by Ennki Hakari
“Stop that elf immediately! And you! What’s going on here, Gio?! We agreed that my ship wouldn’t be inspected!!!”
The vein in Vizio’s head was bulging so much it looked like it might burst. He rounded on Gio, who was growing paler by the minute.
The second-in-command of Lamburt’s knights began backing away slowly, glancing nervously around at the men closing in on him.
I glared at him. “Well…I guess you knew more than you were letting on, eh, Gio?”
His response was so rushed that I could barely make out what he was saying. “Don’t worry about that right now, Arc. Please, stop her! If she keeps this up, who knows what sort of turmoil this will cause with the Nohzan Kingdom! We need to make sure that doesn’t happen, no matter the cost!”
Taking Vizio and Gio’s words together, I had a pretty good sense of what was going on. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a little fun with them.
“Absolutely! I’ll put a stop to her immediately!”
I took off at a run, following closely behind the crew members who were already pursuing Ariane. Other soldiers around the port were also converging on the area, drawn by the sudden racket.
Ariane bounded about the ship like an acrobat, dancing circles around the shouting men. She’d already knocked a few into the water; others were out cold on the deck.
I made my way onto the ship, still under the guise of helping Vizio’s men.
“Ariane, you need to get ahold of yourself!”
I made a halfhearted attempt to jump after her. Ariane easily sidestepped me before flipping again and landing on the capstan.
I fell to the deck with a resounding crack, splitting the thick wood wide open, and tumbled down into the cabin below.
I could hear Vizio’s shrill voice from somewhere above.
“My ship!!!”
“Kyiiiiiii…”
Ponta had tumbled from my neck during the fall. It slowly got to its feet, shaking its head all the while.
I readjusted my helmet and glanced around as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. At my feet, I found a bundle of long, thick rope. It was only then that I noticed just how big the cabin seemed for a ship this size.
Since Ariane was convinced that there were people being held captive here, I figured I should trust her judgment and begin my search of the inner holds.
“We’re here to rescue you! If you’ve been kidnapped, please respond!” I called out as I made my way through the ship, but I didn’t run across anyone other than a few armed crew members who tried to attack me. It was possible that whoever was imprisoned here thought my calls were some ssort of trap.
After knocking out the crew, I continued my search of the ship, trying a different tactic this time.
“I am here on behalf of Miss Toreasa! Frani Markham, please respond if you’re here!”
This time, I received a reply.
“I’m Frani Markham! Are you really here from Miss Toreasa?”
Following the sound of the voice, I found a grate built into the floor of one of the other cabins. I could see fingers poking up through the holes.
Convinced that the rescue attempt was, in fact, real, other voices joined Frani’s.
“Help!”
“Help us!!!”
I easily sidestepped the two crew members guarding the grate and used my sword to cleave the padlock in two. Several relieved-looking people flooded out.
A woman with black hair tied back in a bun, wearing the livery of the servants I’d seen back at the castle, looked up at me with large, shining eyes as she approached me.
“I… I’m Frani Markham. Are you the knight sent by Miss Toreasa?”
“My name is Arc. I am no knight, merely a mercenary honoring a lady’s request.”
It was clear from the look on her face that she didn’t believe me.
“We don’t have long. Everyone, follow me!”
I made sure to keep Frani safely behind me as I kicked down the cabin’s door and stepped out into the hall.
Several crew members tried to fight me as I led the prisoners through the ship, but a swift punch was enough to knock each of them out.
Once we’d made it to the stairwell leading back up to the main deck, I stuck my head out for a peek to find that Ariane was the only one still standing.
“Only you could tear through a ship’s deck without even needing to use magic, Arc. Did you find Frani?”
Ariane’s hair fluttered in the ocean breeze, her amethyst skin shining in the sunlight. She made her way toward us, a bright smile on her face as the crowd on the stairs behind me gawked at her, some cheering, others choking back surprise. It didn’t look like she’d suffered even a scratch.
“Ah, yes. This is Frani, the one Miss Toreasa was looking for.”
Frani stepped forward and bowed her head as I introduced her.
Ariane looked relieved.
“Great! I’m glad we were able to do some good for a fellow elf.”
Once we’d explained the situation about Frani’s kidnapping to the soldiers gathered around the ship, they rounded up and arrested all the crew. Ariane and I watched from the pier.
Gio, who’d been complicit in the traffickers’ actions, was nowhere to be seen. He must have made a run for it while Ariane and I dealt with the crew.
We left the rest to the soldiers and made our way back to Lord Petros’s estate, where he and Toreasa were waiting.
“Miss Toreasa!”
“Oh, Frani!”
Toreasa and Frani came together in a tight embrace.
Petros extended his hand out to Ariane.
“Thank you for assisting my wife and bringing Frani home safely to us.”
Ariane looked back and forth between his hand and his face several times before grasping his hand and shaking it.
“It was nothing…really.”
She avoided eye contact as she replied, though Petros maintained his warm smile as he invited us inside.
I didn’t think it would be a good idea to sit on an expensive sofa in my full armor, so I chose to stand at Ariane’s side, continuing my role as her bodyguard.
An older man I hadn’t seen before stood stock-still, almost a mirror image of myself, next to Lord Petros and Toreasa.
Lord Petros had a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. “I’m quite impressed you were able to figure out that Frani was being held aboard a merchant ship licensed by Count Ornaut of the Nohzan Kingdom. May I ask where and how you uncovered your evidence?”
Before Ariane could answer, Frani spoke up.
“I remember hearing a woman’s voice calling my name while I was locked in the ship’s hold. I responded, but everyone around me insisted that no one had spoken my name. I realize now that it was Miss Ariane’s voice.”
Lord Petros seemed greatly interested in this sudden development. Toreasa, however, smiled knowingly.
“Aah, so you used a wind spirit?”
Ariane nodded. “Since I haven’t entered into a compact with a wind spirit, I’m only able to send my words about a dozen meters away.”
“Still, that you could get a moody wind spirit to assist you without entering into a compact is impressive indeed.”
Ariane flushed and averted her gaze.
So what I’d seen Ariane blowing from the palm of her hand was actually a wind spirit. It sounded like spirit magic allowed for radio-like communication.
“To think Gio was involved in the plot to kidnap Frani. I’m completely beside myself.” Petros let out a dramatic sigh, the grief plain on this face.
The older man stepped up from behind him and bowed low. “I am truly sorry for my failure to properly supervise my men. I have caused you all undue hardship. As commander of the knights, I, Herreid Ganconer, take full responsibility for what happened.”
The man wore his white hair brushed all the way back and had a mustache with the ends curled up. Despite his fervent attempt to take responsibility for the events, Lord Petros dismissed the comment
with a wave of his hand.
“You are not solely to blame for this, Herreid. It is also my fault for not having fully wrested control away from my father.”
Herreid revealed that, even though Gio had managed to escape in all the confusion earlier, the knights under his command had already discovered his hiding place.
“Was he just in it for money?”
“That was certainly a part of it, but it also seems that he wanted to bring safety back to the town by handing as many of the refugees as he could over to the merchants. However, the merchants took this even further and started abducting citizens as well.”
Come to think of it, Gio had expressed some negative sentiments toward the refugees.
From what we could gather, Frani had just happened to stumble across Vizio and others from Deoin Corp amid a transaction. Gio had sold her to the company as a means of keeping her quiet. Vizio, for his part, had been more than happy to buy a well-trained chambermaid for use as a slave. But it was thanks to their greed that she’d come out of this safe and sound.
“Do you plan to pursue this issue with the count? I know we’re talking about another kingdom, but the fact that a company licensed by Count Ornaut would engage in such barbarism is unconscionable.”
Petros shook his head, a grim smile on his face.
“We will notify Count Ornaut that we have arrested some men working for Deoin Corp with a falsified license. But I have no desire to squabble with foreign nobility. There’s also the fact that we boarded their ship without permission. The loss of the ship and its contents will be a heavy blow for them, but I doubt they’ll say anything about it. Not if they want to save face.”
Though Ariane’s spirit magic had provided us with the evidence we needed, we’d clearly overstepped our bounds by not following proper procedure. Then again, even if we had, it was highly unlikely they would have allowed us to search the vessel.
“I know this won’t make up for all the commotion we’ve caused, but I have an idea about what you can do for the growing refugee population here in Lamburt.”
Both Lord Petros and Herreid showed interest in my proposition.
I discussed the situation we’d encountered in the town of Branbayna on the way here. Initially, Ariane looked confused, but perked up as I continued speaking.
Viscount Skitts du Branbayna had lamented that there weren’t enough people to work the land that Carcy had helped make farmable. It probably wasn’t feasible to transport all of them en masse, but, at the very least, it could be a solution for both Lamburt and the refugees in need of a home.
“I didn’t think it would be possible to increase their population. But you say there’s an elf living there now? Perhaps I should pay a visit to the viscount to discuss the situation, to see what we can do about improving human-elf relations, and to invite him to join Princess Yuriarna’s faction.”
Lord Petros spoke aloud, seemingly to himself, as he mulled over my suggestion. Ariane’s face lit up as he spoke.
She stood from the sofa. “This Princess Yuriarna you speak of… Do you mean the member of the royal family?”
“Yes, the very same. The princess is one of the successors to the Rhoden Kingdom and is the only one interested in improving relations with your people. My father was a supporter of Prince Dakares, but, since marrying Toreasa, I have been considering putting my support behind Princess Yuriarna instead.”
Ariane listened with great interest. Meanwhile, I was busy trying to remember where I’d heard the name Yuriarna before. But I couldn’t quite place it. Figuring it wasn’t a productive train of thought, I put it aside for the time being.
Lord Petros promised to offer us any assistance he could in the future and gave us letters of introduction with his royal seal, along with two copper travel passes for Lamburt.
I imagined the letters would come in handy as human-elf relations continued improving, and the travel passes would allow us to travel more easily. I drew enough attention as it was…
Ariane interrupted my rambling thoughts with a sharp elbow in my side, bringing my attention back to the room. Apparently, they’d finished talking.
After saying our goodbyes to Lord Petros, Lady Toreasa, and Frani, we left Lamburt and used Transport Gate to return to the elven village of Lalatoya.
***
It was good to be back in the Great Canada Forest, home of the elves. Right in the middle of these massive trees and random monsters was the lone village of Lalatoya, Ariane’s hometown.
We’d made our way to a hill overlooking the port of Bulgoh. There, out of people’s line of sight, I used my teleportation magic. After a moment of darkness, the world around us came back into view, and we found ourselves in front of a familiar house.
It looked like a massive tree, but it was, in fact, one of the unique elven houses built seamlessly into the forest. This amalgamation with nature was the home of Lalatoya’s elder, who happened to also be Ariane’s father.
It typically would have been frowned upon for a human to enter an elven village at all, and even more so to teleport directly to one of the homes inside.
However, since I’d already received permission from Ariane’s father, it was easiest for me to teleport straight here, as it was the location I had the strongest impression of.
The massive foliage above glimmered in the light of the setting sun, casting rapidly darkening shadows on the house below. A soft glow emanated from the windows, cast off by the magical lanterns inside, and the smell of what I could only assume was dinner cooking caused a pang in my empty, nonexistent stomach.
Ponta let out a mewing noise as it sniffed the air from atop my head, also drawn in by the enticing aroma.
Ariane opened the large front doors, stepping inside her home without a moment’s hesitation.
We walked through the entrance hall and into a large, open room, at the center of which a massive pillar ran straight up into the ceiling. Walking along the outer perimeter took us to a stairwell. Halfway up, we ran into an older man coming down.
The man looked to be in his late twenties or, at most, early thirties. He had long, green-tinged blond hair, and was wearing the clothes of an elven cleric. This man was Dillan Tahg Lalatoya—Ariane’s father and the village elder.
Dillan’s face broke into a wide smile at the sight of his daughter.
“You two returned much quicker than I anticipated. How did you fare?”
Ariane explained the events in Lamburt, including what we’d learned of Toreasa.
“I see. Well, if she’s decided that she wishes to live among humans, then there’s nothing we can do about it. However, I’m deeply intrigued about this Princess Yuriarna. If the Rhoden Kingdom demands justice from us regarding the assassination you two were involved in, we should probably speak with her.”
Dillan looked over the documents we’d received from Lord Petros.
“Also, while we were on our way to Lamburt, we stopped by a town called Branbayna, where we found an elf named Carcy Held, a monster researcher.”
“Carcy Held? The one who wrote those bestiaries? He’s from Landfrea, if I remember. I heard he left Canada a long time ago. He’s in Branbayna now? I suppose we’d better report this to the high elders.”
Dillan’s eyes fell on me, a certain gravity in his gaze.
“Where are you off to next?”
“The last slaver left is a man known as Drassos du Barysimon. According to Chiyome, our next destination will be in the western empire, I guess?”
Ariane nodded in agreement, though Dillan simply frowned.
“Not only are the lands of the eastern and western empires vast, but I hear stories of unspeakable things happening to any elves found there. I know how strong you are, Ariane, but please, be careful.”
“I will be. Besides, I’ll have Arc with me. We should be able to handle whatever comes our way.”
Ariane gave my armor a light tap. Apparently, she thought quite highly of me. If I’d had cheeks, I may have blush
ed. I didn’t feel like I deserved such praise, but if my actions were enough to earn Ariane’s trust, then it was all worth it.
“Elder Dillan, I promise you that I will bring Ariane back to this village safe and sound…er, again.”
Ariane looked over at me, a smirk forming on her lips as she gazed into the depths of my helmet.
“So, I guess that means we won’t be getting lost anymore?”
Come to think of it, I had absolutely no idea how to get to the Revlon Empire. I tilted my head to the side as Ariane elbowed me.
My inability to find my way around was going to continue earning me mockery.
Chapter 3:
Harbinger of Doom
The Grand Duchy of Limbult was located on the Librout River, to the east of the Rhoden Kingdom.
The stark white Meinsoir palace towered over the duchy, stretching into the sky—an imposing symbol of power to the lands it controlled. Off in one of the immaculately decorated rooms overlooking Aldoria Bay sat several women, talking among themselves.
One of them perched daintily on a beautifully embroidered chair, brushing out her shimmering blonde hair in front of a large mirror. Her warm, brown eyes followed the movements of her chambermaid as she walked around the room behind her.
“How would you like to have your hair done, Miss Yuriarna?”
The chambermaid wore her own glistening, black hair up in a bun, her uniform barely concealing her figure beneath. Her eyes focused on the reflection of the woman in front of her.
Yuriarna turned her gaze ever so slightly to look at her chambermaid.
“Nothing too fancy. Can you do something mature and reserved, Ferna?”
“Absolutely.”
The woman brushing her hair in front of the mirror was the second princess of the neighboring Rhoden Kingdom, Yuriarna Merol Melissa Rhoden Olav. The woman now busily holding a selection of extravagant hair ornaments up to the princess’s hair and frowning back into the mirror was Ferna, Yuriarna’s long-time chambermaid and childhood friend.
“I think this one looks good.”
Ferna picked a polished silver hair clip in the shape of a flower petal and slid it into Yuriarna’s hair.