A day has passed since we helped the temple priest. Lyn stayed all day intensely admiring that holy sword. I bet she dreamed of that sword.

Before I would say it's stupid to be so impressed with any sword, however, when I held the Mani Katti, I felt that it is no ordinary sword. I feel like she was made to kill- Never mind.

Our journey to Caelin remains strangely zen. Lundgren must be having trouble sending a group of bandits after us. It could be due to lack of information on where we are, however, I doubt he doesn't have some spy watching us from afar and giving information on our location.

"I see you like to write, Yato." Sain comments, leading the horse.

Today I decided to let Lyn ride her horse alone and went with Sain. It's weird to choose to go with a guy over a pretty girl like Lyn, but I did it to try to increase my intimacy with Sain.

Any serious strategist knows very well that a good relationship with his "pawns" is important during a battle. Gaining the trust of those you are in charge of prevents them from questioning your decisions too much and makes them follow you almost blindly.

"I like it, a lot. I've spent all my travels writing in a journal to, you know, keep some memory." I close the notebook and put it back in my coat pocket.

The priest gave me this book just before we left the temple, saying something like "Write about the journey of the bearer of the holy sword Mani Katti".

"That's cool. I'd like to read some of those memorabilia"

"And you read, Sain?" I speak with some surprise.

"Hey, and why did you think I wouldn't?" Sain complains.

"Well...you don't have a profile of someone who would read a good book." I confess, turning my gaze slightly and scratching my cheek.

"What do you think I am?" Sain exclaims, feeling attacked.

"An idiot flirt." I speak softly. "Forget it, I can't show you anything about these journals. I'm not in possession of them at the moment."

"Really? And where are they?"

Probably burned, if Jaff has any sense. "I don't even know. Didn't Lyn tell you that I was found by her, almost dead?"

Sain shakes his head. "Lady Lyn hasn't told us anything about how you two met. To be honest, all we know is that you are her strategist and that... You have a very close relationship."

Sain's last statement made me raise my eyebrows slightly. "Very close relationship? Where did you get that thought from?"

Sain glances at Lyn, who has been riding along the front of the road beside Kent, both of them talking about something inaudible to us.

Having made sure she wasn't listening, Sain begins. "Tell the truth, Yato, are you guys like...a couple?"

Sain's question caught me off guard. Of course, I think Lyn is a beautiful girl, no, that's not enough. I think Lyn is an amazing woman, but even so, I never considered the idea of flirting with her.

"Of course not. Our relationship is more professional. At most, with a little admiration between both sides." I seriously explain.

"I don't doubt you're telling the truth, Yato, but it doesn't seem to be Lady Lyn's thoughts." Sain reports, taking another look at Lyn and returning to our conversation.

"I don't know what you're talking about. That's just a feeling of gratitude coming from her. Lyn was alone when we met. She must feel that way about me for pulling her out of the lonely life she had on the plains."

I pause for a moment in my statement. I had already noticed this high confidence Lyn has in me. I don't blame her for that. In her view, I am someone who saved her from living a sad life with no one to be with her, even though she was the one who saved me. However, that ends there. Even if she thinks she feels some love for me, it will be fleeting.

"That's all, Sain. Nothing between me and Lyn. So you can flirt with her all you want, if you dare, of course." I speak in a mocking tone.

"Me? Of course not. Lady Lyn is my lady. A knight like me wouldn't have the gall to date my marquess's granddaughter." Sain says, puffing out his chest.

"Let's be realistic here, Sain. That would never be why you wouldn't want to court Lyn. Even I, who've known you for two days, know that."

Sain's puffy chest swells and he laughs awkwardly. "Pretty perceptive, Yato"

I give a confident laugh. "Of course I am. A strategist needs to be. What's the point?"

Sain takes another peek, but this time, for Kent. "A friend would never try to court the interest of another"

Oh? My goodness, I didn't expect this. Realistically, at one point or another I knew this would happen. Kent is the typical profile of the perfect knight who falls in love with his "princess", however, I expected this to happen much later. Kent is pretty precocious when it comes to love, it seems.

Sain puts his finger to his lips. "This is just between us, right?"

I just nod. The love life of others doesn't matter to me. Good luck for Kent.

Following the road, we see another village on the horizon, however...

"Is this... a village in ruins?" Lyn comments, with a visible sadness in her voice.

Lyn dismounts from her horse and moves closer to the ruins. There's not much to comment on, ruins are ruins. The village, which was here before, became nothing more than a pile of wood and rocks thrown on the ground. I smell a faint smell of blood and fire still impregnated in the place. A real massacre must have taken place here, and it wasn't that long ago.

"This is so horrible! Why doesn't the Marquis do anything to help his people?" Sain exclaims, his brow furrowing and his teeth clenched.

"Probably Taliver's bandits. It's a lawless land here, no marquis has power here and I don't even think they want to." I explain.

"And why wouldn't a marquis want to have power over these lands, Sir Yato?" Kent asks.

His tone of voice was a little aggressive. You must have thought I offended your marquis or something.

"Just think, Kent. What marquis would have the guts to rule a land where we have Taliver bandits lurking? Even though they are bandits, the Taliver are a pretty big bunch. The resources needed to annihilate them all would be high."

Kent is silent. He knows very well that what I have said is true. These lands have been the domain of the Taliver for far too long. Any attempt to end their reign is a waste of resources.

"It's like Yato said... My village was close to here, on the other side of the mountain. It only took one night before there were only ten left, including me..."

We were all silent. I scolded myself internally for speaking my thoughts so unpretentiously. I forgot how sensitive this subject is for Lyn. The way I said it, it makes it seem like it's impossible to avenge her people.

Lyn's eyes narrow. Hate emanating from her gaze. "I will never forgive them! No matter how much time passes..."

I breathe a sigh of relief. What am I thinking? It's Lyn I'm talking about. Her determination impresses even me. A bunch of soulless bandits won't intimidate her.

Lyn continues her hate speech. "I won't run away from them. When I'm done with my grandpa, I'll come back. I'll be strong, so strong I'll crush them all. I'll break their swords like twigs, pierce their bodies like butter, I won't stop until their skulls are crushed by the hooves of Khurdan! I will avenge my people". Lyn ends her statement with a fierce glare. I can see a sadistic smile as she talks about the ways she intends to kill the bad guys.

What a scary woman... That's a side of Lyn that I, in a way, admire.

I put my hand on Lyn's shoulder, and when she feels my touch, she looks at me with a curious face. Fortunately. Even I would tremble if she looked at me with that sadistic look.

"Yato?" She speaks, not understanding my action.

"Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll help you get rid of those worms." I declare firmly.

A slight blush appears in Lyn's phase. "S-seriously? Thank you so much, Yato"

"Hey, don't forget about us." Sain brandishes, pointing to himself. "You can count on me too, Lady Lyn. I won't forgive those bandits for what they did to Lady Madelyn."

"Sain...". Lyn's eyes start to glow.

Kent continues. "Exactly. I will not rest until I avenge Lady Madelyn and Lord Hassar. Lady Lyn, allow me to accompany you when the time comes."

"Guys...Thanks." Tears of joy begin to flow from Lyn's eyes, but before she starts to cry, Lyn wipes them away. No reason to cry.

Our beautiful conversation is disrupted when something catches my eye. Voices, and they are not few. Also, smell of iron.

"Ready your weapons! There are bandits around." I order.

Everyone obeys. Lyn gets back on his horse and draws his sword.

Sain pulls out his spear and Kent already has his sword in his hands.

"Yato, where are they? How did you feel?" Lyn asks, keeping herself on the alert.

"I'm used to smelling iron. And believe me, the smell of iron from bandit weapons becomes easily recognizable after a while."

Sain gapes at me. "Your sense of smell is very good, Yato. I can't smell anything except the stench of horses."

Sain's horse gives a slight hop, nearly knocking its owner over. "O-ok. Sorry for the offense, Lancelot"

"Leave your questions for later. They're just ahead. Lyn, I'll come with you"

I jump off Sain's horse and land neatly behind Lyn's horse. "Whew, I thought it would go wrong." I did it just to show off.

Lyn looks at me crookedly. I just gesture for her to walk, and so she does.

We move forward at full speed.

Flying above the skies, a girl with light purple hair looked at the ground. her mount is a white-winged horse, better known as pegasus.

The girl watched the movement of people below. The person she was looking for was nowhere to be found.

The girl had already been through many places, but the person she was looking for was no longer in any of them.

"I don't see her anywhere... Maybe it's good to ask the people downstairs."

The girl lightly patted her pegasus and he responded diving to the ground.

"H-huey? That's a little too fast. This way we'll-." The girl's speech is not finished.

Unfortunately for her, Huey went down too fast. Luckily, the landing was cushioned by something soft, much to his misfortune, the soft one actually belonged to a bandit.

"Migal?!" The other bandits shouted in concern.

"Guh...". A groan is released from Migal, who was being trampled by the large winged beast.

"S-sorry! Huey, get off the man, please!" The girl begged, completely embarrassed.

Huey takes flight and stops beside the fallen man. The girl gets off her winged horse and runs to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry... I mean... I, Uh...". The words choke in the girl's mouth. Noticing the furious looks of the men, she walks away.

The man who was knocked down raised up. Touching his head, he brings his hand to his eyes and notices the blood running. Furious, he clenches his fists and turns to the girl.

"Look at this, young lady! How can you pretend to apologize for that?!"

"I don't... I'm sorry..."

One of the men looks at the girl. A pitiful smile comes across his face. "She's a good catch, buddy. The boss would give a hell of a reward if we give her to him"

Migal looks at her more closely and the same smile appears on her face. "True. With this beauty, the boss will give us good money. It's her fault for doing this to me"

The girl recoils even further. These men are scary. Their smiles revealed nothing more than the most perverse of intentions. She can't stop the feeling of panic.

The pegasus, sensing the danger of the situation, neighs and moves madly. The bandits are startled by Huey's movement and back off a little.

"What the hell?". Bandits speak by paying closer attention to the creature.

Migal watches the creature and another smile appears on his face. The other bandits raise their axes, ready to advance on the animal.

When the girl realizes this, she pulls out her spear and jumps in front of her beloved horse. "D-don't you dare touch him!" The girl exclaims. A surprised confidence appearing in his chest.

But just as quickly as she appeared, soon her confidence was gone as the thugs laughed at her attitude and came even closer.

"Don't try to be tough, young lady. Shut the fuck up and do as we say!" Migal orders in a high, defining tone.

Even with the fear, even trembling until she couldn't anymore, the girl has the courage to keep ahead of her dear pegasus. "Do what you want with me, but leave him alone, I beg you..."

Her request, as well as her attitude before, was answered with a chuckle from the bad guys.

"How silly. Pegasus are only found in Illia, they're rarer and more valuable than you. Do you really think we're going to let this pile of gold get away? Gahaha!"

The girl's hands begin to shake. His grip on the spear is loosened and his gaze is filled with despair, though...

"That's right, man. This young lady is asking too much. Gahahaha-". The crook's disgusting laughter suddenly stops.

Migal and the another bandit turns to their friend, but what they see is a sword going through his skull. His once confident faces are replaced by confusion.

"But what?!". Migal shout.

The sword in the bandit's skull is immediately withdrawn. The bandit's body, already dead, falls to the ground, the thud of the body makes the other bandits even more scared and they walk away.

"I hate your type so much, you worm!" Yato speaks, his tone of voice had a deadly poison.

Yato lifts his foot and kicks the thug's body hard. The hateful look on her face made the girl shudder, but suddenly, it disappears as the hate on Yato's face is replaced by a comforting look as he looks at her.

Yato checks her, without touching the girl's body. "I'm glad I arrived a while ago. How are you, girl? Did those worms touch you?"

"Ah... Uh... N-no, they didn't touch me. Thanks to you...". The girl was trying to speak normally, but the whole situation was too traumatic and too embarrassing for her..

Seconds later, Lyn and the others arrive in the area. Lyn in front of Yato and Sain and Kent all run, on guard for any attack.

"Yato! Don't run so suddenly, you might end up..." Lyn stops talking as he notices the girl.

Her scolding is totally changed to a look of happiness. She recognized this girl. Opening her arms, she throws herself at the girl and pulls her into a hug.

"Florina! Glad to see you!" Lyn speaks, squeezing her hug tighter.

Florina, who until then was on the verge of total despair, feels relieved, so relieved that she cries. The whole scary situation terrified her a lot, but the warm embrace of her dear friend made her feel better.

"Come on, no crying. What are you doing in a place like this?" Lyn asks, wiping her friend's tears away.

"I... I...". Crying makes it difficult for her speak.

Curious about the situation, Kent is the first to ask. "A close friend, Lady Lyn?"

Lyn, having forgotten that the others were there, turns her attention to the current situation. "Yes. An important friend. Guys, this is Florina, a pegasus knight in training from Ilia. I'll warn you, she's uncomfortable around men." When speaking that last sentence, Lyn looks especially at Sain, who nods as he understands his Lady's message.

I'll also make a mental note about that. Having seen this whole situation, I don't want to make a close friend of Lyn's cry. Lyn is scary when she gets angry.

"The 'Training' part intrigued me. So what were you doing here, Miss Florina?"

Lyn gives me a nudge. "Without the 'Miss' part. Only Florina is fine."

It hurt a little. Okay, looks like Lyn is more protective of Florina than expected. I'll have to be careful.

"Okay then. What were you doing here, Florina?"

Florina laughs at the unusual situation between me and Lyn and starts talking. "Um... When I heard that Lyn was gone, I decided to help her. I flew all the way here looking for you, Lyn, but... Huey came down too fast and, well...". Florina looks away, a slight blush of embarrassment showing on her face.

Cute. No, don't think about it. Lyn will kill me if I think anything like that.

Even though I knew where this was going, I asked myself. "Did you... land on it?"

Florina blushes even more. "Well... a little"

I couldn't help but laugh. If it weren't for her near death, the whole situation would be very comical. I would trade a nice gold coin to have seen the scene live.

Lyn gives me another nudge and I stop my laughter. "You have to be more careful, Florina. If it wasn't for Yato, the worst could have happened." Lyn scolds her.

The two look like sisters. Lyn takes care of her as if she were a little sister. Just by their little interaction that's what I noticed.

"O-okay, but now you guys got into a fight because of me." Florina says with another session of tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't cry. It's okay. We'll work it out." Lyn comforts her, wiping her tears away once more.

"Lady Lyn, Sir Yato, let's be on the lookout. There will be no more talking after the casualty Sir Yato has put them through." Kent alert.

I scratch the back of my head. "Sorry there. It's just that... That thug made me really mad. I couldn't just let him stay alive after seeing the way he was looking at Florina"

Hearing this, Florina looks at me. When I return her gaze, she looks away and her face turns red. A feature that appears to be standard on her.

"No problem. If I hadn't done it, I would have done it myself. My spear will never let any bandits touch the ladies." Sain speaks, raising his spear. Apparently, trying to get Florina's attention.

Her display stops when Lyn glares at him with a death glare. Sain gets the message right away, again.

"Cool chat and all, but I'm sorry to inform you, the bad guys surrounded us." I warn them.

"I... can help. I'm a pegasus knight after all. W-well... in training, but definitely a pegasus knight."

This is music to my ears. As a strategist, there is nothing better than having a flying unit. For what reason? Very simple... They are perfect! High mobility and a wide view of the entire field. Taking care against archers and ballistae, flying units are more than perfect.

My genuine joy shows on my face and I don't realize I'm staring at Florina and her pegasus with a wide smile. Not until he took a good nudge from Lyn, harder than the previous ones.

"Yato, just next with your plan." She speaks, with a frightening coldness.

"R-right..."

Florina looks at me, curious. She tugs at Lyn's sleeve. "Lyn, who is this?"

"Oh? Sorry. Forgot to introduce the staff"

Lyn points at me. "This is Yato. Our strategist. He's not that scary normally. And I hope he isn't...". Her final quote gave me the chills.

"Ah, um... I see. Nice to meet you, Sir Yato." Florina greets me, a slight smile on her face.

"You don't have to say 'sir'. Only Yato is fine, Florina." I tell her, she just nods shyly.

Lyn coughs into her fist, drawing our attention. "Moreover, these are Kent and Sain. Two knights of Caelin. No need to worry about Kent, he's sensible. As for Sain... Just don't pay attention to him."

"Nice to meet you, Florina." Kent leans forward slightly with one hand on his chest.

"N-nice to meet you..." Florina tries to do the same, but ends up leaning too far and nearly falling over.

"Pleasure". Sain speaks, keeping Lyn's "caring" advice in mind.

After the presentations, I think about what to do. With Florina on our side, this battle is already won, but therein lies the problem; I don't know Florina's ability. To get that better sense, I would need to be close to her, but well, that doesn't seem to be possible.

Sending her and Lyn to scout isn't a bad idea, but it takes my own field of vision off the map. It's not that I don't trust Lyn to give me valuable information, but that's my area. There is no one but me who can do this job better. Since it's like that...

"Florina, can you carry someone else with you?"

"Huh? Y-yes... Huey can carry me and one other person behind me..."

"Okay. Florina, you and I are going to scout. Kent and Sain guard this area and stop any attacks. Lyn, I want you to do a special solo mission."

"Yato. I'm not sure if this is a good idea...". Lyn retorts.

"You can handle this just fine on your own. I trust your ability"

"Don't make a fool of yourself. You know what I'm talking about." She responds, in a more annoyed tone.

"Lyn...Do you trust me?" My question takes her by surprise.

Kent and Sain are completely silent. Sain giving a low laugh.

"Of course I do! But that's not what it's about-"

"Then trust me." I speak dryly.

"Yato..."

Lyn looks at Florina, wondering what she's going to say next. Florina is silent during this little argument. She understands why Lyn is insecure about this plan. To put a stop to it, she decides to take action.

"I'll be fine, Lyn." Florina begins, taking Lyn by surprise. "Yato is a kind person... I noticed that. I'll be fine"

Lyn sighs and nods. "It's okay. Yato, I entrust Florina to you. Take care of her, okay?"

"I won't let anything happen to her"

"Right". Lyn responds, still not sure if that was the right thing to do. "And my mission?"

"There's a village nearby. From here everyone can see it perfectly. Warn the villagers of the bandits' attack. Then come back here and help Sain and Kent until I get back."

Listening loud and clear. Everyone does what i told. I turn to the majestic animal I will ride. Such a beautiful creature. I put my hand on her head and he responds with an apparently satisfied whinny.

"That's... Huey usually doesn't like to be touched...". Florina comments, impressed with the situation.

"Really? Lucky for me then. It's a beautiful animal." Huey makes another noise upon hearing my praise.

Florina looks at me again. I try not to look back, but it gets hard when she stares at me so intently.

"Er... shall we?"

Realizing what she was doing, she starts to blush again and climbs onto her pegasus. "S-sorry..."

She holds out her hand for me to go upstairs. I accept her help and take her hand. A certain warmth comes to my hand, and for some reason, I feel like Florina is about to let go of me. Wasting no more time, I climb onto the back of the winged horse.

"Huey, let's fly" Florina speaks to her horse, which neighs and spreads its majestic white wings.

With a fierce beat of wings, we slowly leave the ground. As the wing beats get more intense, the higher we climb. I grab Florina's waist to keep from falling, an action that makes her let out a yelp of surprise.

As I fly higher, I feel the wind hitting my face. Amid the clouds, the view of the ground is getting more and more distant.

"It's been a while since I felt the sensation of flying... So Pleasant." I speak to myself.

I remember the times I used to fly through the sky, together with Ninian and... No... This is not the time for this.

"Y-yato, what should I do now?" Florina asks, trying her best to keep herself as embarrassed as possible.

Her eyes rolled up when she felt my hands on her waist, however, to her heart's misfortune, it's impossible to have two people on a pegasus without doing that. Unless the person behind wants to fall.

"Are you really just a pegasus knight in training? Your handling of a pegasus is decent. I'd say it's on par with some pegasus knights I've fought."

Yato's compliments make Florina lose focus more and more. In a moment of slip, Florina tightens the reins harder than necessary and sends Huey spinning in the air. Yato had to hold on tightly to Florina's waist to keep from falling, further increasing her embarrassment.

"Oh my, that was a close one. Hahaha! It was kind of fun." It's been a while since I've let out such a happy laugh. Flying really brings me nostalgia.

"S-sorry Yato. I promise it won't happen again." Florina holds the reins with less force, keeping the Huey stable.

"Nah, no problem. It was a good experience, but enough of that. It sucks having fun while people fight downstairs."

Today I'm having more fun than usual. Focus, Yato, focus.

I look down. The view from above is privileged. I can see all enemies outside of structures. Lyn appears to have an archer with her, Sain and Kent are defending the area I sent. I can't see their full state, but I doubt any thugs will give these two any trouble.

Huh? That is...

"Florina, hurry! I see another village. A group of bandits is heading for it"

"Um...Yato, I don't see anything. Is your eyesight that good?"

Florina's answers are for later. We dove towards the bandits. One used a sword and the other used an axe, all made of iron. That won't be a problem for both of us.

I quickly glance at Florina's equipment. She wore standard pegasus knight light armor. Effective against mage attacks, but not resistant to slashes and pierces from physical weapons. Her spear is not iron, but a thin spear. Good for hitting opponents' critical points in exchange for a lower strength than iron, and of course, it's also lighter.

Her kit is what you would expect from a pegasus rider. Her main means of attack is an accurate diving move. A lot of people don't know how to deal with an air attack.

When we reach a safe distance, I jump off the pegasus. Florina widens the eyes when she sees me falling, but she is relieved to see me land safely. Unfortunately for the ax bandit, my surprise attack was perfect.

"But wh-". Her voice fades. Before he could even act, her mouth was cut open.

He instinctively brings his hands to his mouth and feels the cut. A clean cut that opened her mouth. He didn't even have time to scream for help, my next blow was a direct cut to his head.

"I can't get enough of killing bad guys" I speak with satisfaction as I pull my sword from the bandit's pierced head.

Even with the element of surprise, Florina couldn't kill the sword thug that easily. Her thin spear doesn't have enough piercing power to pierce the bandit's chain mail. Florina's spear thrust opened a small hole, but she had to step back when she saw that it didn't go through the bandit's body.

"Lack of strength...". Florina recites to herself.

Her spear isn't the best, it doesn't help that she has little physical strength.

"You bitch! Think you can kill me just because you have a horse with wings?!" The bandit roars in rage.

Florina is forced to retreat when the bandit charges at her with a vertical attack. If it hits her, it's over.

I observe everything from a medium distance. I promised Lyn I would keep Florina safe, and I will, but I want to analyze her potential.

Florina noticed Yato's presence. Her face filled with hesitation. Yato was watching her, probably seeing if she was strong or dead weight. She couldn't go wrong or let him down, not after he'd saved her.

"Huey, I'm counting on you...". Florina caresses her battle companion.

Florina flew higher. The thug watched her intently, waiting to parry the blow and finish off the annoying woman right away.

Finishing up, Florina dove in one last attack. The bandit was already holding out his sword, but something surprised him. Florina swung her spear in the air, making it difficult to know where the spear would land.

Said and done, he didn't figure out where the spear would land and was hit right in his elbow holding the sword. With a cry of pain, he dropped his sword and grabbed his elbow. The hole spurted blood. He couldn't believe he had been defeated.

Turning one last time to Florina, his last sight could be called divine to some. A white-winged being descended from the skies towards he, with the splendor of a young lady, coming to welcome him in the sky. And of course, as he knew himself, the vision of being taken to heaven faded to be replaced by a vision of a demon coming to get him, with his spear ready to take him straight to the deepest place of hell.

Florina's spear hits him in the stomach. The bandit falls to the ground and dies silently.

"I... I did it... I did it!" Florina exclaims happily, panting from the wear and tear of flying at such high heights.

Even pegasus knights have trouble flying that high. Breathing becomes a serious problem. Florina's strategy was all or nothing.

Florina's moment of happiness is interrupted by the sound of my clapping. Florina is, in fact, a latent potential.

"You did very well, Florina." I compliment her, and as usual, I was answered with a blush on her face.

"Th-thank you... I-i did my best not to be useless..."

"And it wasn't. We're done here, now let's get back to the guys and we'll go with everything against the rest of the bandits. I managed to find the location of the other bandits"

Florina looks at me admiringly. In her eyes, Yato is someone amazing. Not only did he defeat the other bandit with ease, he also got all the information he could to defeat the bandits. She couldn't help but admire him even more.

Noticing that she was staring at him too much. She shakes her head and avoids looking into Yato's eyes. "R-right!"

We do the same procedure as before. I climb onto the back of Huey and grab Florina's waist. This time she doesn't let out a yelp of surprise, but her cheeks still turn red.

"So... who is this man, Lady Lyn?" Kent questions, looking at the brown haired man with a bow.

"This is Will. He said he would help us against the bad guys.

"And you guys can count on me. These thugs will pay for disturbing the lives of ordinary people." Will speaks with determination. Sain liked the archer' answer.

"I am honored to battle with you, my friend." Sain speaks, saluting him.

"I feel like these two are going to be good friends." Lyn comments, Kent nods.

Everyone's attention is focused on the noise of something flying. Lyn is relieved to see that her friend and her strategist are well.

"Florina, how was it? Any injuries?" Lyn fills her with questions as she checks to see if she has any wounds on her friend's body.

"Haha... Looks like Lyn's attention shifted a bit. Too bad. I liked being greeted like that." I speak in a low voice, but Sain seemed to hear well and gave me a pitying look. I show him the middle finger.

"Hmmm. That's the archer I saw with you. No time for introductions, figuring out where the bad guys are. There's another ruined village nearby. The guy Florina stepped on is over there, with a few more baddies along."

Everyone understands my orders just by listening to mine words, except Will, of course. He climbs up behind Sain's horse and helps him in the rear.

We went to the ruins. No sign of the bad guys, at least for the others it's like that. I can feel and hear the iron of your weapons.

"Sain, Kent and Will, take care of the rear. Florina and I take care of the ones hiding in the rubble. Lyn, take care of what appears to be the leader of this small group."

We do as agreed. Will proved to be a very good archer. Two other archers came to the bandits' aid and were quickly taken down by two well-aimed shots from Will, all in the middle of the head.

Sain once again proving to be an extreme brute force. In every clash of blows he lands with the thugs, the more I see that he has high strength. Bandits' swords and axes are split in exchange of blows with he.

Kent is the balance between the two. Fast attacks, but at the right points makes him a crazy long-term damage-dealing machine. Enemies lose so much blood that they can't fight properly.

Florina took good care of my rear. When an ax man approached her, I defended her and she counterattacked with a blow at the bandit head. We form a well-tuned duo.

Lyn arrived at the spot where the smaller leader of the pack was. Her head wound stopped bleeding. The fear he felt disappeared when he saw that he was only a woman with a sword. Nothing a thug like him can't handle.

"You Are... A Taliver?"

Migal spits in disgust. "Don't compare us to those monsters. We at Ganelon are more honorable. They kill everything, including women and children, but we selling, hahahahah!

"If you say so, but your worm face isn't as different from them as you think." Lyn speaks in a mocking tone.

The man's anger intensifies and he advances. The blow he lands is too fast for Lyn to dodge, so she tries to counter, which surprisingly works. Mani Katti is indeed sacred.

The man looks, without reaction. His strength is far greater than that skinny woman's. It is impossible for her to counter a blow from him.

Reaching out, he tries again. This time, Lyn does something different.

"Let's see... This is the second time I've done this. I hope everything goes well." Lyn speaks, focusing her attention on her sword.

Light breathing, full concentration, firm grip. All of this is what it takes to complete this heist successfully.

When the bandit's attack comes close to Lyn, she delivers four hits in a row. The speed at which the blows are given leaves the thief not knowing what happened. The first three blows were aimed exclusively at the axe, breaking him, then the last blow was a clean cut in the middle of the bandit's head.

The bad guy didn't even have time to think about everything. His death was as quick as Lyn's attacks.

Taking a deep breath, Lyn swings her Mani Katti and slowly sheaths it. "This is… Astra." Lyn speaks to no one in particular.

She came up with the idea of how to make this move more effective, and it seems to have worked. Now, Lyn wants to do five blows in a row. That will be her goal, and to almost do that, her sword skill will be of the highest level.

With the battle over, we gathered in the village where Will was before.

"Thank you so much for your help, Will. If it weren't for you, the village would be destroyed." An old man thanks him, shaking Will's hand with genuine gratitude. Will returns the squeeze, an shy smile appearing on his face.

Apparently, Will killed about three thugs before we arrived. A pretty good number if we take into account his lack of a companion to help him. One hell of an archer.

"I only did what a sensible person would do, sir. I couldn't let these bandits destroy such a beautiful and peaceful village." Will responds with a slight smile.

A sane person wouldn't really get involved in this. Will would have died for sure if we hadn't arrived, but I'm glad he has a kind heart like that.

"Oh, and I haven't forgotten about you mercenary gentlemen." The old man turns to our group.

He makes a gesture with his head, calling out to a group of people who were bringing something, quite large, by the way. And... Which brought a wide smile to my face.

"Sir, this is... Will you give us this?" Will is in disbelief at what the old man shows us.

The old man nods. "Don't worry, we don't use it for anything. You can accept this wagon, it's our gift for saving us"

I'll quickly go check the wagon. It's in good shape. Nothing too surprising, but a good wagon. I loved the present.

"Thank you very much, sir. We will gladly accept this gift." I bow in thanks. I rarely do this, but this time, the old man deserves it.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. May your journey be blessed, young mercenaries." The old man says, going out.

"That's a big help. Helping people sometimes gives us a nice reward, doesn't it, Yato?" Lyn asks rhetorically.

Sain and Kent waste no time and start packing our things into the wagon. What more diligent knights. Florina hides behind Lyn, for some reason she was scared of Will.

"Sorry about her, Will. Florina doesn't get along with men, and... Her bow doesn't improve the situation." Lyn comments with a crooked smile.

"Oh, I see. A pegasus knight. I understand this fear of bows very well, but at least try not to be so afraid of allied archers, okay?"

"Yes sure...". Florina whispers. I'm not sure if she's going to try to do that, it seems that won't be the case.

"Florina, now that it's all over. Why did you want to come after me? That was dangerous." Lyn asks, her face was very serious.

"Do you remember the knight ceremony of Ilia's pegasus knights?"

"Of course. The thing about you having to join a group of freelance mercenaries as a form of training, isn't it?" Lyn asks and Florina nods.

Hmm... I see. It makes sense now. Ilia's pegasus knights are known to be great mercenaries. It is no exaggeration to say that Ilia's trade is all focused on the mercenary market. All this due to the lack of many resources in Ilia. It's hard to plant something in a place as cold as Ilia.

"Is that what brought you here, Florina?" Lyn questions.

"Uh-huh"

"I wish I had told you this sooner, but when I went to your house in Sacae... I heard you went out with a group of strange men"

I feel slightly offended. I? Weird?

"Thanks for your concern, Florina, but I'm the one who's worried about you." Lyn puts her hands on her hips. "Look, most mercenaries are men, I can't imagine you being comfortable around them"

Lyn's argument is quite valid. Sexism aside, a mercenary band is 90% male, and I'm being generous. Not only would Florina be uncomfortable around them, she would also have a very low relationship with anyone. That would get in the way of teamwork.

Florina lowers her head with a look of sadness. "I know... I've always dreamed of being a pegasus rider. I figured I'd... Fix it, but after today... I'm not so sure." Florina speaks hopelessly, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "Maybe I should just…give up-."

I slap the air, getting their attention and making Florina look straight ahead. "Okay, no need to start crying. There's no reason to give up on your dream"

"Hmm?" Lyn and Florina speak together.

"Look, if your problem is being uncomfortable with a group of men, you can join us. Lyn can comfort you while you travel with us." I explain, taking Lyn and Florina by surprise.

Sain shows up to support me. "A good idea, Yato. With the addition of the lovely Florina and the brave Will, we will be a respectable freelance group"

Lyn and Florina are silent. Will points to himself, muttering something about being included. Kent puts his hand to his face, embarrassed by his friend's action.

Good assistance, Sain. "Lyn's mercenary group is as good training as any. I doubt there's another group with as good an efficiency for you to train." I continue to explain.

"Uh... Lyn's mercenary group?" Florina wonders, confused by the whole proposal.

"This was sudden, but Yato and Sain are right. Do you want to come with us, Florina?" Lyn reaches out to her friend.

Florina's look of sadness dissipates to give birth to a look of pure happiness. "Really? I...Accept!"

Sain was prepared to put on his usual show, but before he can try to woo Florina, Lyn looks back at him. This time, Sain understood that Florina was beyond his reach.

"Being called mercenaries... Sorry for the inappropriate way we are treating you, Lady Lyn." Kent bows slightly. Man, he's so courteous, even too much.

Lyn shakes her head. "No, it's better this way. We can't leave Florina alone"

Kent nods. "Certainly. We only have one more matter pending." He turns to the Ranger, who was confused by the whole situation.

Will scratches his cheek, being the center of attention wasn't something he felt good about being. "So... Do you want me to travel with you?"

Everyone nods without hesitation. Will lets out an awkward smile and continues. "I'm grateful. Truth be told, my money was stolen and I'm...at a crossroads." Will's awkward smile fades into a more cheerful smile. "I would be honored to be a member of Lyn's Legion"

Lyn's Legion... I liked the name.

Lyn, however, was embarrassed by the name. "Lyn's Legion? Does that sound so...weird"

"I liked the name." Florina comments.

"Nothing more perfect than having our Lady Lyn's name in our little group." Sain speaks in his usual exaggerated way.

Kent agrees. "Indeed. Lyn's Legion is a name...appropriate"

"Guys… Wow, this is so embarrassing!" A small blush appears on her face.

I give a mischievous smile. I can't help but tease her a little. "Lyn's Legion... A beautiful and moral name, like the wearer of that name. Indeed, a name that suits Lady Lyn's group." I speak of the same exaggerated way of Sain and the cutting way of Kent.

Everyone laughs at the situation, except Lyn, who is even more embarrassed.