with Emp, Calla left their room to Harriett. Everyone else shared a room with someone but there wasn''t anyone else to share with her.


    Since she was alone and woke up early like her, she didn''t fear to disturb her by going there right away in the morning. Her loose hair floated in the morning breeze as she passed the windows on the second floor. Before she got married, she would tie up her own hair herself but she always needed her mother to fix them because she couldn''t see the back of her head. Now, she had Harriett to do it for her.


    The servant girl was very proud to do it. She was a very hard worker and needed every little task to be done perfectly. She was really helpful and did more than her fair share of work in the house. She took great pride in her housework and acted very respectfully with everyone.


    Calla felt a bit put off by her overly respectful tone and language but everyone else seemed to think this was normal. She understood that she was the wife of the future lord Muracier but she just couldn''t get used to how servants addressed her. She just wanted to be their friends whereas people Harriett insisted on treating her with the highest care and deference.


    Lady Pier¨¦corce on the other hand adored the behavior of Harriett. She said she was the most professional servant she had ever met and enjoyed her expert work and the way she addressed everyone. She must have missed being taken care of by a swarm of servants.


    She reached her door and knocked softly. Harriett opened for her quickly and let her in with a bow.


    "Mistress, please come in, I prepared your seat."


    Harriett proposed many times that she should be the one going to her room to help her with her hair and not the other way around but Calla disagreed. She knew that if she let Harriett in for her hair, she would insist on helping her dress too and that was too embarrassing for her to bear with.


    Calla walked in and sat on the chair prepared for her to let Harriett comb and dress her hair. Should she feel bad about slowly getting used to this?


    Calla mostly believed that she didn''t need help in her everyday life, having others do things for her was a bit strange. However, she also couldn''t help but feel it was pleasant to just relax while Harriett took care of her hair. She also had to admit that caring for the whole household would be impossible for her alone. There were just too many ladies living here.


    All of them did their part but they weren''t good at it. Most of them weren''t used to everyday work and had relied on servants in the past. They only put in some efforts here because Calla herself worked hard and they couldn''t let their lady do the work. In fact, if they had it their way, Calla wouldn''t ever work and they''d do everything for her.


    It would be catastrophic for the house if she let that happen. None of them had even known how to wash clothes before Calla showed them herself, they always did the bare minimum when cleaning and left dust in every corner and the list of mistakes just kept going on like that. It was for the best if they all did a small part and Calla or Harriett passed again behind them to complete the work.


    While her hair was taken care off, she thought about what she should prepare for breakfast. She decided to go take a look in her small garden and see if something was ready to be harvested. She''d do something with that and a bit of the meat they had stored.


    By the time she made her trip outside and prepared her working space for the breakfast, most of the others had woken up and started their day properly. Only Lea and the Whisperstring twins didn''t come out of their rooms. Lea was probably awake but wouldn''t leave her room unless absolutely necessary while the twins simply didn''t wake up in the morning. They were so energetic all the time and spent so much energy everyday trying to make each little thing special that they fell in a coma whenever they went to bed and didn''t wake up before late in the morning.


    Most of the others did some workout in the yard before breakfast or made their way downstairs to speak with her while she worked on the breakfast. One of them was also tasked with helping her cook and today, the scheduled lady was Maria Starbeetle.


    She walked downstairs while rubbing her arms to warm herself up. She was making a displeased face at the fact she had to get up so early.


    "Lady Muracier, how can you be so casual about that cold? You''re wearing such a light dress."


    "It''s not cold at all Maria." Lusine Pier¨¦corce contested. "You''re the strange one here, our lady is acting perfectly normal."


    She was right, it wasn''t cold at all, it was just Maria that was too sensitive. She pointed at the knife and vegetables to her side. A bit of work would surely warm her up.


    The noble girl would readily complain about the temperature but never once complained about the work.


    Maria picked up the knife and started cutting as instructed while the others quickly gathered at the table to speak. Calla really liked the atmosphere here, the mood was always good and everyone got along well. They all had different personalities but they all worked well together somehow. It took a while for everyone to fit well in the house and there were still some conflicts from time to time but Calla didn''t have a hard time working everything out.


    Honestly, being the wife of Emp helped greatly. Everyone had too much respect for his family name to cause her any trouble and she only had to put out minimal efforts to resolve any problem. Plus, she liked them enough that spending time with them was pleasant. Recently, she spent much more time with them than her old friends from the village.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t want to spend time with them, on the contrary, she wanted them to come visit more often but everyone was busy with life and everyone was intimidated by the amount of ladies piled up in this place.


    Her old friends had their own life now too, work to do and some had husbands now. Their marriage hadn''t happened yet but she had heard that Izzy gave her offering to Wilbert, Galina gave hers to Cuthberht and Sylvia gave her offering of Holia to Jurgen, all on the same day. Willow now had a third baby to take care of as well so she rarely saw her at all.


    Only Eda and Winter came regularly to visit and Winter felt very sad about Erin and Leo leaving. She had a great time playing with Leonni who was closer in age to her. Her days of playing around were coming to an end however, Calla heard that Winter''s parents were about to put her to work, they couldn''t let her follow Eda around all year round after all.


    Eda was the oldest of her friends and was already twenty years old. Girls and women around the village worried about her not having a husband yet but Calla knew she was just waiting for Gilbert to get himself together. Eda loved him a lot but she had been afraid that if she gave him an offering, he''d stop doing any efforts at all. She wanted him to succeed and have a stable income before she proposed.


    Gilbert had always been unmotivated and unrealistic about his own future and she needed him to be more reliable. She could definitely see herself with him but he needed to put in some efforts and that was why she was the oldest unmarried woman in the village, well, aside from the ladies here gathered.


    Those weren''t in any hurry to marry. They were fine as they were and either young or a bit older they felt that they had plenty of time still to find their true place. Plus, their current role offered them a huge advantage over other noble ladies.


    As Calla''s attendants, they believed they would be able to stay involved with many high nobles and important figures for the Muracier''s. As ladies-in-waiting, they were also labelled as potential other wives for Emp and Calla knew that some of them would like to be her wed sisters. Kaisla for example had quickly grown to love Emp even if she would not admit it readily.


    In short, they liked their current lives and knew that thanks to it, they''d find the man to match them, either Emp himself or someone they''d meet thanks to him and Calla.


    In the meantime, they took their task very seriously and that task was of course to prepare Calla to face nobles and act as the lady she had become. They worked on this for years already even if Calla felt it was only yesterday that they all came into her life.


    The problem was, Calla was a bit of a bad student. She knew that she would eventually have to understand what all the ladies tried to teach her but it felt so removed from reality to her. It was almost as if nobles lived on a different world than her own. She had a hard time to keep everything in mind and often got disappointed sighs from Lusine from having forgotten something yet again.


    Worse, just trying to picture herself in front of other nobles made her legs weak. She didn''t want to meet any more nobles than she already had, it was too much for her. Her heart started beating super fast just from thinking about it.


    Today again, the girls discussed with her the things she had to learn for the future while she worked on the breakfast. She made it a point to listen properly every time even though she was more interested in the food. Despite being bad at it, she understood that knowing how to act and being able to recognize who was who and what their roles were was very important. She didn''t really fear that she might embarrass herself because that was a certainty either way, she only feared that she might cause trouble for Emp instead.


    Because of that, she did her best pay attention and sometimes tried to act like a proper lady around the house, just to practice. She really didn''t think she was the best at it but she would keep trying until she got it right. She wondered if her kids would get it more naturally. Once she had a few, they''d grow up into big nobles too like their father, hopefully, they''d be more confident like him.


    "Lady Muracier? Did you let your mind wander again?" Sarissa Greathorn asked with an amused smile.


    "Sorry..."


    Her day moved along as usual after this. They shared a good breakfast then all came together to complete the chores as quickly as possible before she threw herself into preparing dinner.


    Then, this afternoon, she planned on visiting Lea in her room for a while before trying to learn the proper way to address different kinds of nobles again.


    Lea Duch¨ºne didn''t like to leave her room but at least, she did come out to get her food and eat with the other. She stayed silent the whole time however. Calla could understand, she''d like to stay silent the whole time too.


    Once the meal was over, Lea fled the scene like usual but Calla would soon follow her. She just wanted to fetch a dress of hers that needed to be fixed. She had torn open a sleeve on accident the other day while she was reaching up to snuff out a lantern.


    Her plans were disturbed by a few strong knock on the door however. She frowned in worry. If it was some of her friends or someone from her family, they''d knock more delicately and then enter right away. She wondered who it could be but at the same time, she didn''t want to go check herself. She turned her eyes to Harriett who had already started to wash the dishes.


    "Understood mistress, I''ll go see what it is." She answered her silent demand with a nod.


    "Such a reliable woman to be able to understand her mistress wants with just a gaze." Lusine said in satisfaction while Calla gave a thankful smile to the slave.


    Harriett made her way to the door and answered politely. On the other side was a guard from the village. She recognized him as the one who watched the east gate with her brother before. He spoke quickly to Harriett who nodded and turned around to announce what he wanted to the girls gathered in the room.


    "This guard came to inform our lady about the presence of a noble lord at the gate wishing to see her. He''s followed by a large amounts of knights."


    Calla felt the blood drain from her face. A lord wanted to see her? Who could that be and why? What should she do? She quickly turned her eyes towards Lusine. She was not the most friendly but she mostly knew what to do around other nobles.


    "My opinion is that you should change into a better dress and go meet them with all of us lined behind you in support." She proposed to Calla.


    Looking down at herself, she wore a plain yellow dress with an apron tied over it because she was just cooking. Changing into something more noble looking was probably for the best. She turned her eyes towards Kaisla next for her opinion. She grew up with the Muraciers themselves, she knew best how they would act.


    "I agree with her, you should have the guard relay that you''ll be there shortly, we''ll all dress up properly in dresses or armors and follow you with strength. You can rely on us for whatever they want. We''ll help you take more careful actions once we know who it is and what they want."


    This sounded awfully stressful, she didn''t know if she would really be able to stand in front of a noble like that. Usually, she had Emp to hide behind but this time, she would be the one in front. She took a deep breath that sounded awfully close to a gasp and nodded towards Harriett at the door.


    "Our lady will be there shortly. Please tell the visiting lord to be patient while she prepares to meet him." She heard Harriett tell the man before he ran off.


    Right after, everyone got up to prepare. Harriett and the girls already wearing decent clothes pulled calla into her room to get her changed while the others prepared themselves or went to fetch Lea again.


    Now, the thing she really didn''t want to happen was happening and the girls were helping her dress up. It couldn''t be helped, nobles clothes were delicate and often had many layers and small details to adjust. They were in a hurry and didn''t have the time to let Calla fiddle with them herself for an hour or two. Despite her embarrassment, her many attendants stripped her naked and dressed her up again in record time. They had her put on the dress that had been made for her in B¨ºt¨¦clair along with a gorgeous necklace she feared to even touch with how expensive it looked and the earrings to match it.


    They tied the dress and the corset underneath it so tightly it was hard to breathe properly. She felt uncomfortable but the look it gave her might just be worth it. She had no mirror but just looking down at herself, she could tell that she looked like a completely different person.


    Then the girls lined up many powders and cosmetic tools on her bed and did all sorts of things to her face. Most of them she didn''t see because she kept her eyes closed while four pairs of hands played around her head. She didn''t see the result but they all assured her she looked perfect.


    If Emp had been there, she could have known right away what she looked like just from his eyes. She could have seen if he thought it was unlike her or too much or as they said, perfect. Right now, she could only rely on her new friends.


    They had her put on the small shoes with the higher heel that went with the dress as well once they left her face alone.


    Back in B¨ºt¨¦clair, she couldn''t walk in them properly and had to heavily lean on Emp. She had gotten some practice in with them since then but she doubted that the village path outside would let her walk decently.


    She frowned at the thought of it and brought her cuff to her mouth to speak.


    "Could someone help me stand once we get outside?"


    "Of course my lady, I''ll walk with you if you want." Kaisla proposed helpfully. "Even I never got used to that kind of footwear."


    "Why not, riding boots are just the same." Sarissa told her.


    "Not at all, shoes like those are much more narrow at the heel and higher too. I could never get the balance right."


    "It''s because you try to keep your battle stance even while you wear those, of course it will be hard."


    "Ladies please, we are in a hurry." Lusine reminded them.


    Calla liked to listen to those random conversation but Lusine was right, they couldn''t make a noble wait for too long.


    She got up and left the room with the girls following behind her. Harriett would remain here in the house for now because she wasn''t Calla''s servant, she was Emp''s, same for Galana.


    While she was being prepared, the others managed to convince Lea to come out as well. She really didn''t like to meet people or just see people in general but Calla might just be the best friend she had ever made and she wanted to support her. She would never be able to say a thing because of her nervousness but at least she would be there. That would be enough to provide some more strength to Calla.


    The nine ladies followed Calla to the door and those dressed in armor put on their boots there. They quickly decided how to move as they did. They would walk in two groups of four on either side of Calla, a few steps removed behind her with Kaisla directly on her side to stabilize her.


    Lusine and Sarissa would be on her right with Bailey and Lanavera in armor while Maria and Lea would occupy the left with the twins who brought their bows. This would make two ladies and two warriors on either side.


    With that decided, Calla took a deep breath, or one as big as the clothes would let her take, and stepped outside.


    She heard Galana wish them all good luck from upstairs and the sunlight assaulted her eyes. She took a second to adjust herself to the bright outdoors and took the arm that Kaisla extended towards her. It was embarrassing to take Kaisla''s arm instead of Emp''s but she might just die of shame if she fell on the way. She had always been clumsy after all and the shoes were seemingly made to make her trip.


    Walking towards the east gate, she felt very out of place. She was out of place in the village dressed like a rich noble and followed by actual nobles, anyone who saw her would wonder what she was doing or if it was really her in the first place. She was also out of place with the other noble girls themselves, she just couldn''t bring herself to believe that she really belonged here with them.


    She just wanted to go back to her kitchen and make so comforting food. All those fancy clothes and overly precious jewels were far too much for her. She was just an ordinary girl.


    "And so our charming lady hesitantly made her way to the gate of her stronghold! She feared to discover who might be so rude as to demand her to come out and interrupted her peaceful afternoon." Victory said while raising an arm up in the air.


    "The sun made her beauty shine brightly despite the coming storm. Would it be a rival of her husband or a bitter suitor who came back to steal her swiftly while the lord was away?" Destiny added while mirroring the arm gesture of her sister.


    Calla didn''t have any suitors and certainly didn''t know any nobles at all... Maybe it was Mable!


    She hadn''t thought of that before because she was too nervous. If they came from the east gate they must have come from B¨ºt¨¦clair which meant that she might actually know them! Hopefully it was someone she had met before that just came to say hi while they were passing through.


    The thought made her feel much less nervous than before. Her steps grew a bit quicker and more confident as a result. It would make for a very fun evening to meet with a friend she had not seen in a few years. Since Emp had left, she had not been able to exchange letters with them anymore. She was curious to see how they were doing.


    "You two better not embarrass the lady in front of the visitors." Lanavera warned the twins who were still making poses behind Calla and narrating the event-less walk.


    Bailey took their defense readily.


    "Don''t worry, they''re like my cute dogs, they know when to not act up."


    "I hope so. Our lady has had very few contacts with nobles, every encounter she has will influence her general reputation." Lusine explained.


    "I''m not worried at all. She did a fantastic job last time when our lord brought his friends for supper. She was charming and elegant and her food left a spectacular impression on them I''m sure. They''ll only have good things to say about her." Sarissa said, either to reassure the others or Calla herself.


    Those words made Maria giggle.


    "One of them even asked if our lady had a sister just as pretty. You know the stocky one with short hairs. The one who almost looks shaven."


    "I believe his name was Odilon, sir Longhorn gave him a slap on the back of the head for that question I believe." Lusine laughed along.


    Calla remembered that, she also remembered that Emp said it wasn''t the first time he asked and that was why he had made it a point to not let the rest of her family eat with them that night. He had not wanted his friends to embarrass him in front of his parents-in-law.


    Calla would have been afraid of the opposite, her family where far under nobles, if they offended Emp''s friends somehow it could have been bad for them.


    While chatting about that, the group reached the gate. Calla started to see who the group wanting the see her was but she didn''t recognize them at all.


    "Ah!" Kaisla said excitedly. "It''s grandfather! I mean, it''s Lord Aminui Muracier, the grandfather of our lord!"


    Calla saw her brighten up to an almost blinding degree at the sight of the visitor. She loved the old noble a lot. When she called him grandfather, she truly meant it, to her, he was family. Calla could have seen it even without being able to sense affection like she could.


    Looking at the old man still a good distance away, she found him intimidating. He was like Marcy but in a man''s form, absolutely enormous. She''d never get anywhere close to him if she didn''t have to and even now, she kept walking only because Kaisla was supporting her. Right now, she wanted to flee from his sharp brown eyes, he gave off the impression that he''d kill anyone that looked toward him the wrong way.


    Was this man really the grandfather of Emp?


    What if he didn''t like her? What should she do? What should she say to him?


    "Doesn''t he look just like Emp?" Kaisla asked her.


    Calla really thought he did not. Emp''s side was the safest place in the world, like a kind fluffy dragon of sorts. This man''s sides seemed to be the most dangerous place in the world instead, just getting near him might kill her from fright.


    "Don''t worry, just forget about all the noble speech and just talk to him normally. He''s like your husband and thinks that the usual etiquette is too roundabout and an utter waste of time. Also, call him grandfather instead of lord, he''ll like it I promise, family is really important to him." Kaisla advised her as they got close.


    At least she didn''t have to be afraid to say something wrong.


    Her feet almost refused to make the few last steps to stand in front of him but she somehow managed. She had to look upward to him like she had to for Emp but this man was the taller of the two.


    "Hi my lord! I''m happy to see you." Kaisla told him right away.


    His face didn''t change at all but Calla sensed warmth flow through him at the welcoming words.


    "Hi, I''m glad to see you safe and well." He told her before turning his attention towards everyone else.


    Behind him, his many knights all stood at attention. They were much more professional than the soldiers that followed Emp away. Those were valiant and strong, stoic may be the word to describe them, they didn''t look interested in what was happening at all.


    "I am lord Aminui Muracier, ancient of the Muracier house, ex-great general and grandfather to Emp Muracier." He introduced himself to the others even though Calla was certain that he knew them all.


    He was doing that more for her benefit than anything else. It was her turn now to introduce herself somehow. She brought the cuff Emp had given her up to her mouth and spoke.


    "Hi grandfather..."


    She got stuck! She couldn''t say anymore! She was too embarrassed to muster anything more and that knowledge made it even even more embarrassing.


    But... All the other girls stood behind her to encourage her, she couldn''t let them down now! She called for all her meager courage and forced a few more words out of her with great difficulty.


    "I''m Calla Champom-Muracier... Emp''s wife... Are you hungry?"


    The rest of the girls seemed to think it was a pretty poor introduction. Even Kaisla turned her head to the side to hide her amused smile.


    Calla''s face turned deep red, she just thought that if he traveled all the way here form B¨ºt¨¦clair, he might not have had dinner yet. She just wanted to be hospitable! Yet she had to go and say it in such an embarrassingly childish way.


    Couldn''t she have said something like; did you have dinner yet? May I offer you something?


    She even forgot to say she was pleased to meet him! Even though this encounter scared her to no end, she really was curious about Emp''s family and wanted to meet them.


    She feared how he might react and tensed up in worry but his reaction went against her expectations. From a giant of thorns, he turned into a big soft cloud, just like that. Had her senses gone wrong? She had gotten pretty good at identifying the affection of everyone since she had discovered that ability of hers but she had never seen the feelings of anyone change so quickly.


    She couldn''t understand what was happening, it was like his attitude had made a complete reversal. Even his stone face changed a bit, the corner of his mouth rose slightly. He turned from death-cold to fire-warm in a second.


    "Mhn, I am hungry." He said, emphasizing the ''am''.


    She almost said "Eh?" At the unexpected answer but her cooking skills took the lead instead.


    "You look like someone who''d like bear meat. Would you like to come home and let me prepare you a meal?"


    "I''d like to, yes."


    Now it was Calla''s turn to smile, she successfully made contact with her grandfather in law!


    The others behind her were all stunned. It was probably the weirdest introduction they ever witnessed. The old man turned around to bark orders at his men while Calla cheered in her head for her small victory.


    "Now everyone pays their respect to my granddaughter!"


    "Lady Calla Muracier, we are all honored to meet you!" They all shouted as they synchronously fell on one knee with a hand on their heart.


    The scene was enough to leave her mouth dry from how impressive and grand it was. Luckily, she didn''t have anything else to say.


    The old man walked up to her and placed one of his giant hands onto her shoulder. He wasn''t at all as scary as he looked, in the end, Kaisla was right, the feeling was close to Emp''s. Ordinarily, if a man other than Emp placed a hand on her shoulder she would have been frozen in place but this hand didn''t have that effect. She was just glad that he didn''t dislike her.


    "I wonder if you''re as good a cook as Emp says you are."


    "Trust me grandfather, she is." Kaisla promised, praising Calla.


    At the very least, she knew that her cooking would be no disappointment for him.


    "Wait, isn''t that the same Calla Emp brought to school! Doesn''t that mean Emp is a Muracier! Why did no one tell me!?"


    A younger knight panicked in the back rows of the procession but no one seemed to pay him any mind so Calla chose to not to look into it for now.

 162 Disturbed meal

    Calla had successfully made it so that Aminui didn''t dislike her but now she needed to make sure that he wouldn''t change his mind again.


    She brought her grandfather-in-law back to the house but her plans to put him on her side with a sumptuous meal were stopped right away.


    "Does mistress really plan on cooking dressed like that? May I suggest otherwise?" Harriett asked in worry.


    She had welcomed them back with a deep bow and was now standing by the kitchen''s workplace along with Calla. This dress was extremely expensive by the standards of most and damaging it with grease or anything else was ill advised. The other noble girls all told her to not cook wearing those.


    However, she had just put them on! It would be a pain to work her way out of them right away. If only she had known earlier.


    She pinched her lip in thought while the rest looked at her indecision with amusement, worry and discouragement to various degree. Aside from Kaisla who was very happy to be reunited with her beloved grandfather after all this time spent away with Calla, the others felt rather intimidated and no one dared to speak. They could only watch Calla with pleading eyes, hoping she would take what they each thought would be the best decision.


    After some thinking, Calla decided that cooking something good for the old man was more important. She reworked her hair, tying them more tightly so that they wouldn''t get in the way, removed all the jewelry she wore and handed them to Harriett who released a short knowing sigh. Then, to the disapproval of many of the ladies, she removed her shoes and tied up her apron over the rest of her clothes.


    It was all very unladylike but Calla didn''t really care, she felt much better now. Harriett picked up the shoes as well and hurried off to store everything back safely in their rightful place.


    Contrary to the ladies, the old man seemed to approve of her actions, he didn''t say anything and his face barely moved but the more she focused on his eyes, the more she could point out the similarities with Emp. He had the same sort of way to him that made it gradually easier for her to read him like she did with her husband.


    Emp was rarely angry for example and it mostly didn''t show on his face at all but she could tell right away when something displeased him, the old man had the same habits. He truly was the grandfather of her beloved man, no matter how different the atmosphere around them felt at first.


    With the stories Kaisla told them about him and what she knew from Emp himself, she believed herself able to understand his way of thinking. If he wasn''t the sort of man to bother with flowery words and protocols, he wouldn''t mind her walking barefoot and tying an apron over the expensive dress. It wasn''t because he had no sense of elegance but because he was like his grandson and liked when efficient decisions were made for each problems.


    He made no comment about it and instead spoke of the house.


    "So this is where Emp lived this whole time. It''s quite vast for something built in a village. I was expecting less."


    Calla herself wouldn''t have answered that comment because she had nothing to say about it but by the mischievous smile Kaisla shot her, her friend wouldn''t be so quiet.


    "I heard that Emp asked to make it that big to have plenty of rooms because his wife wanted a lot of kids."


    Calla turned red right away and hurriedly looked the other way to hide her embarrassment.


    Don''t say it aloud! She wanted to complain. She didn''t have the composure for it however and just quickly fled to the cellar with a brisk walk.


    She took a few breaths to calm her heart and looked around the place for what she''d need for her new grandfather''s meal.


    Bear, bear, bear, where are you...


    She wondered while scanning rows of stored meat. There was a lot of wolf here, it had been here for a long time too, it might have turned bad.


    Usually, she was very careful to keep track of everything so that there would be no waste but she couldn''t bring herself to cook the wolf meat while Bailey lived with them. She loved her own pet wolves so much it would be cruel to serve her some meat from their brethren. She didn''t want to see Bailey cry over a meal. Calla believed that Bailey didn''t even know some of the meat here was wolf meat, she wasn''t able to tell which piece came from where.


    Calla could tell with just a glance what each piece of meat was, boar, dear, wolf, various monsters aaaand there, bear. She couldn''t stand the blood and almost fainted at the sight of others dismantling and butchering prey but once it was meat stored like that, it was just food and she didn''t mind it anymore. She was always good with food.


    Bear meat had a very pronounced taste and didn''t go well with many things. When cooked right however, it would quickly become the favorite of many men she knew of. Something like bear meat could have small worms living in it because of its own nasty eating habits so it had to be thoroughly cooked to be safe. Calla had the habit of cooking that sort of meat twice before serving it to anyone.


    She would always cut it in long slices and cook it over a heavy fire first before preparing it for storage. Most people liked the appeal of a single big piece of meat but she reserved that treatment to safer meat like that of a deer or a wild bird.


    Because she cooked it twice and cut it in long stripes, the risk of overcooking it were higher but she had many tricks to go around this.


    She picked up a basket and put some of the bear meat inside before turning over and looking at the herbs and vegetables she had. Feeling inspired, she picked up many of them and brought everything back to the kitchen.


    Outside the food storage room, the others all looked her way a bit awkwardly. It must be because the topic of children came around. Everyone knew she wanted many and obviously, her stomach didn''t swell. It annoyed her and the rest knew about it. They might even have told the Muracier lord about it if he asked why there wasn''t any babies yet.


    What they didn''t know was that she had guessed the reason why she couldn''t make any despite the best efforts of her husband. Even Emp didn''t know the true reason even though he had been indirectly told. Sometimes, he didn''t catch things when they weren''t told explicitly, that was why she usually told him everything in details. Even then, it was him that unknowingly gave her the answer this time around.


    He had a habit of speaking about everything that happened to him because she set the example. There were no secrets between them. Because of that, she knew that Love couldn''t have children and that was the reason she went with this convoluted way to make Emp. Then, she told Emp that he inherited her disability and that he needed Life to fix it. What sort of disability could a goddess possibly have? The answer was just obvious, Emp could not sire any children.


    Calla had felt heartbroken when she understood but quickly came back around. She had no doubt that Emp would meet up with Life soon and then she would be able to bear all the little Champom and Muracier she wanted. That was the main reason why she had been almost eager to see him leave for his mission in Greenpeaks.


    He had told her that Life''s trial chambers were somewhere there and that he''d try to find her while he was in that kingdom. Like that, he''d be able to fix both Celtine''s wings and his... other problem.


    She already couldn''t wait for him to be back.


    With that said, even if there had been no solution to their problem, she would have remained with Emp. She liked him too much and needed him to feel at ease, plus, she wouldn''t pretend that she didn''t enjoy the time spent in bed with him...


    Just the thought turned her deep red again and she rushed to her cooking area under the amused eyes of the others. They couldn''t possibly know what she just thought about could they?


    She shook her feelings away and placed the basket on the counter, throwing a sign at Maria to ask her to help. It was her turn today after all. She gave her a quick series of instructions and had her light up the fireplace.


    She worked with a hum while Kaisla spoke with the old man. She had a lot to say to him, she hadn''t seen him in a long time. Calla was happy to just listen to their conversation while she prepared the food. Aminui also had a lot to say it seemed and wasn''t in any hurry to speak with her.


    She knew that he would want to speak with her properly later on because she had become the wife of his only grandson but he was the sort of man who would bend the schedule to his will and whim rather than follow a rigid path. Speaking to her right now or in a few hours made no difference to him.


    Calla tasted the different pieces of the meal as she progressed to make sure everything was going well and eventually managed to hand a finished plate to Harriett. The trusted servant brought the overfilled plate to the old man who looked at the contents with interest.


    It took him only a single bite before he nodded in satisfaction.


    "The rumor doesn''t do this justice." He took another large bite and ate it slowly before he spoke again. "You''re not just a pretty lass, you''re very talented. Thank you for the food and the efforts you put in it."


    His compliment pleased her greatly and she sat at the table with the rest sporting a big smile. Things were going well up until now. She could sense his affection for her growing steadily. In no time at all, he''d approve of her being Emp''s wife.


    Emp said that he liked headstrong women better but it didn''t mean he couldn''t accept someone like her, it just meant that it might be hard. Things were seemingly much easier than she believed they would be however. She had made a giant leap at the gate somehow and now things were going smoothly.


    "Do you worry about Emp?" The old man asked her out of the blue.


    She didn''t know where the question came from but it was easy to answer. She shook her head with a smile and used to cuff to add a few words.


    "Emp''s the best, nothing can happen to him."


    Her answer had his mouth twitch upwards, he was clearly satisfied with it. He was about to say something else after another bite of his meal when the entrance door to the house was suddenly slammed open! The food on Aminui''s fork fell back onto his plate because of the shock.


    Calla almost fell off her seat in surprise and Lea shrieked in fright.


    Marcy stormed inside the room and pointed an angry finger at Aminui without removing her boots. She was clearly upset but Calla had no idea why. Why did she have to be so violent with her door and what did she want with the Muracier Elder? Lastly, who would clean up the mud afterwards? It wasn''t like she could force Marcy to do it.


    "Ya slag of an old man! I know what ya''re planning and it''s not happening! The girl isn''t moving from here!"


    Calla didn''t get what she meant right away but was frightened by the angry face the old man showed and made herself as small as possible. Most of the other ladies moved backwards as well. At least she wasn''t the only one to think that this looked scary.


    "Don''t ya try playing that trick on me, I''m the angry one here not ya!"


    The face of the old man lost all its intimidating factor and turned into a pout.


    "I should have known it wouldn''t work on you, it never did before. So, what is it that you''re angry for, daughter?"


    Calla could sense affection but not other emotions, she would never have guessed that Aminui wasn''t angry at all without Marcy''s intervention. She didn''t relax at all however because she didn''t know what would happen next.


    Meanwhile, Marcy let out a sarcastic laughter as she walked closer to the old man.


    "Don''t call me that."


    "Then what am I to call you? The fiance of my dead son who also named herself the mother of my grandson? That seems a bit long for essentially saying the same thing." Aminui scoffed while stabbing a new piece of meat with his fork.


    The smith puffed in anger but could hardly deny the logic of his argument. She was his daughter in law in everything but name.


    She glared and changed the subject instead of arguing on this further.


    "I''m not letting ya take her to Highsteel."


    Taking her to Highsteel? Calla felt cold sweat form on her back, were they talking about her?


    She had not realized that this is what was happening. Leaving the village for such a faraway place seemed dreadful. She could think of a million reasons for her not to go in just a single moment.


    Just visiting B¨ºt¨¦clair with Emp had been exhausting so going so much further just sounded impossible for her to achieve. Plus, she''d be way too far from her family. She couldn''t picture herself so removed from her parents and siblings. Her father would be particularly upset because of how much he disliked big cities. Highsteel wasn''t really a city but it was just the same.


    Meanwhile, the two of them ignored her panic and kept arguing.


    "Why must you always make things more difficult than they already are? I haven''t even brushed the subject yet, I was just enjoying this delicious cooking peacefully. I''ve never tasted anything quite like it before." He said, scooping some more of the food.


    "There''s nothing difficult about this, she''s staying here. That''s all." Marcy said decisively.


    Calla cheered on Marcy in her head.


    The old man snorted and looked up at the angry woman staring down at him.


    "Would you at least sit down? If you intend to argue with me for hours it''d be less uncomfortable this way."


    Calla hadn''t said anything yet and really didn''t intend to either but she had to agree with her grandfather on this point. She didn''t want to leave but speaking this way wasn''t good for the neck of those sitting down and it was a bit strange. Maybe not as strange as being the center piece of a conversation happening right in front of her without being directly included in it but still strange.


    Marcy hesitated a second but then moved her feet to the other side of the table. The girls moved to give her enough space and Marcy straddled her seat before slamming her elbows on the table, crossing her arms over it.


    Those weren''t good table manners but Calla would let it slide because Marcy wasn''t eating and was on the side of not letting her leave the village. The old man wasn''t of the same mind.


    "You''re too old to be throwing tantrums around. Why are you even angry at me? I''ve done nothing wrong here."


    "I''m not here to debate on this with ya again old man. I''m just here to protect Cala from ya."


    Calla understood what she meant but that was a bit exaggerated. Even if she guessed right and this was about bringing her to Highsteel, Aminui wasn''t attacking her. She didn''t really need to be protected from her own husband''s grandfather. The man said just as much.


    "I don''t think she needs your protection. Besides, she already has ten ladies here with her plus the one upstairs that''s pretending to not be listening."


    That was a habit of Galana, she would often listen in from upstairs just so she didn''t miss anything important even when she didn''t have a place at the table like now.


    "As if I''d leave this in their hands! They are usually lively and all talking at once but they won''t dare say anything to contradict ya. I bet they haven''t even said a thing since ya came in. That one even idolizes ya, how can I expect them to defend Calla?"


    The other girls all made apologetic faces in front of Marcy''s accusations but they couldn''t really be blamed. Aminui was at the pinnacle of the empire, they couldn''t possibly risk displeasing him. Plus, according to what they tried to teach Calla, when in front of a higher noble than themselves, the rules of etiquette stated that they should remain silent until acknowledged.


    Her new grandfather didn''t care about etiquette however and didn''t go out of his way to free them of their silence. It might just mean that he didn''t care and that they could just act as normal but for them, it could also mean that he didn''t want to hear them and they weren''t willing to risk talking to find out. Only Calla could free them but she''d have to speak up for that and without a good reason, it was difficult for her to find the strength to do so.


    If she needed their advice, she wouldn''t hesitate to ask for it however.


    "Fair enough." Conceded Aminui with a hand raised in defeat. "Still, I''m as far from a threat to her as one can be."


    He turned his head towards her and she froze in place.


    "I''d have liked to say that less abruptly but I''m inviting you to Highsteel where your true home is. That''s what I came for, aside from meeting you that is." He told her.


    So she had guessed right. She wanted to refuse right away because the thought alone was scary but she was too nervous to speak and Marcy was doing a good job on her own already.


    "Calla is not fit for Highsteel, as I said, she''s staying here. Her true home is Dark-glint, not that dreary place."


    "Dreary? What are you saying? Our place is majestic! It''s filled with people from all over the empire too, there''s a stream of them coming in and out all the time. You''d know this if you gave it a chance and came back as you should as well."


    So he wanted Marcy to come as well? Emp and Kaisla both said that family was really important to him, maybe he just wanted to see her more often. He made it a point to insist she was family to him after all. He just wanted everyone to be close like how Calla wanted to remain close to the other Champoms.


    Marcy didn''t see it the same way however.


    "No, I''m not following ya there old slag."


    Aminui just shook his head in disappointment while he munched on some vegetables. She had cooked the slices of meat after wrapping them around the vegetables so they all shared their flavor.


    "Daughter," he said after swallowing. "her name is Muracier, as should be yours too. Everybody in the empire knows that if your name is Muracier, your home is in Highsteel. The place of you both is in our fortress."


    That was true as well. Emp living in this village was a bit like an imperial prince living in a roadside inn. Being is wife, anyone would automatically believe she was living in Highsteel.


    "She would be out of place there. She''s neither a warrior nor a noble. She''ll be lonely, bored and scared there. What are ya even trying to accomplish with this old man?"


    Calla agreed that this was definitely how she pictured her life would be in a giant fortress. The place would be filled with menacing stone structures and crawling with scarily muscled men. She''d end up hiding in a tiny room all day long without Emp to watch over her, too afraid to move from it like Lea usually did. She''d dearly miss her family as well.


    "I''m not trying to accomplish anything. It''s just that as you''re so readily pointing it out, I''m an old man, I''ve seen more than eighty summers. I won''t live long still and Emp is the only grandson I have, the only one that can keep our house going after I''m gone. I just want to make everything in my power to keep my family safe while I still can."


    Calla felt sad for him. He was just an old man worrying about the people he''d leave behind after all. He wasn''t trying to upset anyone, he just wanted to consolidate his house while he still had the strength to defend his position. He was a bit like her own mother, she just wanted to see more of her grandchildren soon and make sure all her sons and daughters grew up fine and happy. Aminui was just doing the same with a generation further down. She could understand his motivations.


    "She''ll be perfectly fine here thank ya." Marcy denied simply.


    With the ladies Emp invited, Marcy herself and Martin the mage, Calla felt pretty safe, that was true.


    Again however, the two of them disagreed.


    "You''ve always been so stubborn, just listen to me. Do you really think it''s fine to leave a girl who will soon outrank royals to her own devices in this tiny village?"


    Wasn''t that fine? Why would anyone be bothered by where she wanted to live? She looked towards her attendants but most of them shook their heads to tell her it wasn''t fine. She''d have to ask them later why that was so.


    "For her own safety and her reputation, she should come back with me." He insisted.


    "She''ll be no safer there with Graube lurking." Marcy objected.


    Emp hadn''t met his uncle Graube so he didn''t have much to say about him. All that she knew was that he wanted to be the next great general and Emp didn''t want that to happen. It made them rivals and so it made him fall into the list of people she really didn''t want to come across, ever.


    "Now that''s just ridiculous, you''ll scare her for nothing. Yes, Graube wants Emp''s rightful place but he''s family too."


    Calla caught the eyes of Kaisla shining when he said that it was Emp''s rightful place but she didn''t know why just yet. She''d have to ask about it later as well.


    "He might cause trouble for Emp and her but not right in front of me and certainly never try to physically harm them. Highsteel is the safest place in the empire, no amount of nonsense Graube can bring will undo that."


    Marcy let out an exasperated sigh in answer.


    "I don''t think ya realize how fragile Calla is. She can''t speak to her neighbors properly even though she''s known them all her life and ya think she''ll manage that place?"


    Calla wasn''t upset to be called fragile at all, that was the absolute truth and she had lived her whole life knowing this. She was weak, nervous, scared all the time and clumsy on top. Picturing herself doing anything remotely important was just impossible.


    "Well, she will have to eventually. Even if Emp wed a few more women, she''ll have to deal with other people from our house or vassals at some point."


    "But that point doesn''t have to be now."


    "Now would be the best time get her used to it though, to let her familiarize herself with Highsteel and our people before Emp gets to shoulder everything. I want her to meet Korine too, she''d be able to provide her with plenty of advice as the old lady Muracier, plus, you know she can''t move from the fortress because of her injury."


    "Old lady Korine is great but she already has people here to teach her."


    "Those girls here had a few years already to teach her, what would be the point if she never moves from here? With me and Korine to watch over the girl and guide her, she''d still make a lot of progress I''m sure and those girls would all come too. There will never be a better time than now and I can escort her all the way myself. She''d have the safest trip she could possibly have on her way there.


    Plus, think about it. Emp won''t lead the Muracier house and the armies of the empire from a small village like this. I don''t want her to stay here alone and away from her husband all the time, that would be pitiful."


    Calla knew that Emp wouldn''t be able to stay in the village because of who he was but she had simply put the notion away from her mind. She had deluded herself thinking that she''d somehow be able to stand aside from it all and never be dragged into it.


    Obviously, this was impossible. Aminui was right, if she didn''t follow Emp, she''d barely have any time with him. He would have to go here and there on top of spending most of his time in his seat of power, she wouldn''t really be able to remain here if she wanted to spend time with him.


    That was a bothersome reality to face and she would have wanted it to be different but it couldn''t be any other way. If he managed to become the emperor like he told her he wanted to do, it would end up even worse for them. He''s get even less time and she would have to face a whole lot more nobles.


    She wanted Mable to hurry and join her as a sister so that she could be the one dealing with nobles instead of her but it wouldn''t let her dodge everything completely. She really did understand that she couldn''t stay hidden all the time, people would try and meet her because they just had to know the wives of someone as important as Emp, even if she was just raised in an orchard.


    If she absolutely had to, she wanted to delay her encounters with the nobles for as long as possible, she needed Emp to shield her from them. The old man had a point however, while Emp was still just heir, things would be easier for her to get accustomed to.


    She''d be less swarmed by others and wouldn''t have any actual duties yet. There would also be many who sided with Graube and wouldn''t pay much attention to her thinking she''d remain unimportant. This was truly a perfect occasion, if she could get over her own fears.


    Marcy too understood that clearly even though her heart and mouth kept saying no.


    "Calla can''t leave the rest of her family here. Ya''ll worry her and split her heart in half with yar stories." She scolded the old man.


    "You know I''m not trying to leave her torn between this and that, I''m just exposing facts here. This is all going to happen either I bring her home now or not. All I''m saying is that its in our best interest to come now. I need her to strengthen Emp''s position too."


    Calla didn''t understand what that meant but thankfully, neither did Marcy.


    "What do ya mean strengthen his position?"


    "Graube had years to slowly pull everyone behind him. I already declared Emp the heir great general but just saying it doesn''t make it true in the hearts of everyone. I''ll have to work hard to convince everyone that I''m making the best decision or he''ll keep getting opposed even after the title is fully transferred to him. It would be easier if the rest knew him but I can''t have him gain experience and waste his time socializing at once.


    While he''s away, I need the girl to be his face. You know how this work, as long as they like her, they''ll like Emp too and this makes us all winners. For both of their goods, she needs to show her face and steal their heart from Graube before I pass or the Emperor transfers his crown. If not, Emp will keep struggling with his own troops from thereon."


    Marcy showed a frustrated face but didn''t argue back. This meant she understood what he was trying to say and reluctantly agreed. This also meant that she was in trouble. What should she do?


    She turned her head to the other girls, prompting them with a gaze to quit being silent and offer her their advice. Emp usually did that when he was unsure about something and it was a great example to follow. Those girls knew better than her after all.


    "I think lord Muracier has some strong points, I agree with him." Maria said simply.


    "It would be easier to practice what you learned if there were some people to practice with, I also think you should go." Lusine declared.


    "Lady Korine has a lot of experience as lady Muracier, it would be foolish to not take advantage of it." Sarissa pointed out.


    "Torn between the two pieces of her heart, the lady/ouch!" Lanavera elbowed Victory to stop her drama. "I think you''ll wither like a flower if you go." She simply said instead while rubbing her sides.


    "I also think that, you need at least part of your family close to recharge your energy." Destiny added.


    "If we went, my dogs would have more space and freedom to play and I''m sure we could really do great work to help our lord. I know you can do it. However, I also miss my own family a lot, I''d understand if you wanted to stay and wouldn''t object your decision. I''ll follow you whatever you decide." Bailey explained, surprisingly more sensible than usual.


    "I...let''s stay home where it''s peaceful." Lea said meekly.


    "I agree with Bailey, I''ll be happy with whatever, I promised our lord I''d keep you safe and that''s what I intend to do. Going there would raise your fame but I understand it''s not really a good thing in your mind. I''ll just stand behind what you judge to be best." Lanavera ended the counselings.


    Calla didn''t need to ask Kaisla her opinion, she''d side with her grandfather, that was obvious. She turned her eyes upstairs instead. She wanted to know what Galana thought as one of the trusted friends of Emp.


    "Galana." She called, loudly for her usual voice.


    The head of the girl came into view over the railing and she voiced her own opinion quickly.


    "If you want to know what I''m thinking then I''ll say that a place just filled with nobles sounds horrible. However, I''d be willing to brave the place if it was to help Emp. I owe him a lot."


    She owed him a lot but also held feelings for him, Calla suspected that both were equal motivators for her.


    Now that she had heard the thoughts of mostly everyone, it was time to think for herself. She didn''t ask Harriett either because she knew that she would just say that she''d do what her mistress said which wasn''t helpful to her.


    "Thank you mother Marcy for helping me and thank you grandfather for telling us this." She whispered into her magic cuff. "Could I get some time to think? I want to speak with my parents too."


    "Of course! I''m in no hurry. I''ll wait for you to decide. Just ask me if you need anything or if you have any questions. See daughter? I can be civilized too. Just come back home already, Korine has missed you a lot."


    "Don''t try to make me feel guilty with Korine! Ya slag would do anything to have me move over there. Can''t ya just give up."


    While Aminui finished his meal in that lively argument. Calla kept thinking about it all. What should she do? What would Emp say?

 163 The duties of Calla

    Calla had a really important decision to make or rather, she knew what she should do already but had a hard time convincing herself. After Aminui had left to go back to his knights, she had spoken with the other girls a lot more. The truth was, she didn''t really speak and let them all talk it out between each others instead but it helped her a lot clear everything out in her own head.


    She also got the occasion to ask Kaisla why she was so happy when Aminui spoke about Graube wanting Emp''s place. Her answer was pretty embarrassing. At first, she simply said that she was happy that Aminui fully supported Emp and said that his rightful place was at the head of the house and armies but the other girls believed there was more to it and pressured her into talking.


    In the end, she had to admit in front of all the gathered ladies that Aminui had intended for her to marry the next great general and when Emp showed up, asked her to choose whom she liked best. Essentially, she was saying she wanted to give him her offering in a convoluted way.


    Her declaration started an entirely different sort of talk and it was in the middle of that that Calla eclipsed herself to go see her parents. She was very interested to know about the feelings of everyone of course, she was always curious about this sort of thing, but she had more pressing matters to think about. Kaisla seemed worried about how she would react when she admitted to it but Calla wasn''t really against it.


    As long as they held true feelings for Emp and were good people she could get along with, she did not mind them joining. Kaisla could be a reliable sister and Emp said she was extremely strong with her blessing. Calla often thought about things from the perspective of what would be best for a family and according to that logic, having Kaisla to protect the children would be great.


    Protecting the children of another wasn''t the same as protecting their own, Calla understood that even if warriors didn''t like to admit it, they''d protect their own family in priority. She''d rather have Kaisla the ferocious protector for the family than Kaisla the sadly rejected knight.


    Even thought she insisted that she''d follow Emp over Graube being wife or not, Calla could sense her rapidly growing affection for him. She believed that a day would come sooner or later where she''d give her offering to Emp. She intended to support her with it, as long as Emp was willing of course.


    For now however, she had to see her own mother and father.


    She went straight to her parent''s house and stepped right inside. It felt strange thinking of it as her parent''s house rather than her own.


    "Mom!" She called.


    Her mother walked into the main room quickly and pulled Calla into a hug.


    "Calla! I''m so happy to see you. Are you having a good day? Are you feeling lonely?" She said quickly.


    Calla smiled at the warmth and told her mother what she came for. She didn''t need her magic cuff for speaking to her mom.


    "Mom, good afternoon. I need to speak with everyone about something important. Can you call dad and the others?"


    "Something important? What is it?" Fiona asked while cocking her head. Then she gasped and moved to look at Calla in full. "Calla! Are you finally pregnant!"


    Calla pouted in an attempt to mask her reddening cheeks.


    "No mom, it''s not that. It''s about... Possibly leaving the village." Her voice faded off in a whisper as she said it and the joyful air on her mother''s face crumbled into worry.


    "Where would you be going?"


    "Mom, can we get the others first? I want to know what you''re all thinking."


    Her mother looked a bit shaken by Calla''s words but still went off to call everyone over. Even Zora and Fleur where out helping in the orchard today, they had grown up so much already. they''d always be her cute little sisters but Zora would be as grown as herself in just a few years. Calla felt that time just flew by.


    It took some time for everyone to show up, the orchard was rather large and her elder sisters where in their husband''s house instead.


    As everyone came in, they welcomed her as warmly as usual and Fleur even jumped into her arms for a hug. All of them understood that she wouldn''t have asked them to stop working if it wasn''t for something important.


    Jonquil and Iris were the last to arrive with their own kids. Calla made a point of kissing and hugging all the cute little Champom before she sat and told everyone about what was going on.


    The air around the table was heavy, the atmosphere serious. Her brother Karp was the first to speak after she was done explaining.


    "Well, it isn''t as if we hadn''t expected it after we learned who Emp really was."


    "Yeah, it would have been more strange if Emp just stayed in Dark-glint forever." Iris nodded.


    After that there was another silence. Calla didn''t know what else to say, she just wanted to know what her parents thought. From the corner of her eyes, she could also tell that Azalea was burning to say something of her own but was holding it in for now.


    Her sister had tried to get her parents to agree to let her go explore the city many many times in the past but they always refused. She must be feeling that Calla was living her dream. She was certain that Azalea either wanted to say it was unfair or that she wanted to tag along.


    "But still, Highsteel is so far." Her mother said with a grimace.


    "I don''t like it." Her father said flatly.


    As expected, they couldn''t agree to her leaving. She understood perfectly because she didn''t want to go either.


    "I don''t really want to go but..." Her voice trailed off.


    "Calla''s right, she''s got some important things to do as the wife of a high noble. We can''t keep her here just because we''ll miss her." Freddy stated, getting a nod from every other sibling except Fleur who wanted to keep her big sister close.


    "She won''t be a prisoner either, she can come visit whenever she wants to, it''s just going to be a long trip." Jonquil tried to appease her parents.


    The talk progressed this way until the sun set, everyone was too absorbed in the subject and the prospect of Calla leaving to notice the time. In the end, the others agreed, reluctantly or not, that Calla should go along with Aminui to Highsteel.


    They worried about her safety but Highsteel was the most defended place in the empire, she''d be more protected than the imperial princes and princesses. They worried about the travel time and how little they''d see her but also agreed that she couldn''t live so far away from her husband all the time. Her mother wanted more grandchildren too much to let that happen even if it meant seeing Calla much more rarely.


    "Well, in the end, as long as you''re happy, your father and me won''t make things too difficult for you." Her mom ended up saying.


    Her father nodded with a grunt too. He liked to keep an eye on everyone because he was a big softy but if Calla wanted to leave he wouldn''t stop her. Calla didn''t want to part with them, she didn''t feel like leaving and felt really sad about it. A part of her had wished that they''d vehemently oppose her leaving and that she would have had to stay.


    Another part of her was glad that they agreed to it instead because this way, she''d leave with their encouragements instead of complaints.


    "In that case, can I go with her?" Azalea asked hurriedly.


    "No." Her father said right away.


    Calla thought it was a great idea though, she''d feel way less lonely if one of her sisters tagged along. She would really love her to come.


    "Uhhhhhh, Why!" Aza shouted right away.


    "Calla is going there for serious noble business." Her mother said. "I don''t want you to disturb her with your daydreaming."


    "I''d like her to come though." Calla mustered her small voice to oppose her parents.


    "Eh?" The others all looked baffled.


    "Why?"Her mother asked, at a complete loss.


    Calla looked down to escape the angry eyes of her father but still said it.


    "I''ll be lonely."


    "Good grief." Her mom said while the rest laughed.


    "See! Calla is fine with it! Thank you sis! Can I go pretty please?" Azalea quickly charged again, diving headfirst into the opening.


    Fifteen more minutes of arguing later, they finally agreed to let her go as well.


    "But only if the old lord will allow it and only because I trust the Muraciers to keep you safe." Her father grumbled, clearly frustrated about his two middle daughters running away from the village.


    "Oh thank you dad! You''ll see, I''ll behave properly and stay safe."


    "I won''t see though, that''s the whole problem." He complained while Calla''s mom tried to sooth him by caressing his hair.


    Azalea ran up to Calla and thanked her many times over, Calla was just as happy because she''d have a real sister to talk to while she was away from home. She just hoped that Aminui would agree to let her come too. Hopefully he wouldn''t mind her not acting like a noble since he was so much like Emp and wouldn''t be bothered even if she didn''t know the endless rules of how to behave around nobles.


    Thanks to Azalea being there, Calla would feel less alone but she would also have to worry about her sister putting herself in trouble. Whatever Calla did, she would probably be fine just because her husband was the heir great general and heir to the Muracier house but she wasn''t certain that this protection extended to her blood sister.


    She would have to remind her to be careful and if she made a big mistake, Calla would have to be the one to apologize in her stead. That was a mortifying thought but she trusted her sister more than she trusted anyone else. She believed that everything would be fine.


    While she was thinking that, Fleur casually asked if she could come along as well to see the castle but she was told no by everyone around the table right away. She puffed her cheeks in protest but for her, no one would change their minds. Fleur was just a little girl while Azalea was even older than Calla herself, Fleur and Aza were seven years apart.


    After that, her father said he''d accompany her back home because it was already dark outside. Calla was thankful for it, she was already shaking in fear from the darkness even with her father with her so going back alone would have been horrible.


    On the way there, her father started speaking again. He had the serious face he only used when he wanted to say something important.


    "Did I ever tell you about why I don''t like cities? Why I really didn''t want Azalea to go?"


    Calla shook her head and listened to the story of her father. He told her something similar to what he had once told Emp. He spoke about the man named Swerven who took the heart of her mom and ran to Red-water with it then about how devastated she was.


    "I really didn''t want your mom to relive the same thing again. I didn''t want to let Azalea leave for some city and then not come back. I''m not sure how your mom would react if it happened."


    Calla nodded in understanding. She couldn''t put herself in her mom''s shoes because the only guy she ever loved was Emp and he returned it tenfold but, she could understand why her parents were so reluctant about the family leaving the village.


    "I had your husband promise he wouldn''t break your heart or abandon you before I accepted to look at his confirmation. He''s away now but I won''t hold it against him. I understand he has some duties as a noble and I''m convinced he didn''t leave you behind, he left all those noble girls there to watch over you, brought your brother with him and his grandfather came in person to fetch you. I can tell he makes you happy so I trust him.


    Azalea though...


    I don''t know what she''ll do and that scares me. She hasn''t approached any guys in the village and has been insisting on exploring away from here for years. I guess what I''m trying to say is, you''re younger but you''re the most responsible of the two. Keep an eye on her and make sure she comes back at the end of her trip."


    Her father asked this of her on a pleading tone. He knew that Calla would always come back here because a big part of her heart was with them and this place but he worried about her sister. If she just wanted to see and then come back then all would be good but he didn''t understand what it was she really wanted.


    "Alright dad, I''ll do my best for Aza too."


    He puled on her shoulder and pressed her against him tenderly. She returned the hug with just as much love.


    "That''s all I can ask for. I''ll pray to the ancestors for you to stay safe."


    "Don''t worry, we will. We''ll send you plenty of letters too. Mom can read them for you so you won''t be missing us too much."


    Her dad chuckled a bit and rubbed her back.


    "Thank you Calla. You''re always so kind. I love you and I''ll keep loving you wherever you go, that''ll never change."


    Calla could hear the sadness in his voice but also, she could tell he felt much better now that he said it out loud. He hadn''t wanted to let her go before he said it even if her father wasn''t all that emotional usually.


    "I love you too dad." She answered happily before teasing him. "You''re the second most loved man in my life."


    "Only second?"


    "Mh, you''ll be third once I have a son." She said, breaking the hug to look up to him with a grin.


    Ogden could help but laugh, his voice spread into the dark of the village and found its way into all the nearby houses she was sure. It took him a while to calm down and he had to clear his throat before he was able to speak again.


    "Fair enough, that''s the lot of every father I suppose."


    He escorted her back home and she was surprised to find that the girls cooked something for her while she was away. Because she needed to talk to her family right away, she didn''t have the time to do anything for supper but the girls took care of it for her and kept a portion out for her.


    Calla was very appreciative and thanked them all with a small hug each. That was easier for her than getting the words out because she knew them well enough.


    They knew she liked cooking but they also knew that by the time she came back, she wouldn''t want to spend time in the dark to fill all their stomach. It would have been a chore and so they took it to themselves to help her.


    The food wasn''t anything complicated. They overcooked vegetables on the fire and served them with some meat that tasted awfully salty and it was a bit cold because they prepared it some time ago. They seemed to be pretty embarrassed to give her that to eat but Calla didn''t mind. She was happier about them doing this for her than she was disappointed by the food. She''d just have to show them better and they''d improve over time.


    All of that was just a small gesture but it showed her that they understood her well. Even though small, that attention appeased her a lot. She understood that she could rely on them and that they''d keep supporting her even if she felt overwhelmed later. That small meal wasn''t extraordinary but its meaning was strong and that was why she was so happy about it.


    The next day was started by Calla in the same way as usual. The only difference was that she needed to go see Marcy after breakfast to make sure she''d be fine. Kaisla wanted to come to help her but Calla felt it might be a bad idea so she asked her to stay home instead.


    She wasn''t used to say no to anyone but she managed to do it anyway with a bit of efforts... She made a pained face until Kaisla understood and gave up.


    She stepped into Marcy''s workshop alone and got her attention using her magic cuff.


    "Girl, hi... Ya chose to leave haven''t ya?"


    Marcy guessed right away when she saw Calla. She was just too easy to read the other girls told her, it would be troublesome in front of other nobles.


    She nodded to answer her question and came to sit beside her mother in law. She leaned on Marcy''s shoulder and they remained there for a while, not saying anything.


    "Why did ya choose to go in the end?" Marcy finally asked.


    "I love Emp." Calla answered with a strong blush and an inversely weak voice.


    "But ya know he''d be fine either way right?"


    Calla nodded, she did know that. Even if she was the worse spouse, he''d be able to get on top in the end because he was just the best.


    "Do ya really think ya can help him?"


    Calla shrugged, that wasn''t really it. She did not believe that she could make any impact at all and worse, feared that she might make some big mistake.


    "Won''t ya feel lonely?"


    Calla brought up the cuff close to her mouth.


    "Yes but no." She said.


    "Ya know, It''s really hard to hold a conversation with ya."


    Calla gave her an embarrassed smile.


    "What made ya decide in the end? I don''t understand."


    Calla didn''t really know herself how to explain it properly. She just knew it was for the best. There were a few words that illustrated her thoughts in a better way than she ever could however. She ran her thumb on her magic cuff and raised it close to Marcy''s face.


    "May they hear my flower say." She read aloud.


    That was the message Emp engraved into it for her. May luck be with you each day. May they hear my flower say.


    Emp loved her and wanted everyone to hear her voice like he did. He felt it was important for her views to be communicated to everyone else. He wanted her to speak up and make herself heard, he wanted her to gain courage.


    She wanted to make him proud, to impress him by at least trying. She wanted to be with him and help even if what she could do was dismally small.


    "I think I get it..." Marcy said on an unsure tone.


    Calla brought back the cuff to her own mouth and spoke again.


    "You know it''s the right thing too."


    Even if she kept protesting and complaining, Calla knew that Marcy believed the right choice was to leave since the start. She didn''t want Calla to leave, she didn''t want Emp to leave either and made herself stubborn but deep down, she knew what should really be done.


    "I''m scared and nervous but my heart knows." She told the smith.


    "Fine, I get it."


    Marcy sighed and rubbed Calla''s arm vigorously, making her wobble over the seat from the push.


    Then they just sat in silence for a while more. They both needed some time to fix their emotions. Marcy had a rough demeanor and exterior but she was pretty emotive on the inside. She was just too proud to look weak in front of other people.


    After a time, Marcy spoke again.


    "Ya know, this place was always like a magnet for Champoms. Back then, there was Karp who came all the time to see if June was hiding here, then there was Gilbert who came every day begging me to take him as apprentice and after Emp started living here, it was ya who came everyday to try and charm him."


    Calla reddened a bit remembering how she kept bringing them food without ever being able to catch his attention. That was pretty embarrassing but maybe not as much as what Gilbert did.


    "It might be lonely from now on with all of ya gone." She said a bit sadly.


    Should she ask Zora or Fleur to come see the smith every day?


    Maybe not, Marcy might go crazy with Fleur running around all the dangerous tools and equipment.


    She opened her mouth to ask her if she would like to come too but Marcy answered before she could even ask.


    "Don''t bother saying it, I''m not moving from here. I don''t want to see that place again. I keep remembering Chijou when I see it and It upsets me. I''d rather stay here where it''s calm."


    Calla nodded in understanding. Marcy was a surprisingly sensitive person and the wound in her heart never healed. She didn''t want her to come if she was to be sad every day. She''d rather see Emp and Calla less often in order to not face the pain her lover left and that was her choice. Calla wouldn''t speak against it.


    "Alright then, but don''t cry this time." Calla said instead.


    "What do ya mean?" She scoffed, as if to say she never cried of her life.


    "I know you were crying when Emp left last time." Calla said seriously. "Don''t be sad anymore."


    "I wasn''t..."


    "He loves his mother very much, he''ll be back for sure even if I''m not here." Calla promised, braving Marcy''s eyes to communicate the meaning of her words properly.


    She really didn''t want Marcy to think that if Calla was in Highsteel, Emp would have no reason to come back here. That wasn''t true at all, he''d come back just for Marcy, she was too important in his heart for him to just ignore her. He''d have to come back here from time to time anyway to accompany her home to see the rest of the Champoms.


    "Ya girl, I wasn''t worried about that." She denied.


    She definitely had been though, It was obvious for Calla.


    She stayed with Marcy a bit longer to make her feel better about her near departure and then left towards the place where Aminui stayed. Bor had proposed to lend him his home because he simply couldn''t ignore a man of Aminui''s prestige but the old man declined. He wanted to stay with all his knights instead. He made his camp close to the gates like everyone else did while passing through the village.


    She was thinking about how to ask Aminui to let her sister come too when she heard someone call her name.


    Turning her head around, she saw that it was Eda. Because of the distraction, she tripped on the dirt road and Eda had to rush to catch her before she fell. It wasn''t the first time Calla tripped on nothing and it would certainly not be the last. She was thankful that Eda was here this time or she''d have faced Aminui with a dress full of dirt.


    "Calla, you have to be more careful. How can you still be that clumsy after all this time?"


    She could only answer with a sheepish smile.


    "Seriously, you always make everyone worry. With you being like that, I understand Emp felt the need to hire so many women to watch over you. It must have cost him an arm..."


    Most of the village was wondering what was up with Emp. Some believed he was just very rich while others thought he was some sort of noble in exile or something. None of them had truly figured it out yet, they believed that he was named part of the army because of his talent martial arts. They didn''t know either that all the girls staying in her house were nobles.


    Some were suspicious however. Eda clearly thought something was up and was always burning to ask but had refrained up to now. That time was coming to an end however.


    "Your sister told me you were going away with that lord that came in yesterday and all his knights." She stated somberly.


    "Mhn..." Calla didn''t manage to answer anything more than that.


    "What do the nobles have to do with you and Emp? Are you in trouble?"


    Calla shook her head, she wasn''t in trouble at all.


    "Then what is it?"


    "The lord you saw is Emp grandfather." Calla explained through her cuff.


    "His grandfather? So Emp''s a noble after all?"


    Calla nodded.


    "Where are you going then? What about Gilbert?" She asked worriedly.


    "Highsteel." She answered simply, she didn''t know what to tell Eda about Gilbert.


    Her brother loved her and followed Emp with the army to impress her and get a good position for himself. She wanted to explain but it would take her a while.


    "Gilbert will be back with Emp." She said instead.


    "But they won''t come back here anytime soon, right? They''ll go to that Highsteel place first, that''s why you''re going there too. In that case, can I come with you?"


    Calla was surprised by the sudden question. She didn''t know what to tell Eda. Her friend just kept on talking, explaining her reasoning to Calla.


    "I love Gilbert a lot but I can''t trust him to just come back here right away. Knowing him, he''ll get distracted on the way again and waste his time everywhere. If he stays with Emp like they both said he would, he''ll go there with Emp to see you first. I''d like to be there too in that case.


    I wanted him to be more responsible before I give him my offering but your brother went ahead and got swept up by the military instead. If I had known he''d just leave the village I''d have given it to him before he did. So please Calla, let me tag along. I won''t do anything foolish and I won''t embarrass you. I just want to catch your brother before it''s too late. Please."


    Eda asked with a pleading tone while holding Calla''s hands strongly. She really wanted to come. Calla didn''t mind saying yes of course but had Eda thought things trough properly? Calla couldn''t help but ask herself a million questions just from thinking about bringing Eda with her. Would Aminui be willing to pay for her living expenses just like that or did Eda need to pay for herself and in that case, how would she earn the money? Eda was known for slacking off after all, she was very unreliable even though she was so responsible.


    More questions and problems piled up in her head while she worked up the courage to answer something.


    "I''ll ask grandfather about it."


    A large smile bloomed on Eda''s face.


    "Thank you Calla! You won''t regret it, I''ll make sure of it!"


    Calla felt that it was too soon to thank her because she hadn''t spoken with Aminui about it yet but she worried for nothing.


    The old man accepted to bring both Azalea and Eda with them for free and said that she just had to describe Eda as one of her attendants. She would follow Calla around as part of her personal circle and no one would ask any questions.


    With that being the case, only a few days of preparations later and everyone was ready to leave the village. All of Calla''s and Emp things were packed into vehicles brought by Aminui along with Aza''s, Eda''s and all the noble ladies belongings. All combined, they took six carts just for their personal things and Calla took two more for foodstuff taken from her reserves. She gave everything that didn''t fit to Marcy and her mom because she didn''t want to waste anything.


    Leaving her beloved house left her very saddened. She had to abandon her tiny garden and her wooden sanctuary for a place she had never seen, full of strangers and cold stone and steel. It was strange to see it almost as empty as when she first came in with Emp. Even the strange statue was picked up and dropped into a four wheels for Galana.


    The knights had helped them move things because there were too many. They were particularly careful with the things left in Emp''s storeroom. There were many of those magic things that exploded in there after all. Calla didn''t want to get close to them because she was very afraid she might break one on accident.


    As they left the village, Martin seemed rather upset to be paid to watch over the village and protect Calla if she wasn''t there but was comforted in knowing that Marcy and the rest of the Champom were still under his watch. He wasn''t completely useless and that was good enough for the mage who''d rather spend his time doing research.


    The group waved goodbye to everyone as most of the village came to see them off at the gate. Calla saw many tears through a curtain of her own, she''d miss everyone a lot. She spent her whole life with them after all, even if she could hardly speak with them, she knew them well.


    The village got smaller and smaller behind the large group until it disappeared behind the trees. Now, she could only look forward on the road.


    She was sat in the middle of all the girls, the nobles ladies, Harriett and Galana, her sister and her childhood friend. They were in an open cart with no ceiling so they could take in the fresh air but Aminui assured them he''d do something about it if rain came to disturb them. The old man himself rode at the front of the procession while the girls were all in the middle.


    "In the end," Eda asked. "Who''s Emp exactly for so many knights to watch over his wife?"


    That would be fun to explain. Calla thought while giving her friend a wry smile.

 164 Aglayas plan

    Mable felt bored.


    She was sprawled over the table in her room and pouting, waiting for anything at all to happen.


    Most of her friends were gone somewhere or another, the recent classes hadn''t been any more interesting than they had been previously, there was no more cake to be had anywhere in the city and even the annoying old man had left. The only interesting person left here was Josseline and she only ever spoke about boys. Mable was fine with the subject but not if it was to be the only one all day and every day.


    She hadn''t wanted to ever leave the school before but now she couldn''t wait to be gone.


    "That''s not very lady-like of you Mable." Her best friend giggled.


    "There''s no one here so it doesn''t matter." She answered dejectedly.


    "We''ll meet back with the others soon enough. The knights promised by the king of Artefine should be here to escort us home in just a few days."


    The royal knights lent to her might not be as good as the usual imperial knights who watched over her but she really didn''t want to wait for them to get here. Coming here all the way from Thronewoods took a while and the next group of students would arrive soon. She didn''t want to meet a whole new class now, she just wanted to hurry home.


    "What''s taking them so long anyway?" She grumbled.


    "They have to prepare supplies for the journey and say goodbye to their relative, of course it''s going to take a few days." Aglaya explained. "Why don''t we go see lady Blackbull or Josseline in the meantime?"


    "The old Blackbull will complain about my posture again..." Mable let her voice trail off at the end.


    She didn''t have any good argument, she just wanted to stay here and wallow in her misery some more. Aglaya pinched her cheek and pulled a bit to get a reaction out of her but Mable just answered by making a long unenthusiastic "Bahhhh" sound.


    Her friend laughed and spoke again.


    "That sad expression really doesn''t suit you. Even back in the imperial palace you just looked serious and bored, not sad. You should enjoy this place while you still can instead of doing that."


    "But I won''t be able to do that at home either." Mable complained.


    She''d be required to look perfect at all time again which meant no fun, no sadness, no being sprawled anywhere, no leaning against anything, no speaking casually and so on. In a way, she was currently enjoying something she wouldn''t be allowed to do normally.


    "Going back home isn''t all that bad either." Aglaya tried to comfort her. "You''ll get fine food and clothes again, as much cake as you want and all sorts of people fawning over you."


    "They''re fawning at the princess me, not the actual me."


    "It''ll be different from now on, trust me." Aglaya assured her.


    "Will it?"


    "It will because ''you'' are different. Now you had a taste of outside, you''ve grown up a lot, you have a man in your heart, you have a goal in your head and fire in your soul."


    She did grow up a lot mentally and physically but she didn''t see how it changed anything. Was she talking about how she said that she''d do her best to help out her friends or was she just saying that her chest grew so much that nobles would ogle at her now too on top of ignoring her? Just thinking about it made her frustrated. Being home wouldn''t be fun at all.


    "Even if I don''t want to be just a pretty painting anymore, whatever I say will just be ignored. Even if I work hard to help I know I won''t be able to do much, I''ll just feel even worse than before."


    "That won''t necessarily be the case. All you need are some allies who will actually hear you out and then your words will steadily gain reach. Just sit properly and I''ll tell you about the plan." Aglaya told her mischievously.


    What plan?


    "Aglaya, what did you do?"


    She wanted to retract her earlier thought, Aglaya did keep secrets from her, a whole lot of them. She was always planning some sort of surprise to cheer her up or try to give her some advantage Mable didn''t see the point of having.


    Aglaya pinched her lips with a teasing look. She wouldn''t tell unless Mable sat up properly.


    She made an unladylike groan, sat back up straight and questioned Aglaya with her eyes. Her friends smiled and presented to Mable what she had been working on in secret. Speaking of it all on a secretive tone to pull Mable into her scheme.


    "You''ve told me what you wanted to do and worked hard to learn everything you''d need here like I told you to do but you had no real plan in that cute head of yours so I worked on one for you."


    "A plan for what?" Mable asked in confusion.


    She couldn''t remember what she told Aglaya exactly because she was always talking with her and even then, she couldn''t know what Aglaya got out of it. Truly, the only real objective of Mable was to have fun with her friends. She wanted everyone happy and that was it.


    "A plan for everything!" The older girl teased. "A plan to get you Emp, to give you some leeway to do what you want and help those you want and even some realistic ways to do so."


    Mable didn''t really see how one could make a plan for all of that at once. It sounded impossible and also, she wanted to do her best to help, being told what to do wasn''t really the same. On the other hand, there was no one in the world that knew her better than Aglaya, not even her own family. If that plan of hers could help her get out of the frame keeping her prisoner and get her to marry Emp, she was willing to listen to it.


    "Are you sure about this thing? How does that plan go?" She asked, sounding more curious than she wanted to admit.


    "You won''t be disappointed, I worked hard with countess Blackbull to detail the whole thing."


    "The old woman is part of your plan?" Mable couldn''t help but ask with a frown.


    "Of course she is. She''s been on your side since the beginning Mable."


    "She''s on her own side, don''t pretend otherwise. If she wants to help it''s because it benefits her somehow."


    Mable might look like she wasn''t paying attention but she was very used to the workings of high society. Blackbull was a noble down to the bones, she only did things that would benefit her name. She''d never side for Mable if it didn''t bring her some great advantage.


    At a glance, it might seem obvious that assisting an imperial princess achieve her personal objective would be greatly beneficial for anyone but every respectful nobles knew this was an illusion.


    Mable had no power at all and would not inherit anything unless a tragedy befell her brothers. Her voice had no weight and assisting her openly might result in those assisting any of her brother frowning upon Blackbull instead. They''d see it as an attempt from Mable to overthrow the current pecking order and no one wanted that.


    The imperial family wasn''t the best place to grow up in, not because of her family itself but because of everyone around them instead. They made things way more complicated then they ought to be.


    Her eldest brother, Dirch, had a lot of support because he was the heir to the imperial throne. He''d become the most important man in the empire as soon as her father Billow stepped down. Of course, most people would try to get onto his good side before this happened. Mable didn''t get along well with him because despite his pretty exterior, peeling off the surface skin revealed a hard man who didn''t like fun at all.


    People who liked to gamble however put their hopes into her second brother Arpen. Like the aspen tree he took his name from, he grew really tall and thin but his ambition grew even higher. He wasn''t happy with only the second place, he believed himself more suited to the throne because his elder brother was too stiff. The two of them quarreled all the time and many nobles pushed Arpen to be more aggressive still. They hoped that he might challenge his brother and eventually take the throne bringing great rewards for those who sided with him. Arpen ignored Mable entirely, she was apparently too small for him to see from his high spot.


    Then there was Pino, the last of her three brothers and her favorite. He was closer to her age so he was more friendly than the other two with her. Pino was the one who believed he had no real chance and so made no efforts to gain follower. He was smart however and more accommodating than his two brothers so many still aligned behind him.


    They believed that his laid back attitude and altruistic habits would make for a better received ruler. Dirch and Arpen had many ideas on how they wanted to change the empire to fit their opinions better but Pino was softer and willing to let the empire calmly sleep for a while, to let it stay as it was currently. He was a bit prickly when disturbed though, he didn''t like people sticking to him and felt a bit distant.


    He was now the third brother but had been fourth once, the third died in his first hunt. Pino had never been the same after that loss. Mable hadn''t been the same after the death of her mothers and sisters either. She understood him better because of this.


    The only thing the three brothers agreed upon was that the Muraciers had too much power. Because of that, a great amount of nobles traditionally loyal to the protectors of the empire remained unaligned still. As long as old man Aminui didn''t pick a side, the warrior nobles wouldn''t choose any.


    Mable knew that in the past, a great general would be appointed to the new emperor on the day of coronation to express their support to the new emperor but this time around, the Muraciers were all... disorganized. Nobody really knew what was going on and who would be the great general next and it made people nervous.


    Her imperial father knew what was happening but didn''t tell her anything and only prolonged his reign instead. He could still sit on the throne for years and no one would complain but it was unusual that nothing had been set in stone yet.


    In this situation, as a smart woman, it was in the best interest of Balckbull to standby and watch. Her family wasn''t highly placed so aligning early with one of the princes wouldn''t give her any benefits. Instead, she would loose a lot of the goodwill and reputation she had accumulated over the years. If she had to choose however, Mable expected Blackbull to side for her eldest brother Dirch because she liked tradition and order.


    That being the case, she saw no reason for her to decide to help her. Mable was as far from orderly as it could go, she was like the opposite of Dirch. Anytime she was given some leeway to act as she pleased, she''d go straight to things deemed unreasonable. Aglaya said that Blackbull sided with her but she couldn''t see why. The advantage for her must be enormous to support Mable despite her quirks which meant that something big was going on and Mable was blind to it.


    "What did you promise her?"


    "That''s the best part, I didn''t have to promise her anything!" Aglaya giggled at her pouting friend.


    "Aglaya." Mable said as sternly as she could.


    "No, it''s true, she''s doing this for Emp''s support rather than yours. It''s just that your victory is his victory too."


    "Emp''s support?"


    Mable wondered what benefit Emp could provide her that would be worth it.


    "Yeah, he''s a high noble too as you surely remember and heir to his own place, I heard from Blackbull. She knows both of your full names after all so she knows exactly what will be in Emp''s and your reach in a few years."


    Mable accepted that answer. It made sense. Certainly, it was too soon for Blackbull to pick one of the three brothers but she could support a high noble courting the princess. No one would see it as an attempt to get ahead in the imperial court and depending on who Emp really was, she might reap enormous benefits as a mid ranked noble.


    It was a bit frustrating to know that Blackbull was helping her because of Emp rather than herself but it couldn''t be helped, that was how the world turned. As long as Mable got what she wanted, it didn''t really matter why others helped her.


    "So what are you planning with the teacher?"


    "We''ll be building your own faction and strengthening your influence."


    "What?"


    Building her own faction? That sounded really wrong.


    "I don''t want to pick a fight with my brothers." Mable said flatly.


    "I know and we aren''t. Well, we are but not really."


    Mable furrowed her brows and crossed her arms with a severe look to scold her friend. The other girl wasn''t intimidated in the least and kept explaining. Aglaya clearly thought that her stern look was cute instead which was mildly frustrating.


    "Listen, all three of your brothers have gathered followers throughout the noble spheres of the empire. Whenever one of them speaks, he does so with the weight of many lands behind him. When you speak, nobody cares."


    Mable pouted strongly. She knew that was true but it was still upsetting to hear her best friend say it aloud.


    "You want to help everyone out but you have no influence. Even if you don''t want the throne, you should gather people behind you so that when you speak, the others will be forced to consider your opinion too. The goal wouldn''t be to oppose all your brothers, but only to play the role of arbiter between them. If his highness Dirch and his highness Arpen were to disagree, the court would be split in half between the two. You''d be able to make the balance tip in whichever way you please by placing your own voice on either side."


    "Isn''t that just what Pino does?"


    "Yes but his highness Pino doesn''t really care. He only ever says anything when the other two go too far. You would need to be more active, you want people to think that you will be the deciding factor between your two eldest brothers and so the other two factions will support you now to gain your support later when they need it."


    Mable munched on her lip while she thought about it.


    "Doesn''t that sound just... underhanded?"


    Aglaya wanted her to gather people who wouldn''t be there for her directly but instead to try to sway her towards the other factions. It would feel like she was cheating everyone just to get her own objectives forward.


    Wasn''t that what all the other nobles did? The thing she really disliked, hated even.


    She couldn''t stand their false friendship and pretended concerns. She still wouldn''t have any real say in anything, she''d just be able to pick sides on a bunch of things she didn''t care for.


    "It is a bit unsightly yes but you won''t achieve anything by just smiling and speaking smartly. To get to them, you have to use their language."


    "If I absolutely have to I might agree but are your sure it would be enough?"


    She wasn''t sure what her father had planned for her and how stubborn he would be. She also had no clue on how to help her friends achieve their goals effectively. She could tell her father to support Nessa for duchess of the northern grove but who knew what sort of weight she''d need for him to consider it.


    "We can''t make any stronger moves than this right now, you don''t have the reach and as you said, we don''t want to challenge your brothers. We can''t afford to look like a threat to any of them and we can''t afford to let them think you might reach for more influence later on. As long as they believe this is only to fight for who will get your hand, it should be safe to make this play.


    You don''t need any more power than that anyway, the point is really just to pull everyone to your side once you speak about your love towards Emp. You need them all to support your union regardless of the side they are on. They will do it for the possibility of your group siding for them later. We just need to remain balanced and not make any bold statement that would go against either of your eldest brothers.


    The effect we''re looking to achieve here is ''let me have this one please'' instead of ''I''ll fight you all if I have to''. If we play it right, they''ll be glad to follow your request to please their sister and get the nobles that will be in your pocket. Anyway, by being married off, it''ll send the message that you don''t want the throne which is perfect for us."


    That was right, she would be marrying into Emp''s house instead of the other way around. Emp was heir according to what Aglaya just said so he couldn''t become a Grandbois, she''d leave her family for a new one and it would reassure her three brothers. She''d live happily with Emp and comfortably as a high noble lady. Everyone should be happy with this and then her brothers would be free to keep arguing against each other as much as they pleased without her forced to sit there and watch.


    She couldn''t just agree to a plan she knew nothing about however. She usually trusted Aglaya with those things and just did whatever she said that she should do but this time was different. It wasn''t just a silly school plan to have some fun, her whole future would be on the line. She was nervous to agree to anything.


    "How would you proceed to get people on my side then? If your plan is to work, I need people to side for me first so that the others will pay attention to me. How am I to do that if I don''t have any goals or ambition?"


    "We will prey on the neutral group, those that don''t want to pick a side like Blackbull. With her setting the example and her many connections, we should be able to gather quite a following of people who don''t want to really get involved while still wanting to retain some limited influence in the court. They can''t afford to pick one of the big sides because the risks are too big but if you offer them a third safer option with no risk of defeat they''ll naturally follow.


    I also prepared a secret weapon to speak and move information around for us in the beginning while you''ll still be stuck. I invited Josseline to follow us back to Thronewoods."


    "Josseline?"


    A very unexpected name came up.


    "Yes." Aglaya said with a proud smile.


    Mable gave her a dubious face. She didn''t understand how Josseline could help them in any way. How was she a secret weapon exactly? Was she much more important than she first thought? What did Aglaya tell her exactly?


    "Because you let me do mostly everything, you didn''t know this but Josseline is actually very talented at gathering information."


    "Like a spy?"


    Mable couldn''t see Josseline as a spy, she was too... bold. She had no discretion and only ever spoke about men.


    "Not exactly but sort of. She''s gifted to learn all sort of information. In school, she knew almost anything that was happening all the time and when she didn''t she knew who would know. I learned of that talent after the incident in your room. Josseline felt guilty because she knew that Gytha often met with an older man.


    She didn''t dig further and didn''t do anything with the information because it was none of her business but she regretted. I think we can put her talent to good use. She will blend in the court for us and gather all sorts of secrets we might need later as leverage. This way she can atone and meet with many nobles who might be in need of a new wife."


    Of course it was about her looking for a husband again. What else could it be?


    "Is she really that good?"


    "Well, she almost never gets all the details but she does find all the interesting lines. As long as we let her set up, she''ll be able to warn us in advance of anything big happening and probably also who''s doing what for whom."


    "And you think this will be enough?" Mable asked with a bit of worry.


    "For what we need, it will be more than enough. We''re not trying to change the world yet, we''re just trying to get you and Emp together for now."


    Mable closed her eyes and thought about it some more. What did she really want and was Aglaya''s plan a good one?


    She needed Emp to look good and convince her father he was the right one for her. Aglaya''s plan would help with that as long as she could give an opportunity for Emp to shine.


    She needed to have some freedom because she couldn''t stand to be treated like furniture. Aglaya''s plan would help with that too if it worked as intended but it would give her some responsibilities she didn''t really want.


    She needed her fun to go on forever and make sure everyone she shared her fun with was happy as well. She didn''t know how to achieve that, only that it was the most important point. She didn''t have a clue on whether Aglaya''s plan would help with that or not.


    "Will it make everyone happy?" She asked simply.


    She didn''t need to say more, Aglaya would understand right away what she meant, she always did.


    "No, but it will give you the reach to make it so or at least, to push things along the right way somewhat." Aglaya answered honestly. "I don''t know how to make everyone happy. I don''t know how to make the fun last forever, I''m not a fairy. All I can do is make sure that you, at least, are happy."


    "In that case, I''m willing to try. We''ll do as you say for now." Mable agreed.


    At least Aglaya had come up with some real ideas instead of her who simply thought something needed to be done.


    Having her own faction sounded a bit complicated but if she had to manage this to succeed in her objectives, she would. It would be hard work but she would be rewarded at the end as long as she didn''t mess around. She didn''t like working but she was more than able to if she had to do it.


    "I''m still bored though." She complained.


    Aglaya answered with a chuckle and the next few days were spent doing nothing much.


    She spoke to Blackbull about the plan and she said similar things than Aglaya about it. She said she''d do her best to help unite her with Emp and use some of her influence to move things the way they wanted but also warned her that things would move slowly since she''d act from here.


    Most of it all would be in Mable''s and Aglaya''s hands since there would be a massive delay between anything happening and the answer from Blackbull. Things could change drastically from weeks to weeks and by the time the news made it to her and back, there might be months of delay.


    At least they''d have the support of Josseline.


    "I''m so excited to go visit the capital! I wonder what sort of people we''ll meet there." She told them in the carriage as they were leaving the school behind.


    Mable watched the school as it slowly drifted away from her with a bit of regret. Had the best time of her life truly come and left already? She worried that nothing would be as fun as what she had already lived in school.


    "There are a lot of interesting folks there so I''m sure you''ll find some entertainment there. Just don''t forget that we''re counting on you." Aglaya told her.


    "Don''t worry, I know. If I can help out my friends then this is great and it''s a great honor to serve the imperial princess anyway. I''d have never dared dream of it and I wouldn''t ever have guessed Mable was the imperial princess if you had not told me. Also, I really had nothing better to do since going back home now is a bit sad. This is very exciting instead, I''ll do my best to get you all the rumors, I''ll even get George and Zoran in on it. With us three combined, there''s not a single thing that will go past us unnoticed."


    "George and Zoran too?" Mable asked in bewilderment.


    "Yeah, of course! Zoran is with Emp right now so we''ll know what the Muraciers are doing and what is happening in Greenpeaks while George''s father is the marquess Hectarow. Marquess Hectarow has his territory on the border between Grandbois and Windbow, south of the Thornwoods.


    Because there''s nothing going on in his territory, he often travels to Thronewoods to meet with the court instead and he might bring George with him since he didn''t go with the rest of the boys. I heard he supports Dirch because he feels in a good position already and doesn''t like when others try to meddle with laws and politics that are already working."


    Mable felt a bit impressed already. Josseline was already revealing herself to be an asset.


    "I didn''t know that you could be interested in anything but men. I''m sorry I misjudged you." She told the other girl.


    "Don''t worry about it, I like to talk about men, that''s true, but I like to gather rumors more. The men are just an excuse to get everyone talking, when I speak about guys, all the other ladies open their mouths to speak about how impressive this one or that one is. They always try to up one another about the accomplishments of the boys so I get to hear a lot.


    I was doing it just because I like to like to hear everything as a hobby and shared the stories with Zoran and George but I never thought I''d ever do anything with them. We were trying to figure out the secrets of everyone just for fun, I''d never have guessed that that I''d be hired to do the same on a bigger scale."


    "Did you get the names of everyone in the group?" Aglaya asked curiously while the carriage stopped at the gates of the upper city.


    "Almost. We didn''t find out who Mable was but you''re too good at throwing false rumors around Aglaya. We didn''t find out who Emp was either but we had a few guesses. I think I know now though, I''ll ask Zoran to know for sure."


    She guessed the name of Emp?


    "If you do find it, don''t tell me." Mable asked a bit nervously. "I don''t want to know, it''s too stressful."


    Josselin cocked her head to the side.


    "Too stressful?"


    "Yeah, I want to surprise him with my name and hear his own at that time. If I hear it before, I''ll get too impatient to tell him mine too. Also, I can''t make the mistake of getting close to his family or trying to give them an advantage before we''re official. It might ruin my chances if I move too soon and I know I won''t be able to help myself if I know. For my own good, it''s best if I don''t know."


    There was also another more simple reason. She just wanted Emp to tell her himself, she didn''t want to hear it from a third party. That might be silly but that was how she felt.


    "Then if I do find out, I''ll keep it to myself, I promise." Josseline agreed easily.


    After that, a long trip awaited them and right at the beginning, they had to face a setback.


    "What do you mean she''s not here!" Mable complained loudly towards Aglaya.


    "They said that Calla isn''t in the village anymore because her Grandfather came to pick her up weeks ago." She explained.


    Mable felt frustrated because she had wanted to say hi but there was nothing to be done about this. She could just keep moving towards her home. She was a bit disappointed though.


    *-*-*-*


    Grandbois naming convention:


    The boys are given the name of a tree with a letter changed depending on the order of their birth. First born get the first letter changed, second born gets the second letter changed and so on. 1:Dirch is birch, 2:Arpen/aspen and 4:Pino/pine.


    The girls are separated by mothers but follow the same rule otherwise. Mable/maple was the third daughter of her mother but had many other sisters older than her from other women.

 165 Philips Hasting

    Vanessa was sat in one of the many gardens in the fortress of Folcourse. She wasn''t allowed to leave the castle or even her chambers but this garden was a part of it. The castle was vast and each member of the family had quite a lot of personal space to them. Vanessa had seven rooms and a large garden surrounded by walls to herself.


    She had not been allowed outside of them since she came back home.


    She didn''t usually spend so much time in those rooms, she liked to go around and speak with people. In a way, she was now a prisoner. She could have everything she wanted except for the books she needed and couldn''t step out of her chambers.


    That garden had been a bit of a mess when she came back but with all the upsetting free time she now had, she had tidied it up greatly. The trees were trimmed, the flowers arranged, the weeds pulled out and all the dead grass raked away.


    Now it was a very pretty place, more than serene enough to take a refreshing drink under the sun and shade.


    She had emptied another of her rooms to make some space to practice the sword dance but working all day like this was very tiring. Taking a break in the garden was important too sometimes to let her mind and body rest.


    There were so many things she would rather be doing right now but her father refused to back down. He had said that she''d be forbidden to leave until she changed her mind and he stubbornly stuck to his words. Of course, she did the exact same and refused to change her mind however much he waited.


    Every day, the servants would ask her if she changed her mind on behalf of her father and everyday she would tell them to ask the same in return. There were a lot of things she needed to do but she wouldn''t be able to move freely until her father gave up.


    She understood that he might never do so but she would not back down either. She was doing this for the good of everyone. Even without the books holding the details on the third stage of the sword dance she would keep training everyday for it and even without speaking to anyone, those outside knew what she intended to do and would cause some chaos for her.


    She didn''t really have anyone truly on her side yet because she had not planned any of this with any other nobles. However, she knew that at least a few must have chosen to side for her and might be pressuring her father to release her as she sat in the garden.


    She had no way to contact anyone but through the servants who all worked for her father. Even if she believed that some might be on her side, a few even told her so straight up, she couldn''t rely on them to do anything for her. None of them could truly be trusted with any kind of message and she didn''t know who to call for help.


    Because of this, there was nothing else for her to do but work on some pass-time and improve her technique.


    There was only one possible explanation. There was some sort of self-magic built into the technique that she didn''t know about. That self magic would probably make the speed bearable for her body and unable her to enter the third stage properly.


    Without that self magic, she would forever be stuck into the second stage, her speed limited by her physical resistance and the time she could fight shortened by the same thing. She needed those old books, the answer must be somewhere in there.


    How was she to get it though?


    She couldn''t simply ask a servant to bring it here even if they claimed to be on her side. Her to sealed slaves could be trusted but they wouldn''t be allowed out of her chambers either. She couldn''t figure out an answer to her problem however much she tried. It was all very displeasing.


    "Mistress," Cherry called from the edge of the garden, interrupting her thoughts. "You have a visitor."


    "If it''s my father again, tell him I''m not in the mood and I''m not marrying anyone."


    He had come many times to speak about suitors with her already and she had been very cold about the idea every time. She didn''t have time for this and refused to conform to his plans for the future of their house.


    "There''s no point in joining the house of someone who isn''t my better in any way." She told him flatly many times over.


    Her father insisted she should consider this man or that, pointing out some good things about them but Nessa didn''t feel any interest for any of them. None were better in combat than her, none had a better status than the Hastings, none were particularly attractive from her memory alone and she didn''t trust any of them nearly enough to place her name into their hands.


    The worse of all her father asked her to consider was the knight Duncan. He was a rising star apparently but she only felt disdain for him thanks to his previous attitude with her.


    He also proposed that with what the Muracier elder said, they might be able to arrange a meeting between her and their heir. Out of all of the proposals she received yet, this was the lesser of all evil. At least that man would have the power to help protect the northern grove by the fact he''d be the great general. He would probably be stronger than her in battle too which was good.


    It wasn''t an option she was willing to consider however. She''d never give up on Folcourse and the north. She would be the duchess of the northern grove no matter what. She wasn''t meant to simply be a wife, she was meant to rule and protect the land herself instead. Any man wanting to marry her would have to join her, not the other way around.


    She was very clear about that to her father who simply refused to listen to her words. She was tired of speaking with him about this knowing it wouldn''t ever go anywhere and that was why she told her slave to refuse him.


    "It is not your father but your brother instead." Cherry answered her mistress.


    That was a surprisingly good surprise. Philips hadn''t spoken to her since the day she came back. She was eager to see him. Her attitude changed completely and she urged Cherry to bring him to the garden quickly.


    Her brother walked in following Cherry soon after and locked eyes with Nessa.


    "Philips! I''m so happy to finally see you. Come sit with me quick, I''ll get you something to drink."


    She knew exactly what her brother liked to drink best and she always had the ingredients on hand in case he came. She had the habit of doing that even before she left for the school.


    Philips didn''t crack a smile for her and just sat on a chair opposite to hers.


    "Hi sister." He coldly said, making her frown deeply.


    She poured him a cup of his favorite and pushed it to his side.


    "Here... You look angry Philips. Will you tell me whats wrong?"


    "Isn''t it obvious why I''m angry at you?" He half said half shouted.


    Nessa could guess it was about trying to take the heir position from him but she didn''t understand why it made him mad. She was doing it all for him after all. Well, she understood on a logical standpoint how it could make him angry but she couldn''t connect the idea to her soft brother.


    "Philips, you''re my precious little brother. There''s no way I''d do anything to harm you." She affirmed.


    "Then what is that!" His voice broke into an embarrassing high pitched sound at the end but his anger was clear.


    At any other time, she would have found it extremely funny but she couldn''t feel any amusement from seeing her brother in such a fury.


    She waited for him to calm down and drink at least a sip of his cup before she answered but she was cut off by his disgusted expression.


    "Ew, what is that?" He said again, this time shooting a dubious look at the cup.


    She looked at the cup and her brother in confusion and tried some for herself as she answered.


    "It''s sun-berries and spiced-moonleaves as usual."


    She tasted the liquid and found that it tasted exactly as she expected it too. The strong sugary flavor drowned her taste buds quickly and then the spiced-moonleaves brought peace to her mouth again. It was a very special blend she only enjoyed with her brother. She didn''t see what was wrong with it.


    "Did it really always taste so bad? I didn''t remember. I haven''t drank this in ages." He complained, pushing the cup away from him. "I can''t believe I was always drinking that back then."


    Nessa was left at a loss. She didn''t know what to say. Her brother didn''t like his favorite drink anymore? He said it tasted like sunset before.


    "But, wasn''t it you favorite? What do you drink now then?"


    "That was five years ago Nessa! I''m not a small kid anymore and I''m not here to talk about drinks with you! I''m here to know why you''re doing this!"


    He was clearly a small kid still, there was no way she could agree with his sentence. He was a small boy animated by a seemingly childish anger he expressed with a squeaky voice.


    "Obviously, I''m doing this for you, I said so the other week, didn''t I?" She answered on a more defensive tone than she intended.


    "I... Don''t believe you." He answered. Only hesitating a bit to say it.


    Nessa felt her heart break. Her whole body turned cold.


    "What?" She mustered in a whisper.


    "I said I don''t believe you!" He shouted back. "If you cared about me you wouldn''t have said all those mean things about me in front of the whole assembly!"


    Had she hurt his pride? She hadn''t meant to do that at all.


    "I''m sorry I hurt your feelings but it was the only way."


    "You weren''t forced to say anything! You''re devious, mean and manipulative! I want the old Nessa back! I don''t recognize you."


    His words felt like claws ripping large gashes into her. No one had ever called her devious and manipulative before! Was that really what her lovely brother was thinking? She knew she had matured a bit but she wasn''t a completely different person like he seemed to think. She was still his big sister, the one who liked to hug and spoil him.


    Feeling hurt from his comment, she raised her voice too.


    "What was I supposed to do then! There''s no way I''ll just sit by and watch my brother get turned into some puppet! What I said back there is just the truth even if its painful to hear!"


    "It''s not! I can take care of myself!" He replied while beating the table.


    "You clearly can''t and I''m scared for you. Why can''t you understand?"


    "Why can''t ''YOU'' understand! I''ll be the lord not you! Stop trying to steal my things!"


    She scowled at him keeping the same upset tone without raising her voice.


    "You can''t call the northern grove your things! It''s whole territory of our family and it never should have been promised to you! Why are you so block headed and irrational! You don''t like your favorite beverage anymore and you''re not the kind brother I know, I don''t recognize you either! I want my cute obedient brother back!"


    "A lord can''t be cute and obedient!" He said with a high pitch voice.


    "You''re not a lord!" She answered meanly.


    He got up from his seat again making the chair fall and clatter on the stone path and pointed her way.


    "I am! You''re not the one to decide!"


    "Philips, just be reasonable! You''ll clearly be happier with my plan, father is wrong."


    "No I won''t because clearly you don''t know me and I don''t know you either! You''re a liar and I hate you!"


    With tears in his eyes, her brother spun around and left the garden in a storm.


    Nessa remained frozen in place as his back disappeared from her view. Her thoughts were in chaos right now and her heart bleeding. With some difficulty, she got up, walked to her bedroom and locked herself inside. Only then did she start crying and sobbing as well.


    Her mind was filled with the angry and crying face of her brother, she couldn''t think of anything else. How did it come to this? She couldn''t make sense of anything that just happened and was too shocked to form any proper thoughts. She kept replaying the scene in her head over and over again. It became more real and detailed every time she did, unable to stop it from happening.


    It felt like a bad prank, a nightmare even. How could her brother say that!


    What happened to her adorable brother while she was gone?


    She lied face down onto her bed and kept crying as the madly angry face of Philips was burned into her eyes. She had just wanted his happiness and well being. Now her own brother said that he hated her, called her a liar, called her mean, manipulative and even devious!


    She had never fought seriously with her brother before.


    He was usually so adorable and kind. He go about his day with a smile and came request a hug from his sister whenever something disappointed him. She''d spoil him and give him some advice on what he should do. He was such a good boy, he''s always listen to what she told him and act properly.


    She could not recognize the boy she just faced. He was a totally different person than the brother she loved so much. Could he really change so much in just five years? Was she really the one that had changed? Was she in the wrong? She did not understand.


    She wouldn''t even have been able to picture him this angry before and certainly not towards her. He seemed so mad and so hurt. She felt so sorry, she wasn''t doing that to hurt him! She just wanted to help! Why could he not see? Was she really the strange one? She felt her reasoning was sound but in the face of how her dear brother reacted, she wasn''t so sure of it anymore.


    Why did she answer so meanly to him in the first place? She felt deep regret. She tried to replay the scene differently in her head and be softer or more careful but the memory refused to obey her changes and kept going back to his distorted face.


    She felt really pained. She worked so hard for this for over five years, all of those efforts to help him and he just spat on it all. He said he hated her! He could have called her by all sorts of insulting names it wouldn''t have hurt her more than this. Did he really mean it? He must have. Her own brother.


    She was just trying to do what was right.


    At this moment, she felt like giving up on all of it. If he wanted to be miserable for the rest of his life then so be it. She''d move far away and leave him be, she''d find someone she loved and forget about this place.


    She spent some more time crying and picturing herself in some other place doing this or that, dancing with many and chatting with friends like Mable. In the end though, all those visions felt frustratingly wrong.


    She clenched her fists, gripping her thin bed-sheets.


    Even if her brother hated her, she couldn''t accept it and couldn''t leave him to his fate. Even if everyone were to gather to oppose her, she knew she was justified. She had to be right, she had spent too many efforts and time on this already to just change her mind. She had come too far to turn around and give up in front of her brother''s selfishness.


    Not only for his own good but for the north as a whole, she couldn''t stop. She had already gathered the ire of her whole family and exposed her will to every nobles of the northern Atefine. Stepping back now was simply impossible. She had to see things through and achieve what she had first set out to do.


    Even if Philips didn''t see it now, she was convinced he''d be happier if things went her way. She was also convinced that the northern grove needed someone like her more than someone like him to lead it forward. She''d face the anger of everyone with the conviction that she was doing what had to be done.


    She would keep feeling sorry for her brother but would never apologize. It wasn''t her fault if he was born frail, it wasn''t her fault if the nobles were opportunistic predators that would use him for their own ends either. Even if he didn''t like it, she''d keep protecting him because that was how an older sibling should act and because she loved him. She''d keep loving him, whether he changed or not, whether he opposed her or saw how wrong he was and whether he loved her or not.


    Folcourse was her home and would always be her home, she refused to see it falter or crumble or fall into the hands of some other house. This place was theirs along with the whole north and it deserved a proper lord. With her older brothers gone to join the ancestors, she was the most fit for the place, everybody knew. Thinking that her brother could fill in that massive seat was just delusional. She loved him as much as any sister could possibly love their brothers but that love couldn''t warp reality to the convenience of her father or Philips''.


    It took her the whole day to put her thoughts back in order. She had never been this upset in her life before. Philips and Folcourse meant so much for her, having both reject her like this was devastating.


    Her whole bed was wet with tears when she finally stopped and pulled her face away from the pillow. She felt so exhausted from this whole thing too. She wiped her eyes and sat back up weakly. She didn''t really feel any better but she was at least calm again.


    The following days were hard for her. With her resolve tested like this, she felt the urge to make some progress but there was nothing she could do while stuck inside here. She was left at the mercy of her dark thoughts and the only thing she could do was endure them with her willpower. She would not give up and she would not change her mind.


    Her training suffered from this too, she couldn''t focus properly and kept making mistakes.


    It took her a whole week to properly clear her mind of sadness and disappointment. She acknowledged the feelings but could not yield to them. She convinced herself that pushing through now would spare her some much more terrible feelings later down the line. Her brother hating her for now was a lesser evil when compared to what could happen later if she gave up now.


    She steeled herself again and put all of this out of her mind. She just had to keep the objective at the forefront of her mind. She would deal with all the resentment it might send her way afterwards.


    Even if others thought the same thing as her brother, their thoughts would never affect her as much as the words of Philips. She just didn''t care about how they saw her, usurper or rightful heir didn''t matter as long as she was in a position to make sure that everything would go well. Once she was duchess, she''d show them what she was made of and make the northern grove stable again, no, she''d make it grow stronger and better instead.


    She needed the books and she needed allies. She needed to show what she could do to everyone and she needed to cease wasting time in her chambers. If her brother intended to fight her too than she needed to put more thoughts into her plan, only convincing her father wouldn''t be enough.


    Her father should have the last word but she didn''t know how far her brother was willing to go for this. He wasn''t the same anymore after all and in his anger, he might listen to some foul advice from others aiming to gain from his seat. She was scared that he might do something terrible but she couldn''t back down. The only thing she could do now was to go all out in order to prevent the rug from getting pulled from under her feet at the last moment.


    With that in mind, she decided to brazenly enlist the maids to help her and sent them out to do tasks for her. She had been afraid they might report her to her father but at this point, it didn''t really matter anymore. She couldn''t see how it could possibly get worse.


    Her father wouldn''t dare jail her or disown her entirely. The worse he could do to her now was to take away her supply of tea and openly speak against her. He might also try to send someone to take away her weapons and armor but she wouldn''t let them get away with this without a fight.


    Whenever a maid came in, she sent her back to find answers to some questions. Where there any nobles or knights who clearly sided for her? Was there anyone trying to worm their way close to her brother already? How did people in and out of the palace viewed her in general?


    Slowly but surely, she started gathering information. Since none of the maids could truly be trusted, she had to ask many the same things over and over again to make sure the information was accurate. Anyone of them could pretend to side for her while thinking the opposite and feed her false information after all.


    Out of the eight maid she gathered to help her, two got caught by her father and punished and three more tried to trick her. After three weeks, she only had three loyal agents on her side and a few valuable information.


    Next, she had to organize it and decide what to do with it. She made lists, who was clearly against her, who needed to be dealt with somehow, who was too dangerous to let them close to her brother, who would assist her and who said they''d assist her but couldn''t be trusted with anything.


    In the list of those on her side the name of sir Clarence, the knight who defeated her in the hall stood out. He was well respected and served the north for a long time. He was a man who believed in traditions, strength and honor. He had not been in the hall while she argued with her father and missed all this unsightly mess but on all accounts, he leaned more towards her reasoning than that of her father.


    He knew she''d make a stronger leading figure than the frail Philips and was also of the mind that as the eldest child, she should be heir by rights. He mostly kept his thoughts to himself however and Vanessa only confirmed his disposition when he came to see her himself.


    She was in the room she had cleared for training to do just that when she was told that a knight wanted to see her.


    "A knight?"


    It was an unexpected event because mostly everyone was forbidden to interact with her aside from the maids. The knights at the door were fiercely loyal to her father and would not let anyone in except family.


    The only way for a knight to get in here was for him to be in charge of the door himself.


    She quickly told Cherry to let him in and moved to her living room to meet him, discovering that it was sir Clarence.


    "Sir Clarence? How did you get here?" She asked with curiosity.


    "Narcis needed a break and I proposed to replace him for an hour or so."He explained.


    Narcis must be the knight guarding the door then, he was a bit of a sour man but he was talented with a pick or mace, he was known to be an expert in fighting heavily armored opponents.


    "As expected, everyone would trust such a knight as you sir Clarence. You are loyal and strong, I do not understand what you are doing here defying my father''s will." She admitted to her visitor.


    Still, she showed him a seat and had her slaves bring in something to drink.


    "Well, the truth is simple my lady." The man explained, accepting the drink offered and sitting down facing her. "My daughter was present in the hall when my lady came back and has been in awe in front of your royal sword dance since then. She''s been very upset towards our lord for forbidding you from accessing the books containing the rest of the technique."


    The both of them wearing their armors while sat around her delicate table made for an amusing sight but Nessa remained serious.


    "So you are here to tell me that your daughter is impressed by the sword dance?"


    This couldn''t possibly be the reason why he was here.


    "No, although this is part of it. I came here to bring you this."


    He placed the cup he had just picked up down again and sent his hand into a bag held at his hip. From it, he retrieved an ancient book. Nessa''s eyes went wide when she realized what it was.


    "It was easy for me to go fetch it for you my lady. You became a role model for my daughter who''s been training relentlessly to be acknowledged as a proper knight herself. Seeing her own father struggle against you in the hall really impressed her and she urged me to help you in some way. She''s been pestering me about this book ever since. I would never betray my lord but you learning the next stage of the dance can only benefit the Hasting house as a whole."


    It took a moment for Nessa to be able to form any sort of answer to his words at all.


    "I, thank you sir Clarence. This is very important to me so you have my sincere gratitude. How could I repay you this favor?"


    "There is no need to repay me in any way my lady. This book has always been yours by right. I believe you would make a fine duchess and the tittle should have been yours to begin with. I will not interfere further however, I hope my lady will keep being a proper model for my daughter but my duties will always come first."


    Nessa understood what he was trying to say. Clarence would never openly defy her lord father because he was loyal to the man and if he chose Philips in the end then Clarence would serve Philips regardless of his personal feelings. He also wanted to remind her that people like his own daughter looked up to her for inspiration and urged her to not disappoint them. She had to remain morally unyielding and righteous for them.


    "I can promise you that I would never do anything to harm the northern grove or my family. I will not disappoint your daughter or betray her hopes in me. Even if I was to loose in the end, I would not turn against my own people. If failure was to be the final result of my efforts, I would take it with dignity."


    The knight nodded in satisfaction.


    "Those are not only the words of a good lord but also the words of a good person. This is all I can decently ask of you my lady. May your training clear the path to a bright future."


    "And may your hard earned strength keep the present protected." She answered the classic farewell.


    The knight drank the contents of the cup in one go and got back up again. He had barely just arrived but with his task done, he had no reason to defy her lord father any longer and hurried back to the door to watch over it as he had been asked to do.


    Nessa didn''t mind his swift appearance and sudden leave however because he had made her life much easier by bringing her the old book she desperately needed.


    She pulled the book towards her and after struggling a while to remove her thick gauntlets, she flipped open the crackled leather covering the old pages. The book smelled of time and the pages had a sickly color to them but the words were still perfectly readable.


    She turned the pages delicately until she reached the parts she didn''t know about. The words that no Hastings had needed to see in a very long time.


    \u003c When I dance, the world around me become blurry. The line turns into a point and all sense of direction is lost. Sounds all merge into one and quickly overwhelms me but then, when performed correctly, everything will soon come to a standstill. I must feel the music of the world not through my ears but through my veins, through my lungs, through my tired muscles, let it flow and infuse my whole body until all is one.


    Once the music you can hear dies, the true melody can be uncovered. There''s a certain serenity to the cycle unfolding around us. All comes to a standstill and every efforts I produce is absorbed into stillness. In an unmoving land, I dance, the movements lost to stillness. Once immersed into it properly, I feel as if the notes themselves assault my opponents. I do not know whether I''m moving or not, I only know that the dance is isn''t over yet.


    I understand better now what she meant when she bestowed the technique upon me. "Faster and Faster until a third master. Now, do not hear the music, now, breathe, be the music."...\u003e


    A smile was creeping up on Nessa''s face. She would have a lot of work to do and a lot of trial and errors to go through but at least now, she had a chance. It was with an unmasked eagerness that she read and absorbed the words imparted by her ancestor.

 166 Crimson backed fisherbeas

    "You know Brenia, I really thought that going adventuring would be a bit more exiting than this. All we''ve done up to now is walk."


    "Well it''s not my fault if we haven''t found the mage yet. He''s hiding after all, finding him won''t be that easy."


    Brenia and Penny had checked the south of Artefine broadly but didn''t find any signs of the potion''s teacher passage so they moved back towards the north. They circled the howling hills from the north and moved around the Low-woods into the kingdom of Windbow.


    They got really lucky in a small village in the hills however. Mostly no one ever went through there because most traffic passed further south through the howling hills so they managed to find someone who remembered a man and two woman coming through a few years back. There was nothing particular about them except the villager wondered how they could be fine travelling on their own.


    Brenia couldn''t be certain it really was Ninoslav but it was the best clue they found yet. Hopefully they were on the right track. At least, they had tracked down Noey''s wings to Windbow as well so they should hopefully be able to meet and recruit them soon.


    "I know, that''s not what I meant, I''ve resigned myself to that already. I was speaking about monsters instead. How come we haven''t come across anything dangerous at all? I haven''t been able to cast a spell in forever." Penny complained.


    "It''s true." The servant Janna said. "I pictured this whole thing to be much more dangerous than it ended up being."


    "I''m glad." Kali said in relief.


    They came across many beasts over their travels but none of them were all that powerful. It just so happened that the weakest are also the most numerous. Brenia had to fight loads of weak monsters over the weeks but nothing worthwhile ever showed up. This meant that Penny had nothing to do but walk which she hated doing.


    Brenia agreed with her slaves.


    "It''s better that way, we don''t have the funds for you to throw magic everywhere. Most of our budget has been turned into trinkets to resist the illusionist''s magic and pay for surplus inn rooms."


    "Again with that! Indecent is what you are! I''m not sharing a room, give up already." Penny puffed.


    Brenia showed her companion a devious grin.


    "Well I''m the one who''s going to be laughing this time around, the next village we''re crossing is too small, there are no inns there."


    "Really?" Penny said on a whining tone. "Can''t we keep going until the next then?"


    "We can''t, we won''t reach. Either we sleep out in the forest this time or we sleep in the village even though there will be no inn. I''m pretty sure I don''t have to tell you which is safer."


    Penny groaned which made Brenia laugh.


    "You know, sometimes, I wish I could just blast you with lighting."


    Pain shot through her whole body in an instant and before she could even voice a groan, she was rammed into the ground a few feet away from the others. All the air left her lungs on impact and all the others panicked.


    "Mistress!"


    "Brenia!"


    "What is that?"


    "It''s hiding behind the tree there!"


    "Watch out!"


    Brenia gasped for air and tried to ignore the pain to see what was happening.


    A long bright red spike like a sewing needle had pierced into her side, going right through the leather armor. It was held at the end of a long black appendage like a whip that extended all the way to the back of a wide tree. There was a second needle raised in the air and ready to strike.


    Penny wasted no time and threw a talisman at the hidden beast while the other four cowered. The second needle darted past the talisman twice as fast at it and flew right through the neck of Kali who tried to escape by ducking.


    Her blood flew across the road before an explosion turned the tree to smithereens. The talisman destroyed the creature''s cover and sent it reeling back. Brenia was pulled along by the needle and dragged across the road while Kali collapsed and the others screamed.


    She cursed out loud and unstrapped her axe as dirt and stones were scrapped along her back. She had to twist herself and endure great pain to be able to find her target. She smashed the blade downward and cut off the appendage. It twisted in pain snapped back towards the monster covered by a cloud of dust and smoke.


    "Janna pull Kali back!" Brenia ordered before trying to get up herself.


    Their answer was completely drowned by the sound of the great tree collapsing with all its branches snapping together.


    She had not been hurt this badly in an ambush for a long time, she felt enraged, both for her own wound and for Kali who might very well be dead. The needle along with a length of leathery black skin still hung from her but removing it now wasn''t a bright idea. She might loose a lot of blood if she wasn''t careful when removing it, it might have pierced something important too. The only things that were certain to her right now were that the needle hit bellow her lungs and that the monster needed to die immediately.


    Seeing that Brenia was getting back up, Penny quickly pulled some things from inside her many pockets, preparing a new spell. Brenia wouldn''t complain for it because as the dust quickly settled, she managed to recognize what attacked them, a crimson backed fisherbeast.


    It was shaped like a wide badger with curved claws used to climb into trees. It had the habit of climbing somewhere and waiting for prey to show up, then it would use the two tentacles sprouting from its shoulder to strike its victims at blinding speed. The needles at the end of them were barbed to hold into anything it caught and reel them in.


    Once caught, they''d be hung in the air above the monster until they bled out at which point it would eat them and hunt for a new meal. Brenia heard that the characteristic crimson fur on their backs turned darker and darker the more prey they caught in their lives because it was their blood raining on their backs that gave it its color.


    It was a rare creature that lived in solitude, it was very aggressive and incredibly dangerous. The bright red needles it used to fish could pierce through even thin steel and the fur covering it''s body was rock solid. Worse, the one in front of them was very old. The red of its fur was so dark it was close to black in color.


    The truth was, despite it looking like a fat badger, their chances of wining against it would be low if they didn''t go all out. Brenia would need to use the "fangs of dawn and dusk" that the old Muracier taught her and she would need the assistance of Penny''s magic.


    The fangs of dawn and dusk was a special technique that could be used with axes, scythes or war picks. Most of the attacks and movements of the technique were made to imitate the jaw of a giant predator with the weapons replacing the fangs. There were quite a few powerful moves in that technique but she was unable to use most of them. Even with all the efforts she put in it, she couldn''t figure out the part about soul magic that would enable her to wield the full extent of the technique. The old man told her not to worry about it because he was certain she''d eventually figure it out but for now, it was out of her reach.


    Soul magic wasn''t so easy to understand that she could figure it out with a bit of practice however. No one really understood how it worked after all.


    Because of this, she needed to use a second axe with the first to make it worthwhile.


    She unstrapped the second axe she kept only for the special technique and rushed to place herself directly between Penny and the creature. Being that old, she had no doubt that the fisherbeast would recognize Penny as a serious threat and target her while she was distracted with her own spellcasting. The talisman was a declaration that she was dangerous and the beast would not ignore it.


    Brenia circulated her own magu in the pattern she was used to and strengthened herself with self-magic to face the beast. At the same time, the monster started waddling towards them with a snarl. Its look and actions were deceivingly weak looking and amusing. The power it in truth possessed however was chilling enough to freeze the blood of the three remaining slaves into their veins.


    An actual badger is dangerous for many animals and even some ordinary humans but a fisherbeast has far transcended the power the usual animal posses. Underestimating it because of its general appearance would probably result in death.


    While rushing forward, the monster twisted its body to the side and scrapped its claws against the ground, digging up a lot of dirt and rocks to throw towards Brenia''s face, at the same time, it shot out its fishing needle towards Penny.


    Brenia knew what the priority was here and ignored the dirt flying her way. She swung her two axe in opposite directions in an arc over her head pulling as much power as she could from her back muscles to attack swiftly.


    The two axes split the air and crossed over her head as the needle passed with a shrill whistle. The second appendage got split in three but the needle kept flying freely towards Penny.


    The mage had not received an elixir from Emp like Brenia which made her much slower than her friend. However, she had started moving even before the attack was launched. As a mage, it was imperative that she avoid all hits until she was ready and a moving target was much harder to hit than a still one. Penny had watched enough spars in school to know that standing still while casting a spell was far from smart.


    The red needle punched a hole through her loose clothes and ripped her sleeve open along with her skin but she managed to escape the worse. It didn''t even disturb her incantation.


    Even though the creature had lost its two main weapons, the fight wasn''t over yet.


    The soil landed onto Brenia''s face who was forced to close her eyes to escape being blinded. The monster used the opportunity to jump and claw at her face. It was so fast for its size and shape that even Brenia hadn''t expected it.


    The helm she stole from her traitorous companion in the past saved her as the sharp claws failed to break through it. The row of tightly knit fangs protected her head but the impact still had her stumble a few steps to the side.


    Brenia swung her two axes again towards the place she was just standing in but missed the creature by a breath. The thing flattened itself to the ground and bit down into her leg, jerking its head back and pulling her forward.


    She put down all her weight into her leg to stop it from moving and slashed down with both of her weapons. The blades hit the back of the creature but didn''t cut through its skin and just frustratingly slid to the sides before splitting the road open. Roaring in frustration, she kicked the beast in the head three times over in quick succession.


    The badger looking thing raised its front leg to try to fight off her leg but was a slightly stuck between her two axes and only managed to add on some new gashes into the leather protecting her leg.


    Their struggle ended up making her fall down over it but that didn''t mean it got the upper hand. Brenia was quite flexible despite her muscular shape and managed to wrestle herself onto the back of the beast. The base of the severed appendages wrapped around her in an attempt to pull her away but she squeezed an arm around its neck and pulled hard by locking it behind her other elbow.


    The creature tried to get free from the choke hold by wiggling and trashing, scratching at her arms and leaving long trails of blood on them. Its fishing limbs moved so erratically that they hit the nail planted into her side many times over making her cry out in pain but she didn''t let it go.


    She rolled with the beast and bent herself over it to dig her heels into the ground before pulling it up in the air and exposing its belly to Penny.


    ??Spell!" Brenia called.


    She had no idea whether Penny was ready or not or what sort of spell she had planned to use but she needed it to be cast now! She wouldn''t be able to hold the beast there any more than a moment. Already, its hind legs were kicking at her thighs furiously, she felt each hit like the punch of a strong man sending waves after waves of pain into her legs.


    The monster was snarling viciously and wiggling enough that it would soon slip out of her grasp despite her efforts to choke it. The blasted thing even got the idea of imitating her and wrapped it''s fishing limbs around her neck to strangle her in return.


    Brenia gnashed her teeth and endured until a bright pink flame started rising from a pebble in the hand of Penny. She finished her spell and hurriedly threw the burning stone towards Brenia and the creature. As it flew, Penny cried out in a hurry.


    "Hold your breath and don''t look!"


    Asking someone who was getting choked to hold their breath wasn''t very considerate but Brenia did as the mage said. She closed her eyes and turned her head away as well as she could.


    In the next moment, she felt a burning heat assault her arms and pink light pierced through her eyelids as if she looked directly at the sun. Fire crackled as it ate at the fisherbeast and her. She felt the monster squeal and convulse once before a disgusting squelch was heard and it became significantly lighter. The grip around her throat lessened suddenly and she fought against the reflex to gasp for air even though her lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen.


    The side of her head was warmed by waves of the powerful fire up to the point that she was forced to back away from the heat fearing her face might get burnt off. She expected her arms to be badly burnt already, the pain they were suffering was staggering by itself. The only reason she hadn''t moved yet was to make sure that the creature was dead for sure.


    Finally, she felt and heard the fire die out in an instant before she heard Penny call again.


    "You can breathe now!"


    Brenia breathed in as much air as she could in one go and dropped the corpse of the crimson backed fisherbeast. Opening her eyes, she saw that the beast had died horribly with its insides blown out through its chest. It''s fur was only slightly singed and most of the damage had been done from the inside.


    Now able to verify that the monster had truly died, Brenia let the exhaustion take control and fell on one knee beside it. She was hurting everywhere but did not thing she was fatally wounded.


    "Brenia! Are you okay?" Penny called in worry, rushing towards her.


    "You almost roasted me!" She complained right away, making the other stop and cross her arms in an upset way.


    "This is your fault too! How was I supposed to guess you''d start wrestling with it halfway though my spell!"


    Brenia smirked at the reaction before a thought erased it again immediately.


    "How''s Kali? Go see her instead."


    A needle went through her neck, at best, this was a horrible injury. Brenia worried for her servant, way more than she worried for herself. She was beaten, burnt, cut and had a spike still planted in her side but Kali might die at any moment if she wasn''t already gone.


    Penny showed a pained face and turned her head towards the others to see. Her feet didn''t move and her expression worsened greatly almost instantly. Brenia didn''t have to wait for her answer to know what had happened.


    "I''m sorry Brenia, she''s gone."


    Brenia closed her eyes in sorrow. She was the only one responsible for this death. Kali and Janna had no reason to be here other than to follow their owner. They didn''t even know how to fight, walking around small roads looking for a powerful mage was clearly not something they were meant to be doing. Yet here they were because of her.


    She didn''t know what to do with them so she brought them along but now that one of them was dead, she felt it was a mistake. She should have left them with someone she could trust, maybe Mable or Calla in Dark-glint. Just like that, someone she knew for more than five years had died at her side.


    She felt devastated but she wouldn''t wallow in misery or feel that her blood was on her hands because monsters were everywhere and this sort of things happened even to the most prepared warriors. She wouldn''t deny that she was responsible for setting up this situation however.


    She knew what had to be done, she knew her path might not be appropriate for her two servants but she also knew this was the thing she was meant to do.


    This was not her first setback and it wouldn''t be the last.


    Death was a normal part of life and came for everyone.


    She would feel bitter and sad but she would keep moving on like she had done every other time before.


    Kali was gone but Gytha and that other girl were probably still there. Giving up now just because a friend died would be disgusting.


    At least the monster died too, revenge was dealt.


    Do not break now, get up, move forward again.


    She knew how to do it, she did it before. She also knew what breaking was like. Never again.


    She took another deep breath to scream in anger but swallowed it back for later. She needed to stay strong now, needed to keep calm and get up.


    "Let me remove that spike at least." Penny said while getting closer hesitantly.


    Brenia opened her tear filled eyes and spoke with her usual tone.


    "Don''t, that thing needs to stay there for now."


    "What? Don''t be ridiculous, you''re bleeding." Penny said in clear confusion.


    "I''m not being ridiculous, I''ll loose blood a lot more quickly if you remove it and we don''t know what it touched. Yes its really painful but as long as I''m not ready to get it healed, it has to stay there. That''s basic survival knowledge you should have learned in school if not before that." She had to explain to the mage.


    "I-I know that! I''m just, I feel a bit panicky right now. It''s the first time I see you get injured! It''s also the first time..." The mage turned her eyes towards the others again.


    Brenia understood that it might be a terrible experience for her but it meant it would make things harder for herself because Penny wasn''t completely there anymore. She was trying her best to show the same indifferent front as usual but there were obvious cracks in her act, her eyes were fluttering and her speech was crumbling as the situation was registering in her head.


    She was just working on reflexes right now, answering by automatism to everything. If anything else happened before they reached the village, she wouldn''t be as useful as she had been just now and Brenia wasn''t in any state to fight either.


    "Penny listen. Do not pay attention to Kali now, I need you. We have to take the fur and the needle that went flying over there because they''re worth a fortune. You burnt my arms and I can''t wield my knife properly so you have to do it with the other three. It needs to be done quick so that we can move to the village as quickly as we can. We could carry the whole corpse but we''re down one person and I need to carry Kali."


    "Carry Kali? What for?" Penny asked.


    "We don''t have a shovel." Brenia answered simply as she pushed herself up with a pained groan.


    There was no way she was leaving the corpse of her friend on the road like that. Kali deserved to join the ancestors and would be buried properly. To do that however, she''d have to carry her back. Kali''s share of baggage would have to be split among everyone else and would have to travel the rest of the way while being overburdened.


    "I''ll help you with the fur because I know you''re bad at it but I need to see Kali first."


    "Right... I''ll hurry." Penny added while eyeing the spike jutting from Brenia''s side.


    While the mage ordered her two slaves to move, going so far as to waking them up of their shocked state with a flash of pain sent through the slave seal, Brenia walked up to the fresh corpse of her friend held by her second servant.


    She knelt at her side and took a long look at the two. Kali looked surprisingly peaceful despite her gaping neck wound. She wasn''t smiling per say but her resting face had always looked rather cheerful so it seemed that even death did not damage her spirits. Almost a third of her neck had been ripped open however, she must have bled out in seconds. The grotesque wound was still letting out blood onto the road and Janna but with her still heart, it wasn''t flying out of her neck anymore, just flowing like a tiny stream instead.


    Janna had tried to stop the bleeding with her hands but it was an impossible task. That sort of wound was fatal and no mortal hands could have saved her. Now her hands and sleeves were soaked in blood but the fact didn''t seem to bother her yet. Janna was openly crying over the death of her friend and fellow slave, keeping the corpse close to her and wailing. Later on, Brenia knew that that she''d frantically try to wash away the blood but for now, she only felt sadness.


    Brenia didn''t wish to disturb her just yet. Instead, she removed her helm and extended her hands to Kali''s face. Her sleeves were all black and burnt, her arms were probably wounded but her hands were mostly fine. She brushed her hair out of the way and placed a kiss on her forehead. That was the only thing she could do for her.


    "I''m sorry to have failed you Kali. I''m sorry."


    She hugged Janna strongly to comfort her a bit but she soon had to move back because things needed to be done and they couldn''t stay here on the road forever.


    Brenia kept ignoring the pain and helped the other three with their improvised dismantling. The skin and fur of a crimson backed fisherbeast was very valuable and the darker it was, the better it was. She couldn''t leave it there knowing the reward for it would be counted in gold royals. She could also choose to keep it and have some armor made out of it, the material could resist her axe strike easily after all, it would make for a good upgrade compared to her current gear.


    The needles were just as precious although not useful for her, selling them to the right person would still net her a lot of coins. Finally, she didn''t know about the claws but Penny insisted that they were used for some advanced and powerful earth spells so they took them as well.


    The meat was edible but weighted too much for them to carry just like the bones. They were forced to leave it all here. Because the skin was so though, they had to pull out everything from the hole torn into its belly. The other girls found the task gruesomely disgusting but Brenia hurried them along.


    They gathered everything they could and Brenia hoisted Kali into her arms to walk.


    "Everyone, be extremely vigilant now. I won''t be able to react quickly this way."


    The others nodded gravely.


    With a bleeding wound to the side, burnt arms and carrying a corpse in her arms, she would have a hard time reacting to threats as quickly as she usually did. She needed everyone to keep an eye out and warn the others if they spotted anything. Those facts combined with how they just got ambushed in the middle of a conversation, the others were now obsessively vigilant.


    Nobody was in any mood to talk at all and they walked in silence.


    Brenia felt the needle move painfully into her flesh at every step she took and the extra weight of Kali in her arms was not helping at all. She gritted her teeth and kept her attention on the forest on either side of them instead.


    They pushed through carrying the heavy loads all the way to the village she had mentioned earlier. Even if they wasted quite a while taking off the skin of the beast, they arrived before dusk.


    Like everywhere in the empire, the village was surrounded by a sturdy palisade and the few guards protecting the place rested by the gate. All of it looked typical but something else was here. There were a large array of tents erected around the gate, just outside the village.


    The guards and the people around the tents noticed Brenia''s group at the same time but the soldiers let the people outside go meet them first. They looked to be mercenaries or hunters by how they were equipped and how many they were.


    Brenia and the others weren''t moving all that quickly because of tiredness and what they carried so the other group had a lot of time to prepare to receive them.


    "They look like combatants too and you''re in no shape to fight with anyone right now so please don''t say anything vulgar." Penny said from her side. "We might need their help for your wound."


    "Yeah, I know. I won''t do anything stupid don''t worry." Brenia reassured her along with a pained groan.


    Once they got closer, the unknown group noticed how battered they looked and called back into their camp for others to come. Brenia hoped that they were decent people because if they decided to steal their things, there was nothing she''d be able to do and she highly doubted the few guards at the gate would do anything to help her.


    Three woman came from deeper into their camp and ran up to them.


    A short woman with grey robes, possibly a mage, an axe wielder with a long braid and the last one a tall spear wielding one with short hair. The mage looked worried, the axe and beast skin looked wary and the spear and scale armor looked welcoming.


    ???You look like you have some injured in your group. Do you need our help?" The spear wielder asked first as they got close.


    "We came across a crimson backed fisherbeast and the barbed spike got stuck into my side. If you have a healer, I''d appreciate the help." Brenia spoke in a more polite manner than usual.


    The spear wielder looked at the robed woman to her side who nodded right away.


    "I''ll have to take a look but I think I can fix that properly. What about the one in your arms?"


    "Dead." Brenia said simply.


    The three women facing them made a pained grimace. This told Brenia they were good people, at least good enough to not steal from them and leave them to die. She relaxed her tense muscles slightly.


    "Then lets hurry into our camp, we''ll talk more there after the injuries in your group have been dealt with. Is that fine with you?"


    "It''s fine with me. Penny what do you think? They seem trustworthy to me."


    She frowned a bit and looked over the three of them again while pondering.


    "I''m not that good with healing magic so I think we don''t really have a choice. I''d like to hear your names first before I agree to anything however."


    Her request wasn''t that special so the spear wielder agreed right away.


    "I''m Connie, our mage here is Jaska and that one is my second in command Tacey. We''re the leaders of Noey''s wings. We''re a group of huntresses here on a request although I think you might have taken care of that for us."


    Noey''s wings! That was such a lucky find. She''d be really happy right now if she wasn''t carrying the corpse of her friend. Knowing they found the huntress they were looking for only slightly soothed her pain. Penny reacted a bit more vividly.


    "Is that true? In that case, I''ll gladly follow you in your camp, we were coincidentally searching for you."


    She was relieved to hear a trustworthy name. Noey''s wings was a well known group of huntresses after all. They surely had some way to heal their members properly. They could happen to be fake but Brenia didn''t think so, they seemed trustworthy at a glance.


    "Were you really? In that case, come on in quick. You all need a rest and I want to hear about the fisherbeast and what brought you here in the first place."


    And like that, Brenia and the four remaining girls entered the huntresses camp.

 167 Noeys wings

    Brenia moved into the camp of the huntresses and placed the corpse of her companion Kali on a blanket they compassionately prepared for her. She would take care of her burial with the help of some volunteering huntresses as soon as her own injuries where taken care of.


    She was made to sit down in a wide tent with Penny and the three remaining slave while the huntress mage, Jaska, examined her wounds. She had also checked on the other but Penny merely had a scratch on her arm while the other three were completely fine.


    The wound of Brenia was harder to cure however. First of all, the spike had to be removed and because of its serrated edge, the only way to do so safely was to push it out the other side. Brenia had to grit her teeth and bear with the pain while the mage worked. Taking it out took a lot of time because Jaska wanted to be extra careful to not hit any important organs.


    "I don''t think anything major has been hit or you wouldn''t have made it here but I''ll still be extra careful and examine the opening properly once I get that thing out of there." She explained.


    "Do I need to worry for Brenia or are you confident in your magic?" Penny asked the other mage.


    "I do more healing than I do fighting. An injury like this doesn''t seem any different than what I usually see." Jaska answered.


    "In that case, I''ll trust you with it." Penny nodded in satisfaction.


    "What do you mean you''ll trust her with it, It''s my wound not yours. What are you getting involved fo-Ha!"


    "Stand still!" "What are you complaining for now if you already decided to trust her!" The two mage complained together.


    Brenia felt a bit awkward being stared down by the two short woman but surrendered while the mage inched the needle further and further into her stomach.


    At least, she didn''t have to make much efforts to find a path through because the needle was already very deeply embedded into her. It only needed a small push before it pierced her skin from the inside to poke its head back out opposite from where it came in.


    Brenia gritted her teeth but still let out a few pained cries as the needle was moved around in her flesh. It wasn''t her most painful experience but it was certainly up there.


    The three servants looked away in disgust while Penny stared intensely. She didn''t let her eyes wander away from the wound and the actions of the mage for the whole time she worked. She was probably trying to figure out what sort of spell would be used to patch her up. She was never satisfied with the knowledge she already had and always needed more.


    Then Jaska poured healing medicine through the hole while Brenia laid on her stomach. The thing felt like a strong burn and jolted Brenia up. If she had not been trusting the two mages fully, she''d had left the tent right away. How come medicine stings so badly?


    "That''s not healing medicine at all. It''s a thing to kill bad stuff that might have gotten inside while the wound was open." Jaska explained casually. "Now I''m ready to actually start healing it."


    Three long spells and a mountain of disgusting feeling later and she was declared "Taken care of for now". A long bandage had been wrapped around her waist and what she could only describe as mud had been applied in large quantities on her skin. She felt repulsed but if that was what was needed to be healed, she wouldn''t complain too much. Jaska also took care of the burns on her arms and the scratches. In a similar manner.


    "Will you tell me the details of what was included in that paste later? I feel curious." Penny was saying from the side.


    "Sure, I like to share knowledge with other mages. What''s your specialty? Are you good with earth magic?"


    "I''m a generalist."


    Brenia let out a sigh as their talks stretched on and sat back up with difficulty. The bandage and the stuff underneath made her stiff, plus, it was still as painful as a fresh wound.


    The leader of the huntresses came to sit close to her and started a conversation of her own.


    "I''m sorry about your companion, the fisherbeast did that?"


    "Yeah, we got ambushed. I got wounded right from the start and she didn''t have any time to react. I should have been more careful, I was lax because we didn''t encounter anything remotely dangerous in a while and I was busy spouting nonsense."


    Connie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. As the leader of a large group of huntresses, she must have lived a similar situation many times over. Brenia wasn''t new to deaths either but previously, the dead around her had not been in her direct care.


    "I''d say to not feel too bad about it since this sort of thing can always happen but I also know the feeling you''re going through. Even knowing we''re not truly responsible and that there''s nothing more to be done. We can''t help but feel shame and sorrow. Did you know her well?"


    "Yes, I''ve spent more than five years with her now. Kali was a slave I got in the imperial school but more importantly, she was my companion. I brought her and Janna here only because I didn''t know what else to do with them even though I knew they''re unsuited for that kind of thing."


    "So you two are graduates from the Imperial school? We know someone who studied there too. A lord named Emp. We worked for lord Emp twice and fought an unnameable of chaos alongside him."


    "It''s the first time I hear anyone call him lord Emp." Penny said from the side, voicing what Brenia thought before she could say it aloud.


    Their own conversation must have ended while she was talking with Connie.


    "You know him too?" Jaska asked in interest.


    "Of course we do. I had so many spars with him I can''t even count them anymore. I didn''t know you worked with him! You seem to have a good impression of him so this makes it all better to me." Brenia said with a smile


    This large group of well known huntresses worked for Emp twice in the past and seemed to have a good relationship with him. She trusted him and his judgment about fighting and warriors in general and having hired them twice meant that he must have been satisfied. Plus, she remembered the story he gave about the unnameable of chaos. It was a terrible fight but the huntresses didn''t run away in a panic despite their great loses. This meant they were reliable on top of being sufficiently strong. Now she really wanted to get their help.


    "A friend of a friend then!" Connie exclaimed with a smile. "I wish to talk about this some more but it''s unreasonable with your injury. Rest for a while, process your loss and bury her properly. I''ll wait for later to ask why you were looking for us."


    "What about the payment for the treatment of my wound?" Brenia asked.


    "That too can be seen for later. I won''t ask for anything outrageous since the wound wasn''t unreasonable to deal with so you can all relax here for now." Jaska reassured them with a smile.


    The huntresses left the tent they spared to let them rest and almost immediately after the flaps had fallen back in place, Penny rushed up to hug Brenia strongly.


    Brenia groaned in pain in answer. Penny very rarely expressed affection or concern but she was surprisingly soft sometimes. Brenia decided to not tease her friend about her feelings for once. She let herself be hugged obediently and just voiced her own concerns.


    "Are you alright? What''s up with you so suddenly?"


    "I''m just glad you''re fine after all. I''m really sorry for throwing fire at you and even more sorry about Kali. It''s all because I said that nothing interesting happened. I should have kept my mouth shut."


    "You think you invited bad luck onto us? That''s ridiculous. Neither of us are responsible for Kali. I''m not angry at you at all, neither for that or for the fire spell. If not for that magic, things could have went a lot worse for us. You did great, that''s exactly why I wanted you with me."


    Brenia patted the back of her friend for a bit to make her feel better even though it seemed that Penny was the one trying to make her feel better about Kali. Still, while Brenia wasn''t really the type who liked hugs, holding a friend close in a moment of sadness wasn''t all that bad.


    They used each other''s concerns and friendship to improve their respective mood and then shared those feelings with the three remaining servants. They worked through their grief as a group and all got a hold of themselves after some time in private.


    Penny didn''t even make a fuss about all sleeping in the same tent but didn''t change her clothes for her nightwear and refused to look towards Brenia until she was properly dressed.


    The next morning, the mood was still heavy because of the dead at their side but it wasn''t suffocating anymore. At least not for Brenia. The corpse didn''t let out any bad smell either thanks to something Jaska did using magic.


    She armed herself with a shovel and many other huntresses joined her into digging a new hole in an open spot of the nearby forest. They tore through old roots and pulled out rocks until the hole was a good meter deep and long enough to house Kali.


    They brought the corpse over, leaving her only her clothes before lowering her into the hole.


    The huntresses had nothing to say for her because they didn''t know her but Janna had a lot tell. She had been paired with her as Brenia''s servants ever since she stepped into the school so of course she knew Kali better than anyone else. Her final goodbyes were very long and emotional. Brenia and the huntresses let their tears flow freely as they listened in silence.


    In the end, she gave Janna the task of planting the tree over her friend. It was only fair for the closest to the departed person to make sure she would take roots properly. Some would have argued that Brenia was the one who should have done it as the owner of the slave but she didn''t feel like she was worthy of the honor.


    She apologized to Kali once more, said her heartfelt goodbyes just like Janna and brought down her shovel again. Her own speech had been far shorter but Brenia had never been good with that sort of things.


    The only feelings that really matter are those that are too hard to say aloud, those that are kept closer to the heart and won''t come out no matter what. Words are just never powerful enough to translate feelings properly.


    That was what she believed.


    Penny and her two servants watched from the side and also gave their own goodbyes before dirt covered Kali. The mage didn''t have much to say, Kali was just a servant after all, she didn''t know her well, that was just how she was with slaves. In truth, she gave the strong impression of being here to support Brenia rather than send off the dead.


    She was of course saddened by the death of someone she knew but was clearly more preoccupied by how it affected her friend.


    Later on, after everyone had calmed down, Brenia and Penny were once again sat with the three leaders of the huntresses to explain their circumstances.


    The first thing they talked about is the crimson backed fisherbeast. The huntresses were really interested in it because it was possibly related to why they were there in the first place.


    "The villagers here reported that many hunters suddenly went missing and those travelling in small groups along the path sometimes vanished. We''ve been hired to find the cause and deal with it but even after spending two weeks here, we weren''t able to find anything abnormal." Tacey explained.


    "We supposed that the thing we were hunting was clever enough to escape in front of our large groups so we were planning on dividing into smaller teams to lure it out of hiding. With the story of how your group encountered that old crimson backed fisherbeast, I think that our problem has been solved. It would make sense for only small groups to be targeted it the culprit was this kind of monsters. They only have two hooks after all." Connie followed.


    With the few elements presented to her, Brenia would also be willing to bet that they found the cause if she was in their shoes.


    "Being an old one, it was smarter than a simple beast and targeted me first and then Kali who was taller. It had a sense of who was menacing to it and who wasn''t. I''m sure it would have stayed hidden in front of all your warriors."


    "Right? In that case, I think we can confidently report to the village head here that the menace has been removed even though we aren''t the one who did it." Connie concluded.


    "We won''t be able to accept any payments for that one though because we can''t prove that its the right creature. We aren''t even the ones who beat it." Tacey complained


    "The most important is that the villagers are safe now." Jaska answered with a difficult smile.


    Clearly the three of them were sort of upset to have lost money and two weeks of their time. They might be happy for the villagers but they still incurred a loss this time around. They were known to go around helping villages to get rid of things they couldn''t deal with but they still needed money and supplies to live and keep their operations running.


    From what Brenia understood, even when the village couldn''t pay properly, getting the materials from the monsters eliminated would be sufficient to make the trip worthwhile. This just served to show how much money were worth the different parts of monsters as they were enough to sustain a group of dozens of huntresses. This time, they wouldn''t get either reward or materials but they had sufficient reserves to stop this from turning into a bad situation.


    Brenia still insisted on giving them something for taking care of her injuries however and a decent price was quickly agreed upon.


    They then discussed about various things like how the fight went. It was at the part when Penny shot a spell at the creature while it was tangled with her that Jaska was the most surprised.


    "Why didn''t your two servants warn Brenia of what kind of spell was coming. Aren''t they your callers?"


    Penny took a curious air and questioned the other mage on this.


    "What are callers?"


    Penny was a scholar, she never intended to fight or hunt seriously using her magic so it was normal for her to not have heard about this even if it was a fairly well known way to deal with magic.


    "You don''t know? I guess that explains it. When working in a group, mages don''t have any time to spare warning the others while casting their spells. In order to prevent any injuries from friendly fire, it''s necessary to train a few people into recognizing your magic. Those would be your callers. They''re meant to guess what type of spell is going to come out and when, then they relay to the others what needs to be done before the spell is cast. They''re used to signal the others of what''s about to happen but they need to know the spells well enough to recognize what''s coming next so they''re usually apprentices."


    "That does make sense. They''ve seen me study magic from scratch so there''s no one else who knows my magic better than them. They should be able to fit the role. It would make it much safer for Brenia in a fight if those two could warn her of what I''m about to do. I''ll think about it and see if they can do it."


    It was a great idea when fighting monsters but Brenia doubted the usefulness of that tactic when fighting other people. Normally, wouldn''t the opponent be smart enough to dodge as well if they were warned by the callers? That would be a question for another time.


    Next, they spoke about what she intended to do with the skin and the needles of the creature. This reminded her that she still had to quickly take care of the fur properly before rot took it. Whatever she chose to do with it, she had to take proper care of the material or its quality and value would drop sharply. Connie proposed to let her use the tools they had but Brenia didn''t need them because she had her own. She was a huntress too after all.


    "Will you sell it later in a big city like Red-water or will you find someone to make some equipment out of it? If you''re looking to make some armor from it, I''d suggest going to the village of Dark-glint in Artefine. They have the best smith there is." Jaska proposed.


    "How is a smith going to help with fur?" Penny asked with a dubious frown.


    "Because its not just a smith, It''s the legendary Marcelia!" Connie told them with a voice filled with admiration.


    Penny didn''t sound impressed at all as she seemingly never heard of her but every huntress had once heard her legendary name and every armor maker and weapon-smith knew of her too. Brenia quickly had to explain to her how much of a big deal she was before turning back to the huntresses.


    "I didn''t know she was over there. Would she accept making an armor for me though? Doesn''t she hate taking requests?"


    "She does but you might be able to convince her of helping you if you have a compelling goal and if you carefully use Emp''s name." Connie confided with a grin.


    Brenia just frowned skeptically while Penny voice her question.


    "What does Emp have to do with this... Wait! His mother is a smith he said! No way!"


    As Penny shouted her disbelief, understanding flashed through Brenia''s eyes.


    "The legendary Marcelia is Emp''s mother?"


    Her mouth hung open in surprise while the other three nodded in confirmation.


    "She is. Didn''t you know that?" Tacey asked them suspiciously.


    Maybe she thought that Brenia and Penny didn''t really know Emp after all. Brenia decided to explain.


    "We didn''t. Emp was always really secretive about his name. He never spoke about his father at all, didn''t give any clue as to whom he might be and only spoke about his mother when smithing was involved. He never gave her name though, we just thought she was a really good one after seeing the armor she made for him."


    "And the one they made for Vanessa." Penny added.


    The three huntresses turned to each other and shared looks. They held a silent conversation with seemingly only their eyes and in the end, Connie shook her head and turned back to them. They had come to a conclusion that satisfied all three but left them with a rather awkward expression.


    "He never told us his name either, we had hoped we could learn it from you." Connie admitted for the three of them.


    "Sorry, not gonna happen." Brenia laughed. "Although, maybe he will give it to us the next time we meet. You might all learn it if you come help us. We have a hard task to complete before we meet up and we wanted the help of Noey''s wings for it."


    "A task?" "What sort of task is it?" "A job given by him?" They asked back all at once.


    Brenia shook her head to deny the last one.


    "No, it''s a mission I gave myself but his lover is very invested in this and paid a huge amount of gold for it to be completed."


    Now it was Tacey''s turn to frown in disbelief.


    "The apple girl gave you gold for a task?"


    "The apple girl?"


    "She means Calla." Brenia told the confused Penny.


    She had not known Calla for long but Emp spoke plentifully about the apple she gave him which he used to beat the strong monster.


    "Oh! No, not that one, that''s his wife. We''re speaking about a lover he had in school, Mable." Penny clarified.


    "Sorry, we don''t know that one." Jaska apologized.


    Brenia waved her hand in dismissal.


    "It''s fine, it''s not really important for the story. To make it short, she was attacked by a teacher in her bedroom while under the protection of Emp. He rushed in before things turned for the worse and smashed him out the window with his hammer. The guy escaped but kidnapped two other girls as he did. One of those two is a friend of ours so we''re hunting him down to hopefully save her and get revenge."


    All three showed disbelief.


    "They survived a hit of his hammer? What are they?"


    "That''s what makes this job dangerous, the guy happened to be a battle mage."


    Jaska gulped down nervously as her eyes widened. The other two looked her way to get some explanation about what a battle mage was. She told them what sort of mages were called battle mage and Penny provided some more details about that in the abilities of their prey in particular.


    "If we can get him, we''ll save two girls, gain the respect of the army for doing their job in their stead and gain a massive bounty." Brenia ended while showing them the wanted poster she still kept.


    She would also get Emp to do a single thing for her but that was irrelevant to the huntresses. Penny looked like she was about to say it to tease her but a frustrated glare managed to shut her up. She just giggled instead.


    Meanwhile the huntresses didn''t look all too pleased.


    "So you were looking for us because you wanted our help with a manhunt?" Connie asked with clear reluctance.


    Tacey spoke in the same line of thought with a stone cold face.


    "We''re not mercenaries, we don''t hunt down people, only monsters."


    "We dealt with people only once and really regretted it after."


    "But what we''re hunting isn''t a man! It''s a monster wearing the skin of a human!" Brenia told them fiercely.


    The three of them still didn''t look interested.


    "Even if you say that, it''s a bit much for us."


    "We don''t know how to fight people."


    "I''m not really keen on it either."


    Brenia clicked her tongue in frustration. She really needed their help but who knew they''d be so reticent. Penny also tried to find a way to get their huntresses on their side.


    "We came all the way here just to find you and get your help. We lost one of us for this too so it would be a shame to not insist. What would it take for us to convince you to help? Would money be enough? We don''t really need the bounty on his head."


    "The money isn''t really the issue here though."


    Brenia didn''t know them well enough to change their minds. She had managed to convince Penny because she knew her but the huntresses were a mystery. The best she could do was to throw a wide range of different argument and hope that one of them would stick.


    "The guy is wanted for two kidnapping of noble girls and an attempted ****. Only the gods know what sort of depraved acts he committed before that. There''s no reason to be squeamish about it, his death will be more than deserved."


    "You say that because you have a grudge on him and that won''t lead to anything good. We''re all painfully aware of that here." Tacey objected.


    "I''m not holding a grudge against him in particular, I''m holding a grudge against people like him. I''m going after him not because he targeted someone I know but because of the crime itself and because I need to help the two missing girls."


    Jaska turned her head to the side in an embarrassed manner.


    "That''s a job for the guards and knights rather than us though."


    Brenia shook her head in denial and pressed her argument.


    "Because of his power and talent, ordinary guards can''t hope to match so we have to do something instead. If I happen to fail, Emp will go after him himself because he dared target Mable. No matter what, this is a dead man but the quicker we deal with him, the less likely he is to harm others and the more likely it is to find the two other girls alive."


    "Even though she looks demented like this, we''re truly just trying to help everyone." Penny said from the side, quickly getting a glare from Brenia.


    Still, nothing they said really influenced their original opinion. They weren''t exactly against going after the mage but they had no personal interests in it and were reticent about hunting down something else than a mindless creature.


    On one hand, they were willing to help out Brenia on account of their good impression of Emp and how his own lover was targeted. On the other hand, they seemed to find it hard to believe that no strong knights squads would go after the mage instead them. They didn''t want to risk the lives of their companions on this and didn''t like how it would set a precedent of them acting as bounty hunters.


    They finally agreed to at least let the group as a whole decide their course of action. This was all that Brenia managed to do after much talks about justice and how glorious of an achievement it would be to catch him.


    After that, all she could do was wait for them to come to an agreement while she took care of the fisherbeast skin.


    It took them a whole three days of loud arguing and silent thinking to come to a conclusion. In those three days, they passed the wanted poster around and asked about the details of what he did along with the risks associated with hunting him. Brenia wanted to tell them they''d get him for sure but Penny dampened the mood by being pessimistic of their chances.


    "A battle mage can turn the tide of a whole battle by himself. If we were to go with just me and Brenia, the chances of us winning would be close to nothing even though Brenia seems so confident. I made plenty of preparations to fight him but guessing all his possible attacks is impossible and there''s bound to be a lot of casualty. I think that with your help we can definitely win but it will be a hard earned victory."


    The huntresses all made sour faces hearing that. Of course, no one likes to be told they''ll probably die if they choose to accept the hunt. Plus, they didn''t even know where he could be and would probably end up searching aimlessly for years like the guards were already doing.


    In a group made out of only women however, Brenia managed to find many supporters. What she lived through and what Mable narrowly escaped weren''t common at all but some had similar sounding experiences that had pushed them into a group made up of only girls and many more could easily feel sympathy.


    Thus, slowly but surely, the balance tilted into her favor until one of the huntresses made a comment that gave a clear victory to one of the two camps.


    "I''ve seen this guy before!" She exclaimed as the portrait was handed to her. "His hair was a bit different and he had big mutton chops but I''m sure it''s the same guy!"


    The others including Brenia all pressed her to know where she saw him before and she gave them a compelling story.


    Back when she wasn''t with the rest of Noey''s wings, she was living in Windbow, in a village somewhere south of Red-water. Ninoslav passed through there along with two girls just like Brenia said he would. He was going further south than where they were but the only path south of there would eventually connect to the big road going into the kingdom of Dugo through the mountains.


    The other huntresses complained right away.


    "But there''s nothing in Dugo. There''s a lot of untamed wilderness, a bunch of backwater villages and then a few islands isolated in the sea."


    Brenia on the other hand was pretty happy with the news.


    "That''s the whole point. If there''s almost nothing, the chances of him getting caught by guards would get really low and the chances of anyone knowing he exist would get even lower."


    He was certainly there. Even if the huntresses decided to not join her, at least she would have gained a good clue on where he was going.


    She would not need to go fight the battle mage alone however. With the announcement that they knew where he was going, the vote heavily tipped in her favor.


    She was never good with convincing people of anything, she didn''t even like to talk with others all that much. This sudden surge of support had nothing to do with her however. It was all thanks to something she was very familiar with, it was the excitement of the hunt.


    Hunting beast or hunting man didn''t matter, the heart of a true hunter would be gripped the moment they found the tracks. The mage was now prey and his scent was caught. The huntresses were just swept by the sudden progress in the hunt for the man, now they thirsted to see it to the end.


    Neither Brenia nor Penny would have ever been able to convince the huntresses to go after a dangerous criminal like Ninoslav but they didn''t have to. The hunt itself excited too many of the huntresses for their leaders to object anymore.


    Noey''s wings was successfully hired to help them hunt the mage but they didn''t go straight towards the kingdom of Dugo. They first had to make a detour towards Dark-glint. If the legendary Marcelia could make her an armor with the fur Kali died for, it would be great and if not, at least she would have met the renowned huntress.

 168 Moving army

    Emp was marching with his troops. They had been walking for some time now but according to the map he regularly examined with the others, they should soon reach Rivi¨¨re-duventeu.


    They had not been met with many hardship on the way because most creatures of the forest knew better than to assault a group of over a thousand men. The most troublesome things, excluding the problems created by themselves, were getting permission to pass through the cities and towns they encountered.


    They were obviously all on the same side but nobles naturally grew nervous when an army walked up to a city gate. Anytime they came across a town like Stonegrove city, they had to send a messenger first to name their group and commander, their mission and their intentions. Then the city lord would decide whether to let them through or not. They let them pass every time but it sometimes took days to get the approval.


    The worst offender happened to be Stonegrove city. The place was the capital of the kingdom of Windbow and so housed their king. He wasn''t particularly against letting them through but he insisted on meeting Emp in person and wouldn''t leave his majestic palace.


    Because of this, his troops had been stuck on the border of the city for five days straight while Emp was made to walk around the foggy grey streets of the city and attended high class dinners.


    He had avoided Red-water to escape from exactly that but in the end, he couldn''t afford to say no to a king who just wanted to meet and talk. Because of that, he had to endure the pointless talking and had to try his best to remain polite to everyone he was presented to despite his growing impatience. The lessons of Blackbull were invaluable here.


    Even thought he found it tedious, he respected all the rules and protocols and left a good impression on everyone from the court of Windblow. At least, that was how he felt. He was presented to many well dressed ladies and noblemen covered in expensive accessories and filled with confidence but none truly caught his attention.


    The most interesting encounter he made was with marquess Hectarow, the father of George. He didn''t have much to tell him however because George, his fellow student, had always been very quiet or simply upset to be talked to.


    When he finally managed to extract himself from the endless socializing, his troops were able to walk forward once more. Following the lakeside wasn''t an arduous task in the least but the constant fog and mist surrounding it was a real annoyance. On the good days, they could see the road stretch into the distant grey for kilometres ahead of them but on the bad days, they could barely see a few steps ahead of them.


    Being in an allied territory, it wasn''t that stressful to be unable to see all his troops but he still needed to make sure that no branches would drift off on its own and that no strong monster would start picking them off roots by roots in the cover of the mist.


    At least, he couldn''t complain about the view of the lake. He didn''t really like the wide expense of almost still water but he couldn''t deny it was an impressive sight.


    He had some fun sharing the view with Celtine, Svae and the two Porter sisters. None of them had ever seen the lake before and he enjoyed their impressed gazes more than the sight itself. He had seen the lake a few times already after all. The girls had all been just as impressed with the howling hills and the low woods and he was happy to show them everything.


    He did notice however that all those impressive landscape tended to make it hard for an army to move. The path through the howling hill was narrow and passing everyone through took a really long time, the wind in the low woods was too strong, it blinded the scouts and made the archers useless, the lake did the exact same with its mist and dampened the sounds.


    He was lucky that there were no battles to be fought anywhere on the way because those places weren''t suited for that at all. They were best admired with curiosity instead of trampled with war.


    Still, this was no excuse to not train!


    Just walking the whole time following the road would have been inefficient, instead, Emp practiced commanding the troops and often sent out entire branches out in the woods on either side of their path. He gave them many pointless objectives with the sole purpose of testing them and their commanders, he needed to know what they could do after all.


    He needed to know if they could follow orders, how long it took for his words to reach the different captains and branchers, how long it took them to execute the orders, how coordinated they could be, how they fared in the woods with low visibility and so on and so on.


    Only by having extensive knowledge of his troops and their abilities would he be able to wield them in battle effectively. It was just like trying out a new weapon, one had to get familiar with its shape, weight and sharpness in order to use it properly.


    He had them deploy in wings, march in tightly packed formation and spread out in reverse. Many formations were tested and many manoeuvres were tried just to let him get a feel for how quick they''d answer.


    Things generally went no better than he expected but no worse either. The guys he had brought with him from the school could all understand his instructions easily but had no real commanding skills yet and didn''t know how to make it so the soldiers under them would follow properly.


    For example, Emp would tell Oliver to send out two branches of spearmen to the right to clear the nearby woods of dangerous critters while they were there. The messenger would soon reach and he would choose branch one and two to go. At first, he didn''t think of the number he selected and mistakenly had a bunch of branches cross others to get to the designated position making a huge mess on the way. Now he at least paid attention to who was were. Gilbert would receive the command from Oliver and lead his branch into the woods but had no military knowledge and his hundred and twenty five men always ended up in a messy line while the rooters under him tried to follow his inaccurate orders to the best of their abilities.


    Emp would look at the result from the middle of the road and would only see soldiers scattered everywhere with seemingly no coherence, making him sigh. Oran and his swordsmen were just as bad since he insisted on being at the forefront of his troops. Messages sent his way always took longer to reach and Emp expected his commands to get drowned out in a real fight.


    At least, the constant practices he put them through on the way greatly improved their overall coordination. Mistakes were slowly being worked out and slowly but surely, the troops reacted more quickly and more precisely to his words.


    Still, a lot of strange things can apparently happen when leading an army around. Emp had not expected that there would be so many difficulties unrelated to the general handling of the troops.


    There were a lot of guys getting lost in the woods during exercises, complaints coming from here and there about marching for so long, people from the support staff getting harassed because of the lunch served, so much lost equipment Emp started to believe they were doing it on purpose and so on.


    One time, he even had to stop a fight where two guys decided to argue over one strip of salted meat even though there were more than enough for the both of them. That one particular slice was apparently given to them by the lunch lady and according to them, it made it much better than the very same that was given by one of the three men sharing the same job.


    There was also the problem with Odilon who was supposed to keep an eye on the supplies but was so unmotivated he often failed to keep track of how much of everything they carried around.


    Then there were the young men making up his army who all wanted to get a kill to graduate from their childhood and tended to scatter in the woods whenever an exercise was performed. A root would spot some random monster like a twin headed beetle and rush after it, leaving their post in the process and messing up the whole formation. Then the rooters and the branchers would try to count the heads and find out someone had strayed out of sight. At those times, everyone had to stop marching just to look for that one guy even though more often than not, he was just collapsed somewhere trying to empty his bowels because of a wild mushroom induced fever.


    Emp did his best to remind everyone time and again to not wander off to forage because they had enough reserves but apparently, the soldiers really wanted some variety in their food. He ended up having to punish them for doing it because it kept causing trouble.


    There were also a good amount of disputes about women. Some guys would argue and show off trying to seduce some of their fellow soldiers or the girls working in the support staff. One of them even threw a vulgar comment at Erin who flew into a flustered rage and kicked the soldier right in the face leaving a boot print on his forehead.


    Svae was safe from this sort of thing thanks to her clear cursed-blood nature and no one dare speak to Celtine who spent most of her time directly on his shoulders. In fact, they treated the slave like some sort of important princess. The guys ended up seeing her as the flag of the legion more than the actual flag they were carrying.


    Erin was a bit offended to not be treated the same way as Celtine but Emp refused to switch and carry her or Leonni on his shoulders for a while. He urged them to keep improving their riding skills instead and pay attention to learn.


    As he had expected, their first horse riding experience ended up with both complaining about their backside and walk around with pained grimaces in the evening. It made the soldiers laugh but Emp was pretty sure they''d make the exact same face if they were in their places. The girls felt a bit better when he told them that. Only the actual riders would have any right laughing but they kept their serious after Jin glared at them to support Emp.


    He kept diligently instructing them and after some time, he didn''t have to lead the horse himself anymore. They wouldn''t be able to ride in a difficult moment like a battle but they shouldn''t fall off either. Like that, he was able to focus more on the practice manoeuvres and was able to show the sisters a lot of things.


    Erin and Leo watched everything with gleaming eyes, drinking in the sight of the army and how they operate. Emp hoped they were learning properly how everything worked while they witnessed it all. He wanted them to keep growing after all. Sometimes, he''d glance their way to see if they were listening properly and was satisfied whenever they answered his gaze with a few questions on what was happening.


    He was far from a talented commander since he was only just beginning but he was happy to tell them what he knew. After they escaped the clutches of the fog on the lakeside, they''d often point at the troop while he was giving commands to ask what he was trying to do and what it all meant. Emp knew all the theory but had never led any actual troops before so he could tell the sisters and Kenneth who acted as his second in command what he was doing but couldn''t be certain on how anything would turn out.


    Emp would send his forces to deal with an imaginary opponent or actual small monsters and explain his reasoning to those around him. With his troops spread into wings on either side of the road, they caught a wide variety of weak monsters and many soldiers got their first kills in relative security.


    Whenever the scouts found anything looking too dangerous, Emp would order Ivar and his company of archers to rain down arrows in the area instead. Their supplies of arrows were enormous and it wasn''t worth it to risk the lives of the new soldiers just for the sake of training. Whether the monster was a falsestor or a flock of flying blood slimes, they''d accurately and swiftly get showered with five hundred arrows and cease moving.


    It wasn''t for nothing that the main forces of the empire were made out of archers. All the arrows would thread the needle between all the ancestors and hit their intended targets. Even while shooting blindly in an area where the scouts said that the monster was hiding, they''d find the corpse of the creature riddled with arrows.


    Sadly, Emp expected their accuracy to plummet once they''d step into the plains and mountains of Greenpeaks. The blessing of the ancestors was a great help after all so when they''d leave the forest behind, the archers would only be able to rely on themselves.


    "General, reports from the scouts yielded nothing this time again."


    Emp felt a bit sorry for it but couldn''t remember the name of the guy who gave him the report. It was only an unimportant detail however, the name of most of the soldiers didn''t really matter in the end. He only needed to keep in mind the names of the important staff and officers.


    "Good, have them go out again at the scheduled time. We''re almost there so it shouldn''t be long before we come across the scouts of the main army."


    "Yes sir!"


    The soldier left in a hurry and Emp turned his attention to Kenneth.


    "The real mission will start in a few days at most so I''d like you to go around and make sure the others understand that the old guys we''re meeting might not receive us warmly. Even though they''re here on my invitation, I need them to act professionally in front of those. As you know, there''s no way for me to tell which side they''re on before we make contact. If they follow my uncle, I''ll have to convince them to switch side somehow and acting silly won''t help."


    Kenneth made a face like he was just asked to do the impossible. Emp didn''t bring all the most elegant nobles with him after all. He brought Oran who didn''t understand gallantry, Gilbert who wasn''t a noble at all, Oliver who thought highly of himself and his skills with a spear and Odilon who was worse than all of them combined.


    He had Jin Josephal too who Emp didn''t know very well at all. Before, he was a really strict person but he was playing a role. Since Emp had been established as the top of the army, he had turned into someone very lax instead. Because the terrain was mostly covered in woods, Emp didn''t really have any occasion to test the abilities of the pack of riders and their meutier Jin so he had no clue about what they could do. He knew that Jin took good care of them and kept them in order but he also knew that he spent most of his time in a small world with his cursed-blood lover.


    He was worried how he''d react to be told to rein it all in again when in front of the veterans. Would he just accept like it was nothing or would he get upset because he could be himself for once and didn''t want to revert to his previous mask?


    "I''ll talk to Jin myself if you take care of Odilon." Emp proposed.


    "Understood, I''ll do my best."


    A muffled shriek caught his attention while Kenneth started talking. Emp glanced to the side a moment and thought he saw the sisters riding under the horse and flailing instead of what he was supposed to see. When he looked properly however, they were both sat normally and waving his way with a stiff smile. He probably just imagined it.


    Turning back to Kenneth, his face had turned to stone.


    "Don''t be like that Kenneth, Odilon isn''t so bad, he''s just upset."


    "No I... Right, if you would excuse me."


    He turned around abruptly and left with a wry smile while the surrounding staff giggled to themselves. Celtine too was shacking her head from her perch on his shoulder and looked amused. What was up with everyone?


    Anyway, now was not the time for silliness.


    "You, go tell meutier Josephal I need to speak to him."


    "Yes sir general!"


    The messenger ran off to the place where the pack rode towards the front of the small army while Emp kept walking casually. To be honest, he felt like just walking slowly like this was a bit boring. He felt he was going too slowly to make any significant progress but still couldn''t stop to just take in the scenery anywhere or the whole group would stop with him.


    There was nothing else for him to do than to train and speak with the others as he walked. As usual, Celtine was the one he spoke to the most.


    \u003c What will you do with me when we get there? \u003e The girl on his shoulders asked.


    Emp had the definite habit of keeping her with him everywhere he went. It was almost strange to not have her close at this point but there were some things that couldn''t be helped.


    If he knew there was a battle about to happen, he would not recklessly keep her on his shoulders for example because it was dangerous for arrows and similar things. She''d be taller than anyone else and exposed, it was simply a bad idea if the opponent wasn''t a mindless beast and it would hinder his own movement slightly even with all the combat practice he did with her on his shoulders.


    On the other hand, facing these army officers wasn''t like walking into a battlefield at all. He wanted to just walk over there with her on his shoulders like he did back then in the great hall of the school. They both understood that it wasn''t the right way to do things this time however. He wanted to present his conviction and resolve to them by showing them his usual self right away. He wanted them to see that logic and reason where more important to him than appearances and traditions. Celtine disagreed with his point of view however and took a long time to convince him otherwise.


    Despite how he felt reluctant to yield on this she was adamant that being forced to walk for once wasn''t so terrible. She had convinced him that enduring for now would be better in the long run than to confronting them head on. He had ended up agreeing that instead of placing himself as an opponent, he should first try to see if they were truly on his uncle side and if they could be turned to his own.


    Taking things head on was a perfectly fine way to do things for a Muracier as none of them seemed to like going at things in a roundabout way. That was what he first believed he should do as it would bring him respect for upholding what he believed was right. It didn''t mean it was the only way to go however and as long as Celtine or someone else was able to provide a proper argument to show the other option was better he was willing to change his mind.


    In this case, he ended up agreeing that as long as Celtine wasn''t bothered to not ride on his shoulders for a while, it would be for the best to not alienate them for something so silly. It would be more advantageous to learn about them first. He should act more like wind around a boulder instead of a hammer, that was what she said.


    "You won''t be on my shoulders but I''ll keep all four of you around me to provide help and advice." He finally answered her question.


    Svae and the Porter sisters would help her stand if there was such a need and the mere presence of those four shouldn''t annoy them too much since two were his own sealed slaves and two were his retainers. It was his right to want them close to provide assistance. Celtine would be able to take notes as usual, Svae would be close by to do the servant work that needed to be done and the Porter sisters would be able to learn and maybe help if the occasion presented itself.


    "By you four you mean Erin, Leo and me too right?" Svae asked to confirm.


    She was currently swimming at his side, just high enough to catch the sisters if they happened to fall from the horse. Emp didn''t think they would fall though, they were getting pretty good at it. That being said...


    "Yes, I''ll keep all of you close but I''ll have to have you all walk. Getting here on foot and lending you my horse is fine but I can''t meet the lords on foot. We''ll have to switch before we get there."


    "Oh! Thank the ancestors!" Leo cried out while Erin let out a profound sigh.


    Maybe they didn''t like riding all that much.


    "I''ll repeat it all before we meet them but just to be safe, I''ll ask you three to stay silent with them. Unless you''re directly spoken to, please don''t say anything. Celtine can still write me some messages because they won''t be able to hear but that''s all."


    "Don''t worry, we won''t disappoint you!" Erin said while straightening her back in pride.


    That was a good answer but he still gave them an additional warning and advice.


    "Even if they look down on you for your age or size, don''t fall for the provocation. Even if they were to snicker, it would not be the time to prove them wrong, you would just seem immature. Just wait for the right moment to show them your worth, whatever they say or think, remember that you two are here because I trust you and I believe in your talent."


    Leo made a sour face in answer while Erin smile deepened.


    "We''ll show them you are right and make you proud!"


    Emp would rather have her stay calm than try to impress anyone but if she at least understood the point, Emp didn''t feel the need to insist anymore.


    \u003c I''m happy that you care so much for me that you''re reluctant on letting me walk by myself but I''m also glad that we can agree on what needs to be done. I really don''t want to be a burden to you and I need you to succeed to get what I want. \u003e


    Emp didn''t know how to answer that properly so he just rubbed her ankle affectionately. He wasn''t sure that this was really all that she wanted to say but he knew it would be impossible to extract her complete thoughts from her. She made it sound like she wanted him to succeed only for her own benefit but he believed she really wanted him to win regardless of whether it helped her or not.


    Since the time he had spoken to her about his desire to get her love, it had been pretty hard to get her to state any of her own desires at all. She had somewhat closed up despite his best efforts and whenever a topic like that came up and he insisted, he would get no answer aside from her obvious frustration.


    He knew it was important to speak to her again about all of this. Not only because he wanted her to be happy no matter what but also because it was this talk that had prompted him to say he''d make himself the emperor of Steelwood for the first time. This was a sort of turning point for him but even after all of this time, he still hadn''t managed to get an answer out of her. He just wanted her to tell him if absorbing the tribes land and ending that senseless war would be enough for her to acknowledge his feelings. He just wanted her to tell him what she wanted him to do.


    He felt he still shared a good relationship with her but missed how open it was before. There was some sort of veil between them now and he couldn''t get through it. All he could do was to show her that he hadn''t changed his mind.


    The voice of Jin interrupted his thoughts as he rode his horse closer to him.


    "Lord heir great general, sir, you called for me?"


    He sounded formal but still looked upbeat. He wasn''t worried at all about why Emp called him here. He had been in a really great mood since they left Dark-glint after all.


    Turning his head towards Jin, he saw that today as well, the mouse-like girl rode with him on his horse. He held her in front of him and it didn''t obstruct his line of sight at all because she was too small. Cursed-bloods from the mouse tribe were always short and Jin was rather tall so this wasn''t strange at all.


    The girl looked equally pleased and embarrassed. As they left Dark-glint, she had mostly looked worried but as things went on and she understood that no one was bothered by how close to her master she was, she had relaxed a lot. Now she was just embarrassed by this public display even though she seemed to enjoy it too. Her long tail was coiled around the leg of Jin and holding on to him as strongly as it could and her back was resting on him.


    Emp hoped the two of them would not be too upset by what he had to tell them.


    "I did call for you. We need to talk about how we will all present ourselves to the troops we''re joining with. I don''t know yet what to expect from their commanders so Kenneth and I are going around to ask everyone to refrain from doing anything strange."


    Jin immediately frowned.


    "I think I know where this is going already."


    "It annoys me too but once we get closer to them, I''d like you to not be so open about your relationship with her."


    "What was the point of telling me I was free to do as I pleased if it was to take that right back just after." He asked in clear displeasure.


    The mouse girl tried to calm him down but it didn''t seem that effective.


    "I''m not telling you to put an end to it, I''m telling you to not wave it right in the face of the commanders waiting for us. I don''t know how they''ll react and as long as I''m not the actual great general, I can''t force their hands effectively.


    I can''t let them use something that silly to go against me and help my uncle, we can''t show mistakes or weaknesses. That''s why I''ll put Celtine down too and order Svaenaha to walk instead of fly as well. I''m just telling you to keep it private while I''m looking for how to deal with them.


    If they turn out to be friendly enough then I''ll let you do as you please again. If they aren''t you just have to not turn her into a target. Please understand what''s at stake here."


    Jin still looked unsatisfied but had to bend in front of Emp''s orders.


    "Understood general. I won''t make things difficult for you."


    The mouse twisted her upper body around to look at him in the eye and spoke a few words.


    "Don''t be upset. I''m fine, I don''t want to cause you any trouble." She assured him.


    She was sincere of course but Emp understood that Jin didn''t care at all whether she caused him trouble or not. He was clearly willing to face the problems. Now that his heart had been left out of the box it was hiding in, he was unwilling to place it back inside.


    Once again, her words were ineffective on him. He was certain that she would eventually manage to soothe him but at least for now, he needed to give something more to Jin.


    "If a conflict still happens over this, I''ll take your side. I am not a coward Jin, I will stand for what I think is right. The way people treat the cursed-bloods is wrong to begin with. I want to make a change, I will make a change, but this isn''t the way to do it or the time for it.


    I still believe that if you two love each other, you should not be ashamed of it but I need some time to find a real solution. Please, for now, take comfort in knowing that everyone here is working towards the same goal and have no problems with you and her."


    Jin looked at the soldiers and officers around them. They had been pretending to not be listening in but Emp was talking out in the open so of course they overheard most of it. Since Jin looked their way, they showed and voiced their support to prove Emp right.


    Emp felt he just needed to show everyone the good side of the cursed-bloods to get the favorable opinion of the majority. As for the soldiers of his legion, Emp felt they had mostly aligned with him.


    It couldn''t be said that all the soldiers in the legion were in agreement since all sorts of opinion and past experiences existed, there would always be some that disagreed. Since their leader Emp Muracier was pretty open about his own opinion however, the current majority sided his way. Those already in agreement had been bolstered by Emp and those clearly against had either changed their mind or bit their tongue like their opponents usually did.


    One of them even made some explicit comment about how cute he thought the mouse girl was. That wasn''t really proper but not worthy of a punishment from him. Maybe his rooter would scold him later for it. The next moment, a rock crashed into his helm with a loud bang and the offending soldier collapsed unconscious with his helm bent inwards.


    "Spencer got knocked out!" The surrounding soldiers mocked while Emp turned an accusing frown towards Leo.


    "I don''t understand why you said that throwing rocks at the bad guys wasn''t a good idea. It''s really effective!" She claimed in excitement.


    "I don''t think that''s why he''s frowning." Svae told the younger girl.


    The two of them had now fully assimilated the elixirs and were much stronger and faster than they were before. The rocks they could now throw no longer just harmlessly bounced off armor but punched deep dents into them instead. Rocks were now lethal weapons in their hands.


    He still thought that rocks weren''t proper weapons however and didn''t want them to hit his own troops.


    "Could you please refrain from knocking out my troops while we''re marching." Emp said on a scolding tone.


    "What? Why? What he said was clearly uncalled for and inappropriate, he got what he deserved, he''s a bad guy."


    "Yeah but he''s still one of his soldiers, he needs them to fight for him, they''re no good if they''re unconscious." Erin explained to her sister.


    That was only half right but now wasn''t the time to try to explain to them who in the hierarchy was supposed to inflict punishment on who nor was it the time to tell them that a rock in the head wasn''t a proper punishment.


    "Lady Leonni should take example from Lady Erin. She''d be much cuter." A soldier complained from the side.


    "Yeah, lady Erin is the best after all! Lady Erin! Won''t you please give me a chance! I''ll show you how impressive I can be!" Another enthusiastic soldier shouted before a second loud bang knocked him out as well.


    No luck for him it seemed. That was the harshest rejection Emp saw from Erin up to now.


    Emp turned his frown towards Erin who quickly tried to pretend that it was Leo who threw that second stone as well. Emp wouldn''t be deceived however.


    "Erin, you know that when you two damage those helm I have to either replace them or have them repaired right?"


    "I think the general is missing the point too." Another soldier complained in a whisper.


    "That''s because he trust the shacking lad who stutters a lot to pull us back on our feet."


    Emp ignored them and focused on Erin who lowered her head in apology.


    "I''m sorry, the rock flew on its own."


    "Where did you get all those stones anyway?"


    Leo puffed up her chest to tell him.


    "We picked them up earlier while we where ups/" Erin interrupted her quickly while blocking the mouth of her sister with her hand. "While we were up on the hill! Earlier while we were up on that short hill, yeah."


    Emp thought it was a bit suspicious but since the soldiers around them chuckled it probably wasn''t something too outrageous so he let the lie slide.


    In any case, Jin seemed to feel a bit better now so Emp let him go.


    Now he just had to hope that no one would do anything ridiculous in a few days when they met the others.


    Behind him the rooters were working hard to fix the mess so everything was fine for now.


    "Don''t just let them lie there in the middle of the road! Someone come pick those two idiots up!"