When the Windflower Scripture reached E-Rantel, the fortress city was already in full lock down. No one was allowed in or out without being checked against the Kingdom's registry or being vouched by individuals of high standing. Checkpoints were put up on major roads. People's belongings were searched for artifacts related to necromancy. The Scripture could get inside the city by stealing some identities or by bypassing the guards entirely, but that would take time.
"What should we do captain? There are a lot more guards than usual, and they are actually doing their jobs diligently. Our usual disguises won't work here." The captain of the Windflower Scripture is someone who focuses more on intelligence gathering and surveillance than combat power. He probably has more brains than all the other Scripture captains.
"There is no need to waste time trying to get inside the city. If the traitor is still there, she would be trapped. With the increased security, the Kingdom's government can do our job for us. Put some eyes on all possible exit points. Also look for mysterious deaths and large acquisition of supplies useful for travel. Clementine may have joined a death cult, but she still has basic needs of the living. Collect information on our side mission too. We may encounter enemies beside Zurrernorn."
While establishing positions around the city, the Scripture members learned some interesting things from the locals. Apparently Zurrernorn tried to complete the "Death Spiral" on E-Rantel, by kidnapping a pharmacist from the city and forcing him to use the Crown of Wisdom. The spell was successfully cast, the undead army raised and unleashed unto the unprepared city. A lot of people died initially, but the undead was destroyed quickly by the actions of mostly one individual. Another alarming news was learned: Gazef was alive and on his way to the capital.
"A shame that a Theocracy treasure was destroyed to save some potion maker. But more importantly, why would Gazef be alive? I thought Nigun killed him. This could lead to some grave implications. One traitor from the Black Scripture has caused enough damage already. Now another one? And a captain at that?"
"Sir, I don't think captain Nigun's loyalty should be doubted easily. I have friends in the Sunlight Scripture who can testify his fanaticism to the Gods. Maybe this is all a ruse to hide the warrior captain's death."
"Maybe, or this could be a lot worse. Those two knights killed by magic could have been executed because they were not willing to go along with Nigun. Who knows what could be going on inside his head after his encounter with Blue Roses? I want information collected on this "live" Gazef, including people who were around him at the time, and everything he did while he was here."
With the Crown of Wisdom being destroyed, the Windflower Scripture's mission of going after Clementine became sentimental. Bringing news of the Sunlight Scripture's possible betrayal to the Cardinals became the new top priority. So far, the few people who were with Gazef, according to several eyewitnesses, were a couple of villagers and someone matching the description of "The Oracle," a nickname given to a mysterious girl who supposedly pled with the gods to bring people's souls back in a new body. This little piece of information intrigued the Scripture captain. She was seen raining down holy fire unto the undead forces and defeated two Skeletal Dragons using magic by many people.
"Change of plans. Infiltrate the Adventurer's Guild and collect information on this "Oracle" person. From your reports, she must be a powerful divine magic user. I'm sure the Cardinals would be very interested in this. Do not stop looking for signs of Clementine, but that has now become secondary."
On the night of the undead siege:
"Now what we do?" Clementine couldn't believe her eyes as the Skeletal Dragons were blown out of the sky.
"Quiet, you fopdoodle! Let me think. The mission is a failure. All my preparations these years! You there! Guard the entrance while we prepare." Khajiit ordered his disciples.
"Are we retrieving the Crown and the boy? We could've used those men to carry him." Clementine asked Khajiit as they descended the steps.
"Forget the crown. We must escape. There is no more negative energy left. The ritual might not work again with that boy's condition. There is a secret passage in the back. Let's use it before the enemy get here."
Ariel brought Nfirea back on the Holy Pegasus. He was devastated for not being able to protect Enri. After he was walked into Lizzie's arms wrapped in Ariel's cloak, they went to pick up Nemu from the inn and went to the Adventurer's Guild. Enri's body was preserved for evidence, but that was no longer needed now that Nfirea is safe.
"Did you love her, Nfirea?"
Ariel handed him a cup of hot tea as they sat inside Lizzie's house. It was already the next day.
"Yes. Very much." Said Nfirea after taking a sip in silence. "If I could have fought harder, or did something different, maybe she would still be alive."
"She could still be."
Nemu hugged Ariel's arm, looking at her expectantly. Lizzie narrowed her eyes.
"She is too weak." Nfirea shook his head. "We could pay the Blue Roses captain, but her [Raise Dead] spell consumes a lot of life force. All we can do now is to give her a proper burial."
"I'm not talking about the Blue Roses. I can use more powerful resurrection magic to bring Enri back, if you are fine with that."
"Please bring sister Enri back, miss Ariel." Nemu shook her arm gently.
'So cute. I want to pet her head, but I don't want to appear too sympathetic.' Ariel settled with stroking and squeezing Nemu's small hand.
"Can you really? I would give anything. Please." Nfirea put down his teacup. Enri's body is in another room waiting to be buried.
"Alright. But before we discuss payment, what would you do afterward? Enri was documented as being murdered by your abductors. If I do this, people will find out about another one capable of resurrection in the Kingdom."
"I…" Nfirea put his fists on his knees and lowered his head.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing. You could become famous and make a comfortable living, lady Ariel." Lizzie couldn't stand to see Nfirea suffer any more trauma, but she didn't want to risk offending Ariel and blowing a chance to bring his love interest and Nemu's only family back to life.
"Blue Roses is a powerful adventurer team, with high standing and clout in the Kingdom. I'm a nobody. But I will take your advice, Lizzie. The Adventurer's Guild already tried to recruit me. This might be a perfect time to start a career."
When Ariel got back to the city, she started healing people left and right. Adventurers, soldiers, civilians, it didn't matter. People flocked to her when they found out she didn't charge money. The priests from the temples were not pleased. They thought they would score a big profit in this crisis.
'Consider this your free sample. After showing off my destructive and healing powers, resurrection is not too far-fetched.' Ariel touched the tube containing Gazef's letter. They were inside the same room with Enri's corpse. Her entire body was covered up to hide her wounds. Ariel grabbed the cloth and looked at Nemu. She did not look away.
"[True Resurrection]." Ariel removed the covering and cast her spell. Because she did not use her meta magic, Enri lost her level in Farmer. 'Not that you would need it anymore. I have other plans for you.'
Enri's body healed and regained color in the divine light. She opened her eyes slowly and mumbled. A wide-eyed Nfirea walked over quickly to hold Enri's shoulders. He was beginning to sprout some tears, then realized the state of Enri's clothing and looked away blushing.
'Those are some impressive milk jugs for a teenager. They already look prominent inside a dress. I thought frontier villagers ate poorly, or is her physique normal here?' Ariel looked at the bumps on her own chest. They are smaller but plenty big enough for her small frame. 'I don't want to have cow tits if I can help it. They would be a pain to carry around. Having a well-proportioned body is better.'
Enri's and Ariel's bodies are nothing alike. Both are fit in their own ways. But Enri's has wide hips and a large bust, ideal for child-rearing. Ariel's is smaller, with a compact fit body. She's not flat by any means. In fact, she's almost like a miniature adult woman, with some leftover baby fat on her rounded cheeks.
Enri is helped up by Lizzie and a crying Nemu. Once she got stable enough, she lunged at Nfirea and hugged him against her bare chest. "Enfi!"
Ariel thought she could see steam coming out from the top of Nfirea's head. 'Might be my ability to read emotions, or the anime's way of portraying people has manifested in the real world. She is so oblivious. At least she's upfront about her feelings. Good for her, I guess?'
The Bareare shop remained closed for that day. With the random checks on the city's inhabitants by the guards, and follow-up investigations from the Adventurer's Guild, Enri's resurrection from a ruined corpse was soon found out. The Adventurer's Guild tried even harder to recruit her, or tie her down to E-Rantel at least. She could surpass Lakyus who's based in the capital. "If only she was a man, I could entice him with high class prostitutes. What would a little girl want? Fancy dresses? A doll house?" Pluton Ainzach sat in his guild office stressing.
"I hope that is not the limit of your imagination, old friend." Theo Rakheshir sat in a nearby couch. "This person can resurrect weak individuals without turning them into ashes, and she destroyed two Skeletal Dragons with one spell. Skeletal Dragons are supposed to be immune to magic. If we can learn more about her magic, that would still be a huge gain. I could feel her divine power all the way from the second wall."
"Of course you are interested in her spells." Pluton looked at Theo. "But there are other things I also want from her. You are right. I need to come up with better things to offer. She has no origin from all the information I can gather. There is no one named "Ariel Sanguine" on the Kingdom registry. She came with Gazef. But unfortunately, he left for the capital. We could ask the village girl who was with her, when she's recuperated." Pluton closed his eyes and pinched his nose bridge. "Maybe we can gain her friendship if she stays here long enough. The people here are appreciative of her help, except the temples. Let's ask the mayor for some assistance. Give her a nice little place to live in the central district, with a nice garden. If she starts a family here, she can give birth to powerful magic casters. Although I doubt she can bear many children with those narrow hips of hers."
When Ariel and her associates went to the Adventurer's Guild to pick up Enri's body and to finish some business regarding Nfirea's abduction, Pluton was there in the thick of things. All he saw was a small girl in a fine long-sleeved dark green tunic. He thought she was a merchant's daughter visiting Lizzie. She was not wearing a dress like a noble woman, nor dressed like a peasant. She gave him the vibe of being an adventurer. It was only later that he learned the undead horde and the culprits behind it were defeated by her. Corpses of Zurrernorn members were found in the graveyard, killed by some kind of fire magic. People were praising her as the "Oracle" as she brought the dead back to life regardless of the condition of the corpse. She demanded payment for it, of course. Those who couldn't pay the appropriate amount were looked down at by others. She could only resurrect so many people a day because of mana restrictions, and that is already an impressive feat compared to Lakyus.
"Then we must petition the mayor soon, and convince him that she can be most helpful by staying here." Theo said. "That shouldn't be too hard given what she has already done so far. But if the mayor is more loyal to the Royal faction than to the people…"
"Hmm, I get it. The Guild's power should come in handy in this situation. The people wouldn't like it if their savior is taken away from them. We can try working from that angle. We should also get some nice boy servants she can 'grow up' with in her new place. Hire the best trained maids, squires, and cooks. Make her life as comfortable as possible here. Keep a close eye on her in case she needs anything unexpected."
In the Valencia Palace of the Re-Estize capital, Gazef met with the King behind closed doors, after dismissing his escorts made of a few dozen men all the way from E-Rantel. There was no official announcement about how the warrior captain's mission went. A lot of hush-hush went around the palace. People who learned about Gazef's arrival were confused by the unusual situation. Either he should be successful from his mission and the Royal faction quickly announces it in celebration to increase its power, or the mission failed, and Nobles propose war with the Empire. But if the mission failed, why did Gazef come back alive?
That is what Renner is wondering as she was on her way back from her morning stroll. Her bodyguard followed dutifully behind her to the side quietly.
'Something else happened.' Thought Renner. 'Gazef is not someone to run away, leaving his men behind. Those warriors who came with him were not his Warrior Troop. They were not allowed into the training area within palace grounds.'
Climb walked before Renner and opened the door to her quarters. He tried to look straight ahead as Renner walked past him, giving him a small smile. A maid brought in some tea and snacks after a while. She closed the door and poured tea into a fancy teacup sat in front of Renner. The maid stood to the side and waited as Renner drank her tea. Climb felt something odd here.
'Shouldn't she excuse herself by now?' Usually, maids don't stay around unless they are stationed there or ordered to. Doing so would just be asking for more work.
"How careless."
"?"
"As a bodyguard, you do not keep track of all the people who come close to your charge?"
The small maid turned to face Climb who was standing behind Renner. She looked straight at him with her royal azure blue eyes without lowering her head. Now Climb really felt something was wrong. He stepped out from behind Renner, hand on the handle of his backup sword.
"Who are you-"
"[Hold Species]."
"Errk!"
Climb froze with his sword partially pulled out. Renner lowered her almost-empty teacup and looked at him with a concerned expression. 'Have the Eight Fingers come to kill me after the slavery ban? But there was no sign at all! Plus, the law didn't stop them from doing business as usual!' Renner tried to use her fantastic brain at full capacity. 'She is definitely not a maid. Where could this magic caster be from? The Nobles looked down on magic and would not marry someone for their magical affinity. If it was the Eight Fingers, they would have poisoned me and left, or slit my throat to make sure. I don't feel any different about my body, and she outed herself unnecessarily.'
"Who might you be? Now that I think about it, I do not recognize you as any of my maids." Renner put up a regal appearance.
"Ru-Run!" Climb strained his eyeballs toward Renner, choking out one word with all his remaining free will. Their assailant is standing between Renner and the only exit. She looked small, maybe a bit shorter than Renner, even. But her stance is like that of a tree. Ramrod straight, shoulders squared and relaxed. She pinched her skirt and did a little curtsey.
"Ariel Sanguine, at your service." Not a name Renner recognizes. "I wish to discuss business that can greatly benefit the both of us, Princess Renner."
"I am fine with that, Lady Sanguine. But could you please release my bodyguard from your spell?" Renner was trying to buy time. If another maid came in and screamed, a magic caster would not be able to fight off all the royal guards in these close quarters.
"Yes, if you promise that he would stay put."
"I promise. Will you stand by me and let us finish our conversation, Climb?" Renner looked at Climb with her most innocent smile and a hint of sadness in her eyes. She was not expecting Ariel to carry through. Climb grunted his acknowledgement.
"Release." Ariel waved her hand. She did not need to do that, but silently dispelling the spell can make it look like it wore off. She needs to appear to be in total control here. Climb took in a quick deep breath, then pulled out his sword in a flash and pointed it closely at Ariel's neck. Her icy blue gaze did not waiver, as if Climb was not there.
"I can call the guards and have you arrested for assaulting a member of the Royal Family."
"Climb…" Renner lightly placed her hand on his armor. Ariel could sense a burst of pleasure from Renner towards her pet. 'You're welcome,' she thought.
"Then why not do so already? Surely you can silence me before I can cast another spell. Maybe this will help you understand." Ariel took a big breath and faced towards the ceiling. Climb thought she was about to cast a spell, and shielded Princess Renner completely with his body.
"HELP! ASSASSIN! THE PRINCESS IS IN DANGER! GUARDS! GUARDS!"
Ariel screamed at the top of her lungs. Both Renner and Climb were shocked by the unexpected behavior. They are expecting stomping feet fast approaching and people bursting through the doors. Instead, nothing happened. The room was quiet again. No shouting of alarm in the hallway. They can even hear the birds outside the windows.
Right after Ariel closed the door, she silently cast [Silence] and [Dimensional Lock] just to be safe. She can sense anyone who would approach intending to enter with her Doppelganger and Ranger skills. Renner is a very important subject she wishes to recruit. 'I cannot rely on the information I got from the anime forever. This little monster can help me to not become blind and deaf to the world."
Climb lowered his sword in defeat, but still stood in front of Renner. She gently pushed him to the side. "You are a very talented individual. I'm sorry about my bodyguard's disrespect towards you. Please take a seat, so that we may get to know each other better."
"You are most gracious, Princess." Ariel sat across the table from Renner. "But first, I want to try some of these tasty-looking treats."