Divine Levantia was a bit... stifling if anything else. This country was cold and snowy. While glad I'd brought my winter clothing with me, I'd found no good story but some tall tale straight from some adolescent's mouth.
"I tell ya now, she could eat a car and down cyanide without batting an eye! That's what the 'Glass of Gluttony' does to ya!"
Right, I thought. The story not only lacked credibility, but it was straight out of the Vanika story I'd heard so many times. Will Jacques was not doing a good job impressing me so far. I paid the boy a coin to stop talking and boarded a ship to the neighboring Asmodean. It's said that there, many women were held captive by the lustful Duke Venomania. I know the history, but Jacques claimed that the Duke was merely under the influence of the Sword of Lust. I needed to check the facts.
The Asmodean border patrols were more vigilant, to say the least, than that of Divine Levantia's. They speculated at my age and held me at the crossing gates for hours.
"She claims she's eighteen, but look at her height..."
"And her bust. Hehe!" One laughed dryly at his own stupid comment. I was quite protective of the my growth rate of my feminine features.
"And she refuses to show ID... Hm. Why don't you run along and peddle your cookies elsewhere?"
I could not stand their brutish, idiotic, and probably pedophilic, comments any longer. I dropped a wad of bills into each of their pockets and they instantly shut up and stood aside. I strode past them, hoping that was the last I'd have to deal with Asmodean guards.
Upon entering Lasaland, a region of Asmodean, I asked for directions to the Venomania manor. On the way, I spotted the queerest little garden. It apparently spilled out from a manor owned by the Glassreds, who had previously left due to some huge scandal with the Venomania incident.
I decided to take a little detour and stepped over the fallen fence and entered the manor territory. A small little stream ran parallel to a tree that grew in one corner of the manor yard. I stepped over the stream using small stones and sat there under the tree's shade. Sunlight gleamed in the droplets of water I kicked up as I idly wrote in my notebook. The scenery was splendid and I was reluctant to leave, but I needed to finish inspecting Venomania manor by sunset.
The forest surrounding the manor was strangely thick and blocked out all sunlight, giving the place an eerie and unwelcoming presence, unlike the sunny and serene yard of the Glassred manor. Nonetheless, I stepped over overgrown foliage and saw the ivy covered doors. I'd been told the place had been abandoned for years. I no longer needed formalities.
I had meant to push the door open dramatically, but the rusted hinges gave away and the whole door fell in.
"Rusty... that's all," I say to myself.
The manor interior was even more gloomy than the outside. I sneezed upon looking closely at the dust-coated railings of the central stairs. The carpets were matted with dust. I saw a strange blotch on the area of rug near the opening of the door. It looked like someone had died bleeding, either from a wound or falling down the stairs.
I found all the guest rooms dusty and strangely identical. The beds were all well-kept but still dusty. I wonder if anyone even used these before the Duke's death. The Duke's library was rather small, but held a surprisingly large amount of books on the subject of the Seven Sins. I only recognized Jacques. The other authors were somewhat foreign to me. I picked out a few and put them in my trunk to read later. Reading here only gave me goosebumps.
In the servants quarters, I found strangely no trace of anyone having lived there. How could such a manor have been maintained without servants? On the top floor, I saw shriveled flowers clumped together in a room near the master bedroom. Beside them was a piece of parchment showing a doll adorned in flowers. On the bottom was scrawled the words: I want one
There were no signs or remains of any written record whatsoever, so I decided to conclude once I swept over the master bedroom.
I definitely wasn't expecting anything from the master's room. But I found the remnants of a room were a seemingly large amount of action had taken place.
The covers were torn off of the bed and strewn over the sofa. The curtains were shredded at their fringes and the carpet was littered with stains that smelled just like the bed. I could tell a lot of things in the bed transferred onto the sofa here...
Despite the obvious evidence of a sex-crazed Duke, there was no sign of a sword other than those that crossed the family shield. And they didn't hold anything special.
Once again, Jacques' tale proved too tall to be true.
I searched a bit further into Mystic Town and the more crowded cities of Asmodean, but nothing of the Sins yielded even a clue.
The only fruit of the travels was my encounter with the Asmodean Mercenary company. A couple of their employees felt it was dangerous fro a miss like me to be wandering the world alone without supervision. After blatantly refusing their bodyguard service, I took them up on their offer to tutor me on some fencing lessons.
While I never became a professional at fencing, soon I could hold my own in a duel. They knew nothing of the Sins though, but I thanked them for their help.
A majority of the access I could have had to records and archives was denied because I did not have an Asmodean pass. This was issued to only Asmodean-borne citizens, not to foreigners such as myself. As long as I couldn't access those records, it was likely Asmodean would be a pointless venture for me. So I shifted my sights to the Beelzanian Empire.
I planned out a route to the Retasan Fortress while staying in the Half Moon Pavilion. I stayed for three days, gathering my final conclusions and notes. Afterward, I paid for a carriage to the Beelzanian border. Unfortunately, I was greeted with stout resistance.
The town bordering Beelzania was filled with ragged refugees who had set up their own little establishments in the streets, waiting to cross over. Retasan was only a bit past the border. I couldn't believe the guards wouldn't yield to such a mass of human will. Whatever was causing this blockade, it was definitely a dire situation.
I carried a lighter load with me, leaving my suitcase and ID's at a nearby hotel. The sun was strong in this arid region of Lasaland and a strong wind quickly took me by surprise, sweeping my sunhat away. I chased after it, but it was frustrating. The wind blew and it eluded my grasp many times.
Finally, it blew in the direction of a tall, blonde woman. She plucked it out of the air with ease and eyed me, who ran up to her.
She was really pretty, with straight blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a mouth set on a firm line. I panted pathetically and thanked her as she handed me my hat without a word. Putting on my hat, I watched her walk through the crowds and divide them, her presence a sword. People stiffened at her passing.
This drew to me as odd. I thought about talking further, but I really needed to get to Retasan...
I approached the border gates apprehensively. A guard stood on either side of the post and several guards lined the wall. They all looked tense and worn. I wonder what was happening in Beelzania...
"Excuse me, but I-"
"No immigrants or tourists," The mustached guard said blatantly, "No exceptions."
"But I-"
"Go on, there's a dangerous situation right now. No one allowed in. Got it, kid?"
I didn't like this soldier's attitude. So I said it, "I'll bet the army has a tough time handling an insubordinate like you."
A vein throbbed in his right temple, "What? Insubordinate?! Why you-"
The soldier standing opposite to his post stayed his hand.
He smiled to me sweetly, "No one's allowed beyond the gates. Rules are rules, now run along."
He at least seemed able to be reasoned with. I take out a gold piece and place it in his hand, looking at him directly and speaking softly.
"Is there really no way in? Or can you at least tell me the situation?"
He smiled lightly and returned my bribe, pressing the coin into my palm, "Sorry young miss. I will say the Demon of the Beelzanian Army will root me out if I tell you, and I don't have a death wish. Now please, have a nice day."
I stomped away from the impenetrable wall. Well, that was a horrible failure. But now what? There may not be any way into Retasan other than a smuggler or a detour... Or if I could get a hold of a higher up that would waive me through...
My stomach growled and I realize I hadn't eaten much for breakfast. It was two in the afternoon now and there weren't a lot of restaurants available in this border hamlet. Tired and resigned, I set foot in the bar section of the hotel. Large, burly men and raucous, busty women crowded the small, smelly bar. Alcohol spilled all over the creaky wooden floors and smokey haze stung my eyes as I glanced over the the premises.
I spotted the same blonde woman who'd caught my hat earlier sitting by the bartender. She seemed to be brooding over some text in one hand with her other curled around a beer mug. I sidled through until I was next to her on the table.
"Excuse me," I say, handing some coins to the bartender, "Is there a chef in the house. I'd like the Lolam Dinner Special?"
He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen with his payment. While waiting, I took the seat next to the blonde woman. She looked up, surprised.
"What's a little girl like you doing here? You should know these are dangerous times here at the border..."
"Oh, do tell me," I smile, "I'm Yukina Freesis. From the Freesis family."
"The Freesis Traders? Where are your aides?"
"I expected an introduction. After all, is that not the proper way to respond to another introduction?"
She seemed slightly amused at my proper demeanor and muttered "Liliane Mouchet".
"But call me Lily, alright?"
I nodded in understanding. The name strongly resembled the Daughter of Evil's name, Riliane. I can see how this could make trouble for Miss Mouchet.
"So? What are you doing so far from home?"
"I left," I say simply.
"What?" She looks at me, stunned as I nonchalantly accept my order from the bartender, "You ran away?"
"No..."
I stick a forkful of Lolam meat into my mouth and chew slowly. Lily waits impatiently for my response. I swallow.
"I'm seeking... the knowledge of the Truth."
