The number of servants seems to have increased. They have been busying themselves since morning. There is an air of celebration permeating throughout the royal castle. Fresh flowers were placed inside the ball room and foyers. Maids meticulously cleaned the carpet and floor, dusted frames of paintings that hung on interior walls.
Walking around like she is sight-seeing, Ariel casually observed the workers move to and fro in her simple silky skirt and bright shirt, with a snug blue vest on top. She sensed they have done this before. They were not doing this for a special occasion, despite all the recent events.
She entered Renner's quarters without challenge. The Princess was sitting in front of a dresser. A maid gently brushing her hair.
"Greetings, Ariel." Renner smiled when she saw her in the reflection and turned around. "You may leave us." She said to the maid.
"Hi, Renner." Ariel puts up an energetic smile while the maid walked past her and out the door. The maid focused on Ariel with her peripheral vision.
'Another spy working for one of the nobles. Go ahead and tell them what you see. I'm just an innocent girl doing girly stuff with the Princess.'
The maid did not look down on Ariel. Unlike Climb, she is someone with actual power. The nobles, or the maids' parents, instructed them to have friendly relations with Ariel in order to get close to her.
"Is today special? There are a lot of people decorating."
"Not really. It's just a routine social event for the nobles to unwind. They do this every week or so. Usually, they choose to have it at the Valencia Palace when it's not summer, because of the spring-like weather within the castle ground all year round. Come sit with me."
Renner got up from her dresser, inviting Ariel to join her at the tea table. There is already tea prepared from the morning, kept hot in enchanted tea pot.
"The nobles will arrive later in the day. You do not have to participate in their boring games. They don't bring their children either, so it's ok to skip on those. But in the evening, there will be a party. I suggest you find something nice to wear, as you will probably be invited as a guest of honor. Be friendly but don't agree to any of their demands if you are not comfortable with it."
"That's what I'm worried about. If they want me to work for the Re-Estize military, I might have to use my power to kill people. I don't like killing people who are not threatening me. It's not the same as killing monsters and undead."
Ariel looked down with an unsure look on her face. She hasn't touched her tea poured by the Princess.
'What a sweet summer child I am. Go on, manipulate me like you do all the others. If I'm in your control, there is no reason to backstab me.'
"Don't worry, Ariel. The nobles have their own pride too. They will not put the entire burden of war on the shoulders of one girl. I will also be coming to the party. Stay close to me. I know how to get out of sticky situations in the royal court."
While Renner was saying this, she was thinking about how to use Ariel to shield her from marriage proposals, which would surely come from more than one noble family attending the event.
'So that's what you want from me.'
Compared to Renner, Ariel seems like the next best choice. A girl almost at a marriageable age, capable of powerful divine magic, and with no land or title to her name. A hermit like her has no experience mingling in high society. She would be an easy target.
The two young women left Renner's quarters and got ready to leave. They were going to visit the soup kitchen today, funded with Renner's money. The Princess walked gracefully in the hallway, almost gliding on the carpet in her long dress. In contrast, Ariel had a spring in her steps. Her accordion skirt bounced with her knees. Her arms swinging naturally.
Renner grew more confident that her plan would work. A woman so free with her body allows men to forego many formalities. It would make them feel more comfortable and appropriate to approach her casually.
Climb stood waiting near the entrance of the palace next to some guards in full gear. He straightened up a little and watched Renner with admiration in his eyes.
"Would you like to bring your own personal guard along as well?"
"Yes. I think she might be in the training area."
"I will have someone fetch her. You can change your clothes if you like."
"Are you going to wear that to the soup kitchen?" Ariel eyed Renner's cyan blue dress up and down.
"Yes. I have an image to maintain as part of the royal household. It gives people hope that they are not forgotten."
After changing into her traveling attire, Ariel rode in a small royal carriage with Renner, along with their own personal guards sitting beside them. They only had a small escort. The destination is near the poor district. A crowd wearing dilapidated clothing already gathered outside.
The carriage went around and parked behind the building. Climb took Renner's hand gingerly as he helped her out. Brita thought about doing the same, before Ariel jumped out and landed lightly on her feet. She crinkled her nose a bit at the smell of the streets. Renner maintained her gentle smile and nodded at Climb in thanks.
'She's holding her breath. That's why she's keeping her mouth closed.'
Ariel was tempted to start a conversation with Renner and make her breath in some of the bad air, then decided against it. She also wanted to get inside the building quickly.
The soup was bland. Some pieces of vegetables could be made out. What little meat in there was grounded into almost nothing. It was mostly there for the flavor, which was severely lacking.
Renner used a large bread knife and sliced bread for the poor masses. Each person would get two pieces, instead of the usual one piece. They all thanked her generosity quickly in their own way before shoving food into their mouth, using the bread as utensils for the soup.
The soup was being watered down further, with more people keep coming. Ariel didn't expect there would be so many people starving in the capital, and this is not the only soup kitchen according to Renner.
The little princes could not keep up with the demand. Some desperate people tried to reach past the counter to reach for the bread. She dropped the bread knife with a surprised yelp. Climb quickly stepped in and put himself between Renner and the ravenous crowd.
"Brita, your help is needed." Ariel pointed at the loaf of bread.
The redhead picked up the bread knife and quickly cut thick slices. Each about the same amount as the previous two thinner ones. When the bread ran out, the kitchen distributed what little potatoes they had in storage.
'What a sad state of affairs.' Ariel sighed. She can't wait to get out of there, but there is still the matter of healing the sick. She did that quickly, asking the people with the most severe sickness to come forward first, because she may run out of mana. Some people hurried home and brought their sick children, and she healed them too.
"Lady Ariel! Lady Ariel!" A young boy with brown hair and freckles waves from the crowd as he tries to get closer. Unlike the others, he dressed in decent suit pants and brown vest over a white dress shirt.
"Otto? What are you doing here?" Ariel already sensed familiar and non-hostile eyes on her beforehand, but acts surprised and gives the boy a friendly smile.
"I saw people carrying sick children toward a crowded place, and was curious. You work in a soup kitchen now? Why aren't you in the Palace?"
"It's only for today. Come to the back with us. I need to take a break anyway."
Otto talked with Ariel while Renner was being tended to by Climb. He stays at an inn close by, paid with the money the E-Rantel servants brought in. Apparently, they all easily found jobs in the capital working in their profession, earning good money.
'No doubt hired by different nobles trying to learn more about me. That's fine. I'm curious what they think of me.'
When their carriage is about to enter the castle, Ariel looks outside the window "just in time" to see Swords of Darkness standing outside the gate. Ninya was talking with a guard, waiving a scroll between them.
"I think we have guests. Stop the carriage. I will walk from here."
Brita jumps out first to secure the area, waiting for her mistress. She gave Lukrut a professional nod when he waived at her smiling.
The letter written by Gazef that Ariel lent them was not useful in gaining entry into the royal castle. The adventurer team had to learn the news about him from Ariel.
"What happened to Gazef was unfortunate. But we have found a place where your sister is very likely to be after some digging. I would have Brita lead you there, but she must accompany me to an important event this evening. Stay inside my quarters for now. Let the servants tend to you and don't get into trouble."
As Renner predicted, an invite was brought before Ariel's eyes by a well-dressed and polite messenger. The golden letter opened with a pop; the seal belonged to the Revan household.
Renner knocked lightly on Ariel's door just when she finished changing. The Third Princess still wore the same cyan blue dress.
"Are you ready to go, Ariel?"
"Yes. I hope this is alright." Ariel motions at the dress she wore.
"You look wonderful. Come, I will show you where the party is."
Renner was sure ahead of time that Ariel was invited. The maids saw the messenger and gossiped about him where she could hear them.
'They make terrible spies.' Ariel sighed inwardly.
Climb's eyes went wide when he checked out Ariel's outfit as he walked behind the two young ladies in the hallway. She is wearing the qipao dress and white leather sandals she got from Mayor Rettenmaier. The dress is emerald green with golden trims at the edges and patterns of thin golden threads all over. The threads are so fine that they are only visible with the correct lighting angle, making them appear and disappear constantly. Rectangular collars closed around her slender neck. Short sleeves left most of her arms exposed. The form-fitting design leaves little to the imagination. The sides of the skirt have slits reaching all the way to her upper thighs. They opened briefly with her movements. Her hair is held up behind her head with a circular hair ornament made of silver covered with countless tiny diamonds, also a freebie from the mayor.
No one in the world is more beautiful than Princess Renner. This Climb knows in his heart. But the girl beside her is something else. None of the noble ladies he'd seen dressed this risqué. He swallowed when his eyes lingered on her lithe figure. Renner became slightly insecure, but she knows what's important. Ariel is her only ticket out of her current situation.
'That's right. You may be the Golden Princess, but this body was designed from scratch to be cute and enticing. Your chest is flat and you don't workout. Your face and hair are your only physical assets.'
They turned a corner. Ariel looked back briefly at Climb and Brita.
'If Brita suspects him of having uncivilized thoughts toward me, she will rip him a new asshole during training.'
Royal guards in fresh uniforms stood proudly outside the ballroom. Music and laughter could be heard even before they opened the double doors.
Many nobles and their wives mingled in their finest clothes. They all worth a lot of money. But to Ariel, they look gaudy on the level of ridiculousness. The men are not as bad. Many wore military style dress shirts and pants fit for the colonial era, complemented with ribbons and sashes. She recognized some as high-ranking generals by their commander classes. Their ribbons and medals are numerous, but not as dazzling when compared to the nobles' big shiny family crest worn on their chests.
'I guess the family name trumps all, no matter what real achievement you may have.'
She doesn't want to look at the women because they make her want to laugh. Many have heavy make-ups on, making their faces look unnatural. The older noble ladies are the worst. Their faces powdered to a pale white with no amount of real skin showing, their cheeks red with very fake blushes. One of them had her hair done up above her head and wrapped with chains of shiny jewelry; the collar of her dress high enough to cover two third of her already tall hair. If Count Dracula had a wife, she would be it.
The whole crowd looks like the ruling class in The Hunger Games. All they need is some face glitter and hair dye. Professional musicians performed on a platform in a corner. Servants walked around with drink or snacks on plates raised high above their shoulders.
Ariel looks towards a far wall. Long tables were set up with a variety of food and drinks covering every available area. The silky blue tablecloths reached the floor, displaying rich stitched patterns.
The people there didn't bother with any of the food. Only taking drinks for the sake of banging their glass.
'They must not be interested. Even if you are not hungry, it would be a shame to not try at least some.'
Ariel walks toward the tables with Renner not far behind. The Princess waved and smiled at people who greeted her. No one made contact with Ariel. They are still unsure how to approach her. Deep down, they fear her powers and don't want to unintentionally incite her wrath. She could feel their wary eyes on her when she's not looking their way.
'This is such a bounty. Whoever planned this spared no expenses.'
There is meat, seafood, pastry treats of many kinds. Carefully cut fruit pieces in many colors were arranged into little structures on the centers of plates. The amount is more than the party goers would ever need. A pyramid of crystal goblets filled with golden bubbly wine sits in the center.
The meat cold plate smells nice to Ariel's sensitive nose. It was top-quality meat slowly boiled to perfection with many rare herbs and spices, chilled with magic, then cut to nearly identical round slices, and displayed beautifully like a flower on a gigantic plate. Its gelatins glistened like crystal in the magical lighting.
Next to it are shrimp cocktails in different crystal goblets. The shrimps are huge, even without their heads. A noble picked one of them up and made a toast to his friends in a jokingly manner.
"Those peasants asked for a delay in tax collection. Can you believe that? It's their own fault for being so incompetent that they can't even protect their transports from some demi humans. We risk our necks out there protecting this kingdom. The least they can do is follow our examples."
"Hear! Hear!"
The noble made some exaggerated bows, then shoved the glass at a nearby servant. It was taken away quickly to be disposed of.
'Of course. All these are here just to be looked at. There is a banquet later. Lack of physical labor means less need for food.'
Ariel remembered the poor, starving people at the soup kitchen, fighting tooth and nail over a scrap of food. Many of the children she healed suffered from malnourishment. Those were the lucky ones. Some were too weak to navigate the crowd or even get out of their shacks they call home.
'So many opportunities to do good in this world, and so easy too. It's a good thing that I'm on the 'winning' side. They already fear me, but they are also greedy.'
It is normal for the peasant class to pay at least 80 percent tax in the form of harvest or other products for the privilege of living and working on land they cannot own. Some nobles, like the one who took Tuare, barely leave anything. She is curious why the peasants haven't revolted, but she kind of already figured out the answer.
'When you can afford to hire super humans and equip them with magical weapons and armor, a mob armed with clubs and farm tools is no opposition at all.'
It is true that the Kingdom's peasant army is huge when assembled on the Katze Plains, but with no provisions nor siege equipment, they could never take E-Rantel or march for long. The King and the nobles surround themselves with powerful guards, so they can escape and not be taken as hostages. The loyal house troops of each noble can also ride out quickly and massacre the rebels' families in their villages.
She started sampling some of the meat and seafood. Her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel's. Some noble women started to pay attention to her. They are used to eat very little, for appearance's sake and to keep their weight down. They can already guess who she is because Ariel stood out among all the females there. Princess Renner introduced her to the women after exchanging pleasantries.
The first ones to approach Ariel were the younger noble ladies, some of whom not yet married. They greeted her like she was one of their own. Complementing her hair, her dress, and said whatever else that was nice and appropriate in a formal setting.
"You have such nice make-up! I hope you will teach me some time. My fiancé would love it!"
"I don't wear make-up." Ariel replied innocently.
The women around her sucked in a breath. Ariel had a slight rosy blush on her cheeks, caused by the capillaries under her skin. Her skin tone a natural pale ivory color.
The other young women wore frilly dresses. Some exposed their skinny shoulders. Some showed the top part of their large bosoms. None of them were in shape like Ariel. Her exposed arms showed slight definitions of lean muscles. She was presented as a picture of perfect health before the noble ladies, which they could never obtain. They looked at her with envy in their eyes. Ariel looked back with her royal azure blue eyes framed by the bangs of her reddish-brown hair.
Princess Renner skillfully melted the awkwardness away with subjects only interesting to upper class ladies. They were a total bore to Ariel, so she walked away with Brita following behind. With only Climb standing nearby the Princess, several young noble gentlemen were emboldened to approach her. Their attempts to court the Princess were shot down with equally skilled maneuvers.
Prince Barbro arrived late. He ordered drinks from his personal wine cellar to be distributed to his close allies, like Marquis Bloomrush. He also ordered prostitutes to do provocative dances around the crowd. People cheered with him. But deep down, he felt conflicted. He is happy that his father regained his health, but frustrated that his day of inheriting the crown got pushed back. He could be an old man himself when that day finally arrives.
"We need to bring that mage girl to our side. Her restoration magic can be a huge boon to us."
"Of course, Crown Prince. To put her talents in service of this kingdom should be a great privilege."
Bloomrush has seen the potential value of Ariel for a while now. Barbro wants to maintain his warrior-like physique for as long as possible, in the hopes of achieving some great martial feat on the battlefield. The Marquis wants to find out the secrets of her true power, whether she could really grant him immortality. He would trade anything, including his first born, to live forever and enjoy his wealth. His family be damned. He could make Ariel his concubine, his second wife, or make her marry one of his sons. He doesn't care. He was already making his way to a particular group of nobles to have a chat.
'Damn, Blooming Onion. You sure are a greedy one.'
Ariel recognizes the name. It was the noble Marquis Reaven complained about in his inner monologue. She is confident that Bloomrush already sold the information about her to the Empire. He was only doing her a service in advertising her worth.
The noble bachelors decided to target Ariel after some prodding from their elders. They puffed up their chests and put on Oscar-winning smiles as they approached her. They congratulated her achievements at E-Rantel, and for healing the King. No one mentioned Gazef. Brita was watching them like a hawk. It was like predators gathering around a prey to her.
The young men then took out different presents from their hidden breast pockets and showed them to Ariel. They are finely made jewelries in small open boxes.
It was a custom for noble men, they said, to give a gift to a lady who has done extraordinary things for the Kingdom upon first meeting.
That was only partially true. The real custom says whichever gift the lady accepts, would be a signal to a potential romantic relationship with the gift giver. The lady puts the item on herself, asks the man how it looks on her, whereas the man compliments her with a prepared speech, and things go from there.
Ariel silently appraised each item. They were all made by master craftsmen, from very rare and valuable materials. There were bracelets, pendants, lockets, brooches, and bangles. There were no earrings, however. Ariel realized her ears were not pierced. Only people very close to her could see that.
'They may have spies among the servants tending to me in the Palace, or they just learned it from the E-Rantel servants. It's hard to learn their inner thoughts when they are solely focused on their jobs. I hope Brita and Renner can make up for my shortcomings.'
"All of them are so pretty! Thank you all for these wonderful gifts!"
Ariel quickly snatched up the little treasures before her one after another, snapping shut their containers in her fingers. She sat them down on a nearby table, got a silky cloth napkin, and wrapped the beautiful little boxes inside like a bindle.
No one could say anything about it. It was the young nobles' fault for trying to ensnare her with their lies. She puts the bindle in Brita's hands, which shook a little bit. Brita doesn't know whether to rest the bundle of treasure on her head or shove it under her shirt. She kept them held up in front of her for the remainder of the party like a beggar.
Not long after Ariel's huge material gain, another noble approaches her confidently. This one dressed in somewhat less expensive clothing than his peers, but that didn't diminish his swagger.
"Greetings, fair lady! My name is Philip Dayton L'Eyre Montserrat. Those fools were sure annoying. I hope they have not ruined your mood."
"Hello. Are you here to give a first meeting present too? You can hand it to Brita over there. She is my trusted companion."
Brita snaps out of her stupor. Her face feels warm as the shame of letting her guard down over some dumb treasures washes over her. She focuses on the new stranger.
"Ahh… I'm nothing like those other men! They were trying to buy you as if you were some property. I offer something much more valuable, a tour at my wonderful family property! It is in a demesne between E-Rantel and the Capital. You will be regarded as the most honored guest!"
'Half the Kingdom is between E-Rantel and the Capital. Can't you be more specific?'
Ariel tries to look into Philip's thoughts for an image of the place. She sees something there, but it is vague, like it was imagined instead of truly seen.
'Is that…ME?'
She saw a mental image of herself bouncing on top of Philip who was lying down. Her torn dress around her waist. She moaned with satisfaction in his imagination. There was physical arousal from Philip. She didn't know if she should feel flattered or disgusted.
'My breasts are not that saggy. They barely move with their firmness. Sigh… I guess my body is having its intended effect. It was fun watching myself riding someone, but people are staring.'
She chose the dress on purpose. Men are prone to make mistakes when a girl looking this cute and vulnerable is presented before them. The outfit only enhanced her desirability.
The young men salivated at the thought of cupping her small handfuls of breasts, or grabbing her round little butt, which only a young girl can have. They struggled to get a glimpse of her toned legs through her dress slits. Older men did the same out of curiosity. They recognize the dress style as originating from the south.
"Unfortunately, I do not have any available time on my schedule. It was nice meeting you anyway. Maybe you can come to the Palace another day to visit."
She brushed him off and moved on. Philip's anger could be felt from behind her. She saw something else in his mind. It looked familiar. Many other men in the room had similar ideas.
'Oh? Is this the place you plan to have your after-party?'
Servants treated the members of Swords of Darkness like valued guests. They brought them food from the kitchen, the same ones served in the banquet. All three men enjoyed the rabbit stew and ice oysters. Maids kept refilling their goblets with wine, hoping to get them drunk and pry information about Ariel.
Ninya is not behaving the same way as her comrades. She still enjoys the food and luxurious residence, but refused any alcohol. She is anxious to find her sister. Every time she asked about the illegal brothels in the capital, the maids dismissed the topic as wild rumors.
When Ariel and Brita finally returned, everyone besides Ninya were in no state to fight.
"You can rest here for the night. What time do you want to go searching for Tuare?"
"I want to go now. How come the people on the streets know about the underground brothels but no one here does? Something is very wrong here." Ninya stood up and fidgeted. Her teammates tried to comfort her. Even if they were not drunk, their bellies are still stuffed to almost bursting.
"Are you sure about that? Fine. Have Brita lead the way. Don't force yourself. And if you do find your sister, do not do something stupid like taking revenge. Come straight back here. I must go rest now. Meeting with so many people was draining. I don't know how Renner does it."
Ninya and Brita carefully navigated the dark alleys in the night. They avoided lights and people. In a secluded part of the neighborhood, a small congregation of people wearing cloaks were entering one of the entrances to the illegal brothel. The two girls waited for the guards to be alone, then Brita silently dispatched them.
"Stay close. We don't know how many more guards they have inside."
"I know how to stay hidden. I'm a rank above you in the Adventurer Guild. Remember?"
Brita used roundabout ways to infiltrate deeper when she could, not using the main entrances where there are more guards. The place seems busier than usual. They reached what looked like the service area for customers. No guards beyond the final entrance for privacy reasons. Inside the final area lined many rooms. Faint moans and screams could be heard through the closed doors.
They felt it was safe to split up to accelerate the search. The place is deceptively big. Brita acted as lookout while Ninya peeked through door cracks and keyholes looking for Tuare. She witnessed more and more horrible things after seeing each room.
After several tens of minutes that felt like hours, a nauseous Ninya walked towards the room at the end of the hallway. The door is sturdier than the others. She peeked inside, seeing only darkness. She puts her ear to it, hearing nothing.
Curious, she carefully picked the lock using the lockpick provided by Brita. She opens the door slowly, then closes it behind her and cast [Continuous Light] on her staff. The combination of sight and smell made her almost throw up all the delicious food she had that evening.
Several naked women with almost no amount of visible body fat lie strewn on the floor. Ninya didn't think they could escape if the door was left open and unguarded. She walks with trembling legs, looking at each woman. None of them looks like Tuare.
Then she saw a thin figure lying on the floor against a wall in the corner. She has blond hair and bruises and cuts all over her. Ninya quickly walks over and kneels down. She holds up the woman's head. She's the same height as the Tuare she remembers. The hair and eye color also match. Although the blonde hair no longer radiant. The cyan eyes lifeless.
"Tuare, Tuare! Do you recognize me? It's your sister!"
The eyeballs turn weakly to look at her.
"Nin…ya."
That confirms it for her. Ninya drapes her cloak over her sister and lifts her to her feet. She feels light, maybe even lighter than herself, despite being a head taller. She half drags and half carries Tuare toward the exit.
"Hang in there, Tuare. I know someone who can make you better and protect you. She saved a fellow adventurer who went through something similar. Now they are like family. I think you will like her."
Ninya whispered to Tuare trying to keep her conscious. Only faint wheezing sounds answered her. The floor behind them wet with a trail of Ninya's tears and some of Tuare's blood.
Brita's face showed surprise, then anger. She took Tuare over. One of the doors burst open behind them when they were about to leave. A woman with bloody face thrown out and landed in the hallway. A naked fat man came out, facing the other way.
"This one's no good! Pluck her teeth and teach her to use her gums if she can't keep her jaws open!"
He stumped the woman in the stomach, then turned around just in time to see the frozen Brita and Ninya.
"[Magic Arrow]!"
The man's head was punctured. His blood and brain matter splashed on the naked woman on the floor, who screamed. All the rooms suddenly became quiet. The guards outside the double doors entered with clubs in hand.
"What's going on here? Who are you?"
Ninya shot one more guard with [Magic Arrow]. The other guard was killed by a throwing knife from Brita.
"Get my sister home! I will cover you."
Brita drapes Tuare over her shoulder and proceeds to use the safest route. More commotions came from the direction of the guard quarters. Ninya pulls the throwing knife out of the dead guard. The other guard is still moving a little bit. She straddles him and brings the knife down with both hands over and over again.
Ninya doesn't feel like escaping. She wants to take revenge. The first Eight Fingers reinforcements were blown away with a fireball. Ninya continues to shoot at people. Being loud is now part of her objective. She's doing everything to lure more people to her location so that Tuare can have a better chance at escaping.
The brothel customers start to run out of their rooms and through the smoke-filled hallway. Some prostitutes who could move also ran. Someone bumps into Ninya. Her fireball hits the ceiling and brings down heavy debris.
She refocuses her attention on the running men, and launches fireballs at them. She wants to burn them away as if cleansing the filth from Tuare's body. She chased them throughout the establishment, while an invisible Ariel egged her on.
'Yessssss… Let the hate consume you!'
Ariel silently cast some buffs on Ninya. She did tell her not to take revenge, but the idea was already planted.
'When someone tells you to not think about pink elephants, what do you think about?'
It was not hard to influence Ninya. The sex slaves' emotional misery became hers. Her spells became stronger and more frequent. The underground brothel quickly caught on fire. People trying to escape Ninya's onslaught ran into dead ends.
Ninya exhausted her mana again in no time at all. She didn't pay attention to the lack of oxygen either. Still, she chose to fight on. Her rage demands it.
Ariel walked the streets in the afternoon dressed in a dark heavy outdoors dress and black leather boots with several buckles. Her hair tied into a ball behind her head, covered by a piece of white cloth and secured with a strip of black silk. She wanted to try a gothic style-like look.
A huge crowd gathered at the city square. Notices on the walls proclaim a rough adventurer killed dozens of innocent women and several nobles and government agents trying to rescue them.
A platform was set up in the square. On it, a chopping block. Armed city guards stand between the crowd and the platform.
"It was discovered that a few criminal elements have been abducting women, imprisoning them somewhere inside the capital. Our brave noble lords and city officials valiantly tried to save those poor souls. But in desperation, the bandit scums silenced the witnesses. Several of the brave nobles and officers who put themselves in harm's way also perished. But have no fear, people of the Kingdom! We have caught one of their collaborators. A disgraced adventurer who disguised her identity. She shall answer for her crimes today!"
The crowd booed as Ninya, covered in a rucksack, was led onto the platform in heavy chains. Ariel identified several government agents dressed as commoners in the crowd. They started throwing pebbles at Ninya. More people followed their examples. There was even a fake merchant pushing a wheelbarrow of rotten fruits.
Rocks and fruits started raining at Ninya. Many in the crowd had a relative or heard of someone who lost a young woman to abductors. The abductions were mostly connected to Eight Fingers.
With her voice lost from the screaming, Ninya could not plead her innocence. Angry family members and associates of the dead nobles visited her in the holding cell, curtesy of Eight Fingers. They took turns torturing her.
Ariel spots the rest of Swords of Darkness in an alley. Peter was being held back by Lukrut and Dyne. She makes her way to them around the crowd.
"Peter! I heard what happened. It's not true, is it? Ninya did not kill those nobles?"
"Of course it's not true! I don't know what's going on here. She shouldn't have gone without us. It's my fault. I was her leader." Peter stops struggling and hits a wall with his fist, then suddenly turns to Ariel. "We can still save her! Steal her body when no one's looking, then you can revive her!"
Peter looks at Ariel with hope in his eyes. She appeared to let that sink in, then shook her head slowly.
"I can't. Ninya was sentenced to death by the state. If I resurrect her, it would be the same as breaking a criminal out of jail."
"She's not a criminal!"
"Peter, let it go. Tuare is safe. let that be enough." Dyne puts his hand on Peter's shoulder.
"I'm sorry to ask you of this, but, you have to denounce Ninya in public." Ariel held up a small rock in front of the trio.
"What do you… No, you can't mean that…" Lukrut stammered.
"DO YOU WANT TO BECOME COLLATERIALS?! The nobles will not be satisfied with just one execution." Ariel looked at them with a serious expression. It was effective, like seeing a kind mother getting angry for the first time.
"Hurry and get it over with. Say your goodbyes to her. I need to leave soon. I have… obligations." She turns her head away. Her eyes hidden behind her hair. A single tear rolls down her cheek.
"I understand. I will not lose anyone else." Peter picks the rock from Ariel's trembling hand. It looked bigger when she was holding it. He slowly walks through the crowd toward the front. The other two men follow suit. Lukrut is already breaking down.
The rock was thrown at Ninya with half-hearted effort. It bounced off the front of the platform.
'Guys! You came! Please leave me. Go back to Tuare, she needs company.' Ninya silently thanked her friends. She would cry out of happiness if she had any tears left.
Peter, Lukrut and Dyne renewed their efforts, throwing more rubbish at their former friend.
"Murderer! Monster! You betrayed us!"
They wanted the crowd to hear. Their projectiles were missing Ninya. It was hard to aim with tear-filled eyes. Soon after they ran out of words and just shouted. The crowd mistook their pain for losing someone dear to them in the massacre.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry for lying to you all! Please forgive me!'
The executioner shoved Ninya on her knees, then pressed her head down against the chopping block. He stepped back and test-swinged his bardiche.
'The officials sure know how to spin this. So many unfortunate lives destroyed by this system. Hers is just one out of many.'
The original plan was to have Ninya accidently kill some innocent women, get her in jail, then get her out of jail with some favors and put Swords of Darkness in Ariel's debt. She would also need Ariel's protection from Eight Finger's retribution. But some nobles decided to relieve their sexual frustrations in the underground brothel that night.
'With her friends turning against her, I should be further absolved from Ninya's actions. They may no longer be in the mood to work for me now. On the other hand, I still have a buxom blonde waiting for me at home, and a lot of influential people need resurrecting.'
The bardiche finally came down, followed by loud cheers from the spectators. The remaining members of Swords of Darkness would be the last ones to leave the square, after everyone else left. Ariel walked back towards the direction of a waiting Brita. She whispered a silent prayer under her breath and ushered Ninya's soul into the afterlife.