Chapter 23: A Cold Morning

"Time to wake up..." A voice called out to me in an attempt to lure me away from the bliss that was sleep.

"Mn. Don't wanna..." I chose to outright reject the voice. Who could leave this heavenly sensation? The perfect mix of hot and cold that made the room's atmosphere all the better.

"We'll leave without you this time..." The feminine voice cooed. I could feel a hand gently caressing my head. "Are you feeling any better?"

Deciding to give up the sensation of heaven beneath me I sat up to face the person to whom the voice belonged to and was surprised by who I saw. It was usually Prylla who would wake me in the mornings, but today I was facing Ireyne. She had a concerned look on her face as she awaited my reply. "Actually yeah… A little bit. I don't feel as weak as I did."

"Really? That's great!" She perked up visibly happy about the news. "I'm sure Prylla will be glad that you're feeling a bit better."

"Where is she anyway? She's normally who wakes me in the morning."

"Well er… I don't think she'd want me to um..." Ireyne shifted uncomfortably in her seat next to my bed. Rolling her fingers over each other as she quickly shifted her gaze away from me avoiding my eyes. It couldn't be anything bad, could it? I'd never want them to keep secrets from me. Not like they can get away with very much as it is.

"Well she can tell me herself then." I crossed my arms as I made my statement. I wasn't going to let this one go so easily. Ireyne let out a visible breath which dispersed a few inches away from her face. Just how cold was it here? I shook my head a little as Ireyne went to help me get up from bed.

"You don't want help?"

"I think I can manage it myself today. Go get Prylla. We should start by investigating the most recent disappearance."

"Understood. If you need anything just yell, we'll come running." Ireyne nodded and gave me a little wink. She swiftly left the room to go get Prylla.

I flung the heavy blanket off myself exposing myself to the freezing room. It seems that heated rooms were quite above our current budget. Shivering a bit I placed my feet firmly on the wooden floor. Using my hands to balance myself I steadily stood up. Staying still for a moment while I caught my bearings I heard a slight gasp and two pairs of footsteps entering the room.

"My Lady!" Prylla rushed to steady me the second she saw me trying to move on my own. Her hands lightly gripped either side of my waist to balance me. I could see Ireyne chuckling lightly in the doorway as she entered.

"It's fine. It's fine. Let go." I tugged on her hands and she let go as I requested. I turned to face her showing that I could stand just fine on my own even giving a little twirl. "See? I can move on my own."

"Hmph. Well if you say so..." Prylla huffed with a slightly displeased look on her face. Did she not want me to walk on my own? I wasn't really sure what to make of it. "Are you going to get dressed on your own too?"

"I could never take away your job like that. I know how you like to dote on me." I waved my hands sarcastically with a wry grin on my face which only caused her to blush lightly.

"Well anyway…" She put her fist to her mouth and cleared her throat. "Ireyne already told me. We're going to look into the most recent disappearance, right?" She turned to look at Ireyne as if asking for confirmation and Ireyne nodded back.

"That means we'll be going to the eastern district. I saw some flyers hanging around the city. A young boy disappeared from there recently following the usual pattern from what I understand. He expressed discontent with the current state of the kingdom and even Odglass herself. Apparently the boy had a distaste for spirits which is considered heretical here and was last seen expressing it loudly at a tavern."

It was true that the people of Gusteko were deeply spiritual people. This is heavily reflected in the structure of their society. The church holds a significant amount of power between the Holy King and it's Archbishops which aren't the same as a Sin Archbishop such as myself. The rulers of the country hold the title of Holy King and are chosen during an election by the spirit beast Odglass. From what I understand there aren't any special requirements to become the ruler of Gusteko beyond being chosen by the spirit which even that is shrouded by an air of mystery.

"The boy was reported missing the next day which if I'm to be honest doesn't feel like what we're looking for. This could've just been a lynch mob for all we know."

"While that's plausible considering the nature of the country we're in I still would like to cover all our bases."

"Um… I think it's worth looking into." Ireyne broke her silence. "Even if it's just a lynch mob we might be able to find more dissenters which might lead us to the next target for silencing."

I looked at Ireyne and nodded. "Well let's eat breakfast and head out then." With everyone in agreement we finished bundling up and ate.

Prylla led us out of the west district where our inn was located and we followed her to the eastern district. The city had a mystical feel to it. I couldn't help but admire the pure white snow that blanketed the streets and rooftops. I could see the dome of a large church in the distance as a loud bell began to ring out. It was probably to indicate the morning service would start soon.

We continued onward until I noticed something that made me stop in my tracks. "Hey look!" I pointed.

"Hm, what is it?" Ireyne spoke up before her eyes widened in surprise.

A small blue dot darted around a corner and whizzed past us before circling back around. It hovered around my head for a second before bouncing up and down around my left hand.

"First time seeing a spirit, little lady?" A male voice rang out from behind me. I turned my head to see a fairly large looking man bundled in multiple layers as most people were. "You're quite blessed for a spirit to take a liking to you so easily."

"Really? Do they not do this normally?"

"Spirits don't tend to play well with people without an affinity for them. Most people in Gusteko would be quite jealous to have a spirit approach them so casually."

The little blue orb continued to bounce around my hand before fading away as if it was never there.

"Aw, it's gone."

"Don't worry about it. Gusteko's home to many spirits which are friendly to humans. I'm sure you'll see quite a few." The man chuckled lightly as he rubbed his chin.

"My Lady, we really should keep going." Prylla called out from ahead and I turned back to the man one last time.

"Sorry, I really need to go. Thanks anyway!" I waved to the man as I caught up with Prylla and we walked off.

"Don't mention it." The man yelled out his voice obscured by the freezing wind.

It didn't take long from where we left the man to reach the bar that Prylla mentioned. It was a fairly respectable looking place that was maintained. We were greeted by the bartender as we entered the building who had a puzzled expression on his face when he noticed me.

"A kid? Sorry, but we don't serve kids here."

"We're not customers." Prylla replied to the man as the three of us each took a seat at the counter.

"If you're not a customer then you're wasting my time. This booze isn't going to drink itself and I have a family to feed. Besides, isn't it a bad example to get drunk this early in the day?" The man was cleaning out a cup with a towel and once he finished he placed it with the other cups with a clink.

"Hah- Like I said that's not why we're here..."

"Yeah… Yeah..." The man dismissed her comment as he grabbed three cups and placed them in front of us. He filled mine with water while pouring something else for Prylla and Ireyne.

"I said we weren't here to buy anything! Are you even listening?" Prylla raised her voice a little as she pushed the cup away from her. I took a sip of the cold water he offered me. I could feel my throat chill as the liquid slipped down my throat.

"It's fine Prylla, pay the man for it. We shouldn't expect something from nothing, right? That'd be disrespectful and I really~ don't like being rude if I can help it."

"Hmph. Kid's sensible compared to her... mom? Mom's? Sisters?"

"Gah!" Prylla and Ireyne both blushed heavily while spitting their drinks out of their noses. I didn't really see what the big deal was. The man was just a little curious about our dynamic.

"W-W-What!? Me? With her? N-N-..." Ireyne stuttered heavily over her words.

"That's not important!" Prylla's face looked as red as an appa and slammed her hands on the wooden counter.

"Geeze lady. Try not to break my bar. I can't afford anymore repairs." The bartender lazily exclaimed with a blank expression on his face which only seemed to add to Prylla and Ireyne's flustered expressions.

"Repairs? Do people break your bar often?" I asked him.

"Hmph. These kids show no respect nowadays. First they insult not only the church, the Holy King, but Odglass herself! There was a pair the other day that got into an alcohol fueled brawl over their disagreement about how the country is run. Now I usually try to stay out of things like this, but no Gustekan can stand by while Odglass's name is used in vain." The man visibly flared with passion as he spoke. "I cut them both off before kicking them out of my bar and I thought that'd be the end of it."

"It wasn't?"

"No, they got into a fight outside and the guards broke it up. I think they dragged one away kicking and screaming." The man formed a displeased expression on his face and let out a sigh. "Incidents like that ruin a good tavern's reputation, you know. People come here because of the peaceful atmosphere where they can drown their problems away. Not to listen to blasphemy and fight like wild animals." The man shook his head before grabbing Ireyne's empty cup and pouring her another one. I wasn't paying attention before, but both of them seem to have already downed at least three glasses, each still visibly red in the face.

"Do you know anything about the one that was dragged off?"

"Let me think..." The man pondered silently for a moment. "Nope I don't. Why is someone so young interested in two good for nothing's anyway?"

"Just looking for information that might link to the disappearances."

The man formed a puzzled expression for a moment before a realization seemed to hit him. "I'd drop it if I were you. Nothing good comes from sniffing too deep into the church's affairs."

"Can't I'm afraid. They might have a solution to a little problem of mine." I gave the man my best poker face as he seemed to inspect me. I eventually raised my left hand and showed him my disfiguration.

"That's… I don't know why you'd think the church could help with that."

"It's worth a shot." I deflected with a shrug.

"Anyway, as I said I can't really help you at all." The man waved his hand.

"How often did those two show up here?" I questioned.

"Nightly, why?"

"Hold out your hand." The man's confusion became more evident, but he ultimately obliged. I took his rough hand in mine and activated Object Premonition. As the usual pattern went, the world around me faded and crumbled away.

AN:

Another restless night another chapter! I've drafted out a rough plot for the first IF story of the series, Wrath IF, which I'm excited about writing out once I get to the divergence point.