15. Careful


The rest of the day proceeded as normal. Or, at least as normal as it could. Arganan managed to make it to the flower shop during the last few hours, helping with the cash register and apologizing for not making it to said shop earlier. Illuminata understood the situation, though, given everything that happened with the monster-turned-man-turned-brief-escapee.

However, it didn't stop Illuminata from asking everything she could.

"Was he a criminal? Do you know if he deliberately broke into the castle, or wandered in there?"

"No." Arganan sighed, shaking his head. "When we found him in there, he was already unconscious. I don't know if Ventuswill just knocked him out or something like that."

"Huh." The self-proclaimed detective frowned, leaning against the counter. "That's odd. I guess we can't find out more until he wakes up though, right?"

He frowned, his eyebrow furrowing. "Please don't barrage him with ten-thousand questions when he wakes up."

"Of course not! I'll let him get adjusted, all that." Illuminata held up a hand in surrender, but then she sighed, shoulders falling slightly. "Okay, okay, maybe I shouldn't have asked Amber thirty questions about her past in the attempt to job her memory when I first brought her home, but still. I was curious."

"I'm just surprised she took it well." Amber wasn't in the shop right now, out on errands to buy some things from the general store, so it was just the two of them inside at the moment. Arganan watched Illuminata sigh softly, before she spoke up.

"Well, about your power—I don't know anything about this Outsider stuff, and it's not like I can ask Jones about it because doctor-patient confidentiality, but if you ever wanna vent to me about it, it's totally fine."

Arganan could only nod, though he couldn't help but smile a little. "Just promise you won't ask me fifty questions about it at once."

A soft chuckle escaped her. "I'll do my best."

"Speaking of questions, however…what do you think of Sir Therius?" Arganan had decided to fill Illuminata in on details about Therius—about Therius checking in on him, hence why he was here in Selphia, the fact that he was just involved in retrieving the patient-turned-temporary-escapee, as well as the past history shared with the white knight back in Lazulis.

"Super-formal. Like Forte." She decided, as she grabbed a broom clean up the floor. Arganan checked the nearby shelves for greenifier, realizing there was less, and figured he could restock them as he listened. "He was very inquisitive when he passed by the shop, yesterday."

"That's him for sure." Arganan wasn't surprised.

Illuminata looked towards him. "I know you told me that you worked with him before and all that, but the fact that Calista sent him to see you is still odd. She could've sent any messenger or physician-esque mage to check on you, but she chose him."

"She trusts him. She has good reason to trust him. And he and her husband, Zael, are close friends." Arganan managed. "If there's anyone they would trust with anything so personal, it's him."

Illuminata did have a good point, though. Why Therius? It could've been any of Zael's friends, or just a random physician-esque mage like Illuminata suggested. Perhaps it was because of his newly-accquired Outsider's power that Calista sent Therius. The white knight did know of the Outsider's power, after all.

What would Calista think of all this? Arganan had no clue. Nor did he really want to know, right now.


It was the next morning, now. Arganan woke up to hear Nancy speaking up from the main floor.

"Your former monster man finally woke up."

He heard Frey gasp. It was unmistakably her, given her higher pitch. "Really!?"

"Yes."

What? Arganan forced himself out of bed, threw on some proper clothing and his eyepatch, before making his way downstairs as soon as he could. "He's awake!?"

The former escapee from the other day was, indeed, conscious and standing before him. His bluish-grey eyes stared at Frey, then Arganan in pure silence. Arganan noted how the young man's blue hair went down to his shoulders. He also had darker animal ears, of some sort, and the blue and black clothing he wore made Arganan think the man was some sort of water creature. He supposed that made sense, given that Frey, Forte and Therius lugged him over to Selphia from the Water Ruins.

And this man…used to be a horse? Where was the resemblance? Did he have a tail? Questions swam in the former Count's mind as Frey spoke her own, aloud.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." The man managed, still staring at both of them. "And…who are you?"

"This is the one who saved you." Nancy introduced, gesturing to Frey.

Frey smiled at him. "I'm Frey. Technically, two other people helped, but…they're not here right now."

The man paused, then answered. "…I'm Dylas."

"Um, I'd like to ask you one thing…Why were you in the Water Ruins?"

Dylas huffed, avoiding Frey's gaze. "None of your business."

Nancy chuckled softly, bordering on a sigh. "Hey, Dylas…Frey saved you. You know that, right? So how about dialing down the foul attitude a bit, hmm?"

Dylas looked a bit guilty, head bowing slightly. "Sorry…I don't know why I was there."

"You lost your memory, too?" Arganan asked.

"Wait, what?" Dylas stared at him, brows furrowing. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Arganan. Nice to meet you. There's someone else who also lost her memory. Amber. Do you know her?"

Dylas shook his head, a sigh leaving him. "No…can I go now?"

"Physically you're fine," Jones started, "but I'm still concerned about…"

"Thank you, for taking care of me." And with that, Dylas up and left the Clinic before anyone else could say a word. Frey could only chuckle a bit, before she looked towards Nancy.

"He's not one to mess around with niceties now, is he? Definitely lives life at his own pace."

"That is true." Nancy admitted.

Arganan could only sigh. As long as that man isn't another Therius in terms of attitude, I'm happy. Not that he didn't mind people like Therius, but the over-formalness could get a bit grating at times.

"Nancy, Jones…thank you very much." Frey thanked Nancy and Jones. "I'm just glad he's feeling better."

"You're very welcome." Nancy beamed.

"I didn't do anything special." Jones managed, with a shrug. "Just my job."

Arganan looked towards the Clinic exit. "Dylas…what is he going to do from here on out, though? I can't imagine he could still go far with the way he is."

"Well…" Frey started, but that was when a sudden yell came from outside the Clinic.

"What are you!?" That voice was unmistakably Dylas' own, clearlyl surprised. Arganan jumped at hearing him, so suddenly. Frey was about to rush out the Clinic herself when someone answered Dylas.

"Oh my, you finally woke up!" Porcoline's cheery voice made Arganan relax. It didn't sound like Dylas was in a fight with him, so that was good. "Wonderful to meet you. I'm called Porcoline. Just Porcoline is fine. There's more, but meh! You may feel free to call me by that name."

"O-okay?" Dylas sounded genuinely confused, given the rise in his tone, and Arganan didn't blame him. Porcoline could be a spontaneous man when he wanted to, after all. "Well, bye!"

"Hmm? And just what are you going to do with yourself from now on?"

Cue the familiar sigh of Dylas. "Don't see how that's any of your business."

"You have nowhere to go, do you?"

"Th-that's none of your concern."

"Then you'll come live at my place!'

"…What?"

"Fortunately for you, I just so happen to have a spare room. Besides, you're fresh out of an extended clinic stay! You're in no condition to wander about. If you plan to leave town, that's fine! But what difference does it make if it's now or later?"

Cue the hesitation. Arganan didn't blame Dylas for being so hesitant about a sudden offer to stay from someone he just met. Especially if that man was Porcoline, of all people. "But I can't just freeload…."

"Then how about you work for me during your stay?"

"Work for you?"

Arganan almost dropped his jaw at hearing that request from Porcoline. Did everyone just go and offer jobs to virtually anyone who had literally no place to go, or at least a place to stay? How nice was everyone in Selphia? How often did they do this? First Arganan and Frey, now Amber and Dylas. It was odd, he admitted to himself, how nice everyone was. It would never stop being so weird to him.

"I run a restaurant here," Porcoline continued, "and I can hire you as a waiter. When you eventually go off on your aimless voyage, you'll still need money after all, no? If you stay in my house and don't like it, you can leave anytime. What do you think? Sounds stupendous, doesn't it?"

"…Okay. I guess I'll stay with you, then."

"WONDERFUL!"

"I'm Dylas. Thank you…Porcoline."

Footsteps moved away from the Clinic, fading. Frey chuckled a bit, looking towards Arganan. "Seems he'll do just fine."

"I suppose so." Arganan managed. Despite the suddenness of the situation, and despite not really knowing this Dylas all too well, he couldn't help but agree. Dylas would be fine in time. Just like Amber. Despite the amnesia, they at least had a new life here.


Arganan went to work, knowing well that word would spread about Dylas and him being the new resident in town. Arganan was also sure that there would hopefully be less of people talking about him and rather about them, especially given how quickly Dylas came to town after Amber.

Unfortunately, as he worked in Illuminata's shop that day, he was wrong. There were a few faces that popped in (particularly Margaret, Vishnal, Bado and even Kiel) to ask about Dylas, given that Arganan was involved in chasing him down the other day.

"Was he badly injured?" It was Kiel that asked, leaning against the shop counter. "Maybe that's why he collapsed like that."

"I didn't see the extent of his wounds at the time." Arganan managed, handing him some Formula A as Kiel handed him the money for it in return. He figured it was best to be tight-lipped about what happened with Ventuswill back there. "I assume he was still too weak to carry himself much further, hence his collapsing."

"He seems okay right now, though." Margaret smiled softly as she looked up from the flowers she just purchased. Arganan was glad said flowers looked okay right now. Summer was approaching soon, and it would approach fast. "Dylas is already willing to start learning to be a waiter, so me and Porco are showing him the ropes."

"He and Doug are already fighting, though." Bado couldn't help but chuckle. "The two of them started yapping at each other within minutes of meeting. Your friend from Lazulis, Sir Therius, had to break them up before it got worse."

Arganan did his best not to groan at that. "I'm…not surprised at that, honestly." He had a feeling Dylas' not-so-open behaviour might not clash well with others. He paused, thinking about Doug. Speaking of the younger man, he hadn't really talked to him much. Sure, Doug was the one who alerted everyone about Arganan running after Frey in Yokmir Forest, but it wasn't like the two talked much since. "I should pay Doug a visit sometime soon. Maybe what happened between him and Dylas was a misunderstanding?"

"Doug's been kind-of fiery for a while, now. I'm not surprised he and Dylas started fighting." The statement made Arganan wonder if Doug was..different, when he first arrived in Selphia. After all, the dwarf had mentioned to him that he lost his village prior to coming here. But if Doug was louder now, and he seemed to be happy, that probably meant that sticking around here was a healing process for him.

In a way, Arganan wondered if being here in Selphia was helping him like it helped Doug. He had people that looked out for him (and more than just because it was their jobs). People were generally friendly here, and welcoming to others very quickly, it seemed. Maybe this place would be a healing source for Amber and Dylas' wellbeings. It was too early to call that now for them, and Arganan supposed it was maybe too early for him to say that for himself as well, but things were, overall, fine so far (save for the things with the monsters and him having the Outsider's power of course).

Margaret, Bado and Kiel left the shop after making their purchases, but someone stepped in afterwards: Sir Therius. Arganan offered him a nod of acknowledgement as Therius approached him. "What is it?"

"I'll be leaving for Lazulis tomorrow."

Arganan raised a brow. "You're not staying until the end of the week?"

"Your niece sent me word that wants me back in Lazulis as soon as possible. She's finalized the peace treaty with the Gurak already, and will need to announce that within the next few days. She wants me back in time, to be there."

"Backup?"

Therius didn't answer, but Arganan guessed that was the case. Not everyone would necessarily be happy with the new peace treaty in Lazulis, after all. There would always be people that wanted separation between the Gurak and humans, especially given that the war only ended a little while ago. Therius paused, then continued speaking. "I will let her know about what happened in the Water Ruins. As well as you."

"Are you going to mention what happened with Ventuswill?" The former Count remembered how tired Venti looked after the whole confrontation. "With her collapsing and all."

"Though she did state that she was just tired from worrying about Lady Frey, I have my doubts," Therius managed. "It would be bad to hear that one of the most powerful beings in Selphia, given her political authority, colapsed like that."

"I don't think that's something that should be publicly outed. And I don't think Calista would foolishly do that, either."

"I agree. However," The younger man looked him in the eye, "If Lady Ventuwill's conditions worsen…"

"We'll have to see how things go." Arganan managed. "If Lady Ventuswill's condition getting worse actually progresses, I'm sure you'd hear of it from Frey or Arthur, if not me. If they want to say it. Just because I know them a bit better doesn't mean I have any extra authority."

"You are in a strange position right now." Therius admitted. "When Lady Calista sent you here, I don't think she expected you to make fast friends with the now-Princess of Selphia."

"No, she probably wasn't." Arganan held back a chuckle at that. He wondered what Calista thought of that. Her own uncle, making friends? Living a peaceful life? Surely, she'd sent him out of Lazulis to cause him misery for what he did to her, and in a way she did succeed. The beds at the Clinic were stiffer than what he had back at the castle, and he didn't have a lot of luxuries at all. For instance, his clothing wasn't nearly as fine as it was now (he managed to buy extra sets of clothing over time, due to saving up on money earned from working for Illuminata), and he had no official political authority on top of that. Add the fact that he was physically weaker than before, and it seemed like a recipe for his own disaster.

But things changed. For the better, for sure. And he certainly didn't expect having the Outsider's power on top of that, either. He didn't expect to have friends (or people close to friends?) so fast. That people actually seemed to care for him for no reason other than friendship. Maybe it was a stroke of luck that the people of Selphia were generally nice to him and other newcomers as a whole. Maybe it was another stroke of luck that Frey arrived literally a day before he did.

He recalled one of the mercenaries, Lowell, muttering something about him having "the devil's luck" back in Lazulis. If he had the devil's luck back there, maybe he had an angel's luck over here.

"But you should be careful, given that position." Therius pointed out. "And especially with that power."

"I will be. I'll try to be."

Therius raised a brow. Arganan sighed, before taking an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to Therius.

"Since you're going so soon, can you take this to Calista? I was planning to send it, but if you're already heading out, you'll probably get to her faster than I would just sending it normally."

"A letter?" Therius looked down at it, then up at him. "When did you write this?"

"Literally this morning. Is there a problem with that?"

"None at all." Therius took it from Arganan. "I'll make sure this gets to her."

"Thank you." Arganan paused, watching as Therius gave him a nod of acknowledgement, turning to leave, before he spoke up again. "And…be careful."

Therius looked back towards him, blinking once. His stoic expression remained, save for a light edge of surprise in his gaze. "The same goes for you," He finally managed, before leaving the shop entirely. Arganan sighed, leaning back against the shop counter, still remembering what he wrote in that letter:

Dear Calista,

Things are getting stranger, here. I previously wrote to you about Amber, but now a young man appeared in town the same way she did—previously a monster, and now a human. I don't understand why such phenomena is happening, other than the fact that Frey is an Earthmate and it has something to do with her. I'm hoping to find out more. I don't know if I will, given how this ties into her position as Princess of Selphia and the fact that Ventuswill seems to know more about all of this than she's letting on, but I'll try.

My stay in Selphia is good, otherwise. I've grown accustomed to the scent of Relax Tea, due to Illuminata often drinking it, and I don't go a day without seeing Amber sipping on Juice or humming from time to time. Nancy's cooking is delicious, and she and Jones are incredibly helpful and attentive regarding my health. I'm *trying* to cook. 'Trying' is the best I can do, because I can't cook croquettes to save my life. Thankfully, Vishnal suffers from the lack of skill like I do, so we struggle together.

Speaking of said health…you know that the Outsider drained me of my energy. I think it's very possible that I might've absorbed some of its power at the time, as well. I don't know how well I can use it. I can myself and others with it, but that seems to be the only way it works so far. Sir Therius can tell you more details, since I gave him a demonstration. If anything else develops, I will let you know when I can.

Also, congratulations on getting closer to peace with the Gurak. You seem to be doing well as Lazulis' new ruler. Therius told me you were in the middle of finalizing the peace treaty, so I do hope it goes through.

Sincerely, Your Uncle