Chapter 40: she's so soft… n-no, think about something else!
Upper Fire Month, 29th Day, 600 AGG
"It was an honor to have you accompany us, Lady Rockbruise!" The leader of the merchant caravan waved and shouted after her. "Are you certain you don't want us to wait for you?!"
Leinas silently waved back while smiling and shaking her head. Surprised wouldn't even begin to describe her feelings if Emperor El-Nix was willing to accept her return after she had abandoned her duties in the way she did. This trip to the Draconic Kingdom was likely to be one-way, though the ex-Imperial Knight supposed that the blame for that was solely hers. She really should have requested time-off in a more acceptable manner.
Letting her emotions and hopes control her actions so easily… maybe she'd write an apology to the Emperor later.
'It doesn't look all that different from the last time we visited,' Leinas mused as she parted ways with the caravan. 'Except for the angels, the general optimistic mood, the—ah, who am I kidding? It's changed a lot.'
The last time she set foot in the capital of the Draconic Kingdom was as security detail for one of the Emperor's visits. That had been years ago.
Leinas hoped that a few years was enough time for Queen Oriculus to let go of any grudges she held.
'Don't get your hopes up,' Leinas reminded herself, absentmindedly rearranging the bangs that hid the disfigured portion of her face. 'There's no guarantee the angels can remove this damned curse. There's no guarantee I'll even be granted an audience.'
If only hope was so easy to snuff out. Perhaps her misery would have been more tolerable had she accepted the futility of finding a cure.
"—And so the Lady of Wings spoke, 'I am a bulwark for the meek, a cradle for the weary, and beneath my radiance will you be guarded from the shadow of death!'"
'A priest?' Leinas side-eyed an elderly man preaching to a rapt audience standing around a crudely crafted shrine. 'No, I don't see any priestly garments or ornaments. Just a streetside evangelist then.'
She didn't see any temples or other official sanctuaries of worship on her way to Oriculo. Then again, the angels had only appeared around two months ago. An arrival date that recent didn't allow enough time for structures like that to be built, much less in a kingdom struggling—albeit recovering—from financial woes.
Furthermore, news of this 'Lady of Wings' had only widely spread to the masses for a few weeks. Too soon for any properly organized religion to form.
It was only a matter of time though. Small shrines would become larger shrines that would eventually have temples built around them, and where there was one temple more were sure to follow.
Especially since the 'god' they worshiped literally lived among them.
"I tell you, I have two sons!" Leinas walked towards the pitiful shrine, easily blending in with the small mass of people. May as well check what the public perception of the angel was before she tried to meet with them. "Two sons, who upon becoming men, moved to Caldevera."
The crowd murmured in pained sympathy. Caldevera, Caldevera… that had been one of the beastmen-occupied cities wasn't it?
"All of you can predict what happened when the detestable beastmen fell upon the city. Did they see fit to slaughter us? No! It wasn't enough for them to simply kill us. They needed to enslave us, pen us in like cattle, and butcher us in the same way!"
Leinas ignored the angry shoutings of the people standing beside her. Harboring rage over the deprivations of an enemy was only natural.
"I had given myself into despair," the preacher's voice faltered, his whole body shaking with emotion. "I truly believed that was the herald of the end, that the kingdom was doomed. I, like all of you, resolved myself to face our end with my head lifted high!"
'Is he a layman?' Her fellow listeners seemed far too pliable to the preacher's words; the most devout congregants she knew didn't hang on to every word of a sermon like the people here were. This sort of effect wouldn't be out of place coming from an ordained priest of the Four and Six Gods, but from a worshiper of an upstart 'deity'? There was the possibility that he was an agent trained for this purpose. 'A plant from the Royal Court? Clever of Queen Oriculus if that's the case. Using religion as a state-controlled apparatus for propaganda is something even Emperor El-Nix has failed to achieve.'
Of course, El-Nix didn't have a 'god' at their beck and call—at least it seemed that way from how Countess Tierref described her meeting with Queen Oriculus—and the preacher being a plant from the Crown was just baseless speculation anyways. Either way, the temples of the other major faiths would have to adapt if they wanted to hold onto their influence in the Draconic Kingdom.
"But in our moment of greatest need, Her Majesty entreated the divine to come to the kingdom's aid and was answered!" His statement was met with a cacophonous applause that rang her ears. Leinas resisted the urge to roll her eyes; one could only imagine how many times a similar oration was given in the same place, by the same person, to the same people.
"The beastmen hordes are nothing but chaff under the Goddess's feet! However! However," the preacher calmed down the fervent crowd. "Not only did she see fit to turn away our hated oppressors, but has even granted the blessing of renewed life to those that we thought lost to us! My sons returned to the world of the living! Your loved ones too, as long as you live according to the Goddess's precepts!"
'How long is this going to go on?' Leinas didn't fault their fanaticism, it would be stranger if they weren't so enthusiastic with their praises, but she wasn't here to convert to some new, upstart faith. 'Why am I bothering sticking around?'
Indeed, why was she listening to some zealot rant when her goal was to seek out the Lady of Wings? Listening to the gray-haired man speak, she almost felt… comforted somehow. Like she could forget about her curse, her desire for revenge, all the people who had wronged her.
'Snap out of it,' Leinas's fingernails dug into her palms as she forced herself to focus on the whole reason why she was here. 'Some kind of charm effect? If it is, he doesn't seem to be aware that he's using it.'
Dangerous. It was dangerous in a way that the wilderness and Imperial Bureaucracy weren't.
She pulled herself away from the congregation and hurriedly walked in the direction of Oriculia Castle. Once she was far enough to where she could no longer hear the evangelist's words, the warm fuzzy feeling began to fade.
"Got to be more careful," Leinas quietly said to nobody in particular. "If that effect was any stronger…"
An unregulated widespread mental alteration effect. Leinas's experiences as both a noble and Imperial Knight quickly informed her of why that was a terrible idea.
'No, the city still seems orderly,' the area surrounding her was bereft of zealots running about forcing everyone to worship the Lady of Wings. 'Maybe the queen and her champion have everything under control.'
Even so, she had no desire to have her will bent in such an insidiously subtle fashion. With these thoughts in mind, the ex-Imperial Knight reached a street packed with market stands and hawkers—their voices filling the air with advertisements of their wares.
"Little pastries, all hot!"
"Hot dumplings, who wants 'em? Giving 'em away, selling 'em for next to nothing!"
"Your choice of flowers! Red, yellow, and more!"
"..." Leinas walked up to one of the vendors selling some sort of fried dough glazed in honey. "How much for three?"
"Normally, two. But for a face as pretty as yours? Just one," the vendor winked, expertly wrapping the pastries in parchment paper before placing them atop the table of the stall.
She cracked a small, bitter smile and slid a copper coin towards the vendor. He thanked her for her patronage and went back to peddling his goods as she continued her way down the path.
'When was the last time I did this? Just wandering around and indulging myself?' Her duties as one of the Four Imperial Knights left hardly any time for relaxing and thinking. Probably for the better; her contemplations usually revolved around dark fantasies of revenge if she ever got the damned curse removed.
Leinas took a large bite out of one of the pastries. She was hungrier than expected. A small twinge of regret ran through her; maybe she shouldn't have ditched the caravan so soon. As merchants, they were bound to be more aware of the happenings in the Draconic Kingdom than she was.
A drop of putrid fluid fell from her face and onto her hand.
She dabbed away at the pus that began to drip from the right side of her face, throwing the befouled towel back into a Bag of Holding. Hopefully she'd have time to clean it before her disfiguration could produce more of the nauseating secretions.
'I hate this,' Leinas was suddenly overcome with a sense of immense helplessness. 'Not being able to get rid of this fucking curse. Having to crawl to people like a dog begging for scraps. Having to do that only for them to fail. Every. Single. Time.'
Imperial Knight? What a joke. She knew what people said about her when they thought she wasn't listening.
They were right. After all, isn't that what she was doing now? Abandoned her duties on the mere off-chance that she might find someone to take away this burden of hers. By now, Emperor El-Nix was probably reaching out to replacement candidates for her position.
Leinas felt alone. She was alone.
Her family, friends, and even fiancé abandoned her because of the curse. Everyone else that followed? The Emperor, Baziwood, Nimble, Nazami… weren't they all driven away by her own actions?
She reached into her Bag of Holding, looking for the journal that kept her going when nothing else did. The ex-Imperial Knight brushed past potions, magical accessories, armor—
'I forgot to return my equipment,' Leinas wryly realized. After meeting with the Lady of Wings, she'd need to send the Imperial Knight gear along with the potions back to El-Nix. She was already marked as a deserter, there was no point in becoming a thief too—intentional or otherwise.
Something to worry about later, Leinas pulled the tattered book out and flipped through its pages.
'They're dead now, but you're still up and kicking,' hatred settled back into her gut, reignited by the burning words of condemnation she had jotted down in the journal. 'Remember why you're here, the reason why you've worked so hard in the first place. Remember why you didn't just give up and die.'
Sometimes she wished she hadn't gone so easy on the swine that had abandoned her. Although she had already punished them years ago, it appeared hatred outlived vengeance—
"Not everyday you get to see one of the Four Imperial Knights roaming around in public."
Leinas glared at the whistling man—a priest judging by his attire—who had the boldness to interrupt her train of thought. "What do you want?"
"I'm a priest," he put a hand over his breast in mock-hurt. "I see a hurting soul in need of aid, and aid I shall. Is that so wrong?"
"Ha!" Leinas scoffed. "I doubt you can provide the 'aid' I need. That uniform of yours, it's from the Theocracy isn't it? Sure it's safe for you to wander freely in this city of 'heretics?'"
"They're hardly 'heretics' if the major temples have given their tacit approval," the priest rolled his eyes. Leinas found herself lightening up. It wasn't as if all the clergymen she knew were humorless sermonizers, but it was always nice to meet one that broke the mold. "Besides, I'm afraid I'm no longer a citizen of the Theocracy anymore. Now with all that aside, as a 'heretic' yourself, what are you here for?"
Leinas pushed away the bangs covering the twisted, reddened skin. The priest stared at it with a horrified expression as pus slowly leaked out the cracks in the warped dermis.
"Good enough reason?" She attempted to joke, letting her hair dangle back and cover the disfiguration.
"Well," to his credit, the priest didn't flinch at the harshness in her tone, regaining his composure with remarkable speed. Most people would look at her with a mixture of pity and disgust long after she hid away the blight. "I'd say you're in the right place."
"Here's to hoping," Leinas muttered before raising her voice. "Anyways, what kind of disturbed person would choose to move from the Theocracy to the Draconic Kingdom?"
"Would you believe me if I say I'm a direct subordinate of the Lady of Wings?" The priest half-smiled.
"You're joking," Leinas snorted in disbelief. "I suppose it's for the better that the temples don't teach their acolytes how to lie convincingly."
"Rude," he sniffed. "It was an offer from Her Majesty. And given the contents…"
"Who would give up the chance to serve a god in the flesh, right?" So Queen Oriculus was exploiting the budding faith to completely wrest every last semblance of control away from the major temples. The loss in clerics was likely irrelevant—she'd be surprised if the angels didn't just flat-out replace them. Even if they couldn't, new adherents of the Lady of Wings would eventually rise to the task.
"Right!" The priest snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "What kind of self-respecting priest would I be if I refused the call of the divine, eh?"
"Hmph," Leinas shook her head in amusement. "I don't suppose you could grant me an audience with your 'Goddess.'"
"Tri-Arts Caster couldn't do anything about that?" He cupped his chin with a hand, crossing the other arm across his chest. "Probably means the Throne-things won't do any good either… Hey, tell you what. Follow me to the castle, and I'll see if she isn't too busy right now. How's that sound?"
'Wait, is he seriously…?' She sincerely hoped he had left the Theocracy of his own free will instead of being exiled for insanity. 'Ha, what's the harm? I get turned away? A little humiliation? Nothing that I'm unused to.'
"Sure," she made up her mind. "Don't blame me when you get turned away at the door though."
"Tch… Imperials…" the priest flagged down a pair of Archangel Flames—finally some angels she did recognize. "Hold tight. These guys aren't the smoothest rides."
Leinas took uncertain steps into the armored angel's arms. At least his authority over the lesser angels lent credence to his claims. She hadn't observed anyone else command the silent sentinels; was it a perk of being a direct acolyte?
"Oriculia Castle."
They shot up into the air, wind blasting Leinas's hair upwards. Her hand shot to her bangs, holding them down as the angels carried them to the solemn palace.
She was no stranger to flying. The Empire was home to plenty of Third-Tier spellcasters and flying-beast riders, many of whom she had worked with via the Imperial Army and Royal Air Guard. In contrast, being held by the Archangel Flame was significantly more uncomfortable.
'Funny,' The castle grew larger before her eyes as they entered a rapid descent. 'To think messengers of the gods lose out when it comes to serving as a method of transportation.'
Anyone who enjoyed being flown around in such a way was certainly some kind of deviant.
The lingering thought faded soon enough upon touching the ground, chased away by the relentless hounds of cautious hope and cynical resignation.
"No renovations?" The castle grounds looked the same as Leinas remembered them. Then again, she hardly claimed to have perfect memory. "Surprising."
The priest shrugged in response and marched up to the main entrance. "Silas Ovil Lavigle, here to turn in my weekly report. Oh! And I've got a visitor with me too."
"That so?" The guard yawned. Leinas frowned in disapproval. Having angels around was no excuse to be so lax in one's duties—ah, who was she to say anything? "Hm? Is that—"
"Just another supplicant. Bit of a high profile one, I'm sure you understand," Silas cut off the guard with a smile and pushed her past the sentinels and through the doors. "Quite the coincidence, running into her while I was on the way, you know?"
"Yeah, well, just don't cause any trouble, Lavigle," the guard closed the door behind them. "Things work different around here."
"Tell me about it," Silas mumbled under his breath. "Her Majesty has her work cut out for her."
'I'm sure she had other woes to trouble herself with,' Leinas snarked and trailed after the annoyed priest. "No wonder they dislike you: a foreigner allowed direct access to the heart of their kingdom and from the Theocracy, no less."
"I'm afraid I'm one of their countrymen now for better or worse," Silas led them up a set of stairs. "And is this really how you treat someone trying to help you?"
"Apologies," she rolled her eyes behind the priest's back. It was nice, being able to talk to someone so casually. "I'll endeavor to be more considerate of your feelings."
"Please do," he stopped before an austere door, and rapped on it with his knuckles. "Lavigle here, from the Lady's taskforce."
The heavy door was noiselessly opened from the inside by a lion-headed angel with eyes of fire. Leinas did her best to not turn tail and run away.
'Wha-What is this?' Sweat trickled down her nape. 'This thing, it's—they're using these as bodyguards?'
A champion of the gods, unbreakable, undefeatable, inexorable. One wrong step and she would be dead before she even knew it.
"Heavy Explosion of the Four Imperial Knights," the Prime Minister remained seated, a clear statement of surety in their respective positions. Had it been three months ago, Leinas was certain even Queen Oriculus herself would've stood up to greet her. Now, she was wondering if she shouldn't be bowing with her forehead against the ground. "A pleasure. What brings you away from Arwinter? Emperor El-Nix didn't write about you in his response."
"She's here to ask Lady Yuriko for their healing—"
"Priest Lavigle," the Prime Minister interrupted the priest. "If I wanted to ask you, I would have asked you. I'm sure she can speak for herself, no?"
"It's as he says," Leinas briefly revealed the curse marring her image, repressing the anger and shame that welled up in response to the Prime Minister's grimace. Self-control was more important than ever here, if not for the sake of obtaining a cure, than for survival. "If it pleases you, I would seek succor from the new champion of your kingdom, Lord Asturias."
"Alongside many others," the gray-haired minister leaned against the back of his chair. "Political concerns aside, you'll have to wait. Her Majesty and Lady Yuriko are currently… indisposed."
'What?' Leinas was baffled. 'Indisposed? He doesn't seem particularly worried, so it's not their safety or well-being that's in question. An unplanned trip? Dammit, I'm lacking too much information.'
"That's… unfortunate. I apologize for my presumptuousness, but may I ask when they might return?"
"I'll have someone notify you when they do," the Prime Minister smoothly avoided her question. Did he not know either? "Assuming you're staying in the city that is."
"I don't have any conflicting plans," she essentially quit her job, of course she didn't. "If it's just waiting, then there's absolutely no problem."
"Mm," he grunted in response and turned his attention back to his work. "In that case, you're welcome to wait in the castle if you'd like, Lady Rockbruise. You." He glanced at the Archangel Flames that had flown them over. "Find our guest a free room and inform me after you're done. Silas, hand over your report. I'll ensure it gets to Lady Yuriko, eventually."
"Yes sir," Silas slid the small stack of papers over the desk and turned around to leave the office, giving her a wink on his way out. She raised an unamused eyebrow in response.
The angel floated in front of her, silently prompting her to follow it to her new accommodations. Behind the Archangel Flame, the Prime Minister was lost in a sea of reports, missives, and communications—his thoughts of the ex-Imperial Knight visibly shelved away for more immediate worries.
'I've waited for years,' she sighed and allowed herself to be escorted away from the Prime Minister's office. 'I can wait a little longer.'
"Send support to the elves? And endorse the insanity of that damnable king of theirs?" The bulky leopard-like demihuman with scales speckled over his hide growled at the elf who had brought up the suggestion. "We have had this discussion many times already, Councillor Ifrandre! Let the Theocracy weaken themselves all they like, but do not ask us to throw our people into that meat-grinder!"
Tsaindorcus tiredly watched as the dark-haired elf gritted his teeth and launched an impassioned rebuttal, citing the suffering of his kind and imploring his peers to sympathize with their plight.
'Some things just don't change,' he had set the foundations for many nations—some of which were still around even to the present day—but the conflict between the practical and righteous was an ever-present constant. 'I don't like it, but with what we know of the Elf King, any reinforcements sent are equally likely to be killed by him as they are by Theocracy forces.'
Furthermore, Tsaindorcus had his own suspicions on the Elf King's lineage. He knew for certain that they were the descendents of a Player, but anything more was mere conjecture on his part. Of course, that in itself was not enough reason for him to move against them; children should not suffer for the sins of their parents.
After becoming aware of the atrocities the tyrannical king perpetrated on their own people, he considered removing them, but that would free up the forces of the Theocracy to spread their influence even further.
And so with a heavy heart, he left the elves to their fates for the sake of curbing the influence of their northern neighbors. A small sacrifice in the grand scheme of protecting the balance of the World.
The sentiment didn't make him feel any better.
'To think they once cooperated with each other… Is this what Rigrit meant by warning me of how quickly time can pass by?'
"Enough," Suveria Myronsilk rumbled, putting an end to the argument of the two Councillors. "This topic has been repeated far too often. We will not be sending any military intervention to the Great Forest of Evasha."
"But Councillor Myronsilk—!"
"Councillor Ifrandre," the Blue Sky Dragon Lord kindly shook his head. "You have people of your own to look after in this very state, is that not so? In seeking to save others, do not neglect those you have already promised to represent and protect."
"... Everyone, I apologize for my outburst," Svelzt Ifrandre reluctantly sat back down. The demihuman he had been arguing with snorted in response as they also took a seat.
"On the topic of war," Omnaadsence Iculvus, the Diamond Dragon Lord, broke the brief silence that pervaded the assembly hall. "Are we to continue taking a similar stance regarding the conflict between Re-Estize and Baharuth?"
The goblin Councillor raised his placard. Suveria nodded, giving them the floor. "Let the humans kill each other all they want. What's it got to do with us? We trade with both the Empire and Kingdom anyways, don't we? In fact, wouldn't it be better for us if the Empire wins? Re-Estize hasn't been doing too good for a while, I'll say!"
A number of placards shot up in the air the moment the goblin finished giving their statement. Tsaindorcus allowed himself a small smile at the exasperation Suveria was holding in.
Taking on the role of Prime Councillor was never a particularly enjoyable one, hence why the five permanent dragon Councillors took turns shouldering the burdens of the position. It was a small addition Tsaindorcus had proposed that ended up bearing much greater results than he had expected.
Comrades who suffered the same hardships together nurtured a deeper trust and understanding.
"Councillor Petreus."
"Ahem," the tall and slim human male stood up. "I don't disagree with what Councillor Unk has said, but isn't this a good time to further relationships with both countries? By providing humanitarian aid and stepping up as impartial mediators to the conflict, we can improve our image among the human nations southeast. The citizenry of the Slane Theocracy included, I daresay."
"Didn't we decide to avoid meddling in southeastern affairs?" The leopard-like demihuman from earlier, a Paimavaar, shot to his feet. "We all know how the Theocracy sabotages our operations near human lands. This foolhardy plan will only be a waste of lives! The lives of good citizens—!"
"Councillor Daraaten," Tsaindorcus's words filled the hall despite how soft they were. "I would ask you to abide by the rules of the Assembly. Councillor Unk, you have the right of response."
The Paimavaar gulped and shut his mouth, allowing the goblin to respond to Petreus's points.
"Yes, thank you, Councillor Vaision," the short but stout greenskin inclined his head towards the Platinum Dragon Lord before turning to face his human counterpart. "Despite his interruption, I'm inclined to agree with Councillor Daraaten. Remember our expedition to the Abelion Hills? Only half of the taskforce we sent returned. Half. And this was to a majority demihuman populated location. Imagine how much more hellish operating in their 'cradle of humanity' will be."
"A valid point," Celcere Ramal Lu Petreus admitted. "I'd like to remind everyone that the operation being mentioned was military in nature. If we reach out openly without double-sided intentions, I'm sure the Theocracy will refrain from taking more… extreme actions."
"Foolish!" Someone slammed the table with their fist and jabbed a finger at Celcere. An insectile Blader from the Abelion Hills, Tsaindorcus noted. No wonder they would be opposed. "Relying on the goodwill of the enemy, foolish—!"
"Quiet!" Suveria roared, putting an end to all discourse. Gessenvult Yukleelilith and Zalazilkalia Nahaeunt, the Obsidian and Wyrm Dragon respectively, glanced at the Prime Councillor. Omnaadsence remained unmoving, deep in thought. "I see now that discussing this does nothing but sow discord among us. We'll put it to a vote and move forward from there."
'Seems like it's about time to end this Assembly,' Tsaindorcus abstained from voting. As the most prominent figure in the Council State, he was obliged to be especially cautious with the decisions he made. He wasn't so arrogant to believe he could single-handedly command the entire Assembly, but there were many who would fall in line with whatever he decided. 'Oh, I promised to talk to Suveria and Omnaadsence after this, didn't I?'
"... The majority votes 'nay.' The Council State will remain impartial observers in this conflict until a future vote is held. You are all dismissed."
Tsaindorcus patiently waited for all the Councillors to file out of the Eno'sol Hall. Once the footsteps of the last one faded away, he turned to the remaining four dragon Councillors.
"It's uncommon for all five of us to be present," he cracked a small smile. "Yukleelilith, Nahaeunt. You two are welcome to stay if you'd like."
"The Draconic Kingdom again?" A note of apprehension entered Zalazilkalia's tone. "Has there been a new development?"
"Their queen and the Player have left the borders of the kingdom," the girl, Mira Calventa, had finally found the sense to not give out every scrap of sensitive information—even to the despicable benefactor who had fooled her so. "This hasn't been made publicly known yet, as I'm sure you all are aware."
Tsaindorcus fought the desire to scold the foolish spellcaster for trusting his alternate identity so easily; her proximity and, dare he say, friendship with the Player made her too valuable of an informant to alienate. She was in for a difficult tribulation were young Oriculus ever to find out.
Unfortunately, the omission was a worthless one. It wasn't hard to guess the destination of the pair.
"The Vahasi Republic?" Omnaadsence tapped an impossibly dense claw against the floor. "Has the Player finally decided to let loose? Why would they bother bringing along the Dark Scale Dragon Lord though?"
'If Mira's rantings are to be trusted, then the two have a rather… close relationship,' for some reason, he doubted it was anywhere near as scandalous as what the young spellcaster described. 'An inheritor of the World's blessing and a Player. I wonder, what does this impossible romance spell for everyone else?'
"Perhaps," Tsaindorcus carefully chose his next words. "It is Queen Oriculus that has chosen to bring them along and not the other way around."
"That doesn't seem too unlikely," Gessenvult contemplated. "You said the Player went out of their way to revive beastmen, didn't you? I can't see Oriculus bothering to show that degree of mercy to her hated foes."
"Then we ought to let them deal with the Republic as they please," he let out a quiet exhale of relief as Suveria vocalized their agreement. "From what you've said, we can expect the Player to be moderate in their judgment of the beastmen seeing as they haven't already razed them to ashes. Some measure of revenge is only fair, is it not? The Council of the Republic has been endorsing the consumption of Oriculus's subjects."
"Standing in their way feels unnecessary. If they can cooperate with one of our kind, eighth-blooded as she may be, then the possibility of reasonable discourse exists," Zalazilkalia dipped his head. "Personally, I would like to avoid making a powerful enemy where an ally could be found instead."
"But you do have countermeasures in place," Omnaadsence asked with a gravely severe expression. "Do you, Vaision? What if they've charmed Dark Scale? Enthralled them in some unnatural way for their Wild Magic? It may very well be a ploy by the Player to have us lower our guards before she makes a bid for the entire region."
"... I do. However, I'd like to avoid a violent confrontation if possible."
"Don't we all?" Diamond Dragon Lord commiserated, drawing himself up to his full height. "It's better to be prepared and have your preparations be wasted than not and wish you were. If that's all, I must leave. There's another squabble between some Armats and Stone Eaters over land ownership that I've been asked to arbitrate. Until next time."
The other three Councillors expressed similar commitments and headed out, leaving Tsaindorcus by himself once again.
"Should I try to meet with them personally?" He asked himself in the empty assembly hall, his voice lonely echoing about with no audience to catch it. "Try to get a better grasp of their character, maybe."
Depictions from a young and biased girl's notes could only be trusted so much and sending a delegate ran the risk of worsening relations for minimal gain. The Dragon Queen certainly wouldn't be happy to see any representative from Argland only after her problems with the Republic were resolved.
'Though not now when they're concluding their campaign against the Republic. The setting isn't controlled enough, and the implications of Slane finding out—among other groups—would be problematic for all parties involved,' he may as well allow young Oriculus her 'pound of flesh' before approaching the Player for a private conversation. After allowing the Republic to ravage her people in the way they did, it would be an even greater cruelty if he chose to step in now when the beastmen were on the backfoot.
Nations rose and fell, that was an undeniable fact of life. For all his considerable strength, even he was incapable of saving every last person who needed help. The world he lived in was far too complex for that.
'Yet they're doing what you have refused to do. Saving people while you let them die. Would it truly have been so difficult to hash out a peace between the Republic and Draconic Kingdom before it came to this? Letting things run their natural course, not interfering with the native matters of the world… is that still the correct path to take?'
Tsaindorcus would talk to the Player first, and if they proved to be a calamity in the making…
He hoped it wouldn't come down to that.
Hot.
That was the only thought that occupied Draudillon's mind as they trudged across the rocky ground of Shatterstone Pass. To be more accurate, she was trudging. Yuriko and the three beastmen were showing no signs of strain.
"Draudillon," Yuriko slowed her pace to match hers, the ankle shackle on the angel's feet clanging against a stone jutting out from the earth. She didn't wear one herself; it was mainly Yuriko who needed to sell the act. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry you? This place sucks a lot more than the forest we passed through."
"I'm fine," headache, nausea, and rapid heartbeat aside—she was fine. Perfectly fine. "It's just a bit warmer than I'd expected."
"Okay, how about your ring then? The um… Ring of Endure Elements! Couldn't you use that at least?" Yuriko placed her hand over the dragon queen's forehead and frowned. "You're super hot."
"You're hotter," Draudillon mumbled, not quite sure of what she was saying. Head hurt too much. Her breathing sounded awfully shallow. "Besides, would a slave have a ring like that?"
"N-No… Wait, d-did you say hotter—ugh, doesn't matter!" Head pain, body aches, faint breathing—all the discomforts that she had stoically withstood for the past few hours vanished in a flash of golden light. Before Draudillon could fully process what happened, she suddenly found herself being carried atop her beloved's back: legs dangling beside the angel's midsection, her arms around their shoulders, and most importantly, their hands underneath her thighs. "There!"
"You're not supposed to be using magic," Draudillon's face heated up, but the cause wasn't the sun this time. "What if—"
"I made sure to do a『Silent』cast," Yuriko loudly whispered. "And you were about to collapse."
"I would've recovered," she reluctantly mumbled into the angel's ear. "It wasn't worth the risk."
"It was worth it to me."
Draudillon couldn't find a good response to that.
"Oi! You two walk faster!" Rasthdaan crowed from up ahead in the same irritating way he had for the past few days. Draudillon's eye twitched in annoyance, but she couldn't fault him for playing his part. "Unless you want to get turned into ground meat—!"
"Shut the fuck up," Yuriko coldly glared at the aarakocra ranger. The demihuman visibly flinched in fear while his companions did their best to ignore his plight. "Or I'll turn you into ground meat."
'Ha… is it strange if I feel happy hearing that?'
"Y-Yes, Your Holiness!"
"She doesn't like being called that," Draudillon barely caught Varush's admonishment. "And get yourself together. Have you forgotten what we're here for?"
"I—no. Of course not. B-But, what am I supposed to call them then?"
"They're still a Rajan," Ithit reminded Rasthdaan. "She won the title from Pallavi in a mautkshan."
"Ah, yes!"
Yuriko's whole body tensed. Being reminded of her first kill couldn't possibly be pleasant.
Draudillon opened her mouth and closed it without uttering a sound. How could she, when they killed for her sake? It would be the height of hypocrisy to attempt to comfort the angel while knowing that.
"It's not your fault."
"What do you mean?" Draudillon's head snapped up.
"You're thinking something like 'It's my fault she had to do that' again, aren't you?" Yuriko turned her head around and let out a small reassuring smile. "My answer's the same as always—I chose to do it. So cheer up, alright?"
"..." She buried her face in the crook of her beloved's neck. There were no words to express the whirlwind of conflicting emotions that raged within.
"Seriously," Yuriko nuzzled the side of her face, their tone much more light-hearted than earlier. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me!"
"Somebody has to."
Yuriko stumbled over an uneven surface and awkwardly turned her face back to the way ahead. "W-Well! I'm glad that, that uh, that somebody's you!"
"Idiot," Draudillon closed her eyes, body relaxing as she soaked in the warmth of her beloved. "But if it's worth anything, I'm glad it's me too."
"Hm, um. Excuse me, Queen Oriculus. Rajan," the dragon queen shifted her head enough so that it was still resting against Yuriko while also allowing her to stare daggers at whoever was barging in on their conversation. "There's a group of belligerents up ahead that I don't think we'll be able to avoid, so if you two could stick closer to us…"
" 'Kay," Yuriko sped up her pace. "What are they?"
"Minotaurs," Rasthdaan landed on the ground with the grace of one who had begun flying all their life. "Think they saw us first and decided to plan an ambush or something."
"How unfortunate," for whom, Ithit had no need to say. "Their numbers?"
"Like twelve? Maybe a little more," Rasthdaan shrugged. "I'm not too good at spotting people out here, and these are natives we're up against."
"Here they come!" Varush pulverized a boulder that had been flying towards them with a light swing of his warhammer. "Ithit, Rasthdaan! See if you can take out their backliners!"
Draudillon lightly patted Yuriko's cheek. "Don't."
"I, I wasn't gonna do anything," the angel jolted, a flush rapidly forming on their face. "Just that…"
"You wanted to talk and see if they're willing to peacefully back down," Draudillon stated more than asked. "Even if they are, what about the next group that tries to pass through? Would these barbarians be so kind to them?"
"I could leave some summons behind or, or something," Yuriko mumbled unconvincingly, shoulders slumping. "Yeah, I know. Can't do that right now."
"It's also a good chance to see the kind of strength the Beastman Country has to leverage," she watched as the demihuman trio systematically took down the minotaurs that had attempted to waylay them. "How strong do you think they are?"
"Um, shoot. It's hard to tell without spells," Draudillon let out a small cheer inside her head upon seeing her effort to brighten Yuriko's mood somewhat succeed. "Hmm, I'm not really good at this… maybe like low to mid twenties for the minotaurs? I dunno."
"And our three traveling companions?"
"At least twenty-two for Ithit, mid-twenties for birdguy, and Varush is," Yuriko screwed up her lips. "Thirties? Higher? Maybe?"
'That powerful? I'm surprised we never heard of him until recently. Why didn't he ever take to the field? If our army had to hold off someone like him… forget two cities, half of the kingdom would've been converted into a giant slaughterhouse.'
"That's the last one," Rasthdaan put up his bow after firing a homing arrow that pierced the skull of a minotaur archer peeking over a boulder. "Should we go through their corpses?"
Varush glanced at Yuriko. The angel nodded for him to go ahead, more occupied with taking in the gory scene surrounding them.
"Hey, Draudillon?" Yuriko carefully kept her eyes away from the aftermath of the massacre as she stepped over the lower half of a minotaur. "Why do you think they wanted to attack us?"
"Wealth? Food?" Draudillon shrugged. "People's motivations are oftentimes much simpler than you might expect. Look at the Baharuth Empire and Re-Estize; their whole war is a result of a desire for land, power, prestige—you name it."
"Then," Yuriko gently let the dragon queen off her back. "Is our reason like that?"
"No."
"Sorry, just," Yuriko sighed. "I'm just gonna, go and bury them, I guess. Um, do you wanna—forget it."
"I'll help."
It was the least she could do.