Nearly half an hour had passed since Saya was pushed away by Hana. Soldiers, vendors, retainers, and even the present nobles were dismissed by the Queen, the throne room growing quieter with each passing second.
Eventually, only Viera and Hana remained, their composure still and unmoving, almost like they were part of the room itself. But that all broke with a single, synchronized sigh as they dropped the public facade they had put on for hours.
Despite it being nearly five days after the incident, reports and requests hadn’t ceased even one bit, forcing knights to tighten security around every cornerstone of the city, and essential workers such as healing mages and construction workers to work overtime.
The damage wasn’t nearly as bad as it seemed, but due to the large number of deaths, it was hard to find and encourage those who were affected, let alone find volunteers who were willing to improve the city bit by bit.
“Did she leave?” Viera asked, turning her head slightly to Hana, who had been standing just below her throne, guarding the royal with absolute determination.
The Sword Saint responded with a nod. “She wanted to thank us, for being so good to her.”
Scoffing, Viera gazed onto the city, still bustling with life.
“Thank us…” Her voice remained relaxed, unsurprised at the outcome.
“If anything, I should be thanking her.”
Hana curiously turned her head, meeting Viera’s right eye. The sun’s rays gleaming behind her gave her a momentary halt before she placed a hand to mask the blinding light shining upon her.
“Had it not been for her,” Viera continued, “I wouldn’t have survived the encounter. If she was even another minute late, this nation would have surely fallen to ruin.”
Nodding in agreement, Hana replied, “Her throw landed me on the roof too. If she didn’t do that, I’m sure I’d be among the list of the dead.”
“For someone that underestimates herself, she sure does do a lot of extraordinary things.” Disappointment settled in her tone as her shoulders lowered in a defeated stance. Her brows furrowed as she stared dully in front of her.
“Perhaps we should have stopped her,” Viera spoke, interrupting Hana’s train of thought.
“Maybe if we offered to train her, then she wouldn’t have departed the way she did.”
“I’m sure she thinks what she did was correct, and I will allow her to accept that as the truth.”
“Perhaps we failed to show her trust, that she could truly rely on us to save her friend. After what she’d done, I would have given her all the necessary tools for the journey she’s about to embark on.”
Turning her head back, Hana faced the glass window showcasing the city. She couldn’t see it in its entirety from where she stood, but it was enough to see the roofs that gave the capital a certain vibrance.
“Maybe,” she said, a short smile tugging at her lips, “but I wonder if she would have appreciated that.”
“I don’t doubt she would have accepted our help. It’s just that…”
Before Hana could continue, Viera finished her thoughts for her. “She probably wouldn’t be satisfied with the results, because it didn’t come from her.”
“A life with an insatiable obsession, masked with the miasma of deception.”
“What an irritating way of living.”
But, unique thought processes like that are what makes us human.”
“Without someone to wake her from her delusions, her path will be far more destructive than the spell she cast.”
“I suppose the only one who can do that, however, is under deep sleep in one of our guest rooms.”
A hurried thought rushed into Hana’s mind, her stomach dropping in worry. She raised her brows and opened her eyes wide in surprise, like a kid who had forgotten to tell their parents something important.
Before she could mention it to Viera, the side doors burst open.
“WASSUP! HOW’S EVERYONE DOIN’ TODAY?!”
KL burst into the room, carrying a foreign smile and energy amidst the air of somber worry.
Disregarding the awkwardness lingering between the three of them, he took large steps forward toward the throne. Hana tried to hold back her smile, eventually caving in to her body’s commands.
“Good afternoon, Kos.”
Viera spoke first. Typically, she would struggle to counteract the Guildmaster when he was at his fiercest, especially when he would insult or berate her for the mistakes that she would willingly or unwillingly commit.
But in their current positions, she held true power. She couldn’t tell if it was the elevated height or the pristine fabric and color of the throne itself, but finding him threatening and scary was reduced tenfold.
To his core, he understood the severe roles that both of them carried. In a traditional sense, even as the Guildmaster, he would have to speak in a respectful cadence, careful not to offend but also cautious not to overplease.
But to KL, the person sitting on the throne wasn’t the Queen of Fridan, but rather a close friend of his. And without any outsiders to peer through the room, he could freely exert his true self onto the only three people who would allow it.
“GOOOOOD AFTERNOOOONNN!!!”
“Waoow, what a crazy week we’ve had, huh?”
“To think we’d be attacked like that. Thankfully, all my staff members were shielded from the curse, but it would have gone real bad if Miss Arcane Mage didn’t step up.”
Fresh news graced Viera’s ears. She couldn’t let what KL had said slide. “Your staff was shielded?”
Scratching the back of his head, KL replied, “Oh? Did I not tell you? Yeah, the airship’s defenses were working, so all I did was activate it when the curse turned on. Of course, we had to keep everyone inside, but otherwise everyone was A-OK.”
Both women’s jaws dropped. Did the Guildmaster seriously forget to disclose crucial information that could have saved lives?
“Mhm, but don’t get me wrong, I honestly didn’t know my shields worked that way either. I’m really thankful to my past self for consulting Kuno on the creation process.” He nodded confidently, huffing in genuine pride.
“Speaking of Lil Miss Arcane Mage of Doom, where even is she? Surely not slacking off in bed.”
“Honey,” Hana finally broke her silence, the flames of irritation blazing above her head. It was a fire that could only be perceived by other women and those who were familiar with the Sword Saint’s short temper.
“She has a name. Saya.”
Pouting, KL responded, “Aww, but that’s zero fun. My title gives her more pizzazz, more glamour.”
“Anways, where is she? I need to tell her a few things.”
Slowly making her way down the flight of stairs, Viera responded, “She left for her journey. I’m sure she’s well out of the city by now.”
“What?!” KL recoiled in shock. “Go get her back! Why did you guys even let her go?!”
“It was her decision, and we didn’t want to interrupt,” Hana added. “If she decides on a resolve, who are we to interrupt her?”
“Adults?!?! You guys are adults. You quite literally have the right to interrupt her.” Despite the snappy comeback from his own wife, his confusion remained unwavering as he answered with a singular emphasis on both their roles, especially toward someone as young as Saya.
But even if they explained the situation to KL, there would be little chance of him actually understanding their and Saya’s emotions. His major flaw was seeing the world from a too logical perspective.
Responding with a long sigh, KL pushed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “I swear you guys make the most questionable decisions. Thank Eudoxia I’m the Guildmaster and not you two.”
“Actually, I guess you run a nation. Poor Fridanians…” he pointed at Viera, who responded with an annoyed glare.
After taking a second to regain her composure, Viera cleared her throat. “Well, continue, what did you need to tell her?”
The room went silent.
KL bent his neck down, reaching a hand into the brown belt that he always carried with him. He unbuttoned one of the pouches before pulling out a strange, yet intriguing, piece of white metal.
Taking the shape of a triangle, its edges were rounded, inlaid with thin golden strips all around the artifact. The object was no taller than a person’s thumb, but also no wider than a single gold coin.
From the way it shone under the sunlight, it was clear that the material it was made of was metal, just not one that any of the three were familiar with. It was too bright to be steel, and too light to be iron.
Its surface was scratched, something one would see on a heavily battle-scarred blade after its use in a war. And yet, despite its rough appearance, the metal emitted an unexplainable warmth across the three’s hearts.
Breaking through the silence of awe, KL raised the artifact higher, his eyes meeting the same height as the artifact.
“I found this lodged deep into her shoulder.”
“Once we took it out, her condition started to get worse. So I have no doubts that this is what kept her vitals and body intact.”
Viera stepped closer, hoping to use her trade expertise to determine its origins. But in the end, she shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Is her arm going to be okay?” Hana mumbled to herself.
She was so used to seeing Saya normally that the sudden shift in her appearance still remained alien to her. Her left hand brushed up on her right arm, feeling herself as she imagined, for a moment, what it would feel like to carry such a burden.
The smile and unserious cadence had all but vanished from KL as he handed the artifact to the Queen. She accepted his offer with an open palm, drawing it closer to her face. Even though she knew that looking at it wouldn’t give her the answers she wanted, an ounce of hope carried her higher.
Interrupting her analysis, KL spoke up, his tone and voice deeper than ever before. “The material it’s made out of is what really surprises me.”
Both Hana and Viera raised their heads curiously.
“The airship couldn’t find a match in any known metals.”
“But…”
Reaching into another pouch, the Guildmaster took out a small piece of glass. It was shaped like a butterfly, made of what seemed like pink crystal. It was a gift given to them by the Butterfly Mage shortly before she vanished, and the ladies often wore it during important nightly outings.
“It matched Kuno’s gift.”
Both Viera’s and Hana’s eyes widened, shock written all over their faces as a gasp left their mouths.
“T-That’s impossible, right? How can a crystal and pure metal be made of the same material?”
Viera had asked the obvious. To her, having worn and inspected Kuno’s gift many times, she found it difficult to believe that the two artifacts were linked. It was a material that was unknown to her, but she had always assumed it was a plain crystal dipped in dye or filled with magical energy.
KL continued, “It’s not impossible to turn metal into crystals. But without knowing the exact origins of both the metal and the crystal, there’s no way of telling if they carry the same origins.”
“If she knew about this artifact, I highly doubt she would have left without looking for it. I’m being extremely serious when I tell you that this piece of metal is carrying some kind of energy that I’m not familiar with.”
“It’s magic, but not quite. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just…”
Hana finished his thought. “It feels like your emotions are being manipulated.”
The three nodded in unison.
It was obvious from the moment KL had pulled it out. Perhaps it was the fact that it was heavily bruised, or the size of the artifact, but the three had felt an overwhelming positive emotion flowing through their hearts upon gazing at the strange metal.
“The only other time we felt that way…” Viera continued, ending at the same conclusion as the others.
Like a final puzzle piece being snapped into place, KL finished the united thought process. “Was when Kuno used to cast her spells in front of us.”
The link between the two suspects was not a concrete one, but it was also not something that could simply be thrown aside with the argument of overreach. Though the three of them had known Kuno for years, none of them were aware of her true origins.
“Whatever this piece of metal is,” KL took the piece back, sliding it back into his pouch, “it’s linked to Kuno one way or another.”
“Now the real question is, how did Saya get access to something so powerful, and how did it end up inside her shoulder?”
The trio lingered in silence, all pondering their thoughts. Each of their minds collectively wandered into a different place, drawing different conclusions and solutions, but none of them were brought to attention, each idea getting shot down by the next.
At the main gates of Atrila, Saya sat quietly at the back of a wooden carriage pulled by two horses. The castle she had grown to call home for the last few days slowly grew farther and farther away.
She smiled, bidding a silent farewell to Albo.
“Oh, what was your name again?” a voice called out from the front as an older man with a long, white beard turned his head slightly, lending his ear to hear the young mage better.
“Saya, sir. Saya Idlansil.”
Bursting into hearty laughter, the man whipped the reins, commanding his horses to advance faster.
“No need to call me sir! You’re too polite.”
Twisting her body, Saya slowly crawled up to the man. “I’m sorry for such a tough ask. I promise I’ll help out any way I can.”
“No problem! Don’t worry about it, missy. I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I was denying a young maiden a ride.”
“Besides, it gets kinda boring travelling alone. You’re paying me back by holding conversations with me.”
His hand tapped the empty space on the seat beside him, inviting her to sit front and center rather than having to endure the intense shakes at the back of the carriage. With a small grin, Saya sat next to the man, her stature barely reaching his neck.
“So, where are you off again, Missy?”
It wasn’t a destination that she was sure of, but during her time at the Kala Magic Academy, she had learned of one nation that carried the world’s best medicine and was inhabited by some of the most skilled spellcasters.
The nation often didn’t welcome humans, but such trivial cultural barriers were nothing compared to Saya’s determination.
Her mission of pursuing Sulva and Rias was one that she would have to come across during her travels. Expecting to run into them randomly was something only a fool would dream of.
So in the meantime, she would look for a potential cure herself and build her skills step by step. The book she carried was sufficient enough to provide her with magical information, so she’d study it as much as she could during downtimes.
That way, even if she couldn’t find a cure and couldn’t find the cultists, she would be able to seek out the Mage Tower.
The location rumored to have all the knowledge of magic would no doubt contain information on curing her best friend.
She had first started to seek out the Mage Tower when she was still a student, in hopes of finding out the truth about her Soul Sight and the explanation for how one could be born without a Birthmark.
But now, her goals have changed.
“I’m headed to…”
Her first destination was West. The nation that is known for housing the largest tree in the world. It was appropriately named the ‘Tree of Life’ by everyone else in the world, rumored to contain pure magical energy with the ability to perform miracles.
The home of demi-humans, beastmen, and sacred beasts. Its skies and land overflowing with scenic pink flowers, a land of eternal bloom.
“...Aimafina!”